She Who Pays The Piper Calls The Tune

Image from PsychVamp who is just the sweetest person in the world.

If she was completely honest with herself, Yennefer didn't exactly know where she was. She remembered the battle, she remembered unleashing her Chaos on the army, she remembered fire, and she remembered burning, but one moment there was fire, and the next moment she was in a forest wandering around. Yennefer still had wounds, and her dress was in tatters. Her hands were a mess, and the fact that they didn't hurt despite the terrible burns was probably more worrying than if they did hurt.

So she wasn't entirely sure what was going on, which was the excuse Yennefer was going to use if anyone asked her how she managed to walk into a camp without even realizing it. One moment she was alone in the forest, and the next, half a dozen men were surrounding her. They wore familiar black armor, and Yennefer guessed that she must have somehow wandered into a Nilfgaard encampment that had managed to escape the slaughter. They were saying something to her, but she had no idea what. She didn't really care. The fire was right there in front of her, and she used it to end all of their lives. Her grip on her Chaos felt strange like it was falling through her fingers, and she decided that it was probably time to find somewhere to hide.

"Yennefer?" a broken voice said. Yennefer turned intending to end another life and blinked. A pair of familiar blue eyes stared back at her in torn and dirty clothes. He was thinner and covered in blood and bruises. His hands were tightly bound in front of him, and he looked like he was about to pass out.

"Jaskier," she said, and they stared at each other for what felt like a long time. It took a moment for her to put two and two together and realized that he must have been the prisoner of the men she had just killed. Yennefer limped over to him and hissed as she used her burnt hands to free his wrists. "What are you doing here?"

"They're looking for Geralt," Jaskier said, and he sounded like he spent the last week screaming. "And everyone on the continent knows that I know Geralt, so they decided to ask me. Too bad, I haven't seen him in almost half a year." Yennefer stared because that couldn't be right; Jaskier had spent roughly the last two decades following Geralt around, and suddenly he wasn't. She had questions, so many of them, but the world was beginning to darken around the edges. There wasn't any time for this, and she didn't want to think about what Geralt would say if he found out she left his bard bleeding and broken in enemy territory.

"Gather your things," Yennefer said as she pushed herself to her feet. She was shaking, but Jaskier seemed to understand that she wasn't kidding when she told him to move. His lute case was nearby along with a pack that he must have kept his things. Yennefer raised an eyebrow when Jaskier liberated one of the dead soldiers of his sword and belt along with his bow and quiver. He shrugged, and his hands were shaking too. Yennefer put a hand out to summon a portal to somewhere safe, and she nearly fell over. Jaskier was there, out of nowhere, and he didn't say anything as they leaned on each other. She didn't think she could stand platitudes from him of all people.

Yennefer managed to open the portal to somewhere that she thought was safe, and they began to stumble through it. Jaskier was just as weak as she was, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw him fall, but the world went dark, and she passed out.

+++

Yennefer became aware of burning next, which was annoying. She was sick of burning, and she didn't want to deal with the fire anymore. This time it felt like her entire body was on fire, and she just wanted to shred her skin. Someone was talking to her, and Yennefer vaguely recognized the voice as Geralt's bard Jaskier. She remembered the camp and bringing him with her through the portal. She remembered collapsing the second they were through, and now she was on fire. Yennefer moaned and struggled against her dress. She wanted it gone.

"I know, but I don't want you to kill me when you come to for undressing you," Jaskier said as he placed a cool cloth on her forehead. It felt divine.

"It's nothing you haven't seen before bard," Yennefer slurred as she opened her eyes. His face was blurry, and she could almost make out the blood and the bruises that still lined his skin. He was also too pale, but she didn't know what to do about that.

"Fuck it," Jaskier said, and his shaking fingers began to skillfully take off her dress. She laughed a little because, of course, he knew how to take off dresses like this. Jaskier swore a few times but finally managed to free her from her dress, and immediately Yennefer felt better. She also realized that they were lying on the floor, but considering the state of both of them, she wasn't that surprised. The very thin shift she wore did nothing to cover her, but Yennefer really didn't care right now. It was cooler, and that was all that mattered.

"Much better," Yennefer mumbled, and she felt Jaskier move, so her head was on something softer. She opened her eyes and realized that it was his lap.

"Just promise not to kill me when the fever breaks," he mumbled. Yennefer wanted to say something, but then Jaskier's shaking fingers began to run through her hair carefully. She couldn't remember the last time someone touched her so carefully. The cool cloth was replaced on her forehead, and Yennefer felt herself get pulled back to the darkness with Jaskier's fingers in her hair.

+++

The next time Yennefer woke up, it was sudden, and she didn't know what woke her. The fever had broken, and she didn't feel like she was on fire anymore, but something was very wrong. She blinked and realized that Jaskier wasn't moving. In fact, he was far too still for someone to even be sleeping. He had managed to prop himself up against a wall, but now he looked like he was about to fall over. Yennefer sat up, and the slight movement was enough that his body fell to the side, lifeless.

There were a lot of things she was going to deny about this day, and the fact that she immediately panicked was going to be one of them.

It hurt more than anything to pull Jaskier away from the wall, so he was lying flat on his back. She pressed her ear to his chest, and she could hear a heartbeat, but it was faint. Yennefer reached up and realized that he wasn't breathing. She remembered a little about healing that didn't contain potions from Triss, and giving someone breath was one of them. Her Chaos wasn't there, she could feel it, but anytime Yennefer reached it for it it slipped away from her. It hurt her hands, but she pinched his nose and tried to breathe life back into him. Yennefer slammed a fist into his chest and gritted her teeth.

"Come on, Jaskier," she said. "You don't get to die here under my watch. Not like this." It felt like a lifetime later, but Jaskier's eyes flew open, and he coughed as he finally took a breath. Yennefer fell to the ground next to him, so they were side by side on the floor. It felt like she just ran up a flight of stairs. "You're not allowed to die."

"I apologize for almost inconveniencing you," Jaskier managed to say. Yennefer looked over to glare at him, but Jaskier was grinning like an idiot, and she couldn't help but grin back.

+++

It took several long hours for either of them to have the strength to stand up and actually move around the small cottage that Yennefer had portaled them to. It wasn't one of her more lavish safehouses but it was the closest one, and it was the one that felt safe at that moment. She finally got a better look at her own wounds. Her hands were severely burned, and moving or touching anything was extremely painful. She had a deep wound on her side and plenty of cuts and bruises. There was some salve, and Jaskier insisted that of the two of them, her hands were the ones that needed binding.

In the light, she could now see that Nilfgaard had clearly tortured him. All of his fingernails were missing, and every inch of him was covered in cuts and bruises. Jaskier drank water and ate food like he hadn't seen it in years, but his voice concerned her. It sounded like he'd spent the last week or longer screaming, and it sounded terrible. There were a few potions in the house, but what he needed was a healer.

"Going into town isn't exactly an option for me," Jaskier said after a week. "I'm too well known, and it sounds like Nilfgaard has warrants out for my arrest. That means mercenaries and bounty hunters."

"I should be able to help but--" Yennefer cut herself off and stared at the floor. She hadn't talked about not being able to use her Chaos in front of him because it made her feel weak, and she refused to be weak in front of anyone.

"You saved my life," Jaskier said softly. "Not just when you wandered into that camp but again when I stopped breathing. You could have given up on me, but you didn't. You've done plenty, Yennefer." Her head snapped up, and she stared at him. It was strange the way he sat there and didn't expect more from her. That was what all humans, and even more so men, wanted from her. They wanted more of her body; they wanted more gold; they wanted more youth; they always demanded more. Yet Jaskier was sitting in her room and saying that she did enough even if she couldn't save his voice. Yennefer didn't know what to do with that.

+++

The salves and the potions were helping both of their hands heal, and the first time Jaskier picked up the bow and quiver that he stole from the soldier outside, she was a little confused. Yennefer followed him out as he began to set up various small targets on the surrounding trees with the remains of the torn and dirty clothes that she found him in.

"Are you looking to learn to shoot, little lark?" Yennefer asked, amused at the thought of Geralt bard firing any sort of weapon. She crossed her arms, mindful of her own bandages, and raised her eyebrows at him. Jaskier walked back to the bow with a smirk that said that he knew something that she didn't.

"Something like that," he said, and before Yennefer could make another snarky comment, Jaskier picked up the bow, notched an arrow, and fired an arrow, perfectly hitting one of the small targets. His movements were graceful much in the way he looked when he was moving throughout a tavern or courts the few times she'd seen him play. Jaskier turned and smirked at her. "I think I've got it handled."

"Oh no," Yennefer said loudly. "You don't get to do that and not provide an explanation. I was under the impression that you couldn't fight, and judging from the way the Witcher always ran to your defense, he was too. Are you saying you could?"

"I have certain skills," Jaskier said, which wasn't an answer at all, and Yennefer turned the full force of her glare on him. Even though she couldn't connect to her Chaos, he put his hands up in surrender even though he was still smiling. "All right, all right, well, at you can probably guess I'm noble. My real name is Julian Alfred Pankratz, and I was damn near the Viscount de Lettenhove. However, that wasn't the life for me, so I left and traveled and studied. I was trained, however, as all young nobles are."

"So you can fight," Yennefer said as she stared at him and realized for the first time that she didn't know much about Jaskier. She also wondered if Geralt really knew anything about the man that he had traveled with for so many years.

"I'm decent with a bow and a sword if I need to be," Jaskier said. "That doesn't mean I like fighting, though. One of the reasons the Nilfgaardians beat me so thoroughly is that I put a dagger through the eye of one of their friends."

"You remain far more interesting than you have any right to be," Yennefer said as she turned and walked back into the cottage. She could hear Jaskier sputtered with indignation behind her, and Yennefer smiled a little to herself.

+++

A month went by, and Yennefer still couldn't connect with her Chaos. She wasn't panicking about it just yet, but it was beginning to annoy her. She was lying down in the sitting room of the cottage as she contemplated her next move. The sitting room was a place with several large floor pillows laid about, and somewhere she could work on her potions or spellcasting. It was peaceful, and she usually liked this room. Right now, the room was just a reminder that her Chaos was there, and she just couldn't grab it. Yennefer didn't know what she was missing, but she couldn't hide here forever.

Jaskier strolled into the room around lunchtime and fell back on the pillows opposite the direction that Yennefer was facing. He didn't say anything, which wasn't as strange as Yennefer thought it would have been a month ago. Jaskier seemed to know when silence was really needed, and right now, she needed silence. Yennefer turned and saw that he wasn't that far away from her. The bruises were all faded now, and his voice was better but still not completely healed. He was surprisingly good company for these last few weeks. He helped with her potions when he could. He went out into the woods and caught them food. They shared the single bed in the cottage, and he never once made a move to touch her despite his reputation.

"Jaskier," Yennefer said as he turned so he could look at her. It was so strange to meet someone who both at once expressed all of their emotions and none at all. She realized, very early on, that Jaskier could speak for hours and tell you nothing at all. That the emotions he wore on his sleeve were deliberate, and he was meticulous about making sure to keep the ones he didn't want people to see carefully hidden. "What will you do when we leave here?"

"I'm not sure," he replied, and he frowned. "Go into hiding maybe or keep running north and hope that Nilfgaard doesn't catch up with me." Yennefer frowned deeply, and Jaskier raised both of his eyebrows. "And that was clearly the wrong answer."

"I didn't save your life twice only for you to throw it away," she snapped, and Yennefer shifted, so they were closer now despite lying in different directions. Yennefer could see how blue his eyes were from here, and when she licked her lips, she watched him follow the movement carefully. "You aren't completely terrible company."

"Why Yennefer what a kind thing for you to say," Jaskier deadpanned, but his eyes were shining.

"Not totally useless either," she said as she moved closer until there was only a breath between them. Yennefer could tell that Jaskier was about to make another smart comment, and she didn't want to hear it right now. She closed the gap between them and kissed him. It was a little strange because he was essentially upside down, but Jaskier's lips were soft, and he made no move to do anything move than exchange some frankly chaste kisses with her. Yennefer pulled away and watched him carefully. It was like they were both waiting, but if there was one thing Yennefer grew to know about Jaskier in the last month was that he understood about the power imbalance between them and accepted it. It made her think that maybe he did have a hint of survival instinct despite what Geralt used to grumble.

So Yennefer knew if anything else was going to happen, it had to be on her terms. If she didn't say anything about that kiss, she knew Jaskier wouldn't either. He still wouldn't touch her when they shared a bed that night, and the reality of how domestic all of this had become was dawned on her. This was as close to a normal life as she ever had, and she had it with Jaskier of all people. The man who carefully applied salve to the burns on her hands and kept them wrapped, so they healed properly. The bandages were gone now because he insisted that she take of herself.

Yennefer pushed herself to her feet and walked around the pile of pillows without ever breaking eye contact with Jaskier. He looked so open and inviting as he lay there, so ripe for the taking, and Yennefer wondered how Geralt could have possibly resisted him for two decades. She wasn't even making it two months. Yennefer hiked up the skirts of her dress and straddled his hips. Those talented hands moved to her waist, and she leaned forward until they were nearly nose to nose. This Jaskier didn't wait for her to close to the distance between them; he met her halfway.

There was nothing chaste about this kiss. This was the kiss of a man that knew how to use his tongue for much more pleasurable things that Yennefer was absolutely going to take advantage of at some point. He let her pin him down, but he wasn't submissive. While Geralt was like a puzzle piece falling into place, Jaskier felt more like a duel that she was determined to win. He would push, and she would pull, but everything with Geralt was intensely passionate. There was something about this that felt lighter. When Jaskier broke their kiss to move to her neck, Yennefer laughed, and she couldn't remember the last time she laughed while lying with a man.

"I'm not sure if that laugh is good or bad for me," he said, and Yennefer noticed that he very deliberately didn't suck a bruise into her skin. Good, he wasn't the one who was going to do any marking.

"Keep going, and maybe you'll find out," Yennefer said as she pulled him into another kiss. Jaskier sat up and pulled her closer more firmly into his lap. She could feel how hard he was just from kissing her.

"I'm fairly sure the lady was complimenting just a few moments ago," Jaskier said between kisses as he slipped his hands beneath her skirts and began to trail them up her thighs. His hands were rough, and she shivered.

"Was I now," Yennefer said as she moved to his neck and bit down hard enough that Jaskier's entire body jerked. She pushed his open doublet off his shoulders and tossed it aside as she admired the bruise that was already beginning to darken his pale skin.

"Perhaps she was even about to ask me to travel with her," Jasker said against her lips as he got his hands under her dress. She wished she could take the damn thing off, but there would time for that later. She hadn't slept with anyone since the Dragon Hunt, and she wanted him right now.

"Fuck me, Jaskier," Yennefer said as she looked into his clear blue eyes. "And depending on how good you are, I might consider allowing you to stay in my presence a little longer." Jaskier blinked once, twice, and then they were both scrambling. Yennefer pulled off her small clothes and tossed them aside, and she expected Jaskier to get on with it. Instead, he pulled her back down to him and put those talented fingers to use. She was beginning to understand why so many women fell into bed with this man because if this was what his fingers could do, she couldn't imagine what his mouth was like.

Maybe it was because it had been over half a year since she had been with anyone, or maybe Jaskier was that good, but it took him almost no time at all to bring her to orgasm. Yennefer had to kiss him as they both struggled to get his pants open and down just far enough that his cock was free. And when he pushed inside of her, it felt good; it felt so good, Yennefer knew that once wasn't going to be enough for her with this man. He was addictive, and she already wanted more. She wanted more skin, she wanted to touch the hair she could see peeking out from his shirt, she wanted to see all of him.

It didn't take long for them to find their rhythm or for Jaskier to angle his hips so that he was hitting the spot that made her see stars. Yennefer threw her head back and let Jaskier kiss along her neck, but she could tell he was still not marking her skin. She wrapped her arms tightly around him as Jaskier slipped a hand beneath her dress to touch her. Yennefer was rather impressed; no man since Geralt had made her come twice this quickly, yet here they were. She kissed him, hard, and pulled on his hair just hard enough to be a little painful as he came not long after.

Yennefer wasn't sure how long they stayed wrapped up in each other exchanging long and deep kisses, but it was nice. It was an indulgence Yennefer didn't get very often, and she was going to take advance of it here and now. So she didn't fight when Jaskier slipped out of her and rolled the two of them over, so he was looking down at her. He stared at her and said nothing for what felt like a long time, and Yennefer wasn't entirely sure what was going on. Jaskier carefully tucked himself back into his pants and slipped her smallclothes back over her legs. She wondered if he was going to pretend this never happened and how she would feel about that. Instead, Jaskier surprised her by settling down in the pillows and giving her a long and deep kiss.

"Well, my lady, am I allowed to remain in your presence a little longer?" he asked. Jaskier was smirking, but there was something behind the question. He was hiding his true intentions, hiding something from her, and she didn't know what it was. Now, however, didn't feel like the time to ask him about it. Yennefer reached forward and brushed some of his hair out of his eyes.

"As I said, I didn't save your life twice for you to throw it away, so it stands to reason the safest place for you is with me," she said. "So when I leave, you're coming with me." Jaskier's smile seemed to light up the entire room.

+++

The next week that Yennefer spent sharing a bed with Jaskier was a much more active one than the previous month. She was right that his mouth was incredibly talented, and she even told him that she needed to find the woman that taught him how to do that to thank her. Jaskier threw his head back and laughed that genuine laugh of his and told her that he would get right on that if that was what she wanted. This thing between them was simple, easy, as they both continued to heal from their wounds. Jaskier's fingernails all grew back so he could play the lute again, but his voice still needed more than she could give. The burns on her hands were turning into scars, but she still couldn't touch her Chaos. It was there, Yennefer could feel it, she just couldn't make it do what she wanted.

Jaskier was kissing along her neck, still going out of his way never to bruise her even as she continued to leave her marks on him, but he did gently bite down on her earlobe. Yennefer arched against him and wanted to take this further when she felt the wards around the cottage shake, and she felt them shatter. Yennefer gasped, and Jaskier pulled away from her immediately.

"The wards," Yennefer whispered.

"Someone's found us," he said, and she nodded. They both stared at each other for a breath until they scrambled out of bed. Jaskier found the bow and sword that he stole from the campsite and took them in hand. She hadn't seen him practice much with the sword, but he looked confident enough with it in his hands.

"If you come out peacefully, no one has to get hurt," a voice called out. They looked through the small window and saw a dozen Nilfgaardian soldiers waiting for them, but Yennefer didn't see any mages. Not that it made much of a difference right now since she couldn't access her powers. Yennefer threw one of the closets open and found a sword that looked like it could kill a man if need be just as Jaskier opened the back door and crept out. He put down his sword and pulled out the bow and notched an arrow. Yennefer was impressed the way he quickly stepped out, fired the arrow, and stepped back into cover. Someone cried out in pain and made a gurgling noise.

"You know your orders!" the commander yelled. Jaskier moved out of cover again and began to fire several arrows in quick succession until they were all gone. He tossed the bow to the side, picked up the sword, and soldiers were upon them. Yennefer knew how to fight, but she wasn't used to working around the new scar tissue on her hands, and back then, she knew she had her Chaos to help her. Now all she had was a slightly dull blade. She bared her teeth at the men and refused to go down without a fight.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Jaskier fight. He was graceful with a sword the same way he was with a bow and his lute. He immediately began to fight the commander, but it was clear it was outmatched very quickly. The commander backhanded him, and she watched Jaskier spit blood onto the ground, smile a bloody smile, and continue to fight. Yennefer refused to back down as she picked up the sword of a fallen man and began to fight with two blades. The number of soldiers was starting to dwindle, and for half a moment, she thought perhaps they were going to make it out of this.

Jaskier crying out in pain was the distraction the soldiers needed to overwhelm her. They knocked the blades from her hands and forced her to her knees as the commander took Jaskier by the hair and put the sword to his throat.

"Get the cuffs on her before she burns us all alive," the commander snapped. Yennefer was about to tell him he'd be lucky if she didn't tear his limb from as he knocked the hilt of his sword into Jaskier's temple. He crumbled to the ground, unconscious, and Yennefer nearly screamed in anger. She tried to fight as someone pulled out metal cuffs, and the next thing she felt was pain and darkness.

+++

Yennefer slowly came to and realized that she was lying on the stone floor of a cell. She looked at her wrists and could feel the dimeritium in the metal suppressing her Chaos even if she couldn't control it right now. She groaned and pushed herself to sit up. She was on a bench while Jaskier was on the ground, his hands locked in metal cuffs, and he appeared to be unconscious still. Yennefer felt a little dizzy, but she knelt down and gently shook him. Jaskier groaned and slowly opened his eyes.

"Why do people keep knocking me the fuck out?" he asked, and Yennefer huffed a laughed as he blinked several times as if clearing his vision.

"Because they don't want to hear to you talk, obviously," she deadpanned, and he frowned as she helped him sit up.

"Rude, rude and hurtful," Jaskier said as he looked around. He opened his mouth to ask her something when they heard people coming down the hallway. Yennefer moved away from Jaskier and centered herself. She was made of stone, and these men would not hurt her. No one would ever hurt her. The commander from earlier walked in flanked by two soldiers, and he smirked when he saw the two of them awake.

"Oh good, I was hoping I didn't do any permanent damage," he said. "Now, I'm assuming since you two chose to fight, you won't make this easy. You, madam sorceress, we know all about you. We know we won't get any information out of you." The commander turned his attention to Jaskier and smirked. "The bard, on the other hand." The commander nodded, and the two soldiers yanked Jaskier to his feet. He struggled, but one of the soldiers punched Jaskier hard enough that he nearly lost his breath. "Tell me, madam sorceress, what is he to you?"

"Excuse me?" Yennefer asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"The bard, what is he to you? We know he traveled with the Witcher for many years, but we were surprised to find the two of you together. What is he to you?" the commander asked. Yennefer blinked as she stared at this man and reminded herself that she was made of stone. That anything she said would be seen as weakness.

"He means nothing to me," she said, and Yennefer did her best to ignore the way she saw Jaskier wince like he was physically hit.

"Is that so," the commander said. He took Jaskier by the hair and yanked his head to the side to show the fresh bruise on his throat that she had left just a day earlier. Yennefer inwardly swore to herself; she shouldn't have left any evidence. "Care you change your answer?"

"No," Yennefer said. "He's a good fuck and not much else. He means nothing to me." The commander nodded as he looked as Jaskier like he was a thing and not a person. Yennefer knew that look all too well, and she hated it more than anything.

"Very well, if he lady doesn't care, let's find out what he knows," the commander said, and Yennefer did her best not to react as they dragged Jaskier away. She didn't want to listen to this, but Yennefer also knew that by denying him, she was letting this happen, so she had to listen. It appeared that the commander didn't believe her when she said that Jaskier didn't mean anything to her because he stayed close enough that she could hear everything.

Yennefer heard them ask about Geralt and where he was. They asked about the Princess and where she was. They asked where they were going and where they were. They asked Geralt's weaknesses and places he could be hiding. Jaskier responded to every question by swearing at the men in every language and then some. He was creative, and he just kept telling them to fuck off no matter how many times they asked and how many times Yennefer could hear them beating him. He was too loyal to the Witcher, and it was going to get him killed.

The commander changed tactics and began to ask about her. Yennefer felt her blood run cold; he asked about her Chaos and why she hadn't used it when they attacked. He asked about her weaknesses and what they could use against her. If she had friends or someone that they could use as leverage. In the past month, Yennefer had shared a lot with Jaskier, and he knew enough about her to be dangerous. He could probably tell them enough about her to earn his freedom and save his own life.

Yet he responded to their questions about her with more manic laughter and swearing. Jaskier didn't answer a single question about her, and Yennefer didn't know what to do about that. He was showing the same loyalty to her, someone he barely knew, that he showed to Geralt. Yennefer sat in the cell, stunned, as she listened to Jaskier take a beating to protect her secrets. He didn't breathe a word, no matter how many times they hit him.

Jaskier was bruised and bloody by the time they dragged him back to the cell and dumped him on the floor. Yennefer watched him as he seemed to breathe through the pain, and she didn't know what to say to him.

"Jaskier--"

"I didn't tell them anything," Jaskier said. "And I won't tell them anything, don't worry. I can handle whatever they throw at me. I'll keep your secrets, Yennefer."

"Thank you," she whispered. Jaskier said nothing as he curled up on the floor of the cell and eventually fell asleep. He looked so much like the broken boy that she found over a month ago in that camp. She remembered forcing air into his lungs and telling him that he wasn't allowed to die on her watch. Yennefer hadn't made a promise to keep him alive at the time, but it felt like one, and she was failing.

+++

She must have fallen asleep at one point because the next thing she realized was that the commander was walking down the hallway, but he only had one soldier this time and a woman. Yennefer tensed because this woman wasn't someone she recognized, but she knew a mage when she saw one. Jaskier woke up as soon as the door to the cell opened, and the commander yanked him to his feet. The mage looked bored as she looked between the two of them.

"So he gave you nothing yesterday?" she asked.

"Just swore at us," the commander said.

"Well," the mage said. "I have a much neater way of getting the truth out of people." She reached forward to touch two fingers to Jaskier's temple, and Yennefer was on her feet in seconds. She knew what was about to happen, but the soldier put himself between her, the mage, and Jaskier. His blue eyes were wide with fear as the mage touched his temple. Jaskier winced and let out one of the most horrifyingly painful screams that Yennefer had heard in a long time. It sounded like he was dying, and she didn't know how anyone could listen to it. The mage didn't seem to care as she kept going through his mind like she wasn't killing him. Yennefer tried to get over to them to make it stop, she couldn't listen to this, but the soldier held her back.

It felt like a lifetime before the mage pulled away, and Jaskier slumped in the arms of the commander who even looked a little pale by what he witnessed. The mage, however, was looking at Jaskier like he was a fascinating experiment she wouldn't wait to take apart piece by piece.

"What did you learn, my lady?" the commander asked.

"Oh, so much," the mage said. "He hasn't seen the Witcher in over half a year, though, but he still holds so much loyalty to that creature. He doesn't know where he is but wouldn't even tell us that much because he might be a little in love with the mutant. The last time he saw the Witcher told him that if he could have one blessing, it would be to take this bard off of his hands so the Witcher couldn't care less about this boy. He also knows the Princess. He was at the betrothal where the Witcher claimed the Law of Surprise and went back at least once a year to see the girl. She, apparently, likes his silly songs. He wants to make sure she's safe and doesn't want us to get our hands on her." The mage smirked as she knelt in front of Jaskier, who was barely able to keep his head up. "You care about Yennefer here, but you know it's one-sided, but even then, you keep all of her secrets to yourself. The Witcher tied Yennefer and himself together through destiny, and this boy knows he has no place in it, yet he remains loyal to both of them."

"So what use is he then?" the commander asked.

"Not much I'm afraid," the mage said as she stood up. "The Witcher loves this woman and will come for her; she will be useful, but the boy isn't worth anything. No one will come looking for him; no one will miss him; he has no place here. Kill him." Jaskier's eyes suddenly went wide as he began to frantically struggle against the commander who pulled out a knife and put it to Jaskier's throat.

"No," Yennefer hissed as a wave of anger purer than anything she had ever felt washed over her. Her Chaos there, she could feel it were it not for the damn cuffs, and it felt like Sodden Hill all over again. It felt like she was inches away from burning the entire world down. "He is mine."

"I thought he meant nothing to you," the commander said as he pressed the blade hard enough to Jaskier's throat to draw blood, and Yennefer swore she nearly saw red.

"I said he is mine," she said, and the mage, for the first time, looked a little worried.

"Commander," she said. "Perhaps we should spare the boy for now. If it keeps her more compliant, then it would be in our best interests to spare him. At least for now." The commander narrowed his eyes and threw Jaskier to the ground. He stormed out of the cell as the soldier followed and locked the door. The mage watched her as the door closed. "You've saved his life four times now, Yennefer. I assure you; there won't be a fifth." The mage walked away, and Yennefer dropped to her knees.

"Jaskier, are you all right? I didn't mean what I said--"

"Yennefer--"

"--I thought it would be best if they didn't know anything--"

"Yennefer," Jaskier said as he leaned on the ground, blood dripping onto the stone. "If you could get out of the cuffs, could you get us out of here?"

"What? Yes, I can feel my Chaos again, I did the moment they threatened to kill you," Yennefer said. "I know you've been hiding skills from me, little lark, but the ability to bend metal cannot be one of them."

"It isn't," Jaskier said as he moved and revealed a set of keys in his hand. "but pickpocketing is, and we have roughly fifteen seconds before that asshole notices I stole his keys." There was a scream of outrage from nearby, and Jaskier grinned a bloody grin. "Or sooner." He quickly unlocked her restraints, and just as the commander walked into view, Yennefer felt her power flow through her veins. She smiled, death on her lips, and vowed to leave no one alive.

Yennefer blew the door of the cell off of its hinges and used it to crush the commander and two of his men to death against the wall. She quickly killed the first wave of soldiers that came for her as she bared her teeth and refused to let them spill any more blood.

"Is it weird that I found that incredibly attractive and also terrifying?" Jaskier said from the cell, and Yennefer turned to glare at him. He smiled, and his teeth were still stained red. She freed him from his chains, and Jaskier picked up the blade of one of the fallen soldiers as they walked out of the small keep. "I know you don't need it, but I'll watch your back." He was right, she didn't need the help, but it was nice to have someone there regardless.

The mage was waiting for them as they exited the keep, and she snarled like she stood a chance. She was about to use her power on the woman when a knife hit the mage's shoulder and knocked her down. Yennefer looked over her shoulder as Jaskier, who had never looked deadlier than at that moment. Yennefer knelt down next to the mage and smiled.

"You hurt him," Yennefer said. "Do you know what you did to him? Do you know what it felt like? It's what I'm going to do you until you can't take it anymore or until he tells me you've suffered enough." The mage was going to beg, but Yennefer didn't give her a chance. She dove into the woman's memories and gathered so much information about Nilfgaard and where they were planning on going next, who they thought was alive, Fringilla's troop movements. She could vaguely hear the woman screaming.

"Yennefer," Jaskier said, and she broke the connection. There was no one left alive around them and the mage, she was alive, but she wouldn't ever speak or move again. She would live if someone found her and Yennefer didn't think that was very likely. "Let's go."

"There's nothing left here," she said and opened a portal back to their small house. The soldiers hadn't destroyed too much of it, and it went deadly silent when the portal closed behind them. It wasn't safe here, they both knew that, but Yennefer didn't really care about that right now. Jaskier stood before her covered in bruises and blood, again, protecting Geralt's secrets and her secrets and willing to die for both of them, and neither of them were worthy of this loyalty.

Yennefer yanked Jaskier down into a bruising kiss and could taste the blood on his lips, and she didn't care, she didn't care, she wanted him so much right now. She heard the stolen sword drop to the floor as Jaskier pulled her close to him, but he hissed when she pulled on a wound. It pulled Yennefer back to reality, and she remembered that she had her powers again. She could heal him. Yennefer broke the kiss and looked into his eyes.

"I can heal you," she said.

"It's just cuts and bruises; I'll be fine, you should save your energy," Jaskier said.

"No, I can heal you," Yennefer said as she touched his throat. Jaskier blinked and went a little pale as he stared at her. He trusted her enough to guide him to the bed and help him lie down. Yennefer sat down next to him and put both of his hands on his throat. She could feel it now, the damage, the damage that wouldn't ever heal naturally. Yennefer leaned forward and pressed her forehead to his and closed her eyes. If she could, she would have healed the cuts and the bruises, but this was the most important thing; she needed to give Jaskier his voice back. Yennefer felt the moment his voice was healed, and they both released a breath at the same time. She opened her eyes, and Jaskier was staring at her as a single tear escaped from one of his eyes.

"Thank you," he whispered. They stayed like that, pressed close, for longer than it was probably safe to, but they both seemed to need it. They shared a bath and washed the blood from his skin and the dirt from hers. Jaskier changed into a forest green doublet and pants that she genuinely thought he looked rather dashing in. The bow was still outside, and he said it would be wise to pick up some arrows at the next town. The swordbelt that he stole from the campsite was still there, and Jaskier was looking at the stolen blade with a frown.

"What's wrong?" Yennefer asked.

"Oh, you know me, Yen," he said, and Yennefer startled because that was the first time he ever used a nickname on her. "I'm all about pretty things, and there isn't anything pretty about a Nilfgaardian blade. Maybe I can trade it for something else in another town, but that'll probably attract all sorts of attention."

"May I?" Yennefer asked, and he handed the blade over to her. Yennefer set it down on the table and looked it over. It was very much a Nilfgaardian blade with their sun engraved near the hilt and another sun on the pommel. The swordbelt was black leather, that was fine, and the bow was just wood and nothing anyone would look at, but this blade was obviously stolen. It would attract attention, so it needed to be changed. Yennefer put her hands over the blade and closed her eyes. She could feel the pieces of the sword moving to her will; she envisioned exactly what wanted on the blade and on the pommel, and what the sword would look like. Yennefer heard Jaskier suck in a breath next to her, and when she opened her eyes, the sword was done.

The Nilfgaardian sun was gone, and now the sword had a combination of lilacs and buttercups on the blade and the pommel. The leather was white now, much more suited to the bard than black though it would be hard to keep clean, and he was staring.

"Lilacs and buttercups," he whispered, and he stared at her like he couldn't believe she was real. Yennefer pulled him forward by his open doublet and smiled.

"What did you think I meant when I said you were mine?" Yennefer said with a smirk. Jaskier grinned, and they kissed. She wanted to take him to bed, but this place wasn't safe, and they needed to go. Yennefer gathered her pack and frowned as she realized that she wasn't exactly sure where they should go.

"North," Jaskier said, and she looked at him. He pressed his lips together and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. "The Nilfgaardians said that Geralt and the Princess were spotted heading North."

"You think we should go find our idiot Witcher," Yennefer said.

"Well, he does owe us apologies if nothing else," Jaskier said with a smile. Yennefer thought about that unwavering loyalty even after Geralt said such horrible things to Jaskier. She thought about being worthy of that loyalty and how he refused to give up her secrets. She thought about how Jaskier was clearly in love with Geralt still, and she knew that she felt something as well. She thought about how important that sunny smile became to her in the short time they had spent together in this cottage.

"North it is," Yennefer said as she opened a portal. "Let's go find our idiot Witcher."