The Production of Sacred Things

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

Eskel arrived at Ard Carraigh intending to pick up the last of the supplies he would need to make the trek to Kaer Morhen for the winter. It was already a strange year with the war in the south, and Eskel honestly had no idea what to expect from this season. For all, they knew the world was going to look vastly different when they came down from the mountain once the snow melted. There were also a lot of rumors about Geralt and the part he was playing in this war that Eskel was trying not to think about. If there was anyone who could figure out a way to get home, it was Geralt. He just hoped Geralt managed to do it.

He did his shopping and kept his head down. The people of Ard Carraigh were a little more used to Witchers because they were so close to Kaer Morhen, but that didn't mean he didn't get some dirty looks as he got his supplies. Eskel did his best to ignore them and anyone who was trying to get a better look at his face. He was tired after a long season of hunting, and the idea of settling down for the winter before tackling a wartorn continent sounded nice. The wars always brought out more ghouls and wraiths as people were slaughtered. It was good business for a Witcher, but that didn't mean he was looking forward to it. Right now, he just wanted a meal and somewhere to sleep, and the smaller inn on the edge of town was usually the place he liked to go. They didn't tend to have a lot of people, and they wouldn't turn their nose up at their coin. Eskel pushed the door to the tavern open with every intention of settling down for the night and froze.

The tavern wasn't busy, but the two people sitting at the table stood out to him immediately. They were staring at him, and they seemed to be waiting for someone, maybe even him, to walk through the door. The man looked to be in his late twenties to early thirties with dark brown hair and some of the brightest blue eyes that Eskel had ever seen. He wore a dark blue doublet and fitted clothes underneath his traveling cloak, and Eskel could see a lute case nearby with a sword and a bow and arrow. The woman was even more striking in her dark furs, raven black hair, and bright purple eyes. They were sitting close to each other, but they weren't entirely leaning into each other, either. He knew both of these people based on drunken stories told around fires during the winter, and judging by the way they both smiled; he had a feeling they both knew who he was too.

Eskel wasn't about to show fear to anyone, and he walked across the room to take the empty seat across from the two of them and stared them both down.

"I know who you both are," he said. "My brother has mentioned both of you to me over the years. You must be Jaskier, the bard," he said to the man, "and you must be Yennefer of Vengerberg."

"And you must be Eskel judging by the way you didn't sit down and start swearing at us," Jaskier said with a bright smile that was a little discerning. When Eskel raised an eyebrow because that was not usually the descriptor people used when they described him, Jaskier shrugged. "It was like pulling teeth, but I did get some information about you lot from Geralt. It just took many, many years."

"Pleasure to meet you," Yennefer said, and there was a sharp edge to her smile that Eskel didn't like. He didn't trust sorceresses, and Geralt said that Yennefer often seemed keen to be out for her own power rather than the greater good. He didn't quite know what to make of the two of them sitting here like this.

"So is my brother waiting in the backroom or something?" Eskel asked.

"Not even a little," Jaskier said, and that smile faltered a little. "I haven't seen your brother for almost a year."

"It's been some time for me as well," Yennefer said. "That's actually why we're here and why we were waiting for you." Eskel didn't like the sound of that, and he crossed his arms as he sat back in his seat, wondering if he should cut his losses and make for the woods now.

"You were waiting for me," he said.

"Not you specifically," Jaskier said with a wave of his hand. "It's a terribly long and dramatic story, so how about this. Yennefer and I will provide you with all of the ale and food you can drink and eat while we tell you why we're here."

"Once you listen to us and eat and drink however much you want," Yennefer said, easily picking up Jaskier's line of conversation. "There is a room here under our name for you to sleep as well."

"Why are you doing this?" Eskel asked, not trusting this generosity from these two even if they were people that Geralt would talk about fondly.

"You'll understand once we get there," Yennefer said. "We're offering you free food, drink, and a bed. Are you willing to turn that down, so you don't have to have a conversation with us?" Eskel knew the value of talking to people like these two, but he also knew that listening couldn't cause any harm, at least not at this stage.

"You know how much a Witcher can eat and drink?" he asked, and both of them smirked at the exact same time. It was almost eerie.

"We are well aware," Jaskier said, and he gestured to the barmaid to come over to them.

+++

To say that the story was long and dramatic turned out to be something of an understatement. It turned out that Geralt had left out a lot of details when it came to these two and what kind of adventures he got up to with these two involved. He learned about Jaskier and how long ago Geralt had known this young man and hadn't bothered to ever invite him to winter with them, which was a little weird. Jaskier told Eskel about the night in Cintra and the fact that Geralt had a Child Surprise, which Eskel knew was news to him and anyone else up at Kaer Morhen. He could only imagine the kind of tongue lashing Geralt would get from Vesemir for trying to accept something other than coin for saving someone's life. Now that Child Surprise was one of the most wanted people on the entire continent, but Jaskier breezed by that detail. Apparently, they were going to come back to that later.

Eskel wanted to smack his forehead when he heard about Geralt thinking of using a djinn to cure the fact that he couldn't sleep and how that backfired. Jaskier went a little pale when he talked about choking on his own blood, and Eskel didn't miss the way that Yennefer moved a little closer to him, so their shoulders were touching.

That story was how Geralt and Yennefer had met. The three of them had touched base over several years until a hunt for a dragon went terribly for all three of them. Yennefer looked furious as she explained a wish that took away her choice as to whether or not she wanted Geralt in her life and whether she could trust anything between them. Jaskier talked about Geralt blaming him for everything bad that had ever happened in his life, and Eskel didn't miss the way the bard still smelled a little like heartbreak as he spoke about that fight. Neither of them had seen Geralt since that day.

Nilfgaard invaded, and Jaskier described being in a tavern not far from Cintra when they took him prisoner. He tried to tell them that he didn't know where Geralt was, but they beat him senseless nevertheless. Jaskier looked at his hands as he talked about having every single one of his fingernails pulled out as they demanded to know where Geralt was, and he couldn't tell them ["I wouldn't tell them," he insisted] where he was.

At the same time, Yennefer explained the battle on Sodden Hill which Eskel knew about but didn't know he was sitting with the mage that turned the tide of that battle. She talked about walking through that forest, half-burnt and confused and alone until she found Jaskier and saved his life. Eskel watched as they leaned a little closer to each other as they described recovering in a small cottage until they were found by Nilfgaard again and only just managed to escape due to Jaskier's quick fingers. Now that he looked, Eskel could see the remains of bruises on Jaskier's face from the beating that he must have taken when they tried to get Geralt's location out of him.

"They said the last place he was seen was heading north," Jaskier said many hours and cups of ale later though none of them were drunk at least not yet. "And it sounded like he found the princess. I could only think of one place that Geralt would go that was north that would be safe for him and the princess, and that was Kaer Morhen. This seemed like a logical place to stock up on supplies before heading up, so we decided to wait here."

"You're waiting for Geralt to come by then," Eskel said, which made more sense than them waiting for him, but Yennefer shook her head.

"Geralt isn't stupid; he probably won't pass through here, not with so many people trying to kill him. Even if he did, he probably wouldn't want to talk to either of us anyway," she said. "That's where you come in. We want you to invite us up to Kaer Morhen." Eskel stared at the two of them like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"What," he said, and when neither of them said that they were joking or smiled or said anything, he had to assume that they were serious. "Why would I invite you two, a sorceress and a human, to my home? Not to mention a home that my brother doesn't even want you at?"

"Jaskier is a wanted man because of your brother," Yennefer snapped, and Jaskier visibly winced but didn't say anything. "He has spent years singing about Witchers and repairing all of your reputations. I know things are better for all of you. The least you can do is give him a safe place to lay his head for the winter as a thank you."

"And you cannot keep him safe, madam sorceress?" Eskel asked, and he knew this conversation was going to end badly. He could feel his medallion vibrating with her magic, and he wondered if he was going to have to fight her in the middle of this tavern.

"Eskel," Jaskier said softly, and all of the tension in the room seemed to snap. "I need to talk to your brother, we both do, and we need somewhere safe to do it. If Geralt really doesn't want us around once we have this conversation, we'll leave." Yennefer got a pinched expression on her face and looked like she didn't agree with that, but she didn't say anything. "It's not safe for us to wander around trying to find him, and it isn't safe for him either. This is the safest option for everyone involved." The three of them sat in silence as Jaskier looked at the table and chewed on his lower lip. "I know you want to say "no," but I'd like you to wait until tomorrow until you give us your answer. You can eat and drink as much as you want and you have somewhere to sleep tonight. In the morning, we'll also pay for your breakfast, and you can give us your decision. Can you give me that much?"

There was something about those big blue eyes that Eskel found hard to look away from, and Yennefer was right. When Jaskier sang about Geralt, he helped Witcher's all over the continent and not just those from the Wolf school. He ran into Coën a few times, and he had mentioned that while Toss a Coin was an annoying song, it did help. They didn't get thrown out of villages as often; people paid them a fair amount for jobs without a fight, they said thank you and meant it. The humans might have stank of fear still, but they looked him in the eye, and they said that they were glad he was there to help.

"I'll give you my answer in the morning," Eskel said. It didn't take long for the barmaid to come over and notice the lute on the ground next to Jaskier. Her eyes widened, and she asked if he would be willing to play for all of them. Jaskier smiled, and he seemed to become a different person in front of Eskel's eyes. He didn't know how the bard managed to do it. Jaskier picked up the lute and walked further into the tavern as the people cheered. Eskel watched him go because, if he was honest with himself, it wasn't Jaskier that he was worried about. It was Yennefer, and now he had a chance to talk to her without Jaskier nearby.

"Geralt is my brother," Eskel said as the barmaid put down more ale for the two of them, but Yennefer asked for a bottle of wine and a glass. The maid returned, and Yennefer poured herself a large portion of the bottle and took a generous drink of it. She watched him but didn't say anything. "I won't let you hurt him."

"And I won't let your brother hurt anyone else," she replied easily. "Geralt has a way of hurting the people around him, and I sat back and allowed it to happen for far too long. I let him hurt me, and I let him hurt him, and I won't let that happen again." Yennefer looked over at Jaskier and watched him as he performed. "He's mine now, and I won't let your brother foolishly hurt what is mine anymore. That man over there is much stronger than we give him credit for as a human, but I won't let Geralt diminish him. Not again. Do you see that smile? That smile has become very important to me, and I won't let anyone take it away. Not Nilfgaard and certainly not your brother."

"And what will you do to my brother if he hurts him or you again?" Eskel asked because that is what this all came down to. He didn't know what this powerful mage could do and what she could do to his home if she decided that they all deserved to be punished.

"I'm not stupid enough to attack Witcher's in their own home," Yennefer snapped. "And no matter how much Geralt might hurt him, it would hurt Jaskier more if I hurt Geralt so I won't be doing that if your brother acts like a fucking idiot again. What I will do, however, is grant his blessing. He won't see either of us ever again, and I will make sure of that."

"Humans don't live a long time, but you will, are you sure that's a promise you want to make?" Eskel asked, and Yennefer shrugged. The two of them watched Jaskier perform as he sang and danced his way around the tavern. He captivated the people, and in a way, it was almost like magic. It was a hold on people that someone like him or even Yennefer couldn't ever hope to achieve.

The two of them sat in silence as they kept drinking and Yennefer finished the bottle of wine without any problems. Her purple eyes looked a little glassy, and she smiled a little when Jaskier sang a silly lyric. There was a look in her eye that Eskel didn't trust, and he wondered how a bard managed to captivate someone so powerful like this. Then again, he also wondered how a simple bard managed to convince Geralt to let him follow him around for nearly two decades. It didn't make a ton of sense what was so special about this man, but whatever it was, it was there, and it worked. He could see why people rushed to protect him and why she thought that smile was worth protecting.

Eskel couldn't even imagine the tab they might have racked up in the time they sat there drinking, but Jaskier joined them well into the night after performing. He looked happy, and there was a spring to his step that wasn't there before. He eyed the empty glasses that lined the table and the empty wine bottle.

"Oh my, it appears you two kept going while I was hard at work," Jaskier said. Eskel was about to make some sort of smart comment when Yennefer pulled Jaskier forward and kissed him. The sight of the two of them was sort of breathtaking. There was no denying that they were both strikingly beautiful people, it seemed that Geralt didn't know how to find the company of anyone who wasn't strikingly beautiful, but the two of them together was undoubtedly something to look at. It also seemed that Yennefer didn't care about the audience as she slid her fingers into Jaskier's hair and pulled him close to her. There was nothing innocent or chaste about this either as Eskel could see Yennefer push her pink tongue into Jaskier's mouth. That motion seemed to be the thing that brought Jaskier back to reality, and he pulled away from her as he blinked. It looked like he was having a hard time focusing.

"That was lovely, my dear," he said softly. "But something tells me you don't really want to do this in the middle of a crowded tavern." There was something else going on in those words that Eskel didn't know about, and he wasn't about to ask, not right now.

"Why wouldn't I?" Yennefer asked as she leaned in close to kiss along Jaskier's jaw. "Do you think I'm ashamed that you're mine?"

"Well, I wouldn't go that far and say that you're ashamed but--"

"I'm not," Yennefer said. "I don't know what stupid thoughts Geralt put into your head about showing others that you give a fuck about them, but I have no such qualms. You're mine, and I tend to let everyone who cares to know that fact know about it." The blush that rose on Jaskier's cheeks was incredibly endearing to watch, and Eskel could hear the way he swallowed. Eskel could only wonder what Geralt had done to this bard over so many years that the very idea showing affection in public made him look like he was going to panic. Witcher's weren't known for showing that they cared, but Eskel didn't think Geralt was so stunted that he couldn't admit when someone was a friend. Perhaps he was wrong.

"Eskel, I think it might be time for us to go to bed," Jaskier said as Yennefer continued to kiss along his jaw and move to his neck. "Are you going to take the room that we're paying for you?"

"It would be stupid to turn away a free room," Eskel said.

"That it would," Yennefer muttered into Jaskier's skin.

"Then we'll see you in the morning," Jaskier said, and he tried to cover up a yelp as Yennefer bit him. That was going to leave a mark that was going to be impossible to cover. Yennefer pulled away, smiled at the spot where the mark was going to be, and turned to walk up the stairs. She only stumbled once. Jaskier stared as she walked away from him, and Eskel really didn't blame him for the slightly dumbstruck expression on his face.

"You've been thoroughly claimed bard," Eskel said, and Jaskier smiled wickedly at him as he gathered his lute and their belongings.

"You have no idea," Jaskier replied and tossed Eskel a key. "Your room is the third door on the left. I hope you have a good night." He didn't quite scramble up the stairs, but it was about as close as one could get. Eskel stared at the place where the two of them had once stood and didn't quite know what to do with himself. These two were strange, and they set his teeth on edge. Eskel also had no idea what he wanted to do about bringing them to Kaer Morhen, but sleeping on it seemed like the best idea. He flipped the barmaid an extra coin for bringing him ale all night and walked up to his room.

As soon as he closed the door, Eskel wanted to groan. Of course, he was in the room right next door to Yennefer and Jaskier. Of course, the walls were thin, and he could hear the two of them. Eskel dropped his pack, swords, and armor on the floor and fell back against the bed. He wanted to try and get the sounds out of his head, but all he could hear was the sound of two people kissing and heavy breathing. There was the sound of clothing hitting the ground and the grunt of someone hitting the bed. He could only assume that it was Jaskier; Yennefer seemed like the type that would be pushy in the bedroom even if she was drunk. Eskel closed his eyes, determined to try and get the images out of his head when his medallion suddenly came to life, and the room next door was silent.

Yennefer must have cast some sort of silencing spell so he couldn't listen to what they were doing all night. On the one hand, it was a little strange to know that someone knew that he was listening. On the other hand, now he could get some sleep without listening to the sound of two gorgeous people fucking each other all night. Maybe there was some justice in the world.

+++

Eskel got up before the sun was up and went down to the tavern below the inn. The owner told him that Yennefer and Jaskier had not checked out yet, and he still had the room until they left. That was good because he wanted a chance to look around and see if maybe he could figure out if there was any truth to the idea that Yennefer and Jaskier were in any danger. If he could prove to himself that they were, then he would feel a little better about this decision. He didn't like to look around the local assassination circles, but if there was anywhere where a posting about one of them could be listed, it would be there.

It wasn't hard to find an assassin willing to talk to him, it never was, but it was hard to find one that was willing to give him any sort of information that was worth anything. They said something about a mage that was being hunted but didn't mention any specifics. They mentioned something about Witcher's being hunted but didn't specify any details. If they knew that Eskel was linked to Geralt, they weren't going to give him any information. As far as he could gather, people were hunting Geralt, and if they were hunting Geralt, then there was a good chance they would look for someone like Jaskier who could have all sorts of information. As for Yennefer, if she really did play the part in the battle on Sodden Hill that she said she did, then they would want her head too.

The sun was barely up by the time he could get back to the inn, and he was glad that it didn't appear that Jaskier and Yennefer were up. He had time to go back to his room, gather his things, and settle down in the tavern for some food as he came to his final decision. Eskel knew that this wasn't going to end well no matter what he did, but one choice had the chance to end better than the other. He was halfway through his plate when Yennefer and Jaskier both came downstairs. There was a bright new bruise on Jaskier's neck that he was doing nothing to cover up, and Yennefer looked rather pleased with herself. They put down their bags and settled down to join him for breakfast.

"Eskel, I trust you slept well," Yennefer said.

"Yes, I imagine I have you to thank for that," he said. Jaskier made what sounded like a choking sound, but Yennefer smiled sharply.

"I know how strong those Witcher senses are. I figured if you wanted to listen or watch, you'd simply knock on the door," she said with a shrug. The suggestion of watching broke Eskel's brain for a moment, but the three of them went back to eating their breakfast. "Have you come to a decision about our proposition?"

"I have several conditions," Eskel said without answering her question, and the two of them stared at him with their bright eyes. "If we arrive, and Vesemir says "no," you both need to leave immediately."

"It's his keep," Jaskier said. "We would honor any rules that he would like us to follow while we are staying there."

"That includes after we arrive, and you have your conversation with Geralt, and it goes poorly," Eskel said. "Witcher's protect their own, and my brother and Vesemir won't stand for you two, making our home an unpleasant place. If we want you gone, you leave."

"I can portal us away even after the snow has settled in," Yennefer said. "What else?"

"What exactly do you want out of this winter if you stay?" he asked and watched as the two of them looked at each other.

"We're tired," Yennefer said. "We have both had quite a trying couple of months, and we could use a season to get our wits together before we go back out to play our parts in the wars." Yennefer held up her hand to show the new burn scars on her hands, and Eskel thought about the healing bruises that weren't from Yennefer on Jaskier's skin.

"Vesemir won't let you spend the winter sitting around and resting. You'll have to earn your space in the keep the same way the rest of us will," Eskel said.

"You haven’t spent a lot of time with mages, dear one," Yennefer said with a smile. "I assure you I can find plenty of things that I could help your master with around the keep both with and without my magic. While I'm not as talented as a friend of mine with potions, I promise I could spend the winter making potions for you and your brothers to take on the Path once the snow clears."

"And what about you?" Eskel asked Jaskier. "It's a keep, not a castle. We don't really have room for a bard to sing."

"Oh, that's not all I'm good at," Jaskier said with a wave of his hand. "I can hunt, I can cook, clean, mend clothes, sharpen weapons, minor repairs on weapons if need be, I promise I can make myself useful. I am a man of many talents, most of which not even the lovely Yennefer here knows about and even less that your brother knows about." Eskel stared at the man before him and wondered what else he could do that neither of them knew about that could be useful up in the mountains. Eskel blinked and focused on the pair sitting before him.

"I told Yennefer yesterday that I won't let you hurt my brother, and I'm standing by this. I'm not sure bringing the two of you home is going to hurt him, but I have a feeling if I told him I left you two down here and you got captured it would hurt him more," Eskel said. "If you agree to my conditions, then you can follow me up to the keep. I can make no promises that you'll be welcomed, though."

"That's enough for me," Jaskier said with a wide smile. "Thank you, Eskel. I can't tell you how much we appreciate this." He waved them off because he didn't really want to hear how much they appreciated this because he still didn't trust them. Yennefer finished her food and handed over a significant bag of coin to cover all of their food and the two rooms for the night. They gathered their belongings, and Eskel found out that they had two horses in the stables next to his.

"We're well-traveled," Jaskier said as he climbed on his horse. They had come downstairs in warmer clothes today like they knew that he was going to say yes, which bothered him a little. He didn't like the idea of a mage reading his mind, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. Instead, the three of them rode out of the city and made their way toward the mountains. Eskel just hoped he wasn't going to regret this.

+++

Eskel was already regretting this a little. Yennefer was a perfectly quiet travel companion, but Jaskier was determined to fill the silence with so many questions that he didn't know what to do with them. It wasn't until he looked over his shoulder that he realized that Jaskier was taking notes as Eskel told him stories, and he realized that this is what Geralt's life must have been like. He was going to be the topic of songs once the winter ended if Jaskier and Yennefer ended up staying, and he didn't know how he felt about that. Geralt was the famous Witcher, and Eskel liked being able to walk in and out of towns with people not knowing who he was. There wasn't any harm in telling Jaskier some of his stories, and he couldn't remember the last time someone was interested in hearing them.

"You're just telling me things," Jaskier said after several hours of walking and him frantically writing in his notebook. The quill, Yennefer told him, was enchanted, so he never had to use a pot of ink and could write whenever he wanted. "I don't have to sit here and ask you several hundred times to tell me something more than 'I killed the monster.' I'm not sure what to do with myself."

"Are you regretting all of your life choices?" Yennefer asked.

"I always do, but right now, I'm wondering why I didn't run into you all of those years ago, Eskel. I would have had so many more songs by now," Jaskier said. "Has Geralt always been impossible to get a word out of, or am I just special?"

"He's always been quiet, but I'm sure you're quite special as well," Eskel said with a smile to himself. He heard Yennefer laugh, and Jaskier sputtered an offended noise. He was about to make another comment at the bard's expense when he heard something in the trees around them. They weren't at the base of the mountains yet, but they were close, and this was a place where bandits would often try to attack people. He couldn't remember the last time a bandit was stupid enough to try and attack a Witcher on the way home for the winter, and then he remembered who he was traveling with. "Stop."

"Someone is nearby," Yennefer said, and her eyes looked so purple Eskel swore they looked like they were glowing in the afternoon sunlight. Jaskier immediately put his notebook away and climbed off of his horse. He had a sword at his hip, which he put a hand on the pommel. Eskel could hear the people slowly moving toward them, and he knew they were surrounded on all sides. There were close to ten heartbeats, which was more than just a few bandits.

"Ten," he said as he climbed off his horse and pulled his steel sword out. Yennefer climbed off and landed gracefully on the ground. There was a crackle of magic in the air, and Eskel felt his medallion hum to life. Then the men appeared from all sides.

It was apparent within seconds that these were not bandits. They were far too well fought to be simple bandits. One of them yelled about making sure to take the bard and the mage alive, which was really all that Eskel needed to hear. He didn't like killing humans, but it was quite clear that these people wanted Yennefer and Jaskier, and they were willing to go through him to get to them. There was the electricity of magic in the air as Yennefer used her powers to kill the people trying to take her, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jaskier fighting as well. He wasn't great with a sword, but he was holding his own, but Eskel could see one of the mercenaries creeping upon him with a dagger in hand.

Eskel could see how this was going to go. They were going to take Jaskier hostage to stop him and Yennefer from killing. They would threaten to cut Jaskier's very human throat if they didn't lay down their arms. Eskel thought about Geralt again, how his brother might react if he found out that he didn't protect these two when he was given a chance, and Eskel knew he had to keep them safe. Eskel cut the throat of the man he was fighting, pulled the knife from his boot, and threw it at the mercenaries that were trying to attack Jaskier's back. It hit, and the man fell to the ground with a pained gurgle. The last of the men fell, and bodies surrounded them.

"Thank you," Jaskier said softly, and the three of them stood in silence in the middle of the road without saying a word to each other.

"You believe us now," Yennefer said, and it wasn't a question; it was a statement, and he did believe them now. These two were in danger, and they meant something to Geralt, which meant now he had to protect them no matter what.

"We have a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of time to do it," Eskel said. Yennefer and Jaskier both nodded and climbed on their horses. As they were riding away, Yennefer flicked her wrist, and the bodies of the dead mercenaries went up in flames. The smell of smoke and burning flesh seemed to follow them for miles, and Eskel did his damndest to ignore it.

+++

They rode hard until the sun was nearly down, but when Eskel said that he needed to go out to find them something to eat so they could set up camp, Yennefer made a face, and Jaskier grinned. He was about to ask what they were talking about when Yennefer set up a tent out of nowhere, and now Eskel remembered why he didn't travel with mages. They always had tricks up their sleeves, and he never trusted them. Yennefer must have seen his distrust because she waited after Jaskier walked into the tent.

"You don't have to come in," she said. "You can sleep out here if you want to. As it is, there is only one bed so you'll have to sleep on the floor of the tent, but it's warm, and there is food. You're bringing us to your home, so I assumed the least I could do is make the journey a little easier for you." Eskel eyed her and wasn't sure if he wanted to go in there still, but if he couldn't trust them in a tent, how was he going to trust them in a keep for the entire winter? Eskel walked in the tent, and Yennefer followed him in.

It was bigger than he thought it would be pleasantly warm with a small table and chairs on one side and one large bed on the other. Jaskier had already kicked off his shoes and was lying back on the bed with his arms spread out.

"Gods I love magical tents, how did I ever travel any other way?" Jaskier said, and Eskel rolled his eyes as he set his bedroll on the ground and wondered if he was even going to need it since it was so comfortable. His medallion hummed every time Yennefer used her magic, and he tried to ignore it, he tried, but it was distracting. Eskel was also doing his best to ignore the way Yennefer and Jaskier moved around each other. Unlike the night in the inn this time, he watched them interact, and it was strange.

While he was right that Yennefer was clearly the dominant one in whatever type of relationship these two had, Jaskier wasn't submissive either. They circled each other, snapped, and snarked at each other, and it was like Jaskier didn't care that Yennefer could kill him with her pinky finger. Or maybe he was all too aware of it and just knew that she wouldn't, which was interesting. He didn't smell of fear around her or around him, which was something he wasn't used to. Humans always smelled like fear around him, and he didn't think highly enough of himself to think that Yennefer would be afraid of him but Jaskier? Jaskier was a human bard with passable fighting skills currently in a tent in the middle of nowhere with a Witcher and a mage, and he wasn't afraid. He watched for as long as he could, but he had to know.

"Jaskier," Eskel said as they were all getting ready to get some sleep. "You aren't afraid."

"I'm not afraid of what exactly?" Jaskier asked. He had taken off his doublet and was walking around in comfortable-looking pants and a loose chemise. Yennefer had wordlessly stripped off her traveling dress down to her shift and didn't seem to care that Eskel was sitting right there watching the entire thing.

"Me, her, any of it," he said. "You're in a tent with a Witcher and a mage being hunted by mercenaries, and you aren't afraid."

"He has no survival instincts," Yennefer said as she smiled somewhat fondly at Jaskier, and that probably wasn't that far off from the truth.

"If either of you were going to kill me, you would have done it a while ago," Jaskier replied with a shrug like that explained it all. It was apparently enough that Yennefer was ending the conversation. She waved her hand, and the candles in the tent dimmed considerably as they all settled down to sleep. Eskel couldn't sleep for a long time as he listened to the sound of Yennefer and Jaskier's heartbeats and breathing. He honestly wasn't sure who confused him more at this point.

+++

Eskel was relieved that the rest of their journey up the mountain didn't have any issues. He still wasn't sure what to make of Yennefer and Jaskier, and he still wasn't entirely sure what was going to happen when they got to Kaer Morhen, but there wasn't anything he could do about it now. They were early, and while it was getting cold, there wasn't any snow on the ground yet. Eskel rightfully thought that getting out of the south before the war got any worse was the right decision, and he felt that was the right thing to do.

When they arrived at the keep Eskel was surprised to see not only Vesemir waiting for them at the entrance, but Lambert was there as well in full armor with both of his swords. This was probably not going to end well. Yennefer and Jaskier seemed to have enough sense to stop before the keep and waited a little ways back as Eskel approached.

"Why are a human and a sorceress approaching my keep?" Vesemir asked, and Lambert looked like he was about to do something stupid like attack Yennefer.

"It's a long story and one best shared by them. I think you need to let them tell you why they're here," Eskel said. Vesemir didn't look entirely convinced, but he also didn't turn them away. Yennefer wisely stayed on her horse, but Jaskier, once again displaying his lack of fear, climbed off of his horse and put his hands up in surrender.

"Master Witcher," he said. "I've heard of you, and one of the things I've heard is that you're not an unreasonable man. If you could listen to the reasons, my friend and I have darkened your door, that would be greatly appreciated. If you still do not want us here, you have my word that we will leave the moment you tell us with no questions asked."

"And what good is the word of a human?" Lambert snapped.

"It's the word of the man who traveled with Geralt of Rivia for two decades. I tended to his wounds and sang of his deeds to the people of the world," Jaskier said, and despite staring down three armed Witcher's, he was still not afraid. It was probably that lack of fear that convinced Vesemir to let Jaskier and Yennefer into the keep even though Lambert looked like he thought they had all lost their minds. The three of them vanished into the library, the door locked, and Lambert followed Eskel to the kitchen.

"You want to tell me what the fuck is going on?" Lambert asked.

"It's a long story--"

"Make it short that witch is making my skin crawl," Lamber interrupted. Eskel sighed, sat down at the table, and did his best to catch Lambert up on everything that Yennefer and Jaskier had told him before they had come up the mountain. He listened and made some color commentary along the way that was mostly about how stupid their brother was. Even though they were done talking about this, it seemed that Vesemir, Yennefer, and Jaskier were not. The three of them spoke for several hours as Eskel settled in for the winter and managed to convince Lamber that he didn't need to carry about his armor and weapons despite the magic that Yennefer was continually using. Eskel wasn't quite waiting around to see if Vesemir would let them stay, but he was curious to see what would happen.

It was nearly evening by the time the door opened, and none of them looked any different, which was probably a good thing.

"They are staying at least until Geralt arrives," Vesemir announced. Jaskier and Yennefer both nodded their heads and went out to their horses to gather their things, but Lambert didn't look happy.

"They are very involved with the war in the south, are we really getting involved with that now? Taking a side?" he asked.

"Geralt involved himself when he invoked the Law of Surprise," Vesemir said. "I would have to turn him and the girl away if we wanted to stay out of the war. They want to talk to him, and part of the reason they are on the run is because of their connections to Geralt. Plus, the bard did write that damn song."

"I hate that fucking song," Lambert grumbled.

"Everyone's a critic," Jaskier said as he walked in with his bags in hand, and he smiled at Lambert once again without any fear. Lambert also didn't seem to know what to do with a human that didn't smell like fear.

"It is a rather annoying song," Yennefer said.

"You hush, I don't need to hear that from you too," Jaskier said as he waved her off. All three of the Witcher's stared at them, and Eskel very much knew what Vesemir and Lambert were feeling about watching a human sass a mage and Witcher's like he wasn't the weakest in the room.

"Eskel," Vesemir said. "Please show our guests a room they can stay in." Eskel nodded and led Jaskier and Yennefer through the keep to one of the rooms that he knew wasn't too bad off. He was about to apologize for the state of it when Yennefer walked in, put her hands on her hips, and looked around.

"I can work with this," she said, and his medallion came to life as she used magic on the room. The small bed became larger and more comfortable looking, the room got warmer, the drapes across the window looked like they would keep the cold and sunlight out, and the entire room got cleaner in a matter of seconds. "Much better."

"I wouldn't do that so much here," Eskel said, and he could hear pounding footsteps.

"Why?" Yennefer asked as Lambert burst into the room and looked around.

"What the fuck was that?" he snarled as everyone stared at him.

"The medallions," Jaskier said, and Eskel blinked because he didn't know that anyone else knew about that. "The ones that the Witcher's wear. It reacts to magic, so it sets them on edge when you use your magic." Jaskier said as he moved around the room, and Eskel had to wonder just how much information on Witcher's Geralt has shared with this bard over the years. Yennefer tilted her head to the side and walked forward suddenly very much in Eskel's space. He could feel Lambert suck in a breath, and the tension in the room was suddenly palpable. She reached forward to touch the medallion and seemed to think better of it at the last moment.

"Interesting," Yennefer said, and she took a small step back. "But I'm afraid that my magic is part of me the same way that your mutations and signs are part of you. I'll be using it for the duration that I'm here, and I've already spoken to Vesemir about it. After all, how am I to earn my place if I can't use my abilities?" Eskel didn't have an answer to that, and neither did Lambert. Neither of them wanted to stay in the room much longer than that, and they left Yennefer and Jaskier to their own devices.

"He doesn't smell like fear," Lambert muttered.

"I know," Eskel replied as they walked through the keep. There were plenty of things that needed to get done before the winter settled in, and they all knew that Geralt was going to be late this year. He was apparently traveling with a child, so that was going to make things more difficult.

+++

The next week was one of the most stressful first weeks of winter that Eskel could ever remember. No one really knew what to do about Yennefer and Jaskier, and they didn't seem to really be bothered by the fact that Lambert and Eskel were so upset by them. They wandered around Kaer Morhen as if they had always been there. Vesemir didn't seem to have a problem with Yennefer sitting in the library and going through the books or even Jaskier asking questions about the keep and the history of it as long as he promised to keep it to himself.

Two days in Vesemir sent Jaskier out to hunt by himself, and everyone besides Yennefer thought this was an insane idea. She was sitting in front of a fire while everyone else wondered if they should go after him.

"He's fine," she said and looked up from the edge of her book. "He's more capable than anyone gives him credit for." It took longer than any of them usually took to hunt, but Jaskier eventually returned with a large enough deer and a smile on his face.

Late into the afternoon on the third day after their arrival Eskel was surprised to find Yennefer and Jaskier out on the training ground with their swords. They were sparring, and while it was clear, they could fight, they were also not very great with weapons either. Eskel watched them exchange blows from the shadows for what felt like a long time until Vesemir joined them. Vesemir grunted and walked out to them.

"You're both unskilled," Vesemir said.

"You know I have other ways of fighting Master Witcher," Yennefer said.

"And I know I'm unskilled compared to you," Jaskier said. Vesemir stared at the two of them for a moment, and Eskel wasn't sure what to expect, but it seemed that everything about these two threw his life into imbalance.

"I won't see such poor swordsmanship in my keep. I will teach you both," Vesemir said. Jaskier's entire face seemed to light up at the idea of getting trained by a Witcher while Yennefer smiled like a cat who just caught a mouse.

"We would be honored, Master Witcher," she said.

+++

Geralt and someone who everyone could only assume was his Child Surprise were spotted on the path up the mountain, and Eskel knew he was running out of time. He still didn't know if he could judge what kind of people Jaskier and Yennefer were, but they were both impossible to read. Yennefer was a mage, and she was built from something false. He knew the stories of how the mages were reshaped and how the woman that sat before them was not the woman that was born Yennefer. She was dangerous, but Eskel didn't know if her intentions regarding Geralt were true. He didn't know if she was even a good person despite her actions at Sodden Hill and the way she looked after Jaskier.

Jaskier was someone else he thought he should be able to read. At first, it looked like Jaskier kept all of his feelings right there on his sleeve, but he was just as hidden as Yennefer. Jaskier was a bard, a performer, and beneath the performance, Eskel knew that he was hiding something. There were times that he was even harder to read than Yennefer. Eskel could really only think of one time when people tended to be open with themselves, and he thought back to the comment Yennefer made that morning in the inn. It wouldn't be a hardship, and it would be an excellent way to get a better idea of what these two were like deep down. Then he could make the judgment call about whether or not Geralt was going to be safe.

Yennefer and Jaskier were already in their room for the night when Eskel knocked with a bottle of Vesemir's vodka in hand.

"And what is this exactly?" Yennefer asked. They were on the floor of the room, spread out over several pillows. Yennefer was sitting up with Jaskier's head in her lap, and she appeared to be running her fingers through his hair.

"A peace offering," Eskel said as he looked for somewhere to sit down. Yennefer gestured to the many pillows on the ground, and he sat and handed her the bottle. "We haven't exactly been welcoming to you two here, and I thought this might help. Or finally, make you leave depending on what you think of Vesemir's vodka."

"See, I told you this one has jokes," Jaskier said as he sat up and looked at the bottle in his hands. "Well, he's clearly lying about why he's here, but I'll take the drink regardless." It set Eskel's teeth on edge that a human could read him so quickly, but he didn't say anything as Jaskier got up and found three glasses and poured three generous cups of vodka for them.

"Maybe if we get him drunk, he'll tell us why he's really here," Yennefer said as Jaskier handed them each a glass of vodka. The way the two of them were staring at them and Eskel decided that he probably wasn't going to be able to lie to them, but that didn't mean he was about to tell them the truth.

"Let's see if you can handle Vesemir's vodka," Eskel said, and they all clinked their glasses together. He was not at all surprised when both Yennefer and Jaskier made truly impressive faces at the taste of the liquor they were consuming. He knew that they both had spent time on the road, but it was clear they both liked finer things, and there was nothing fine about this brew.

"Yen, please, find us something to mix this with, I don't think I can stand it," Jaskier said rather dramatically. Yennefer sighed like this was the worst thing that was happening and began to pick through the room until she emerged with a flask. She poured what appeared to be grape juice into the cup with the vodka, which apparently made it more palpable.

Eskel didn't mean to get drunk, but the bottle was half gone before he even realized what was going on, and Yennefer and Jaskier were leaning against each other. They smelled like lust and couldn't stop touching each other. If he told them he wanted to stay because watching them might give him a better idea of what kind of people they were and if he could trust them with Geralt, they would probably ask him to leave. So, he needed just to say he wanted to stay because he wanted to watch two stunningly beautiful people have sex.

"Yennefer," Eskel said, and they both looked up at him. "At the inn, you said something about asking if I ever wanted to do more than listen. Consider this me asking." Yennefer smirked as she pulled Jaskier closer to her.

"Do you hear that, little lark? He wants to watch us, how do you feel about that?" she whispered into Jaskier's ear who continued watching Eskel with those bright blue eyes of his.

"I do love an audience," Jaskier replied. They both laughed softly as they stumbled to their feet and began kissing. Eskel managed to find himself a chair to settle down into and started to watch. It wasn't what he expected as the two of them began to move against each other. He expected Yennefer to push and shove, he expected raw passion, but instead, they were smiling against each other's lips. They were having fun as they kissed. Eskel didn't know much about having fun while being with another person, most of his sexual encounters were paid, so this was something he wasn't expecting.

Yennefer pulled Jaskier down on top of her on the bed as he began kissing down her neck. She closed her eyes and seemed to bask in the moonlight shining through the window.

"Jaskier, I want your mouth on me," Yennefer said, and Eskel had to clench his hands because she already sounded a little breathless.

"Of course you do," Jaskier said as he moved away from her neck and began to pull off her thick winter stockings and pull off her small clothes. "My mouth and my hands are my most talented features, after all, and you want to show off a little."

"And you always want to show off a lot," Yennefer replied with a slight laugh as Jaskier up her skirts. Eskel had to admit he hadn't ever seen a man go down on a woman with as much enthusiasm as Jaskier seemed to. Eskel enjoyed going down on women, and he wanted them to enjoy it, but Jaskier seemed to enjoy it more than anyone else. Yennefer fisted his hair to the point that it had to be painful, and the smell of lust in the room was getting a little heady. Yennefer arched her back as she came against Jaskier's mouth, and he didn't move away. "Oh, you're a terrible person," she said as she moaned a little louder. Eskel wasn't sure where Lambert was, but there was a chance he was going to hear what was going on, and he was going to have questions.

Jaskier moved away from Yennefer's center long enough to bite her thigh hard enough that she yelped. She laughed, pulled him back against her, and Eskel could see him move his fingers inside of her. He wasn't supposed to be enjoying watching the two of them have sex, but it was kind of hard not to. Yennefer cried out as she came a second time, and her smile was different from any other smile he had seen on her before. It made her even more beautiful, and it eased something in his chest.

"All right, all right, I'll stop for now," Jaskier said as he moved away from her and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"You're terrible, and I hate you," Yennefer said as she pulled him up to her. They kissed, and this was the sort of sex he expected from them. It was a little rougher, more passionate, as they both tried to pull off each other's clothes as fast as possible. Yennefer pulled away from Jaskier's lips and kissed along his jawline as he worked on getting her out of her dress. Eskel knew what she was about to do, he had seen her do it, but Jaskier still jumped and moaned when she set her teeth into the tender skin of his neck. That was a mark that would still be visible when Geralt arrived, and that was going to make for interesting conversation.

Yennefer and Jaskier both managed to rid themselves of their clothing, and it was nice that neither of them had acknowledged his presence. He didn't think they even remembered he was really there, and that was what he wanted. He wanted to see the real people, and Eskel felt like he was getting a chance to see them. Yennefer pushed Jaskier down and began to ride him slowly, but the two of them never once took their eyes off of each other. Their gazes were intense, but every now and then, they would smile at each other.

They both started moaning more, and Jaskier sat up to change the angle. They were chasing release now, Eskel could tell, and they were nose to nose as they shared the same breath. Yennefer dug her nails into Jaskier's shoulder, and there was the sharp smell of blood in the air, but if Jaskier minded, he didn't say. Eskel hadn't ever witnessed a simultaneous orgasm before, but it seemed that Jaskier and Yennefer were determined to show him that everything he knew about sex was wrong. They came within seconds of one another, holding onto each other hard enough to bruise, and refusing to let go of one another.

They collapsed onto the bed, still wrapped up in each other, and kept exchanging these soft and deep kisses that Eskel hadn't ever had with another person before. It was almost more intimate to watch those than it was to watch them have sex.

"You're mine," Yennefer whispered against Jaskier's lips, and he smiled like that was the best thing he had ever heard. Eskel pushed himself to his feet and turned to leave the room. His pants were a little uncomfortable, but he wasn't at all surprised that Yennefer and Jaskier didn't even seem to notice him going. He closed the door behind him and walked through the keep until he found Lambert waiting for him at the end of the hallway.

"That's certainly one way to figure them out," he said.

"It wasn't exactly a hardship," Eskel replied, and the two of them began to walk through the hallways toward their own rooms.

"Well? What do you think?" Lambert asked. Eskel thought about the masks he saw drop when they were together, the genuine smiles and laughter, how they seemed to really like being together. Eskel thought those sunny smiles drawing happiness from someone from Geralt who had known so much misery in his life. He tried to imagine Geralt surrounded by those two and what it would mean for the future.

"I think we'll have to see how their conversation goes, but they could be good for each other if they give each other a chance," Eskel said. Lambert hummed because that wasn't really the answer to the question he was asking, but that was all Eskel had right now. Geralt would be arriving in a few days, and it was going to be interesting to see how this all played out.