Chapter Text
Jaskier had one rule, well, more than one, but the most important was, don't get attached, and what did he go and do? He got attached.
Becoming a bard meant not having to keep long standing relationships, staying in one place for a long period of time. That's why he became a bard in the first place; it made the most sense from a practical standpoint. He would not have gotten away with his agelessness if he became a fisherman, or a merchant, or even a stone carver.
Then there were the stories, stories that he could craft from wandering the continent. All he needed was an instrument and a lovely singing voice and boom, he became a bard. Wandering the continent alone, how it was supposed to be, that was until he met the Witcher. That day he broke his one and only rule and decided to throw all caution out the door. Geralt has never been able to get rid of Jaskier since then.
'How many years has it been since that day?' Jaskier thought to himself, how long ago did he stop counting? How long before Geralt starts to notice that something is off?
Jaskier before meeting Geralt kept to himself, he did not partake in conversations that would not benefit him, but with Geralt it was different. He could just keep taking about random ideas flowing through his head or just state the obvious and Geralt would usually give a hum in acknowledgement. He never realized that he actually liked talking until then. That talking was just as important to a bard just like his lute and magnificent signing voice.
Geralt took peace in Jaskier lost in thought, it was not often that Jaskier is quiet for long periods of time. The only other time Geralt sees Jaskier like this is when he is creating new lyrics for a song that he is writing, even then he is mumbling to himself.
Geralt looked down from Roach and gave a quick glance to his bard deep in thought. Winter is coming soon, that means their seasonal journey is about to end. It was always like this, every winter Geralt and Jaskier go their separate ways, and then every spring they meet again right after the last snow pile turns into puddle of mud. Every time they meet again, Jaskier is the one to find Geralt; he always knew where to look when the season began. Geralt did not think anything of it at first, but then he began questioning it after a few years had passed. Subsequently, Geralt started to notice that Jaskier did not age much during their years of knowing one another. Jaskier always brushed it off as great genetics from his mother's side and that he had a ghastly baby face.
Before darkness overtook the sky the pair started to create their camp for the night. Laying out their bedrolls and getting a fire going. The ground is starting to become hard from the cold, and the air is getting crisper by the day. Tonight, the stars are the only beauty in sight, thankfully. It wasn't so bad, it could have been raining, that would have been a damper on the whole sleeping outside thing. However, the way Geralt was acting it seemed that the night air was cooler than it has been as he started to poke at the fire. "Say Geralt, do you ever get tired of being a witcher?" Jaskier asked as he sat up to look his witcher's face.
Maybe it was finally time for Jaskier to go back, he did what he wanted to do, kicked it around with the humans for a few decades, but these last few have been so fulfilling to him. There is always something interesting going on whenever he is with Geralt. He also did not need to be anything other than the annoying bard that would get in the way sometimes. Sure, there have been ups and downs where Jaskier could have blown his cover by unleashing some chaos, but who hasn't?
Geralt's amber yellow eyes just started at the dancing fire as the wind gently cresses it. He gave no answer. "Fine then don't answer my question. You can do your little brooding thing, like you always do, why don't you." Jaskier huffs as he went to lay back down, making sure to exaggerate his movements as he turns his back towards the fire. "We should be parting ways soon anyway for the winter." They should have parted ways days ago, but here they are sleeping out in the cold. "You need to go back to Kaer Morhen, and as for me I need to find a place to stay for the time being..." He trails off not knowing what to say next. Jaskier knew exactly where he was going, it was just that he couldn't tell his friend.
Lies are best told when truth is mixed in, and he has no real truths to tell. Yeah, he did not know where he was going to go, but it's not like he didn't have nowhere to go.
"Why don't you come with me to Kaer Morhen this winter," Geralt said slowly, as if he was thinking out loud.
Processing what Geralt had just said to him, Jaskier continues to look into the darkness silently, there is no way that guy said that right? Seconds pass. It has to be some kind of mistake, even if it wasn't there is no way that he could go with him. "I don't think you want me to journey with you, you barely tolerate me now, from spring until autumn."
"What can another season hurt?" Geralt said defensively as he shrugs.
Geralt is being bloody serious right now. He actually wants Jaskier to come with him. This has to be some sort of prank, "Why?" Jaskier pushed himself up and turned around. There has to be a reason why he is being insistent on him coming otherwise there would be no point for a human like him to tag along.
"Why not?" Geralt pauses for a moment, "We have known one another for a long time." He threw in some more wood. Is it really that cold right now? There is no way a Witcher is freezing in this weather, there is not even a spec of snow on the ground yet.
"Yes, but this is Kaer Morhen we are talking about. The Witcher keep, your home-" Geralt cut him off before he could even continue.
"And somewhere I have graciously invited you to come join me for winter." Geralt adds in with a smirk starting to form on his face. The stone-faced Geralt showing expression is a new one even for him. He didn't eat something bad, did he? Maybe Jaskier was right to be skeptical about the tea that was brewed for them buy that creepy old woman as thanks for a job. "It's not like you go anywhere special during the winter, is there?" That is just plain rude. Of course he does, but it's not like he can even admit it.
He could not fathom why Geralt was being so nice to him all of a sudden. If a mage told him Geralt would invite him to Kaer Morhen one day. Jaskier would have laughed in the mage's face because there is no way his Witcher would ever do such a thing. The brooding man of only a few words, the guy that did not have friends; he was doing a friendly gesture.
Jaskier thought about it for a moment, he would love to go to the Witcher keep and be able to walk around, but then he would be surrounded by witchers. Witchers that are supposed to kill beings like him for a living. Jaskier sat looking into the fire, he can only go based on his experience alone on this matter, and experience is telling him to stay away. Even though Geralt has been fooled for the time being, that does not mean the other witchers will be.
Geralt sat there staring at him as the fire crackles between them as if it is the only sound in the void between them. Before Jaskier knew he said, "Alright fine." He did not work well being under pressure.
He always gave in to Geralt, it didn't matter if Geralt fucked him over from a hellish wasteland or not. Jaskier could just never stay mad at him for anything that he did and would always fold first. He needs to get better at it, but maybe for living so long you forget at times how fragile life can be and to live it to the fullest.
Maybe he would get lucky, and Geralt will forget about him. After all the keep must be ginormous, and Yennefer and Ciri must be coming as well if Geralt so graciously invited him. Or maybe they are already there, Ciri is being taught how to control her chaos by Yen so it wouldn't be a stretch that the keep would be the safest place to practice. If not for her but the potential people that could be harmed by her trying to get the spell right.
Wait...was he only invited to babysit her? To keep her out of trouble when neither Yen nor Geralt was looking after her? He may have signed up to be like an uncle or something to her, but that is really out of his job description here. All of them know him as a bard, a human bard to be more precise. Someone who does not have any chaos and can only run away in the face of danger. The best he could be seen doing is watching over her from a long distance away so he himself would not be caught in the crossfire of her chaos running rampant. Although he has heard from Geralt, she has gotten better at managing it on her own, he won't believe it until he sees it with his own eyes. He can't risk blowing his cover because of some chaos backfire.
However, when it came down to it, Ciri is not a little kid in needing to be babysat every minute of the day, "I am not babysitting Ciri." Jaskier told Geralt flatly. There are a lot of things that he would do for his friend, and babysitting is not one of those things.
Geralt just gave a "Hmm" in response as he pokes the fire.
"Oh, don't give me that "hmm." I am putting my foot down on this one Geralt, even though we are friends, I have better things to do with my time thank you very much." Jaskier emphasizes himself as he crosses his arms and looks away from his friend.
It is one of those rare moments where Geralt smiles, not one of those fake smiles either. A genuine smile coming from him is like finding a perfect diamond in a bird's nest. Something that seems almost impossible until you see it for yourself, "And what makes you think that I would ask you to babysit her?" Dammit.
"Well, obviously, Yennefer and Ciri will be coming to the keep as well, correct? So, I figured that both of you would want some downtime alone from her, but someone has to watch her so that she would stay out of trouble-" He got cut off again.
"If anyone would be watching her it would be one of the other witchers, not some human bard. Besides, when it comes to training Yennefer, and I have already figured out a schedule that works best for us." Geralt paused again to find his words, "You are my friend Jaskier, that is why I am asking if you would like to come with me." His amber eyes told no lies. "Besides you would be a good use of entertainment, I know that Ciri and Yennefer miss live music during their stay there, and it would be a nice change of pace for my brothers."
Jaskier felt a little better about his friendship with Geralt not being one-sided as he thought it was. "Alright, I'll take your word for it," he said as he got back underneath his blanket. The warmth of the fire felt nice.
He was actually invited to go to Kaer Morhen, Jaskier never thought the day would ever come. Now the only question is how long before he can keep up his human appearance before he is found out.