The Life of a Fanfic Fanatic

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Jaskier said, bowing slightly.

“I have heard from Geralt,” Ciri said softly. “He will be here soon. The new witcher…” Her mouth tightened. “He seems to be more of a struggle than even Dorn.”

Jaskier took a sharp breath.

Worse than Dorn?

That seemed unimaginable. Dorn had arrived half-starved, snarling, terrified, barely able to shape words through the wreckage of what had been done to him. Jaskier could not quite picture worse. His mind tried anyway and failed, which was not a mercy.

“Geralt wanted me to warn you,” Ciri continued. “And not to use Axii here. Not in front of Nilfgaard.”

Jaskier inhaled.

Ciri raised a hand before he could answer. “I know you may be tempted. I know why. But the goal of this meeting is to show Nilfgaard that we know they are creating witchers. Not to show them what you can do.”

Jaskier’s jaw tightened.

Spoiler above is for the fic below. It will be complete with the last two chapters coming out Wednesday and Friday!

“Jaskier!” Yennefer’s excited voice echoed down the hall.

Jaskier turned just as she swept around the corner, eyes bright, cheeks faintly flushed with triumph. Lambert was beside her, scowling as if joy had personally offended him.

“I figured it out!” Yennefer announced.

“We figured it out,” Lambert grumbled. But his gaze was proud.

Jaskier’s breath caught. For a moment, he forgot the buttons on his shirt entirely, “Dorn?” he asked.

Genuinely one of my favorite chapters that I have written in this whole series and I am SO EXCITED for you to read it:

They had slept together, yes. Slept in the same bed. Geralt had listened to his heartbeat like it was a holy thing. But then, they had shared beds before. They had shared rooms and fires and food and silence for years before Jaskier had ever dared name what he wanted.

They had not made promises.

He had no right to feel this way.

It just felt—

Jaskier shut his eyes.

“Why don’t we want to make more witchers?” Aiden asked.

The hall went silent. The tension became so thick Jaskier could barely breathe.

Aiden grinned faintly. “Tough question, I know.”

“You want to subject someone else to the Grasses?” Lambert asked, incredulous.

Geralt’s voice haunted Jaskier’s every step for days afterward.

You cannot be the only thing keeping him sane.

Jaskier hated that Geralt was right. He hated it so much that he almost snapped at the next person who looked at him with anything resembling concern. If anyone had dared suggest he needed a break, the bard would have bitten their head off.

But in the privacy of his own mind, he could admit the truth.

He needed a break.

Loud pounding on the door jolted Jaskier awake. He startled hard, panic flashing bright and instant through his body before he understood where he was. Something was holding him down.

No.

Not something.

Geralt’s arm.

Not a strap. Not chains. Not a guard’s hand forcing him back to the table.

Geralt.

“Jaskier?” Aubry’s voice floated through the door. “Dorn is awake. He’s asking for you.”

It took Jaskier a few seconds to remember he was not in a cell. He was in Geralt’s room. The scent helped. Leather, steel, smoke, wolf. Home. Gold eyes watched him in the low light. Geralt’s arm loosened immediately, though he did not pull away. “You’re here.”

Chapters: 1/9 Fandom: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, Aiden/Lambert (The Witcher), Past Yennefer/Geralt of Rivia Characters: Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Vesemir (The Witcher), Aiden (The Witcher), Jaskier | Dandelion, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, Eskel (The Witcher), Lambert (The Witcher), original male witcher Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Witcher Jaskier | Dandelion, mutated jaskier, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Trauma Recovery, Medical Experimentation, Survivor Guilt, Found Family, Kaer Muintir, Political Negotiations, Protective Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Protective Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Queen Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, Queen Ciri, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, no beta we die like witchers Series: Part 2 of A Different Key Summary:

Jaskier made it back from Nilfgaard, but coming home changed is not the same as being free.

As he tries to understand what he has become, old enemies begin moving again, Ciri’s fragile peace is tested, and Kaer Muintir becomes the center of questions no one is ready to answer.

Jaskier survived the dark.

Now he has to live with what followed him out.

Happy to say that I will be posting PART 2 of A Different Key (aka the sequel to Sound of Me) starting on MONDAY! The second part will be called Broken Chord.

Chapters: 11/11 Fandom: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion Characters: Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Vilgefortz of Roggeveen, Emhyr var Emreis, Vesemir (The Witcher), Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Jaskier | Dandelion, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, Cirilla Fiona | False Ciri, Eskel (The Witcher), Lambert (The Witcher), Aiden (The Witcher), Fringilla Vigo, Keira Metz Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Jaskier | Dandelion Whump, Witcher Jaskier | Dandelion, Human Experimentation, witcher experimentation, Captivity, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recovery, Survivor Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Protective Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Mind Control, CIRI IS A QUEEN, Top/Bottom Versatile Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Top/Bottom Versatile Jaskier | Dandelion, But Jaskier has control issues so he is wearing the pants Series: Part 1 of A Different Key Summary:

Jaskier was supposed to be a distraction.

A loud distraction to give Geralt and the others time to run.

He did not expect to survive it.

Chapter 6 is aliiiiive! And a beloved character enters the Villa. Or beloved by me anyway. 

Chapters: 6/11 Fandom: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion Characters: Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Vilgefortz of Roggeveen, Emhyr var Emreis, Vesemir (The Witcher), Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Jaskier | Dandelion, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, Cirilla Fiona | False Ciri, Eskel (The Witcher), Lambert (The Witcher), Aiden (The Witcher), Fringilla Vigo, Keira Metz Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Jaskier | Dandelion Whump, Witcher Jaskier | Dandelion, Human Experimentation, witcher experimentation, Captivity, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recovery, Survivor Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Protective Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Mind Control, CIRI IS A QUEEN Series: Part 1 of A Different Key Summary:

Jaskier was supposed to be a distraction.

A loud distraction to give Geralt and the others time to run.

He did not expect to survive it.

He did not expect Nilfgaard to keep him.

Chapter 3 is alliiiiiiiive and ready for consumption :) 

Chapters: 3/11 Fandom: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion Characters: Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Vilgefortz of Roggeveen, Emhyr var Emreis, Vesemir (The Witcher), Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Jaskier | Dandelion, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, Cirilla Fiona | False Ciri, Eskel (The Witcher), Lambert (The Witcher), Aiden (The Witcher) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Jaskier | Dandelion Whump, Witcher Jaskier | Dandelion, Human Experimentation, witcher experimentation, Captivity, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recovery, Survivor Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Protective Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Mind Control, CIRI IS A QUEEN Summary:

Jaskier was supposed to be a distraction.

A loud distraction to give Geralt and the others time to run.

He did not expect to survive it.

Are we ready for chapter 2!?

thank you everyone for the overwhelming response! Love to see the comments. So excited to see your reaction to this new chapter 

Chapters: 2/11 Fandom: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion Characters: Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Vilgefortz of Roggeveen, Emhyr var Emreis, Vesemir (The Witcher), Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Jaskier | Dandelion, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, Cirilla Fiona | False Ciri, Eskel (The Witcher), Lambert (The Witcher), Aiden (The Witcher) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Jaskier | Dandelion Whump, Witcher Jaskier | Dandelion, Human Experimentation, witcher experimentation, Captivity, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recovery, Survivor Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Protective Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Mind Control, CIRI IS A QUEEN Summary:

Jaskier was supposed to be a distraction.

A loud distraction to give Geralt and the others time to run.

He did not expect to survive it.

Genuinely love this story and I am so happy to finally share it! I CRANKED this sucker out.

I had been toying with the idea of creating new witchers since my last story, and I wanted a version where Jaskier was changed, but couldn’t figure out how i wanted to put the pieces together. 

But once I did... BOOM.

This will most likely end up being a series, the first arch in the first 11 chapters but it does NOT end in a cliff hanger. 

Cannot wait to hear your thoughts :) 

Chapters: 1/11 Fandom: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion Characters: Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Vilgefortz of Roggeveen, Emhyr var Emreis, Vesemir (The Witcher), Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Jaskier | Dandelion, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, Cirilla Fiona | False Ciri, Eskel (The Witcher), Lambert (The Witcher), Aiden (The Witcher) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Jaskier | Dandelion Whump, Witcher Jaskier | Dandelion, Human Experimentation, witcher experimentation, Captivity, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recovery, Survivor Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Protective Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Mind Control, CIRI IS A QUEEN Summary:

Jaskier was supposed to be a distraction.

A loud distraction to give Geralt and the others time to run.

He did not expect to survive it.