The Song of Seraphine

           Sera’s eyes shot open and she took a deep breath of air to calm herself.  She quietly got up from the makeshift bed of furs she shared with Geralt.  The sun had not started to rise yet and it was very cold outside, cold enough that she could see her breath.  She and Geralt had been making camps and falling to sleep under the same furs beside dying embers for two weeks now.  To stay warm at night they had to stay close.  She quietly began the morning routine of gathering branches and straw for a new fire.  She thought about warming some water to wash with but that seemed complicated.  What she really wanted was warmer weather or a nice warm bath at an inn. But it was winter in Redanian territory so the warm weather was out of the question and they were trying to save their coin and make it last as long as they could.  Sera grabbed her flint rocks from her saddle bags that sat in a pile with their things.  She got a spark easily and soon it started a flame.  In a short amount of time she was sitting in front of a medium sized fire warming her hands through her thin gloves.

           Geralt stirred and after sniffing the air he opened his eyes.  He sat up, making the furs pool in his lap and looked to Sera.  “Bad dreams again?” he asked and she nodded without looking at him. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

           She shook her head while pulling her knees to her chest.  “You were sleeping, I didn’t want to bother you,” she said. To this he only grunted. Time and time again he had told her that she was no bother to him and that she could wake him when the dreams were too much.  Still, she would look to him and decide that he looked too peaceful as he slept and she couldn’t disturb that rare moment for him.

           Geralt stood and began to fold the furs while still looking at her.  “What was it about his time?” he asked.  His question surprised her.  While his overall demeanor had changed towards her after the bandit encounter he still was a very quiet and reserved man that liked to keep most of his thoughts to himself.

           Sera shrugged her shoulders and looked at the flames of the fire.  “It was a memory that turned into a nightmare,” she said.  Her voice was soft, as if she was trying not to be heard by herself for fear she would have to go through the dream again.  “I was just a child and I was telling my father that I was going to live forever and that I would make sure Faye did as well. Then his face… it twisted and changed into Ferdand and he killed me.”

           Geralt grinned despite what she just told him. “You wanted to live forever?” he asked. She knew what he was doing and knew that he was trying to pull her thoughts away from the rest of the dream and she appreciated that.

           She smiled and looked up at him through her dark lashes.  “Not wanted… No… I was convinced I would,” she said. When he raised a brow she continued. “When we were children Faye had this horrible fever more than once, I never would get it… I have never been sick. And while I have been severely injured many times I seem to escape death when others see it as inescapable,” she said and wrapped her arms around herself, running her hands over her clothing where just beneath lie several scars.  “My mother… when she was alive, she would tell me that I would outlive many. She probably only said that because of how lucky I was.  In reality I was probably just taking what my mother said too seriously.”

           Geralt grinned in amusement and walked over to where she sat.  He then held out a hand to her to help her to her feet and she took it.  “Most children probably take their mothers too seriously,” he said as he gave her a swift pull.  She lost her balance and stumbled into him.

           Sera smirked, supposing he was right, then regained her balance, his hand still on hers.  “What was your mother like?” she asked as her eyes landed on his.  The question had slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it.  Geralt’s gaze left hers, his hand let go of her own, and he stepped away from her then started smothering the fire.  Sera cursed under her breath.  “I am sorry, Geralt.  Just because I share most everything with you doesn’t mean I should expect the same,” she said while walking over to Vega.

           She made sure Vega’s saddle was just right before mounting her and Geralt walked over and passes the reins up to her.  “I don’t remember much about my childhood, nor my mother.  It was long ago,” he said.  

           He wasn’t looking at her instead he was looking at his hands that were still holding onto Vega’s reins.  Sera slowly placed her hand on his and he didn’t move. “Geralt, I…” she said, beginning her apology.

           He shook his head and his eyes landed on hers. “Don’t apologize, Seraphine.  I don’t remember it so I don’t have many feelings associated with it,” he said.  She nodded and watched as he removed his hand from hers a second time and then walk over to Roach.

           They began riding towards the next village where they hoped they would find an Alchemist that knew Sera’s mother.  As always they rode in mostly silence, only speaking when they heard something. Seraphine usually used this time to think about her family, her mother specifically, but this time she was thinking of Geralt.   She was staring at the back of his head while they rode.  She had seen many sides of the man she had been travelling with. He was quiet and calm but when he did speak he had a sharp tongue.  She noticed he also has a soft side which he didn’t show until after Ferdand’s death and he only showed that side to her.  He was a mystery of a man despite knowing of him for five years.

           “What are you doing?” he asked without turning to look at her.  “I can feel you looking at me, Seraphine.  Stare any longer and it will feel like daggers.”

           Sera’s cheeks grew warm but she shook it off.  “I’m just curious as to why people believe Witchers have no emotions,” she said. She heard him hum in amusement but he still didn’t turn her way.  “Oh come on, Geralt, it can’t be true can it?”

           “What do you think, Seraphine?  We have known each other for five years or more,” he said while finally glancing back at her.  She could see the mischief in his golden eyes and she knew that he was having way too much fun with this. “Do you think I have no emotions?”

           Sera thought for a moment, but shook her head. “No, Geralt, I don’t think it’s true,” she said while riding up beside him.  He grinned at her and waited for her to continue.  “I have seen you angry, annoyed, even worried,” she said with a smile. “I believe it was a rumor created by humans to give them yet another reason to not be involved with Witchers.”

           “Is that so?” he asked while raising a brow in her direction.

           “Absolutely.  In reality, you are the most human individual I have met,” she said.  This surprised him and she could see it on his face. She continued.  “You’re honest, have a great moral compass and truly, other than Pavetta and my sister, I believe you to be the kindest person I’ve known.”

           He let out a harsh laugh.  “Now I know you’re lying,” he said with a grin and a shake of his head.  

           Sera shook her own head in disagreement and locked her eyes with his own.  “I wouldn’t lie about that, Geralt,” she said with a serious tone. “You could have let me die a time or two.  In fact, the reason I am alive is proof of your kindness.  You could have left me behind long ago.  Now you’re helping me learn more about my mother.  If that’s not kindness, Geralt of Rivia, then please, do tell me what is,” she said.

           Geralt only looked at her then nodded.  His gaze was soft and Sera could feel her cheeks growing warm again.  He gave her a small, but genuine, smile this time which made her heart flutter.  He then looked away from her and they continued to ride on.  Sera shook her head and mentally cursed herself for what she knew she felt for the man before her.

 It took most of their day but as the sun was beginning to set, they finally came across the town of Denesle.  It didn’t take long for them to find the tavern and the inn to which Sera was happy to see.  She would have done anything for a steaming bath and a warm bed.  “It wouldn’t be right to barge into someone’s home at this hour, we should rest and we can go in the morning,” she said as they dismounted their horses and he nodded in agreement.  “Here,” she said while handing him a few coins.  “I’ll go get us a room at the inn and a table in the tavern, you go board these two.”

           “You got too used to ordering people around in Cintra, My Lady,” he said with a grin.  He had jokes she had to admit but she rolled her eyes anyways.  She turned away from him with a smile and made her way to the inn.  There she paid for a room and ordered a bath to be ready in an hour then took their things up before she headed to the tavern where she managed to get a table in the back corner.  She ordered two ales and two bowls of stew, which she was far too excited for, then she waited for Geralt.  By the time he entered the tavern their food and drinks had made it to the table and as soon as he sat down across from her he began to eat.

           “Did you give Vega extra oats as well, stable boy?” she joked.  He stared back at her with hard eyes but she saw the corner of his mouth crack into a small grin.  

           “You’re in a good mood.  You’ve been making even more jokes lately,” he said then took a long drink of his ale.

           Sera shrugged her shoulders and drank from her own ale before speaking.  “Just excited to learn more about my mother, I suppose,” she said.  In a way that was the truth.  There were many things that had her in a decent mood.  The fact that they were staying in a nice warm room with a hot tub was probably at the top of that list next to learning more about her mother.  And the fact that Geralt was actually speaking more than a few worded sentences with her made it all even better.  “It’s nice to feel like this, it’s been a long time since I have…” she said.

           Geralt nodded in agreement and they continued to eat their meal.  Sera tried to take her time and savor the meal but, between her hunger and the fact that the hot food was warming her up from the inside out, it was difficult. After they finished their food they took their time drinking down the rest of their ales and planned out the next day.  “The White Wolf,” said a man from across the room.  His voice nearly silenced the rest of the tavern and almost everyone watched as he stumbled over to the table they sat at.

           “I sense a dampering in my mood,” said Sera with a roll of her eyes.  She drank down the rest of her ale in one gulp and looked over at their visitor.

           “Shouldn’t you be out killing beasts?” the man asked with a slur to his voice.  She could smell the ale on his breath and it made her want to gag.  “I’ve never had the opportunity to meet a witcher before,” he said.  He was leaning on the table and he was too close to Sera for her own comfort.  She moved over on the bench seat as Geralt’s gaze settled on her.  “Tell me, Witcher, when you have killed all the other monsters do you then off yourself?”

           Sera’s jaw dropped at the stranger’s blunt statement. “That’s enough,” she said as she stood from her seat.

           The man smirked and looked Sera up and down. “And who are you?  I’ve never heard of women traveling with witchers. You his whore or somethin’?” he asked making Sera’s blood begin to boil. She attempted to take a step toward the man but a strong hand placed on her shoulder caught her.

           “Leave it,” said Geralt, his voice low and soft and surprisingly not full of anger.  She listened and instead of throttling the man she shoved past him with Geralt following behind her.  

           “Butcher!” the man said as they reached the door. “If that woman had any sense at all she’d not travel with your kind.”

           Geralt, ignoring the man, grabbed onto Sera’s forearm and led her out of the tavern.  He didn’t release his grip until they were inside their room at the inn. Once inside she tore her arm from his grasp.  “Why do you let people speak to you like that?  That man should learn how to hold his tongue,” she said but he was only grinning. “You just let them say those things, Geralt, and it drives me mad.  They aren’t true.”

           He could see that she was truly upset about the matter.  “I don’t care what they think, Seraphine, nor what they say.  There are only a select few people in this world whose thoughts about me I care about.  Strangers in taverns that I’ll most likely never visit again isn’t one of them,” he said and she looked up at him.

           “Am I in that select few then?” she raised her brow as she spoke and he grinned.

           “Are you taking a bath first or am I?  The water is getting cold,” he said, changing the subject.  

Sera’s eyes lit up, she had forgotten about the bath she had ordered for the room.  “It’s mine!  I don’t need you griming it all up!” she said then practically shoved him out of the way and rushed over to where the tub sat behind the scrim.

           Geralt smiled and shook his head at the thoughts of that woman.  “You are just as grimy as I am,” he said in a low voice and judging by the scoff that came from the other side of the scrim, she had heard him.  “I’m going down to the innkeeper to get us a drink,” he said and she only hummed in response, a reply that she was no doubt adopting from him.

 Moments later, when he returned with a bottle of wine and a jug of water he could hear her humming.  “There is wine and water,” he said and she stopped humming.

           “I don’t suppose you’d bring me some wine?” she said, he could hear the smile in her voice.  Geralt poured them both a glass and walked over to the scrim.  He kept his eyes on her own as to not make her uncomfortable by looking elsewhere.  Not that it would matter, the bath was deep enough and the room was dark enough that he would barely be able to see anything.  He handed her one of the glasses then sat down with his back against the outside of the tub and his head close to hers.

           “I’ve never seen you drink wine,” she said before taking a sip out of her own glass.  She then set it on a small table just beside the edge of the tub.

           Geralt smirked and took a drink.  “We’re not usually in places with good ale let alone decent wine,” he said and she let out a short laugh in agreement.  The air smelled sweet like vanilla and patchouli, a scent that Geralt had tied to Sera.  Even on the road with days of travel she still smelled sweet and clean. He found himself closing his eyes and nearly sighing at the delight of the smell.

           “After this is over I truly wouldn’t care to ever see a winter again,” she said with a laugh while running water up her arms to rinse them off.  

           “Five years in a nice warm palace will do that to you,” he said with a grin.

           Sera smirked.  “You like to bring up the fact that I was a member of court an awful lot, Geralt.  Are you jealous?” she asked while taking a sideways glance at him.  She watched as he smiled when she spoke but he said nothing. “I know, you’re jealous because I had nice hot baths whenever I wanted,” she said.  He hummed in response and lifted his chin.  “Well, if you pass me my robe you can have your turn.”

           Geralt nodded and grabbed her dressing robe from where it sat in a heap on the ground.  Why she insisted on still traveling with it he would never know, he only guessed it was because she didn’t want to wear actual clothes when she slept. “It’s about time, the water is getting cold,” he said.  He was joking, of course.  The water was still just as hot as it had been when she got in.  Without looking he held the robe back to her and heard the water slosh around the tub as she stood up.  

           Sera took the robe from him and wrapped it around her form then stepped out of the tub with her glass of wine in hand.  He stood from his spot and she immediately sat down with her back against the tub just as he had done.  He undressed at the other side of the tub away from her view and then got in the water, sitting down practically back to back with her. She could hear the water moving and strong scent of lavender soap filled her senses.  She thought it was interesting that a man like him would choose lavender as his scent but it was what he always smelled like to her. Lavender, the outdoors, and when he went too long without bathing a touch or Roach.  The sound of him grunting pulled her from her thoughts and she turned to see him attempting to wash his shoulders.  “What’s the matter, Geralt, are the years of killing monsters finally getting to you?” she asked with a smile.  He glanced back at her with a slightly unamused stare to which her response was to reach for the soap in his hand.  He said nothing but he dropped the soap in her hand and leaned forward making his back more accessible.  She ran the soap over his scarred shoulders and back then set it on the floor next to her. She then massaged the soap over his muscles, getting off the dirt and grime from their travelling but also attempting to release some of the tension he had built up there.  From the angle she sat she could still see his face, he had closed his eyes and she noted how relaxed his features looked.  “Why lavender?” she asked, the question escaping her lips before she knew it.

           He let out an amused chuckle and barely opened his right eye to glance at her.  “It’s calming,” he said, his voice was soft.  He grinned and she stopped massaging his back to encourage him to say more.  “Most women who see my chest and back don’t usually ask about my choice of soap.”

           She realized that what he meant was that most women, and really anyone that had the chance of seeing his chest or back, asked about his scars.  “We all have scars, Geralt, you more than some.  They aren’t something to be gawked at but they do tell stories of your life, you know,” she said, continuing to run her hands over his back.  A short hum was his reply.  “You should wash your hair, it looks like you have a year’s worth of dirt on your scalp,” she said, now running her fingers through his silver locks.  “I’ll do it for you,” she said and he complied, leaning back in the bath again. Carefully, she removed the piece of leather string that tied up half of his hair, letting down the rest of his slightly tangled hair.  She cupped handfuls of water and poured them on his head then lathered the soap in her hands before kneading them through his hair.  

           Geralt let out a deep breath, like a sigh, as she scrubbed the layers of dirt on his scalp.  He had never had another person do this for him and he began to wonder how he could live without it now.  It was as if her fingers on her scalp were massaging out any tension he had at the moment. Meanwhile, Sera smiled to herself at the thought of her washing Geralt of Rivia’s hair.  She looked at his face noting how truly relaxed he seemed. Outside of sleeping she had never seen him so calm.  The wrinkle from where his brows were almost always crinkled together was nearly invisible, his jaw wasn’t clenched in annoyance, and his mouth was set in an almost smile. She rinsed out all of the soap but continued to run her fingers through his hair, attempting to get out any tangles. She hummed softly as her hands eventually travelled back to his scalp, wanting him to have a few more moments of relaxation.  As her eyes travelled over his features and to his jawline so did her hands.  His stubble felt rough under her finder tips but she didn’t stop.  Without much thought Geralt found himself leaning into one of her hands, enjoying the feeling of something as simple as a touch.  Sera was surprised at this action but that didn’t stop her, instead it encouraged her.  Her thumb traced along his jaw and swiped over the corner of his lips as she stopped humming.  She then thought about their journey and the irony of it all.  Two people bound together in what seemed like a shared fate, one that was followed by destruction and chaos and the other that hunted it down.  Maybe that was why their lives were intertwined.  Or maybe it was simpler than that.  Maybe he was just what she needed and she… maybe for once she was what someone else needed.

           Sera’s thumb stopped tracing and began to pull away from Geralt at the thought that had struck her.  His hand was quick to catch her wrist, covering it in water making it easy for her to slip from his grasp.  But then he caught her again, but this time with his eyes.  They reminded her of drops of honey, sweet and tempting. His gaze was much softer than she had ever seen it, making her stomach flip.  She finally broke the gaze and stood up, grabbing her glass as she did. “I’m going to add some wood to the hearth,” she said then quickly disappeared to the other side of the scrim leaving Geralt in the bath.  She set her glass down on the small table near the bed and ran her hands over her face before walking to the hearth.  Shaking her head at her own stupidity, she tossed another log into the fire and took a deep breath to calm her nerves as she leaned against the wall.  Geralt was her travelling companion, her friend of sorts, and that was it.  That was all it needed to be, or so she was trying to convince herself as she thought of the complete opposite.

           She heard him clear his throat followed by the sound of water filling an empty cup.  She turned to look at him as he stood by the bed, in only his trousers, and she wondered when he had gotten out of the bath and if he had seen her having a mental fight with herself by the hearth.  His eyes were already set on her when she looked at him so it was possible that he saw her internal struggles.  They stood there staring at one another, neither one of them planning to look away. “It’s a bad idea,” was all he said.

           Sera nodded in agreement, “You’re right, it is,” she said, her eyes still locked onto his.  She watched as he took a long drink of the water he had poured himself. “You age much slower than me, it would be a disaster anyways,” she said, taking a drink of her wine.

           He hummed and gave her a nod.  “My life is too dangerous, chasing monsters,” he said.

           “Everyone I care for dies,” she said.

           “Then we agree,” he said and she nodded.

           “I guess so,” her voice was low.  Geralt set his glass on the table and watched her from across the room.  She took a deep breath before finishing off her wine.  Then she let the cup fall to the ground as she took several bounds toward him and they met in the center of the room just before their lips clashed together.  Her kiss was hungry and so was his.  They were both accepting something they had been pushing away since Pavetta’s betrothal feast, or even before.  And she was relishing in it, all of it.  From the feeling of his hands pressed gently to the sides of her face to the softness of his lips. And Geralt was thinking just the same.  They had both been dealt a shit hand in the game of life and it was about time they took something they wanted from it.  They separated and caught one another’s gaze, both looking for reassurance.  When it was granted she raised up to kiss him again, much softer this time, and they moved for the bed.  At that moment the only thing either of them wanted was the one standing before them, the one whose embrace they were in.  

Tag List: @fire-in-her-veinz​ @wastingmypotential​

           Sera ate the last bites of her food then drank from his ale before standing up and making her way to the bed.  “You should take a bath while the water is still warm, you smell,” she said. Her voice was monotone but he knew that this was her way of trying to jest when she was upset. 

             He hummed in amusement and took another gulp of ale as he glanced over at her.  Her head rested on the pillows and she looked up at the ceiling.  He could see her thinking and he knew that many of her thoughts evolved around her sister and her once lover, Willam.  Geralt was not the confiding and comforting type but for some reason to see this woman in pain brought him discomfort.  “I hope you don’t expect me to sleep on the floor,” he said as he stood and started walking to the scrim.  He saw her move over to the further side of the mattress while turning on her side with her back facing him.  He said nothing, only let out another grunt as he disappeared behind the scrim to undress.

            “Just don’t steal the covers,” he heard her say as he slipped into the tub.  He shook his head with a slight grin.  She had a way of attempting to mask pain with humor; that was something he had picked up on rather quickly.  The moments she did speak were usually moments of dry jests at him or herself, other than that she was silent.  Geralt scrubbed the days of riding from his body and washed his hair with the same lavender soap she had used.  He wasn’t in the tub for very long but when he got dressed and approached the bed she was already sleeping.  He sighed, pulled back the covers, and crawled into the bed beside her.  Then he closed his eyes and submerged himself into the continuous silence.

 The next morning Sera woke before Geralt and got dressed then headed down to the tavern so she could buy them some breakfast.  She leaned against the counter as she waited for the food and listened in on the conversations around her.  She was rather surprised to see the tavern so busy this early in the morning but then again the town they were in was rather large.  She heard a group of men discussing how horrible the game had been on their last few hunts while some other men discussed how to properly get their wives to do what they want.  Three barmaids flitted about the tavern occasionally conversing with one another about the fact that the White Wolf was staying in their inn.  “Did you not see that he was with some woman, if you could call her that?  She was just as much of a brute as he was, all covered in dirt and grime,” she said making Sera roll her eyes at the ignorance of them not knowing she was standing in the same room as them.  She would admit that when she had arrived at the inn she was quite displeasing to look at, they both had been.  That was the reason behind Geralt ordering a bath just after requesting a room.  But to call her a brute was just rude.  She agreed she was more muscular than most women but living in a castle for five years made her learn how to appear a little more lady-like.

            Out of the corner of her eye she saw Geralt enter the tavern and immediately his eyes were set on her.  He walked over, ignoring the gawking from the barmaids and mimicked Sera’s stance as she continued to lean on the bar counter.  “I paid the innkeeper and gathered our things, yours are in your bags,” he said and she nodded. 

            “Just waiting on the food,” she said as she looked down at the counter.  Geralt hummed in response to her avoiding his gaze.  “Do you hear them talking about you?” she asked with what he thought was a grin.

            “They all do,” he said as his eyes scanned the room.  Many people looked back at him but didn’t keep their eyes on him for long once they realized he saw them. 

            “No, the women.  You should have heard them talking before you came in here.  I believe a few of them find you attractive,” she said this time allowing herself to glance up at him.  “They also called me a brute,” she said. This made him turn his gaze back to her and instead of seeing a scowl on his face he grinned with amusement.  She let out a soft laugh in return as she crossed her arms in front of her. “You don’t think I’m a brute do you?” He looked her up and down, noting that she in fact did not look like a brute in her forest green tunic and hunting pants. Not with the thick leather that wrapped around her small waist and especially it when she smelled of lavender. But then again, even when she was covered in leather armor and the grime of the road she had never resembled a brute.  But he smirked and gave her a slight nod to which she elbowed him in his exposed ribcage due to him not wearing his own armor.  “You’re so kind,” she said with a grin. 

            Their food was placed in front of them and they began eating without another word.  Sera nearly moaned over the flavor of the chicken and she didn’t know if it was just cooked nicely or if it was just nice to have something other than rabbit.  “Ivan,” said a man to the barkeep as he approached him.  He now stood beside Sera a little too close for her liking but she was easily distracted by the food in front of her.  “Did you hear what happened to the princess of Cintra?” he said and Sera stopped chewing her food.

            “Oh, yeah.  Tis a shame isn’t it?  They were a young pair,” said Ivan while shaking his head.  He then began to wipe up a spot on the counter with a dirty rag. 

            “What are you talking about?  Do you speak of Pavetta?” she turned to the man now and grabbed him by the sleeve of his shirt. 

            He looked as if he was going to curse her for grabbing him but then she saw the fear in her eyes.  “Aye, girl.  Their ship went down taking the young couple with them.  We received word late last night,” he said making Sera’s heart drop.  She stumbled back, running into Geralt, and let go of the man’s shirt.

            Geralt cursed under his breath and put a hand on her back, ushering her out of the tavern knowing she needed to be away from the commotion.  He took her to where he tied off roach and Vega then made her turn to look at him, his hands gently resting on her shoulders.  Her eyes were open but she looked past him and into a void of something he couldn’t see.  “Seraphine,” he said and lightly squeezed one of her arms.  “Look at me,” he said.  This time he put his right hand under her jaw and directed her gaze to his own. 

            “Their dead,” she said in soft whimper but she didn’t cry.  He figured she had cried so much in the past month and felt so much pain that she was incapable of doing so any longer.  “Pavetta’s dead,” she said as if breaking the news to herself.  She felt alone despite having Geralt right in front of her.  She had lost two of the most important people in her life in a few months’ time.  “I don’t have anyone now…”

            Her words hurt him and he felt a wave of unfamiliar emotion as he wrapped his arms around her form.  “I’m here,” he whispered almost too quietly for her to hear. He meant it and he intended to have her stay at his side for as long as she needed.  But for now he only held her.

 Weeks passed and Sera was still travelling with Geralt.  They had made it a ways north in the continent headed towards Novigrad.  Geralt had some contracts here and there and for most of them he had made Sera stay behind.  At first, when she was still too much in her head, she didn’t mind the fact that he would go and kill monsters without her.  Now that some time had passed and she had started to heal it annoyed her that he made her stay behind.  “I just think it is ridiculous that you won’t let me join you.  I know how to defend myself Geralt,” she said as they rode through the woods.

            “No,” he said as he continued to ride with his back to her.  He was just far enough in front of her that she couldn’t quite see his facial features.

            Sera rolled her eyes knowing that she couldn’t see him.  “You treat me as if I am a child.  Geralt, do you forget how we met?  Do you forget the other tales you have heard of me?” she said while making Vega catch up so she could ride beside him instead.

            “No, I haven’t forgotten, Seraphine,” he said, his voice was softer this time making her look at him.  While he didn’t look directly at her yet she could tell that he was thinking of what to say next.  “I also haven’t forgotten how you nearly died from the neckers.  Nor have I forgotten the mental state you are currently in,” he said.  Her eyes landed on his as he turned his head to look at her and she was at a loss for words.  “You cannot join me because you are human, Seraphine.  You need time to heal and time to get strong before you can just go back out there and start swinging your sword.  If you don’t you will get hurt or I will from trying to help you.”

            Sera was a little shocked at that response.  That was the most she had heard him speak at once.  It was a mix of that and the fact that he was admitting to caring about her well-being, to some extent, that surprised her.  She let out a hard sigh and ran her fingers through Vega mane, attempting to calm herself.  “I understand,” she said while glancing over to him.  “I appreciate what you have done for me, Geralt, and I appreciate you letting me tag along.  I know you’re not a people person to begin with,” she said and he hummed at this.  “But, I know me and I know when I am ready to get back out there.  So with all due respect, Geralt, you cannot make me just wait around while you’re out there risking your life.  I won’t do it.”  If she wasn’t getting used to his piercing gaze she might have felt nervous when she saw his calm demeanor turn into a glare.  His jaw clenched but he didn’t speak making Sera roll her eyes yet again.  He made Roach move faster so they were no longer riding side by side.  He was a moody man; that was something she had learned quickly in their time together. While her own mood probably wasn’t helping the situation she would like to think that she wasn’t the only reason he was so… him. 

            They continued to ride until the sun started to set.  Geralt decided it was a good time to set up camp and they opted for a spot relatively close to the river they had been following.  Sera untied the carcass of the hare she had shot not an hour before they stopped from her saddle and walked over to the river so she could clean it.  Geralt began gathering dry branches that could be used for a fire and neither one spoke to the other.  By the time she finished skinning the hare Geralt had gotten the fire going.  He had even set up two branches on either side of the fire and was sharpening another to use as a skewer.  She said nothing when he held the skewer out to her.  She thread it through the meat and balanced it on the other branches over the fire.  Geralt stood from the fallen tree he had been sitting on and walked over to the river and Sera watched as he crouched down to rinse off his face and hands.  It was getting close to the time they both needed a cleaning that a river couldn’t give. With any luck Geralt would opt to stop overnight in the next town they came across. 

            Sera hummed as she allowed herself to lounge back into the leaves and the soft earth.  “Stop,” said Geralt. This of course made Sera hum louder than she already had been just in spite of the grumpy man.  “Seraphine,” he said again, this time a little more seriously.  Before she could say anything a bolt flew past her and hit Geralt in the left leg making Sera jump.  He let out a curse and his hand flew to the bolt. 

          “That’s a pretty name for a pretty lass, right boys?” said a voice that Sera did not recognize.  She reached for her knife that was attached to the holder on her leg but was quickly stopped with the man’s next words.  “No, don’t you move a muscle, girl,” he said.  She looked up now to see the man was aiming a bolt right for the center of Sera’s head while three more men came out of the shadows of the forest.  “Not many travel this far from the main road, ya know.  Just made our jobs a lot simpler.”

            Geralt grunted and Sera looked to him to see he was attempting to form a sign, Axii she assumed to dissuade the attackers.  One of the other men shot at Geralt again, this time hitting his other leg.  He fell to his knees letting out another curse.  “Geralt!” said Sera as she attempted to move towards him.

            “I wouldn’t move again unless you want me to split her open from navel to nose.  And you, stay put or we will shoot him again, girl,” said the man while walking closer to her.  He grabbed her arm and pulled her quickly to her feet.  “Now, we are going to take your food and whatever coin you have then maybe me and my boys will be gentle with you,” he said, his face only inches from her own. 

            Sera held back her urge to gag from his foul breath.  “Go to hell,” she said.  This time he shot his own bolt at Geralt, hitting him in the shoulder, then unsheathed her own knife and pressed it against her throat.  “What the fuck, I didn’t move.”   

            “You moved your lips, girl,” he said with a grin.  Sera looked over to Geralt who was breaking off the ends of the bolts while hissing in pain.

            “Take the food, take the coin… fuck, take the horses.  You can’t have her,” he said, his voice was deeper than usual.  He started to stand and the last man shot his bolt, this one missed and the others hadn’t reloaded.  The knife at Sera’s neck pressed down harder making her stiffen.

            “No, we will take the food, the coin, maybe even the horses too come to think of it.  Then we will have the girl,” said the man then he signaled his men with the nod of his head. Two of the men ran to Geralt, one with an axe the other with a small blade.  Despite Geralt being injured he was able to deflect and take down the two with very little struggle.  Sera was in awe of how quickly it all happened when she saw the small blade fly past her and into the third man.  She could feel the man that held her shake as Geralt picked up the discarded axe, slightly struggling to stand up straight.  The man removed the blade from Sera’s neck and with much accuracy threw it at Geralt. Once it was free from his hands and free from her throat Sera bit down on the arm that still held her.  His grip loosened enough for her to get out.  She reached for the closest thing to her which was the skewer with the hare meat on it.  Before the man could react Sera kicked him in the stomach then grasped a handful of his hair and shoved the skewer into his neck.  He fell to the ground and gargled on his own blood. 

           Sera turned and ran to Geralt’s side.  He was laying on the ground now, his hands at his own neck.  Her knife had nearly missed him.  He was bleeding profusely and looked into his eyes.  “What do I do? I need you to tell me what to do…” she said with panic in her voice.  Her eyes burned making her realize she had been crying and she wasn’t sure when she had started. 

           “My potions,” he managed to get out.  She nodded and quickly retrieved the small bag of glass vials along with scrap cloth from his saddle bag.  She ran back to them and dumped them in her hands.  She then held up each vial until he nodded at the one he needed.  She uncorked it and poured it into his mouth.   She noticed that he was struggling to keep his eyes open. 

           “No…  No, Geralt, you keep your damned eyes open you hear me!” she said as she moved his hands from his neck and pressed the scrap cloth to the wound.  She watched him close his eyes and she cursed.  “Dammit!” she said.  Then she whistled for Roach as best she could.  The horse was at her side quicker than she expected.  “Roach… I am going to need your help, girl.  She pulled on Roach’s bridal and directed her to kneel just as she had done to Vega many times before.  Then put her hands under Geralt’s arms and struggled with pulling him onto the back of Roach.  She mounted the horse herself and whistled for Vega.  Very quickly she tied the two together and kicked Roach into motion.  She had never ridden so fast in her life.

            She made it to a town and into an inn within the hour and despite it being past dark she was able to get a healer to come and aid her.  They removed the bolts and stitched him up as best as they could then layered a thick salve over the wounds.  When Sera asked how long he would remain unconscious for the healer informed her that in normal, human, circumstances Geralt would not have come out of his injuries alive.  Meaning it would take some time for him to regain consciousness.  She thanked the healer and paid them well then sat down in the chair she had pulled to the bedside and looked at him.  “This is all my fault,” she said as she looked down at her hands. “I thought you were just being your grumpy, irritating self when you told me to be quiet…  I didn’t think you were trying to hear if something was approaching.”  She watched his chest rise and fall with deep, even breaths. “Geralt, I promise you that when you wake I won’t argue anymore.  If you don’t want me fighting monsters with you then that is fine.  I will do as you ask just please… wake up.  I can’t lose anyone else,” she whispered.  Her hand reached out and grabbed onto his and she squeezed tightly while wiping her eyes with her free hand.

          She was surprised when he gripped her hand back and she was even more surprised when she heard her name roll off his tongue in a soft whisper.  He was still unconscious but having him utter her name made her have more hope that he would wake up, heal, and everything would be fine.

 Geralt’s body hurt and it hurt a lot more than usual.  He felt like he had been tossed off a cliff.  He opened his eyes and grunted in pain while attempting to sit up.  He was in a bed, and it was a rather nice one.  He was at an inn.  It was well into the night and there was no light other than the streams of moonlight coming in through the open window.  It was enough light to allow him to see what was around him in the room ad almost immediately his eyes landed on a sleeping form in a chair next to the bed. Seraphine was curled up into the chair in a position that did not look comfortable at all.  Despite her uncomfortable position she looked content and he could hear soft snores coming from her.  He looked over to the table and saw a jug which he hoped was full of water. He attempted to sit up and pull himself from the bed but his muscles were sore and the wounds on his legs were bleeding again.  “Fuck,” he whispered.

           Sera opened her eyes and turned her gaze to the bed. Her eyes landed on Geralt who looked rather uncomfortable.  “You’re awake,” she said and sat up straight in the chair.  His eyes went to her and he hummed.  She reached for the jug on the table and handed it to him.  “It’s water, drink as much as you need,” she said. He nodded and took the jug from her then began to chug the water in the container.  “The healer said that if you were human you would not have made it,” her voice was low.  She wrung her hands together and when his eyes landed on hers she turned her gaze downward.  “This is all my fault, Geralt.  If I would have shut up when you asked you would have heard those men approach sooner. You got hurt because of me… you almost died because of me,” she said.  At this point her vision began to blur.

           Geralt grunted which made her lift her gaze up to him. “Are you hurt?” he asked.  After her brows knitted together she shook her head. “Then why are you crying.  They are dead and we are both alive.  I will heal and thanks to the potion you gave me I will heal much quicker than usual,” he said.  His voice was not harsh as she had expected it to be.  Instead, it was soft, softer than she had ever heard it before.

           “You’re not mad?” she asked and he shook his head making her shoulders drop with relief.  He handed the jug back to her and she took it from him, placing it back on the table.  “You should get more rest,” she said while pushing a few locks of hair behind her ear.

           “What about you?” he asked and she shrugged her shoulders.

           “The chair is enough,” she said but he grunted in reply then motioned for her to come to the bed.  He moved over to the other side and she stood from her chair, not wanting to argue with him.  She lay down on the mattress and pulled the covers over herself and stared at the ceiling. “I am glad you’re okay,” she said and he hummed in response.  She glanced over to him noticing that his eyes were already closed and he would be sleeping at any moment.  “Geralt, I must tell you something that I held back because I previously thought you were too stubborn to care,” she said.  He opened his eyes just enough to look at her.  “I care for you immensely.  All I could think when those bandits had a knife at my throat was you and if you were going to be okay.  And how I don’t know what I would have done if I lost you too,” she said then rolled onto her side to look at him.  “I wasn’t worried about me or what they would do to me… I was worried about you.  I can’t lose you too.”

           His brows were knitted together at her words and he hummed before he spoke.  “I am not going anywhere, Seraphine.  You won’t be alone,” he said.  His words were stretched apart and he was closing his eyes again.  “Promise…” he said.  Sera stared at him in surprise.  Other than the time he took her from Ferdand’s shack she had never heard him speak this kindly to her or anyone for that matter.  

His eyes were fully closed and she knew he was sleeping once again.  She shuffled closer to him and pressed her lips to his forehead as he slept.  “Thank you,” she whispered and closed her own eyes to get some rest.

@fire-in-her-veinz​

            “No worries Pavetta, I really shouldn’t be sleeping in so late anyways,” she said then glanced over at Ciri.  “The princess was just ensuring I didn’t waste an entire day in bed, isn’t that right?”

            The young princess nodded with a wide smile.  Pavetta shook her head but she was still smiling.  “You both could get away with murder, I swear of it,” she said with a lighthearted laugh. 

            Sera looked at the princess and winked, earning a laugh in return.  “Run along Ciri, I will join you for breakfast,” she said.

            “For lunch,” said Pavetta with a smirk. 

            Sera smiled at her friend and nodded.  “For lunch then, it seems I really was going to sleep the day away,” she said then watched as Ciri ran past her mother and out of her chambers.  “Good morning, Your Highness,” she said with a curtsy and a hint of sarcasm. 

            Pavetta rolled her eyes and walked further into the room.  “She adores you, you know.  Sometimes I think more than she adores me,” she said while sitting down on the edge of the mattress. 

            Sera moved over to the changing screen and began pulling on a dress that would manage for a day in the castle.  It was a simple light blue gown with a black bodice.  “That’s because I don’t make the rules, Pavetta,” she said with a grin while peeking her head out from behind the screen. 

            She heard Pavetta laugh which made her smile.  It had been nearly five years of Sera living in Cintra and she had grown accustomed to it.  Rarely ever did she find herself yearning for the old adventures of killing monsters, stories that she now told a young Ciri.  All were tales the four year old found astounding.  “You would be a great mother,” said Pavetta, making Sera laugh as she came out from behind the changing screen now fully dressed. 

            “Pavetta, we both know my desire to have a child left long before I even knew you,” she said while walking over to where she sat.  “Besides, then I wouldn’t get to be the fun one anymore,” she said with a grin. 

            “Well that makes me feel much better leaving her with you and my mother while Duny and I go overseas,” she said with sarcasm.  Sera nudged her with her elbow, not really wanting to think about her friend going away for months on end. 

            “We have some time before that, Pavetta, let’s not dwell on that now,” she said while grabbing her friends hand and pulling her to her feet.  “Now, your lovely daughter and your mother are most likely waiting for us to have their lunch.  We should join them before I get blamed for our tardiness… again.”

            They made their way out of her chambers and towards the dining hall where they would meet Calanthe and Ciri.  “Has Mousesack given you more information about your mother?” asked Pavetta.

            Sera shrugged her shoulders while looping her arm through Pavetta’s.  “Nothing more than I have already told you.  She was a sorceress that chose to live her life with a normal man, my father, instead of following other sorceresses to Aretuza,” she said as they continued walking.  She thought for a moment about the last time she spoke to Mousesack.  “He also said that he remembers seeing her again, after she had me and my sister, she came to him asking for spells,” she said with a shrug.

            “Spells?  But she wouldn’t have been able to cast them herself so why would she look for them?” she asked but Sera shrugged her shoulders again.

            “He didn’t get the chance to say.  Ciri interrupted, begging to go out and ride Vega,” she said with a grin. 

At this Pavetta rolled her eyes.  “You spoil her,” she said as they rounded the corner into the dining hall.  They both took their seats, Sera’s beside Ciri just as the little girl insisted.  They began to eat the meal that was placed in front of them in silence.  When they were finished Pavetta whisked Ciri away for her lessons for the day, leaving Sera with Calanthe. 

“My Granddaughter looks up to you, I think, more than she looks up to me or Pavetta,” she said.  She didn’t sound upset about it though, instead it sounded like a compliment.

“The princess has become very important to me, Your Majesty.  Ciri is such a headstrong girl, I think she gets that from your side,” she said making Calanthe smile.  “Honestly, I didn’t think I would end up staying in Cintra this long.  I planned on staying long enough to aid Pavetta in the birth of her child but after that I was going to return to life out there,” she said while nodding her head in the direction of the doors.  “You have all treated me with nothing but kindness from the very beginning and I am grateful for that.  I am truly indebted to you and your family, my queen.”

“Oh, dear girl,” she said as her brows furrowed.  Sera wondered why she looked so upset and why she was suddenly at a loss for words.  “Word came from your village early this morning.  I had hoped to tell you in a better way…” she began.  Sera’s heart was in her throat, knowing that whatever Calanthe had to say wasn’t good news.  Since Sera had arrived and since the fall of the old mayor, Ferdand, Calanthe had sent her men off to the little village to keep watch on the remaining branch of Sera’s family.   “Your sister is dead, it happened a few weeks ago but the word just reached us,” she said. 

The chair Sera sat in scrapped across the ground as she stood up and placed her balled fists on the table.  Her eyes brimmed with tears and she sniffled before she spoke.  “How?” she asked.  “How did my sister die?” her voice raised just a bit but she was not yelling at Calanthe.

She looked at the young women feeling guilty for having to be the bearer of bad news.  “She was killed, they did not find who did it,” she said.  Sera shoved herself back from the table and started walking out of the dining hall.  “Seraphine, where are you going?” Calanthe called after her.

“I’m going to kill that bastard,” she said without stopping.  She marched all the way to her room and threw open her door then made her way to her clothing chest.  She ignored the fact that she could barely see and dug through the clothes trying to find her new riding trousers and the leather armor Pavetta and Calanthe had made for her the year before.  She didn’t bother getting behind the changing screen as she ripped the skirts and corset from her body.  When she finished pulling on her old clothes she went back to the chest to pull out her old travel bag then walked over to the chest she stored her bow, quiver and sword in. 

As she pulled on her gear the door to her room opened and Pavetta walked in with Ciri trailing behind her.  “So it is true, you are going,” she said while looking Sera up and down.  It had been a long time since Pavetta had seen her dressed like that. 

Sera looked at the floor knowing that if she looked up at her friend she would start to cry.  “I have to, Pavetta, it was my sister,” she said while glancing at Ciri who looked back at her with large bright green eyes.  Sera stepped closer to Pavetta and lowered her voice.  “I cannot let that filth of a man live while her corpse rots in the earth,” she hissed then locked eyes with her friends.  Whether it was out of fear or agreement Pavetta nodded then wiped at the tears that began to form in her own eyes. 

“Be careful out there,” she said.

Sera nodded and wiped the back of her hand over her eyes before wrapping Pavetta in a tight hug.  “Thank you,” she said before pulling back from her.  She then knelt down to the ground at Ciri’s level and pulled the young, confused girl into a hug as well.  “Be good for your mother and your grandmother,” she said then kissed the top of her head before standing back up.  She gave her friend a nod then quickly left the room without looking back.

It didn’t take her long to get to the stables and she was surprised to see that someone had sent word to the stable hand to have Vega saddled up and ready.  “Seraphine, I have something for you!” said the voice of Mousesack as he ran up to her in the stables.  She turned to him and saw the folded parchment in his hand.  “I am glad I caught you.  I have written down the spell your mother was asking about and also this is a list of people I have found that your mother knew.  If you ever want to learn more about her you should visit them,” he said.  He did not try to talk her out of leaving Cintra nor did he tell her to not go after Ferdand.  Instead he gave her a sad smile as he took her hand in his and gave it a tight squeeze.  “Safe travels, my friend,” he said.  She nodded then mounted her faithful horse and without taking much time to think about what exactly she was doing she rode off toward the village she used to call home.

 After a few days of riding Sera arrived at the outskirts of her village.  In the distance she could see her family’s windmill which brought on a wave of mixed emotions including nostalgia and sorrow.  She hadn’t thought of what she was going to do once she got to her old home or what she was going to say to Will when she got there.  Despite her uncertainty she continued to guide Vega towards the old cottage.  As she approached from the edge of the forest that lined the backside of the house she dismounted from Vega and tied her off to a tree before going any further.  The last thing she wanted was to come in contact with Faye’s children and have them think she was a spirit.  She could not say the same for will.  If Faye had done as Sera said last she spoke to her sister, her old lover thought she was dead as well.

            Sera shook her head while walking up to the cottage and peered into the back window.  If she wanted to avenge her sister’s death she had to swallow all of the insecurities and fears she had towards seeing Will again.  The house was empty which was a good sign; she would be more likely to get Will alone.  She walked around the cottage and when she came to the front she felt her heart break at the sight before her.  The garden that once thrived with fresh produce was overgrown and half of the crop was rotten and the flowers that once lined the front were now wilted.  Sera frowned at the fact that her sister was the life of this home and now that she was gone she knew it was cold.  She looked out to the windmill and barn and made her way there to wait for Will’s return.  It was getting to be supper time and if he was out on a hunt with the children, as she assumed he was, she would be able to catch him there, in the barn.  At least her barn looked the same other than the sheen of dirt and dust that covered everything.  In the past she had managed to keep the barn semi clean, just as her father had liked it.  She climbed up in the loft and hid amongst the crates of things long forgotten then waited.

            It wasn’t long when she started to hear voices approach the barn, which made her sink further behind the crates.  “Deter, take your sister into the house and start supper, I will be there in a moment to help once I get Gayle put away,” said Willam as he walked into the barn pulling a larch black horse behind him.  Sera noted how much older he looked now.  She reminded herself that it had been over ten years since she had seen him last but time had drastically changed him.  Even from her perch she could see the grey hairs that peppered his once raven locks and his face that was once smooth was now covered in a matching, peppered, beard hiding some of his wrinkles.  Still, her heart swelled with emotion over gazing upon the first man she had ever loved now standing before her again after too many years. 

            As he began taking off all the gear from his horse she climbed down from the loft, plopping down in the center of the barn.  The sound of her feet hitting the ground made him look in her direction and once his eyes landed on hers they grew as large as saucers.  “Hello, Willam,” she said in a hushed tone.  She noticed how he paled at the sight of her making her feel like this was a mistake.

            “Seraphine,” he whispered and dropped the saddle he was holding in his hands.  It hit the ground emitting a cloud of dirt to waft through the still air.  “You’re dead, she told me you were dead,” he said, still in awe. 

            Some of her tension left at the realization that he knew it was her and not Faye’s ghost.  “I had Faye tell you I was dead, it was safer that way,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion.  She wanted to take a step towards him but he still looked so pale.

            He stiffened and squared his shoulders before going back to putting the gear away.  “She’s dead,” he said.  He threw the saddle into an empty stall and practically ripped the blanket off of the horse.

            “I know, that’s why I am here Will,” she said and he stopped again.  This time she did step closer while he just stood there looking back at her with several emotions in his gaze.

            “How did you find out?  You haven’t been here in years yet not a month after she is dead you show up?  How did you find out Sera?” he asked, taking a giant step towards her.  He towered over her, always had, but the anger he held in his voice made her want to shrink back.

            “It’s a lot to explain… I… I have been living in Cintra as a lady of court and a guest of honor for saving the Princesses life,” she said and couldn’t tell if it was annoyance in his eyes or just hatred for her having a charmed life in court.  “The queen gifted me whatever I wanted so I told them my story and they promised that Ferdand would be struck down from his power,” she told him. 

            His eyes widened again and he ran his calloused hands through his hair.  He turned away from her and she noticed that now his hands were balled into fists.  “You did this,” he said, his voice once again low.  Sera took a step back from her and shook her head.  “When I got home to find Faye bleeding out on the floor she kept saying his name.  And when I asked her why he did this she said he knew,” he said.

            Sera shook her head.  “He couldn’t have figured it out.  Not unless he overheard… no,” she said as tears began to blur her vision.  He was right though this was her fault even if it was unintentional.  “I was just trying to get him off his pedestal, I was never to be mentioned.  The queen had her men watch over you all one of them must have said something about me and in passing… Will, I am so sorry,” she said as her body shook. 

            “Sorry?  My wife is dead, Sera.  My children lost their mother because of you,” he said now yelling down at her.  There was nothing but hate in his eyes and she couldn’t take that from him any longer.  She wiped at her eyes and stepped back, starting to leave the barn.  “You’re just going to leave now?  Did you just come to give your condolences then return to your home in a palace?” his voice was louder than she had ever heard it since knowing him.

            “I’m sorry, Will, I am sorry.  I am going to make this up to you and your children… and to Faye… I am so sorry,” she said.  She was a sobbing mess as she continued to back out of the barn.  “I came back not to gloat on my situation, but to get more information,” she wiped her eyes again and took a deep breath.  “I come to kill that bastard.  And to make sure that the last breath he takes is because of me,” she told him, her voice getting a little stronger now.

            He was shaking his head.  “It can’t be fixed, Seraphine, even with his death,” he said, now looking at the ground.  “I want you gone and I don’t want you to ever return.  This isn’t your home anymore and I want you to get the hell out,” he said as his teeth ground together. 

            Sera straightened her shoulders and nodded.  “I’m sorry, Will,” she whispered then ran out of the barn and back to Vega.  She mounted her horse quickly and rode off blindly for her eyes were filled with tears.

 The sun was setting as Sera drank from the large stream just a few miles from her village.  After leaving her old home she rode to the stream to collect her thoughts and to hatch a plan on just how she was going to execute everything.  Thanks to the information given to her by the queen’s men long ago, she knew that Ferdand lived in a small shack just on the edge of the village.  It was secluded just enough that she wouldn’t be seen sneaking around.  She would make sure he was home by peering into the windows and then enter through a window or door, whichever was easily accessible.  Her hope was that he would be sleeping by that time of night and she could catch him off guard, just as she had done with other monsters in the past. 

            “Vega, tonight I will keep you untied, just outside of his home that way we can get out before anyone notices.  It will be quick and quiet,” she said.  Her friend didn’t make a sound and she only blinked back at Sera.  She began to think about what she would do when this was over.  Part of her wanted to return to Cintra to be with Pavetta and Ciri while the part of her that had been lost due to the death of her sister wanted nothing more than to disappear into the earth herself.  She let out a sigh and peered up at the canopy above her.  She had missed this, the sounds of nature and being outside.  That was something that Cintra didn’t really give her.  Just then she heard a twig snap a ways from her and her attention shot in that direction.  She stood and grabbed Vega’s reins as she waited to see what was causing the rustling that was slowly coming towards them.  Slowly she unsheathed her sword and stood at Vega’s side.  A tall, brown colored animal came out of the brush and made its way to the stream before them, not taking much regard for the pair.  “Roach?” she asked and the horse looked in her direction for a mere second then returned to the stream to gulp down more water.  If she was here that meant Geralt had to be somewhat nearby.  She wanted to laugh at the pure coincidence of it all.  Five years, five entire years and now she is running into that man again, or rather his horse this time.  And she knew it was Roach judging by the white stripe on her face and the fact that there was still a single sword strapped to the saddle with enough space to hold another.  And that saddle was so unique and exotically designed that it had to be her due to the fact that Geralt travelled so much.  Sera, still holding onto Vega’s reins, walked over to Roach and reached out to pet her.  She didn’t stir, showing Sera that she trusted her.  She grinned and tied off Vegas reigns to the side of Roach’s saddle then mounted the brown horse.

            Roach didn’t seem to mind Sera riding upon her and soon a familiar whistle was heard.  Sera was impressed with the instant attention Roach took to the whistle and even though she was still thirsty she galloped on towards it with no hesitation.  Sera made sure Vega was keeping up with them as they rode on.  Another whistle sounded, this one was closer, making roach speed up.  As they rode into a clearing, Sera’s gaze fell on the sight of Geralt knelt down before three dead arachas as he collected useful items from them.  She cleared her throat and his gaze shot over to her.  “Hello, Geralt,” she said while jumping off the back of Roach. 

            “Seraphine,” he said as he raised his dark brows in surprise.  He stood and walked over to where she still stood with Vega and Roach.  “What are you doing here?” he asked as she pulled her freshly filled water skin from her saddlebags and held it out to him.

            “I was at the stream, resting for a bit,” she said with a small grin.  “I see you were taking care of a small infestation problem,” she said as she glanced at the carcasses of the arachas.

            “Yes, your village had a contract out for them,” he said after taking a long drink from the water skin.  His brows were furrowed as he looked her up and down.  He noted that she looked too armored to be simply resting at the stream.

            “Yes it seems the village has a theme of having monster problems lately.  Those and the human kind,” she said while taking the water skin back from him and putting it back in the saddle bag.  “It’s been years, Geralt, and you haven’t changed a bit.  I guess that’s a pro from the mutagens, huh?”

            “Seraphine, what do you mean human monsters?  Why are you here and not in Cintra?” he asked, ignoring her other comment.  He feared the response and he had a right to.  He didn’t know her well but he did know that Sera was one that made quick and brash decisions and she was hard headed so her mind wouldn’t be changed.

            He watched as she clenched her jaw at his question, or rather the thought of the answer.  “I am here for Ferdand, if you must know.  Tonight I plan on killing the son of a bitch,” she said, her words like ice.  He didn’t get the chance to ask why she was planning on taking someone’s life because she told him before he could.  “He murdered Faline… he killed my sister in cold blood, Geralt,” she said.

            “You can’t take a life,” he told her, his expression softening.  He could see it now, the tension and sorrow that racked her body.  She looked exhausted yet also looked as if she would explode at the wrong words.

            “And he can?  Am I to stand aside and accept that he can take a life… the life of my sister?  She was a wife… she was a mother, Geralt,” she hissed while stepping back to Vega, suddenly wanting to leave.

            “You’ve never taken a life, have you?” he asked.  She didn’t answer, she didn’t have to, he could see it written all over her face.  “It changes you but it won’t solve anything.  Killing him won’t make you feel better about what has happened, it won’t bring your sister back either,” he told her.

            She blinked at his words as if they hurt her.  “I have to,” she whispered.  “I have to see his blood spill at my hand.  You don’t understand,” she said while shaking her head.  She couldn’t help but feel slightly betrayed.  Geralt’s sole job as a witcher was to kill monsters; even he had to know that some monsters were just wearing a human disguise.  She took hold of Vegas reigns and was about to mount her saddle when Geralt grabbed a hold of her arm.

            “I can’t let you,” he said, his golden orbs peering into her.  He looked as if he was begging with her to make the decision to not go on a rampage.  But she couldn’t.  She had to rid the world of that man. 

            She attempted to pull out of his grasp but he wouldn’t give.  “Why, Geralt, he is a monster, you should be fine with it,”

“You don’t want that blood on your hands, it won’t help with what you are feeling,” he said, still holding onto her arm.

“Geralt, don’t do this,” she said with pleading eyes.  “I told Will I would kill that man and that is what I plan to do.  You are not stopping me just because you have this new definition of who does and does not deserve to die.  Ferdand has caused me years of pain and loneliness and I will not let you stand in my way of repaying him what he is owed.”

            He shook his head and she tried to free herself once more before reaching her other hand to wear her sword was strapped onto the saddle.  Geralt heard the metal being unsheathed and jumped back unsheathing his own sword.  “Fuck,” he said.  “Sera, don’t do this,” he was begging her now but she swung at him nonetheless. 

            “Then let me go.  Let me do what I came here to do, Geralt,” she said as they danced around one another, swords ready to deflect any attack.  But he shook his head so she swung at him again.  The sound of their swords clashing together rang through Sera’s ears as they continued their battle.

            He found himself admiring her fluid movement and the strength in her form.  They struggled against one another and she shoved herself back from him so they could return to circling one another.  The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her so he didn’t know what he was going to do.  He hoped she would just tire herself out and give up but he knew she wasn’t the giving up type and he admired that about her as well.  He found this woman to be an interesting one and that was the reason behind the fact that for four five years she haunted his thoughts. 

            He swung at her and she attempted to dodge it but fell back into the earth instead.  He pointed his blade at her and she dropped hers, surrendering.  “Dammit, Geralt,” she said, letting her head rest back on the earth in frustration. 

            “Come with me, we can leave this behind,” he said with a nod in the direction of the village.  He held his free hand out to her and she accepted it.  He pulled her to her feet then bent down to pick up her sword. 

            “Where would we go?” she asked.

            He glanced at her before turning away to put both of their swords in his own holder on Roach’s saddle.  “Wherever you wanted,” he told her. 

            She nodded but with his back to her she knelt down for a nearby rock hoping that he wouldn’t hear her over the sound of him packing his things away.  “I can’t go anywhere till I finish this, Geralt, I am sorry,” she said and before he could turn around she hit the back of his head with the stone and watched him fall to the ground in an unconscious heap.  She quickly gathered her sword and mounted Vega.  “Stay with him, Roach,” she said to the other horse then rode off to carry out the task she returned for.

 It didn’t take her long to get back to the village.  She made sure to come up behind the area she knew his shack was found and tied Vega off at the edge of the forest.  She gave her friend a pat on her side and grabbed her sword then headed towards the dim glow of the village.  She came up behind the cottage and noticed that the window was open.  She peered inside to see that the main room was empty and that he must be sleeping in the side room.  She lifted herself through the window silently and put her feet on the dirt ground of the inside of the home.  Her sword was already unsheathed before she arrived so she walked to the small side room with it at the ready.  She was surprised to see the man sitting up in his small bed with his gaze on the doorway.  “I knew one of you would come, though I thought it would be the boy first,” he said as he looked up at her.  “You look the same as you always have, Seraphine,” he told her. 

She lowered her sword but still held onto it tightly.  “Why did you do it?” she asked as tears began to well in her eyes. 

He looked up at her with no expression.  “Do you think I didn’t know it was her this whole time?  I was mesmerized by Faline.  You may be her twin but I was always able to tell you two apart,” he said then let out a bitter laugh.  “I give you credit though.  Having her stay with your lover, even going as far as having a family with him… it was a good idea.  The men sent from Cintra made that fact even more obvious.”

“If that’s true, why did you follow me all those years?  If you knew she was right under your nose this whole time…” she said, anger now edged her voice. 

“At first it was to get back at you because you thought it would be easy to trick me.  Then it became an obsession, the same as the one I had for your sister.  When they claimed you were dead thanks to the word of that lying witcher, it was all over for me.  When I lost my position as mayor and knew that Faline had children of her own I was at a loss.  Everything that I thought was in my control was now ripped from my hands,” he said.  She was surprised at how upset he sounded but knew it was all for selfish reasons.  “Then one of my men had the luck of attending court for some time in Cintra.  When he returned a month ago he told me of a woman that matched your description.  It threw me into a rage, Seraphine, to know that you indeed had gotten away with everything and that you were still living.  Your sister was the closest one I had to inflict that rage upon,” he told her then looked up at her with red, tired eyes. 

She would not feel pity for this man but she could see the mental turmoil he had put himself through due to her and her sister.  “You murdered the mother of two children… the wife of a good man… and you expect me to have pity for you?” she seethed.  “I have seen much of this continent, Ferdand, I have fought many monsters you know this.  But never have I crossed one as vile as you.  And never will I take as much joy in killing one as I will when I kill you,” she told him.

He reached for the mug on the floor near the bed and took a long drink and she allowed this.  “My pet, I have more joy in knowing I am taking that from you,” he told her.  And as she furrowed her brows in confusion he began convulsing and spewed a mix of liquid and blood from his mouth. 

Sera watched as he fell back onto the bed while reaching his hand out to her, gargling on bodily fluids.  “You bastard!” she said while dropping to her knees beside the bed.  She grabbed him by the collar of the shirt and shook him.  “You can’t take this from me!” she cried.  Tears ran down her face as she watched the life leave his body.  She let out a sound one could only describe as true despair.  “Dammit!” she said then sank to the ground, resting her back on the door frame.  Then she cried.

 Moments later the main door to the shack opened but Sera didn’t move from the spot she sat in.  She instead continued to stare at the lifeless form of the man she had known as her enemy almost her entire life.  He had taken everything from her, including the chance of her avenging her sister’s death.  She didn’t have to look up to know that it was Geralt who entered the shack; she had figured he would come looking for her once he regained consciousness.  “He’s dead.  I didn’t do it… but he’s dead and I should feel better knowing it but it still hurts,” she said and looked up to see his yellow eyes staring back at her.  She couldn’t take the amount of pity she got from his gaze so she returned her own back to the ground.  “I’m not supposed to hurt… he is dead,” she whispered.

            Geralt said nothing; he only gathered her up in his arms and carried her out of the shack, making sure to grab her sword as he left.  He had already pulled Vega around to the other side of the shack.  He put Sera on the back of Roach then tied Vega off to his own saddle.  He then mounted Roach behind Sera and wrapped an arm around her to keep her from falling off.  He rode to the next village over and paid for a room at the inn along with a board for the horses then carried her still silent form to the room.

            He sat her down on the bed and knelt down so he could look at her.  Her eyes were open but she wasn’t seeing.  He felt a wave of emotions flow through him as he looked at the woman he used to know as strong.  She was a crumbling mess, an emotionless void.  He stood and began to move to the chair nearby.  “Please don’t leave me,” she whispered.

              Pavetta smiled just enough to make Sera feel less horrible about what she had said.  “I only wish to be with Duny,” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes with her free hand.  Sera squeezed the one she held in her own grasp and rubbed her thumb along the back of her hand as if to sooth her.  Pavetta had told her all about the love affair she had with a man named Duny one of her first nights in court.  At first she was caught off guard, thinking the princess was more of a rule follower. The story she told Sera of the cursed man and a child surprise was enough to open her heart to Pavetta and consider her a friend.  Sera looked at Pavetta and she regained herself, wiping the tears away and fixing her posture just as a princess should.  “Look at me.  My mother would be disgusted with these waterworks,” she said then took a long last drink of her wine.  “Have you thought about what you want from her by the way?  You can have anything you know, she wasn’t jesting about that. Land… a title… money?”

              Sera shook her head and grinned.  “No, those things are just means to an end,” she said while looking into the flames in the hearth.

              “Then what is it you want?” she asked.

              Sera’s shoulders tensed and she ran her now sweating palms over her skirts. She took a deep breath and glanced over to see Pavetta’s concerned features.  “Justice.  I want justice for me and my sister,” she said.  Her voice was so low she wasn’t completely sure Pavetta had heard her. But when Sera looked at her again and saw her brows were knitted together and her eyes were filled with so many questions, she knew she had indeed heard her.  So Sera took a deep breath and told her everything from the moment the mayor was introduced to her sister to the events that brought her to Cintra.  And when she was done telling her story she was met with complete silence other than the crackling of the fire.  That sound made her think of Geralt and how he had the same reaction when she told him everything.  

              “You want to strike him down from his position, in tern freeing your sister’s name,” she said in realization.  Sera was almost surprised by the lack of questioning why she hadn’t told the truth sooner.  “And then what will you do?  Return home?” she asked but Sera quickly shook her head.  

              “No, I can’t do back.  I don’t belong there anymore,” she said as she thought about the connection her sister and Will now had.  “It would be too much,” she admitted while looking at her friend.

              Pavetta nodded.  “I will talk to my mother about getting Mayor Ferdand stripped of his title and position and restore the good name of your sister, Faline,” she said.  She spoke like a queen then and Sera knew that one day Pavetta would make an excellent and just ruler.  Her vision blurred making her realize that she was now the one with the water works, as Calanthe would call it, and she didn’t care.  

 The day of the banquet was upon them and Seraphine was ready for it to be over before it began.  To see her friend’s future be bartered off after the peacocking of men was not something she would take joy in as tradition expected her to.  Instead she would go as a sign of moral support for the young princess, in hopes to make the situation a little more endurable. As the maids, assigned to her by Queen Calanthe, dressed her in a gown that cost more than anything she had ever worn, Seraphine began to wonder if this was the place for her.  Tight dresses and the expectation of a woman to have a silent tongue did not suite her but luckily the court was a little more lax thanks to the Queen.  After the ladies braided back half of Sera’s hair she was permitted to take a look in the mirror.  She was taken back by the woman that looked back at her.  She had never seen herself this nicely dressed and for a moment she thought that she herself looked passible for a princess.

              “Queen Calanthe had to ride out yesterday to solve some quarrels by the docks. We are sure she will return for the betrothal ceremony of Pavetta,” said one of the maids.  Sera nodded and followed them out of her chambers and down the long halls of the castle.  They led her to the banquet hall that was already filled with lords and ladies of the kingdom along with many suitors for Pavetta.  Sera did not hesitate with making her way to Pavetta’s side at the long table.

              Her friends feature softened almost instantly and she seemed to relax quite a bit once Sera took her seat beside her.  “It will be over before you know it, Pavetta,” she said while reaching her hand under the table to grasp her friend’s.  “And I will be at your side.”  

              Pavetta gave a hint of a smile through the despair she was feeling.  “Sera, I have been meaning to ask you… will you stay here in Cintra?  You will always have a place at my table and my side in court. You could come and go as you please…” she said making Sera turn to her friend.

             “Pavetta…” she began but stopped when the shouting of a man interrupted her.

             “Geralt of Rivia, the Mighty Witcher!” said the man Sera recognized as Mousesack the mage whom she had yet had the pleasure of meeting. She stilled in her chair and her eyes caught the sight of the silver haired man standing at the opposite end of the banquet hall.  

              “Sera… Sera are you alright?” she heard Pavetta ask, pulling her attention from Geralt.  “Do you know that witcher?”

               Sera took the closest chalice of wine and gulped down a bit as she nodded.  She cleared her throat.  “Geralt is the man that lied to those bounty hunters and saved my life twice now.  We have a theme of running into one another it seems,” she said, allowing herself to take another look in his direction. This time she was met with his honey-gold orbs staring back at her and even though Sera had never considered herself the blushing type, she felt her cheeks grow warm under his gaze.

               Pavetta witnessed this reaction and smiled.  “Is that so?” she grinned when Sera turned back to her.  Her eyes flickered in the direction of Geralt and back to the princess.  “Go and talk to him, I will be fine right here,” she said, knowing that was what Sera wanted.  

               Sera thanked her with a nod and stood from her chair. She made sure to still walk with grace as she approached the witcher and the mage, whom both had their eyes on her. As she approached the mage spoke again. “Josanna?” he said, the name stopping Sera in her tracks.  

               She still managed to shake her head despite feeling a wave of emotions.  “No, I am Seraphine.  Josanna was my mother,” she said.  She knew her mother had lived in the kingdom of Cintra as a young woman so there was a possibility that was how the mage knew her.  

                He studied her a moment longer then shook his head. “Look at me, where are my manners? I am Mousesack, the mage.  The Queen mentioned you had stayed in court after saving the princess.  I supposed we just never had the opportunity to meet,” he said with a laugh, attempting to brush off the tension from the moment before.  Her eyes travelled to Geralt, who still was watching her under his intense stare.  “Let me introduce the witcher, Geralt of Rivia, an old friend of mine.  From what Calanthe has told me of you, Seraphine, I would imagine you two would get along rather well,” he said as he put a hand on Geralt’s shoulder, in a friendly manner.

                 Sera grinned while her eyes were still cast on the silver-haired man in front of her.  “We have already had the pleasure of being acquainted, Mousesack, but thank you,” she said.  As Mousesack began to realize his presence was being forgotten about by the pair, he excused himself and made his way to table of men.  Sera looked Geralt up and down, noting his common attire and his kept hair, an appearance she was not familiar with since the last two times she had seen him.  “You look… different.  I have to say I think the leather armor suites you best, though it is nice to see you all cleaned up,” she said, earning a fraction of a smile from the man.

              “You look different as well.  Seems like life at court is treating you well, I almost didn’t recognize you,” he said, his voice the same gruffness as she remembered. His eyes moved from hers and across the room to the bard he had arrived with whom was being yelled at by a man. “Excuse me,” he said as he left her side to aid the situation.  She watched as Geralt went to them and smoothed over whatever situation the bard had already gotten himself in.  She then watched as he took two mugs of ale from the nearest table before making his way back to her side.

                “What was that about?” she asked as he handed one of the mugs to her.  She took it and let herself take a sip of the ale.

                “Just settling a debt,” he said before drinking from his own glass.

               “Ah yes, he must be the one responsible for those lovely tunes about you,” she said with a smile, this earned her a glare from the man beside her.  Her eyes scanned over the room and she couldn’t help but notice the number of people the caught taking glances over at the pair.

                She opened her mouth to speak again but was cut off by the sound of trumpets, announcing the arrival of the queen.  “All rise for Her Majesty, the Lioness, Queen Calanthe of Cintra!”

                 The pair turned to watch as Calanthe walked into the banquet hall, fully dressed in her armor, splattered in blood.  Sera’s eyes skimmed over to Pavetta who looked mortified at her mother’s appearance.  She then looked to Geralt, who looked rather amused at the queen’s appearance. “Believe it or not, this is quite normal,” she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.  His gaze fell on hers again and this time she had gotten a smile from him.

               “How did you find yourself in this court?  Mousesack said you saved the princess’ life,” he said while glancing over at where Pavetta sat.  

               “Yes, well, I killed some wild dogs that were after her. I was wounded in the process,” she said raising her left arm.  The sleeves of her grey gown covered the bandage she had.  The wound itself was almost healed but the healer insisted on dousing it in a special oil and covering with the bandage to get rid of the scarring.  He smirked and shook his head as if her getting hurt trying to save the day was no surprise.  “I am now a guest of honor, and Pavetta has just offered me a permanent position here in court, at her side, if I do choose to accept it.”

               Geralt looked down at her with raised brows. “No more monsters for you then?” he asked with a smirk then gulped down more ale.

              “No more monsters… if that’s what I want,” she said as her eyes caught his.

              “And why wouldn’t you?  No more sleeping on a hard ground, real food, warm baths… what is there that is missing?” he asked.  The mention of a warm bath made her think back to their last meeting.  The morning after that day she was woken alone, getting no word of goodbye from Geralt.  It hadn’t bothered her then but ever since he had been flitting through her dreams it was beginning to.

                Just as she was about to speak a group of men at one of the tables began arguing about manticores and what they truly looked like. In truth, Sera was thankful for the distraction, not wanting to talk about what they had been discussing before they interrupted.  One man was calling out the lie, a claim of the other man killing one which resulted in a fight. “Enough!” Calanthe yelled above them and they immediately stopped what they were doing.  She began walking down the steps from where she had been standing in front of the long table.  “We have a renowned guest here tonight,” she said.  Sera caught Geralt rolling his eyes.  “Perhaps her can declare which esteemed lord is telling the truth,” she said and all eyes were on Geralt.

              “Neither,” he said, causing another uproar from the men.

              “The Butcher of Blaviken bleats utter nonsense,” one man said.  This, Sera could tell, hit a soft spot on Geralt.  He looked over to his bard who just shook his head in plea of Geralt not making a scene.

              Geralt sighed and looked as if what he was about to say was physically paining him to do so.  “Perhaps the lords encountered rare subspecies of manticore,” he said, receiving a corner-eyed glance from Sera.  

               Queen Calanthe laughed.  “Perhaps our esteemed guest would like to entertain us with how he slayed the elves at the edge of the world?” she said.  Sera wished the woman would let it rest.  She had seen this happen on many occasions, taking a man’s words as the next line of her jests, and she was getting tired of it.

                 Her hand naturally, and without thought, rested on the back of Geralt’s arm and he remained collected.  “There was no slaying.  I had my ass kicked by a ragged band of elves,” he said earning an eruption of laugher.  “I was about to have my throat cut when Filavandrel let me go,” he said which begged questions of the songs that bragged about him slaying the elves.  “At least when Filivandrel’s blade kissed my throat I didn’t shit myself.  Which is all I can hope for you, good lords.  At your final breath, a shitless death,” he said as he raised his mug of ale in a false respect. “But I doubt it,” he said which earned more laughter. He began to turn back to Sera in hopes that the conversation was over and he would get back to talking to someone he actually tolerated.

               “Any man willing to paint himself in the shadow of his failures will make for far more interesting conversation this night,” said Calanthe with a smile.  She walked over to where Geralt and Sera stood and Sera removed her hand from Geralt’s arm as she did, not wanting to draw more attention to him.  “It seems I will have two guests of honor tonight. Please witcher, join me at my table as I go and change,” she said then turned to walk away but stopped.  “I also expect the tale of how you two know one another,” she said with a grin then left them standing there.

               Sera let out a sigh, regretting being here in the first place.  “Is it too late for us to leave?” Geralt asked getting a pitiful excuse for a laugh from Sera.

               “Unfortunately I cannot.  I promised Pavetta I would be at her side until this was over, otherwise I would have left with you the moment you walked into this hall,” she said whole taking a glance over at where Pavetta still sat then directing her gaze back to Geralt.

               “Shame, I could think of better things to occupy my time with,” he said, his eyes travelling to her own.

                Sera felt her jaw drop but quickly collected herself, brushing off the fact that Geralt of Rivia was being forward with her.  She cleared her throat and grinned.  “You should try talking to one of these ladies, I am sure they are the type to be easily wooed by stories of monsters and words like those,” she said, standing tall with pride on her reply.

                 Geralt smiled and opened his mouth to speak, to tell her he didn’t care for any of the ladies in this court, just as the bard approached.  “Geralt, are you trying to ruin both of our reputations in one night,” he said then turned to Sera.  “I do apologize, milady, for the intrusion but his behavior is just unacceptable.”

                “I am no lady, you may call me Seraphine,” she said with a smile and stuck her hand out to shake.  

                Instead the bard took her hand and pressed the back of it to his lips making Geralt role his eyes.  “Seraphine, the one and only!  Geralt has told me about you, the woman that bested the griffin.  I am Jaskier!  The one responsible for this man’s fame, but he never shows me thanks for that.  I would love to write a song about you,” he said. He was a talker she could tell just in the few seconds of knowing him and she also knew it took every ounce of control Geralt had to put up with him.

                “It would be an honor to be in one of your songs, Jaskier, but I fear my life is all too boring compared to that of Geralt’s. Besides… that tune, the one that is so catchy, I would hate for that to be overshadowed by a new song about a farm girl,” she said then looked to Geralt who was shaking his head.

                “Oooh, see Geralt, she likes the song,” he said and began to strum the first few chords of it on his lute.  Geralt lightly backhanded his arm to stop him even though Sera was fully prepared to sing along.  Jaskier was asked to play a song and he walked away to the other musicians.

                 She looked back to Geralt with an amused grin.  “So, you told the bard of me?” she asked making him role his eyes once again.  “Now I am intrigued, Geralt.  Why would you tell a bard about a random woman you have had the luck of stumbling upon twice?”

                 “Three times now,” he said, his eyes landing on hers. “The idiot wanted to know more details from the past year to have relevant information.  You happened to be part of that time,” he told her.

                   She nodded, he was right after all.  This was their third time meeting as if it was pure coincidence.  “So what is it then, that’s bringing us together?  Is it fate?  Destiny?” she was jesting but she could see him grow tense.  

                  “Fuck destiny,” he said, his voice even rougher than usual.

                  Sera smirked and took a step closer to him so that they were only a few inches apart.  “Then what other excuse so we have, Geralt?” she asked, her voice was soft and quiet. He would admit, only to himself, that she had a point.  The world was large but despite that they had a habit of running into one another. What Seraphine hadn’t realized was that he was also questioning it and it was something he thought about often since the last time he had seen her.   “What are you going to do after this?” she asked, pulling him from his thoughts.  

                He shrugged his shoulders and let out a signature hum. “Another contract, I suppose,” he said and she nodded.  “You really plan on staying here, in court, with a bunch of backstabbing rich people?” he asked.

                Sera shrugged her shoulders and looked over to the table of the rich people he had been referring to.  “I would stay if it meant Pavetta’s happiness.  She is being forced into a marriage to a man she will not know.  She shouldn’t have to be alone,” she said as he kept his eyes on her.  “But… I have grown so used to the ways of life out there, beyond these walls, that I don’t think I could ever truly be satisfied here,” she said and for a moment she thought about how she probably would never be truly satisfied no matter what she did.  She shook those thoughts from her mind looked to him.  “We should take our seats, Queen Calanthe will be returning soon.”

                “Hmm, if we must,” he said and they walked together to the long table.

                “Don’t say anything about the bounty hunters, I beg you. Pavetta knows but not the Queen,” she whispered.  Geralt glanced at her and nodded.  They took their seats that were quite a distance from one another as they waited for the Queen.

                 Pavetta welcomed her back with a smile.  “Well that was entertaining, at least this entire night wasn’t awful,” she said with a grin.  Sera rolled her eyes then glanced over to where Geralt sat.  “Do you not think it strange that you keep running into one another?” she asked.

                   “Keep your voice down, Pavetta, he has excellent hearing,” said Sera as she glanced over to see Geralt not looking at her but she would swear he was grinning.  She then turned back to Pavetta.  “I do find it odd,” she whispered.

                  “But…” Pavetta began with a large grin, “… you like it,” she said making Sera’s eyes widen.  She gently swatted at Pavetta despite knowing that what her friend said was true.  Sera did indeed like running into Geralt when she least expected to.  She enjoyed seeing a familiar face in her life and she enjoyed hearing his views on things.  She found it all very refreshing.  Queen Calanthe returned and the banquet could officially begin and the men that had attended to pursue Pavetta’s hand in marriage could begin their boasting on themselves.  It went on with them bragging about their money, land, and even their potent seed, which was enough to make Sera gag.  They were nearly halfway done with the event and due to Calanthe declining each proposal it wasn’t going anywhere.  Thankfully, for Sera’s sanity, there was a break so the crowd could enjoy a few songs.

                    “Seraphine,” said Calanthe, pulling Sera out of her thought of the suitors before them.

                    “Yes, Your Majesty,” Sera said while leaning over a bit so she could look at the queen.

                   “You and the Witcher appear to have been previously acquainted.  You never mentioned you had friends of the sort,” she said while raising a brow.

                   Sera’s eyes went to Geralt for a fraction of a second then returned to the queen’s.  “In truth, my Queen, Geralt and I just have the luck of unintentionally running into one another.  This will be the third time in the last year or so,” she said.

                  “You say unintentional?  How is it that you first met?” she asked.  More people than Sera cared for were listening in on the conversation.  Again she paused and looked at Geralt.

                   “She was after the same griffin as I was,” he said.

                   Calanthe’s brows raised, a sign that she was both amazed and intrigued. “A griffin?  You are much more modest than I, Seraphine.  Had it been me defeating a griffin, everyone would have known about it,” she said and Sera shrugged her shoulders.  She then turned to Geralt.  “I recall hearing the story of another woman fighting a griffin, though that woman didn’t survive,” she said.  Sera nearly choked on the ale she was drinking, making the others look at her.

                   Luckily they were interrupted by another suitor and Sera gulped down all of her ale.  “I will speak with her when this is all over.  Out of everyone here my mother is the most likely one to be on your side,” said Pavetta while squeezing Sera’s hand under the table.  Sera nodded and turned her attention to the floor.  Just then the sound of metal clashing against metal could be heard in the hall and a knight, fully dressed in armor, came rushing into the banquet hall.

                  “Forgive my late intrusion, Your Majesty, and for the misunderstanding with your guards,” said the man as he made his wat to the center of the floor.  “Please! I come in peace,” he said as guards grew more alert at the situation.  “I need but one moment of your time.  I am Lord Urcheon of Erlenwald, and I have come to claim your daughter’s hand in marriage.”

                 Pavetta and Sera grew tense and the hold Pavetta had on her hand tightened.  “A knight, with no renown, from a backwater hamlet… who dares enter my court without revealing his face?” said Calanthe.

              “I apologize, Your Majesty.  A knight’s oath prevents me from revealing my face until the twelfth bell,” said the knight.  Sera knew better.  She knew that it was none other than Duny under that helmet.  Eist of Skellige, a friend to the Queen, didn’t care for the excuse he gave and walked right up to Duny then knocked off his helmet.

                Several gasps could be heard along with the sound of swords being unsheathed.  “Witcher… kill it,” said Calanthe.  Both Sera and Pavetta quickly looked to her in shock.

                 “No,” said Geralt.  “This is no monster,” he said and he was right.  It was only a cursed man that was also unfortunately in love with the princess.

                 Sera watched Geralt to see what he was going to do as Calanthe ordered her men to slay Duny.  Several of the guards went at him and he quickly dispatched them.  “Lioness of Cintra, I have come to claim what is rightfully mine, Pavetta by the law of surprise!” he said then looked to Pavetta.

                   But the queen had nothing to say to him.  Instead she ordered more men to attack him and Sera watched as he fought them off one by one.  She sat on the edge of her seat, not wanting to see the love of Pavetta’s life slain in front of them.  She wanted to stand up for Duny and Pavetta but feared the queen.  But as Duny was knocked to the ground and as she looked to see the queen’s reaction she noticed Geralt was missing from his chair and she suddenly didn’t care for the rule of a queen.  Sera turned back to the action in the center of the floor and watched as Geralt blocked one of Duny’s attackers by cutting his weapon in half. The queen’s response was to have them both killed.

                      Sera moved without having to think about it.  She stood from her chair and ran to the center of the hall, taking a sword from a fallen guard.  She then made her way to Geralt and Duny, putting her back to them as she began to help fight off any man that approached them.  The room was a collection of metal clashing and shouts. Sera swung her borrowed sword at an attacker and instead of killing him she hit his chest armor which knocked him off of his feet.  She stumbled backwards and her back pressed to another form.  When she turned to see if it was friend or foe she was met with the familiar face of Geralt.  He gave her a nod then gripped her arm, pulling her out of the way of another guard just before his sword would have come in contact with her.  

                     Through all of the chaos Sera hadn’t realized Calanthe had gotten up from her chair and come to the floor.  “Stop!” she said and everyone stilled, including Geralt who had his own sword crossed with hers.

                    Pavetta came down from her chair and ran into Duny’s arms. “Duny, I told you to stay away,” she said with tears streaming down her face.  Geralt glanced from Pavetta then to Sera who was still clutching her sword.

                   Duny backed away from her embrace and after putting his arms out as a sign he was no longer going to be a threat, he knelt down in front of Calanthe. “Your Majesty, I was cursed as a young boy.  My whole life, a living misery until the day I saved your husband, King Roegner, from a certain death.  By tradition, I chose the law of surprise as payment,” he said.

                 “That stupid bastard.  Better you had let him die,” said Calanthe then she turned to her daughter. “And you, carousing with the beast that swindled your stupid father!” she said.  Sera approached Pavetta and took hold of her hand, standing tall in front of the queen.

                 “Tis not swindle.  Claiming payment by the law of surprise is as old as mankind itself,” Eist said, taking Calanthe’s attention away from her daughter and Sera.  “It’s an honest gamble.  As likely to be rewarded with a bumper crop as a newborn pup… or a child of surprise.  He could not know.  Destiny has determined the prize be Pavetta.”  Duny nodded and explained how he tried to keep away from Pavetta after realizing she was the payment of law of surprise.  He explained that it was destiny that brought them together and there was nothing anyone could have done to prevent it.  Pavetta herself, after separating from Sera, supported everything Duny said.

                 “Honor destiny’s wish or unleash its wrath upon us,” said Mousesack.

                 The Queen didn’t like that answer though.  She shook her head and looked to the people in the room.  “Is there not a man amongst you who does not cower before destiny?” she asked then turned to Geralt.  “You, Witcher, who has known monsters of every fang and claw, are you afraid?”

                 “No,” he said, his voice deep.  “I’ve seen mothers lash themselves raw over the death of a child, believing they crossed destiny, ignoring the stench of the fifty other children in the plague cart outside. Destiny helps people believe there’s an order to this horseshit.  There isn’t,” he said.  Calanthe was looking rather pleased with his answer and Sera was growing more tense by the second.  “But a promise made much be honored.  As true for a commoner as it is for a queen.”

                  Sera let out a sigh of relief as she looked at him. “I love Duny mother, I will marry him. I will finally be free,” said Pavetta while taking Duny’s hands in her own.  To Sera’s, and everyone else in the hall, relief Calanthe handed her sword off the Eist and approached the pair.  She whispered something to Duny that Sera couldn’t hear but what she did hear was the unsheathing of a blade and Pavetta’s scream.

                  An invisible force knocked Sera back into a pillar and she fell to the ground with sore limbs and all.  She felt a hand on her arm, pulling her up despite the gushing wind that continued coming from the center of the room.  “Get behind the pillar,” said Geralt as she looked up at him, shielding her face from the wind.  She nodded and crawled to the other side of the pillar as debris began flying through the air.  She laid down in the fetal position with her hands over her face and jumped when glass shattered all around the hall.  When everything stilled she peaked out from underneath her hands to see the destruction around her.  Her hands stung from small cuts caused by the shattered glass and she could feel blood running down from her hairline.  She stood and shuffled to the other side of the pillar to see Pavetta and Duny untouched by what had just happened.  The queen, after picking herself up off the ground, approached her daughter and took her into her arms.  

                    The blast of energy had come from the princess, this was obvious. “Destiny has spoken and I have listened,” Calanthe said.  “The law of surprise will be honored and Pavetta will marry Lord Urcheon,” she said and the hall was filled with the whispers of those still standing.

                   “React poorly and you won’t just face the Lioness, you will be facing the sea hounds of Skellige.  Because Queen Calanthe has agreed to my proposal of marriage,” Eist said while approaching Calanthe.  He took her hand in his and Calanthe held onto Pavetta with her free hand.

                    “There will be two vows here tonight, I hope that is agreeable,” said the Queen.  No one said a word.  Sera looked over to Geralt whom looked rather confused and as if he wanted to leave right then and there.

                    She walked over to him and stood at his side as others picked themselves up.  “You’re bleeding,” he said and she shrugged her shoulders.

                    “I will be alright,” she said while glancing up at him. “Thank you for standing up for them,” she said while motioning to where Pavetta and Duny stood.

                  “You knew,” he said, it wasn’t a question.  

                  “I did, Pavetta confided in me as I have with her,” she said while rubbing her hands together.  Geralt had picked up on this nervous habit of hers and had to stop himself from grinning.

                    “You are worried she will no longer need you to stay,” he said.

                   Sera’s eyes landed on his and she furrowed her brows wondering how he knew that.  She then looked back at the pair and shrugged her shoulders, pretending her feelings didn’t matter once again.  “If that is the case then I shall move on, I suppose,” she said then let out a bitter laugh. “She is the most consistent relationship I have had since first leaving my home… other than you.  It is sad to think I can consider seeing someone only three times in a year to be consistent,” she said.  Geralt wasn’t given the chance to say anything to her before she walked away from him and over to Pavetta.  He watched as she embraced Pavetta then stood back so the ceremony could begin.  

                    Everyone circled around the pair and many of them held candles in their hands.  Calanthe performed the hand tying portion of the ceremony and Pavetta and Duny said their vows, promising themselves to one another.  Seraphine was smiling due to the happiness she had for her friend until, after their kiss, Duny fell to his knees in pain.  Before all the eyes in the room, Duny transformed from his mutated cursed self into a normal man.  

                  “The twelfth bell has not yet rung,” said Pavetta while embracing Duny.

                  “What has happened?” Calanthe asked while looking to Mousesack.  

                    “I think your blessing of this marriage had fulfilled a destiny.  The curse has been lifted,” he said.

                   Sera looked across the room to see Geralt turning away from the spectacle and began heading for the door only to be stopped by Duny. “Wait!  You saved my life and I must repay you,” he said and Geralt turned back to look at him.

                     “You have proven yourself to be the kind of man to do the same, I want nothing,” he said while once again turning to leave.  

                    “No, please,” he said and Geralt stopped despite wanting to continue his leave.  “Please, Geralt of Rivia, do not feel like you’re doing me a service.  I cannot start a new life in the shadow of a life debt,” he said, pleading.

                      “Fine,” said Geralt, looking slightly defeated.  “I… claim the tradition as you have, the law of surprise.  Give me that which you already have but do not know,” he said.

                      Sera froze, knowing that wasn’t the brightest idea. “No!  What have you done, Witcher?” asked Calanthe as the room began to fill with whispers.  

                       “Fear not, Your Majesty, if I am seen in your kingdom again, it’ll be to kill a real monster, not lay claim to a crop or a new pup. Destiny can go fu…” he said but just as he was finishing is last word Pavetta released all of the meal she had just eaten onto the floor in front of her.  

                        Sera looked to Geralt and could see his discomfort in what had just occurred.  It was obvious now that Pavetta was indeed with child and now said child would be promised to him due to the law of surprise.  “Fuck,” he said then without saying another word, began to leave the banquet with Mousesack hot on his trail.  Sera looked to Pavetta who only gave her a nod as permission to follow him out.

                         “I will be back,” she said then shuffled around the crowds of people and the broken glass and debris then made her way to the halls. Mousesack was trying to convince Geralt to stay due to destiny but he wasn’t having any of it.  They finished their conversation and Geralt started walking down the hall disappearing around a corner towards the quickest exit while a defeated Mousesack turned around to see Sera.  “He is a stubborn one,” he said while shaking his head.  He walked past her and she hurriedly went after Geralt.

                          When she rounded the corner she almost ran right into him making her take a sharp breath.  “You’re staying,” he said.  It wasn’t a question, it was an observation.  

                         She nodded and looked back toward the banquet hall. “She could use a friend right now,” she said then turned back to him.  He nodded in return and glanced in the direction of his exit.  “But… umm… if you ever want to stop unintentionally crossing paths with one another, you do know where to find me,” she said and he looked back at her with a grin and nodded.

                        “I can’t promise that I’ll come back here… but maybe we will have the off chance of seeing each other again,” he said.

                        She nodded, leaving many things she wanted to say left unsaid.  “Well, goodbye, Geralt of Rivia.  I hope our paths continue to cross,” she said and bowed her head at him before turning and quickly walking away.  She couldn’t help but feel torn between the choice of staying with Pavetta and going off with Geralt.  She wanted to follow him out of the kingdom and return to life on the road, but she also wanted to care for her friend.  She wanted answers from Mousesack of how he knew her mother and mostly she wanted justice for herself and her sister.  None of that would be accomplished out on the road killing monsters. She would stay in Cintra, despite the pull she felt for Geralt.  In truth, Geralt had no need for her out there, not the way that Pavetta would need her at Cintra.  

              Sera shook her head and stepped further back from him. “It is too much of a risk.  If he were to ever find out we were hiding her, he will not only kill her but he’ll slaughter us as well,” she said but Will shook his head even though he knew his argument had been defeated.  “Will, I love you… and I always have, and always will love you… But I need you to do this for me, please,” she said as more tears fell.  “I need you to continue living as if she is me.  I need you to do that so well that you both begin to believe it,” she said.  She crossed the space between them and put both of her hands on the side of his face then claimed his lips with her own in a passionate kiss.  She knew it would be one of their last and she fully intended to remember it forever.  She rested her forehead to his and closed her eyes.  “I have already asked her to do the same, so please, promise me that you will take care of her.”

              He put a hand under her jaw and made her look into his eyes as if attempting to argue one last time.  But he nodded, knowing it was no use and he kissed her once more.  “I promise,” he said then wiped away her tears with his calloused thumbs.  

              Sera nodded, kissed his hand and backed away from him. “I love you, Will,” she said then quickly mounted Vega and rode out of the barn then away from her home without looking back.  It took everything in her to not glance back at her loved ones as she listened to them calling her name.  As she rode the scenery changed and she was in a field, long overgrown, and there was a different voice calling out to her.  This one was deep, and rough but it was familiar to her.  The voice belonged to Geralt.  She jumped off of Vega and began running through the fields in search of where his voice was coming from.  His voice was getting louder and louder until she pushed through more wheat and locked eyes with a set of golden orbs staring back at her.  Then she was met with a jolt.

                Sera’s eyes shot open and she sat up from the small bed at the inn she had stayed at for the night.  It had been many months since Seraphine had left the area surrounding her village.  She found herself now outside the kingdom of Cintra, selling pelts and meat of the game she had collected during hunts at the local market.  She was making a decent amount of coin from the pelts, decent enough to allow her to stay in places as nice as the inn she found herself at.  She could honestly say she was happy, other than the occasional pang of loneliness she still felt.  It was only the occasional dream, such as the one that had just woken her in the middle of the night that fueled that feeling of loneliness.  This one was different though, with it ending with a vision of Geralt.  She hadn’t seen him in nearly a year and thought that she most likely never would see him again.  She thought that maybe the reason she dreamt of him was due to the catchy tine the musicians had played in the last tavern she visited.  But then again he had appeared in a few of her dreams before that, jut never as close as the one she had just woken from.  

              Sera rubbed her eyes and looked to the window.  The sun would be up soon and she would be heading out to continue her hunting.  There was no use in going back to sleep.  Instead, she rolled out of bed and began to dress herself, humming the catchy tune from the tavern.  She pulled on her cloak and ate a few pieces of cheese left over from the night before, then pulled on her worn boots.  

“Oh valley of plenty,

Oh valley of plenty,

Woah oh oh,”

she sang with a smile.  She didn’t know Geralt well but she knew there was no way he actually liked that song.  She grabbed the rest of her belongings and left a pile of coin on the small table as payment for her night’s stay at the inn.  She left the inn then headed to fetch Vega from the stables. Luckily being up this early meant less socializing and a more likely chance of her getting ahold of better game on her hunt.  Vega let out a snort as soon as she saw Sera, making her smile.  “Missed you too girl,” she said as she began saddling her up. “It’s going to be a good day, Vega. I just know it.”          

              Vega neighed and moved her head as if she was nodding.  After Sera had everything situated she mounted Vega and rode off towards the woods.  A fine mist coated the woods but it wasn’t too distorting to the eye.  Sera found these moments, just before the sun had risen, to be some of the most beautiful.  The world had a purple glow to it, giving it an essence of calm that Sera enjoyed.  It didn’t take very long for her to catch sight of some fresh tracks.  From the looks of it, they belonged to a rather large stag too.  Sera grinned and directed Vega to follow the tracks through the brush and rocky terrain. The woods she travelled through were close enough to the mountains to have a stray rock here of there.  It made the hunt a bit harder but still all the more interesting.

When they started to look fresher she hopped off of Vega and gathered her bow and quiver then gave her a pat on the side, directing her to stay put.  She went deeper into the forest as quietly as she could until the stag she had been following came into view.  Its ears perked up and it looked off in another direction, just missing where she stood.  She knew if she moved any closer it would bolt and she would lose her chance.  So she stilled, waiting for it to calm down and return to grazing before she readied her bow.  She took a deep breath and aimed her shot.  It was quite a distance but she knew with the right amount of concentration she would make it.  She pulled the arrow back just a bit further then let the arrow fly, disturbing the silence of the forest with a sharp whistle of an arrow cutting through the air.  She grinned as the stag attempted to run but quickly fell, succumbing to its injury. She ran over to it and whistled for Vega who shortly appeared on command.  “We will get a good amount from this one,” she said while kneeling down next to the stag as it took its last breaths.  Sera rested a hand over where its heart would be.  “Thank you,” she said then stood to fetch some rope from her saddle bags.  She tied up the stag and after having Vega kneel she moved the stag to the behind the saddle and tied it off.  She knew Vega was strong but thought it best that she avoided adding her own weight for as long as possible.  Instead she grabbed the reigns and pulled her along.                

              They didn’t make it ten feet when Sera jumped due to a blood curdling scream. “Stay here, Vega,” she said while grabbing her sword that was strapped to the saddle.  She sprinted in the direction of the scream not knowing what she would be met with.  Out of all the scenarios she picture she did not expect what she came across.  A woman stood atop a cluster of rocks with a stick in her hand and she was waving it at the small pack of wild dogs below her. Judging by how she was dressed, she appeared to be high born.  The shiny green silk of her gown looked as though it cost the same as a new saddle would or even a new sword despite it being smudged with the grime of the forest. Sera unsheathed her sword and whistled at the dogs.  She got the attention of one of the wild dogs along with the fair-haired woman on the rocks. The dog snarled at Sera before charging towards her.  Sera swung her sword once it was in range, nearly cutting its head off in one swing. The woman screamed, eliciting more snarling and barking from the two remaining dogs.  Sera controlled the urge to roll her eyes at the woman’s hysterics. “Hey!” she said and the two dogs turned their attention to her, foaming at the mouth and baring their teeth as they charged towards her.  They attacked simultaneously and she took one down with her sword in her right hand while the other attacked her left arm, which she was using to block.  He let out a cry as she fell to the ground with the remaining dog on top of her, dropping her sword in the process.  It released its hold on her arm and snapped at her face while Sera attempted to fight it off.  She held it back with her good arm and reached for a stone nearby with her left hand which was now covered in blood.  The stone was slippery due to the warm liquid that coated her fingers, but she finally got a firm grasp on it and swung it at the dog’s head.  It yelped and jumped back far enough for Sera to reach for her sword.  Once she had it in her hands she sat up and pointed it at the dog just as it was charging her once more.  It ran right into the sword and fell to the earth without another sound.

              Sera stood, using the sword as an aid.  She held the sword in her bloody hand while her right hand held onto the wound, attempting to stop the bleeding.  “Oh, goodness,” said the woman.  Sera watched as she, very ungracefully, climbed down from the rocks she had previously claimed as a sanctuary.  She reached Sera and acted as if she were going to reach out to her but hesitated in doing so.  “Are you alright?” she asked despite clearly seeing that Sera was, indeed, not alright. Now that Sera had a better look at her she could see that they had to be near the same age.  The woman had ashen blonde hair that was in a braid that went down to her waist and piercing green eyes that popped even more due to the color of her gown.  She would admit that she was rather beautiful.  “I’ll take you back to the kingdom, you need a healer,” she said, pulling Sera from her thoughts.

              She looked at the woman then down to her wound which had not bled all over her good hand.  She whistled for Vega who soon appeared with the stag still strung to her back.  She reached into one of the saddle bags and pulled out a scrap piece of cloth she used to wrap tightly around her wounded arm. “The kingdom?  You’re from Cintra?” she asked and the woman nodded, looking slightly confused.

              “Yes… I am princess Pavetta,” she said making Sera’s eyes widen.  “I know, I am a fool to even be out here, especially alone.”

              “I was not going to say that.  After all, I am also out here alone, your highness,” she said with a poor excuse of a curtsy.  Sera stuffed the remaining cloth back into the saddle bag and tuned back to Pavetta. “You said you have a healer?”

              She nodded.  “One of the best in the kingdom.  You’ll most likely heal without scarring,” she said.  Sera liked the sound of that, not having a scar for once.

              “We aren’t far from the kingdom so please, your highness, you may ride Vega. I will walk,” she said while taking ahold of Vegas reigns.  

              “But you’re wounded,” said Pavetta with true worry gracing her features.

              Sera smiled at this.  “I have had much worse, Princess,” she said with a shrug then nodded towards the saddle. Knowing she wouldn’t win the argument, Pavetta mounted Vega with ease and they began moving.  “My name is Seraphine, by the way.  And this, as I mentioned, is Vega.  I apologize for your travelling companion but it seems you caught me right after a hunt,” she said referring to the stag that was right behind where Pavetta sat.  

              Pavetta shrugged her shoulders.  “I have seen worse, thanks to my mother,” she said.  Sera let out an amused chuckle, thinking about the brash Queen Calanthe.  “And please, call me Pavetta.  There is no need for formalities.”

              Sera nodded and continued walking.  “Pavetta, you do not have to tell me, but why were you out there alone?” she asked, taking a glance back in her direction as she spoke.

              “I… went for a ride,” she said with hesitation.  “My horse got spooked by the wild dogs and took off.”

              Sera nodded, despite thinking that she sounded like she was trying to convince herself of that lie.  “I see,” she said, pulling Vega now onto the main road.  “A bit of advice, Pavetta, if I may?” she said and looked back to see she was waiting for her to continue whatever she was going to say.  “You are going to want to practice that if you want it to sound believable,” she said then watched as her cheeks turned a dark shade of red.  “Whatever the reason, it is safe with me.  When they ask I will say I found you just as I have.”

              “Thank you,” she said and Sera nodded.  Soon they arrived at the gates of Cintra and the guards announced Pavetta’s return as soon as they approached the castle.  Before Sera knew it, they were surrounded by people.  Handmaids, guards, a healer, and several onlookers, all of them swarming her with questions.  Sera was quite impressed with how well Pavetta swayed them into believing that her horse left her stranded in the woods.  She still held onto Vega’s reigns until someone, a stable hand from the looks of him, took them from her grasp.  Panic quickly filled her senses but Pavetta was quick to calm the feeling with a gentle hand on her uninjured arm and a look of reassurance.  “My friend and my savior, Seraphine, is injured. Could you please tend to her?” she said to her healer as they began walking into the castle.

              He took one look at Sera and quickly nodded.  “Of course, your highness,” he said then began to usher her through the castle in the opposite direction as Pavetta.

              Sera looked back at her new acquaintance.  “I will send after you soon and I will be sure that Vega and your stag are properly taken care of, Seraphine!” she said, making Sera relax enough to follow the healer confidently.  

 A few hours later Seraphine was completely bandaged up thanks to the healer.  Almost immediately after leaving the healer she was whisked away by some maids who led her to the throne room.  Queen Calanthe stood with Pavetta just to her side while Sera stood below them, just as a regular subject of their kingdom would.  “My daughter says you saved her life,” she said while staring down at Sera. While the village Sera came from was technically under the Queen of Cintra’s rule, she had never seen her before. Now that she stood in front of her she could understand what everyone meant when they said she was an intimidating woman.  Still, Sera stood tall.

              “Yes, your majesty.  I was out for a morning hunt when I heard her scream,” she said while keeping her eyes locked with Calanthe’s.  “There were three wild dogs trying to get to her, I was just in the right place had the right time.”

              Calanthe’s mouth turned upwards just a hair and only for a second but Sera still caught it.  “And what made you brave enough to best three blood-thirsty wild dogs?” she asked.

              “Because, your majesty, I used to go village to village and kill animals like that, along with the occasional monster.  I am just used to it,” she said.  

              This got the queen’s attention.  Her eyebrows rose with both amazement and curiosity.  “Well, Seraphine, there will be a betrothal banquet my daughter in three weeks time.  Please, join us as our guest of honor as a token of my thanks,” she said. Sera didn’t have to think too hard about the offer, three weeks of free food and a nice, warm bed was enough persuasion for her.  “Additionally, I would like to offer you a gift.  You may have anything you want… within reason,” she said making Sera lock eyes with her again.

              “I would be honored to take a seat at your table, your majesty.  And do you truly mean anything?” she asked and the queen nodded.  “May I take some time to think about it?”

     As she crested the hill she began to catch sight of what was making all of the sound which was a group of neckers.  Then her eyes caught a flash of silver hair and her jaw dropped.  She never thought she would see this man again let alone in the middle of a pack of at least seven neckers.  Sera dismounted from Vega with her bow in hand, quiver strapped to her back and sword attached to her hip.  As she got closer she could see that Geralt was struggling with his attackers. She pulled back on the string of her bow and shot down a necker that was headed for his back.  He plunged his silver sword into another one of the beasts then turned to see who it was that fired the shot.  His dark brows knitted together with recognition and confusion as his gaze settle on her for a fraction of a second. “Seraphine?” he said while focusing back on his targets.  “What are you doing?”

    “What does it look like, Geralt? I’m helping,” she said while shooting down another necker.  She made her way to him and they fought together back to back.  In the past she had avoided these damned creatures at all costs but seeing Geralt in the middle of a hoard of them swayed her.  They continued to multiply, dinging themselves out of the earth around them.  The bow was useless at this point, seeing that there were too many of them. “Dammit,” she said while throwing the bow on her back and unsheathing her sword.

      It seemed like the more they killed the more would dig themselves out of the ground, attracted by the shrieks of their kind.  Sera was beginning to feel fatigued and knew it was becoming obvious to Geralt.  “You need to leave,” he said as he sliced the head off of another necker.

      “Not… without you…” she said between gasps of air.  No sooner had she gotten her sentence out had Geralt let out a sharp whistle, calling for Roach.  Sera turned to look at him with a half glare and half a look of reassurance.  He nodded his head towards the quickly approaching Roach and she let out a defeated curse.  “Fuck,” she said then slashed her way through a group of the snarling beasts. She was almost to Roach when a necker jumped on her back, digging its long claws into her shoulders.  She let out a cry and fell to her knees while attempting to shake the beast off of her.  Its’ growls in protest were deafening, making it harder for her to concentrate.

      She heard Geralt curse in the distance just as she was beginning to lose consciousness. She felt the weight of the necker leave her back and then just as she was slipping into the darkness, felt the weight of her body leave the ground.

 Everything was warm.  Seraphine felt warmth and her immediate thought was that she was dead… she had to be.  It had been a long time since she had felt this content.  She cracked her eyes open and saw that she was no longer in the overgrown fields.  Instead, she found that she was in an inn, and a rather nice one by the looks of it. She could hear the crackling of a fire in the hearth, which was the cause of the warm glow throughout the room. The luxurious furs that covered her form and how nice the place was in general fed the thought of how she must be dead.  It would have been believable too if her shoulders weren’t screaming in pain.  “I told you to leave,” his rough voice made her nearly jump out of her skin.  

              She turned to her right seeing that Geralt was sitting comfortably at a small table with a book in hands and a small platter of fruits and cheeses placed in front of him.  She let out a grunt and closed her eyes, thinking about the fight in the fields. She had been stupid to get involved but she would never verbally agree with him on that.  She should have just kept riding with Vega if this was the thanks she was going to get.  Her eyes sprung open with a jolt of realization and she sat up despite her shoulders protesting in pain and despite wearing very little clothing underneath the covers.  “Vega!” she said with her wide hazel eyes set on Geralt.  

              He casually set down his book and turned his gaze to her.  “She’s outside with Roach,” he said while setting his book down on the table.  The worry she had for Vega’s well-being left Sera’s mind and was quickly replaced with the worry of her own well-being.  Geralt’s golden eyes peered at her own making her feel rather uncomfortable.  

              “You’re mad,” she said and he tilted his head to one side then she watched as the muscles in his jawline shifted.  “Take that as a yes…” she said while trying to sit up a little more comfortably.  She pulled the covers up to her shoulders, covering the lose binds that were thankfully covering her breasts.  Not that it mattered what he saw considering he was probably the one that undressed her and bandaged her shoulders in the first place.  She was suddenly thankful for already wearing the bindings around her breasts as she always had.  She looked down at her hands, needing a distraction from the judgmental golden eyes still peering at her from across the room.  Small scars covered her hands and arms and she knew that despite the chest binding and the wounds on her shoulders, he had seen the numerous scars that now adorned her once perfect skin.  “I will not apologize for attempting to help you,” she said as he stood and walked over to the side of the bed, handing her a mug filled with water. “I will admit it was foolish, but that doesn’t change anything,” she said before taking a long drink from the mug. She handed it back to him and wiped the excess water from her mouth with the back of her hand.  “How did you get us out of there anyways?  Last thing I remember was almost getting to Roach when one of those damned things jumped on my back.”

              Geralt had taken his spot back in his chair and rested his elbows on his knees. He looked over to her and slowly she could see that his annoyance with her was fading.  “There were only a few left after I took out the one on your back. I knew Roach could get us out. She got a scratch or two but she will be fine,” he said after her face filled with worry.  She averted her gaze, suddenly feeling guiltier knowing Roach had gotten hurt as well.  “Sera, what were you doing out there?”

              Her shoulders shook with a slight, unemotional laugh and her eyes locked onto his.  “I used to live out there… well in a village nearby,” she said plainly.  She could see him processing that information and recalled the promise she had made the last time she saw him.  She owed him an explanation.  

Apparently he could see her mentally struggling with whether or not she should just lay all of her cards on the table.  “Rest,” he said, his gaze resting on hers once again.  He didn’t tell her to rest and when she wakes she owed him her story, no… just rest.  She gave him a nod and allowed herself to relax back into the pillows.  The last thing she saw before sleep overcame her was his form sitting in front of the window, cast over with a warm glow from the hearth, and his yellow eyes watching over her.

 Light was now streaming into the room through the window when Seraphine opened her eyes.  Her joints felt stiff and her back was starting to cramp from being in the same position for too long.  She wondered how long she had been resting in that bed.  She sat up, despite her shoulders stinging with protest, and swung her legs over the side of the bed.  Geralt was nowhere to be found in the room which worried her slightly but she was sure if he left for something serious her would have woken her.   She stood up, her legs shaking like a newborn dear, and looked around the large room.  It was decorated in reds and gold with accents of dark wooden furniture all throughout.  Behind a large scrim in the corner of the room was a wooden bath filled with water. Steam rose from it and despite not knowing if the bath was for her or not she began unbinding her chest then pulled off her trousers.  She dipped her hand into the water and nearly sighed.  It was the perfect temperature for her.  Soon she found herself completely submerged in the hot water, fully encompassing herself in the faint scent of vanilla and patchouli.  She made sure to not let her bandaged shoulders get too wet while she a month’s worth of dirt from her hair.

              She couldn’t remember the last time she had a proper bath, one that wasn’t in a stream and was actually warm, so this was heaven to her.  It was so comforting to her she almost allowed herself to slip back to sleep.  “Nice to see you’re enjoying yourself,” Geralt’s rough voice pulled her out of whatever sense of relaxation she had.  She covered her chest with her arms and turned to glare at him.

              “Dammit, Geralt.  You scared me.  You can’t just sneak up on people like that,” she said, now turning away from where he stood near the scrim.  

              “Should change your bandages and clean the wounds,” he said and she could have sworn his voice was getting closer.   When she looked back at him she noticed he indeed was closer and he was handing a towel out to her, without looking directly at her.  Sera sighed and snatched the towel from him and he turned away from her before she started getting out of the warm bath.  She wrapped the towel around her body and walked past him and to the bed, her hair still dripping.

              She sat down when she heard him approach and felt the bed sink where he sat just beside her.  She moved her short, wet hair out of his way and held the towel up around her torso with her free hand.  “I’m sorry if that was supposed to be your bath,” she said, he only let out a short hum in response.  She jumped slightly at his touch on her shoulder and braced herself for the feeling of the bandages being peeled from her wounds.  “Thank you,” she said, her voice just above a whisper.

              “For?” he asked while peeling away the rest of the bandage.

              She almost laughed.  “A lot I suppose,” she said and swore she heard him laugh.  “If it wasn’t the neckers to kill me it would have been those men.”

              He said nothing, only pat a damp cloth over her wounds earning a hiss from her. “No infection, that’s good,” he said then started to pack on a salve.  “You heal very nicely, better than most I know.”

              “Should I take that pride in that?” she asked with a smile.  He said nothing, only another low hum followed by silence.  It was always something that bothered Sera.  “I promised you an explanation last time we saw one another,” she said while he began to apply new bandages.

              “I don’t need one,” he said.  She tried to look at him but he put a hand gently on her chin and turned her head back away from him.  

              “I want to,” she said.  “I’ve never really had the opportunity to explain myself.”  She figured he would refuse instead she was met with another hum. She took it as a sign for her to continue.  “They say I have killed a man.  That I am a thief and a murderer,” she began then took a deep breath.  “I’ve never killed another human… never wanted to other than one, I just never had the chance.  I’ve stolen but nothing of high importance or value.  Only bread or an apple when I didn’t have the money to buy them.”

              Geralt tied off her bandages a bit too tight causing Sera to jump and let out a small whimper.  “Sorry,” he said.  She shook her head then stood from the bed.  “If you’re not guilty of those crimes then why do they believe you are?”

              Sera walked over to the scrim where a changing robe was hung and disappeared behind it before dropped the towel and pulled the robe over her body. “It’s a very long story,” she said as a warning.  He only nodded.  Sera walked over to the table where a jug of wine, a jug of water and a plate of fruit sat. She poured them each a mug of wine and continued her story as she walked back over to the bed.  “The village I was from had this mayor,” she began then handed him his mug of wine as she sat back down on the bed beside him.  “He was a vile, disgusting example of a man.”  Sera took a long drink from her mug of wine and looked at Geralt who was looking down at the mug in his own hands.  “I have a twin sister,” she said making Geralt look at her, she continued.  “He became obsessed with Faline.  At first, when our father was still alive, he was a kind man.  She still had no interest seeing that we were both still rather young at the time.  Fourteen, I believe.  After our father passed, he became more… aggressive with his behavior towards her. He would stop her when she went to the market alone and he would attempt to follow her home, claiming she shouldn’t travel alone even though we always had,” she said then paused, remembering the day she came home from hunting to see the door to their home standing wide open. “Then one day… I came back home from hunting with Will,” she said.  Geralt didn’t question who will was, he let her continue.  “The door to my home was open and Faye wasn’t in the garden to welcome us home as she normally was.  I knew something was wrong so I went running into the house despite Will’s protests. The mayor had come for a visit, knowing she would be alone while I was off hunting with Will.  He came into our house asking for her to marry him and she lied. She told him she belonged to another, the blacksmith’s son.  It was believable, everyone knew that Tomas admired and adored Faye.  He didn’t like that at all.  He beat her… raped her… and said that she would belong to him forever. He swore that no one would every change that, not Tomas, not her sister, no one.  Then he left,” she said.  There was little to no emotion in her voice as she relived the moments of discovering her sister beaten and bloody on the kitchen floor.

              “What did you do?” he asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

              Sera shook her head and took another drink of her wine.  “I stopped hunting with Will and stayed at home just in case he returned.  When he did I had Faye hide, not knowing what he would try to do to her.  I didn’t expect him to think I was her, but then again maybe that was my idea unintentionally.  It was the first time in a long time that I wore skirts instead of trousers and my hair was braided just as she kept hers.  I went along with it,” she said and Geralt looked at her with dark furrowed brows.  “My immediate thought after he mistook me for her was that if I could get close enough to him… I could kill him.  And I did try.  I got him a few times with a knife we used to cut potatoes.  He left bleeding, swearing that I’d… Faye… would die for what I’d done. He swore that he would be back with more men.”

              They were quiet then and other than the faint crackling from the hearth, there was silence.  She watched his features change when realization hit him.  “You took on your sister’s name and fled,” he said and she nodded.  “The mayor just believed that?  He didn’t threaten that he’d kill you if he didn’t have your sister?”

              Sera stood from the bed and sighed.  She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at the hearth.  “Before I left I had Will promise me that he would take care of Faye and that he would protect her.  Knowing he would do anything for me, I asked him to continue living his life as if she were me.  I asked Faye to do the same and then I left.”  The flames of the small fire licked the air above it and when Sera threw another log into the hearth a thousand little sparks flew out.  “They have two kids now,” she said with a sniffle. “I know I told them to live but I didn’t expect my sister and my…” she stopped and quickly wiped her eyes before turning back to Geralt.  “Anyways, the mayor promised he would find me… Faye… so I have been running ever since.”

              He let out a famous hum that made Sera role her eyes.  “Now that you… your sister… is presumed dead, what will you do?” he asked making her gaze settle on his.

              “Well it’s not like I could go back home and stay there, picking up where I left off.  It’s been four years.  They have a life of their own now, I can’t show up and destroy that,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders.  He still looked at her waiting for an answer.  “I’ll most likely put some distance between me and my home and travel more.  Do some jobs here and there, sell my game, to earn a little coin and try to enjoy not having to look behind my back every second.”

              “That’s not really living,” he said, getting a laugh out of her.

              “Is it not, Witcher?”  After all that is what you do.  Instead of monsters I’ll just be hinting deer and wolves,” she said as he smirked.  She smiled and let out a yawn, stretching her sore arms above her head.  

              “You should get some more rest,” he said and she didn’t complain.  He got up from the bed and she sank down in the warm covers, her eyelids already feeling heavy.  

              “Thank you,” she murmured as she sunk deeper into the warm bed.

              “For?” he asked.

              A boy about three years of age stood behind the woman’s skirts and looked up at Seraphine.  “Who’s that, Mommy?” he asked while looking from his mother to Sera.  “Why does she look like you?”

              The woman looked like she was either going to scream or cry, maybe both. “Hello, Faye,” Seraphine said but the woman shook her head then looked out around the outside of cabin as if expecting someone to be watching.  

              “Get in here,” she said then grasped Sera with the hand that wasn’t holding the infant and pulled her inside, quickly shutting the door behind her. “Deter come over here and play with your sister for a moment, yeah?  I’ll make you some cakes later,” she set the baby on the floor near a pile of wooden toys and the boy joined her.  Then she walked over to the other side of the cabin and put a kettle of water over the flames of the fire place.  “What are you doing here?”

              “Nice to see you too sis, what’s it been three… four years?” she said with a bitter laugh.

              “You know you can’t call me that here…  I am Sera here.  You know this.  You were the one who planned it all out,” her sister said while brushing through her long brown curls with her fingers.

              “Even in the privacy of your home?” Seraphine asked as she leaned against the wall just beside the window.

              Faline’s shoulders visibly tensed at Sera’s words.  “I have to now.  I have them,” she motioned to the two children.  “Children aren’t as careful as adults.  I can’t have them know me as one name but tell them to call me another. It was just easier.”

              “You mean easier to pretend I never existed… rather that you never existed,” she said with a roll of her eyes.  She kept her voice low even though she wanted to scream.  “Your son didn’t even know you had a sister till he saw your twin in the doorway.”

              The kettle whistled and Faye stepped away from Sera to get it.  Sera wiped her eyes quickly in hopes Faye wouldn’t be able to see that she was crying.  Faye poured them both a cup of tea but Sera wasn’t interested.  “Why did you come here?” her sister asked while sitting in one of the two chairs that sat near the old table.

              Sera liked to think she had thick skin but even that hurt her.  “To see you, Faye… sorry… Sera,” she scoffed and stepped away from her sister.  “I’ve been through hell for you, sister, while you have been here with Will… playing fucking house,” she said and waved a hand in the direction of the children.

              Her sister stood from her chair and stepped towards Sera.  “I didn’t ask you for this, Sera,” she said, her voice a stern whisper.  Faye’s jaw clenched the same way Sera’s did when she was angry.

              Sera squared her shoulders and locked eyes with her twin.  “You would have died if I hadn’t done this.  If you would have married that monster he would have killed you and if you would have ran as I did you wouldn’t have made it to Temeria, admit it,” she said with venom in her voice and tears welling in her eyes once again.  They watched one another and eventually Sera sighed, her shoulders dropping.  “I didn’t come here for this.”

              “What did you come here for, sister?  Money?” she asked making Sera let out a bitter laugh.

              “No, no Faye.  I am in no need of money,” she said and looked over to the children who were still playing with their toys.  “I came to see you, to say goodbye, even though I knew it was dangerous,” she said then looked back to her sister.  “He’s still looking for you, after all this time he is still on the hunt for his Faline.”

              She nodded.  “I know. His men come here a few times a year and search the place.  They fully believe I am you,” she said then took a sip of her tea.  It was silent between them as Sera finally took the other chair.  “I thought he would have given up at this point, found some other poor girl to obsess over…”

              “Yeah, sis, you really broke his heart,” she said with a laugh.  She took a sip of her tea and cleared her throat. “I don’t blame you for the situation I have gotten myself in, Faye,” her voice was low again so the children couldn’t hear her.

              Faye’s eyes filled with tears and she quickly wiped them away.  “I know… Sera, I know,” she said with a cry.  “I just feel like I took this away from you,” she motioned to the cabin and her children.

              Sera smiled and took her sister’s hand in her own.  “We both know this is not who I was, thank goodness we were the only ones to know that or else your cover would have been blown long ago,” she said and they both laughed.  “This house… kids… that was never in the cards for me, sis.”

              Faye squeezed her sister’s hand.  “You can stay in the barn tonight if you’d like,” she said but Sera shook her head.

              “You said his men come and search the place occasionally.  I can’t be here when he happens to call a search.  I shouldn’t be here now,” she said and stood from the table and then quickly untied the small coin purse from her waist belt.  She poured half of its contents onto the table, ignoring how wide Faye’s eyes got. “Take care of yourself, Faye.”

              She then started for the door, not planning to take another look back at her sister.  “I’ll tell Will you were here,” she said making Sera stop in her tracks.  She turned back and locked eyes with her sister until her vision began to blur.  “He still cares for you.  I look like you, I use your name… I had his children… but it was always you.”

              Sera wiped away the tears from her eyes and shook her head.  “I can’t be, not anymore,” she said and turned back towards Faye.  She rested her hands on her sisters shoulders to get her attention.  “Tell him I’m dead.  The news of my death should be reaching here soon anyways… don’t tell him I was here, tell him I am dead, Faye, then go and tell yourself the same thing.”

              Faye threw her arms around her and sobbed.  “I love you.  I don’t deserve the care you have given me.”

              Sera returned the embrace then pulled away knowing it was past time for her to go.  “I love you too, sister.  I must go. Give your boy milk of the poppy in some tea, he will sleep.  If he asks about me when he wakes, say it was a dream and deny anything he says about me, understood?” she asked and her sister nodded.  “Goodbye,” she said then walked out of the cabin for the final time. She left quickly and didn’t allow herself to look back as Vega galloped her away from her old home.  That wasn’t her place anymore and it never would be again. It was an all too familiar feeling of knowing she could never return to her home.  She rode, and she didn’t care where Vega was taking her.  She was dead to the world as far as they knew and she could leave once she gained back the coin she had given to her sister.  She would be able to take on her birth name. No more lying, no more pretending… And although she was no longer weighed down by the looming fear of never being safe, she found herself wiping away tears brought on by memories of the past.

That same cottage with the garden and the daffodils and snap dragons growing near the windows had been in the family for many generations now.  Seraphine and Faline had been born there and they had grown up there just as her father had before them.  Their mother, long passed, had been buried there just past the windmill.  Their father was a hunter and made a living for himself and the girls by selling the meat and furs from his game.  He was a good man but was often criticized by the people of the village for his soft nature towards his daughters.  He let them go to the markets on their own and never discouraged them voicing their opinions, only warned them that some may not take too kindly to a woman with a strong opinion.  He was not one of them though.  He thought his daughters to be well-read, strong women and he was okay with that.  

Faline was much like their mother.  She tended to the garden and cooked most of the meals while Seraphine joined their father on his hunts.  It was nearly impossible to tell the two apart.  If not for how they wore their hair, one would be convinced they were the same person.  Faye wore her long brown locks braided up into a bun at the nape of her neck while Sera’s brown curls rarely went past her collarbone.  Her short hair allowed her to be able to hunt with a little more ease.

Sometimes on their hunts, she and her father would be joined by a boy from the village, Willam.  “Faye said that last time she went to the market the Blacksmith’s son couldn’t take his eyes off of her,” Sera said as she and Will, now grown, sat in a clearing to enjoy some food and a rest from their hunt.  It had been just the two of them on hunts since her father had passed the year before from a cough that never went away.  

“Does she like the Blacksmiths son?” Will asked, getting an amused chuckle in response.

“No, she said he is an imbecile and has, as she said, looks that could never overshadow his stupidity,” she said and this time they both laughed.  

Their gazes landed on one another as Sera popped another berry into her mouth and chewed.  “What of me?  Do my looks overshadow my stupidity, Seraphine?” he was teasing her now.  

Sera rolled her eyes and threw a berry at him.  It bounced off his chest and landed in the grass beside them.  “Please, Will, next to my sister you are the smartest person I know,” she said as she dropped another berry into her mouth.

“And what of my looks?” he asked with a smirk.

Sera gave him a gentle nudge with her elbow and grinned. “I’ll admit, you’re quite handsome as well.”

“Oh?” he said, his dark brown raising.  “Is that so?” he grinned and she nodded while leaning into him.  Their lips met and his month tasted of berries.  She grabbed the collar of his shirt, daring to pull him even closer.  They had been fond of one another for many years and their friendship as children had blossomed into them being lovers. While Faye knew of their fondness for one another she didn’t know that Sera had given all of herself to this man. “Not to ruin the mood, but has your sister thought about maybe allowing the blacksmith’s son to get close so Mayor Ferdand may leave her be?” he asked.  He was right though, he had ruined the mood. Anytime Sera had to talk about the village’s Mayor a sour taste would invade her mouth.  But Will had a point.  If Faye did accept the attention that was being given to her by the blacksmith’s son, she just might get Ferdand off her back.

“You’re right, Will, but I sure as hell am not going to be the one to bring it up to her,” she said while standing up and brushing the grass of her riding trousers.  “We should head back.  I am sure she will have supper on for us by the time we get there.”  

Will reluctantly nodded and followed suit. When they arrived at the small farm house they were not welcomed by Faye in the garden as they usually were when they came in from a day of hunting.  When Sera realized the door to the cabin stood agape she sprinted towards it, not hearing Will call out to her.  What welcomed them would change their lives forever.  

              He looked up at her and scoffed.  “What do you think you’re goin’ to do lass?  Ask it nicely to leave us all alone?” he would have laughed too if his spirits weren’t previously broken.  “It’s suicide, girl.  Leave the job for a real hunter.”

              She was the one to laugh then.  “A real hunter?  Like you? Last I checked you left your friend to be mutilated by the beast.  I’ve killed griffins before and know what I am doing.  You shouldn’t have gone out there in broad daylight anyways, that’s when they are most active you oaf,” she told Angus and the others in the pub silenced themselves.  She left out the part where every griffin she had killed was sleeping on her arrival and that she had planned it that way.  It was beside the point.  “Listen, I’ll make a deal,” this got everyone interested.  “I kill the griffin, bring back its head and I get a reward.”

              The pub owner laughed this time from behind the bar.  “You’ll die out there, girl!” he said and more laughed with him.

              She laughed with them playing it off as some kind of farce then her features became serious again and she dropped the laugh.  “I’m serious.  If I do die, you’d have nothing to lose.  But if I don’t and I come back with a griffin’s head strapped to my saddle, you have a griffin off your hands,” she said and the crowd was silent in thought. Seraphine figured they all were about to shoot down the deal, not wanting to put any faith in a woman they didn’t know.  It was a common theme whenever she would offer her amateur skills to rid a village of their monsters but she was persistent.

              “Head straight west, towards the mountains, about a half a days’ ride from here. You’ll come across some old ruins. That’s where I saw it last… that’s where I left Metri.”  She nodded and began to head for the door.  “Girl,” he said to get her attention.  She turned back to Angus as he took the crossbow off his back and held it out to her.  “It’s not much, but it just might save your life.  Come back and we owe you 200 coin. ”

              Seraphine took the crossbow and nodded her thanks then headed for the door. She mounted her white horse with the crossbow strapped to her back despite having a regular bow already strapped behind her saddle.  “Let’s go, Vega,” she said giving her a slight kick.  That was all it took for the horse to begin galloping along the direction Seraphine guided her, west.  As she rode she rifled through her things searching for a potion she bought from an alchemist in Ellander.  It was made to boost stamina even for a human such as herself.  She had tried many potions, the ones that were safe for human consumption at least, and she found that they all had one thing in common… they tasted like shit.  The awful taste had actually been worth it when they had saved her life a time or two. She took a mental note to gulp this one down before she reached the ruins.

              The sun began to set and she thought it best to set up camp rather than to find the beast in the dead of night.  She tied Vega to a tree and removed her saddle and blanket, using them both as a makeshift bed.  It was a chilly night but she was too worried a fire would attract unwanted attention and instead settled for bundling up in her worn cloak.  “Keep watch, Vega,” she said and the horse let out what she imagined was an amused sigh.  She lay her head back on Vega’s saddle and closed her eyes, letting sleep overcome her.

 Seraphine was up with the sunrise and quickly saddled Vega.  She decided she would eat on the way there.  The berries and dried meat she feasted on really made her wish she would have bought something before leaving the tavern.  Instead she would mentally promise herself the luxury of bread and cheese when she returned with a griffin’s head strapped to her saddle as promised. “This just might be the job that gets us our ticket to some much needed time off, Vega,” she said and the horse neighed.  Seraphine popped another berry into her mouth and savored the flavor as it gushed between her teeth.  “Wherever we go we can’t stay long,” again Vega neighed.  “You know why, girl.  Staying in one spot means getting recognized and getting recognized means…” this time she huffed through her nose, “…exactly,” Seraphine said then dropped a few more berries into her mouth.

              A drop of water landed on the tip of her nose and she looked up to see the clouds that had begun to cover the sky.  Rain was both a pro and a con.  A pro because rain meant the griffin would be less likely to leave the ruins.  Con because the rain would make it much more difficult to see clearly.  She pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and continued riding along.  It wasn’t much longer that she started to come across the remnants of a man-made stone building.  

Through the forest and just up the ridge she could see the source of the crumbled stone.  She dismounted from Vega and began gathering her things. She draped her cloak on the saddle and pulled on her leather belts and straps that would hold her gear.  Her sword was sheathed at her side, quiver full of arrows strapped to her back along with the borrowed crossbow.  In her left hand she held her own bow knowing that if things didn’t go smoothly she wouldn’t be able to reload the crossbow as quickly as she could a regular bow.  A part of her hoped the beast was sleeping and that she could get this over with as quickly as possible as she had done with griffins in the past.  It was a cheaters way out and in some ways made Seraphine feel a little guilty but it was a job, and it was one that made decent coin.   She grabbed a couple of potions out of the saddle bag along with an apple for Vega. She then walked to the front of her large friend and rested her forehead to hers.  “You know what comes next girl.  I am going to leave you here, untied.  You cannot… for any reason, come to my aid if you hear me in distress do you understand?” Vega’s ears moved as she spoke.  “We are done after this, Vega, I promise.  It will just be wild dogs and the occasional ghoul when this is done,” she said then fed the apple to her friend. “I’ll be back before you even realize I’m gone,” she said getting a sigh in return.

She looked down at her worn riding clothes and brown leather corset.  They were a far cry from being considered armor but they would just have to do.  As she walked she braided then tied off her brown curls with a strand of leather. When she reached the top of the ridge she took one of her potions and quickly sucked it down, discarding the vial on the forest floor.  Her eyes scanned the ruins of what used to be a rather large estate and she tried to concentrate on what she heard through the soft pattering of water running off of the trees behind her.  A light mist covered the area but it had stopped raining.  She reached for an arrow and prepared her bow, wanting to be ready for anything.  It was absurdly quiet and there was unfortunately a lot of ground to cover. She made sure to stay low and keep checking the sky for any sign of the beast.

All that remained of the old structure were the walls and even then it was hard to consider them a structure at all, the tallest one stood just a foot above her.  As she rounded one of the taller walls she heard the sound of something breathing.  She peaked around the stone and held her breath as she peered upon the griffin that was seemingly enjoying what was left of a sheep.  The beast was facing away from her giving her a perfect shot if she was quiet enough.  Seraphine took a slow breath and drew back the string on her bow, taking aim at the beast’s head.  She exhaled and released her arrow but the moment she did an invisible force from the other side of the griffin sent her flying back and onto the ground.  After tumbling back a distance she heard the griffin screech and tried her best to gather her senses.   “Fuck,” she cursed while picking herself up off the ground. She looked back toward the beast and could see it was now flying and below it stood a figure and even though her vision was blurred she could see it was a man.  She reached for her bow but when she picked it up she realized it was broken in half and cursed again.  Instead she took the crossbow from her back and held it with her left while taking her sword in her right before marching towards the beast and the man.  

On closer inspection she could see the man had rather long white hair and other than the crossbow in his hand he had two swords strapped to his back.  Seraphine aimed her crossbow and shot at the beast, getting another ear-piercing screech from it.  This time the man cursed and shot his own crossbow.  The griffin landed harshly on the ground looking shaken from the repeated blows but it was still standing.  Cursing, she reloaded the crossbow and took another shot at the beast’s head before it could get in the air again.  Seraphine unsheathed her sword and dared take another step closer until the griffin attempted to take off again.  The invisible force that had previously knocked her over was again emitted but this time she watched it come from the man and luckily it didn’t hit her.  The griffin fell back to the earth and the man shot another bolt, hitting the beast in the face once again.  Seraphine took this moment of the beast’s weakened state to her benefit.  Before it could gather its bearings she climbed atop the beast and plunged her sword in the back of its neck.  Its’ blood sprayed from its body and covered the front of her as it let out one last screech.  She gripped onto its fur as it writhed beneath her in its final moments of desperation and when it finally stilled Seraphine unsheathed her sword from the griffin’s body and looked over to where the man still stood.  

Staring back at her were a pair of glowing yellow eyes that nearly made her gasp.  He looked rather confused due to the events that had taken place and they continued to stare at one another.  “You’re a woman,” he said in a deep, rugged voice.

Seraphine wiped some stray hairs from her face only replacing them with streaks of the griffin’s blood. “You’re a witcher,” she said in response then climbed down from the beast’s back.  Her head was still spinning from the griffin’s shrieks so she played off her faintness for the need to just sit down.  She wiped her sword off in the grass surrounding her, trying to get rid of as much blood as she could.  She looked up at the witcher again to see he was still watching her. “You owe me a bow, by the way,” she said making his eyebrows pinch together.  She closed her eyes for a moment trying to dissuade the dizziness to no avail.  “Before… when you did the first… blast… thing, you sent me flying backwards and I landed on my bow.  It’s broken, thanks to you.”

“I’m sorry?” he said but instead of sounding sorry he sounded confused.  

Seraphine stood, or at least tried to and when she stumbled a little to the left the witcher just watched. Her vision was still a little blurry but she looked at him and squint her eyes.  “I know you,” she said now using her sword, which was planted in the ground as an aid, to balance herself.  “You are Geralt of Rivia, are you not?” she asked and he gave her a quick nod.  “You don’t look old.  I would have thought you were an old man by the description … “White Wolf” you’re called,” she paused and took the time to look him up and down.  He looked to be about thirty and was well built.  Even through his black armor she could tell he was a tall and muscular man. He had a sharp jaw line and two distinct brows that she thought would give away his every emotion, that was, if he had any. “You don’t look old at all, you look…” she began but was interrupted by another dizzy spell.

“Griffins’ screech is known to disorient its prey.  It’s normal to feel dizzy,” he said as he watched her from a few feet away.  

“I’m fine,” she insisted but she indeed was not.  The moment she tried to take a step she lost her balance and fell to the ground.  This time the witcher whistled twice and not a minute later Seraphine heard a horse’s hooves approaching.

“Here,” he said and she looked back at him to see he was crouched down beside her now offering her a pouch filled with water.

“I said I was fine,” she said but took the water anyways and took several long drinks from it.  “I’ve done this before, just well… usually I catch them a little more off-guard.  I will be fine, I just need a moment.”

“Done this before?” he asked and she nodded.  “What for?”

She let out an amused puff of air before looking at him, this time catching his yellow eyes with her own hazel ones.  “Same as you, Witcher, for coin,” she said before taking another sip of water. “Women can do two things for coin, sell their bodies to a stranger or sell their souls to a husband.  I’ve witnessed the latter and found it didn’t suit me and I have no interest in the former,” she said and stood back up to examine her beast.  “Now, because I killed this damned thing I expect most of the coin but because of your chivalry I will share the profits.”  He looked amused but instead of arguing he simply let out a soft “hmm” and nodded. This time she was the one to whistle and moments later Vega approached with the rest of her gear.  Seraphine approached her horse and dug out a sharp knife she had gotten made for cutting meat and looked back to Geralt.  “I’ll get the head, no sense in both of us being covered in blood is there?” she said getting a raised brow from the silent witcher. “Did you happen to come across a corpse of a young man out here?  He most likely would have had some coin on him as well,” she said while kneeling down beside the griffin’s head.  She plunged her knife into the existing neck wound on the griffin and began to slice. The sound of a coin purse landing beside her feet pulled her attention away from her work.  It didn’t look very full and at best would buy her a new shirt. “Eh… keep it,” she said but he left it at her side.  “The contract you picked up, what were they offering you?”

“150,” he said and she glanced up at him with a smile.  “You?”

“200.  We will take him back to the village I came from.  Though they may not offer as much when they see me return with a witcher…” she said, earning a scowl from the man.  “I have no quarrel with you, sir, but last I checked people don’t much like your kind.  That’s why I am usually paid more than the average witcher.  For one they find it amusing that a woman would do such work and two…” she sliced through the throat one more time finally separating the head from the griffin’s body, “…they don’t want to deal with a witcher. No offense.”

“None taken,” he said but she could tell offense had been taken.  He brought over some rope to help her tie around the horns of the beast so they could then tie it to her saddle.  

“As I said, I have no problem being seen with you but keep in mind we may lose coin.  If you can handle that then so can I, I suppose,” she said then lifted the head off the ground using the rope to carry it over to Vega.  She could feel the witcher’s eyes follow her and tried to not let it bother her.  She had been playing this situation off rather well but in truth she had never met one of his kind before and never thought she would have.  To her, witchers were almost all gone and rarely would she hear a tale of one killing off a village’s monster.  Come to think of it most of the time they were tales about none other than the witcher that now stood only a few feet away from her. “Shall we go?” she asked after grabbing the coin purse he had tossed at her.  He gave her a nod but first walked over to the griffin and she watched as a wave of flames burst from his hand.  Sera’s jaw dropped as she watched the griffin become engulfed in flames. Without saying a word, he mounted his horse and she did the same, her movements quite stiff.  “W-we’ve about half a days’ ride east but if you don’t mind I believe there is a river just a little off course that I would love to stop by? I don’t know what I look like but I am sure it’s not well,” she said and he nodded as they rode side by side.  He was a quiet one this witcher, then again she had never known a witcher before him so maybe they were all this quiet.

“Your name?” he asked earning a slight jump of surprise from her.

“Sera… well Seraphine but if that’s too much for you, then just Sera, seeing as you are a man of few words,” she said, realizing this was the first time in a long time she told someone her name.  She realized maybe she shouldn’t be her usual sarcastic self with this particular stranger but then again when she looked back to see his response he did look rather amused, if you could call a lack of a scowl on his face amusement.

They rode in silence until they reached the river.  Sera dismounted from Vega and left her untied so she could drink from the river.  “How long have you been doing this?” he asked while eying her up and down.  Through the grime and blood she knew she looked rather young.  She wasn’t yet twenty-three but had lived a long life.  

“A few years,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders.  She did the math in her head and realized it had nearly been four years that she had been on the move.  She knelt beside the river and cupped water in her hands so she could clean her face. Geralt knelt down at the bank a little ways down from where she was and they looked at each other.  Sera’s hands scrubbed at her face, neck, and arms, knowing her shirt was well past the point of saving. “I was nineteen when I killed my first ghoul and I guess it went on from there.  Wolves, wild dogs, ghouls… simple jobs to get money.”

He looked confused.  “There are plenty of wild dogs and ghouls out there still… why fight griffins?” he asked.

“The money.  This was my last one for a long time, monsters of all kind. I have saved enough to book passage to wherever I choose and buy a cottage when I get there.  Land for Vega and far enough from anyone that would be a bother,” she was rambling but he was listening.  Most of the blood was off her skin now so she slurped up the next handful of water.

“You named your horse Vega?” he asked with a smirk.

“Yes Vega.  I know it’s a human name but she’s the only friend I have. What’s your horse’s name?  Horse?” she said getting defensive.

She was surprised to hear him laugh.  “Her name is Roach,” he said and she scrunched her nose up.  

“Horse would have been better. That’s a horrible name, the poor thing,” she looked over to where Roach stood near Vega.

“All of my horses have been named Roach.  She doesn’t mind it,” he said with an amused smiled.  

“How do you know?  Have you asked her?” she was joking, of course. She shook her head and walked back over to Vega.  “We should get going it’s already going to be late when we get back, might as well get there in time for the whole village to still be in the pub,” she said as she got back up on Vega.   Geralt followed and they made their way back to the village.

 Darkness had taken over hours before they reached the village.  Seraphine let out a satisfied sigh when she finally saw the lights emitting from several of the buildings in the distance.  The journey with the witcher hadn’t been half bad even though most of the time they remained silent.  The little conversation they did have was mostly about monsters they have and haven’t come across.  

They came up behind where the pub would be but Seraphine pulled back on Vega’s reins when she heard commotion. “She should be back any moment. She left just yesterday and it’s only a half a day’s ride from here,” said a man that Sera recognized as the pub owner.  

She dismounted Vega and watched as the pub owner, Angus, and a man that made her stomach turn on recognition stood and spoke to one another.  “Fuck,” she said and started pushing Vega back towards the forest.  

“And you are sure it was this woman?  Her name is Faline, or Faye,” the man she had encountered too many times in the past spoke while holding up a horribly done sketch of her face.  

Geralt dismounted Roach and looked to Seraphine then back to the crowd outside of the pub.  She began quickly untying the griffin from her saddle and when it was free she carried it over to Geralt.  “I… I’m sorry, I can’t go any further.  Just t-take it, keep the coin for yourself, Witcher.”

She tried handing him the griffin’s head but he didn’t take it so she set it on the ground at his feet and began to turn away but he grabbed her arm with a firm hold.  “They’re looking for you, why?” he asked.  She tried ignoring the question and escaping his grasp but it was no use, the man was much stronger than she was.  “Why did you lie about who you are?” his voice was much deeper now and the normal rough tone was even rougher and she was certain his hold on her arm was going to leave a bruise.

Seraphine tried not to look intimidated but it was a little difficult when a man that could easily crush her like a berry.  “I wasn’t lying.  My name is Seraphine.  I’m not who they’re looking for… well I am but the things they say I’ve done I didn’t do. I ran that was it,” she said. “Please, let me go.  You can have all the coin, I don’t care.  I just can’t be seen by that man, do you understand?” her voice cracked as she spoke, practically begging for her life.  She watched as he looked back and forth from her to the group at the pub but eventually he released her arm and she let out a sigh of relief.  “Thank you, Geralt.  If our paths should ever cross again, I owe you.”

“Leave,” he said then picked up the griffin’s head and started walking towards the pub with Roach following behind him.  

She didn’t need to be told twice. Seraphine quickly mounted Vega and rode back to the safety of the forest.  She didn’t stop riding until the village could no longer be seen or heard and she kept riding for nearly half an hour more.  She stopped in a clearing beside a stream.  Instead of taking everything off of Vega, as she normally did when they camped for the night, she kept it on in case they had to run again.  “I’m sorry girl, I really thought this would be it,” she said as Vega drank from the stream.  She sighed and sat down on the bank beside where her horse stood and put her head in her hands.  “I’m tired of running, Vega,” her voice was barely above a whisper and the only response she got was the sound of Vega slurping down more water.  Seraphine lay back on the bank and closed her eyes.  She shouldn’t have taken the job in the first place.  She should have paid no mind to Angus’ words and should have continued watching the men play their uneventful game of gwent.  She was so close to being free and if they wouldn’t have caught up to her, if she wouldn’t have made herself known, she could have easily booked passage on a ship.  Now any harbor within two days ride of that damn village they would be waiting.  She cursed under her breath even though she wanted to scream.  She couldn’t risk giving her location away to neither man nor monster.

Moments later, after listening to Vega graze in the patch of grass for nearly an hour, Seraphine was convinced it was safe enough for her to catch some sleep.  That was until the sound of coin hitting the ground right by her head made her eyes shoot open.  She reached for her sword and stood all too fast making her stumble back towards the river. When she gathered her senses she saw Geralt standing in front of her with his arms crossed over his chest. “H-how did you find me?” she asked still holding her sword up even though he was completely unarmed.  

“Witcher senses,” he said with a smirk.  “Put that thing away, Seraphine,” he told her.  She slowly complied then looked at the coin purse he had thrown at her.  She picked it up and weighed it in her hand. “It’s your share.”

“You got all 200?” she asked and he nodded.  She peeked inside the pouch and could tell he barely took enough to pay for a meal. “Did you tell them I ran?”

“I told them you were dead,” he said making her eyes shoot back to his.  “Told them you went down trying to kill the griffin.  Told them you were already dead when I got there and that I burned your body along with the griffin’s.”

“Why?” she asked but he only shook his head.  He whistled and Roach came to him.  Geralt reached into his saddle bags and pulled out several items wrapped in cheesecloth.  Seraphine watched as he walked over to a fallen tree trunk and sat in front of it using it as a back rest.  Then he sat there, in the middle of the clearing, after lying to a bounty hunter about her death, and set up a picnic.  “What are you doing?” she asked as he uncovered the bread, cheese, and salami he must have bought from the pub.

“Eating,” he said then looked over to where she still stood.  “Sit. Eat,” he told her and she complied mostly because she was starving.  She sat beside him and they ate the food in silence.  She was thankful that he never asked questions or demanded an explanation. He just offered his food and his company and she did the same, and that was enough.

 The morning covered everything in a thick fog and when Seraphine woke her clothes were drenched due to the mist.  She sat up and looked around realizing that Geralt was still there because Roach still stood with Vega just as they had the night before.  She walked over to the stream and knelt down then splashed some water on her face. When she turned back to the horses, Geralt was standing beside Roach.  His sudden appearance made her jump and he glanced over in her direction. She walked over to Vega but her eyes never left his.  She opened the saddlebag that she stored her earnings in and pulled out the coin purse that belonged to Metri.  “You should have taken more of the share for the griffin.  After all, I ended up eating half of what you kept last night.”

              “You were hungry,” he said as if that were an excuse.  

              She nodded.  “Still… please, just take what was on Metri.  I owe you more than that just for the simple fact that you saved my life,” she said while handing the purse out to him.  For a moment she thought he was going to deny it but eventually he walked over and took it from her hand.  “I appreciate everything you’ve done, Geralt.  I hope our paths cross again someday,” she said while mounting Vega.  

              He gave her as genuine of a smile as Geralt of Rivia could give but it was enough.  “If they do you owe me some sort of explanation to whatever that was,” he motioned in the direction of the village making Sera smile.