Vesemir Meets Eskelâs Daughter
A/N: Quite a while ago, I got an ask about Vesemir meeting each of the wolvesâ kids, so here he is meeting Nadia. Hopefully I will have the other ones out in a reasonable time but weâll see :)
Warnings: none, pure fluff
Word Count: 3.3k
Summary: Unexpected company shows up at your door, but they certainly arenât unwelcomed. (I suck at summaries sorry lmao)
***
The wood in the fireplace crackled. Frost covered the windows, but they were sealed tight so the chill couldnât get in. Outside, a bitter wind pushed against the side of the house.Â
You sat in front of the fireplace, holding a plate with a slice of apple pie on it. Eskel was laying just in front of you with Nadia. She was sitting on his lower stomach leaning back against his bent knees, cooing and chewing on her fingers.Â
You put the spoon in your hand down on the plate and reached out to comb your fingers through Eskelâs dark hair. His eyes flickered up to you.
âYouâve been awfully quiet for a while.â
âJust thinking.â He explained.
âAbout what?â You tilted your head to the side a little, swiping a few strands of hair across his forehead.Â
He brought his eyes down to Nadia, who seemed sleepy. Her eyes were drooping shut and her head bobbed up and down a little as if she struggled to keep it upright.Â
âJustâŚ. Havenât seen anyone in a while. Saw Lambert this past summer. Havenât seen Geralt since Nadia was born. Sheâs two and Vesemir has yet to meet her.â
âIâm sorry, love.â You brought your hand down to his chest. âIâm sorry weâre so far away from Kaer Morhen.âÂ
âNo, doll. Donât be sorry.â Eskel sat up, moving Nadia with him so that she now sat in his lap. Her eyes widened for a moment, confused as to why they were moving so suddenly. Eskel hushed her and cradled her in his arms. She tucked her face into his chest, content with going back to sleep. âThis is our home. I wouldnât change it for the world.â
âBut theyâre your family, Eskel.â You looked down to Nadia. He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back.Â
âAnd they understand that I have a wife and a child.â Eskelâs golden eyes met yours.Â
You smiled softly at him, your eyes flickering down to the plate in your lap. You picked the spoon up and took a bite, then offered some to Eskel.Â
âIâm gonna make a cream one next and I think a strawberry, a pecan, and a blackberry.â
âAll in one week?â He raised his brows.Â
âWe like our sweets around here. Nadia can demolish a blackberry pie and my husband is particularly fond of my strawberry pie.â
âYou make the best pies.â He hummed. âGive me another bite.â
You scooped up more apple pie and fed it to him.Â
âIâm going to go put her in bed.â Eskel stood up, carefully moving Nadia around in his arms.Â
Before he could even take a step in the direction of the bedrooms, he froze in place. He turned his head towards the front door, brows drawing together.Â
âEskel? Whatâs wrong?â You asked him, standing up. You put the plate on the mantle above the fireplace, concerned.Â
âSomeoneâs coming. I hear horses.â
âHow many?â You placed your hand on his arm.
âThree.â He paused for a moment, listening closer. âTake her.â
âDo you know who it is?â You didnât hesitate to take your sleeping toddler from your husband. She tucked her nose into your neck.Â
âNot yet. But ifâŚ. I need you to do exactly as I say.âÂ
Eskel took a few more steps towards the front door and then listened again.Â
A few moments passed and you swore all you could hear was the pounding of your heart in your chest. You held your breath, hoping he could hear over you.
âI-I think I know who it is.â He said, a little smile tugging at the corner of his lips.Â
âWho? Is it- Are we in danger, Eskel?â
âNo.â He shook his head. âIâll be back in a second.â
You watched him slip out of the house, closing the door behind himself. You stood there for a few moments, worried and chewing on your lips.Â
Surely he wouldnât have gone out there if it was dangerous, and especially not unarmed.Â
You moved to sit at the table, still holding Nadia in your arms. You waited for what felt like hours for your husband to return to you.Â
When the front door opened, Eskel wasnât the one to step into the house. It was Lambert, followed by Vesemir then Geralt and Eskel.Â
A smile crossed your lips and you stood to your feet. But your attention was soon taken from the witcher when Nadia whined.Â
âDaddy.â She lifted her head from your chest and sleepily rubbed her eyes.Â
âRight here, love.â Eskel moved from behind his brother. âI can take her, doll.â
When he had Nadia, you went to greet Geralt, Lambert, and Vesemir.Â
âSorry to barge in unannounced.â Geralt hugged you first, giving you a kiss to the head.
âDonât apologize.â You squeezed him tight. âWe were just talking about you guys. Eskelâs been missing you all like crazy.â
âTried to talk the bastard into taking a few contracts with me over the summer.â Lambert sighed, shaking his head disapprovingly. He gave you a hug next. âGuess heâs done being a witcher for good.â
âLeast until Nadiaâs older. Then itâs only the easy ones.â Eskel spoke from behind you.Â
âWhat qualifies as easy?â
âDrowners, nekkers. Easy kill monsters.â
âBoring.â The young wolf rolled his eyes.Â
You moved on to Vesemir.Â
âHow have you been, Vesemir?â You asked him, hugging the old witcher tightly.Â
âGetting by. Iâve been anxious to meet the little one.â Vesemirâs eyes were on Nadia. She was still fast asleep.Â
âSheâs asleep right now.â You explained. âBut you guys are staying through the night at least, right? You can see her when she wakes up.â
âCan you, um, Can you come with me to put Nadia in her room, Y/N?â Eskel asked you, rubbing her back to keep her asleep.Â
You nodded your head and followed him back to Nadiaâs room. You pulled the blankets back on her bed and fluffed her pillows.Â
âI-I hope you donât mind, but I already asked them to stay.â Eskel placed her down on the bed. âWe have plenty of room, and I-I thinkâŚ. I really think it would be nice for them to stay here. To be with us for the winter.â
âThe whole winter?â You smiled.
Eskel nodded his head.Â
âI know I shouldâve talked to you about it first, and Iâm sorry I didnât. I just- I didnât think about it in the moment. It just sort of happened.â
âOh, love. Thereâs nothing to worry about.â You shook your head, embracing him in a tight hug. âTheyâre your family, our family. Iâd be happy to have them stay with us for the winter.â
Eskelâs arms wrapped tightly around you, his large hands splayed out across your back. He buried his nose in your hair.Â
âThank you, doll.â
âNo need to thank me. But we will need to clean out the spare rooms. And Lambert and Geralt will have to share a room. We have the cot to pull out from underneath the bed in the one room, so one of them can sleep on that and the other can have the spare bed. But Iâll leave it to them to fight it out on who sleeps where.â
âWe can get sleeping arrangements settled in a bit. Iâm sure theyâd be glad to get something to eat.â
***
You moved around the table, making sure everyoneâs bowls were still full of soup and their tankards had plenty of ale.Â
âYou can sit down, Y/N. You donât have to wait on us.â Vesemir told you.Â
âI donât mind.â You shook your head a little. âI like to stay busy.â
âItâs hard to get Y/N to sit still for too long, Vesemir.â Eskel said. You smiled at him as you passed behind him, your hand brushing along the top of his shoulders.Â
âHow old is the little one?â The old wolf asked.Â
âTwo years old. Sheâll be three come spring.â
Vesemir let out a sigh, shaking his head.Â
âCanât believe I missed almost three years already.â
âTheyâll have another one soon enough, Vesemir.â Lambert said.Â
âYouâre a funny one, Lambert.â Eskel chuckled, shaking his head. âNadia is enough for the both of us.â
âOh come on! Not even one more?â
âYou have one and then see if you want to have another one.â You took your seat next to Eskel.
âIs she a light sleeper?â Vesemir asked.
âHardly. Sleeps like a log.â Eskel turned his head to look towards the hallway. He had been listening to his daughterâs heart beating since he put her to bed. It brought on a sense of serenity to hear the steady thump of her little heart. âAlways has, hasnât she, Y/N?â
âEven when she was a newborn.â You nodded, placing your hand on Eskelâs arm. âSheâs not a very fussy baby.â
âThose are few and far between. But it doesnât surprise me. Eskel was never a fussy child. Always quiet and content. Well, until Geralt came along. Then anywhere in the keep there was trouble, I knew those two boys were behind it.â
âEskel wasnât all that sweet and innocent.â Geralt rolled his eyes.Â
âWas too.â Eskel countered.Â
***
A few hours had passed. Dinner was over but everyone still sat around the table, chatting and bickering and catching up.Â
You were sleepy, but you didnât want to go to bed just yet. You enjoyed the wolvesâ company and wanted to spend as much time with them as you could.Â
Your chair had been scooted as close to Eskel as possible and you leaned against him, resting your head on his shoulder. Your eyes were fluttering shut, growing heavy with exhaustion when the witchers fell silent.Â
You lifted your head, rubbing your eyes before looking at them to see why they had suddenly gone quiet.Â
All four of them were looking in the direction of the hallway, yellow eyes focused on the empty space. They had heard the soft sound of tiny feet against the floor.Â
âEskel, what is it?â You asked him, your hand squeezing his arm.Â
âSheâs awake.â
âThis late?â You frowned and rose to your feet. But his hand took hold of yours, preventing you from moving towards the hallway.Â
âJust hold on, doll.â He spoke quietly, nodding towards Vesemir, who sat directly across from you two.Â
The old witcher had yet to meet his granddaughter. Geralt met Nadia back when she was first born and Lambert had met her over the summer, but Vesemir never got the chance to meet the newest addition to the family.Â
Realizing what Eskel was asking of you, you nodded your head and sat back down into your chair.Â
A few moments later, Nadia came padding out of her room. One of the sleeves of her nightgown was pushed all the way up above her elbow while the other sat normally at her wrist. Her hair was falling from the braid Eskel had put it into earlier in the night. She mustâve been sleeping rough.Â
âMommy?â
âRight here, love.â
She rubbed her eyes and yawned. She looked in the direction of your voice, but she didnât look at you. She caught sight of Geralt first. Her little brows furrowed together just slightly in confusion. Then she looked at Lambert. After staring at him for a few moments, she scrunched her nose up at him and giggled.Â
âShe remembers me.â He said the words quietly, a little smile playing on his lips.Â
Her eyes fell on Vesemir. She brushed her hair out of her face with both hands and moved quickly to you, eager to get into your lap. The second she was in your lap, she buried her face in your chest.Â
âI know youâre sleepy, love, but daddy and I want to introduce you to a couple people.â You rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. âCan you lift your head for a moment, Nadia?â
She didnât listen immediately. But at her own pace, she lifted her head and shyly looked over in the direction of your three guests. Then she turned her head to look at Eskel. Wordlessly, she reached her arms out for him.Â
âHello, love.â He took her into his arms, holding her securely on his lap.Â
âYou remember Uncle Lambert, donât you?â You pointed to Lambert.Â
Nadia looked at him, scrunching her nose up.Â
âHi, squirt.â Lambert smiled at her.Â
She tucked her nose into Eskelâs neck, wrapping her arms tightly around him.Â
âSheâs a shy one.â Geralt commented, smiling softly.
âShe is.â You nodded. âNadia, thatâs daddyâs second brother. Thatâs Uncle Geralt.â
Eskel tapped her back until she lifted her head.Â
âCan you say hi to Uncle Geralt for me?â He asked her.Â
âHi, Uncle Geralt.â She whispered.Â
âHi, Nadia.â
âAnd this is Papa Vesemir.â Eskel pointed to Vesemir. âSay hi Papa Vesemir.â
âHi, Papa VesiâŚ.â She only got part of the way through his name before trailing off and mumbling.Â
Lambert chuckled, turning his head away from Nadia so she wouldnât see that he was laughing at her. He didnât want to offend the kid.Â
âHello, Nadia.â Vesemir smiled at her. âMy, you do look just like your father.â
She smiled shyly and turned her head to put her face in Eskelâs shoulder.Â
âI think she looks like Y/N.â Eskel said. âSheâs got her nose.â
âBut sheâs got your hair.â You reached out to brush your fingers over Nadiaâs hair.Â
âMommy?â Nadia whispered, turning her head so she could only see you. âSleepy.â
âI am too, love.â You stood up and rubbed her back. She held her arms out for you, allowing you to pick her up. Your eyes flickered to Eskel. âIâll take her to bed. She needs to sleep.â
âDo you want me to come with you?â He asked.
âNo, no.â You put your hand on his shoulder. âStay out here. Spend time with them.â
You leaned down carefully to kiss him and let him give Nadia goodnight kisses.Â
âGood night, gentlemen.â You waved to Lambert, Geralt, and Vesemir. âNadia, will you tell everyone good night?â
âGood night.â She muttered into your shoulder.Â
As you disappeared down the hallway, Eskelâs eyes remained where he had last seen you.Â
âSheâll get better once she warms up to you guys.â He explained, absentmindedly rubbing the back of his neck.
âItâs alright, Eskel. Sheâs young and weâre strangers.â Vesemir shook his head softly. âYou must be very proud, son.â
Eskel nodded his head a little, smiling.Â
âI am.â
***
The next morning, you woke up with Eskelâs arms wrapped securely around you. His face was tucked into your neck. You smiled, turning your head to look over your shoulder.Â
âHmm.â He groaned softly at your movements, arms tightening around you just a little.
âI should be getting up. Breakfast needs to be made.â You rubbed the back of his arm that stretched across your torso.Â
His arms released you, but not before he kissed your neck.Â
âYou think Nadia will warm up to them before they leave?â You sat up and brushed your hair out of your face. âYou know how shy she can be.â
âShe warmed up to Lambert within a couple days.â Eskel watched you slip out of bed and move to the wardrobe. âJust give her time. Vesemir is good with kids. And GeraltâŚ. Well, heâs not bad with them.â
As you changed into something for the day and fixed your hair, Eskel remained in bed, watching you while his mind wandered. You were finishing up your hair when his ears picked up on something. It was the sound of Nadiaâs laughter.Â
Eskel sat up, turning his head to look at the door.Â
âWhat is it?â You asked him.Â
âI donâtâŚ. I donât know. Nadia, sheâs laughing at something.âÂ
He stood up and moved towards the door. You followed behind him down the hallway.Â
Eskel stopped at the end of the hall. You peaked around his shoulder.
Vesemir sat in front of the fireplace with Nadia, telling her a story. She seemed completely entranced by whatever it was he was saying. Her eyes were focused on him as he spoke of a âmagical placeâ he had been to.
You placed your hand between Eskelâs shoulder blades, your thumb tracing circles over his bare skin as you smiled at the sight.Â
âWild horses were everywhere, I tell you. And there were more flowers than I had ever seen in all my life!â
âDid you ride them?â Nadia asked, sitting up on her knees.Â
âRide what, dear?â
âThe horsies.â
âOh, no. I had a horse of my own. Maximus was his name.â
âThat monster.â Lambert muttered from the kitchen table.
âHe was a good horse.â Vesemir told him.Â
âEvery time I tried to brush him down, heâd bite me!â
Nadia giggled.Â
âYou probably deserved it.â Vesemir turned his attention to you and Eskel. He stood up from the floor, grunting. âI see youâve finally woken up, wolf. Your brothers and I are preparing for a hunting trip. Would you care to join us?â
âDaddy! Mommy!â Nadia jumped to her feet and ran over to you both.Â
âGood morning.â Eskel greeted her, rubbing her back as she hugged his legs. âHow long are you planning on being out?â
âNot long. Just for the day. If weâre going to be staying here, we want to do our share and help put food on the table.â
Eskel turned his head to look at you.Â
âGo.â You encouraged, smiling softly. âMs. Nadia and I will be fine here. Spend time with them.â
âAre you sure?â
âPositive.â You put your hand on his arm.Â
âOkay.â He nodded. âWhen do we leave?â
âAs soon as youâre ready.â
âGive me just a few minutes to get some things together.â
Nadia let Eskel go, moving to hug you as her father went back to the bedroom.Â
âMommy? Why Papa call daddy wolf?â Nadia whispered, tugging at your shirt.Â
You picked her up, holding her on your hip.Â
âBecause thatâs just what they call each other. Daddy calls his brothers that sometimes and sometimes they call him that too.â
âItâs âcause heâs soft like a puppy, squirt.â Lambert moved across the room, passing by the both of you.Â
Nadia giggled, tucking her face into your neck.Â
âWhat will you do while weâre gone, Y/N?â Vesemir asked.Â
âI think me and Miss Nadia will make a few desserts for you all.â You looked down at Nadia. âHow does that sound?âÂ
âYeah!â
A few minutes later, Eskel emerged from the room in his witcher gear. Seeing him in the outfit made goosebumps break out across your skin. You hadnât seen him wear the armor since before Nadia was born.Â
You didnât like the idea of him in it. But he was going hunting. The armor would keep him safe should anything happen.Â
âGo say bye to daddy, Nadia.â You placed her on her feet and watched her waddle to him.Â
She said her goodbyes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.Â
You watched him as he moved towards you. You didnât realize a frown had found its way to your lips.Â
âDonât be like that, doll.â He pulled you in for a hug, pressing a kiss to your forehead.Â
âHate seeing you in that.â You murmured, pressing your hand against his chest.Â
âThere was a time when you loved this thing on me.â He grinned just a little, the scarred corner of his lips pulling up.Â
â.... I do love how it looks on you. Donât like what it means youâre doing.â
âWe arenât hunting monsters.â Eskel rubbed your side.Â
âI know.â You sighed gently.Â
âDonât worry, Y/N.â Vesemir moved towards the front door. âWe will not let any harm come to him.â
âSpeak for yourself.â Lambert rolled his eyes. âFirst chance I get, Iâm pushing him into a draconid nest.â
Geralt elbow the youngest witcher in the side.Â
âThank you, Vesemir.â You ignored Lambert.Â
You watched as Eskel moved onto Nadia, kneeling down to her height.Â
âSee you in a little bit, love.â
âBye, daddy.â She closed her eyes as he kissed her forehead.Â
Then as the band of witchers moved towards the door, she came to your side and took your hand.
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