“Kids are learning fast. They know the T-birds kick some ass. Be sure that there’s no coming last if your on…”

The music pouring out of the Bluetooth speaker on a shelf in the garage trickled out of the open garage door and down to meet Geralt underneath the body of a 67 impala. The car had been an absolute nerd vanity purchase and Geralt knew it. It had needed a new interior; the thing ran like dirt when he first bought it and Geralt was sure he had almost rebuilt the engine at this point with all the parts he had replaced in it. Yet every time he opened the garage and he saw it, a little bit of giddiness bubbled up in him. He had been working with his therapist about defining his emotions and letting himself feel them. The car it turned out had ended up being his little get away to think. A place neither of the women in his house wanted to really be in for any length of time that he could just feel in. He could get upset, frustrated, excited and curious completely unfiltered and it felt good.

Yennifer still called him a nerd for getting The Impala, which he always felt were bold words coming from someone with a Gossip Girl phase, that he witnessed no less.

It wasn’t Yennifer or Ciri however that disrupted Geralt from his musing while working underneath the car, rather it was the rumbling of an engine and the sound of tires slowing over asphalt in the drive. As he was pulling himself up from under the car Lambert was already out and beelining toward him.

“That girl that Eskel went on a date with, what did she look like?” Lambert was breathing heavy like he had ran over to Geralt’s house instead of driving.

“Why?” Geralt quirked up an eyebrow, the frown on his face contouring as he reached for a rag to wipe his hands.

“Well you know how Dad got on my ass about looking nice for company things? Well I was going over to Eskel’s to get steal some stuff of his because I was thinking about it and you know my thing about doing things when I think about them. “

“Yes I am aware that your ADHD ass works in mysterious ways” Geralt threw back at him.

Lambert gave him a quick dirty look before dropping it to continue.

“Well anyway I went to his house this morning and—”

Lambert’s rant was drown out by the very familiar rumble of a bike engine, which abruptly shut off as both brothers turned. Eskel stood a few feet from the bike, arms crossed over his chest and a glare directed at Lambert. The two brothers seemed to have an entire conversation for a few seconds solely with there eyes and facial expressions before Lambert bolted off like a shot to the side to try and reach his vehicle. Eskel however had strategically place himself between the two and sidestepped to grab his brother. The force of the two colliding knocked them both to ground.

It really was something watching two grown men—both built like lumberjacks—wrestling in a driveway at 7 in the morning.

Geralt only wished he had brought a drink out with him to watch the show.

The wrestling match lasted a few more seconds before Eskel had completely pinned Lambert to the ground with his hands pinned behind his back.  

“What in the hell is going on out here? You men are in your thirties, are you really acting like this?” Yennifer had stepped out on the front porch to observe the scene that was being made in her front yard.

“Hey don’t you lump me in with these old men” Lambert picked his head up from the pavement to retort back at Yennifer. Eskel gave out a huff before standing up and letting Lambert go. Which the younger man readily accepting quacking jumping back up.

Yennifer had made her way down to the driveway, turning to Geralt for answers.

“What’s going on out here?” Geralt gave her a shrug before answering.

“I genuinely don’t know this just kinda happened to me.”

“I saw Eskel’s girlfriend .” Lambert bluntly explained, all preamble lost after losing his impromptu wrestling match.

Eskel let out a groan dragging his hands through his hair and pulling before straightening back up and rolling his shoulders.

“Yeah look listen I’ve been meaning to tell you guys for a while I just could never find the right time, and then I started feeling guilty for waiting so long which made me wait ever more and I fuck” Eskel’s shoulders were slumped slightly as he looked mildly downtrodden off to the side.

“Does she have a name?” Yennifer tried to make the tone of her voice as light as possible to try and steer the conversation away from its sober state to at least some mild love or gaiety.

“Uhh yeah” Eskel awkwardly ruffled a hand behind his head. “Her name’s Y/n, she runs a farm, she’s been helping me with Bleater a lot actually, I’ve been seeing her for about six months. “

Lambert began to tsk and place his hand over his chest in overdramatic fashion.

“Eskel I just tsk I thought we were brothers. Six months you hide this girl from us? Six months I—”

“Oh my fucking God, you fucking knew?” Eskel’s eyes shone with irritation once more as he turned toward Lambert

“That not what i—” Lamber was once again cut off.

“No you wouldn’t be joking like this if this was the first time you were hearing about this. You fucking knew didn’t you?”  

Geralt stood up at this, knowing that Eskel would be even more upset if they lied any further.

“We found out by accident.” As Geralt spoke Eskel turned to him. The direct, vaguely angry eye contact would have probably brought any other man to his knees, but Geralt knew Eskel too well to be scared. He knew Eskel too well to fall for this act of anger that was hiding embarrassment and hurt.

“We found out by accident and we weren’t sure if it was anything serious so we figured you would come to us when you were ready.” While Geralt’s words were far from flowery or soft, he could tell by the lessening tension in Eskel’s shoulders that they were working.

“None of us wanted to pressure you or anything okay?” Relief filled Geralt as Eskel broke eye contact to close his eye and take a deep breath letting it out with an “okay”.

“Are we cool?” This was more for Geralt’s peace of mind than anything. Eskel was and always had been the closest person Geralt had had in his life, having Eskel upset at him for any length of time caused a big black hold to well up in his stomach that threaten to swallow him whole.

Eskel let out another long exhale from his nose before his eyebrows lifted slightly and he gave out a “Yeah were cool” with a few nods.

As the air cleared of tension Eskel could feel a few rapid fire vibrations radiate from his pocket.

Babe: Hey I think I’m gonna make waffles.

Babe: you have some strawberries in the fridge, should I make like a strawberry topping?

Babe: or blueberry?

Babe: blueberry and strawberry?

Babe:……… I love you!

Eskel let out a little snort from his nostrils before putting the phone back in his pocket.

“Well as… pleasant as this morning has been I have waffles waiting for me at home and I” Eskel looked around the driveway a second before flicking off a piece of gravel from his shoulder “am going to take advantage of them”

As the sound of the motorcycle faded into the distance Yennifer leaned into the side of the house.

“That could have gone a lot better”

“could have also gone a lot worse” Geralt responded, leaning over to pick up tools from around the car.

“I never did get my tie-tacks” Lambert piped up. “How mad do you think he’d be if I went back to his house to snag a waffle?”

~

Suhuyini: Hey were going to have a party for Purnima at the Stable for her birthday on October 1st. Just wanted to let you know.

Eskel: Nice, do you want me to bring anything?

Suhuyini: Your little girlfriend.

Eskel: You know what I meant, like what food do you want me to bring?

Suhuyini: Technically people are edible.

Eskel: Were not eating my girlfriend.

Suhuyini: Eskel I am sure you eat your girlfriend 😉

Eskel: Would you cut it out??

Suhuyini: Only if you bring your girlfriend.

Eskel: I will ASK my girlfriend. I’m not going to tie her up and drag her to the stable

Suhuyini: Tie her up you say 😉

Eskel: I’m leaving

The shit had started that morning. You were lying in bed, trying your best to enjoy your morning before everything got started. It was Valentines day, and for once you actually had someone you really wanted to spend it with. Eskel and you had both agreed that you didn’t want to go out. Restaurants too crowded with people, and normal date spots much more likely to have unwanted company. So you decided on a nice dinner at your house. He was going to bring an entrée and you would provide sides and dessert. You had made all the sides in advance last night so you could tackle your main rival today: Macarons. You’d made the finicky cookies before, quite successfully- though for every success you’d probably had two failures. You’d known Eskel long enough now to know of his not so subtle love for sweets, and you kept your macaron making knowledge a secret to pull out for a special occasion to impress him.

This seemed the perfect opportunity, and your gentle giant of a boyfriend would be worth every frustration along the way.

Having hyped yourself up to start baking you got up out of bed, only to open the bedroom door and step out onto utterly freezing hardwood. Cold air blasted you in face and goosebumps instantly pebbled on your arms. Quickly grabbing a robe to wrap around yourself you padded over to the thermostat. It was set for 70 but it was only 58 in the house. Perking your head up you focused, trying to hear the tell tale rattling of the furnace from the air vents. Only silence greeted you.

The furnace was out, great. At it least it wasn’t projected to be too terribly cold today you thought as you went about morning chores, getting animals and yourself fed. Then it was on to tackling the heat issue. It was times like these you were grateful for having an old house, as in the basement across the room from the furnace was a wood stove. That could keep the house warm until you could get someone out to fix the heating. You went over to the pile of wood next to the stove kept for such emergencies and easily stacked and lit the wood in the stove. Satisfied as the flames eagerly licked the dry kindling, you closed the stove door and headed back up to start your work in the kitchen.

As you began looking for your scale and other ingredients you could smell smoke, a good indication that the fire was catching well and the house would be toasty again in no time. Then the smell got stronger… and stronger. You perked your head up from the recipe on your phone, peering out to look down the hall. The door leading to the basement had tendrils of smoke crawling out from underneath it. You threw your phone down on the table and dashed back down to the basement.

Smoke plumed out of the door as you flung it open, taking the stairs two at a time to get to the basement floor. As you looked through the smoke-filled haze you could see that nothing had caught on fire. Instead smoke was coming from the stove, flowing into the house instead of the chimney. As you reached the stove you experimentally touched the chimney, it was just as chilly as the floors upstairs, confirming your suspicions. It was plugged up. You searched around for something to put out the fire. A lone dehumidifier caught your eye from the back corner. Its indicator light, stating its bucket was full and needed to be emptied, having been ignored for quite some time. It was not ideal, as putting a ton of water on the flame could cause the stove to crack, but you really didn’t have any options. Rushing you grabbed the bucket out of the machine and opened the top of the stove, dumping its contents inside.  

Steam erupted from the hole, the wood charred, and the fire doused. You went to breath a sigh of relief; however the smoke and steam filed your lungs causing a coughing fit. A minute or so passed before you could breath again, now starting back at square one. No heat and no plan B. To make matters worse you had to open the basement windows to let out the smoke, letting more cold air in. Propping open every window and even placing a fan by one, you looked forlornly at the defunct furnace. Trying your best to see if you could bullshit your way into fixing it. It was after some scrutiny that you noticed a small switch to the side of the furnace, close to the ground, had been switched off. You leaned over to examine further, noting some kitty cat paw prints were in the dust by the button. Gingerly you flipped the switch back on, almost leaping back as the furnace came alive once more.

Irritation settled in your bones as you trudged along back upstairs. Now stinking of smoke, eyes and lungs irritated beyond belief you tried once more to continue baking. You had finished your meringue and were preparing the flour and sugar when you noticed that your little shit of a heat hating cat—who would usually be begging at your feet by now, was no where in sight. He had been a stray found by Eskel, whom you had immediately taken in and declared he was now Eskel and your son. He was also a massive food pit and would pester you incessantly when you were in the kitchen for any period longer than five minutes. So his absence now was noted.

It then occurred to you that you had opened the windows in the basement for the smoke. The very much screenless and at ground level windows.

How much can go wrong in an hour? Grabbing your coat, some shoes and cat treats you went outside. An hour and half later both you and the cat were finally back inside, of course not before it had started to rain, however. With your heat, cat and windows now secure you get back to the recipe, specifically starting it over.

Time went quickly and the tedious nature of the cookies plus you frazzled state caused you to be a bit sloppy with your baking. Sugar getting everywhere and at one point knocking vanilla extract off the counter and all over the kitchen.

You almost cried at that point, but papa didn’t raise no bitch and you WERE going to see this through. Finally you had your cookies in the oven and even though you did everything right, the tops of them started to crack.

Great, just great.

At least they’ll still taste okay, you thought, trying you best to power through baking and frosting them. At last they were finished, and you sighed looking out at the mess of both yourself and the kitchen.

Today was cursed, you were sure of it. Either you could be alone and happy or in a relationship and miserable. No in-between.

Somehow you cleaned the kitchen and showered, but the wear of the day being one event after another dragged your shoulders down to rest—just for a moment.

            They gentle eyes of the your “stray son” peered at Eskel through the window as he walked up to your door. He was honestly really excited, sure he had gone out for Valentines before, but never like this. Never with someone he loved. Someone that loved him enough to know he would rather stay in and be fancy at home, rather than try and keep that pretense out in public. He was excited to have you try his soup. He hadn’t been sure what to make, but he wanted to impress you, and it was still cold enough for soup. He was picture the two of you curled up on the couch, cozy, some show playing on TV but neither of you really paying attention because the other was close. Or at least that’s how he always felt around you. Like he couldn’t focus because time spent with you, not paying attention to you was time wasted.

            He knocked on the door gently, when several minutes passed and no answer he re-arranged the container in his hands to open the door. You were probably just in the shower or had headphones on. He had accidentally (and sometimes purposefully if he was being honest) scared you because you were so engrossed in what you were listening to. He couldn’t really help it though, you were so cute when you were flustered and tried mock scolding him afterwards.

            Eskel made his way into the kitchen, noticing the faint scent of wood smoke in the hall. He opened the fridge to place his soup inside while he searched for you, when something light blue caught his eyes. He eyed the cookies up and down for a second. He wasn’t sure if you had bought them for tonight or for something else but…..

            Eskel grabbed two of the sweets, putting one in his mouth as he went to search for you.

            ……. You knew better than to leave sweets out when we was coming over.

            Eskel made his first stop at your bedroom, concern furrowing his brows a moment when he didn’t hear the water running. Only to then hear the soft sounds of you sleeping behind the door. Eskel gently opened up the door. Your cat being ever the opportunist rushing in as it opened to come and jump on the bed. You were on your stomach, hair sprawled out around you, the scent of you hair products wafting up as he got closer. A smile tugged further and further up his face as he noticed you hadn’t even gotten out of your robe yet. You must have fallen asleep after your shower before getting ready.

            Eskel set the cookie in his hand down on your nightstand and leaned over, his hand brushing against your cheek as he kissed your temple.

            “Y/n…. Y/n babe wake up” You stirred quietly shoulders jostling a bit before you pried open your eyes.

            “Esk? What? Shit what time is it?” You turned and tried to clumsily sit up but Eskel placed a firm hand on your shoulder.

            “ Doesn’t matter now I’m already here. What’s up are you okay? You’re not really a post-shower nap kinda girl.” Eskel smirked trying to get you to smile as well, but it quickly fell when he noticed your frown deepen.

            “Yeah I know I just…. I… Everything was just” You struggled to articulate what was going on and instead fell back into the bed, arms crossed over your eyes as a small whine escaped you.

            “Hey, hey it’s okay, you don’t need to tell me anything… Just… come here.”

            Eskel quickly discarded his jacket and climbed into the bed, opening his arms for you. You immediately accepted, wrapping around him and squishing your face into his neck.

            “m sorry I ruined Valentines.” Eskel could make out your mumbling into his skin.

            “You didn’t ruin Valentines” You pulled back from him slightly, the vibrations from him speaking just a bit too much.

            “But I’m all mopey and junk.” You frowned looking into the bit of his chest peaking out from his V neck. A shirt you would bet money he only wore because he knew you loved them on him. Eskel leaned back further, an arms detaching from your side so he could bring his hand up. Gentle fingers pulled your chin up to look at him. Soft, kind eyes, tan skin and a look of total adoration greeted you.

“Sweetheart, eat,” you ordered softly, glancing at Eskel out of the corner of your eye. He was just staring down at his bowl of stew, spoon untouched, while you organized jars containing the medicine for his wounds.

He was almost completely healed, his face marred with deep, angry red scars but the fear of infection gone now. After four months, you’d gotten close to the witcher, quickly falling for him. But you knew he was just here until his injuries were healed, before he could go back on the Path. As much as it pained you to let him go, you expected it would have to end at some point.

Eskel blinked, eyes focusing back in on you as he watched you work. It was hard to eat when he felt so sick to his stomach at the idea of you kicking him out soon.

He knew it was coming. His face was healing, and he couldn’t stay here forever. Why you kept him around as long as you did, he wasn’t sure. But seeing you prepare the salve for his scars, packaged up for him to take when he left, felt like a sharp pain in his chest every time he thought about you kicking him out.

He was used to being taken care of, now. Eating meals together, often curling up beside each other in front of the fire at night, you calling him ‘sweetheart’ and ‘baby’, tenderly soothing his scars with your salves like they weren’t something to be afraid of—

How was he going to live without this?

“Eskel?” you brought him out of his thoughts again, a look of concern on your face.

He forced a smile on his face, ignoring the way it pulled at his lip in a way he knew made it look like a grimace. An ugly, horrifying monster, that’s what he was now. “Sorry, not very hungry.”

You sighed, abandoning your work and taking a seat beside him. You placed a hand on his forehead, sliding your palm down to cut the left side of his face as you observed him carefully. “You feel a bit warm… are you sure you’re ready to leave tomorrow?”

He nodded, the last thing he wanted to do. “I’ll be fine.”

“Okay… maybe you should go rest, love.” You wished you could protest, insist that he stay, but— he wanted to leave. You couldn’t make him stay.

“Yeah,” Eskel agreed, ignoring the way his heart fluttered at the endearment. He rested his hand on top of yours, pulling it off his face and squeezing it gently before he stood.

You swallowed at you watched him head towards the bedroom, wishing you just had the courage to tell him how you felt.

Meanwhile, Eskel laid in your bed and wrapped himself in your blanket, breathing in your scent deeply and willing back the ache in his chest. Who would want him looking like this? He knew the chances of someone like you loving someone like him would be slim beforehand, but now— you deserved better.

After an hour or so, you finished packing up a bag for him to take in the morning. You wished you could go with him, watch out for him while he was on the Path. A witcher could use a mage, but he didn’t ask you to go with him.

You put a few more logs in the fire, gathering up an extra blanket to take to Eskel before you would go to sleep. But upon walking into the spare room, where Eskel slept since you brought him in, you were surprised to find it empty. You immediately panicked, thinking he might have left early. Wouldn’t he at least say goodbye?

A low snore caught your attention, the noise coming from your own bedroom. You quietly opened the door, letting out a relieved chuckle at the image of Eskel buried under your blankets in your bed, hair mussed as he slept soundly. You knelt down, brushing an errand strand of hair away from his face, memorizing every detail as this would be the last time you had the chance.

He was beautiful. You didn’t think too much about what he must have looked like before the attack— it didn’t matter to you. The face he had now was the one you felt most familiar with, the one that already felt like home. You wouldn’t change a single thing. But more than that; he was gentle, and kind, and as much as you wish you could have saved him from the pain, you are thankful to that striga for bringing you to him. Before you could stop yourself, you leaned in and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

Eskel’s eyes fluttered open, and he sucked in a breath at the sight of your face so close to his. Your eyes widened, an apology on your lips before he smiled, that warm crooked grin you were so in love with.

“Hi,” he whispered, something in the way you were looking at him making his heart beat faster. Like you didn’t see a monster, like you were looking at someone you… loved.

You smiled back, deciding then and there you weren’t ready for him to leave. And if he left, you would go with him. “Hi. Eskel, could I… would you want me to join you on the Path?”

The grin slowly left his face, Eskel swallowing audibly. “I would love that.”

“Yeah?” You felt a spark of courage, licking your lips before you continued, “Because I… really care about you. I don’t want anything to happen to you again. I-I love you.”

You held your breath, waiting for his reaction. Eskel just stared for a few moments, not sure what he just heard. The scars on his face burned, reminding him of all the reasons someone like you would never want him, yet— here you were. Offering to be with him, take care of him.

Then he saw your face fall, a wash of sadness and rejection evident. He quickly reached out and grabbed your hand, not about to miss his chance.

“Yes! Yes, please. I want you to be with me. I-I want… to be with you. I love you, too.”

“Oh no. Whatever will I do?” Eskel chuckled, wrapping his forearms around her thighs and gently swinging from side to side.

“Surrender!” She laughed, kissing his jaw before resuming her “attack”.

“Hmm, I don’t know.” Eskel mused, carefully sitting down on the forest floor, smirking as he slowly laid back, chuckling at her undignified squeak.

“Kel!” She whined, wiggling beneath him. “You’re heavy!”

“Should have known better than to take on someone twice your size.” He teased, turning his head to catch her gaze.

“Eskel!” She whined, squirming harder.

“Alright, alright.” He sighed, carefully rolling off. He easily caught her when she tried to pounce again, holding her against his chest in a bear hug. “You just don’t give up, do you?”

“Death before dishonor!” She laughed, wiggling against him.

“Sure are a feisty little thing.”

“I’m not little!” She gasped, giving him an offended look.

“Of course not, my dove.” Eskel assured, kissing her forehead adoringly, even as she continued to wiggle against his bulk. “Now settle down before I get serious.”

“What are you gonna do?” She taunted, sticking her tongue out at him before squealing in shock at the feeling of his fingers dancing along her ribs. “Stop, stop, stop!” She squealed, wiggling against him more desperately. “Mercy, mercy!” Eskel’s fingers stopped just as abruptly as they had started.

“Gonna behave?”

“No.”

“Figured.”

“Would you love me if I was any other way?” She pouted up at him, Eskel rolling his eyes fondly.

“Probably.” He sighed, laughing at her pout. “Would you feel better if I let you bite me again?”

“Maybe.”

“Gonna get you a muzzle.” Eskel chuckled, reluctantly letting her go and sitting up, happily wrapping his arms around her when she curled up in his lap.

“Hard to suck your cock while wearing a muzzle.” Eskel couldn’t help but bark out a laugh, shaking his head at her retort. “Now you’re going down.” She insisted, snaking a hand beneath his tunic and drilling her fingers into his ribs.

“Hey now!” He laughed, easily withdrawing her tickling hand and tangling their fingers together. “Behave or I’ll lay on top of you again.”

“You’re no fun.”

“Keep this up and I’m going to have to fuck you until you’re too worn out to move.”

“Don’t you threaten me with a good time.” She giggled, leaning in and catching his lips with her own.

“Consider it a promise.” He hummed against her lips, greedy hands pulling her closer. “One I fully intend to keep.”

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The historic downtown stretched out to your left. Cars drove slowly by, even the busiest of people slowing there commute to take in the picturesque scene. You were grateful the bench was in the shade, the spring morning uncharacteristically hot. Or it could be that it was closer to summer than you realized? The time flew by so quickly. You crammed your life with the farm and different projects so at the end of the day you didn’t have the mental energy to dwell on how lonely you were. How empty the house was, how pathetic you felt most of the time, being a single crazy goat lady.

And then Eskel had showed up. Every aspect of his appearance screamed intimidating. From the loud motorcycle, to the low grovel of his voice, to the large scars that ran down his face, ending in a finale of a permanent snarl. Underneath it all was the a gentle soul, with eyes much to weary for his years. The Facebook message he had sent you before you had met had been the first indication. The cautious and apologetic wording of it, like him asking for help was some sort of slight. Than there was the way he had light up at seeing your farm facilities. All the intimidation and tension seemed to melt away from him as he watched the animals play.  

You weren’t sure if asking him out so quickly was a good idea, but you never did excel at subtlety. It was easier to be clear and say what you meant. You didn’t want Eskel to leave your life just yet. In fact you wanted him to stay for quite a while.

Your thoughts were interrupted by the familiar rumble of a bike engine. You watched as the familiar black and red motorcycle pulled into the lot across the street. Standing so Eskel could see you better as he made his way over the crosswalk.

“I see you found the place just fine.” You said leading the way, holding the door open for Eskel to walk inside.

The interior of the shop was rustic in nature. Metal siding surround the large counter that sat center right in the shop. The somewhat chaotic bar sat behind the register. Two chairs sat by the entrance on the right side. They were plush and upholstered with a sketchy cartoon dog print.  A counter with stools sat on the left.  Two small tables sat across from the counter.  Dog paintings hung on the walls along with shelves holding bags of home roasted beans.

You both ordered and sat in the cartoon dog chairs to wait. Eskel laughed slightly when he noticed the chairs’ print.

“Talk about commitment to theming.” He remarked as he scrutinized his chair’s armrest.

“I swear they named this place Old Dogs so they could justify buying a bunch of dog themed stuffed. Hell I would even wager these chairs might have been the catalyst” Eskel laughed at the comment.

“The town here seems really nice. I usually don’t ever come out this way but I kinda wish I had now. This place is damn near quaint.”

“Well don’t tell your friends. I like my small quiet town just the way it is.”

“I get it, even where the stable’s located is getting hectic at this point. Good for business I suppose but bad for any semblance of peace.” You hummed at this, taking notes.

“So you work at a stable then?”

“Uhhh yeah, my father owns it, my brothers and I all work there.” Eskel leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees.

“So what about you? I mean are the goats more like your job or just a hobby?”

“The goats are my breadwinners yes, though at any given time I probably have 3 other side projects going.”

“How do you run a business like that full time? I’m just curious because I imagine that just getting customers for that kind of thing must be difficult.” You shuffled your feet at this, the truth of how you got the majority of your business a bit odd to say the least.

“You wanna know the truth?” You asked Eskel

“Uhhh of course” He said playfully.

“Promise you wont laugh” Eskel sat up, crossing his fingers over his heart before gesturing for you to continue.

“I get most of my customers from Tiktok.”

“Are you serious?” Eskel looked at you with a mix of confusion and shock.

“As a heart attack, I take videos of the process and post them, baby goats do numbers for sales it turns out”  

Your order was called out, shortly followed by Eskels’. You both decided to take your drinks and walk around the town. As you walked out of Old Dogs the warm humid wind hit your face and you thanked the heavens you had gone for something iced. The two of you walked slowly. Eskel looked at all the small shops and people around. You gazed at the mesmerized look on Eskel’s face as he took everything in.

“I had meant to ask you” Eskel turned toward you as he spoke and you quicky had to look away so as not to be caught staring. “Your house looked kinda historic, do you know if it’s got some sort of something to it?”

“Yeah it actually used to be a school house way back in the day. Over time people added onto it to make it a house. It’s drafty as hell I’ll tell you that.” You both chuckled. “One of my many side projects is fixing it up little by little, though I am hopelessly lost on most carpentry, the internet is a magnificent teacher.”

“Really? I wouldn’t have thought you’d get decent internet out this far.”

“I never said decent my dear I just said internet”

~

The sun was setting as the pair of you walked back, drinks long since drained and topics of conversation shifted many times over. You learned a lot about Eskel. He and his dad were both history buffs, though is father was much more serious than him. His fathers was Vesemir and he had a step-mother named Mary-Ann who he didn’t get along with. Eskel didn’t tell you that, but it was pretty easy to figure out just by how he spoke about her. He had two brothers though you hadn’t learned there names yet. You learned Eskel was more of sweet rather than salty guy and knew a lot of the local bakeries in his area. Eskel liked motorcycles which you already knew but you learned he liked them more because it meant he never had to give anyone rides as a favor. Eskel did not like flying or planes or airports. The last thing he had let you in on was that he owned his own horse that he kept at his father’s stable. He had won the horse from a bet made with a friend of the family.

At some point after your cups had been disposed you hand had found it’s in Eskel’s. Neither of you were really conscious of it till you came to a stop outside of the now closed coffee shop. Both of you reluctantly letting go. That same reluctance followed as you started your goodbyes.

“I had a really nice time today”

“Me too, do you uhhhhh, do you wanna maybe do something again next week? There’s this uh park with some walking trails not too far from me.” You smiled as Eskel sheepishly looked at the ground.

‘I’ll bring my walking shoes.”

You were happy with your new life. More than happy. But now things were different. 

The previous winter you hadn’t made the trip to Kaer Morhen. Geralt hadn’t actually told you about the keep until he told you that you would be joining him. You thought it was just because he didn’t trust you, but Geralt knew that it was just because he didn’t want to separate from you. He valued your company and even considered you a friend, but the keep was a well-guarded secret to him and he hadn’t been ready to share it.

But now that he had, you were honored. And nervous. As much as you trusted Geralt, he was certainly still intimidating. He was a witcher after all. And the thought of being stuck in a deteriorating keep with a handful of other witchers intimidated you. Very much so. The only consoling thoughts were of your friendship with Geralt and the bard, Dandelion who would be joining you.

The great hall greeted you with some much-needed warmth. The frozen snow covering you quickly dissolved. Vesemir was the first to greet you, his open arms embraced Geralt and his hand outstretched to take yours. A nervous smile spread on your face and you were sure he could notice the faint tremble in your hand. He smiled back anyway, and certainly, he understood your predicament.

When Lambert entered the room, Dandelion was already making himself at home, breaking out his lute and spreading out on the bench at the table. The young witcher greeted you less than warmly, pretty much just a grunt in your direction before grabbing a far too full mug of ale.

Comfortable small talk filled the room. You learned that there were two more witchers coming for the winter. Coen and Eskel. Coen hadn’t been coming to Kaer Morhen for very long, but Eskel had grown up here. 

Coen entered soon after they told you this, and he greeted you warmly before taking a seat opposite you. The mood in the great hall heightened exponentially with each addition, even Lambert had opened up to you. 

By now, your nerves had completely died down, but then there was the loud bang of the keep doors opening.

“Wolf!” Your eyes followed Geralt as he stood from the bench and walked behind you to the final witcher. And when you saw him, your heart stopped. Your breath hitched and you had to turn around before anyone noticed how flustered you had become. 

You did have to turn back around when you heard Geralt begin to introduce you. He stretched out his large hand and you took it in your hot one. It was a quick interaction before he took the seat next to you. 

With a little more ale, your nerves, once again, died down. Though the presence of the broad-chested witcher beside you never truly let them fizzle out completely. His voice filled you up in a way you couldn’t describe and his laugh made you feel like you could fly. Out of the corner of your eye, his scarred hand raised and lowered his mug. You wanted to memorize the sight of it.

Geralt had cut you off about an hour ago, you weren’t known to hold your alcohol very well. It mostly ended in nights of the witcher comforting you while you sobbed, or yelled. You would remember to thank him for that later.

When Geralt saw you yawn, he excused you for the night, leading you to one of the only semi-livable rooms in the keep. He lit the fire with his sign and sat at the end of your bed.

“You doing ok?”

“Mhm. They’re all very nice.” You weighed your choice of adjectives for a moment after speaking, and Geralt laughed.

“That’s certainly….a word.”

“Well, ok, Lambert was nice once he was drunk. The others were wonderful.”

Geralt nodded, choosing not to bring up your strange behavior brought about by a certain witcher. That would be a conversation for another time. And besides, he was curious to see how flustered you would let yourself become in the meantime.

“I’ll be in the main hall if you need anything, ok? Don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, y/n.”

And with that, Geralt left the room, leaving you in the warm comfort of the small stone room. The sheets below you must have been freshly washed, you wondered if this room belonged to someone else. But you didn’t have the energy to put any more thought into it, you had all winter for that, so you tucked yourself under the covers and promptly fell asleep.

You didn’t wake until late the next day when Geralt came in to check on you. Up until then, and to your surprise, your sleep had been deep and uninterrupted. 

“You’re alive?”

You groaned, pulling your arm up to shield the rays of sun Geralt had unleashed into the room.

“Good. Probably be a good idea to get up.”

You repeated his words in a high-pitched voice, leaning your head further back into your pillow.

“Leave you to it, I guess.”

When Geralt closed the door, you sighed. You didn’t know how you would react to another run-in with Eskel. You felt silly, like a child with a crush. And you hardly knew him. It was one night and you hadn’t even really talked to him. 

So with a soft grunt, you got up, pulled on some clothes, and left your room. The hall was colder than your room, far colder, and you couldn’t hold back the shiver that overtook you. You were thankful that none of the witchers were there to see, the gods only knew how little the cold affected them. The more you had of these thoughts, the more insignificant you felt. You were only human, after all. 

You made your way to the kitchen, you hadn’t realized how hungry you were up until you got there. The growling in your stomach told you as much. There was dried fish in one of the barrels, and figuring that it was good enough, you reached inside.

“I wouldn’t eat that if I were you.”

Turning around you were faced with the terrifyingly handsome witcher.

“Wha- Why not?”

“Lambert drops bombs in the lake and waits for the fish to float to the top. Safe to say, they probably aren’t the safest to eat.”

“Oh, good call.”

Eskel turned around and opened a cabinet door, taking out a glass jar full of what looked like a broth. He took a great risk in tossing it to you, but thanks to your quick reflexes, you caught it. But just barely. 

“Thanks.”

He also tossed you a roll of bread before getting himself some food and sitting down at the table. You sat across from him after getting a spoon. After setting the bread on a plate, you went to open the jar. You had no luck. You tried again, still it didn’t budge. 

“Do you want some help?”

“Could you?”

Eskel opened the jar embarrassingly easily. He smirked when he handed it back to you. It wasn’t a teasing gesture, you could tell that much. If you didn’t know any better, you would have guessed it was an anxious smile.

You both ate in comfortable silence. Every so often a glance was exchanged with sweet, friendly smiles. When you had finished eating, Eskel spoke.

“Geralt mentioned you’re skilled with a sword, that true?”

“I guess so. I mean, he lets me come on hunts with him, if that says anything.”

“It certainly does. We should spar sometime, I’d like to see you fight.”

You held back a cough, eyes trying so hard not to widen. “I’d like that very much.” You wouldn’t. How were you supposed to spar with skill with him right in front of you? You’d always found men fighting attractive. You were fucked. Most definitely. 

Your conversation was cut short when Lambert burst through the door, causing you to jump. Eskel shot you an amused look before turning back to his brother. 

“-ah fuck it.” Eskel chose not to fight with him this time. 

“Well, well, well. The human’s here.”

“I’ll take that as my cue.”

“Oh, come on. You don’t have to. Lambert will shut his trap. Won’t he?” Lambert scoffed at the glare the other witcher sent him.

“I should actually find Geralt now. Thank you. Bye.”

Thank you, bye? You felt foolish. Your self-depreciation was interrupted by Lambert’s booming voice coming through the kitchen door.

“Oh, you are sick, brother.”

“Shove off.”

“Geralt will never let that happen, you know that.”

“Shut up, please.”

You hadn’t a clue as to what they were talking about, so you moved on, searching through this labyrinth of a keep for Geralt. He was outside, sitting on a stone wall, feet hanging off, beside him, Dandelion.

“You need to let me, Geralt. It’s only fair.”

“You freeze the second you see combat, bard. Do you really think you could handle a sword? Moreover, fight a monster with said sword?”

“Geralt, my friend, you underestimate me.” He paused, “Ah, y/n. You’re here. Maybe you can help us end this dispute.”

“I’m staying out of it. Sorry, Dandelion, but I have no interest in getting on either of your bad sides.”

“Nonsense.”

“Uh uh.”

That day, Geralt had nothing for you to do. So you spent your time exploring the keep, inside and out. Almost three times you got lost. Once outside, and two inside. At least when you were outside, you could see the keep’s walls and get a bearing that way. Inside was a different story completely. 

The sun would soon set, so you made your way inside where you found Dandelion and Lambert already sitting at the table in the great hall. Vesemir joined soon after you sat down. You assumed that Geralt and Eskel were getting dinner ready to be served and you were proven right when they did just that. 

Geralt was pleased to note that you got along with everybody, you even somehow won Lambert over. He also noted how Eskel’s eyes only ever left your form when you would glance his way. Both of which had been common that night. 

Eskel had made a quiet joke about Lambert’s fish at which you laughed, Geralt had been the only one to hear it. For most of the night, even after dinner, Dandelion told stories of the events that passed over the past two years. He embellished them, incredibly so, but still, you said nothing of it. 

Just like the last, this night Geralt led you back to your room and lit your fire. He watched you as you moved about the room, pulling back the sheets on the bed and getting your sleep clothes out. He had been worried he would regret taking you to his home. Whether it was you disliking it there or if you didn’t get along with his makeshift family. But that was nothing he should be worrying about, you did like it here and you did get along with everybody. Geralt was happier than he had been in a long time.

You had let go of the same worries that day. If it hadn’t been for Eskel, you would have none. But you figured you should be happy for what really mattered. You were comfortable, you felt safe.

Geralt said goodnight and left you to get changed and crawl into bed. You lay staring at the ceiling for the better part of an hour before falling asleep. You had never felt this way before, and you didn’t really know how to label this emotion. If it was an emotion at all. 

He filled you with fire, and you couldn’t put it out even if you wanted to. Your stomach did flips when you looked at him. All you knew was that you wanted to spend as much time with him as you could. 

Before you could understand your mind had run off without you. You pictured yourself on the Path, as you were with Geralt. But it wasn’t Geralt beside you, it was Eskel. You imagined the way his lips would feel against yours, how the weight of his weathered hand would feel on your waist. These thoughts made you feel guilty, not that you knew why they did, but they plagued you until you fell asleep. A restless sleep, too.

The halls never got any warmer. Every morning you were greeted with the same. It had been two weeks since your first morning and every single time you neglected to wear something warmer. 

This morning, you got up early, before the sun rose, and headed to the kitchen. On the way there, you couldn’t stop your shivering. It was subtle but steady, and incredibly uncomfortable. Your feet shuffled on the stone floor, meaning you couldn’t hear the footsteps gaining on you from behind. 

“You’re headed to the kitchen?”

“Oh!” You laughed once you saw who it was, now embarrassed at your yelp. “Yes, I am. I woke up hungry this morning.”

“You’re freezing.” You nodded. “Come. Wait in the library, it’s much warmer than the kitchen and the great hall. I’ll bring you food.”

Eskel opened the door for you, then moved to light the fire. You would never cease to be amazed at the witcher signs. When he left you wrapped yourself in one of the blankets draped over one of the couches before sitting in front of the fire. You hummed to yourself while you waited, a song your mother used to sing to you when you were little. It was all that you had left of her, that and a thin silver chain you wore around your neck.

Eskel heard your humming, not wanting to interrupt the sound, he waited outside for a moment. His sharp hearing let him hear you perfectly. When you were done, he waited one more minute before pushing the door open. 

“Sorry, Lambert held me up.” 

“No worries.” Your smile lit a fire in him, similar to the one you held for him. “Are you always up this early? I didn’t think any- oh, wait, nevermind. Geralt always gets up before the sun rises. I guess it’s no different with the rest of you, is it?”

“It is not. We don’t get much sleep anyway.”

You wanted to ask him why, but he looked so tired and you didn’t want to push. So you opted to take him up on his earlier request.

“Do you want to practice today?”

“Gladly.” Gods his smile could kill you. 

You instantly regretted your decision when you were in the yard. The sun, despite the fact that it was winter, was unrelenting. Eskel tossed you a wooden sword and prepared himself to fight. 

To your surprise, you did well. Out of five rounds, you managed to win two of them. Eskel was thoroughly impressed, for a human to beat a witcher, well, that was a big deal. 

“I give the credit to Geralt. He’s a great teacher.”

“Yeah, but he’s not the one that just beat me.” Eskel wiped his forehead with his arm before taking your swords and putting them away. “Just take the compliment, y/n.”

“Yes, fine. Thank you.”

“You know, you wouldn’t be so hot if you wore something other than black.”

You made a mocking noise at him before opening the keep doors for the two of you. The cold air hit you and almost instantly cooled you.

“Maybe that’s why you and Geralt get along so well. It’s all the black.”

You were suddenly overcome with doubts. “You don’t think it’s too much, do you?”

“Not at all. It’s your color.” If Eskel’s heart could beat any faster, his face would be red as a radish. 

And when your cheeks felt as hot as the sun, you realized you couldn’t respond. 

You didn’t see Eskel again until dinner, where he once again sat next to you. No words were spoken, but his presence comforted you, as yours did to him.

You and Geralt had created a routine in him taking you to your room and lighting your fire every night. Sometimes he would stay a while and talk with you, others he would simply hug you and leave.

Tonight, you had been drinking, maybe too much. Geralt had neglected to cut you off tonight, he had been too engrossed in his Gwent game to notice your inebriated state. When he took you to your room he had to carry you, your balance was less than mediocre and you had fallen over twice before even making out of the great hall.

Geralt helped you into bed after taking off your shoes, but you sat straight up again and held onto his wrist. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Geralt, I’m sick.”

“No, you’re just drunk. It’ll pass.”

“Uh uh. That’s not what I mean. I love him so much it hurts. So so bad.”

Geralt was now holding you in his arms while you sobbed. 

“Who?”

“Eskel! Who else, Geralt.”

Geralt didn’t know what to say. He was surprised he hadn’t noticed anything sooner.

“Do you want me to tell him?”

“No, no, no, no. Pleeease no.”

Geralt didn’t say anything more that night. He held you close and ran his hand down the side of your face until you fell asleep. He slept in your chair that night and he was still there when you woke up. 

“What are you doing?”

His eyes were still closed, but he spoke with a smirk. “Sleeping.” 

“Why here? Oh fuck, I feel sick.”

“Yeah, that’s what happens, y/n. You should know this by now. Speaking of, you said something to me last night, well, more like a confession.” You quirked your head at him, a request to go on. “You said you loved Eskel. That true?”

Your laugh was hesitant and nervous. Part of you was glad someone knew, but hearing it out loud made it so much scarier. 

“I’ll take that as my answer. Alright.”

Geralt left the room, leaving you wide-eyed and mouth open. A dazed smile crossed your face and it didn’t leave until you reached the great hall. The rest of the witchers were sitting at the table eating breakfast. As always, you sat next to Eskel. 

This morning, he smiled at you immediately, moving over so you could take your usual spot between him and Geralt. 

Later that day, you were helping Geralt in the lab, making a supply of Swallow. 

“You look tired, y/n.”

“Ya, sorta.”

“Is this about what you told me?”

“Maybe. I just need some time to myself I think. I’ll probably go up to the tower and sit for a while, maybe I’ll bring a book along too.”

“I can finish up here alone if you want to go, that is.”

“Thanks, Geralt.”

By the time you made it up to the tower, you couldn’t keep yourself together. A few tears left your eyes only to be caught by your sleeve. It had been only a month, you felt foolish to feel this much for a man you’d only known that long. Sure you’d had conversations, but nothing warranting love. This was just a crush, that’s all. 

Your thinking was interrupted by the scrape of a candle holder falling and being caught. When you turned, Eskel was standing, holding the brass candle holder and smiling a bit too wide.

“Oh, hi. You scared me a little bit.”

“Sorry about that.” Eskel looked at his hands and put the candle holder back and then clenched them at his sides. “What are you doing up here?”

“What are you doing up here?”

“Geralt said you would be here.”

He had asked Geralt about you. No, no, no, you were overthinking again. 

“Oh, yeah. I just needed some alone time.”

“I’m sorry, I can leave.”

“No!” Shit. “No, you can stay, I’m ok now.”

“You want to talk about it?”

“Not really.” You couldn’t make eye contact with him now, and like always, your face grew unbearably hot. “Maybe you could just… sit with me?”

“Yea, I can do that.”

There was a bed on the other side of the room, so you both sat down. You flinched when Eskel put his arm around you. 

“Sorry.”

“No, I like that. I just haven’t- It’s been a while since-” The only physical contact you’ve had in years was with Geralt. The occasional hug or touch while stitching and bandaging and that was it. 

“I understand.” 

“It just shocked me, that’s all.”

“It’s ok, I promise.”

Eskel put his arm back around you. You were happy about that. But after a while, you both started talking, and eventually, you both sat on the bed facing each other.

“A succubus, are you serious?” You had to choke back a laugh, and you did not do a very good job with it.

“Yea, and fisstech.”

“Wow. And I thought you were a witcher.”

“Then I guess you’re more of a witcher than I am.”

“I’ve got the double swords.”

“And you’ve beaten a witcher in combat, that counts for something.”

Gods, his laugh could kill you. The moment froze in time. The picture of his face pulled in happiness and that deep laugh going directly to your heart. You didn’t even notice when you stopped laughing, the moment of serenity brought you a sense of peace and it caused you to act rashly. 

You found yourself moving closer to him, and him closer to you. You could feel the rough pads of his hand on top of yours, and he squeezed lightly. The planes of his face felt weather-worn and scarred when you held him. But his lips were soft when you finally moved to press yours against them. 

Your nerves were running rampant, anxiety and excitement coursing through your veins. You had waited so long for this day to come and it was here! You would finally have a family with the man you loved. You’d have someone to look after when Eskel was gone, someone to love and to give everything you possibly could offer to as a mother. 

No longer would you be so lonely when the Path kept him from you longer than expected. You wouldn’t have to put on such a brave face, to lie to your witcher about just how upsetting it was to only have the animals to talk to for weeks on end. 

Eskel, on the other hand, had a bit more worry in him than excitement. Oftentimes, people didn’t react well to the witcher being even in the relative vicinity of children. He didn’t blame them. He was a terrifying killer. His kind had a bad reputation for taking the young. 

Eskel didn’t have a good feeling about today. He knew that once the mistress who ran the orphanage took one look at him, she’d scream at him to leave, perhaps even chase him out with a cane or something. He wouldn't get a chance to explain himself. People rarely gave him a chance. And the thought of your dreams being crushed because of him made his stomach churn. 

“Your heart is racing, doll.” Eskel murmured quietly.

“I can’t help it.” You giggled, nervously squeezing his arm. “I can’t believe this is finally happening. We’re going to have a family.”

Eskel kept his concerns to himself. He didn’t have the heart to warn you, to break your spirit.

As the both of you turned a corner, the sound of children laughing and playing could be heard. You squeezed Eskel’s arm once more. 

There at the end of the road sat the orphanage. In the fenced in front yard was a group of between ten and fifteen children. 

“Oh, Eskel.” You whispered. “We’re here.”

He looked over to you, smiling. 

The caretaker of the orphanage, a woman in her late forties to early fifties with graying hair, was sitting in a chair beneath a tree inside the fence. She spotted you and Eskel as you made your way down the dirt path. She rose to her feet, dusting off her skirt and moving towards the fence that separated you both. 

“Hello there!” She greeted, looking between Eskel and you. 

“Hi!” You smiled. “I am–,”

The woman gasped, causing you to stop talking. 

“Inside now, children!” The woman practically shrieked. “Onora, take the children inside!”

You furrowed your brows, watching as the children hurried to do as she had ordered. One of the other ladies who worked at the orphanage rushed the children inside while the woman who ran the orphanage stayed in front of you and Eskel. 

Eskel put his hand around your waist.

“I-I don’t understand–,”

“Witcher!” The woman pointed at Eskel, cutting you off. “Your kind isn’t welcome around children!”

You looked at Eskel, who remained calm. 

“Ma’am, just let me–,” He didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence. 

“I’ve seen what happens when your kind take children! You do horrible things to them! Turn them into-into monsters!”

“Please.” He practically begged. “I have no interest in turning any children into witchers.”

“Ma’am, please.” You stepped away from Eskel, moving to place your hands on the fence. Your stomach clenched as she shook her head and waved her hands at you, adamant on maintaining her ground. “Eskel is the kindest man I-I have ever come across. He was taken from his family when he was young too. He has no–He has no desire to hurt anyone.”

“Then why have you come here?” She demanded, putting her hands on her hips. 

“We’d like to give a home to a child.” You began to pick at the wood on the fence with your thumb. “I just…. I think we would make good parents.” You smiled a bit as your eyes flickered to the house behind her.

She didn’t seem to buy your words. The woman eyed you briefly before looking back to Eskel. 

“I don’t like the idea of givin’ none of my children to a witcher.”

Your smile fell from your lips as you listened to her words. 

“You don’t even know him, ma’am. Please, if you’d just give us a chance to talk to you, you would understand.” Your grip on the fence tightened. Fear began to create a storm in your stomach. This was not at all what you wanted, how you wanted this day to go.

Eskel couldn’t stand watching you stand at the fence and beg the woman any longer. He put his hand on your arm. 

“Y/N, come on, my love.” He murmured, doing his best to hide his own disappointment. “We don’t want to cause any disruptions.”

You turned your head to him, tears brimming in your eyes. You shook your head as you looked back at the woman. 

“Can-Can I talk to her for just a moment, Eskel?”

He nodded softly, rubbing your arm before moving away.

You wiped your cheeks and took a deep breath. 

“I-I understand your worries.” You met her gaze. “I’ve heard the same stories as you. I grew up with them just as you did. But I know the kind of man my husband is, and he is the most gentle man you will ever come across. He’s sweet and kind and-and he would move mountains if I asked him to! We aren’t able to bear children of our own, ma’am. I know that with all that’s been going on, with the war and such, I know that there are quite a bit of children who have no parents, no home. We’d like to give one a home.”

She was quiet, taking in everything you said carefully. 

“You’re sincere with your words. How long have you known the witcher?”

“Thirteen years. We’ve been married for just two.” You smiled at the memory of the tiny ceremony. 

The woman looked back at Eskel, who tried to act like he hadn’t just heard everything that was said, but because of his witcher hearing, he had. 

“Come with me.” The woman waved for you both to follow her. 

You walked along the fence down to the gate and then began to walk towards the orphanage. 

“Would you be interested in a few siblings?”

You looked to Eskel. He opened his mouth but didn’t have an answer to offer. Neither of you had thought about the possibility of siblings. 

“How many siblings?” 

“Three boys. Poor lads are lucky to be alive.”

She pushed the door to the orphanage open. 

“The youngest boy is the only babe I have. We aren’t quite sure how old he is, but he’s still an infant.”

All of the children stopped playing and instead looked to you and Eskel. There were so many children that you couldn’t even begin to count them. 

The woman walked away from you, herding the majority of the children through the back door. 

Eskel closed the space that separated him from you. His hand came up to the small of your back. You turned your head to look at him. He smiled tenderly, golden eyes lingering on yours. 

“Do you think we can handle three?” You whispered. 

“I think the question is can you handle three children while I’m away.”

You giggled a little and turned your attention back to the woman. The smile slowly faded from your lips as you let his words sink in. 

The three children left in the room gathered together. The eldest boy held an infant. The middle aged boy stuck close to his brothers. 

You offered the children a smile and a little wave. The middle boy shyly smiled but the eldest just watched you carefully. 

“Come over here, you three.” The woman made her way back to you and Eskel. 

“Who are they?” The girl asked, her voice soft and timid. 

The woman nodded to you, wanting you to introduce yourself. The two boys looked so small as they stood next to the woman. 

You got down on your knees to be more at their height, smiling at each of them. 

The middle aged boy appeared shy and hesitant, opting to hide half way behind the woman’s skirt. The oldest boy still held his youngest brother. 

Eskel briefly looked at each sibling, taking in little details about each one. 

The middle boy’s hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. His fingers gripped the woman’s skirt. 

The oldest boy was too watchful for his age. He seemed particularly keen on studying Eskel. The witcher knew he was probably curious about the scarring on his face. 

Eskel saw something interesting on the back of the boy’s hand. He had a scar of his own, but not a small one. It was large and seemed to pull and twist at the skin on the back of his hand. It was a burn scar. 

“My name is Y/N, and this is my husband Eskel.” You gestured to the witcher. 

“This is Artum, Kolar, and Soren.” The woman smiled as she rubbed the middle brother’s head. “Let me take Soren, Artum. You two boys go play while I talk to our guests.”

The oldest boy, Artum, silently passed the infant, Soren, to the woman, then moved towards the back of the room with Kolar at his side. 

“They’re sweet lads.” The woman spoke, her eyes following them. 

Eskel offered you his hand as you stood up. 

“What happened to their parents?” He asked. 

“They were killed when their village was sacked by bandits. Their home was set afire. Artum saved Soren and Kolar, but their parents didn’t make it out.” The woman shook her head softly, looking down at Soren. 

“How old are they?” You rubbed your hands together. You were far too anxious to stand still at the moment. 

Your gaze followed the woman’s, shifting downward to look at the baby. 

“Kolar is just shy of his sixth winter and Artum is going to be ten this harvest. We think Soren here is less than a year.”

You messed with your fingers, picking at your nails. 

“Can I have a moment with my husband?”

“Of course.” 

You watched the woman walk away before turning to face Eskel. 

“Three children, Eskel.” You murmured. “We-We didn’t talk about that. We agreed on an older child, not three young ones.”

“We did. But if it’s what you want, then we can make it work. If you don’t, then we can stick with what we originally spoke of.”

You turned your head to look in the direction of the two brothers. 

“I can take more time off of the Path, at least until they are settled in.”

“Do you think we can take care of three boys ourselves?”

“Look at me, doll.”

You brought your attention back to him. 

“We don’t have to make the decision today.” He put his hands on your arms. “We can come back another day.”

Eskel was right. You both could go back home and take a few days to think about it, to think about how big of a change three children would be. 

“I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving here without them, Eskel.” You admitted, your voice just shy of a whisper. “They just…. The oldest one looks so sad. It’s deep in his eyes, Eskel.”

The witcher nodded solemnly. Artum had probably endured far too much at his young age.  

“Then that settles it.”

Your heart thumped in your chest as you looked up at him. 

“It does?”

Eskel dipped his head down to kiss your forehead. 

The two of you walked together to the woman and the brothers. 

***

The journey home was a long one. 

Kolar talked a lot once he was given a chance. Artum seemed to prefer to keep to himself. He was a bit standoffish when you tried to include him in the little conversations Kolar would carry with you. You hoped Artum would warm up to you with time. Soren was a quiet baby and easy to please. Artum seemed to know just what to do to calm him down when he would get fussy. 

“I will go check on the animals.” Eskel spoke as he stopped Scorpion just in front of the house. 

“We have a bit of adjusting to do.” Your words weren’t directed at anyone in particular. “The spare room will have to be cleaned up for a nursery for Soren.”

“Once I’ve checked on everyone, I can make a trip into town to get anything we need.” Eskel lifted the brothers down from his horse while you carried Soren in your arms. 

He started to guide Scorpion towards the barn, but you stopped him, placing your hand on his arm. 

“If we need to take from what we have in the chest, do it.” You murmured, holding his golden gaze. You were referencing the chest you both had been saving coin in for the last four years, since you had settled in your home. “Whatever they need, just make sure we have it.”

“Of course.” He nodded his head, placing his hand over yours and squeezing gently before he left. 

You watched him for just a moment then turned to the three children that were now yours and Eskel’s family. 

“You three haven’t eaten in a while. You must be hungry.”

“I’m starving!” Kolar exclaimed.

“Starving? Well, we can’t have that!” You shook your head. “Have any of you ever picked vegetables or fruit from a garden?”

The two oldest boys shook their heads.

“Come along then. We’ll go pick some strawberries. You can snack on them while I’m making supper.”

You picked up your skirt with one hand and held Soren with the other arm as you walked around the back of the cottage, your eyes flickering over the yard.

“Your home is very pretty.” Kolar said. 

“This is your home too.” You looked over your shoulder to her, offering him a smile. 

“We haven’t had a home in a long time.”

Your heart ached for the boy and his brothers. 

You opened the gate to the garden and let the boys walk in. 

“The strawberries are at the very end. Just follow the path and be careful not to step on any of the plants. Can you lead the way, Artum?”

The boy nodded his head, taking the lead. 

You followed behind, giggling when Kolar paused to curiously inspect your cabbage plants. 

“What’s those?”

“Cabbage.”

“Is it any good?”

“When it’s in a soup.”

“Do I like cabbage, Artum?” Kolar looked to his brother.

“Don’t think we ever had it.” He shook his head. 

“I’ll have to make soup sometime for you boys.” You slipped past Kolar to continue down the path.

***

After the children had their fill of soup and bread, you took them outside to the creek behind your home so that they could bathe before the sun disappeared behind the mountains.

They kept on their trousers, which were two sizes too big for the poor boys, and you let Soren lay on a blanket in the grass next to you while the boys played in the water. They seemed a little unsure of the water at first, wincing at how cold it was, but the moment Kolar saw a few fish in the creek, he giggled with joy and attempted to catch them. 

You washed Artum’s and Kolar’s hair, then helped Kolar brush out his long hair. He became quiet as you did so, murmuring how his mother used to do the same for him every night.

You bit back the urge to cry so that you could finish and then take the brothers inside. 

Eskel returned after sunset. You were sitting in the kitchen at the table reading a book to Kolar. Artum sat in a chair a safe distance from the fire, holding Soren and rocking the baby. 

“Hello, love.” You greeted your husband, rising to your feet to help take a few of the items from him. 

“How were things while I was gone?” He asked quietly.

“Quite pleasant. The boys helped me in the garden a little, then we ate dinner and they had baths.”

Eskel nodded his head.

“We’ve had quite a busy day, haven’t we, boys?” You looked over to Kolar and then to Artum. “I think it’s time we go to bed.”

“What about Soren?” Artum asked you. You rose to your feet and began to make your way into the living room.

“Until we can get his nursery set up, he’s going to sleep in the room with Eskel and I.” You held your hands out to take Soren from Artum. 

The boy looked down at his brother for a few moments. He seemed unsure of your answer. 

You knelt down in front of Artum. 

“I’ll leave the doors to our room and to your room open for the night, how about that?” You spoke gently. “I know it can be scary in a new place, but I promise you that everything will be alright.”

Artum nodded his head. 

Kolar slipped down from his chair at the table and approached you. He tugged on your skirt, though his eyes seemed to linger on Eskel. 

“What is it, Kolar?” You asked him. 

“Would you read us a book before bed?” He whispered. 

“Of course.” You smiled. “You don’t have to whisper, sweetheart.”

He grinned a little, eyes flickering back to your husband. He was wary of the witcher. 

You met Eskel’s gaze, giving his fingers a firm squeeze, then began to lead the brothers to their room. 

***

You closed the book and looked at Kolar and Artum. Artum was fast asleep, but Soren seemed to be forcing his eyes open. 

“You should rest your eyes, Kolar.” You placed the book down on the stand by the bed. 

His brown eyes found you. 

“You know witchers eat little kids, don’t you?”

A weight formed in your chest. You shook your head gently, reaching up to brush a few pieces of Kolar’s hair back out of his face. 

“That isn’t true, darling.”

“That’s what everyone always says!”

“People like to spread lies about people who are different from them, Kolar. Eskel is a very kind man. I promise you there’s nothing to worry about.”

Kolar shifted on the bed, pulling his blanket up over his nose. 

“What if he tries to eat us? Turn us into stew or something?”

“Witchers protect people from monsters, darling, real monsters.”

“Like what?”

“That is a conversation for when you’re a little older.” You gave him a smile. “Tomorrow, we are going to meet the animals. How does that sound?”

“Fun!”

You told him goodnight and left the room. 

In the kitchen, Eskel sat at the table. One hand was in a fist on the table while the other rested on his knee. His head turned to you as you came down the hall. 

“They’re afraid of me.” He whispered, shaking his head softly. 

“They’re children, Eskel.” You kept Soren tucked into the crook of one elbow while you used the other hand to hold your husband’s hand. “Children are impressionable and easy to teach incorrectly. They have no way of knowing anything other than what they are taught by those who raise them.”

“They won’t think of me as…. of me as a parent or-or anything like that.”

“It will take time, my love.” You brought his hand up to kiss his knuckles. “Things like this…. They take time. But it’s our duty now to teach them right from wrong.”

Soren began to squirm in your arm. 

“Does he need something?” Eskel asked, rising to his feet to get a better view of the infant. 

“Just a bath and then to eat before bed.” You looked down at Soren, a smile growing on your lips. 

Eskel looked at you, admiring the warm look that found its way to your features. He leaned forward and kissed your head. 

“I love you.”

“I love you.” You leaned into his touch for a few moments. “It will be rough, but all things worth anything are rough and difficult. Just remember that.”