#gerskel

Summary: Twenty years ago, the Warlord of the North came down out of the mountains and slew the king of Kaedwen, taking crown and kingdom for his own. Everyone expected him to be overthrown almost immediately, but he has only grown ever more secure in his position. Finally, the other countries around Kaedwen have begun to negotiate with him as they would any other king. To seal the new treaty between Redania and the Warlord, Lady Milena de Roggeven, third daughter of the Duke of Roggeven, has been sent to marry whichever of the Warlord’s men he chooses. Milena is starkly terrified of everything about her new husband; every rumor she has ever heard about the barbarians of the north seems worse than the last, and Lambert clearly despises the very thought of marriage. Lambert of the Wolves is still grieving his lost lover, dead more than three years now. The last thing he wants is to be married off to a terrified stranger, and he can’t imagine why Geralt and Eskel think he of all people is suited to a diplomatic marriage. And neither of them suspects the treachery that lies behind the treaty which binds them together.

Author: @inexplicifics

a moment of care, afterwards

a request from @lookoutrogue

Alternate (cause my brain needed it):

I’m watching this program abt rewilding the Lake District and there’s a sheep farmer who is against it as it destroys his livelihood & the farming communities way of life + it’s future !

so what I’m saying is…

- sheep farmer / wild horse caretaker eskel who’s family have farmed on the fells for generations. it’s not an easy life and it doesn’t really make any profit, but it makes him happy. Waking up each morning to check on the sheep (they roam pretty freely but he still likes to make sure nothing has happened over night), to feed the few chickens and hens and to groom any foals he’s currently raising

- baker / brewer lambert who continues in his foster families foot steps of producing the best bread + baked goods in the whole of the lakes (well that’s what the locals say) and has started his own brewery on the side (as it’s just the same as baking just with greater rewards)

- conservationist/ environmentalist geralt who was brought up in an old industrial town and found freedom from his mums family in a hidden patch of greenery amongst derelict red-bricked buildings. After passing his apprenticeship and spending years advocating for more green / wildlife spaces in towns and cities, he’s looking forward to an ‘easy project’. Cause how hard will it be to convince farmers about the benefits of nature

- journalist / blogger jaskier who’s hoping this placement year project writing and documenting for the National Trust will finally show his family why doing a joint honours in journalism was a good thing and far more important than (idk law ? politics ? business management ?)

#59. kissing your lover's wounds after having bandaged them up read on ao3

The sun is dipping low, melting into the hills that shimmer gold against the pale pink sky. The vineyard stretches across the fields like a soft blanket, embroidered in dark greens and rich browns, covering the earth with ease. A gentle breeze rolls in, a sign of the impending autumn days that will follow, ruffling the old willow and its leaves, fighting to hold on a little longer. 

Geralt watches it all from his chair on the porch, much like he does every afternoon. 

There's something about life in the countryside that makes him feel grounded; waking up with the sun every day and going on about his routine feels different than it did when he walked the Path, somehow. There's no sense of extreme urgency, no feeling of dread as he reaches the larger cities, not a shadow of doubt or question as to whether he'll find refuge before winter swallows the roads, winding and tiresome as they grow. None of that, no — here he feels safe, knowing there'll be food on his table every morning and a warm bed every evening, there to greet him, to feed him, to shelter him. He feels connected, both to the earth and to himself, his own life, his own body. His very soul, if Dandelion was right about any of that. 

He wonders if it's what he was supposed to feel like, all those years; if, by chance, retirement meant reaching what his mentors had taught him would only ever be found in the throes of duty. 

The irony of it makes him smile. 

"Deep in thought, Wolf?" 

Geralt turns, even though he heard him coming from a mile away. Eskel stands at his side with a small smile, all broad lines and soft features, and Geralt allows himself to take him in for a little while.