#gerveth

As I said before, I'm a devoted fan of couples like Geralt/Vernon Roche and Geralt/Iorveth, but I'll start in order and with my personal "tidbit".

!!! just in case, let me remind you that English is not my native language and I use a translator to write this, so I apologize in advance for the broken wording or inaccuracies in terms of words used in the context. but still, I hope that my words will be clear to you as readers. 🤲🏻💕

I genuinely like the dynamics of these two so much that they are literally one of the few couples who give goosebumps just thinking about any interaction (whether it's a simple campfire gathering or some heartwarming tragic moment), and I see something like this dynamic in Silverhand/V from Cyberpunk 2077.

Both Geralt and Iorveth are rejected by society for their otherness. they both feel sidelong glances at them and both realize that for many they are almost monsters to embody just for the fact that one has sharp ears and the other has too bestial eyes. Both witchers and elves live in peace on a flimsy, trusting contact with people outwardly, but internally they are radically different, of course, Scoia’taels do not live in peace with people, and this is the ideal ground for the beginning of invisible contact between them. Their mixture is extremely peculiar: a nuclear, sarcastic misanthrope to the core with a thirst not only for revenge, but also for peace + himself a bulwark of calm, common sense in difficult and sometimes painful situations, a kind of knight full of conscious altruism, which if you wipe your feet means that one leg will be broken (Hi Dijkstra, what kind of weather is your foot catching today? Will it be cool or windy today?). wow? TOTALLY WOW.

I like the path that Geralt and Iorveth walk together on the way to a trusting relationship between each other. their dialogue of the first meeting, which quite tolerably reveals and tears the eyes of the truth, which the elf probably already knew about but did not admit to himself, is amusing, because it will immediately set up the decadent spirit of the Aen Seidhe who still know how to fight under his command. in that look at Geralt, he seemed to have tacit understanding, naturally tinged with arrogance. but perhaps if there weren't other elves in the bushes and people (like Triss, Letho, Vernon Roche), he might have said slightly different things? I am amused by the note of study in Iorveth's gaze at the moments when Geralt begins to be full of thoughts and witcher eloquence as much as he can, and I am amused by this trait in Geralt at the beginning of the storyline, who literally hears the archers breathing in the bushes, but still continues to express his thought.

The moments that pop up throughout the entire arc of the Flotsam can't leave me indifferent either. iorvet is full of sarcasm, full of arrogance towards Geralt and Zoltan, but at the same time he studies the dwarf and studies Geralt himself, tactically assessing a possible opponent or ally who himself came into his clutches and trap in the form of arachas, as well as hundreds of arrows that are waiting for the opportunity to be released from their quivers. Is everything that Letho said about Geralt true? Should the witcher be given the opportunity to consider the option of cooperation? Is it worth doing this, that, and so on, so on, so on? and subsequently, Iorveth understands something, giving Geralt the opportunity to tie his hands. It's a risky move, risky chances of resistance, but it still allows, probing both grounds, and yet he remains on the defensive, spraying sarcasm like poison.

Geralt earned the credit of trust before Iorveth by rescuing the elves from the tower, while not expecting anything from the proud officer in return. Geralt helped him, too, as a witcher who cannot look at other people's suffering, saving someone, and especially women, was considered the norm, not an act of heroism. and I was incredibly touched by Iorveth's reaction to this act, as well as very... warm words, despite the elf's past track record of high-sounding curses. he evaluated the witcher, he considered his actions and made certain conclusions, which eventually led to ordinary honesty, which, coupled with this, is absolutely extraordinary (and, in my opinion, Iorveth the man who loves to keep things quiet, and his honesty to someone unfamiliar for too long made me think and scream at the whole house.)

I see the dialogues and their already slightly stronger trust in each other already in the moments when Geralt agreed to help Saskia. he could have refused, he could have simply sailed back or defected to Vernon Roche and a bunch of different "buts", but he remains and even more so performs various tasks. and the dialogues with iorvet in the Scoia'tael camp become a little warmer and less caustic, exposing the truth without censorship: about Dol Blatanna and Francesca Findabair, about that battle on the side of Nilfgaard, about how this wound did not heal as for his squad. so it is for all Seidhe. Exposing his soul and torment is a very difficult task for an elf like Iorveth, but he does it anyway, showing himself no longer as a monster, but as an officer who is deeper and more concerned about the lives of other soldiers. and just an elf tired of eternal wandering and a warrior, dreaming of plenty of food, a warm feather bed and tranquility, which he personally will never shine due to the peculiarities of his worldview and habits. On the way to Loc Muinne, he relaxes and tells him about how it was here before, when people first came to these lands and the elves reigned here. and he tells me with such gusto that it hurt me personally, and I even got into a kind of melancholy. I felt these words about an era in which I did not exist and a life in which I never existed. valuable memories of the past that you probably won't want to share with everyone you meet, and did Geralt appreciate it? in my opinion, quite, considering his witcher eloquence. the path passed through doubts, pain, rejection, ridicule and other thorns collapsed at the point when iorvet smiled at Geralt. sincerely, honestly, without embellishment and arrogance.

Geralt survived, safe and sound with Saskia, no one died, as Iorveth wanted, who took care of the witcher's well-being in his own way and Saskia's well-being as much as the situation allowed. iorveth is not one of those people who give out support to everyone they meet, but if they do it, it means it's not for nothing, it means it's something definitely valuable expressed in words, which is sometimes much more valuable than an act (and telling another person about something is also an action done at the moment).

I really, really love them, and maybe I'm intentionally looking for some meanings where they shouldn't be, or I just completely lost my mind during my fixation on these two (and to tell the truth, I like it, hahaha). In my mind, Geralt is like an anchor for Iorveth, keeping his aggression in check and letting him know that "it's safe here, you can be whoever you want." They share the same goals, the same path, and the same side of the coin. Iorveth, on the other hand, is like a fuel for Geralt, driving him to move and feel emotions, and an elf who understands that "it's hot here, but I'll try to tame the fire for you so that you don't get too burned." They complement each other as non-humans who grew up in different circumstances but understand each other so well. Perhaps it's because of their shared experience in the world of The Witcher and at least that's where their understanding comes from. They're also a black-and-white duo, and I hope Iorveth is still alive, haha..

and now… It's time for small headcanons, i think.

Iorveth could easily have written a melody related to Geralt at his leisure and played it from time to time on exploration using a flute.

For Geralt, strangely enough, caring for someone important does not come from acts of generosity and show-off, but from the bottom of his heart and does not require reciprocation. During his travels, he had picked up some knowledge related to elven medicine and remembered some on a hunch without even knowing where, so he prepared various arrow oils and healing ointments from safe ingredients specifically for Iorveth.

When Geralt was in some picturesque natural area, the first person who came to mind in his head from those who were able to appreciate the natural beauty in more detail was Iorveth. Sometimes he sighed and laughed at the fact that he was not an extremely outstanding artist.

Geralt, surprisingly, knows how to cook not only tolerable food within the conditions, but also something more satisfying and tasty than his usual diet, and Iorveth was extremely surprised when he smelled delicious food on the barge or, in principle, at the time of the entire trip next to Geralt. by virtue of his witcher's instinct, he knew when Iorveth was hungry, and often got into the kitchens at the right moment, specifically leaving some of the delicious dishes "accidentally" so that the elf could calmly feast on them. Of course, elf guessed that someone else was cooking this meal, but definitely not Seidhe.

Geralt taught the Scoia’taels how to sharpen swords while sailing on a barge to Vergen, and also showed Iorveth several witcher lifehacks on weapons, which the elf regularly uses to this day.

Iorveth, in turn, gave Geralt a small express master class on crossbow shooting, although he strongly disapproves of it as a weapon, preferring the bow. but any weapon would be useful in battle, so he treated the crossbow with forced patience.

Iorveth, no matter how strange it may sound, keeps a small notebook with a list of important people in his life in order to honor his memory and never forget about them in the future, because years of life and constant stress exhaust the consciousness of not only humans, but also inhumans (and as we remember, elves relate to to centenarians, which means that their memory is erased in a special way). the book is small, a little more than half full, but there were small sketches of memories related to Geralt, including his portrait. It's like a diary. the following headcanon follows from this.

Iorveth is also good at drawing terrain, maps, and people, and in principle he draws well due to his practice and experience (he probably drew maps for some time on exploration, and over time it even developed into a habit and an opportunity to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the outside world for a while).

Geralt collected useful herbs that help with insomnia and have a calming effect, and then shared these dried leaves sometimes with Iorveth, as they both had nightmares. a kind of "barter" (and a reason for regular interactions).

Roche: Well Iorweth and I-

Iorweth: elbows Roche

A snippet from The Plague of The Elves 2: Electric Boogaloo (working title).

I don’t have any real intention of writing this anytime soon (still in Geralt/Morvran hell and work is way too stressful), but! I like this bit from one of the first scenes.

***

"Come lie with me," Iorveth said, stepping back.

Geralt's hands fell from his sides, but he hesitated, shifting his weight. "Brought food." He gestured behind himself, indicating some spot beyond the edge of the camp where he'd likely left his horse. Iorveth nodded and waved him off.

He was expecting a handful of potatoes, or a loaf of Marlene's bread, perhaps, but Geralt came back with what had to be a small deer's worth of meat wrapped in wax paper, gathered into a precarious pile in his arm, and a large burlap sack dangling from his other hand. He put it all down by the fire, next to Eluned and Nia, with a polite "may our meeting bring prosperity to both our houses" -- a greeting so antiquated it might as well have come out of an elven book of fairy tales. Iorveth smiled at the rare misstep, warmth filling his chest even as both women snickered at him. "He means he's glad to meet you."

"Uh. Yeah."

"Likewise, Gwynbleidd," Eluned replied before turning to him, mirth dancing in her eyes alongside the flickering flames. "Take the tent."