#post mountain

Jaskier and Geralt stage a fake breakup. Someone’s feelings get hurt for real.

The reverse trope series: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

AO3

“… It would be to take you off my hands!”

Geralt’s voice echoes in the ballroom, between the tall walls and the high ceiling. Everyone on the dance floor has fallen into silence. Even the band has stopped playing, their lead singer gaping with round eyes.

Jaskier blinks, impressed.

All the eyes are on the two of them. Jaskier’s back prickles with the gazes. As the fight escalated, more and more guests have stopped dancing just to eavesdrop on the witcher and the bard, the most peculiar couple in the room.

Which is just perfect. The more people witnessing their breakup, the more awkward it will be afterward, and the easier it will be to get out of this tedious party. And here Jaskier is, regretting ever having doubted his dear witcher’s ability to perform.

Who would have thought Geralt is a method actor? Drawing inspiration from a past argument is ingenious.

His old acting professor back in Oxenfurt would approve of this. The show is going swimmingly and he is pumped with adrenaline—maybe he should go back on stage one day, do a play or two.

But alas, he can muse the idea later. The show must go on.

“Really? Just like that?” Jaskier croaks, seemingly on the verge of crying. He’s not so bad himself, classically trained and everything. “Thirty years, Geralt. I followed you for thirty years, and just like that, you will kick me out of your life? Did I ever—” he breaks off with a whimper. “Did I ever mean anything to you? Or were you ready to cast me aside this whole time?”

“You’re safe.”

Geralt knocks his forehead to Jaskier’s, closing his eyes in relief. He was so worried, so afraid of having lost him, having pushed too far.

“I am.” Jaskier agrees quietly.

Then he puts a hand on Geralt’s shoulder, freeing himself from the loose grip around his neck, and backs up.

“See you around, Geralt.”

oh I have MANY thoughts about necromancer!jaskier, it’s one of my very favorite non-human jaskier things!

I think that some people are born with the capacity to become a necromancer, but have no idea until something traumatic happens to them that triggers it (like being killed)

post the mountain (dragon hunt) jaskier is on the road traveling to the next tavern to drown his sorrows about the love of his life wanting nothing to do with him in when he’s attacked by bandits

jaskier has always had a little too much fight in him, and he’s had a bad last few weeks and the last thing he needs is someone stealing his hard earned coin

so he fights back and gets stabbed for his troubles

he’s left bleeding on the side of the road, thrown into a ditch with his precious lute and his pack full of pretty clothes (his coin purse goes with the bandits)

jaskier bleeds out in the dirt, staring up at the blue sky and wondering who will find his body, if they’ll bother to bury him or leave him to rot

the last thing he wonders before his eyes close is whether or not geralt will care when he discovers his bard has died. will he mourn him? then everything is black

everything is dark when jaskier opens his eyes again, but then he sees the twinkle of stars in the night sky and is confused

is he dead? but if he is dead would he still be lying in this ditch in a pool of his own dried blood?

jaskier sits up and finds no hole where the bandits had stabbed him through his chest. his lute is miraculously untouched, and his pack lies beside him. it’s night now, but he can see through the darkness unlike he had ever been able to see before

I think it would take jaskier a pretty decently long time to realize he’s been reborn as a necromancer, as smart as he is he’s also excellent at denial and explains away all of the weird abilities he’s gained as coincidence 

(although how summoning skeletons can be a coincidence i’ve no idea)

he runs into triss who expresses her confusion, she didn’t know he was a necromancer!

and jaskier is.....confusion

triss very helpfully explains the nuances of necromancy and how necromancers are created, and offers to assist him in learning how to use some of his powers

jaskier is surprisingly powerful for a necromancer, one of the most gifted triss has ever seen, which confuses jaskier even more because he doesn’t feel very powerful

he’s a natural at his powers, maybe a bit too much of a natural at the way he has a habit of accidentally summoning the undead

jaskier is by nature not usually a very violent person, so he prefers to use his abilities for good rather than mass evil

but jaskier has also always had a temper (geralt knows this especially by the amount of bar fights he’s had to drag the bard out of) so when someone hurts someone or something he loves, all of his pacifist beliefs are off the table and jaskier is ready to throw hands

he’ll do anything for the people he loves, even if they don’t love him back

which is why when he hears about the fall of cintra, and of the witcher, witch, and princess on the run from nilfgaard he knows what he has to do

geralt may not be interested in being friends with jaskier, much less lovers, and yennefer has never been fond of him, but jaskier has spent many a night singing the princess to sleep and he couldn’t stand to see the people he loves be hurt

so he sets off, determined to help them even if they don’t want him

I’m gonna try and bullet point this one! Hopefully you don’t mind!

Geralt finds Jaskier after the mountain and apologises for his words, Jaskier accepts the apology but there’s a glint in his eye that Geralt doesn’t quite trust.

Jaskier agrees to travel with Geralt again. Melitele knows the witcher will need help to prise his child surprise from Calanthe’s grasp.

And maybe he can have some harmless fun whilst he’s at it.

Jaskier spends his evenings “educating” Geralt on the traditions of Lettenhove.

“Yes, Geralt you need to be able to pat your head and rub your stomach at the same time whilst bowing, yes of course I can do it! I’m a Viscount!”

Geralt gets increasingly suspicious of Jaskier’s teaching but he doesn’t know enough about the etiquette to challenge him... at least not directly.

So he waits... chooses his moment carefully.

It’s only when Geralt actually agrees to learn the “Traditional Song of Cintran Courts” on his precious lute that Jaskier starts to question his choices.

Lutes are fragile and his lute is priceless.

Geralt insists though, no matter how many times Jaskier tries to argue. Geralt is determined to prove himself worthy of his Destiny.

Jaskier is shaking as he hands over his lute to the witcher.

And it’s only then that he notices... Geralt is laughing at him.

Jaskier pulls the lute back into his hands, craddling it to his chest and glaring at his witcher.

Turns out Geralt had suspected from almost the beginning that Jaskier was playing games, but after their argument he’d allowed Jaskier to have his fun.

He enjoyed seeing his bard happy again.

The game is over but the both laugh about it during winter when they are finally joined by young Ciri, she laughs the hardest when Geralt attempts the made up Ancient Cintran greeting that Jaskier had taught him.

“Geralt,” the bard frowns, tapping his foot impatiently. “Don’t you have something to say to me?” 

“No?” the witcher frowns back, confused. 

“After- Even after all-” Jaskier sputters, eyes blinking furiously. “You said-!”

“What more do you want!?” Geralt snarls. “I’ve fixed the hole in your boots, found campgrounds with even ground for the past three nights, and even let you sleep late when we stayed at the inn!” 

“Those are just nice things to do, Geralt, they are not an apology!”

Geralt deflates a little and Jaskier feels guilt creeping up the back of his neck, even though it shouldn’t. He deserves this apology. 

“I’m not good with words,” Geralt sighs, stepping forward. “But actions...”

Jaskier nods, understanding. Smiling a little, even. 

Geralt wasn't sure when it started, maybe it was the first time the bard said goodbye to him and went his own way, who knows, but it became a habit, finding small pieces of paper in his bags after Jaskier left, notes, reminders, stories, curiosities, anything. Things that the bard wrote days before leaving and hid in Geralt's things - the first time the witcher was very surprised that Jaskier was able to do it without him noticing.

The first paper left behind was Jaskier describing a drowner - in a much more poetic way than necessary - and at the end a small note “this one exists, but it doesn't make a good song, I hope to hear your new adventures soon”. 

He ignored it and he doesn't remember if he threw the paper away or if it got lost among his belongings, not that he cared, Geralt didn't think he would see the bard again, anyway.

Destiny proved him wrong, Jaskier always managed to find him again, always so lively and energetic that sometimes it annoyed him. But, now, a constant in his life.

Constant. Like all those goodbye notes.

Geralt got used to it, looking for the papers that were left behind, he never said anything to Jaskier, but sometimes it seemed that the bard knew, he knew that the Path was lonely and nights in the woods could be boring, so he always left something to let Geralt know that there's someone out there who cared, who was waiting to see him again. 

The papers increased in number over time, Jaskier has even left complete stories and ballads behind, things he probably wrote in the moments when they were not traveling together and that, thinking about Jaskier doing that, spending his time on something just for Geralt, made the witcher's chest tighten in a way he didn't want to understand why.

He also wrote on those papers where he would be at a certain time of year and more than once Geralt found himself heading towards the place mentioned - because of some contract, obviously, not because he wanted to see Jaskier, he told himself more than once.

After what happened with the djinn, Geralt should have realized that something has changed. The notes continued to be left among his things, but they were brief, telling him to be safe, now and then with a place to find him - Geralt would go if a sorceress with violet eyes didn't show up on the way - no more poetry, no more stories. Nothing to keep his nights less lonely, but he didn't realize it.

And he should have thought better, he shouldn't have let his anger out of control and shouted those words, because he knew that even as time went on, even if one day he was able to apologize, those words would linger in the air, hurting not only himself, but the only constant he had in his life. The only constant that has chosen to stay in his life - until now.

After seeing the camp empty, Geralt searched everything - each one of his bags, each one of his belongings - and with a huge lump in his throat, he sat on the floor staring at where a lute's case should be.

Jaskier left no paper behind.

okay but what if Geralt didn’t regret what he said atop the Mountain and believed he was in the right?? and then he meets up with Jaskier again, no apology, thinks all is well and good and that Jaskier just got over it because it “was nothing, Jaskier always forgives me, i didn’t say anything that wasn’t true??” and insists on bringing him to Kaer Morhen because he is a person of interest for Nilfgaard and could give up sensitive information about witchers and Geralt’s child surprise 

that’s all. he doesn’t give Jaskier reason to believe he wants Jaskier there for any other reason, only so that he doesn’t turn into a snitch 

and Jaskier is just crushed. he didn’t expect a heartfelt apology from his witcher, he knew his witcher wasn’t one for words, but he had thought Geralt would feel guilty about it. but Geralt just brushing it off as if nothing happened? Jaskier feels equal parts miserable and enraged 

“it was just a stupid fight -” 

“what fight?! there was no fight! it was you, on that that mountain, yelling at me! i had no part in it. i had no say. you’ve treated me like shit this entire time and i never took anything out on you. there was no fight because it was only you hurting me” 

voices cracking, lots of tears and feels 

Part 8 of Second Chances

Witcher

Rated: G

WordCount: 6210

Ship: Geraskier

Summary:

Geralt gave Jaskier his journals - not the ones about his contracts, but the ones he wrote (and sketched) Jaskier in.

This is what Jaskier finds...