“He lives,” it breathes, short and guttural - a voice he’d once thought as a new-moon winter night, starless and cold, but washed with a coat of white - relief?

Pain returns with a vengeance, a spiral of what-ifs then-maybes and don’t-looks before the burn settles at his throat, tearing worse than the lungs in bleeding, jagged edges.

“He’s a bard,” it insists, barring floods of realization as only Geralt’s troubled brow can.

“He is your bard,” the starless voice counters, and what he once thought harsh is nothing compared to the stone at his back, reality at his neck, his blood still seeping unto cold, dead ground. 

“He lives,” it breathes, short and guttural - a voice he’d once thought as a new-moon winter night, starless and cold, but washed with a coat of white - relief?

Pain returns with a vengeance, a spiral of what-ifs then-maybes and don’t-looks before the burn settles at his throat, tearing worse than the lungs in bleeding, jagged edges.

“He’s a bard,” it insists, barring floods of realization as only Geralt’s troubled brow can.

“He is your bard,” the starless-night voice counters, and what he once thought harsh is nothing compared to the stone at his back, reality at his neck, his blood still seeping unto cold, dead ground. 

“He lives,” it breathes, short and guttural - a voice he’d once thought as a new-moon winter night, starless and cold, but washed with a coat of white - relief?

Pain returns with a vengeance, a spiral of what-ifs then-maybes and don’t-looks before the burn settles at his throat, tearing worse than the lungs in bleeding, jagged edges.

How am I just now really understanding these lines?!

“The leader who rose against the lioness”

The wording makes it sound like it's an endorsement.

"The bard's songs claimed that you were the King of the Elves"

And this! In the episode S1E2, we heard Jaskier call Filavandrel the king of elves and such, but it's never mentioned in Toss a Coin. So this is a line from a different song.

“At the edge of the world” is a direct quote from Toss a Coin, so we can assume the other lines are quotes as well...

Which means, that scene wasn't just to show Yennefer and Fringilla talking to him, it was also to provide a hint that when Jaskier wasn't singing about Geralt or his love interests... He was using his songs for political activism.

He (probably) publicly sang a song, for the elves, about their Uprising, in favor of the cause. He supported them, and might’ve not only been singing them to the elves, and could've also tried to rally people to their cause by singing to other races and showing them what the elves were fighting for.

Because if the song was merely to report what was happening, it might’ve been worded more like “the rebellion against the crown, the foolish false king, a rioter, insurgent, heretic” but no. Those aren't the words he used. It’s hopeful and it's more like an appraisal to Filavandrel's work for his people.

Jaskier probably saw the damage that Toss a Coin contributed to (reminder that he was roughly 18 when he wrote it) and decided to go get educated and wrote better songs when he understood more of what was really happening.

And yet Jaskier sees how the corners of Geralt's mouth curl upwards just for a moment before he composes himself and puts on the same stoic expression he always wears.

Challenge accepted.

"Geralt?"

"Yes, Jaskier?"

"What does it mean when you find a horse shoe on the ground?"

The Witcher rolls his eyes.

"Good luck. But that's just a superst—"

"No, it means some poor horse is walking around in socks."

Geralt is shooting daggers at him, but Jaskier can see that the walls are crumbling.

Thank the gods he never forgets a joke.

"Why couldn't the pony sing?"

"Jaskier, please."

No. Not when your smile is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

"Because he was a little hoarse." He flashes the Witcher a cheeky grin as he tells the punchline, and then—

Geralt lets out a snort, loud and sudden and ugly, and yet it is music to Jaskier's ears.

"A little... a little hoarse..." he says and if it wasn't happening right in front of him, Jaskier could almost believe he's dreaming as he sees Geralt giggle.

His nose crunches up and tiny dimples appear on his cheeks as the Witcher is shaken by tiny laughs, unable to hide them even though his face is buried in his hands.

Jaskier watches in silence and stares. He has never seen the Witcher so relaxed, so carefree and happy, and it takes a while before he has calmed down again, a little smile still on his face as he glances over to the bard.

"'Gonna have to try that one on Lambert." Geralt's eyes twinkle, and Jaskier is basking in their light.

Great news bestie, I have the perfect replacement holiday for you:

James “Colonizer Bitch” Cook was murdered in Hawai’i by my ancestors on Feb 14th, 1779, on Kealakekua Bay. This iconic move ended his reign of terror across the Pacific, where he ruined everything and was overall a massive dick. Buy yourself some chocolate and fondly remember how Kānaka Maoli stabbed James to death and burned his corpse. It’s the perfect holiday for all ages ❤️

lead: coën (often underestimated but often sets the most important stones in a match. sweeper.)

second: lambert (fast-playing hard-hitting takeout king. sweeper. infamous for accidentally cracking rocks doing runbacks. may or may not have some brooms on his conscience too.)

vice/third: eskel (surprisingly gifted at high-precision and high-curl shots, not above a solid takeout though. strategist at heart.)

skip: geralt (obviously. strategic allrounder, calls the shots. even makes lambert listen - most of the time.)

jaskier runs commentary, obviously. usually starts singing somwhere around the third end - if he can hold back through the second.

yennefer and geralt were mixed doubles partners for a while. strategically matched but kept bickering on the ice.

yennefer and jaskier had a feud going for years (possibly a little one-sided though one did have at least two hours of talking to fill - per game) but after yen sustains a stress injury, she's invited to guest narrate some of team KM's games. the banter is the stuff of legends.

lead: coën (often underestimated but often sets the most important stones in a match. sweeper.)

second: lambert (fast-playing hard-hitting takeout king. sweeper. infamous for accidentally cracking rocks doing runbacks. may or may not have some brooms on his conscience too.)

vice/third: eskel (surprisingly gifted at high-precision and high-curl shots, not above a solid takeout though. strategist at heart.)

skip: geralt (obviously. strategic allrounder, calls the shots. even makes lambert listen - most of the time.)

like, a child that’s in trouble all the time, frequently skipping school, getting caught doing crimes? that’s a kid that desperately needs literally any positive attention. that kid needs help. obviously.

No one asks him to. Not in earnest. He doesn’t know what he would if they did.

The effect is surprising in its swiftness - how his breath goes shallow and voice hoarsens.

His knees are the first to start aching, but the rest follows suit and soon enough, every movement is a chore. Decay sets root in his heart and spreads to his limbs with each beat it makes.

There’s a faint taste of blood at the roof of his mouth.

His human life, for a life of song.

It was such a simple thing, easier to do than not. With all the courage of youth now everlasting, it had been more worry than a fear, that he’d open his mouth someday and find nothing.

He knows he played his part. He took the road of his heart and in return, it gave him the songs to walk alongside it.