Hey people, how are you ? not too worried about everything that's going on in the world?
I don't know how things are going at home, but for my part I'm confined at home (in France) because of Covid-19 (Coronavirus as it is affectionately called in France).
I really hope that I won't develop the disease, because I have very weak lungs... since I was a child/baby.
On another subject! I finished The Witcher Wild Hunt and I'm sad... I had the bad ending... I'm a bit depressed about that ending (seriously, this ending is horrible and very sad)... But that doesn't prevent me from starting again in NG+ (with all my stuff, xp and level) and trying to have the two different endings, and I have to start the two DLCs too.
Anyway... Enjoy this chapter ! I really enjoyed writing it, you'll find several references that I hope you'll find, knowing that one is really obvious .
and thank you Disappointed, who's my beta !
"Up."
With a grunt I got up, weapon in hand with the blade pointed at Geralt. My muscles curled on themselves like a spring, ready to pounce, to attack and defend myself.
"Dead." He said impassively.
The flat of his blade touched my leg briefly, but I continued fighting, remembering the mistake I had made to make sure not to repeat it.
We exchanged more blows as we waltz across the green grass. Our blades cut the wind and whistled in the air as we swung our swords.
"Dead." He repeated.
His blade brushed against my tunic, a few inches from my belly. I instantly retreated and tried a new that I had come up with at this instant.
"Very dead."
The blade was pointed towards my face as Geralt held the wrist that held my sword.
"You're quick. Tiny. Thin."
Each word was followed by about 20 quick, violent and deadly moves.
"But your endurance is limited."
His blade plunged towards me again, I jumped backwards holding onto my sore side, while panting heavily.
"I know… I've never had a lot of stamina." I sighed.
"Against some monster it's a weakness that will cost you your life." He explained casually.
"I'm not a Witcher, I shouldn't be fighting monsters. It's your job." I grunted.
"I am indeed a Witcher. I kill monsters. But you're a huntress."
Looking at him a bit doubtful I raised a brow. "I… don't quite follow."
"A hunter stalks, weakens and kills if necessary. And every good hunter must have stamina." He said as a matter of fact. "Now raise your sword and fight."
Geralt only left me a few seconds before swinging his sword at me, I struggle to par his first hit but then dodged the three next to finally find an opening. I pounced on him with my sword only to be countered, this pattern went on for quite a while. Geralt would attack, I would dodge to find an opening, he would par.
The sun was finally setting, the red-orange glow colored the landscape around us and changed our appearances to each other's eyes. Geralt's cat eyes were more like dragon's eyes than anything else, and my eyes turned amber while my hair seemed to be set ablaze by the sunlight.
A pearl of sweat rolled from my forehead to my nose before falling to the ground. My body was aching, my legs trembled with exhaustion, my arms and shoulders were heavy; I no longer had the strength to lift Jörmungandr.
"Again." Geralt growled as he raised his sword, as exhausted as me.
He was also panting, which was not saying much due to his mutation which made his stamina and strength much superior to that of a normal human being. His white hair had long since slipped from his leather strap and sometimes fell on his face, which dare I say was very attractive.
Geralt's blade was way too close to my face, as I focused on his pale hair, I forgot that he was attacking me, to test my stamina. With great effort, I pushed his blade away with mine. For a long time, I couldn't get past his defense until an idea came to mind. Eureka. My heart fluttered with excitement and my lips displayed a sly smile. Upon noticing Geralt's guard upped and he was suspicious of me.
As I raised my hand, grasping the handle of my sword, ready to strike with a jab. Geralt's eyes fixed on my blade. I took this opportunity to let go of my grip on the handle. Geralt's eyes followed Jörmungandr's fall as my other hand quickly went behind my back to retrieve a dagger. The White Wolf rapidly noticed and tried to grab my wrist holding the dagger, but I changed hands before moving and managed to slip behind his back, gently pressing the blade against his neck. Trying to catch me, I held his arm in a painful position, with his arm bent behind his back he was now unable to use it while the other arm was holding his blade.
Taking advantage of his vulnerability I hit him on the back of the knees to put him on the ground without letting go of my grip on his neck and arm. He turned his face away from the floor with a huff. He tried to get up while I just sat on his back with a sly smile on my lips.
"Dead." I said sing-songed as I teased him while breathing heavily.
Though with pride in his eyes, he only growled in affirmation.
We both dropped our weapons, I then let go of his arm and laid on his back, laughing as I felt my muscles letting go.
"Don't expect me to fight you again today, my whole body just gave up on me. I'm as useful as a worm." I joked.
"I believe we've had our quota for today." Said the Witcher with his deep voice.
And he turned, making me slide on my back next to him in the grass, I could see that the sky was getting dark, the stars were shining brightly, and the moon was rising. I turned my head to look at Geralt and smiled at him as he looked up at the sky too. Observing him closely, everything about him was attractive: his white tangled hair, his gleaming eyes in the dark, his strong square jaw covered with a white stubble, his body much larger and stronger than mine, strewn with scars that had many different stories to tell.
I closed my eyes in appreciation as a fresh breeze cooled my sweaty body. Feeling like I was being watched I opened my eyes as quick as I had closed them, Geralt was staring at me. His golden eyes seemed tender and slightly confused. Was it even possible? I gave him a smile, which he returned, kind of. It was enough.
This moment we were having did not last long, for Fenrir suddenly jumped on me, laying on my torso, with his tongue hanging on one side of his mouth while he was wagging his tail happily.
"Oof… " I let go as my body bore the full weight of my wolf.
"Oh, I so regret how small you were when you were a puppy." I mumbled as he gave me a big, joyful lick on the cheek.
"That's your problem not mine." Replied Geralt with an amused look. "Where's Jaskier? I thought…Fenrir was supposed to watch over him?"
"Wasn't it the other way around? Wasn't it Jaskier's job to keep an eye on Fenrir?" I asked, looking at Geralt with a confused look painted on my face.
"Well actually! We were watching each other!" Jaskier replied suddenly, with a lute in his hand."
"I don't know if I should laugh or cry to that." I groaned as I scratched Fenrir's ear absent-mindedly.
"Right… It's not that I don't like you, on the contrary, I like you both, even though you, Geralt, are the most grumpy and stubborn man I have ever met…" Jaskier rambled. "And you, Azeria, you are the strangest woman I have ever met, and believe me, I have met a lot of women who are very different from each other, from the peasant's daughter with the surprising beauty, to the noble woman whose life is as sad as a –"
Sighing, Geralt interrupted him with an impatient look on his face. "Get to the point, Jaskier."
"Oh, yes, well, you don't smell like roses and chamomile either. And I know you've been fighting like hell all day; thus, a bath would do you a world of good. It would be yours to relax and mine for my sensitive nose. And certainly Fenrir."
"Fenrir is an animal that can smell a drop of vomit from about 10 kilometers away, so I doubt sweat is the worst thing he's ever smelled, especially since he doesn't smell like roses either." I commented as I rested on my elbows, forcing Fenrir to leave my body and lie down right next to me, moving his ears in recognition of his name.
Sniffing slightly the air, Geralt commented "He smells more like a wet dog than anything else."
"That… Thank you for the information Azeria." Jaskier replied with disgust. "And the reason for Fenrir's smell is that he decided to go swimming in the riverbank near Oxenfurt just before noon."
I watched my pet who seemed happy with the attention he was getting. By dipping my fingers into his brown fur, I could actually feel the moisture at the root of his fur. I turned back to Jaskier/
"And you didn't stop him from going for a swim because…?"
"Your wolf is a little more than half your size, has far too much muscle and weight for me to hold him. Oh, and he obeys only you?" Jaskier replied with a great argument.
Convinced by his arguments, and a bit impressed by his argumentation, I shrugged my shoulders and answer with a single, yet strange word. Its meaning being a true mystery to all.
"Legit."
It didn't make sense to Jaskier and Geralt. I had just answered in English, a language unknown to this world. It's silly, though, that none of the languages of my world exist in this one, even the elvish of what I knew was different from the elvish that existed in my world. And damn it! Tolkien was the basics in elvish; even though I only knew a few words.
I snorted at Jaskier's confused face and got up with difficulty. Swearing under my breath I could feel every strained muscle in my body, I looked at Geralt directing some of those insults towards him for what he had me suffer today. Stretching like a cat, arms in the air with an arched back, I cracked a few vertebrae in the process. The two men in stared at me without any restrain, I gave him a deadly glare as warning which made Jaskier look away. Geralt and I gathered our things, put our weapons in their sheaths, and joined Jaskier on the way back to the inn. I snapped my fingers to get Fenrir to follow me and he immediately went to my side. Jaskier scratched a few notes on his instrument while the city guards looked at us suspiciously and spat on the ground as we passed over the stone bridge.
Arriving at the inn really brought us all joy and comfort, my exhausted body and self, required a good warm bath. Jaskier left our side to join a band of minstrels while Geralt and I went to the counter to request a bath each. And there, Destiny hit like a bitch or any entity able of manipulating life. A shot of karma or whatever.
The innkeeper confessed to us that there was only one bathtub available at this very moment for use. All the others were taken. I watched the innkeeper, shocked when I heard the news.
"What?" I asked dumbfounded.
"I just told ya' there's only one bath available! Are you going to take that bath or not?"
"I'll take it." Geralt said in a low voice.
He didn't even ask my opinion. I wanted to bang my face against the counter, to also bang the innkeeper's and Geralt's heads. I took a deep breath to calm myself down, turned around and climbed the wooden stairs to my room. I slammed the door a bit too hard to close it then threw my daggers into the chest. With more care I put the sword Geralt gave me, on the table. Fenrir went to lie by my bed, resting his head on his front paws while looking at me with a confused look, a bit lost in my frustration.
"Why are you angry?"
Surprised, I turned around at the voice.
"I'm not angry, I'm frustrated." I corrected Geralt with a wave of my hand to make it clear. "I'm fucking frustrated because after this long straining day, I can't enjoy a good hot bath because there's only one bath left, and it was taken by you. I'm also frustrated because I'm going to have to go to bed in this same bed, knowing full well that I'll regret it tomorrow when I wake up with a stiff body. So, forgive me Geralt, if I'm not in a good mood."
After my monologue, Geralt gave a shrug and simply said, "Let's share the bath then."
"Wait what?"
"Let's share the bath." He repeats in the same tone.
A bit doubtful I looked at him curiously. "Are you aware of the concept of decency? I hold this concept close to heart, which means I do not share a bath with just anyone!"
"Well, I'm not just anyone."
With a roll of my eyes I said, "Oh you understood very well what I meant!"
"All right…" Sighed Geralt. "Anyway, I'll enjoy the hot water. My door is open if your mind changes."
He left my room with these words, his heavy footsteps making the wood creak on the floor of the inn. I crossed my arms, cheeks red, while Fenrir looked at me with his head tilted out of curiosity.
"Don't judge me Fenrir." I pouted.
I pondered my choice a moment. Hesitantly I got up and peeked out my bedroom door, should I go there? I had made my views on sharing a bath clear to Geralt, but on the other hand I really didn't want to go to bed and wake up tomorrow with a sore body. Hearing the water being poured made me hesitate more and more. Fenrir put his wet snout against the back of my hand, I scratched the top of his head then he left to lie on the bed. I finally made my decision, heading towards Geralt's room I opened the door with a bit too much force, but he didn't seem to be surprise: he was casually laying with his arms outstretched in the bathtub.
"I see you've made your choice."
Instead of answering I started undressing to get into the hot water. Geralt was certainly enjoying the view. Shoes and pants were the first clothes to be piled in a corner and my tunic was the last garment I threw to the pile as I entered the water opposite Geralt in the bathtub, shoving my body into the water up to my mouth. I brought my legs closer to my body wrapped my arms around them.
"You won't relax if you stay in this position." He said with an amused yet bored look.
My only answer was to childishly blow in the water, making bubbles, while staring at him blankly. But after five minutes, I had to admit that he was right, and my position had become uncomfortable, so I turned around, putting my arms on the edge of the bathtub and my head on my arms, and spread my legs slightly in the bathtub, not wanting to reach Geralt, whom I assumed to be completely naked. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the water that warmed my body.
The sound of water echoed in my ears, I suddenly felt fingers touching the skin of my shoulder blades which made me jump. I turn back to Geralt quickly, my cheeks flaming red. "What's the matter with you?!" I hissed in embarrassment.
"What's written on your back?" he asked out of curiosity. "I don't recognize the language."
"It's elvish runes from my world."
"I remember you saying that elves never existed in your world."
"Yes, but that didn't stop people from writing fantasy. The man's name was Tolkien and created a whole universe, and elves were part of it. He was the reference even on everything that had to do with fantasy... elves, dwarves, magic, dragons... that sort of thing."
"What's tattooed on your back? What does it mean?"
"Ash nazg durbatulûk. Ash nazg gimbatul. Ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul…" I recited as best I could. "It is forbidden speech, the language of Mordor."
"And what does it mean?"
"One ring to rule them all. One ring to find them. One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. These are two lines from a poem."
« Do you know it? The poem?"
"Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men, doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie."
"It sounds like some kind of prophecy… or some sort of black magic incantation." He said, frowning.
"Ah! You have no idea. What a shame I don't have the book with me in this world… but I can tell you the story as best as I can, if you want?"
"Why not? After all, it will be different from anything I've ever heard before."
And so, I told him the story of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins the best that my memory allowed.
