The years after the brief entanglement with the Empire were mostly uneventful. At least on the political front. Eskel continued to make the summer ride north, always stopping at the village he had helped establish a few years before. It had continued to grow into a bustling attraction despite the misery and deprivation that permeated the land. However, raising children was an altogether different type of adventure…

8 years

Triss had sworn she had seen Eskel arrive home. She had been waiting eagerly for him for three days. Since Kari's marriage last winter in Toussaint, she and Eskel had been on their own with the twins. And Triss was ready for some parental back-up.

Walking back out to the stable, she found herself grabbed from behind and pulled into the dark corner.

"Welcome, home, my love," she said just before he kissed her.

"Mmmmm…welcome home indeed." Eskel pressed her against the wall and lifted her skirt before untying his pants. They joined together hot and fast, relishing the moment of privacy and the company of the other after a brief absence. He smelled of sweat, horse, and something else unseemly but she didn't care. She ran her hands through his hair and moaned in his ear, making him move harder against her. The lovers climaxed together, panting and sighing in relief and ecstasy.

Once they regained their senses and righted their clothes, Eskel took her hand as they left the stable. Once outside, their path was blocked with a very angry looking eight-year-old. Rayden pulled his sword and pointed it at Eskel. Izzy was cowering behind her bother, unable to bring her eyes up to look at her parents.

"Rayden, what do you think you're doing?" Eskel reached out to grab the boy's sword but he jabbed forward instead, catching Eskel's palm with the blade.

"What were you doing to Mama?!"

"What was I doing to…you saw that?" Rayden jabbed at him again and this time Triss stepped in.

"Rayden, that's enough." Triss wrapped a rag around Eskel's hand. "Now, you sit down and have a talk with your father. Izzy, come with me, dear." Triss held her hand out to the girl then led her inside.

"Wait…talk?" he called after her. "Shit." Eskel looked down into his son's face. "Uh…why don't you sit over there." Eskel sat on an unsplit log and looked again at Rayden. The boy was still visibly upset but there was a spark of curiosity, too.

"Rayden…" He wasn't sure where to begin. He had learned about sex by eavesdropping on the Witchers that returned for the winter, and he was fairly sure that wasn't the best way for a boy to learn about the birds and the bees.

"Rayden…"

"Yes?" Rayden's eager eyes were trained on him, waiting for answers. Eskel sighed and decided to be truthful. To a point.

"I love your Mama, very much in fact. And when a man and a woman love each other they like to show it…physically." Eskel launched into a basic description of the act in question and what went where.

"And grown-ups like doing this?"

"Uh…yeah. Very much." Rayden seemed dubious but at least he wasn't angry at him anymore.

"I don't know…that seems awful…messy."

"That's also where babies come from." Eskel added. Might as well make sure he knew that bit as well.

"Really? They why don't you and Mama have more than just us? You do that sex stuff all the time!" Ugh. Eskel really wanted to crawl under something right about now, but if could face down alghouls, chorts, wraiths and a host of other monsters then he could talk to his son about sex.

"Your Mom and I are different from other people. She's a sorceress and I'm a …"

"Witcher. I know."

"What I'm getting at is that we weren't born this way. Someone used magic on us to make us what we are. And because of that, we are infertile. We can't have children."

"Then, how'd you get us?" The boy's face was screwed up with serious concern. Eskel knew this would come up eventually and it only made sense that it would be connected with this particular topic.

"I found you and Izzy." Eskel swallowed hard before continuing. "Monsters had attacked your family. Your father was dead, and your mother begged me with her last breath to take you and protect you. So, I did. We may not have given birth to you, but we love you as if we did." Rayden sat still for a moment then launched himself at Eskel, his small arms hugging tight around his neck. Eskel held him close as he felt hot tears fall on his neck.

"I love you, too, Papa." Rayden whispered. The boy stood upright and wiped his nose with his sleeve. "Sorry I hurt your hand."

"That's okay. I'll forgive you. This time." Eskel ruffled the boy's hair.

Ten Years

"Again!" Eskel demanded. Rayden moved back to his starting position and went through the series of movements designed to increase accuracy. The boy worked hard under his father's watchful eye. He was determined, stubborn. Eskel circled him, correcting during the exercise, one he knew by heart as he had performed it himself at Kaer Morhen as a boy.

Leaving Rayden to his task, Eskel turned to Isabella. He was teaching her to use a light-weight dagger. Kneeling, he adjusted her grip and encouraged her to continue. His Izzy was soft spoken and gentle. She had balked at learning to use a weapon, but he had insisted. Her reluctance dissipated some when he gifted her an elegant elven dagger.

Down the road, horses could be heard coming their way. Eskel thought nothing of it until the sound of steel being readied brought his attention away from the lessons. Jumping up he pulled his sword, scaring Izzy. Rayden moved to comfort his sister as men rode up to the cottage with swords drawn. Eskel reached back and pulled out the silver sword as well. The man at the front dismounted while the others were hesitant to confront a witcher with two swords at the ready.

"Why are you here?" Eskel asked.

"You know why, Witcher. The Emperor wishes to raise his heir himself. Now hand the child over." He took a step to the side but Eskel blocked his path with the finely honed steel bade. Rayden stood with his own blade out as Izzy hid behind him.

"Not so fast…"

"There are two…Who is older?"

"I am!" Rayden said defiantly.

"I suggest you get back on your horse and go tell Emhyr to fuck off."

"That's not how it works."

"Oh, yes, it is." A golden bubble formed around Eskel and the children and he glanced over his shoulder to see Triss exiting the house. She carried flames in her hand and fire in her eyes.

"Emhyr always gets what he wants." The Nilfgaardian persisted. Eskel stepped out of the protective shield.

"Yeah, he said that to me once when he tried to kill me."

"Then maybe I can finish the job." He brought his sword up, but it was too late. Eskel crossed his blades, decapitating him. When he looked at the others, they hesitated.

"Clean this up and leave. Tell Emhyr I won't send anyone home next time." Eskel sheathed his blades and grabbed up Izzy as she ran into his arms. Two soldiers jumped down and gathered the body and head of their fallen commander and departed. Eskel placed a hand on Rayden's shoulder.

"I'm proud of you, son, for protecting your sister." And he didn't mean with a sword, because they all knew that Rayden wasn't the oldest. It was Isabella.

Fifteen Years

Eskel went looking for Rayden. When he found the boy, it wasn't going to look good. He had taken a contract and had been gone overnight and when he got home, the wood was not chopped and the stable full of flies. Fortunately, Eskel knew exactly where to look.

When Rayden was younger, he liked to go to the river to hide from his chores and sure enough, there was his horse tied to a tree. Eskel tracked down the narrow path to the river and what he found at the water's edge made his blood boil. His son was half naked, his pants shoved halfway down his thighs as he rutted on top of some village girl.

Rayden on the other hand was having far too much fun and was completely unaware of the very angry witcher until he was grabbed by the back of the neck and hauled to his feet mid thrust. The girl screamed and scrambled to cover herself, grabbing up discarded clothes then ran home.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Eskel seethed. Despite his pants falling further down his legs, Rayden drew himself up emboldened by the embarrassment.

"What the hell did it look like?!" he countered.

"Irresponsible! That's what!" Eskel's gaze shifted to Rayden's chest and his nostrils flared. A wolf head amulet. He reached out and snatched it off, the leather thong leaving a welt around the boy's neck as it broke, then held it aloft.

"See this? Responsibility, honor, loyalty! That's what this means."

"Oh please! I've heard all the stories from Lambert about you witchers. Women, anywhere, any way. How many women have you screwed while out on 'The Path'?" Eskel punched him in the mouth, though not as hard as he deserved.

"You're no witcher! You seem to forget that you can get a girl pregnant!" Rayden paled slightly as he wiped the blood from his lip and Eskel continued. "The man that wore this amulet taught us to be respectful in the face of hatred, honest in the face of deceit, duty in the face of temptation and loyalty above all else.

And who I have crawled into bed with over the years is none of your concern. I have always exercised restraint, discretion, and good sense.

If you really need to get off that badly, then drag your ass to the whore house. Now finish yourself off and get dressed. The stable is filthy, and the wood needs to be chopped before your Mother gets home." Eskel turned and took a few steps away before stopping. When he spoke, his voice was still and quiet.

"And don't ever question my loyalty to her again."

That evening, as Rayden stood ankle deep in dirty straw, he watched his parents greet one another. Her broad grin and sparkling eyes, his soft smile and gentle voice. The way he caressed her cheek as she clung to him possessively. He realized then how badly he had hurt his father. He continued to watch as Eskel scooped her up and carried her indoors where they would sequester themselves for at least an hour. Rayden returned his attention to the straw at his feet.

Later that night, he found his father outside on the stable roof watching the moon rise in the dark sky. Rayden climbed up and sat silently beside him, a hint of strawberries wafting from his skin. Come to think of it, his father either smelled of sweat and steel or of his mother. How could he think that Eskel would betray her in any way?

I'm sorry," Rayden began. "I should have never questioned your loyalty to Mom. I never meant to hurt you like that." Eskel remained still and silent. "I'm also sorry I went through your stuff. I thought it was just an extra amulet. I didn't know it belonged to anyone, you know, important. And for not being more responsible. Thinking about it now, I realize you were right. I acted stupidly." Rayden fell silent and Eskel turned to acknowledge his son.

"Then I've done something right." Eskel reached over and patted Rayden's shoulder. He knew what was in Rayden's future and all he could do was hope to prepare him for it. "Let me tell you about Vesemir…"

Eighteen Years

Izzy stood with two books, one in each hand. She couldn't decide which one to buy and she only had enough money for one. She shifted from one foot to the other as the book seller looked on. Folktales of Temeria? Or Monster Lore of the Skellige Isles?

"Here, maybe this will help," a deep voice said behind her as a gloved hand dropped some gold coins on the table. She dropped the books and spun around.

"Papa!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. "You're home!"

"And glad to be so," Eskel said with a smile. Izzy released him, paid for both books and dropped them in her bag. Eskel offered his arm to her. She placed her slender hand in the crook of his and he marveled at how much she had changed. She was slightly taller than Triss, fair where her brother was dark, quiet and bookish. She was a beautiful young woman and Eskel relished the thought that his presence kept the less desirable suiters at bay. He could rest easy knowing that any man willing to brave the wrath of a witcher would be good to his daughter.

"So, where is your brother?" Eskel asked. Izzy frowned.

"Probably getting into trouble or other stupid nonsense. That's what he does when you're not here."

"What kind of trouble?" He asked. Izzy sighed.

"He's been getting into fights. Oh, he doesn't start them, but you know how he is. Someone spouts off and he loses his mind. At least he wins. Usually. And then there's the horseracing." She said this last with a note of bitterness.

"Horseracing?" This was also very concerning. Eskel was known to dabble in a little racing from time to time, but he was a master horseman, his skills honed over nearly a century.

"Yes. He took Casimira out and she threw a shoe. He at least had enough sense to drop out then. Speaking of Casimira, I need to fetch her from the smithy. Jarek should be finished with her by now." They made their way to the blacksmith to retrieve Izzy's horse, one of several offspring between Scorpion and Roach.

"Master Witcher!" Boomed Bullard, the blacksmith. He was a large man with bulging arms from his trade and a thick mane of black hair. Jarek looked up from hammering the last of the nails in Casimira's hoof, his eyes lingering on Izzy. She released Eskel's arm to move toward her mare.

"Hey, Bullard. Re-shoeing Casi, huh?"
"Yes. Seems Rayden took her out for a joyride. That boy of yours is headed for trouble, Eskel. Izzy was right put out with her brother, too, but Jarek took special care of her." The men looked over where Izzy and the smith's son stood talking quietly. He was a young man of twenty, large like his father but as soft of voice as his sire was loud. "I think he is quite taken with her, Eskel. And I don't mean the horse." Eskel continued to watch them. Izzy was demure, a rosy tinge to her cheeks. And she with him, he thought. Bullard was a good man; his son just like him. Eskel pulled out his coin pouch and walked over to the young man. He stood straight and looked Eskel in the eye.

"Jarek," Eskel handed over the gold for the job done.

"Thank you, sir. Those shoes should hold for a good while. Unless Rayden gets ahold of her again. I told him he shouldn't be racing through the gorge. At least not with his sister's horse. Going to kill himself or the horse or both."

"Not with any horse. I appreciate you looking after Izzy."

"My pleasure, sir." Jarek replied, but he was looking at Izzy when he said it. Suddenly there was a loud clamor on the streets, people running past. Jarek stepped in front of Izzy, holding tight to his smith's hammer. Eskel made a mental note to speak with the young man at a later date and went to investigate the source of the trouble.

He turned the corner and in the middle of the street was Rayden, surrounded by a group of four young men. Eskel sighed. Everything he had taught Rayden couldn't overcome his impulsive nature. There was one thing that could fix that but Triss was not going to like it. Eskel just leaned against the wall of the nearest building and watched. Rayden got himself into this, he'd have to get himself out of it.

"Alright Rayden. Pay up. You lost." One of them was saying.

"No way. Not after one of your buddies was fucking with my horse. You want coin, you're going to have to take it from me." Rayden stood firm and crossed his arms. Eskel tilted his head. Is that what I look like? He wondered.

"Think you're invincible, do you? Just because you were raised by a filthy witcher?" Oh, that's it, he's gone. True to form, Rayden pulled back his fist and punched the loudmouth square in the jaw. The brawl began in earnest then, with the other three jumping in as well. Rayden took his share of hits, but his superior fighting was winning out until one them pulled a dagger from his waist. Time to intervene. Eskel walked in fast and grabbed the knife wielder by the neck then twisted the blade from his grasp. Rayden finished the others as the city watch came barreling around the corner. The four ruffians took off as fast as they could, which wasn't very. Rayden walked over to Eskel, wiping the blood from his mouth on his sleeve.

"Witcher." The Watch Captain acknowledged Eskel. "Is there a problem here?" He asked Rayden, looking him over.

"No, sir. No problem here." Rayden replied casually. The guard sighed.

"Rayden, you've been fighting. Again. We can't have that kind of behavior in the city. It makes people nervous." He turned to Eskel. "I trust you'll handle this. Next time I catch him at it, I'm going to have to drag him in. Maybe a few nights in the King's dungeon will straighten him out." The guards left, and people began to mill around normally. Eskel stood silent, hands on hips.

"I didn't start it."

"That's not the point, Rayden. Have you paid attention to nothing I have taught you? If I hadn't been here, you'd be bleeding in the street. Keeping your cool can save your life. And it doesn't matter what some little shit says about me. I have walked these lands for nearly a hundred years and have heard it all. If it doesn't bother me, it shouldn't bother you either. And you shouldn't be racing any of my horses anywhere. Ever."

"Yes, sir." The two stood quiet for a moment. "Welcome home, Dad." Eskel chuckled in spite of himself and clapped his son on the shoulder. Rayden was nearly as tall as he was, with a lean fighter's build, dark hair that touched his collar, and bright green eyes. They walked back up the street toward the smithy. Rounding the corner, Eskel stopped dead in his tracks. In front of them was the blacksmith's son kissing his daughter. Damn. Eskel felt Rayden lay a hand on his shoulder.

"Seems I'm not the only one causing you trouble," he laughed. "Hey, Jarek! Get your lips off my sister!" He yelled jovially.

"You want to do what?!" Triss turned away from the vanity mirror to see if Eskel had sprouted horns or other some such.

"He's coming with me on The Path next spring."

"Absolutely not."

"You don't get to veto this, Triss. He's a young man without direction. Taking him out with me might just clear up his place in the world. Either that, or he's going to find himself in a fight he can't win." Triss joined him on the bed.

"I know what the roads are. He's no Witcher." She worried.

"But he's been trained by one." Eskel put his arm around her and kissed her temple. He knew she was thinking about Leo. "I won't let anything happen to him."

"But he could get you killed."

"No, he won't. He's better than you realize. Rayden has a natural instinct for fighting. That's why he's always in one. You know he took Casimira out to the gorge to race? Jarek gave him an earful about that."

"Speaking of Jarek…"

"Yeah…I know what's coming."

"You do?" Triss asked, surprised.

"I'm not blind. I know how a man looks at the woman he loves." He looked down at her.

"Do you?" Triss teased. Eskel took her in his arms and laid her back on the bed.

"Yes. I do."