When Geralt finished telling Jaskier about his recent unfortunate events, the bard's mouth dropped in awe. "I can't believe I missed all that."
Geralt shot him a weary look before taking another swig of his ale. "You're free to profit off of all my misadventures save this one."
"You're right, sorry," Jaskier shook his mind clear of all profiting thoughts and turned his attention to the problem at hand. "So, just to recap," he cleared his throat before continuing. "By some divine miracle you find your child surprise wandering around alone in the forest. You then plan to take her to Kaer Morhen, because everyone knows that's where every teenage girl dreams of going –
"It's the safest place for her." Geralt interrupted him. "But do go on."
"Right, but on your journey there you get lost in the forest." Jaskier paused a moment before continuing in a suspicious tone. "Now, let's think about that, a Witcher, in his natural element, lost … That didn't seem odd to you?"
"At the time, no," Geralt told him. "We were tired, exhausted from lack of sleep."
"Okay, even if that wasn't suspicious enough," Jaskier leaned in and drew aimlessly on the wooden table with his finger. "Your Witcher senses didn't tingle just a bit when you stumbled on a witches hut in the middle of the forgotten forest, you know, the one that gobbled you two up? Come on, even I can put two and two together."
"Jaskier," Geralt growled in warning.
"What?"
"You're not helping."
"Sorry." The bard sighed and leaned back in his chair. "I just don't know how all of this was lost on you."
"Either way," Geralt said gruffly. "The witch took us in for the night and then sent us on our way the next morning with enough supplies to make it to Kaer Morhen, but there was something in the water she gave Ciri. She took one sip of it and fell to the floor. When she woke up a few hours later …. She was different. She's been saying bizarre things ever sense."
"And you think the witch slipped her a love potion?"
"That's the only explanation I can come up with," Geralt sighed and looked to the fair-haired girl in the corner of the room. She was petting a mutt and her pups as they rolled around in a bed of hay at the bartender's feet. It had been less than a month and he'd already failed her.
"It just seems odd," Jaskier shook his head. "I mean the entire story is batshit crazy, but why a love potion as opposed to some form of poison?"
"I don't know," Said Geralt. "All I know is that I need to fix this, and fast."
All of a sudden the bard's face lit up as if something crucial dawned on him. "I think I know someone who can help us."