Ch.7. Blithe Blue
Purple and blue rarely go together.
Of course, that's exactly why Yennefer takes such pride in how good she and Buttercup look: her evening gown is almost entirely purple, only the hems decorated with small blue flowers to match Buttercup's lilac chemise and blue doublet.
(Something inside her glows happily at the two of them matching.)
He takes her hand once she's created a portal, offering him a small smile before guiding them through it. Predictably, he yelps, stumbles, and almost falls over, steadied only by Yennefer's hand in his.
"You're okay," she soothes as he squeezes her hand.
He nods but waits for her to start walking rather than saying anything or bounding ahead, which tells her he's more nervous than either of them want to admit.
(She doesn't know why she can pick up on that so easily.)
The two of them make their way inside the Lord's mansion with Yennefer pointedly ignoring the lingering stares directed their way.
"Yennefer of Vengerberg, my humble welcome!"
Yennefer glances over to the Lord, not bothering to offer him a smile. "Lord Ambrose."
Buttercup shuffles closer to her, hiding behind the fabric of her gown. Yennefer barely notices it but Lord Ambrose raises an eyebrow. "I don't believe we've met before…?"
"He stays with me or I won't even consider helping you," Yennefer warns.
Lord Ambrose nods quickly and gestures for her to follow him. "We can take this to my study?"
"Obviously," Yennefer mutters, making sure Buttercup isn't about to fall over her gown before starting to follow, his hand still firmly in hers.
(It's surprising how she isn't embarrassed by that.)
"I don't like it here," Buttercup whispers softly.
She frowns, glancing down at him. "What's wrong?"
But he doesn't get a chance to reply because they reach the Lord's study, where he leads them inside and gestures to the desk as if asking them to take a seat.
"We'll remain standing until you explain. You have five minutes," Yennefer says, sighing.
"There's a mage attacking our town and-"
Yennefer holds up a hand. "Attacking? Is anyone dead?"
Lord Ambrose shakes his head. "There are a dozen missing but no bodies yet."
Only when Buttercup whimpers does she remember that he's a mere child and probably shouldn't be overhearing a conversation about death, especially if it involves rogue mages.
(Guilt runs through her for the first time in a long while.)
But she doesn't want to leave him anywhere, not when he'd run from the sight of someone as friendly as Triss and not when there's no telling who could come across him in a place so large.
"Are you okay?" she asks him, ignoring the way Lord Ambrose frowns.
Buttercup nods quickly, his small fists clenching around her gown. She nods but the conflict in her heart only increases. Fortunately, he makes the choice for her and shakes his head, whispering, "Stay with you, like you said."
Yennefer sighs but nods again, pulling him behind her as she turns back to Lord Ambrose. "When did they start disappearing?"
"Almost two weeks ago. We thought it was coincidence but too many have vanished and we need-"
She holds up a hand, pleased to see that he doesn't protest to being interrupted again. "Have you tried hiring a witcher?"
The rest of the conversation goes smoothly, the Lord explaining that the witcher who'd passed by their town had suggested finding a mage. After that, she makes sure to get as many details as she can, barely even noticing when Buttercup takes one of her hands.
(It feels right for him to be holding it.)
"I'll get back to you within a week," Yennefer eventually says in a way that ends their conversation.
Lord Ambrose nods. "Of course."
Not wanting to drag Buttercup through a portal when she can sense his nerves, Yennefer leads them out through the front doors and into the market, smiling down at him. "Have you been to a market before?"
He shakes his head. "Not like this one."
Unsurprised, she doesn't question it. "Well, in this one, you can choose something to buy."
"Buy?" he echoes, as if he's never heard the word before.
Yennefer makes a note of that as something to question later before nodding once more. "It means you can pick something you like the look of and… exchange money for it."
"Money. I know what money is," he tells her proudly, but then his face falls. "I don't have any."
(He'll never need it as long as he's with her, she promises herself.)
Yennefer smirks as kindly as possible. "But I do."
Buttercup grins widely, wrapping his arms around her, more or less just hugging fabric but she doesn't have the heart to push him away. His eyes are full of a joy that she can't relate to when he tugs on her hand, leading her towards one of the stalls.
She's confused when he bypasses the cakes but she figures that if he'd never seen soup before, it's likely that he doesn't know how to feel about other kinds of foods, which is probably the only reason he leads her to a table of trinkets that she'd not even spare a first glance, never mind a second.
(Yet another part of her that seems to have changed since meeting him.)
"Which do you want?" she asks, not liking the way the woman behind the stall is frowning at the two of them.
Buttercup hums, his hesitance melting away into curiosity as he fiddles with the little pendants and charms on display.
"What's your name, young man?" the vendor asks.
But he doesn't seem to hear her, picking a necklace with a small blue charm on the end and holding it up with a bright grin. "Jewel!" he exclaims as if having discovered something new.
The vendor frowns, glancing between the jewel and Buttercup. "That's your name?"
Yennefer groans inwardly but clears her throat. "Short for… Julian. It's a little long for him to say, apparently."
(She doesn't miss the way he frowns at her but says nothing, unadulterated trust in his eyes.)
"Oh, that makes more sense! A jewel for young Julian, then?" she asks sweetly.
Buttercup nods slowly. "Please? Yenny can trade for it."
The vendor laughs. "Of course."
It's a testament to how fond she's grown of Buttercup that she actually pays for the necklace, resisting the strong urge to smile when he beams at her as if she's his whole world.
"Will you put it on, Yenny?" he asks her, holding the necklace up.
"In a minute, come here," she replies, nodding at the vendor before leading him into a quiet little alley and kneeling in front of him.
(Nobody else has the right to see her kneeling.)
The little jewel on the necklace matches his eyes perfectly, Yennefer notices as she secures the accessory around his neck. It helps that he giggles as her hands brush his neck, waiting until she hums in approval before turning and throwing himself at her.
"Thank you, Yenny!" he exclaims happily.
This time, she lets herself smile, curling her arms around his small frame in return. "My pleasure, little one."
They make the rest of the journey back with no other interactions, Buttercup running over to a patch of flowers and excitedly showing her the different types every so often. It feels oddly natural and she finds she doesn't mind it.
(Before him, she would have called anything but a portal a waste of time.)
By the time they get back, Buttercup has exhausted himself and all but collapses into his bed. Still, he reaches for her with a tired grin. "Can we nap?"
Yennefer doesn't see the point of naps but her head nods before she can figure out a way to refuse him. Sighing, she settles in beside him, letting him curl into her and use her as a pillow despite the perfectly good ones she'd provided him.
"Who's Julian?" he mumbles into her stomach.
Running a hand through his hair, she sighs. "I guess that's what we'll be calling you whenever we go anywhere."
He's silent for so long that she assumes he's fallen asleep but then he nods somewhat solemnly. "You can call me that always."
(He's one of few bold enough to assume she needs anyone's permission for anything.)
"Are you sure, little one?" Yennefer asks as he yawns.
He nods again, barely even moving his head. "Then I match my jewel."
The confusing logic of young minds never ceases to amaze and Yennefer finds she doesn't quite know how to reply to that so she just pulls him closer and tucks a blanket around him, smiling softly as he yawns again.
"Enjoy your nap, Julian," she whispers.
He doesn't reply.
But he doesn't need to because she can feel him and she can feel his trust and there are no words that would sound better than his peaceful heartbeat against her skin.
(They might have settled on a name for him but she still can't name what she feels for him.)
i know i'm the one who called him Buttercup but i got annoyed at the name so now he's Julian again ;)
thanks if you're reading x