I woke with the sun and none of the bards had returned. I took my time dismantling camp and gave Pegasus an extra brush just to dawdle more but the bards didn't come back. By the time I had run out of excuses to wait, it was nearing midday and still they hadn't come back. Forced to admit to myself that this time, they really weren't going to follow, I swallowed past the lump in my throat and started to ride away.

"WITCHER!" I turned and found a young man, face covered in spots and auburn hair plastered to his head and drenched with sweat running towards me.

"Bards…." He panted, breathing so ragged he could barely speak. "… arrested… Baron"

"Show me the way"

I offered my hand, he accepted and I helped him up onto Pegasus behind me. He reeked of sweat but I ignored it. I rode back into the village and followed the boy's directions towards the Baron's castle.

The small castle was beautiful in a way, with sections entirely covered in Wisteria. By the time we reached the castle, the boys breathing had returned to normal. We dismounted,

"Feel like telling me your name?" I asked as gently as I could,

"Ian"

"After the bards have been released, don't tell them that you saw me. Okay? Give me your word"

"You have it but…"

The front door opened before he could finish, a young maid stood in the entrance,

"May I be of assistance?" She asked politely,

"I seek an audience with the Baron"

"I'm afraid he's busy"

"I'll wait"

"He may take a while"

"I will wait"

She nodded,

"A stable boy will take care of your horse, if you will follow me" I followed her into the house and already I caught the scent of the bards.

And their fear.

If I weren't angry before, this only made me angrier. What the fuck had my bards been arrested for?!

The maid's eyes widened when she saw my medallion but she didn't comment, only wordlessly showed me into the library and left. Though the stench of her fear lingered.

The library seemed cosy enough and well stocked. Several plush armchairs dotted strategically around the room including two in front of the fireplace.

I was too pent up to sit.

A mere minute passed before the door opened again and the maid returned, shaking with fear,

"Baron Fillip will see you now" She said, though her voice shook. "If you will follow me"

I followed, noting the route as she led into what had to be the Baron's study. He sat behind the desk, a tall, broad man with oak brown hair, clean shaven and absolutely no warmth in his dark eyes.

The room was filled with guards, even though their scents confused the smell, I knew Geralt, Eskel, Lambert and Vesemir had been here. I knew their scents too well not to be able to pick it up. The Baron rose and offered me his hand, I shook it,

"Welcome to my home, Witcher" He said, "Leave us"

The guards left, leaving me alone with the Baron

"What can I do for you?"

"I'd like to know why the bards I came with, have been arrested"

"You heard? Well perhaps what you don't know, is that my guards overheard Lambert publicly shouting how much he hated my guts and insulting me in a great variety of ways. He was quite imaginative. My guards arrested him, but he resisted arrest. His friends Geralt, Eskel and Vesemir fought against the guards and beat one of my men up so badly that he almost died"

"And what's their punishment to be?"

"As Lambert started it and caused the most damage, he gets fifty lashes. Eskel, Geralt and Vesemir get twenty each"

"What the fuck?! Fifty. That's enough for permanent damage, it may even kill him! and Vesemir is an old man"

"Ignorance of the law is not a viable defence, Madam Witcher. If they didn't know, then it is not my problem but theirs" I could see in his eyes that there would be no reasoning with him. He wanted pain, he wanted suffering on others, he didn't care about right or wrong.

More monster than man.

"It was my fault"

"Excuse me?"

"I forced them. I blackmailed Lambert, Eskel, Vesemir and Geralt into bad mouthing you and attacking your guards. I take full responsibility for their actions"

He met my gaze and I returned it, keeping my face an impassive mask.

"You understand what admitting means"

"Yes. The bards will go free, no harm will come to them. They'll leave your village in the exact condition they arrived in"

"You have my word"

I didn't trust him but what choice did I have?

"I have one request, if I may"

"And what's that?"

"The bards aren't told of this, not until it's over"
"That seems reasonable enough" He rang a little bell and a contingent of heavily armed guards marched into the room.

"I want you to go to the dungeon and have the four bards released. Tell them nothing. They can have all of their possessions returned, see them safely to the manor entrance. Tell all the guards, not to hurt the bards mentally or physically. Understood? Good. Sebastian, after the bards are released, we'll need the strongest chains we have, we need to restrain a Witcher"

As I peeled off my armour and my weapons, I could hear the bards moving around inside the house. Finally, after what felt like an age, the four bards left. The Baron grinned with no mirth, only a mild sadistic glee in his eyes.

"I've fulfilled my part of the bargain Witcher, now your turn"

"I gave you my word Baron, I keep my word"

"Good"

Not long after that, I stood in the filthy dungeon, the smell of the bards strong in the musty air. I wore a rough shirt and breeches, neither of them were clearly very clean however but I wasn't going to complain. I had my wrists chained to the ceiling above my head, my ankles chained to the ground. one of the guards held a leather whip in his hands, the Baron hovered by the door,

"Now as much as I enjoy watching you work Ruben, but I'm afraid I'm swamped. Have fun. She's getting one-hundred and ten lashes. Fifty from Lambert, twenty each from Vesemir, Eskel and Geralt.

Doesn't have to be all at once but I'd never deny you your creative freedom"

The Baron locked the cell door behind him, leaving me alone with the guard, he grinned nastily and cut the back of the shirt. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing me hurt

For Lambert.

The first strike against my back

For Eskel

Again

For Vesemir.

The next strike fell against stripes already there. I held back the noise of pain and thought of Geralt.

I lost track of the time. Of the day. Of the number of strikes I was up to, I was pretty sure Ruben had lost track too, surely it had been one hundred and ten by now. Forty-one. Oh.

Fiery pain pulsed constantly in my back with next to no moments of relief. Sure, Ruben left occasionally and I would take the moment to fall into meditation a bucket of icy cold water would be thrown over my head which would make my wounds throb with a fresh wave of agony and I would stop.

Even unconsciousness was a relief denied.

My arms ached from holding my weight up.

It was a horrible, endless cycle with the sole thought of Geralt, Lambert, Eskel and Vesemir to keep me going. For them.

After what felt like years, the cell door rattled and the Baron walked in,

"Well Witcher, you look awful" he told me,

"You don't look so hot yourself" I croaked.

"You'll be relieved to hear that your punishment is over. All one-hundred and ten lashes. Not many can hold out so quietly from Ruben. He's making it his life's work to study pain; he's deeply fascinated by it.

No witty comment? Hmm, pity. Your horse is waiting for you at the entrance. One of the boys will show you out and as you asked, none of the bards were told about your visit. I believe they left already.

What did you do to Lambert? He seems to really hate you for some reason"

As he spoke, one of the guards released my chains.

"I betrayed the faith and trust Lambert, Vesemir, Geralt and Eskel had in me"

"Oh, is that it? I had hoped it would be something more interesting than that but we can't all get what we want"

I was so weak that I was barely able to walk but I would crawl if that's what it took to get me out of that castle. As promised, Pegasus was waiting for me, with Ian hovering by his reins. Pegasus pawed at the ground when he saw me and bit at one of the guard's hands when he got too close,

"Good boy" I croaked,

"What did they do to you?!"

I tried and failed to get on Pegasus' back and I succumbed to the blackness of unconsciousness.

"Julie…."