The first thing Eskel felt when he woke up were the rays of sunshine hitting the blanket he was buried under. He did not open his eyes immediately, savoring the quiet morning; it had been far too long since he had the opportunity to sleep in a warm bed, and he was planning to enjoy it as much as he could. The Witcher rolled on his stomach, stretching and letting his bare shoulderblades bask up in the sun. He finally opened one eye and tried to adjust to the ambiant light as he looked around his old room. Everything was exactly as it was when he had left Kaer Morhen. The fire place was cold and dusty, for he was too exhausted the night before to light it up. Next to it, in a corner of the room, hidden behind a screen, was a wooden bathtub. He couldn't see it, but he knew it was there. The thought of a warm bath was enough to get him out of bed and dressed in an instant.

The back of his neck pressed against the rough surface of the tub, Eskel closed his eyes and let his mind wander. His thoughts soon went in the direction of the Witcheress he had met the previous day. He had no clue how to feel about the whole situation... The idea of being alone with not one but two Vipers made him wary. Sure, they had been nothing but pleasant since he had arrived by surprise, but the mistrusful voice in the Wolf's head kept muttering to stay on his guards. The Kingslayer hadn't gain his name in vain less than ten years ago, he had sowed chaos in the Northern realms by killing not only Damavend -king of Aedirn-, but also King Folest of Temeria. Sure, Geralt had told his brother that the man had his reasons to do it, but Eskel couldn't bring himself to trust him. Witchers were monster slayers, supposed to be neutral, not to go on killing spree around the land.

As for Erryn, well, she was Letho's friend. Even more than that, she was his pupil, trained by a man who had slaughtered kings without hesitation. What did that mean exactly ? The woman had been mutated by Letho himself, and had stayed with him ever since. She had to have a certain loyalty towards him, Eskel was sure of it. But at the same time... At the same time, she had been more than kind to him. Witchers' smiles were a rare thing, yet Erryn seemed to be able to cause people around her to grin more than usual. Maybe because she was so full of live, contented to simply be.

Eskel sighed as he stopped his train of thoughts, realising the water had started to cool down. He scrubbed himself from the sweat and dirt of the road, exited the tub and got dressed once again this time putting on his full attire. First, underwear. Then pants, a belt, his muddied boots, a linen shirt that could use a wash, and his jacket. The thing was worn, threads beginning to loosen at the collar, the red and black stripes not as vibrant as they once were. Some of the studs the Witcher had added years ago had started to fall out, and he knew the whole thing would soon need to be replaced, but he had grown stupidly attached to the rags and could not bring himself to throw it away.

Sheathing his two Witcher swords to the scabbard strapped across his torso and back, Eskel aknowledged that his stomach had been growling for a few minutes now. He stopped by the kitchen on his way out to see if he could find anything to satisfy his appetite, and was happy to spot a bunch of apples set on the table, waiting for him. The Witcher grabbed two, knowing that Scorpion would more than enjoy the impromptu treat. The horse either heard him arrive or smelled the apple, but it was delighted to see its master.

" Hey bud. " Eskel gently patted the horse's flank " Here, for you. "

Scorpion sniffed the extended hand and bit into the green fruit; eating it the blink of an eye. The Witcher looked around to see if there was hay stocked somewhere for his mount, then realised the troughs had both been filled. His steed nugded at him, in search for another sweet fruit.

" No more apples. You gonna get fat. "

Once he was sure that his horse was fine, Eskel turned back and went to the outer courtyard. He did not mind having to train alone -he was used to it-, the life of a Witcher, spent mostely on the Path was a lonely one. But he was hoping Geralt would soon be there, and that they could train together like they did so many times. Training with him was always funnier; mostly because Eskel knew he had the upper hand over in brother. He wondered if the White Wolf had improved his technique with his signs while he was gone... Rolling his shoulders as he unsheathed one of his blade, he positioned himself. Taking a deep breath, then letting it out, he began his routine, a long serie of basic moves by way of warm up.

Eskel considered his training for the day done a couple hours later, when he started to feel his muscles ache and a thin layer of sweat covered his body. Happy with his workout, he headed back into the fresh air of the keep. He decided to eat outside, to enjoy the warmth of the day while he could. The Witcher went back in the kitchen to warm up the leftover of the broth from the night before, and even managed to locate a small loaf of bread. Minutes later, he was sitting down, his back against one of the centuries-old trees of the courtyard to eat. It felt good...

Eskel was home. And he couldn't wait for the others to arrive ! He bet Geralt had a thousand stories to tell him, about contract, about Ciri, about Yennefer. Where they still a thing ? Even when he kept in touch with his brother, Eskel never knew what to expect. One day, they seemed the happiest couple that ever walked the earth; the next, they couldn't stand each other. Their relationship was a true enigma to him. More so, he did not understand for one bit why Geralt fell head over heel for the sorceress. She was beautiful, sure. And he could understand how it was nice to have someone want you, especialy in their line of work. But damn, he could not bring himself to trust her. She was a powerful, dangerous woman. And he had it in the back of his mind that she never did anything without a motive. He also could not shake off the feeling that she was only toying with the White Wolf. Yet, the Sorceress and the White Wolf seemed to both believe that they were "meant to be" -even if they would rather die than admit it aloud. What the hell did that even mean ? Love at first sight was a thing for two-crowns romances, the real world did not work like that. Having emptied his bowl, Eskel gave the remaining of his bread to Scorpion and got up.

He had wondered earlier if the hole in the roof of West Hall, on the second floor, had been fixed in the five years that he had missed. Upon inspection, he saw that the wide open gap was still very much there, and the room had most probably been deemed out of use. The ground under the oppening was starting to get mossy, and some weeds had even managed to grow between the stones. From what the Witcher could see from the ground, the framework had started to mold, meaning a big portion of the structure had to be taken down and build anew. To properly fix the hole, he would need to find a carriage, go down the mountain to the nearest village and see if the carpenter had what he needed. The two-way trip would take Eskel a full day, and he wasn't sure there was still a carriage somewhere he could use. He decided to spend the afternoon to close temporarly the gap, he would go to the village another day, maybe when his friends were here.

When the roof no longer allowed birds and rain to come in, Eskel took the opportunity to look at the sky. The sun had begun his descent. He enjoyed watching sunsets, and the view from up there was great. He could see perfectly see the sun setting between the high mountains. The Witcher watched as the sky and the clouds sported the most stunning colors; all sorts of pink and blue, and what seemed like a hundred shades of purple. The world was exploding with colors, and stayed there for a while, appreciating every second of it.