Chapter three
Geralt wandered around the garden a little absently, he did not want to admit it but he had hoped that he would find Jaskier out here again so that he could spend a little time with him, and get away from the others teasing and slightly baffled looks.
There was no sound of Jaskier's music in the garden though, and Geralt wandered around a little, lost in his own thoughts. He had not expected to find anyone like Jaskier, never mind in this situation, there was something unique and singular about Jaskier, something that he believed called to everyone in different ways. He could see in the town that most liked him, but there had been those that clearly found him annoying, and disagreeable, especially when he was holding onto Geralt, they clearly disagreed with the choices that he had made.
He found himself pulled to the younger man, opening up to him in a way that he had very rarely done before, and even with those that he had it had taken more time except for…Yennifer. That hurt was still there, that hurt was still present, but he found Jaskier easing those wounds, stopping him from retreating into himself the way that he had been doing before this. He had felt connected to Yennifer the moment that they met, he felt as though there was something tying them together, something that some would call fate and destiny, something that he claimed he did not believe in, something that he fought against, but something that he could not deny either, otherwise he would not have walked the path that someone seemed to have led him to be walking in this garden, two days away from being married to Jaskier, the only other person that he felt that same connection with, that bond to the younger man that drew Geralt to him, that made him want to be in his presence in the same way that he wanted to be in Yennifer's.
The same…and yet different. While he had been drawn to the both of them equally, everything like Yennifer was like being in the centre of a storm, repeatedly shaken around by the seas, hitting wave after wave that left him aching, being hit occasionally by lightning and winds that wanted to rip him apart, and they had, repeatedly, he had been burned and hurt, tugged around and wounded over and over by Yennifer while trying his best, and while he knew that he was a little inept at times and had made the wrong choices, those choices had only ever been with the best for Yennifer in mind, her choices had not been for the best for him though, and sometimes she seemed to take enjoyment in hurting him in the way she perceived that he had hurt her. He was drawn to her, but found no peace within her presence, at least not for very long. Her cheating on him while making him believe that she wanted to make what was between them, while stringing him along and leaving him feeling like a fool for believing that they could have a happy ending left him feeling an utter fool.
"You look exceedingly pensive," a soft voice came from above his head, making him pause and look up to see Jaskier's pale skin glowing in the moonlight as he looked down on him from a balcony on the third floor. A smile came to his face when he looked up into blue eyes and realised that Jaskier had spoken softly knowing that Geralt would be able to hear him. "Come up?" Jaskier asked.
Geralt nodded and then quickly eyed the building on either side of the balcony, nodding again he quickly found the best way to get there, and with a grace that belied his size he clambered up the trellises until hopping across and grabbing onto the side of the balcony where Jaskier was still leaning. He held onto the frame next to Jaskier's arms and braced his feet against the base of the balcony, looking into bright blue eyes that twinkled with life and mischief.
"That was incredibly impressive," Jaskier grinned, "and I am about to be incredibly cheesy," he said before leaning forward to press their lips together.
"I don't mind being cheesy every now and then," Geralt said licking his lips when they parted.
"As long as Lambert doesn't know?" Jaskier grinned.
"Pft, as soon as Aiden is around he is like a puppy following around after a treat," Geralt shook his head.
"Will you come inside?" Jaskier asked him softly, but he made it more than clear in his tone that he wouldn't be offended if Geralt said no, and it was a request, not a demand.
"I would like that," Geralt pulled himself over the side of the balcony, and they quickly stepped inside before anyone could notice them. Jaskier made his way to the door and locked it to ensure that they could not be called out for indiscretion and then turned to see Geralt closing the balcony doors behind himself.
"Here," Jaskier made his way to the crackling fireplace, grabbing two glasses and a bottle of wine on the way past. He dropped down onto the thick rug in front of the fire and patted the space beside him before opening the bottle and pouring a decent measure into both glasses.
"Thank you," Geralt dropped down next to the young man, accepting the glass and taking an appreciative sip of the wine.
"Do you mind if I ask why you were looking so pensive?" Jaskier asked after a moment of them just enjoying the wine and the heat of the fire warming them.
"I was thinking about the wedding, and you, and what led to me being here," Geralt admitted after a moment.
"You sound a little…uncertain," Jaskier said softly, a flash of worry across his face.
"Not about you or the wedding, more about thinking about the things that led me here," Geralt said slowly, "I wish for the marriage between us to be real as well, to be the best that we can make it,"
"Ok," Jaskier nodded his head, turning so that he was facing Geralt, his legs curling under him.
"I feel I should share things with you, with that in mind, but I do not want to hurt you, and I am not very good at words," Geralt huffed.
"Are you worried that you will say something wrong, or phrase it the wrong way?" Jaskier asked.
"Yes," Geralt nodded.
"How about I promise that I will keep on listening until you feel that I understand what you are trying to tell me, and I will ask questions as you explain so that you can understand how I am hearing what you are saying?" Jaskier suggested.
"That sounds…the best way to do this," Geralt nodded, shuffling a little so that he was turned more towards the younger human.
Jaskier smiled at him encouragingly and nodded.
"It was decided, that because the Wolves had been the one to head the peace treaties, and initially pull all the remaining Witchers together that would come to Kaer Morhen, our home, it would have to be one of the four of us that would be one part of the arranged marriage. We were at a little bit of a stuck point because Lambert had Aiden, Eskel is very sensitive and we were all worried about what it would do to him if someone cried through the whole wedding and lashed out at him, Vesemir has given up so much for us, and he lost the two loves of his life centuries ago…"
"And you?" Jaskier nudged when Geralt paused looking down at the rug.
"I…I was in a relationship," Geralt said the words and felt as though they hurt saying them out loud.
"Did you give them up to marry me?" Jaskier asked hesitantly when Geralt didn't carry on, the Witcher looked up from the rug to see the human looking saddened and worried.
"No! If anything it was the breakdown of the relationship that made it easy for me to volunteer to be the one to marry, and I am glad that I did," Geralt shook his head.
"Ok," Jaskier smiled softly, looking relieved, but he reached out and took Geralt's hand in his own, squeezing it.
"I…Yennifer is a sorceress, she and I have been in and out of each other's lives for fifty years, and we always ended up being pulled back towards each other, but we were never good together, I felt a pull to her, I felt bound to her in a way that I could not explain, and so I kept going back, I kept being pulled into whatever she pulled me into, allowing her to order me around and dropping everything to help her when she needed it. The last three years, I thought we were finally getting somewhere, that we were finally building something that would last, that we would be able to find happiness in, but then…then I found out that she had been seeing someone else for the last three years,"
"I am sorry," Jaskier frowned a little, moving closer to Geralt.
"I am sorry, and I am not, if I hadn't found out then I wouldn't be sitting here," Geralt looked up with hesitant eyes to meet patient blue ones, though they still had a small worry in them for where this conversation was going.
"The draw between you, is it still there?" Jaskier asked hesitantly.
"I do not know, I have not seen her since I found out. But…" Geralt hesitated and looked more intently at Jaskier, "I do not want to scare you, but I feel the same pull to you, the same but very different,"
"Ok, that doesn't scare me except for the fact that there will still be something between you and Yennifer," Jaskier tightened his hand around Geralt's, and the Witcher responded, weighing up his words before speaking them, hoping that he would get them right.
"It is that I was thinking about when you called down to me, everything with Yennifer was confusing, and painful, like constantly being thrown around, constantly being shoved away, constantly being…Lambert always said that she treated me like a dog, and that was true,"
"Geralt…" Jaskier was frowning now, moving even closer to Geralt until their knees were touching.
"It isn't like that with you, you are…full of life and mischief, you are a constant whirlwind of motion and activity, I feel as though my head spins when I spend time with you because you never react how I am expecting you to react, and I have a feeling like you are always going to keep me on my toes,"
"I am not sure that that is a good thing," Jaskier chuckled.
"I feel peaceful when I am with you in a way I have not felt before," Geralt admitted, and he heard Jaskier's heart flutter. The human smiled in a way that Geralt had seen aimed by lovers at each other so many times but thought that it was not something that he would get to know. Yennifer's purple eyes were always cold and blank, Jaskier's looked at him with life and warmth, with that expression that he had been sure he would never get to see aimed at himself.
Jaskier took the glass of wine from Geralt's hand and placed it to the side with his own and then to Geralt's shock climbed into his lap and pressed a kiss to his lips.
"I feel free when I am with you like I can be myself like my life is starting. I feel as though this wedding is the start of everything, where I was scared that my marriage would be the end of everything that I wanted to do. I feel a pull to you as well, as though everything led me here as well. I get to marry you, I have a focus for my music and my words in improving your reputation and that of your brethren, and I feel as though you are my freedom," Jaskier smiled before leaning down to kiss Geralt.
The Witcher wrapped his arms around the bard, wrapping his large arms around the trim waist, spanning his hands over Jaskier's warm back and thin shirt, drawing him closer, holding him tighter as he tilted his head back and deepened the kiss between them as Jaskier made delicious noises and kissed him with a heat and fire that made Geralt heat up, growling lowly back at the feelings running through him.
"You are…" Geralt started to say making Jaskier smile a little cheekily at him, resting their foreheads together.
"Yes?"
"I feel like…like I could truly fall in love with you very quickly Jaskier, I want this to be real between us," Geralt said softly.
"Then we will fall in love, and we will make this real," Jaskier smiled brightly.
"Idealistic Little Flower," Geralt chuckled.
"I will be idealistic for the both of us," Jaskier said before leaning down to kiss him again.
Jaskier woke slowly, aware of the fact that his back was warm, but his front was quite chilly, he definitely wasn't on his bed, but he was lying on something soft enough to be comfortable. He shivered a little as the cold seemed to bite into his thin shirt even more now that he was aware of it, and he rolled over seeking out the warmth at his back. There was a small grumble and then arms tightened around him, tugging him closer, and a warm nose was buried into his neck,
Jaskier smiled a little to himself as he remembered the night before, and realised that it was Geralt that was holding tightly onto him. He opened his eyes and looked at the peaceful face of Geralt of Rivia, to be his husband the next day. Geralt's pale skin was lined with scars, both deep and thin ones that he could only see now that he was this close.
They had spent the night talking and getting to learn each other better after they had finished exchanging kisses, they finished the bottle of wine between them as they talked, and along the way Jaskier had managed to tug Geralt into laying down on the rug with him so that he could snuggle into the large frame of the Witcher, imagining doing this when they were on the road together, when they were staying in inns together. He traced his eyes over Geralt's face, feeling a little honoured that the other had fallen asleep in his presence, that he clearly felt comfortable enough with Jaskier to trust him with this, after everything that he heard from Geralt the night before, he realised what a big deal for him trust was.
Especially considering the way that Yennifer treated him. Jaskier felt a little insecure about the thought of the Sorceress, he knew that they were all beautiful, she and Geralt had a long history together, one that consisted of them constantly finding their ways back to each other - and though Geralt hadn't said it Jaskier was able to read between the line and knew that that also meant into each others beds - she was also going to be a fair bit older than him matching more closely to how much older Geralt was compared to Jaskier. But more than anything Jaskier was furious with the woman for the way that she had treated Geralt, his wolf had told him a little more about their relationship when Jaskier had pressed him and reassured him, but the things that he had said made Jaskier furious, Geralt had said that she treated him like a dog, and that was the truth, he was disgusted for what Geralt had been through, especially when it was clear that he just wanted happiness and love in his life.
He was gruff and rough, he had a bit of a temper, and he wasn't great with words, phrasing things wrong, especially when he got flustered, he was hard-headed, and he was a bit socially inept, but he was kind and warm, he was gentle and he was a good man with strong morals, he was honourable and he was caring, and Jaskier felt no doubt that he would be safe with the other. He wanted to have love and to love someone, and it wasn't a lot to ask for, and yet seemed so difficult for him to find, the love that he had offered Yennifer being toyed with and thrown back in his face repeatedly.
He had agreed to the wedding thinking that he had nothing to lose and that he might as well be the one to make the perceived sacrifice so that the rest of his family could be happy, and Jaskier fully intended to make sure that sacrifice turned into him getting the simple thing that he wanted, Jaskier swore to the gods that he was going to love this man as much as he could, and as unfailingly as he could. He was going to be placing his heart in Geralt's hands and trusting him with it, but he had a feeling that by doing so he would receive love back more than he could ever have hoped for.
He traced his eyes over the glint of a fang sticking out from under Geralt's top lip, a sign of the additional mutations that he had been forced through as a child, something that he had told Jaskier about in a matter-of-fact way that had the young man's heart ache for the pain that a little boy had been through.
Smiling softly to himself, Jaskier tucked his hands between his and Geralt's chests to warm them a little, snuggling a little closer to the Witcher to try and warm himself a little more. An amber eye cracked open and then the other, slitted eyes blinked at him for a few moments before a smile tilted his lips up as his memory came back to him and he clearly remembered the night before as well.
"Morning," Jaskier said quietly.
"Morning," Geralt rasped back, rubbing his warm hand over Jaskier's still slightly chilled arm. Jaskier pressed fluttering kisses to his lips as he properly woke up before happily tucking his cool face into Geralt's throat, chuckling at the stunned sound Geralt made when cold nose met Geralt's warm flesh.
"Where the hell have you been all night? You better not have been down to a brothel or something as stupid as that! I swear Geralt I will box your ears if you have done something as stupid as that to that boy!" Vesemir growled as soon as Geralt opened the door to their suite and started walking in.
"Nope, he was with me!" Jaskier grinned, wrapping his arms around Geralt's waist and peeking around him from where his fiance had frozen at the sudden telling-off he got.
"Oh, dear gods!" Eskel groaned, dropping his face into his hand.
"Now now Eskel I thought you were the civilised one! Such a dirty mind! We just talked and fell asleep together!" Jaskier teased.
"I asked Jaskier if he wanted to have breakfast with us," Geralt grunted, still looking unsure of what to do.
"I would definitely be interested in that," a voice Jaskier didn't recognise said, and he ducked his head around to Geralt's other side and grinned when he took in the new Witcher sprawled on the sofa.
"Kind of ginger, just like Lambert described you, you have to be Aiden!"
"Kind of ginger! That is how you described me?" Aiden turned narrowed eyes onto Lambert whose mouth dropped open.
"I panicked! I was shocked at Jaskier buying us clothes, I couldn't think of anything else to say when asked!"
"So the first thing that comes to mind when you think about me is…kind of ginger!" Aiden snapped.
Jaskier stepped around Geralt and winked at him before pulling him fully into the room by his hand, the Witcher chuckling when he realised that the crafty human had done it on purpose. He and Jaskier dropped onto one of the sofas and Jaskier pressed against his side comfortably as he watched Aiden chasing Lambert around the room.
"I bought you a present!" Lambert finally yelled and Aiden paused with an eyebrow raised.
"It had better be a good present that shows how well you know me to get me to forgive you for your first description of me to be 'kind of ginger'!" Aiden huffed.
"Here!" Lambert practically held the daggers out to Aiden as though they were an offering to a god. Aiden sniffed and took them before his expression softened when he looked over the daggers. "I saw them and thought of you straight away," Lambert added.
"They're lovely," Aiden conceded.
"I'm sorry, I just panicked, and you know how I am with words," Lambert sidled a little closer to Aiden.
"You're lucky I love you," Aiden huffed but leant forward to kiss the wolf anyway.
"I know I am," Lambert nodded, leaning in for another cheeky kiss.
"Master Julien, breakfast?" a servant popped her head in nervously, glancing around the Witchers before settling on where Jaskier was.
"Perfect thank you, bring it in," Jaskier waved.
"So I believe you prefer to go by Jaskier?" Aiden asked as they settled around on the sofas by the coffee table where a large amount of food had been brought in.
"Yup, it is my Bard name," Jaskier nodded.
"This lot were telling me that you seem to have a notion in your head to change the reputation of Witchers by singing about us?"
"I am hearing a lot more of Lambert in there than the others," Jaskier laughed, leaning forward and pouring himself a cup of tea, "and yet I do fully intend on that, and even more than that I fully intend to succeed,"
"How are you planning on it?" Aiden asked curiously, tilting his head to take in the young human curiously.
"Music, words and stories are one of the fastest ways to pass around information, as long as they are good enough to be catchy, something will happen on one side of the continent and by the time two months have passed it can be on the other side in the form of song or story,"
"We have a lot of negative experiences of that," Eskel nodded, "I don't think any of us have ever had a good experience in it,"
"Well, going with the theme and pun completely intended, I intend to turn that narrative around," Jaskier said brightly, "I had been struggling to find a muse to settle my music on, something to dedicate myself to, nothing seemed right, and I had the worry of how in the name of the gods I was going to get out of being viscount without humiliating my family, weakening them, or somehow managing to make my father immortal. This all lines up perfectly, wrapped in a rather nice package,"
The others chuckled at the shocked expression on Geralt's face when he suddenly realised that he was the package.
"People are afraid of what they don't understand, and when they don't understand they lash out in anger, so first I need to make you touchable to them, have them not see you as A Witcher, but A Person, Witcher needs to stop becoming the ultimate definition of what you are, and become as much a part of you as calling someone a Knight. Giving you names, even if they are allegorical to you, like calling Geralt The White Wolf would also help in making sure that you're not just The Witcher, it will help personalise you to people, I can't realistically do it for all the Witchers out there obviously, but by getting people to look at a few of you as individuals they will automatically start seeing the rest as individuals, even if it is asking 'are you Geralt of Rivia from that song', by asking that they are acknowledging the individual subconsciously and not seeing your kind,"
"Kid is smart!" Aiden whistled impressed.
"Thank you," Jaskier grinned.
"Still say that it won't work," Lambert snorted.
"Alright, how much are you willing to bet on it?" Jaskier smirked.
"What?" Lambert blinked at him, clearly not having been expecting that.
"You're so sure that it won't work, how much are you willing to bet on it?" Jaskier asked.
"Under what terms?" Eskel asked curiously.
"Realistically I think it will take me…" Jaskier tapped his finger thoughtfully against his lips, "two years to start seeing a change in how people see you with my songs, so if there is no difference at all within two years, and if you aren't hearing my songs about you being sung by other bards and in taverns, I lose, if you do, I win,"
"Two years! Oh, I am definitely taking that deal!" Lambert crowed, "100 orens!"
"I will take that, I have no doubt you will manage something lad, but two years is a little unrealistic," Vesemir nodded.
"I guess two years is a little unrealistic Jaskier, I am sorry, but I will go in for the 100 orens," Eskel looked apologetically at the Bard.
"200 orens," Geralt said after a second, everyone turned to look at him Jaskier tensing a little next to him so he clarified, "on Jaskier doing it,"
"You're throwing your money away on being a sap," Lambert snorted.
"100 orens on Jaskier as well," Aiden hummed.
"100 orens on Jaskier," Triss nodded.
"Three for, three against, the next two years will be interesting," Jaskier grinned, slipping his fingers into Geralt's and squeezing them gratefully.
"You better start singing your arse off Lark," Lambert snorted.
"Interested in my arse Lambert?" Jaskier smirked.
"Yes, are you Lambert?" Aiden turned to him.
"I knew I would hate you two together," Lambert grunted crossing his arms and scrunching down in his seat, the others laughing at his huff.
"I need to take you down to Eilhal for your measurements Aiden," Jaskier said checking the time.
"Lambert and the others mentioned that you were having clothing made for us for the wedding and for formal occasions, very kind of you," Aiden nodded.
"Now don't go getting suspicious or looking for suspicious reasons for me to do it, I wanted you guys to be comfortable at the wedding, and I wanted you to be comfortable at the Court occasions we will, unfortunately, have to attend in the future, I was starting to really like you, don't go changing my mind," Jaskier scolded as he got to his feet.
"Ok, ok!" Aiden laughed holding up his hands, "I am coming with you and will try not to look suspicious,"
"I will see you soon," Jaskier smiled, leaning down to kiss Geralt.
"See you soon, don't get into trouble," Geralt snorted.
"You know me so well already!" Jaskier laughed cheerfully, waving over his shoulder as he and Aiden left the rooms.
"Ugh, why are they whispering?!" Lambert groaned.
"To wind you up…probably," Eskel snickered.
"Triss, could I speak with you?" Geralt asked the redhead after a moment. She turned to look at him a little surprised but then nodded. She took Geralt's arm when he offered it to her and the two of them left the room with waves to the others who were discussing the wedding tomorrow and the house that was nearly ready for them. Geralt led the way to the gardens, ensuring that they were well away from prying ears before he spoke.
"Are you busy today?" Geralt asked hesitantly.
"I have some time, what can I help you with Geralt?" Triss asked with a soft smile for her friend.
"Would you take me to Filavandrel?" Geralt asked, and going by the raised eyebrows that he received that had been the last thing that Triss had been expecting.
"By portal?" She clarified.
"Yes," He groaned.
"Of course, I will, can I enquire as to why?" Triss asked.
"He still owes me a few favours, I would like to call a couple of them in for a wedding present for Jaskier," Geralt said gruffly, turning his eyes away embarrassed.
"I am glad that you are getting on so well, and that you clearly have so much hope for this marriage. Come on, the faster we are there, the faster we are back, and the bigger surprise that this will be," Triss said before quickly summoning a fiery portal for them.
"Geralt?" Jaskier smiled hurrying over to the Witcher where he was standing by the doors to the garden. "I was looking for you at supper," those blue eyes were looking at him concerned as he reached him.
Geralt couldn't have that and he wrapped his arm around Jaskier's waist drawing him into his body before leaning down to kiss him as sweetly as he could, though the kiss quickly turned a little more hungry when Jaskier pressed against him and kissed him back. He slipped his fingers into the dark hair of the younger man, clenching his fingers just a little and tilted Jaskier's head back to get him into the perfect position to taste even more of bard, losing himself in the kiss.
When they parted Jaskier's beautiful eyes were misted with what Geralt was fairly sure was desire as he panted a little from the kiss, his plump lips kiss bruised and delightfully swollen. With that, he couldn't help but lean down and kiss Jaskier again.
"The wedding is the day after tomorrow, and even though I came into this thinking that this was going to be utterly horrendous and I was going to have to watch you cry the whole way through the wedding," Geralt started to say, reaching out to take Jaskier's hand in his.
"Maybe crying out of joy to not have to be Viscount," Jaskier chuckled.
"Shush," Geralt chuckled leaning forward to kiss Jaskier. "It is the furthest from what I was expecting, and I want to give you something before the wedding, and the politics that are going to come with the wedding,"
"You don't have to give me anything," Jaskier protested shaking his head.
"I know you don't expect me to give you anything, and that is why I want to," Geralt placed his hand on Jaskier's face and rubbed it gently with his thumb, his skin feeling a little rough against the softness of Jaskier's skin.
"Ok," Jaskier smiled gently up at Geralt.
"I don't have a lot of money, I rarely do, I can't offer you comfort or luxury in the way that you have grown up with, but I will do everything that I can to make you happy and show you the world," Geralt said.
"That is worth more than any bauble that you could give me," Jaskier shook his head.
"Well, I have managed to call in a couple of favours that I am owed to get you a bauble that I hope you will be happy with, come with me?" Geralt held his hand up between them.
"Of course," Jaskier said without hesitation slipping his more slender hand into Geralt's and allowing him to lead him through a couple of the doors and out into the garden, they wound down a few pathways until they stepped around a hedge and found Triss standing waiting for them beside a fountain.
"Ready?" she asked brightly, beaming happily between the two of them.
"Ready," Geralt nodded. Triss turned and quickly opened a portal, the fiery swirling air widening rapidly in front of her.
"This is extra special, he hates travelling by portal, and we have already taken six today," Triss winked at Jaskier.
"Come on," Geralt said gruffly stepping forward through the portal with Jaskier's hand still in his. The bard smiled softly at his back as he followed him, meeting Triss' glittering green eyes before they stepped through the portal and stepped through the darkness to the other side.
"Geralt!" Jaskier gasped stepping forward passed the Witcher without letting go of his hand as he stared out in front of them, his head turning from left to right taking in the scene in front of them.
"I want to show you places like this and so much more," Geralt wrapped his arms around Jaskier's waist and pressed himself up behind him as he took in the joy on the human's face. "We obviously don't have long here, but I hope that we are going to be able to travel to places like this in the future, together. You said that you wanted to see the coast more than anything else,"
"I have, for so long I have wanted to see it! Thank you," Jaskier beamed looking up at Geralt over his shoulder.
"The sun will be setting in five minutes as well," Geralt said hesitantly looking over Jaskier's face until he saw that he was genuinely excited and happy with the surprise. "I have…over here," Geralt said gruffly pulling Jaskier a little through the trees on the cliff that they were on until they reached a small outcropping where there was a blanket with a basket sitting on top of it.
The two of them sat down on the blanket with Jaskier beaming at Geralt while the Witcher determinedly stared forward over the glittering water. He tensed for a moment when Jaskier looked away from him but then placed his head on the Witcher's shoulder as he turned to look over the water in front of them as the sun started setting.
Geralt hesitated for a second, not knowing really what to do with himself when faced with this kind of intimacy, not having had it before, and not really knowing what to do with himself when faced with it, or with the warmth that it created in his chest as Jaskier shuffled a little to get comfortable on the blanket and pressed himself more against Geralt's side.
Slowly, and with a little uncertainty, Geralt wrapped his arm around Jaskier and held him against his side, also hoping that the warmth of his body would keep the other warm as the air chilled with the setting of the sun. He sighed contently and snuggled into Geralt, wrapping his arms around the Witcher's thick waist and slipped a little more down the blanket as he watched the sunset with wide blue eyes.
Geralt couldn't take his eyes off of the bard as he watched the sunset, his blue eyes looking like something only a sorcerer could possess as he soaked in the moment. Something within the Witcher relaxed as he took in the expressions crossing Jaskier's features as he realised that Jaskier was truly loving the moment and what Geralt had given him, and that he truly had meant that what Geralt could offer him was going to be more than enough for him.
"That was so stunning, I need to write a song about this, it was…what?" Jaskier tilted his head when he turned to speak to the Witcher and found those unusual yellow cat eyes already on him.
"Nothing, I am just glad that you enjoyed seeing it," Geralt's face softened as he looked down at Jaskier's open, joyful face. "I hope that I can show you many places like this,"
"I bet that you know hundreds of stunning places," Jaskier said excitedly turning onto his side so that he could look up at Geralt.
"I know a few, though I do not think that I have seen them that way in a while, it is just somewhere nice to stay. I am looking forward to being able to show you them, though I am still nervous about you travelling with me," Geralt admitted.
He looked at the bard confused but went with his prompting when Jaskier pushed at his chest and got him to lie down on his back, the human shuffling so that he was lying half on top of Geralt, resting his arm over the Witcher's sculpted chest and rested his chin down onto it, looking up into yellow cat's eyes with a softness and happiness that Geralt was sure that he would never get enough of.
"Because I could get hurt?" Jaskier asked calmly.
"Yes, because I was worried about that before I got to know you, and now that I do, now that I can see the potential of what we can have together, I am even more worried about that. I don't want you to get hurt, and I don't want you to get hurt because of my life," Geralt admitted to the sky above them, at least until calloused fingertips brushed gently over his cheek.
"I am more than capable of finding trouble in an empty room, having you with me to look after me will make me feel so much safer, and will make me safer. If something happens to me it will not be your fault. Anything could happen to me at any time Geralt, that will be what it will be, something could happen to me in the middle of the city as much as something could happen to me in the middle of the wilderness," Jaskier shook his head.
"You are making me want to wrap up in blankets and lock you in my room at Kaer Morhen," Geralt grumbled.
"As hot and kinky as that sounds," Jaskier said, and then started laughing at the spluttering that started coming from the Witcher underneath him, "I would far rather spend my life travelling at your side,"
"I would rather you be at my side as well," Geralt sighed.
"I promise that I will be careful and listen to you," Jaskier smiled.
"I somehow doubt that," Geralt narrowed his eyes onto the other.
"I will try my best," Jaskier laughed pressing his cheek to Geralt's chest and looking down his body to the coast underneath them, the stars starting to come out and glitter off of the water, the moon shining brightly down on them.
"Igni," Geralt muttered forming the sign he needed, and the candles that he had placed around the blanket flared to life lighting up the area around them.
"That…is a very neat trick! That will come in handy making campfires!" Jaskier laughed brightly.
"It works on bathwater as well," Geralt said gruffly.
"Well that will save a lot of our money," Jaskier hummed.
"Our money?" Geralt looked down a little surprised.
"We are to be married, it will be our money,"
"I've…I've never thought of things that way, that I would have it that way," Geralt admitted to the stars, and he could feel Jaskier's fingers tightening in his shirt.
"Me either, I thought I was going to end up Viscount, trapped in a life that I would have hated, married to a girl that came from the aristocracy and was incredibly disappointed in a husband who hated being Viscount and relied on his sister to do everything, who was interested in men and not women. I thought that my life was going to be everything that I didn't want, and then you came into my life as an option, you have given me freedom and a life that I want, my wild white wolf, you have given me everything that I wanted, and more than that is a partnership between the two of us,"
"A partnership," Geralt tasted the word on his lips and wrapped his arms around Jaskier, hugging him tightly, "I like that sound of that,"
"The two of us together, I think we are going to be great," Jaskier looked up at him, leaning over his Witcher, touching his fingers to his cheeks again, stroking his finger along the scar running over his eye and down his cheek. "I will change the way that you and the other Witchers are seen I promise,"
"I believe that you can, the fact that you don't see us the way that others do is just…it is refreshing," Geralt breathed out, looking into those sapphire eyes.
"I like the way that you see me, the way that you look at me," Jaskier said softly before leaning down to kiss Geralt so sweetly.
"That was amazing," Jaskier sighed happily as Geralt moved the basket to the side that they had emptied out of its food while they ate and talked some more, Geralt pulling from his memory some of the beautiful places that he had seen and he thought that Jaskier would love.
"I definitely can't take credit for it, Aiden and Eskel charmed it out of the kitchens while I was away. I can cook, but my cooking is mainly what you can cook on a campfire or in a large pot," Geralt said.
"That is good to hear because you're going to have to teach me to cook, I have zero skills!" Jaskier grinned.
"You can't be that bad," Geralt chuckled.
"I set fire to water," Jaskier said and then started laughing at the expression on Geralt's face.
"But…how?"
"No clue!" Jaskier said cheerfully.
"But…but…how?" Geralt shook his head when Jaskier dropped down onto his back and roared with laughter. Leaning down he sealed their lips together in a firm kiss, tasting the laughter, joy and life on Jaskier's lips.
"Wha…" Jaskier turned when Geralt disappeared suddenly, his lips and the warmth of his body disappearing suddenly, leaving him blinking up at the night sky. He rolled over in time to see Geralt walking back to him from behind a tree with a massive box in his hands. He knelt down next to Jaskier as he sat up and placed the box down.
"Geralt this is…"
"I told you I had a gift for you. I know that tomorrow and the wedding day are probably going to be chaotic and we are not likely to get much personal time together. I wanted to give this to you know when it is just the two of us," Geralt said, looking to the side a little uncomfortably.
Jaskier cupped his face between his hands and pressed a lingering kiss to his lips, waiting until he felt the tension releasing in those broad shoulders before he pulled back with an excited grin and tugged at the ribbons holding the lid on the box, Geralt watching with an unknowingly warm expression on his face.
"Geralt!" Jaskier whined when he pulled the lid off of the box and found another box inside.
"I did not want you to guess what it is that I have gotten you," Geralt smirked.
"Geralt!" Jaskier partly whined and partly laughed when he took off the second lid and found another box inside.
Geralt watched Jaskier unpack another couple of boxes until finally, he got to the last one. Jaskier pulled off the lid clearly expecting another box, but then his mouth fell open when he saw what was inside, sitting staring at the gift inside with wide eyes until he looked up stunned at Geralt.
"Is this…" Jaskier asked stunned.
"An elf I know owed me a couple of favours, I went and spoke to him today to get these for you," Geralt said a little gruffly.
"This is…" Jaskier carefully pulled out the lute case from inside the box and opened it, letting out a soft noise when he opened the case and saw the utterly stunning lute inside of it.
"Triss put a spell over it and the case, it will take a lot for either of them to get damaged, she also put waterproof spells over the top of the two of them as well for when we're travelling, there are also spells on them so we can find them if they ever go missing," Geralt explained.
"These are…they are elf made?" Jaskier asked, stroking his hand carefully along the intricate engravings on the body of the lute, his breath catching as he ran his fingers over the engraved buttercups and wolves on the wood.
"Yes," Geralt nodded. Jaskier carefully placed the lute and case to the side making Geralt's heart clench with worry that he had done something wrong, but then Jaskier was hurrying across the small space between them and threw his arms around Geralt, scattering kisses all over his face and lips.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He said over and over before pulling away and tenderly taking the lute from the case and starting to strum at it, a happy sound coming from him as soon as the first notes filled the clearing that they were in.
Geralt sat there for the next hour leaning back on his hands and watched and listened to Jaskier playing the lute with a look of sheer utter delight on his face, his beautiful music filled the air around them, and the Witcher soaked up the happiness on his husband to be's face as he played.
They would be married in a day's time, and more than anything Geralt couldn't wait to be on the road with Jaskier, travelling together, seeing the world together, getting to see the world through Jaskier's eyes. Starting their lives together.