I'm back with more story, thank you for the reviews you sent my way. I'm actually in love with this story, but it's a challenge to write while making music and living off that!

I've come to realize if you're not new to the story, you might want to kindle back your love for it by reading it again, it's such a fun read (even though I cringe a bit at the first chapters) Ciri and Leon have come so far…

Thank you for sticking with it and those who are new, thank you for giving it a look.

"So these are Drowner tracks?"

"Grown ones, yeah. It makes sense, but we're looking for their nest, so that means we need to find small, two fingered tracks"

Ciri and Leon found themselves at the outskirts of Cidaris, their essential ticket out of Velen and shortcut to Kaer Morhen. Begrudgingly and between teeth, the white haired Witcher had to thank Keira for the portal. She'd shortened their journey to Cidaris by at least a week and a half, and given the state of the weather and the mud, it would've been a less than pleasant ride to the boat town.

Now they were on a small job the city board offered, If only to save a little extra coin and teach Leon more about monsters. Low-tier ones like Drowners were a welcomed sight for the Witcher, and it was relaxing to hear that even Leon had encountered these back in his old town.

"So babies only have two toes?" He questioned and Ciri snickered when he pulled out a recently bought notebook, instantly writing down the batch of information,

"They have two small, claw-like toes. So their tracks look more like pluckered holes in the ground than actual steps. The dragging of their fins is a giveaway too, their fins always touch the floor, while the grown ones have them a little higher on their legs"

She smiled proudly at the archer as he hummed and nodded, intensity high on listening and writing down the information; she'd thought him a nerd when he'd initially bought the notebook, but now she was happy he did. There hadn't been a good occasion to gift him her Monster Book, but if he started writing his own, then he'd be even happier once she gifted it to him.

"Okay, and you said they weren't intelligent?" Leon was all questions the moment they set out to their hunt. When she thought about it, he was a great candidate for Witcher training, more so than her in some parts. She'd never asked or found herself curious about Monster Facts, only happy to know she could kill them.

Leon instead asked about their weaknesses, things they hate, traits they share. Asked about their aggressiveness, the level of danger and issues to take notice of.

It was quite relieving to know he wasn't just hero-diving into joining her in hunts. He wanted to be useful and Ciri loved that for him.

"They're not, but they can organize and be a bit smarter than Water Hags…The hags don't need to do that, because they are far stronger and connected to nature" She hummed in thought, remembering her countless fights with the creatures, "They like to jump at you one after the other, and they tend to try and evade attacks often, so have that in mind when fighting"

"Okay, and babies?"

"They are the same, but they can't jump" Leon nodded again, writing down.

"How much do they weigh?" He asked and she blinked twice, perplexed. Was he really taking it this far?

"Uh, about sixty kilograms or more. Babies, they go around five to ten? I'm just giving you a wild guess here" The auburn haired archer frowned in concentration, and she couldn't help but ask her questions away, "Why?"

"I made a small section here, you see" He stood up straight and showed her the notebook,

Her eyes opened up in surprise.

Kick-able creatures.

"I just think knowing which I can stun and which I shouldn't even try is a good idea. Maybe they're tall but slender, or big but afraid of pain? It's just something to keep in mind" He let her take hold of the notebook as he stashed away his recently bought feather and ink, "I know sometimes it's visibly obvious, but-"

"No, that's perfect" She interrupted, ogling his notes with a certain amount of incredulity and endearment. His handwriting, as always, was beautiful and the neatly organized thoughts and notes and information made her feel washed by pride and excitement, "Some relics do fear pain, others though, you can't hit them with normal physical attacks" She changed pages and found her name on it.

Cirilla's range 1-30

My range 1-4 (4 only emergencies)

"What is this, Leon?" She questioned and Leon skipped over to check, chuckling once he read the page.

"That's just my estimate in danger. 1 is the least dangerous and 4 is a bit more deadly than 1. I consider Water Hags at number 3, and Drowners are a 2. I know both are deadly to me, but you took the Water Hag out with a single swing, so I can't give it much credit"He scratched the back of his head sheepishly and she squealed in delight, smacking his side arm with pride.

"That's a great idea! I think my range is a bit less than 30, but sure, Water Hags are definitely a three" She snickered to herself, considering which monsters would go where and finding herself seriously invested in his notes.

She came to the realization that when Geralt met Leon, he'd be fascinated with him. Her boy was turning into a monster bookworm and Geralt never talked much about anything, unless it was about monsters. A trait neither she nor Yennefer shared.

"Oh Geralt will love you for sure, Leon" At the mention of her father's name, Leon perked up again and shot her a shy look.

"You think? I'm not too sure…I for one can't keep you safe, or guard you from most monsters and stuff" He turned to look at the floor and left Ciri floored with endearment.

"Who gives a shite about that? Geralt knows I can keep myself alive no matter what, darling. If he didn't he'd never let me leave Kaer Morhen without supervision" Ciri patted his arm and pulled him close, shoving the book back on his hand, "He'll be more focused on finding out if you're good for me or not, and trust me, you are" She crossed her arms and gave him a look, "Stop thinking low of yourself, Leon. You're special and increíble, handsome, smart, witty, sarcastic, you're—"

"A-Alright! I understand, sheesh" He interrupted the chant before she could finish and scratched the back of his head shyly, "Thank you, Cirilla" The archer sent Ciri a small smile filled with warmth and she deemed that enough, "I have some more questions…"

"Ask away!" This time he didn't take out his notebook, and understood this time he'd commit everything to memory.

Good.

"So, how does a Drowner nest smell?"

"Now don't just evade! Kick them, shoot at them, Leon!" They'd managed to find a nest nearby, stuck on the side of a rock close to the sea (a perfect spot for Drowners) and for once, the situation was not dire. There were only three adults and about three other babies, and Ciri was positive she could end it all in a single blink if she so wanted to, but she'd opted to let Leon handle it.

The archer in question seemed more in his element compared to the fight against that Water Hag. Sure, Drowners weren't pleasant to look at, but he'd encountered them before and they looked semi-human in either case. This time without a panic attack stimming him, Leon was swift and resourceful, alert and a little over-panicked. A single sound managed to draw his attention, but she'd let that be since Drowners wouldn't really use that as an advantage.

"Use those silver arrows only as the final hit, okay!?" She found herself hidden behind a nearby boulder, blink charged and ready, shouting tips and directions to the boy. She wouldn't overwhelm him, not really desiring to distract him, and merely shouted things she seemed crucial.

Those silver arrows they managed to catch at the city were perfect for the situation, no matter how much they actually costed them.

One adult finally took the leap and dashed forward, claws ready. Her heart clenched for a second, but the auburn haired boy was ready for it, using the full weight of his bow to hit the monster in the head before kicking it away, stunning him in place long enough for Leon to tense an arrow.

Unfortunately, two baby Drowners charged the moment their adult fell on the floor, and he had no chance to do anything else but jump back and reposition.

Ciri was about to do something with the babies, just to let Leon train a bit with the real deal and rid the distractions, but she was stopped before she could do anything.

"I got this, Ciri!" The boy managed between intakes of breath. Something pulled inside her chest and she nodded again, worry leaving her for a bit.

The other two adult Drowners finally decided to join in and jump at Leon, one after the other in quick successions. The archer could only parry one on either case, and decided to kick away the one on the left.

The one on the right continued its course and managed to get dangerously close to Leon.

But instead of evading or deflecting, Leon took the attack head on, tackling the monster from the waist below and throwing himself on top of it. Ciri feared the worst, but the guy didn't hesitate, once they were down, Leon rolled away before the Drowner could trash around and hurt him with any claw. The auburn haired archer took a look around himself twice before dimming it safe enough, tensing a silver arrow, and shooting it straight into the monster's head.

It stopped moving and was clearly dead. Ciri wanted to jump and celebrate, but Leon paid it no mind. That was only one monster, he was growing a little tired, and there were still four to go.

A baby managed to grab his leg and scratch, but its claws didn't get past the leather of his boots. He shook it off and kicked it away, drawing blood out of its mouth in the process.

The other two babies had decided to stay behind the adult's legs, so he took the chance and shot an arrow at the small monster, only it was made of steel and did not kill.

So not even babies die from things that aren't silver, he thought, but the monster did scream and trash in pain at the lodged arrow going through its chest. Maybe it wouldn't be an instant kill, but he was positive the baby would die.

Of course, not everything was perfect. Checking himself upon the small moment of respite, he realized that his arm was bleeding slightly, with a superficial scratch appearing on it. Nothing serious, but still, something he hadn't noticed before.

Now all the leather armor Ciri wore made much more sense to him. Not that it didn't before…

The adult Drowners seemed hesitant to approach, so he drew a steel arrow and aimed it at one of the adults leg.

It evaded and in a fit of rage charged once again.

Only, when he tried to kick it away, the monster evaded his attack too, and it was only thanks to fast reflexes that the immediate claw attack from its part didn't hit him and only scratched a bit of his leather clothing.

"Told you!" He heard Ciri snickering a few meters away from him and yeah, it made sense. So they could evade, but clearly, they could feel fear as well,

Practicality won over him and before the next adult attack, he drew another steel arrow and shot it at the little monster baby in between a guarding adult Drowner's legs. The arrow went through its belly and even though it was most gruesome, and the screams of pain were unsettling, it was a working plan. In desperation and fear from the scene, the other two adults hesitated and took a few steps back.

They couldn't quite understand that, the farther away they got from him, the easier it would be for Leon to shoot arrows freely.

The second baby was next, and it died immediately from a silver arrow to its head. Being the guy Leon was, he wanted no more gruesome violence.

One of the adults snapped out of it and this time Leon was ready. Ciri could only praise him from the action taken. The archer evaded the initial attack and then, almost impossibly smart, he pretended to attack the monster with a closed fist, forcing it to jump back. Once the Drowner did, Leon took the chance and tensed an arrow, immediately lodging it into the monster's head.

The last Drowner attempted to escape and he tensed another arrow, shot and, unfortunately, missed.

The monster got close to reaching its nest to retreat, and that's where Ciri drew the line.

A flash of green, and the Drowner's head found itself rolling down across the sand.

"Phew…" Leon was a mess of salty water, sand and a bit of mud, but ultimately, he felt accomplished. His main goal hadn't been killing the monsters, but actually just managing to retain energy after the fight, "That was…"

"Incredible!" Another flash of green and Ciri appeared next to him, tackling him into a hug before retreating immediately, a sticky sound being made when she separated her skin from his, "And disgusting…" Still, she was all smiles and praises.

"First job done, I can probably take on a Wyvern now" He muttered in sarcasm and Ciri joyfully laughed

He hadn't realized the moment she took his arm and started smearing a small crème they had bought back at the city for situations like this, all on top of his wound.

"The job's not done yet, idiot" She managed between a chuckle before pulling out a bandage, wrapping it around Leon's arm, "But good work. That was impressive, I have a few comments here and there, but you're alive and they're dead, and that's all that matters to some Witchers"

"Right, that tackle? Not my brightest moment" He confessed, but Ciri shook her head in denial.

"No, no! It was brilliant, but if you're going to risk it like that, you have to move out of the way faster" She commended his actions, "And that faint you made? That was hot, darling" She praised him.

"Oh, yeah…my sister taught me that" He told with nerve. Checking his injured arm, it already seemed a lot better than before.

"Your sister can fight?"

"Oh she can fight, she's feisty, a warrior for sure" He smiled at the thought, "You'll certainly like her, she's much more outgoing than me and has some funny tricks under her sleeve. She was always the big trend in the town, popular with the guys, connected with the city… y'know, like I said, I was more like a black shee-"

"You're doing it again, Leon" Ciri interrupted him, fighting hard to understand how they went from her praising him to Leon undermining himself again, "I don't care about outgoing or popularity polls and the such. And you're a funny little demon yourself too, so what gives? You think I'd fall for your sister and leave you behind?"

"Well…" He tried and Ciri outright smacked his non-injured arm in retaliation, anger quickly filling her up.

"What the fuck, Leon!? Of course not" She felt angry at the fact that Leon thought she could discard him at any point moving forward, which was downright insane, "Do you think so little of our relationship!? I—I know there's some things we haven't talked clearly, but we have something…special" The last part of her sentence coming out as a small whisper. She understood there were some things on her part that haven't been perfectly explained or laid out on the table. Maybe Leon didn't know which cards he held in his hand.

"No no, Ciri. Our relationship means everything to me, I swear it on the gods" In an instant, Leon pulled the Witcher closer to him and embraced her in a disgusting, sticking and bloody hug.

She couldn't bring herself to mind the smell.

"I'm just being stupid, okay? I'm…not pretending I don't see what we have, Cirilla" She had to admit it, it was a whole shiver under her spine every time he used her actual full name instead of his nickname, "It's just some…bad habits, I need to kick them away, okay? I've always been a little jealous of my sister, and even though we got along quite well and were close, I always felt inferior to her-"

"You're not inferior to anybody, Leon! You're not, you'll never be" Ciri snapped, pushing him away just to stare deeply into his eyes, "I…I wish I had words to show you how amazing you are, but I don't. Even then, I always praise you, you always impress me! And I let you know even if it's embarrassing to me, I always try to let you know…is that not enough?" She made a face and felt childish, weak and vulnerable. All of the things she hated to feel, "Am I not eno—"

"Don't go there" He actually muted her mouth with his hand for a second, before she swatted it away, glaring at him because those are the kind of actions she hated the most, "Sorry, but don't go there, Ciri. You're not just enough to me, you're more than anything I've ever hoped for, and I have the words for it. Do you want me to shower you in them? Because I can, I'm willing, you know how hopeless I get with these things…" And then she was giggling, humoring the thought but shaking her head either way. She couldn't handle it at the moment, it'd be too much for her.

Then she frowned again and swatted his arm.

"Don't make this about me! It's about you! I'm committed here and I know you are too, but I need you to know I'm with someone I consider worthy; it's not pity, it's not just me taking a random chance. A-And this is super cheesy and stupid because you should know this by now! Gods…"

And now it was Leon laughing, nodding as a wave of shame washed over him.

"I'm sorry, Ciri. Truly, I am" His hand found the small lower part of her waist and circled around it, soothing her seething anger away, "I'll work on this…this complex of mine, I'll do it for you and I, for us, is that fine?" She only nodded in response, taking deep breaths to calm herself while she walked around corpses to pick up trophies they could sell.

She'd teach Leon all this later.

"I just…maybe one day we can sit down at a table, have a drink and…" She already knew what was coming and gulped silently in return, "Maybe talk about us? I know nature leads with us, we don't have to confirm anything, but it might—might help me? Unconsciously"

Ciri finally stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around to look at him, surprising the boy with how red her cheeks were, almost as if she was talking to a different Cirilla altogether.

It was clear that for all the monster talking and past trauma, Ciri had a real issue talking openly about things like this.

"W-We'll talk about it! Just not right now!" She stated, finale. No room for arguing, she couldn't take much longer before passing out or something, with her heart bursting out of her chest.

Sure she took charge of the initial state of their relationship, and in other circumstances she'd have no trouble declaring what she felt and take the leash of it again, but things were awkward for her at these times of vulnerability. It was not easy, and he didn't make it easier with big brown eyes staring at her while she bared it all.

Flustered, she signaled him to follow so they could destroy the Drowner nest and be done with the job.

"So, I managed to pick some powder for free from a few vendors that didn't need it, and I made this" Before she could say anything once they arrived at the nest, Leon brought out of his pocket a little tied up pouch, red in colour. Nose enhanced, she could detect the inflamable scent coming from it, "You said fire is useful so I thought…"

"Woah, okay. Are you some kind of genius? Did you read how to make these, or…?" Ciri found herself utterly perplexed. She'd initially thought a few bursts of igni would do, and it did all these years before so Geralt actually never taught her his intricate bomb-making research. To think that Leon was already a step ahead against her in an aspect so crucial within Witcher training, it made her feel…strange.

"Uh, no. Just basic chemistry. There's like a billion books about this" He scratched his head, slightly confused, "I made this one for fun, since you can create fire out of nowhere, but maybe you can let me try it out? I call it Blaster Type 1"

Ciri only managed to blink out of surprise a few moments later, nodding in agreement.

"You shall, I don't see why not?" She tried going for a nonchalant approach, whilst Leon merely grinned in response, happy to test out his new invention.

He took out flint and stone, and got close to the empty nest in front of them.

"Just make sure you get that deep into the hole, okay?" She mentioned as she curiously watched.

"We are still talking about the nest, aye?" He joked and for once, Ciri felt elated. This was the first time Leon indirectly joked about anything regarding intercourse and she was happy with that.

She muttered a quick We'll see and remained silent, watching as Leon quickly hit the flint and created a small spark that started running down a small cord washed in oil.

"There it goes" He shoved the thing as deep as he could into the nest and then backed up to where Ciri was.

Ten seconds later, no sound.

"Maybe the mud turned off the flame?" She questioned, flabbergasted. She couldn't hear the cracking of the spark no longer.

"I'm not sure, it's supposed to handle that sort of thing…I mean, it's oil" He carelessly started walking a little closer to the near, but before getting anywhere close, the thing finally exploded, engulfing Leon in the remaining weak flames.

Ciri was all action and reflexes, flashing green and immediately pulling him out of the near explosion, even if she knew it was already too late.

Thankfully for both of them, Leon was unscathed, without any sort of injuries and only a shocked face.

"Okay, maybe I added a bit too much powder…my bad" He chuckled dryly and evaded Ciri's hard stare, "I'm not sure why it took its time but…that's certainly not as reliable. I'll need to re-think my calculations"

"You're an idiot, always giving me fucking heart attacks!" The Witcher did not hold back on the barking and the auburn haired boy didn't try to deflect any of it.

By all means, he had been reckless.

"I'm sorry, Ciri" He finally apologized even if it wasn't needed. Ciri had seen what happened and knew it was an honest mistake.

"All fine…gods, that was scary" She dusted off her clothes and walked close to where the explosion happened.

There had been a nest before, but now it was more like a mere empty hole on the ground.

"I didn't think it'd be this big…" Leon commented off the side and Ciri smirked.

"Neither did I, but it was a pleasant surprise" She cooed next to his ear, forcing red cheeks and stutters to come out of him.

"I was talking about the explosion!" Ciri laughed and patted his back, "I thought…I mean, it was just a bit of powder. I'll have to keep that in mind for the future"

"It was a success though! No trace of the nest" Ciri rationalized, "You could make a few and use them as weapons. Y'know, not many low tier monsters are able to take such a hit without dying or getting mauled"

Leon smiled at the thought and nodded.

"You're right, I should make a few" He then crouched next to her, reaching out to some blood down on the floor—Drowner blood, "Y'think these could be venomous?"

Ciri merely raised her eyebrows in surprise, knowing where this conversation was heading to, "These ones are not, blood is never really…venomous, but some monsters have acidic glands, not these ones however"

"Maybe I can make some poisonous bombs too" He commented what she already knew he'd say and patted his shoulder.

"Why stop there? You could make poisonous arrows!" She offered and Leon nodded again, immediately reaching out for his little notebook to write everything down.

The Witcher stood up and dusted herself off again, before marching forward with Leon concentrated deep into his book.

"We're leaving tomorrow" She said before whistling for Kelpie, who in return made a sound and started walking towards them, "You ready to leave this place for the first time?" She asked, and waited a few seconds in silence, knowing Leon was still busy writing.

"…Yeah, I am—just a moment" He wrote down a little something else and then snapped his notebook shut, "I am, really. It's been one of my dreams since forever, thank you for all this, Cirilla" Ciri immediately perked up and bounced on her feet, reaching Kelpie with her stomach full of butterflies.

"Thank you, Leon, for being you!" She giggled at the way his cheeks stretched in a wide smile, "Now let's ride, come on, it's your turn and we're leaving early in the morning, I wanna get some rest and the sun is going down"

The archer agreed and marched back to the horse, climbing up and offering his hand for her.

"Let's go"

—-

For all their experience and horse riding, their bandit antics and monster killing, Ciri never thought she'd see Leon in such a state after they paid for their passages—, plus Kelpie's additional fee, and got on the ship that would get them out of Velen.

The archer was, by all means and definition, out of service. His face was green and pale and every slight movement of the sea only worsened that up. At the beginning, she'd found it alarming. But after a few hours and bickering with other people onboard, it was clear that this was usual for some people.

"Never took you for someone with motion sickness, Leon" She mocked after the fact, rubbing the palm of her hand on his back in soothing motions while the poor guy barely held on to dear life (and his breakfast), mouth pointed at the sea in case a surprise caught him.

"Ugh—, shut up" He wasn't by any means in a dangerous situation, but it was still amusing. He had vomited once in the first few minutes of the boat ride, but after that he's had 0 incidents.

"I pity you, lad. 'Tis a day-long ride, 'yer in for a good time" A man hanging around close to them with a long beard and a hat let the two know, and immediately Leon groaned in response.

The man chuckled, tipped his hat towards Ciri and then moved along somewhere else.

"Damn it all" Leon groaned again, "It's my first time on a big ship like this one, when—ugh, when I went fishing with dad this never happened"

"Maybe it's the open sea? It can be quite daunting" Ciri wasn't mocking him no longer, and was resting her body next to the ledge he was perched at.

"To make things worse this place is…is filled with men and they all suddenly found this gnack to try and court you" Ciri's eyes went wide in surprise.

This was probably the first time she'd ever heard so much venom inside Leon's voice, and the fact that it came thanks to a bit of jealousy made her feel euphoric.

It was true, a few men had decided it'd be smart to try and get a Witcher to spend a cozy night in the ship with them, even with Leon present and able to listen. She'd rejected them on the spot, oftentimes threatening with her sword to deal damage if they ever attempted to touch her, and always declaring her current relationship with Leon.

Of course, Leon had barely reacted at the time, but now it was clear he'd not be unfazed by it. Had it been the other way around and women tried openly flirting with her archer, Ciri was sure she'd be extremely angry. Seething.

"Dimwit, you saw how I rejected each and every single one of them. Don't you even dare try and be bothered by it, I choose you and I'd choose you a thousand times over, alright?" And she knew she was being a hypocrite.

"It's just—They're arseholes! I'm right here and they are still taking their chances. Is being numb in the head-, ugh" He held his hands on top of his mouth before continuing, "A new disease around here?"

She couldn't help but laugh at the comment, understanding the meaning behind it.

"Oh trust me, people are born with that disease, baby boy. In fact, at times you might suffer some of it too!" She blatantly insulted him, obviously in good fun, and the archer merely pushed her without force, "Careful, I might throw you into the sea!" She joked, hugging from behind and lifting him up.

"Hold up, Ciri! I—" Vomit, second time. This time at least he managed to aim at the water instead of the wooden boards, " I can't swim, and my belly's spinning, idiot…" He glared at the Witcher and she lifted her hands up in surrendering fashion.

"Oof, sorry, just got too into it" She confessed and rubbed her hands together, "Look, maybe being out here might not help that much? If you can make it to our small room—,for which we paid a huge sum of coins, I may be able to fix your sickness with magic!

You love magic and you love feeling okay, yeah?"

Pouting, he merely nodded in return. She was treating him like a child but he kind of deserved it.

"Fine"

It took them some time and stares before they managed to reach the private room they'd managed to buy for themselves, Ciri not really wanting to spend the night shackled up next to drunktards and other travelers in the common rooms. The place was—,not worth it, in a sense that it was dirty and small. But it was far better than sleeping down under the boards, with water leaking everywhere and snores coming from every side.

"Here, sit down" She managed to drag Leon to the bed and forced him to sit down, enjoying his face deep in concentration so the sickness wouldn't win over him again.

"You—mentioned magic?" Leon was barely hanging and she nodded in return.

"It's a simple Aaxi spell. It's supposed to make people dizzy but I can make you fall asleep with it…I'll only use it with your permission, for I'd never dare control your mind without asking, Leon" She grabbed his hand and he focused on her eyes for the time being.

"Ciri, I trust you" The same words he'd used twice already, and they made her world incredibly brighter, "You'd never hurt me" She smiled brightly and started chanting with a triangle move of hands.

Soon, Leon started drifting away to sleep.

"I'll wake you up when we get there"

—-

Blaviken.

To some, a small town at the edge of the country.

To Ciri, a place of memories only told to her by Geralt, the butcher of Blaviken. It had been years ago, almost too long, but the people didn't forget, so much so that once they arrived at the gloomy town, she'd decidedly hidden her pendant away.

Leon had woken up an hour before arriving, but apparently his dizziness had dissipated after a good rest. Maybe his belly got used to the motion of the ocean, who knew? And he had been all questions and doubts about the new place they were visiting, its nearby surroundings, flora, fauna and political stances. Before, she wouldn't care about any of this information, but now as she replied with answers that lacked content, she realized learning about these things would've been a good idea.

"It's still a port, so maybe there's Drowners and such around?" And yes they were, they were plenty. But also harpies and sirens, and she wasn't sure if Leon was ready for such monsters.

Still, they needed a contract. Their coin had slipped away after paying for the whole traveling, kelpie and a private room, so they needed to save some more to make their journey to Kaer Morhen more comfortable.

"Join me, maybe there's a contract or two we can do that won't take us long, we want to reach the Kestrel Mountains within two weeks or so" And so she pulled Leon by the hand throughout the town.

While shady, the town or the region in general wasn't as dangerous as Velen, and she was sure no one was about to jump on them without notice. Even then, losing Leon to the increasing amount of crowd would be disastrous, so she'd keep him close.

They arrived at the city board of notices and she realized the thing was full of papers with red ink, a sign of monster contracts.

Of course, less crime meant more people, and more living people meant…

"That's a lot of monsters" She turned around thinking it was Leon, just to find him at the side of the street ogling some flowers a merchant sold. Instead, this was an adult man who's gaze was glued to the board, "You kids hunting?" Her eyes glanced over the man's chest and there it was, in clear display. Witcher, of the bear.

"Uh, no, we're just-"

"I know who you are, you don't have to pretend" His eyes were stern and solid brown, unlike Leon's, "Anyone in this hunting game knows who you are…Emhyr's daughter" She clenched her fists and almos gave in to his provocations.

"She's Geralt's daughter, numb head" Soon, a hand found her shoulder and squeezed it in reassurance. No need to make a scene, "And who might you be? Or manners are just beyond Witchers?" She glared at Leon and poked his ribs with her elbow. This man wasn't the humorous kind, less so if he wore Bear Pendants.

As far as she was aware, their kind had long since disbanded; even then, Geralt had warned Ciri that this school in specific didn't join in morality or any rules regarding Witchers or society itself. If the situation arose, she was sure he'd attempt to kill them both or at least injure Leon, because there was no way he'd be able to land a finger on her.

"Name's Ivor" The tall Witcher answered Leon's question his rudeness in his voice, "Didn't think Witcher's worked as baby sitters now" The insult was clearly directed towards Leon, but he was unfazed. Ciri on the other hand, was only a push away from knocking out the man.

"ivor of Belhaven? That man is dead, far as I'm concerned" Ciri perked up at the name, having heard it somewhere before. That Leon knew about him was also a surprise.

"Another Ivor, but you knowing that name…I'll let you be, naive kid" The Bear Witcher shrugged and exhaled, "Was tempted to kill you on the spot, but I see you've paid attention to classes" Leon understood why people kept bad mouthing Witchers now. This man was heartless and without an inch of care for the living or the dying, truly only concentrated on jobs and monster killing.

His hold on Ciri lightened and in a flash of green, the man was already on the ground, with Ciri's leather boot stomped on his chest, keeping him pinned in place.

"You dare threaten him" And the man was gasping for air; he should've known…Ciri was on a higher level than most Witcher, both thanks to Geralt's and Vesemir's arduous training and her master of magical enhancements, "I'll fucking smear you on the ground"

"Cirilla!" And Leon was right next to her, trying to pull her away to no avail. Even with all his strength, she wouldn't budge, "Let's not draw attention, for god's sake!" He tried with words and Ciri turned around to see him, almost scaring him with the amount of rage shown in her eyes.

After a second she scoffed and retrieved her boot. Ivor instantly stood back up and dusted himself off.

"Fuck! You're a feisty little thing!" He could barely breath from the force she had used to stomp him, but did not complain further. He had provoked this, and he was glad the Ashen Haired Witcher had decided not to murder him then and there. He had heard about her before, but it was clear something had changed within her.

"You should stop talking, I can only contain her long enough" Leon offered as he kept a tight hold on Ciri's arm, solely for symbolism, "Also, whatever did I do to you? Are you a psychopath?"

"Why are you talking with this mongrel? We should get a contract and get the fuck out of here, Leon! He just threatened you!" Ciri was a ball of rage, barely contained by her small amount of decency and moralistic value. Murdering this man in the middle of the streets would earn her a title similar to Geralt's and she wasn't ready for that yet.

"And he's not gonna touch me, you'll see to that. So why not ask? He's a Witcher, I wanna find out why some of them act this way while you and others don't" And Ciri found herself seething.

"Oh, your woman right there sure did act this way, a full blown psychopath" To her dismay, the man continued talking, "You ever heard the name Falka?" And that was all it took.

In a moment, the man was smirking, triumphant. And in a second, he was knocked out cold down on the ground.

"Ciri-"

"Not now! Not…let's get out of here, Leon. Please" Ciri got desperate, hearing that name again after so long and having Leon hear it as well…she couldn't handle it.

Leon nodded once and immediately a flash of green blinded him. When he regained sight once again, they were far away, in a alley, probably at the edge of the city or somewhere remote. Had Ciri flashed them away? Could she do that? Or did she take him with her on one of her fast movements she did?

A gasp of air brought him out of shock and he found Ciri curled up on the ground, head hidden between her knees. She wasn't crying, but she was definitely affected by the stranger's words.

"Ciri…" He reached out and she flinched at his touch. His hand barely graced her shoulder, "Sorry, no touching. Look at me" He ordered and hesitantly, she lifted her eyes to look at him. She seemed desperate and shocked, and Leon grimaced at the sight, "I…don't know what that was all about, but don't let his words get to you, Ciri" He held her gaze with his own, "You're stronger than this, I know you are"

"I'm not…I want to be, but every time someone bothers me, it's like I cross a line and I go back to—, well, what you saw…" And the shame showered her once again. She remembered how it felt, that rage. That stupid Witcher deserved everything that came his way, but still, she had been blindsided by it. The moment he mentioned hurting Leon all she had seen was red, and it reminded her of the older days.

"You are stronger, Ciri. Maybe you're not there yet, but you came back to me, yeah? So he tried and touched some critical points—, I can't blame you for that. It's one thing to get mad at provocations, but there's stuff you can't let pass. If someone bad mouthed my family, or tried hurting you…I'm not unreasonable, honey" Leon tried his best not to hug her and shield her body from reality around them, because he knew Ciri needed space.

"I just—I wanted to kill that guy, Leon. It crossed my mind before other things…you'd just hurt him, Geralt wouldn't even bat an eye and leave, but me? I thought about killing him, for threatening you…for talking about m-my past"

"But you didn't. Isn't that what counts? You knocked him out, I saw him breathing before we left. He's a Witcher, he knows your name, he knew what he was getting himself into; I'd say you let him get away with a lot…don't you see? You thought about killing him, but you didn't. Isn't that a change? Isn't that getting better" She groaned and buried herself in her knees again.

"Yes it is, but I don't want you knowing that it's better…it implies I was worse. I don't want you to know, Leon! You're not supposed to know that-, that I've…I don't want to…" She was hyperventilating, clearly not happy with the turn of events and still not ready to reveal her truth, even though it was quite clear now for him.

"Ciri…I know" He didn't care and placed his hand on her shoulders, "I…of course I understand what you did. It's something I suspected since the first time we talked about this" He tightened his grip and pulled her, crouching beside her to hug the Witcher.

"Don't tell me that…it only makes me so sad" She didn't reject the hug, but didn't reciprocate it either.

"Why? Have I changed the way I treat you since that day?" Ciri went silent, and Leon tried again, "Have I, Ciri?" She shook her head in denial. He's never changed.

"No" Was all she managed to answer.

"Then know that I'll never change by learning anything about you. Maybe I'll be more careful around certain subjects, but I'd never treat you differently" He lifted her chin up, forcing her to look into his eyes, "Ciri, I know your whole name. The man mentioned Emhyr…don't you think I know what that means?" Her eyes filled with surprise and dread.

"You know…"

"Of course I do, I suspected it for a long time. It's never made a difference to me, Ciri is just Ciri, to me" He chuckled at his words and let go of her, instead taking hold of her hands, "You could be a princess, you could be a centuries old sorcerer. It makes no difference"

"I could also be a cold blooded…killer" I was a cold blooded killer, she wanted to say. Wanted to be true with him; but the words didn't come out. Admitting it was harder than any task she'd ever done. Hurt worse than any injury.

"And I'm fucking insane because, even knowing that, I still love you, Ciri" The words came out without thinking, but they felt so right he didn't apologize. Ciri instead looked as if the world just stopped, her eyes big and wide, her heart fast and loud.

"You-"

"Yeah, I love you, Cirilla" He smiled, saying it with far more confidence than the first time, "I was waiting for the best time to say it, but damn, I should've just came out with it before. You're so good to me, so don't be scared about us drifting apart, okay? I love you"

Every time he said it, her world turned around. Her initial despair had turned into a colourful pink and she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

How could he love someone like her? How could he just accept it?

"Leon…" She realized she wasn't ready to say it herself, and immediately her gut sunk deep within her, "I—"

"You don't have to say anything, I just wanted to let you know" He closed in and kissed her cheek, "I wanted to reassure you…when he said that—that name? You looked at me with so much fear, it broke my heart"

She felt sorry…sorry for herself. It was the gods probably cashing out on her wrong doings, and now she felt unable to say back those words. To let him know, just like he did right now. It was wrong, he probably felt bad about it too.

"Why do you-"

"Ciri…" He interrupted her, and stood up, offering his hand for her to pick in the process, "Let's go get a room somewhere, okay? I love this. I love us being open about things, but I think your words deserve enclosed space, a drink and some food" Reluctantly she agreed and took hold of his hand, standing up and marching behind him, trusting him with finding somewhere decent to spend the day.

She didn't even care if that Witcher went looking for them; the difference in skill was clear, and she knew that Bear Witchers only had one thing in mind at the end of the day: Taking a contract, going off and killing monsters. Jobs were always of that kinds

It took no longer than an hour to find an Inn available, and while she did take out her coin pouch at some point to let Leon pay for the room, she didn't utter a word the entire time.

It was late afternoon already and the sun was hiding, when they finally reached the room. A cozy, square and perfectly equipped bedroom with a nightstand and a mirror. Of course, this wasn't Velen and people weren't dying off because of the economy and famine. This was another region, and they could allow themselves more luxury.

"I'll get us some food, and leave you alone with your thoughts only for a moment, is that okay?" The archer asked and she merely nodded in return, sitting down on the bed before sighing.

Once the door closed and Leon took his exit, she finally let out a long screech into a nearby pillow.

Leon knew all along, and subconsciously, she knew he knew. Still, she'd played pretend about the issue if only to not touch it; spilling the beans now, Leon had opened the can of worms that she could be, and if her heartbeat was anything to go by, she was in a horrible position to start talking about things.

Still, Leon deserved that and more. He was so accepting of her, more than herself. He understood what she went through and understood why she reacted the way she did sometimes…

And he loved her.

And it was confirmed by his own words.

Those words…had been so beautiful to hear. So refreshing and new and her heart soared when he muttered them, the letters running down her spine like an electric spell. It was a first for her, to feel that way, to feel loved like this, so out in the air.

Geralt loved her deeply, she knew, but he'd never voice it. Yennefer was, of course, the same, if not worse. Showing affection was like giving up on her pride for the sorcerer and she knew that well.

Her biological father…had no such feelings for her, that was clear, and the other people in her life—

"Leon…" She sighed into her hands. He was the one, the first one, maybe, to ever say that and mean it. To ever convey the emotion, to ever make her feel it in return. Love, so cheesy and so corny and yet not at all even if her cheeks were burning and she wanted the earth to swallow her whole. Leon wasn't cheesy for saying it, he was honest, he was brave and he was…

The door cackling open stopped her mind rambling, and soon, a serious archer came through, with two full and hot plates for food, plus probably beer.

"Hey" He smiled at her, but it was quick. Something happened, she was sure.

"Did something—"

"I'll let you know later, I can hear your mind screaming, Ciri. Please, talk to me" He wasn't about to drop the subject, she realized. He cared far too much to do that, and probably brought the food and drinks so she could relax a little into the conversation.

Once he set everything on the nightstand and dragged it so it faced them while sitting on the edge of the bed, she immediately sneaked her arm and took the drink.

She'd need that.

"I—" She took a gulp and almost squeaked, not spitting it out but actually feeling the burn of the drink in her throat, "T-This—what did you bring!?" At that, Leon scratched the back of his head sheepishly and shrugged.

"I asked for the strongest thing they had…" Oh, he was so sweet, trying to ease her burdens in more traditional ways.

It still tasted absolutely horrible.

"But pay it no mind, Ciri" His eyes again turned serious, "I want you to heal, and for that we need to talk" And he wasn't talking about his words an hour or so ago. He was talking about her issues, she knew. And he was pressing forward.

"I don't know how to…"

"You were about to ask me something?" He offered help and she frowned. This was hard, so so difficult, and it burned her chest…but—

"Why do you love me?" She still managed to ask and hate herself after asking. This was such a rude question, harsh and without tact but…that was also her at the same time. Why love someone so broken and with such vile within the soul?, "Why love a killer, Leon? Why love someone who's mistakes cost so many lives?" She was scared to look at his face, scared of what she might find.

When she finally looked up, she found nothing but compassion.

"I love you because you're witty, Cirilla. You're sarcastic and bashful, and at the same time somehow you're charming and alluring. Your eyes work like splendid magnets for me, and I can't help but admire the way you carry yourself, no matter the situation" He started, proving that unlike her, he had the words to describe it. Unlike her, he had the guts, "You're forward, you're brilliant and vastly kind; so much so that you helped me without asking a penny in return. In my eyes, I see you as someone capable and that I can trust anyone important in your care, myself included. I could ask you to keep my biggest treasure and not worry about it for even a second, you're just that reliable" He continued.

Ciri, at a loss of words, could only stare as he stood up and walked around the small room, with his words flowing like a king giving a motivational speech to his army.

"I love you because I'm aware circumstances make a person, and I'm positive you weren't born evil, Ciri" He stood in place and stared at her, "The world is rotten, mine included. I can't even imagine what could've happened to you, to turn this beautiful soul into what you call a monster" Something stuck in her throat, and she was aware this was that unbeatable knot she felt whenever she turned vulnerable.

Otherwise known as tears about to come out.

"And then, how long and scary the journey to recovery must've been. You sometimes cry in your sleep, and it's almost always about asking forgiveness"

She did? She wouldn't put it past her.

"You asked me how could I ever love a killer, and I'd never do so. I'd never love a murderer, I'd never love a monster" Finally, he took a sit next to her in the bed and hugged her tight, "And you're neither of those things, which is why I love you, Ciri" His shoulder immediately dampened and she realized the tears had beaten her again, "I can look past all that horrible stuff because you're so bright nowadays. So shiny with an air of excitement and love for life, filled with kindness, filled with hope. This is the Ciri I love, and I'll look past anything you ever did because of that" His embrace tightened ten fold and her legs wobbled, losing all their strength.

Leon had a way with words that brought her down to the floor every time, and now she found herself a puddle of tears and snot, her heart beating in all sort of ways that made her realize there was relief at the end of her dark valley.

She was a mess, silently letting tears go down her cheeks as she clutched his loose shirt, already wet.

It took a minute before she managed to regain composure; and Leon only noticed before she stopped gripping his shirt as if he'd suddenly vanish away.

"Proved my point?" He cooed into her ear, and she nodded eagerly, unable to form words to reply back, "You should eat something, that'll cheer you up"

"You've cheered me up already"She smiled for once and removed her head from his chest, "No one's ever said anything close to what you just said. You're like a poet" She embraced Leon again, "Thank you"

"No need, I got your back and you got mine, Ciri" She grinned widely at the phrase. They've used it so much, it has found a special place in her rotten heart.

"Leon" The Ashen haired Witcher lifted her head and focused directly on the archer's lips, "Can you kiss me?" And there it was, that usual blush on his cheeks. But his demeanor did not change, and his eyes remained serious.

A nod, and then they were kissing. Not something strong or passionate, but filled with care and a lot of something she couldn't pinpoint. Leon was gentle and he was clear on his intentions, not wanting to turn this heartfelt moment into something hot or messy. Just beautiful.

He'd never voice the fact that this is the first time Ciri's ever asked before doing anything regarding themselves, because he's happy she's done it and he'd be happy if she didn't, either way.

"Can we just—lay in bed? Snuggle together?" She asked again and the brown haired guy agreed, delighted, pulling the both of them into the harsh and cheap mattress with care, with both of his arms wrapped around Ciri's slender frame.

She quickly found a comfortable position, and only then did she finally let out a huge and content sigh. It was like the weight of the world had finally let her rest for a moment.

Silence embrace/ them, and it's most perfect moment in her life.

"Can I touch you?" A question.

A quick nod and then she's running her hand through his chest.

"Can I sleep on your arm?" A chuckle

Another reassuring nod.

"Leon…Can I love you forever?"

I'm going to pick up the pace and have them reach Kaer Morhen, maybe next chapter or the one after the next, I'm not sure yet.

Ciri's so vulnerable, the more I read about her in the books, the more it makes sense to make her as sensitive to her own emotions as possible. Ciri's demons remind me of Viking Manga's main character's demons. So much to cry and try to move on from.

How're you liking this FanFiction? I'm very much in love with it.

Please leave a review, it helps me move forward with this as well.