Songs of Fire °Jaskier, The Witcher

°0.4°

0.4 |humans|

THE SHE ELF KICKED GERALT. Valeria's blood started to boil even more. The elf behind her held Jaskier's lute in his hands.
"Oi, that's my lute. Quick, Geralt . Do your-your witchering-"
"Shut up!"
Valeria winced at Geralt's booming voice so close to her ears.
The she elf started to talk. First in Elder but Valeria couldn't understand a thing.
"Do you wanna die right now?"
Geralt and Valeria responded at the same time. "As opposed to later?"
Valeria's response, however sounded more threatening, "Kill me now and a shadow will follow you for the rest of your life. Although that won't last long since he'd kill you soon enough."
She probably sounded like a mad woman but she knew Rhenvys would come and avenge her death.

The male elf started to touch the strings of the lute. Soft sounds came from it.
"No, please, not the lu-"
Jaskier's words got cut off when the she elf kicked him in the stomach.
"Leave off! He's just a bard!" spat Valeria. She received a punch against her jaw.
"You don't deserve the air you breath."
Valeria was seething and glared up at the she elf. "Neither do you, bitch."
Another punch. Valeria grunted. To her luck the she elf turned her attention on Geralt. The elf spoke but Valeria had her attention on the man slowly breaking Jaskier's lute.
"You hide in your golden palaces. You beat a bound man, and even worse a woman, too scared to look them in the eye!"
The dragon qirl's eyes grew. She had not expected the bard to get this angry. This was a big difference from his usual puppy like behavior.
"Do you like my palace?" the she elf kneeled in front of Geralt, and took his chin in her hands, "Does it live up to the tales you humans tell?"

Valeria and Jaskier both started laughing when the elf got headbutted and fell backwards. Both of them leaned their heads back in laughter bumping against each other.
Valeria's laughter stopped, "Oi, that hurt."
The elf started coughing and wheezing. The dragon girl frowned.
"Wait, what's-what's wrong with her?"

Another elf and the Sylvan from before entered. "She's sick."
Valeria sighed, "Even more company. How lovely."
The Sylvan stepped forward towards the bound trio.
"He's Filavendrel, king of the Elves."
The male elf crouched down beside the she elf spoke up.
"Not a king. Not by choice."

Geralt stared at the Sylvan.
"You were stealing for them."
The creature turned his attention away from the she elf.
"I felt for them. They were forced out of Dol Blathanna."

"Forced out? No they chose-"
The Elven king cut the bard off.
"Do you know anyone that would choose to leave their home? To starve?"
Filavendrel stared at Valeria. He looked at her as if he knew who she was. Closing her eyes with a sigh, she understood. The pain of having to leave your home. Being forced out of your safe place and suffering the world outside of it.
The Blackfyre woman got too invested in her own mind that she missed part of the conversation.
She heard Geralt.
"I understand. As long as you understand that it won't be long before you follow me in death."

"Yes, because they pushed us away from viable soil. Even chaos is polluted. Synthetically enhanced so humans can make magic."
Valeria noticed a certain someone being very quiet. Normally he wouldn't shut up.
"Chaos has always been the same. Humans just adapted better."
Valeria nodded in agreement with Geralt.
"You say adapt, and I say destroy. My elders worked with humans and got robbed all they head. The Great Cleansing the humans call it. I call it digging a massive grave for those I love."
Valeria shook her head and turned her head to the king.
"You think humans only did that to Elves? They do it to all they deem lesser. Elves, humans, it doesn't matter. They adapted to chaos, now you have to adapt to their chaos."

"If I bring my people down from these mountains, it would mean bowing to human sovereignty. They'll make slaves of us."
Valeria winced at that word. Slave. No one deserved to be a slave. She knew how horrible that life was.
The witcher replied now Valeria was silent.
"Then go somewhere else. Rebuild. Get strong again. Show the humans that you are more than what they fear you to be."
Valeria smiled softly. That was her witcher.
She turned to look at the king again.
"If it is revenge that you seek, you need to change things. What you are doing now, barely has any effect. Rebuild and when you're stronger, you can actually achieve what you desire."
Filavendrel stared at her.
"Like you?"
The she elf stood back up again and tried to convince the king to kill the trio. Filavendrel took a knife in his hand but the Sylvan ran forward and stopped him.
"The witcher could've killed me, but he didn't. He's different, and so is she. Kill her and everything will end in flames!"
Valeria closed her eyes and leaned back. If it had to happen, then so be it. One of her hands found Geralt's. At first he tried to resist but eventually he allowed theirs to touch. He knew she needed it. Her other hand sought Jaskier's. Her fingertips touched his.
"If you must kill me, I am ready."
Her heart started pounding when Geralt spoke his last words.
The bard's hand tried to grasp her hand even more.
Filavendrel walked towards them with the knife in his hand.
Valeria turned her head and saw Jaskier already nervously looking her way. She closed her eyes when the Elven king stood in front of her. The knife inched closer.
To her surprise he cut the ropes loose.
A sigh escaped her lips and she let her friends hands loose.
All three of them stood up.
"Go. Now."

Geralt and Jaskier were out of the cave. Valeria was about to but a grip on her arm stopped her. She turned back to Filavendrel.
"I know who you are. I wish we would've met under different circumstances but it was an honor to meet the mother of dragons and breaker of chains."
Valeria nodded. She spotted something behind the Elven king.
"Could I ask for a favor?"
Filavendrel nodded. A small smile grew on her face.
"Could I have that lute?"

The three companions were on the road again. Valeria sat on top of her trusted mare.
"Credit where credit is due. That whole reverse-psychology thing you did on them was brilliant, by the way,"
Valeria started to laugh when the bard imitated Geralt's voice, "Kill me. I'm ready."
Geralt looked back at the duo with an annoyed look.
It didn't surprise her, but the bard kept talking.
"That's the conclusion. They just let us go, and you give all of Netty's coin to the elves."

"Filavendrel's lute not gift enough for you?"
Valeria turned to look at Jaskier. She softly glared at him.
"Exactly, be glad I even asked him for that thing."
The bard touched the instrument while walking beside Valeria's mare.
"Yeah, she's a bit sexy, isn't she? And thank you, Valeria."
The dragon girl frowned with a disgusted look. He did not just call his instrument sexy.
"I do have respect for Filavendrel. He survived the Great Cleansing. Maybe he can do it again? Be reborn. Like the unburnt. Have you heard the mother of dragon's tales?"
He stared up at Valeria. She started to smirk.
"I've heard some stories."

The bard started to sing. After a few sentences he stopped.
"No. No that's shit."
Valeria and Snow stopped walking.
"No keep going. It wasn't that bad."

"This is where we part ways, bard. For good."
Jaskier responded but Valeria didn't listen. She didn't understand but there was a tad bit of sadness in here. Was she actually going to miss the annoying bard?
Jaskier was singing again. This time it was about the witcher and their shared adventure.
"That's not how it happened. Where's your newfound respect?"
Geralt had stopped riding so Valeria cached up to him. Jaskier stood in front of them with his new lute in his hands.
"Respect doesn't make history."
The bard turned back around and started walking. He continued his song. Valeria couldn't deny it, she actually liked the song.
After a few time recognizing some of the lyrics she soflty sang along.
"Toss a coin to your witcher. Oh, valley of plenty. Oh, valley o-"
She stopped and her smile faded when she saw Geralt looking at her with an annoyed expression.

She smiled softly hearing the singing voice of Jaskier fading away. But the song never faded in her head.