alluring {𝖌𝖊𝖗𝖆𝖑𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝖗𝖎𝖛𝖎𝖆} WATTYS 2022

chapter twenty-two

"We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will."

-Chuck Palahnuik

"WELL, HOLY SHIT." Jaskier stared intently at the moon as Amelia told him about her fight with Geralt. "I say we leave him."

"What?" Amelia's voice was raspy and raw and her head was on the bard's shoulder.

"Well, what does the curse say exactly?" He rolled his wrist to the sky. "Certainly you don't need a witcher to guide you. You just need someone, no?"

"It said I would need a mighty warrior to guide me so that I could tame a terrible beast," Amelia explained. "I know no better warrior than Geralt."

"Tame a beast...?" Jaskier mulled over his own thoughts, tapping his chin with his index finger. Then his face lit up dramatically. "My song!"

"What?" Amelia lifted her head off his shoulder, clearly confused. "How is tossing a coin to anyone going to help the situation?"

"No, no, no, no, no." Jaskier stood, snatching up his lute and cleared his voice. "Love in the darkness/ The witcher thought to be heartless/ Yet the warrior princess of Traven/ Melted a heart of steel and tamed a terrible beasttttt..."

"Jask, for fuck's--"

"No, my dearest princess friend, Geralt is the beast. You tamed the beast. You," He jabbed a finger in her direction. "Are the mighty warrior in the curse! Even Geralt said it himself, you are the most cutthroat woman there is."

"I would hardly call Geralt tamed." Amelia scoffed.

"Princess Amelia Rosalina Gracelyn of Traven, you have that witcher wrapped around your little finger and you don't even know it!" Jaskier threw up his hands dramatically. "The reason he got so angry was that he has fallen completely and utterly in love with you, as you with him."

"Jask, please--"

"I am not telling you this to hurt your heart, my good friend, I am telling this because," Jaskier took both of Amelia's hands in his. "You are your own warrior and you needn't stand in anyone's shadow. Whether that is Geralt or yourself."

"You're right," Amelia stood and placed her hands on her hips. "We don't need a witcher!"

"Yeah!" Jaskier cheered.

"I can go to Oxenfurt on my own!"

"Well, you should take me with you." Jaskier lifted a shoulder. "My days of writing about the witcher are on hold... may the warrior princess ballads begin!"

"Jask, we can't just leave Geralt. We're the only two people he cares about." Amelia reasoned and Jaskier's shoulders slumped.

"He has Roach!" He exclaimed.

"Roach is a horse."

"We could leave a note?"

"Saying what?" Amelia scoffed. "Hey there, Geralt, just wanted to tell you we took off in the middle of the night to go gallivanting off to Oxenfurt because Amelia fucked up?"

"Exactly."

"Jask, you stay here."

"Amelia, I am not letting you die alone." Jaskier grew serious and Amelia shivered.

"Stop being serious, it creeps me out." She shook her head and Jaskier chuckled. "I'm not going to die, either. I'm just taking a nap."

"That you'll never wake up from." The bard replied. "Also, maybe true love's kiss will save the day?"

"Jaskier, if you don't shut the hell up--"

"Just write a note to Geralt, even if I can't go. I'm sure he'll catch up to you anyway." The bard produced a quill and paper along with some ink. She took it cautiously.

"And you promise to stay behind with him?"

Jaskier raised his right hand. "I promise, Your Majesty."

She shot a glare at Jaskier. "Don't call me that." Amelia sat down at a nearby bench and poured her heart out onto the page, then placed it in Jaskier's hand.

"Stay safe, Amelia." Jaskier hugged his friend tightly.

"You as well, Jask."

♘ ♘ ♘

Amelia stole a horse and fled to Oxenfurt. By the time Jaskier would give her letter to Geralt, she would already have hours ahead of them. It was hours and hours of Amelia trying to think of things that weren't Geralt.

Whether it was pleasant memories or the heart-aching memories of their fight, it all swirled around in Amelia's head like a hurricane. She wanted to clear her head, and the person that could help her with that was hours behind her.

Whenever Amelia would get frustrated with anything, they would spar. Whether it was with each other or at something else entirely. 

Amelia was so caught up in her own thoughts, that she didn't see the four large men standing in the pathway. They looked intimidating, but Amelia was so frustrated with everything going on around her, she only grinned.

"Now boys, I suspect you were sent by Prince Erik." She dismounted her horse a good few feet in front of them and tied it to a tree. "And I also suspect that you're here to kill me."

She whipped off her cloak with a flourish, leaving her with just a thin white tunic and black leather pants.

"We would apologize, Your Majesty." One of the men spoke. "But it was a lot of coins."

"Well, lucky me." It was just barely dawn and the three men were just silhouettes. She let her eyes adjust to the dark before drawing her sword. "I was just thinking about how much I needed to blow off some steam."

Amelia could feel her anger bubbling in her chest as she twirled the hilt of her sword in her fingers. She was angry at herself, angry at the curse, angry at her wretched brother, and most of all, she was angry at destiny.

"You fuckers are going to die." Amelia could easily take out all of these men with her bow and arrows, but she needed to feel her sword hack into these motherfuckers.

The men thought it was a game, Amelia assumed, because they didn't all three rush her. The biggest man strutted toward her, no weapon in his hand. The other two jeered the man on.

It was true, Amelia didn't look at all dangerous because of her small stature, but she killed better than a fully grown man. She smirked and twirled her sword again, approaching the man.

With the momentum of the twirl, she quickly and nearly effortlessly sliced open the man's calf. Her sword glinted in the moonlight as she swiped her blade across her attacker's back. Amelia grinned at the satisfying scream of her attacker echoed through the woods.

Another swift motion and she made an X on the man's back and felt blood splatter on her chest. This only fueled her rage, and with all her might, she hacked the head off of the man. Wordlessly, she picked up the head and threw it at the other men.

"Who else wants to die this beautiful dawn?" She opened her arms and shallowly bowed.

"You're dead!" Another man yelled and charged at Amelia.

She laughed bitterly. "One can only hope."