The Girl in the Woods

Chapter 18

A/N: Ok so I survived the first week of my revised college courses and finally got my internet to cooperate enough with me in order to upload another chapter. There will be some more exciting stuff happening in another few chapters I just really like writing about Geralt and Elizabeth's relationship developing. Also wasn't really sure what to do as the picture for this one so here's Lambert. There will be an extra inserted picture later for descriptive purposes. 

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"Shift your stance, you can't favor that side so much or you'll leave the other vulnerable." 

          Geralt directed Elizabeth as she tried and failed to protect herself against a wooden sword to her ribs. Geralt had sat her down for several hours just explaining the different weapons he carried and what they were used for. Some of which she had already gathered, steel for non-monstrous threats and silver for the others. He had even trusted her to try to hold his steel sword which resulted in her almost dropping it after having the unexpected weight fall on her weak wrist. They had decided that for her size and strength it would be best to teach her how to use a dagger for short ranged defensive melee.

            Elizabeth lunged at Geralt with her dagger but he caught her by the wrist mid swing, he had gripped her tightly in the moment forgetting to go easy on her and she felt a jolt of pain go up her arm. She yelped at the feeling of her wrist faltering under Geralt's strength.

"Fuck!" Geralt jerked his hand back and Elizabeth's dagger fell to the ground. "I'm sorry."

Elizabeth cradled her sprained wrist in her other hand and looked up at her Witcher who's eyes were filled with guilt and concern.

"It's okay, you didn't mean to. I guess I should have taken Eskel's word." Elizabeth tried to keep her tone light.

"Come with me, I'll fix you up. Hopefully you learned enough, I thought that by doing this myself I would be protecting you more but obviously that didn't go as planned."

                 Elizabeth's heart beat faster hearing that Geralt was so protective of her, the scales were just hopelessly outmatched. On top of the fact that Geralt was built like Superman he also had an extra dose of mutant strength, Elizabeth was a 22 year old woman who's mom was still trying to convince her to drink more milk. After sitting her down in a chair inside the keep Geralt disappeared to collect supplies for a splint, returning in just a few minutes to immobilize her wrist so it could heal. She would probably need to do physical therapy if she ever made it back home. Unfortunately as well she was human and could not partake in any of the usual healing accelerators around the keep.

            That night when Lambert suggested getting drunk and playing a round of Gwent, Geralt agreed right away and went to retrieve the alcohol himself. He had returned with an armful of vials and bottles. He set down a bottle of clear liquid in front of Elizabeth that she assumed was vodka.

"Aye, you got the Gull!" Lambert exclaimed, reaching for another one of the bottles.

"What is that?" Elizabeth asked, pouring the vodka into a cup and taking a sip. The alcohol burned her throat on the way down but the pulsing in her wrist eased slightly at the distraction.

"I only brought White, last winter when you drank Black you couldn't stop yourself before you ended up naked in the woods covered in several inches of snow." Geralt said, sitting down and pouring himself some drink. Eskel was shuffling a deck of strange cards which Elizabeth guessed were for Gwent.

"I am perfectly in control of my actions." Lambert argued, "Though perhaps White is for the best tonight because we have feminine company." Elizabeth rolled her eyes at Lambert using her as a scapegoat.