Even the Smallest Person can Change the Course of the Future
"You don't know how to swim?" Jaskier rolled up his sleeves so they wouldn't get gross while he skinned the fish Geralt managed to catch for lunch.
"No." Ciri tilted her up in defiance. "I'll bet you all the gold you have I can beat you in Knuckle Bones, though." The girl laughed at the incredulous look Jaskier gave her. The two had been getting along swimmingly and it was clear they both enjoyed the newfound bond.
Geralt sat a foot or so away from Jaskier. The poor Witcher was still waiting for his hair to dry. He was fishing and hadn't planned the bank being as slippery as it was. He lost his footing and went into the water headfirst. He was just happy it was a warm day.
Jaskier "helped" him dry his hair and offered him a blanket. Geralt was a little chilly but that didn't mean he was going to take the damned blanket. What made things odd, was that Jaskier could read him now. It wasn't just Jaskier making subtle faces at Geralt and the Witcher understanding in less than half a passing glance. It took Jaskier a mere second to understand what Geralt was thinking or how he was feeling.
At night, Geralt's amber eyes would see Ciri sound asleep curled up against Jaskier's side. Jaskier, seeing something akin to jealousy in Geralt's eyes, would hold his other arm out for Geralt to come closer. More than once, Geralt woke up to Ciri's head pillowed on one of his shoulders while Jaskier's head was resting on his chest with an arm wrapped around both him and Ciri. Those, in Geralt's opinion, were the best mornings.
Both Ciri and Jaskier knew it.
"Geralt?" Jaskier snapping his fingers in Geralt's ear snapped him back to reality. The man held up his forefinger. "Follow my finger."
The Witcher squinted, sceptical.
"Humour me, Witcher." Jaskier's tone was firm though his words were teasing. Geralt sighed but willed his eyes to follow Jaskier's finger. He didn't realise he was looking at Ciri until he felt Jaskier's hand on the top of his head. "Does your head hurt?"
"No."
"Geralt."
"A little. I'm fine."
"You're fine. I think you have a concussion. We need to find you a healer." Jaskier turned to Ciri. "Can you start getting Roach ready? I'll-"
"I'm fine, Jaskier."
"Your attention span is shit, Geralt. That's not normal for you. You must have hit your head on a rock or something when you fell in the water. We'll find you a healer and you'll be good as new, running around in the woods like a deer in no time." Jaskier stood and held his hand out to Geralt to help him up. "Please with Ciri and me."
Geralt sighed but took Jaskier's hand nonetheless. The Witcher stumbled and fell back down when Ciri screamed, pressing his palms to the sides of his head as pain erupted like he was blasted with fire.
Jaskier spun on his heel to see several men walk closer, one of them had snuck up on Ciri and grabbed her from behind. She managed to bite the man's hand and screamed, launching five of the others flying back.
"Don't move," Jaskier ordered Geralt, drawing his bow. He knocked two arrows, releasing one to take down the man holding Ciri. Nine. The second arrow was adjusted to the left and released to kill the man next closest to the Princess. Ten.
Jaskier taking out the two closest men gave Ciri enough time to draw the steel sword from Geralt's sheath hanging from Roach's saddle. The steel sword was heavier than the silver sword, but Geralt had told her about how the silver sword wasn't as strong as the steel one and that was why he had two swords; he fought humans with the steel sword.
