Pollux of Temeria

"There is nothing for me without Pollux."

Pollux and Geralt were practically begging for air at this point. The two had been taking shallow breaths for the last hour. They knew the striga had stopped fighting long ago, but they needed to remain in the crypt until the rooster crowed three times. 

"If that damn cock doesn't crow, I'm gonna get out and do it myself." Pollux growled under her breath. Geralt laughed at his grump partner. Even in the most grim circumstances she was able to make a joke. Fortunately, no sooner did she say that, the rooster began to crow. Immediately after hearing the third crow, Pollux broke the seal. The two witchers pushed the door of the crypt open, breathing in the air. Though the castle was clearly in disarray and decay, the air had never felt better. Pollux stretched as she got out of the coffin. Out of the corner of her eye she saw steam rising. She turned to face it, and there sat a girl between the ages of ten and thirteen. She was huddled in a corner and shivering. The girl practically had talons for fingernails and the fear in her eyes was nothing short of feral. Pollux hesitantly tapped Geralt's shoulder. She then pointed at the girl, who lie naked and shaking on the ground. She had mud smeared across various parts of her body. Geralt walked towards the girl, Pollux in tow, still nursing her eye. Geralt kneeled down towards the girl, trying to roll her over. The girl's eyes shot open, full of feral fear. She reached her taloned hand up, and before Pollux could react, clawed at Geralt's neck and bit him. Pollux hit the girl with the but of her sword. The girl was dazed and backed into the wall holding her head. Pollux then dragged Geralt to a pillar, frantically tearing at her shirt. She pressed a cloth into his neck attempting to staunch the bleeding that was coming from hid now torn artery. She sat against the pillar holding him as he gasped and choked. His eyes continued to lull.

"No, no no." She begged, tears pooling in her eyes. "Hey, hey come on Geralt, you can't die on me now." She shook him with her free hand and continued press into his neck. His eyes fluttered shut and Pollux pressed her two fingers into his neck, feeling for a pulse.

"Wake up. Please you can't leave me. Don't leave me. Damnit!" When she felt the light pump of his pulse she cursed. She stuttered in her movements looking around. She looked to the girl, who sat relatively unharmed in the corner.

"Do you understand?" She asked the girl. She snarled but made no attempt to rush at Pollux. "I can get you somewhere safe but I need you to follow me. Can you do that?"

The girl blinked in understanding, the fear in her eyes growing more human by the second. The girl stood and cautiously walked over to Pollux. Pollux held out her hand to the girl, and the girl looked at it.

"I promise your safe." Pollux then reached to take off her shirt. Once it was off she reached out to lift the girls arms up. She then pulled the shirt over the girls head. "This will keep you warm."

Pollux then, for the sake of her own decency, heaved Geralts shirt off of him and shrugged it on. She then, with what was left of her strength heaved him onto her shoulders. She reached out to the girl, asking her to take her hand. Pollux and the girl then walked out of the castle. They traveled swiftly over an hour away to Triss' cottage. She was screaming frantically for help. Pollux had reached Triss' house where Triss came running. Pollux cried out in relief. She begged for help, telling Triss how Geralt was injured. She pleaded for his life, having completely forgotten that she had a dire injury of her own that needed attention. After laying Geralt on the bed, Triss directed Pollux to the castle. Pollux carried the girl to the castle where she returned the now human princess. Upon delivering the princess safely, she collapsed on the ground, exhausted and unable to continue due to the blood loss and injuries she had suffered.

The king desperately summoned the guards, to help the savior of his now safe child. He demanded that she quickly be taken to Triss who could easily save her. His guard delivered the now pale and seemingly lifeless Pollux to Triss.

Triss teared up at the sight of her friend, who had managed to run well over eight miles, in a fragile state to save her friend and the princess. She rushed Pollux to the bed in which Geralt also lay. She moved quickly to clean the wound and bandage it. She knew deep down she would not be able to recover Pollux's sight, and for that she was deeply troubled. However, both Pollux and Geralt would live to see another day and with that she was also brought an overwhelming sense of relief.

____________

Geralt began to flutter in and out of reality. Triss was replacing the bandages around his neck. She said his name, trying to coax him back to alertness.

"Pollux." He groaned softly, as he tried to gather his bearings. Little did his partner know, that whilst he was slipping in and out of consciousness back at the castle, he heard everything she had said. He had heard her teary pleas for him to stay. Truthfully, that was the reason he was alive. Had he not met Pollux he would not have fought the call of death, and would have embraced it willingly. But with the thought of leaving Pollux without fighting that call, ripped at his very core. As Triss applied a healing salve to his neck, Geralt wok, clutching at his neck. His eyes zoned in, watching Triss throw away the bandages she just removed from his neck. "You heal quite nicely," she mused. "Your will to live is strong." His mind once again moved to the striga, and the events of last night.

"The princess?" He questioned.

"Your partner returned her to the king. She's alive and safe. I have arranged for her to stay with the Sisters of Melitele." Triss said. Pollux ran to the castle sporting her own devastating injury and he wasn't there to help. He was still trying to process not only the events of last night but the events that lead up to such a catastrophic monster. "You should know, Foltest issued a statement. The honorable Lord Ostrit gave his life to slay the Vukodlak. The miners are gathering ore for the statue."

Geralt sighed in disappointment, letting his head fall back onto the bed he was laying on. The country couldn't even admit the wrong doings of their people. Yet they're able to erect a statue for a rapist. "Why didn't you kill the princess?"

Geralt ignored the question, he swung his legs over the bed and began to put on his shoes. "Where's Pollux? My coin? We need to get back to our animals."

Triss walked to the other side of the bed. Geralt hadn't even noticed the smaller figure laying in it. She had a bandage over her eye, that was now being changed by the mage. Geralt had finally gotten to see his partner. The ghastly gash that she had gotten stretched from her temple, through her eye and the bridge of her nose, down to her jaw. Pollux's once red eye was now white, she would no longer be able to see out of that eye. She was going to have to re learn how to throw her spears, something that her legacy was built off of. This was not just a blow to her ego, but a blow to her chance of survival as well.

Pollux was exhausted. She was so out of touch that she clearly couldn't hear nor process what was going on around her. "You should consider yourself lucky." Triss said. "I don't know many people who would run over 8 miles to save their dying partner. Not only that but she then took the princess back another 3 miles to the castle."

Geralt looked to his partner, astonished at the strength she managed to have. Of course, he knew she was strong, she launched a fully fledged striga into a wall with ease. But for her to have lost as much blood as she did, and carry his hefty ass well over 8 miles, was unbelievably impressive.

"I am lucky. She's the best thing that has ever happened to me." He admitted softly.

"Is this all life is to you two? Monsters and money?" Triss said holding one of the biggest payouts either of the two had seen in months.

"It's all it needs to be." He said, tenderly reaching for his partners hand. Triss huffed a laugh before pointing to Pollux,

"Is that why you mutter her name in your sleep. Is that not a regular thing you do, something she would know." She paused before looking at Geralt. "You say this is all life is two you two, but there is a vortex of fate all around us. It grows with each and every choice you make draws destiny closer together."

Triss then places their traveling bags at his feet. "I feel something out there waits for you. Something more."

"There is nothing for me without Pollux. That much I am sure." He said watching Pollux as she slowly came to. He smiled at her as her eyes rested on his. To him, nothing changed, she was still the same fierce and beautiful warrior she was before.

A/N: Ok so I really did want this to be a slow burn but I'm getting kind of itchy to continue the development of their actual relationship....choices choices lol. As always likes and criticism is welcomed!!