The Witcher One Shots

It's Been A Long Time, Love (Jaskier x Reader) (Angst/Fluff)

Jaskier was on his death bed after forty happy years with you, a sorceress. You were sitting on the ground next to his bed, crying, and holding the bard's hand.

"Y/N," He says, quietly, "I need you to make me a promise, my love."

You look at his worn, wrinkled face, "What do you need, Jaskier?"

"Don't read my most recent poem, not until years after I'm gone, I need you to promise me." He mutters, tears filling his eyes.

Your face softens a bit, and you tell him, "Alright, I will."

He relaxes in his bed, and his grip loosens on your hand, as he takes his last breath. You break down into tears, hugging your lover's lifeless body, praying to the gods you'd follow, desperately grasping for anything to kill you. You grab a knife from the table next to your bed, and you point it to your heart, weeping uncontrollably.

Geralt, who'd given you time alone, comes into the room, sees you, and immediately runs to you, grabbing the knife from your hand before you can do anything.

"Dammit Geralt!" You sob, "Let me die! Please!" You break down in his arms, "Please." Your voice weakens, as you collapse.

Ten years later:

You had made Jaskier a gravestone outside the little town you'd settled in with him. You were visiting him once again, as you tidy up the gravestone, cleaning the fallen leaves from the stone, and fixing up the flowers fans had left him.

"You still visit him." You hear Geralt say from behind you.

You don't bother to turn to him, "Of course I do Geralt, he was my lover, speaking of visiting him, I haven't seen you since the day he passed. Not even at his wake. Where were you?" You say bitterly.

"I was mourning. He was my friend."

"Funerals are where you mourn, Witcher, I needed you and you left to go hunt monsters, you left me alone."

"He told me to take this and only give it to you if I saw you at his grave." Geralt holds a piece of paper in his hands, and walks to you, handing you the paper.

"What is this?" You look at him, still kneeling at the gravestone.

Geralt's eyes soften, "Read it, Y/N."

It's hard for love to be immortal.

Take me my love, through this portal.

Maybe it'll help me through all this twisted pain of leaving you behind.

I hope this time was full of respite.

My love, my love, you'll see me in the sunsets.

I'll see you in the plaquettes.

My love, the two of us alone for life

Oh, how we'd go through strife.

The magic failed.

Oh, how tragic.

But my love, my love, I'll see you once more.

Only when this song is restored.

You remember what Jaskier had said before he died, don't read his newest poem until years after he'd been gone.

"He entrusted you with this so I wouldn't read it?" You ask, as you wipe a tear off your face.

"Yes. He told me to keep it from you until the time was right, until it was safe."

"Safe?"

You reread the poem, knowing it's the last words he'd given you, but something sticks out.

I'll see you once more

Only when this song is restored.

"What does this mean? Jaskier's mind was one of the few things I couldn't understand, but I always knew what his songs meant."

"That's something to investigate on your own."

Geralt goes to your cottage on the outskirts of town, with you close behind. You let Geralt stay the night.

"What does it mean?" You ponder as you cook soup over a fire.

Throughout the night you keep repeating the poem. Over and over, hoping it'll give you some kind of answers, but nothing comes to you, after dinner you go to sleep, tossing and turning, as you hopelessly reach for the man who's no longer there.

Suddenly you shake awake from a dream. A sunset on the balcony of a castle in Oxenfurt. Jaskier's favorite place to perform was in Oxenfurt, he loved seeing the sunsets from all angles.

You get out of your bed, and change into a dress, before waking Geralt.

"We're going to Oxenfurt." You tell him, as he grumbles about it not even being light out yet, "Dammit Geralt! Come on!"

You hop onto your horse, and ride as fast as you can, to get to Oxenfurt,  you don't know why you need to go there, you just have a feeling.

~~~

You and Geralt reach Oxenfurt. As you walk through the city Geralt stops you, "What are we looking for?"

"I don't know but I will when I see it."

Geralt sighs, "What if you don't see it, Y/N."

You turn to look at Geralt, with a tint of hatred in your eyes from him even suggesting that, "I will, if I don't, use your Witcher Senses, Geralt."

He sees the pain in your eye, and nods, "Alright, whatever you say."

You continue walking around Oxenfurt, searching for anything, any sign of Jaskier. You reach the Novigrad gate and see a new cottage beyond the river.

"Geralt? Have you seen that cottage before?" You ask, getting Geralt's attention.

"No, it must be new."

You walk over the bridge and approach the cottage, knocking on the door as you peek through the window. No one's home.

"We should go back into the city to keep looking." Geralt suggests.

You open the door, "Unlocked, I say we search." You say as you slide into the house.

You look around and see a tuning fork necklace, one very similar to Jaskier's.

"Geralt!" You smile, knowing that it's probably just a coincidence but still some hope in your heart, "I think I found something." You snatch it off the table and drop it into your pocket.

"Let's take a break, alright?" Geralt says, "We'll go to a tavern and have an ale and continue our search."

You object, "No! We need to keep looking for Jaskier!"

"Just take a short break, we've been travelling for so long, we need to rest for a small period."

You reluctantly agree. You and Geralt walk to a tavern, but before you walk in, you hear Burn Butcher Burn, but not another bard's voice. Jaskier's voice.

You burst into the tavern, and see Jaskier singing, with his back turned to the audience, before swiftly turning around. He looks as though he hasn't aged a day since Voleth Meir. His ocean blue eyes meet your onyx black eyes, courtesy of your magic.

"You know what? I think I'll sing Her Sweet Kiss, dedicated to the lovely lady in the back." He smiles.

You run up to him, wrapping your arms around him, and tears filling your eyes.

"Jaskier." You mutter into his shoulder.

He managed to shift his lute to his back before you could reach him, and he wraps his arms around you. You squeeze him, like you'd never let him go.

"It's been far too long, my love," He whispers, "Let's go home, shall we?"