Try, Please Try For Me

Seal It With A Kiss

The night before the wedding, Jaskier's father has Geralt join them for dinner.

He'd hardly gotten a chance to see Geralt at all that day, with his father sweeping him away to assist with wedding preparations, only briefly running into the witcher in the halls on his way from task to task. Jaskier found his assistance to be a somewhat cruel irony, akin to a man digging his own grave. Though he was smart enough not to mention that observation to his father.

Amid his responsibilities of confirming the reception menu, selecting flower arrangements, signing little thank you cards to be sent to guests afterwards (a task that made him want to rip each one into a thousand pieces and also throw up), Jaskier's mind drifted to thoughts of Geralt.

Geralt has been the subject of a lot of Jaskier's thoughts lately, but this time it's in a good way, one that reminds him of the tingle of Geralt's skin pressed against his, and the warm feeling that had flooded Jaskier's entire being. And that feeling was most certainly caused by the words Geralt had spoken and not influenced by other factors, like how Jaskier went weak at the knees when Geralt laced their fingers together. No, definitely not because of that.

...Alright, maybe a little bit because of that. But mostly what he'd said.

And the funny thing is, if someone else had made the same claim as Geralt, Jaskier would have ruled it off as an empty promise, something said in order to make him more compliant in all of this. But for some reason the words shook him to his core. And the even funnier thing is that despite only knowing Geralt for a short time, Jaskier actually believes him.

And so, after the whiplash of his lovely conversation with Geralt followed by a day of wedding planning (grave digging), by the time dinner rolls around Jaskier feels as if his emotions are playing a very intensive round of tug-of-war. He still hates being forced into the marriage, but at the same time Geralt seems to be a kind person who wants to treat Jaskier with respect, and while Jaskier never wanted any of this, things could have been so much worse.

Dinner that night is a quiet and stiflingly intimate event. The usual grand dining table has been replaced by a slender model made from carved oak, so that Jaskier's father and stepmother can sit at the head on either side, while he and Geralt are positioned across from each other in the middle. His father had taken him aside beforehand and given him a set of commands to make sure that he behaves. Tonight's bundle includes: Don't speak ill of the union between you and your betrothed, do not show disrespect to your family or your betrothed, be happy and agreeable when prompted, and the ever timeless classic, be on your best behaviour. It's his father's form of insurance, to make sure that Jaskier doesn't try and sabotage things so close to the oh so happy day. All temporary, lasting for the duration of the evening, and all just vague enough for Jaskier to find a loophole if he really feels like pushing it.

The Earl plays his hand like a game of politics, always careful to keep up his mask of manners and tradition in order to avoid offense that causes the other party to forfeit the deal. It's a vicious game, full of honeyd words and metaphors that dance around true intent, and Jaskier could actually be quite good at it if he gave a shit. But alas, he does not.

It's a formal meal and Jaskier is dressed up in one of the outfits commissioned along with the one he wore to meet Geralt; a deep green doublet with bishop sleeves and a golden trim. It's an unexpected side effect that when combined with his ears, wearing it makes Jaskier feel like a fae prince, stepping out of the pages of a story book. Across from him, Geralt has been dressed in a dark grey tunic, accented with silver thread, which looks very out of place in comparison to his usual armor or loose fitting black shirts.

He has to hide his smirk when he imagines how the witcher had reacted when presented with such finery, then told to wear it.

Once everyone is seated, servants bring around plates of food loaded high with roasted pheasant stuffed with rice and herbs, rolls of flaky bread, miniature meat pies, and roasted apples with root vegetables. Jaskier's parents don't waste time cutting into their food, while Jaskier makes an immediate grab for the wine-- something tells him he'll need it tonight.