The Love of a Sparrow (Elmont/JTGS LS)

Not on my Watch

Soon we were climbing a bean stalk. Well, they were. I was flying around the stalk, happy to feel the wind in my feathers.
"What do you suppose is up there?" Jack asked.
"I'm not a superstitious man, Jack. I never suppose. I simply prepare for everything." Elmont answered.
"What, like giants?"
"No, everything real."
"You don't know the half of it. You mortals know nothing." I barked with laughter. Jack slipped and clung to the stalk, clenching his eyes shut.
"Fear of heights?" Crawe asked.
"Fear of falling." Jacks voice cracked.
"Well, then don't fall." Elmont said.
"Wow, great advice." I chuckled sarcastically.
"So, um, Sparrow was it? I thought all the witchers were whipped out." Elmont tried to Strike up a conversation.
"Well you thought wrong. There are still a few left. The art is passed down through family, but most of the families are gone now." I answered.
"Can ordinary mortals become witchers?"
"Yes but it's very difficult. Most do not possess the ability to learn. But there are some who can. It takes years for them to learn one spell. That's why it's kept in the families. The magical blood is stronger. So the child born of a mortal that has begun training is going to be able to learn easier then his or her mother or father."
"Is it true that the first witcher family ever was gifted with wings? The descendants are the rulers of all of them and they have wings as well?" I paused at his question, wondering if I should answer or not.
"Yes" and I kept flying. I waited on the other side since they needed to zip line across a gap. Giants. I get to see the thing that killed my family and wiped out all the deceased families, my people. Eventually I had to actually climb, as it was too dangerous for me to fly without getting struck by lightning in this storm. I almost got hit but luckily Elmont pulled me out of the way. They all got pulled and there was a lot of yelling.
"Roderick, what's going on?" Elmont called down.
"The line! It snapped. They're gone. They're all gone." He answered. I looked to Elmont and he looked devastated.
"Not on my watch!" I jumped, Spiraling down.
"Sparrow, No!" I heard after me but I didn't listen. I was going so fast that I caught up to them, grabbing the first guy and pulling up, the weight of it ripping the skin around the socket. They yelled in relief. I took them down to the ground. They were all injured, they can't go back up there.
"It was Roderick and Wicke. They cut the line." They all kept saying. I knew I felt something off about them.
"Just give me a pack of food. Stay here and heal up. I'm going back. And inform the king of this mishap." I took a pack and flew back up as fast as I could, dodging lightning on the way. It took me a bit since we had climbed so far up already. I landed next to Elmont, startling him.
"Sparrow!" Jack climbed up and hugged me.
"I'm sorry Elmont." I said and he looked sad. Thinking I didn't get to them in time. "But your men will need a bit of time to heal." He looked at me shocked.
"You saved them?"
"Might have torn my wings a bit but yeah. I did." He unexpectedly hugged me.
"Thank you. You will more then likely get a lot of thanks from their families as well. We should stop here and rest, before anyone else falls!" He yelled the last part. The others found a safe place to sleep while I sat down somewhere comfortable enough to keep watch. They all fell asleep as the storm quieted to a light rain. I sung quietly to myself as I kept watch. I turned my head a little bit when I heard shuffling behind me, but it was just Elmont walking over.
"Hey. What are you still doing up?" He sat next to me.
"Keeping watch. On my adventures, I never get good sleep. Always have to keep alert, you never know what might come to get you." I replied.
"Why here and now?"
"Well, you never know when a Harpy or something might smell us. Gotta keep up."
"You really should sleep. You need the rest, keep rested and at your strongest."
"Yeah, to do your bidding." I scoffed.
"No. To keep yourself healthy, it's not good for you if your so sleep deprived."
"Since when do you care?"
"Since I saw you in the market. So beautiful and mysterious yet so strong and independent. Your your own person and you don't care what anybody says or thinks about you. I admire that."
"Wow. No ones ever said anything like that to me. Thank you."
"Now sleep. If it'll make you feel better, I'll keep watch, but only if you sleep." He reclined against them stalk a bit and pulled me to him to use him as a pillow.
"But-- No buts. Sleep, princess." I smiled at what he called me.
"I haven't been called that in years. It feels strange but natural at the same time." I felt the vibration of his chest under my head as he chuckled.
"Stop stalling and sleep, princess." I sighed and did as told, relishing in his warm arms.