enticing {𝖌𝖊𝖗𝖆𝖑𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝖗𝖎𝖛𝖎𝖆}

introduction

"If thou wilt make a man happy, add not unto his riches but take away from his desires."

-Epicurus

AMELIA KNEW SHE WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE AWAKE BY THE SCREAMS OF THE MAIDS AROUND HER. 

She had jumped up from the bed she was laying in, but then instantly collapsed on the ground. She couldn't move her legs properly.

The maids around her let out a screech that left her ears ringing well afterward. Amelia was dressed in a silver gown and her hair was done up formally, her hands went to her chest and--

She sighed in relief. Geralt's medallion was still hung around her neck.

Oh fuck, Geralt.

"Your Majesty?" One of the maids grabbed her attention as she looked up from the floor. "By the gods, you're awake."

Amelia's head tilted to the side. "Bridget?" The woman in front of Amelia looked her maid ay Traven, but she looked...older.

"By the gods, Your Majesty, you haven't aged a day." The woman who looked like she could be Bridget's mother. "You're not supposed to wake up."

Everything slowly came back together, piece by piece, in her mind. Breaking the curse, the blood oath with Jaskier, and when she put a piece of her own hair in Geralt's.

"Why am I awake? How long has it been?" Amelia had so many questions. "Where's Geralt? And Jaskier?"

"Your Majesty, slow down," Bridget said, kneeling down beside her. "You've been asleep for a very long time."

"How long?" She asked and the maid's face fell. "Bridget."

"Ten years, Your Majesty."

"Holy fu--" Amelia fell over.

♘ ♘ ♘

Bridget helped Amelia get to her feet and the walked her to the royal dining hall where all her brothers were waiting. Well.

Almost all her brothers.

At first, there was silence as Joseph and Nathaniel gazed at their sister that up until a few minutes ago, had been asleep for ten years. The dining hall seemed strangely empty with only the two of them.

Amelia chuckled weakly. "Holy shit, you two look old."

The two brothers yelled and rushed toward her and tackled her in a hug. All three siblings fell to the floor after stumbling over each other's legs. Amelia laughed in delight and hugged her brothers to her chest.

"Where's Father?" She asked and the smile on their faces fell slightly. "Oh no."

Nathaniel got to his feet and help up Amelia, who needed to use a person as a crutch. "He passed away a few years ago, Amelia."

"And Erik? Where's he?" She asked Joseph's face twisted with disgust.

"His story is a little more complicated, sister." He said and Amelia smiled while clapping his shoulder.

"How does it feel to be the king, brother?" The three shared a laugh and Nathaniel guided her to a chair at the dining table. "Nathaniel, the people--?"

"Are thriving because of you." Her brother placed a hand on hers and she smiled widely. "Now, let's talk about Erik."

"Geralt brought you back home, and he just started beating the shit out of Erik after he put you down," Nathaniel said and Amelia felt her heart swell at the mention of Geralt. "He handed Joseph a piece of paper that Erik had signed off to have some men kill you, then just started beating him."

"You really have a hold on that witcher, sister." Joseph raised a brow and Amelia blushed. "I saw he had your hair in his. That's a pretty serious commitment."

"Yeah, that's kinda the whole point." She joked. "But really then, what happened to Erik?"

"Well, the witcher almost killed him, but our guards stopped him. We threw Erik into a prison cell, then saw to it that there was a public execution." Joseph said, plainly and Amelia's eyes widened.

"Public execution?" She asked. "That's brutal."

"Geralt said you would think that." Nathaniel had a fire in his eyes that Amelia had never seen before. "But I thought it was rather fitting. And so did the people."

"Brothers, where is Geralt? And Jaskier?" Amelia was desperate just to get back to one of them. Where there was one man, the other would certainly follow.

"Geralt visits you once a month, that bard comes fairly often. Five or more times." Nathaniel commented. "Amelia, the Lioness of Cintra said you intended to marry the witcher. Is that true?"

"Oh!" The memory of the banquet replayed in her head. "No, no, no. That was just our cover for protecting the scrolls whilst we attended a banquet."

"A banquet?" 

"Yes, the banquet for Pavetta's hand. Our bard, Jaskier, was asked to attend and Geralt and I went as his bodyguards." Amelia explained, remembering the night fondly. "But people knew Geralt at the banquet so we had to pose as betrothed."

"Pavetta's banquet?" Joseph asked in disbelief. "That was so many years ago."

"Well, yes, brother, I was asleep for ten years," Amelia replied, sarcastically. "But Geralt is... my everything. I truly do love him greatly."

Her brothers nodded. "He's a good man. He brought you all the way home from Oxenfurt."

Her heart ached for her witcher. "When does he usually come? Is it soon?"

"We should probably ask why you're awake, sister. This wasn't apart of the curse." Joseph inquired and she nodded her head.

"Do you think it will affect Traven?" Amelia asked, fiddling nervously with Geralt's medallion.

"It's a possibility. It would be unreasonable to say it's not a possibility." The three siblings all nodded. 

"But can I get myself out of this godawful dress first? Christ, where can I find some pants?" Amelia's brothers laughed heartily at her words.