hold them closer [jaskier x reader]

Chapter 15 ~ Epilogue.

The leaves had just started falling once more. It seemed like the world was covered with an auburn tint; wind picked up every now and again, lifting some fallen leaves with it. You breathed in, imagining the smell of a fresh pumpkin pie. One with the perfect amount of crust, topped with roasted pumpkin seeds. It made you smile, thinking of your mother's bakery, and you made a mental note to ask her to make you one next time you visited.

But now was not really the time to be thinking about such delicacies.

"Are you even watching?" Theo grunted, her brow covered with sweat. Despite her using a majority of her energy to glare at you, she still managed to block Jaskier's attack. He slid his sword from her own, letting it fall to the ground.

"Of course I am," you lied, holding back a laugh at Jaskier's groan.

"How much longer?" He gasped for breath, dragging his sword on the ground beside him.

You pursed your lips, a mischievous look in your eye. "You know I hate that question."

Jaskier rolled his eyes before glaring pointedly at you. "And you know I hate being beaten by a little girl."

Theo scoffed, "I'm not—"

"Yeah, yeah." Jaskier waved a hand in the air, leaning on this sword. "And I'm not a devilishly handsome bard."

You snorted at Theo's expression: she scrunched her nose — more like her entire face — before kicking at the sword Jaskier leaned on. As he nearly toppled over, you scoffed a laugh. "Alright, Mr. Bard. I'll take over."

Theo's eyes widened as you picked up your own sword. "Really?"

"Yeah." You winked at Jaskier as he passed, not missing the sigh of relief that left his lips. As you stood in front of Theo, you cracked your neck dramatically, "Why? Are you afraid?"

She smirked, readying her stance. "Not at all."

You raised a brow, gripping your sword with both hands. "We'll see about that."

Theo had gotten much better in the last couple of weeks — not that she was bad to start; she had the basics, along with the little things she picked up from her real experiences. She was easy to teach, you soon learned — much easier than Jaskier. More recently, she was becoming close to an actual challenge to spar with, though you wouldn't tell her that for quite some time. She had an even bigger ego than Jaskier, and feeding it would only make her sloppier with her swings.

It hadn't taken much convincing for your mother to allow Theo to train with you. That didn't mean it didn't take any at all — at first, your mother was hesitant. She knew you were trained by Rauf, after all. But Jaskier told her how good you were at teaching, that even with him you held back a lot. It was then that she explained she was more worried about Theo putting herself in danger after the training. When you told her Theo was a fighter at heart, that training or no training she would find herself in countless dangerous scenarios...well, your mother agreed that it was better for her to thrust herself into danger with actual training rather than just the basics.

Getting Jaskier to spar with the girl so you could watch her form and techniques...that was a feat that took a lot of convincing, over several weeks. But of course, you won him over.

"I see why you like staying on this side of the yard," Jaskier remarked, falling dramatically on his back with a grunt.

The property that your mother helped you and Jaskier find was much larger than you'd expected, especially for the cost. Your mother said she got a deal on it because she 'had a way with words' (whatever that meant), but still — there was a long dirt path leading up to the cottage, along with a yard surrounded by forest. The yard was perfect for sparring, as the three of you would come to realize; besides that, there weren't any other properties nearby, not for a couple of miles. It was a short ride to your mother's village, but other than that, it was pretty secluded.