Chapter Text
After the night Geralt had stood in front of his brothers, the tension in the keep had fallen dramatically and Jaskier felt much more comfortable as the other witchers had stopped treating him as an omen of an ominous change and he could now sing to them almost nightly. It was nice to be enthusiastically appreciated by a group of people he admires greatly, and a hall-full of cheering witchers was louder than any tavern crowd he’d ever encountered.
He knows, as they all do, that a dramatic change was about to happen for witchers, though it’s a change they had all agreed was necessary. Jaskier’s life work up to now was to prove to the world that witchers were important, though he realised now that his songs could only form a small part of that. The witchers themselves needed to accept they had to be a larger part of the world than just hunting for monsters and then isolating themselves from the rest of the world when they weren’t doing that.
They seem to be throwing themselves headfirst into doing the necessary to cause this change. Letters had been sent out to every other witcher school; after Lambert’s admission that night, others had come forward with connections to all the schools. Some of them were old enough to have them wondering whether the connection, or even the schools, still existed at all. The fact that no one had heard of the school of the Crane for so long that they feared they might have all died saddened Jaskier greatly, though someone had (perhaps wishfully) brought up that they might have sailed off in protest of the gradually worsening attitudes towards witchers on the continent.
It was due to this that Jaskier had learnt that each witcher school had different specialities, with the school of the Wolf the most balanced of them.
He had written them all in his journal (barely managing to avoid drawing hearts around the entry about the Wolf School like an enamoured schoolboy):
- Cat School - Acrobatics (and knives)
- Viper School - Stealth (and knives)
- Griffin School - Signs
- Manticore School - Alchemy
- Crane School - Inventing and Marine
- Bear School - Strength (and puzzles?)
- Wolf School - a little bit of everything
He had also gathered all the information about the history of the creation of witchers and the splitting of the schools he could manage to get his hands on, though there were obvious holes where the history had been lost or where the witchers he was talking to refused to answer. He had found himself often seeking out Barmin as he collected more and more information, the eldest witcher in the keep seemed to be glad of the company and the opportunity to talk as though he no longer went out on the path, he could rarely converse with non-witchers. Jaskier was fascinated with the veritable font of wisdom the older man turned out to be. It was then, as they were conversing in the library, as had become their habit, that Barmin said something that throws Jaskier back into the present.
“I suppose thou, of all people, wou’d not have been surprised that a human noble coulde be a monster worthy of a witcher.”
Jaskier’s mind quiets from the melody that normally plagues it as he notes the purposeful emphasis of the sentence. They had yet to discuss the reason Jaskier had been brought to the keep, even though it was now the middle of winter and they had spent almost every second afternoon with each other as the younger and more able bodied witchers did what they needed to do and Jaskier wasn’t exploring the keep.
“Oh. So you noticed then, that Geralt’s pet human bard is no human after all?”
“Nor originally a bard either.”
That makes Jaskier laugh, “Is anyone originally a bard?”
Barmin also chuckles, “Aye. I suppose that is a point to be made. But aye, the human part of that.”
“You’re the first witcher to notice.”
“I have lived longer than them, and the witcher order then was much less isolated from humans. I knowe that a human who hast followed a witcher on the Path for 10 years wou’d not look just as though he had just come out of boyhood as thou doest. But they knowe not how to quantify human aging, nor the effects a lifestyle like theirs ought have on a human body and how that ought cause more rapid aging.”
“Huh. That explains much, actually. And to answer your original question, though I wasn’t surprised, I was shocked by how brutal and widespread it was.” He shudders. “My father, who is a human noble I could consider monstrous in some parts, did display love towards others: to my mother especially, the one from whom I inherited the elven part of my heritage. I’m certainly not a bastard who was targeted by the aristocratic circles I grew up in because of non-human blood, if that’s what you’re implying. It was subtle enough not to be noticed.”
Jaskier pauses but Barmin stays silent, seemingly realising that there is still more for him to get out.
“I knew that my peers would likely not be kind to me if they found out, but the protection of being the child of an Earl, even a disappointing one, - and believe me there is no doubt about that, I look far too much like him - would have stopped them from being outwardly cruel. But I have seen how they treat those they consider less than… which quite frankly is most everyone. But I left when I was quite young, too young, perhaps, to see all of their worst crimes.”
“Thou art now seeing them, alas.”
“Well, yes, but I doubt I could really have ever avoided them. At least, with what I’ve done of my life, I can now help do something about it.”
“Indeed thou canst. And thou art doing much, restoring the reputation of witchers.”
“I don’t and indeed can’t do it all by myself.”
“They do not know any better.”
Jaskier chortles again, though it is not a happy sound.
“I see what you mean. Geralt certainly expects no better from the world, though he was still surprised when we discovered it. He can sometimes be so optimistic for the world in a way that’s slightly astonishing to me.”
“He is but a pup.”
“I’m sure they all are to you. Anyways, it is getting late. Would you agree to keep this conversation secret for now?”
“Aye. To all three statements.”
Jaskier notes the amusement in Barmin’s voice as he leaves.
—
As the winter passes they receive responses from all schools, the last of which, from the Cranes, arrives the evening before Geralt and Jaskier planned on returning to the path. A few wolves had already filtered out of the keep as soon as the Killer had been passable, but it was still cause for a great celebration which brings every remaining witcher to the great hall, and with great celebrations, where there is a bard, there is also singing.
It’s the last song of the night, and even more so, the last time Jaskier will sing to this assembled group of witchers, at least for the year, so he brings out an old classic for partings. He sees the elders smile as they recognise a song which isn’t sung as much anymore.
Of all the money that e’er I had
I spent it in good company
And all the harm that e’er I done,
Alas it was to none but me
And all I’ve done for want of wit
To mem’ry now, I can’t recall
So fill to me the parting glass,
Good night and joy be with you all
He rises from where he had sat down to start the song (a tactic he uses to bring in the attention of his audience).
So fill to me the parting glass,
And drink a health whate’er befalls,
Then gently rise, and softly call,
Goodnight and joy be to you all
Now, as the music really picks up, he begins dancing about as is his usual manner.
Of all the comrades that e’er I had
Are sorry for my going away,
And all the sweethearts that e’er I had
Who’d wish me one more day to stay
But since it falls unto my lot,
That i should rise and you should not,
I’ll gently rise and softly call:
Goodnight and joy be to you all!
He sees Geralt’s wry shake of his head as he sings the line about lovers, but he does not get to finish the song as the beginning of his second chorus is interrupted by a loud banging sound. A wolf witcher who, as far as Jaskier knows, had departed from the keep that morning is the cause of the sound as the doors he forced open clash against the stone walls.
“I’ve just spotted a caravan coming up the mountain towards us.”