ourladytrees | the witcher and the goddess

It does.

[ He doesn't hesitate to reassure her, though the glance he slides her way is thoughtful. She isn't Ciri, running from the Hunt, and she isn't Yennefer, desperately portaling away from Vilgefortz despite her ruined hands.

But she's still running. And with a question like that... ]

Your magic.

[ Despite his bluntness, he's trying to be gentle. She's been through plenty already. That's more than clear. ]

Is it... [ He stops, tries again. ] Are you having trouble with it?

[ The relief she feels at his reassurance is so profound, it's like someone has cut a string of tension within her. Now she can breathe a little easier, and she slumps slightly in the saddle, letting the movement of Roach sway her a bit more. And when he addresses the elephant in the woods, she can't find it within her to feel anything but tired. ]

It's gone. [ She states it bluntly and emotionlessly, staring blankly ahead. ] I gave it up.

[ Despite everything, she doesn't regret that decision. She couldn't have lived with herself if she'd made any other. ]

Mm.

[ He slides another look at her at that. Studying the way she sits. The exhaustion and pain. That sorrow stamped on her features carved a little deeper.

I gave it up. Ciri had given up magic, once, she'd told him. For a long while. She'd touched the power of fire and it almost destroyed her. And she'd give up the power in her blood, he knows, in a second. If she could.

But none of that's likely to mean much to Julia. He's not well-versed in offering comfort, but even he can recognize that. ]

How'd you get back here?

[ A reasonable question, surely. Without magic, she wouldn't have been able to open portals, far less cross from one world to another. And if he knows how she got here, it'll make it that much easier to keep a lookout for anything that might have followed her. ]

[ She's a little surprised he doesn't demand that she elaborate on that. Her friends back home would have. It's not a bad thing, it's just how they are. Geralt isn't that way, though, she's realizing. He's quiet, thoughtful, a man of purposeful words. She's finding she likes that about him.

The question he does ask is a good one. It makes sense, given what she's just told him. The answer isn't a simple one, though, and she has to gather her thoughts for a few moments before she can begin to explain with enough context for him to get the full picture. ]

There's a space between worlds called the Neitherlands where the Library is based. There are portals there, hundreds of them, in the form of fountains. It doesn't take magic to use them, you just jump in. [ She takes a deep breath. ] They were moving us, my friends and me, and I managed to get away. I ran and they followed. I couldn't get to the Earth fountain, so I dove into a random one. I don't know if anyone came in after me, I just kept running.

[ It feels like she hasn't stopped running and she's so very tired. ]

They follow you in?

[ If so, he'll send her ahead on Roach, lie in wait and spring a trap. But he'd prefer to get back to the village and get his coin, first. Not that things ever quite seem to go the way her prefers.

Belatedly, he realizes: his medallion isn't humming. Her magic, as she'd said, really is gone. He looks at that fact sidelong, unsure of what it means. Yen might know. But Yen isn't here. ]

You see any of them since you came into this world?

[ A plane filled with fountains, each one leading to a different world. Like what Ciri can do, but just... there. Built by whom? And waiting for what?

The Hunt can never learn about it. This... Neitherlands. Which means they can never know about Julia. Which suits him just fine. ]

[ Again, Julia is quiet, really thinking over the answer to his question. Had she been followed? It's hard to say, she hasn't exactly been in the best state of mind, but if anyone had come in after her, they probably could have followed her easily enough. ]

No... [ She says it uncertainly, then shakes her head decisively. ] No. It's been... I don't know how long, but I think they would have found me by now.

[ Her memories and perception of time are fragmented, pieces bleeding into each other, and she really doesn't know if she'd arrived only hours ago or days. Either way, it makes sense to assume that she wouldn't have made it as far as she did if her pursuers had come in after her. With that bit of relief sinking in, she's able to crack something almost resembling a joke. ]

Maybe they knew which world this was and figured I'd get eaten by something before long.

Hm. [ There's something almost like gruff amusement in that grunt. ] Sensible thing to figure. You'd have made a nice little snack for that chort.

[ And a chort is far from the worst thing that might find her, here. If he's being honest, getting eaten might not even be the worst thing that could happen to her. At least it would be over reasonably quickly. ] Lucky for you the village ealdorman put a contract out on it. Damn thing destroyed a farm a little ways out from here.

[ The woods are beginning to thin around them, but the world is still dim. It'll be late before they make it back to the village.

No magic. No way back to the world of the fountains. He sets those problems at the back of his mind to worry over like a dog with a bone. ] There's an inn at the village. Can find some shelter there tonight.

[ A chort. What a simple name for something so hideous and capable of such destruction. She wonders vaguely about the other monsters he hunts. Are there any that aren't this dangerous? Are there some that are even worse? Of course, there are. She hopes she never has occasion to face one of them.

Julia's quiet for a moment after he mentions the inn, letting the idea sink in. What happens next is very uncharacteristic of her, and only serves to illustrate just how out of sorts she is. ]

I don't know what I'm going to do, Geralt. [ Her voice is small and lost, like that of a child who is scared and alone. ] Stay at the inn tonight, and then... What? I have to go back, I need to help my friends, but like this, I...

[ What if she doesn't get better? What if she doesn't regain her strength or the ability to do even basic magic? What chance will she have against the Library like this? ]

[ Though his expression doesn't change, that tone – helpless, vulnerable – can't help spearing him straight through. He can almost hear Regis laughing at him. So, the witcher has a heart after all. ]

One thing at a time.

[ It's less advice than necessity. She can't plan while she's shocked and exhausted, hungry and dirty and injured. And anything he might do requires consideration beforehand.

He badly wishes Yen or Triss were here to offer advice. But he doesn't even know where he might write to them. Triss, he thinks, is in Novigrad, but the gods alone know where Yen is. ]

Gotta rest before you can do anything. Can't help anyone if you're falling down exhausted.

[ The magic, that's a harder question. Would she be able to draw from a place of power, or use a talisman? He doesn't know, and he's leery of making an offer until he's sure he can deliver. ]

Besides. Got me to help.

[ Even though she's a grown, capable woman, some part of Julia desperately wants someone to just tell her that everything will be okay. She wants someone to tell her that in a way that will make her believe them. But she can't ask Geralt for that, and he doesn't seem like the type to offer empty words like that. He is offering her something, though, and she's not sure she's worth all that. ]

Are you sure you want to sign up for that? What if it turns out to be more trouble than you bargained for?

[ That's almost certainly true. And he can almost hear Vesemir's scolding, a reminder. Witchers don't meddle in the affairs of the rest of the world.

Their one purpose is to hunt monsters. But that doesn't mean she's out of options. ]

Could hire me.

[ He says it conversationally, as Roach clip-clops alongside. ]

Guess then it would be what I bargained for. So long as I bargain.

[ He gets a laugh out of her with that, even if it's quiet and short-lived, and the smile feels strange on her face. But it is an idea. She can't just be a burden he didn't sign up for. ]

I guess I'll need to figure out a way to make some money to pay you, then.

[ If she could just get some of her magic back, even the smallest bit, everything would be so much easier. What good is a former law student with no useful skills in a world like this? ]

I'm sure we can come up with something.

[ He has no real interest in her coin, but after years on the Path, he knows that, sometimes, playing the mercenary is the only way some will accept aid.

But then, she hadn't turned from him, even though he's a witcher. She hadn't been afraid of him, and she isn't now. He turns it all over in his head as they finally make their way out of the woods and onto a path that soon joins the main road.

The witcher points ahead. ]

There's the village. Just need to finish up my business with the ealdorman.

[ Julia still holds that the people of this world are idiots for fearing and shunning the witchers. Those men help keep them safe, risking their lives when they could so easily make a living doing something else. If the others are anything like Geralt, then they don't deserve the treatment they receive — they should be honored as heroes.

Squinting in the low light, she slowly straightens, forcing herself above the haze of exhaustion to comb through her memories of the last time she'd been on this world. ]

I think I've been here before...

[ And if she has, perhaps that will be to their benefit. Quickly, she tugs at her clothes, trying to brush off some of the dirt before lifting her hands to her hair. She winces as tangled strands scrape over the cuts on her hands, but it'll be better for them if she can look even halfway presentable. ]

If we can make sure they know you saved me, it might work in our favor.

Or it might go the other way.

[ Not that they have much choice. He leads Roach into the village as Julia does her best to make clean herself up. She still looks like a foundling from the forest, one who'd been attacked and chased and injured. If he wanted to put coin on it, he'd say it's just as likely they'll assume he's the one who hurt her, and is now bringing her here in an attempt to up his price.

But maybe her optimism will be rewarded. He busies himself with keeping an eye on the villagers they pass, the few who are outside in the evening. More than one hesitates, then stares, and then the murmurs come.

"Our Lady... Our Lady of the Tree... "

Geralt directs his low voice to her. ]

Guess they remember you.

[ Amid the amazement in the whispers, a new note appears, sour and suspicious. "Our Lady... not safe, the mutant... he don't feel like we do, he's not human..." ]

Edited 2023-01-29 04:22 (UTC)

[ Julia does her best to hide how tired she is when they reach the villagers, offering them smiles as they pass and picking out the ones she remembers from when she'd last been through the village. There are quite a few she'd helped, and even a handful who had leaned heavily into the fact that she was a goddess. As Geralt said, it could go either way for them, but that doesn't mean she can't try to help tip the scales in a particular direction — especially when she catches one of those whispers.

Well, they can't have that. Speaking just as quietly to him, she holds a hand down to him and tries to channel even a fraction of the grace and elegance she'd so readily had before. ]

Will you help me down, please? [ And then, louder so those whisperers can hear: ] I thank you for providing me safe passage through the forest, and for saving me from that creature. If you're interested, I would like to formally employ your services.

[ There's a wry glint in his yellow eyes as he brings Roach to a halt, but the witcher reaches up to catch her around the waist and help her off the mare without hesitation. There's no doubt her gambit's working; the villagers hesitate in a bewildered, scattered semi-circle around them, murmuring to themselves. If their Lady is bestowing thanks and kindness on a witcher, ought they to do the same?

Geralt ignores them and helps Julia down, impressed at how she manages to carry herself. Even battered and dirty and exhausted and powerless, she holds herself like she has a core of steel within that small frame.

Losing her magic won't be the end of her. He knows the type all too well: women like Julia aren't powerful simply because they can start fires with a snap of their fingers.

More than that, he's in this with her, now. So he can play along. ]

So happens I've just completed my current contract. So why not? I'm free.

[ Julia is more than a little pleased with the effect her charade is having on the villagers. Since the last time they'd met, she'd wanted to find a way to somehow make life even the slightest bit better for Geralt and those like him. If this is how she does it, then she'll gladly put on a performance worthy of fucking Broadway.

Offering him a benevolent smile, she sets a hand on his arm, purposefully displaying how unafraid she is of him and how she doesn't see him as some thing to be disgusted by. ]

Good, I'm glad to hear it. We'll discuss the details once you've finished your business with the ealdorman. [ With a glance at Roach, she adds: ] How about I start getting her settled and you can meet us when you're ready?

[ The witcher nods to her, curt, though there's the hint of something almost like amusement in his yellow mutant's eyes. The way she'd gathered herself, used her reputation and infamy, put that steel into her spine... it almost reminds him of Yen.

The thought of the goddess lowering herself to take care of such a base animal as Roach, though, is a bridge too far for one of the women nearby; the innkeeper's wife, Geralt thinks, as she comes forward, apron in hands, her expression uncertain but her voice firm. ]

Don't trouble yourself with that beast, my lady. Corin! [ The woman turns about and gestures sharply toward a lanky young man who'd brought out a bucket of scraps to toss into the goat pen out back, only to be caught by the goings-on in his sleepy little village. ] Corin, come and stable this mare!

[ The witcher hands over Roach's reins, then looks at Julia. ]

Go on inside. I'll find you when I've concluded my business.

[ It's good to see that hint of something in his eyes, assuring her she isn't overstepping or taking things too far. Under normal circumstances, she might not even think to worry about it, instead just charging ahead in what she thinks is right — but she owes so much to Geralt, and she knows that debt will only grow in the days ahead.

Nodding her agreement with his plan, she turns to head for the inn but takes a moment first to address the young man already leading Roach away. ]

Thank you, Corin. Please take good care of her.

[ He looks more than a little overwhelmed at being addressed by the powerful deity who'd performed miracles in their village not long ago, but he hastily nods and they both continue on their way. She follows the innkeeper's wife inside, the woman already offering her a room for the night. ] On the house, my lady. It's the least we can do after how you helped us all when you were last here.

[ Thanking her with genuine sincerity, Julia sits at one of the tables in the dining area to wait for her companion. It's difficult to keep up the act of strength and not let slip how shaken she is by the day, but she does the best she can. ]

[ It's amazing – and a little insulting – how malleable the ealdorman has become now that whispers of Our Lady of the Tree have reached his ears. The man hardly hesitates at all before he pays the witcher the promised coin in return for the proof Geralt had taken off the chort. When he asks if the goddess will be staying in the village, the witcher shrugs. ]

Guess we'll see.

[ The inn is a good deal more welcoming this time around, too. A few villagers cast wary glances askance at him, but they simply shift away, leaving a bubble of empty space around him. He orders some wine and food at the bar, then makes his way through the pub to the table where she's sitting.

She's still upright. That's good. ]

Some food on the way. Wine. Anyone give you any trouble?

[ She might still be upright but that's about all she's got going for her right now. When Geralt enters the room, she's completely oblivious, and when he arrives at the table, it takes her a long moment to notice he's there and process what he's said. But she forces herself to focus and respond, shaking her head in answer to his question. ]

No. I think they're all too nervous to come over, which would normally bother me, but for now I'm okay with it. [ She starts to lift her hands to rest them on the table, realizes they're trembling, and lowers them to her lap again. ] She offered me a room for the night. I just thanked her. I wasn't sure what you wanted to do.

[ He might have said before that they'd stay here for the night, but she can't quite remember. Things are getting fuzzy around the edges and she's uncharacteristically happy to let someone else call the shots. ]

[ His glance drops to the hands she decides not to lift to the table, then narrows as he studies her. ]

A room's good. I can get one, too, if it'd make you more comfortable.

[ Not that he minds bunking down on the floor. He's slept worse places. As the woman who'd invited Julia in passes by, he glances up, lifting his voice just enough to be heard. A paying customer, not a witcher. Not here to make trouble. ]

That room you offered the lady here. Can you set up a bathtub in it?

[ Julia's dirty and cold and she'll need clothes as well as food and rest. But one thing at a time. The innkeeper's wife nods to him and to Julia, both, almost bowing as she turns to his companion. ]

Yes, of course. A tub, plenty of hot water. And... will you need those clothes laundered, my Lady?

[ Geralt looks toward Julia and lifts his eyebrows. ]

Not a bad idea.

[ Does she want to be separated from him for the night? It feels strange to even consider the idea. When was the last time she felt like she needed a man for anything? And now look at her, relying on a relative stranger for just about everything.

The mention of a hot bath nearly has her swooning and it takes every ounce of strength in her not to show it. She doesn't want to be an ambivalent asshole but she does need to keep up the charade of still being a goddess. It might be dishonest but she needs all the help she can get.

Glancing briefly at Geralt, she addresses the woman with a grateful but tired smile. ]

If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would greatly appreciate it.

[ The woman, of course, immediately responds with another semi-bow. ] It's no trouble at all, my Lady.

[ Julia watches the woman go before finally admitting to Geralt what she'd been thinking before. The admission is quiet and almost reluctant, like a child revealing they're too scared to sleep without a light on. And she is scared of something, but it isn't the boogeyman in the dark. ]

I don't think I want to be alone tonight.

[ He stays quiet as Julia arranges things with the woman, busying himself with laying out the food when it comes: a bowl of hot stew for each of them; a crusty loaf of bread, fresh from the oven and steaming from a soft white interior; plush white farm cheese; a platter of roasted root vegetables; a bottle of wine. He uncorks the wine and pours a glass for Julia, then pushes it across to her as she speaks.

Scared. That's how she sounds. Scared, and overwhelmed, and tired down to the bone. He shakes his head as he pours himself a glass, then sets the bottle aside. ]

Don't have to be.

[ Said with the calm assurance of gravity. If she doesn't want to be alone, she won't be. He'll bunk on the floor, keep her company.

The witcher tips his chin toward her bowl. ]

Eat up. Then go take that bath. It'll help. Both things.

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geralt, you precious cinnamonroll

the imprinting is complete, u are now his duckling julia

geralt, your duckling needs a hug

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