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cosmos-coma · 2 years

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Prey of the Hunt- Chapter 3

A/N:

Pairing: Eskel x Reader

Warnings: reader with (temporary) amnesia, Non-verbal reader (also temporary), Traumatized reader, Game canon characters/lore.

Word count: 2k

Chapter Summary: You spend your first day of normal life at Kaer Morhen and get closer to its inhabitants, but are still plagued by faint wisps of your memory.

Chapter 4

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You woke up with the sun early the next morning. Your body was stiff and creaky as you rolled yourself out of bed, legs still sore with overuse. The sun streamed soft rays into the windows and spread out on the floor, giving the room a faint sense of warmth that the dead fire could no longer give.

You pulled a spare blanket around you and poked your head out into the hallway, feet quietly padding along against the cold stone. It was quiet and still, no one else yet stirring in the halls, so you began to wander the keep until you ended up in the library.

With a little effort, you managed to reignite the long-dead embers in the library’s fireplace. Your quiet humming meandered with you through the shelves as you went about, picking out a few books to try. Once you had a good collection you dragged a comfortable chair over in front of the fireplace and cracked them open, hoping one of them will have something to jog your memory.

What you didn’t notice was Eskel and Geralt standing at the door to the library, one watching you with a soft joy, the other with a cautious curiosity.

Eskel nudged his brother and spoke quietly, enough that he was sure you wouldn’t be able to hear. “What's with the look, Geralt?”

The white wolf frowned for a moment before stepping back from the door with his brother. “I’m worried you're getting in over your head, Eskel” Geralt finally let out. “I’ve seen how you watch her, and I’m glad you're happy. But I just-”

“You're gonna be worried until you know exactly who she is.” Eskel finished. “I know you, Geralt… You’re a good brother, but you’re not subtle.” he laughed a bit.

Geralt couldn’t help but crack a bit of a smile, “I know… and I know you can take care of whatever comes. But I know who they are. I just-....“ He paused and glanced back to where you were seated, searching for the right words. “To be associated with the Wild Hunt and also somehow know where Kaer Morhen is?” He shook his head a bit in thought, “It seems like too much of a coincidence… and I may be reading into nothing, but you can never be too safe,” he advised.

Eskel nodded with a gentle smile and clapped his brother's shoulder, “I get it…. I know you're just trying to watch out for everyone, but you can leave your Witcher duties on the path for now. We’ll be fine.”

Your ears perked up at the sound of the clap and you looked over at the two men standing in the doorway. A small smile spread across your face and you knocked on your chair to get their attention before waving.

The rest of your day came and went uneventfully, which you were thankful for. You spent more time getting acquainted with the library, exploring the grounds, and helping Vesemir here and there with the maintenance of the keep.

You suspected the older witcher rather enjoyed having someone like you around. You listened to his stories and advice with a nod and worked quietly. But you figured any dad to three rowdy boys with swords would like a quiet companion from time to time, and you enjoyed the meaningful work and conversation.

The sun had just fallen away from the sky when you finally saw Eskel again. You figured he must’ve been extremely busy because you hadn’t caught sight of him since the library that morning.

His red and black tunic was dusted gray with dirt and His body and eyes looked tired as he walked into the great hall, plucking hay from his hair.

“Eskel!” you mouthed happily and waved to him, setting your mug down as delight filled you.

His eyes filled with warmth and life as they took you in, shoulders raising from their slumped posture and lips tugging into a small smile. “Y/n…” he breathed in a way that made your heart flutter.

Eskel slid into the bench beside you, knees knocking against yours as he moved to a comfortable spot. “How was the rest of your day? I haven't seen you since the library this morning” He said, voice rumbling pleasantly from the broad body beside you.

“Good” you mouthed, using your hands and lips to try and explain your day, despite being met with difficulty. Your brows knitted together in frustration, struggling both to convey what you mean and to use your pained fingers so much in one day.

“It’s okay, I understand.” He said, an easy smile gracing his lips; they always seemed to come so easy with you. “You say you explored a bit and helped Vesemir patch up the keep? Your patience must be far greater than mine, and I'm the most patient of the bunch. Besides Vesemir that is….” He said with a short laugh.

You smiled, loving that he seemed to understand you no matter what, no matter how difficult you found it. You nodded with a tinge of pink gracing your cheek, happy at the compliment. “Where were you today?” you asked him.

“Why? Did you miss me?” He teased, feeling more confident with the blush he was able to produce from you, even more so from the way your cheeks darkened now. “I was just finishing up my chores for tomorrow. I figured since you’ll be staying here a while and it will be getting cold soon, that… maybe we should get you a few warm clothes from town?”

You blinked in surprise at the offer and placed your hand on his arm, raising your eyebrows to say, “are you sure?”

“I’m sure…. I made out with some extra coin this year and making sure you don't catch your death this winter will be more than worth it” He assured, his hand coming to rest over yours briefly.

An almost overwhelming wave went through you as your hands touched, making your chest tighten all over again. It was different than the last time you felt it, back when the Wild Hunt was chasing you; this tightness felt… almost exciting amidst all your nerves.

You nodded and smiled breathlessly, squeezing his arm in thanks.

“Of course. We can leave whenever you’re ready tomorrow, so just let me know when, alright?”

Your conversation was put to a pause as Vesemir and Geralt brought dinner out for the lot of you.

As you ate, you listened to the guys recount their many tales of the season; from katakans to werewolves to berserkers. They were all fascinating tales from various areas of the continent and the surrounding isles. They made you feel a sense of wonder to hear it all, but also an… almost sickening sense of familiarity as they described certain areas.

As they talked about parts of Skellige and White Orchard you found yourself silently disagreeing with their descriptions. Things that… just didn’t sit correctly with your foggy memory, yet you couldn’t focus on the details of it.

“Y/n?” Lambert asked as you were hit in the forehead with a small piece of bread, pulling you out of your swirling thoughts. “You alright? You look like you just got a mouthful of rotten meat and are trying to keep it to yourself.”

You flinched as the bread hit you and nodded quietly. “I’m fine” you mouthed. Though the way that the three younger witchers glanced at each other you knew they didn’t quite believe you. However, they decided to let it go for now and continue telling their tales, glancing back at you every once in a while to check-in.

You excused yourself at some point in the evening to go back to your room, figuring the guys would be up for quite a while catching up.

You fiddled with the flint and steel for a little while before you were able to get the fire going in your room. The weather hadn’t been getting too cold at night yet, but something inside you seemed to miss the way that fire warmed you deep within.

Without warning, a knock came at the door, causing you to jump and almost drop your flint in the fire. You quickly got to your feet you padded over to answer, relieved when you saw Eskel standing there.

“Hey, are things okay?” You mouthed out.

“It looked like your fingers were hurting you at dinner… I thought we could change your bandages and see how you're doing.”

You tilted your head a bit, not in confusion but in an odd feeling of fondness that came over you. With a nod, you opened the door a little wider to wave him in, closing it promptly behind him to keep the heat in.

You took a seat on the edge of your bed, watching with tender eyes as he took his spot across from you on the floor and began to set out his things.

It was quiet as he unwrapped your bandaged fingers, only the crackling of the fire and the breaths between you disrupted the silence, yet it was still comfortable.

Eskel smoothed a gel-like salve over all your wounds, instantly cooling the aggressive heat radiating from your wounds. He watched your face as you sighed happily, relief flooding your senses as your eyes closed happily and he realized he wanted nothing more than to see you like this for the rest of your life. It was a little jarring, admittedly, for his brain to jump to such emotions so soon, but the look of peace and happiness on your face now- it was something he knew he would work towards every day.

Eskel’s hands worked quickly and professionally and you soon found yourself savoring the feeling of your unwrapped fingers; tenderly touching the soft furs beneath you, the linen shirt that you wore, and the worn wooden bedpost. However, as you watched Eskel tenderly care for you and the fire’s glow dance on his skin… you found yourself reaching out to touch his cheek as well.

Just a faint and ghostly touch at first, testing the waters as he flinched ever so slightly beneath your touch. Though, as quickly as he flinched he relaxed once again, leaning into your touch where his breath came out hot against your palm.

You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding as you pressed your fingers more firmly against his skin. Letting your fingertips move through the valleys of his scars as a river moves through mountains. Your whole body hummed with electricity as you touched, a peculiar heat running from your head to your toes that only intensified as Eskels face slowly came closer.

His large hand came up to cover yours, hoping beyond hope to keep your touch there for just a moment longer, his lips even brushing against your palm amidst his swirling thoughts.

Bringing your other hand up to further cradle his face your movements were interrupted by the sound of Geralt and Lambert stumbling tipsily down the hall to their rooms. The sudden jolt of sound as they passed by your door caused you to unwillingly pull your hands back as you flinched.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” You mouthed as Eskel looked up once again, shaking off the touch-starved fog that had clouded him.

“No, not at all, I-” he paused and pulled his face back from your reach, gathering himself once again. “I should let you get some sleep anyways. It’ll be a long day tomorrow….” he finished and stood, picking up the remainder of his supplies.

“Wait-” You tried to get say, forcing your throat into cooperation, but it only resulted only in a squeak. A squeak that went ignored by the Witcher's ears as he swiftly made his leave with only a quiet “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight…”

And now you were alone once again, the quiet smoldering of the fire your only companion. You let a shuddering breath escape you as you finally laid back into the furs of your bed. The remnants of electricity still tingled at your fingertips where you touched him.

You lay awake for quite a while, your thoughts returning to Eskel no matter what. After a while of tossing and turning, your body finally found sleep and all the dreams that come with it.

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Taglist: @writingmysanity @open--till--midnight

#you'll get your first actual memory in the begining of the next chapter!#eskel witcher #eskel #the witcher #the witcher fanfiction #eskel x reader #eskel x you #eskel fanfiction #eskel x y/n #eskel x reader fluff #a bit anyways #but youre interrupted

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