It’s a short ferry ride from Tallinn to Helsinki. Just after i was experiences the vast land of Finland with its endless forests. Also the dusk seemed already endless, but i found a quite spot next to an idyllic lake for a short sleep.
Next day i stood under the mighty pillars of the ski jump of Lahti. To my surprise it was possible to get up to the top. The view over the lakes and forests was…
I'll pop this one under a cut because it got a bit dark. CW for drinking, dark thoughts, thoughts of suicide.
After the Battle of Kaer Morhen, when the dust has settled, the Wolves mourned Vesemir the best their circumstances allowed. With Geralt off with his not so new-found family, Lambert relieved to be free of Kaer Morhen, it leaves Eskel at a bit of a loss. He was meant to take Kaer Morhen over, meant to be the new figurehead. Except he's on his own now, cut loose from everything he had built his life around. So he ends up in a little rowboat, heading for Skellige of all places. He can't tolerate any company which is why he didn't take a sailing boat. Plus, the workout of rowing would do wonders for him. In the past, whenever emotions got the better of him, training or physical work helped settle things.
The foolish thing he does is take copious amounts of alcohol. It's not like there's anyone else in the boat with him so he can get as drunk as he wants. It doesn't take much to get him drunk. Unfortunately, it turns him maudlin. In a way, his whole family is gone. Geralt has his own life, Lambert has taken off, likely never to return. Which just leaves him. The only one who wanted to keep what he thought of as their family. Obviously the others disagreed.
So Eskel's there, in a rowingboat, all on his own with nothing but wine and his own thoughts for company. The sea's cold embrace starts to look more and more appealing. It's not like anyone would care. Looking around the boat, Eskel decides there's only one sensible thing to do. Not let his things go to waste. Which means drinking all of his alcohol - it would numb him and he might not even notice falling into the water. That would be nice.
Downing the bottle, he sits back, shoulders wedged in the bow of the boat. The sky looks pretty. So much lighter and brighter than the water below. If Eskel could, he'd probably choose to float away than to sink the the bottomless depths. Letting out a burp, he thinks about getting up, peering over the edge of the boat and letting his weight pull him forward. Eyes closed, he thinks about what it would feel like, whether the darkness and silence would be welcome. Yes, it probably would be.
He falls asleep to those thoughts and wakes the next day to find his boat had been washed up on the shore of one of the islands. It seems Fate still had demands on him.