"Thor, I know what I'm doing." I say as I match him step for step.

"You've been looking for him for years and now he's right here." Thor replies stopping in his tracks to turn to face me. "You wanted to talk to him. Go on,"

"I can't" I reply my eyes pleading with him to drop it. "I was so sure of what I wanted to say to him. What I wanted to ask him, but now... now I look at him and I don't know if I want to jump his bones or murder him."

"That's... that's in my head now." Thor replies as he grimaces.

"Come on, you know what I mean." I argue a chuckle leaving my lips.

"I know how you feel." Thor replies his eyes moving to look at Yennefer.

"She seems nice." I say softly a smirk filling my lips.

"Stop it." Thor chastises making me giggle.

"You're all for me talking to Geralt when you have yet to go over and talk to her. I know you want to."

"She's angry with me," Thor says as he steals a glance at her. "I don't know how to even go about talking to her."

"See, we're in the same boat."

"Yes, but you have a paddle." Thor replies motioning toward Jaskier.

"Jaskier is not a paddle."

"Metaphor, (name)."

"I know what you meant."

"Talking to women used to be easy for me." Thor starts as he grips tight to storm breaker. "But after everything, I can't bring myself to take those last few steps to her."

"Then you don't deserver her." I announce and his eyes narrow. "Just as I probably don't deserve Geralt." His eyes shoot to mine, and I feel my heart clench. "What are we doing Thor? We're adults but we are acting like children. Love... love is stupid." Tears sting my eyes as I continue. "Love made me break a good man's heart. Love made me come here to this world in search of someone who clearly didn't want me to be here to begin with. He whispered words of love and caring, and I ate it up like some love-devoid idiot. The only good thing that came from me being here was Cirilla."

Thor meets my gaze, and his eyes soften. He reaches out and wrapping his arms around me holds me close.

"What am I still doing here Thor? What in the world do I want him to say to me?"

"I don't know," Thor replies gently rubbing circles on my back. "And you won't know until you talk to him."

"I will if you will." I add pulling away from him. "Don't leave her wondering Thor, give her the answers I may not get from him." I give him a little shove in her direction, and he reluctantly lets me go. "Go on, I'll be fine."

With a quick nod I watch as he goes off after her. A sad smile fills my face as I try my best to hope for a good outcome for him and her. Clearing my throat, I wipe my face and try to compose myself as I look around. I see Geralt looking at me and I narrow my eyes. A feeling of him being able to see right through me starts to set in and I look away.

I came here to talk to him, and I would. Just not right now.

~~~~~~

"You worry that if you blink, you'll never see her again." Borch says as he catches up to Geralt as they walk along the path. "You're in love with her."

"Or... the danger here isn't the dragon."

"That's why I brought you along, Geralt of Rivia. Nothing scares you." Borch adds looking forward where (Name) walked beside her brother.

"Huh." Geralt adds. "Then you don't know (Name)."

Borch laughs at the joke making Geralt smirk.

"May she be the worst encounter, then." Borch replies as the continue the grueling walk up the mountainside.

It didn't take them long to see the destruction the dragon had caused. When Geralt questioned why a dragon would do this Borch immediately answered with how desperate the dragon must have been to do something out of the ordinary. The rest of the walk continues and Jaskier tries his best to seduce Borch's female companions.

"Ladies, you look famished. Allow me to wander aimlessly into this thicket and retrieve for you... a tasty afternoon treat. Uh..." He continues to mumble as he looks around for something causing the rest of the company to pause in our tracks. "I am hungry. Anyone else hungry?"

Jaskier continues to fumble through the bushes as he searches for anything making Geralt let out an annoyed sigh.

"He's still all over the place, isn't he?" Geralt hears (Name) say from beside him and he nods.

"One of his lesser qualities." Geralt replies making (Name) smile.

"He's cute. Sometimes. Girls like men who have their cute moments." She adds making him cock an eyebrow at her in surprise. "What?" She questions narrowing her eyes at him. "You've had your cute moments too. Although very few and basically nonexistent."

"There's something back here!" Jaskier calls out pulling their attention back to him. "It sort of looks like a fawn."

"Jaskier..." Geralt calls out in frustration.

"Hello, little fellow. Aren't you just the cutest..." The animal growls as it starts to stand up to it's full height making panic fill Jaskier's body. "Most... terrifying thing I've ever seen in my entire life. Right, run away! Run away! Geralt!" Jaskier runs up and hiding behind him says, "It's one of your... friends again."

As it stands up to its full height everyone stares at the poor creature with curious looks.

"What in the name of Bloemenmagde is that?" The dwarf leader asks his eyes widening slowly.

"It's an hirikka. It's probably starving. Sheathe your weapons." Geralt orders and he glances to (Name) standing next to him her eyes were filled with pity. She starts to fumble through her robes looking for something when a roar from the creature draws their attention back to it. Before anyone has a chance to act, a knight from one of the other groups draws his sword and slays the poor creature.

As if killing it wasn't enough, he just keeps swinging his sword bringing it up and down adding insult to injury. (Name) tenses next to Geralt and he looks at her to see her eyes filled with rage. This wasn't going to end well.

"For kingdom and glory!" The knight screams out causing a dark-haired mage to rush to his side.

"Sir Eyck!" She calls out as she reaches him. "You could have been killed!"

"He could have been killed?" (Name) says in disbelief moving closer to them and Geralt instantly reaches for her hand trying to stop her. "Did you not see the same creature I did Yennefer?"

'Wait how did she know the mages name?' Geralt thinks as he moves to stand right behind her just in case, she needed him. Also, just in case he needed to stop her from using her gifts.

"(Name), can we talk about this later?" Yennefer asks as she looks around at all the dumbfounded faces.

"No, we can't." Name pauses for a moment and Geralt realizes that Thor had joined the two of them. "Sir Eyck, you are a knight are you not?"

"I am." He replies pulling away from Yen's hands.

"Then you are a piss poor one."

"(Name)!" Thor interjects trying to stop her from continuing.

"A knight's code of conduct includes mercy, humility, honor, sacrifice, faithfulness, courage, utmost graciousness and courtesy toward women. None of those you have shown by the absolute slaughter you have just committed against a helpless creature. It was hungry. Not deadly. If we would have fed it, it would have went away. So, fuck you Sir." She ends as she collects her skirt and turns around and stomps away.

Geralt looks back at the absolute dumbfounded look on the knight's face before he turns to walk away. They decide to set up camp for the night and Geralt watches in disgust as the 'knight' decides it's a smart idea to carve up and eat the creature. (Name) refused to even be near the so-called knight as she makes her camp way away from them.

Geralt couldn't help but keep glancing at her as she sat with writing utensils in her hands. She must have been drawing the scenery. His mind filled with memories or watching her draw anything that caught her interest.

"Um..." Borch starts pulling his attention. "I'm not sure I'd eat that, good sir."

"Knights never waste a kill." Sir Eyck replies with a scoff. "It's precisely why I'll make a great lord to Niedamir's vassal state. A great knight must lead by example. For—"

"Kingdom and glory. We know." Téa interrupts in hopes of shutting him up.

Thank the gods (Name) wasn't near enough to hear him spout his bullshit.

"My subjects will be the luckiest serfs in all the lands. Especially with the beautiful Yennefer as my mage." Sir Eyck continues and Geralt glances at Thor whose jaw was clenched tight.

So that's how (Name) knew the mage. Thor was a past suitor of hers.

"I cannot wait to serve you, My Lord." Yennefer replies and Geralt watches as Thor's eyes fill with anger and regret.

Geralt knew those feelings all to well. Not that he'd ever show them. He regretted being away from (Name) for so long. It wasn't that he refused to return to her. There were so many monsters on the continent that needed to be dealt with.

"How would you like to serve me tonight... Witch?" The Reaver leader inquires making Thor crush the canteen that was in his hand.

"Watch it." Thor warns as he stares daggers into the reavers eyes.

"If not the witch, then what about your sister?" He adds and Geralt's body fills with anger.

"Careful, Boholt." Geralt interjects causing the reaver to look at him.

"So, the Witcher wants to play knight too, hmm?" Boholt insists his eyes looking over at (Name) who was now moving closer to them.

"No. She's plenty able of murdering you herself." Geralt concludes making Thor smirk. Boholt chuckles making the head dwarf ask him a question.

"What's so amusin', you overgrown cock hair?" He asks annoyance in his voice.

"I'm just wondering who I will kill first. The monster, or the monster hunter." Boholt replies as he fiddles with a piece of meat that he pulled from the spicket.

"Hm." Geralt hums and Boholt takes that as a sign to leave.

A loud gurgling sound fills the campfire and Sir Eyck twitches in his seat.

"Oh, dear." Sir Eyck says making Jaskier look over at him. "Um... I'm afraid I must take my leave. Lady Yennefer, may I escort you to your tent?"

"Will you be joining me?" She asks seductively making Thor narrow his eyes at her.

"Uh... My Lady, I would..." He is interrupted by his stomach gurgling again. "...never degrade your honor in such a way."

Before anyone can say anything, Sir Eyck turns and mumbling something about taking a shit, hobbles off.

"I hope he didn't leave on account of me." (Name) states sarcastically as she moves to sit in between Thor and Geralt.

"Pretty sure the hirikka is fighting back." Jaskier answers and she chuckles.

"Serves him right."

"So shall we tell the poor bastard, that he's vying for a vassal state that won't exist in a decade?" Yarpen asks.

"States rise and fall like the tide. Nothing new." Geralt says his eyes focused on the fire.

"This is fucking new. The rightful son of Nilfgaard has returned, burnin' through the south." Yarpen retorts.

"With Fringilla as his mage. Nilfgaard's a joke." Yennefer says with a chuckle.

"I saw it with my own eyes down in Ebbing. Those zealot freaks are inching closer by the day. Won't be long till the try to take Sodden. Next, it'll be Temeria. Redania. Cintra." Yarpen States making Geralt's heart clench at the thought of what could happen to (Name) and Ciri.

"No." Jaskier interjects, "Queen Calanthe would die before letting them take what's hers."

"Perhaps if Nilfgaard's religious zeal had been tempered earlier by a stronger hand..." Borch starts only to pause and look at Yennefer.

"If you'll excuse me, I must get my beauty sleep." Yennefer replies as she stands up and walks away from the fire.

(Name) nudges Thor in the side and he climbs to his feet to follow the mage.

"I don't think it'll make me prettier, but I need sleep too." Yarpen states causing the other dwarves to climb to their feet and follow him.

"So..." Jaskier starts when they've left. "We're about to have new evil overlords, and dragons are, in fact, a thing. Good day all around." Téa and Véa give out a little chuckle as he finishes. "Oh, you've all seen a dragon before, have you? Geralt, will you please tell them?"

"Their numbers are dwindling. Treasure seekers saw to that. But they do exist. What people call 'Green Dragons,' like the one we have here, they're the most common. Red dragons, less so. Black dragons are the rarest."

"Gold dragons are the rarest." Borch corrects making Geralt eyeball him.

"Gold dragons are a myth. For a gold dragon to exist, it would... have to be the result of... an accidental, unique mutation. And in my experience, mutations, they're intentional. But it doesn't matter. Mutant or myth, gold dragons met the same fate as anything too different to endure. They died out." Geralt concludes.

"There are other ways of enduring. It it's legacy you're after, perhaps you should take the overgrown cock hair's advice and become a knight." Borch adds making Jaskier chuckle. "Sir Witcher... the White-Haired... of Rivia. You'd make a rather shitty one, refusing to slay dragons. But probably not as shitty a one as Sir Eyck of Denesle!"

"That's not true." (Name) interjects causing Geralt to look over at her. "I believe a good knight is someone who knows the difference between which life to take and which one to spare. I have known Geralt a very long time and he has shown me every time that he chooses to do what he thinks is right. Even if it eventually turns out to be the wrong thing."

(Name) looks around at the few people still sitting at the fire and shakes her head.

"I think I should get some rest. Goodnight, everyone."

Geralt was about to follow her when something inside told him not too. So, he continued to sit there unaware that she had wanted him to follow.