COWT; The Witcher; What a pathetic fuck
Feb. 29th, 2020 06:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ephitomisTitle: What a pathetic fuck
Fandom: The Witcher
Notes: Written for the prompt "I’m on watch here, so close your eyes and get some rest" for COWT10.
Wordcount: 520
Summary: Jaskier thinks back to his time travelling with Geralt, now that he's not...
The thing is this. Jaskier might not like being incredibly poor, but he also fucking hates sleeping under the stars.
It’s not just a matter of comfort, even if he appreciates the finer things in life (like the possibility of taking a bath and not smelling like a corpse, or the feeling of something soft under his back after weeks of travel) but Jaskier knows perfectly well the dangers that lurk in the night.
Travelling with Geralt for so many years has taught him a thing or two, especially about camp. But one thing was travelling with Geralt, another was travelling on his own.
If he could, Jaskier always preferred stopping at an inn, a tavern or even a barn, but unfortunately it wasn’t always possible.
Even trying, sometimes Jaskier was forced to stop. Not all trips could be completed in a day, and he couldn’t very well justify to himself stopping in a single town forever. Jaskier’s heart wasn’t made to be put. His muse and his songs needed to travel in order to get better.
What was a bard without adventures to sing? What hope would a bard have to succeed if all he could sing was boring tales of farmers?
He didn’t want to be forgotten once he was gone. He wanted to be remembered for years and years to come, long after his death he wanted people to talk about Jaskier, Master Bard.
And to do that he had to travel.
Alone, it would seem.
It was different with Geralt, of course, who always took first, second and third watch. Jaskier usually slept like a baby, knowing full well that nothing could have happened to him while Geralt was awake to prevent it.
But, yeah, in case it needed repetition, Jaskier was alone now. Geralt had washed his hands of him like he did disgusting monster remains. Life’s one blessing he had said. And so Jaskier had walked away.
He has a horse now. Daisy. She’s lovely, much more gentle than Roach, and that’s the only change he has allowed himself to make in these months.
A horse, and nothing else. Geralt would laugh at him. Or maybe not, all things considered.
He probably wouldn’t even care.
“You know, my dear,” Jaskier says out loud, looking towards Daisy, “this thing is harder than I remember. I don’t think you want to take first watch, right?” he jokes.
The horses neighs, and Jaskier sighs. Yeah, that’s what he thought.
So he huddles closer to the fire, and sighs. “You could be a little less pathetic, Jaskier,” he mumbles to himself, “you don’t need him. You don’t need anyone. You’ll be the best bard this continent has ever seen. And then… then…”
Then what, he wonders. But what else has he left, exactly?
This is the only thing he can cling to. He’ll sleep at the next town, and maybe stay there a couple of days. Tonight he’ll stay awake, keeping guard, because Geralt isn’t there and never will be again.
"You really are freaking pathetic, aren't you" he whispers to himself, and Daisy neighs. He deserves it.
Fandom: The Witcher
Notes: Written for the prompt "I’m on watch here, so close your eyes and get some rest" for COWT10.
Wordcount: 520
Summary: Jaskier thinks back to his time travelling with Geralt, now that he's not...
The thing is this. Jaskier might not like being incredibly poor, but he also fucking hates sleeping under the stars.
It’s not just a matter of comfort, even if he appreciates the finer things in life (like the possibility of taking a bath and not smelling like a corpse, or the feeling of something soft under his back after weeks of travel) but Jaskier knows perfectly well the dangers that lurk in the night.
Travelling with Geralt for so many years has taught him a thing or two, especially about camp. But one thing was travelling with Geralt, another was travelling on his own.
If he could, Jaskier always preferred stopping at an inn, a tavern or even a barn, but unfortunately it wasn’t always possible.
Even trying, sometimes Jaskier was forced to stop. Not all trips could be completed in a day, and he couldn’t very well justify to himself stopping in a single town forever. Jaskier’s heart wasn’t made to be put. His muse and his songs needed to travel in order to get better.
What was a bard without adventures to sing? What hope would a bard have to succeed if all he could sing was boring tales of farmers?
He didn’t want to be forgotten once he was gone. He wanted to be remembered for years and years to come, long after his death he wanted people to talk about Jaskier, Master Bard.
And to do that he had to travel.
Alone, it would seem.
It was different with Geralt, of course, who always took first, second and third watch. Jaskier usually slept like a baby, knowing full well that nothing could have happened to him while Geralt was awake to prevent it.
But, yeah, in case it needed repetition, Jaskier was alone now. Geralt had washed his hands of him like he did disgusting monster remains. Life’s one blessing he had said. And so Jaskier had walked away.
He has a horse now. Daisy. She’s lovely, much more gentle than Roach, and that’s the only change he has allowed himself to make in these months.
A horse, and nothing else. Geralt would laugh at him. Or maybe not, all things considered.
He probably wouldn’t even care.
“You know, my dear,” Jaskier says out loud, looking towards Daisy, “this thing is harder than I remember. I don’t think you want to take first watch, right?” he jokes.
The horses neighs, and Jaskier sighs. Yeah, that’s what he thought.
So he huddles closer to the fire, and sighs. “You could be a little less pathetic, Jaskier,” he mumbles to himself, “you don’t need him. You don’t need anyone. You’ll be the best bard this continent has ever seen. And then… then…”
Then what, he wonders. But what else has he left, exactly?
This is the only thing he can cling to. He’ll sleep at the next town, and maybe stay there a couple of days. Tonight he’ll stay awake, keeping guard, because Geralt isn’t there and never will be again.
"You really are freaking pathetic, aren't you" he whispers to himself, and Daisy neighs. He deserves it.
