After Pining!Geralt post I bring you a not completely new idea, to your delight 🙏
In which Julian is a prince of one of the northern kingdoms and Yennefer is his court sorceress. So when Julian is a kid, the people riots (because famine, wars, etc) and starts to kill all the noblesse, and tries to kill the royal family. Yennefer manages to save Julian and his grandmother, but during one of the portal jumps, the boy gets lost and Yennefer is not able to find him later. So she puts granny safe in another kingdom, as an exile, and spends all her time looking for the child.
But the kid it’s nowhere.
Julian it’s eighteen and has amnesia, so he doesn’t remember he is royalty. A kind and fierce bandit woman, Renfri, took him under her wing when he was little and named him Jaskier.
So Jaskier is a charming and charismatic rascal who plays the lute in taverns and has stranger dreams about castles, elegant dances, and expensive clothes. Sometimes he has a deja vú about something he can’t quite remember. And also he has that weird ring that he keeps and hides from others because he has the suspect it’s something that has to do with his real family.
On the other hand, Geralt it’s still a witcher, but also an old friend of Yennefer. And over the years she has been looking for her prince, growing more and more desperate each year because kids grow up and she doesn’t know what aspect Julian has ten years later. So one night she is with Geralt in a tavern, Yennefer finally gives up.
“Geralt, I can’t do this anymore, I have to accept he’s dead or something, ”
“Yen, you have done what you could, it wasn’t your fault, ”
“You weren’t there, I could have done better. I’m sorry for her Highness but…”
They part ways that night. Deep down, Geralt feels sorry for Yennefer because she has been spending ten years of his life looking for a rumor that they don’t know if it’s true. Even with the reward Julian’s grandmother has been established, no one has found her grandson, not the real prince at least. Geralt knows thanks to Yennefer that a lot of opportunists have tried to seize the money through false princes.
One week later Geralt is in another town, in another tavern, and meets Jaskier similarly to the meet they have in the series. And they travel together for a while, until one night in the middle of the woods, Jaskier tries to make Geralt speak about himself. So Jaskier starts to talk about himself too and tells him about Renfri and her band and how she was, in practice, his mother because she found him when he was a kid without memories of his past life.
That makes Geralt curious. And then Jaskier shows him the ring. And Geralt recognizes the emblem. And freaks out. Internally. A lot. Because he can’t believe that the prince that Yennefer has been looking for for years, it’s right there with him. So he doesn’t say anything and plans to take him with his grandmother in secret because he knows if rumors spread further and became real, someone would want to kill Jaskier eventually. And maybe Jaskier is annoying but Geralt doesn’t want him dead. He is the rightful heir to the throne of his kingdom after all, and some people want the old family back, yes, but the current king will not be so much happy about the existence of Jaskier for sure. And Geralt doesn’t want any mage or sorceress at his heels.
So the plan is this: Travel to the kingdom where Jaskier’s grandmother is, keep him safe there and find Yennefer in the process because Yennefer will know what to do next.
But the process it’s not that simple, and while they travel to this kingdom, they live adventures, encounter and fight monsters together and, of course, fall in love. And Geralt can’t stop rumors from spreading and in the end they end up being chased and attacked by the mage the rival king sends after the prince. And they are about to die but then Yennefer appears and saves them. And Jaskier remembers her because she was his favorite nanny, his favorite playmate.
And Yennefer sees the ring, and looks at him, and notices that Jaskier it’s like his father when he was younger. And she cries, relieved, because the kid, her little prince, is alive. So Yennefer makes a portal and gets Geralt and Jaskier to the safe kingdom. And she makes the mistake of making a joke about Geralt being suddenly rich thanks to the reward. And Jaskier goes angry.
“So you knew it? That I was the prince? And you didn’t think about telling me at some moment?”
Geralt looks at Yennefer.
“No, don’t look at her, Geralt, look at me and answer me, now!”
Geralt can see the prince under all the scoundrel layers. He makes the mistake of hesitating. And Jaskier gets angrier.
“You want the reward, right? That’s all you care about, money and monsters, oh, don’t you dare to deny it, ”
Geralt is confused, but that upsets him. He wants the reward, yes, because that would solve his life a little. But he didn’t help Jaskier because of it. He wanted Jaskier to be safe because he loved him.
“That’s not fair,” It’s the only thing Geralt can say.
And Jaskier, hurt because he thinks Geralt only wants money and doesn’t love him back, punches him. And Geralt takes it in silence.
“Don’t worry, you would have your reward, but I don’t want to see you again, ”
Then Jaskier storms away from them.
“Yen, what the fuck just happened?”
“Sincerely, Geralt, I don’t know, but you should go after him, ”
“Gods, you are an idiot. I know you love him, I can smell it, ”
“And then what? Even in the case he feels the same, we are not…”
Geralt takes a deep breath.
“Witchers and princes don’t marry, ”
“No, Yen, it’s better this way. Now he is safe here, with you. Tell the old woman I don’t want the money, ”
Geralt leaves the castle that same morning, feeling miserable. But he doesn’t go too much far. He wants to see Jaskier one last time. Yennefer tells him that that night will be a party, so he can see him from afar if he wants.
During the party, Jaskier it’s introduced as Prince Julian, the long lost prince of (X). Everyone is happy except Jaskier himself, who dances, and drinks, and eats, and talks with the nobles, but only can think about Geralt. Even if he feels hurt and betrayed, he still loves him. He doesn’t see the monster all the people see in Geralt. He sees a kind and caring man, with a little bad temper sometimes yes, but…
Jaskier goes outside, to the gardens, looking for fresh air. There’s where Geralt sees him from afar and stays out of sight. Geralt wants to apologize, to explain himself, but respects Jaskier’s wish to not want to see him again. Then Geralt feels danger and… sees the shadow. He runs towards Jaskier and makes Aard. The telekinetic force thrusts back someone and Jaskier yells.
“Geralt, what the fuck?!”
“Stay away from him!” Geralt growls, furious, feral, unsheathing his sword, the steel sword.
Soon they are surrounded by ten shadows. Assassins. And then Yennefer and the royal guard appear and annihilate the assassins. After that Geralt stays back and lets the guard and Yennefer take care of Jaskier. They look at each other in silence. Then Geralt walks away and disappears.
Yennefer takes Jaskier to his room and makes herself sure he isn’t injured. And Jaskier talks, almost to himself.
“Why he was there? Why he came back? I don't… understand, Yenny. He has his reward already,”
Yennefer doesn’t know how to say to him that they both are being idiots.
“My child, he didn’t want the money,”
“Why he was there? Why he came back? I don't… understand, Yenny. He has his reward already,”
Yennefer doesn’t know how to say to him that they both are being idiots.
“My child, he didn’t want the money, ”
“He could have taken it, yes, it could have made his life easier, but after your words, he didn’t. He only wanted you to be safe here. He stayed because he wanted to see you one last time before leaving definitely, ”
Jaskier feels guilty now. Geralt always took care of him, and even if at the beginning he wanted the money, in the end he only… And how could Jaskier blame him anyway? He knows how the life of a witcher is, difficult as hell. And not everyone pays him well always. And Jaskier just had punched him for thinking in a better life. That’s just hypocrisy. All his own life had been tough, hard, a perpetual risk. Renfri had taught him well, but Jaskier knows the street life and he even doesn’t have to hunt monsters that could kill him to survive. He is a hypocrite, a fool, and a bad friend.
“I hurt him for nothing and he didn’t protest, he wanted me to be safe and I… ”
Jaskier knows what he has to do, and what he wants to do. So he changes to his old clothes, takes his lute, his daggers and…
“Here,” Jaskier gives Yennefer his ring. “I don’t need it, ”
“Go after him, he couldn’t be too much far, ”
“Is that what do you want?”
“Yes, Yenny, it’s what I want, ”
Yennefer smiles. She would tell her Highness later but now she follows Jaskier to the stables and gives him a pouch with part of the reward. Jaskier doesn’t say anything but smiles at her.
“Tell everyone that there’s no Prince Julian anymore, that he is dead or something, I know you could trick everyone into that, ”
“Don’t worry, my child, ”
“Thank you, Yenny, you are always saving my butt, ”
“Yes, I’m thinking of put a tariff?”
Jaskier laughs and spurs his horse. It’s a dark night but he was right, Geralt it’s not too much afar, so Jaskier encounters him on the road. Geralt was walking, guiding his mare by the bridle and turns around, alert, when he hears them. Jaskier goes down from his horse and trots towards him.
“Jaskier, what the fuck are you–?”
And Jaskier goes on his tiptoes and pulls him down, kissing him, finally kissing him. And Geralt kisses him back, circling Jaskier waist with his free arm, pressing him against his body. And Jaskier lets out a weak whine. And when they separate to breathe, Jaskier doesn’t let him go and whispers against his lips.
“No, it’s not, I hurt you, and I’m sorry, ”
“Alright, I forgive you… But what are you doing here? What happens with your… family, and your heritage, and… ”
“No, listen to me. If being a prince means I can’t play the lute whenever I want, and that I’ll have mages and assassins behind me all the time and… and that I can’t be with you, then I don’t want it. I don’t want to be Prince Julian, I want to be Jaskier and travel with the White Wolf, singing his adventures, ”
Geralt has to kiss him again. Jaskier laughs in the kiss.
“And besides, I have something for you, ”
Jaskier gives him the pouch with the coins. Geralt arches an eyebrow.
“You haven’t stolen it, right?”
“Please, no, Yenny wanted me to go away with you so bad that she almost kicked my butt upon I left, ”
Geralt chuckled. Yes, that sounds like Yennefer. He looks at Jaskier in silence for a second and then kisses him, softly, and Jaskier just circles his neck and kisses him back. And then, when they separate again, Geralt it’s the first who says it.
And Jaskier smiles in his lips, stroking his white hair.
And they left the kingdom, disappearing, making think the people, and all the kings and queens that there’s no Prince Julian at sight, and that he is no danger to any throne. So Geralt and Jaskier travel together across the Continent, hunting monsters, singing in taverns, enjoying the little pleasures of life. Sometimes Yennefer visits them, they visit Renfri (Jaskier has to introduce his boyfriend (later husband) to his mother and the gang!)
And lived happily ever after until the end of their lives.
