I saw Jill's one-sided Eskel/Geralt fic in the @smubbles-etc remix pool and immediately got inspired. Wrote 5k in like three days. So it's no longer a drabble but definitely going the remix route with Leshy Eskel! Also going a very different direction than my other Leshkel series. Currently posted 2/6 chapters.
Major character death (off-screen), hurt/comfort, Wolf brothers bonding over monster nerdery. Love confessions, first time, plenty of angst, suicidal ideation, more hurt/comfort. Mild spoilers for the events of the witcher books.
“Some loves are planted too deep to uproot without also pulling out the heart entire.”
🌳💚🌳💚🌳💚
“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again, let alone see you like this,” Maja said, eyeing him with a combination of sympathy and fascination. Eskel was no longer the witcher she had lain with. He was a mutated leshen with abilities that surpassed even the Queen that had originally infected him.
Eskel had always visited Maja before he returned to Kaer Morhen. She’d been so good at helping him burn off the lust, it made it bearable for Eskel to be near Geralt for the winter. Had less worry about accidentally revealing his feelings for his Wolf. He knew Maja would help him now, regardless of what he’d become, but he figured he ought to give her enough context to understand what he needed—and why.
It’d gotten too complicated. He missed it when things were simpler.
Eskel felt large and hulking in her cozy home. He was self-conscious about his desiccated, half-broken branches and scorched bark. That didn’t seem to deter her. She approached him, reaching for the nearest branch, and Maja touched a small pink blossom that had managed to survive the storm of his grief.
“A lot’s happened.” It was the understatement of the century.
They sat near her fireplace and Eskel began recounting the story while she finished her dinner. He told her of the leshen queen he’d come across on the Path that infected him. The agony of the transformation and the confusion that ensued. Geralt had nearly cut down Vesemir to protect Eskel and had defended his right to live. The fear and pity of his brothers and Vesemir was almost worse than death, except Eskel had lost his purpose. He wasn’t a witcher anymore, and he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. He’d been halfway down the mountain when Geralt caught up to him.
“He asked you to stay for the season,” Maja said.
“Yeah, he did.”
“How did it go?”
Eskel he draped some of his branches near the fire. Close enough to burn himself. “I’d already lost my body, my purpose. What else did I have to lose?”
Maja was silent for a long moment. “Did you lose your heart?”
He used one of his branches to grab Maja’s drink and he drained the last of the spirits.
Heartache unfurled in Eskel’s body, fresh and icy as spring thaw. It almost would have been better if he had stayed away, taken himself into exile and left his old life behind. He could have lived with that pain of being without Geralt. He had lived with that pain his whole life.
“Eskel.” Her voice was soft. She was misunderstanding his silence.
“Geralt knew me, he was there for me like no one else had been, and no one will be again. I told him… I told him everything.”
Maja’s look of surprise was refreshing, and Eskel cracked a sad smile. “Bet’chu didn’t see that one coming.”
“Not at all,” she said, and touched the small blossom again. “What happened?”
Shadows danced in the firelight, the soft crackling the only sound in the clearing for the last hour. Huffing out tiredly, you hug the blanket tighter over your shoulders, breath puffing out like a snuffed out dragon- the thought amusing you.
A large breeze sweeps through the open space, trees and grasses rustling, the soft hum of the forest pulling your attention to the shadow of a figure heading your way. You don't even try to hide your smile as your witcher drops his weapons further away from the fire before plopping down beside you groaning softly. Chuckling, you reach up to brush a couple of curls from his face, fingers coming to rest on the side of his face affectionately, gently tracing his scars. Humming in satisfaction, he nuzzles his nose into your palm.
“You've gotten clean already” you tease, wiping away damp hair. He laughs, nodding.
“I figured a fair lady, such as yourself, would prefer I didn't join you covered in guts.” with false solemness, you nod.
“You figured correctly, Witcher.” he just snorts.
“Witch” time has proven the nickname to be hostile- but there is no venom in his voice, only affection.
“Healer.” you correct, laying your head on his shoulder, eyes turning up towards the sky, tracing the stars. You can feel his shoulders shake slightly in laughter, warm arms wrapping around your waist.
“To each their own” he states, placing a kiss on the side of your nose, making you scrunch it up. He loves watching your expressions, he never has to guess what or how you're feeling. You're about to say something snarky, or at least try when your eyes lock on a white streak in the sky. Bouncing in place, you grab his hand.
“A shooting star! Make a wish” you sing, closing your eyes, holding his hand between yours like your praying.
“A witch making a wish? Now I've seen it all” Eskel laughs, watching the star fade from view. When he looks back down at you, you're pouting.
“Healer.” he just shrugs.
“Semantics.”
“And my mother taught me that,” you say softly, a small smile tugging at your lips, looking down at the hand of his you still have clasped between yours. He softens, you don't often speak on your family.
“What did you wish for?” he melts at how blinding your smile is, shoving his chest gently.
“You're not supposed to say, or it won't come true!”
“It isn't like I made a wish myself.” he teases, blowing a raspberry on your cheek, making you giggle.
“And why not?”
Pausing, he wraps you back up in his arms again, tugging you into his lap, nuzzling his nose into your cheek.
“Because I already have everything I want.”
--
@queenxxxsupreme i blame you and your witcher/witch series..
WIP GAME tell me more about “witcher allergies” pls
Alright, so this is an idea/scene that I have that I haven’t put on AO3 yet cause part of me wants to include it in one of my longer Leshkel stories. But I probably should just leave this as a standalone scene since it’s pretty funny on it’s own. My Scrivener doc says I created this allergies file in January of last year. That’s how outstanding some of my WIPs are, omg. 😭
The idea is that you turn a mutated witcher into an ancient monster of the woods and that witcher-leshen pollen might affect the immune systems of only witchers. 🤧 And some witchers more than others.
Here is a draft that's still rough but gets the point across. 😆 (yo it's scary to put my ideas into the light of day. Hope you like?? Want to see more? Let me know.)
Seasonal Allergies
TWN. post-Voleth Meir. Leshen Eskel AU
Gen, but implied Geralt/Eskel, maaaybe vaguely implied sex pollen.
~1300w
Jaskier reached the great hall and found Ciri and Yennefer sitting across the table from Geralt and Coen, chatting with one another. Coen was hunched over his bowl of food, looking utterly miserable like he hadn’t slept a wink, and Geralt looked like he was ready for a nap.
“Fancy meeting you all here for a spot of dinner,” Jaskier said. “Training going well?” Jaskier asked and Ciri nodded distantly.
Jaskier picked at his food and the loudest godsdamned sneeze he’d ever heard erupted from the table, startling him so much that he dropped his knife.
“Whaaat the!” he said, looking around the table.
Coen’s face was in his palms and the witcher sighed morosely. Jaskier eyed the tatter of scars on the man’s head, the slouch of his shoulders. The witcher sniffled. Sniffled.
“Are you sick?” he asked and Coen sighed again and leaned back to pull wadded linen from his thigh and blow his nose which surely looked like a yes.
“I thought witchers don’t get sick,” Ciri said.
“They don’t,” Jaskier said. He looked at Geralt. “In twenty years the only time I have seen this one sneeze was when he was clearing his nostrils of selkimore guts.”
Ciri pulled the spoon from her mouth and gently tapped it against her plate, her face twisting in thought. “My friends—the ones I used to play with on the streets when I back in Cintra—they used to have a rhyme whenever one of us got too sick to come out and play,” she said.
“Sixth sneeze, let me breathe, selkie please,” Ciri rhymed. She tapped out a beat on the table and Jaskier smiled a little, the pride warming his chest. He never thought it was the smartest or cleverest rhyme, but it had been memorable enough that she could recall it all these years later. Jaskier happily tucked that pride away.
“That was you?” Ciri asked, her eyes flicking from Geralt to Jaskier and back again. Jaskier grinned.
“Sure was,” he said. He was about to reminisce for her, but he glanced at who Geralt barely nodded, and Jaskier lost his train of thought. Geralt still looked half-asleep at the table.
Lambert came stomping his way over with his plate of food steaming mug. He looked far from sleepy.
“Fucken hells,” Lambert growled, obviously congested, and sat down on Jaskier’s other side. Jaskier recoiled when the ginger witcher wiped his nose on his sleeve.
“They’re allergies,” Yennefer said and that didn’t make a lick of sense to Jaskier. He looked at Lambert and back to Coen. Sickness didn’t make sense either, he supposed, but Geralt was still sitting there sleepy-eyed between the two of them.
“Witchers don’t have allergies,” he pointed out.
“It’s the pollen,” Yennefer said and Jaskier frowned again.
“What pollen? I haven’t sneezed since we got here,” Jaskier said and finally took his first bite of the stew. “And it’s the middle of winter.”
His stomach growled and Coen blew his nose on a rag. The sound made Jaskier lose his appetite.
Ciri looked between Coen and Lambert with an amused pity.
Yennefer, on the other hand, was looking at Geralt with a knowing twist to her lips and Jaskier was equal parts curious and confused.
“Jaskier, do you know what animal has the longest orgasm and how long they orgasm for?—And don’t bother saying claiming it’s you,” she said, preemptively rolling her eyes at hi.
“Isn’t it the goat? Because they’re horny. With the horns and,” Jaskier paused, eyeing Ciri for a moment, not sure what the protocol was for discussing animal genitalia and orgasms in front of a Princess. But Yennefer was the one who had asked, “the giant goat balls?”
Jaskier’s heart skipped in surprise again the force of Coen’s sneeze rocked their side of the bench.
“The average length of a pig’s orgasm is 30 minutes. It can sometimes last up to an hour and a half,” Yennefer said carefully, her eyes leveled on Geralt. Jaskier frowned and looked at Geralt who inhaled and he did sound a little congested now that Jaskier was listening.
“Okay… what’s that have to do with pollen in winter?” Jaskier said.
“The average pollenating season of most trees last anywhere between 2 to 5 months depending on the region,” Yennefer said just as Coen was blowing his nose again.
“That tree?” Jaskier eyed the medallion tree which looked quite dead to his eye, but then again he didn’t know much about trees.
“The tree,” Coen mumbled sadly, which was of no help to Jaskier.
“Eskel?” Ciri asked and Yennefer nodded.
“Uh,” Jaskier said and frowned. “What?”
“Eskel is part leshen,” Ciri said as it was obvious…which it was. “Leshen are part tree, part monster,” she added.
“There’s… leshen pollen. In the keep?” Jaskier asked and looked around. “Why aren’t we sneezing? Do you have allergies?” he asked Ciri and Ciri shrugged, showing no sniffle as far as he could see or hear.
Jaskier sniffed. “I’m inhaling leshen tree pollen now?” He couldn’t see any of it or smell it for that matter.
She nodded. “Didn’t they teach botany at Oxenfurt?” Yennefer asked.
“Wait… Pollen, tree. Seeds. Seeds spread their—seed to reproduce and—” Jaskier said and Yennefer’s grin broadened. Jaskier looked at the two witchers again, trying to connect the sneezy thoughts to Yen’s words. “Does that mean Eskel… is orgasming?”
“Fucken hells,” Lambert muttered.
Ciri looked amused and concerned and Yennefer was smiling behind her mug. Jaskier peered over at Geralt who was not sneezing, nor did he seem sniffly.
“Are you still immune?” Jaskier asked.
Geralt took a deep breath and looked over at Jaskier for the first time. It was a strange sight to behold: yellow eyes that were red-rimmed and almost puffy, but he was inhaling like he couldn’t get enough of the air. Like he was scenting blossoms in spring. Clear nostrils, but still affected somehow.
“No,” Geralt said and Yennefer cleared her throat.
“Geralt and Eskel have been working together understand his new leshen anatomy, haven’t you Geralt?” Yennefer asked. It was mild and leading in a way that Jaskier didn’t have to see the way she raised her eyebrows in mirth. Jaskier looked back at Geralt who avoided both Jaskier and Ciri’s eyes and instead ate another bite of food.
“The pollen shouldn’t bring anyone to harm,” Geralt said and took a bite of food, giving Yennefer a brief look that was both pleading and amused.
“Is it because you went through the Trials twice that it affects you differently?” Ciri asked.
“Different? Different how?” Jaskier asked and Yennefer’s smile grew. Before Jaskier could ask another six follow-up questions, the doors to the courtyard opened. He only managed to identify the approaching witcher as Tolbert from the axes hanging from his belt because his face was covered with an unusual helmet. There was a clear plate for his eyes and two knobs protruding from his face.
Lambert sat up so suddenly that Jaskier’s bowl rattled on the table and pointed a spoon at Tolbert. “Oi, where the fuck you get that contraption?”
Tolbert sat down next to Ciri but didn’t take the helmet off. On closer inspection it looked more like a mask with thick straps that kept it firmly attached to his face.
“Dwarf named Avlaf. S’what they use in Mahakham,” Tolbert said and his voice was thick and muffled. Lambert leaned forward, nearly twitching and tried to swipe it from Tolbert’s face. Tolbert punched Lambert in the elbow.
“Get your own. I found ‘im through a guard in Vergen. He’ll be able to pretty up your face,” Tolbert said and although half his words were muffled through the mask. Lambert cursed and knocked back half the stein of tea.
WIP Game List
@ghostinthelibrarywrites tagging you since you had also asked about my Leshkel fic in a previous ask!!
Hello, I'm kuwdora (she/her) and I figure I'd make a pinned post for my Witcher works. You can find me on: AO3, YouTube and my vidding sideblog. Send an Ask if you'd like to connect on discord! This pinned post hasn't been updated in awhile but I'll get around to it. Check out the AO3 page for more up-to-date fanworks. I'll get around to updating this post soon...
My Witcher Fanvids
Fic
Eskel/Geralt (Leshy Eskel)
Heart Tap (Eskel/Geralt). ~23k. Explicit. After his transformation into a leshen, Eskel struggles with his memory and strange urges and perception of reality. He asks Geralt to help him investigate what he's actually made of. Season 2 Leshen Eskel. AKA the one where Eskel asks Geralt to tap him like a maple tree. Crack treated seriously, Monster Biology, Fantasy Alchemy, Touch-starved Eskel, Tentacles.
Driftwood (Eskel/Geralt) ~2800. Teen. Geralt meets Eskel for an afternoon on the lake. Crack treated seriously, Slice of Life. Season 2 Leshen Eskel.
Geralt/Jaskier
stories we tell, memories we share, and the words we hold dear (Geralt/Jaskier). ~28k. Mature. Three decades after the war, Jaskier’s thoughts are faster than his aching hands can keep up, but Geralt has learned enough by his side to take up the quill for him. Alternate Title: Old Soft Men in Love. Post-canon, Domesticity, Chronic Pain, Acts of Service, Tenderness, lots of cheeky meta, and Geralt getting railed by puns.
A Drowner's Dozen (Jaskier, pre-Geralt/Jaskier) ~6k. Gen. After Geralt finishes a mundane contract, Jaskier reflects on mortality and rewrites a song in the process. Jaskier character study, art as a coping mechanism.
Rumor, Symmetry, Big Dick Energy (Geralt/Jaskier). ~4k. Mature. Written for the tumblr kissing prompt meme. Geralt and Jaskier share a chaste kiss in front of some dwarves in Vergen.
Yennefer/Jaskier
Learning Curve 10k. When Yennefer's insecurities about her new teaching responsibilities keep her up at night, she finds comfort at Jaskier's side. Character study, cuddling and snuggling, angst with a happy ending.
Pivot ~4k. Teen. Yennefer steps on Jaskier and he likes it. Minor d/s vibes, some humiliation/praise kink, technically a song fic.
Geralt/Yen/Jaskier
Surface Tension, ~5500w. Explicit. Yen and Jaskier delay Geralt's orgasm all night. Edging, subspace, emotional porn, tenderness.
A Beard for a Bard ~3900w. Mature. Geralt comes home, expecting a night on the town, but Jaskier isn’t in much of a mood for carousing. Luckily for Jaskier, Yen can make any night memorable with her special elixirs and Geralt is happy to have a lazy night at home. post-canon, drug use, cuddling and snuggling.
the lion, the witch, and the audacity of this bitch ~6k. Explicit. Sexual roleplay, d/s, body worship. Narnia not-AU with Jaskier as a faun, Yen as the Ice Queen and Geralt as the loyal knight.
Misc
The Shade of Your Eyes (Philippa Eilhart, Radovid) ~3k. Mature. Philippa tortures the disembodied soul of Radovid. Written for Witcher Flashfic challenge #031.
Heart Tap (9569 words) by kuwdora
Chapters: 1/2
Fandom: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, The Witcher (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Eskel/Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia
Characters: Eskel (The Witcher), Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Lambert (The Witcher), Vesemir (The Witcher), Hemrik (The Witcher), Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canonical Divergence, Alive Eskel, season 2 leshen Eskel, Character Study, Monster Biology, Fantasy Botany, Alchemy, Monsterfucking, monsterfucker geralt, Crack Treated Seriously, Angst, Touch-Starved, Tentacles, Body Horror, Vivisection, Medical Experiments, The Inherent Tragedy of Witchers, First Time (in a new body), Oral Sex, memory loss/problems, Eskel has carnivorous urges, Some Bondage, References to animal harm, References to Canon-Typical Violence, Eskel and Geralt become pioneers in the field of Leshkeltology, the author REALLY LOVES TREES, please see notes for more warnings/details
Series: Part 1 of The Warden Along the Path
“You want me… to tap you. Like a maple tree,” Geralt said, repeating the words carefully like he wasn’t sure he heard them correctly.
“What better way to get a sample to study?” Eskel asked matter-of-factly. He needed more information about what he’d become, what he was made of underneath all the bark and wood. If the old parts of him were still under there. He needed to know if there was something worth holding onto.
--
Omg I finished and posted a fic. Who am I??
Anyway, I fucking love trees and wanted Eskel to be alive. So now I have a giant AU featuring sooo much worldbuilding about leshy Eskel and this is my first story. Final chapter will be up this weekend once I'm done editing!
Feel free to check it out if you'd like some crack treated seriously, some horny confusion, angst, intimacy, and Eskel processing his transformation. Please mind the tags and warnings.
Reblogs and comments are love. ❤️
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Heart Tap (23181 words) by kuwdora
Chapters: 2/2
Fandom: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, The Witcher (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Eskel/Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia
Characters: Eskel (The Witcher), Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Lambert (The Witcher), Vesemir (The Witcher), Hemrik (The Witcher), Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canonical Divergence, Alive Eskel (The Witcher), season 2 leshen Eskel, Character Study, Monster Biology, Fantasy Botany, Alchemy, Monsterfucking, Monsterfucker Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Crack Treated Seriously, Angst, Touch-Starved, Tentacles, Body Horror, Vivisection, Medical Experiments, The Inherent Tragedy of Witchers, First Time (in a new body), Oral Sex, Animal Harm, memory problems, Eskel has carnivorous urges, Some Bondage, References to Canon-Typical Violence, Eskel and Geralt become pioneers in the field of Leshkeltology, the author REALLY LOVES TREES, please see notes for more warnings/details
Series: Part 1 of The Warden Along the Path
“You want me… to tap you. Like a maple tree,” Geralt said, repeating the words carefully like he wasn’t sure he heard them correctly.
“What better way to get a sample to study?” Eskel asked matter-of-factly. He needed more information about what he’d become, what he was made of underneath all the bark and wood. If the old parts of him were still under there. He needed to know if there was something worth holding onto.
--
FIC IS COMPLETE!! Please enjoy and let me know if you liked it. There's a lot more where this came from, bwahhhh.
Here's a chapter update for my story Transplanted Heart (Uprooted Remix). This is Eskel/Geralt and my remix of @brighteyedjill 's story The Heart Entire because I want to run everywhere with leshy Eskel.
chapter 3 - the brothers in Brokilon
After Geralt has recovered from his injuries from Thanedd, Eskel tries to rouse Geralt's spirits with an afternoon trip and shows him some dryad magic.
🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳
Eskel was no stranger in bearing witness to Geralt’s suffering, but that made it no less difficult to endure. Geralt was hooked up to the conynhaela vines and knitbone for over a month, healing the wounds he’d received on Thanedd.
There was little Eskel could do while Geralt twisted in alternating states of pain and misery, bound firmly to the bed of leaves and branches. So he spent the time telling Geralt about life in the forest. About the dryads and creatures he’d thought were extinct, and the strange dryadic magic he’d seen. He told his brother about his own long, painful recovery since the fire mage’s attack in Kaer Morhen that had nearly ended him.
As the weeks passed and Geralt’s body physically healed, his spirits remained shattered, even when freed of the vines. It broke a different part of Eskel’s heart that he hadn’t known existed. The pain and uncertainty and that remorse about losing Ciri was something the conynhaela could not purge from Geralt’s heart.
After two days of Geralt not speaking a single word, Eskel wracked his mind, searching for ways to rouse him, when he finally had a decent idea. He consulted with the dryad queen to ensure he wasn’t going to violate dryad norms by bringing Geralt to the spot he had in mind. Eskel then gained permission from Aglaïs who had overseen Geralt’s care and assured Eskel that Geralt was healthy enough for travel.
“Where are we going?” Geralt asked when Eskel cajoled him to his feet.
“C’mon,” Eskel said and unfurled some of his branches so he could gently scoop Geralt into his arms.
Geralt was ambulatory but it was going to be quite a trip, and Eskel didn’t want to stress Geralt’s leg, so Eskel rigged up a sling in his branches, carefully binding Geralt’s elbow and knee and tucking him close to his body.
Eskel made their way through the forest for over an hour until he reached a small pond surrounded by yew and hickory, its thick canopy of branches sheltering the ground. It had been an interesting discovery some months prior, and Eskel was glad to have the chance to share it with Geralt.
He helped Geralt out of the sling and Geralt hobbled over to an overturned log, sitting down with a heavy grunt.
“Pretty,” Geralt murmured, looking around.
“I want to show you something I’ve learned since I got here,” Eskel said. He plucked a few leaves from one of his own branches and popped them into his mouth, chewing slowly and focused on the silent incantation in his mind. It was a process that helped kickstart the transformation deep inside his limbs, preparing his body for blood and circulation.
Ooh lots of good questions, so I'll start with this one: 🎢
🎢 Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?
ahaha. That is absolutely my Leshen Eskel fic Heart Tap. We have a touch-starved witcher whose body is mutated yet again and also his mind isn't quite right. He has monster urges, he's experiencing memories that don't seem to fit, and he just doesn't understand enough of what he's been turned into. Which is why he asks Geralt to tap him like a maple tree to find out what he's made of.
This is is crack treated so fucking seriously and I go so fucking hard with the monster biology and fantasy alchemy worldbuilding elements. There's intimacy and sex that is not quite tentacle sex because Eskel's still figuring out his new body. And aahhhhh, this is just the beginning of my Leshkel saga.
