How will Jaskier's parents react when they finally see him again???
The mayor of Novigrad had sent Lord Pankratz a letter when Jaskier used his impending wedding as an excuse to flee with his pirate crew, alerting the Lord of his son’s appearance in (and disappearance from) town.
He’d followed a trail of wanted posters and finally found the boy. In fact, Lord Pankratz was currently staring on in horror as his son plopped down into the lap of the White Wolf, a man the Lord knew for a fact was a fearsome pirate.
“Is that...is that Julian?” the Countess DeStael asked, pointing through the glass of the tavern window. “Who is he with? What is he doing? I thought we were getting married!”
“You are getting married,” Lord Pankratz glared. He waved a handful of soldiers from his retinue to his side. “Go in there and bring out my son.”
“Yes, Milord,” they nodded. Three of them entered the tavern and made their way to the White Wolf’s table.
The angry noble watched with bated breath as one of his men reached to grab Julian’s arm and was tossed aside by a tall pirate with a heavily scarred face. He noticed, with no small amount of disgust, the way the White Wolf cradled Julian to his chest, keeping him out of harm’s way. The three men didn’t stand a chance. Their unconscious bodies were tossed out the door without a word and the pirates went back to singing and drinking at their table.
The Lord was furious. How dare they defy me? How dare they keep my son from me?
He stormed through the door and over to his wayward child, whose cheeks were flushed with drink and laughter. The boy was wearing a loose, ripped burgundy shirt that was clearly too large and a pair of unfamiliar knee-length trousers. A red silk bandanna held his long, softly curling hair out of his eyes. Eyes that were full of fear as they finally met his, “Father!?”
“Julian,” the Lord snarled, reaching for his son. The boy leaned back into the White Wolf’s embrace, which only tightened around him protectively. Lord Pankratz glared at the insolent young man, trying to stay in control of his fear, “Come with me, son. The Countess DeStael is standing outside and she’s missed you these last few months. You were supposed to be married by now.”
“Do you want to leave?” the pirate Captain asked. Julian shook his head emphatically and burrowed even closer into the man’s broad chest.
“Absolutely not, my love.”
“My love?” the Lord practically choked. “You can’t be serious, Julian.”
“Completely,” the boy glared. “I’d rather live the life of a wanted pirate than marry the stupid, selfish Countess. Anyway, I’ve already promised myself to Geralt for all eternity.”
“You - I - Julian!”
“Go away, Father. You can’t win this battle. They’re my family now, you see. Families take care of each other and protect each other.”
“You’ll be sorry when they hang you, boy.”
“They’ll have to catch me first,” Julian smirked. One of his fingers traced lightly down the White Wolf’s jaw and Lord Pankratz blanched when the large pirate leaned into the touch. “Might I remind you that wolves are not prey animals? They don’t get caught.”
There was nothing the Lord could do but storm from the tavern and leave his son behind. He had other children, there were other deals that could be struck.
----
When he was gone, Geralt pulled Jaskier’s head under his chin and pressed his lips to the younger man’s hair. “That was awfully brave of you, little nymph. I know how much he frightens you.”
“He’s a bully and a bastard,” Jaskier shrugged. “I love you and he’ll never drag me from your side, alive or dead.”
“Hmm. I’m going to keep you alive, my darling. For a long, long time.”