Chapter Text
He barely opened his eyes and he was already cursing himself for drinking yesterday. Why hadn't he thought to dilute the alcohol with water? He felt awful and looked even worse. To make matters worse, someone could have noticed that he hadn't slept in his bed. He had to get himself in order as soon as possible before others started to suspect anything.
He smoothed out his linen shirt, then adjusted the lily, which had gently slipped to the side. Unconsciously, his fingers went to the back of his neck, where ye had almost melted yesterday under Roche's touch.
He felt his cheeks burn slightly. He should calm down and stop thinking about what had happened yesterday.
He discreetly slipped out of the room, breathing a sigh of relief that no one was hanging around in the corridor. As he walked to the main part of the room, he heard snippets of conversation about the plan to eliminate Loredo. He moved closer to the table, hoping that no one would notice his lateness.
"There are still wooden structures by the annexe, and if they are stable, I could easily climb right up to the window and pick it open. That way, we can cut off all escape routes for Loredo," Roderick said, running his finger over the map.
Louise just glanced at Brutus but said nothing. She had a hunch that he might be, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions.
"Well, your sneaking around wasn't in vain after all."
The day would have been wasted if Roderick and Roche hadn't been at each other's throats. This time, however, the elder Vesperi bit his tongue and kept silent. And Brutus began to guess why.
"Not a word," he muttered as his brother stood next to him. Roderick smiled slightly, barely resisting the urge to say something sarcastic.
Brutus tried to listen carefully to the rest of the plan, but it was hard to concentrate when his eyelids were so heavy. The longer this went on, the more likely he was to fall asleep standing up. He stared at the map, but his mind was elsewhere.
If all this hadn't happened, would they have had the chance for such a close moment? They had trained together, sometimes gone horseback riding, and last night... Did it mean anything? Or maybe he had misinterpreted it? However, Roche didn't push him away...
He was torn from his thoughts abruptly when he felt someone tugging on his sleeve.
"Brutus, were you even listening?" Louise opened the door to the room, leading him outside.
He only glanced at the commander briefly before narrowing his eyes, cursing under his breath for drinking so much alcohol.
"Ah, someone here is in their world." Roderick smiled under his breath. "Rough night?"
Brutus, if he could, would have glared at him. However, he was currently busy getting used to the strong sun. Louise watched them from the side, completely not understanding their behaviour.
"I think you owe us an explanation, little brother," Brutus tensed at Roderick's words. He couldn't keep his secret a secret any longer. Besides, he always had his siblings' support, no matter the circumstances.
"Not here..." he muttered, then headed out of town.
It was an unusually quiet day. The townspeople were still reeling from yesterday's celebrations. Brutus led the way, leading his siblings to the outskirts of town. He thought about how to explain the problems that were troubling him.
When he was sure they were far enough away that no one would overhear, he revealed everything that had happened last night.
"I have no idea what's wrong with me. I've never looked at him like that before, but these past few months..."
Roderick leaned against a tree and kicked a small pebble, which rolled and fell into the water with a soft splash.
"Falling in love with someone whose only lover is his homeland. You're out of luck," he shrugged. "But then again, maybe it runs in the family."
Brutus bit the inside of his cheek. Perhaps no one else had such misfortune as their family. Their father had fallen in love with a Nilfgaardian woman who already had a husband and children. And now he felt something more for the commander of the Blue Stripes.
"Are you going to keep quiet about it?" Louise said.
"What else am I supposed to do? If I tell him, I'll ruin everything, he'll probably throw me out of the army or..."
Roderick stopped kicking more pebbles into the water and stiffened. His gaze became absent as if he remembered something important.
"Doesn't Roche have a partner? Or did he?" the words hit Brutus harder than he expected. He looked away and clenched his fist. He never got his hopes up, but why did he feel a strange stab in his chest? Roderick continued, completely ignoring his brother. "I saw them a few times when they were walking in the market. And what was her name..."
Brutus didn't want to listen to Roderick any longer, but he couldn't interrupt him. He never wanted to get his hopes up and hoped that this strange infatuation would pass on its own. But nothing of the sort happened. If he were younger, he would probably blame it on his teenage years and the stupidities that come to mind at that time, but he wasn't fifteen, he was twenty-three, and such thoughts should have long since flown out of his head.
Louise came closer, passing Roderick, and kicked him hard in the ankle. He only hissed in pain and gave her a questioning look, as if he hadn't noticed what feelings his words had stirred up.
"You were the main one who was unlucky in love since you couldn't keep your fiancée by your side."
Roderick straightened up like a string. As close-knit siblings, they knew what to say to hurt. Usually, they held back harsh words, but this was a blow below the belt.
Three years ago, to everyone's surprise, Roderick announced that he was planning to marry a Temerian noblewoman. Brutus and Louise were the most surprised because they expected the oldest to spend his whole life with his nose in books. At first, everything seemed very romantic. They strolled through the gardens, talking for almost a whole day. However, one day Roderick left for Nilfgaard without a word, and the noblewoman ignored everyone who asked where her fiancé had gone. He only returned after six months and only stated that they had broken off their engagement together. No one knew the exact reason, not even Brutus and Louise. Roderick always made a fuss when the topic of his failed wedding came up.
Roderick finally fell silent for a long moment, and Brutus could finally try to calm his thoughts. Louise was saying something to him, but he stopped listening to her after a few sentences. He didn't know what to do with himself. Maybe he would avoid most of them, explaining that he felt bad after drinking. After all, he couldn't drag this out forever. However, at this point, he didn't know what to do with himself.
***
Avoiding everyone was hard for him. Especially with Roderick's words still echoing in his head. He knew he didn't mean anything by it, but the way he said it hurt more than it should have.
He spent almost half the day lying on the bed, trying to sleep, or at least pretending to when he heard footsteps. He only got up in the evening, when everyone was preparing to carry out the plan. He drew his sword, straightened his clothes, and then went after the others.
He walked next to Roche, as usual, but today he hardly said a word. He couldn't daydream, the fight would start soon and that was what he should focus on. They stopped near Loredo's house.
Roderick stretched one last time, then walked along the wall. When he was sure no one could see him, he jumped up and grabbed the edge. He was slowly climbing up when suddenly his leg caught on a loose brick, which slid under his weight. He dug his nails into the wall and desperately flailed his legs, trying to find a stable point. He was like a fish that had suddenly been pulled out of the water.
Brutus held his breath. The thought that Roderick would fall and make a noise, and then they would be detected by Loredo's men, flashed through his mind.
Finally, Roderick found a stable spot where he put his foot down and pulled himself up onto the wall. He froze for a few seconds, then turned around and nodded, indicating that the area was clear. He looked around again, then jumped down into the garden. The witcher followed him right after, finding himself on the other side without any problems. Now all he had to do was wait for the events to unfold.
***
As always, everything that sounded simple wasn't. They were to cross the garden together and then attack from two sides. The witcher managed to slip into the lower parts of the building, and when Roderick tried to jump onto the wooden structure, a courtesan ran out, followed by a wealthy townsman.
By Melitele, why now?
He pressed himself against the cold wall, his heart pounding like crazy. He glanced up at the wooden structure that was within arm's reach. He could jump and slide up to the top floor, but the risk of making noise and alerting everyone was too high.
He stood and watched, waiting for the moment when the guests would finally leave. Just listening to the townsman's distasteful words about the courtesan made him feel sick. In Nilfgaard, such a thing would be unthinkable. How much he would give to be at a Nilfgaardian ball again, far away from this stinking place. If only he hadn't waited so long to leave, instead of sitting in the bushes, he would be walking through the richly decorated hall with Vivienne and Caeshar. If only... If only... Enough of these thoughts!
He waited a few more minutes until he was sure that they had moved far enough away. He stood up, then with an agile movement, like a tomcat circling the roofs, he jumped onto the wooden structure. He moved quietly and carefully, taking the next steps until he reached one lonely window, the light still on.
***
Fighting was the only effective way to quiet his thoughts. He focused on his movements and watched his opponent carefully, not because he didn't want to be skewered on his sword like a skewer, but because fighting was a kind of dance. Every move, every blow resembled a well-practiced choreography.
Although most fights were far from honourable, Brutus still considered them beautiful. Even the unpleasant smell of gore didn't impress him. After so many years spent among soldiers, he had gotten used to it.
He jumped to the side and swung, but suddenly his opponent fell. He didn't even have to look closer to know whose work it was. Louise deftly jumped down from the wall, holding the bow in one hand. She came closer and then he noticed the red scarf hanging over the waistband of her pants. He was about to open his mouth to lecture her again about reducing himself to a living target, but suddenly the door opened with a bang and the witcher stepped out, followed by Roderick.
"There were some problems," he said before anyone could ask why it had taken them so long. He crossed his arms over his chest as if waiting for something. Suddenly, an inhuman shriek broke the silence of the night. Birds suddenly flew out of the trees and flew away. Brutus stiffened and glanced at Louise, who also looked slightly agitated. Only Roderick stood calmly. After a long moment, the shriek stopped, but instead of the expected silence, they heard something else, the loud cry of a child. "I hate children, especially elven pissants," seeing the confused look of his siblings, he added after a moment, "Loredo kidnapped an elf, then used her for obvious reasons."
"Wait a minute," Louise quickly came to her senses. "What will happen to this child? We can't leave him like this..."
"These are no longer our problems, dear sister," Roderick replied. "We have more important things to worry about, like the fact that we are on the verge of a civil war."
Louise was about to respond when Brutus interrupted.
"Roderick is right, we cannot lean over the fate of one elf."
She looked away, knowing that there was nothing more she could do. When she thought about that child, she remembered Taera. She hoped that life in the commando was nicer than in a place where self-proclaimed elf hunters roamed.
***
The ship slowly set off from the port. The weather was not very good. The wind picked up and the rain began to drizzle. However, even this did not stop Roderick from observing the night landscape. Louise was probably already asleep, and Brutus was writhing with nausea below the deck. He thought that nothing would interrupt the idyll when he suddenly heard loud calls. He leaned out slightly and squinted. He saw two silhouettes running along the jetty.
"Wait! Wait a minute!" Dante's voice echoed through the peaceful port.
Roderick just stood and watched. He did not know what to do. After all, he could not order anyone to change the ship's course and return to the port. Besides, he thought that the strange cousins had long since left Pontar.
Suddenly, his pupils dilated rapidly when he saw Dante jump from the jetty. He thought the wizard would fall into the water, but something flashed a sudden blue light so Roderick had to close his eyes. He opened them only when he heard a bang behind him. He turned around, seeing Dante and Beatrice on the deck.
"I thought I wouldn't have time to create a portal..." the wizard gasped.
"What are you doing here?" Roderick didn't know whether he was more shocked by the trick or the fact that their paths had crossed again.
Dante took a few deep breaths, then dusted off his clothes.
"We're sailing to the same place, and besides, in such dangerous times, everyone could use a wizard escort, right?"
Roderick guessed how they had obtained this information.
"I'll go and explain everything before unnecessary chaos breaks out," Beatrice said and then disappeared as quickly as she had appeared.
I can only dream of idyll, thought Roderick. He leaned against the barrel and watched the scenery pass by. The ship rocked gently in the turbulent waters, acting almost like a quiet lullaby.