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Sunlight streamed in the open windows. Jaskier was tidying the music room after his latest writing binge, Lady muse had stolen the whole afternoon in what felt like an eye blink, only releasing her claws when a new saga lay freshly inked on the bard's desk.
When soft chimes reached his ears and Jaskier smiled, sweet-sounding bells attached to an anklet Lilly always wore, announced her arrival in his domain.
"Oh! You're not ready. Shame on you wordsmith." Her whisper-gental voice was full of gay teasing. "I shall summon the foulest of beasts to punish you." Her umbra eyes twinkling.
Over the months Jaskier and others were pleased to witness the miraculous changes that had happened to the book sprite. Before him stood a confident willow-like woman and not the bedraggled child-like entity she'd been on discovery. Gone were the rags not fitting for anything past cleaning, to be replaced by long silk gowns in glorious greens and blues. Her long hair was braided in a complex crown, and fresh buttercups interwoven daily. Jaskier was sure it was him she honoured by her flower choice, for without his help she'd have withered away to nothing.
"Ha. Would this beast be named Geralt or Eskel perchance?" He took her arm as they walked back to the warlord's suite, so he might quickly change into clothes less ink-stained for the grand occasion about to happen.
"Sprite no. Rum Tum Tugger!" She deadpans while she waits outside for the bard's quick wardrobe change.
"Well in that case I will endeavour to hurry." Jasker's voice floats into the hallway.
****
Out in the courtyard of the Kaer Morhen, it felt like the whole keep had turned out to watch what was about to happen.
In the very centre stood one of the cat's old sleeping wagons from before Geralt bought all the witcher schools together. It has been lovingly restored and repurposed to hold racks of floor-to-ceiling shelves, cunning hanging scroll storage and even a cupboard or two for other vital supplies.
Once its new owner arrives, the library will join the first of a new style of the caravan, bi-monthly travelling through the smaller villages and hamlets. Cir's brainchild is to bring the people of the wolf lands health, learning and justice. She hopes to offer basic literacy and books to borrow. A chance for minor problems to be settled according to wolf law without the need for people to travel to the keep. Most of all she wanted the people to not suffer for lack of a healer in their hamlet.
Jaskier watches as Lilly places the freshly made scroll in her hand on the driver's bench, her dainty hand trembles a moment, and she takes a step back waiting on her new kin.
In the quiet, the bard holds his breath. To Jaskier nothing seems to happen, yet he can tell by the way every witcher's hand touches their medalon that something is happening.
Chaos. Powerful magic of the good kind is flowing in the air. A vibrating sound, like his lute when he lets a struck string fade on the wind.
Slowly he can see a ghostly form take shape. As it becomes more solid, Jaskier, used to the witcher's ability to smell feelings, watches Lilly's quaint little tongue dart. Understanding, she tastes the air, getting a feel of the newly formed book sprite emotions. She throws a wink over her shoulder at Jaskier and he finds he can breathe once more.
Smiling in greeting, all white teeth flashing in a sunkissed face full of kindly wrinkles. This book sprite looks like he's worked the land at some point. He sits straight-backed on the bench seat, loses iron white hair to the shoulder, and is dressed in earthy-toned beaches and a cream shirt.
Lilly steps up to explain the 'sworn duty' scroll, no book sprite will have a binding contract except Lilly. Now the scroll holds the oaths sworn by Kaer Morhen's inhabitants to each sprite how they will protect the knolage keepers.
Geralt has made it perfectly apparent how proud he is of all the work that went into adjusting the evil slave contract Lilly had been forced to live with.
It had taken the talents of Yennifer and Jasker to create the words that were needed for the amendments, they could not tear it up and start again. It was also found out that Lilly could attack mages when she accidentally stabbed Yenn with a book-binding needle.
With the help of Eskel and his strongest Axii, wiping people's minds of Lilly's true name once the contract is sorted out.
Also, Conrad making it evident he'd never wanted to take over the book sprite job, peace was restored in the keep's library.
Lilly brings over her first new sibling to introduce them to the eagerly awaiting keep. "I bring before you, Myrddin."