The familiar outline of the keep was starting to become visible to Seb and Ciri. Evening had already settled in, and with it came a slow, steady snowfall, light flakes drifting lazily through the cold air.
Ciri walked a few steps ahead, her boots crunching against the thin layer of snow, her posture looser now that the trial was behind them. Dirt streaked her face, her cloak bore cuts and burn marks, and her ashen hair, usually untamed was worse now.
And she didn't care about any of that.
Her eyes were fixed on the keep.
"We're actually back," she muttered, almost to herself, as if saying it aloud might make it more real. Behind her, Sebastian walked at a steadier pace, his was quieter. His armor carried its own share of damage, darkened by dried blood, nicked in places where claws or stone had met it, but there was no visible damage on his body.
Ciri slowed slightly, glancing sideways at him, and then blinked.
The snow.
It never touched him.
Each flake that drifted too close seemed to vanish just before making contact, dissolving into nothing in the faint invisible heat that lingered around him. Not enough to be obvious at a glance, but once noticed, impossible to ignore.
"…Show-off," she muttered under her breath with a smile,
The gates of Kaer Morhen stood open.
And waiting there, was Vesemir.
He stood just beyond the threshold, already dressed for travel, his cloak fastened, his gloves on. His horse was saddled behind him, reins tied loosely to the post as it shifted in place, breath fogging in the cold.
He had been ready to leave.
The moment he saw them, something in his posture changed. The tension that had held him upright eased, his shoulders settling as his eyes sharpened, then softened all at once.
"You're back.."
Ciri broke into a grin.
Then she ran.
The distance between them vanished in seconds as she threw her arms around him without hesitation, nearly knocking the older witcher half a step back.
"We did it!" she said, breathless, her voice bright with something she hadn't let herself feel until now. "We actually did it!"
Vesemir let out a low breath, one hand coming up to rest firmly against her back, steadying her as much as himself.
"I can see that," he said, and there was unmistakable pride in it. "Well done, child. Well done."
Ciri pulled back, still smiling, though her eyes lingered on him for just a moment longer.
Sebastian approached more slowly, stopping a few steps away. He shifted his silver sword from his shoulder and let it rest more comfortably at a nearby crate before glancing past Vesemir toward the horse.
"Going somewhere?"
Vesemir didn't miss a beat.
"No," he said, entirely too quickly. "Not.. anywhere in particular."
Sebastian let out a short laugh under his breath.
Ciri folded her arms, tilting her head at the old witcher with a suspicious look.
"You were going to come check on us."
"I was not."
"You were."
"I wasn't."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow slightly. "You had the horse ready."
Vesemir cleared his throat. "It was for something else."
Ciri snorted. "Right."
Sebastian glanced toward the courtyard, then back again, his tone casual.
"We already had someone following us anyway."
There was a brief pause.
Then, as if on cue,
"I'm back."
Geralt stepped through the gate from the side path, brushing a bit of snow from his shoulder as he approached.
"Damn Yen and her requests," he muttered.
Vesemir turned toward him. "You were out? I thought you and Yennefer were both in.."
Sebastian didn't even try to hide his amusement.
"You don't have to act, Geralt."
Geralt stopped, eyeing him.
"I know you were following us," Sebastian added, his tone light and certain.
A moment of silence passed.
Then Geralt exhaled quietly through his nose.
"…Had to make sure nothing out of the ordinary happens to both of you."
His gaze shifted between the two of them, lingering briefly on the state they were in.
"But you handled yourselves," he admitted. "Better than any of us expected."
Vesemir crossed his arms, looking them both over now with a more critical eye.
"I'm impressed," he said slowly. "The medallions…"
His gaze dropped briefly to where they rested against their chests, both now faintly resonant with that subtle, awakened magic.
"They're active," he finished. "And you don't look like you struggled overmuch. Aside from the blood, the dirt, and the general state of you."
Ciri opened her mouth to respond,
But Geralt spoke first.
"They didn't just pass," he said. "They killed Old Speartip."
Vesemir's expression changed.
"…Did you now.."
His eyes moved between them, sharper now,
"Well," he said after a moment, voice quieter, "someone should have done it long ago. Preferably me. The trial itself is..."
"At least no one else will have to go through that again," Sebastian cut in, firmly enough to stop him from blaming himself for the past.
Vesemir held his gaze for a second.
Then nodded.
"…Right."
Before anything else could be said, movement from the courtyard drew their attention.
Yennefer.
She crossed the distance quickly, her pace brisk, her eyes already scanning for damage before she even reached them. The moment she did, her hands were on Ciri, lifting her chin, turning her face from side to side, brushing dirt aside to check for cuts.
"Are you hurt?" she demanded. "Anything unusual? Any dizziness, nausea, magical instability.."
"Hey!" Ciri protested, pulling back slightly. "I'm fine!"
Yennefer didn't seem convinced, her gaze narrowing as she continued her inspection anyway.
"Define 'fine.'"
"I'm standing, aren't I?"
"That's not a definition."
Ciri groaned.
Yennefer finally let her go, only to turn her attention toward Sebastian. Her eyes swept over him in a single, sharp pass.
"And you?"
"I'm alright," he said simply. "We didn't have much trouble."
Geralt huffed faintly. "Told you already. They managed just fine."
Yennefer arched a brow, unconvinced.
"Mm. I find that difficult to believe entirely."
Then something occurred to her.
Her gaze snapped back to Ciri.
"…Your magic."
The shift in tone was immediate.
Ciri hesitated for just a second, then glanced at Sebastian.
He answered instead.
"I'd say the trial helped," he said. "She handled herself well. Even in places saturated with magic. No outbursts. No loss of control."
Yennefer studied him, then looked back at Ciri.
"And at the Circle?"
"Nothing happened," Ciri said, this time with confidence. "Not like before."
A small pause.
Then, slowly, a smile began to form.
"I think…" she said, a hint of excitement breaking through, "I think I'm ready to train my magic properly now."
Yennefer, Vesemir, and Geralt exchanged a brief look, one of those silent conversations that didn't need words.
Yennefer turned back to her.
"…Alright, if you say so.."
While Ciri continued talking, her energy returning in full now that the weight of the trial had lifted, Geralt stepped closer to Sebastian, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Thanks you, Seb." he said quietly, low enough that the others wouldn't hear. "This was a good idea."
Sebastian glanced at him briefly.
"I didn't just do it for her," he replied. "Or for me."
His gaze shifted toward the keep, toward the walls that had stood for decades against everything the world could throw at them.
"I did it for this place too. When everything here is in order… it stays safe."
He paused for a moment.
"I'd do it again. As many times as it takes."
Geralt studied him for a moment, then gave a small, approving nod.
He said nothing more.
Behind them, Yennefer's voice cut back in.
"First things first," she said, looking directly at Ciri. "You're going to rest."
Then she pointed a finger without even looking, straight at Sebastian.
"And you."
"You both smell like you crawled out of a sewer."
Sebastian exhaled quietly. "…Fair."
Vesemir gestured toward the interior of the keep.
"I've had your rooms prepared," he said. "Go on. Get cleaned up. You've earned that much."
Ciri didn't need to be told twice.
She turned, already heading inside, though she glanced back once, just once at the courtyard, at the people waiting there, at the place that felt more like home than anywhere else. Then she disappeared into the keep.
/-\
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