World Setting, following ending to Witcher 3:

-Ciri lives, becomes a witcher

-Radovid dies, Nilfgaard wins the war, and Temeria becomes autonomous vassal

-Keira lives, adventures with Lambert

-Geralt ends up with Yen, mages are saved from Novigrad, and Triss becomes Koviri advisor

-Cerys is queen of Skellige, Bloody Baron lives, seeks cure for wife

-Sara stays, befriends Corrine

-Whoreson Jr dies, Dudu replaces him

Spring 1274, Pont Vanis, Kingdom of Kovir and Poviss

Royal Palace

Triss couldn't help but be mesmerized by the view of the Gulf from the balcony in her room in the royal palace. From there, she could see every ship come into harbor, watch dockhands move shipments into the markets, and think peacefully as the waves rolled in and out, in and out. The day was looking beautiful already, the sky a perfect shade of white-blue that sparkled over the horizon.

True, Pont Vanis was no Vizima, no Novigrad, but in many ways she preferred the calmer setting. Fewer people, she couldn't help but think to herself. Fewer problems.

And while the winter in Kovir had been brutal (why anyone would build a settlement this far north was beyond Triss), the spring brought warm winds into the harbor and made it bearable.

More importantly, it made it different.

Different from a life full of past decisions, past commitments, past words. That was all that remained for Triss in Temeria. The past. She wanted a fresh start, and by the gods did she get one.

"Excuse me, Lady Merigold? Sorry to disturb, but I have a letter for you." The sound of her butler Markus startled Triss from her moment of solitude, but she quickly settled and smiled at him.

"Of course Markus." She walked over to where he was standing, accepted the letter, and proceeded to move to her desk. "You may return to your other duties."

"Of course my lady."

Triss smiled again as she heard the door close as she sat down and began opening her letter. The gods bless that boy's heart.

She opened the letter, and quickly her mood changed. It was written in Philippa Eilhart's handwriting. While she expected it to be another summons for a lodge meeting (Triss was proud to have been a member, but was looking to put that past behind her now), what she found was something else.

Philippa wanted help acquiring a magical artifact. One she claimed would allow her to see and communicate with ghosts. What did she need such an artifact for? The gods themselves know.

An object that would allow someone to see and communicate with ghosts…why do I feel like I've heard of that before? Triss could have sworn that she'd seen something that kind before…

…back at Kaer Morhen. Her face went sour, as she realized why she'd recognized it. Geralt had something of the sort, a lamp that he had kept with him when she came to protect Kaer Morhen. She had no idea where Geralt was, and wasn't really looking forward to seeing him again, especially with all things considering…

I mean, yes I used him, but so did Yen! I lied to him, but so did Yen! Stupid drink at the Vegelbuds…

Triss knew she would need to pay Kaer Morhen a visit if she had anyway of finding Geralt. Plus, it would mean seeing Ciri again, which was always a positive.

Later that day…

Kaer Morhen, Kaedwen

"Ciri, you sure you want this archway built? I'm pretty sure it's cursed!" Eskel was adamant that wall was a lost cause. Then again, he had been convinced Kaer Morhen was a lost cause, but Ciri had been able to convince him otherwise. Together they had gathered the resources necessary to rebuild Kaer Morhen, but it wasn't going all to plan.

"You're a witcher, curses are no problem!" Ciri popped back up from the top of the scaffold, looking down into the courtyard where Eskel and the laborers were attempting to put up an archway for the fifth time in a moon. She had to admit, the reconstruction was proving harder than she had anticipated. She hadn't realized how little attention had gone into the foundations of the building, which made it difficult to lay down new structures. Still, in true witcher fashion, she was going to be as stubborn as the wall, and would not let small setbacks prevent her goal; a Kaer Morhen as beautiful as the old paintings and books showed.

As she headed down to the courtyard she was prepared to chide the boys in their laziness; they had taken a break from the lifting and were playing gwent. But before she could say anymore, she heard the distinctive sound of a portal opening. She immediately reached for her blade, before realizing who it was.

"Triss!" Ciri screamed as she shifted straight in front of her, giving her a big hug.

"Little sis, look at you, you're as beautiful as ever!" Triss was surprised at first, but delighted to see Ciri so glad to see her.

Ciri settled herself and immediately asked, "What brings you to our humble but growing abode?" She motioned to the scaffolding and piles of building materials scattered all over the keep.

"Oh wow, the reconstruction is coming along after all!"

"Yep, Geralt and I called in a few favors, threw in some coin, and here we are. However, they," as she motioned to the workers, "have a tendency to slack off." "Hey Eskel!" she shouted, "Play gwent when the walls finished or your room will smell like Lil Bleater's shit for a fortnight!"

Eskel grumblingly got up. "Good afternoon Triss. There's spirit in the hall if you want some", as he ordered the men to lift the base up one more time.

"Which reminds me again, what brings the noble advisor Triss Merigold to Kaer Morhen?"

"I am looking for a magical lamp that allows the user to communicate with ghosts and specters. I believe Keira gifted one to Geralt, but I have no idea where Geralt is. I was hoping you could help me find him. I know he's off the Path, but he and Yen never mentioned where they were going." Triss tried her best to not give away how she felt about all of that. It doesn't matter anymore. It's the past, you two moved on, it's over.

Have I moved on?

"Well, Geralt and Yen bought homes all over the world, and they cycle through them throughout the year. They wintered here, but they left a moon ago to Skellige. I suppose you should visit Queen Cerys in Kaer Trolde. She probably knows where Geralt and Yen went."

"Are you sure Geralt didn't leave it here?"

"Certainly. I cleaned his room the other day. The only things in there are trophies." Ciri said, matter-of-factly.

"Very well." She huffed, realizing she couldn't avoid seeing Geralt and Yen. It couldn't be all bad, right?

…right?

That night…

Kaer Trolde, Ard Skellig, Skellige Isles

Main Bedchamber

Cerys had a long day, and was looking forward to some long awaited rest. The Drummonds had been on her tail for a fortnight about some familial squabble over a random line in the woods that they claimed an Craite guards had messed with. The uniting of the jarls was proving every bit as difficult as her father had anticipated.

The palisades have not been maintained for some twenty odd years. This is about the raid parties. The Drummonds won't back down until I let them conduct a raid on the Nazairi coast. Why is it that I care more about their men then they do?

Cerys' internal monologue was interrupted by the opening of her chamber door. She turned and found Triss Merigold, being escorted by a an Craite guard.

"Triss my dear, how have you been?" she said, smiling. "Who would have guessed the winds would have picked you up?"

"I'm sorry for the lack of notice, Your Majesty-"

"Oh piss off with that sort of tongue. I'm no Continental nobleman. You call me Cerys."

"Of course, Cerys." Triss had to admit that not being formal to a ruler was strange to her after returning to life in a royal court. Then again, Skelligers are different. "I was looking for Geralt and Yennefer. Ciri told me they came to Skellige, and I was hoping you knew where they were."

"Of course I can help you out dear." She moved towards the map on her desk of the entire Skellige Isles. "They bought a small cottage on the other side of this lake. It's across from the sawmill, north of Rannvaig. Geralt saved that sawmill, did ya know? Killed the drowners who had been holding it for months. Locals love him for it."

Look at that, the noble Geralt of Rivia, always saving people. "Thank you so much Queen Cerys, I'll be sure to head out-" Triss started to head for the door when Cerys grabbed her by the shoulder.

"You'll do no such thing, lass. You must stay the night at the least. Your business can wait till then, can't it?"

"I…I suppose so." Triss said, apprehensively.

The Next Day…

North of Rannvaig, Ard Skellig, Skellige Isles

It wasn't until past midday that Triss arrived at the sawmill; Cerys proved to be quite the host, and refused to let Triss leave so quickly.

She rode into the area to find close to a dozen people tending to the mill; several different families of all ages looking lively and happy.

"Oooh, who's she? Mummy, who's the lady on the horse?" One boy chimed to his mother.

"I like her hair. It looks like fire." Another girl said coyly to her friend.

"Good day, stranger. There anything I can help you with?" An older lady, clearly nearing her fifties, said, holding a basket of grain.

"Yes, I was looking for the witcher Geralt of Rivia and his…" Triss was struggling to get the words out, when the little girl exclaimed.

"The witcher? He lives in that house with his pretty pretty wife. She's nice. She gives us candy and toys. She has nice hair too." The little girl pointed to a house on the other side of the lake.

The girls' words cut into Triss much harder then she had hoped for, but she tried to stay strong and not let her emotions be seen.

"Thank you darling. I'm a good friend of theirs and I just wanted to see how they were doing."

"Oh." The girl said, her face got dejected. "I don't think they are doing well. They never come outside until the afternoon, and when we go near their house, we always hear strange noises-"

"What did I tell you kids? Don't worry about them. Now go play with pa." The mother chided the girl, who scurried off. "You're friends are fine, you-"

"I get it ma'am. Thank you for everything." Triss quickly mounted her horse and rode off towards the house, trying her best to put the thoughts the girl had given her out of her mind.

I bet he's ploughing Yen right now, the sonnaofabitch is. Why should I even bother? As she rounded the bend towards the house, she noticed two people were outside on the small harbor. She decided to dismount her horse and walk up quietly, quickly realizing it was Geralt and Yen. Yen was sitting on the harbor, looking out towards the other side of the lake, her back to Triss, and Geralt was floating in the water right in front of her, with his eyes closed.

He also happened to be wearing nothing but underwear.

As she moved closer towards them, she began to hear what they were talking about.

"And so the Zerrikanian tailor tried to tell me that my dress couldn't be made of silk because he didn't have silk, and I told him what kind of tailor doesn't have silk? It's the single most popular clothing material in the world-" Yen was going on passionately about some dress when Geralt interrupted her.

"Hate to interrupt you Yen, but it appears we have a guest." His eyes were still closed, but a smirk appeared on his face. Yen turned to look, and her face lit up immediately. "Triss!" She ran up and gave her a strong hug. Do people think I died or something? What's with the big hugs? Triss was surprised Geralt had noticed her. "How-"

"Did I notice you? Witcher senses. I heard you riding in just a moment ago." I also heard your racing heart, but Geralt chose to let that detail stay between him and Triss.

"Come, let us go inside, Geralt. We must be courteous to our guests." Yen said as she scurried into the house. Triss followed in, but stalled for just a moment to watch Geralt climb out of the water. The sun caught him in the perfect moment, and she was reminded of the great body he had. Even now, he was ripped.

"What? I'm retired, not dead." Geralt quipped, upon catching Triss' gaze as he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. Triss looked away quickly and bolted into the house. Geralt cracked a wide smile. This should be interesting.

Geralt headed to the upper floor to change into regular clothes, while Yen poured them all drinks. She handed a glass of Erveluce to Triss, and took a seat by the main mantle, directly across from Triss.

"This is a beautiful home you have here. How did you happen upon it?" Triss remarked, glancing around.

"Geralt found it when he came to Skellige. The owners abandoned it long ago, it fell into disrepair. He thought it was in a good place, though, so we had it restored and rebuilt. The view is incredible during sunset." Yen said, swirling her glass around as she talked. She sounded like a noblewoman, not the dangerous Yennefer of Vengerberg.

"And that…smell?" Triss said, her mind trying to concentrate. "Is that…rope?" She asked, a quizzical look on her face.

Yen paused mid-swallow, freezing in place. Her face lit up red like Triss' hair. Triss could hear Geralt laughing uncontrollably above them. Yen took her merry time swallowing, thinking.

"It's…uhm…it's…"

"It's the smell of the rope I use for trophies Triss." Geralt said, chuckling as he walked down the steps in a simple tunic and trousers. He grabbed his mug of Kaedwenian stout and took a seat, marveling at the awkwardness of the situation.

Triss' face remained confused for a moment, and she looked back and forth between the two, before she realized.

Her face lit up in embarrassment as well, causing Geralt to begin laughing again.

"So…Triss…how has Kovir been treating you?" Yen asked, attempting to change the subject into something she was more comfortable with.

"It's been great. I miss the familiarity of Vizima, but, you know how it is. A fresh start is always good for the soul."

"Someone's been reading folk nonsense." Geralt snickered as he took another sip.

"Oh come off it Geralt. Everyone's been looking for peace after everything that happened." Yen chided Geralt, touching his knee in a passive aggressive manner. A very, He's mine, bitch manner.

"How goes your adventures? Ciri mentioned you traveled around the world?"

"You went to Kaer Morhen? How is it? How was Ciri?" Geralt pipped up, immediately interested in a way that only further irritated Triss.

"Ciri is fine, Kaer Morhen is fine. The construction continues. But really, where else have you been?" She looked around, and noticed trinkets of all different designs and patterns.

"Where haven't we been? Toussaint, Nazair, Zerrikania. I must say, Triss I've never been more relaxed and happy in my entire life." Yen looked at Geralt, and they gave each other a knowing smile.

"No offense, but how do you afford this?" Triss could not imagine the costs of maintaining so many homes, and constantly traveling around the world is dreadfully expensive, even for a witcher and a sorceress.

"None taken Triss. When everything about Ciri was all said and done, Yen and I walked away quite wealthy. Wealthy enough that we'd basically never have to work another day in our lives." Geralt explained. "We figured out that we could easily live on for decades and decades cycling from area to area, living life as we saw fit. To be honest with you Triss, I'm done with the hard life. They may say no witcher has ever died in his bed," Geralt raised his glass, "but I aim to be the first. I believe Yen and I have earned it." With that, he finished his drink, putting it down with a definitive thunk.

"Dandelion would certainly be able write ballads till the end of time about the irony; Geralt of Rivia, the brave and noble White Wolf, dying on his own terms, in a bed by his loved ones." Triss remarked, smirking.

"Dandelion could write a ballad about how he disliked his mushroom stew. Doesn't mean shit. So what brings you out here, Triss? Surely it must be important, to come to us simple folk while you are on duty, advising a king and all." Geralt's voice dripped with sarcasm, only further angering Triss.

"I need the lamp Keira gave you. The one that lets you communicate with specters." Triss said, her temper slowly seeping into her voice. Don't let his attitude get you Triss. He's just doing it to test you, to see how you react.

Geralt looked surprised. "What on earth do you need that damned thing for? Sure you can have it, but I'm not sure what you could use it for." He got up and headed into a separate room, shuffling through a chest to grab it. He came back with the lamp and handed it to her quite flippantly.

"Damn thing only works for some specters and wraiths, and doesn't really let you communicate that well. Hardly that useful if you ask me. Keep it. I'll never find a use for it. The only time it came in useful, I found a plague maiden pretending to be a ghost."

Triss looked at Geralt with an even more confused face.

"Long story. It involved a monster-infested island, that stupid lamp, and far too many mice for my enjoyment."

Triss wanted to ask more, but realized it was best she got back to Kovir. "Well, it's been great getting to see you two again, but I really must get going-" Triss got up, put the glass on the table, and headed towards the door.

"Oh don't leave yet Triss, stay for dinner at least!" Yen got up, reaching for Triss' shoulder.

"I'd love to, but duty calls."

"We'll be sure to visit sometime!" Yen said, as Triss opened a portal back to Pont Vanis.

"You should. Kovir is beautiful this time of year." With that, the redheaded sorceress disappeared into the portal, and silence returned to the lakeside home.

Geralt slipped behind Yennefer, his hands on her waist, his chin on her shoulder.

"Rope, or no rope?" Simple question really.

Yen looked out to the horizon, a wicked smile on her face. Her eyes filled with passion.

"Rope. Lots of it."

End of Chapter One