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“Ciri,” Geralt whispered while trying to shake his daughter awake. Her snores got louder almost made him regret waking her.
Almost.
He’s been telling her about this night for ages and finally it’s here!
“Ciri…” he said a little louder. Almost getting frustrated that they might miss what he had planned for her.
“Mm…” she stirred awake, sleepiness evident in her eyes. “What’d I do this time?”
“Nothing yet. I want to show you something,” he chuckled, wishing there was a device to capture what she looked like at the moment.
Her blonde hair had unraveled itself from her braid and laid in a tangled mess over her head and shoulders. She looked completely untamed and disheveled from her sleep.
“But Geralt…couldn’t it wait till-,” a yawn ripped from her mouth, interrupting her sentence.
“Remember the moon I was telling you about? We’re going to see it,” He whispered as he reached for the pelt on her bed.
“The red moon? Where the moon is actually red?!” She gasped. Her excitement now taking over her exhaustion. She hopped out of bed and frantically searched for her shoes.
“It’s happening tonight?!” she asked once she finished putting on her boots.
He nodded and reached for her hand. “Yes now come on we don’t want to miss it.” She eagerly placed her hand in his and followed him to the top of the Witcher keep.
The night air was refreshing and filled with the smell of the trees and the wilderness. It gave Ciri comfort knowing that the animals were enjoying the air too after seeing a few rabbits hop along.
“Geralt, do animals ever sleep?” she asked randomly as he lifted her over the tall stone.
His brows crossed at the odd question, but answered her nonetheless. “They do, some of them.”
A small ‘oh’ escaped her lips before she caught a glimpsed of the full moon. “Geralt look! It’s turning red!”
He followed her gaze and was almost taken aback by it’s beauty. The lunar eclipse was happening and luckily for them they had the best view.
“Come let’s watch. In a little bit the full moon will be red,” he said as he sat down on the wolf pelt he laid down before he woke Ciri.
He sat down first and had Ciri sit in front of him far from the ledge. “Why can’t we sit on the ledge? The moon is so close we can touch it,” she giggled as she settled in front of him.
He grabbed the pelt that he’d gotten from her bed and placed it over her shoulders. “I know you. You’d try to do flips on the ledge to show off your skills.”
That was partially true.
The full truth was he was afraid she’d fall and they were a great distance away from the ground. Hell, no need to add more worry lines on his face.
“When will the full moon be covered?” she asked as she settled against his chest. He wrapped his strong arms around her and held her close while they watched the eclipse happen.
“Dunno. I just know it’ll happen soon,” he said softly while looking at the moon. It’s pale hue was slowly fading away as a dusky red overtakes it's surface, but never taking away it’s beauty. It was simply a change.
Ciri sighed and started drawing on his arm with her fingertip. She spelled her name, even though it wouldn’t show, and then drew a smile with its tongue sticking out.
“Ciri…” he grumbled but made no effort to stop her.
“What? I’m just drawing…”
“On my skin.”
“Think of it like a tattoo!” she said as she then rotated his arm to the ‘undrawn’ side and drew a flower. He doubtfully watched her trace shapes on his skin knowing good and well it wasn’t going to appear, but for the sake of Ciri’s imagination he’ll pretend.
“If you’re gonna give me a ‘tattoo’ then at least draw something cool.”
Ciri paused for a second and before drawing another face. When she was finished, she turned back to him with a mischievous grin. She muttered some words that he couldn’t quite catch, but he focused more on what she had ‘drawn’.
“What was the ‘tattoo’ supposed to be?” he asked skeptically when he looked at his blank pale skin.
“Me, because I am the coolest,” she grinned. He couldn’t help but smile. He tugged her hair and then pointed at the moon.
“The moon is fully red.” Ciri turned around in awe and whispered a small ‘wow’ as she leaned against him. She laid her head on his chest while the moon watched over them in its dusky glory.
She was glad Geralt interrupted her sleep. It gave her the time to bond with him. Her eyes suddenly felt heavy, but before she could fall asleep she felt him shift and lift her in his arms.
“Time for bed, princess,” he whispered as she settled her head on his shoulder. He led them back inside the keep and placed her back in her bed with the wolf pelt he had gotten from her bed.
“Sweet dreams,” Geralt placed a kiss on her forehead before seeing himself out of her room. He leaned against her door and sighed.
Nights like these made him feel sentimental. Ciri is a growing girl, and he knew that one day nights like this would become rare and eventually a memory.
He absently touched the arm she had given him ‘tattoos’ on and looked down. Instead of seeing a blank arm, he saw that the drawings had become visible as if it were traced with ink.
Geralt rubbed his arm, hoping that it would come off, but it didn’t. He was stuck with silly faces and a messily drawn flower on his arm. He realized that the words she had muttered were a spell and he knew that she had spent some time with Yennefer.
“Damn it, Ciri,” he grumbled.