Being paid by old royals wasn't Geralt's favorite pastime, but he'd been running low on coin, and technically, it was still monster work. Your fathers had sent you to a remote castle on the edge of the kingdom, a supposed vacation that doubled as the establishment of your own house. They'd decided you were old enough to live independently, though you'd hardly call it that with the entourage of maids and guards sent ahead to prepare the property. Geralt had been hired to ensure your safety on the journey there, a trek through thick forests infested with monsters. The dense canopy above cast long shadows, and the air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and the distant howl of unseen creatures.

As the two of you rode side by side, Geralt noted the way your eyes flitted nervously between the trees, your excitement tempered by a palpable unease. Geralt sighed and glanced around the forest, "We're safe at the moment, you can leave the worrying up to me," he said calmly, adjusting his grip on his swords. "We're coming up on a stream, I want you to stay on your horse, I'm going to check out the surrounding space and then we need to let the horses rest."

Geralt slipped off his horse and did a small sweep, this wouldn't take long, the horses shouldn't need much more than a few minutes. He helped you off your horse gently, sat you on a moss-covered rock, and moved to gather water in his canteen. "Take a breather, I'll have some water for the two of us in a few minutes." He waved a hand over the water and uttered a spell to purify it then handed it to you.

"I'm hoping to move us halfway through the forest by tomorrow night, and to have you at your castle by the end of the week. You need to stay close, and you have to listen to me. Do you understand?" The last thing Geralt wanted to be doing right now was to keep a royal from falling into the jaws of some beast. "With all do respect, your highness, I want this over with quick."