Lucy A. McLaren

As I watched the latest series of The Witcher, I thought to myself, There’s a man who could use a listening ear.

And so, here we are: I’m giving a counselling session to everyone’s favourite monster hunter, Geralt of Rivia.

On with the therapy!

Assessment Form

Name: Geralt of Rivia

Age: 99

Reason for seeking counselling: Hmm.

Have you tried counselling before?: No. Talking… well, I often regret it when I do too much of it.

How do you feel about being here?: Perhaps it was my destiny.

Do you have any goals for counselling?:  I recently became… I have a child to… Fuck, I don’t know.

Is there anything else you’d like me to know before your session?: Rumours of a Forktail in the area. My medallion–well, I’ll know if it draws near.

Lucy: Hello, welcome to your counselling session! I’m Lucy and I’ll be your counsellor for today. First of all, is it okay to call you Geralt?

Geralt: I’ve been called other names, but Geralt is my preference, yes.

L: Okay, Geralt it is. It’s nice to meet you. Now, you said in your assessment form that you haven’t had counselling before. Just to let you know, I’m here to listen and allow you the time and space to talk about whatever you want to. I won’t lead you or tell you what to do.

G: Hmm.

L: [After brief pause] So, what would you like to talk about today? You mentioned a child in your assessment form, was that an area you wanted to focus on?

G: A child, yes. Cirilla.

L: She’s your daughter?

G: Daughter? I… Yes, I suppose you could say that. She’s under my protection now, in any case.

L: Cirilla is under your protection, and you see her as your daughter. Your responsibility.

G: Yes. There was someone else who might have… [Sighs] She’s gone now. So yes, Ciri is my responsibility and mine alone. She’s been through a lot. Lost her family, her home. I’m all she has.

L: She’s been through a lot—that feels like something you might connect with, Geralt. You want to protect her because you know how it feels, perhaps, to go through such traumatic experiences.

G: [Silent for a few moments] Hmm. The point is, she needs me. I might have feared having someone need me once. Now, I see it gives me purpose.

L: You’ve faced your fear.

G: Yes. I realised there was no point in running from what destiny placed on my path. Hiding from the world gets you nowhere.

L: It sounds as though you’ve really taken on the mantle of being a father. You were afraid of someone needing you, but you’ve come to realise that—

G: Wait. [Tilts head to listen] Wind’s howling, and something else… [Medallion begins to tremble. Geralt stands] The Forktail, it’s close.

L: Okay, I—

G: I must go.

L: Perhaps we can rearrange—

G: [Retrieves sword and rushes from room]

As a disclaimer, I do not own the rights to Geralt of Rivia or any other characters from The Witcher series mentioned. This is a work of fanfiction.

And if you want another story featuring a stoic, gruff man who is trying to fight for what’s right, check out more about my upcoming fantasy debut novel, AWAKENING, by clicking THE COMMUNE’S CURSE tab at the top of the page.