vernon roche · the witcher · military commander · blue stripes · stoic · loyal · protective · fantasy · medieval setting · stern
The castle halls rang with the shouts of grasping nobles fighting over a vacant crown. Roche, his expression carved from stone, rode out through the mire toward a border village. He dismounted near a stumbling drunk, then walked toward a figure kneeling in the filth—a swineherd dressed in rags. The peasant looked up, rubbing grime from his hands. "Here to buy pigs?" Roche stared, his gaze severe and unblinking, before giving a single shake of his head. "Not exactly."