Merciful || Ivar the Boneless

f o u r

  This stranger girl ate like her life depended on it. She almost choked two times. "You can slow down," Ivar told her while sipping ale. He still had no idea what to do with her. But he knew one thing. The gods were planning something, and she was a part of it. That was clear like a day.
Every time Ivar made a sudden move, she flinched. He now understood that she's been through something. But how to make her talk?
Once they finished their food, Ivar spoke up: "We should clean you up. You look like a mess," he smirked. "I will let them bring here water and some clean clothes. Then I want to know what you can do," his voice went up a little.
While waiting, Ivar was thinking about a lot of things. Most of them included this strange girl. She was mysterious, yet to him, she was clear as a day. He saw that she was carrying some kind of a darkness with her. That made him even more interested. He also had a darkness within. Maybe that's what has been connecting them the whole time. On the other hand, Ivar didn't trust anyone. Even though he felt like he could trust her, he didn't. His mind was winning once again over his heart.
Three women brought water and some clothes. "Leave," Ivar commanded, and they immediately did what he said. He looked at the girl. She was sitting on the bed, her hands hugging her knees.
"You know, I can't let you be here alone. You could,-" he lost his words because she was already naked and getting in the tub. She didn't care he was there, watching her. She was sitting in the water, holding her knees again. Ivar wasn't breathing. He sat there, shocked because of what just happened. Her shoulders were moving up and down, she was sitting with her back facing Ivar. He decided to get closer. So, he did.
His heart melted a little. She was crying. That's something he wasn't used to seeing. Ivar felt really conflicted. He didn't know if he should comfort her, leave her be or just ignore it.
Instead, he grabbed a piece of cloth and soaked it in the water. Then he carefully started to rub it against her shoulders, get her at least a little bit cleaner. Her breathing slowed down, but she was still tense. Ivar felt it while trying to clean her.
Unexpectedly, she grabbed his hand and put it away. Ivar didn't do anything, besides watching her. She was holding the sides of the tub. Right after she disappeared into the water. Ivar was now leaning against the tub to see her. Her face was right under the surface, her eyes looking at the ceiling. She looked so peaceful, he could watch her like that for hours. Few bubbles left her nose and danced straight to the surface. Ivar noticed, her eyes were now little lighter.
This stranger girl now closed her eyes and emerged from the water. "Are you okay?" Ivar finally asked. She gave him a look that said more than any words could. She was damaged, but at this very moment, she was kind of alright. Ivar grabbed a towel. He was holding it in front of him in a way that he couldn't see her. She kindly touched his hands, took the towel and covered herself with it.
Ivar sat on her bed while she was changing into some clean clothes. Her back was facing him. Ivar gasped for air. He saw something he didn't see before when she got in the tub. There were deep big scars all over her back. "How did you get those?" he asked, but she only turned her head to face him. She didn't know how to show him, so she was just holding a piece of cloth on her chest and came close to Ivar. She slowly turned around, so he would see her back up close. Then she pointed out the little spots of blue ink from tattoo between those deep scars. *"Jeg," was all she said. "You did it yourself?" he asked in shock. She shook her head. She pointed once more at the other, much bigger scars. "Men."

*I