531 DXXXI. Girl On Girl Confidence

"What is it? How's the wound?" Claire asked again, who wouldn't stop asking questions, after spending the whole morning alone immersed in her thoughts.

"Nothing, but I have to clean the wound, otherwise it will get infected... it might hurt you a little bit, but if you want to fully heal you have to stay still" Freydis said, who, as she was about to get up and go to retrieve one of the rags she had washed, was stopped by the arm by Claire, who grabbed her wrist.

"Why are you doing all this for me? You know how I feel about Dag, don't you?"

Freydis sighed and waited a few seconds before answering, trying not to succumb to jealousy and to show herself once again superior to these insignificant things.

"Yes, of course, I do. I'm fully aware of it, there are no secrets between me and him. But I'm not a murderer. Not saving you, it would have been like killing you, and that's not part of me. Now be quiet and let me take care of your eye" the young Shieldmaiden replied, whose character had matured a lot during the last period spent in contact with Dag.

"Now I understand... I understand why he will always choose you. You're a real woman, a fighter... I'm just a stupid little girl, who's spent her whole life in slavery, I don't deserve someone like Dag by my side... Freydis...?" Claire continued, continuing to feel like a victim.

"Yes?" she replied, standing up and getting rid of the girl's grip to go get some clean rags.

"Know that we never even kissed... Dag has always been faithful to you, with the spirit and with the body. He didn't think of others but you, even though he hadn't seen you for months. The mere thought that you could be somewhere waiting for him made him forget about everything and he kept going, defeating increasingly powerful opponents, resisting the cold, dangers, ferocious beasts, and fighting against demonic beings... just to see you again." 

"I know. There's something special between me and Dag, I can't explain it to you, you wouldn't understand" Freydis continued, taking a rag into the still warm water and squeezing it.

Freydis was struck by those words and despite feeling a kind of revulsion for the girl who would gladly break the love between her and her man, at that moment she was heartbroken by her fragility, which seemed particularly authentic.

She sensed Claire's love for Dag, who was intense and immutable.

"Yes, I promise that I will always behave as I am doing now and I will never disappoint him, nor will I ever hurt him. Now stop being a victim, you're a beautiful girl, I'm sure you'll find hundreds of men who will want to stay with you" the red-haired girl continued, kneeling again in front of Claire and slowly passing the damp, warm piece on the wound, to clean the pus that had formed during the healing process.

"Aarrgh... umpf..." 

Claire held back a scream of pain and clenched the fur blanket under her fists, resisting that extremely stinging sensation as much as possible.

"How can you say such a thing? Did you see my face? I'm a monster... no one will ever get close to me" Claire said, trying to dampen the pain by talking.

"You know that's not the case, you'll just have to get used to it. If a man only approaches you because of your physical appearance... believe me, he is not the right man" Freydis replied, without distracting herself from the delicate operation, resting on the ground the first rag, completely covered in blood.

"Look at you... you are beautiful and also very clever. You're so strong and independent! You're brave and you'd do anything for Dag, even risk your life in a fight... I envy you a lot for it" Claire continued, who gradually began to feel less pain, as the pus around her eye was cleaned up.

"Viking men like women who know how to fight... I became a Shieldmaiden just because it was my greatest desire, not because I had to find a man. You shouldn't try to be who you're not. Be yourself, Claire. Life may surprise you" Freydis said again, who suddenly began to help Claire with words of comfort, extolling the positive aspects of her character.

"I would like to learn to fight, like you! Can't you teach me? Ouch!" 

When the ointment was smeared for the second time on the wound inside the eye, the young Earthly girl felt a strong burning and could not hold back a sudden verse.

"Yes, why not... you have a nice athletic physique, I think you could become a good fighter... but first you have to be able to stand up and regain your strength!" 

"You could start lifting this bucket full of water!" Dag exclaimed, opening the door with one foot and making the two girls jump, who had not noticed in the least that he was behind the door.