Chapter 23: Sunlight Danced Across Her Skin

Time frame: wartime

Sophia suddenly realized that she had reached her limit of power. That's why Ragnar woke up even though she had tried to put him to sleep using her advanced magic.

Unlike Qedren, who was sweet and cooperative during healing, the fierce dragon named Ragnar kept fighting even under the influence of opium.

In the end, she had decided to let Ragnar wake up and wander around, only requiring regular check-ups. Trying to put Ragnar to sleep in this state would be even more draining while she still had to take care of Qedren.

As Sophia made her way through the forest to the secret waterfall, she couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation.

The tranquil sound of the rushing water was the only thing that could drown out the thoughts of her exhausting responsibilities caring for Ragnar and Qedren.

With every step, the world seemed to become more surreal around her. The trees grew taller and more twisted, and the path became increasingly winding and precarious.

Despite the challenges, Sophia pressed on, her woven basket filled with a myriad of medicinal remedies.

The fabric of her once-elegant dress was now tattered and stained from her hard work, but she had little concern for her appearance.

The necessities of war and the obligation to serve her people who were fighting to defend the Cescil Kingdom were calling her, and there was little that could keep her away.

Once at the riverbank, Sophia stripped off her clothes one by one and placed them into a basket. She got naked and put her toes in the puddle. She tiptoed for a while.

Sophia walked slowly into the cool, clear water, feeling its gentle flow against her bare skin. She breathed in the fresh, sweet scent of the nearby trees and admired the sunlight as it danced across the surface of the river.

As she waded deeper, she could feel the tug of the current against her legs, the pull of the water urging her forward.

Then, suddenly, she broke free into the open space at the base of the waterfall, feeling the spray of water and mist envelop her in a welcome embrace.

Sophia leaned back against the rock wall behind her, closing her eyes and letting out a contented sigh.

She felt the warmth of the sun on her skin and relished the refreshing sensation of the water rushing over her.

For a moment, she savored the peace of the waterfall's hidden alcove, the only sound the steady rush of water and the occasional bird call in the distance.

As she opened her eyes and looked around, Sophia felt a sense of gratitude wash over her. Despite the hardships of her journey, she was happy to be alive and surrounded by the beauty of nature.

Ah, it felt so refreshing to be able to take a shower after days of only being able to wipe her body with a wet cloth. Suddenly she remembered Ragnar, who had not bathed for a whole week.

Did he continue to bathe in the river near his tent last night?

As she stood up and turned to leave, she caught sight of the person in her mind. To her surprise, Ragnar was standing nearby, staring at her intently. It was clear that he had been lost in thought and had only just noticed her presence.

Sophia felt a sudden jolt of self-consciousness, wondering how long he had been watching her.

"Ragnar," she said, trying to hide her discomfort. "I didn't hear you come up. You don't usually come this early." Sophia said quietly as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Ragnar watched her silently, admiring the way the sunlight danced across her skin. He couldn't help but feel a sense of attraction towards her.

How beautiful Sophia's body looked under the morning sun and the reflection of the puddles.

Sophia noticed Ragnar's gaze fixated on her, and she felt a sudden twinge of vulnerability. "Ragnar, is everything okay?" she asked, unsure of what had caused the sudden shift in his demeanor.

Ragnar cleared his throat and averted his gaze. "I...I'm sorry."

Only then did Ragnar realize that he had been impolite and quickly turned around to avert his gaze.

Ragnar shook his head, a faint flush spreading across his cheeks as he imagined the scene just now.

Sophia stepped out of the water, her damp hair clinging to her shoulders as she made her way to the edge of the riverbank.

As she finished drying herself and began to get dressed, she glanced around at the surrounding landscape.

The sunlight was beginning to filter through the trees, casting a gentle glow across the river and the nearby cliffs. It was a moment of rare peace and tranquility, and Sophia savored it. No wonder this was her, Ragnar's, Ymat's, and Qedren's favorite place to be.

"Now we're even, Ragnar. We're both looking at each other's bare-chested bodies." Sophia's voice was unexpectedly calm and gentle.

Ragnar was stunned.

"You may turn around, Ragnar. Then you can take off your tunic and let me clean your wound." Sophia said as she gestured for Ragnar to sit on a rock while she prepared the necessary medicines.

Ragnar had been reluctant to take off his entire tunic. He only took one arm out of his shirt and let it cover half of his torso.

Now it was Sophia's turn to gulp. From any angle, Ragnar's body was beautiful. As a healer, she would often see people completely naked. But only Ragnar made her feel uncomfortable.

Without prompting, Ragnar sat facing the waterfall with his back to Sophia. His sitting body was as tall as Sophia's standing one.

Sophia felt small around Ragnar. She began to remove the gauze wrapped around his body.

Sophia worked diligently, her hands moving gently and precisely as she cleaned Ragnar's abdomen and back wounds. He winced slightly as she tenderly probed a particularly sore spot but otherwise remained still as she worked.

"Did you feel dizzy, nauseous, vomit, or sweaty last night?" She asked.

"No," he shook his head.

"Good."

As she finished cleaning the wounds, Sophia applied a salve to help with the healing process. She stepped back, surveying her handiwork with satisfaction. Then she walked around and looked at Ragnar straight on.

Ragnar shuddered at the sight.

"I need to check your temperature and pulse," she said in a calm tone of voice.

Ragnar looked surprised but didn't protest as Sophia knelt down before him, her expression serious. She placed her hand on his forehead, checking his temperature, before moving her fingers to his wrist to check his pulse.

After a few moments, Sophia stepped back and nodded to herself, satisfied with her examination. "You seem fine," she said, a hint of relief in her voice.

Ragnar looked away before Sophia caught his beaming face. Sophia couldn't help but smile at his adorable efforts.

Sophia moved on to taking care of his medicines while engaging him in conversation. "Your friends and Ymat must be happy to see you awake."

"Of course, they're happy to see me free from your imprisonment."

"Errr... you make me sound like the villain here," Sophia shook her head while arranging her medicines back into the wicker basket. "You need to be immobilized while we work on removing the poison from your body. Minimizing movement will slow down the spread of the poison throughout the body. See, you're improving under my treatment."

"You have to eat a lot after this. For a week, you only drank meat stew soup and your mysterious energy potion. May I know what the recipe is made of?" She continued.

"Our urine," he replied as he put his clothes back on.

Sophia laughed. "Our words have reached your tent. I hope you don't take offense. We just wanted to know your secret recipe."

Ragnar did not reply.

"You really don't like chatting, do you?"

Ragnar sighed.

"Hm, you know what else I was thinking?" Sophia said as she sat down next to him.

Ragnar rolled his eyes. Of course, he didn't know. He didn't even know that the woman who still had a tongue would be this chatty.

"We have to organize the schedule of this waterfall so that the incident just now won't happen again. I'm a married woman after all, so it's quite... inappropriate for men other than my husband to see me naked."

"Married?"

"Yeah, I'm married though I don't have any children yet. Why?"

"What is married."

"Ha? What?"

Sophia thought Ragnar was mocking, but he had a look of confusion on his face. Of course, Gamaaloth's habit of never marrying and only sleeping with mistresses and prostitutes was famously known. But why did he look confused?

"You don't know what marriage is?" Sophia said curtly.

Ragnar shook his head.

"You Gamaaloths are said to never marry women. So when the Crown Prince made a treaty with King Reinald of Pynsia what were his plans for his prize girls?"

"We will fuck them a few times until they get pregnant, then when our children are born, we will take our children back to Gamaaloth."

"Oh." Sophia said in a strangled voice. That was the future of the healer girls, being fucked, forced to get pregnant, and then worse, having their children taken away.

A fate that was not much different during this time actually. But in Everkeep the children of healer girls were usually dumped because the baby girls were definitely healers too.

"Did you know that we, the healer girls, will become war prizes when the war is over?"

Ragnar nodded.

"I see." Sophia said. "I heard that you can only have male offspring?"

Ragnar nodded again.