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“As I have already told you, Sister Leliana, I am perfectly capable of bathing myself.”
In an attempt to prove her point, Cassandra rose to her feet. Her knee promptly buckled under her weight, pain snapping through her body like a fresh strike.
Leliana caught her around the waist before she fell. She was exceptionally strong for a bard, although Cassandra supposed drawing a bow required a certain level of fitness.
“And as I have told you, you may call me Leliana. There’s no need for such formality between us.”
“Forgive me for attempting to show a little decorum,” Cassandra said tersely, though she didn’t fight as Leliana took her arm to help her stand.
“If decorum is that important to you, you may be in the wrong line of work.” Leliana gestured to their clothes, filthy from travelling in the rain. “For what purpose are the Hands of the Divine if not to get dirty?”
“I have no qualms about doing what must be done,” Cassandra said. “But the next time I am tempted to be polite, I shall reconsider.”
Leliana smiled. “Is that a promise?”
“I—” Cassandra felt her cheeks getting hot. Why did her words always come out so different from her intentions? “That was not an attempt to flirt with you.”
“I didn’t think it was,” said Leliana. “But you are more than welcome to try, should you feel tempted.”
Cassandra didn’t know what to say to that, so she clicked her tongue. Leliana laughed to herself.
“Come,” she said, as if Cassandra had a choice but to limp where Leliana led her. “Let us bathe.”
Stubborn as Cassandra was, she knew when she was fighting a losing battle. “Fine.”
She and Leliana were going to have to build trust somehow, although much of their work would be done separately. Perhaps Cassandra could think of the bath as a training exercise. It was, admittedly, a necessity until her knee healed fully.
The bathing area in the makeshift camp wasn’t very elaborate, but it was better than a stream. Leliana eased Cassandra onto a wooden stool, secured fresh clothing, and shooed any stray soldiers away.
“There,” she said, dusting her hands off. “Now it is just us girls.”
Cassandra was accustomed to bathing in the barracks, but she hadn’t been washed since she was a child, and the thought of needing someone else to help her wash, even another woman, was shameful. She should have been more careful. How was she supposed to serve and protect the Divine when she couldn’t even—
“I know that look,” said Leliana, adding another pail of water to the bath. “Do not think for one moment that you are weak. Even the Hero of Ferelden fell injured once or twice.”
Considering the dragons, ogres, and hordes of darkspawn the Hero of Ferelden and her comrades had fought (and the mischievous look in Leliana’s eyes), Cassandra was sure that once or twice was an understatement.
The tale of Cassandra’s own injury wasn’t nearly so thrilling, and, thank the Maker, she doubted Leliana would be composing any songs about it.
There was no reason to be so worked up about this bath, either. It would be nothing like the serials she read, where bathing scenes were achingly romantic and reserved for lovers. She had never gotten the chance with Regalyan, and she probably never would.
“There.” Leliana’s voice brought Cassandra back to the present, and tantalizing curls of steam were rising from the bathtub next to her. “Now, let’s get you out of that armor.”
Cassandra’s cheeks warmed, and not just from the hot water. “My arms work perfectly well. I do not require assistance.”
“I understand,” Leliana replied, and she began to strip her own armor off. “I am here if you need me.”
Cassandra turned away at the first glimpse of Leliana’s bosom. “Why are you—”
“You will need help getting into the bath,” Leliana said. “And since time is in short supply, I thought I might join you. Though, if you would prefer—”
“No,” said Cassandra. Leliana was right. There was no time to waste, and modesty and shame were luxuries they could not afford. She unfastened her chestplate, willing her hands to stop shaking. Perhaps she was still a little rattled from her injury. “It is fine.”
Leliana afforded her the gift of silence as they disrobed, but when Cassandra tried to lift her hips to push her trousers down, pain shot through her body once more. She yelped and faltered, aiming for the stool on her descent.
She missed, but she landed somewhere soft.
“Cassandra!” Leliana had cushioned her fall, her full breasts pushing into Cassandra’s bare back.
“What is the point of magic if it takes this long to heal a sprained knee?” Cassandra muttered as Leliana helped her up.
“The magic is working, I assure you,” said Leliana. “You would be in much more pain without it.”
Cassandra was not a patient woman. Unlike Leliana, she wouldn’t be able to amuse herself spinning tales and writing songs even if she knew how. This injury was incredibly inconvenient.
“Now, please let me help you,” said Leliana, her tone making it clear that Cassandra had very little choice in the matter. Perhaps her patience had limits as well.
“Very well.”
Leliana led Cassandra to the bathtub so that she could hold onto the side. The heat from the water warmed her, and only now did Cassandra appreciate just how deeply the rain and mud had seeped into her skin.
“The water is going to feel wonderful,” Leliana said as she kneeled to peel Cassandra's trousers off. Her body was almost as warm as the water, and Cassandra sucked in a breath when Leliana’s eyes were level with her hips. She couldn’t help it. Leliana hadn’t done anything improper, but Cassandra had never had anyone’s face in such an intimate spot. She and Regalyan had shared a beautiful moment together, but circumstances hadn’t actually afforded them the chance to fully explore each other’s bodies.
If Leliana noticed (and Cassandra was almost certain she did), she kindly did not mention it. “There,” she said. “Naked as the day you were born.”
“I am aware,” Cassandra said tightly.
Leliana giggled. “Let’s get you into the bath before you fall ill.”
That would be the last thing Cassandra needed. Leliana stepped into the bath, let out a happy sigh, then helped Cassandra ease one leg over the side, followed by the injured leg.
Cassandra hissed, but the hot water felt so good it was worth the pain. Perhaps the magic was finally working. Slowly, with Leliana’s support, she sat down, bad leg kicked out in front of her.
“This…” Cassandra took a deep breath. “This is delightful.”
Leliana let out a longer sigh as she eased herself in, then said, “Isn’t it?”
The tub wasn’t small, but still cramped for two grown women (especially since one had a bad knee), and Leliana’s thigh was pressing into Cassandra’s calf. It was not unpleasant. Time passed in comfortable silence as Cassandra’s mind cleared.
“Perhaps we have a little time to relax after all,” Cassandra said.
Leliana only let out a pleasant hum in reply.
“I have not taken the time to enjoy a bath since I was a child,” Cassandra found herself going on. “I did not have the opportunity.”
“That is a true shame,” said Leliana. She had her head tipped back, her hair hanging over the side of the tub. “Not that I have had much time myself.”
In the glow of the candlelight, Leliana was radiant. Her hair and cheeks shone redder, and her wet breasts glistened, her skin almost reflecting the flickering flames.
For just a moment, Cassandra wondered how it might feel to touch another woman. She remembered the way Leliana’s chest had felt against her back, nipples erect from the cold. The very thought of those breasts pressing into Cassandra’s own sent a shiver up her spine.
It didn’t make sense. Cassandra was not attracted to women. She couldn’t be. And yet she was the one having improper thoughts, about her counterpart in service to the Divine, no less.
“Are you all right, Cassandra?” Leliana asked, now looking at her. “Is it your knee?”
“No,” Cassandra said. “It is feeling much better.”
Leliana smiled. “I am glad. Is there something else bothering you?”
Cassandra’s cheeks were hot, much hotter than she could attribute to the bath. “It is nothing. I am…unaccustomed to having company in the bath.”
“I suspected as much,” Leliana replied. “I do not mind if you look.”
A gasp slipped past Cassandra’s lips before she could stop it. “I—I would not—”
“It is only natural to be curious,” said Leliana. “Have you never been with another woman?”
Cassandra shook her head. Leliana was not the first to ask this question, and (unlike others who had asked) she didn’t seem surprised by Cassandra’s response.
“Are you interested?” Leliana’s voice was kind. “That is perfectly natural as well.”
“Of course it is,” said Cassandra. She had trained and fought alongside many who felt and acted upon those feelings, and she never thought of them any differently. She just never thought she’d find herself among them.
Part of her wanted to take Leliana up on her offer to look. The nude body was beautiful; truly, a gift from the Maker, but Cassandra had a feeling that her offer was not limited to looking. The prospect was enticing in a way that felt almost blasphemous, though rationally she knew it was not.
Cassandra was unsure if she was ready to find out how much she might enjoy it.
“I think I had better wash and take my leave,” Cassandra finally said.
Once again, Leliana did not judge her. She simply smiled and said, “Would you like some assistance?”
Cassandra stiffened again. “That will not be necessary.”
“Well,” giggled Leliana, “should you change your mind, the offer stands.”
“I shall keep that in mind,” said Cassandra. Her fleeting desire would remain unmet, but as she lathered her hair, she couldn’t help but notice that Leliana seemed to be making a show of washing her own breasts.
How very ostentatious, Cassandra thought, but then she remembered Leliana’s first offer: I do not mind if you look.
Cassandra was only here to bathe, but perhaps, in the name of building trust, she could allow herself a glance or two.