Hela got out of bed with Ina in her arms and walked quietly to the bathroom to put her in the tub.
It didn't take long for Ina to feel the water touch her feet, she was wearing a dress and could imagine that that outfit must be completely filthy.
Realizing what was to come next seemed impossible not to feel embarrassed, her face grew hot at the brief thought of Hela seeing her with no clothes on.
Ina's face was getting redder and redder and all Hela could think about was the temperature of the water... Maybe it was too hot, right?!
"Is the water too hot?"
"No..."
Ina denied it, but subconsciously tried to cover her body by crossing her arms which made Hela understand the situation.
She smiled, feeling funny.
Was she embarrassed?!
"Shame?"
Hela could see Ina's red face and found this kind of reaction really funny and cute.
Ina simply nodded confirming Hela's suspicions.
She briefly thought about how to make her more comfortable and the only idea that came to her mind was a rather complicated one.
But it was the best she had.
Ina who couldn't see the strange movement and only heard the sound of fabric and metal hitting what she believed to be the floor. "What sound is this?"
Hela walked over to Ina and knelt beside the tub.
"You will find out now… Feel it?"
She took one of Ina's hands and placed it on her chest.
Hela didn't understand much about relationships, but they always said that communication was the best way to solve something, she would trust herself to it and hopefully Ina wouldn't hate her.
She had never exposed herself so much to someone and was very afraid of how Ina's reaction would be when she realized her purpose.
Hela simply wanted to show Ina that there was nothing to be ashamed of, and to prove her point she was willing to also share the image that was her naked, exposed body.
But she wasn't like other women, her body wasn't smooth.
In addition to being full of scars, there were some details that she didn't accept very well.
The truth was sometimes too frightening to face and her body was a frightening truth for her.
Ina could feel the exposed skin, but as Hela guided her fingers, she could feel the skin gradually changing.
Yes, the rumors were true. "Is that what I'm thinking?"
Hela could feel her heart racing, she felt nervous.
She guided Ina's touch on her chest making her discover the truth about her, maybe she knew.
Many knew, how could they not know about the goddess who has half of her body in decay?!
It wasn't a pretty thing.
"Yea. Can you feel my heart beat?"
Ina nodded, she could feel her heartbeat.
It felt like touching something dry, about to crumble to dust.
"Y-Yes… So the rumors are true."
Ina didn't feel disgusted and much less, she wanted to touch more and more and be able to understand how Hela was.
Hela's voice was hoarse with a mixture of embarrassment and nervousness.
She felt complicated, she didn't take kindly to her own appearance, she was a very literal symbol of death and it felt like a punishment.
"Is there anything more poetic than having part of your heart killed and exposed to the world?!"
Ina no longer felt the touch on her hands guiding her so she decided to explore Hela's skin herself, she could feel the texture changes and couldn't explain the curiosity in her heart about what Hela's face would look like. "Is half of your body like this?"
Hela watched Ina touch her chest and smiled softly, it was good to know there was no fear or revulsion in her gestures.
She sighed in relief.
"It's not half, but it's a good part and it's not pretty to the eye. My body begins to lose life from the left end of my heart... And it spreads to everything that comes to the left side, getting worse in the fingertips..."
Ina had never seen it and couldn't even imagine what she was saying, curiosity made her more and more courageous.
She groped Hela's body for her hands and soon felt her skin covered by fabric.
Hela wore gloves.
But realizing Ina's intentions, she quickly removed her gloves and handed her hand back so that she could touch it.
Ina touched her fingers and felt how smooth and firm they were, there was no softness... It was so different. "Do you feel it?"
Hela felt a little nervous under Ina's touch, especially as she seemed to meticulously study how Hela appeared to be.
Ina wanted to record every detail, every mark, and every measly inch of Hela.
Soon they would be together for life.
"Very little... Fingertips are just bones, I feel a slight brush at most. Don't worry despite the looks I'm not rotting... and I always wear clothes that cover..."
Hela soon set the record straight, she feared that Ina would think she was wasting away and that wasn't the case.
She was immortal and her body had already rotted enough, it was a slow process that went on for eternity, there was no odor or pain and it wasn't even noticeable.
Years would pass and there would be no changes in her appearance.
But Ina didn't care, it's not like she could see it, she just wanted Hela to live comfortably. "I don't disgust you and I don't see either… Can I touch your face?"
Hela smiled, took Ina's hands and placed them over her face.
Ina could do whatever she wanted, she would gladly accept it. "Soon I will be your wife... Do what you want, I won't abandon you."
Ina had her face in her hands, the skin soft and warm to the touch.
She brought her face close to Hela's and touched their foreheads against each other. "Do we have a promise?"
Hela, who didn't know how to react to that situation, just closed her eyes and tried to control her emotions. "Yes… We have a promise."
Finally Ina removed her clothes and kept herself submerged in the hot water.
Comfortable and peaceful.
Hela and Ina got along well, there wasn't any kind of doubt about that.
Ina could sense Hela's self-contained and devoted manner in her gestures, meticulously taking care of everything to ensure that it was as expected.
Attentive and careful.
Ina had a good impression.
While Ina remained in the bath, Hela was in the kitchen and preparing food for her bride.
It didn't take long for her to accept that Hermes was really efficient in preparing the house so that it was ready for use with nothing missing, so there was no difficulty in preparing anything.
She skillfully prepared a large pot of soup.
It was true that gods didn't need food, but Ina was no longer immortal, she would starve and starve to death if she didn't eat properly.
The luck was that they were in a place dominated by emptiness, there was no light or time, life or death.
1000 years would pass quickly, but by the time they broke out of the shadow realm, Ina wouldn't have much time left.
Compared to the life of a god, mortal life was small and insignificant, what a measly 100 years would be compared to millennia ago?!
Hela, taking advantage of the fact that the food was still being prepared, went back to the room to check on Ina.
Ina kept her eyes closed and for a few seconds she looked peaceful as if she was in a deep sleep, until she opened her eyes again and moved her head towards the door.
She had heard Hela's footsteps towards the bathroom.
"You are there?"
"Yes, the food should be ready in less than 20 minutes... I hope you'll break your fast with me later."
Ina smiled a little sheepishly and nodded sheepishly, she didn't mind breaking her fast, she had good reason to. "Ok-okay… We are engaged now."
Hela agreed, but felt a little guilty about it.
They had no choice, but she was still afraid of completely messing up Ina's life and destiny.
She sighed thoughtfully and guiltily. "Sorry about that."
Contrary to what she imagined, Ina just smiled, Hela looked innocent and even silly.
To Ina she was beautiful and valuable.
The goddess of the dead was as sweet as a ripe peach. "Why do you apologize? I'm the one who should apologize... You're marrying me so we're unable to have a child... It's part of my punishment to never have a healthy child."
Ina closed her eyes once more and simply rested her head on the edge of the tub.
It seemed very simple to her that the gods wanted not only to punish her, but also to make her go into complete oblivion.
Ina didn't have many wishes in her life and the only one was to be able to have a child and that was denied without any kind of effort, not even being able to fight to change her destiny.
Marrying a woman meant she couldn't have the children she wanted so much.
But somehow she felt her heart at ease, at least she would have someone to share her life with.
Even though she so intensely wanted children, she never imagined getting married.
But marriage just made sense now, perhaps because Hela was someone else.
She and Hela seemed destined.
Hela quietly observed Ina's quiet, unassuming attitude, but it didn't suit her temperament to be so quiet.
Gently she walked over to the tub and knelt beside her.
Hela was still surprised by the fact that Ina turned her face and stared at her so intensely even without seeing.
Her gray eyes were beautiful and full of sparkle, but there was a certain melancholy in such a beautiful gaze not being able to see the beauties of the world.