Ragnar lingered a moment longer than he should have, his hand still wrapped around the door handle as though an invisible leash kept him tightly tethered to the spot, preventing him from taking the steps needed to leave the room.
Circe watched him quietly, noticing how his jaw clenched, the way it looked like he was currently waging a silent war with himself.
He finally blew out a breath, looking less reluctant to leave than he did moments ago.
"Try not to injure yourself any further" he said softly, the words balanced delicately between an order and a plea. He already had so much on his plate, duties that constantly called for his attention. It would only worsen his work load if he had to worry about Circe hurting herself whenever he left her to her own devices.
It wouldn't matter regardless since his mind was almost always filled with thoughts of her and now the sight of her like this would feature in his baser thoughts for days to come.
Then he stepped out.
