Legacy of the Destroyer: Ragnarök

Chapter V: The Son of a Nobleman

CHAPTER V: THE SON OF A NOBLEMAN

THE PAIR TALKED LITTLE. At first, the girl tried to make pleasant conversation with him, but taking the hint that he wasn’t in a mood to talk, she left him alone.

She led him into a very fragrant room on the second story of the house. In the very center of the large room was a big basin made of wood. From it, he could see steam spiraling upwards. There were many little windows all around, up high to ensure privacy, to make sure that the steam didn’t overwhelm the room.

The bath was already drawn, he realized as he drew near. Had they been anticipating his arrival? Then he remembered that the servant he had seen with Amoris had come back before them. He would have warned the servants.

Petals adorned the water’s surface, giving the water a pinkish color. He sniffed the air, wondering how much a bath like this would cost. How many meals could have been bought with the money?

Deiri called out to him, “Take off your clothes, then, and get in. I’ll be back with towels and some soap.”

Demetri waited until he was sure Deiri was gone before he began stripping down. He placed the cloak very carefully onto a nearby table and took off the rest of his clothes very quickly. He reminded himself to be careful around the burn but soon realized the burn had already healed. Novus had done it. The word “thief” was still very legible.

He was very tempted to bolt, but realized that Deiri was returning, humming a tune as she did so. The doorknob turned. At that moment, he realized he was dressed only in a loincloth. Not knowing what to do, Demetri quickly jumped in the bath, hiding himself under the water. The hot water wasn’t scalding, but it was enough to surprise him. He lifted his head out of the water, shaking it off like a dog would. Realizing he had splashed the towels Deiri had brought him—and Deiri herself—he quickly tried to do a bow, thinking he would beg for forgiveness, but couldn’t quite manage it underwater.

Deiri looked very shocked, but broke into giggles. “Are you alright?” she called to him, placing the towels down next to Amoris’ cloak and walking over to him with the bar of soap. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.” She bit her lip. “Sorry,” she added quickly. “I didn’t mean to be rude, Master Demetrius.”

“I’m not a master,” he muttered, sinking back underwater up to his chin. “It’s fine.”

“You just look… different than I remember.”

Demetri frowned. “Have we met before?”

The girl looked away quickly, unable to hold Demetri’s gaze. “Um, no. My apologies, I misspoke.”

Demetri didn’t know what to say to that. She obviously had met him before, but didn’t seem to want to talk. “It’s okay.” She moved to his back and wetted the soap underwater. He quickly went to the other edge of the tub, pulling his legs to his chest. “What are you doing?”

Sighing, she moved to his back again and pushed his shoulder down gently. “Can you lean forward a bit?” He did so, flushing. “Thanks.” Taking a washcloth from among the towels she had brought, she wetted it and rubbed soap onto it.

They lapsed into silence again, Deiri quietly washing his back with the washcloth. She was rinsing his back off with water when he realized she was hiccupping. Twisting around to see her, he saw that tears were falling from her eyes. He caught her gaze and he quickly looked away. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

She laughed shakily. “Why should you be sorry? I’m the one crying. Sorry, it’s just… nothing, it’s nothing.”

Demetri said nothing. He turned back around and put his head in his hands. He was so tired after all that had happened today. Deiri laughed sadly. “What?”