Knight in Dulled Armor

Chapter 2: A Day's Work

The morning light peaks through the window, brightening the room and giving me the energy to begin a new day. I stretch out of bed and tidy my covers when a knock on the door breaks the serenity of the room. "Come in," I say.

A young woman enters the room carrying a basket of laundry on her hip. "Good morning miss..." she says with a strained smile. "Oh, Elaine." I finish for her without thinking. My heart skips a beat as I'm able to remember my name without interruption. A wave of emotions comes over me as I remember how I came to awake in the desert. I maintain my composure, following her as she signals me out of the room.

Despite the newly risen sun a few people already sat at tables in the tavern. The smell of bread wafted through the air. Some kind of gravy and golden brown biscuits sat on the plates of patrons. The bartender, who I now recognized as Kenrik, gave me a small smile and wave as I made my way out of the tavern. The girl who had been leading looked back at me, as we walked out the door her eyes seemed to shift to a much brighter blue.

As we walk down a stone path the wind kicks up a bit and I see her brush her long blonde hair to the side of her shoulder. I am brought to a slightly smaller building a bit down the road. This one had lighter bricks of a much larger size as well as a more compact and sealed finish. Its roof had a low arch but its shingles were much better kept. Unlike the tavern's half doors which were easy to swing open, the door to this building was much larger and heavier. We walked in and I immediately realized it had been a bathhouse.

The girl, still carrying her laundry basket on her hip, finally set it down and opened a curtain leading to one of the various small enclosed spaces with tall partitions on either side, giving me a private area to bathe. These small partitioned rooms lined the walls of the building, and this made me wonder if the areas with closed curtains were occupied while the ones with open curtains weren't. The abundance of steam in the building inclined me to believe that there were at least a few other people in town bathing at the same time as I was.

"I've left your uniform in the basket, Ma'am. Please let me know if you need anything." She said, this comment finally made me assess her outfit, which was a nearly floor-length moss green dress with a white apron tied around her waist. This of course was similar enough to what she had been carrying in the basket." Oh, yes. What's your name?" I say, then quieting my voice to a whisper "And, um, are there any men in the bathhouse with me?".

She must have picked up on my uncomfortable demeanor, as she immediately responded with, "Oh, no ma'am. The men's area has an entrance on the other side of the building. We're separated fully by a brick wall. No worries there. And my name is Marietta." She finishes with a smile and closes my curtain. I dip my fingers into the steaming tub of water and begin wiping the tiled wall and curtain, creating a slight seal to ensure complete privacy without gaps between the curtain and wall. This process only takes a few moments, and I am soon ready to bathe.

I strip my tattered clothes, caked with dirt, sweat, and droplets of blood, and set them beside the tub. I ease my way into the steaming water, feeling my tensions ease and muscles soothe as I sink further into the bath. I grab a container with soap on the edge of the bath as well as a sponge. I begin to scrub my body off; my arms, chest, stomach, and legs. By the time I have reached my thighs, going over the small scrapes and cuts has begun to cause slight irritation and pain.

This seems to be the sign to wrap up my bath, so I clean my hair and submerge my head fully into the water. I notice a couple of towels stacked in the corner of my room on a tray, and I begin to dry my body and hair. My towel is fashioned 'round my body, secured with a tuck under my arm. Pulling the curtain to the side, I find the basket and remove my carefully folded clothing.

I quickly make my way back into my partitioned area, eager to have fresh clothes. As I'm putting on my clothes, I feel the difference in thickness as well as layers from my previous dress. It makes sense that a place with such scorching heat would have thinner clothes and fewer layers than that of my previous home. After tying my apron and putting on my shoes, a simple pair of leather flats that fit me well enough, I let out a sigh of relief to be comfortably dressed for the first time in days.