Capítulo 38: Chapter 11: Sharia's Bathing Technique
Princess Isalene woke up with a near soundless yawn. As she got out of bed, she realized something was off right away. First off, she could feel a sense of urgency in the air, enough for her to track its source from the two people talking outside her door. Making sure to not make any noise, glad she was barefoot, she pressed her ear to her door to try and listen in to the conversation that was no doubt happening outside.
"Those damn fools! How idiotic does one have to be to attempt such a thing, especially with their numbers?"
The voice was jockey and rather annoying, but Isalene recognized it regardless as one of the knights who regularly went out on large patrols to the mid-outskirts of the Kingdom's border. If she remembers correctly, he is under the command of Commander Oran Difen, a particular knight who was one of the few that was around during the time of the trial that didn't participate despite being there.
"Mmm," Another, deeper and hard-to-read voice answered. Isalene was surprised when she recognized it as said Commander Oran Difen.
"I mean, the nearby patrol was enough to not only keep them at bay, but kill over two thousand of them. That's not even mentioning that they were only one thousand and eight hundred against two hundred thousand. They utterly failed and went packing the moment we arrived."
'Was there a recent battle?' Isalene thought, 'And if so, how come I was never told? No. Something else must be going on.'
"Don't get cocky now. Even Warmongers aren't as cocky as you and the rest of you outer lords are being."
The other knight was about to snap a response but suddenly stopped. If Isalene had to guess, Commander Oran probably told him to stop talking. Following the silence was the subtle sounds of footsteps walking away, heading towards the front of the castle. After waiting a bit more, Isalene poked her head out of her door, looking in the direction where the two went. The tension in the air had died down but she could still sense it.
"Curious now, are we?"
The sudden voice caused Isalene to let out a squeak of alarm and flail around before falling on the ground. When she got up, she shook her head, clearing her dizziness, and stood up, dusting herself off in the process. To the right of her door was Sharia standing in a jagabadī pose, who has also probably been here the entire time.
"Yesh," Isalene mumbled, rubbing away what little sleep remained in her eyes, "What were they talking about?"
"Not too long ago, about two days, maybe less, the town of Trinardi was attacked by rebels. The local garrison did not put up much of a fight, putting in the question if most of them are in on it, and it fell to a nearby R Patrol* that just happened to be passing on by to fight them until the actual patrol in charge of that section came by."
She paused briefly, as if to think about what to say next, before she shook her head and went quiet once more.
"Rebels? I know the outskirts are not as good as the inner parts, but why revolt?" Isalene asked, her green eyes lost in deep thought.
Sharia briefly snorted, finding the fact that the Princess was in deep thought at such an odd thing, and decided to tell her before she thought too deeply. If Isalene tried to figure it out by herself, she would miss the simple reason for the revolt.
"They can," Sharia said, keeping it short, "They saw a chance and decided to take it. There is no deeper reason other than corruption."
"That can't be-" Isalene started, in disbelief. Then, she met Sharia's eyes, or more of saw the look in them through the darkness of her visor.
"No matter what they say, in the end they do it for greed," Sharia said with a sigh, "The truth is that they themselves have no idea what they're doing."
Isalene was silent, looking at Sharia's helmet, then down to her claws, sword, and cape. Judging from the way she talked, she has been through and seen a rebellion. Now that she thinks of it, she has no idea how old Sharia actually is. She does know, however, that she has been through many many battles, and is much older than her. After all, there have been no wars involving the Kingdom Faction when she was born, and Sharia was still a Commander too.
There is a very large chance that she will never understand Sharia, and that bothers her much more than she would like. She knew herself to be a curious person but to this extent is even a bit too much for her. If she wanted to learn more about the Warmonger, she would have to prove herself to her, something that she knows won't be easy to do. It may be just a gut feeling but she thinks Sharia disliked her the moment she laid eyes on her, and it probably has much much more to do than the simple fact that it was her father that labeled Sharia a traitor and sent her to the arena.
But maybe, just maybe...if she proves herself to her, she may willingly take off her helmet in front of her. She may not look at her with an impossible to read expression, seem so monotonous in her walks with her, and even praise her.
It was a wish, or really more of a dream, but it was a goal nonetheless. One Isalene badly wanted to accomplish.
"Is there something on my armor?" Sharia suddenly asked, snapping the Princess out of her minor daydream.
"No," Isalene answered, her voice a bit quiet, "I was just thinking of some things."
Sharia didn't do anything right away, instead studying the young Princess, before she nodded twice and broke her pose, pushing herself off the wall and walking to stand beside Isalene.
"I was told by one of your servants that there will be a family dinner in the afternoon," Sharia informed the Princess as the two started walking down the hall, heading towards the doctronim. The hallways they walked through shone with extra polish in order to prepare for the upcoming family dinner, and an even stronger coat of magic has gone around the palace. If Isalene sensed the magic strong enough, she could make out roughly a hundred thousand royal guards hanging out in the Bordrinones* in this part of the palace alone, ready to spring out and attack any intruder.
"Hmm. Well, that doesn't change my plans!" Isalene exclaimed, pointing to the sky...or the round ceiling really.
"And what are those plans, if I may ask?" Sharia inquired, surprising Isalene a bit and causing her to halt in his tracks. She hasn't been interested in knowing what she was doing ever since she became her personal guard.
"W-well, I want to g-go and take a walk around the market, maybe do some shopping, and take a bath in one of the grand public baths around so I'll look good when I arrive to the early dinner."
"Sounds like a good day," Sharia simply responded, meaning it. She still remembers back when she was seven and eight, she would go around the market and town with her family, mainly her mother.
As Isalene took a step forward, ready to start walking, she felt something change in the air. It was a slight change but she could tell right away it came from Sharia. She turned and studied the Warmonger but, with her helmet on, it was impossible to tell what she was feeling, let alone thinking about. Then, just as suddenly as it came, the source stopped with a slight shake of Sharia's head.
"Well, shall we get going?" Sharia asked, either ignoring the look Isalene was giving her or didn't think anything of it.
"Yep," Isalene agreed, deciding to shelf the experience for later, "Let's first go to the market!"
The two started walking again, making good progress. They shared no more words, neither having something to say to the other. Then, the two arrived at the doctronim, with the two wooden doors open wide enough for them to see King Robert in the room. Instantly, Isalene pushes Sharia back, or tried to, failing to move her an inch. In response, Sharia let out a soft and quiet sigh, causing Isalene's cheeks to redden, and then redden even more when Sharia swiftly pulled her close and darted to her right, silently getting up against the wall and out of sight.
"What do you think of the rebellion?" King Robert asked.
"I think it was a mistake, and that the real plan shouldn't have happened," Another voice, a somewhat sneezly voice responded. Isalene recognized the voice of the Prime Minister.
"So do I. Part of me wants to send over Commander Oran over there with his force, but if I do, then the rebels won't show themselves."
"Hmmm. Where is the current position and orders of his army?"
"Currently, Commander Oran is in the palace. However, he is planning to go to the town anyway."
"Thinking of letting him go until you have formed a plan?"
"Indeed."
Isalene squirmed a bit, being slightly uncomfortable in Sharia's grasp. Noticing this, Sharia carefully readjusted her grip, snuggling Isalene in a soft embrace she wouldn't think possible for someone wearing armor. She was so stunned by this that she nearly missed what her father said next.
"Although this may not concern us all that much, all the trade connected to us suddenly stopped. I guess the Factions are starting up again."
"Should we send some people over to investigate?"
"No. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves. If we send over people, some Faction may get the wrong idea...or worse, one of the Primary Factions will think we are getting involved in their business and may use the chance to try something."
Sharia nodded, seemingly understanding something that Isalene did not.
"Well, I'll tell our own merchants to return and keep an eye on any news. For the meanwhile, the rebellion is our biggest worry."
"Hmm. Well, while we're here, do you think I should teach Isalene about the Mondarvins?"
"Still set up about them helping you?"
"Common interest."
Sharia let out a quiet snort, causing Isalene to jump. The two were quiet for a while before they continued.
"Well, let's talk about it more in the other room," King Robert said, his voice fading as the two walked away, presumingly into another room.
"...It should be safe now," Sharia spoke, causing Isalene once again to jump.
"Ah. Oh, well...let's get going then," Isalene said, grabbing Sharia's hand as she let go.
The two continued their journey once again, and once again they were silent, though now for two different reasons.
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Princess Isalene stared up at Sharia, her cheeks royally flushed and her legs slightly vibrating and twitching a she was sitting on her lap. Her armor was cold and a bit hard on her bum but Isalene was never one to complain about something as small as that. While she definitely doesn't feel like complaining about her butt being uncomfortable, she definitely wants to complain about her current situation with all her heart. Yet, every time she tries to either her mouth refuses to make a sound, or all she makes is a little squeak. At this point, she wasn't even sure if it was the temperature of the bath or her own body that is making her this warm.
Why is Isalene sitting on Sharia's lap and, more importantly, how did the two end up in this situation, one would have to go awhile back. Once thee two left the palace, it didn't take them long to arrive at the market place next to the palace. Isalene noted, as they went, that there was less knights in the area, and obviously less royal guards, though she knows that they are hidden inside the palace. She wasn't sure if Sharia noticed the decrease too but the chances are that she did and she just didn't react.
"Oh. It started raining," Isalene said, causing Sharia to pause.
"It has?" She asked, looking ahead to try and spot rain in the distance. Although she wasn't very good at spotting rain, she knows she should still be able to see it from her position. However, all she saw was a cloudy, but clear sky.
"Here. Now do you see it?" Isalene asked, showing Sharia her cupped hands. Inside them was a small puddle of water, forming a little lake in her hands.
"...Are you sure it isn't water from a building?" Sharia asked, taking a bit longer to respond than what one normally would.
Isalene cocked her head and gave her a cocky expression in return. Sharia snorted and raised a finger when she felt a tiny drop hit the top of her helmet. She froze, then looked up as the rain began pouring down. People who had things outside quickly moved them under cover while the older folk simply sighed.
"Told you," Isalene began, feeling more prideful than she ought to.
"Don't," Sharia responded, stopping Isalene from rubbing in her victory.
"Well come on. We'll buy the clothes last in case they get even wetter."
The two began walking once again, keeping their even pace as they watched the people run by, going about their business. Children played in the forming puddles while two nobles talked about their plans for a new cart design they are working on together, one of them with their hats off to avoid it getting soaked. It was the wrong day to wear such a hat.
They had to stop briefly to let a patrol of two hundred soldiers pass, but other than that, their journey went smoothly...or did until they went past a butcher shop. The sound of a commotion was so clear that a royal guard had already arrived outside, with a knight as well as a few citizens. Curious, Isalene veered off to check out the noise with Sharia following right behind her, curious herself. When they got close enough, they saw what the commotion was about. Inside the butcher shop, a big black pig ran around, with the butcher chasing after it with a Long Cleaver* in hand, trying to kill the pig.
"Ah! Princess," The butcher said after quite some time, finally noticing the crowd and the person who was at the front with a blush.
"Can you help him?" Isalene asked, embarrassed as she realized she was just standing there, staring instead of trying to help.
"If it is what your wish," Sharia responded, walking forward.
"Oh no. I got this," The butcher declined, however Isalene kept on insisting until he gave in. By the time they had come to an agreement, Sharia had walked around the shop, stopping when she found a black dagger from a random shelf and tested its weight, not wanting to have to resort to using her weapon to kill the pig since her weapon isn't exactly as 'subtle' as most.
With a small nod, Sharia got ready to aim it when the pig ran into a shelf, causing it to fall over and cause a chain reaction that caused the shelf behind Sharia to tip forward and fall onto her back. The shelf was heavy but no simple person in Nostalisk would be squished by it. It did, however, cause Sharia to stop aiming and, out of reflex, flicked her wrist, sending the dagger flying at the source of origin. Sharia isn't good with throwing knives and really throwing things in general. Javelins, yes. Even spears and kusarigama. That's why she planned to get a good aim for the throw. She won't be too embarrassed if she misses and, if she did, she planned to immobilize the pig with her chains. Yet, much to her surprise, her awkward shot not only hit the pig, it had enough force behind it, and most likely the knife was sharp enough, that it cut right through the pig's neck, breaking the spine there, and nearly came out the other end.
Silence, with Sharia not even moving an inch as everyone watched the pig die, before Sharia slowly pushed the shelf that was on her back into its position and walked over to the pig.
"First time killing a pig?" Isalene asked, following behind her.
"No. I've done it multiple times before but normally it is with a bow or a smaller weapon," Sharia responded while tapping her blade before couching down, examining the pig.
"Well, the shot was clean enough but you will have to do a little better."
With that, Isalene took out her own dagger and shoved it into the back of the pig's head, killing it. It was so sudden and so random that Sharia froze, trying to understand what just happened. Isalene, the princess who throws up at violence, not only doesn't seem to be affected by the sight of the dying pig and the puddle of blood, but just calmly goes up and killed it.
Unlike what Sharia assumed, Isalene did feel a bit squeamish. As a Princess, she has been taught how to kill and how to hunt, and she has killed animals before. However, she wasn't going to let the fact that the puddle of blood coming out of the pig's neck, nor the fact that she had to kill it so close, show up on her face, This was one of the rare times that Isalene's poker face is an actual poker face. Plus, with it being dark in the butcher shop, and Sharia having a hard time seeing Isalene's face, she can't see through her facade.
Shaking her head, Sharia pulled out the dagger and stood up, flicking the dagger clean before walking over to the butcher, ready to return the strange but definitely interesting and good dagger when Isalene spoke first.
"Can she have that dagger?" Isalene asked, seeing the look Sharia gave the dagger when she took it out. She was in the middle of cleaning her own dagger, wiping the blood off with her dress, using the fold of her arm. It was a simple act of Cliving*, yet Sharia was impressed the girl knew it.
"Oh. Um, sure she can. It isn't truly mine anyway. My former apprentice left it here and, seeing as he left the city, I haven't been able to track him down," The butcher explained, scratching his head as he heard the gender of the strangely-dressed knight that must be Princess Isalene's new personal guard. She looks very familiar to him, and he can't figure out why.
Sharia wanted to say something but, after two seconds of thinking about it, shrugged and flicked the dagger, getting most of the blood off it. To her annoyance, however, the dagger was old and unkempt, with slight signs of rust and stains. She'll have to clean it when she gets the chance.
"Well, we gotta get going now," Isalene said, grabbing Sharia's hand after putting her dagger away, "Don't be scared to ask for help!"
The two left rather quickly. It wasn't until much later in the day did the butcher realize why Sharia looked so familiar. She was Cruel Knight and, if she is a 'she', then that means...
....later, this became a problem.
.....
The bath was mostly empty when they arrived, with those remaining choosing to leave when Sharia came in and started washing the blood off her new knife. Isalene was sure they didn't eave because of the knife and Sharia knew for sure that wasn't why they left. Even in the Kingdom Faction, only a very very Very Small amount in the entire Faction can't stand the sight of blood or find it disgusting enough to avoid it when they can. Chances are that they don't want to deal with any royal business that may be going on. Of course, no royal business is going on, and no other royals or important people shall be arriving. It was just a Princess and a Warmonger.
While Sharia was cleaning her new weapon, using magic to conjure up the ingredients needed, Isalene came face to face with the reality of her choice to enjoy being cleaned by her servants. She does, in fact, not know how to bath herself. Sure she knows how to clean her hair and what soap is used for, though most choose not to use soap, but she's never actually cleaned herself. This entire problem was causing her breath to quicken. Just what will Sharia think of her? She doesn't want to be seen as a spoiled little girl, even if she knows she is a little spoiled. Still, being seen relying on her servants to get fully ready, but there is a stark difference between that and not knowing how to bath herself.
Taking a quick look behind her, which did not go unnoticed by Sharia even if her back was turned, Isalene decided to improvise. How hard is it to clean one's body, especially if that body is yours?
'Just get in, Isalene. The water is nice and warm and the steam will make it so Sharia won't see you struggle...J-just get in.'
With a loud sigh, she took off her dress, her boots, her undergarments, her hair tie, the flower, and the light chainmail armor that goes around her stomach in case of emergencies, though she took her dagger with her into the bath. The water was warm, very warm, and relaxing to the touch. Feeling it helped her lessen her worries.
'Now, just wash yourself...How hard can it be?' Isalene thought, stepping further in.
What followed was some sounds of the little princess in pain as she got soap in her eyes for the first time, and losing balance as she tried to wash herself. This happened long enough that Sharia went faster, cleaning her new dagger within two minutes after Isalene went in, and turned around and saw what looked to be a human fish floundering around on land despite being in water.
"Princess...are you alright? You look like you are either drowning or are being bitten by some kind of fish."
Sharia honestly didn't mean anything insulting by it. However, it was enough to cause Isalene to freeze, her face feeling warmer than the water.
It sounded disapproving. With a sigh, Isalene turned her head, looking at Sharia sitting down, and managed to croak out her response.
"U-um, can you come o-over here?"
Even with her great and almost unnatural hearing, Sharia failed to hear Isalene. That was most likely due to the fact that Isalene spoke so softly that only someone crouching down next to her, their ear close to her mouth, would they be able to hear what she just said.
Sharia cocked her head before catching herself and stood up.
"Can you repeat yourself?" Sharia asked, waiting patiently.
'Come on, Isalene. Just get it over with! What's done is done, right!?'
"...I..."
Sharia still waited patiently while Isalene recovered from her embarrassment.
'I said 'I'. 'I'! What kind of response is that!?' Isalene thought, her heartbeat going wild.
"I...I need some h-help washing myself," Isalene admitted weakly.
Sharia and Isalene said nothing for a couple of seconds, those the seconds felt like forever to Isalene. Finally, Sharia nodded with a sigh and impaled her weapon in the ground and walked over to Isalene. Once at the edge, Sharia went on all fours and stared into the pool of water, trying to judge its depth. Even if the bath was to be safe for people wearing armor, it is always better to be safe than sorry.
After judging it to be safe enough, she slipped in and went over to the soap.
"Well, believe it or not but I know full well how to wash someone. So, I guess you can say you are in capable hands," Sharia informed Isalene, putting the soap on her armored hands.
"Ehh...Ehh!?" Isalene got out, followed by a squeak. Before she could protest, Sharia reached towards her.
Isalene closed her hands and braced herself as Sharia started rubbing her hands together. When Sharia put her hands on her shoulders, she couldn't help but let out a yelp and try to pull away. Her hands were cold!
She couldn't pull away though, as Sharia had a soft yet firm grip on her. Instead of continuing, she waited until Isalene stopped shivering and calmed down. Once she started, she was quick, thorough, and efficient. Sharia's hands rubbed Isalene's shoulders deeply but not too deeply before moving down her to her armpits and hips. Isalene was shaking now and when Sharia made her way down to her thighs, Isalene let out a tiny moan. She didn't know if it was from Sharia's cold hands or the...feeling she was getting from this.
Sharia continued her washing, getting all around Isalene's thighs and close to her vagina, which caused Isalene to blush deeper. Sharia didn't continue to move down but instead quickly moved up, rubbing Isalene's belly and back. When she was washing her back, Isalene realized that Sharia has claws on her hands. This sent a sense of panic inside her but before she could do anything about it, Sharia gently yet firmly grabbed her left arm and pulled it outwards and proceeded to wash it. Isalene watched Sharia's hands carefully as they rubbed her left arm. Despite the claws touching her skin at times, she didn't feel them. Sharia was doing this very carefully. When Sharia reached her hand, she gently bent her arm down so she could comfortably wash her hand. She went in and got between every nook and cranny. After that arm was done, Sharia moved on to Isalene's right arm and hand. While Sharia was washing Isalene's right hand, Isalene noticed that her hand wasn't much smaller than Sharia's. It was a random thought, but one she had nonetheless.
After Sharia was done with Isalene's right arm, Isalene started relaxing, thinking the ordeal was over. Unfortunately, or fortunately, she was wrong. Sharia started rubbing and washing Isalene's breasts next, which, despite being on the small side, was something she rarely thinks about and as such, rarely even touches. Isalene let out a gasp as Sharia groped her breasts, her heartbeat beating faster and faster in her chest. Then, as quickly as it had begun, Sharia stopped, giving time for Isalene to let out a sigh of...something. She didn't know what she felt in that sigh. Before she could think about anything else, Sharia started to clean her again, this time washing her private area. Isalene moaned in surprise at a sensation she has never felt before and shuddered. Still in shock, Isalene couldn't think straight as Sharia moved on to clean her butt, lifting her gently with her left hand and placing Isalene on her lap when she was finished. She allowed Isalene some time to recover before moving on to the final part of her.
Sharia 'princess carried' Isalene, who was now covering her face. Sharia began to wash the rest of Isalene's legs, gently tucking Isalene's knees in to access her feet. She even cleaned in between her toes. Finally, Sharia was done and Isalene let out a sigh half of content and half of...wanting. Isalene realized she half didn't mind wanting Sharia to continue. This realization caused her to blush even deeper than she already was, which was pretty deep, and bury her head deeper into her hands.
Once it was done, Sharia went over with her in her arms to a bench and set her down on her lap. Isalene stared up at Sharia, her cheeks royally flushed and her legs slightly vibrating and twitching as she was sitting on her lap. Her armor was cold and a bit hard on her bum but Isalene was never one to complain about something as small as that. While she definitely doesn't feel like complaining about her butt being uncomfortable, she definitely wants to complain about her current situation with all her heart. Yet, every time she tries to either her mouth refuses to make a sound, or all she makes is a little squeak. At this point, she wasn't even sure if it was the temperature of the bath or her own body that is making her this warm.
"I must say, Princess, I am impressed. Despite your shaking, you didn't actually squirm or put up much of a fight. You're the first person who hasn't on their first time. Apparently, you trust me enough," Sharia added the last part to herself but Isalene still heard it. She felt like she was going to faint after hearing Sharia praise her, something she has been trying to get her to do for a while now. It felt...good.
After giving Isalene a bit more time to recover, Sharia stood up and grabbed a bucket, filling it up with the warm bath water and soaking a nearby rag in it. After she did that, she dumped the water on Isalene, albeit gently, rinsing her off, and then proceeded to get any spot she missed that still had soap on it with the rag. After Sharia was done, she grabbed a towel and placed it around Isalene. Sharia snorted at remembering the name, 'towel'. Where she came from, it was called wilken.
After drying Isalene off, Sharia left her to get her weapon. When she returned, Isalene was getting dressed, though Sharia noticed a blank expression was on her face.
"Isalene, are you okay?"
Isalene flinched when she heard Sharia calling her name and she turned to face her. For some reason, Isalene felt that Sharia was even more imposing than she was before, but she wasn't really feeling scared.
"Y-yes. I'm f-fine. Just a little bit...shaken," Isalene replied, shaking her head. She wasn't really fine. Her thoughts were a mess and it didn't feel like a headache.
Sharia was silent for about a minute before she offered Isalene her hand.
"Shall we get going? You don't want to miss dessert, am I right?"
Isalene looked at Sharia's hand before looking up at her. After a couple of moments of silence, Isalene stood up and grabbed Sharia's hand, the small blush on her face growing for some reason.
"Sure!?" Isalene confirmed though she couldn't help but think it came out like a question. For Sharia, she was concerned that the Princess might have overheated a little. Why else would she be blushing?
Cliving: The act of cleaning one's blade from blood and grime, usually followed up by cleaning it in the fold of their arms, the area that their shoulder connects. Usually, this process is called flicking, or to flick one's blade, though flicking doesn't include wiping the blade in the fold of their arm.
Long Cleaver: A long and more slimmer version of a cleaver that serves as both a short sword and a butcher tool.
Bordrinones: The passageways inside the castle walls that usually are used to keep troops such as the royal guards or assassins hidden, ready to burst out at the moment they sense something is wrong.
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