Guardian of the Sands

Reunited

Alistair laughed and embraced his friend. "Sept! I thought I'd never see you again! You're looking well."

Sept smiled. "Better than you, I'd say. But what are you doing here? How did you end up as the Shaykhah's royal guest?"

Alistair shook his head. "That's a very long story, but the short of it is I escaped Liez and ran into my old friend Naasir, he's actually the one who's a personal friend of the Shaykhah. What about you? How did you end up working in the royal palace?"

"Well, turns out the head of servants in the royal house was visiting the city where I was sold on some business, and decided to pick up a few extra servants. So, here I am."

"And they treat you well?"

Sept grinned. "I've never been treated better. Oh, Alistair, I couldn't ask for a better life, all the servants are like family, and the Shaykhah, long may she live, is the most gracious and kind woman I have ever known, and the best master."

Alistair smiled brightly. "You don't know how good it is to hear you say that, I'm so happy for you, my friend."

Sept suddenly straightened up and gestured to Alistair. "So, I'm assuming you'll want to clean up? Shall I run you a bath?"

Alistair frowned. "I um...I don't want you to serve me."

Sept laughed. "Nonsense, it's my job. Besides, think of it as an old friend doing you a favor."

Alistair didn't know how to argue with this, so he simply nodded and followed Sept into the lavish bathroom.

Sept began to pump a lever in the wall, and suddenly water began to pour out of a spout into the giant marble tub. He smiled at Alistair's agape face and explained. "The royal palace is directly connected to its own personal well, the water can be pumped through pipes to go where you need it."

"It's wonderful." Alistair said in an awed voice.

Sept motioned to the lever. "If you don't mind continuing to pump, I'll begin collecting the stones."

Alistair did as he was told, and pumped the lever up and down as he asked. "Stones?"

"Yes, large smooth ones that sit in a large metal pot over a fire to heat up, then you put them into the tub and it warms the water."

Alistair's eyes widened. "You heat the water up?"

Sept grinned. "Once you've had a hot bath, you'll never want to go back to cold washes ever again."

After a few minutes, the bath was ready, and after stripping his dirty clothes away, Alistair hesitantly got into the tub. The moment he was submerged, every muscle relaxed and he sank lower into the water. "Wow."

Sept laughed as he walked back into the bathroom, bringing a robe and towel with him. "Told you. Soak as long as you like, when you're ready there's some soap and shampoo on that shelf behind you."

Alistair investigated the shelf, picking up a tall glass bottle and peering at the goop inside. "What's shampoo?"

Sept gathered Alistair's dirty clothes and made his way back out of the room, calling over his shoulder as he did. "A special soap just for your hair, I'll be back in an hour to check in."

Alistair sniffed the shampoo, finding that it smelled like mint and lavender, he poured some onto his hand and after ducking his head underwater to get it wet, began to massage the goop into his hair.

In foamed quite a bit, and stung horribly when some slipped into his eyes, he quickly scrubbed and rubbed it into his scalp and then rinsed it out by repeatedly ducking his head underwater.