[Mekatra]

The man in the tub let out a laugh when he heard the exchange. "It would do you well to not let Joane hear you call her a guard. She is a knight of the realm, and fought hard for the title." He snickered and waved his hand. "Arnof, let the boy bathe. Joane will have his head if he comes back to her filthy."

The bath boy nodded and flushed a bit. "My apologies, now that I know who you are in the service of, I will not bother you again." He bowed his head slightly and pointed to an alcove. "There are soaps and scrubbing sands there, along with cloths if you need them." He sort of faded back into the background again while the man in the tub looked over his shoulder at him. He was blonde and grinning, with a scar running from his left eye all the way across to his right cheek. "You must be the thief. Word got around quickly that you're a bastard of some cousin of her majesty and Joane's expected to civilise you."