As she reclined in the bath, nominally meant for hundreds of communal bathers, Aurelia appreciated the mantra that was often spoken by merchants returning from far flung places; none can hope to match Saarak for wonder.

Wonder, in the case of the palatial bath was a single body of water so large that some may confuse it for a lake, kept hot with an intricate and advanced series of advanced plumbing, and kept clean by an equally inscrutable filtration system, all kept moving by a series of pumps that would simply be alien to most of the world still marveling at worked iron. For Aurelia, it had all translated into the only place she could comfortably bathe.

And as Saarak’s primary method of maintaining martial supremacy, every comfort was afforded to Aurelia. She sighed as she raised her feet from the frothy water and crossed them, ankle over ankle, on the relatively shallow shelf of the bath. The team of six women, each armed with brushed and naught else got to work immediately, scrubbing and tending to her soles.

A sudden absence of those relaxing brushes alarmed Aurelia, and she parted her feet to see what was amiss. Gone, or rather quickly scuttling away, were the royal servants and their brushes. In their place stood the king himself, dressed down, in what passed for simple clothing on the palatial grounds, and wearing a smile that outshone even his gold brocaded tunic.

“My king? Is something wrong?” Aurelia asked, knowing immediately that nothing was.

“Nothing at all.” the king replied.

If his intentions were unclear to any of the newest servants in the bath, he immediately clarified them by placing a kiss on Aurelia’s sole. He didn't wait before another, and another, and another. He paused only briefly to reach her other foot and resume his adoration.

It was familiar to her, but the sensation of the king's lips on her soles was always novel. She rested her chin in her palm and turned toward the promenade, so the servants wouldn't see her skin redden with every peck of the king’s lips. It was impossible to pick out the individual hairs, but she could always feel when he hadn’t shaved recently, and enjoyed the feeling of his stubble-circled lips on her heel, her arch, and when she curled her foot down so he could reach, the ball of her foot, and her toes.

“The plainsmen are still here, my king…” Aurelia mused with feigned concern. “What should happen if they were to find you at the feet of your kingdom's greatest weapon, tenderly kissing her soles?”

“I am not at the feet of my kingdom's greatest weapon, but rather at the feet of my greatest treasure.” the king responded between kisses. “At let them come, you're already in the bath, it'll be a simple matter to clean what remains of them off you so I may continue.”

Aurelia suppressed a chuckle, as she pulled her feet away. Her movements sent the servants scattering as she adjusted from reclining on her back, to leaning forward in the bath. Untold gallons of hot water displaced from the bath as she maneuvered through the water. The most savvy of the king’s servants were already anticipating her movements and adjusting their own positions accordingly. The less savvy got wet, very wet.

“Perhaps the king should dismiss his servants, so they don’t glimpse him and his treasure any further?” Aurelia mused, moving around and causing the servants to rush from the sides of the bath.

“And what if I want my servants to see how much I value my kingdom's treasures?” the king chuckled. “Who's going to stop me?”

Aurelia rested her chin on her wrists folded in front of her, propped up on her elbows. She kicked her feet up behind and her and briefly considered her soles, dripping with bath water and the oils that suffused it before turning back to the king with a wry grin.

“Well, I can think of something else that could benefit from my king's exceptional oratory…” Aurelia mused, resting her chin on her folded hands. “But, of course, if my king prefers soles and toes…”

The king blinked, the thought of her sentence metamorphosing in his skull from literal to intentional, and he smiled.

“Everyone out!” he shouted, with his tunic already over his head.