The warmth of the bath and the lovely stone benches that allowed me to soothe my body and then my mind were a welcome retreat. Being early in the morning there were very few people already there and those who were were not in the larger pool. My ladies arrayed themselves around me, making sure to take care of anything I would normally do with my hands. We lay there for a while, suspended in a world of warmth and water, far away from the eyes or ideas of men who viewed us as nothing more than pawns. As nice as it was, I couldn't keep some of the bad thoughts out of my head, about the future that could have been mine if I had been just a little less careful. About the way that I wasn't worth respecting even for a man who needed the respect of the court for his job. It was a sad moment to ref
