Karyn shortly returned to tell Jon her bath was ready.
Yesterday, Jon's bathroom was no more than a few steps from her bedroom door. Today, Karyn had to guide her for several minutes through winding corridors in order to reach it. Beneath the footfalls of her delicate cloth slippers, Jon could feel when the floor beneath her alternated between fluffy, modern carpeting and cold, medieval stonework.
Finally, they arrived at a solid oak double door, as wide as a truck. Standing alongside, heads bowed in quiet reverance, were a couple of timid looking teenage girls that Jon didn't recognise. Like Karyn and unlike Jon, they were dressed in modern clothes. Like Karyn and unlike Jon, they were still human.
"Here we are, your highness," Karyn said, then turned to the girls. "Come on, you two! Open it already!"
The girls sprang to life, rushing in mad panic to the great big brass handles that were nailed to the oak. As they pulled with their combined might, the doors to the bathroom split and creaked slowly inwards. A waft of steam escaped through the opening.
"They let you talk to them like that?" Jon asked.
"It turns out I have some authority of my own," Karyn grinned. "I'm your lady-in-waiting, like your highness' own personal boss servant. These two are just handmaidens, they serve everyone."
"And you... what? Outrank them?"
"Oh, totally," Karyn grinned. "I'm worth like, five of them. At least!"
Jon giggled, then coughed with embarrassment at the weird sound of her own laughter. She leaned towards Karyn and inquired with a whisper, "These girls, who are they?"
"No idea," Karyn replied quietly. "I don't recognise them at all. I'll let your highness know if I find out."
The bathroom had become, in no small way, exquisite. Every inch of floor and wall was lined with glossy dark reflective tiles. Several mirrors, each nearly as large as the enormous one in her bedroom, hung from the walls. The structure of one wall alternated between a series of stone pillars supporting ceiling-height arches, and floor-to-archway windows. Sunlight poured in from the windows and bounced off every polished surface, illuminating the expensive gold fixtures, filling the room with a warm yellow glow even without the lights on.
The bath itself was sunk into the floor, the size of a very large hot tub or a very small swimming pool. Jon could not see much other than the sheer size of it, as its surface was completely obscured by a landscape of foamy bubbles.
Adjacent to one wall, sat so that it looked both over the pool and out the windows, was a toilet the likes of which Jon had never seen. It had a broad and softly cushioned seat, not to mention a cushioned back and even armrests. Every inch of it that was not padding was gold-etched porcelain. Truly, it could be called a throne.
"Woah," Jon gasped. "If there was a TV in here, one would never leave."
"Oh, there is a TV," Karyn smirked. "It's mounted in the ceiling and your highness can lower it by remote. The royal life is looking better all the time, isn't it?"
"It's difficult to deny this kind of luxury," Jon conceeded. "Now, if only one was an elf prince instead..."
"Then we would be in a different book entirely, your highness," Karyn laughed.
"You may leave me Karyn," Jon said, "it is time for one's... privacy. One is not to be disturbed, got it?"
"Your highness doesn't need to draw me a picture," Karyn rolled her eyes. "I'll have the girls wait outside the door. They can keep watch while I go exploring."
Karyn saw Jon's hands begin to fidget with her top and quickly intervened. "Er, your highness can get changed behind that vanity screen. There's a bathrobe there too, for afterwards."
"Thank you Karyn," Jon smiled and moved behind the screen. There was a small dresser and wardrobe to hang discarded clothes. "And for what it's worth, you make a really good servant."
"Gee, thanks," Karyn groaned. She added sarcastically, "And for what it's worth, I hope your highness chokes on her immaculate orbs of which I am forever blessed to stand in awestruck shadow."
Jon giggled. This was followed by an astonished gasp, then several other slightly more disturbing feminine utterances. From her vantage point, Karyn couldn't see what was happening behind the vanity screen. Knowing Jon, she was extremely grateful of this fact.
The twins are loose, Karyn thought, That boy is lost to the world.
Karyn quietly left the room and closed the doors behind her. She, at least, had a busy day ahead of her.
