Tyranny of Steel

When the light of dawn rose upon the fertile valley, once more Berengar had awoken to begin his daily exercise. Just because he was now a healthy young man did not mean he did not have to maintain said health. He began his routine with a series of pushups, situps, squats, and pull-ups. The exercise equipment he had specially ordered had arrived long ago and was kept firmly in the corner of his large stone room. As such, he could accomplish most of his objectives without leaving the comfort and safety of his own personal space. Nowadays, only his daily run was outside the confines of his bedroom. It was a truly efficient use of time and space.

Once Berengar had finished his daily exercise, the first course of action he took was that of his morning bath; the young lord refused to spend the day covered in his own sweat. Though by now, everyone in the castle was aware of his bathing habits. It could practically be said that during the thirty minutes before breakfast, the bathroom was reserved for Berengar.

The young lord was especially excited about today ’s bath. For you see, almost a month ago, after Berengar had convinced the family to begin bathing regularly, he realized the need for a more refined bathing area. As such, he successfully managed to convince his father to break ground on a grand project. During this past month, constant construction had been going on in the corner of the Castle, where a private bathhouse was constructed within the castle walls. Today was the first day after its completion.

As Berengar entered the new bathroom, he noticed there were three separate chambers for the large room. The first area was the dressing room, where the occupant would dress and undress. The second room was the lavatory, in case one needed to use it during bath time; the third area was the actual room where the bathing occurred. A large circular stone bath was fitted in the center of the room and was heated to nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit. This was not just a bath; it was practically a hot tub. Berengar spent a good fifteen minutes soaking his stress away in the large bath in which he could practically swim before finally getting out. Afterward, he dried himself off with a towel and went to the dressing room, where he properly dressed. It was only after he was fully clothed that he decided to style his hair the way he preferred it.

After confirming his appearance in the mirror, he left the newly designed bathhouse and headed for the dining room, where he met his family and fiancee for breakfast. As he snacked on his favorite breakfast sandwich, he looked over at Adela, who had another ecstatic smile on her face; it would appear that she had fallen in love with the food in this small Barony. When she noticed Berengar ’s gaze, she covered her mouth with her napkin as her cheeks flushed. Though before she could speak, Berengar had shifted his attention to his parents.

”Father, Mother, I must say the new bathhouse is excellent; it was truly a worthy investment. ”