Oops! Where is she?

A sudden cry behind you - not one of pleasure! - grabs your attention away from the women in the pool. You are compelled to push them away from you, not as gently as you would like, so that you may turn and face whatever goes on behind you.

Elaine is being held by an arm around her neck by a much taller woman who you know well: Arethousa, the keeper of the bathing pools. In Elaine's hand is a length of twisted cloth. The other girls in the pool cry out in surprise, and in moments the attention of every woman in the place is upon you.

"Sire!" Arethousa says. "This stranger was sneaking up behind you with this cloth held in her hands, stretched out as though to slip about your neck. I believe she intended you harm."

"That is not so!" Elainne pleads, struggling fruitlessly against Arethousa's grip. "It was only meant to be a game! I was going to blindfold the King, make him guess as to which one of us was -"

"Enough!" you call out. The pools go silent; only the trickle of water may be heard. Elaine stops her struggling, and Arethousa loosens her grip so as to allow her to breathe, but not to get away.

"Arethousa, I offer my thanks for your assistance and my sincere apologies that the peace of this place was disturbed," you say to her in a quiet voice. "The five of us, myself and these maids, will leave at once. Perhaps we might exit through your chambers so as to cause as little disturbance as possible. This is a request, not a command; I am King, but in this place, it is your will that prevails."

"That would be best, Sire," Arethousa says. "I will send an attendant to Captain Navarre, he will meet you at the side gate. What would you have done with these four?"

You look around at each of them in turn. All of them look shocked, and scared; you cannot tell by anyone's expression whether this was a pre-planned attack, or an innocent misunderstanding. You know that many kings would simply have all four women thrown into the dungeon, ignoring such trivial matters as whether they were guilty... but you have never been that sort of king!