The Arete - Princess-Consort Ch. 04

"I think it's lunchtime," Caeli smiled back at my loving forbearance, her empyrean face lighting up even more.

"So it is," I released her, climbed out of bed, and held out a hand for her to do likewise, "I will have to dress however."

"A shame," she giggled as she ogled me unabashedly, "Maybe just this once?"

"I will if you will," I teased her waggishly, forgetting for a moment her jarring last experience with public nudity.

"Tempting, but no deal," she joked back and I was relieved both that I hadn't revictimized the sensitive girl and that she seemed to be on the way to moving past it.

We had a nice meal, received a report from Kemptrux about her training program with the other guardswomen, listened to Vostiv's laments over struggling with mathematics, and whiled away the afternoon reading Liber Revelacionum Julyane.

At dinner, my little household was visited again by Yonjax, this time in company with her wife, my cousin Poumi, and the stunning hetaireia wearing the cordovan and onyx of House Chilandya whom I'd seen at the Queen's right during my knighting.

"Yon!" Both Vostiv and Caeli greeted her happily. I formally hugged my cousin and shook hands with the hetaireia while inviting them all to join our table. I never asked how they knew exactly when to come.

"Ser Taiglox, this is Ser Lucax, fifteenthborn of Chilandya. She'll be joining your household," Yonjax explained the presence of my third guest, "She's the Hetaireia Soma, the Queen's night bodyguard. Since her hours and duties are so...dissimilar from her fellow hetaireias, it's better that she reside outside the barracks. Additionally, she'll be joining the Queen in campaigning season, and so could use additional training ahorse."

"Ah, happy to oblige and happy to have you, Ser Lucax," I welcomed the newcomer. "I'm a bit distracted with my honeymoon for the next few weeks, but you can train with Kemptrux and Vostiv in the meantime and I'll be back in the yard soon to help. Do you have tack and kit and a horse for cavalry training?"

"No, Ser Taiglox," she answered, not rudely, but succinctly and smartly.

"Alright, you're of my household now and will be given the tools to be successful. There's a good armorer down on Iron Street named Hronir who can make you quality lamellar armor and I'll help you choose a warhorse once our honeymoon ends."

"Taiglox, you have special dispensation to go with Ser Lucax and select what she may need," Yonjax spoke up and surprised me with the special treatment being afforded for Ser Lucax's training, "You and she will go tomorrow and the cost will be borne by House Royal. Be sure she gets the best."

"Of course," I took the surprising order simply, "We'll head out after breakfast."

"Ser Lucax has hetaireia training for two hours after her shift ends at 8 bells, but you can leave after lunch," Yonjax amended.

"Good to go. How about 12 bells, Ser Lucax?"

"Yes, ser," Lucax answered and also answered a second unspoken question. Both knights and both lieutenants, I honestly didn't know if I ranked my new household member. Cataphract or hetaireia didn't technically matter. And who knew if Princess-Consort trumped Hetaireia Soma?

(Turns out, no one else knew whether personal bodyguard to the Queen outranked wife to the Queen's daughter either, except maybe some titular scholar somewhere. Lucax was simply recognizing that I graduated from the Academy and commissioned before she did.)

A filling meal commenced with both Vostiv and Caeli proudly touting their recent scholarly achievements to our royal visitor's indulgent approval. Yonjax spoke of a trip she'd taken a season before to see their mothers' people and how the lands fared out there, to which Vostiv showed expected interest. Poumi spoke of the coming balls and fetes planned for the offseason, which greatly captured Caeli's attention. Lucax spoke little.

I mostly enjoyed a break from needing to speak or empathize. Kemptrux seemed to enjoy the same reprieve, although she got to enjoy that particular form of freedom more often than not.

We finished a lovely dessert of flaky fruit pastries served with fresh milk and honeyed wine. Then Poumi took Caeli's arm, "I'm sure these lot of ruffians you live with," she gestured broadly at Vostiv, Kemptrux, and me, "can't properly appreciate fashion. Why don't you show me your new marriage wardrobe? I do sometimes miss the blue and gray options my natural house offers."

As my wife and hers left together, Yonjax turned to my fellow two "ruffians" and Lucax with a suggestion, "Hadn't you three best go to the stables for your after dinner ride?" she ordered politely.

"We don-" Vostiv started to object.

The young corporal knew an order when she heard one though, however couched in pleasantry, "Yes, Your Highness."

The trio left by the front door, but it was to the hallway and our wives where I glanced back in disquiet.

"You needn't worry," Yonjax read the concern on my face, "Poumi's and my marital understanding doesn't extend to noble lovers. And she'd throw herself from a parapet before she touched a member of my house. Me hers either."

I nodded, not understanding the distinctions myself, but accepting them.

"You however, you big wussy romantic, need to move things along."

I understood that too, but disagreed. "That...end part...of the marriage ceremony was a lot for her. I don't want to push her. She's fragile and she trusts me."

"Silly bear," Yonjax shook her head, "The marriage ceremony is designed to create that reaction. To make your bride crave your protection and to make you feel protective of her in turn. But it worked too well on you two hopelessly sweet lambs and now you'll spend a lifetime of vanila cuddling if you're not careful."

"Hrm." I didn't want that. I like cuddling Caeli, but wanted more. When she was ready, I reaffirmed to myself.

"Jelvix was supposed to have talked to you and we all assumed the Queen's last wife would have talked to Caeli. At the risk of speaking ill of the dead, she was rather useless as anything beyond a broodmare, so we shouldn't have assumed in hindsight," Yonjax frowned, "Even knowing in advance, the two of you turtledoves may have still found her public nakedness shocking enough to promote bonding."

Had we both known, then yes, I probably could have held my position while Caeli raced up the aisle to me. The tradition still seemed dumb to me, but I kept that opinion and any others I had in the moment to myself.

"Poumi and I were on the other end of the spectrum in our 'palatial style' wedding." Yonjax grinned, "I swear, your cousin straight sauntered to me, with all the warranted swagger of a whore who knew she commanded the best price in the city. No shame at all. I have to say, it was pretty hot to know that - to the envy of all gathered - that magnificently proud harlot was mine to fuck whenever I liked."

"You still...er...?" I'd assumed since they both had lovers outside the marriage that they were not regularly intimate with each other.

"Yes. My whores and flings neither know nor care of course, but her 'harpist' hates it. I've even fucked the woman while she eats out my wife. Poumi likes it too, knowing she commands such devotion from her lover that the woman willingly gets plowed while orally pleasuring her, and simply because Poumi wants her to perform so."

"Oh," I'm sure there's a level of society that would be informed as to the correct verbal response to such a revelation. I do not and will likely never operate competently on that level. Yonjax's continued grin more than suggested that she knew that.

"Not that I'd expect such," she chuckled, "'depravities' in your bedroom, Taiglox. Nor would I tolerate any depravities which might be unpleasant to Caeli. In fact, should you have offended her person in any way, I'd have dragged you from her room on your wedding night."

"We were being watched then?" I remembered the feeling of eyes on me that I couldn't shake.

"Only the first night. Not even the whole first hour," she amended, "After that, well...I'll still torture you to death if you abuse my little sister, but it seems extremely unlikely to happen."

"It won't."

"I believe you, but remember that you're more than a compact of fealty and a handy bodyguard. Nor are you a reading tutor or a riding instructor. You are a princess-consort and one of your many duties to my sister in that capacity is her physical satisfaction."

"Yes, Your Highness," I accepted yet another order regarding my own marriage bed.

"Enough on that though," Yonjax moved on, "I'm sure you're wondering why Ser Lucax has been placed in your house?"

I wasn't. "You told me why...?"

Yonjax smiled at me the way she'd smile at a puppy running after a stick that she hadn't thrown. "What I told you was the truth, but not the whole truth."

"Okay?" I felt like that puppy, but I was tired of chasing phantom sticks. I waited instead.

"The Hetaireia Soma is traditionally assigned only to unmarried Queens. Ser Lucax absolutely qualified as a hetaireia as well - won tournaments and graduated at the top of her class for elite guards - but her other duties include being paramour to the Queen."

"She, rather, she...?" I struggled to ask whether the duty of "paramour" was a choice without accusing my Queen of rape.

"It's fully voluntary, I assure you," Yonjax saved me the awkwardness of finishing my question, "And a highly enthusiastically kept position. Pre-blessed by Chilandya for her fifteenthborn, too."

"Oh." I suppose that made sense. Marrying off your fifteenth middle child must be difficult and being the Queen's lover is probably as good or far better than any match she might have made.

"It's an open secret. The Queen won't remarry at this point of a certainty and can't be expected to remain celibate for life, but can't whore or take a mistress either, so the Hetaireia Soma is an acceptable...outlet. Still, the position creates jealousy amongst the other hetaireia in some quarters and - worse - competition from many quarters to see who else might seduce the Queen's lover."

I shook my head. Palace life really is too complicated.

"Ser Lucax is loyal, but even the appearance of a dalliance could create royal embarrassment or the perception of royal weakness. If she resides with the Queen's darling daughter and the stoic princess-consort, such claims would be difficult to sell."

That was fair. No one would believe that I'd either sleep with the Queen's lover myself or allow such a tryst in my home.

"Further, she excelled as an elite guard, but she lacks cavalry and tactical skills that you can teach. My mother - having grown extremely fond of both her and of pillow talk with her - wishes to bring Ser Lucax on campaign, where she'll need horsemanship. Her Majesty would also prefer for their idle discussion of military options in the night to become more than one-way venting. In recompense, Ser Lucax will fulfill all the functional requirements of the valet you don't seem inclined to recruit. And provide some martial presence for you beyond the guards at your door."

I thought back on Miriam's attempted kidnapping, and how quickly it would have been settled should the fierce noble hetaireia been woken by the frightened girl's return.

"Thank you," I averred honestly, "That's a weight off my mind. And I'll do my part to offer a haven to Ser Lucax and to train her."

"Should you two get on well, you could do more than just work together. It'd be good for the both of you to have someone similar to confide in. A friend."

That wasn't a bad point either. I love Caeli, but there are points on which we won't really ever relate. In a different way, I loved Kemptrux and Vostiv too, but they worked for me. And the princesses would always be too high above me to befriend like equals.

"A friend would be nice."

"I know, Tai," Yonjax showed a rare moment of sympathy, but then stood. "And you can tell Caeli everything I've told you. You'd probably break and tell her anyway as soon as you realize that she's jealous."

"Why would she be jealous?"

Yonjax just laughed, "Silly bear."

Not waiting for my response, the princess stepped away to collect her wife and say goodbye to my princess before taking her leave.

Walking back into our room, I found Caeli sitting on the edge of our bed. She seemed lost in thought.

I took a seat in an armchair and waited for her to look up. Her dark eyes flickered between hope and fear when they met mine.

"Poumi spoke with me...about you," my wife blushed delicately.

"Oh. May I ask what she said?" I had a guess that the unfaithful couple's conversation would be firmly in tandem.

"She said that you're big and strong and that even if you turn out to be clumsy, you'd probably be good at..." Here, she blushed furiously.

I stepped to my wife, scooped her into my arms, and sat back down in the armchair with her in my lap. "I am big and strong. I am good at many things. What I want to be best at, is making you feel safe and loved."

"I do feel safe and loved," she confirmed, "but...Do you think Ser Lucax is pretty?"

Yonjax is always right.

I immediately spilled everything I knew, in the most delicate terms I could find.

"I'm good," Caeli hugged me, fiercely. "I love you, Tai."

I wasn't totally convinced that everything was "good" yet, but I wasn't going to prod her either.

"I love you, too," I kissed her forehead, "Let's to bed?"

Both tired, we went straight to sleep with me fully undressed again. Her limbs tangled to me more than usual in the night, as though unconsciously trying to get more of her bare skin on mine.

We idled in bed until 11 bells, then ate a quick lunch before I took Lucax shopping.

For the Hetaireia Soma, we first selected a serene dun grulla warhorse with black legs, mane, and stripe, which Lucax named Seguidilla for his dancing hooves. Then we ordered fine lamellar armor and barding accented in her house colors. A new kopis, mace, bow, and lance finished out her needs as a budding part-time horsewoman.

"I promise, once my honeymoon is over, I'll take you into the yard and teach you to fight ahorse," I gave my word, "Meanwhile, practice with Kemptrux and Vostiv. They can use it too."

"Thanks," she seemed honestly grateful, "I never focused on riding in the Academy, but now I need..."

"I know," I nodded, "And, believe me, I know how life can put you where you don't expect and cause you to require skills you never thought would be useful."

She sighed, happy not to have to defend her choices or gossip about their ramifications to at least one person in her life.

On returning home, Awhonam warned me that Caeli was bathing and dressing.

"Very well," I answered, unsure of the import. Both Caeli and I regularly bathed and usually dressed.

"Er, milady, she asked that you specifically not disturb her during?" Awhonam clarified haltingly. "It may be a couple hours."

I shrugged and agreed easily, "As she wills, Awhonam. I'll be in the dining room or the library until she's ready to see me again."

The poor young handmaiden released her breath in clear relief. Certainly I'd never done anything overt to frighten the girl, but we hadn't interacted much directly. And I do stand over six feet tall with a thewiness hardened by years in training and fighting in heavy armor.

So when she scampered away in a hurry, I didn't take any offense or try to interfere. She and the rest of my new household would grow used to me over time.

"Well," I turned to Lucax, "I suppose we have time to go over battle tactics, if you like?"

"Actually, it may be more strategy than tactics" Lucax suggested, "but will you talk with me about the northern campaign? I know it's essentially been a single siege forever, but I know embarrassingly little more than that."

"It's a bit of an embarrassing stalemate really," I answered, "And I'm honestly glad that it's been more of a siege problem than a cavalry push. Just one second though," I leaned out, "Vostiv, report!" I called for my squire.

She could stand to learn as well, so I sat her with us.

"So, eight years ago, our regular battlefronts to the east and west were quiet. There'd always been a bit of raiding on our northern border, complained of by the houses with lands there, but the raiders' land was rough, cold, and poor and so never a priority. With a free campaign season, our larger and more disciplined army swept their land with relative ease. Except for one fortress build into a mountainside."

"And that's the last hold out. We hold the rest of the land to the uninhabitable northern range?"

"Yes and no. Technically we do, but, as I mentioned, we only bothered to conquer them to stop the annoying raiding. Much of the land on both sides of the former border remains fallow."

"Is there danger of it being retaken?"

"Not so long as whatever remains of their army stays bottled up in the fortress."

"What remains?"

"Impossible to tell. Best guess was around 500 or a 1000 adults at the beginning of the siege. They've had failed forays since then, but also seven years for new soldiers to come of age and old soldiers to die. The fortress can be held by less than 100, so it's not entirely a matter of numbers, especially since we can also keep them penned in with a few hundred."

"Why not just end the siege?"

"Traditionally, there are three ways to end a siege. We could throw bodies at it, but the fortress is so well fortified that we'd lose thousands to gain an asset with little value. Sappers have looked for ways to tunnel in, but it's built into a frozen mountain, so a tunnel large enough to bring in enough soldiers at once would be prohibitively arduous for such a poor prize. So we've been employing the third method, waiting them out. For seven years."

"They were prepared for a seven year siege?" Vostiv piped up.

"No," I explained, "they were prepared for long winters so cold that thousands might be trapped within the fortress for warmth and prepared for summers so cold that every crop would freeze before harvest and they'd have to stave off famine. Both necessitate huge amounts of stored food, primarily grains for human and animal. We can surmise that they must be down to only grain by now, but we can't know how much."

Lucax looked at me curiously, "You said 'traditionally' though?"

"Well, yes. Usually sieges on towns last a few days or weeks. Even sieges on fortresses almost never last over a year. The trouble is, their nobles have everything to lose with the siege's end. Conversely, we have little to gain, while continuing the siege costs us a few hundred garrisoned soldiers at any given time and the lingering black eye of what is now technically a seven year campaign against a single fortress."

"What would you do?"

"Leave them food."

"That seems... counter-intuitive," Lucax avoided calling me stupid.

"During the first year of a siege, sure," I reasoned, "But now? It'd leave the nobility with the horrid options to either let their soldiers have fresh meat, fruit, and veg from the enemy after seven years of deprivation or to build resentment in the soldiery by hoarding or destroying the food. I think either would lead to a coup and surrender after a dozen deliveries or so."

"Huh," Lucax nodded, "What about the west?"

"Far more complex," I admitted and expanded. So we spent the afternoon discussing our military position with Vostiv and later Kemptrux joining in.

Lucax and I became rather fast friends, bonding over not just martial theory, but also our shared Academy experiences and the peculiarities of palace life. She's a good sort.

While we debated the frustrations of a river border, Bakian came out and started supervising the laying of the table.

"I should check on Caeli," I told my lieutenant, corporal, and squire, wondering what my wife'd gotten up to.