The Warrior and Calissande

Chapter 12: Refresh My Memory

When you are trained as a warrior, you learn to control your emotions, your thoughts, the very muscles in your body. My control was legendary in my kingdom and I was known for letting nothing rattle my calm. But listening to this female stand in front of my lady wife and claim that I had sired a son off of her brought me to the very edge of my control. Never  had I come so close to killing a female like I wanted to do with this one who was spewing such lies. I could only imagine what Calissande was thinking and I hated the hurt I knew it was causing her. Again.

My hand itched to grab my sword and separate the camaspoza's head from her neck, but I could not do that until she admitted the truth for all to hear, and something told me that she would not give up her child's claim to my wealth easily. Coming here like this, making a claim like this was punishable by death if it was a lie.

And it was a lie.

For many reasons. 

Calissande was likely not concerned that this child of a camaspoza could have a claim on my holdings and wealth. In other kingdoms, only legitimate children could inherit the man's titles and all his amassed wealth.

Not so in the kingdoms ruled by my king. My liege lord had been born a bastard, the only son of the king at the time, and when his father had died, a distant legitimate cousin had attempted to ascend the throne. My king fought him and won and had always thereafter been referred to as the Bastard King. He relished the name and called himself that so no one could forget his beginnings and what he had endured to claim his throne.

His first order of business, to the displeasure of many, was to set in writing a law that the first-born son, be he bastard or legitimate, was heir to everything his father held. And it was on this knowledge that the camaspoza made her false claim.

She stood so boldly, looking at my Calissande with a triumphant look on her face, that I withdrew my sword slowly and pointed the razor-sharp tip at her face.

"You will not look at my lady wife or you will soon find yourself without eyes."

She stepped back, her eyes widening, her mouth grim. "This is how you dare treat the mother of your heir?"

"I would never threaten my lady wife in such a way. But as you and that child are nothing to me, I dare anything."

"I have rights!" she asserted, her voice rising in frustration. "I know what I am entitled to as the mother of a warrior's heir."

Interesting. When the king had made his new law, he had also set up strict provisions for the mother of the heir, having seen how his own mother had suffered when the king abandoned her for another mistress. This camaspoza had clearly been investigating.

"Since you are not the mother of my heir, you have no rights. I suggest you contain yourself, and your mouth, before you find yourself unable to see."

Under my hand, I felt Calissande trembling, and my  anger at the woman increased. What must my lady wife be thinking right now? That this was yet another sin I committed against her? Had I never fucked the camaspoza, I would not be standing here right now, being falsely accused. It would not  even be a question. This is yet another way my traditions hurt my wife, and I felt my insides tighten in disgust.

When I had realized that my lady wife truly was hurt by my having a camaspoza and not simply playing the role expected during the Taming, I took steps to address the situation and remove the camaspoza from our lives. 

On that day I was leaving for court, my steward accompanied me to my chambers to deliver the news to her, as per protocol. 

"Lord Carrington is sending you back to the training center without censure. Pack."