Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 228: Unexpected Benefits

12 November, 1361. Westerhaven Palace, Islia

William stumbled along as quickly as he could towards the training grounds, still half asleep. The muscles in his back and shoulders were aching a bit and he felt groggy.

Frankly, he was still a little stunned over how Camilla had attacked him the previous night. No sooner had he stepped into their bedchamber than she was kissing him and tearing at his clothes. By the end of the frantic tumble, both of them had been yelling their pleasure without restraint.

It had made the long, boring council meeting he’d been forced to sit through and the issue resolving the fodder delivery, completely worth it.

If that’s how things were going to be for the rest of her pregnancy, then William was more than happy to oblige. He was going to be a thoroughly satisfied man until at least June, if a little achy.

Had he missed out on months of his wife’s ravenous attacks when she’d been carrying little Malcolm, because they’d been separated by war? The thought that he could’ve been in her bed and the happiest man alive, instead of stuck up north on muddy, fever stricken battlefields, made him feel mutinous.

"Another reason to hate that son of a bitch Kenneth, I suppose." William said under his breath. Nothing could be done about it now however, but enjoy those coming weeks and months.

Turning the corner, he could see his friends already warming up, along with several other knights.

"Morning, Will. You’re running rather late." Francis called out as he parried with a practice sword.

"Sorry." William sighed as he walked over to the sword rack and started rolling up the sleeves of his linen training shirt.

"Holy fuck. What the hell happened to you, Will?" Tom asked with typical bluntness. "You’re moving like a man who’s received a beating."

I suppose it was a beating of sorts, William mused smugly. Out loud, he replied, "I slept in an odd position last night and must’ve jarred my neck a little. And speaking of severe beatings, I’m more than ready to hand one out to Robin today, to wish him the best of luck on his upcoming nuptials."

All the men laughed. Robin frowned at his friends. "That seems rather uncalled for, Will."

"Not at all!" William said gleefully. "I still remember the blows you gave me before my own marriage. My ribs had so many bruises on them, my poor bride commented on our wedding night."

Robin grimaced. "I may have gotten a little carried away with that, I admit. Still there’s no need to repeat my mistakes now-"

His voice was cut off as his friends set upon him.

After a good hour of sword fighting, the group of men ended up sitting on the ground, sweating profusely and catching their breaths. All except for Robin, who was sprawled face up on the dirt.

Rufus playfully nudged him with the toe of his boot as he took a gulp from his water skin. "You alright there, Robin? Will you need a hand walking?"

With a groan, Robin threw an arm across his eyes. "I hate you all. You’re such bastards."

They all laughed hard at him. Francis retorted, "It’s no worse that the thrashings you’ll likely receive at the hands of your future wife! Everyone knows Meg Vere is a force of nature."

"How dare you talk that way about my bride?" Robin wheezed. "I’d challenge you to a duel but it’ll have to wait a few days. I can barely feel my legs at the moment."

Tom flicked his water skin so that droplets splashed across Robin’s sweaty face. "You’d better sort that out before the wedding night. Then again, at least you won’t have to shut your eyes and grit your teeth just to get through the act. Lady Meg is actually pretty."

James spit out a mouthful of water all over his lap at the shock of hearing Tom’s bleak description of his own wedding night. The men roared with laughter until their eyes filled with tears.

"All for a good cause, brother." Rufus clapped Tom on the back.

Tom shrugged, then stood up to walk around and stretch his stocky frame. After almost three years of marriage, Eleanor was finally pregnant and the child was due in late winter. "I hope it’s a big, healthy boy. Not because I care much about the gender but at least if I have a son and heir, I have no reason to jump back into my wife’s bed anytime soon."

William tipped the contents of his water skin over his own face, the sweat stinging as it dripped into his eyes. He motioned for one of the servants standing to the sides to bring him another one. He tipped the contents of the second water skin over himself as well and scrubbed his face. He the lifted his hair that was stuck to his nape and rubbed the back of his neck with water.

"You sure you just jarred your neck in your sleep, Will? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like it’s been clawed by a wild animal."

William dropped his hand quickly and let his hair fall back against his nape as he stared at Tom, who was peering down at him with a smirk.

"What? Let’s see!" Robin leapt up from the ground, glad to not be the focus of the men’s attention anymore.

William clapped a hand to the back of his neck and jumped to his feet. "It’s nothing." he said hastily, feeling his already flushed face grow even hotter.

The other men exchanged knowing looks, then pounced on him. William was no match when all his friends ganged up on him and pinned him in place. Two of them held his arms down while someone else pulled the collar of his shirt down his back with such force, a couple of the buttons snapped off.

He heard Rufus give a distinctive low whistle as his friends looked at his back and guffawed. "Well, fuck, brother! Are you married to a woman or a wild vixen?"

"Don’t talk about my wife that way. And I thought the whole point of today was to make Robin suffer?" William mumbled, knowing he was blushing embarrassingly dark.

"Hell no!" Robin crowed. "I’m not the one that looks like he’s been mauled! Is your sweet, demure wife in the habit of tearing you to shreds like this?"

William screwed his eyes shut and groaned. "I’m not saying anything further about it! What I do with my wife is none of your fucking business." He wondered why there couldn’t just be a lightning storm right when he needed one.

More teasing laughter. Tom’s voice was dripping with envy when he said, "Will, you realise you’re one lucky dog, don’t you?"

William couldn’t help but smile a little. "Yes I’m well aware of that. And if all of you will excuse me now, I’m off to get myself cleaned up. That way, if my beloved gets her, uh appetite back at any point today, I won’t reek of sweat or of any of you filthy bastards."

Placing his weapon hack into the sword rack, William did his best to hold on to a scrap of dignity as he walked out of the training grounds and back towards the palace.

- - -

As soon as he reached their empty apartments, William remembered Camilla had told him she planned to spend that morning with Blanche. Instead, he called for a bath to be filled for him.

William sank into the water, glad to soak his aching muscles. The warm water made the scratches on his back sting a little, reminding him again of the merciless teasing he’d received from his friends.

"Oh, well." he told himself as he grabbed the bar of soap. "It’s the best kind of problem a man can have. And those sons of bitches were all envious."

It was a shame Camilla wasn’t around to wash his hair. He was perfectly capable of doing it himself of course, but there was something about his wife fawning over him that made him feel deliriously happy.

William scrubbed his wet hair thoroughly with soap, then rinsed off all the suds. Once clean, he stepped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around his hips. As he walked out of the dressing room, he heard a door quietly opening and closing.

William stepped into the bedchamber at the same moment that Camilla entered it from the other door. The two of them just stared at each other for a long moment. It wasn’t lost on him that he was next to naked.

He saw her eyes darken as she looked at his mouth, then down his wet shoulders and chest. Dragging her gaze upwards, Camilla looked into his eyes again and blushed in the most adorable way.

William smiled. It was going to be a very good day. He was sure of it.