A Whore’s Honor

"Talk about what?" Juno sat beside him, leaning her cheek on her palm. She looked him up and down, trying to find some indication of what the hell he wanted of her.

"I can't stop thinking about you," Cesare confessed. "Ever since our battle you've constantly been in my mind."

Juno curled her lip in disgust. Was this a love confession?

"I've never seen a woman fight like you."

Juno scoffed."Then you should look a little harder. There were female knights in your battalion. You insult them. I'm far too out of practice to even compare to them."

"You bested me."

Juno chewed her bottom lip furiously. "I only bested you because you went into the fight expecting to win. Had you treated me like any other opponent I'm sure the victor would have reflected that."

She was careful to say he would have won for sure. If not for her own pride.

Cesare's brow furrowed as he considered her words.

Juno sighed, frustrated at his confusion. "Was this all?" She stood, crossing the room.

"Wait," he called as soon as she grasped the door handle. Juno gave another frustrated huff. "I paid for the whole night."

"Unless you would like to sleep with me or you have something else to say I don't see any reason to torture each other any longer. Ask for a refund. I don't care."

"There is something else." Juno wanted to pull out her hair. Talking to him was like getting kicked by a horse. She could survive it, but it wasn't something she was eager to do again. Why wouldn't he just free her? "You said the last time we met I insulted your honor. I wish to make amends."

Juno rolled her eyes. The pride of a Rusteau. It would be the downfall of Almyra. "I forgive you. You paid for my whole night so we can call it even."

Cesare's jaw tightened. "That's not enough."

Juno imagined leaping across the room and just getting one good hit. Likely as soon as her fist touched his cheek she would say her goodbyes to her head. But how good would it feel. Juno, lost in her own fantasy of just smashing Cesare's face into the ground forgot the man himself was in front of her until he cleared his throat.

Juno frowned. "Obviously you have something in mind, so just tell me."

"I would like to buy you out of your debt."

All the oxygen rushed out of the room.

What the fuck?

***

Cesare had thought she would be pleased. But the girl's face went from pale to red to purple. Her clenched fist shook at her side.

When he told his sister about Juno, Mignonette told him that most of the women were sold into brothels by their family. She told him they weren't able to leave until they paid off their debt, which almost never happened or if a nobleman or aristocrat bought them out of their debt. Then they would spend the rest of their lives as a mistress until they died or were thrown away.

Mignonette said that most women died in the brothels. It was seen as a blessing to be bought out.

Neither of those options fit the woman he met. She had a pride, a sense of honor that he would've never thought to see in a prostitute.

When he first met her it was an encounter that he would've easily forgotten. A girl, purposefully dropping her handkerchief knowing that any decent knight would pick it up. She batted her eyes at him, held onto his arm. Just like every other woman.

She was the last person he would ever expect to see on the dueling grounds. At first, he thought she had stalked him. But then he noticed something different about her. The way she held herself was different. The naive, foolish look was gone from her eyes, replaced by cold, impenetrable steel. She was badly beaten and he felt a twinge in his heart at the sight of it.

She had refused to give him her name when, only the day before, she seemed desperate for him to remember her. He was appalled when she mentioned the fine for death. Did he really look like the kind of man that would kill a woman? He thought he was being kind when he offered to end the duel early upon learning she was only fighting to pay a debt, but she took it as an insult.

He truly didn't understand her.

Even now, when he offered her her freedom on a silver platter, she still was insulted.

"I can give you your freedom," he said, breaking the long silence.

Her eyes flared with a fury he had never seen on a woman before.

"Do you understand what you're saying to me?" She demanded. "Do you understand what it means to buy me out of my debt?"

Her voice was colder than ice. Even the sound of it made Cesare want to shiver. He felt his mouth fall open at her coldness at his generous offer. He was shocked. He was angry. How could a whore refuse and offer like his?

"I thought this is something that you would want."

Juno put a hand on either side of his head, trapping him in the cage of her arms against the couch. It would be easy to break free of, her slender arm would crack under his grip if he wanted it to. But even so he still felt trapped.

Her golden hair fell onto his arms, pooling in the inside of his elbow. He tried not to think of how soft it was. He tried not to think of how she radiated a sweet smell, something that was different than the usual choking scent of perfume. He especially tried not to think about her warmth, a delicious warmth that was just within reach.

He recited bible verses in his head, trying to ignore the sensation of his skin feeling too tight for his body. If she was any closer he would be able to feel her breath.

It felt wrong. This shameful desire for this girl in front of him that looked like she wanted nothing more than to see him dead.

"What would happen after you bought my debt? You've made it clear you have no desire for anything I can offer you so clearly you have no intention of taking me on as a mistress."

Cesare's neck went cold. He hadn't really thought about after. He thought she would be so overcome with gratitude that she wouldn't care about his intentions. But the woman in front of him watched him with a cold, measured expression. An expression of a noble.

"You could find a job."

"Do you think I hadn't tried that? Do you think I sold myself to a brothel because I was lazy?"

Cesare began to say something but snapped his mouth shut. He hadn't expected her to have voluntarily gone into prostitution. He was told it was always someone else that did it and the woman didn't have the choice.

He didn't know how to deal with this new information.

"I have four kids to take care of. I can't afford to quit on just the hope of finding a job."

Cesare couldn't find words. It was like the entire human language had been sucked from his mind. It was out there, floating in the air, but just out of reach. She was beginning to leave again. He begged himself to say something, anything. But he hadn't regained coherent thought. All he knew was guilt, earth shattering guilt. Something he had hoped to alleviate by making amends with her but somehow he just dug himself into a deeper and deeper hole.

He wanted to cut her out of his head. He wanted to get rid of this horrible feeling thinking of her gave him.

It was his pride that she hurt. She rejected any effort he made to help her and it infuriated him.

Juno bit her lip. Her hesitation was written all over her face.

"If you want to please me so bad there is something you can do."

In that moment he would have given her anything, just to give himself peace of mind.

"I want a ring."

He raised his eyebrows.

"A specific ring."

She reached for a piece of paper, tucked away in the back of a room. She sketched an odd looking ring, something with a distinct shape. A small gem imbedded in a metal that looked like a star.

"It's a ruby ring. The band is gold."

"Is it important to you?"

She gave him a frosty look.

"It's mine. The last time I saw it was a shop near the center of the capital."

He nodded, feeling a surge of determination.

"I'll find it."