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Rinaldo strode sweating and miserable from the training grounds.
To be demoted in front of his men. To be criticized and humiliated. To have to listen to Lord Ganelon calling Bradamante a w***e.
And all the while King Carleman sat watching from his perch at the top of the field.
It was that alone that kept Rinaldo’s rage in check. That kept him from arguing with the king’s high commander or stalking off the field rather than continuing to submit to Lord Ganelon’s insults.
Because Rinaldo served the king, not Lord Ganelon. And he reminded his men of it when they stood together as equals after the inspection to begin training together with wooden swords.
“Martel is a good man,” Rinaldo told them, giving a nod to their new commander. Martel still looked shaken by what had happened.
