Caeldenon is by far one of my favorite countries in Redolan. The rich history, unique laws regarding marriage and warrior culture weave a tapestry that is unlike any other.
The Coden Royal family stretches back in an unbroken line to the founding of the United Kingdom of Caeldenon, though betrayal, murder, and more has marred it’s past.
High King Dominaris Coden, the father of the current high king, is the most recent notorious figure. He was a tyrant to his family, most especially his wife, Arrysanna, and ruled with an iron fist. Few were sad when his end came.
Arrysanna’s choice to recruit a second wife to help manage her husband saved her sanity and softened the old king.
While men can have all the mistresses that they desire, the choice to take a second legal wife lies with their first wife. By law a first wife must be the one to petition for the second marriage. She has final say on the prospective bride and is equally responsible for the children of the second marriage.
Likewise a wife can take a second husband, though the practicalities differ slightly. For the purpose of this post, I will be focusing on the Kessiana or female second spouse relationships.
Arrysanna was only fourteen when she was married off to Dominaris. The first years of marriage were filled with pain, humiliation, and solitude. Both her husband and her mother-in-law dominated her life.
After her second child was born and her mother-in-law died, she befriended Lady Elyria Forrester. The two women became very close while Arryanna was pregnant with her third child.
Lady Elyria, seeing the difficulties that her friend faced, volunteered to become Dominaris’ second wife. She and the king had much in common and he listened to her far more than he did his wife.
Together Arrysanna and Elyria managed Dominaris and with Arrysanna’s backing, Elyria became the second lady of Caeldenon. It is thanks to Elyria’s sway over the Dominaris that Arrysanna went on to have three more children, though only one survived into adulthood. Elyria sadly died in childbed a few months after Dominaris himself. Arrysanna raised her friend and sister-wife’s son, Baerik, once both his parents had passed on.
A second spouse’s children fall after the children of the first spouse in line of succession, though any monetary legacies are usually equal. Though as with any family that is up to the discretion of the parent leaving a bequest. Caeldenon Law does protect the rights of children born to these unusual unions and any child that feels unfairly treated has legal recourse.
While none of the current members of the Coden family have second spouses, this law—and the consequences of it—are something I plan to explore in future.
Would you want a sister-wife or a brother-husband? Or worse, would you want your partner to have someone that could tag-team with to manage you? Let me know in the comments.