His Mother, Queen Annabelle (Mommydom Route)

Marcus trembled in relief as his own mother stepped hurriedly through the open doorway, wearing a long woolen dress far simpler than the ornate gowns she usually favored and a pair of leather riding boots. For a moment there he'd been really quite scared, but...with the Queen here to protect him everything was going to be fine wasn't it? Then he saw the panicked look on her pale face, the frantic worry in her deep blue eyes as they flickered over his room, and he felt his heart sink. He'd never seen her look so scared before, save once...

"Mother, I'm here!" He squeaked, wriggling forward underneath his covering of sheets. She let out a strangled gasp of relief as she spotted him, darting forward across his room to grab the blankets he was still struggling out from and pull them off his body. The young prince yelped in shock as she seized his wrist and yanked him forward, pulling him off the bed so quickly he only just managed to get his feet underneath him. His thin silky shift rode up his thighs, threatening to expose the smooth cheeks of his bare butt for a moment and he had to fight it back down with his free hand while she was still trying to drag him back towards the door with her. He was blushing furiously and panting for breath, his heart pounding in his chest with a mixture of panic and embarrassment. Why was she being so rough with him? What was even going on? A hard tug on his wrist as she pulled him again towards the door made him gasp in pain. "Ouch, mother, you're hurting me!" The young prince yelped.

"Come with me quickly now!" She snapped, hardly seeming to hear him. "There's no time, I've got to get you out of here!" Marcus felt his mouth snap shut, the tone of her voice brooking no interruptions. He was used to doing as she said anyway, and meekly let her lead him back through the door even though he was bare-footed and hardly dressed. In the corridor outside, the jarring noise of muffled screams and pounding, armored feet was even louder, and the young prince shuffled closer behind the Queen, hoping she'd keep him safe. "Your uncle Gaius has taken the castle." She said suddenly, her voice cold and hard as ice. "Our guards surrendered as soon as they took the walls, some foreign mercenary let them through the gates without a fight, I don't know how."

"Uncle Gaius?" Marcus stammered. "No..." He couldn't believe that...not his kind uncle! What would he even want to attack the castle for?

"Castus told me we that it was too late, that we should surrender honorably to his brother." She spat the words, the venom in her voice making Marcus flinch away before another sharp tug of his arm almost made him stumble into her back. "As if that will make Gaius spare you, a rival claimant to the throne. He'll have your head before the night is through, and mine right beside it! I won't let him take you, Marcus!"

"Mother..." The young prince gasped, feeling dizzy. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Gaius wanted to kill him now...but why?

"His men are already inside the castle, and they'll be looking for you," the Queen continued. "But I'm going to protect you...I have to." The panic had eased from her voice now, leaving a cold, determined hiss that sounded like a sword being drawn from its sheath. Marcus shivered in her grip, even more frightened to hear his mother sound so fierce. She was always stern with him, but this was different. It was starting to sound like she would tear apart anyone who dared lay a finger on him with her bare hands. Of course that reassured him a little, but at the same time...these were armed soldiers looking for him. What if she got hurt trying to protect him? "Here, the library." She gasped, yanking him towards an open doorway. Marcus stumbled after, still awkwardly fighting down the hem of his shift before it rode up and exposed his butt again. He knew they were in trouble, but couldn't she have let him at least grab a robe to cover himself with?

After dragging him through the door, the Queen darted back round and slammed it shut. A key dropped into her hand from her sleeve and she locked the door behind them with a dull click. Then she turned back, her narrowed, determined gaze flickering over the rows of dusty bookshelves, lit only by a single flickering candle further inside. Marcus shrank closer to her, biting his lip uncertainly. He was already on edge, and this shadowy room frightened him. It felt like one of his Uncle's soldiers, or something even worse, could easily be hiding in those dark corners.

As if she'd noticed his distress, the Queen gave his wrist a gentle little tug now, her soft fingers brushing over his skin for a moment. Marcus followed meekly in her footsteps as she strode down the rows of shelves, keeping his gaze on her instead of the scary room around them. He stayed as close to her as he could manage, drawing what comfort he could. Even dressed in that simple robe, her silver hair cascading loosely down her back rather than tied up in one of the usual elaborate arrangements, she looked every inch the proud, determined Queen. He couldn't stop himself from admiring that for a moment, no matter how afraid he was. She'd always been like that, always so strong. It was no wonder he'd been good and done as she said his entire life. As he watched her closely, a faint heat prickled on his cheeks and he realized he was blushing.

"What are you looking for, mother?" The young prince asked timidly, as she glanced down one of the rows of shelves.

"There's an old passageway here leading to the stables from back when the Castle was built by your grandfather," the Queen explained quickly. "It's not on any of the maps, but a maid stumbled on it while cleaning in here. That same trollop who was always sniffing around you. I can only hope she gets herself killed by your Uncle's soldiers so one good thing comes out of this disaster." Her lips curled into a cold frown. Marcus shivered, guessing she was talking about the maid who had been his favorite when he was younger, Coraline. What had she done to make his mother so mad at her? "Here." The Queen murmured suddenly, pulling him forward down one of the rows, the one with the candle waiting on a shelf in a brass holder. She let his wrist go for just a moment, a sharp pang in his chest at the loss of her comforting grip. He watched anxiously as she lent right down over one of the shelves, reaching down to the bottom to shove a few dusty books to one side. Underneath, instead of stone cobbles, there was a large trapdoor with a rusted iron handle.

With a gasp of relief, the Queen grabbed for it, seizing the handle in both hands and pulling hard. Marcus watched, frozen in place, as his mother struggled to lift the door open, her body trembling with the strain. Her lips curled into a determined scowl, her eyes burning with determination while she struggled to stand and pull the trapdoor open at the same time. Marcus shivered with uncertainty. He knew as a boy he should be jumping in to help, but he couldn't think of anything he could do. His mother was stronger than he was and there wasn't enough space for him to slip in beside and grab the handle too. Instead, he watched, feeling helpless, as the Queen pulled up the trapdoor with a hoarse panting breath and swung it open.

Inside, the hole cut down into the stone floor opened into inky darkness, with an old wooden ladder leading down from the edge into the tunnel below. The young prince stared down into the dark, shivering under his thin shift. It looked...really quite scary down there. He glanced uncertainly back up at his mother, hoping she had some plan.

"I'll go in first, Marcus," the Queen said insistently, grabbing the candle from the shelf. "You come in after, only once I've said it's safe, okay?" Marcus nodded quickly, any thought of refusing her as distant as ever from his mind. He watched her step forward and turn to climb down the ladder with the candle held out in her free hand. His heart was pounding insistently in his chest, and he felt a cold sense of panic as she moved further from him. It took all he had not to stumble right after her just so he could stay close, but she'd told him to wait and so wait he did. She'd protect him...she'd promised, right?