Marcus meets his aunt

When he'd pictured the castle his Mother spoke of growing up in, Marcus had imagined a smaller version of his own home. A sturdy old keep looming over imposing stone walls and towers, perhaps a moat or portcullis leading inside to keep out unwanted guests. Marwell Castle turned out to be rather different. He'd seen his first glimpse of it from the back of his mother's horse as they rode in, a large, rocky hill rising out of the flat grasslands of the Free Marches. Atop the heights, there was a towering building, more of a massive long hall than a keep, with tall stone walls and a sloped thatch roof, ringed by a high palisade of sharpened stakes. Other buildings were clustered around the castle, a village rather smaller than the bustling town he could see from the walls of his home.

As they rode closer, Marcus noticed that each of the buildings themselves were built almost like tiny fortresses, with sloped walls and flat roofs almost like battlements. On a few of those, he could even make out a couple men standing guard on the roofs with bows and quivers at the ready. The young prince had read that there were regular skirmishes and raids between the various Lords and Ladies of the Free Marches, so he could guess these precautions had been taken to make sure the village was kept secure.

Sure enough, as the Queen's horse rode up to the boundaries of the village, they were met by a pair of gruff, bearded men in fur cloaks and chainmail, brandishing spears and demanding to know who they were. Marcus had been rather frightened at first, but his mother had instantly taken control of the situation, pronouncing in her commanding voice that she was the sister of Lady Theodora come to visit her with her nephew. The men had seemed a little doubtful, but then the Queen had lifted off her hood and shown her face to them, and almost instantly their attitudes had changed. They'd seemed almost welcoming as they led the young prince and his mother up through the village, which was curiously almost empty apart from the watchful guards on the rooftops. When they'd reached the large building at the top of the hill, one of the men had beckoned them inside, while the other had offered to get their horse stabled. The Queen had agreed readily enough, seeming relieved to get off the animal's back.

Now, he and his Mother waited just inside that hall, sitting together on a long wooden bench next to a cheerily glowing firepit at the center of the room. According to the guard who'd brought them here, Lady Theodora was out scouting her lands today, news that had made the Queen scoff rather loudly when she'd heard. Still wearing only his thin shift and his Mother's cloak draped over his body, Marcus shifted uncertainly on the uncomfortable wooden seat, feeling how uncomfortable it was on his almost bare butt through the layer of filmy silk.

His wide gaze drifted over the inside of the hall, trying to see if there were any clues about the woman he was about to meet for the first time, his aunt Theodora. It all seemed rather sparse for the home of a noble Lady to his eye, the wooden furniture around him sturdy and simple, and just a large seat waiting at the other end of the hall rather than an elaborate throne. There were no artworks or tapestries on the walls, no glass in the open windows, or elegant flower arrangements like in his mother's study.

Instead, the place bristled with weaponry. There were racks along both walls with halberds and pikes, the metal points polished and gleaming, while in the corner he could make out a barrel filled with quivers and arrows. A large round shield was hung above the chair where Marcus guessed Theodora gave court, painted blue with a white crescent moon set in the middle, and two longswords crossed behind it. The young prince swallowed nervously. Obviously even a Lady of the Free Marches needed to fight to defend her castle, but what kind of woman would cover her own hall in weapons like this? He'd figured Aunt Theodora might be similar to his Mother at least, despite the Queen's earlier complaints, but...now he wondered if she wasn't a much scarier person. Would she even want to give them shelter, or would she toss them out? He glanced at his mother, looking for reassurance, but she was looking rather tense herself, her jaw set and her blue eyes narrowed. Was she frightened of her sister too?

At that very moment, the door to the hall swung open, striking the walls with a dull thump. Marcus let out a yelp of shock, turning hurriedly to see what was happening. There was a small group of armed men and women striding into the building, brandishing weapons and laughing and talking with each other. All of them looked rather rough, what armor they wore made up of scavenged pieces, most of them sporting a scar or two on their weathered faces. They seemed more like a gang of bandits than soldiers. The young prince shrank against his mother, pulling the cloak a little tighter around his slender body. Who were these people? Surely his aunt couldn't be among such ruffians?

"That'll teach Lord Tristram's dogs not to test our borders like that! We gave them a right bloody nose, didn't we?" A woman's voice boomed across the hall from just outside, loud enough it made Marcus flinch on his chair. The armed group laughed and cheered, waving their weapons wildly. "Now, I heard I had some rather unexpected visitors while we were away. Let me through already!" The men and women parted hurriedly, most of them giving Marcus and his mother curious looks where they sat. The Queen was suddenly sitting straighter, her beautiful face looking like it was frozen in ice. The thump of heavy boots rang across the hall, as a tall woman in full plate armor strode between the watching guards, a large sword sheathed across her back and her helmet under one arm. She was rather beautiful, her skin pale, her eyes large and blue. Even the thin scar curving down her cheek and a few wrinkles on her forehead and around her eyes didn't make her any less so, in fact the ruggedness only seemed to draw his attention even more. Marcus gasped as he saw her silvery, white hair, cropped rather short just below her ears, the same color as his mother's and his own. This...had to be aunt Theodora then! "Oh, Anna, so it really is you!" She gasped, her gaze flickering to the Queen. "When my guards told me you were here, I could hardly believe it."

"Sister..." Marcus watched anxiously as his mother rose to her feet, her posture perfect. With her now facing his aunt, the young prince could see both the similarities and differences between them even clearer. Their faces were almost mirrors of each other apart from the scar, but then everything from the Queen's stiff poise to the way Theodora's shoulders were slumped almost lazily would have made it easy to tell them apart even without their clothing. The sudden thought of them both naked like that made Marcus' cheeks burn. They were two very beautiful women... "I...was hoping you would welcome me to your hall now, as you once promised you would." His mother continued softly, something strained in her voice. "I need your help...I would not have come otherwise."

"I see." Aunt Theodora nodded hurriedly, her blue eyes flickering over her sister with concern. "You lot, stop gawping and head to the barracks!" She shouted at her soldiers. "Get some booze, a lively lass or lad to fuck and enjoy yourselves, you've earned it!" There were more loud cheers from the rough group, who turned and stomped away out the door, leaving Marcus, his mother and his aunt alone in the large hall. There was silence for a moment, the two sisters gazing at each other like they couldn't figure out what to say. "Now...what exactly is..." Theodora began, only to pause as her blue eyes found the young prince still seated on the bench. Her mouth dropped open, and a sharp gasp escaped her full lips. The young prince stared back at her uncertainly, his cheeks still glowing hot as this beautiful woman, his aunt, stared at him with something like wonder. "Anna, is that your son?" Theodora asked breathlessly, her gaze never leaving Marcus' face.

"He is." The Queen murmured. She shifted a bit closer to Marcus, almost like she was meaning to shield him from her sister. "This is Marcus, my boy." Realizing how rude he was being, the young prince scrambled to his feet, hurriedly pulling the cloak around his body so she didn't see how little he was wearing underneath.

"Good afternoon, ma'am." He bowed quickly, wanting to be polite to the lady of this hall. "It's nice to meet you..." When he straightened back, his aunt was still staring at him, her eyes wide. She paused a moment more, then a warm smile bloomed across her gorgeous face.

"Well, aren't you a sweet thing? Welcome, young Marcus. I can't believe this is the first time we've met." She said lightly, stepping up to him. "I always wanted to come visit and see my nephew, but sadly...never quite managed, did I?" Her gaze flickered to the Queen for a moment, before moving back to him.

"Oh, I would have liked to meet you too, ma'am." Marcus replied, not sure what was going on. Was there some reason aunt Theodora had never visited him?

"Call me Theodora or auntie, none of this ma'am crap. Makes me feel about twenty years older when I hear that." The young prince nodded shyly, hoping he'd manage that without stammering too much. It felt rather a lot to call a woman by her name when he hardly knew her, but...she was his aunt. "Wow, you have got to be one of the prettiest lads I've ever seen in my life." Theodora cooed, her gaze moving over the young prince's face. Beside him, the Queen was stiff, her eyes narrowed and cold. "You must be ever so popular with the ladies, and the men too. One look at you, and I reckon most of my retainers wanted a little fun under the sheets. I can arrange a nice room in my barracks for you to explore that if you want. Anything for family."

"Marcus does not engage in such filthy acts!" The Queen snapped.

"He doesn't? That's what parents always believe." Theodora winked at Marcus, her grin playful. "Why our mother had no idea what I was getting up to half the time. I'd had most of her guards between my legs by the time I turned twenty, often several at a time. That's what you're into as well, isn't it? I can always tell." She smirked at him, baring teeth. Marcus felt his head spin, staring up at this beautiful woman in shock. No-one...had ever talked to him like this before! And she was his aunt!

"Sister!" The young prince flinched at his mother's shrill yell, her voice echoing off the walls of the hall. He'd never heard her sound so unsettled. Even when she was furious with him, she always kept her composure, now she was trembling under her dress, her pale cheeks flushed scarlet. "Leave him alone! I did not come here so you could corrupt my son!" She snapped.

"Alright, alright..." Theodora sighed, raising her hands in front of her. "Calm down, Anna, I was just teasing. By how red the boy's blushing, I'd say he hasn't even had his cherry popped yet." She laughed loudly, as Marcus squirmed with embarrassment. He could feel he was blushing a lot by now, his cheeks burning red-hot, but how did...she know he was a virgin just by looking at him?

"I should think he hasn't." His mother sniffed, something like relief trembling in her voice. "Marcus is a good boy."

"Fine, so there's no fun allowed then, how very like you, Anna. You haven't changed at all." Theodora leaned back up, turning towards the Queen, her smile growing rather thinner. "So why are you here so suddenly then? I seem to remember you telling me in no uncertain terms that you'd never come back." Her voice grew a little cooler, and the young prince shivered despite the glow of the fire on his back.

"It's...a long story, Sister." The Queen murmured, her gaze falling to the floor at her feet. "I...didn't want to bother you, or stir up unpleasant memories for either of us, but I'm afraid I had ****. For...Marcus' sake more than my own, this...was the only place I could go." Theodora paused a moment then sighed, slumping under her armor.

"Come then, Anna, and you too, Marcus." Her gaze flickered back to the young prince and she flashed him another rather dazzling smile. "We'll go through to my chambers where it's more comfortable. I'll have someone send for drinks and food, and you can tell me all about what's happened."