Marcus attracts attention and his mother isn't happy about it

After that...very embarrassing start to the day, Marcus followed his mother meekly through the corridors of her childhood home, his cheeks still faintly flushed with lingering shame. The offending sheets had been discreetly slipped into a neat pile of other washing, where the young prince hoped none of his aunt's servants would even notice the stain. After that, the queen had acted like nothing had ever happened at all, just urging him to put on the long socks and soft slipped she gave him. Marcus was...grateful for that, even if he'd noticed her giving the pile of laundry a few lingering glances, probably still confused about what had happened.

Now, the two of them were off to find his aunt and have breakfast, supposedly. Marcus padded after his mother, glancing with wide eyes over the wooden walls of this strange castle. While his family home had been a fortress at least in part, it had also been built as a luxurious place to live and a powerful statement of the royal family's waning authority as well. Marwell Castle, by contrast, had little in the way of refinement as far as he could see. The walls were rough and sturdy wood, studded here and there with arrow slits and narrow windows an archer could shoot through without risking return fire even up here amongst the bedrooms. The staircase he followed his mother down was spiraled and narrow enough for only one man to fit, and a good proportion of the rooms they wandered past seemed filled with various weapons and barrels of supplies in easy reach.

Even for a prince who had no experience with war or fighting, and was terrified of the very idea, it was clear this place had been built to resist an enemy **** or raid. The thought made him swallow nervously, wondering exactly how often that happened out here in the Free Marches. He glanced back at his mother, once again struck by how out of place she seemed in the place she'd supposedly grown up in, like a golden broach made of the most refined and delicate metal plastered onto a sturdy suit of steel armour. Not that...he thought she was weak or anything, quite the opposite. When she got angry at him she could seem like the scariest woman in the world! It was just very hard to imagine her swinging an axe, fighting off invaders or leading a troop of soldiers into the fray. Her sister Theodora meanwhile was clearly an experienced warrior, no matter how nice she'd been to them so far.

As if in answer to that thought about his aunt, Marcus suddenly heard her cheery, booming voice echoing down the corridor from somewhere up ahead. Shouting something he couldn't quite make out, her voice echoing down the hall. He bit his lip, hoping having to host the two of them wasn't making her angry or anything.

"Ah, I see my sister is being her usual noisy self." The queen sighed. "Come, Marcus, we'd better go see her. I need to talk to her about how we're going to keep you safe and in a manner properly befitting a young prince while you're here." The young prince in question nodded, quickly scampering after her as she strode down the corridor, her long dress swishing over her curvy body with each distracting sway of her wide hips. At the end of the passage, a set of double doors opened up into the large hallway they'd been waiting in yesterday. Hearing voices chattering away inside, Marcus hesitated on the threshold, biting his lip nervously. He'd never been very good around crowds of people he didn't know, and with his mother right here to watch and judge his every move he was already nervous enough as it was.

"Ah sister, there you are!" Theodora crowed. Peeking around his mother's side, the young prince saw his aunt seated at one of the long tables in front of her throne, waving her hand at them. Sitting around her were a group of men and women, smiling and laughing along with her, dressed in a motley collection of rough woolen tunics or fur. They looked more like peasants or servants then courtiers. Definitely not the sort of people anyone in his family usually associated with, but they were all sitting together there with his aunt like friends.

"Good morning, Theodora." The queen nodded her head stiffly. Marcus stepped out from behind his mother, smiling nervously at his aunt. She'd been very nice yesterday, he hoped she was still going to be!

"Good morning, auntie." He said, half lowering himself into a bow before remembering she'd told him not to act that way. Hurriedly straightening, he gave her an awkward little wave instead. With all the others around his aunt now staring at him and his mother, he decided he'd better be polite and greet them as well. "And...um good morning, everyone!" He stammered.

"Oh, there's my cute nephew too! Hey Marcus!" Theodora flashed him a rather dazzling smile, seeming very pleased to see him. "I was just telling everyone about you!"

"You were?" Marcus stammered. His cheeks flushed as he wondered just what she'd said to these strangers. Yesterday he'd come in from the cold dressed in almost nothing, having fled the castle he was supposed to inherit at the first sign of danger, and meekly looking to his mother for guidance. It wasn't hard to imagine a boisterous, courageous woman like his aunt loudly bemoaning his cowardice and total lack of manliness.

"Of course!" Theodora beamed, not looking at all like someone who'd just been putting him down. "I wanted everyone to know you're going to be staying here with us for a bit, make sure they all give you a fine welcome to the Free Marches. Best be careful though, some of this randy lot really can't be trusted around a boy as cute as you!" She laughed loudly, slapping the table. That had been...a joke, right? Marcus smiled nervously, his wide eyes flickering over the group of laughing strangers around her. None of them...were actually dangerous, were they? No matter how rough they looked...

"You're right, Thea, he is very cute, especially dressed like that." One of the women sitting at the table grinned as she caught his eye. Lifting her hand to her lips, she kissed her palm and then blew it towards him, making the young prince gasp and glance quickly away, cheeks blazing. He suddenly felt very aware of how the shorts his mother had insisted he wear left a sliver of his bare legs exposed before his socks, and how tight they were across his butt as well. That woman certainly seemed to appreciate the view, since she still hadn't stopped staring!

And it wasn't just her, plenty of the others around his aunt were gawping just as openly! He didn't even understand why! His mother was right there, and she was the most beautiful woman in the kingdom! Surely they should be looking at her instead? Marcus felt his blush grow even hotter, feeling a bit dizzy under all the scrutiny. The queen meanwhile, had a thunderous scowl on her face as she glared ferociously across at the woman who'd blown him a kiss, though after a moment she seemed to **** herself to look a little less furious, adopting a cool look of faint disapproval instead.

"Come sit down with us, and Ana, you too! I've got some lovely warm porridge here, a local specialty!" Theodora patted the empty space on the long bench beside her. She hadn't seemed to notice her sister's displeasure yet...thankfully.

"Porridge...how delightful." The queen's lips curled into a slightly strained smile. She hesitated for a moment, then tossed her head and strode towards the table anyway. Smoothing down her dress, she stepped over the bench and sat in the space just beside Theodora. "Marcus here, next to me." She instructed sternly, gesturing to the small space she'd left between her and her sister. The young prince darted forward, still feeling several stares still following his every move. At least they were all smiling, and looked friendly enough, but he could do without all the scrutiny.

"That's it, just between me and your mum." Theodora patted the bare wood. There wasn't much room for him, really, but Marcus managed to scramble over the bench and sit down there, squeezed tight between the thighs and rears of the two older women. With both of them quite a bit taller too, his head had ended up just between their breasts as well. Whichever side he glanced to, he could see the ample curves of their chests, and neither his mother nor his aunt could be described as lacking in that area. In fact, if they both leaned into him now, he was pretty sure he'd end up swallowed up in their huge boobs. He blushed and squirmed at that lewd thought, trying desperately to ignore the throbbing stiffness between his legs. "Here, spoon out some porridge for my sweet nephew and sister." Theodora barked, slapping the table hard again. She seemed to do that a lot.

"Coming right up!" A bearded young man just across from her replied, already diving across the table to grab a bowl. There was a steaming pot in the centre of the group, and he spooned out a good portion of the hot porridge inside. "Here you go, lad." The man placed the bowl down in front of Marcus, a wide smile on his face.

"Oh...thank you." The young prince smiled back, his stomach rumbling at the rich smell of the oat porridge. The man paused, his eyes wide and appreciative as he gazed across the table at Marcus, as if taking in some sort of pretty painting.

"Would you like some water as well, pretty boy?" The woman beside him shoved him aside, leaning right over to Marcus with a clay jug in her hand. Her low-cut dress slipped right down her chest, and the young prince gasped as her boobs practically fell out, showing her nipples and everything! She didn't even seem to mind, making no move to fix it as she poured the jug into his cup. The young prince tried to be polite and look anywhere else, but with her bare chest right in front of him it was hard! Deciding he could hide behind a drink, he reached for the cup, only to freeze stiff as the woman's free hand darted out and took him by the wrist. She leaned right over, almost laying across the table now. "My name's Aislinn, by the way." The woman murmured, her fingers just stroking his wrist. Marcus shivered in her grip, his cheeks so hot he felt dizzy. "Just so you know what to moan when we're in bed together soon, sweetheart."

There was a wet splash, the woman jerking backward suddenly as water splashed across her face. She gasped, her hair and dress soaked. Marcus turned his head and saw his mother standing there, the jug of water in her white-knuckled grip where she'd just thrown the contents in Aislinn's face.

"Don't you dare touch him, harlot!" The queen sneered, the look of dark fury on her face enough to set the young prince's heart pounding in fright. Aislinn straightened back up, scowling through the water dripping down her face, and she wasn't the only one either. Several of the other didn't look at all happy at what the queen had done. Marcus shivered, his stomach clenching in guilt as he realized he'd somehow caused a big problem.

"My sister's right, enough of that!" Theodora chuckled loudly, her booming voice easily shattering the tense atmosphere. "He's my nephew, not a scrap of meat for you dogs to gobble up!" There was a ripple of nervous laughter passing across the table at that. "In fact, breakfast's over! I can't trust any of you, why don't you all go off and find something useful to do!" Theodora continued, folding her arms across her chest. "Give Marcus some space, he's had a rough time of it and I don't want him scared off!" She gave Aislinn a pointed look at that, and the soaked woman sighed and tossed her wet hair.

There were some sighs and murmurs, but the group of rough-looking strangers all clambered to their feet and started wandering off. In small groups or alone, they filtered out into the castle's passageways, heading off to whatever tasks would occupy their days, the young prince supposed. Not in the way servants would jump at his mother's every word, but his aunt was obeyed by her people all the same.

When the last of them disappeared, that left just Marcus, his mother and his aunt seated at the long table, his bowl and cup of water still waiting in front of him. The young prince bit his lip, staring into the steaming porridge. Suddenly he wasn't very hungry after all.

"Ana..." Theodora began, a note of warning in her voice.

"I don't want to hear it." The queen snapped. She sat back down in her chair with a harsh scoff, scowling at the empty bowl in front of her. Still scowling, she reached across the table and spooned out some porridge, before delicately lifting a small mouthful to her lips and swallowing it. Theodora sighed to herself, then went back to her own meal, shovelling the porridge up and gulping it down. Caught between them now, Marcus just sat there as his aunt and mother ate, the awkward atmosphere overpowering any desire he had to say much of anything. He didn't touch his own porridge, just staring silently at the table in front of him.

After a few minutes, the two women seemed to be finished, the queen gently laying her spoon across her bowl and sliding it away, while Theodora just let hers drop and then rose from the table. She turned to Marcus, who glanced back over his shoulder, staring nervously up at his tall, imposing aunt. Was she going to scold him for what had happened?

"Uh...sorry about that lot." Theodora rubbed her forehead, giving a slightly guilty smile. "They can be a bit much sometimes, but I promise, they're good folks really." The queen tensed up at that against his other side, but at least she didn't say anything. "None of them are going to hurt you, or anything like that, so don't be nervous, okay? You'll warm up to them soon, I promise."

"Yes, auntie." Marcus nodded. He wasn't sure about that himself, but Theodora's rough voice and manner was reassuring all the same. At least he could trust her and if she vouched for those people maybe they weren't so bad after all. He...just hoped they didn't talk about inviting him into bed anymore! That was too much!

"Anyway, now you're visiting us for the first time, I reckon there was something we should do together." His aunt continued, excitement slipping into her voice as she spoke. "And you too, Ana. The three of us. A little welcome to the Free Marches!"