She makes him clean up and help her with some work

Marcus let out a little shocked gasp when Lyra paused in front of the double doors he knew led to his parents' master bedroom. He'd taken this route enough times when he was younger, running to cuddle his Mother whenever he had a scary dream. Just remembering how tenderly she'd held him against her, stroking his back and telling him everything was going to be okay brought fresh, stinging tears to his eyes. His Father too, even though the King had been a little exasperated with him running into their bed at night, he'd always take the time to gently explain that whatever was scaring the young prince so much wasn't really a danger at all. Marcus wished this awful woman would at least let him see his parents again again, but he was way too scared to ask!

"This was your Father's study, right?" Lyra pushed the door open with her shoulder and strode inside, her bad leg dragging behind her. "Come with me, boy." Too afraid not to, the young prince scurried after her, still awkwardly trying to cover up his bare body. At least there didn't seem to be anyone else in here, but the thought of being naked and alone with this scary woman still worried him. Where was Jack right now? He wished his handsome older lover was here to protect him from her. "As you can see, my people have already been through here, stripping out the tacky baubles so we can put them to better use." Lyra drawled. Marcus glanced over bare stone walls where artwork and tapestries had once hung and dusty floors near the fireplace where there should have been a nicely-carved table and chairs. Her ruffians had left nothing untouched. Even his Father's desk against the wall had been ransacked, the cupboards hanging open and pieces of parchment scattered across the floor around. "There's something I need to check on in here, and I figured I could put you to work cleaning the place up at the same time."

"What?" Marcus gasped, his anxious gaze snapping to her. The awful woman just gave a thin, satisfied smile back, like she enjoyed his utter shock.

"You've lived all your life waited on by others." She sneered. "I'd bet good money you've never once made your bed or scrubbed a floor. You had an army of maids to do everything for you instead. I've spoken to some of them, heard how they worked themselves to the bone keeping this massive castle clean. Peasant women exploited by your family, too poor and **** to demand better treatment from their so-called King." Marcus shuddered at the venom in her words. That didn't sound right at all, but he didn't dare say that. Sure, he'd never spoken that much to the maids, but they'd always seemed happy enough to be working in the Castle. "Figure I might as well give you a taste of what that's like." Lyra snapped. "I'll even pay you the same wage your maids got, one crown for an hour's work and only if it satisfies me you've put some real effort in." Marcus felt his heart sink. That was so little...he'd barely make a dent in his awful debt for this. "Which reminds me, I'll have those coins Juliet gave you." She held out her hand expectantly. "Can't have you squirreling away some money to sneak out of here with, can I?" Her good eye narrowed as she glared at him, like she was suspecting he'd been planning to do just that.

The young prince stepped miserably forward, holding out the two little coins he'd earned pleasuring Juliet. At least she'd paid something. He'd almost rather be dropped in her bed again than have to spend the rest of the day cleaning this dirty room naked for basically no money off his debt at all. He gingerly placed the coins in Lyra's hand, and she slipped them into the pouch at her belt. How much was that now? It hardly mattered. Even after Jack's wonderful, generous gift, paying off fifteen-thousand crowns was still going to take him months at this rate.

"Now get to work, boy!" She snapped, waving a hand at the mess all around her.

"I...don't have anything to clean with." The young prince stammered. Even the maids got brooms and brushes, right?

"You've got hands, right?" Lyra scoffed at him. "Someone will come round later with everything else. Now get to it before you make me really mad, you spoiled shit." Tossing her hair, she turned and strode to the King's desk, sitting herself down in the chair there. With a little yelp of shock, Marcus hurried over to where a pile of books had been tossed in the corner like so much trash. He could start here, he figured. At least he had to look like he was doing something so she didn't decide to hurt him.

Bending over, he started hurriedly slipping the books back into their proper places on the shelves. They all belonged to his grandparents, he knew, handwritten works on stewardship and proper courtly manner. He'd never seen his Father actually looking at any of them, but seeing them just been tossed on the floor like they were worthless still stung. Lyra should read some of these herself, maybe then she'd understand why Kings were necessary and peasants shouldn't overthrow them!

As the young prince worked, he kept finding himself giving the scary woman anxious little glances. He'd got the sense just now she actually did find him attractive, and that made him very nervous indeed. With him naked and helpless and his parents' bed just past the next door, he was afraid she'd suddenly drag him through there and **** him. Instead, she was bent over his Father's desk, looking through papers there with a thin frown. Every now and then she'd shake her head slightly, before setting a page aside. What was she looking for there?

"Boy." She snapped suddenly, turning her head toward him. Marcus froze, his hand still holding one of the dusty old books. "You can read, right?"

"Yes." The young prince nodded. Of course he could!

"Good, thought so, that'll make this easier." She replied. "Come here, there's something I want you to check for me."