Hi Friends!
I'm glad that you are all still hooked on the story! Thanks for reviewing, following, and favoriting. I have decided (with some good advice from a friend) that since my other story has ended that I am going to dedicate all my time to this one. I won't be starting a new story until this is concluded. Honestly, it makes the most sense when you think about it. I was having a hard time writing two stories with my new responsibilities and you deserve consistent updates.
Please forgive my mistakes :)
Enjoy!
It tore Derek to pieces knowing that he couldn't play a part in the rescue of his lover. And while he had faith in his friends to complete the mission, he would have felt better if he could have participated. He hated sitting around, waiting for word as to whether or not the plan had been successful. So, instead of worrying the night away he decided to go and visit his mother for a long overdue conversation.
The prince flung the door to his bedchambers open and walked out abruptly, startling his guard dog Foyet. Without giving the man a second glance he walked through the receiving room and out the doors into the hall.
The knight cursed the impudent young man as he scuttled along behind him in order to catch up, "Your Highness, where are we going this fine evening?"
The prince spun around on his heel and said, "I'm going to pay a visit to my dear mother. Not that it's any business of yours."
Foyet bowed low and smirked, "I was just making conversation, Your Grace."
"Let us remember that your job is to follow me around, I have no interest in engaging in small talk with you," Derek sneered as he continued on his way.
A glint of annoyance flashed in George's eye as he took up his position behind the young twerp. He knew the boy was up to something, especially after the long gathering he had hosted in his rooms last night with his ragtag group of friends. The knight was convinced that the foolish prince was going to try to rescue his beloved, but he wasn't sure how. What he needed was some time alone to go and spy on the others who seemed to be involved.
The two men remained silent throughout the rest of their journey to the queen's wing of the castle. When they arrived at the daunting doors Derek stopped and turned to his nemesis, "You are not to come in here. Like last night you can wait out here for me, or you could go do something more useful than babysitting me."
"As you wish, Your Highness," George said with a sardonic smile, knowing that this was just the break he needed to go and do some snooping.
Derek, shoving all thoughts of the devious knight out of his mind, stepped through the doors and ran into one of her ladies-in-waiting, Haley Brooks.
"Oh! Your Highness, Her Majesty was not expecting you!" she said bowing down low, surprised at his sudden appearance.
"Ah, I know Lady Haley. I decided to surprise her," he said. "Is she already in bed?"
Straightening up, Haley answered, "No, not yet. She is in her bedchamber sewing your wedding shirt."
Derek grimaced at the reminder of his arranged marriage, "I see. Well, I'm going to go on in, there is no need for you to announce me."
"Of course, Your Highness. Would you like me to bring in some wine and sweet cakes to snack on?" she asked.
"No, we'll be fine. Thank you though," he said as he walked toward his mother's bedroom doors.
"You are quite welcome, Your Grace," she said to his back as he shut the door behind him.
The first thing Derek noticed when he entered the room was the smell of roses and lavender that permeated the air. It was a welcome scent, one that always invoked warm memories and a feeling of safety. The room was cast in a warm orange light coming from the large fire burning brightly in its rightful place. His mother, dressed in her nightclothes, was sitting in her cushioned chair sewing an intricate pattern into a white silk shirt.
"Mamma?" Derek called as he walked closer to the focused woman.
Diana lifted her head from her work and gave her son one of her trademark smiles, "Derek, sweetie, it took you long enough to come and see me. I thought you would have come to me last night after that farce of an engagement party."
Derek shuddered at the thought of last night's gala, "I was going to mamma, but something else came up that I had to attend too."
"Well, come over here and sit down. I can see that there is much we have to talk about," Diana said, setting aside her sewing.
The prince grabbed a pillow off the nearest chair and set in on the floor at his mother's feet. He then sat down on it and laid his head in her lap. The queen then started to gently caress his soft skin in a soothing manner, "So tell me what your wretched father has cooked up now?"
"He signed a precontract with Lord Greenaway, binding the Lady Greenaway and myself in marriage. I told him I didn't want it, but he is giving me no choice," Derek began, knowing that his mother knew some of this basic information due to her participation in the ceremony last night.
"Well, I knew that. But what brought all this on so quickly?"
The prince could feel moisture rushing to his eyes as he confessed, "Father found out about Spencer and me."
"Oh darling, I told you that you had a rough road ahead of you if you were set on pursuing that lovely boy," she said sadly.
"I know…I just didn't expect dad to be so cruel and twisted. Mamma, he had his men kill Lord Gideon and then framed Spencer for his murder. He banished Spencer down to the dungeons and wants to have him drawn and quartered on Friday, "Derek let out in anguish, his hand absentmindedly moving to the hidden armband underneath his right shirt sleeve. Lately, the prince had made a habit of fiddling with the accessory whenever his mind wandered to his ill-fated lover.
"Oh my dear son…," Diana murmured, her fingers freezing on Derek's cheek.
Hearing her unconcealed sympathy, Derek plunged on with his story, "But I'm not going to let him win. I may have to marry that conniving shrew but I'm not going to allow Spencer to die. I've already worked out a plan and it should be underway as we speak."
"Tell me about the plan," Diana entreated softly.
"I enlisted the help of Sir Hotchner and two of my friends. All of them know about my relationship with Spencer and were more than happy to help. Sir Hotchner and Lady Penelope are going to go down to the dungeons and release Spencer from his cell, and Lady Jennifer is going to take him to someone named Rossi's house to hide out," Derek explained.
Again the queen stiffened, "Sir David Rossi?"
"Uh…I don't know. Spencer, he said that Lord Gideon's dying words were for him to go to Rossi and that the man would help him. Why? Do you know someone by that name?" Derek asked.
"I do…but I haven't seen him for a long time," she said, shifting her position in her chair.
The prince lifted his head off of her lap and examined her face, "Do you think it could be the same guy? And if it is, do you think he'll help Spencer? Is he a good man?"
"You said that Lord Gideon told Spencer to go and see him?" she inquired, seeking clarification.
"Yeah…why?"
The queen took in a deep breath of air and said, "Oh Derek…there is something that you need to know."
"There's something that I need to tell you…"
The slave looked at the man that was kneeling before him in front of the fire. Rossi's grizzled appearance seemed to have soften with those words. The older man grabbed the boy's hands and clasped them tightly.
"W-what is it?" the boy asked nervously, pulling one hand away to wipe the residual tears from his eyes. Nothing good ever came after the uttering of those words.
The former knight released his grip on the young man and stood up. How was he going to even begin to tell this young man about his heritage?
He started pacing in front of the dimming embers, wringing his hands in anticipation, "Spencer, did Lord Gideon tell you anything about me or the conversation we shared a few days ago?"
Spencer, eyes locked on his lap, stuttered out, "N-no. He d-doesn't…didn't really share his business with me."
Rossi nodded and asked, "Well boy, what I'm about to tell you is going to change your life. For good or bad, I guess that's up to you. But this cannot remain hidden any longer, for your sake and this country's."
The slave, confused as to how something pertaining to him could greatly impact anyone, waited with curiosity to hear what this virtual stranger had to say.
The older man halted his walking and fixed the boy with a commanding gaze. He took in the trembling mass that was huddled in his chair. The boy's hair was just as scraggly as his clothes. His face was pasty pale and there were open sores broken and bleeding around his scrawny wrists. The young man didn't even have the confidence to meet the man's gaze as evident by the way he kept picking at his fingernails and biting his lip.
For a brief second, Rossi entertained the idea of keeping the secret hidden. Could this young man rise to the occasion once he found out who his parents were? Or had he been so beaten down and degraded over the years that he would turn out to be a pushover? No…Gideon had been adamant when they talked the other day that this boy had a fire burning in his soul. The other man vowed that there was more to this book than just its cover. He had to have faith in his departed friend's judgment.
The man cleared his throat and started off with a question, "Did you know that I used to work for the king?"
The boy only shook his head back and forth in response.
"Well, I used to be one of the king's most decorated and trusted knights. But a little over eighteen years ago I walked away from it all. Do you know what significant event occurred eighteen years ago in this kingdom?" Rossi asked trying to push the slave into making a connection.
The boy squinted his downcast eyes and mumbled, "The prince was born?"
"Exactly! I was there the night the prince came into this world. I could hear the queen shrieking down the hallway in agony as the birth occurred and I watch the king pace the floor anxious to find out the sex of his future child. It was an amazing moment when the young squire Hotchner ran into the room and announced that the queen had produced a beautiful baby boy. Immediately upon hearing that the king flew out of the room and went to greet his progeny. Those of us he left behind started celebrating the good news with cigars and brandy. The kingdom finally had an heir and we could all breathe a little easier," Rossi recounted with a glazed look in his eyes. The older man was now lost in his memory and was reliving the night down to the smallest detail.
Spencer listened earnestly, he had never heard the story behind his lover's birth and it was fascinating to hear it from someone who had been there.
"Alas, the celebration did not last long. It couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes later that the king came storming back from the queen's birthing room. He refused to speak to any of us, but gestured for me to follow him into his privy chamber. It was through those doors that the course of my life would change forever."
Hearing the emotion behind the last sentence, Spencer finally looked up and met the former knight's stare. What could have possibly happened in that room to make Rossi walk away from such a promising life?
Satisfied that he had the boy's full attention Rossi plunged on with the rest of his story, "Before the king could even say a word to me, a woman brought a basked into the room via one of the many hidden passages. I got a sinking feeling in my gut the moment I saw that basket, but I waited for the king to enlighten me as to what was inside the container." A shudder ran through his worn shoulders as he prepared himself to reveal something that he had only told one other person in the world, Gideon. "The king…he asked me to dispose of prince."
A gasp of surprise escaped Spencer's mouth. Just when he thought the king couldn't get any worse, he finds out that the man wanted to kill his own son. Daring to interrupt the other man, Spencer asked, "He asked you to kill the newly born prince?"
The flash of anger in Rossi's eyes gave him his answer, "You must not have done it since the prince is alive and well. Did the king banish you from his service for refusing to do his bidding?"
Instead of directly answering the question, the elder continued his story, "I was incredibly shocked by the king's orders, so I begged him to give the boy time to grow into his body. The pig-headed man refused to listen to reason and plowed on with his earlier directive. He told me point blank to kill the boy."
Caught up in the story, the boy didn't hesitate to interrupt to gain clarification, "I don't understand. If you were ordered to kill the prince than how is Prince Derek still here?"
Putting it bluntly, Rossi simply said, "Prince Derek is not if royal blood. He is a replacement."
Spencer's eyes widened to an almost comical size, "What?"
"In the king's own words he told me to 'dispose of it.' He said that if I moved fast than I could exchange the babe for another more worthy of the crown."
"Oh my goodness! So you're telling me that you killed the real prince and Der…uh Prince Derek is not the true born prince but a replacement?" Spencer probed.
"Not exactly…you are right in saying that the prince is a replacement, but I never said that I actually killed the real prince. You see Spencer, I just couldn't go through with something so ghastly and vile as killing a newborn babe, be it a prince or a pauper. What the king asked me to do went against all my morals, and I told him that. My conscience didn't matter to him and he ordered me once more to do my duty. So I took the boy in the basket and set about my job, knowing that this would be the last act I would ever perform for King William," Rossi paused after that revelation. He was getting to the most important part of the tale now, the part that was going to alter this young man's life forever.
Thinking that the king's old confidant had completed his story, Spencer queried, "Lord Rossi, this story has been fascinating and you have revealed to me something that I would have never imagined, but I fail to see what this has to do with me, personally."
"That's because I'm not done, my boy." The man chose to resume his kneeling position in front of the boy's chair. He renewed his connection with the blood born prince by grabbing his hands and squeezing them tight. His intense brown eyes caught and held the sweet innocent orbs staring back at him, "Like I said before I couldn't do it. I couldn't kill an innocent baby. Instead, I took the basket down into the bowels of the castle to the slave quarters. There I found a woman named Jordan and asked her to take charge of the baby boy. She agreed, and I left the infant there with her, doomed to a life of slavery. Spencer…," he said, tightening his grip, "that baby was you. You, my boy, are the rightful prince of Quantico."
The prince's jaw dropped in disbelief.
Sir Breitkopf was running at full tilt back to the king's chambers. He had just been down to the dungeons with every intention of enjoying a piece of that slave's plump ass when he discovered the guard knocked out and the cooling body of his best friend. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together when he looked in the urchin's former cell and found it empty. Someone had freed the kid! Knowing that this was something that king needed to be informed of immediately, the knight took off after interrogating the dimwitted guard.
Frank burst into the king's receiving chambers without waiting to be announced. A group of shocked courtiers turned to see what the commotion was about and were greeting with the heaving knight's form.
"Where is King William?" he asked the snobbish crowd.
One of the lords spoke up and pointed to the other set of doors, "He's in his privy chambers."
Without a word of thanks the knight stomped over the daunting doorway and pounded his fist against it. A meek young groomsman opened the doors a crack and peered out. Frank took advantage of the boy's weak stature and pushed his way through.
"Sir! You can't come in here! The king is getting ready for bed," the boy called out fearfully.
Ignoring the youth, the knight approached the king's changing room and opened the door, "Your Majesty, I have urgent news!"
William, who was in the middle of allowing his steward to pull his dressing gown over his head, shouted, "What is the meaning of this? It had better be good Sir Breitkopf or else you're going to be cleaning out the horses stalls for the next week!"
"I assure you, Your Highness, that this cannot wait," Breitkopf explained stone-faced.
The king, recognizing the knight's serious manner, quickly dismissed the help and closed the doors tightly, "What is it?"
"Your Grace, I went down to the dungeons to have some fun with our special guest and found Sir Foyet dead on the floor and the boy missing!" the knight gushed out with fervor.
An air of wrath emanated from the king's expression, "Tell me you are joking."
"I'm sorry, sire, but the slave is gone. I interviewed that dullard of a guard and it turns out that some young woman came down to the dungeon and knocked him out under the ruse of being a serving wench. He has no idea what happened after he blacked out," Breitkopf explained.
"My son must be behind this, that insolent brat! After all that I've done for that boy…he blatantly goes against my rulings and make me look like a fool. I'll show that stubborn child once and for all who is the ultimate boss around here. Sir Breitkopf go find my son and sequester him into his chambers. Tell him that I will be there shortly. I've got something I need to do real quick," the king said with a vengeful glint in his eyes.
"Derek…I need to tell you the real story behind your birth," Diana said cupping the boy's cheek endearingly in her hand.
The prince's brow scrunched up in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"Son…you are not who you think you are," she confessed.
"Mamma, you're scaring me. I don't understand," he admitted.
"Derek, my boy, you are not the real prince of Quantico. Your father switched you with his real son because he thought the actual prince was an embarrassment to his name," Diana said sadly, her eyes acting as windows to her memories.
"No…that can't be true. Mamma, are you feeling well? Is this…is this one of your fabricated illusions? Father wouldn't get rid of his flesh and blood…would he?" Derek said as he really thought hard about his cold-hearted father.
"I assure you Derek that I am of sound mind right now, and this is a secret that has always weighed heavy on my soul. Honey, I love you to the depths of my heart, but you are not my blood born son," she professed in heartbreaking passion.
"Mom? If I'm not your true son, than do you know who is?"
Tears glistened in her eyes as she spoke the truth, "Your one true love, Spencer."
Even though the two young lovers were separated by miles of road and layers of stone, they both asked the same question simultaneously.
Derek asked his mother, "Spencer?"
The true born prince inquired of the old knight, "Me?"
So now they both know...I wonder how their going to react and what that bastard William has up his sleeve.
