Taken by Darkness

Within a week, during which Sir Christopher continued assuring him Lady Trista was still away tending to her ill relative, Ashley felt himself growing closer and closer to the Prince. He looked forward to when the young man would come to braid his hair before escorting him down to breakfast since he was still learning his way around the palace. In fact, he’d even begun postponing getting dressed until Andy knocked on the guest chamber door since he enjoyed having his help to dress.

On his seventh morning of waking in the palace guest chamber, something told him not to wait for Andy to arrive to help him dress. He was glad he listened to that instinct when he opened the door to find the lady-in-waiting who’d originally led him to this very bedchamber. Doubting she’d know the Prince’s whereabouts, he bit his tongue, but still worried about him.

“Good morn, Lady Ashley,” the Queen said, a bright smile on her face. “Good morn, Mistress Briana.”

“Good morn, Your Majesty,” the lady-in-waiting responded. “I shall take my leave, if you require naught else from me.”

She gave a slight wave of her hand, giving the young woman permission to leave.

“Good morn, Lady Amy,” Ashley finally said when they were alone. He covered his mouth to stifle a yawn since he still wasn’t fully awake.

“I trust your sleep was restful?” Lady Amy asked, a frown marring her face as she noted his yawn.

“Oh, yea, ’twas,” he answered. “I am still at that point of waking up where I could go back to sleep.”

“Ah, I see. I feel the same way before my first cup of tea in the morn,” the Queen told him, now smiling again.

“Yea, I could use a cup of tea,” the adolescent agreed. “But where is Sir Andy, if you do not mind my asking?”

“His father had something he wished to discuss with him,” she answered. “Those men and their secrets!”

Ashley wasn’t sure if that meant she knew the topic of discussion, or was just as clueless as he.

“Anyway, they are taking breakfast in my husband’s study, but I am sure you shall see my son later this morn.”

Unsure of what to say, he merely nodded as he picked at his food.

“Lady Ashley, are you feeling well?” the Queen asked.

“Oh, yea…I am quite well,” he answered.

“You seem a bit…well, distracted,” Lady Amy said.

The adolescent blushed, not wanting to admit that he was missing the Prince, nor that, despite being male, he was suffering from what Lady Trista called the monthlies. Seeing that he was apparently feeling too shy to tell her, she merely shrugged and turned her attention back to her food. Although he was sure she’d have understood his plights, especially the latter, no one but his adopted mother knew he suffered from the monthlies. It was embarrassing for others to know, especially since said adoptive mother told him that he wasn’t normal, that only girls and women were supposed to suffer from such things, and he felt like a freak.

Pushing his plate away when he felt he’d make himself ill if he ate anymore, Ashley begged to be excused from the table. Since it was obvious he was no longer hungry at the least, the Queen nodded, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. It was as he managed to give her a slight smile as he rose from his seat that he felt a wave of relief wash over him.

Once in the main hallway, he decided to attempt finding his way back to the library. Until Andy was free to pass the time with him, he knew he needed to find a way to amuse himself. There were more books than he’d ever seen in three or four manors in that one room, so he figured it was his best option. It wasn’t like he felt up to walking through the garden again due to the combination of cramps, fatigue, and bloating caused by his monthlies. If he even felt like staying awake, much less getting out of bed, he always enjoyed quiet activities like reading during that time.

As he lay on a chaise sometime after finding his way back to the library, Ashley found himself fighting sleep as he read a romance novel called After the Abduction. He didn’t normally feel the need for a nap in the late mornings and early afternoons, but his monthly-induced fatigue always changed that. Before he even realized what was happening, he nodded off where he lay on the chaise on his side, his left hand holding open his book of choice while his right hand remained tucked under his head.

* * *

“Lady Ashley…Lady Ashley!”

Waking to a deep voice and having his shoulder shaken, the adolescent opened his eyes groggily and groaned miserably. He splayed a hand over his lower belly, one of the two places that hurt the worst when he was suffering from the monthlies. His beautiful features twisted into an ugly grimace as he immediately registered the cramps, something he didn’t notice and couldn’t help.

“Lady Ashley, are you feeling unwell?”

Looking up, he saw the Prince kneeling beside the chaise. “My…my belly…h-hurts.”

“Was it something you ate?” Andy asked.

“No, ’twasn’t anything I ate,” the adolescent denied.

Puzzled, he looked down at his companion. “’Tisn’t due to an illness you had previously, is it?”

“No.” Althought he was highly embarrassed, Ashley trusted the young man. “Even though I am physically male, I suffer from…the monthlies…like young ladies do.”

“Ahhh, I see. And you are suffering from them now, yea?”

Unable to speak due to a particularly bad cramp, he nodded miserably.

“Then allow me to help you back to the guest chambers,” Andy said.

“I do not think I am able to walk…it hurts too much,” the adolescent responded, trying not to whine.

“I do not mind carrying you if you are too stricken to walk,” the Prince told him. “Truth be told, I would much rather carry you than have you fall and injure yourself.”

Embarrassed that he even needed the young man’s help to do something as simple as walking, Ashley blushed furiously as he managed to sit up. True to his word, he slipped one strong arm beneath his knees while wrapping the other around his back, then pulled him to his chest. Without so much as a grunt of effort, Andy rose to his full height as he cradled him like he were a baby or small child. Unused to being held so high off the ground, he yelped softly as his arms wrapped themselves around his neck of their own accord.

“Do not fret, Lady Ashley,” the Prince said soothingly, his voice rumbling through his chest. “I will not drop you unless the earth suddenly begins to quake.”

“I am unused to heights,” he whimpered softly. “They frighten me.”

“You have naught to fear,” he reassured him. “I told you that I will not drop you unless something drastic forces me to, and I am a man of my word.”

“A-All r-right,” Ashley stammered nervously. “I—I trust you.”

As gently as he could, the Prince carried him back to the guest chambers that one could almost say were now his own. He made sure to keep his steps as light as possible, not wanting them to jar the adolescent in his arms and worsen his pain. He might not suffer from the monthlies himself, but Andy had seen times when his mother was limping from her cramps. In fact, he’d seen a few times when she’d stayed abed for days on end because she was in so much pain from them.

“I shall be back after I send a lady-in-waiting to fetch my healer friend, Jeremy,” he told him after laying him down on the bed.

“Will Lady Amy not consider that a ‘compromising circumstance’?” Ashley asked with a grimace.

“So long as I leave the door open, she will not, and I plan to do just that,” the Prince answered. “Besides, upon his arrival, Jeremy will be an adequate chaperon.”

“If you are certain…” he trailed off nervously.

“I am. I know my parents and their notions of what is proper well,” Andy chuckled. “I have also known Jeremy since we were both in leading strings. Additionally, Mother and Father would tan my hide if I neglected a guest’s needs.”

“Then please…these cramps are almost unbearable,” the adolescent pouted.

Nodding, he quickly excused himself from the room, making sure to pull the door closed behind him. Too uncomfortable to remain in his daytime attire, Ashley managed to sit up so he could begin loosening the laces of his dress. Since he’d grown old enough to dress himself, including wearing a corset starting two or three years ago, he’d gotten pretty good at lacing and unlacing himself. Granted, it made his arms and shoulders hurt, so he never turned down the assistance of another when it was offered. And since the Prince had said he’d return shortly, he knew he might not get very far in such an endeavor before an offer of assistance was made.

“Lady Ashley.”

Turning to look over his shoulder, he saw Andy’d made his return. “Sir Andy.”

“Jeremy will be here shortly. He needs to gather his supplies,” he told him. “Would you care for some assistance in undressing before his arrival?”

“Yea, I would,” Ashley answered, nodding. “My arms and shoulders are beginning to ache from my own attempt.”

Within moments, the Prince had helped him to his feet by the bedside to make unlacing his dress and corset that much easier. The adolescent couldn’t stifle a sigh and groan of relief as he felt each lace loosen, his posture worsening a bit with each one. Then again, considering how much pain his cramps and bloating were causing him, it was no wonder and one couldn’t blame him.

KNOCK KNOCK!

“You may enter!” Andy called out just as he tucked him back into bed a few short minutes later.

“Good morn, Andy. Good morn, Lady Ashley,” a new voice responded, its owner closing the door behind himself.

“Good morn, Jinxx,” he answered, chuckling when his companion merely grunted in response.

“Andy tells me you are suffering from the monthlies,” the person, whom he assumed was Jeremy, said.

“Yea, I am. ’Tis quite painful,” Ashley answered with a pout.

“I think some lavender-chamomile tea will aid in relieving your cramps,” the newcomer told him. “’Tis good for that and relaxation, and it always seems to help my wife and Lady Amy when they suffer the monthlies.”

“Ah, yea, I remember you suggesting that to aid Mother a few times,” Andy agreed.

“Not to mention hot baths since they, too, help to alleviate pain,” Jeremy chuckled.

“I think I shall try the tea first,” the adolescent said nervously. Only his most trusted lady’s maid at Lady Trista’s manor had helped him strip to bathe, and he wasn’t quite comfortable with the Prince seeing him nude just yet.

“Andy, if you would get me a kettle of hot water in which to brew the tea,” he requested.

“Certainly, Jinxx,” the Prince answered, bowing as he left.

Only after his friend was gone did he turn back to his patient, a curious gleam in his sea-blue eyes. “I sense something different about you, Lady Ashley, as if not all is as it appears.”

Unsure of what to make of the healer’s words, Ashley merely watched him curiously.

“You do not have to tell me your secrets, now or ever.” He smiled reassuringly. “’Twas merely an observation, such as when I say that I also sense you choose who you trust wisely.”

“Yea, I do, sir,” the adolescent told him, nodding. “After being taken from my mother shortly after my father’s death in battle, then later orphaned, ’tis an unconscious habit.”

“There is no need to call me Sir in private; Jeremy will suffice. And ’tis a good habit to have. I trust no one aside from the royal ruling family more than I trust my wife, Samantha, and my close friends, Jacob and Christian.”

Ashley’s eyes widened a bit in surprise, but then again, this man did strike him as being fairly secretive and mysterious.

“I have that kettle you requested,” Andy said, startling them both with his sudden, silent return to the guest chamber.

It took his friend only moments to regain his composure, so he assumed it was just in his nature, or he was accustomed to being startled by the Prince. As soon as the young man in question set the china teapot on the nightstand, Jeremy began to measure some herbs into a piece of tightly-woven cloth, which he then secured with a piece of string he took from his bag. Dropping the little bundle into the pot of steaming water, he told them it would be a few minutes before the tea was ready, as it had to steep for a bit.

During the time the tea was steeping, he decided it was likely a good idea to get a full physical exam of him, something he did with any new patient he took under his care. Seeing the sudden fear in his companion’s eyes, Andy stepped in to persuade the healer otherwise. He knew the adolescent feared his secret becoming public knowledge, but he also knew his friend was like a vault when it came to secrets.

The healer insisted on performing the full physical exam and refused to desist, saying that was a good way to allow disease to set in later. Knowing how he was, and that he’d be the one caring for him if they wed, he turned to the miserable young man. He promised to stay in the room by his side, even offered to go get his mother, if it would make him feel better. Ashley trusted the Prince explicitly and knew that if he trusted the mysterious healer, he could trust him, too.

Even though he was still a bit skeptical, the adolescent finally consented to the physical exam, but only if the Prince and Queen were both present. Jeremy sent his wife, who’d come back with Andy somehow without him noticing, to fetch Lady Amy. With a nod and not so much as a word of argument, she curtsied to the trio before excusing herself from the room to perform her task. Knowing that he was bound to discover his secret now, Ashley shot a pleading look at his knew friend, silently begging him to tell the healer with his eyes. The Prince gave a single nod of agreement, thinking it was best to tell him now rather than allow him to make the shocking discovery on his own.

“Jinxx, before Sammi returns with Mother, there is something you need to be made aware of,” he said softly, a note of seriousness in his voice.

“And what might that be, Andy?” the healer asked, looking over his shoulder as he retrieved a very old stethoscope from his bag.

“There is a secret kept by a select few; I am one of those few,” the Prince began. “Although appearances would lead you to believe that Lady Ashley is exactly that—a young lady…”

“What are you trying to say?” he asked, a brow cocked as he turned back around.

“That, despite appearances…Lady Ashley is, in fact, a male,” Andy answered shakily.

“Is that so?” Jeremy now wore a skeptical expression. “If that is so, why is he suffering the monthlies like an actual young lady does?”

“I—I do not kn-know,” Ashley stammered, a furious blush staining his entire face.

“From what I observed, he dressed and was raised as a young lady from the age of five, but is physically male,” Andy continued. “I have never seen, nor heard anything that suggested otherwise until he told me he was suffering the monthlies in the library.”

“Hmm…” The healer gave him a quizzical look. “At what age did you begin suffering this phenomenon, Lady Ashley?”

“Two and ten, the same age I began wearing a corset,” he answered.

“And you recall having no other signs that you would suffer the monthlies as you aged?”

“No, not exactly. Lady Trista always said I filled out my gowns a bit more than she thought I would, but ’twas always attributed to babe fat that I had not yet lost.”

Nodding, Jeremy merely used his hands to warm the bell of his stethoscope while awaiting the return of his wife and the Queen, which didn’t take long. Despite not feeling her best due to her own bout of the monthlies that she hid very well, Lady Amy moved to sit on one side of him while Andy sat on the other. This gave him quite a measure of comfort, especially when they reached down to gently, yet reassuringly squeeze his hands.

If not for their supportive presences, there was no way the adolescent would’ve agreed to shed the nightgown he’d changed into when the healer asked him to. Even with the promise that he could remain in his under drawers and stockings, he wouldn’t have if he’d been alone with him. Ashley barely trusted him to do him no harm; he certainly wasn’t comfortable undressing in front of him while alone.

Once he’d shed as much of his clothing as he was going to, he laid back against his mound of pillows as he tried to calm his anxiety. As hard as it was for him to trust someone under what he considered “normal” circumstances,, it was no wonder he was anxious during something so intimate with someone he’d just met. In fact, he was apparently so anxious that the Prince felt the need to lean over and kiss one temple as Lady Amy leaned over to kiss the other. Both were once again squeezing his hands reassuringly, a gesture he unconsciously returned. Still, he was thankful for and greatly appreciated their comforting presences; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to go through with the exam.

During said exam, Jeremy used his stethoscope to listen to his heart and lungs, both of which he said sounded normal. He then moved the bell down to his abdomen, and while this confused the adolescent, he laid there quietly as he listened. The healer chuckled as he laid the implement aside moments later, reporting that he didn’t hear anything unusual. This drew a slight smile to everyone’s face, all of them relieved at his current findings. Still, Ashley was a bit uncomfortable and had to resist the urge to squirm when he began to run his hands along his body, which included pressing down on certain spots.

“Ouch!” he cried, tears welling up as he slapped his hands away from his tender chest when he pressed on it a bit too hard.

“I am sorry, Lady Ashley,” the healer apologized. “Sammi, this is the same tenderness you experience, yea?”

“Yea, once every cycle of the moon, love,” the young woman answered, nodding. “’Tis why I will not allow you to lace me quite as tightly when I reach that part of my cycle.”

“The increased pressure can be uncomfortable and, as you saw, at times, quite painful,” Lady Amy spoke up. “Even if he does not have quite the same assets as a usual young lady, ’tis no surprise to me that his chest is tender.”

“But…why am I suffering this tenderness during my cycle?” Ashley asked curiously.

“Because if you were to have a babe like a young lady, rather than continue the cycle endlessly, you would need a way to nourish your babe after its birth,” she explained. “The tenderness is the beginning of the changes necessary for that to be possible.”

The adolescent managed to hide his horror at the thought of a babe growing within his body, not to mention the fear of the act that would lead to that, but only barely.

“However, none of us here will force you to have a child, whether you father or carry it,” the Queen continued. “Procreation may be essential to the continuation of the human race, but here in Silverstone, we wed and procreate out of love, and for no other reason.”

“Really?” he asked, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

“Yea. It takes more than financial means and food to raise a decent child,” Andy answered. “Love plays a big role in who we become as we age, but most especially as children.”

Nodding her agreement, Lady Amy continued her efforts of comforting him as Jeremy continued his exam on him. The discovery of what felt like a female’s reproductive tract in his lower abdomen prompted him to want to conduct a more in-depth exam. He assured him that could be done at a later date, once they’d gotten to know one another better than they currently did. That drew a heavy sigh of relief from him as he fell limp, glad he wouldn’t have to endure something so intimate from a perfect stranger.

For the moment, the healer prescribed copious amounts of his special tea and hot baths to help relieve the pain of his cramps. That and getting some rest were all he really could do, so a more in-depth physical exam could definitely wait until he was feeling better. Ashley was glad to hear that as he was helped back into his nightgown, though he awaited the end of his monthlies far more eagerly than that exam.

Notes