The Crimson Crown

The queen didn’t make a fuss about changing me, although she was clearly unpracticed at it, taking far longer than Dorian ever did. Thankfully, though, she finished, pulling the fresh diaper up between my legs and pinning the tabs into place. 

The woman grunted, standing over me, watching the process. “Does she need changed?” she asked, nodding her chin towards the Queen.

I glanced up at the woman before looking at the Queen, who blushed, not meeting my eyes. I flipped over to my tummy and got to my knees, awkwardly going to check her diaper, the queen allowing me to check. Before I could, however, the woman behind me sighed, “You know what? I don’t care; she’s fine for now.”

I could tell from just looking at the Queen’s diaper, she was in desperate need of a change, and she gave me a pained look. I bit my lip nervously, not wanting to antagonize our captor, “I don’t think that’s a wise decision; I think she’s on the verge of leaking and creating a mess.”

“You’d think, being adults, you two could hold it.” The woman said, shaking her head and tossing me a spare diaper.

The Queen gave me a relieved look, but the woman behind me spoke up again, “Just add it over the top; don’t change her yet.”

I could practically hear the Queen groan despite the gag, and I knew she didn’t voice her concerns. The Queen reluctantly laid back as I spread out the fresh diaper beneath her and awkwardly pulled it up between her legs, pinning the tabs across the front. I felt bad for her; her diaper was massive compared to mine, and she was forced to waddle as I finished tapping it up.

The woman behind me yawned, “I think it’s time for you both to get some sleep.” she said, “Come on, you two, up into the crib.”

I glanced back toward her as she let down the side of the crib. Light still streamed in through the window, but I didn’t see a point in fighting. I shared a glance with the Queen as she shrugged, climbing to her feet.

“No, crawl.” The woman said with a grin.

The Queen paused and knelt once more, crawling on hands and knees to the crib’s side. I followed suit, and we climbed up inside. As I climbed inside, I felt the woman taking hold of my wrist, and I glanced to see her fitting a wrist cuff around me. “I don’t need that; I’ll be good; I will not try and escape,” I whined.

She chuckled, “I know you will not escape because you’ll both be bound. Look, I’m bored dealing with you two. I’m going to strap you down, and I’ll be back to play later.” she said, fixing both my wrists with the cuffs and then clipping them to the edge of the crib before following suite with my ankles.

I grunted, pulling against the restraints, but they held firm; the crib was made of thick wood and wouldn’t easily break. The Queen was strapped in behind me, and I heard her gagging through the gag, and then the woman was attaching something to my head. I yelped, trying to pull away as she forced a pacifier into my mouth, pulling a strap behind my head and pinning it in place. “Stop!” I mumbled around the pacifier before she pulled the strap tight.

The bulb of the pacifier comfortably filled my mouth as she gagged me. She chuckled, and suddenly, I felt the bulb growing cold, excruciating a liquid of some sort, tasting sweet and fruity. “There we go; this way, I don’t have to deal with either of you for a while.” the woman said, pulling the side of the crib up and into place.

I tried uselessly to stop the flow of liquids into my mouth. It wasn’t much, but it was enough I had to swallow every few seconds. The woman’s face appeared beside me, looking at me through the bars. She smirked, shaking her head, “You two have fun.” she said, turning and leaving the room.

I felt tears streaming down my eyes at the treatment; where was Dorian? What was happening to him? Was he okay? I desperately wanted to know what was going on outside the nursery. I feared what they were doing to him. I knew he was strong, but a person could only take so much. I could hear the Queen struggling beside me, trying equally as much to get free of her bonds. 

I realized that with how I had been tied down, my fingers were dangerously close to the buckles that held my arms to the corner of the crib. The restraints were designed to hold a single-person spread eagle. However, I had been restrained on my side, my arms in one corner and my feet in the other. The buckles were at an awkward angle however, and I realized I couldn’t get enough pressure on them with my fingers. I grunted, trying to undo the clasps, my cheeks puffy and red from sobbing through the pacifier gag. 

Without help, I wasn’t going to be able to undo the clasp. I was helpless, or was I? A thought crossed my mind, and I allowed my eyes to close, clearing my mind. It took some effort to channel Dorian’s teachings, especially with how distraught I was, but I managed to access the four pools of power that represented the Four Winds. I gingerly touched and embraced the wind of summer, letting its power flow into me, feeling a renewed strength tighten my tired muscles. This time, I easily undid the buckle pinning my arms to the corner of the crib, and with a twist of my wrists, I was able to undo the buckles holding the restraints around my wrists as well. 

I could feel the Queen squirming beside me as I pulled the restraints off, my fingers going to my gag and ripping it free, spitting through the bars of the crib to empty my mouth. I shook my head, glancing back to see the Queen was trying to get herself free but seemed to be struggling. I reached down and undid the clasps holding my ankles and then worked to free the Queen, undoing her wrists first, followed by the gag.

The Queen spat as well, stretching her jaw, “Thank you.” she said immediately, “That storming idiot.” 

“I don’t think she was expecting us to get free,” I said with a chuckle as we sat up in the crib, undoing the latch that held the side up and clambering from the crib.

“Of course not, but she also has no experience with bondage.” The Queen mused. 

As we climbed down, the Queen quickly went to a dresser and pulled free a few short dresses, and I was all too happy to pull it over my head. Babyish or not, this was far better than nothing. “Now what?” I asked, “It isn’t like we can just walk out of here.”

“I know, I know.” The Queen said, “But this is my storming castle; they have no idea what they got into.” 

I watched as the Queen went up to the dresser again, pulling open two drawers, seeming to position them just right before reaching in and flicking a lever. I heard a clunk, and suddenly, the entire dresser swung from the wall, revealing what looked like a solid wall. With a press of a certain brick, a portion of the wall swung inward, revealing a passage out. The Queen turned to me and nodded, “Let’s get out of here.” she said with a smile.

I eagerly climbed in, following the Queen’s lead as the doors behind us swung shut. I couldn’t see an immediate way to reenter the nursery, and I supposed I didn’t want to anyway. “Where does this go?” I asked curiously as the Queen lit a small oil lamp, illuminating the small space. 

“This is a part of the tunnel network that is all over the castle,” the Queen explained, “It connects most rooms and is designed to be used in the event of an invading force; if we are lucky, the enemy won’t know about it yet. If we are going to find anyone from our kingdom, it’ll be in here.” she said, taking the lamp and leading the way down the narrow passage. 

I followed the Queen down the winding corridors that ran between the rooms of the castle, surprised at the sheer expanse, passing multiple passages that ran in all directions, including ladders that allowed someone to ascend or descend pass hallways. We squeezed through a narrow expanse into a larger room set with tables, the Queen’s lamp casting light across cups, plates, and even a deck of cards sitting on a series of tables. What set my nerves immediately on edge was the fact that the food looked fresh; I could see wisps of steam still curling up from mugs of tea, the embers of a fire still red in the fireplace.

I immediately started back the way we came, “We aren’t alone.” I stated, immediately followed by the yells of men, shades pulled free from lamps as we were surrounded.

Light flooded the room as men carried forth the lamps, short pikes leveled against us, encircling us. “Who goes there!” A brutish man in a sharp uniform barked, holding a lamp high and squinting against the sudden burst of light, studying us, “Your graces? Storms, we thought you were in prison, or worse, stand down!” he called.

The man who was calling the shots was an older-looking man with white hair and a strong white beard, scars decorating his face as his men stood down. “General, it’s good to see you.” The Queen said.

“Your graces,” the General said, offering a deep bow, his men following suit, “How did you both get up here? How did you escape?”

The Queen and I shared a knowing look; thankfully, our dresses covered our diapers, but neither of us was keen to share exactly how we had escaped. “We were being held in my study general, we believe it was to help throw off a rescue attempt.”

“Both our Queen and Princess held in the same place,” the general grunted, “I can imagine what else was going on, your grace, no need to explain, men take pride in taking a royal woman.”

“If those scums defiled our Queen or Princess, look at how they are dressed!” another man piped up, pulling a short knife from his belt, “Why, I’ll find that man and cut off his-”

“Thank you, lieutenant.” The Queen stated, cutting him off, “We appreciate the concern. However, I assure you, we were not violated in such a manner.”

The man grunted but put his knife away. “It’s good to see you both.” The general said, cutting the tension.

“How many of you are there, general?” The Queen asked. 

“Not many, I’m afraid.” The general reported, “The enemy got many of us, but myself and my elite managed to escape into the tunnels. We got the word out to our armies, and they are closing in as we speak.”

“General!” A voice called out from one of the tunnels, “Something’s going on; come quick.” 

The general cursed and started after the man as he retreated. I glanced to the Queen, who shrugged, and we followed, the pikemen around us allowing us to follow. A few tunnels over, we found ourselves up against a wall with small peepholes in. The general held up a finger to his lips and ushered us forward. I found myself looking down into the room; the holes we looked through cut into the intricate molding of the room.

I saw the man in yellow, the regal-looking warrior who had commanded the invading forces upon our capture. “You let them escape?” he yelled, his voice booming.

“I-I-I didn’t mean to; I’m sorry!” came the timid response from the woman who had tortured us. 

I heard a smack followed by a painful yelp as the soldier backhanded the woman, blood already dripping down her lip from where it had split. “You allowed our two most valuable assets to escape!” he bellowed.

“I’m sorry!” she yelled, crouching, holding up her hand to defend herself pitifully.

“Storming woman.” The man spat, “Lock down the castle! No one in or out! Sound the alarm! Find them, you fool! Now! Bring them to me!” he yelled, the men at the doors saluting and taking off at a sprint.

Moments later, loud bells began to gong, sounding throughout the castle as men began searching the rooms. The general glanced at us and began leading us back to the clearing, the lookout pulling a piece of wood back into place that covered the holes in the molding. Safely back in the room, the men had relaxed and taken up their spots at their tables, some eating, some playing cards. “Storms, your graces, you really stirred up the hive.” 

“What are the chances they have found an entrance to the tunnels, general?” The Queen asked.

The general took a seat, shaking his head, “They haven’t, yet. They found several decoy tunnels but not the actual tunnels. The entrances are sealed.”

“Well, apart from the one in my study.” The Queen said dryly.

The General nodded, smirking, “Apart from that one, we figured we would leave that one, as well as the one in the King’s study, open, just in case they forced either of you to look through and produce sensitive documents.” 

“A wise decision, general,” the Queen remarked, “However, of all the places they would surely tear apart, it would be both of those rooms; you left yourself open to being found.”

“True, it was a risk.” The General nodded, “But it paid off, and if they did bust in, we could retreat to the upper or lower floors, and it’d be impossible for them to trace us again.”

“Regardless, we do appreciate it,” the Queen said with a nod, “Have you been able to locate my husband or my son?”

“Not yet, your grace.” The General said grimacing, “We assumed they are down in the prisons; the tunnels don’t go deep enough; we checked the cells we could, and we’ve sent scouts to locate you both, but they never returned.” he glanced at me, raising an eyebrow, “speaking of, you and your husband were out of the castle, weren’t you? What happened? How did you get caught?”

I nodded, “We were returning from our trip, and we noticed the lack of people in town but didn’t think anything as serious as this had happened. We entered the castle grounds, and they shut the gates behind us, locking us in and taking us prisoner.”

The General nodded, sighing, “I’m sorry to hear that, your grace, we’ll get you both to safety. Our armies should be ready to assault the castle the next day. It’s going to be a bloody battle, but it’s one they are willing to do for you, your grace.” he said, looking to the Queen.

The Queen nodded slowly, “We thank you and your men for their sacrifices, General. We bless you and them. However, for the good of the kingdom, we must be free once more in order to lead the kingdom through this dangerous time. I fear the longer we are missing, the more chaos the kingdom will be in, and the easier the enemy will be able to roll over us and take command of our cities.”

“Well,” the General said, slapping his thighs and standing, “I suppose it’s imperative we get you back on the throne, your graces.” he said with a smile, “I’m afraid we’ll need to hide for a bit longer, at least let the heat die down, I don’t have the men to defend you both if they do bust in here right now. Our quarters aren’t much, but we will make you as comfortable as possible. There’s a few spare bunks, we can allocate one for you both there.”

“Thank you, General; we are sure whatever accommodations you are able to provide will be adequate for us.” The Queen responded with a small bob of her head.

The General nodded, “Come, I’ll show you to your quarters then.” he said, leading the way.

I let out a long breath, feeling confined in the narrow corridors of the castle. I felt tears trying to fight their way free, to roll down my cheeks, but I fought them back. Now was not the time to show weakness, now was the time to channel my inner Queen, to be the woman my mother had raised me to be. It was time to lead and take back my kingdom.