Darius knocked on the throne-room doors.

"Enter!"

The doors swung open and Darius waddled inside.

Sitting on their thrones on the royal dais at the far end of the room was King Chandler and Queen Susan. Standing nearby were the Duke and Duchess of Tofton. Standing between them was Lady Elizabeth.

"His Royal Highness will come forward and be recognised", Chandler said. Darius waddled slowly forwards and mounted the dais. He turned around to sit down...

CLACK!!

The king's heavy walking-stick fell across Darius's throne, denying him access to his seat!

"I said you would be recognised. I did not say you would SIT!"

Darius gulped.

"Now, your Royal Highness", said the king. Darius shuddered in fear. His father only really bothered to use his full form of address if he was REALLY angry with him, and couldn't bear to use his name!

"You have been caught In Flagrante Delicto with a junior member of the aristocracy! What do you have to say for yourself!?"

"It was an accident!"

"AN ACCIDENT!?" the Duchess screeched!

"Your Grace," said Chandler, "I know this is very upsetting but I MUST ask you to control yourself. Now your Royal Highness, you will tell me what HAPPENED".

"Well, I...I woke up", said Darius, "And I...I couldn't sleep, so I went to the guestroom to open the windows and get some fresh air..."

"He was trying to..."

"PLEASE!" Chandler snapped.

"...I went into the room and I saw the curtains on the bed drawn. I didn't know that Eliz..."

"The Lady Elizabeth", the king corrected.

"...Uh...Yeah! I didn't know she was sleeping in the guest-bed! Nobody told me! I was probably asleep at the time when she came in. I mean I did eat a LOT at dinner and I felt kinda full and dopey and stuff..."

"What...happened?" Chandler asked coolly.

"Well, I pulled back the curtains, I woke her up..."

The duchess held a hand to her mouth in horror!

"...I mean, m-moving around the room and stuff, woke her up! I didn't shake her or anything...I mean I'm a pretty big boy and I make a lot of noise moving around..."

"I'll say!" said the duchess. "Filthy, lecherous..."

"Your Grace!" said the king, "I will ask you again to keep silent during my questioning! Thank you! Now, what else happened?"

"Well she woke up and it startled me!" Darius said, "I tripped and fell over! Lady Elizabeth said I was all bruised from the fall and that she should massage me to help with the soreness..."

"ELIZABETH! You do NOT ask to touch a prince before HE allows you!...Although I suspect he already did!..."

"...I laid down on her bed and she started rubbing some scented oils on me and just massaging everything to try and stop the aching. Only well...it...it started feeling...good!"

"...and...?" the King asked.

"Well...I...kinda...asked her to um...attend...to...my um...discomfort..." Darius said nervously.

"...and?"

"Well...she did! Um...m-manually a-at f-first an-and then um...well...uh...o-one thing led t-to a-another thing and...and...well...then the duchess came in!"

The side door to the throne room opened and someone stuck his head in.

"Woah! So it's true! Xavian and Bretton were tellin' me some kinky stuff was..."

"GET OUT, JAVELIN AND RETURN TO YOUR NIGHT ROUNDS!"

"Woah! Okay! Gettin' out, gettin' out..."

The side door slammed shut again and they heard retreating footsteps, along with a muffled, "Damn, Darius..."

Darius turned RED. Javelin would NEVER shut up about this.

"and what else happened?" Chandler asked.

"That's it!" said Darius, "NOTHING else happened! We never got that far!"

The duchess gasped!

"I...I...I mean! I...we...we...were...we weren't gonna go that far! I..I wouldn't allow it!" Darius said.

"Your Royal Highness. You WILL swear on your title, your good name and your royal honour in front of all witnesses present, that you did NOT engage in...bodily familiarity...with the Lady Elizabeth to the compromise of her character and reputation!" Chandler commanded.

"I..."

"RAISE YOUR HAND, BOY!"

Darius's right hand shot up!

"DO...YOU...SWEAR!?"

"Yes!"

"Very well. You may sit down".

Darius approached the dais.

"Over there!" Chandler snapped, pointing to a large bench along one wall of the throne-room. Darius sat down.

As the prince sat there, rubbing his belly, he watched the king and queen interrogating Lady Elizabeth. She too, was then sent to sit down on another bench at the other side of the room.

"Now", said Chandler. "Your Grace, I really don't see that there's any need to panic..."

"NO NEED!? THEY WERE...THEY WERE...IN CONGRESS WITH EACH OTHER!"

"They were engaging in teenage curiosity!" Chandler said. "Nothing more, nothing less. Curiosity is not a crime".

"Being familiar with my daughter is!" said the Duke, huffily.

"Indeed. But as there are no...lasting effects", Chandler said.

"You mean a pregnancy!" said the duchess.

"Well...yes. Because of...that...I suggest that there is no need for a...marriage of honour. After all, there really ISN'T any need for such an institution. Now of course if something of that sort HAD happened, I would insist, but...well".

"I think", said the Queen, "That these two...youngsters...Should be kept in reservation for each other".

"I beg your pardon, my queen?" the duchess asked.

"The Queen means that they should enter into an engagement", Chandler said. "That they be promised to each other and that at an appropriate time, they will marry".

"I...well..." said the duchess.

"There is absolutely NO need to hurry!" said Chandler. "At any rate, this recent episode will surely lead to them being much more guarded in their...activities".

"I should think so!" said the duchess.

"Then are we agreed?" Chandler asked.

The duke and duchess whispered to each other. Chandler couldn't hear what they were saying, but he caught words and phrases such as "reputation", "Status", "just right", "...marrying into..." and "of mutual benefit". He suspected that they had actually wanted Elizabeth to marry Darius all along so that their daughter might become part of the royal family, and so that their own standing in high society might be that much higher. The king wasn't stupid. Sooner or later, Darius would be at the age where this would be happening all the time, as noble families trotted out their daughters for Darius's hand.

After a few seconds, they turned back.

"We are agreed, your Majesty", said the duke.

"Excellent", said Chandler. "You may return to your bedchambers. I wish to speak to the prince and to your daughter together".

"Yes your Majesty", said the duke and duchess. They left the room. The king waved the two youngsters towards him.

"Now then", said the king. "I have spoken to your parents about this, Lady Elizabeth, and I have given this much thought, Darius".

Darius gulped.

"We have agreed that since no compromising actions took place, there is no need to hasten things to a conclusion. But in view of what has happened, we have further agreed that you two shall be held in reservation for each other. You will be married when you are both old enough to engage in such things".

"Yes father", said Darius.
"Yes your Majesties", said Elizabeth.

"Now", said the Queen. "You will return to your bedchambers, with the understanding that you will keep your doors LOCKED!"

"Yes mother", said Darius.

"I will speak with Javelin tomorrow about acting as chaperone..." said Chandler to the Queen.

"Father! Javelin can't be a chaperone! He can hardly keep his codpiece on!"

"My mind is made up. You two obviously need some...governance in your relations. And I don't wish to stop them entirely. But they must be attended to with care".

"Yes father".