“Prin?” Elwin called, even though he could see that he was not there. The room was not all that big and there weren't many places to hide. He took a quick look under the bed. Nothing.

Panic was starting to rise before he remembered what the prince had said about going down the stairs, between that and what they had discussed regarding how conspicuous he would be downstairs in the castle. Surely that meant he was still up here somewhere?

Elwin got a candle in it's shiny brass holder and took it back into the hall with him. “Hello?” He called softly down the hall. “Prin? Where are you?”

The stone hallway was dark, only a few of the wall candles remaining lit and very little light coming from the prince's room could reach out here.

Elwin lit the candles, which did little good except to tell him that no one was inexplicably standing right next to him.

The two doors, one beside Prin's and having belonged to the nanny, and one across from that one which had been untouched and unused for at minimum the seventeen years of their lives, were closed. Further down the lonely hall was a covered indent in the wall that served as a sort of drain spout. They weren't sure what it was for originally, but served as a place to pour out the old bathwater and have it go down down down the pipe and splash on the packed dirt beside the castle. Beyond that was more hall, but for some reason, unexplored.

Elwin walked down the hall. He peeked into nanny's room and saw that it was empty (or as empty as he had left it earlier anyway). Elwin opened the door across the way and saw a dusty bedroom with old furniture. No prince, or anything else of interest for that matter.

Past it, the lid was over the drain spout. Not that anyone could escape from it, or out of it, or what have you, since it was only four or five inches across. Still, he lifted the cover and took a peek before replacing it.

He was beginning to get worried as he entered the unexplored area of the hallway. The prince did not seem to be here after all. Could someone have come and got him? Perhaps sent by the doctor, or the king even? Elwin gulped. He tried to push down his apprehension.

Soon he remembered why he didn't go into this part of the castle. It was one of those nowhere zones. The fall apart zones. It looked like the ceiling had partially collapsed in on itself at some point, but in such a way that the outside elements were still blocked by stone, so it was left the way it was. Large stones blocked off what may have been further rooms, possibly even another stair case. Some of the fallen stone were as big as the boulders in the field. The ones nanny had told him not to ever approach because the Fae lived in their shadows. Elwin laughed, not sure if he had ever been young enough to believe that crap. He had a bad feeling up and down his spine though. A prickly feeling. His little candle cast more deep shadow then it did light.

“Prin?” He called again. His voice a whisper, and he didn't know why. He bent down to look at something in a little pile of rock and a mouse wiggled it's whiskered nose at him. “You scared me.” He scolded it softly.

“Who are you talking to?” A voice came from behind him.

Elwin whirled around, and a pair of large eyes glowed from one of the big rocks he had just passed. “Ahhh!” Elwin screamed, releasing pent up tension that he had been holding. He threw up his hands in defense and the candle lept from his hand and clattered to the floor outing itself in a puddle of it's own hot wax.

For a moment he was frantic, heart beating like a foreign instrument and breath ragged. His fear glued his feet to the ground, or he would doubtless have run to where he had come from, and the meager light from the candles on the walls at the hallway's friendlier end.

Since he was stuck, after all, his eyes began to adjust to the dimness and he saw that the eyeglowing creature was only his prince resting above him on a rock and holding the wooden cane to his chest. Frowning at him in concern.

“What happened?” the prince asked. “Are you scared of mice?” The slightest smile of amusement began to tug at the corners of his lips, as he contemplated the image of a big strong boy terrified of a tiny rodent.

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“What are you doing here?” Elwin asked. “Why would you--?” He put his hand over his heart, realizing it made him look like an old lady about to come down with a fit of the vapors.

“I was just looking around. I got bored.” Prin said. “And I've never been over here. Well anywhere really.” He motioned Elwin over. “I think we can go in there if we just climb over this rock. I can see inside the room.” He pointed over his shoulder. “A hidden room.”

Elwin stepped carefully around the candle mess and went to Prin. He could just barely see him, let alone penetrate the blackness of the room behind him. “Not hidden, just blocked off.” He said. If he squinted he could see a little from a window or crack in the wall. Not much though, and it looked like mainly rubble.

“I was afraid if I got in, I couldn't get back out.” The prince said. “But I do kind of want to see.” He leaned in close to Elwin's ear. “By the way, what did you do with her.”

Elwin drew a blank. “Huh?”

“You know, HER.” Prin said. “I looked under my bed but there was nothing.”

“Oh . . . her.” Elwin hated the moments when he had genuinely forgotten the whole thing and it was forced back into his mind with a jolt. “I hid the body, but it's not a permanent solution.”

“Shhh, shhh.” Prin said. “Don't say that word.”

“No one can hear us.” Elwin whispered. He rested his head against Prin's knee, them being about on the same level. How had the prince gotten so high up on that rock? “Don't worry.”

“I know . . . but still.” the prince fretted. “Where?”

“Where? Under nanny's bed.” Elwin said.

“Under nanny's bed!?” The prince's tone was that of someone who had heard and been forced to repeat utter sacrilege.

“I couldn't leave it where it was.” Elwin said. “Just in case someone came looking. Maybe, even if they had found . . .” he tried not to say the word body anymore. “it, her, you could have at least tried to deny you knew anything about it.”

“Do you think someone will come looking?” Prin asked.

“It is a distinct possibility.” Elwin said. “And after we've gone . . . they'll be up here looking for more then just her.”

“Wow.” Prin was silent for a long moment. He put his hand on Elwin's head and patted it rhythmically, as though using the movement to pace out his own thoughts. “I never thought. Ah, this is all so much! Don't get overwhelmed.”

He was clearly talking to himself, so Elwin didn't try to answer his words directly. Although he was overwhelmed too, now that he mentioned it. “I don't know how to get the b-- it down out of this tower. I have been over, in my head, all the possibilities and they are all bad and come with an unhealthy amount of risk.” He admitted. “Yet, we must. I guess I could take her down in parts . . . in the food basket. But if anyone tried to look. And the fact that I would be carrying so much trash out, so many trips in one day I mean, would make the guards suspicious of me. They are always watching the staff for stealing, out of the corner of their eyes. I know they are. Also, what in the underworld would I do with her once she was outside? Dig a hole? Where? Drag her way out in the wilds somewhere?”

“No, that's a bad plan.” Prin said.

“As I thought.” Elwin agreed.

“And it has to be solved soon, as in right now.” the prince said.

“Especially since we're leaving at dawn.” Elwin said.

“We are? Well done!” Prin said.

“It's all Dolce's doing.” Elwin was too tired to take the credit right now. He just wanted to enjoy his head pats and then possibly to take a nap.

“Okay.” the prince said decisively. “The only thing for it is to leave her up here. She doesn't leave the tower at all.”

“How's that?” Elwin wondered. He had thought of that himself but it seemed like they might search the other two bedrooms after the prince disappears. Maybe so, maybe not, one never could tell about these things.

Prin pointed behind himself. “We tuck it away in such a hidden little corner that they would never go to the trouble to find it.”

“But anywhere we could stick it, they could find it. If they tried.” Elwin said.

“Hmmm, but I doubt they will make more then a cursory search.” Prin said. “Especially not in an area of the castle that could be dangerous?”

Elwin thought of the stories, more then one at that, of people being injured or even killed by the pieces falling off the ancient structure known as the vulture. It's true, guards would hesitate to go beyond the well formed areas, even though this particular area had fallen in on itself long ago and appeared to be stable. “That is a good point.” He wondered, if they positioned her just right, and enough time went by, might any inadvertent stumblers across who find the corpse think that it was an older body? Like from the time of the original collapse, and trapped beneath rubble? There had to be some bodies in the walls of this place, of that one could be certain.

“We should hide her in there.” the prince nodded, agreeing with himself. “Especially since time is of the essence. We don't have time to think of anything better.”

“It might be difficult to get her over this rock.” Elwin fretted. “I don't know if I can do it alone.”

“The difficulty of accessing is part of the point. And you won't be alone, silly! I'll be with you.” Prin said. He laughed, the sound echoing strangely down the broken stone hall. “I will not miss this place, I tell you that.” he said.

“Yes you will.” Elwin teased. “Eventually.”

Prin nodded. “Eventually . . . maybe.”