The body wasn't all that heavy. She hadn't been a big woman to begin with, and now . . . Well, less so. A lot less so.
Elwin had tied twine around the blanket to keep it from falling open (no one wanted to see more of that, he reasoned. What had already been viewed being enough to fuel a lifetime of nightmares). And the prince's brilliant idea had been to put her on the little wheeled seat that he had used to get around in his room. Even though Elwin figured he could have carried her without too much trouble, anything that saved his energy, which he was sure to need plenty of, he was all for.
He carried a fresh candle and pushed the rolling seat with it's long bundle over the bumpy stones of the hallway, with Prin close behind him walking with heavy assistance from the cane.
They made quite a sight, he was sure of that.
Elwin could tell that the prince was getting fatigued, but he was determined to carry on and do this immediately. He cast a worried glance over his shoulder at Prin, who gave him a wan smile.
As he was distractedly looking in a backward direction, the wheels of the little seat hit a bump and pitched its twine wrapped burden onto the ground.
“Oops, end of the line here I think.” Elwin said. The floor only got more uneven, damaged, and debris strewn as you got further down, and it wasn't far to go anyway. So he picked up the body over his shoulder and carried it to the big rock that covered the so called hidden room.
This way he could really feel the shape of the body and it just felt like a thin person with her head rested on his back, not unlike when he would carry a frail Prin from one end of the room to the other. He told himself sternly not to think about it.
Elwin waited for the prince to catch up to him. “Now what?” he asked gently. “Do you have a plan for this part?”
“Let me get back up there.” Prin scrambled to climb up the rock, flinching as the sharp stone scraped his bare legs. “It's alright!” He hastened to assure. Leading Elwin to be sure that blood was drawn against the stone.
Elwin put the body down. “I'll help.” He boosted Prin to the top of the boulder. “Please be careful, please.”
“I am, I am.” Prin said. “Now, hand me her. And I will drop it down the other side, see? Then you and I will follow.” He smiled reassuringly and reached both hands down to receive the bundle.
“If you're sure about this.” Elwin sat his candle down. He could think of too many ways this could all go badly. What if the drop from the other side of the rock was unexpectedly steep? What if there was a hole in the floor on the other side? He tried to push the thoughts away.
Reluctantly Elwin picked up the body and handed it upward toward Prin.
“I've got this.” Prin assured. He took the women's body from Elwin, their hands touching briefly in the exchange. Once he had it on top of the rock he started to lower it over the other side, quickly dropping it the rest of the way down. “Oops, oh well.” he said sheepishly.
“Here I go.” He winked at Elwin before dropping out of sight behind the rock. There was a bit of a crash and thud on the other side.
“Are you okay!?” Elwin called.
After a moment's too long pause. “Just fine!” Came the reply. “Er, she broke my fall.”
Elwin cringed. Well better that then falling directly onto the rock floor. He was sure the prince was not in fact, just fine, but they would have to sit down and assess the damage later, when this was all over. If it was ever all over.
“Are you out of the way? I'm coming over.” Elwin warned.
“Hold on.” the prince's hand stuck out over the top of the rock. “Pass me the candle, if you please.”
Elwin picked the candle back up and put it in Prin's hand. It disappeared behind the rock.
“Okay, I'm out of the way.” the prince said. “Now you be careful, though.” he warned.
Elwin climbed up the rock, which was easier than one might suppose, based on naturally occurring hand and foot holds. He climbed down the other side easily, dropping only a few feet at the end of it.
“Agile bastard.” Prin teased.
Elwin laughed. It was nice to hear him still joking around under the circumstances.
The room had been large at one point, but now it was hard to tell. It was sectioned off by rubble into a claustrophobic mess. In the far corner, meager light came through the wall and shone down on a stone column that had fallen onto some heavy old wood furniture, probably a bed, crushing it and adding wood shards to the mess. The other side of the room was just stone piles.
The prince moved his candle side to side. “Where do you think we should . . .?”
“Maybe in the far corner.” Elwin suggested. “Out of the way enough that if people just took a quick look in here through the doorway they wouldn't be able to see anything unusual.”
“Right, right.” Prin picked up one end of the wrapped corpse.
“Oh, no, you don't need to help.” Elwin said. “Sit down a minute, you look like you need it.” He went to Prin and guided him back to the stone they had climbed over. “Sit. Sit.” He put his hands on his shoulders and pushed him to sit on the bottom edge of the rock. “I'll take care of this part.”
Prin sat down. “Don't trip over anything.” he suggested.
“I won't. You tell me if you can still see any part of the blanket sticking out from there, okay?” Elwin took the body to the corner of the room, stepping carefully over and around things until he got as far into the darkness as he could get. He had to peek around the corner of some fallen rock to see the prince sitting there with his candle.
Elwin tucked the body into the corner. “Can you see anything?” he asked, even though he was fairly certain he couldn't.
“No.” Prin said. “Not even you.”
Elwin felt around and started moving the smaller rocks from under and around the body, to on top of the body, as best he could. He even took some large pieces of wood, what may have been the remains of a large clothes wardrobe, and put them in on top of her. In the darkness he couldn't really see much of anything, but he hoped that even with light it would be hard to see much at all of the bundle.
He went back to Prin and got the candle. “Let me borrow this for a moment.” He used it to look at his work, which he deemed satisfactory. It would be a shock to him indeed if anyone were to discover her. Not in the next hundred years anyway.
As he was heading back toward Prin some cloth caught his eye, and he bent to examine it. Unfortunately it seemed too ragged and damaged by insects to be anything useful, but while he was down there something sparkled in the candle light. He picked it up, and it was a small gold colored ring with a flat clear crystal embedded in it. Elwin smiled. He dug through the dust and rubble for a moment to see if anything else was there but it seemed to be alone.
“What are you doing?” the prince wondered.
“I found something.” Elwin said. “Eh, let’s get out of here first.” He went back to his prince with the little treasure tucked into his pocket. It clinked against the coin he had gotten from Mr Seal and transferred to this pocket when he had changed into fresh clothes, then promptly forgotten all about. He was looking forward to giving them to Prin later.
The body wasn't all that heavy. She hadn't been a big woman to begin with, and now . . . Well, less so. A lot less so.
Elwin had tied twine around the blanket to keep it from falling open (no one wanted to see more of that, he reasoned. What had already been viewed being enough to fuel a lifetime of nightmares). And the prince's brilliant idea had been to put her on the little wheeled seat that he had used to get around in his room. Even though Elwin figured he could have carried her without too much trouble, anything that saved his energy, which he was sure to need plenty of, he was all for.
He carried a fresh candle and pushed the rolling seat with it's long bundle over the bumpy stones of the hallway, with Prin close behind him walking with heavy assistance from the cane.
They made quite a sight, he was sure of that.
Elwin could tell that the prince was getting fatigued, but he was determined to carry on and do this immediately. He cast a worried glance over his shoulder at Prin, who gave him a wan smile.
As he was distractedly looking in a backward direction, the wheels of the little seat hit a bump and pitched its twine wrapped burden onto the ground.
“Oops, end of the line here I think.” Elwin said. The floor only got more uneven, damaged, and debris strewn as you got further down, and it wasn't far to go anyway. So he picked up the body over his shoulder and carried it to the big rock that covered the so called hidden room.
This way he could really feel the shape of the body and it just felt like a thin person with her head rested on his back, not unlike when he would carry a frail Prin from one end of the room to the other. He told himself sternly not to think about it.
Elwin waited for the prince to catch up to him. “Now what?” he asked gently. “Do you have a plan for this part?”
“Let me get back up there.” Prin scrambled to climb up the rock, flinching as the sharp stone scraped his bare legs. “It's alright!” He hastened to assure. Leading Elwin to be sure that blood was drawn against the stone.
Elwin put the body down. “I'll help.” He boosted Prin to the top of the boulder. “Please be careful, please.”
“I am, I am.” Prin said. “Now, hand me her. And I will drop it down the other side, see? Then you and I will follow.” He smiled reassuringly and reached both hands down to receive the bundle.
“If you're sure about this.” Elwin sat his candle down. He could think of too many ways this could all go badly. What if the drop from the other side of the rock was unexpectedly steep? What if there was a hole in the floor on the other side? He tried to push the thoughts away.
Reluctantly Elwin picked up the body and handed it upward toward Prin.
“I've got this.” Prin assured. He took the women's body from Elwin, their hands touching briefly in the exchange. Once he had it on top of the rock he started to lower it over the other side, quickly dropping it the rest of the way down. “Oops, oh well.” he said sheepishly.
“Here I go.” He winked at Elwin before dropping out of sight behind the rock. There was a bit of a crash and thud on the other side.
“Are you okay!?” Elwin called.
After a moment's too long pause. “Just fine!” Came the reply. “Er, she broke my fall.”
Elwin cringed. Well better that then falling directly onto the rock floor. He was sure the prince was not in fact, just fine, but they would have to sit down and assess the damage later, when this was all over. If it was ever all over.
“Are you out of the way? I'm coming over.” Elwin warned.
“Hold on.” the prince's hand stuck out over the top of the rock. “Pass me the candle, if you please.”
Elwin picked the candle back up and put it in Prin's hand. It disappeared behind the rock.
“Okay, I'm out of the way.” the prince said. “Now you be careful, though.” he warned.
Elwin climbed up the rock, which was easier than one might suppose, based on naturally occurring hand and foot holds. He climbed down the other side easily, dropping only a few feet at the end of it.
“Agile bastard.” Prin teased.
Elwin laughed. It was nice to hear him still joking around under the circumstances.
The room had been large at one point, but now it was hard to tell. It was sectioned off by rubble into a claustrophobic mess. In the far corner, meager light came through the wall and shone down on a stone column that had fallen onto some heavy old wood furniture, probably a bed, crushing it and adding wood shards to the mess. The other side of the room was just stone piles.
The prince moved his candle side to side. “Where do you think we should . . .?”
“Maybe in the far corner.” Elwin suggested. “Out of the way enough that if people just took a quick look in here through the doorway they wouldn't be able to see anything unusual.”
“Right, right.” Prin picked up one end of the wrapped corpse.
“Oh, no, you don't need to help.” Elwin said. “Sit down a minute, you look like you need it.” He went to Prin and guided him back to the stone they had climbed over. “Sit. Sit.” He put his hands on his shoulders and pushed him to sit on the bottom edge of the rock. “I'll take care of this part.”
Prin sat down. “Don't trip over anything.” he suggested.
“I won't. You tell me if you can still see any part of the blanket sticking out from there, okay?” Elwin took the body to the corner of the room, stepping carefully over and around things until he got as far into the darkness as he could get. He had to peek around the corner of some fallen rock to see the prince sitting there with his candle.
Elwin tucked the body into the corner. “Can you see anything?” he asked, even though he was fairly certain he couldn't.
“No.” Prin said. “Not even you.”
Elwin felt around and started moving the smaller rocks from under and around the body, to on top of the body, as best he could. He even took some large pieces of wood, what may have been the remains of a large clothes wardrobe, and put them in on top of her. In the darkness he couldn't really see much of anything, but he hoped that even with light it would be hard to see much at all of the bundle.
He went back to Prin and got the candle. “Let me borrow this for a moment.” He used it to look at his work, which he deemed satisfactory. It would be a shock to him indeed if anyone were to discover her. Not in the next hundred years anyway.
As he was heading back toward Prin some cloth caught his eye, and he bent to examine it. Unfortunately it seemed too ragged and damaged by insects to be anything useful, but while he was down there something sparkled in the candle light. He picked it up, and it was a small gold colored ring with a flat clear crystal embedded in it. Elwin smiled. He dug through the dust and rubble for a moment to see if anything else was there but it seemed to be alone.
“What are you doing?” the prince wondered.
“I found something.” Elwin said. “Eh, let’s get out of here first.” He went back to his prince with the little treasure tucked into his pocket. It clinked against the coin he had gotten from Mr Seal and transferred to this pocket when he had changed into fresh clothes, then promptly forgotten all about. He was looking forward to giving them to Prin later.
