章節 8: Exploration

During the first few days at Prince Manor, Rowan and Severus are rather quiet. Yet being the curious children they are, they carefully begin to explore the outer grounds, before tentatively exploring Prince Manor. Seeing that they were not prohibited from doing so, they slowly grew bolder exploring more and more of the manor until one day they found the attic.

They were rather interested to explore a magical attic only to hear a chivalrous voice coming from inside. Rowan and Severus shared a startled expression as it was not a voice, they were unfamiliar with. Their grandfather had never mentioned that there were occupants in the manor.

Intrigued and cautious, Rowan and Severus carefully opened the attic door a crack to peek inside. Their mouths flop open at seeing a pearly white head playing chest with a ghostly body of a knight in shining armor. The ghost's head narrows his eyes at the rook on the wizarding chessboard. "I said left!" He growled at the disobedient rook.

Pushing the door further open Rowan steps inside followed by Severus. The two of them recognized the wizarding chessboard as there was one in their grandfather's study. Their grandfather had taught them how to play or rather control the enchanted chess pieces.

Upon closer look, the ghost is a handsome youth in his prime. He has an attractive face right off a magazine with glossy hair. "Oh, my visitors!" The ghostly head eagerly said. "Where are my manners?!" The ghostly body rises from its seat and gently grabs the ghostly head, before properly holding the head to its ghostly chest with the head facing forward.

With a breathtaking smile that even made Rowan's heart skip a beat, the attractive ghost says, "All me to introduce myself, I am Sir Knight Prince at your service," before taking a deep bow.

"You're a ghost!" Severus said in awe and shock.

"That is correct, I am the sole ghost of Prince Manor. I was born in these very same halls in 1517," Sir Knight Prince nobly explained, "and died in 1537. I guard Prince Manor against those that would seek to harm it."

Severus and Rowan's eyes are both naturally drawn to the chopped-off neck and well obviously severed head. Severus squeamishly looks away unconsciously reaching up to touch his throat. "If you don't mind asking, what happened there?" Rowan pointed to her neck in a slicing motion.

Sir Knight Prince's eyes darken for a moment forlorn, before saying, "Let us just say it was a youthful folly on my part."

"What?" Severus sputtered in misunderstanding.

"You actually slept with someone's wife or daughter, didn't you?!" Rowan smirked wagging her finger at Sir Knight Prince.

Sir Knight Prince gazes majestically out the window that perfectly showcases his best side profile. "Tis better to have loved than to never have loved at all," Sir Knight Prince poetically said, but he neither corrected nor denied the statement. He had no desire to speak of his tragic past.

Severus blanches utterly grossed out, while Rowan's eyes glitter with delight. "Please, do tell, who was she?" Rowan eagerly asked intrigued at the tragic mystery.

"No one," Sir Knight Prince somberly answered.

"No, she must have been, or else that wouldn't have happened," Rowan curiously persisted pointing to the wound on Sir Knight Prince's neck.

Sir Knight Prince seeing himself beseeched on all sides tactfully opts to change the subject. "Have the two of you found Prince Manor's hidden passageways?"

Rowan's eyes glitter like Christmas lights at the statement. "Go on, we're listening."

Privately sighing in relief that his misdirection worked, Sir Knight Prince says, "There are several passageways in Prince Manor. There is one in the main study. If you pull the third book on the fifth shell it will reveal a tunnel that connects to the old stables. At present, the stables have been converted to a storage shed, but the tunnel remains intact. And as for the rest, I will personally show you. They are harder to use if one doesn't know where to look."

"Thank you, please lead on," Rowan said gesturing at Severus to follow. The two of them follow Sir Knight Prince out of the attic and back the way they came. They pass by

"Please lead on!" Rowan happily said as they followed Sir Knight Prince out of the attic.

On their way to the first passageway, they pass by all the generations of the Prince's ancestors that curiously studied them back. After seeing the portraits of the Prince family, Rowan came to one solemn conclusion. Those that remained in the Prince family line are all gaunt-like figures with dark hair. And those that seemed remarkably cheerful or were rather good looking either married out of the family or tended to die rather young such as in the case of Sir Knight Prince. Yes, the good looks in the family literally tended to die off.

"And here we are," Sir Knight Prince loudly proclaimed as they halted before a nude, female Greek statue on the third floor. Severus blushes as his eyes dart away at Sir Knight Prince with an appreciative gleam in his eye for the female statue. "Now just tug down her robe," Sir Knight Prince instructed.

Severus and Rowan turn to dubiously eye Sir Knight Prince as though he is a pervert. "The passage was made by one of the Prince forefathers as he had several mistresses," Sir Knight Prince hastily explained.

"Figures," Rowan thought to herself as she and Severus silently debate, who was to be the first one to try. After a silent and rather engaging game of paper, rock, scissors, Rowan emerged victorious in the end.

Rowan makes a fist in delight as Severus reluctantly tugs on the skirt of the fair maiden. A creaking sound is heard as the wall swings back to reveal a passageway. "This passage just goes down to the fifth bedroom on the second floor as that was where the founder's favorite mistress at the time use to stay at," Sir Knight Prince explained.

"I feel that the Prince family has produced plenty of dubious, lustful characters," Rowan drily said as she eyed Sir Knight Prince in emphasis.

Sir Knight Prince primly answers, "That may be true, but the younger generations have done much better!"

"That's only because they all died young and foolishly in wizarding duels," Rowan stiffly retorted, acutely aware of said deaths due to the plaques under the family portraits.

Sir Knight Prince has no comeback to that and quickly leads them to another passageway. The portrait in question is of two lovers as a man rows a maiden across a lake portrait only for two wiggling tentacles starting to creep out from under the dark waters of the lake. "Early erotic horror?" Rowan privately mused to herself.

"Just run your finger against the left side and there will be a small indent to further push in," Sir Knight Prince patiently instructed.

Rowan does as she is instructed when the portrait swings upward to reveal a descending tunnel. "This tunnel here leads to the dungeons," Sir Knight Prince said as he leads the way inside. Rowan shrugs and follows as Severus furrows his brows and does the same.

The portrait closes shut behind them, but despite the gloom, Sir Knight Prince's silvery glowing body provides excellent lighting. They emerge into a damp dungeon filled with storage items and cobwebs. Rowan and Severus choke at the mildew and dust as Sir Knight Prince proceeds to point to the south wall. "Just tap the south wall over here thrice."

Severus does as he is told as a dark tunnel appears in view. "This tunnel leads all the way into Norton next to the local historic house of some muggle noble. Either way, I don't recommend using it much as two of you are a bit young to go exploring the town on your own," Sir Knight Prince pointedly said.

"Of course," Rowan said with two thumbs up that did little to convince Sir Knight Prince.

Sir Knight Prince sighs to himself at finding himself so easily manipulated by the newest Prince generation. But what is a medieval ghost to do in the face of the living?