Betrothed

Chapter Fifteen: The Castle Ghost

The prince and the princess continued to train along with the three Ladies in Waiting up until it was time to change and get ready for royal court. They had no court the day before, so everybody was expecting a large crowd to appear, hoping to have their case heard by the royal family. As Henry began walking back to his room to change for court and bandage his arm, Audrianna ran up to join him. The princess's three Ladies in waiting lagged behind to help feed and pet Ethlyn's falcon.

"How do you like my new hair cut?" Audrianna asked the prince. Henry took one look at his handiwork, then looked away.

"How do you enjoy walking on the ground again?" he retorted.

"Much better than sitting, thanks," she answered, referring to how painful her buttocks felt after the prince spanked her. Henry didn't respond.

They continued to walk together in silence until they came to the grand staircase. The staircase represented the spot where the altercation between the two of them started. They both paused as if paying their own due respects to the event the day before. As they walked up the steps in tandem, Audrianna asked Henry a question that was burning in the back of her mind.

"Henry," Audrianna asked. "Do we have any prisoners that are being held captive somewhere in the castle?" Henry looked down at the princess and read the sincere expression on her face.

"Prisoner?" he asked. "We have no prisoners in the castle. All criminals are taken to the jail the other side of the city."

"That's what I've been told," Audrianna replied. "Do we have anybody in the castle that is sick or injured that you know of?"

"What are you wanting to know exactly?" he asked.

Audrianna took a deep breath.

"Well," she said. "I have been hearing some strange noises almost every night. They sound like someone moaning, or an animal howling. But I can't figure out what it is."

Immediately, when Audrianna said 'howling', Henry knew exactly what she was talking about. He straightened up, put his hands on his hips, and turned his head to see if the Ladies had caught up with them. He then looked back at the princess.

"Your Highness," he said with a serious tone. "The sounds you hear are the moanings of the castle ghost."

"A ghost?" Audrianna shrieked. She studied Henry's face to see any evidence that he was putting one over on her.

"That's right."

"A ghost is haunting the castle?" she asked.

"Oh, this ghost has been walking the halls of the castle for decades," Henry replied. "Not everybody hears him moan. They are the cries of the spirit of King Horatio the Aged."

Audrianna's eyes grew wide as she listened to Henry convincingly spin his yarn concerning the nightly noises echoing throughout the castle.

"He was my grandfather who built this castle more than sixty years ago. Rumor has it that the same year the castle was completed, King Horatio was killed by a large stone falling on him off the northwest tower."

"Oh," Audrianna responded. "Poor Horatio!"

"Yes," Henry replied. "So now, the ghost of Horatio wanders the hallways night after night, seeking the man, woman—or child responsible for dropping the tower stone that killed him."

"Is he dangerous?" Audrianna asked.

"Only if he believes you are the one who killed him. And since you can hear him moan, it means—he is after you!"