The Two Barons (RP)

- Roald -

Your minions report back, though you already sorta know their answer, they have not been nearly long enough to be any sort of thorough. "No sign of Childebert." They say, but they look surprised and sheepish at the rest. "The closest? Under the... curtains? Er... no."

- Norbert -

Phil's nervousness at going with you seems to have morphed into excitement. They really seem to be enjoying sticking close to you as you conduct this search and chatter away happily on any topic you choose till you get to your last question.

"A Princess?" He exclaims excitedly. "You think they have captured a princess?" He thinks for a moment before answering. "You don't keep princesses in a dungeon, you keep them high up. But I did not see a tower. If they want her to be comfortable --she is a princess after all-- I would assume she is upstairs, in one of the bedrooms..." The talk of someone keeping a princess locked in their bedroom seems to conjure up distressing thoughts in Phil's innocent mind and they tug on your sleeve. "We must go up there and save her from that!"

What do you do?

Phil presses close to Norbert in nervous anticipation as the hatch cracks silently open.

Dust cascades down upon Roald and Daryl, and there is a heavy layer on top of the hatch making it hard to lift and suggesting it has not been used in many years. It is possible the current family do not know about this --hidden away as it is-- and only Roald's superior deduction abilities brought it to light.

There is a soft scratching sound from above, as thought something small is disturbed by the movement of the hatch.

"Please don't let it be rats" Phil whispers.

What do you do?

- Norbert -

The first thing you see as you eyes adjust is a small, colourful, forest bird, sitting on a box and watching you with its head cocked to one side. The dust under your hand is crunchy with old bird droppings --some of them surely too large for such a small variety of bird, but do you know that sort of thing?

From what you can tell from here, the rest of the attic appears to be filled with old furniture, chairs pilled on a table, some coffers, and a pile of old kitchenware behind you within reach of the hatch.

What do you do?

"I have never left the village." Theo admits --possibly making Albert worry about the mayor's willingness to agree that he go out with this group now. "Looks like a house though?" He postulates, not seeing anything special about the fanciness here, even though it is --or was-- more ostentatious than his father's house.

Theo definitely already noticed Phil and his eyes track their movement protectively to make sure the other boy is OK. He visibly relaxes at what he sees, and a tension that was not apparent till now drains from him

Upstairs, Phil giggles uncontrollably at Norbert's antics --and at Roald's annoyance as well-- then even more as Daryl scrabbles to both bow an apology and light the candle at the same time.

Norbert: There is a lit candle available below, within easy reach, if you want it.

- Norbert -

Your spoken words cause the little bird to flee in a hurry, fluttering into a shaft of light and squeezing out through the gap.

Phil takes a step forward, but then hesitates when he sees your face. It looks like he is torn between the desire to join you up there and the not wanting to get his clothes dirty... which does not make a lot of sense for those clothes --which look kinda like cast-offs and have seen better days-- but is consistent with Phil's otherwise rather clean and neat appearance. Theo steps forward, clearly offering to help, but whether that is an offer to help Phil ascend or to take his place is unclear.

What do you do?

- Norbert -

Ignoring the Roald-ladder, Theo boosts Phil up to take your hands and you easily lift him into the dark and confined space. You have to press close together to move around or pass each other in the narrow spaces, and you can feel the heat of Phil's blushing at the contact, but he does not say anything.

Another candle is lit and both are passed up so you can look around more easily.

The roof slants above your heads, so there is only the center section where you can stand erect. There are boards placed across the beams, and you don't know if it is safe to step on the ceiling between them.

"Where do we start." Phil asks breathlessly, then, as his foot crushed the small bones of a what was probably a rat, he exclaims: "Eeww!"

What do you do?

- Norbert -

"Ooh! It's heavy." Phil exclaims as you both lift a box down to get easier access and to see beyond.

Phil is more interested in the rest of the attic --while it is not as romantic as a tower, it is the 'highest room' so should contain the 'princess'. A little careful squeezing and his lithe form easily makes it past the barrier of furniture to the other side, after which he has to reach back for you to relight the candle dropped on its head during the squeeze, but then he is disappointed.

"There is nothing here." He wails. "Just more junk. Look: this pile has fallen all over the roof," (technically 'ceiling' not 'roof' but Phil is not technically minded like that:).

Peering through the gaps you can see all the way to the edges by the light that comes in through the gaps in the roof tiles.You can make out the shape of the house below reflected above. The angles of the roof cut into the 'attic' at the corners, and chimneys extend stone fingers up through the space.

There is no sign that anyone has been up here in a long time. The layer of dust looks undisturbed by anything larger than rats and birds... and Phil if you don't speak up in time.

The heavy box turns out to be filled with paper --which people forget is heavier than the wood it it made of. It will take ages to go through all of them, but there appear to be books in one, and hand written papers in another, and old, moth-eaten clothes in another, nothing at all in another one, and so on. Not always as neatly divided. You would guess this is the accumulated clutter of generations.

What are you looking for? Maybe the others will have guidance if you keep them informed of what you are finding.