She was staring at the chiseled golden ceiling and the painted mural on it.
Little babies with wings flying and laughing. Farther away adult figures were sitting on a big cloud hugging each other.

It was hot, the peak of the summer. Ingrid slept only in an underwear, without blankets like a star.

She felt really lonely that day. She had no mood for socializing at all, but she had to move out from the bed soon to prepare herself for the ceremony.

She sat up and walked to the window. Maids and servants were rushing up and down on the yard, preparing for the big event.

As she looked further saw, that fancy wagons were coming closer on the road. The guests were arriving.

Ingrid put on a light robe and tied it by her waist.

"Maybe the library won't be that busy."

She was heading outside to search for a hiding place.
She had to ask 3 people on the way where to find the library, and finally she arrived to the northern tower.

She was about to enter the library, when from the neighboring room, a maid jumped out scared.

-NO, DON'T KILL ME, GOOD DOG, GOOD DOG!

The 2 Giant dog, Cecil and Cerbi was snarling at the servant to back up.

-What happened?-Ingrid asked and stepped between her and the dogs.

The dogs lowered their voices.

-I've got an order to clean the room, but I can't, because the dogs don't let me any further in! They only obey for the crown prince.

-Oh I see...-She turned her head to the dogs and slowly touched Cecil's forehead. She stopped being angry and licked the little prince's hand. -I may be able to help you.

-I would be very grateful master...

-Snow...

-Master Snow... You can smell yourself how unpleasant is the room. Nobody stepped in it to clean since you've arrived.

-Well, just do it quickly...and bring 2 leash for the dogs, so I can walk them.

-You will walk them?

-Yes, but hurry, I don't have time all day.

The maid run away, and the dogs calmed down.

-Cecil! Cerbi! Sit!

The dogs sat down. Ingrid didn't know why they obeyed her, but that wasn't the time to be unsure about herself.

As she was waiting she heard scratching noises from inside.
The room was fully dark, and unbearably reeked from dog poop.

"I wonder if HE is in there, sleeping in this horrible smell?"

She slowly widened the door to peek inside then looked back to the dogs.

-Guard!- She commanded them and seemingly they they understood her because they stood up.

Ingrid walked in slowly so her eyes could get accustomed to the dark.

She saw that the windowed side of the room was full with feces.

The prince instantly snapped her hand to her nose.

There was an empty bed at the farther side of the room.

"...but if Karakan is not here, why were Cecil and Cerbi here guarding this room?"

She stepped back and closed the doors.

The maid arrived back panting with two other, younger one. All of them brought a bunch of cleaning tools and buckets of soaped water.

The main maid put the bucket down and started to untie the leashes from her waist.

-Here you go Master Snow!

-Thank you...hmm these are looking brand new.

-Prince Karakan has never used leash before. I brought these from the stable.

-Oh, well, then let's hope they will accept it... Cecil...you come first.

Cecil held up her head majestically. Ingrid did it quickly.
For a moment she was afraid, that the dog could bite her arms off in a second, but it let her do it.

She looked really happy, wagging her tail (in her majestic way).

Cerbi was a different story. He was a little bit bigger and tried to avoid the leash with his head.

-CERBI!-Charged Ingrid and Cerbi started to growl. -Cerbi!

She called him again and he stopped growling and licked his face nervously.
Ingrid patted his head, and using his happy confusion she put the leash on his neck.

She laughed at his momentary betrayed look but then he was wagging his tail so badly that his whole body was moving.

-Okay, while I'm bringing them for a walk, you hurry and clean the room. It smells awfully... Good luck ladies.

Cecil started to pull, and Cerbi followed her example.

-Slowly!-Said Ingrid flying after the dogs, but the dogs weren't listening to her. She was pulled down on the stairs.

Everybody jumped away from their way, and in the mirror room they even opened the door for them to escape to the garden.

Ingrid decided to run with them rather then trying to stop them.
She even played with them fetch from witch all three of us were profusely happy.

Ingrid let them out run on the big, sunny field, so she could catch her breath on a bench. Suddenly she noticed Sigfrid far away to the right, speaking with 2 dames.

"I wondered if they did "it" at night or not... Sigfrid look pretty relaxed."

Cecil sat down next to Ingrid's leg and put her paws on her knee. Cecil was so big, her and Ingrid's eyes were almost at the same height.

She patted her and looked back to Sigfrid. Cecil tapped on Ingrid's knee again.

-You'r a clever girl aren't you? -She said to her and the big furry tried to lick the little prince's face. -Let's go back... Fetch your other one, will'ya?

Soon they were walking up on the stairs.

They were almost there, when a big ball of textile was coming in front of them. It turned, and Ingrid saw, it was the main maid from before. Her face was dark red and sweaty.

-Please not yet! I think the floor is still wet. Master, can you wait for a few minutes? I opened the windows, so it will air out quickly. -She jabbered and stepped slowly one by one down on the stair.

The other two servant followed her, also with huge blankets and hangings.

The buckets and scrub brushes were on the floor, in front of the door.

Ingrid peeked in. The room was very bright now, the maids removed all the carpets and curtains and bedding. The red marble floor was visible now.

Finally it was dry, so the little prince could step into the room.

She closed the door and unleashed the dogs. They were nuzzling around right away, and end up at the side of the bed. They flatten against the floor and enjoyed it's coolness.

"I shouldn't be here without his permission."

Ingrid breathed in slowly, and stopped the time. "It won't take too long like this."

She looked up to the ceiling.

On the mural, there were no human, only dogs and birds, and every kind of forest animals. She looked further around, and  stopped at a darkened, mousy painting.

It illustrated a noble family, a beautiful woman, a proud man, a young son and an infant in the woman's arm.

Ingrid caught herself touching the boy's face. It was HIS family's portrait. So he had a little brother...or sister...and they were probably his parents.

In the golden frame, there was a carving but she couldn't get the meaning out.

She panned further at the right. The dogs were resting by a fishy wall. Ingrid didn't know what was strange about it, but it looked unusually empty?

There was only a vase with dried flowers in it at the edge of a narrow end-table.

Ingrid started to breath again and one of the beasts accidentally kicked the end-table, and the vase didn't move at all.

"I should set that vase right before it fell down."

As she pushed up front the vase, something clicked in the wall behind, and half of the wall opened up ajar.

"What the...?"

One of the dog jumped to it's feet and started to push it's head in.

-No, no no, stay, stay!-Said Ingrid smiling and pulled it's head out. She was excited to find a secret door. (In her original northern castle had also secret doors, which she enjoyed very much to use.)

Ingrid climbed into the 1 m tall hole, and closed the wall behind herself.

"I saw this before."

She crawled farther, and fell out suddenly. She was expecting to find a dark stair down to the ground, but instead of that, it was a round, white marble room with one single man-sized candle at the side.

"An empty room?"

Ingrid was sneaking around knocking gently on the wall, searching for secrets.

"Nothing. Why is there an empty room, behind the normal room?
There was no other exit, only where I came from.
Why is there a candle burning?"

She sat down next to the candle.

"It so quiet here. It's like the time would stop here."

She was watching the stones, the patterns and listening for noises.

As she was staring at the floor, she noticed a rectangular shape on it, where the marble was differently placed, so the grout formed a frame.

Ingrid went on hands and knees there and touched the grout.

It was a narrow hole. She run her hand on the surface, and she could feel the mild odds.

The little prince vaguely knocked on the rectangular twice and held her ear to the ground.

Silent.

She repeated the process, but with more power, and this time she knocked 3 times.

Now she could hear something. She couldn't decide what was it, but it was something.

"Something or someone is in there."

She waited.

Nothing happened.

...

She started to knock a song she's just learnt in Silvatown, called: "Búj búj zöld ág..."

It was a happy folk song, that Kati taught Ingrid.

Her fist started to hurt when the rocks crackled under her hand. She stopped and sat back.

The rectangular shaped thick floor piece elevated up by two hand from under.

The hands turned the stone piece 90 degree away and put it on the floor.

The hand dipped back to the hole.

Ingrid's heart was strongly throbbing. She couldn't move for a minute, until a voice came out from the hole.

-Did you wake me up to just sit there? -Said the familiar voice.

Ingrid crawled to the hole joyously when she realized who was that.

-I'm sorry for...-She started but stopped from the shock. Karakan was laying there half naked. He wore an underwear and an unbuttoned white shirt. - disturbing you...

It's not like she didn't see him naked, but at that time it was very dark.

He was laying in a wide pillowed coffin. He looked tired.

-Is it night already?- He asked and sat up to check the candle.- It's not even real afternoon!

He bumped his body back to the pillows and closed his eyes.

"He's so handsome uaaaa...what should I say?!"

-So? Why were you in my room? Is this a hobby of yours to sneak around other people's private property?

-Noo...it's...it was just a coincidence... I walked your dogs so the maids could clean your room...

-What?! AAAAhhh cr*p!

-I was just walking by...

-Don't need to explain it...whatever...

-Are you angry with me...?

-Nno...I just don't like when other people see my room...

-But they have already seen it before several times, right?

He opened his eyes and looked into Ingrid's. He flicked her nose unexpectedly.

-Auch!

-How can be my dogs so soft around you?

-I don't know...

-Ah whatever...I'm tired...

-Ah sorry, this is your chance to sleep, I should get going...-She said him and stood up.

-And what would you do outside?-He asked.
Ingrid looked back to his face. He was watching.

-I thought about...visiting the library? Everybody is running around everywhere...

-Ahm...do you want to stay here?

-With you?

-Yeah?

She was hesitating. "Is this really happening?" She was craving of course for his closeness, but being close meant also danger.

-Well if you need company...-She said while she looked away.
"I hope he can't see how embarrassed I am."

-Come on in... I'm lonely. -He said. Ingrid snapped her face to see his face. He was grinning, showing his pointy eyetooth and spreading his arms.

The little prince stepped near to the hole. It was deep for that childish body. He stretched his arms to catch the kid.

Now Ingrid was on his chest.

-Lie down so I can close the top. -He said while he was hugging me with one of his arm. Ingrid felt like a prey.

The little prince slipped to the side, still laying on his half.

-Are you going to close it all?-She asked shyly.

-I will leave a gap for you to breath, don't worry.

He lifted the marble top with one hand now and turned it back to it's place, but slid it so that a narrow gap left at the head.

He smelt nice.

-You are not relaxed...-He said.

-I'm sorry...I don't want to keep you up...

-Don't worry about me, I can sleep if I want... Are you cold?

-No, I'm fine. It's good here...

-Then relax...

Ingrid tried to calm down, and let her hand slip to his chest. "I wonder if he feels how nervous I am."

-Are you checking my heart?..You won't feel anything.

Ingrid stretched her fingers and closed her eyes.

-It's fine if it's stays like this...

-Aren't you just too sweet?-He said and held her chin up to look into her eyes. -Sometimes I have to remind myself that you are an old man.

Ingrid put out her tongue for answer. He smiled and rumbled her hair.