Shifts of Fate

4:30 a.m.

Knowing there were only thirty minutes left in his shift made Jacob stand a little taller. The clunky metallic body armor he wore was getting heavier by the hour. On paper, a six-hour shift seems easy. Yet, standing watch outside a kitchen door, with only the rhythmic ticking of a grandfather clock for company, anything beyond six hours would drive him to the brink of insanity. The only light in the hallway came from scarcely places sconces on the marble walls, enhancing even the smallest shadows of movement in the otherwise still castle. Twenty-five minutes left now. In five minutes, the new guard would arrive to take his place and receive a debrief on the night from Jacob. He had only been on the night shift for two months now, and so far, between the hours of eleven p.m. to five a.m., never had anything notable to report. Once last week when the princess was very ill, she had a maid coming in and out of the kitchen until two a.m. bringing her various soups and warm milk. That was the most human interaction Jacob had with other staff. Unlike other posts which had two to six guards surrounding one door, the kitchen post only needed one. There was no direct access in or out of the castle from the kitchen aside from a small window above the sink. Not really a threat for invasion, but deemed necessary for a guard, nonetheless.  

Charlotte ascended the steps toward the post precisely at 4:40 a.m. She too, wore a suit of metal armor, albeit a bit more fitted than Jacob’s. Her dark red hair lay loosely around her shoulders, framing the soft features of her face and standing out like a flame against the otherwise dull uniform. Charlotte wanted to guard The Princess personally one day, but for now she started on kitchen duty. A lowly position, but at least she had her foot in the door of the Royals.

“On time reporting for duty sir,” she quipped, playfully saluting to Jacob. Charlotte considered herself a morning person, always coming to work with a pep in her step despite the boring nature of the job. Today, however, the smile was natural when she realized Jacob was the one she would be trading shifts with. Even though they only engaged for twenty minutes a day, he gave a comical run down detailing the events of the night and always made the start of her day a little more bearable. She didn’t know much about him, except that he had graduated two years ahead of her in school and that he used to work guard at the stables. She had heard rumors about his challenging family life too but didn't think five a.m. was an appropriate time to bring it up.

“Only three Luna Moths attempted invasion tonight at 2:55 am,” Jacob began, the first hint of a smile breaking across his face. “Two wounded in battle, the other got away so be alert.”

For the next ten minutes they were caught up in each other. Charlotte telling about her night out at dinner, and Jacob discussing his plans for the day ahead. With only four minutes left they began the routine check together. Opening the kitchen door and looking for anything out of the ordinary, making sure the window was still locked, the stove and all appliances off. Jacob had a hard time focusing on the task at hand, he kept trying to think of things to say to get Charlotte to laugh, to keep the conversation going so maybe he wouldn't have to leave. Even at the end of his shift with a wave of tiredness finally coming on, Jacob wanted to stay longer just to keep her company. Unfortunately, he would be a distraction, and Charlotte took the kitchen duty way more seriously than he did. Five a.m. hit and Charlotte took Jacob’s place standing outside the heavy Mahogony door awaiting her long day of nothing to begin. Waving goodbye Jacob headed out for the evening, just as they first rays of sunlight began to break through the clouds.

8:15 am

The café near the castle was bustling with a feverish energy. Jacob would often come here after his shift for a quick breakfast and a cup of coffee. Today, he stayed for a while, sitting in a booth by the window half-heartedly attempting a crossword puzzle and peacefully people watching. Normally Jacob would rush home to get a quick nap in before starting work at his uncle’s woodshop, but today was Saturday. The one day a week he took for himself and worked only one job instead of two. As someone who grew up a farm boy, his muscular frame and not-so-well-kept facial hair stood out among the slimmer, cleaned up Royal city folk. The garments they wore, even for a leisure walk through the city, were made from finer materials with gold trimmings. Plenty of people from the country ventured to the city often, however, this close to the castle Jacob’s white cotton t-shirt and trousers were teetering on the edge of inappropriate. Crumpling up a used napkin in his callused hands Jacob stood to his full 6 ft stature. Giving a polite nod to the barista he headed for the door when suddenly a firm grip on his arm stopped him.

“Jacob Cheary” A prestigious Royal guard addressed him, “Follow me.” The hand locked on his bicep and intense stare let Jacob knew this was nothing to be contested. They were out of sight before many even noticed the intrusion. The next hour was a blur of travel from one carriage to the next, down a series of alleys and backroads few knew existed. Silence filled the air as Jacob sat rigid between two armored men, hardly daring to breathe. His fight or flight response was urging him to run, but it was useless. As no small man himself, he appeared almost childlike sandwiched between them. Escape was out of the question. Millions of questions flooded Jacob’s head, impossible to grab onto one for more than a second. Even if he did have the nerve to speak up, everyone knows questioning the Royals is not a good idea. I have done nothing wrong, Jacob reassured himself for what felt like the hundredth time. There must be some logical reason for this, maybe they selected me as a new guard for the Queen? His rationalization attempts almost made him scoff aloud. Jacob knew his summoning couldn’t mean anything short of a disaster.  

10:00 am­

Charlotte toyed with her gold necklace until the base of her thumb rubbed raw. It was only an hour into her shift when she could sense something was off. The staff arrived on time and began preparing breakfast, hustling about with laundry, and polishing the marble floors. She gave subtle smiles to the familiar faces from her position near the kitchen entrance, holding strong in her posture, sword saddled at the hip - just in case. Charlotte had never seen the Queen in person before, despite working in her daughter’s manor, but she knew instantly when she arrived. This is my time, Charolette thought. The chance to make an impression, get moved up to a higher duty. In hindsight, she should have known a surprise visit from the Queen wouldn’t mean anything good. She just didn’t realize how bad it would be.

“What do you mean she’s GONE?” Jacob tried to remain calm.

“The Princess is gone,” Charolette explained again, “She was last seen by her personal maiden in her bedroom at midnight and now there is no trace. No one has heard from her for almost ten hours now, they’re speaking of kidnapping from the Peerson Kingdom or possibly the Rebellion.”

Jacob rubbed his forefingers into his temples, “Okay sure, but what the hell does this have to do with us. We are members of the castle guard we should be out there searching!” He took another deep breath in, “Why are we in a cell.”

Their conversation came to a halt when two voices were heard heading towards them.

“Excuse me, sir!” Charlotte attempted to reach through the cell bars. “Sir!” She repeated, finally catching one man's attention, “Why are we here, there has to be a mistake?”

A small man stopped outside the cell as his partner carried on walking. He tilted his head, as if contemplating whether he wanted to engage with two prisoners. “There is no mistake. I am on strict orders to keep you down here until word from The Queen herself.”

The Queen herself?  Jacob and Charlotte glanced warily at each other. “This doesn’t make any sense,” Jacob spoke up. “Let us speak to someone, get this cleared up. We are on the castle guard; we can help find The Princess.”

The small man chuckled, “You haven’t heard?” He raised his eyebrows at them, “The Princess is dead.” Charlotte’s face went pale as a ghost. “And” the man continued, “Her body was found outside your kitchen window. I suggest the two of you get your story straight.” The man sauntered away, leaving Jacob and Charolette to wonder who it really was they were trapped in a cell with.