Castle Glass

The knock on the castle gate was little more than a tap, but somehow, someone inside heard. The heavy oak gates creaked open, and a disheveled guard poked his head out. Dark rings sat beneath heavy-lidded eyes, and a heavy stubble on his chin told the tale of many days without a shave. He looked blearily up at the newcomer, squinting at her in the twilight.

"Well, hello there. You're a new face, I don't think I've seen you in town before. What can I help you with? If you're looking for work, I'm afraid there's none to be fo-"

He glanced down at the flyer in her hand, eyes suddenly snapping open wide. He stood up straight, a feat that seemed to take quite a bit of exertion, and looked her in the eye.

"Are you here for that job, miss? Please, do come inside."

He opened the gate wider, beckoning her inside before shutting it tightly behind them. Walking slowly down the path, he led her through the dimly-lit courtyard. If she looked closely, Jesilyn might notice that only one out of every four or five lanterns was burning.

"We've had quite a few people coming looking for the job, but not many stayed to complete it. I do hope you're different, but I have to temper my expectations...say, what's your name, Miss? Where do you hail from, may I ask?"

"Jes, Jes, Jesilyn...I think there was a young girl in town named Jess. She was awfully sweet, everyone liked her, people said she was going to marry the Barrington boy...she died of a White Lily two years ago. Awful shame. Can't look at those things without thinking of her. Quite a tragedy."

The guard trailed off, seemingly lost in his rather morbid train of thought. He stared off into space, eyes almost slipping closed as he walked before they snapped open once more, and he shook his head.

"Where am I from? I'm from the town, same as everyone. Lived there my whole life, and now I'm here. Up on the hill. Quite a view, isn't it?"

The view from the courtyard wasn't very impressive at all, as the high stone walls blocked off any sight of the sunset over the surrounding town. However, the guard's chest puffed up with pride as he spoke of it. He led her into the main keep and through a series of twisting hallways and complex corridors until they reached a large dining hall. Nodding in satisfaction that he'd successfully led her to her destination, he grinned weakly, showing a mouth not-quite-full of teeth.

"Would you like something to eat? To drink? I can have the cooks bring you something, if you'd like. Lord Glass will be out here momentarily, to explain the situation."

The guard signed, shaking his head slowly. He took a deep, shuddering breath, steadying himself for a moment before speaking.

"Yes, it was quite a tragedy. We think it was a curse, by a trickster spirit from the woods. Perhaps she said the wrong thing and it heard, or it got jealous...or maybe it wasn't a spirit at all. In any case, she must have accidentally swallowed a cursed seed at some point. She fell ill as the lily grew inside her, constricting her from the inside out and feeding on her vitality. None of the town's healers or elders knew what had become of her until it was too late. The day she finally died, after weeks of illness, the white lily finally blossomed, growing out of her mouth. It had been growing inside her for weeks, killing her...and we were helpless. So tragic, and we never figured out what caused it...anyways, your name reminded me of her."

Once at the dining room, he left her alone for a moment, stepping smartly over through a door and out of the room. Jesilyn was left alone, except for a large painting of a severe-looking lord. The man was dressed finely, in an extravagant (if out-of-style) long coat and pants. The painted eyes seemed to stare at Jesilyn, silently judging her as she sat at the vast, empty table.

Several minutes later, the guard returned, accompanied by a different man than the one in the painting. He looked to be in his late forties or early fifties, but the years had not been kind. Stress lines creased his face, and his hair seemed to be turning prematurely grey. He glanced at Jesilyn, seemingly unimpressed by her appearance.

"So you're the latest newcomer coming to ask about the job, huh? Well, I'm Lord Glass, and I sincerely appreciate the help...if you decide to help. You'd be rewarded, of course. I'll explain everything...but tell me a little bit about yourself. Mr. Pack here says that your name is Jes...but that's all he knows. Tell me, how did you come to find yourself in our corner of the world? Tell me about yourself. What do you do, exactly?"

Lord Glass nodded thoughtfully as she gave her vague answers, glancing over her as though sizing her up and assessing her ability. When she asked about the exact nature of the job, he frowned for a moment, taking a deep breath before nodding to the guard. The guard stepped out of the room for a moment, before returning with two identical-looking young boys. They seemed to be about 6 or 7, and both had the same brownish hair and frightened faces. If it weren't for the fact that one of the boys was wearing a brown tunic and the other a white one, they would have looked to be mirror images of each other. They looked up at the lord, then over at Jesilyn, but didn't say a word. The lord sighed, gesturing to the boys.

"One of these boys is my son, Toby Glass. Heir to the castle, and my only child. The other is...a changeling. A fae snuck into the castle two weeks ago, intent on capturing my son and replacing it with its own. We caught it in the act and chased it off, but it left the changeling child. One of these is an innocent child to be protected, and the other is an evil fae...but we can't tell which is which."

One of the boys piped up, his voice high-pitched and scared.

"Father, please. Send this impostor away. I'm Toby, can't you see?"

The other shook his head, shoving the first child away.

"Father, don't listen to his lies! I'm the real one, can't you tell? I'm the real Toby, he's the fake!"

The guard quickly separated the two, and Lord Glass shook his head. Turning back to Jesilyn, he let out a long, tired sigh.

"You see my dilemma? I mustn't risk sending away the wrong one, but who can tell which is the right one? The fae trickery is strong."

The man had a distinctive smell to his blood, clean and subtly foreign, suggesting a lifelong diet of high quality food and expensive spices. Clearly, this man had lived a life of comfort and luxury. He leaned back a bit as she approached him, but didn't step away.

"I have, as has his mother. Neither of us were able to find so much as a hair out of place. The changeling has done a good job in its mimicry, the monster. Of course, I'm sure you understand that absolute discretion is required for a job like this. This sort of thing cannot become public, there would be a scandal."

He shook his head, taking a deep breath before continuing.

"So...do you think you can help me with our problem? I would understand if you cannot take on such a responsibility, and only ask that you do not speak of this matter to anyone."

When she asked to speak to their mother, Lord Glass nodded. It was a reasonable enough request, especially when it came to the matter of their child. However, when she suggested her own examination of the boys, he hesitated for a moment.

"I can see the necessity of your request, perhaps your eyes are sharper than my own...but I'm sure you understand my hesitation to allow a stranger to examine my son. I suppose there's no two ways around it, it'll have to be done...I only ask that his mother is in the room as well. Also, would you like to talk to his nursemaid? Perhaps she'd have something that might help you...I'm not sure."

He sat down heavily on one of the chairs, groaning and slumping down forward against the table.

"It's just so exhausting, all this stress...I just don't know what to do. Have you ever seen anything like this? If only the guards had been a little quicker...but no, they took their eyes off the two boys for just a second and then it was too late."