4. The Festival, part 1 – cupcakes

He would never admit it, not if you asked him, but Sergeant Gordon was very fond of the Festival of Lights. It was the one day in his life which was both pleasant and peaceful. Unfortunately, this year's festival was less pleasant, and it was all because of the young man next to him.

"I still don't see why I'm here. Look at this. Nothing's going to happen. This... this is an insult, a complete insult..."

Gordon tried to ignore Luke's whinging, just like he'd been trying to ignore it for the past two hours. He focused his attention on two children running towards a market stall. How did kids get fascinated by such simple things? He almost envied them.

"... The Captain could've taken me with him. I'd have done a far better job than Michael – he wouldn't recognise a thief if one of 'em walked up to him and said hello..."

There seemed to be stalls everywhere; more than last year, Gordon reckoned. There was one selling bread. He wouldn't mind some bread, actually; too bad he was on duty.

"... And if he insisted on making us stay here, why couldn't he have given us the day off? At least then we could actually do something-"

"Luke," Gordon snapped. "I get it."

The younger guard wrinkled his nose at him. "What?"

"I get it, Luke. You're mad because the Captain didn't pick you for the recovery team. But just get over it, alright? Grumbling about it isn't going to change anything!"

"But I still don't see why I wasn't-"

"Well, the fact is, you weren't. This is your assignment, Luke. This, right here. So just keep your eyes open for any suspicious activity."

"But nothing is going to happen," Luke moaned. "Can you see any thieves around here? No. Because they're all out in the forest. No thief is going to come here today, when there are so many people around."

"You don't know much about thieves, do you?" asked Gordon.

"I do, actually. A man broke into our house once; he stole most of Mother's jewellery. That was in the middle of the night, not in broad daylight like today. No thief would be stupid enough to try anything today."

The Sergeant didn't even dignify that with a response. Luke, he'd discovered, was one of those men who thought he knew more than he actually did. He'd seen his type before; came from a wealthy family, brought up in a big house with plenty of books, and actually thought all that was enough to make him a good soldier. No wonder the Captain didn't pick him! Gordon could see it now; "I don't think Rider's going to be hiding in a tree, Sir, that's much too high for a thief..."

"Could I have a cupcake, at least? They're being sold over there, and they're so nice, too. My mother used to get those for us when we were little..."

Gordon's stomach rumbled as he followed Luke's gaze. He wouldn't say no to a cupcake; it seemed like hours since he'd had lunch. It probably was hours since he had lunch. Keeping track of time wasn't Gordon's strong point.

"You know the rules," the Sergeant replied. "No shopping while we're on duty."

"But we're not shopping, are we, if we just buy a cupcake? We're just getting something to eat. That's hardly illegal, is it?"

"You can get one when the other guards take over from us."

"But that could be hours away-"

"I said no, Luke."

He walked a little bit faster, leaving the tempting cupcake stall behind him. Luke followed suite, mercifully silent. Unfortunately, this silence didn't last long.

"Sir!"

"What?"

"I thought I saw something."

Gordon glared at him. "What, Luke? Another cupcake stall?"

"No, it was a girl. A blonde one, with lots of hair."

The Sergeant shook his head. A blonde? In this kingdom? He had to be making it up. Probably thought he'd distract his superior while he went and got a cupcake. Well, Gordon wasn't having any of that.

"Luke," he said at last. "I know this probably isn't what you expected. I know you signed up because you thought you'd be chasing down thieves and swaggering around in a uniform. But the least you can do is try and do the job properly. Don't go making up stories."

"But I-"

"No, Luke, I don't want to hear any more. Just... just look out for trouble, alright?"

"I did see her," muttered the younger guard, but that was the last thing he said for a while. The two men walked away, and the blonde girl was forgotten – at least for the time being.