"Good morning Capta— OH MY GOD!'' Maggey rushed over to the desk, a mound of papers scattered about with a clearly unconscious captain sitting behind his desk. She fussed about not knowing what to do, hovering with nervous worry. The mumble from underneath the pile of papers calmed her for a moment, "Captain! Are you alright under there?" Quickly she moved the papers neatly stacking them best she could without causing another avalanche of paperwork. From the pile was a man, face down with a light snore going. As the light from the windows behind him rested on his face the man began to stir.
"Mmgn- who turned on the Sun…?"
Maggey let out a sigh of relief, watching her captain sit up and wipe his face. She stood at attention saluting to him, "Good Morning, Captain Wright! I have the morning hand off ready for you!" The peep in her voice didn't exactly lend to his slow wake up.
"Hand off.. Right ya-" He reached out taking the paper to read it, rubbing his eyes:
Captain Phoenix Wright,
The night watch was a great success. We received word by raven that his Royal Highness Prince Miles Edgeworth will be arriving by carriage alongside his personal guard and 40 staff in anticipation for his coronation this week. We expect him to arrive sometime by noon and will arrange for a security detail to greet him.
Phoenix couldn't believe his eyes. He read the paragraph over and over again. Prince Edgeworth will be arriving. He didn't bother reading the rest of the message, Sir Justice was always thorough with his reports despite nothing ever happening. "Maggey, what time is it?" Phoenix stood from behind his desk, grabbing his uniform jacket and slipping it on. The bright blue clashing slighting with the red sash across his chest,
"Well it's almost noon sir, that's why I came to get you!" Maggey opened the notebook she had, "You have a meeting!"
The Captain stopped for a moment, in the middle of briefly cleaning his face with a rag. "Shouldn't I greet the prince? I mean, I am the Captain, this feels like a Captain's responsibility." Phoenix slipped on his gloves, moving out the door with Maggey and down the decorated halls of the castle.
"Well, no sir! You have to be there to oversee the security hand off! You know that sir." Maggey held the door open for Phoenix, shutting it behind them. The disappointment on his face was painfully obvious. Sure, when other nobles arrived this fell under his responsibilities but surely they could make an exception, find someone else even! Apollo would have been delighted to do so but then again he would be in bed by now. He listened idly as Maggey read off his schedule but something had caught his eye, stopping him in his tracks as they walked the halls.
Large windows revealed the courtyard of the castle giving a decent view of any arriving guest. This gave the knight pause, he stopped to look outside, hoping to catch a glimpse for himself. Sure enough several carriages had begun to make their way in, one leading the charge. It was ornate, a beautiful red wood pulled by a pair of strong looking horses. A footman moved to open the door, subsequently blocking the view of who had come out. It felt as if time froze for a moment like seeing an old picture slightly out of place. First came a scruffy, lumbering man clad in the colors of House von Karma, sword on his hip. That must have been a guard. Phoenix scoffed a bit, just before catching himself in the act.
'Did I just- Get it together Wright! You're not a kid!' Momentary childish jealousy hastily pushed aside.
He watched expectantly, almost pushing his face on the glass. Though unsightly, his methods did work. Guards stood at attention, forming a fence on either side of the door, Phoenix caught a glimpse. Grey hair, a deep maroon cloak. The steely gaze and unamused expression made the captain chuckle lightly, some things didn't change, they just matured.
"Captain? Captain Wright!" The sudden calling of his name sent him into the air. "Sir, we're going to be late! The prince has already arrived!" Maggey had gotten to the end of the hall in the time he had spent staring. Well of course he's arrived, Phoenix watched him, but that meant he was late for the security hand off, which meant this would take longer. With a sigh deep enough to weigh on Maggey, Phoenix complied following along, his eyes still glued to that window.
Luckily for him, it seemed the other Captain had also been late. 'Guess I ran all the way here for nothing.' Phoenix stopped in his tracks, catching his breath and smoothing out his uniform.
"Ca— Captain! Wait for me!"
Maggey stumbled behind, trying her very best to keep a dignified pace and match her Captain's long strides. Phoenix gave an apologetic smile, moving towards her.
"Maggey be careful you're gonna-"
Like a self fulfilling prophecy, her boot got caught on a bump in the carpet, sending Maggey forward. Phoenix moved, trying to catch her but before he could close the distance a large figure stepped forward in his place, pulling out an arm to stop the fall. The force of the movement did send Maggey's glasses skidding across the floor stopping just before Phoenix's feet.
"Woah! You alright pal?"
Wearing the colors of House von Karma, he slowly helped Maggey to her feet, letting her regain balance before letting go. Phoenix watched the whole display before walking over to return Maggey's glasses to her. The two stood next to each other, looking up at the stranger who prevented catastrophe. He was tall, sporting broad shoulders that filled out his uniform, a dopey grin that felt more like a puppy than a man, and a bandage on his chin most likely from where he cut himself from shaving.
"Thank you very much!" Maggey quickly took her glasses back from her captain before bowing to the man who saved her. Phoenix watched the display chuckling a bit.
"You really shouldn't be running in the halls Maggey, that's day 1 stuff." He laughed before turning to the stranger. "Thanks for the save there, I don't think I would have made it in time!"
"Aaaw it's nothin'! What good is bein' a knight if I can't protect people." The man smirked, putting out a hand to Phoenix, "I'm Captain Dick Gumshoe, nice ta meet ya." Pheonix returned the gesture shaking the man's hand. This was most likely the guard he saw earlier leaving the carriage, frankly he felt like a jerk for scoffing at someone who turned out to be a nice guy.
"Phoenix Wright, I'm the Captain for the royal guard. This is Maggey Byrde, my second in command."
She salutes standing perfectly straight, "Thank you for your help sir!" It was clear she was still feeling a bit embarrassed, but who could blame her?
Still, Gumshoe waved it off, "It's no big deal pal, really!"
Phoenix watched from the sidelines as Maggey frantically apologized and thanked the captain over and over. He sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder, "Maggey, the meeting?" She jumped, giving a quick nod and opening the door for both of the men. He hated these, but work was work.
It was mid afternoon before things had ended. In addition to a security hand off, the purpose of which was giving the circle of knights of House von Karma that planned to stay their new assignments within the castle, it also acted as the briefing for the week's events. This week was the prince's birthday, which meant his coronation would also take place and a whole mess of events would need to happen. Luckily, these things had already been planned for quite some time. First, the prince's birthday and homecoming ball. It was a chance for high society and neighboring kingdoms to give their well wishes, for many it meant getting on the good side of the future ruler. Then a hunt would take place in the forest near the castle, whoever brought back the most or biggest game would be given a seat of honor at the banquet that evening. Lastly, the coronation itself. It was tradition for the newly appointed ruler to give a speech before their subjects and oversee a massive festival put on by the commoners in their name. All of this would last just 3 days with the remaining 4 of that week a national period of rest and adjustment.
All of that meant as captain, Phoenix had a lot of work ahead of him. Overseeing the security, assuring his highness was safe at all times, properly screening nobles. To him, it'd be all worth it. Despite not seeing each other for years, Phoenix remembered the lofty dreams of his friend. This would bring him one step closer to them.
'All things considered, this is still exhausting!' He sat in his office, burning what little daylight was left to finish the guest lists. Over 100 nobles bringing their servants, gifts, luggage, and not to mention their families. Some had villas and estates nearby to stay in but most would be guests of his highness and staying in the guest wing of the castle. Remembering every face and making sure people were escorted to the right places- his head was swimming. Phoenix held either side of his head staring at the paper as words became nothing more than ink blots just before slamming his hands on the desk and standing. He needed a break before he went crazy.
There was no better place to rest than the gardens. He knew it's lay out like the back of his hand. In fact, Phoenix decided to go to his favorite place, one that most of the servants didn't know about. Through a small path hidden behind flowers was a small forest path. It was close enough to the castle that there wasn't any wildlife aside from birds, small critters and the occasional deer. The trees parted revealing a small pond and a single ivory colored bench.
Phoenix took a deep breath, removing his jacket and dropping it on the bench before plopping himself down. He hunched over, resting his elbows on his thighs and sighing just a bit louder now that he knew no one would be around. "What am I gonna do…" It wasn't like von Karma hadn't held events that needed just as much care, but this was different. There was an added layer of pressure knowing who this all was for. He worried less about the preparation and more about his plan to speak with the prince in question. It wasn't unusual for a guard captain to address his leader but this wasn't about work or some duty, it was being able to catch up with an old friend. One that disappeared out of his life.
"It shouldn't be that hard! Just walk up to the guy. Hey, remember me? Ya I was the servant kid who you bailed out of trouble that one time! Oh you don't? Y'know I totally get it! I was a stable boy and now I'm the captain of your guard. Ahah, funny how that happens!" He groaned, putting his hand to his face.
Lost in thought Phoenix hadn't noticed the sound of rustling coming from just behind him till it was much, much closer. He whipped his head around, sword in hand as he stared at an empty path. No one. He narrowed his eyes, waiting for something, "Who's there? I know I heard something so why do you just come on out?" There was a silence, the tension quickly killed by a squirrel running onto the path. It stopped, looking at Phoenix before darting off into the trees. He just stared, for a very long while before putting his sword away. "And now you're threatening forest animals. Get a grip, Wright!" This week already planned to be so much longer than he thought.