Page 5 of Her Royal Rebellion

I walked into our room and found him sitting on his top bunk with a book on his lap. He glanced up and grinned. “How was your meeting?”

I began pulling off my formal uniform. The king preferred the guards inside the palace to wear suits so we could blend in better. Only the men that worked along the perimeter and outside the gates wore the emerald and black.

“It was interesting.”

He set the book to the side and dropped to the ground. “How so?”

“Sergeant Brown gave me a few options I wasn’t expecting.”

His eyebrows rose. “Like what?”

I hesitated. “I’m still processing. I’m not ready to talk about it yet.”

He gave me an easy smile. “I understand, mate.”

I knew he would. He’d been in this world long enough to know there were no easy decisions. “I’ve honestly never thought beyond this. Joining the Marines was my only goal.”

His face dropped. “You never thought about anything else?”

“You have?”

“Course.” He chuckled. “Thinking about my options is what keeps me going half the time. I can go back home and help run the family pub until my dad’s ready to retire and then I’ll take it over, or I can move to the city and work security somewhere. I could even travel for a while.”

I fell onto my bed. “See, I’ve never considered anything like that. I don’t have a family business to take over. Mum’s a teacher, and Dad’s retired from the army.”

“You could always stay. Make this your career.”

I nodded. “I guess that’s what I’ve always defaulted too. Sergeant Brown wants me to really think about my plans and figure out what I want next.”

“Good for you. At the end of next summer, I’m out. I knew eight years was my limit, and I’m past that. It’s time to get my payout and finally start my life.”

I never felt like I was waiting to start my life while I’d been in the service. This was my life, but was it all I wanted? I wasn’t sure.

“You’ll figure it out, mate. Don’t worry.” He headed out for the second portion of his shift, and I leaned back against my pillow. I should rest before I needed to take my post, but my mind was racing.

If I wanted to stay in the service, taking the special task team would be the right move. It would come with a promotion and further my career. But I loved my job here. I was good at what I did, and I’d earned the princess’s trust. That had taken time and a lot of hard work. I didn’t want to give that up. Staying here would be the hardest choice. I knew my feelings for my charge were wrong, and pointless, and would end up hurting me. If I was a smart man, I’d leave now. Any day I’d be forced to watch Isla fall in love with someone else. That would kill me. I wasn’t worthy of her. No one could ever be, but as her guard, I stood no chance.

I was responsible for protecting her. Her wellbeing was my number one priority, so I should want the very best for her. I should want her to be happy with some duke or billionaire that could take care of her. I was a commoner. No one. I was delusional to think that anything would ever change between us.

If she ever found out how I felt, she would stop trusting me. She would, rightly, report me and have me moved. I’d lose my position here. I might even be discharged. I could be stripped of everything I’ve worked so hard for. It would be worth it if she felt the same for me, but that wasn’t possible.

The only way I could stay here was if I repressed everything. Pushed down my feelings and focused on doing my job to the very best of my abilities. Maybe, if things got to be too hard down the road I could ask to be switched to one of the other royals. We’d need to build a team for Charlie and Serena soon. It would be a good idea if I volunteered to head one of those, but only if I could accept watching Isla from afar, knowing I could never have her.

That thought scared me almost as much as leaving here and putting her safety in someone else’s hands.

The smart thing would be to leave. I should take the new position.

No, that would be running from the problem. I needed to figure out what I wanted out of life. I couldn’t make the right decision without any regrets until I had the answers to Sergeant Brown’s questions.

I checked my phone to see a message from Isla, asking how my meeting went. I couldn’t fight the smile that curled my lips. She had a million things going on in her life, but somehow managed to remember the little things I told her.

I told her it went well and would discuss it more with her later. Unfortunately, I had to wait until my shift to see her.

3

Isla

I turned the corner and sighed, relieved to finally be alone. Shane was now positioned across from my doors. He nodded when I approached but remained silent. He wasn’t the person I was hoping to see. I knew it was inappropriate, but I wanted to see Logan. I needed to tell him how ridiculous my parents were. I shouldn’t, but I had a favorite. I looked forward to seeing Logan more than any of the other guards. He was the only one that I felt like a normal person around. He treated me like a friend and that meant more to me than he’d ever know.