The Switch

Countdown

*Raina's P.O.V*

I tensed up when I heard the door to the tack room open and peered around the corner. I let out a sigh of relief as I slipped out of my hiding place, coughing when I stirred up dust. "Hello," I said as I curtsied dramatically in front of her.

"Hello," she replied as she moved to the opposite side of the tack room. I went to the door and looked outside of it real quick before I glanced at Anastasia who decided to lean against the wall in the tack room. She smiled at me as she let her hood fall down. Her cheeks were rosey red and her light pink lips were pulled into a soft smile. "How are you Raina my dear?" She asked as she locked the door of the tack room, for our privacy, before coming over to me.

"I am doing well. How are you Princess Anastasia?" I asked politely, making her smile widen as she looked away while trying to compose herself.

"Now try it with my accent," she stated making me laugh.

"I am doing well. How are you Princess Anastasia?" I asked, mimicking her voice exactly, making her clap her hands together excitedly.

"You are doing great," she said as she unclipped her cloak and handed it to me. I clipped it into place and wrapped it around me.

"And have you practiced speaking like me?" I asked, making her nod. "Good. Do you think I should get a haircut soon?" I questioned.

"No. Normally I get a trim every three months or so to keep my hair long. Luckily for you I just got it fixed because I cut off some pieces which really angered my governess," she stated. "So now our hair is about the same length," she said.

"It's also the same color as yours since you managed to get someone to dye it," I added, making her nod. Anastasia and I had become friends a few months ago and after realizing how similarly looked she explained to me what she wanted to do.

Since our eyes were the same color and we had freckles in the almost exact same place. Our smiles were similar with my teeth just being slightly more crooked than her perfect smile but our matching dimples distracted from that. Anastasia had explained to me that she wanted to switch lives for a bit.

It hadn't made sense to me when she first mentioned it but she had explained it pretty well. She was tired of being stuck in the castle and knew that with her family's return she would have no chance to do this after the fact. Anastasia had told me her family was extremely protective and she already felt smothered by the guards and her governess. We both knew that the long five years with no face to face talking meant our switch would be simple. I learned how to speak and act like her and she learned how to speak and act like me.

It should be pretty straightforward seeing as the Royal family had been forced to go overseas years ago to keep the peace. Anastasia was the only one who was left here under the pretense of her studies not being disturbed. In reality everyone in the castle knew that Anastasia was there in case things went south and something happened to her family. Not many had seen her face except for her governesses who seemed to change quite often depending on what they were hired to teach her. Her current governess, the one retiring in two days time, had been with her for about a year and a half which was much longer than most. It's like the stars had aligned to allow for us to switch. Even the guards had failed to see her face as she wore an old cloak of her mother's whenever she left her room.

While we didn't look exactly alike with her being slightly taller and having a smaller nose with a more defined jawline but not many had seen her face. My skin having more color to it then her normally pale skin. Her governess of a year and a half was retiring a day before her family and the Royal council returned which meant a clean slate for me to start with so no one would be able to notice the difference.

I was gladly willing to switch for a few months, which Anastasia had assured me at the most it would be six months, and then we would switch back. I had grown up in a home with not much attention from my parents so I would gladly lavish under the Royal Family's attention. My parents weren't neglectful or anything, they were just busy with doing other things most of the time.

Anastasia would be getting a chance to flourish without constant supervision. My parents were lackluster at best when it came to supervising the things that I did most of the time. Not to say that they didn't care but I was left to do what I wanted most of the time which was a foreign idea to Anastasia since her governess usually made her schedule.

"Two more days," Anastasia sighed as she pulled the hood up, leaving my face in darkness. "The guards won't even be able to tell," she smiled.

"Two more days," I smiled as I unclipped the cloak and handed it back to her. "I think it's time for your riding lesson," I said, making her nod as she went to the door, looking back at me. Her eyes glittered in the light of the tack room as she smiled softly.

"Goodbye my friend, for now," she said as she unlocked the door and stepped out. She carefully shut the door behind her. I waited for a moment before I went back to my hiding place, sliding into a gap that existed. It was if they had started to build a wall before deciding to build farther out. I lifted myself up through the window and dropped to the ground, dusting myself off before taking off.