His Other Woman

chapter 4 : Life Alone

Over the years I continued to train and improve my sword fighting skills. What started of as simple self defence grew into genuine interest for the skill. I continued to pretend to be a boy but as puberty hit me I struggled to hide my developing body.Luckily Anna had explained to me what would happen since I had a female body so I wasn't shocked or stunned when it happened. My bosom was what was going to be an issue as they only continued to grow over the years. I used a cloth to wrap around my breasts. However Jo would then passed on and I was left to fend for myself I was 13 at that time.

As I wasn't related to Jo I couldn't continue to stay in his home neither was I able to inherit anything. The only thing I was able to take away was a sword of his. I couldn't go back to Anna's place. I was alone and left to fend for myself. Unlike when I was younger I wasn't completely helpless anymore, I'd become street smart at the very least. I was able to find a few odd jobs here and there. Like shining shoes, selling newspapers I was able to make enough to eat each day using my disguise as a man. There was no way I would have been able to do so as a woman. However I had no where to live so I took accommodation in old abandoned buildings and shelers. If anyone tried to harm me I could use my self defence training. That was how I survived for the next 4 years. Ultimately, I was able to get by, but I couldn't continue to live like this.

For one it was lonely I was never been able to make friends and it was mostly because of my mix of learning both gender roles. I couldn't fit in with the other boys but I also couldn't make friends with girls because I was a boy. I didn't act enough 'like a boy' to be able to fit in with them. As a result of that I worked alone and often kept to myslef but I didn't want to live like this however I didn't have a choice. If I dressed as a woman the only 'work' I would find as a woman would be prostitution. However afterwhat my mother made me promise her, "promise you'll never turn to prostition like me. I dodn't you to suffer the way I did and never fall for nobility. In this society a womans worth was in her chastity, the family she came from. I was never properely taught female gender roles. Aside from cooking and cleaning. I didn't come a respectable family; my mother was a prostitue and I was a bastard child of a duke. I was never going to get married. In other words I had no choice but to continue being a man probably for the rest of my life.

But the truth is it hurt. I got jealous everytime I saw a young couple walking along the street. A beautiful young woman with clear skin, soft innocent makeup, well dressed in lovely dress. With a tall handsome man who loved and protected her. I always imagined what it would be liked if I had grown up in stable family like if my parents had married for instance, I would have been like the women I often got jealous of; I would have been raised as a girl and been feminine looking. It was a wild fantasy that was so far from me as I would look at my scar filled, dry skinnned bodys.

Despite how I tried not to think too much about it my mind always betrayed me. I needed to come to terms that that would never be my life. What I needed was to find a stable job. I was getting by with these small jobs but I couldn't live like this forever. I needed a decent place to live at the very least.

However, that was easier said than done I was homeless had no family nothing that would help me seem reputable to get a decent job. I had no connections. I was still going to but I knew it was going to be easy. My only other option would work on the black market but that was risky.

It was one day whilst doing my odd jobs in town that an announcement was made in the town. An imperial knight had come to announce a message from the palace. The crown prince was looking to build a trusted royal guard for himself in preparation for when he takes over the throne. It was custom for every Crown Prince to do this he needed knights around his age to be his close aides and companions that would help him for his whole reign. As the Crown Prince was 21 years old, all men ages 17 to 22 were being encouraged to join the trials. It was a special occasion as this only happened once every generation for each heir to the throne where as every year general knights rials took place for new knight members to be selected. The trials would last atleast 3 months and by the end of it only the top 10 knights would be chosen to be imperial knights and be a part of the crown princes' private guard. A few others could also be selected to become regular knights or even imperial knights.

They would be offering free accomodation, food and clothing during the trials. Which was tempting. I thought about it for a moment if I continued pretending to be a man I could successfuly manage to take part in the trials. I had been a 'boy/man' all my life and was doing just fine. It would be taking a risk but If I was successfull I would manage a few weeks of accommodation, food and clothes which sounded good. The worst that would happen is I would be kicked out.

The trials would begin in the next 2 months and so I had time conjure up a plan as to what I would do. Young men from different backgrounds, differnt social classes from all over the kingdom. They were all being given an equal chance to stand by the Crown Princes' side. This diverse selection of participants was to ensure unbiased choice in the and was said to help the crown as he learned more his kingdom from them.

As a woman I knew there was no way I would be able to to make it in the top 10 there was no way I would be in the top 30. We were talking about hundreds of men from all over the kingdom realistically speaking there was no way I would even make it in the top 100. I just wanted the free accommodation, food and clothes. I just had to last for atleast a month and I it would have been worth it. Perhaps I could find a temporary job there

I was 19 and so my body had fully developed it was going to be difficult to hide that I was a woman. The best option would be If I kept myself, and didn't draw too much attention to myself I could make it. I had to talk as little as possible so no one notice my voice and on top of that I had to make my voice sound a little bit deeper. For the next 2 months in preparation for the trials I began to train. I would go jogging to inscrease my stamina, practice everything Grandpa Jo had taught me from self defence to and to the sword weilding techniques with the sword I had taken from his home. Although it had been years since I had been with Granpa Jo I still remembered everything he had taught me because I practiced with the sword so often.

As the day of the trials neared I wrapped up my preparations. I could barely breathe from how tight wrapped the cloth around my breasts but I wanted to look like a man as convincingly as possible. I also visited my mothers grave and asked for strength to endure what I was about to face. On the day of the beginning of the trials all the young men who wanted to participate had to meet at the edge of their respective town/city where multiple large wagons enough to carry multiple people at a time were ready to take us.

The trials would take place at the largest military/knight base in the kingdom which would be able to accommodate the large number of participates. I registered under my name Myron