enough to be out of bed again, she found the elven huntresses in the lobby of the hospital. A deep sense of relief came, but it was hampered by a deep sense of shame. Her destiny was worse than she thought it was, and she wasn’t sure how the elves would take it.
“Annlynn,” Sylvani said. She listed her head to the side. “You seem to be doing a whole lot better just by how you look.”
Annlynn nodded. “They found something disturbing with my magic. Will the king kill me for it?”
Sylvani sighed. “The king is antsy to meet you, actually. We’ve spoken to him while you were out. You are–after all–the first human to enter the elven world in a long time.”
Annlynn grinned. She clenched her fists. “That, I am. But I need to talk to the king about seeing some tutors. They found something with my magic, and from what they said, I likely need intense tutoring to heal properly. Plus, I think I want to accept my destiny.”
“You will need better clothes first,” Valaris said, a grin on her face.
“Would it be wrong to get a haircut? Or braids like the physician wore?” Annlynn asked. “I don’t know for sure, but feminine clothes have never quite fit right.”
“The braids are for when someone becomes an adult,” Valaris said. “But if you cut your hair short and wear masculine clothes, that would be more than okay. It would be expected, even.”
Annlynn sighed. “I just don’t know how I feel about being a boy. I don’t know if I am ready to accept that part of myself. Maybe I’ll just dress super feminine instead. It would at least match my shape.”
She hated her own words. As much as she tried to deny it, she wanted to try on more typically masculine clothes. But a part of her wasn’t ready for it, fearing the results. A deep confusion lingered. She never had the ability to question herself before. And now, she wasn’t even sure how she should go about answering the questions.
“I suppose the dress isn’t what matters,” Annlynn said. “I’m not ready to wear masculine clothing. I want to. I just don’t know.”
“That is a decision you need to make,” Asonya said. “but we will be happy to support you either way.”
Once she was at the tailor, she made a decision. She would try to wear masculine clothing. It was a scary step, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for it. But the idea of being stuffed into another dress pained her far too much.
“Can I find a place to cut my hair, too?” she asked Sylvani.
“Yes,” Sylvani smiled. “I am happy to pay for a haircut for you, too.”
Annlynn beamed. “Thank you!”
When the hair was cut, her new blond hair accentuated her deep green eyes. Plus, with a binder flattening her growing curves, she looked more like a boy than she had expected she would. She brightened as she saw herself.
Most of the time when she saw herself in the mirror, it was as if she were disconnected from who she was. And over the past few years, she had grown to hate her body more and more. Now, as she saw herself in the mirror, she felt like a different person. She actually smiled when she saw herself.
“I am not a she anymore,” he murmured to himself. “And I will no longer be known as Annlynn. I am Aleksei.”
The change felt drastic, but it was enough to make him smile. Aleksei had discovered his name when he was a young child. The hero–Prince Aleksei–had inspired him a ton whenever he played pretend with his step sister or his best friend. And now, the name seemed to suit him in a way he wished the name Annlynn could have.
He found Sylvani, who grinned when she looked up at him. “You look quite handsome in that. I am proud of you.”
“I know who I am. I am Aleksei, son of King Orland,” Aleksei said. A deep fear curdled in his stomach. “But what if it complicates things?”
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