Enter Our Protagonist

Chapter 2

Two sets of feet came racing down the hall, the sounds of soles on tile echoing off the walls.

A young boy held tight to the hand of his younger brother as they were playing a game of make-believe, a knight and a prince on the run from a hoard of dark beasts. The older boy was armed with a broom with his hair in a french braid, while the younger had a small crown of flowers on his head.

"C'mon, Prince Mando! We are almost to the Cave of Safety!"

The younger boy was struggling to keep up with both the story and the run, yet he was giggling anyway. It was fun! And he liked fun!

But suddenly the eldest came to a halt at the stairs, letting out a gasp, "Oh no! There's hot lava blocking our path!!"

"Wava??" The younger boy shrieked with glee.

"But it's okay! Because I know a shortcut to the Cave of Safety!" The eldest guided the younger boy down the other hall opposite of where they just entered, past both sets of stairs to their rooms. He slammed open one of the doors, tugging the younger boy inside before slamming it shut again. He then threw open the closet door where they had built a blanket fort, ushering the child inside, "We'll be safe in here until the monsters go away!"

The younger boy clapped with glee, blabbering nonsensically for a moment, before going dead silent.

The door had creaked open, and someone had entered the room.

Real monsters? The eldest thought, as he huddled close to the younger boy protectively.

He'd get his answer as a face popped up from the edge of the closet door, which terrified him enough to scream a little.

"Got'cha!" Their grandmother cried out, stifling a giggle, "I was wondering who was slamming doors at this hour of the day!"

"Gramma!" The younger boy reached out to her, which was a request to be picked up and very quickly granted.

"So, what game were you boys playing today?" She asked as she slowly took a seat outside the blanket fort, "Knight and dragon? Prince and dragon? Or...?"

"It's prince and knight today!" The eldest replied, "He's playing the prince of the frog kingdom and I am a fearsome lady knight!"

"A lady knight?" Not the first time she had heard of a role like this, however that explains the reason he had her braid his hair earlier, "Now, what made you pick that role?"

"Because lady knights are so much cooler!" The eldest's eyes glittered with awe, "They're girls who wield swords and beat monsters just like boys do! And they can wear dresses to fancy parties, and no one would know they were actually a fierce knight! I want to be just like one of them when I grow up!"

"Really? Well, I don't see why you could not be like one of them! Everyone is allowed to be a knight, there are no rules saying you cannot."

Which seemed to agitate him slightly, "But I want to be a lady knight! Not just a regular knight!" He huffed, "I want to be pretty and strong like you and mom!"

This was a new issue she had seen arise in the past year or so, this small boy dabbling in unexpected thoughts. Ilan had been a fairly average child with nothing to note, aside from his vibrant personality and active imagination, one she personally curated herself with the rise of her children's use of business trips. In fact, he was brilliantly normal, and when his brother was born he had taken on the big brother role quite well. Nothing amiss, as far as she could tell.

But by the time he turned five, something seemed to change.

Ivanka had hoped many of his issues were phases, like catching him pilfering his mother's lipsticks and jewelry for instance, but she was under the impression he had a habit of stealing. He refused to let anyone cut his hair shorter, and always wanted to decorate it with things traditionally for girls his age.