Once upon a time, there was a country ruled by an iron-fisted ruler, the Great Queen of all. Her decrees were absolute and her justice swift. One of her edicts affected the country's children in a way that no one had seen before.
Since the Great Queen's time, boys had been sent to special schools where they were taught to always bow before their betters and always speak in soft, timid tones. Girls, on the other hand, were sent to schools where they were taught to be self-assured, assertive and domineering, even violent if necessary. This system was accepted as the norm, and people often joked that if only boys had more backbone, they would fare better in society.
Some people voiced out concern that this situation amounted to gender stereotyping, yet not many chose to take a stand against it, as the Great Queen's power was too awe-inspiring to disobey. As time passed, boys became the butt of jokes, laughed at or derided for their perceived lack of courage and strength. This further entrenched the belief that boys should always give way to their female counterparts and offer them utmost respect and submission.
Those without a mistress were ostracized and labelled as useless and without worth. Boys who fell out of line were publicly humiliated as a deterrent to others who may dare to challenge the status quo.
Despite this, the people of the country accepted this system as normal, and did not want to see any changes. They had grown accustomed to it and they believed that it was a price they had to pay for the Queen's protection. The women were a primal force that the people had come to accept and the Queen's justice held them all in check.
No matter how much people may have despised this inequality, they had no choice but to obediently accept it, content in the fact that the Queen was protecting them, even if that meant silencing their voices.
