The Crown Prince Thinks I'm a Guy

The Winged Mercenary Guild

"Winged Mercenaries?" we both asked.

"Yes, indeed," the large man bellowed, and than brandished a humongous sword from his side. The silver blade glinted in the sunlight, momentarily blinding my poor eyes. When I had blinked it back to normality, I was faced by an elaborate carving on the sword's handle. It was an elegant figure of a pair of outspread wings. "Do ya young lads know of us?"

Sneak and I looked at each other. I wasn't so sure about these mercenaries, but there was a look of recognition on the boy's face.

"I've heard tales of you!" Sneak shouted at the man excitedly. "That these men could fight like they were as light as wind, appear as gentle as a breeze, but strike down on their enemies like the storm after the calm!"

I laughed a bit, wondering how this known liar of a boy had imagined such longwinded words. But the man seemed to take them as compliments.

"I like you, lad!" The man guffawed. "And you know of us very well! So, what say ya? Will you take our test? You both seem the right age for our youngest recruits."

Sneak seemed eager when I looked at him for his thoughts. I shrugged. 'Oh well, we need to spend some of our time until the sunset comes.'

And anyway, looking at the thick, high walls enclosing what I assumed was the Winged Mercenaries' base, I would think they were a large and well-respected mercenary guild.

I nodded at the boy and said to the hairy mercenary. "Alright, dear sir! We'll gladly take you on your offer!"

~~

Looking back, I really shouldn't have agreed. The training grounds he had led us to was nothing but an empty, dust field. Even though I vowed to act like a boy, it still made me uneasy to be in a situation where I might have to roll around on dusty grounds. Even the palace fields were clean and the grass was well-maintained. This... was different than my acquired taste.

"Righty lads." The mercenary, who introduced himself as Nok, walked us into the very center of the field. I looked around shyly to find the half dozen trainings mercenaries, distinguished by their white combat gear and swords, and about twice more number of recruits looking at us curiously. Nok continued, "This ain't really a very serious test, and it's more like we're here to decide if you even have what it takes to survive our program. But, don't let that get you down. You're still young, and if you're unlucky, ya can always try your chances again next year."

That, coupled with his confident face that seemed to imply that we would both fail, filled me with a weird determination to prove him wrong. I had my pride, and a year of magic training has gotten me confident that I could at least hold my ground. In a brash tone I had never used before, I asked, "Are you fighting us then?"

Nok looked down at me with shock, and then grinned widely. "Ho! Yar a proud little lad, ya are! And much as I's like to fight ya, you'll have to content yourself with some smaller meat."

He turned his face to the side, and I followed his gaze to see two approaching young boys, probably near our ages or so. Or at least, I thought they were boys. The taller one can pass as a cold faced girl. The other simply looked like a fairy princess. But both were in combat clothes and were muddied with grime and sweat. So, I found it hard to think they were girls at all.

The man grabbed the two children with his hairy paws, and announced, "These here are Jorkin and Wells. Some of our best recruits from the previous year. If ye can hold out in a fight with them for even a minute, I might consider taking you both in the program."

"Woah there, Nok!" a mercenary with windswept sandy blonde hair shouted from the side, stopping his hands from punching at a fellow mercenary. "Don't you think that's a little too much for the wee little recruits?"