Chapter 2

"Oscar, where are we going? The Knight said that I had to go training-" Jemima asked as the pair walked through the corridors of the castle.

"Pssh, exploring is better than going training," Oscar looked at her with glinting, slanted eyes. "Don't you agree? You can go training later. Now come this way."

Jemima shook her head and hurried after Oscar as he drew ahead. As the duo navigated the twists and turns of the castle, Jemima took in her surroundings eagerly.

It was like something out of a fairytale, a book she would devour back at home. Every few steps, there was a wide, arched window, and each corner had a small pedestal, with a statue or vase on top of it. The walls were covered in hangings and paintings, and the floor with a plush, red, white and gold carpet. It was the perfect setting for a fairy tale.

Jemima's thoughts drifted to her new body. She still hadn't gotten used to how her her new male body worked, which made walking normally a challenge. It was just so stiff and heavy. How did boys handle it-

Abruptly, Oscar stopped in front of a large tapestry of two children in a meadow dotted with flowers, chasing a dog through the greenery. He drew it back, and hidden behind was a small wooden door.

"What's th-"

Oscar clamped a hand over her mouth, muffling the rest of her sentence. "Shhhhh," he hissed as he quietly used his other hand to open the door. Oscar dropped his hand and beckoned for Jemima to follow him as he ducked into the dark room.

Inside the door, there were stone stairs going in a steep, circular ascent, lit by a torch every few steps. They climbed for what seemed like hours, but was probably just a few minutes, until Oscar pulled open a small wooden trapdoor at the top, light and fresh air flooding Jemima's senses, and disappeared through it.

Jemima followed suit, and found herself on a roof, at the highest roof of a tower. Oscar was nowhere to be seen, and a sudden gust of wind blew her backwards. Completely unprepared, she stumbled and tripped backwards over a rock, falling-

"Gotcha." A pair of arms curled around Jemima's waist and helped her back up. Oscar flashed a cheeky grin at her, eyes dancing, then walked over to the edge, laughing as the wind tousled his long blond hair. He looked so carefree, without a worry in the world, but Jemima knew that was not the case.

She peeked tentatively over the edge, staring in wonder at the lush green fields and the waving trees. Everything looked so healthy and it was almost something out of her imagination. The sun was partly hidden by a few clouds, and in the far distance there was a large body of water, rippling and shimmering, most likely a lake. All in all, picture perfect.

"It's great...isn't it?" Oscar asked, looking wistfully over the edge. "Oli loves it here." He sighed and paused for a moment. "I hope he's okay..."

"I'm sure he's fine. Completely safe-" Jemima started, then stopped, not knowing how to comfort him.

Oscar was silent for a few moments, then turned to her, lightning flashing in his stormcloud eyes. Jemima was taken aback as the anger and emotion as he snapped, "I think we've done enough exploring for today, Jem. And anyway, you're late for training, aren't you." He spat out the last few words in a mocking tone and jumped through the trapdoor, quickly disappearing.

Jemima heard his footsteps echoing as he ran down the stairs, and thought to herself, what did I do wrong?

Shaking her head, Jemima pursued Oscar until they reached the bottom, almost tripping mutiple times. He was waiting for her, leaning on the door. Without letting her eyes, he hurried awkwardly out of the door, but instead of leaving her and going on ahead as Jemima had expected, he held the door open for her, waiting for her to pass. Jemima bent over, panting heavily, struggling to catch her breath in the half dusty, half fresh air.

"Well, are you coming or not?" Oscar growled impatiently.

"Y-yes...just give me...a moment to catch my breath-"

Oscar rolled his eyes. "God give me strength." He muttered. "Well, hurry up, I don't want to be caught here."

Soon enough, they were walking through the castle again, an awkward silence encompassing the two.

Jemima attempted to catch his eye, but he looked defiantly away from her, until she gave up and spoke.

"Uh- Oscar-?"

"What do you want now."

"About what happened on the roof..."

"Leave it." He growled, avoiding her gaze, still looking the other way.

"But I-" protested Jemima.

"I SAID LEAVE IT!"

Terrified, Jemima recoiled from Oscar as if he was a poisonous snake.

"I- I- alright."

He sighed and turned his head to the side, running a hand through his hair.

Heart still pounding with fear from his outburst, Jemima walked the rest of the way to the training courtyard in silence.

When they reached the two large oak doors leading to the courtyard, Oscar made an involuntary motion to reach for the door. Jemima glanced at him and pushed the doors open, stepping past them, entering the training area. Bright light blinded her for a moment until her eyes adjusted to the new light.

The first thing Jemima noticed was that everyone in sight was male. Not a single female that she could see anywhere.

The training area was split into four sections. One half was a man-made structure, a rectangular area that opened up to a cleared section of trees. The natural half was split even further, one side for archery and the other side for horseriding and other horse related training. The man-made side was filled with teenagers and their trainers practicing with a range of weapons, such as swords and daggers and short blades, dressed in full armour.