Edwyn prepares to go to school with his sister and he realizes some of the serious injustices that girls endure and resolves to help them

Edwyns's mother and his older sister prepared him for school. He didn't have to worry about wearing a corset as his older sister did. There wasn't any reason to put a four-year-old in it yet. He still had on some feminine lacy undergarments and a clencher and a long flowing blue gown. His sister chose some cute shoes for him and some stockings. Ann did his hair and put some lacy pink bows in his hair. Edwyn thought that Victoria was having way too much fun dressing her brother up.

But now he thought about it, Edwyn wore such a huge smile because he was also having way more fun than any boy should have being dressed up by his sister and her best friend, Danala. So they were even, this was the day he had been waiting for and wanted to do for so long. Edwyn couldn't believe it was finally happening.

Edwyn looked feminine and he looked ready to head out with the girls. Edwyn approached his mother and asked, “Can you put a spell on me to make everyone who sees me think I am an actual girl and not Edwyn?"

Ann thought about it and agreed. She called on her power and did as Edwyn asked. Not much changed at all, but he hoped no one would recognize him as Edwyn. He seemed to be at ease and so feminine with the girls that he doubted he would be caught. Edwyn didn't want to take chances and have it get back to his father that he was wearing girl's clothes against his will or they would all be in trouble.

Victoria led them out, and they headed toward the girl's school.

Celestia welcomed Erlina to school and noticed there was a spell on her that caused anyone who saw her to accept her as a girl without question and not to think of Edwyn. That was smart of Ann. The only reason that she was able to recognize Erlina as Edwyn was because she was also a powerful witch.

Celestia led the girls to their seats and welcomed Erlina, introducing her to the teacher this morning. The teacher was May.

The lessons began and Edwyn listened with fascination about the first Queen of the world, The Goddess Danis, and all of the innovations she brought the people like domestication of animals irrigation, aqueducts, and many other things.

He knew most of it, but it was still fascinating to hear.

Edwyn spoke up. “Those are the innovations of Danis?”

May smiled and went on with her lessons about the first queen. But Edwyn sensed a problem. He asked, “Excuse me. Why are you saying Danis was the first queen?”

May frowned, “Because she is. She was our first queen and our Goddess. I know these are things. Didn't they teach you this?”

Edwyn continue. “I thought Lilith was the first Queen.”

Few talked about that dark time in history. Now that Edwyn brought it up, they had to address that horrible issue. “Technically, you are right, Erlina. But she wasn't so much of a queen as a plague on the world. She enslaved its people for her delight and enjoyed causing suffering. In fact, most of the things men blame Danis for can be attributed to Lilith. She was the Pesteltia and men like to blame the Goddess. We pray Lilith never returns. Danis struck her down and brought in a golden age of innovation and peace.” May frowned at Edwyn for bringing up that horrible subject.

One of the other little girls seemed to have a problem with the innovations and what they did for the people. She tried to get help in explaining, but the teacher was busy with another girl.

Edwyn sidled up to the girl and explained what irrigation did and what the domestication of animals did to help. The girl finally understood and introduced herself as June. Erlina introduced herself and told June to ask her if she had any more trouble. May's shadow appeared over Edwyn and she looked down with a puzzled look and asked June, “Is Erlina harassing you, June?”

“No,” June replied. “Erlina was helping me understand what irrigation was. I was confused and this she helped me.”

May corrected herself and apologized. “Thanks for helping out, Erlina. I am supposed to do that, but it was very kind of you to help out.”

“I love to help when I feel needed,” Edwyn smiled sweetly. “I already read about all of this. I enjoy hearing you teach it. There were just some things I was unclear about, like why Danis is considered our first queen. I read a few chapters about Lilith, but I didn't understand much about her and none of the books went into what she was like. Thanks for helping me, and I didn't mean any disrespect. I just didn't understand.”

May nodded, “I would be happy to get into the subject more if we have time later. I have to get back to our lesson.

Then the girls went to their next class, which was feminine grace. Edwyn was put through the paces of how to walk and move like a girl. His first lesson was how to walk across the room with several books stacked on his head. She had to keep her body level and glide across the room. The books fell off his head.

The teacher, Jennifer, put the books back and showed Edwyn how to keep his shoulders and head level and tried again. He failed the next time and he listened intently to the teacher again. The girls gave Edwyn helpful advice. He finally achieved it the final time and almost cheered with the girls. He walked all the way across the classroom and back.

The next lesson was sitting in his long gown. They went through sitting, standing, posture and even facial expressions and talking to people.

Edwyn's frustration level increased with all of these lessons. Why was being a girl so difficult? Why were all of these expectations put on girls? Why so much pressure?

It was stupid. Girls shouldn't have to deal with all of this! They were expected to walk a certain way, and talk to people, and sit a certain way.

What was the point? He knew the girls could learn such things.

Then they went to the chapel services where Lady Celestia led the services. Many of the girls took this part of the day very seriously as they bowed their heads and listened to Celestia's religious sermon talking about the Goddess Danis and her eventual restoration. She told about what a great time it would be and that their fear and persecution would end.

Then Celestia got a little vicious in her sermon, talking about what they wanted to do to those people, and that it would be their day of wrath when the men would be brought low and subjugated. Edwyn looked at her, eyes narrowed. Celestia saw Erlina's expression and corrected herself. She knew being admonished by the son of the Goddess wasn't something to take lightly. Celestia said that love was their religion; it was about and not vengeance. They may want to subject men to the fear, but they must also have mercy. Edwyn thought darkly if the Hekatin wanted vengeance, he had just the lady for them.

Then they all bowed their heads again after Celestia's frightening sermon and prayed. Even Edwyn prayed, “In the name of the Goddess Danis, We beseech you to liberate our people. Liberate your beloved followers. Return to us, we pray. I beseech you to help us.”

There was one big thing about the Goddess that really bothered him. He wanted to know more about it, but he felt that talking to these people wouldn't get him anywhere. The more he read about that war hundreds of years ago and what they did to the followers of the Goddess and the temples, the more he actually sympathized with them. The witches vilified them. They felt that the Goddess was wrongly vilified.

But, the first king in that time, who struck down the Goddess and began the war, was a slave. He was sold to the temple as a young child and enslaved and was supposed to be kept a virgin. He didn't want that life, and he revolted, and struck the Goddess down and launched a nasty war.

Apparently, many were dissatisfied with the life imposed on them by the Goddess and her people. It sounded more like a slave revolt. They may have gone too far and nearly committed genocide, but being slaves will breed much resentment and rage. People want control over their lives.

The women around Edwyn spoke like they had no control, but many of them did control their lives. They were teachers here, they taught children, and they lived as they pleased. These women were powerful and respected. It confused Edwyn. They had more controls placed over them than they wanted, but they were still influential and respected women. They were not slaves. The controls over their lives were wrong, but it seemed to be a feminine lifestyle that didn't bother many women at all. The corset and gown thing appeared to be a thing that many women would do whether or not it was actually required. He saw that many women used the tiny waist as a status symbol and do it all on their own. No man forced that on them. It was the girls that pressured each other.

Edwyn approached Celestia after the chapel service and whispered, “Remember, it isn't all men who are doing this to you all. It's only some, and you have many men on your side awaiting the Goddess' restoration. It's the priests in their temple. I have to wonder if you all would be just as bad as they are if you were all in charge. I sense a lot of frightening rage within many of you. The same rage they felt that prompted their war. Please work on it. I would hate for us to fail because you can't control your rage.”

Edwyn walked away, hoping he made her think about it.

Edwyn was assigned to the secret courses at the end of the day, in which only a select number of girls were ever accepted. He followed Victoria and her Friend Danala into the Hekatin course for witchcraft.

Many of the friends he had made during the day like June and Marg couldn't follow him there. He found a seat, and they all began.

The teacher, May again, said to the class, “We have a new girl here. Let's welcome Erlina here. I heard she already did the ritual of feminine force with her own family last night. So we can avoid that, let's welcome her as a fellow witch.”

Everyone clapped and cheered for her. It was unusual for a girl to do that with her family. But most families don't have a high member of the order as their mother.

As May began talking about star charts in the sky and the various consolations and the flow of the energy, Edwyn noticed that some of the girls were looking at him occasionally. A girl in the row in front of him kept turning back and looking at him. He was supposed to appear as any other little girl. This girl seemed older than his sister. He would guess this girl must be around ten and kept turning to look at him.

Around the part when May got to talking about the flow of the Energy of the Goddess around the stars and the moons, the girl whispered, “Why do you have a spell distorting your appearance? You have nothing to fear here, it's distracting, please stop it.”

May, forgetting the lesson, agreed and did something with her hand, causing the spell to be lifted. Erlina was instantly revealed to be Edwyn in his natural boyish form. The girl in front of him narrowed her eyes. “I know you. You are Edwyn, the prince. My mother is your aunt, and I have seen you around the palace. What are you doing here?”

Victoria stood up and approached, “He is Erlina here, he has the spark, we did the ritual with him. He is as good of a witch and a girl as any of you. We will accept HER here, is that understood,” Victoria's eyes narrowed at the other girl. “Do you have a problem with Erlina, Rachael?”

Rachael was a few years older and taller than Victoria, but she backed down from Victoria's ferocity. Then Victoria sat beside her brother.

May said to the class, “Victoria is correct. I forgot that he was a boy, but he has the power, and we must teach him. We will accept Erlina here in class, and we will be respectful.”

Rachael didn't seem happy, but she had little other choice at the moment. She asked, “How can a boy have the power?”

Victoria stood up and walked to the front of the class. “Erlina, I think these doubters need to see it for themselves.”

Edwyn smiled and walked toward his sister and stood in front of everyone. He focused his mind and activated the power within him. The girls watched in surprise, seeing the boy with the power of the Goddess flowing through him. His hair sparkled, and it raced down to his fingertips and up to his head. Even Rachael looked frightened.

“If a boy is meant to be a witch, then we must accept and help him on his path. He dresses as any of you, so there's little reason to fear him. He loves our Goddess as much as any of you.”

Edwyn added, “Yes, I love her. We will be free when our time comes.”

Then Edwyn went back to his seat, and the lessons finished. May approached Edwyn as the class let out, and she apologized. “I forgot you weren't a girl. You fit in so well that I thought you were just being silly. I will make sure every girl knows the importance of keeping this secret. Many of them probably do, and I hope you can forgive me.”

Edwyn hugged her. “Yes, I do. I am so naturally girlish it's easy to forget. I think it would be wise to put a spell on me again so I can make it home safely.”

“That would be wise. Do you remember what your mother used?”

Edwyn repeated it, and the woman put the enchantment on him again. The illusion of a natural girl reasserted itself. Edwyn decided to ask, “Why don't you teach any of the girl's stuff like Math, numbers, geometry, or things like that?”

“We aren't allowed to,” May replied.

Edwyn frowned in confusion. “You also aren't allowed to teach about the goddess, but you don't let that stop you from doing that.”

“It is just too risky. We only teach a selected number of girls about that.”

Edwyn thought for a second and then told her, “Meet me at the palace in a few hours. I think I can solve this.”

Then Edwyn went to his sister and asked her and Danala, “Can you get your friends and have them come with us to the palace in a few hours. I want to help them.”

Victoria frowned, but she agreed. If her brother wanted to do something, then it was usually good. So Victoria acceded.

Edwyn made it back to the palace with his sister and Danala. Sadly, his feminine adventures would have to end for the day. He took the gown off and put a pair of pants and a button shirt back on. It was fun being a girl at the school. Many of the girls liked him. There were a few that didn’t. That made Edwyn a little sad. He could be as good of a girl as any of them could.

His mother took him back in her carriage, and he talked about his plan during the ride back. “I asked Victoria and her friend Danala to invite a number of her friends over this evening. We need to find a secret place, and I want us to start teaching them more subjects like the boys are learning. Can we do that, Mother?”

It could be done, Ann thought. “I think I can find a place but are you sure about this, Edwyn?”

“Yes,” The small boy said firmly. “I invited some of the teachers over to help us start the classes. They need to learn more. Mother. It really sucks.”

She continued to worry about her son's uncontrollable need to help people.

The teachers May and Marg showed up about an hour later, and he stood with them, holding his mother's hand. The teachers wondered why he invited them here.

“I invited some of the girls to come later. We need to increase what we teach the girls. I also go to school at the boy's temple, and we learn many advanced topics that women are not allowed to. I know much of what is being taught already and working on the rest. That's not important right now. What I want us to do is teach the girls the same things the boys learn. We need to do it secretly, so that the men don't know. I found a few secret locations in the woods where none of the men go. I think it will work if you help me.”

the women looked at each other, and then May suddenly said, “Sure, what did you say you are studying?”

“I do it myself, but I'm trying to learn advanced mathematics. It's giving me a headache.” Replied Edwyn.

“I can help you with that. Just because the boys forbid it, doesn't mean we don't actually learn it. I think your plan will help many of the girls.”

Ann was in charge and she carefully explained the plan. The girls started arriving with their mothers, and the teachers gathered the kids together and assigned them into groups. Then they loaded up into several large carriages and started off to the secret schoolhouses Edwyn had found hidden in the woods. Edwyn maintained how this had to be a secret, so he couldn't explain what they were doing yet.

They finally made it, and Ann stood in front of the kids and separated them from the five and six-year-olds, to the seven and eight-year-olds, and so on. Then she explained that they intended to start a secret school to teach girls better subjects. “We are all qualified to teach your girls anything. My son Edwyn inspired all of this. He went to the boy's temple and was so frustrated at the girls not learning the stuff they teach boys. He demanded we began this. We must not tell the fathers or uncles any of this. It has to be a secret. We set up the classrooms, so let's get started.”

The girls went to the old houses that had been converted to a small school. The girls were led to their classrooms and found their spots. The teachers began their forbidden lessons teaching the girls basic arithmetic and numbers. Edwyn walked around the younger girls helping them any time they had trouble understanding the problems. May watched in amazement at Edwyn's patience and his ability to teach the girls. His compassion and the way he helped whenever any girl needed help touched her heart. She couldn't get over that Edwyn himself wasn't much older than the girls he was helping. Even if he looked like an eight-year-old by now.

He helped whenever he was needed. There were a few times when the teacher called Edwyn up to the front to try to explain a problem she was having trouble explaining. She did that when she was trying to explain subtraction problems and the concept that instead of adding numbers, numbers were being taken away. Edwyn slowly explained that and used some small bricks to visualize what was going on. There were five bricks, and we subtract two. Two small blocks were removed, how many were left. Most of the girls understood that.

Then the girls were led out and put through some basic physical exercises and strength training.

The day was finally over, and the girls were loaded up on the carriages to be returned. Celestia stopped Edwyn when he was getting ready to leave. He approached the two teachers.

Celestia said, ”I felt I had to thank you for all of this effort you put. I can't thank you enough. I feel the need to help you with some of your problems.”

Edwyn said, shocked, “My problems?”

“You mentioned getting a headache with more advanced mathematics. Let's work on that.”

Celestia started writing equations on a board and explained they were called polynomials and how they all worked and how to factor each of them to find the value.

Edwyn slowly began to comprehend how to solve them.

Edwyn finished his session with Celestia, and he thanked her. Edwyn tightly embraced her. “Thank you, Lady Celestia. I hope we can be friends.”

She assured him that she would support him. Edwyn wasn't so sure, but he hoped that she was real. Edwyn nuzzled his head into her shoulder in a tight loving embrace.

“I want us to be friends, Celestia. I want to help you.” Celestia held the boy tightly. He looked up into her eyes. “Don't turn on me.”

Celestia still never understood why he thought she would end up hating him. Edwyn decided to help her understand what he was talking about.

Edwyn backed up, giving her some space. He said, “I want to show you something. Please don't be afraid of this Lady Celestia. I don't want to frighten you. I want to show you what I see in your future. This is a possible future that is no longer likely. But it's a future that could have happened.”

Celestia knew that Edwyn now had the sight. He was a seer and she knew several potent witches and mystics that had the ability. Edwyn took her hand and shared his mind with hers.

Celestia saw what he saw. Her mind was flooded with a load of very confusing and horrific images of a possible future. She didn't look that different than she did now, but she saw her with a group of other witches transforming a large teenage boy during some grand ceremony. It was a coronation. This boy was supposed to become king. He was changed, and she crowned his sister instead. Except this didn't really look like Edwyn's sister at all. This didn't look like Edwyn or any possible future Edwyn at this age. Celestia was very cruel to this boy, and it seemed that all of the witches took pleasure in demeaning and humiliating this boy. Even Celestia herself was very cruel to him.

Celestia could not see herself treating a boy this way. One thing did strike her in all of this. This boy was not really Edwyn, and in those visions, she saw the lost moon appearing in the sky at night. That was what promoted all of this. They couldn't allow a boy to get the crown in this future. This future that would no longer happen. Edwyn had seen to it.

The visions in his mind ended, and Celestia said, “Who was that boy?”

“I think he is me in the future. Or it was to be me.” Edwyn said.

Celestia shook her head doubtfully. “No, it's not you. And in that future, I hear them speak another name, and call him Serrenina. Or Nina. Someone yelled out the name Serin. Anyway, there's no way you can ever turn into that hulking boy. Even with your rapid growth, I don't see you bulking up that way. You look very slim and almost beautiful. You have a feminine beauty to you as a boy, Edwyn, and you really don't mind dresses. I don't think you would have the reaction to being turned as this boy did. He is not you, but the lesson you wanted to teach me is clear that I would be very cruel to that boy, who was apparently the crown prince of this country. I don't think it's our future or ever was our future. I think this is another reality and another family that I did this to.”

Celestia let that sink in, then she asked, “So what are you Edwyn, if you have visions into an alternate reality?”

“I am the son of the Goddess,” Edwyn said.

“You must be more than just the son. You also have a lot of her power. It looks like in a twist of fate, she made you so powerful that we can not abuse you like we did this other. That must have displeased her, so she sent you.”

She smiled down at him. “Let's go home now. I will be here to teach the girls tomorrow. Let's mark this day as the first day to a new future.”

The two loaded themselves onto a carriage and set off.