The final Chapter, can prince Taylor find his place in the world

(images done by ai)

The new school I would be going to was a day school for rich children. It was the most expensive school in the country. It was the same school that Julia went to. I also knew that Emma had gone to the school, which made me smile. Dad said the only problem was that the school was very conservative when it came to transgender rights. This meant that I would have to wear the boy's uniform. I did not know what I thought about this. I no longer considered myself a boy. I did not consider myself a girl either. I was a bit of both. I did not complain about the boy's uniform, despite being afraid that wearing a boy's uniform would be like wearing a prisoner jumpsuit.

So I started at the new school and was delighted that Emma was there. The big surprise was that Niki also started at the new school. His grandmother moved close to the school so that Niki could attend. Dad was right; the school was very conservative and extremely posh. The boy's uniform made us look like we were still in Victorian times. The teachers were nice and good at their jobs. I liked the new school. In a way, I felt as if I were normal again and not in some twilight zone that was in the institute.

The problem I had at the new school was friends. A prince usually has many friends when he is at school. I had no friends at the new school, not even fake friends. The other boys knew that I was at the institute and knew that I was a sissy outside the school. They saw that being a sissy was negative and weird. They knew that I liked having long hair and wearing dresses and clothes with frills. So to the other children in my class, I was weird and just a sissy. I heard them whisper, and sometimes I listened to what they were whispering. They would say some things, like why would I allow myself to look more and more like a girl? Some boys even had the guts to come to my face, saying I must be weak because I let the institute change me to a sissy; they thought it would be an embarrassment when I one day became the king, as one boy said it would be humiliating for the country to have a drag queen as the monarch.

I was not the only one that had problems. Niki was not bullied. He was just ignored. It must have been hard for Niki to come to this school after he loved the institute, and he even had to move from his grandmother's cottage to the city. Niki lost all that he loved. It was so strange to see him in the boy's uniform. I hoped that we could support each other, as we once promised each other that we were "sisters." This did not happen. Niki did everything he could to ignore me. This upset me, as I did not know why he was so mad at me.

It's like I could not forget the past I had in the institute, and no one could accept that I was different from other boys. I liked feminine clothes, and I would be the first to admit that I was a sissy. Being a sissy was something positive for me, but not for the other boys. They could not accept it or understand it. It did not help that the media was full of news about how my mother would now be prosecuted because of her involvement in the institute. It seemed as if the petticoat program and discipline were my mother's idea. She did not care if boys were hurt or not hurt. My mom did not like boys and thought we should be all sissies, even if it meant forcing boys to be sissies. Mom knew that we were being brainwashed, punished, and humiliated. She did not care, as the end justifies the means. She even sent her son to the institute knowing what had happened there. Now she would be prosecuted in the courts. This was possible as she was no longer protected by the crown.

Granny knew how hard it was for me at school and the media attention that Mom was getting. When mom was getting so much attention, it meant that I was getting a lot of attention as well. I told Granny that I did not want to visit mom anymore. She didn’t care if the institute hurt me or not. I did not trust Mom or think that she loved me. Granny listened to me and tried to give me advice. She also took Julia and me shopping. This was a great trip, as the media left us alone. I bought lots of new clothes, including shorts, t-shirts, leggings, and dresses. Yes, they were all girl clothes, but I loved them and I could wear what I wanted at home. The funny thing was that every time I picked something, Julia picked the same. On our way home, we agreed that we could take advantage of me being so small for my age. Julia and I could dress as if we were twins. This plan was so exciting for us, especially if the press took a picture of us. Imagine the speculations they would have at seeing us dressed as twins. What conclusion would they come up with? We laughed when Julia believed that the press may not think she was a girl, that she was secretly born a boy but forced to be a girl all her life. This sounded ridiculous as Julia is a girl, but the press could fabricate such a story.

Things were bad at school, but at least I had Emma as a friend. We hung around all the time at school, and she would stand up for me when the others became mean or annoying. I knew that I had special feelings for Emma; I just didn’t know what they were. Was it because I considered her a very good friend, or was it more? I tried to convince myself that it could not be romance, as I was too young for that. Julia noticed it and told me it was very clear that Emma and I were in love with each other.

Niki was not the same optimistic boy that I always knew him to be. Besides, he did his best to ignore me; he seemed so sad and distant. One day, he came to the school dressed in a girl's uniform. The other children teased him, and the teachers were mad at him. Niki did his best to defend himself by saying that he was just being himself. This was not good enough, as school rules were school rules. Niki was upset and mad that the school would not respect that he was feminine and had an outburst that ended with him being suspended for 3 days.

I did not stand up for Niki. I just remained quiet. Maybe the reason was that, for some reason, he was ignoring me, and this made me think that Niki was no longer my friend. Despite that I kept out of it, the headmaster called me into the office. He gave me a long speech on how boys are different from girls and boys should not try to dress as girls, as it's not normal, healthy, or even ethical. The headmaster did not answer me when I asked why it is accepted that a girl can be a tomboy but a sissy boy is frowned upon. The headmaster told me that as a prince, people notice everything I do. No one wanted a transgender monarch. People expected me to show a good example, and being transgender was not a good example.

The talk with the headmaster and Niki's suspension upset me. Julia noticed this, and after I told her what the headmaster said, Julia sighed and said, “Adults are good at confusing us. After months of you being at the institute and being convinced that you are a sissy boy, you are now being told that you are a bad example for the whole nation. I am glad you no longer need diapers as this seemed weird. I don’t think it's bad you still use a pacifier or dress and act like a girl. You are a sissy boy, and being a sissy boy is not bad. You know who you are. Don't let others tell you who you should be.”

Julia was right. I knew who I was. I was a sissy boy, no longer that brat that everyone hated before I joined the institute. My family loved me and supported me, and this helped a lot. It made me sad that some boys like me had no support or understanding. I bet their headmasters gave them the same speech that I got. They would end up thinking that they were freaks and not normal. They would think it was them that had a problem and not society. I wished that there was something that I could do.

The time came for the art exhibition where my sister, Granny, and I exhibited the art we worked on. The reviews were great, and we earned a lot of money. We decided that the money would be donated to the hospital clowns who visited children's wards and did their best to cheer up the sick children. Julia and I were dressed as twins in frilly white dresses white tights and white gloves with a white ribbon in our hair. I was delighted that the exhibition was such a success. It was a family effort, and I felt like we were helping as well as reminding people that some children live with a sickness that causes them so much pain and fear.

I was disappointed that Niki was not there, but Emma was. Emma kept on telling me how proud she was of me, and my art was even nicer than granny's. Some of the Tabloid journalists did not care about the art. They wanted to know why I still wore a dress when the institute was no longer forcing me. They wanted to know if I would testify against Madam Criben. They wanted to know if the rumours were true that I no longer visited my mom. I did my best not to answer the questions and stayed close to my grandmother, who got mad at the press by saying that the exhibition was about the art and the sick children, not what I was wearing.

The tabloids did not care. The news the next day was not so much about the art. There was a picture of Emma and me holding hands. This led to a viral discussion on the media about whether I had a new girlfriend or not. There were even satirical pictures of Emma dressed as a groom and me as the bride. Did people not realise that I was only 10? I do know that I had special feelings for Emma, but could the media and social media not let Emma and I find out what these feelings are?

It was then that I decided to show the nation and myself who I was, and I was going to stand up for myself. I did what my mom wanted. I testified in Madam Criben's court case. I did, however, testify the opposite of what Mom wanted. I told the court that the boys there were forced to be sissy boys. If we rebelled against it, we were spanked until we complied. I told about the subliminal messages, the dentist making us lisp, and the humiliation of being publically exhibited as sissy boys. While the institute helped me discover who I was, it was done in the wrong way. It was child abuse and child manipulation at its worst. While the institute may have helped me, it harmed many boys and even ruined their lives. Madam Criben and the institute helped a handful of boys but harmed the majority of boys.

My family was proud of my testimony. My mom sent me a text message about how she was disappointed in me. I did not answer her. The worst was from Niki. For the first time since we left the institute, he came up to me at school and pushed me against the wall, saying, “It's all your fault. I thought we were best friends. I thought we were sisters. But it was you who sent that letter to the press, telling how bad the institute was. It was you who got special treatment at the institute because your grandmother did not like the place. It was your grandmother who signed the law to make petticoat discipline illegal. You know how much the institute was for me. It was like home for me. Now I am forced to go to this school and be a boy! It's all your fault. You have destroyed the place that I loved. You are not a friend.”

Niki's words left me in tears. I did not understand how he thought it was all my fault. Granny tried to console me that Niki did not see the institute as a place of punishment. Niki was already feminine. Niki had to respect that my journey was different from his, and I can see how the institute was more destructive than positive. Madam Criben was found guilty and sentenced to a prison sentence. This shows that some laws were being broken at the institute. Granny suggested that I would have patience with Niki and remember that, as a prince, I am also the voice for many who do not have a voice.

Dad also wanted to speak with me. He knew that I did not want to visit my mom. Dad told me that he could understand my frustrations and anger, as Mom can feel self-entitled, selfish, and have strange ideas. Dad reminded me that she was my mother and I would be at peace if I forgave her. Being mad at someone took a lot of energy and led only to bitterness. I told my dad that I was not ready to forgive Mom. Deep down, I was impressed at Dad, though. He had his problems with mom but still refused to speak badly about her in front of me.

Mom suggested long ago that I do a press conference. I refused at the time, but now I think it was a good time. Dad was sceptical about it but knew it was important for me. So I gave a statement to the press:
“Hello everyone, thank you for being here today. I wanted to talk to you about something important to me. Some of you might have noticed that sometimes I like to dress in pretty dresses or wear clothes people think are just for girls. And sometimes, I like to wear what boys usually wear. I don’t see myself just as a boy or a girl. I feel like I’m something in between, and that’s called being gender fluid. It’s how I feel inside, and it makes me happy.
I know this might seem different to some people, but it’s just me being me. I hope you can all respect that.
There are lots of kids out there who don’t feel like the gender they were assigned at birth. Many of them don’t have a chance to say how they feel, and they might be scared or confused. I want to stand up for them so they know they’re not alone. Every child deserves to be heard, respected, and loved just as they are, no matter what.
As a prince, I hope I can help give them a voice, so we can all live in a world where everyone feels safe to be who they truly are. Thank you for listening.”

Dad had tears in his eyes after this. He told me that he knew that things were hard for me at school and told me that I could find another school where I could wear what I wanted and be who I wanted. Granny thought that this was a good idea. She was friends with Niki’s grandmother now and said she could tell Niki’s grandmother about the new school we found.

Surprisingly, the media and social media supported my statement to the press. They talked about how brave I was. They thought it was refreshing that the prince and the royal family were so modern and liberal (whatever that means) in standing up for LGBT+ issues. There were more stories from boys or girls who did not feel they were the gender they were assigned at birth. The whole thing became positive (which is strange for the media) in recognising that we each have a special identity and we should respect the identity that made everyone happy.

The school even became much better. The other children now spoke to me, and I started to make friends. Even Niki was making friends. Some boys and girls admitted they at times did not feel normal. Some felt like they were goth, while others liked being nerdy. Someone even said that they felt like they should have been born a cat. I think this sounded weird, but I would not judge this person. I was just happy that I was now getting friends. I even began to see Niki smile more.

I did not forgive Mom as Dad suggested. I did not know how I could forgive her if deep down I was still mad at her. Mom was sentenced to a big fine for her involvement with the institute. In a way, this was a relief for me. I did not want Mom to be sent to prison. At the same time, the fine was a conclusion to the institute and meant that I could move on in my life.

The big shock was that the school changed its policy. Students could now dress in the gender that they felt. A boy could wear the girl's uniform, and a girl could wear the boy's uniform. Dressing as a cat was not allowed, though. This was a shock that the most conservative school was now being so understanding. I do not know if it was because of my press conference and the debate it caused in society. It could have been pressure from my family or other parents. In any case, the policy was changed, and this was good.

Niki was once again wearing the girl's uniform. He came up to me one day and hugged me, saying he wanted to be my friend. We spent a lot of time apologising to each other and telling us we should talk things out in the future. Our reunion ended in tears as we realised how much we missed each other and needed each other.

So here is my story. I did not start at a new school. I stayed at this school. I did not wear the girl's uniform but often dressed girly when I was at home. Niki and I were best friends again. I would someday forgive my mother. I even started a support group for children who did not feel like the gender they were assigned at birth. Groups were started all over the country, and Niki and I often visited them. I know now that I am gender fluid; I wear what I feel happy in, and I do things that I am happy with. Maybe one day this will make me a strange king, but I will have Emma, Julia, and Niki by my side.

If you don’t feel like the gender you were given when you were born, I want you to know that it’s okay. It’s normal to feel confused or unsure sometimes, and you’re not alone. I feel the same way too!

The most important thing is to be yourself. You don’t have to fit into what other people say a boy or girl should be like. You can like what you like, dress how you want, and do what makes you happy. It’s your life, and you get to decide who you are.

If you feel scared or don’t know who to talk to, find someone you trust—like a parent, a teacher, or a friend—and tell them how you feel. It’s important to share your feelings because you deserve to be heard.

Remember, there’s nothing wrong with you. You are special just the way you are, and the world needs people like you who aren’t afraid to be different. Stay strong, and don’t let anyone make you feel like you don’t belong. You do, and you are amazing!

The end