Caroline Beaureax: A Short Story

It was only after winning the knight’s tournament that I, Lady Caroline Beaureax, felt confident for the first time in my entire life. Time after time, I had been repressed in a bottle of obedience and weakness, but today that spring inside of me sprung to life.

For all of my life, I was trained to do nothing more than manage a household and sit perfectly. Every day, my secret desire to learn combat kept growing, but in fear of society, I had never been able to overcome my fear of becoming a social outcast.

Nevertheless, as I held my sword high, dripping with blood, I felt proud to have broken free of the chain that my people had bonded me in since birth. I had won! From today onwards, I will be known as Royal Knight Caroline Beaureax, not

The wide stretch of a dirt field covered the ground. All around the arena hordes of people could be seen, shouting, fighting, cheering, and waiting.

As the morning sun rose above the horizon, dawn had arrived. The moment the first ray of the sun graced the field, the mighty horn at the edge of the arena blew, signalling the start of the first competition of the day. I was among the first 2 people chosen to fight. Goosebumps covered my strong yet frail body, under the surface of the 20 kg steel armor, and drops of sweat broke out under my helmet. Thankfully, this helmet covered the full face, concealing my true identity from the rest of the world.

The first few battles I fought were very easy; after all I had been training for 10 years. I had been taught my mother, who was also a sword fighter, but she never fought in public in fear of ruining her reputation. Fight after fight, I conquered my way through every man in the competition. My small 5’5 frame shook with each

Reveal to all of England the face of the best fencer!” exclaimed the Prince. Surprisingly, the prince didn’t seem to be angered by his defeat, instead he looked rather proud.

Oh no! What shall I do? If I reveal my face to then it will be known that I am a woman. This helmet is the only thing protecting me from execution.

“I cannot my lord!”I replied, my voice impersonating one of a strong man, deep and loud “Horrendous scars adorn my face!” This was an absolute lie; I had skin as clear as pure water.

“Oh dear, scars are the pride of a true man!” retorted the Prince. The Prince came towards me, reaching toward my head. One thought occupied my head, RUN! However, my muscular, nimble legs were frozen into place as if they had been tied by heavy ropes. If I ran this instant and got caught, I would receive no mercy from my punishers. Be that as it may, if I wasn’t caught then I could be free! Before I could even think, the prince’s large hands yanked my cover from my face.

Pin drop silence filled the arena, and after a few moments only gasps could be heard. Within seconds, chaos erupted.

“Kill her! Kill her! She is a traitor!” ordered the pack. Some began to jump up and down, attracting even more attention, as they