More Than A Man

"The only way where someone can ever be more than a man is when the person is a woman pretending to be a man.

It was never Penn wish to don on male clothing and act like a man but it was the only thing she could do if she wanted to survive.

Living on the streets before she came across a man whose character was erratic and unpredictable, the man offered Penn to be his heir and Penn had no choice but to accept because her life depends on the protection which the man could offer.

Penn secret was discovered by her new adopted father who wanted her to remain in her guise as a man to deal with certain issues and cause an insurgency which the man was convinced that Penn was perfect for.

Keeping her identity a secret from others and at the same time planning to take down the empire is more than enough work for anybody could handle and as if that was not enough. She just had to learn some deep secrets about her family that seemed to tilt everything she believed in and fall for the Prince even when she knows that she was trying to dethrone his father.

Yeah, Penn life was capital letters COMPLICATED."

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He is a bad man. The thoughts flashed through Penelope head as she watches the War Hero General parade around to the cheers of people surrounding him, she would have liked to think that she was mistaken with her quick judgement of the man but she knew she wasn’t. Her father had told her to trust her instinct, he told her that it was the only thing she could trust in life and right now her instinct told her that this man in front of her was no good.

Of course her instincts has let her do some foolish things too, like running away from home only to arrive in the lion den because she had thought it would be safer. From her crime yes but for her survival? She is doing a poor job at it, it has barely being three months since she left home and came to the empire capital and yet she was already half starved to death, her bones showing but the goodness with her new appearance is that she had lost some of the baby fat she had on her and that made her look more like a street boy which she was pretending to be. The streets is no place for girls, she knew this fact more than she should. Penelope closed her eyes as she tried to block out the scene she had witness a week ago from evading her mind, the scene giving her sleepless nights but she couldn’t.

A slave was raped in her presence by so many boys, people she stayed on the street with. She could do nothing other than report to the guards she saw, by the time they returned, the girl was already half dead. Penelope heard later on that the girl died when she was returned to her master’s house, her wrists were slit and the case was covered as a suicide.

Penelope knew better.

“Watch where you are going. Fly.” A big bully spat at out Penelope, shoving her aside even though she had done nothing to him, when Penelope glared at him he turned to face her.

“What? You have something to say?” He taunts.

Penelope gritted her teeth and gave a stiff head shake and turned to leave the place, this particular bully had been after her since she arrived to join his gang of followers and Penelope knew she couldn’t keep anybody close, no when they were the ones who was going to sell her out if she slipped up and mistakenly let them see that she is a girl.

“General Cain is amazing, he will be the best prime minister to go down in history.” Penelope stops as she heard those words from two middle class girls who were gushing and gossiping, she was just like them. full of hopes and dreams, had opinions which didn’t matter but could air then, a best friend who was thick just like her and then one unwanted attention and everything went down the drain.

“What are you staring it?” One of them noticed Penelope lost in thoughts looking at their direction.

Her words jolted Penelope back into herself. “Nothing Milady, please spare a coin for a hungry fellow.” Penelope bowed her head and used a pitiful tone to say her words.

“Go… we don’t have coins for the likes of you…” one of them started in a brag filled tone.

“Wait, he is hungry, sure we can spare something.” The other said with some sympathy and reached into her bag to give Penelope, leftover sandwich.

It was more food than Penelope had eaten in two days. “Thank you.” she whispered with tears in her eyes as she snatched it out of the girl hand and hurried away from the fringes of the crowd to the empty stalls where she sat down and continued to eat the meal she had already started to eat on her way there. Her cheeks were growing wetter as she ate in a hurry but she didn’t care.

“Poor boy.” She heard one of the girls whispered.

“I am sure that all he ever did wrong was to be an orphan. Come the emperor is giving a speech.” The other tutted as they moved on.