Gift of the Fox

Chapter 12: Revelation

Liz and Tiegan were making a bed for the new servant of the 4th prince.

"Tamie would've been so happy to be with us right now!" Liz was shedding tears while stuffing the blanket, "She was always excited when it came to serving the 4th prince."

"I miss her so much... I still can't believe she's gone!" Tiegan exclaimed with tears in her eyes.

"She's not gone."

They both started and looked aside, to see a young Wanglongian man with brown almond eyes and long brown hair.

"Ah! W... Who are you?" Liz got frightened at the sudden appearance of the stranger.

"It will be hard to believe if I tell you."

"Still, who are you?" Tiegan grew curious. "The 4th prince's new servant perchance?"

"Yes, that too and, I... I'm Tamie."

"Huh? Tamie was a girl! Are you mocking us?" Liz clutched the blanket she was holding, with anger.

"We have enough grief as is! Why are you adding more with your foolish jokes?" Tiegan was no less irritated.

"But I'm really Tamie Beanson! I truly went to the forest back then, but no beast attacked me. Instead, that same fox - the one we had saved together - came and turned me into a boy, for I had wished for it. Here, I even have a tattoo left!" He raised his sleeve to show the fox tattoo on his left arm.

"Are you... normal?" Liz blinked in stupefaction, "How can a girl turn into a boy? That is nonsense! No matter that you're a man and a private servant of the 4th prince, I won't bear being insulted by your foolish jokes!"

"Ugh! What should I do to make you trust me?"

"Tamie and we were inseparable friends since we got to know each other years ago," Tiegan cut in, "If you know our deepest secrets which only Tamie could know, we shall believe you."

"Yeah, that's right!" Liz crossed her arms, "Go on! Prove you're worthy to be trusted. Tell our deepest secrets if you know them, or beat it!"

Seeing her friends act so bravely in front of a man-servant, Tamie chuckled.

"I'll start with you, Tiegan. You were sold here from Soutrail, the colony of Nordile - the island-continent in the south-east from here. You belonged to a middle-class family. You never knew your father who had gone in a war against the natives and never returned. Your mother was a descendant of the native tribal savages of Soutrail. Once you got kidnapped by these very tribesmen, you spent some time with them and got to know the ancient teachings of healing and medicine. You became skilled in healing both people and animals. Then you were kidnapped once again, now by Nordilians, and were sold in Wanglong, thus you arrived here. You adore animals and nature. You speak Nordilian as your native language, also Maarian, the language of the Maars - the Soutrailian natives, and now Wanglongian too since you came to Wanglong. Your current dream is to rise in a high enough position to be able to hit Court Lady Om with a broom since she makes you mop the floor every time."

Both Tiegan and Liz gasped - how did he know all of that, and especially the last thing?

"Now you, Liz - you come from the family of De la Fer, a wealthy noble class in the kingdom of Frankheim in the west. However, your ancestry bears Nordic and Schekian blood of the Schettner too, whose name you indeed bear. Still, your noble blood couldn't protect you from the calamity that befell you: you were kidnapped by rebellious peasants who hated the cruelty of your father - the rich landlord. They abducted you in order to take revenge on him and sold you to foreign merchants. You served in many countries and came to know bitter slavery. You often used to say you lived on the top and came to fall to the bottom, but it also made you understand what true values were in life. After serving in various countries, you were finally sold in Wanglong and found yourself here. You speak Frankish as your native language, Nordic and Schekian fluently, as well as Nordilian because Nordile is ruled by high-class Franks and you got to travel there with your family from time to time. Now you also speak Wanglongian since you've found yourself in Wanglong. Your current dream is to return to your homeland and rise as a noblewoman again."

"H... How's this possible?"

"So it's really you, Tamie?"

"It is me, girls."

Liz and Tiegan stared into his eyes and soon recognized the wise and kind expression of their old friend. Tears gushed down their cheeks.

"It is really you!" Liz cried out.

"Ah, thank God you're alive!" Tiegan exclaimed.

Both of them hugged the boy tightly. Tamie chuckled and embraced them, happy to finally have persuaded them she was alive.

"Haha! I'm so happy! I'm so, so happy!" Tiegan jumped and clapped with joy, "I knew it - I knew you wouldn't die just like that!"

"Oh, my, we were so worried!"

When the first wave of happiness passed and the girls heard the detailed story of Tamie's transformation, they observed her new appearance and chuckled.

"Now look at that, you've turned handsome!" Liz said.

"Duh, rather ugly!" Tiegan stuck out her tongue. "You look like a Wanglongian man. Your girl form was better."

"I agree with that too." Tamie shrugged. "However, I can do nothing but cope with it now since I've already turned into a boy. I guess the fox is testing me."

"Well then, you've got your chance to show off to your prince!" Liz smiled. "Do your best!"

"You bet I will!"

Thus, the three friends reunited. Tamie was happy to have finally revealed herself to her friends and assured them that she was alive and well. However, she warned them not to disclose her secret to anyone:

"Do not tell anyone about this. I trusted only the two of you with this information since you are like sisters to me. It is better if people think Tamie Beanson died so that they wouldn't search for me and have suspicions about where I went. I'd like to start my life on a new page as a boy. It will be better this way."

"You can trust us, Tamie. We won't disappoint you."

"Yeah, by the way, since you don't want to disappoint me, call me Tao from now on. My name is officially Xin Tao now, as I've turned into a Wanglongian boy."

"Alright, Tao." Liz grimaced like a manly man. The friends burst out laughing.

Tiegan and Liz were joyful for Tamie - finally, she had got to fulfill her life-long dream and get a little closer to the prince she liked... She would experience what it was like to be a man since she had wanted it so badly. It gave them hopes that their dreams too, might be fulfilled one day.