Forced to crossdress: Dreamy Knight I

My name is Brycena Olacooper. I’m an eighteen-year-old knight in the Crystaltide army and personal knight and servant to Princess Cindyith Dobholland. I grew up in the slums of this land as an orphan and stole for most of my life to survive.

One day when I was twelve I picked the wrong carriage to steal from. My normal plan of distracting the driver with a roadblock and sneaking into the back to steal the carriage's luggage quickly went awry.

I should have known not to mess with this carriage purely by how fancy it was, but I was really desperate and needed the money I’d get from selling the stolen items. I figured the worst-case scenario was I could run and escape using my small size.

But that didn’t happen, as out of all the carriages roaming around the kingdom, I somehow managed to trap the one with the young princess in it. Which meant she had a lot of knights around to protect her.

So the second I snuck around back, a squad of knights appeared out of nowhere. I was surrounded and apprehended before I had a chance to react. I was cuffed and seconds away from being thrown in jail.

Then she stepped out. Princess Cindyith, in her elegant yellow dress. She asked the captain of the knights what the hold-up was, and they explained that I tried to steal from her. Then despite them suggesting not to, the princess approached me and looked at me.

I remember being mad. I had thought her status would make her an awful spoiled person who thinks they’re better than people like me, but it was quite the opposite. She ran her hands through my hair and asked me when the last time I had a bath was.

I was quickly embarrassed, as it had been years since I washed myself properly. The best thing was a cold river bath once a month. She said it was awful that anyone had to survive like this and to have to steal to survive.

She looked so sincere when she said when she was queen, she was truly going to change the way this place works. She then ordered the guards to uncuff me, walked to the back of her carriage, and pulled out one of her bags.

She turned toward me and waved me over. I looked at the guards standing very close to me. They nodded at me, but without saying anything they made it clear if I did anything they’d have no problem skewering me with their spears.

I approached the princess and she smiled. She informed me stealing from her wouldn’t have done much anyway, as all she had was cute puffy princess dresses, among other clothes. She then said the captain personally carries her traveling funds.

She then told me he barely lets her touch it so it was indeed well guarded. I looked over towards the captain. He indeed had a bag of gold on him, but he was twice the size of the other guards and with many more scars.

There was no way I was going to attempt it, I may have done some dumb shit, but I wasn't that dumb. Instead, I waited and listened to the princess. She continued to search through her bag, looking for something specifically.

Then she pulled out a puffy pink dress. It wasn’t as long as hers, as it only went down to our knees. It was much fancier than everything I’ve ever worn and looked super soft. She asked me what I thought of it.

It was a confusing question. Why did she want to know what I think? Was it some sort of test? I mean it was definitely cute and worthy of a princess, so that’s what I said. She seemed happy with my response and said she was glad.

She then pushed the dress towards me and told me to keep it. I was really confused, she wanted to give me a dress. Why would I wear a dress? I mean I was wearing a ripped robe that barely covered my body and it was beyond filthy, and changing would be nice.

I asked her why she was giving it to me. Her response was so pure-hearted. She told me when she saw my pink hair she thought I’d look super cute in the dress as it matched my hair color, she also said she wasn’t allowed to wear anything that short anyway.

She didn't want the dress to go to waste, and so to her, this was a perfect use for it. I told her I couldn't accept it, but she insisted I take it, and forced it into my hands. She then asked the captain for a couple of gold coins.

He was hesitant but pulled out two and handed it to her. She then asked me to stick my hands out, and I did. She then placed the gold coins in my hand and pushed my fingers over them. She then told me to make her a promise.

She wanted me to promise, I’d use these to go get leaned at a bathhouse and use them to feed myself. Then instead of going back to crime, to look around the town and find someone willing to hire me to do honest work.

It may sound crazy, that someone so used to stealing would just agree to stop, but I honestly hated stealing, and something about the princess sparked something in me that made me want to agree. So I told her I would.

I then helped her knights remove the roadblock and waved the princess goodbye as she rode away back towards the castle. I then went back to my hideout and hung up the dress. There was no way I’d actually wear it, everyone would think I was some prancy girly girl or something.

Instead, I just played with the gold coins. I could do a whole lot with these, a single coin could feed me for a month, but I promised the princess I’d use them to clean myself. So I stashed one of the coins into the dress and headed out to the bathhouse.

When I arrived the owner saw me and tried to shoo me off with a broom, but I managed to tell him I was a paying customer. He rolled his eyes at me and said sure I was, and again tried to shoo me off, but I managed to show him the gold coin.

Then I went from being some homeless peasant to petty theft in his eyes, as he immediately asked me who I stole the coin from. To be fair, I was a petty thief, but he didn’t know that, and I didn't even steal this coin.

I told him about the princess and how she gave it to me. Which he didn’t believe at all, and told me to confess or he’d call the guards. So I lied and said I found it floating around in the sewers, which he believed because of how bad I smelled.

Which I didn’t even notice, but when I thought about it I got incredibly embarrassed. The princess had to have noticed how bad I smelled, but she didn’t say anything or even make a face about it. Maybe her nose doesn't work… or she was being kind, and by her other actions, that is my guess.

The owner of the bathhouse took my gold coin and led me inside. Since I was young and without an adult, I had to use a small bathtub so there was no risk of drowning, but it also meant I had privacy, which I’m not complaining about.

The owner handed me a towel and told me to leave my ripped-up robe on the table and he’d clean it for me. I thanked him and changed, then headed into the bath. It was so warm and relaxing. It almost felt magical.

My body was in heaven as it felt like all My injuries over the years vanished leaving me with a new body. I got to scrub years worth of dirt off my skin and actually wash my hair for the first time. I even got to use soap, which smells so good and makes your skin softer.

I bet that's why the princess looks so good. She probably uses soap every day. After a half hour passed, the owner of the bathhouse came back with my robes. He placed it on the table, along with a coin pouch, which he said was my change.

I thanked him and once he was gone I got out and dried up. I picked up my robe, and he had sewed the holes together and cleaned it like promised. It was actually still warm from drying over a fire, and it was quite nice.

I put it on and grabbed the coin pouch, which had about ninety-five silver in it, so it was quite heavy. After that, I went and bought some bread and potatoes. Then I headed back to my lair with eighty-five silver left.

I slept great that night as it was the first time in a long time that I was clean and felt sort of happy, all because of the kindness of the princess. When I woke up the next morning, I was intent on fulfilling my other promise to the princess and finding a job I could do.

I walked around town and asked at every shop there was, but no one wanted to hire a kid, or more like they didn’t want to pay a kid, but were more than willing to let a kid work for less than a piece of bread a day.

I knew I’d never survive here like that, but I was intent on not going back to stealing. So I retired to my hideout and began to pack my things. I was going to use fifty silver to leave the kingdom and find a small town with farms to work on.

But before I finished packing I looked up at the dress. The princess appeared in my head. She said she was going to change things when she was queen. That would be amazing for people like me, but would be quite hard to do alone…

She didn't need to do it alone, did she? What she needed was people to back her up, someone to protect her and make sure that it became a reality. I still don’t know why, but that day I knew it had to be me.

So I removed my dirty robes and put on the dress she gave me, even if it was embarrassing. Then I left everything but the coin pouch behind and ran towards the castle. I tried to get in, but the guards out front kept me from entering, and didn’t believe I knew the princess.

So I waited out there, refusing to leave for hours. Eventually word about me spread around the castle and the captain of the princess guard came out to speak to me. He told me the princess wouldn't be giving me any more money and I should beat it before I was arrested.

He was very stern and intimidating, but I wasn’t afraid of him now, and I didn’t back down. I removed the gold coin from the dress, put it in the coin pouch, and tossed it at his feet. I told him I wasn’t here for more money.

He seemed surprised and asked what I was there for. I told him I was here to swear my loyalty to the princess and become one of her knights. To fight for the future she desires to create. To protect and support her no matter what.

The captain's face didn't stop being stern, but somehow I knew he was impressed, and he stepped away to reveal the princess standing behind him, who had heard everything I just said and seemed glowing with happiness.

I was a bit confused as the princess approached me and the captain stood next to me. I went to ask what was going on, but the captain told me to get down on one knee. So I did. Then the captain told me to repeat after him.

I then took the knight's oath, and the princess accepted it and allowed me to start training as a knight who would serve in the squad that protected her. From that day forward, I trained every day under Captain Jikinineon as his squire.

He was really tough, but in the end, it sculpted me into one of the finest knights in the kingdom. Now as a full-blown knight, I serve my princess every day, and any request she may have I shall fulfill, no matter how hard or how far it takes me.