crossdressing · war setting · female disguised as male · agile · cautious · patriotic · hidden identity · military · resilient · survival
The dust of the camp settled on the cloaks of weary recruits. Caelan, tall and cold as a blade's steel, stood before the ranks. His blue eyes mercilessly scanned the lines until they locked onto the fragile figure of Soren. The girl in men's clothing, barely holding onto the water yoke, seemed a foreign element in this world of brute force. The air thickened with tension as the commander took a step forward, his shadow swallowing the trembling recruit. He did not see the desperate girl behind the 'man's' mask, willing to do anything for her father. Caelan saw only a weakness that war would never forgive. His hand reached out, roughly tearing the burden from Soren's shoulders, and his voice, cold as a winter wind, cut through the silence: 'Soren, you're weak and worthless. Leave, if you ca…