Disclaimer: I own nothing…

Opening note: This is my second story on this site I'm still writing 'Elements'. This was just a new idea I came up with a few weeks ago and decided to write about it to see how it went with everyone. I don't mind constructive criticism and I accept anonymous reviews.

This story is about a girl named Evan who is from the Rhoxolani Tribe in Sarmatia. She's beautiful, smart and goes undercover as a boy to save her brother. It sounds a bit boring but you'll have a laugh. A lot of Romance in this because I love romantic stories and a lot of honour. It's a TristanOC so enjoy and please REVIEW!

Just a little thing….as I wrote this I imagined Angelina Jolie as Evan. She suits the profile…and I'm a great fan.

Introduction:

Would you lie to save someone you love? Even if it meant that you would be put to death if you are found out? And it would mean you would not be able to live your life as you are; you would have to be a different person? A lie.

I had only come up with the idea a few hours before the Romans arrived. My brother, Jirdan, was ill with scarlet fever. He was close to death when the Romans were to arrive. There was no way he would have survived the trip to Hadrian's Wall. My love for him consumed me and I could not stand by and watch the Romans take him away, for he would surely die. I hid him in the forest. It was close to the village so when they went to search for him he would have been found easily. He was older than me by two years but he had lost so much weight due to his illness that I was able to help him walk to the forest. He begged me not to go through with me plan but I turned a deaf ear. As I lay him back on the forest floor he told me he would one day repay me. I put the furs over him to keep him warm and placed a water skin beside him with some fruit. My mind was made up. I could not let him die so early in his life when I was perfectly capable of fighting in his place.

He took my hand in his and I kissed his forehead as a single tear fell down his cheek. Again he told me not to go through with my plan but I promised him no one would know I was a girl and one day I would return to him. But I knew it was a lie. I would never return to this place, because I would be instilling shame on my family as well as myself. No one would want to marry me knowing I had pretended to be a man for most of my life.

I rode to the edge of the forest on my mare and saw the Romans arriving. 'Just on time.'

I had cut my hair to my shoulders and tied it back so I looked more like a boy. I thought it was going to be a miracle if I could pass for a girl because my features were not manly in any way. I have large dark brown and green eyes and long lashes. My skin is tanned from riding and my lips are pouty and large, those of a female. I wore boys clothes and tried to loose my feminine composure as the Romans stoped. 'I was sent to wait here for you,' I told the Romans. 'The village is ill with scarlet fever and they did not want to have you around to catch it.'

I tired to make my voice sound like my brothers. Deep and slightly raspy. I'm only twelve and my body had only begun to form into that of a woman. The Romans looked at me curiously by did not argue. 'Lets get moving then,' said the blond one.

I followed them, thankful they did not ask questions. I snuck a quick glance toward my village and then looked into the forest where I hid my brother. 'I love you forever,' I said under my breath.

Beside me was an older larger boy with a scar in his left eye. He looked at me closely and I managed to avert my eyes to his. 'What?' I asked him.

'I am Dagonet,' he said extending his hand.

'Evan,' I said as I took it. True it was a boys name but it was my real one. My real name. He seemed to find something interesting about me like the rest of the boys because all of them kept looking at me curiously. I didn't make eyes contact with them. I was too afraid that with one look they would find out my secret.

So here I am. On my way to Hadrian's Wall to become a Knight. If my being a girl is found out I may as well fall on my own sword because they would kill me. I could not even face my mother before I left for the sake of shaming her. As I rode on beside Dagonet I glanced at one of my nails and realised I needed to push back my cuticles. And so to my stupidity, I did. The boy beside me, Lancelot looked at me as if I had lost my mind. Quickly I put my hand down and stared straight ahead trying not to make eyes contact with anyone. 'This is going to be a long life.'

That night, as everyone sat around the fire, I sat against a tree a short distance away from the boys. I was studying their mannerisms. Trying to make myself one of them was going to be hard and I needed to observe as much as possible. I would never have facial hair. I would always have feminine hands and I would soon grow breasts. What if men bathed together? Did I have to speak as they did? Would I have to flirt with women? No, I would do none of that. I set my mind to it. There was no way anyone would know my secret but I did not have to be like them completely!

'Why did you do it?'

I looked up and saw Dagonet standing over me. 'Do what?' I asked him.

He sat down beside me and sighed. He looked toward the boys by the fire before looking back to me. 'Evan is a boys name yes, and I for some reason believe that it is your actual name but you are not in anyway a boy. Why did you do this?'

I looked away from him and looked down at my clean hands. 'I've come to the end of my life.'

'My brother had scarlet fever. He wouldn't have made it to the fort. He is two years older than I and it took a lot of work to cover my tracks and take his place…but I would not have been able to live with myself knowing I could have saved his life.'

I said nothing more as I stared down at my hands. 'I won't tell anyone,' he said kindly. 'I'll help you if you'd like. With the training. But you don't need to completely change yourself. Just act like a boy when around people. I'm sure in privacy you'll be able to be a girl.'

I smiled slightly. 'Thankyou. It going to be a long 15 years. I suppose I could always take bits a pieces of my brother and act more like a boy. I'm scared though. I've always been good with a bow and…one of the women in my village said I had the temperament of a stubborn horse.'

'You'll need it,' Dagonet said. 'How old are you by the way?'

'12 summers,' I said. 'You?'

'16 winters,' he answered. 'Sleep. They won't annoy you.' He cocked his head toward the boys by the fire. He walked back to the fire and I locked eyes with Lancelot for a moment. He was onto me. As handsome as he was I knew he would be able to find out my secret quickly. The same as the quiet one. I leaned back against the tree and closed my eyes. I was tired from the ride but I could not let my guard down in front of these men. I sniggered to myself as I imagined walking past the boys taking a tinkle not caring about being in front of me. If these boys were the only family I was to have for 15 years; that would surely happen.

I felt like I had been asleep two minutes before I was woken. I mounted my horse sleepily and immediately wondered about my hair. 'I must really look bad,' I mumbled to myself as I patted my mare's neck. Her name was Fru Fru. It meant frills. I liked the name and it always made my father laugh when I called her. My smile vanished from my face as I remembered my father. Would he be looking for me now? Would he be holding my mother as she cried for me?

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I rode through the gates of Hadrian's Wall feeling like muck and probably looking like it too. We had been on the road for 3 weeks before arriving. My time of travel is better left unsaid because it is nothing to feel good about. I unmounted my horse and leaned my forehead against her neck for a moment. 'This was definitely not a good idea,' I mumbled. She neighed and nodded wildly in return.

'What wasn't?' Lancelot asked me.

I screamed in my mind and tired to come up with an excuse. 'Getting off my horse so quickly,' I said. 'What the heck? I'm an idiot. Now I'm even more obvious.'

'Right,' he said as he followed the Knights into the inn. I gave my horse to the stable boy and thanked him kindly before following the Knights beside Dagonet.

As I was shown to my room a thanked the gods that I had one of my own. In fact, all of the Knights had one of their own. I took off my bag and put it on my bed before falling back on it. I needed a bath, badly. I had only been able to sneak off a few times turning the trip to bathe.

I wandered the halls silently walking past many rooms. As I turned the corner of a hallway I came face to face with a red headed girl. She was a few years older than I. I smiled at her, inwardly thankful that there was another female around. 'Hi,' she said as she looked at me with a calculating expression. 'Are you looking for something?'

'How do I get a bath?' I asked her. 'I really need one.'

She smiled. 'I'll get one for you. I'm Vanora. Are you….one of the new people?'

'Oh yes,' I said. 'So called Knights.'

'Oh,' she said. She laughed slightly and frowned at me. 'You are going to be one of the Knights? But you're a…'

'Oh my Gods PLEASE don't say it out loud,' I said quickly. 'No one….knows really. It's a long story but I'm trying my best to be…a boy…kind of.'

'I was going to say you were a bit young but you're a girl?' she asked.

I covered by face with my hands as tears came to my eyes. She took my arm and led me a down a flight of stairs into a small room with linens and furs and clothes piled up on the floors. I guessed it was a laundry room. 'You're a girl?' she asked me. 'Why did you do it?'

'You can't tell anyone,' I said I tears came to my eyes. I told her the story of how my brothers illness and by the end she was looking at me with pure sorrow.

'You poor little maid,' she said as she rubbed my back. 'I won't tell I promise. If you need any help. Clothes, hair someone to talk to…I'd be more than happy to help you ok?'

'Thankyou,' I said wiping my face. 'I was so determined not to be found out but I don't seem to be doing so well. I'm Evan by the way.'

Vanora laughed and hugged me quickly. 'How about I get you that bath and I help you find ways to pin your hair?'

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Author Note: So? What do you think?