Liberation day is a national holiday in the empire and celebration in honor of the great revolution a hundred years ago. When the people rose up in arms to cast down the oppressive regime of the former government. It was a time to rejoice and futas across the empire had the day off to spend time with their families. All major cities organised grand parades and festivities. Food and drinks were distributed in generous supply.

Meredith Lee's school for boys lay in the countryside and thus they couldn't partake in any of the bigger celebrations. So instead they aranged their own. It started with the parade. The boys would march around the schoolyard in celebratory uniforms under large fanfare, the music club brought their tubas, trumpets, marching drums and other instruments suited for such occasions while the rest of the boys marched at a pace with the front rows performing marching dances. After the parade the school clubs organised different performances and activities for the visitors.

Jude, being a member of the Ballet club, would perform a coordinated dance number in the gym hall.

After lunch he rushed back to his room to prepare. He brought out his uniform. It was a tight buttoned blue blouse with a golden collar, the buttons were in golden yellow along with the school initials sown in with golden threads onto the chest and the bottom was a short, plaited skirt in the same colors of blue and golden, which was the school colors. He was happy to be wearing such a cute outfit, it was certainly fitting for Liberation Day.

He spun in front of the mirror so that the skirt swirled and laughed in delight at how cute he looked. It was time to get serious though, and he slapped his cheeks to erase the giddy look on his face.

The preparations in the Assembly hall was in full motion when he arrived. Rows of tables had been set for the Banquet that would be held later that evening. Large groups of boys chatted excitedly among each other, their voices mingling into a chorus of noise.

"Hey Jude!" a voice called out to him and he turned to see Mikkel strutting his way.

"It's here, Liberation day! Are you excited?"

Jude nodded and gave a shy smile.

"What section are you in?"

"The tenth."

"What?! That's like at the end of our grade. Who put you back there, was it Jan? I swear I'm gonna have a tough talk with that kid, how dare he!"

"No, it's okay. I think it's the Liberation day committee who decides the order and I'm okay with it. I don't have much to show off anyway, so it's only natural they'd place me at the end."

Mikkel put his hands on his hips and gave him an incredulous look.

"That's not true, Jude, you've got plenty of things going for you. You need to have more confidence in yourself. I mean you can dance, you're easily the best dancer in school."

"I don't think I am, but it's nice of you to say so."

"Aaaah," Mikkel exclaimed, grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

"Stop - being so - damned humble," he let him go and his face turned serious.

"Listen, you have to stop being so modest about yourself, believe me, you could be a star if you could only be more confident about yourself. No one works as hard as you do. Maybe you don't have a big butt or a bulging chest but you have something that can only be attained through hard work."

Jude gulped as his cheeks flared red, "W-what is that?"

"Finesse! You're one of the top students in every subject and you move with a grace few can. I know you don't see it, but I do. If you want to excel you have to go out there and take it. If you keep sticking to the shadows, you will eventually become invisible. You just gotta go oomph," Mikkel said and gave an emphatic bump of his behind. Jude wanted to protest but before he could a voice rang out from the speakers. They looked up at the podium where the Liberation Day committee had gathered.

"Good evening students and welcome to the Liberation Day Parade, are you excited?"

The boys cheered in response.

"Make sure you find the section you've been assigned to, there will be an inspection in five minutes and the parade begins in fifteen."

"Oh, I gotta go, I'm in the first section. See ya later, Jude," Mikkel said and darted away to find his place in the parade. Jude walked to the end of the line and found Axel in the tenth section. They greeted each other and he stood next to him. There was a lot of shuffling as all the boys tried to find their spots.

The Liberation day committee descended from the podium to help the preschoolers find their places and walked along the lines to inspect the parade and make sure everyone was prepared. It was noisy but Jude could still hear his heart beating in anticipation of what was about to come.

"Hey, you there, fix that blouse," someone called to him. In all the excitement his blouse had wrinkled.

"I'm so sorry," he said, straightened it out and looked up to the person speaking to him. It was Jan, followed by some of his friends.

"and while you're at it could you fix that skinny frame of yours, twigboy?"

Jude felt the heat rise in his cheeks. The other boys in his section turned to see who were being scolded. He could accept the teasing on most days but this wasn't any day, it was Liberation day. He straightened himself and set his eyes at the front, determined to ignore Jan and his taunts.

"It's a sad sight allright. Please don't embarrass us." Jan seemed to expect some reply but when Jude stayed silent he continued.

"As I thought, you have nothing to say for yourself. Anyways, I don't have time to stand here and chat with a tenth rower. I have an important role to fill, in contrast to a future reject." His small gang moved along and one of them stuck out his tongue and called, "have fun, looser," and they all laughed.

"Don't mind him," Axel said, "He's an asshole and only jealous because you scored higher than him in all the test scores."

"Thanks Axel."

He had never befriended the boy but had always respected him. In a way, they were similar. They were both orphans and neither of them had any defining traits.

The Committee finished the inspection and gathered to stand in front of the parade. In a short moment it would begin, everyone held their breaths, eyes forward, and then the head of the committee called out.

"Okay everybody get ready!"

The trumpeters put their lips around the muzzles, the drummers raised their sticks and the flag boys at the front steadied their poles.

"On my mark. Ready, set, go!" The doors to the assembly hall swung open and the parade moved out. The flag boys raised their knees with each step, waving their flags that had a blue background and a golden maypole in the centre.

The music boomed as the first rows walked out, they were swinging small canes and walked at a pace to the beat. Loud cheers erupted outside.

The moves each section performed became simpler the further back in the parade you were and Judes section only had a couple basic moves to perform. He worried though, not for himself, but that the others boys in his section wouldn't be able to keep pace. A marching bands skill was determined by the the collective coordination of the entire group and he would have to adapt his pace to match the others.

The parade kept marching and finally it was his sections turn to breach the doors of the assembly hall. The sun shone bright and the pomp and noise hit him like waves crashing onto cliffs. A large platform had been erected for the crowd of teachers, school staff, students families and visitors from nearby towns. To the left side there was a separate loge for the Headmistress and the school board.

The first sections passed the stands and moved in a wide circle around the yard to return and stand in front of the crowd, fanning out on each side, raising their knees high and stepping to the music as the sections further back marched before them.

When Judes section passed the stands, a cry caught his attention.

"Jude! Hey Jude, look over here!"

He turned his head to look for the person calling his name and spotted Chris waving her hands above her head. She was dressed in civilian clothes, a pair of tattered jeans and a simple white t-shirt.

"My goddess, he's so cute," she shouted loud enough to be heard above the ruckus. Without breaking pace he waved at her and she responded by blowing him a kiss. Was there something moving inside her jeans? Chris turned towards the person sitting on her left, another futa guard, and pointed towards him. He felt flustered at the attention but didn't miss a step. The moves they performed was child's play for him and he could have done it in his sleep. They passed the stands and marched around the curve to join the previous sections. After them marched the boys in the lower curriculums and last came the pre-schoolers, whose uncoordinated march drew a lot of aw's and sighs from the crowd. Some of the youngest would even stop mid march, thumbs in their mouths and gawk at the crowd before they were urged on by committee members assigned to assist them. When all the sections had gathered on the lawn the music died and everyone stopped moving at once except for some pre-schoolers who looked around in confusion, wondering why it grew so quiet all of a sudden. The Liberation day committee gathered at front of the parade, facing the audience, and a microphone was brought out. The head of the committee tapped the mic to confirm it was on and glanced down his notes before he addressed the crowd.

"Good evening teachers, school staff and all our visitors who's gathered here on this glorious day." The crowd answered with applause.

"Today is a special day. On this day, a hundred years ago, a group of brave freedom fighters rose to fight the oppressive and barbarian regime that kept the people cowering in fear and forced them to suppress their true nature. These brave futa warriors defied all odds, sacrificing themselves to achieve victory and overthrow this dark rule. It was through their actions that we can live in peace, that we can be free to be ourselves. On this day we seek to honor them. Although there is no way for us to honor them enough, we do the little we can to show our appreciation for their ultimate sacrifice and we'll continue doing it for the rest of our lives. You may have passed from this world but we'll cherish the gifts you've given us forevermore, our freedom, our happiness and our lives. We carry your love within our hearts and sing it out loud for the empire and the entire world to hear."

Everyone present had gone quiet, only a bird chirping in the distance could be heard. The crowd and the students raised their right hands and placed them over their hearts.

"Augustina Hansson, we honor you. Miki Jonson, we honor you. Amanda Baisley, we honor you" He kept mentioning names until he had mentioned around fifty and then a minute's silence followed before he once more grabbed the mic and proclaimed.

"And now let's begin the celebrations!"

the orchestra and the crowd erupted with even more intensity than before, causing a flock of birds to take flight. The first sections marched back, followed by the others.

Jude looked up at the headmistress loge. Meredith looked pleased and the representatives of the school board and investors nodded their approval.

He turned his gaze to the stands and saw Chris and her friends jumping so high that their breasts bobbed. The parade proceeded into the assembly hall. When the last entered the doors were closed and the music stopped. Jude exhaled, his comrades had managed to keep the pace and rhythm intact without fault.

"Juuude!" someone shouted from behind and he turned just in time as Mikkel came charging at him, jumping into his arms. While they were of the same height Mikkel had a wider build and weighed at least forty pounds more. He stumbled back, struggling to keep his balance and as he was just about to fall Mikkel let go and grabbed his hands.

"Wow, that was so amazing. Did you see the crowd? I don't think there has ever been a bigger crowd before. They were so happy to see us!" Mikkel put his hands up to his chest and his eyes got a tingly shine to them. "Aaah, that was great but I can't stay and chat. Gotta go prepare for the club activities, this is where the real fun begins. Good luck, Jude" Mikkel dashed away to find his club mates before Jude managed to get a word in. He was distracted by his friends sudden assault, but he also felt the rush of having walked in the parade. It was a special feeling to know that this would be the last time they marched as students and he would cherish the memory for the rest of his life.

He sighed and shook his head. This was no time to linger, he should find his group and prepare for their performance.

There was a wide array of performances and activities to take part in during the festival, so many the visitors had to pick and choose which they preferred.

The maid service club had set up and café were they served home baked pastries and coffee while the maids pampered the futas. The beauty club set up a spa and offered visitors free beauty treatments, massages and makeup. There were other activities as well such as game shows, lotteries, feats of strength and so on. The boys rugby team would play a game later. It was a cherished pastime among many futas to watch men sweat and work their bodies in close quarters.

Jude was a member of the ballet club and while ballet was not as popular a dance compared to the more modern styles such as hip-hop, street or twerk, it had a long history and were appreciated by the more cultivated classes of society. In the early history of the Empire it had been the most popular style, attracting crowds in the tens of thousands, though that was a long time ago. Today it was seen as a dying art and something only the old appreciated.

The gym hall had been turned into a stage with rows of chairs facing the scene. It had been filled to the brims with people since the start and the organisers were forced to turn some away as they couldn't fit anymore. The schedule was set in accordance to the popularity of the styles, beginning with the modern styles. It started with break-dance then stepdance and moved forward to the most popular, twerking, which was Mikkels club. The crowd was in high spirits as the first two clubs concluded and it was time for Mikkel to take to the stage.

Heavy bass boomed out of the speakers, stirring the gut and reverberating through the floor. The audience whistled and cahoot'd as Mikkel entered.

Mikkel, unshy to attention, darted to center of the stage, promptly turned and raised his butt to the crowd, shaking it to the beat.

Jude was backstage, warming up with his club mates and he followed the performance between a small gap in the curtains. No wonder Mikkel was so popular, he thought, with a behind like that and the way he moved, it was bound to be a crowd pleaser. The audience raised their arms to wave them to the beat and the dropping of Mikkels butt, some held their hands in front of their laps, palms up, probably pretending that his backside was closer than it was. The atmosphere was raucous and the curtains vibrated from the music. Mikkel widened his stance, dropped into a split so his crotch touched the floor the leaned forward and wiggled his asscheeks. Jude had not seen that move before and he could only imagine how much Mikkel must've have trained to perform it.

Their dance lasted for ten minutes, while short it was intense. They ended it on all fours shaking their butts at a pace then got up and bowed to crowd, turned around and bowed with their butts in the air. It brought a lot of laughs in the crowd and they whistled and shouted as they left the stage.

The twerkclub was in a good mood and high-fived each other as they returned behind the curtains. Jude approached Mikkel, who was all smiles and puffed out his chest in pride.

"Well done, Mikkel, that was something else."

"Ha! Did you see it, my new move. What did you think?"

"It sure made the crowd happy, you must've stretched a lot to be able to get that low and bounce so smoothly of the floor."

"It's all thanks to you, if you hadn't shown me how to stretch, I never could have done it."

"Of course, I'd help you. You are my friend".

"No, I'm not your friend," Mikkel said, "I'm your best friend!"

They smiled at each other until it became awkward but then one of Judes club members called for him, "Hey Jude, could you come over here? We're going to go through the program one last time"

"You better go," Mikkel said.

Jude joined his club and the captain began to go through each step of their performance. This year was special to Jude as it would be the first time he got to perform a solo number and it wasn't just any solo number but the final and most important of their act. In previous years he'd been a backup dancer to the others. Though he was the best dancer in their club it was important to pay ones dues. He'd insisted on incorporating a move called the Rougardé into the set, it was one of the most difficult pieces in ballet, popularised by one of his idols, Damien Stosczynski, seventy years before. Even to this day only the most skilled dancers could hope to execute it. He'd done it in training and knew he could but as time neared for them to step onto the scene he began to have second thoughts. It was one thing to perform in the safe confines of the dance hall, surrounded by friends, and another to do it before an audience. A single misstep would ruin everything and he cursed himself for his hubris. There was too much on the line.

His heart quickened, a sweat broke out on his forehead and his fingers grew cold. He wanted to run away, to flee the scene but the shame it would cause for him and his club would never wash away if he did. The club before them just finished and there was only a short break before it was their turn. The shivering spread through his limbs, his breathing became frantic and the surrounding lights blurred.

I can't do this, I will fail and I will embarrass everyone.

Then he heard a rustle among the audience and as he glanced between the curtains he noticed that nearly half of the audience had gotten up from their seats and moved towards the exit. He listened to one of the futas still seated speak.

"That was fun. what comes next?"

"It says ballet," another futa responded, looking at the activity brochure.

"Ballet? Who the hell does ballet anymore? let's get out of here."

Something stirred within his chest as he heard their brief exchange. It was well known that ballet had seen a sharp decline the last decennium. He remembered a chronicle he'd read in a newspaper, titled 'Ballet is dead'. It had made him so angry that he crumbled the paper and threw it away.

He thought of the masters of old. How they moved their audiences to tears with their performances and brought bits and pieces of joy and beauty into their lives when times were tough. It was his dream, pretentious as it may be, to bring people such joy and show the world the beauty of the art he had come to love.

He steeled himself and forced his breathing to even. All thoughts of escaping washed away by his determination. The anxiousness still pressured his chest but he refused to let it dictate his actions. If he faltered or made a mistake, then so be it. Until then he would do his utmost to show everyone the true beauty of ballet.

The scenery for their act had been set, the lightning was adjusted and the organiser called for them to enter the scene. Jude walked out with his mates in two lines, they were dressed in black and white tights, one boy in black and the next one in white. The curtain was withdrawn and the audience greeted them with a polite, although unethusiastic applause.

The opening scene was a group coordinated effort and afterwards Jude would withdraw to prepare for his solo number by the end. The music played. Clarinets singing soft tunes, resembling the song of birds.

The boys tipped on their toes in two circles crossing the other. They swayed their arms at the end of the circle and retracted them inwards as they got to the center. The music shifted, adding trombones to the mix, and the boys broke away from the circles to form another two and create an illusion of a four-petalled flower, with each passing through the center. It was a complicated number and the one they had practiced the most. Jude got a glance of the crowd. Although more than half of them had left, the ones who remained nodded their approval. They were the elderly, who still rememberrd glory days of ballet, and the families of the boys on stage. He also saw the headmistress Meredith and one of her guests sitting in the front row, watching intently.

The four lines broke up and spaced out over the scene then span on the spot keeping their faces towards the audience for as long as they could before they had to turn to complete their spin. The typical pirouette of ballet.

One of the white circles edged to stand in the middle of the others and tipped around. They were followed by one of the black circles that enclosed the first and moved in the opposite direction. Then came the second group of boys dressed in white and the last group dressed in black to complete the formation.

The music ended with a tuba, rummaging deep, to conclude the opening stanza. The audience applauded the performance, it had gone without mistakes and was worthy of their praise. Jude tipped to the side to stand behind the curtain. Now it was time for his comrades to shine. The second stanza began.

Jude noted there were no blatant mistakes but the pace was slightly off, enough for an educated eye to notice. Then as they neared the end of the stanza, a boy named Lukas, performing a solo act, stumbled on his feet and almost fell.

The audience gasped. Lukas managed to catch himself and tried to play it off as part of the dance but the damage was already done. The pace broke and the boys struggled to get it back.

In the end it was not enough and Jude saw the ashamed look on them as they tried to keep a level face, two were close to tears. The stanza ended, and the music with it, and the boys curtsied to the crowd. Shoulders slumped, their shame visible in their poor postures.

It was a disaster! It had played out in the worst case scenario imaginable. The boys tipped back to stand behind the curtain, straining to do so with the little grace they had left. Lukas, the boy who'd made the egregious mistake, approached Jude. Head hanging low.

"I'm so sorry! I messed up and just before your number." Jude wanted to shout at him but when he saw the sad look upon Lukas face his heart eased. He tried to think of something encouraging to say but couldn't conjure the words. It had been a terrible mistake and nothing he said would change it.

"That's how it is sometimes, just make sure you learn from this and do better next time. I will do my best and try to take it back."

"Thanks, good luck."

Jude headed towards the scene, walking between the rows of boys looking at him with hopeful eyes. He was their ace and they put their hopes on him, though after Lucas mistake it would take a flawless performance to restore the audiences trust. No one was perfect and the added pressure layered upon his already stressed mind. He took a deep breath, remembered the futas who badmouthed his art and the vision of his idol Damien Stosczynski appeared within his mind. He exhaled and stepped onto the scene in long strides until he stood at the center. It was clear that Lucas mistake had suffocated the audience's enthusiasm. One futa yawned, leaning her head to the side as if she was about to fall asleep, another glanced at the exit, probably trying to estimate if it would be rude to leave before the performance was done.

Ms Meredith had a stern expression and one of her guest scratched her nose in disinterest. This was it, the worst was already over and there was nothing left to lose. He took another breath, stretched his leg out before him and raised his arms to take the starting position. The music played. If he failed, it would make little difference, nothing else mattered now but the dance itself. He pushed his focus to the limit and tuned out his surroundings. The scene and the gym hall blurred and dissipated into darkness. He stood on a dark plain and felt the music all around him. The instruments painted the world with their melodies, sad violins emerged as soft hills upon the landscape, clarinets soared through the skies as the whistle of the wind and flying birds above, and a deep tuba came crashing down the cliffs as the stormy sea.

Each step lightened a path and soon his body moved by itself. He turned his hips, swayed his arms, dancing through the rhythm of the world. Letting it take him where it wanted, adjusting his pace whenever it told him to. He was one with the music, he was the dance.

His heart pulsed within his chest, even and harmonious, in tune with his surroundings. Time became a foreign concept and there was only the next move. He flew high into the skies with the birds sailing the wind, he dove deep and swam with the fish of the seas and he danced around an old oak that had lived far longer than him.

Amidst all of this he saw Lucas standing across the scene, Jude smiled at him and his emotions reached and touched the other boy. With a sudden inspiration he dashed over the scene and launched himself through air. Lucas caught him around the hips and swung him around. He landed on his feet and arched his back while leaning his head down low, letting Lukas turn him around.

Then, with a push to Lucas chest, he broke free and hopped back to the center. He raised a leg up over his head and as he lowered it he spun, keeping his eyes set forward at all times. To the audience it looked as if his head was set in place with only his body spinning. The other boys took to the scene and gathered around him, hunching low and arching their backs to illustrate a flower with him in the center. Jude stopped the spin and crept low as the other boys raised themselves to contain him within a cocoon. Inside, Jude tore his black tights and blouse off to reveal another layer of white underneath with sparkling stones around his chest. He stood back up and the boys opened the cocoon to reveal him once more. He swung his leg up in a wide circle and spun. He spun and spun, at least fifteen times while standing on his toes, drawing up a whirlwind in his imaginary world. It was the final move, the Rougardé. As the spinning slowed he grabbed the toes of his right leg and pulled it above his head, looking like a doll in a music box. The force of his pirouettes kept him spinning.

He kept his form as the turning stopped, facing the audience. Slowly he lowered his leg and as the music hit the last note he stepped forward and shot out his chest with arms held wide, looking at the spotlights above. His chest heaved and a tiny bead of sweat ran down his cheek.

The gym hall was silent and he remembered where he were. He looked at the audience before him. They were all staring at him with wide eyes. No one clapped or said a thing. Was there something wrong, had he made a mistake? He tried to reminisce but all he could remember was flouting clouds and wavy seas. His heart sank as the silence became oppressive, could it be that people were just that bored with ballet? Were they all relics of a past people wished would go away?

Then there was a clap, it was one of Meredith's guests, and then another and before they knew it everyone was on their feet clapping. The applause rained down upon them like a cool rain on a hot summer's day. His heart eased and it was all he could do to keep himself from crying. The boys put their arms over each others shoulders and bowed to the crowd who kept clapping and didn't seem to want to stop. They clapped throughout the second bow and even when they left the stage they could hear their cheering.

The boys gathered around him backstage, cheering and patting his back. Someone pushed through and a moment later Mikkel jumped into his arms.

"Jude, that was amazing! Moving like that shouldn't be possible, how did you do it?"

All the anxiousness and nervousness evaporated and he couldn't hold back his tears any longer.

"The way you raised leg and spun, and when you lept through the air like whoosh and Lucas caught you. It was so cool!"

Mikkel was delirious and even went as far to kiss him on his cheeks.

Jude was too emotional to answer.

"You were in the zone!"

Everyone kept smiling and laughing and the tears dripped off his chin.

Someone cleared their throat behind them.

"Excuse us, may we have a moment with Jude please." It was Ms Meredith followed by one of her futa guests. All the boys except Mikkel dispersed and walked off, still chatting and laughing.

"Jude, i must say that was something special," Meredith said as she approached. seeing the tears in his eyes she stopped and reached inside her pocket, bringing out a napkin to wipe his cheeks.

"There now, dear boy. There's no need to cry. You did great, the entire audience is in awe over your performance. No one could believe their eyes and I daresay none of them have ever seen anything like it before."

Jude felt embarrassed to have the headmistress see him in this state.

"There's someone I'd like for you to meet."

Meredith stepped to the side and her friend approached.

Hello, My name is Hanna Epstein, nice to meet you Jude. That was some performance back there, well done!"

Judes cheeks flushed at the praise.

"Thank you, ma'm. I'm happy you enjoyed it," he said and curtsied.

Hanna raised a hand to her face.

"And he got manners too."

Jude was a bit confused, the words didn't seem to be directed at anyone, but her speaking her mind out loud.

"Anyway, me and my associates in the committee for the first male of the empire were all thrilled to see your performance and we discussed it among ourselves. As you sure know, it's our job is to select the handful few who gets to compete in the first male of the empire competitions. We also have within our power to grant one boy a ticket straight to the finals and we would like to extend such an invitation to you."

Jude was dumbfounded, the First male of the empire was an annual competition within the empire. It was said that when the finals were held, the entire empire stopped and all the people gathered in bars, cafes and homes to see who would be crowned the next First Male of the empire. It was a huge spectacle, broadcasted nationwide, where boys coming of age competed for the hearts and the passion of the people.

"Oh yes, it was Mikkel, right?" Hanna said, turning his way.

"We would like to give you an invitation to the qualifiers as well, would that be something you would be intere..."

"Hell yeah I want to," Mikkel exclaimed before she could finish. Realising his rudeness he put his hands over his mouth.

"Sorry, ma'm. I got too excited. I would absolutely like to compete in championships."

Hanna laughed

"It's okay. I understand it's something to be excited about. We're happy to have you and I think you'll do well with the younger crowds," She winked and turned back to Jude.

"So what do you say, Jude, want to do it?"

"Yes ma'm, I would." He tried to keep himself from grinning but an invisible force kept pulling at the corner of his mouth.

"Great, I will leave the invitations with Ms Meredith then. I'll be looking forward to seeing you in the championships," she said to him and, "I will see you at the qualifiers," to Mikkel, "It was nice meeting you and good luck to the both of you."

"I will see you at the Banquet tonight," Ms Meredith said and then they turned and left them alone.

Jude and Mikkel looked at eachother with wide eyes and then exclaimed in unison,

"We'll be competing in the championships!"