"Tonight is the night, Ariella! You are finally coming out into society! The party is going to be splendid!"

Ariella rolled his eyes as he watched his father fuss about, running here and there to be sure his dress was perfect. His hair was perfect. Everything about him was perfect.

"All of the hard work we've done for the past eighteen years is about to come to fruition!"

When his father paused, Ariella knew the man was waiting for him to respond for the hundredth time. So, he took a deep breath and focused on keeping his voice quiet and feminine. Just like he'd practiced his entire life.

"Yes, father," he said with his eyes downcast, eyelashes fluttering just slightly. When the man's strong arms came around him in a suffocating hug, Ariella ground his teeth together and waited.

"You will catch us a handsome, wealthy young man and fall in love with him immediately."

When he paused, Ariella sighed and finished his words again. "And I will have him sign the marriage certificate, so that when he finds out that I am a male, there will be nothing he can do about his assets without facing societal ruin."

His father leaned back and squeezed his silk-clad shoulders, grinning from ear to ear. His teeth were yellow from years of drinking and puffing on cigars. The smoke hurt Ariella's lungs, but every time he tried to shy away from his father when he smoked, the man would force him to stay, telling him that he had to get used to it in order to snag the best possible husband.

"Let us get you to the carriage. Our driver is waiting, and if I keep fussing over you, we will be late for your own coming out!"

Ariella's heart suddenly started tripping over itself as he was led down the grand staircase of their dusty home, his trailing dress kicking up motes as he followed his father.

"I just know that your gorgeous hair and emerald green eyes will get a wealthy man. No other girl there will be prettier."

If I was not wearing a wig, I am sure many of the young ladies there would be prettier.

He couldn't doubt his green eyes, though. They had garnered him much attention growing up, as a female, of course. Several men were coming to the event just because of the glimpse they had gotten of his eyes. It was a shallow thought to him. To like someone strictly because of their looks? They had not even spoken to him, except to ask when his coming out party was.

Shaking his head, Ariella followed his father out of the house and into the slight drizzle in the dwindling light of evening. As he climbed into the carriage, he knew it would be dark by the time they got there.

Nerves gnawed away at his insides as they moved through the cobblestone streets toward a large banquet hall. Glancing out of the curtained window, Ariella noticed that the road was fairly congested with carriages and carts going every which way.

"We will be there shortly," his father said as he leaned back, puffing on a cigar. The smoke quickly filled the small cabin of the carriage, but Ariella forced himself to cough as little as possible.

"I heard the town's own lawman, Kirin Squire, will be present. Would it not be wonderful to catch a lawman in this trap? It would ruin him to dissolve the marriage without paying us to keep quiet! You truly must try to get him!"

I do not want him, Ariella thought to himself, hiding the frown that came with the suggestion. It was dangerous to voice his opinion. He'd learned that at the tender age of five. Everything from there on had been "yes, father."

As the carriage came to a stop outside of the banquet hall, Ariella forced his breathing to calm and squared his shoulders. His father stepped out, greeting several people Ariella couldn't see. He quickly checked his black wig in a small handheld mirror, frowning at the perfect curls that framed his makeup-free face. He was naturally beautiful, which was a relief because he highly disliked the feeling of makeup. The only kind his father forced him to wear was lipstick, because his lips were a bit dull. At least to him. Looking at the girl in the mirror, Ariella pursed his bright red lips and set the item down on the bench seat before climbing from the carriage.

His heels clicked as he dropped to the cobblestone and allowed his father to take his arm. The whole situation might have been a lie, but that didn't stop him from visibly shaking with worry. If he was found out, he would likely be hung. If he didn't go through with it, his father would see that he still ended his life with a rope around his neck. Either way, he was stuck pushing toward the only solution that resolved with him still breathing... and, unfortunately, another man's wealth unjustly taken.

I do not want to do this.

Thinking it was one thing, but actually backing out of the situation was another. It was impossible. Taking a deep breath despite the tight corset around his stuffed chest, Ariella gingerly stepped into the large ballroom. It was hot, but thanks to the open doors leading out to two balconies and the light drizzle of rain still falling from the sky, the temperature fluctuated with gusts of cool air. Almost immediately, he was introduced to the room's guests by his father, then was quickly carted around the room to each young man that seemed even decently wealthy. Many dukes, military officers, barons, earls, and far too many other stations for him to remember shook his hand and introduced themselves with hungry smiles.

After several hours of dancing in at least twenty different men's arms, Ariella politely excused himself and darted into a hall that led to a staircase. There were rooms upstairs for partygoers that drank beyond their abilities, so Ariella didn't hesitate to climb the stairs and find a room with the door ajar. After glancing inside and not seeing anyone, he ducked inside and shut the door quietly.

Alone and panting from stress and constant dancing, he strode through the large bedroom, pausing as his reflection caught his eye in the mirror spanning half of the wall to his left. He turned, staring at the girl who looked back. Warmth from the dwindling fire in the hearth to his right made his already boiling frustrations rise further.

"You are not me."

Even as he said those words, the girl in the mirror spoke them right back to him.

"You were never me. Ever. I am me, I am..."

His words died on his tongue as uncertainty slammed into his chest.

"Who am I?"

Ever since he was born, he had been a girl. His father had filled out the certificate after delivering him as a female. Ariella was a female name. He was raised to do everything a female should to win a man's heart.

I do not know how to be a boy.

While the thought terrified him, going back downstairs to live a lie made him feel even worse. Before he could think through his actions, Ariella yanked his fancy, expensive dress over his head and wadded it up, then stalked over to the light fire and shoved it in. The flames flared and crackled, forcing him back as heat blasted him in the face. He wasn't sure if he'd accidentally screamed from surprise, so he held his breath, falling silent as he tried to listen beyond the building fire.

Footsteps.

Jerking the tight wig off, which had somehow stayed on his head, he quickly threw it into the fire, then darted under the large bed clad in dark red and gold coverings. The sound of the boots got closer not a moment after Ariella got an arm across his mouth to quiet his heavy breathing. The steps echoed around the room, as if the person was looking for something. Spending an extra moment near the fire. When they didn't seem to find what they were looking for, they quickly left.

That was too close.

Standing back up, Ariella looked around the room for something to wear over his chest. He'd planned ahead and worn a short pair of breeches he'd kept hidden from his father for years, but he wasn't able to hide a shirt beneath his dress as well. The pants were far more comfortable than the corset he quickly shed, having had no time to do so before. It, and several other items, joined what was already in the fire before he turned to stare at the open door.

I need to leave.

If his father found him, he'd likely be whipped or beaten. Or both. It was a wonder that he hadn't come to find him yet. Or the boots belong to someone he sent looking for me.

The thought was unsettling, but right as he was about to make a run for another room, one that might have a balcony he could escape from, he noticed the gorgeous thick blanket atop the bed beside him. After sleeping with appropriate female clothing his entire life, he'd never truly had his body wrapped in such materials. It was too hard to resist. Grinning like the child that he wished he was, Ariella leaped onto the bed and began to roll around, loving the soft sensation of the cotton and silk thread against his body. It felt so cool and smooth, like the wind from outside caressing his skin. Everything was perfect, for once in his life... until he heard someone clear their throat.

Jerking upright in an instant, Ariella's wide eyes found the man responsible for the sound. It wasn't his father, thank god, but as he looked closer, he realized that the person wasn't much safer. Everyone knew him... Lawman Squire.

"What are you doing in here and—" His gaze lowered to Ariella's hands, drawing the young man's attention to the fancy white gloves that still clung to his smooth skin.

No!

"Why are you wearing women's gloves and shoes?"

The question went right over his head as Ariella sat, frozen, atop the blankets that had brought him so much rare joy only seconds earlier. The man said something else, but Ariella didn't hear him. Instead, as he stepped closer, Ariella kicked off his shoes and darted to the side. The lawman was there before he could even think about moving past him, his strong arms wrapping around Ariella's bare back. The man's chest was solid, muscles flexing beneath his shirt that Ariella could easily feel, considering he was being held against him.

"Who are you, boy? I do not remember seeing a male so young on the guest list and certainly not while making my way through the building. How did you get in?"

Ariella was still stuck on the first question, trying to figure out an answer, when the man continued to a second one. When he didn't speak up fast enough, he was shoved down onto the floor, hard, and his arms were yanked behind his back before his wrists were wrapped with a very uncomfortable, scraping twine.

"I knew there would be a thief here tonight. They are always drawn by the nobility, but to see one so oddly dressed and behaving like a mutt in heat is new," the man muttered as he got the rope tightened, then jerked Ariella to his bare feet.

"I-I am no thief!" Ariella said, shouting as much as he could with his delicate feminine voice.

"You are not? Then whose clothing were you wearing, boy? Do you just go about wearing such fine items daily?" the man asked, a smirk on his lips as he began pulling him toward the open door.

"No," Ariella replied as he kicked out, shutting the door with a lucky hit. He knew it wouldn't buy him more than a few seconds, so he quickly racked his brain for some kind of sentence that would get him out of his current predicament.

Or...

"Alright, I am a thief. I stole the shoes and gloves from another room while a young woman slept off her night's alcohol."

Kirin grunted approvingly as he reached for the door, opening it before pushing Ariella out into the hall. He had a firm hold on his arm, making escape impossible with his hands tied.

"I am glad you at least speak the truth, though it took you a moment to remember it."

I will not steal... but I will lie if it will save my life.

"I apologize," Ariella said, trying his best to look upset with himself.

"Good, but you will still need to go to the courts. If the magistrate is in, then you may be able to take care of your situation quickly. I doubt they will release you for theft, but your jail sentence should not be too long."

Surprisingly, the idea of jail didn't bother him.

"I understand. Best we not walk through the party, sir. I doubt they would wish for their night to be disturbed by the likes of me."

Kirin stopped at the top of the stairs, thinking through Ariella's words before nodding. "You are correct. There is no need to parade a half-naked male wearing something he should not in front of them."

They descended the stairs quickly, but instead of going into the main ballroom, they turned and vanished behind the staircase. Within one minute, they were outside, having left through a door inside a small storage room. It was obviously used to exit or enter without raising anyone's suspicions. Handy.

The rain that had been threatening all night now came down in comfortable waves, cooling Ariella's overheated skin as he was walked to the front of the building. He expected Kirin to just lift him into the black carriage they stopped beside, hooked up to two black geldings, but when he turned to him and just stared, Ariella felt that he was going to try more questions.

More questions that I have no answers for.

"Who are you?"

Ariella's throat constricted as tears pricked at his eyes. That question was the most unfair of them all.

"Who am I?" he repeated, honestly wanting to know himself.

"That's what I am asking you, boy. Answer the question," Kirin said as he narrowed his eyes. When Ariella just stared up at him with a frown, the man sighed and licked some rainwater from his lips before trying again.

"What is your name?"

Immediately, Ariella knew he couldn't give his real name. Not just because it would end with a noose around his neck, but he also didn't feel like he could stand that name anymore. It wasn't his, it was hers.

"I... Can I have a name?"

The look on the lawman's face morphed from anger, to shock, then to confusion as he stared down at him.

"Do... do not lie to me, boy. What is your name?"

The man's frustrated voice made Ariella flinch, but he couldn't back down. This was his one chance to change his life. To start anew, even if that start was going to be in a jail cell for something he didn't do. So, he refused to answer and just looked down at his dirty feet.

"Fine then, remain silent. It will only add to your charge," Kirin growled as he lifted Ariella easily into the carriage, then followed him inside. He should have expected it, but when he was shoved off of the bench and onto the hay coating the floor of the carriage, Ariella couldn't help but be surprised. He'd taken a seat on the only bench in the vehicle, right behind where the driver now sat, but evidently being a criminal made him below having a normal seat, even though there was plenty of room.

"Hold still," the lawman said as the carriage began moving. Ariella did as told, noticing Kirin kneeling down in the straw as he tugged at the gloves Ariella wore. He got one off easily, but the other took a bit of extra effort not to tear. When he grasped Ariella's wrist to finish removing the glove from his fingers, he suddenly froze. His thumb was the first thing to move again, slowly. It drifted over Ariella's skin, down to his palm, then along his fingers as he slid the glove free.

"You are a thief... with very soft hands," the man said, almost sounding like he was lost in thought.

Ariella couldn't understand what he was trying to say, so he just grumbled out a bland answer. "You have already decided that, sir."

"Yes... yes, I have," he said as he sat back up on the bench.

Silence fell over the cart then, the rain pattering against its roof the only sound that could be heard in the dark carriage. Ariella knew that the magistrate was at least a day's carriage ride away, even if they didn't stop on the way, which was likely to occur. So, he carefully maneuvered himself into a decently comfortable position on the hay. He could feel the man's eyes on him, but that didn't stop his own eyes from drifting closed to rest.

"Boy?"

Blinking, Ariella gave a quiet sigh, having not realized that he'd fallen asleep. He noticed a moment later that what had awoken him was the man speaking.

"Sir?" he whispered, not bothering to move from where he lay.

"Would you like a name, boy?"

It was a simple question, but one that got Ariella sitting up immediately, his eyes wide with hope as a smile graced his lips.

"Please, sir!"

The man appeared a bit surprised by Ariella's excitement, but he just seemed to shrug it off and smile. "Alright, well... What letter in the alphabet do you like?"

Ariella licked his lips slowly as he looked down, thinking hard about the simple question. He thought about choosing a variety of letters, as he liked quite a few, but he realized that if anyone ever said a name beginning with A, he would likely turn his head. It was a bad idea to choose anything besides A.

"I like A, sir."

The man nodded, then leaned back, his eyes roaming over every inch of Ariella, as if that would somehow help him find a suitable name. Evidently, it did. And it also brought a self-conscious blush to Ariella's cheeks.

"I think I have got a good name for you."

When he didn't give it to him right away, Ariella fidgeted, crawling forward on his knees until he was nearly up against the man's legs. "Please, I want it. Please!"

He desperately did. More than he'd wanted anything in his entire life. It would be the first true thing that he owned. His own name.

"Please..." he tried again, hoping to coax the simple word from the man's lips. When Kirin finally allowed his lips to part again, Ariella focused all of his attention on his words.

"I believe that Abel will be the perfect name for you."