How Britomart Won the Day

The Mother sighed and turned the page once more, while the Child strained to keep his eyes open.

"This is called How Britomart Won the Day, and it is the last story in the book."

The Child nodded, nestling into his warm blankets.

"There was once a great nation ruled by a kind and generous king. He and his wife, the queen, had a grand palace with expansive gardens full of every type of plant and flower imaginable. They had everything they could want materially, but still felt sad and empty, for what they most desired in the world was a child to call their own.

"The king and queen hoped and prayed and consulted all manner of magicians and doctors, but they were unable to conceive a child. After years of trying, they all but had given up. One day, the queen went walking down the street and was approached by an old witch, who told her that she was with child, and that her child would be exceptional. The queen went home, feeling delighted, and told her husband everything that had happened. Nine months later, the queen bore a child just as the witch had predicted. The king and queen chose the name Britomart.

*****

"Theirs was a unique child. Britomart showed interest in the local boys’ activities, playing sports and excelling in the hunt of squirrels and quails. Britomart also showed an interest and an affinity for feminine arts, embroidering beautiful tapestries and playing the flute with such skill that the birds became ashamed of their own singing. Britomart’s parents were filled with love for their child, and supported every hobby that Britomart chose to take on.

"One day, when Britomart had reached seventeen years of age, the teenager made an announcement. Britomart felt called to go out and explore the world. Although the king and queen were devastated, they respected their child’s wishes and ordered the palace maids to equip a horse with all of the food and supplies that one could need for a long journey. The following day, Britomart departed.

*****

"Britomart travelled three days and three nights along winding roads, over rushing streams, and through lonely mountain passes. Finally, the road ended in a quiet, little village, where Britomart chose to spend the night in an inn. The next morning, the village had changed entirely. The sleepy town of the previous evening was gone, and had been replaced by bustling crowds from all of the surrounding towns. When Britomart inquired with the innkeeper, the old woman replied, 'today’s the day of the tournament. The men must all joust in order to win a magical spear that will let them lose no battle, and the women all must try on a magical corset which will fit only the most beautiful.'

"In that moment, Britomart resolved to participate in the tournament. After dressing in a full suit of armor, the young person set off towards the jousting grounds and joined the ranks of the men who were waiting to fight. By the end of the day, only two competitors remained: the protagonist and a large man in shiny, black armor. After a strenuous fight, Britomart emerged the victor and graciously accepted the magical spear.

"But the day was not over. After rushing back to the inn to wash up and change into a long, velvet gown, Britomart returned to the tournament grounds just in time for the beauty contest. After every young woman had tried on the corset and none had fit it, Britomart put it on and it was exactly the right shape and size. With spear and corset in hand, Britomart once again mounted the horse and rode home, where the king and queen welcomed their exceptional child with open arms.

The Mother closed the book and returned it to the bookshelf. She kissed her Child's forehead and quietly closed the door while he slept.

Author’s note:

This story is loosely based on the story of Britomart, one of the characters in Stories from the Faerie Queen by Mary Macleod. In the original, Britomart is a young princess who falls in love with the image of a knight and goes, disguised as a knight, to find him. Along the way, she participates in a jousting tournament and wins, then her female friend wins the beauty contest.

I thought this story was a really good opportunity to focus on gender, particularly since my other stories were all related to sexuality, and gender identity is an important part of the LGBTQ+ community. Because Britomart was gender-nonconforming in the original story, I chose to write a non-binary or gender-ambiguous character in a way that is gender affirming. I attempted to avoid using pronouns for the most part, because I wanted Britomart’s gender identity to evolve with their growth as a person. This rewrite was also inspired by Rain Dove’s TEDx Talk, Gender Capitalism. Rain Dove is a gender-nonconforming person who discusses their ability to adapt and benefit from the perception of being male or female in different situations.

I attempted to reflect the writing style used in the original story by using formal, flowery language. Otherwise, I have made significant changes to the plot and characters in order to tell the story of the tournament without the rest of Britomart’s quest.

Image: Knight by Antonino SCIMECA