Shocked.

All the contestants are gathered in one large room to do a full physical examination before the tournament begins. Soldiers are spread across the room, coordinating this event, spearheaded by the army's Chief Medical Officer.

Medical professionals are prepared to do the work, but we were not ready for the demand they would require of us. At least, not with thousands of men crammed together in the same room.

"So you're saying that if we don't get naked, you will disqualify us from the tournament?" One of the boys at the front asked Lieutenant-Colonel Burns, who was giving the instructions to us.

"Of course not. I'm saying that if you don't do the physical examination, I will disqualify you from the event. There's a difference. If it makes you feel any better, I've done this hundreds of times in the army." He clarified, refusing to make it sound like he was demanding nakedness for his personal gratification. I get that.

"It doesn't." He blurted out, feeling embarrassed about this.

"LISTEN UP, GUYS! THIS IS THE TOURNAMENT THAT WILL DECIDE THE FUTURE KING OF THE COUNTRY. IF YOU ARE INTIMIDATED BY A LITTLE NUDITY, YOU ARE GOING TO WASH OUT OF THIS TOURNAMENT ON THE FIRST DAY." He yelled at us, irritated at our resistance.

I guess it could be worse, at least it is not a coed situation. I mean, outside of the female officers, there are only men here. I am not comfortable about taking my clothes in front of all these people, but I am sure I'll face worse challenges in the tournament.

"Private." Burns addressed one of the soldiers by his side. "If they are not unclothed in five minutes, start crossing off names. I don't have all day." He commanded and the soldier responded with a 'yes, sir'.

After we heard that, most of us started taking our clothes off. I did not come all this way here to be disqualified because I refused to be naked in front of a bunch of doctors and other men. There is no way in hell that I am not going to see this through.

"Colonel Burns, can I go now? I already did a physical less than six months ago." Prince Elton asked him with a clear disdain for this proceedings. As if he was better than all of us.

"You are free to go as you please, Your Royal Highness, but you'll be disqualified from the tournament if you don't do the physical." He informed him in a matter-of-fact tone.

"You can't be serious! I am the Crown Prince! I can't be expected to be naked in front of all these peasants!" He raised his voice in protest, appalled by the mere suggestion.

"I don't know what you want me to say, my Prince. Rules are rules. There are no exceptions." He reiterated, sounding detached. As if he couldn't care less if he did it or not, but he will not suck up to him.

"Colonel Burns!" Elton widened his eyes in horror at the idea.

"NO EXCEPTIONS!" He affirmed with a dead serious look on his face.

"I could be wrong, but the body of a prince is no different than that of any other man. If they can be uncomfortable, so can you." He stated in a condescending tone.

"I'll remember your name when I'm King!" He mouthed off, livid.

"What an honor, my Prince." He scoffed, low-key ridiculing him.

While Elton walked back to his corner where his friend was already down to his underpants, another boy approached the Chief Medical Officer.

"Excuse me, sir. I know that you can't make any exceptions, but I am trans. So could you please examine me anywhere else?" He pleaded with him, sounding profoundly embarrassed to be here.

"What is your name, son?" He asked him with a sympathetic ear. His expression was softer than when he was talking to the crown prince.

"Del MacNamara." He replied.

"Del, if I make an exception for you, after what I've just told the prince, Colonel Armstrong will have me court marshaled before the end of the week. I'm truly sorry for your situation. If this were any other circumstance, I would be happy to accommodate you, but I can't." He spoke with a genuine concern for his predicament.

As this was going on at the front of the room, I noticed that Colin's back was littered with old scars of what seemed like a whip or something of that nature. Oh, my Goddess!

"What happened to your back?" I couldn't hold my tongue in curiosity - even if I inadvertently turned some eyeballs in your direction. Most of the men were busy disrobing and avoiding gazing around the room. At least, as much as possible in this tight space.

"Pappa took out the belt whenever he was drunk and I was his favorite target. I mean, better me than my sisters." He replied and I gasped in utter horror. What the fuck, dude?

"I'm so sorry to hear this. I think your father did you a favor by sending you here. No offense." I told him, completely taken aback by the number of scars on his pale white skin.

I have never been in a room with so many men at the same time, especially with all of us nude. It is not a sight that pleases me, but I am trying my best to keep my gaze above their waist. Outside of my peripheral view, Prince Elton was equal parts irritated and embarrassed to be as naked as the rest of us.

I guess when it comes down to it, he is just like any other man. We all have the same equipment, give or take a few inches. Well, all of us except for Del who had to persevere in the face of extreme curiosity over his body. His chest was not much different than the rest of us, he had top surgery. Unfortunately, it was his private area that was drawing curiosity from most of the guys.

I feel sorry for him to be in this situation, but if the Lieutenant made an exception for him and not the crown prince, he would never hear the end of it. I still don't know exactly how Colonel Armstrong had the balls to refuse the order of sending me away.

Three boys per station were being examined at the same time. There were dozens of desks and people ready to draw our blood. The doctors asked several questions regarding our health and then did an up-close inspection of our bodies. We were naked for a reason.

At the far south corner, there was a scale for them to weigh us. Most of us had our hands covering our genitals, including the crown prince and his noble friend, who had to wait hours for their turn. There were simply too many people to see and the procedures could not be rushed.

He does have a nice figure, the prince. He is incredibly muscular, I'll give him that. Men of all shapes and sizes were in the room, but he was a fine specimen. I could see that he was going to be stiff competition for any adversary.

After we were done with the physical, we had to walk back to our original spot and pick up our clothes on the ground to dress. I waited for Colin to finish his examination - the doctor asked him about his scars and he had to give his account - before I left the room. We were going to walk straight to the cafeteria for lunch.

But before I managed to leave, one person was surprised to see me there.

"YOU! I thought I had told them to dispatch you from the castle." Elton confronted me at the exit, shocked to see me there. Oh boy, here we go again...

A|N: You almost made it out! Poor boy, the prince is not your fan.

Danger?

Love,

Léo.