Age Of The Red Demons

Princess Daella is Unseen Wind

"Here is your final winner, the triumphant warrior who has marvelled our hearts with his insurmountable skills of the sword - Prince Daerys!!!!!"

As the announcer named Daerys as the winner of the grand tourney, a swift wave of loud noise swept through the audience like wild fire.

"Prince Daerys!! Prince Daerys!!!" All the people chanted in unison, shaking the earth with the rumbles of their voices.

The entire city had come to watch the final match of this tourney in the middle of the night, seeing their own prince come out victorious was all they ever hoped for. It was the prince's birthnight, the night when he would become a man.

Daerys waved continuously to the loud crowd. He bowed to the king, his father. Then he rose again, and that was when he turned back to the fighter whom he had just defeated.

The latter was still on the ground, lost and dejected among the happy crowd.  He was obviously angry at himself for losing to the prince despite Daerys's young age.

"Do not be sad," Daerys stood before the fighter who covered himself in a mask. Nobody knew his identity or even his real name, but they all called him Unseen Wind because of his fast and forceful strikes.

"Take my hand", Daerys offered a hand to Unseen Wind, hoping to help him to his feet. But his hand was shoved away and the opponent got up on his own, not uttering a single word.

The masked fighter bowed to the king and then made to exit.

"I just beat you!" Daerys stopped him with his elbow to his chest. "If you cannot show me your face, then you should tell me your name".

There was a dead silence amongst the audience. Even the king and his lords paid close attention, everybody wanted to know the name of this anonymous fighter who made it all the way to the final.

"Not your concern". That was the only thing he uttered, to everyone's disappointment. That was infact the first statement that he would utter since the beginning of the tourney.

Then he tried to leave again, but Daerys stopped him the second time. "I think I know you, and it feels very strange."

Unseen Wind did not say a word. There was silence for a while, then suddenly the tension rose ten folds.

In a jiffy, Daerys threw a punch in his opponent's direction, evoking a gasp from the shocked audience. Unseen Wind was barely able to evade it.

The two of them fought one another without any weapon until Daerys was able to knock Unseen Wind to the ground, before advancing to unmask him.

As soon as the mask came off her face, a wave of shock spread through the entire audience. Even Daerys took a step backwards in astonishment.

"A woman?!"

"Is that...?"

"Don't tell me!!"

"She is the one!!"

"Princess Daella?"

"It is the princess!!"

"Princess Daella is Unseen Wind??!!! Wake me up, honey!! I think I'm dreaming!!"

"I cannot believe this!!"

The people murmured among themselves. And the lords looked at one another in suprise.

But no one was more furious than the king as he peered at his daughter on the ground, dressed in the warrior's armour and in soldier's uniform.

Daella stood up slowly from the ground. She knew that now that her cover had been blown and her secret identity revealed, she had a lot of explaining to do for the entire people of Meredith.

"Why have you chosen to do this to us?" King Morrys II of Meredith began, staring down at his daughter who was now on her knees, face placed towards the earth. "Why have you brought shame to the royal throne? Why have you brought shame to the outfit of warriors?!"

Shame?! At first, Daella thought she had heard him wrong. But knowing her father well, she knew that he meant what he said. Afterall, that was all he saw the female gender as; A spreading virus that should be put in check.

Morrys did not approve of the women of Meredith to take important responsibilities, just like his forefathers. That was the reason he had decided to crown Daerys as the crown prince and heir to the throne on his birthnight even though he was younger than Daella. And that was the reason Daella had joined the tourney - To defeat her brother and prove that she had a right to the throne as well.

"Do I bring shame to the warriors outfit because I lost this tourney or because I am a woman?" That was her response to her father's assertion, in the eyes of everyone present. "If it is because I have lost, then not just me, but all these men have brought shame to the outfit of our warriors!"

She pointed her hand in every direction, fishing out the men who had also taken part in the tourney.

"But if it is because I am a woman, forgive me father. I knew not that it is shame for a woman to put on her body the symbol of her country. As a woman, do I not have a place in Meredith?"

The women of Meredith started to mumble among themselves, an annoying whistle in the ears of the men.

"Everyone has a place in my land, if they know it!" Morrys raised his voice over the annoying whistles, crushing it to a halt.

"I know my place, father. I am your first born child. I should be heir to the throne! That is my place!!"

Her last statement put a ruckus of confusion in the hearts of the people. They had all come here tonight, hoping to see Daerys crowned as the heir to the throne. They did not expect that Daella would make such a bold claim.

Daerys himself stood a few feet from her, staring in anguish and awe.

Daella did not care about the prince, the lords or their stares. She knew what she wanted, and she would not stop until she had gotten it.