Maame Water: The Legend Of The Fish Queen

The Victor

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Who's gonna win? The Princess or the King. Read to find out! And I would seriously appreciate some major feedback yh. I'm going to keep asking until I get some honest feedback.

He was almost there...

The Princess was mere centimetres from the ground when she braced her fall with her hands and delivered a head-splitting kick to the King's chin.

"AH!" the King grunted in pain and frustration and staggered backwards.

The Princess, who had now balanced horizontally on only her hands, spun in a circle, retrieved the sword and landed on her feet in a crouch, with the sword raised to eye-level. The King looked at her in dismay; he had underestimated her agility. No, she was not this agile the last time they had fought.
It would seem that the King was not the only one who had adjusted his fighting style.

"You have lost your advantage," the Princess said, panting slightly. "And now you are too worn out to fight me. You should not have expended your energy so foolishly."

As much as the Princess's words stung, they were true. The King had gone past his limit when he tried to counter his sister's speed in the earlier clashes. His lungs screamed for air and his muscles burned- he would not last much longer. His elders, his subjects, they would all view him as weak if he lost to his younger sister! He should never have accepted the challenge. He looked to his wife for comfort and when their eyes locked he knew that no matter the outcome of the fight, she would not love him any less.

That was all that mattered.

"I must commend you, however," the Princess continued, "no one has ever gotten the best of me like that before. How did you figure it out, brother?"

The King, wanting to extend the break the Princess had inadvertently giving him, eagerly responded, "Earlier, in your fight with the Elder, I noticed that whenever the Elder fell for one of your traps, you did not hesitate to take advantage of his mistakes. You did not even analyze the situation, and deduce whether he was trapping you instead. I resolved that you were being reckless because the Elder was far below your level, even though I have never known you to be so."

"So you decided to test me, to prove your theory? This, being the reason behind your increased speed, I suppose?" the Princess deduced.

The King nodded. "And when you made the same mistake three times, I decided to enact my plan. It would have been flawless-"

"-Had you taken into consideration my improved agility," the Princess smirked. "I have managed to counter my weakness, dear brother..."

No, the King thought, she could not have!

"... let us see if I will succeed in exploiting yours."

With that, the Princess unleashed a series of attacks on the King, which he barely managed to block. The Princess was relentless, slashing and thrusting while her brother struggled to parry and block and when he attacked, her speed and agility worked hand-in-hand to help her avoid the blow. To the Queen, the Princess was a blur of clothes and flashing swords, dancing around the Queen's husband with deadly grace.

The Princess finally, after striking the King's sword thrice, disarmed him on the last strike. Not waiting for her brother to recover, the Princess kicked his shin and brought him to his knees. The Princess, now behind the King, spun around while the King tried to reach his sword. The Princess was right; the King had not overcome his weakness because before he even moved for his sword, the Princess had completed her spin and placed her blade at the back of the King's neck.

The Queen shut her eyes.
The King had lost.

His weakness...

"Speed," the Princess stated, "that has always been your weakness."

The King bowed his head, but did not speak. He was too ashamed to speak.

The Princess circled the King, simultaneously running Kabu's sword around his neck. Finally, when the Princess stopped in front of the King with the sword at under his chin the Queen spoke, "You are the victor of the duel, Princess. What do you wish be done?"

The Princess looked at the ground the next to the Queen's feet and when the Queen followed the Princess's gaze, she saw the King's crown lying beside her feet. The Queen bent down, picked the gold crown and threw it across the council room to the Princess, who caught it easily with her left hand.

The ultimate disgrace.

She nodded at the Queen. The Princess then examined the crown briefly before placing it on her brother's head.

"Rise," she ordered, Kabu's sword still under the King's chin.

The King rose.

"You can have your trial brother," the Princess whispered.

"What?!" the King asked, stunned.

"If there is no trial, the whole kingdom will know that you lost to me and they will question your leadership. I do not wish to see my brother's kingship crumble because of the actions of a mere pig, so, brother, you can have your trial."

The King nodded. "Thank you."

"But make sure," the Princess continued, "that after the trial, Adotey's genitals are cut off and that Adotey is tied to a pole and left to bleed out and die on the execution grounds. Make sure that the law is upheld and Adotey is punished, because brother, if you do not castrate him..."
She paused and locked eyes with her brother.

"I will do it myself!" she sneered.

The Princess withdrew Kabu's sword from her brother's chin and threw it to the ground. She finally broke eye contact with her brother by spinning around, and stormed out of the council room.

The King looked at his wife and sighed.

***