Warrior Princess

Adros (Part 1)

As the battle started, chaos erupted. The clash of swords, the cries of pain, and the smell of blood filled the air. I found myself frozen, watching as the soldiers fought fiercely. The reality of war hit me hard, and I had to force myself to move. I jumped over a half-dead demon with nothing but a rapier and a bow, and advanced towards the demon that was the source of the screaming. A group of demons charged at me.

The dagger’s point slashed at the back of one of them. The demon stumbled, letting out a cry. My opponent was a dark elf, sword and magic lashing out at me. I rolled out of the way, and sliced at the dark elf’s knee with my rapier. The dark elf screamed as his leg was shredded, and the demon he was fighting took advantage of his distraction. It had gotten close enough for a s***h with its wicked looking sword. Looking around, our kingdom had more losses than the demons.

"Father, I can't hold them off!" I yelled to the king. "They're too strong!"

The king's eyes looked towards the monster in front of us. He and his troops took their weapons and swords, and charged the demons.

"We can't win this, father," I shouted, "We need to retreat and regroup!"

"No!" The king shouted, "Not without our allies!"

"Father, we need to do this together," I pleaded with him, "Even if we lose, we need to regroup!"

"If you want to be my heir, then you must do as I command!" The king shouted back. "If you won't listen to me then I will have to have someone else take your place. You know how this will go, Adros."

Adros was a name Father picked for me to use in war. He insisted that it would protect my gender and my identity. I turned my back to the battle, and started to walk back. It was a long walk back. I couldn't think of anything other than the families and loved ones that had died. How could anyone fight against such evil?

"You won't follow me?" Father yelled, as I drew close to him.

"No." I said in a soft voice. "I will be a good woman and be brave. I will take the throne."

Father looked at me and nodded. He whispered something in the air, and the sound of swords clashing filled the air.

"I don't want to die," I said, turning around.

Father put his hand on my shoulder, and the battle became quiet again. "You are doing what we trained you to do. That is something we will remember."

I looked back to the battle. I couldn't be here, not now.

"I have to do this," I replied.

Father looked at me and nodded. I turned back around, and the battle grew more fierce. I didn't know what to do, I felt a tear slip out of my eye. The army charged at one last demon. It attacked. We pushed forward, but it charged at us. I screamed in fear.

"Father, please," I said, gripping my dagger tightly.

He couldn't hear me. The demon that attacked me held Father's head in its hands. It started to choke him, but I was faster. I ran to his side, and ran my knife at the demon. I was hit in the back by its tail, and I fell to the ground.

"You are just a boy!" It screamed. "A foolish little boy that is not worthy to become king!"

I felt a blade slice through my shoulder. It sliced through my uniform, and went deep inside. The monster turned to face me, and laughed.

"We'll see about that!" It said,

It was too late, I felt a dagger break my leg. The demon grinned, and slowly lifted its blade to my throat.

"No!" I cried out in fear.

"You're such a small boy that you can't handle a real battle!" The demon said, laughing.

"Father!" I screamed, hoping my father could wake up, but he didn’t. The demon raised its blade. I closed my eyes, and I prepared for death.

"Never mind," the demon said. "I will just be careful with him."

My eyes widened as the demon knocked me unconscious. The last thing I heard was: "Keep this one alive. He might be useful."

...

I woke up to find myself in a small room, my hands tied up behind my back. The walls were made of stone, and they were bare. The only thing I had was a small candle burning next to me. I was sweating, and it was hot. It wasn't that bad, but I was hungry. It didn't matter, I had to stay alert. The candle fell to the ground, and went out. I looked around the room. It was dark.

"You can't get out now." A voice said.

I turned my head to see who it was, and saw the demon. He sat in the corner, looking at me.

"You stupid boy. You still don't know what we want from you. You don't want to die, so you should tell me now."

I looked down, relieved that they hadn't figured out I was a woman yet and my armor was still on.

"What do you want?" I asked. "You can't just kill me."

The demon smirked. "You underestimate us, boy. You think you can get by us? You can't. We have been battling people like you for centuries. You won't stand a chance."

"I never said I was going to."

"Oh, you will. Trust me, get up. You have been here for days."

I sighed, got up, and walked over to the corner. He said I was here for days, so I assume that was how long I’ve been unconscious. The demon didn't follow me at first, until he laughed and started to walk towards me.

"You think you're safe because your armor's still on?" The demon asked.

"Yes," I replied, until I remembered what happened in battle. "What has become of my father? His name is King Armin II."

"Not anymore," the demon said. "He's dead."

"Who killed him?"

"You will find out soon enough." The demon chuckled. I looked up to see him giving me the most demonic grin I had ever seen. "Now, Tell me your name."

"Prince Adros." I lied. I was feeling as if it was wrong to lie, but this demon had been torturing people like me for centuries, and he was only going to get worse once he discovered that I’m actually Princess Maria. "Why am I here?"

"That is our business. Now, get out of those clothes."

"Why?" I asked, trying to keep my tone as neutral as I could.

"You will see soon enough." The demon laughed, but I wasn't convinced. I had my chest covered with bandages underneath my armor. If he sees it, then he would know I am a woman.

I sighed and dropped my clothes, except for my undershirt. "Just show me my father’s corpse." I demanded.

The demon didn't answer. He walked towards me slowly. His movements were slow, but he was close. I watched him as he walked towards me, and I could feel his eyes, staring at me. When he reached me, he grabbed my shirt, ripped it off my body, and threw it to the floor. I stared at him in shock, covering my chest with both hands.

"You're a woman?! You lied to me." He said, examining my chest.

"Of course, I lied to you." I growled, glaring at him.

He picked up my torn shirt and threw it at my face. I dodged it and grabbed it, hiding my chest. "Why the hell would you do that?! Why lie to me?"

"I didn't want to lose my chastity or my life if anyone from enemy territory found out about this." I answered.

He grinned. "Oh, Prince Adros. Why would you want to do that?"

"My name is Princess Maria, and I am King Armin's daughter." I said, before he had a chance to say anything.

The demon suddenly had a surprised expression on his face. "You're not lying?"

I shook my head. "No, I am not. I was dressed as a man, by my father's orders, to survive the battle."

The demon was silent for a moment, taking in my words. "How come you were in the battle, if you are the King's daughter?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. My father said I would be fine, that he would protect me." I thought back to that moment. "I must have fallen unconscious at some point, then woke up here. My father didn't expect me to survive the battle, which is why he didn't protect me."

"This is horrible, it's your fault." The demon mumbled, getting to his feet.

"What do you mean?"

"You shouldn't have fought in the battle. You're a girl, and you have nothing to do with this war. You should have stayed in your room."

"What do you mean I should have stayed in my room? Do you have any idea what I've been through?" I asked. I was trying to remain calm, but my emotions were already running wild.

"No." The demon answered, hesitantly. "You haven't told me anything about yourself, I know nothing about you."

"That's okay, there isn't much to tell." I said, swallowing back my tears. "My name is Maria von Preussen, daughter of King Armin II and descendant of King Gregory the Brutal, who ruled 200 years ago."