Judea First Princess

All through the matches following Drazon's, King Novax couldn't help but feel great joy. 'He's made it so far in only 16 years. With the right training and supply of resources…. He might… he might be one of the greatest warriors the dragon has produced! Was I wrong to brand him a curse at birth?' 

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Under the moonless night, two figures shrouded in darkness conversed, 

" Your highness, isn't this too drastic?"  one asked in a slightly hesitant tone.

"I have no choice!" A firm feminine voice retorted fear, and angst shook her voice. 

"I know this is dangerous and might plunge the tribe into great danger, but I shall not watch on as what belongs to me is handed over to Drazon! He will destroy the tribe should father continue to dote over him."

The dark figure removed her hood, revealing her smooth jade scales, and looked at her hesitant companion. She looked pleadingly into their eyes.

"Please. I can't do this alone."

The other figure removed his hood also, "Of course, princess Judea, you know I will stay by your side always. I am your loyal servant. We should go soon if we are to make it back unnoticed."

The young princess and her guard beat their wings hard as they flew full speed through the tribe's territory. At 24, princess Judea's wings had fully grown and formed into the thin, elegant, powerful wings they are now. A typical dragon begins to develop their wings at 18, where they sprout from the midsection of their back. This process marks the beginning of a dragon's puberty and ascent to adulthood. The small wings then rapidly grow over the course of a few years. Usually, taking two years to complete, most dragons have fully grown wings at 20.

Doing well to hide away from the sentries, Judea and her guard soon flew away from the dragon tribe's territory.

"Your highness, I still don't think this is the right thing to do." The male dragon couldn't help but speak up. Some distance away to the north was a large towering red tree specks of red light ran around it like fireflies. Though too far to see their figures, the two knew that the lights were Phoenixes. The imposing red tree, Kauri, was home to the Phoenix, the capital of their tribe. The mountainous tree rose high above every other tree in the forest by a wide margin; its roots almost as tall as the other trees. The Phoenix built their home inside this tree, hollowing it out for their kingdom. 

Princess Judea was already nervous about her actions and grew annoyed with her guards' constant worrying. She stopped mid-air and turned towards him.

"I need you to have my back on this. I need your loyal support now more than ever. Any immediate problems this causes for the tribe can easily be dealt with. That cursed brat; however, he needs to be taken care of before he can ACTUALLY hurt the tribe. He is the real threat!"

The guard lowered his head and obeyed her; after all, he had no choice. He could only pray everything would work for the best. They continued toward Kauri posthaste and arrived in a short time. 

"Who goes there?" Came a voice from the darkness.

Judea raised her head as she looked towards the source of the voice. Phoenixes descend from the sky upon them.

Different from the muscular build and scales of the dragon tribe, the Phoenix was more slender and covered in long colorful feathers. With an average 6 meters wingspan, their feathery wings were more extended than dragons' scaly, webbed ones.

"Dragon!!"

Words filled with disgust and anger pierced through the air all around her, but she kept her calm and moved to face the supposed leader of the patrol.

"I'm Princess Judea, heir to the dragon throne. I demand to be brought before your king." Raising her head and exuding a proud, royal, intimidating aura, she slowly announced herself.

The Phoenix looked at each other in confusion. Dragons and Phoenix have been enemies for almost a millennia. The Phoenix were the main enemies in the great war against the Dragons.

The Phoenix patrol leader kept his cool and gave her a slight bow. No matter if they were enemies or not, the Phoenix respected the Dragon's strength and the authority that a Dragon heiress would hold. Angering or disrespecting royalty of any race came with consequences.

"Follow me, your highness, I shall take you to the Great Hall."

Judea led her companion and followed the phoenix guards. Different from the dragon tribe that had fallen from the lofty higher tribe position, the Phoenix maintained their strength after the war. They created an alliance with the other powerful sky tribes and postured themselves as the protector and leader of all-sky tribes.

Kauri was a large and grand city, with many different flying races inhabiting its branches. It served as a hub for many of the races' trade. The Phoenix's prosperity showed in their city, unlike the Dragon.

Brought to the topmost crown of the Kauri tree, Judea was told to wait as one of the guards went to report her presence.

Taking in a deep breath, she couldn't help but feel sadness. 'The Dragon was once like this, a higher race, grand and prosperous. Now? Now we're barely a lesser race. We are confined by that stupid treaty. If we can regain the strength we once had, I'm sure we could be like this once more. I will lead our race back to greatness. I won't let father ruin it and give it to that dolt Drazon.'

Soon, the guard returned, "His majesty and the council have accepted your request for an audience," he stated.

Judea straightened her clothes as she tried to look her best. Feeling satisfied with her look, she strolled through the large gate.

Inside the Great Hall, ten Phoenix sat on large thrones in a semicircle; Judea walked into the middle of them and bowed.

As soon as she stopped, great oppressive air suddenly descended upon her. Her breathing quickened as sweat rolled down her face. 

But she stood, her back straight, refusing to cower in front of them. She raised her head and stared straight at the Phoenix council.

"Has the Phoenix grown so arrogant they no longer offer their guests a seat?" Her lips curled up on one side in a mocking smile.

"Arrogant!" An old Phoenix on the left with graying feathers exclaimed, disgusted. 

"It seems the Dragon no longer teach their children how to behave in front of their elders." The elder continued, mocking her in turn.

The other elder kept silent, though; they looked on at the princess and didn't say a word.

Finally, as Judea started to fret and almost succumbed to the pressure, the highest sitting Phoenix suddenly commanded, "provide her highness with a seat," gesturing at the guards.

A guard quickly moved in and brought a seat for the princess, even pushing it in under her.

As soon as she sat down, the pressure on her suddenly disappeared, as if it was never there, to begin with. She heaved a sigh of relief, and couldn't help but think that maybe this was a bad idea.

"Little dragon, for what reason Has your father, King Novax, sent you to us? Why has he not come here himself if he had something to discuss?" Slowly, the king of Phoenix, seated at the highest point in the Great Hall, began to question her.