Daffodil

Daffodil is the protagonist of Runaway Princess, a story roughly inspired by the Fire Emblem series. Daffodil is a courageous yet reluctant princess who, as the title would suggest, ran away from her home in the kingdom of Capreya.

History
Daffodil is the sole heir to the throne of Capreya, and was raised in decadence as the Prince. From a very young age her father the King sought to control every aspect of her life, and any divergence or resistance to his plans was met with intense anger. She would often seek comfort from her mother the Queen, but as she grew older she began to realize that her mother never once intervened on her behalf, instead opting to always follow the decrees of the King no matter how much it hurt their child. Daffodil began to resent both of her parents, but could not act against their wishes and was forced to live a life meant for someone else. When she was allowed time to herself, Daffodil's preferred method of escape was in books. Here she read many stories of fictional heroes, as well as purpotedly true tales of the five Gods that created her world; these became her role models in place of her parents.

As she continued to mature she became aware of the vast inequalities in Capreyan society. Whenever she would leave Castle Rezka — whether to visit the town or to travel to another country alongside her parents for diplomatic purposes — she would note how the commoners in Capreya lived, especially compared to those of other countries. Society in Capreya was strictly hierarchical with no chance for social mobility, and many people suffered as a result while she and her parents lived in luxury. Over time Daffodil gained resentment for her entire country, and her distaste for her parents only grew stronger, as she knew they had the power to change how things were, but did nothing.

Her family and country weren't all she grew to resent as she aged; as she entered her teen years Daffodil began to resent her own body for changing in ways she never wanted. By chance one day as she was reading a non-fiction book imported from another country she learned that there was a term for the way she felt: "gender dysphoria." As she read more Daffodil realized that she was, in fact, transgender. Before reading this book she'd never heard the term before, and wasn't aware if any other transgender people even existed in Capreya. Immediately she began to fear the scandal that would arise if her parents found out; she had been raised as a Prince to inherit her father's throne, and was expected to be strong and masculine and imposing. What would they do to her if they ever learned that she was actually a girl? She hid the book and tried to forget it, hoping that these feelings would eventually go away. Years passed, and they didn't. Daffodil became a young adult and hated nearly every aspect of her life.

The day Daffodil decided to run away was the day her parents hosted a debutante ball at the castle, and she was forced to participate, with the hopes from her parents that she would find a woman to marry. She had a miserable time, and when she didn't express any interest in any of the debutantes her father became extremely angry and yelled at her in front of the ball. He then apologized to the guests, blaming his "son" for the outburst and calling her an embarrassment directly to her face. Daffodil left the ball ashamed and distraught, and upon returning to her room decided that she couldn't stand living like this anymore. She began packing in secret and planning a route that would take her through Capreya to the border of Agamiron, a neighboring country that she had fondness for from trips as a child. Among the very few belongings she decided to take with her was a sword gifted to her by her parents, and though she worried she may be recognized by the sword she didn't want to leave without some way to defend herself in case the journey went poorly.

Shortly before her planned leave date she happened to overhear her father in a meeting. The King of Capreya was actively working to destabilize the other neighboring country, Rasar, in order to plunge it into a civil war. Then Capreya would swoop in to put an end to the war, and in doing so convert Rasar into a puppet state under Capreya's control. Daffodil was horrified to learn this, and decided that after running away she would head towards the capital of Agamiron and convey this information to its King, in hopes that he would somehow stop her father's plot.