• The Courtroom was deadly silent as King Raeld of Judifa convened with the Gods of Thunder and Lightning. His daughter, his only child, the Crowned Princess, Alanna sat in the chair of the accused. The dark, stuffy room radiated in fear, discord, suspicion, and worry. The nobles of the court watched in wonder as their King took his place next to his Queen to pass judgment.
    "Alanna." The single word from the King vibrated off every wall of the Court. The look in his eyes caused his wife to shiver in fear and worry. She looked down on the daughter she loved and adored. "Alanna. You stand accused of high treason. After convening with the Gods, Hars and Dija, I am convinced that the charges are true!" At his last words, the people in the Courtroom gasped in unison. Alanna flinched as though she had been slapped. She regained her composer and stared into her father's eyes with an intensity that made him flinch and looks away.
    "I have no choice." The Queen looked at her husband, gasping, and fell to the side, in a dead faint. The King ignored her as her ladies-in-waiting came to her aid and continued. "I have no choice. You are banished from this land until the gods have decided to forgive you for this hanis crime. You may return when you have proven you have regained your honor. Guards! Remove this traitor from my sight!" The Royal Guards took positions in a square as Alanna rose tall and stared at Hars and Dija.
    "There will come a day when you will regret what you have done," she said in a venomous whisper. "You will need me one day and I will not come to your aid." She walked from the building with a natural grace that came from years of martial arts training.
    She joined her loyal friends and, with them on their horses, left their country in prideful disgrace.