Chapter One

Nikki's training sword went through the motions of the kata over and over again. The bright light of the midday sun beat down on her as she practiced. She danced through the steps, her feet moving as fast as the wind. As she went through the motions she zoned out relishing in the feeling of freedom and power. Sweat poured down her face, but she didn't care. All she wanted to do was escape.

That morning her mother told her to do something more "girly" like sewing or some other bull. Why would she want to do that?! Oh, no, no sword work was far more interesting and practice for this time. She wasn't blind she could see that the world was falling apart.

Her father had left to fight a war that had lasted a decade. A war he was pretty much guaranteed to lose. While her father and the other good men died, the greedy and rich took over and raised taxes for the common folk to unreasonable degree. They said things like, "it is for the war effort." When in reality almost every penny went to filling their pockets. It horrified her to think that her father was getting pretty much no support.

Her mother and the families of the other knights who had gone off to protect their country. Her mother had tried to help the other less fortunate people. She did have a lot on her plate. I should forgive her, and apologize. I did storm off on her.

After Nikki made this realisation she finished up the kata she had been working on, put away her practice sword, and grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat off her face.

She exited the training ground and noticed it was already late afternoon. She sighed and walked up the stairs of the mansion she called her home. She dreaded seeing her mother knowing would not be a happy affair.