Grisell tugged at her horses' reign, arching her head as she looked down, her eyes trying to see into the far horizon. Columns of smoke billowed into the late afternoon air from the distance. Aromatic scents of sheep on spits tinged the air. Laughter and voices slurred by alcohol, echoed back to her. Clearly there was a celebration of note going on in the DeMartino camp side. She knew they had been engaged in fierce fighting against some strong bandit force for three days. Though she knew the DeMartino did not need help from her, she had deployed a strong team to patrol their border, with the order to attack if warranted. Her battle team would not openly be joining forces with the DeMartino, but her team would reduce the strength of the enemy, indirectly assisting her fierce neighbour. Not that her soldiers harboured feelings of good intentions towards the DeMartino, or vice versa. They hated each other. Each wanting total control of the priceless piece of land surrounding the tiny island off the Atlantic and all the natural resources it had to offer. And hundreds of years of tribal fighting between them, was testament to the ongoing hatred between the respective clans.

Grisell nodded to her guards and headed back to camp where two gruelling hours of fierce training awaited her.

She didn't wait for her horsemen to keep up with her, instead gave her mare a free reign and allowed it to return her home at breakneck speed. Her horse was still breaking speed and reducing to a trot, when she skilfully swung off and threw the reigns to one of her foot soldiers.

'Ready for another beating then, Your Highness?' Her Uncle Gadd Blane drew his sword.

'In your dreams Uncle Gadd,' she raised her sword, slicing it against his threateningly.

Master fencer that Gadd was, he stood his ground, but merely tilted his upper body away from her sword. They exchanged positions, advancing, threatening, striking each other's swords, but after some lengthy and intense duelling, none drew first blood. Grisell felt fresh and energetic and aggressively pushed her uncle up against the wall. A film of sweat on his forehead, and his slower movements, revealed him weakening. She smiled, momentarily relaxed her arm, but Gadd swiftly kicked her sword out of her hand and advanced. Two more soldiers joined him, bringing down their swords on her.

Grisell dropped to one knee, quickly removed the two knives in her boots and was instantly on her feet again competently defending her person. They fiercely traded blows and scuffled until she disarmed the two soldiers. She was not going to inflict wounds on her men, but her training required her to defeat any and all opponents. With her two sparing partners lying breathless on the floor, she stealthily hoisted herself into the air and with intricate showmanship landed her foot against Gadd's temple, dropping him face down.

'Stay down,' she laughed.

'Touche,' he moaned, attempting to get up.

Grisell held out a hand, helping him up.

'Thank you. One of these days you're going to beat me,' he smiled.

'I just kicked your butt,' she threw him a bottle of water.

'I let you win.'

She shook her head. 'That stubborn Blane pride never concedes defeat,' she drank thirstily.

'Come,' her uncle draped his arm around her shoulder. 'We have serious business to discuss,' he uttered gravely.

'What,' she asked, her stomach twisting in a knot as they entered the war room.

'We have intel that the Macedon pirates are gathering near our coastline,' Gadd remarked.

Grisell scanned the map plastered on the wall. Three of her most powerful ships were out at sea. Two doing deliveries and one out purchasing much needed supplies. The knot in her stomach tightened. She did not have enough soldiers to protect them from a sustained attack. The pirates could have three, four times the number of men, she had at the moment protecting their land.

'When do we anticipate they will make land?' She asked calmly.

'Within forty-eight hours,' Gadd replied.

That didn't mean, the Macedon would not have sent out an advance team to spy out the land. She summoned three of her most experienced Generals. Raised the alarm for high alert and began preparing the women and children to evacuate to the underground bunkers.

'They may just pass our coastline,' Gadd offered.

'The next port is more than a thousand miles away. They will attempt a strike,' she argued.

'Fine. I'll lead a team to the south border,' Gadd volunteered.

'No, Uncle Gadd,' her arms circled him protectively. She needed him closer. The south border was most exposed and most open to attack...

If anything happened to her beloved Gadd.

'I know it best child. Better than the other men. I will return safely.'

'You promise?' Her soft grey eyes pleaded.

'Yes.'

'I will lead a team towards the northern sea then and have the others cover the rest of the territory.'

'Don't stray too far Grisell. You need to be close to home.'

She nodded. 'Prepare the teams to depart in four hours,' she instructed.

Grisell walked heavily towards her father's quarters. She hesitated at the door. His eyes were closed. He was breathing softly, his chest slowly rising and dropping. The nurse turned, sensing somebody behind her.

'Chief Dalmahoy, come in,' she spoke softly.

Udny Blane's eyes fluttered open. A notorious and ruthless patriarchal leader of the Dalmahoy clan, but four years ago a debilitating neuro-muscular disorder rendered him semi-paralyzed and mostly bed-ridden. Sometimes he was in severe pain, other times his breathing was severely hampered.

'Father,' she entered, walking towards his bed.

'Leave us,' Udny dismissed the nurse.

'Yes sir,' the nurse bowed, hurriedly rushing out of the room.

'Your eyes look troubled,' he accused. 'What is it?'

She sat down on his bed. 'Everything is fine father,' she lied. 'But I am taking a team out to patrol our border. I will be gone for two days.'

'Is that bloody DeMartino hound at it again? I told you to blow up his place and annihilate every one of his bloodline,' he rasped in a barely audible voice.

She inhaled heavily. She dare not challenge her father. 'There has not been any trouble in the last eighteen months,' she reminded him testingly.

'DeMartino pays others to do his dirty work,' her father spat out with difficulty. He will not rest till I'm buried. You must attack him and rid the earth of him!' he ordered.

'Father, I will not pre-empt any strikes without just cause.'

'"Just cause!" DeMartino is the enemy. That is just cause. It is he that has put this curse on me. I didn't raise you to be weakling, child. Destroy him!'

'I will destroy him, if I find reason father. Not because you say so.'

'I should have had a son, not a wimp of a girl who is too soft, and wrongly too trusting,' he hissed.

'I am the leader now. Deal with it,' she stood up, her eyes blazing angrily.

'I can have you removed,' he threatened.

'Good luck with that Father,' she stormed out.

The Dalmahoy tribe had a Constitution in place. She could not be removed. Not unless there was a show of no confidence.

There needs to be proof of her failings and she has offered the Board of Commission no reasons whatsoever in the last four years to even attempt to consider removing her as the clan leader. As the first born and the only child of her father who had been Chief of the Dalmahoy Tribe; she was the clan's rightful heir, to succeed her father in the event of his death or incapacitation.

Udny Blane smiled satisfiedly as he watched the back of his stunningly gorgeous and feisty daughter leave his suite. Not many men dared stand up to him, but his spirited daughter had from the ripe old age of three. When he dared to contradict anything her gutsy mind wanted to do, she would challenge him, defy him and do very well as she pleased, just to taunt him.
She was very much like him in temperament, and so unlike her mother in most ways, who had been the daughter of wealthy Nordic aristocracy. Spoilt, rich, lazy, manipulative and hard to please.

The hard to please was what had taken Skene Dalmahoy to an untimely death. Upon returning earlier than expected from one of his trips at sea, Udny and three of his advisors had walked into the lounge to discover a semi naked Skene, in the arms of one of her bodyguards. Had he alone discovered Skene, Udny would have butchered her lover and banished Skene to a life of exile, for their daughter's sake who had only been six at that time. But Skene's adultery and disloyalty to the Dalmahoy Chief was grounds for capital punishment. Grisell had been spared the details, and from the young age of six, she had been brought up by a guardian.
Whereas her mother had been self-absorbed, selfish, lazy, uncaring and manipulative, Grisell was hard working, selfless, trustworthy and commanded respect.
If only Udny could get his daughter to rule with her head and not her heart.

                                                                               -       end chapter one-