"It sounds like you pushed my brother and he pushed back. You feel unwelcomed, but how welcomed should you feel if you come in and start off flaunting our rules in our faces. Everyone else tried to conform, or at least respect our traditions. Despite their use of magic, the Loidites have backed down and are willing to play the tradions while in Anstaria."<br/><br/>She stood up. "Have a seat, Baroness. I'm going to tell you a dark secret of Anstaria, something that we very rarely whisper beyond our boarders," she said. Pacing slightly, she started her tale. "After the Great Upheaval between Anstaria and Loidi, we were in a great turmoil. The magical battle had saturated our lands and many lives were lost. Back in those days, the women of Anstaria enjoyed freedoms that are now seen in only the other parts of the world.<br/><br/>"In those days, there was a princess. The decree to go back to the most ancient of teachings, to wipe magic from our boarders, had just been spoken. She didn't like it, and was poisoned against her own people by a wizard from Loidi. This wizard convinced her to start a riot, to rally others to her cause and go against the king and queen.<br/><br/>"The princess, the wizard and several of those who were on the princess' side were exiled from Anstaria. They formed their own little land just in the south-west, a spit of land between us and Danbar. I don't know if you've heard of it, but they called themselves Hekata. You'd like them. They are everything that we are not. Women rule there, men are subserviant. They are heathens who twisted the gods into what they want. Magic runs wild in that strip of land, and they have lost their humanity."<br/><br/>Diane looked over at Masako. "I follow the laws of my land, even knowing that it wasn't always like this. My family has been the rulers for centuries since the Great Upheaval. We earned our place, and we've held it. We have kept Anstaria safe from the Loidites in the north and the Hakatas in the south. You may not agree with our traditions, or that my brother has a right to rule, but it has served us well. There have been no more riots or uprisings since then, and that means a safe kingdom."<br/><br/>****************<br/><br/>GAvin looked at the riding crop. "I suppose we deserve the rumors. We have not been a very friendly kingdom. We've had our problems and tought to close our boarders. The less we interacted, the more the stories grew." He gave her a small smile. "If its any consolataion, I never thought I'd enjoy the company of a strong, intelligent woman."