Three years ago, Johanna worked without much confliction in her shop, The Red Palace in Ciola, the capital city of Sevitel. That was three years ago. Crowne Princess Athelia Talone-Asici ascended the throne after her late father, King Altyr. She became Queen after his passing, and that is when the civil war began. 

Thomas Prevot served under Altyr as his High Chancellor while Altyr ruled Sevitel. Both Altyr and Thomas cooperated with one another, Thomas felt that he could help the King and the people of Sevitel, and he did. Many laws, laws that were fair and promoted equality were passed under Altyr's rule. However, one law had not passed. Athelia had proposed the law, it allowed women to exit marriages without consequences or fear of persecution. The law would allow them to inherit their husband's land, as long as she had children, could she inherit the land. The law currently in place bans women from inheriting the land on which their husband owned, and would be passed onto to the next male in the husband's family. 

Upon hearing Athelia's request at the proposal of the law, Altyr believed his daughter to be too young to understand politics. Women's interests should focus on the domestic life, not the political. Thomas agreed readily with his king, if women were granted such power, they wouldn't even know how to handle it. Before Athelia's proposal, Thomas viewed Athelia as a beautiful woman, educated and even charismatic. He respected her, and carried on polite conversations, or even debates about domestic situations with the younger Athelia. Yet when she made the proposal for her father to pass the edict, Thomas began to view her as a threat. If she could think of something as liberal at that, surely other thoughts like that would grow within her mind. Athelia was capable of upsetting the balance in Sevitel.

And she did.

Fourteen months into her reign, Thomas began to speak out against Athelia. He did it quietly though. By paying young men, early in their youths, large amounts of coin to spread the word of Athelia destroying Sevitian traditions and society. These youths brought large crowds, and they targeted the poorer areas of Sevitel, in the slums where the commoners lived and work. It began to spread like an infectious disease, the people were moved by suggestion alone. Ten months later, a riot took place in the capital city. Hired thugs from other provinces hired by Thomas and angry townspeople filled the White-stone district in Ciola. Buildings were razed and vandalized. Two-hundred and sixty-four people were slaughtered. The White-stone district housed the wealthier merchants and traders.

Johanna lived in the lower district where the commoners and lower-income traders resided. She chose the location on purpose. When word began to spread in her section about the riot, she begged Thalien and Chezaré to stay with her for the night. They relented after many hours of her prolonged begging. Thalien's shop was raided, the windows were smashed and looted. Thankfully he kept a safe that was too large, and too intricate to move nor pick. The safe contained the most valuable jewels of his merchandise. 

Chezaré lived in the elegant Polished Shield Inn, board was granted to him for free due to his royal position. The inn burned down during the riot as villagers took torches to the wooden insides of the structure.

After the riot took place, it took about two months before reports of commoners raiding houses of the noble and slaughtering them without mercy. This was all Thomas' doing, he fed the fire. Johanna became aware that there were people following her home at night from her shop. One night, a man had grabbed her and pulled her into a dark alleyway. She scuffled with him for a short time before slipping out of his grip.

A week after the incident in the alleyway, Johanna asked Thalien to escort her home each night. She didn't feel safe venturing out after dark alone. 

A month had passed, and Johanna could feel her nerves calming from the anxiety of the attack in the alley. That lasted until she found a piece of paper tacked to her shopfront door: [i]Feeble Wench, I'll cut thee wide.[/i] That was two weeks ago. After receiving the note, Johanna went to Thalien and asked him to loan his steed to her so that she may flee Sevitel for the safety of Enrimor who had welcomed their doors to refugees.
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'[i]That was two weeks ago...[/i]' Thought Johanna as she rode Serwyn in the dark through a large clearing. Farther up the path, she could see the lights of an inn. The thought of resting her weary travelled body appealed to Johanna. As she drew nearer to the inn, Johanna became aware of the swarming group of refugees that slept outside, and from what she could tell, in the stables as well. 
'[i]Not again...[/i]' Johanna grumbled to herself when she dismounted. A young boy, no older than twelve approached her.

"Miss, may I take your horse?" The boy was covered in dirt with disheveled hair and a worn red tunic.

"Are you the stable boy?" Johanna asked in a flat, and harsh tone. He flinched at her sharp words but nodded readily.

"I'm my father's boy, miss." He pointed a hooked thumb over his shoulder, indictating that his father was either the barkeep or the owner of the inn. It mattered not to her. She handed the leather reins over to him and slipped a copper pence into his palm as she did so. He clenched the piece hard, and looked up at Johanna in astonishment. Winking at the lad, she brushed past him and stepped into the tavern.

The inn was overcrowded, a patron filled every available chair, and some were forced to stand. The smell of tobacco and roasting meat filled the air. She found her way to the bar and took a seat upon the stool. The atmosphere seemed to be swimming with tension. Glancing about her, she could tell that something hostile had occurred moments before her entry. The barkeep had his back to her as he filled mug after mug full of ale. When he turned she grabbed him by the elbow, forcing his attention on her. 

"Ay, miss. What do you think you're doin'?" His brow began to knit together in annoyance. With her free hand, Johanna reached into her coin purse that was hidden in a fold of her dress. She slid two gold coins across the hewn tabletop.

"Give me a room." She demanded, and none too politely either. At first, the barkeep stared her down in growing anger before setting down one mug of ale to free his hands. He reached under the counter top and slid her an iron key. 

"Here's your room. House is at full capacity, no more complainin' lest I throw thee out." With that, he picked up the mug he had set down and disappeared into the throng of people.

Standing outside the room that was hers for the night, Johanna slid the key into the lock and opened the door. Upon opening the door, Johanna started in surprise. There was a man in her room. Seconds passed before Johanna moved into the room, and set her satchel upon the unoccupied bed. Then, she took a seat on the bed, and stared at the man that sat upon the other bed, as if she were studying him. He had dark hair and a goatee of sorts, along with dark eyes.

Suddenly, Johanna extended her hand towards him and spoke, "Name's Johanna. Touch me, and I'll stick a blade in your throat."