"If Yrsa was forced to kill someone, then she had no other choice," Javier said loudly to the entire hall, as much as to the council and Latham. "She saved Huan Li and I from freezing to death in the blizzard where we had been left to die by the man who had kidnapped the rest of my pack. She fed us, and guided us through the forest with no promise of reward. Yrsa is a good person."

This earned him nothing but a few sneers and jeers from the crowd. Before he could take a step towards the hecklers, his arm was grabbed and he was held in place by the strong grip of his Alpha. He looked into her green eyes, there was compassion there, but also a steel that he knew not to challenge, certainly not here where they were surrounded by beings who could very easily kill them if they so choose. He relaxed and stayed where he was, slowly letting his anger go.

"The fight that resulted in the man in question's death was a fair fight between himself and Yrsa," Huan Li spoke out. "There were no tricks used, and no weapons were employed by either person. If you seek justice, look no further than your own laws and the rite of combat. Yrsa took what was hers by rite and it should be treated as such."

This caused another response from the spectators in the hall. This time though it was nothing more than whispers and hushed voices. Clearly the people had not been aware of the circumstances surrounding the man's death, perhaps being aware of that fact might be enough.

"Is this true?" another council member spoke gravely into the stillness of the hall.

"It was a fair fight between us," Yrsa said.

"Why did you not give him the chance to yield, in accordance with the rite?" another council member called out.

"The rite of combat is not what motivated me," Yrsa said.

"Then what prompted you to kill my son, Yrsa Magnusson?" Latham called down from his throne.

Yrsa raised her face and stared straight at Latham without blinking, "My motivation was vengeance." This caused another uproar in the hall. Yrsa stood there again taking the insults and noise that rose up around her, her eyes never left Latham's as he sat upon his throne.

"Vengeance, is not without merit in our laws," another council member called out. "By what harm did this man do unto you and yours, where you felt wrath and vengeance was justified?"

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"He deceived my father, Sven Magnusson. When he sought out your clan, he put a plan into action that would make it look as if he died. The river caught him and my father struggled to save him from the swift rapids. He broke his leg trying to a save his friend, a man who I had grown up calling 'uncle.' He blamed the 'death' of his friend on his own failings. By faking his own death, he caused my father the inconsolable grief that eventually claimed my father's life. He deserved to die as the price for what he did to my father and our family."

The murmurs rose swiftly in the hall, but not to the level of yelling that had rose at her statements before that point. Javier looked around at all the faces of the villagers that now surrounded them. He hadn't guessed how many people could actually fit in this hall and from what he saw, over a hundred people at least, stared at him from the shadows of the hall and the rafters overhead.

The council members suddenly turned away from the hall and strode up the steps and met with the sitting chief. Javier looked over at Yrsa. She never took her eyes off Latham. The council members huddled around the acting chief and spoke in hushed tones. The noise in the hall rose and fell around them. The voices, he could only guess, were questioning and guessing at what the council members would say. If that was the whole of the trial, then maybe American courts could learn a thing or two.

Of course, he had no idea what was at stake here. It was entirely possible that if the council ruled against Yrsa and claimed that her actions was murder, did that mean she would be put to death? It was more than likely that is what would happen. He hadn't seen any jails around the village, unless you counted the hut that they had stayed in for the past week. It might as well have been a prison.

After a very short period of time the council members turned around and silently took their original places on the steps. Not one of them moved or spoke after they took their places. They only gazed down at Yrsa and the Shape shifter pack with cold indifference. Javier didn't see any hope for justice form those cold stares, only judgment.

Latham stood up dramatically from his throne. He did not speak as he walked down the steps towards Yrsa but stopped on the last step.

He stared hard into Yrsa's cool blue eyes, "For the death of my son, the council finds your vengeance worthy and the rite of combat fulfilled." This earned a harsh outcry from the spectators in the hall. "What is not fulfilled," Latham called out, silencing the hall, "is my right for vengeance." He gritted his teeth and worked his jaw as he leaned in towards the woman who had killed his only son, "I challenge you, murderess. Will you accept?"

Yrsa who had not moved, nor had her strong posture shifted an inch since she first came into the hall, met the hatred in the man's eyes with cold rage, answered softly, "I accept." The hall erupted in cheers and raucous laughter. Latham walked past the blonde woman and stalked outside.

The council members who stood still on the steps nodded toward Yrsa and the Shape shifter pack. Yrsa turned and followed Latham as the man led the procession of villagers outside. Javier glanced over at Huan Li. The older man had a neutral expression on his face, neither angry or nervous. Javier found himself wondering if the Elder knew something he didn't?

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