| In the Hand of the Goddess chronicles Alanna's years as a squire and her Ordeal of Knighthood. The book opens w/ Alanna in the forest running an errand where she meets a mysterious womin, who is the Great Mother Goddess. The Goddess gives Alanna some advice as well as an enchanted fire ember that allows her to see when magic is present. The Goddess also gives Alanna a black cat w/ purple eyes that match her own, whom she names Faithful. Soon after, Alanna experiences her first battle. Tortall and Tusaine go to war, and this time brings many hardships for Alanna, one of which is her capture by Tusaine, possibly at Duke Roger's command! Time goes by, and Alanna takes the Ordeal of Knighthood, afterwhich she is given her famous shield w/ a lioness rampant on it. But on the same night she is knighted, she decides it's time to prove Duke Roger is a traitor. She ends up dueling him, and what happens is different than what most people were expecting.... |
