General Valerie returns victorious to King Edmund, expecting the crown he swore to give her years ago. He publicly rejects her, calling her bloodstained and uncivilized, and names a gentle woman named Saga as the new queen instead. Valerie confronts him, accusing him of betrayal, while a courtier urges the king to punish her for treason. Surrounded by the king's men, Valerie refuses to surrender her army's banner and defiantly challenges them to try and take her life.