Summary: Relena Peacecraft lives a fairytale life, a Princess, surrounded by 5 knights in … well….Gundam… Armour. But when will the people around her realise their pink Princess has grown up? Note: I've never written Gundam Wing before so sorry if this is OOC!

Over the Hills and Far Away

"Relena?" Duo murmured, passing her some papers to sign, jerking her out of near slumber.
"Mmhmm? Oh shit… Sorry I was day dreaming!" Relena blushed and made to grab the papers.
"Relena swears?" Duo grinned, then proceeded to tease her mercilessly.
"Oh Shutup Duo." Relena grumbled good naturedly, before Quatre piped up.

"What were you day dreaming about Relena?" Quatre said mischievously.
Relena rolled her eyes, knowing they were referring to Heero.
"Wouldn't you like to know!" Relena grinned back, used to their teasing by now.
"Yes, actually." Wufei leaned in the doorway, a sparkle in his eyes.
"Fine. Honest truth- I was dreaming about being normal. About not being a Princess, not being Relena Peacecraft, not being the Vice Foreign Minister." Relena admitted, to varying expressions on the other's faces.

Heero and Trowa had made it in time for that last sentence, Trowa thoughtful, Heero blank, Duo seeming to wage an inner fight with himself. Quatre was understanding, as the heir of Winner enterprises. Wufei was sighing at her.

"Wufei I know you think I'm stupid, you think that if I was anyone else I'd be wishing I was me right now. Duo I know I had a better childhood, was luckier than the average person. I know to outsiders this is a beautiful dream, the unachievable fairytale. All the girls want to marry Zechs… Milliardo… or they want to be me, and marry one of you." Relena smiled gently, all the more troubling because of the sadness that lay hidden in the back of her eyes.

Heero made a non committal sound, Quatre blushed. Trowa raised an eyebrow.
"Sweet!" Duo cheered.
"Onna, they do not want to marry us…" Wufei began.
Relena just looked at him, subtly reminding him of how they'd actually endangered her once by a stampede of adoring fans rushing for the Gundam boys. To say that Heero had not been pleased could quite possibly be the understatement of the universe.

"Is it all so bad Relena?" Quatre asked hurt.

"You know I love all of you. Hows this? I will get back to you on that answer in a week, Quatre." Relena hedged, and reached for more papers to read and sign. The Gundam pilots let her avoid the subject, deciding to voice their own opinions after the week deadline.

The week drew to an end, and the Gundam Pilots reconverged on Relena's office, somewhat surprised and disappointed to see only a video and a note.
Heero read the note, before turning and putting the video into the machine, all of the pilots curious as to what it was and having a sinking feeling.

Relena's face appeared on-screen with the same sad smile they'd grown to know well.

"Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre, Wufei. I'm sorry I'm not here in person to tell you this, but you asked if it was really that bad and this is my response. I asked Milliardo to order an extra person to accompany me this week, I believe you were told he'd received death threats and as a precaution, had sent the man to me. I asked this man to film me in secret for that week, in order to properly answer the question for you." Relena's video form pressed a button and they saw a scene from earlier that week.

"Heero, can we go to the market place today? I'd really love to get the opinion of some of the stall holders on this new law they want to push, plus you know how Duo gets when he's hungry! We could all stop for lunch too!" Relena said brightly.
"No. It's too dangerous when some madman is after your brother." Heero said in a tone of finality, handing her another document to sign.

Remembering the incident, the pilots watched the next messily edited scene.

"I was thinking of going on holidays, visiting some of my friends. I thought you guys could take a vacation too!" Relena suggested tentatively.
"No way Heero would ever allow that!" Duo laughed, shuffling some papers.
"Aren't you sick of me by now? I mean, you live with me, one of you is always on guard… wouldn't you like a break?" Relena asked curiously.
"That, m'dear is what happens in this job." Duo yawned, before passing her another sheet of paper.
"Just sign there, I wouldn't bother reading all the boring drivel…"

"She wanted to go on a holiday? Alone?" Wufei said incredulously, as Quatre berated Duo for his cavalier attitude to Relena's document signing.

"Hey Quatre! Wouldn't it be great to go and visit the duck pond in the park? We could feed the ducks with leftover bread!" Relena looked up on a burst of inspiration.
"Oh Relena… The others are sleeping or relaxing and you know we need two to go to any public place… I guess I could go and get someone?" Quatre suggested, reluctant to disturb the others.
"Oh no, how foolish of me. Ignore that Quatre, just the silly impulse of a girl." Relena sighed.
"You're never silly, Relena." Quatre said concerned, as Relena moved to the draw to pull out a huge stack of documents and give him a weak grin.

"She sure does a whole lot of paper work hey? Maybe we should let her out more!" Duo said, staring at her desk in comical newly discovered horror.
"Baka." Wufei muttered.

"Fei?" Relena poked her head into the room.
"Do. Not. Call. Me. Fei." Wufei ground out.
"Sorry Wufei. At least I don't call you 'wuffers' like Duo, right?" Relena laughed.
"Did you have a point in this conversation?" Wufei asked looking as though it was killing him to be patient.
"Can we go to the movies, Wufei? I mean, we could go in disguise right? No big entourage, no clearing out a theatre for me… I'll even wear a moustache!" Relena made a face and started stroking an imaginary moustache.
"As much as I'd enjoy seeing you with a moustache, Onna, it's much easier for us just to get you a video at home." Wufei steeled himself as her face fell, disappointment setting in once more.
"Well then… don't worry. I'll finish the treaty… I'll be in my office if you need me." Relena slunk out like a chastised puppy, quietly closing the door behind her to Wufei's frustrated face.

"Oh man, I bet you felt like a total heel, Wuffles!" Duo chirped up.
"Maxwell!" Wufei glared.
"I guess I see how she feels though…" Quatre admitted.

"Why now Relena?" Trowa asked her, pausing Relena's endless signing.
"Why what?" Relena clarified, working cramps out of her wrists.
"Why are you suddenly discontent now?" Trowa stared at her, looking as if he could read her mind through her eyes.
"I thought… I always thought that one day it would die down, that the security would ease back, that I could live at least… semi-normal. But it never did. And now I'm scared that it never will…" Relena whispered.
"It will. It just takes time, and you know the security scares are sometimes valid… imagine if this one time, was valid, and we'd ignored the warning?" Trowa explained reasonably.

The video stopped, before Relena's face appeared on the screen again.

"Don't you see? I'm not your Princess anymore. I don't want to live like this! I can't talk to normal people… it's a gilded cage, and all it's doing is hurting people. I can't do my job if I'm out of touch from people and I can't live in fear for the rest of my life." Screen-Relena took a pause.

"I'm sorry if this hurts you, I know it probably will, though I don't mean to. But you have lives too! You don't revolve around me, and you shouldn't have to! So this is my way of saying goodbye, goodbye and thankyou very much for protecting me all these years. As Vice Foreign Minister, Princess… as Relena… I will always love you and appreciate everything you did for me. But it's time to make my own way now."

"She's run away!" breathed Duo, as they watched, entranced.

"This Princess resigns. I'm going over the hills and far away, to find the kingdom I belong in, as a peasant, as a true friend, as a person. It's time that the fairytale ended, and the book was closed. And when I come and visit you five, who knows… maybe you won't even recognise me."

With those words, Relena got up to turn off the camera, leaving 5 Gundam pilots in utter shock watching a blue screen. Though they searched high and low (as did the military and Milliardo), they found no trace of her. Their Princess was gone.

Years later, Heero Yuy sat at a table in the café, wondering why Quatre had asked to see him, and why he was so late. So he was somewhat annoyed when a wiry brunette sat down, hair short in a pixie, almost boyish style, before the blue eyes regarded him with a familiarity he couldn't place.

"Hello Heero…"

And when I come and visit you five, who knows… maybe you won't even recognise me…

"Relena?" Heero whispered.
"It's good to see you again Heero. Over the hills and far away is nice, but I much prefer being with the people I love…" Relena smiled.

The Princess had definitely changed, and this knight in Gundam Armour wasn't blind enough to miss it this time.

The End

Author's Note:

This is my first Gundam Wing fic, so please let me know what you think- if it's too OOC or just downright pathetic let me know! Inspired by Nightwish's rendition of 'Over the Hills and Far Away'. This acts on the assumption Relena is older and the G-boys remained to protect her as body guards after the war.

Thanks and pleassssssse review!
xoxo Lady Occult