Hi I've come up with yet another plot that I couldn't just let sit.

Luna- Yah don't you have several other stories that you have yet to finish?

Uh yah But I have writers block for all of them.

Luna- Excuses, excuses.

Yah well that's what spring break's for.

Luna- Yah just get on with the story.

Disclaimer- I don't own the Animorphs. Heck I really don't own the plot. I just stuck it into a different universe and sent it back a couple of hundred years. It all belongs to K.A. Applegate. Pleze don't sue me.

~*~

Princess Rachel wasn't your ordinary Princess. Most princesses were petite, quiet, polite and absolutely loved to gossip. All the other Princesses were fragile little things who couldn't do anything except sit around and embroider stuff.

Rachel was nothing like that. She was about 5 foot 6 inch at age 14 and absolutely hated any type of royal functions. Being in a room with about 20 other ladies who did nothing but talk about who was courting them and what color dress went with their eyes or whatever wasn't exactly her idea of fun.

Her idea of fun was horseback riding and sword fights. Not only watching them but participating in them. She learned to fight when she was really young and got hooked right away. Sadly for her once her parent found out about her little obsession she was forbidden from all the practice rooms and her face was no to be seen at any tournaments. This caused her to become very bored with nothing to occupy her time.

That was why she was sneaking out of the palace in the middle of the night with her best friend Cassie. Cassie was the only reason Rachel never ran away before now.

Cassie was the daughter of the palace's horse keepers and animal care takers. That was a fairly important job as the main attractions of the land was the menagerie of creatures they had. She was the only one Rachel had to talk to about practically everything.

"Are you sure this is a good ides?" Cassie asked looking back at the dark still palace.

"You know you don't have to come Cass." Rachel said looking back at her. "I can take care of myself." She smiled giving Cassie a knowing look. "I sure Jake will miss you very much if you leave." Rachel's cousin. Prince Jake had come for the year to stay at the palace because of some revolutionary problems in his kingdom. Something about there not being enough holidays or something equally ridiculous. Anyway his parent thought it best he leave for bit so he came over and brought his annoying best friend, Marco, with him.

"Huh?" Cassie said blushing a bit glad that the dark hid her bright red face from Rachel's view. Rachel just rolled her eyes. She knew that Cassie had a huge crush on Jake like just about every other lady in the world. But she also knew that her dearest cousin like Cassie to. They just refused to admit it.

"You know what I mean Cassie. Just stay."

"No way. What if something happens to you?"

"Nothing will happen. Listen you stay here and explain to everyone where I'm going and make sure no one comes after me."

"But…"

"No buts Cass. I promise I'll be back in two nights." And with that Rachel ran into the forest that bordered the grounds of the palace.

~*~

The next morning the palace woke up to complete chaos at the news that the Princess had run away even if they knew she would be back in two days. Rachel however didn't know that. After leaving Cassie she has walked through the woods until she reached a clearing that bordered the village. That was where she spent the night waiting for the little village to wake up.

At the first sign of activity Rachel got up and stared to wander through the village. Using some money she had snagged from Jake before she left the previous night she bought a pastry for breakfast and went on her way exploring every inch off the town.

Rachel was amazed at everything that was happening. She had never known anything about the commoners' life before three years ago and never was she allowed out of the palace walls unless she was going to another palace. Rachel marveled at the efficiency everything got done at.

After buying her pastry she took a minuet to watch the baker prepare a new batch of dough. She stopped by the blacksmiths and watched him pounding what looked like was forming to be a broadsword. Rachel laughed at the children running around having fun. And it wasn't a mocking kind a laugh that you would have expected form any type of upper classman/woman. It was a genuine 'I'm happy to be here' laugh.

Rachel even took some time to stop by the well where girls her age were gathering to get water and to exchange gossip. Maybe it was just her but the gossip at the well sounded a whole lot more interesting than what the ladies on the other side of the forest talked about. Though the topic was mostly the same… boys. It was if that forest separated two completely identical yet different worlds.

After about three hours of aimless wandering Rachel found herself at the other end of the village in what appeared to be an empty lot. It was almost noon and the sun was beating down relentlessly. Thinking that no one was around she removed the light brown cloak she had been wearing to hide all her main features. Namely her silky blond hair that could be spotted practically a mile away.

At the moment it was in a simple braid that went down to her waist. She had a simple kerchief to help her blend in. She was also wearing a plain blue dress that went with her sky blue eyes. She set her cloak on a low wall not far off and went to a lone tree to get in the shade. Suddenly without notice two rather large boys came into the lot.

At first they didn't seem to see Rachel but then one off them caught sight off her.

"Hey look at what we have here, Andrew." The smaller one said to his friend.

"Oh, Thomas, it seems a young lass has found her self all alone. Why don't we help her find her way back?" He said this with a wink to Thomas. While they were talking Rachel got up and started measuring the two off them up. She knew that if it came to a fight they could simply over power her but she wasn't going to back down if it did come to a fight. She didn't become one of the best fighters in the kingdom for nothing.

"So what is a beauty of a maiden like you doing here all alone?" Thomas said getting a little to close to Rachel for comfort.

"Nothing." Rachel said shortly inching slowly away from him only to see that Andrew had come closer in and that they had her backed into the tree with no where to go. This made her slightly mad. "Can't a girl be left alone for a while." Glaring at them trying to keep her cool.

"What do you think Thomas?" Andrew looked to his friend.

"I think we might let you know for a kiss." He leaned in puckering up his lips.

"No way would I kiss you!!!" Rachel screamed and socked him right in the jaw. This action caused him to fall on his butt clutching his jaw. Seeing an escape path she started to run but Andrew grabbed her arm. On instinct she took it and flipped him onto his back. Then Thomas came and grabbed her from behind obviously recovered enough to take action.

He had her arms pinned to her side so she couldn't do anything but scream and kick. So screamed she did. She screamed her lungs out and then some. After a moment she stopped screaming to take in a breath. That was when she heard another scream. But it didn't seem to be a human scream. It was also coming from above her. She looked up to see an amazing sight. It was a hawk and it looked like was diving directly toward them. No correction. I was diving toward them.

At the sight of the hawk Andrew and Thomas paused. They were sating with fear at the it and Rachel saw the scar on Andrews forehead. It seems as if they've already had an encounter with this hawk and weren't looking for another. Rachel presumed this because the next thing she knew she was being drop on the ground staring at the two boys retreating backs. Turing over she saw that the hawk was about ten feet above her and coming in fast. Not knowing what else to do she closed her eyes and braced herself.

The attack by the hawk never came though. She felt the whoosh as it swooped past her and then everything was still. The next thing she knew she was being shaken by someone. Thinking it was Andrew and Thomas back for their kiss she did the only thing that made sense for her to do. Still with her eyes closed she reached up and punched the person squatting over her.

"Ow!" The person exclaimed in pain. It was then she realized that the person wasn't her two tormentors. She could tell just by his scream of pain. His voice wasn't as gruff as theirs had been. Her eyes flew open to see a teen who looked to be around the same age as her.

He was sitting on his butt holding his eye in obvious pain. Above them in the tree she could hear the hawk screaming. "Oh my. I'm soo sorry. I thought you were Andrew or what's his name... Thomas."

"That's alright." He managed to work out in between his moans of pain. "I think I should get used to this by now. You were the third person to hit me in my eye this week." At that the mysterious hawk screeched even louder.

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked worriedly Hitting some who was attacking her was one thing. Hitting a guy who was trying to help her was completely another. She felt guilty and worried that she had really hurt him.

He nodded in reply to her question his messy light brown hair flopped around. He then took his hand off his eye and blinked at her. Rachel noticed that his eyes were a strange greenish color that she had never seen before. He shifted his head a bit and a ray off light hit his head revealing that he didn't have light brown hair but a dirty blond. This was strange to her because all the other people in town had brown hair. And even in the upper class blond hair of any shade was rare.

While Rachel had been examining him he had been staring critically at her as if he was trying to place her. That stupid hawk was still yelling its head off but its screams were getting softer. Suddenly it let out an extremely high pitched yell.

"Oh will you just shut up already. I'm fine." The boy yelled up into the tree. Immediately the bird shut up giving off a feeble squawk before becoming completely silent. "You have to forgive him. He gets a little testy when something happens to me."

"Sure." Rachel gave him a short reply still attempting to place him.

"So you new around here?" He asked her getting up off the ground.

"What makes you ask that?"

"Well nothing besides the fact that I've never seen you around here."

"Oh." Rachel said feeling rally stupid. "Yes. I came during the night and was trying to get myself accustom to the village."

"That's nice but you should really stay away from this part of town unless you want to deal with Thomas and Andrew more." He looked at her with one eye as the other seemed to scan the area. "Though I can't say you were doing bad by yourself."

"Yah if I had my dagger they would have thought better than attack me." She smirked and went to her cloak and pulled the dagger that she had also had taken from Jake.

"Well having an dagger and using it are two separate things. Are you sure you can use that?" He looked at her skeptically.

"Just you watch… uh."

"Oh how rude of me. My name's Tobias."

"Thanks mines Rachel. Now just you watch Tobias. I'm going to hit that spot on the tree." Rachel had been concentrating so had she didn't notice the look of realization that came in Tobias's eyes. She let go and the dagger went slicing through the air to hit the dot right in the center.

Tobias went to check the dagger and whistle a high note to show his surprise that she was able to do it. Just then a bell rang through the village. "Damit." He exclaimed.

He looked over to Rachel's surprised face. "That was a signal bell." He explained to her. She nodded in understanding. "When it rings we all have to get back to our houses because someone from the palace is coming." At that she started to look worried. Rachel had no place to go.

Seeing the look on her face Tobias spoke up. "If you don't have anywhere to go you could always come with me. If you're just passing though it doesn't matter what house you're in. Just as long as your off the streets. My house isn't far and my uncle is away for… um business matters."

"If I could it would be great. Are you sure."

"I wouldn't offer if I wasn't. Follow me." With that he turned and gave a strange whistle holding out his arm. A rustling in the branches above her head was heard and the next thing Rachel knew the hawk that had saved her was gliding down to perch on Tobias's arm.

Rachel was taken aback by this. She had been taught that hawks were the ultimate hunters. Only the most respected hunters had hawks and they treated their feathered companions with respect. Yet here was a peasant boy with the most marvelous hawk she has ever seen.

"Are you coming?" He turned to ask her. The hawk was preached on his shoulders and was glaring at her in a peculiar fashion.

"Yes." She jogged up to him and they started walking to his house. 'There's more to Tobias than the eyes can see' she thought to herself. 'And I'm going to find out what.'

~*~

Done with this chap. I hope you liked it. I've already written the next chap to except for a few details that I want your advice on.

~what should Tobias's hawk's name be?

~I need Suggestions for a title.

If you put your suggestions in a review I'll take them all into consideration. Thanks and don't forget to review.