Notes: Relena's parents are also OC and Relena and Zechs are not related

Part 3

Chapter 1

The Disobedient Princess

Relena's feet slapped the cold stone of the crumbling castle as she ran down its dark corridors. Every few yards she looked behind her with fear in her eyes. She sighed with relief when she finally approached the huge oak doors that separated her from the courtyard and freedom. She lifted the heavy crossbar on the door and violently shoved open the resisting double doors.

Relena ran then like she had never run before. She flew across the lowered drawbridge and out onto the open plains of the countryside that bordered the immense castle. She sprinted the open distance of fields until reaching the dark forest beyond. Once reaching the dense trees, Relena stopped to regain her breath. She stood up and looked behind her. Seeing no one behind her, she smiled with relief. She had made it. No one would stop her this time. Jymon would never catch her again.

The young girl continued on her way with a less strenuous pace, jogging between the bushes and giant trees. After a half hour she stopped to rest on a small rotting log, fallen by a previous storm. She wiped her sweaty face and inhaled a deep breath of clean air. She felt glad to be so alive, and so free. She thought back on the few hours before. The castle that her parents were so foolishly proud of, but smelled rotten and dank to Relena, the cold stares she receive at breakfast from the servants, and the chilling glare of the court sorcerer, Jymon. This last memory caused a shiver to creep of her spine. That's what she had hated most, that piercing stare of his that seemed to follow her wherever she went.

Her thoughts turned back to the forest again, and she looked around and the beautiful foliage surrounding her. She walked on a bit farther, inspecting the plants and humming a little tune to herself. After a while she began to skip along the path, feeling free and full of life. She was so caught up in this new sense of freedom that she almost didn't here the distant pounding of hooves on the ground. When she did here it, it was almost too late. At the last minute she flung herself off the path and into the shrubbery. Three black steeds came thundering past covered with the castle's insignia. Their three riders were strong knights, some of the best Relena knew. They had no doubt been hired by her father to bring her back at all costs. Relena shrank with fear. Three fully grown, professional knights were hunting her. They would find her, she was certain of that. She could not run from them forever.

After she was sure that the knights were a fair distance ahead of her, Relena took off through the woods, away from the main path and the direction the knights had taken. She ran in panic for several minutes until the blood rushed in her ears and she stumbled to the earth, gasping for breath. Her face was flushed and the muscles in her legs seemed to not want to work properly. They shot waves of pain through her whole body. Relena hauled herself to her feet though, reluctant to give in so easily. Castle life had made her soft, but she would continue on no matter what. She pushed back the honey-blonde wisps of hair that had come out of the tight braid from her face and impatiently tucked in behind her ears. After several more disheartening moments of wandering, probably lost she thought, through the dense forest a new sound greeted her ears. She looked around her, turning in a wide circle, but saw nothing but the trees. She walked on a few more steps and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She stopped and whirled around quickly. The sight that greeted her startled blue eyes was that of the sorcerer Jymon. His vacant eyes stared into hers and his colorless lips were parted slightly, showing the black gaping void beyond his teeth. Relena screamed and ran, not caring where she was headed or what lay before her.

She ran until she overcame that feeling of unease caused by the sorcerer. She jogged in short spurts not daring to look behind her for fear of those hauntingly empty eyes. It wasn't until she stumbled and looked down that she realized that she had found the path again and was running along it. Ahead, she could hear the sound of rushing water over slime covered rocks. When she came out of the trees she found herself on the edge of a small brook. Across the brook was a wide wooden bridge, wide enough for a cart to pass on. She then realized that this was the main bridge used in the crossing of traffic into her father's kingdom. In the late afternoon though, no one was on the path or bridge. She looked behind her and then darted forward over the smooth wooden planks. She had reached the middle when suddenly like some phantom nightmare a black knight stepped boldly onto the other edge of the bridge, blocking her way. She had forgotten about the knights! She whirled around to see that the other edge was guarded as well by a fearsome man. The two then started forward to try and trap her in the middle. Without thought however, Relena bolted to the railing and in one graceful motion vaulted the mold covered beam and fell into the stream.

The stream was deeper than it had appeared from the surface. When she resurfaced, Relena found herself staring into the impassive eyes of the third knight. He hauled her roughly by the arms back onto the bridge and then yanked her shivering body into standing. Relena felt as though her arms had been pulled from their sockets and the knight was cutting off the circulation to her hands with the tight grip he had on her. She knew it was useless to struggle, and the cold water had taken the last of her already faded energy. She stood for a while, dripping in the dappled light and shadows cast by the trees overhead, not knowing why she wasn't being taken back to the castle. Finally her answer came.

Jymon appeared in his usual eerie self. His lips were curved in an evil snarl and his eyes positively burned with an unholy fire. Relena began shaking uncontrollably, either from the cold or fear or both. He came forward until his greasy forehead was just inches from the girl's. His putrid breath filled her nostrils.

He laughed then, a low menacing laugh and turned his back to her. "Take the princess back home if you would be so kind." His voice flowed like oil over dark waves, oil that Relena knew could be ignited at any moment if given the proper flame.

Relena was led back to the castle on the back of one of the mighty steeds. The workers in the fields stopped to stare at the procession, and Relena defiantly stuck out her chin, every inch the disobedient princess. The knight helped her dismount and then the three warriors left for the stables. Jymon grabbed Relena's arm and painfully twisted it behind her. He then led her back into the dreary castle. Relena knew that if it killed her, she would escape again and never be taken back.