Set in Renna's past, this story takes place when Renna was in enslavement to Von Gart Bloodstone - her Master, and was but a young woman just coming out of her teens.

Chapter 1: Unlikely Partnership

?I fail to see how this is to allow me entry into the castle.?

He rubbed his nose suspiciously, an excuse to hide his grin at the sight before him. ?Couldn?t hurt to try, my Lady??

?This is whole thing is a baseless attempt to see me dressed like this??

?Stop your complaining, you?re a woman, so flaunt it? Come on out of that?? His eyes widened, ?By Nemesis?s holy stick of ? hot damn! Renna!? He opened his arms out to the cloth torn wearing Renna whose private areas were spilling out from between strategically placed tares, ?That?s what I like to see!?

She approached, and wrapped a skeletal hand into his shirt, dragging him close, ?I swear,? she gritted between her teeth, ?If acting like a desperate whore does not get me into that castle, I am going to use your intestines as rope to climb the walls. Got it??

He grinned innocently, hands by his sides, ?At least I get to lose some of that weight I?ve been meaning to shed?

?I swear? You?re sick, Teal?? She released him, and pushed past him towards the gatehouse in the distance.

Insulted, though baffled by the comment, he drew a brow upwards to the disappearing visage of that swaying naked behind. ?No, that ass is sick. And I mean in a?? He rocked his hips forward gently, though quickly ducked to dodge a passing stone meant for his head. ?Hey! That was a complement you walking corpse!?

As they approached the gate house, the guards were nothing but two tired men working the dead-shift, so the gatehouse ? although closed, was barely guarded.

As Renna approached, she put Teal?s plan into action. Running her skeletal hands through her hair, she slipped on some gloves to hide the Blight eating away at her fingers and palms, and approached one of the more handsome of the two. ?Hey there, sexy?? She pushed up against him, wrapping a hand behind his neck ?Wanna come in the bushes and, have some fun for a gold piece??

?Uh? Well? I-I?m on duty? I cannot leave my post?? He looked to his colleague, who only grinned at him, and motioned for him to take the chance. Then, with a change of heart, he placed a hand against the rump of the woman, and allowed her to guide him away.

The remaining guard laughed, and shook his head. ?By Lysander my woman would kill me for hitting that piece of trash? Who knows what disease that strumpet has...?

?Hey there, lover boy?? A suspiciously high pitched voice occurred just beside him, to which to his surprise, as the guard turned, a dagger was jammed into his throat.

As the body slipped from Teal, he wiped his blade upon a white handkerchief, and sighed. ?Sorry, I don?t kiss on the first date.? His eyes moved to the direction then where Renna had led the guard away and soon caught up.

He could hear a rustle in the bushes ? and as he thought some pretty damn dirty thoughts, he jumped into them, his dagger bared ? ready to tare flesh? But found himself staring wide eyed at Renna of the Dark, feasting from the dead man?s neck, tarring muscle and tendons from the throat to which she wolfed down hungrily.
?? Remind me never to ask you to suck me off, yeah??

She turned, grinning, blood stains surrounding her lips and jaw, ?You wished.?

?Are you done? We do have a job to do.?

Renna stood, brushing the dirt off from her elbows, ?I was just a little hungry? I thought a midnight snack was in order. Want some? Can?t get any fresher than that? Look, he?s still warm?? She pointed at the steam rolling off from the corpse in the night?s cold air, and chuckled darkly. ?A warm meal is good for the body, isn?t that what they say, Teal??

He looked to the body then back at her, ?Do you get laid much??
A grim smile grew upon her lips, ?Against my will? Perhaps??

?So, can we - you know, get on with the job, please?? He turned, and made for the gatehouse. Following behind him, she tiredly took in her surroundings. Sniffing here and there, testing the scent on the other side of the wall while Teal spied a window in the gatehouse?s hall high above them. He cursed then turned to Renna pointing up at the window.
?You think you can get us in there??

She rolled her eyes, ?Don?t be absurd. Of course I can.? Suddenly, she grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt, and much to his horror and protest, she threw him up on high and through it the window itself.

With an almighty crash, he ducked and rolled to his feet, stumbling to the opposite side of the hallway so that he could lean against it. Panting hard; trying to get over the anger and fright he had just experienced, annoyingly, he watched her simply appear out from a shadow opposite him, just besides the window?s now broken entrance.

?What? The hell??!? He growled in a hushed, pained whisper, rubbing is now deadened elbow, ?You did that on purpose!?

?Did I?? She mused, walking past him and down the hallway, ?You got in, didn?t you??

He looked to the window, then back to the half naked beast. ?If I die tonight, I am going to be so pissed off at you?? Teal moved to keep up with Renna, and pulled up his veil so that he could disguise his appearance. The last thing he needed was Lysanderian lawmen putting a face to The Emerald Raider.

?Is he close?? He muttered as they rounded a corner.

She paused for a moment to take in the scents, and turned her eyes to the closed doorway beside them. ?He?s in there.? Renna pointed a gloved hand, ?Sleeping.?

?Sleeping? After the noise you just made?? He was surprised no guards had shown.

?I eased the movement of the air in the hallway, by creating a vacuum with the shadows. Do not worry, they heard nothing.? Then, with a mere turn, she moved to open the door to the General?s chamber, though was stopped as Teal?s hand grasped over her skeletal wrist.

?No?? He whispered, ?Let me. Last thing we need is you to make a meal out of this. Stand guard,? he unsheathed his dagger, ?I?ll be right back.? He himself opened the door carefully, and, once inside, he closed it gently behind him.

Stand guard?! Renna was insulted, with but a single snarl, she turned, and stared at the eyes of a woman glaring back at her, dressed in full battle armors who was not there just a minute ago. ?Why? Hello there, Princess Lysander.? She smirked, ?Come to stop me??

?Yes.? The Princess hissed, drawing her blade and pushing it close to Renna?s throat. ?I have come to put a stop to your tyranny.?

?My tyranny? Are you an idiot, Princess? I am a pet ? a slave, and you know that. I have no will of my own. Tyranny insinuates a will of my own and a country to command??

?Bullshit!? She spat, ?You killed my Father!?

Renna?s lips curled back into a grin, ?Lysander was a fool. He loved me, and that was all I needed to get close enough to him, and to end his pitiful excuse of an exis-?

?Silence you? You! You beast! You harlot!? The Princess drew back her sword, and pushed forward with a malicious advance.

Despite her desperate attack, Renna easily dodged the blade, and watched it as it plunged itself into the doorway. ?This was a trap.? Renna sighed, ?You knew we?d come for your Generals. You?ve got a spy in the Bloodstone Empire, and now, thanks to this, we may know just who...?
The Princess paled, ?You?re? Lying!?

?Ahh, so he is the spy! Stupid little girl, you can?t even get the sword out of the door let alone understand reverse psychology.? With a swipe of her hand, the Princess was felled easily to the floor.

Renna removed the sword from the door the Princess had clumsily inpaled and, once she loomed over the Princess, she winked down at her. ?Don?t worry, soon you will become the Queen of Lysander, and one day, you will thank me for killing Daddie.?

The Princess pushed herself up using her elbows to lean, but was caught off guard as her own sword?s tip pushed close to her throat. She shook, closing her eyes. ?End my life like you did my Father?s. In cold blood!?
Renna of the Dark?s features softened, and as her grip loosened on the blade, her blood red eyes glowed. ?Lysander meant a lot to me. I did what none of you could. I released him from his pain. From his suffering?? She curled her lips, as from the other end of the hallway guards came rushing to aid of their darling final heir to the throne. ?Don?t ruin his dream, Ren.?

?Don?t call me by that name! I will never accept it! Never!? She screeched like a little girl, seething and hissing up at a woman she could had called Mother. ?I am Princess Malien Lysander! I have no name other than that!?
?? Don?t ruin his dream, or I will come for you.? Dropping the sword, she dove into the bed chamber to look for Teal, slamming the door and barring it behind her.

?Teal!? She called out to the empty room that bore an opened window and the corpse of their target just beside it. ?That? Bastard? He left me!? Quickly she rushed to the window, and paused to lean over and to spy down the rope made from the bed sheets leading down and out to freedom. It was then that she saw him, scrambling away in the distance. ?TEAL! You gutless, money grabbing, total and utter bastard!?
The door behind her flung from its hinges as guards pooled into the room, and amongst them, a very angry Princess.

She aimed her sword to Renna, resuming her high and mighty attitude. ?Come quietly, beast! I promise you a fair trial.?

?Listen, I know what you do to witches, let alone like me, Princess. Besides, my Master is calling to me, and I have one annoying little bug to crush on the way there, so, I would love to stick around and chat?? She pointed to the corpse beside her, ?But my good friend Teal there left you a present.?

The Princess dropped her eyes to the body, and noted the tightly wrapped sticks in the mouth of the slain General, and quickly ordered the retreat. Renna took the quicker route, she turned and jumped out of the window as the black powder ignited, and demolished the room.

? It was only several long hours later at the camp, that one angry woman approached the tent of quite the backstabbing mercenary, and entered without a formal introduction from the two Bloodstone guards at the entrance.

?TEAL!? She hissed, finding him to be surrounded by a score of women, petting his lovely hairy, muscular chest all vying for affection, feeding him grapes and peeled, sliced apples.


?Phrennm!? He spoke with a mouthful, ?Fo appie youf awivph!?

Subtly was not in her dictionary. She walked up to him, slugged a fist into the face, watched him stumble back into the shocked arms of his women, and spat blood onto his face. She pointed a finger at him, ?? You owe me.?