Relena raised an eyebrow slightly with a smile. "Your own business, huh?"

She shook her head, taking the money and turned to walk away. Heading to a place where she could change out of the rags so she wouldn't look so obvious, especially while carrying a bag of money, and then to a place where she could buy supplies.

Renald went on his way and looked around quietly, he snatched an apple as no one was looking and got away since he had experience in it since he was a little boy. He then turned his attention to something more interesting, there seemed to be a trader with a fat bag of gold selling items on the street. Renald couldn`t resist the thought of all that gold for their travel, besides a merchant wouldn`t miss it and renald needed some more money to survive.

Renald sneaked close and then as the man was talking to someone he snatched it, the man didn`t seem to have a clue unless there hadn`t been a guard following Renald. The guard hit Renald in the back knocking him down and then beginning to drag him along the ground down the street towards the smithies for some reason. After a while as renald still saw blur he was slapped hard, Renald sighed as he looked at the guard.

"What now? Am I going to be imprisoned?" Renald asked and then looked around at some people gathered around, with all this racket it wouldn`t be a wonder, if Relena would get there soon enough.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Relena saw a crowd gathering and heard the people talking about someone stealing money. She quickly ran towards the crowd, now garbed in a emerald green dress, lined in gold. She saw the guard dragging Renald behind him and went quickly to him.

"Oh, my lord, thank you for finding my brother. Forgive him if he has done something wrong. He has always been a little bit off and could never grasp the wrongs and rights in morals. I promise you, it was never happen again."

She spoke sweetly to the guard, acting very innocent and worried about 'her brother'.

"Well your brother is a thief and he isn`t going to get away without being punished, either it is this or jail for a long time..."

The guard retorted and Renald had warning eyes at Relena for not to go with being jailed, the guard drew his sword.

"Usually I believe that this man should lose his hand for stealing so that he can`t do soo again..."

The man placed Renald`s hand on an anvil and prepared to strike, Renald had begging eyes as he looked at Relena.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Relena looked at Renald, then at the guard and quickly stepped inbetween them. Felling sandwiched between the two, she looked up at the guard with pleading eyes.

"Please, my brother is the only one I have and he has been taking care of me. Our parents were killed by orcs and my husband was abusive and he was the only one there for me...the help me. He needs the use of his hand if we want to survive, I bed of you..."

Relena has tears slipping down her face as she looked up at the guard and tried to change his mind.

The guard had symphaty towards her story, but couldn`t be sure so he decided to still execute a punishment and raised his sword, but pushed Renald`s other finger except the little finger off that anvil. Renald gasped in horror and then the guard chopped his left hands little finger off, Renald grinned in pain trying not to shout as he held his blood hand while on his back on the ground.

Renald cursed as he got up and then looked at the guard quickly before rushing trough the crowd, but the guard threw one last warning.

"If you steal here again I will see to it that you lose another, then another and each time costs you one finger!"

Renald grinned as he sat down onto the ground near their horses and looked at he bloodied hand quietly as he grinned in pain.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Relena watched in horror as the guard cut off Renald's finger. She glared daggers at him as she rushed after Renald. When she finally caught up to him she went to her horse and reached into her saddle bag. SHe tore some cloth from a cloth and kneeled before him.

"Let me see it..."

She took his hand gently and bit her lip a closed her eyes a moment to gather herself as she slowly dumped some of her water over his hand to get rid of the blood and gently, but tightly wrapped the cloth around his hand.

"I'm sorry...I tried..." She said quietly.

Renald shook his head as he grinned in pain trying not to cry out of pain.

"I had this coming a long time..."

Renald said as clearly as he could.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Relena bit her lip at his words. "All thieves do."

She knew she did and could only hope it wouldn't.

"Can I get you anything?"

"Not really... or well you can find some alcohol then that would be good for the pain... then we get the rest of our supllies and leave as fast as we can..."

Renald said and showed his bandaged four fingered hand stil grinning.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Relena nodded and got to her feet.

"Stay here, I'll get everything we need"

She rushed off to get alcohol and their supplies.

"Sure..."

Renald sat still grinning in pain as many guards and citizen looked at him with hateful eyes, he didn`t look at them, but down to the ground in shame.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Relena was gone for about an hour before returning. Her arms full with all they needed. She dumped the things on the ground and took the bottle of alcohol and quickly kneeled down in front of Renald once again. She gently removed his bandages and tried not to cringe as she poured some alcohol over his hand to clean the wound. She bit her lip, knowing how much it had to hurt as she wrapped it back up.

"Sorry...."

"No problem..."

Renald smiled as he stumbled up and gathered some of the items, he put them in his horses sattle bags and then sighed.

"Let`s just leave this land and this event behind us shall we?"

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Relena nodded and helped load the horses and mounted her's. She waited while Renald mounted and urged the bay mare onward away from the land of the horse lords.

They rode off with angry eyes in their backs, Renald sighed slightly and shook his head.

"When we get to Bree we`d better split up... when you are around me you`ll just run into trouble and get angry looks at you..."

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!