Seven reasons why a princess is running away

1-To escape a forced marriage

Historically, it was very rare that a royal princess ever got to choose who she married. This one has been ordered to marry a king three times her age, who had his last royal wife beheaded for what he called high treason. Not wanting to be placed in wedlock with the ugly, nasty old man, she has fled from her family to take her chances in the outside world.

2-On the run from a coup

Her father recently died, but before she could be crowned as the new Queen her uncle launched a coup against her and had her thrown into a dungeon. Set free by a guard who supported her, she is intending to flee north and gather enough loyal friends to form an army and try and take back the throne by force. Helping her escape could end up plunging the country into a long and nasty civil war.

3-To escape being blinded.

For over a century the royal family that she was born into have been royal puppets without any power, since a very unpopular king was overthrown and blinded. Ever since then, whenever a new monarch comes to the throne, he or she is blinded first to prevent him or her having power. This princess would rather risk ending up as a beggar rather then having her sight taken away from her.

4-For a little taste of freedom 

The princess has so little freedom and time for herself that she considers the palace to be no better then a prison. In between attending age-old royal ceremonies that she finds very boring and her royal lessons, she can never have any fun. All she in fact wants is a few days to enjoy herself before returning to the palace of her own free will.

5-To find out how things really are

Knowing that there is at least a chance that she will one day rule in her own right, this princess wants to go out incognito and in disguise for a while to see what things are really like for the average person. To make sure that she could get back in afterwards she took a Royal Seal to show the palace guards, only to be mugged at knifepoint and the  Royal Seal stolen. Now she is trying to get back into the palace without her parents finding out and telling her off.

6-To find her real family 

She is of noble birth, but is not really a royal. After her daughter died, Queen Yocasta became so unhappy and unstable that her courtiers decided to replace the deceased daughter with a replacement. After extensive training she has taken up the princess role but has been homesick for more then a year and wants to be with her real family for a while.

7-To avoid a dragon 

For some time now a dragon has been ravaging the land and he has agreed to stop doing that if the princess is tied to a stake and given to him. Fearing that she might end up inside his belly, she has understandably given the guards the slip and gone on the run. In fact he just wants to befriend her, but she does not know that.