Reader's Note: I'm only going to say this once, because frankly how tired do you get of seeing this? I don't own DragonballZ nor any of the storylines from the manga, the TV series or the movies. This is purely for entertainment for those who like fanfiction. On another note, please do not flame this story. I have worked very hard to rewrite this story after several incidents that contained the story being deleted several times. If you don't like it, then just don't read it. If you find any mistakes I have made within the contents, please inform me, but please do it in a polite way. Thank you for reading this rather boring reader's note. Please continue on with the story!
The Prince and His Demon
Chapter 1- Darkness Is Their Escape
He stared out at the vastness of the kingdom. His dark eyes narrowing whenever he saw something that displeased him. A slight cough brought him back to the realm in which he had tried to escape times ago, but failed to.
"I think my dear boy, that you should be entitled to marry her. By any means possible." The voice echoed against the marble walls surrounding the room.
A low growl erupted from within the man staring out the balcony window. "It's not that easy old man. I haven't seen her in ten fucking years. What if she looked like a hideous ugly old hag. Would you rather have your damn legacy tainted with someone who is so hideous you wouldn't even lay eyes on her?"
The man on the throne chucked. "My boy, I'll have you know, I had her picture sent here, so you could inspect it. Not even I have lay eyes on it yet." The man raised two curious eyebrows. "But I would expect you would want to see her beauty for yourself?"
The man facing the window snarled and turned around quickly. "Where the hell is it then?"
The older man pointed towards a corner, where an oddly shaped object was draped under a piece of blue silk. Obviously for the house of Vegetasei, the blue contracted the colors of the throne room.
He quickly ripped off the clothe, revealing to him, her face. He stifled a gasp. Her elegant face had grown since the last time he had remembered. Her sea blue eyes searching his face. Her blue hair piled upon her head, and that pale skin had a hint of rosy embarrassment upon it. She was what he had imagined. Her royal blue dress also added a hint of flirtation.
He turned back towards his father. "This is what you expect me to marry?" The other man nodded his head. "This is pathetic."
The older man's eyes widen. "What do you mean? She is one of the most beautiful women ever! You can't just expect her to throw away her beauty, so you can ensnarl her!"
"How do you know this is what she really looks like? What if she had this image painted to look more beautiful. What if she is naturally hideous?" Vegeta smirked at this response.
The fact was that he had seen her. She was every bit as beautiful as the picture described. But it had been ten years since he had last set eyes on her, and even though, he wasn't quite sure how she was going to react finding out the marriage bonded between the two planets.
He quickly snapped out of it, and stomped his way back to his father. "My boy, you understand that my time here is fading. Soon I'll be no more than a memory. My life has been well spent, but I can't continue to hope that you'll someday marry. You must now, before my death. It awaits me as you know it." The older man whispered. His dark eyes glazed over in sadness. "I can't keep from dying. I am not a god." He whispered the last words to his son.
Vegeta stared at his father. He always knew that this day would come. His father was old, he had lived a long life, and soon it would be him, Prince Vegeta who would become King of Vegetasei.
"It doesn't matter father. This can change everything. I think she's too young."
The older man smiled worriedly at his son. "She is twenty years old, Vegeta. An acceptable age to marry, as you well know it."
Prince Vegeta glared. Then as quickly as he had entered the room, he left it. The doors slammed back against the walls, as he stormed out, leaving a silence in his wake. Making the king wonder if he had insulted his son.
***
She screamed as she drifted lazily under the water. Laughter filled her lungs as she popped back up, smiling at her lady in waiting. "Chi, I swear you are too stiff. Have some fun, explore more!" She laughed again, as she waved her arms in the air, getting bubbles everywhere.
"It's not that lady, it's just that I have to take care of you, make sure you don't do anything insane. Or possibly crazy." The younger dark haired girl said.
"Oh Chi, What do you think he's like?" Bulma whispered the words softly. She had been thinking about her future husband. It had been announced just yesterday that her marriage to the planet Vegetasei was nearing. She was to marry a man she had never seen before. Or maybe she had seen him already?
The water warmed her pale skin as she blew bubbles around. "Well lady, he must be a kind hearted man."
Bulma snorted. "Kind hearted! Do you know what the Sayians are Chi? Ruthless, from what I have heard from father's council. It's amazing. I never thought I would have to get married. He never came to arrange the final installment of our marriage."
Chi Chi gasped at the words that were coming out of Bulma's mouth. "You shouldn't speak of them as if all they do is kill. I'm sure there is some good in their heritage."
Bulma sighed. "I wish life wasn't so cruel to me. I wish I had freedom. I could chose who to marry and when." She grinned. "And if I could chose when, then I would never get married!"
Chi Chi groaned. "We've been over this; you can't just say that about your husband. Wait; scratch that out, you can't say that in front of your future husband."
Bulma drifted under the water of her tub again. She stared out at the bubbles that floated above her head. Her thoughts were swarming. She just couldn't imagine what the prince might feel about her. She hoped he was handsome. She would be devastated if he ended up looked like... well worst possible scenario was that she would run away if that ever occurred.
All of the sudden she felt a hand pulling her out of the warm water. Chi glared at her. "Sometimes I think you will kill yourself by just floating underwater."
Bulma laughed. A warm towel as handed to her as she got out quickly, and Chi Chi turned around to exit and get ready for the evening meal.
"Lady you must hurry. You only have a half of an hour to get ready for the announcement dinner."
Bulma quickly picked up the simple royal blue dress that had been set near the tub. No decorations tonight, she would come out looking like herself. No diamonds and rubies. Hopefully her father would not insist.
Her fingers traced the simple design that was of a flower upon the sash. She felt cold. It looked like the dress she wore ten years ago at a ball. The night came crashing upon her again. She felt his fingers pulling against her once again...
A younger bulma sat at the table, looking bored. Her parents had left her to dance among the royals. Her boredom only extended until she took the napkin in her lap and began doodling on it. She drew a picture of her dancing, within the arms of a man. The features of the man hadn't been drawn out, but he was beautiful and he would be all hers.
A slight tap to her shoulder brought her out of her trance. She turned around and stared into the darkest black eyes she had ever seen. But when she took a closer look at the man, he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen.
The blue cape he wore sweep around him, and his up stood hair looked like a widow's peak. He was very handsome. But then again Bulma thought every man was handsome at the ball.
He extended an arm out to her, for dancing. She graciously took the arm as he swept her up and in an instant she was dancing. He leaned his head closer to her.
"What's your name?" His voice was smoky and at the same time, beautiful.
"Bulma." She whispered back to him.
"Bulma." He weighed each letter as if it were special in its own secret way.
They danced, with his arm around her slender waist. He pulled her closer as his other hand found its way through her blue hair. "You have beautiful hair," he whispered.
She smiled at him. His dark eyes bored down into her own icy blue eyes. He seemed to radiate an aura of power around him. Making him seem powerful and at the same time dangerous. Then as soon as the dance had begun it ended as he gave her a bow.
"It was a lovely dance, Bulma. I hope we will see each other sometime again." Then as quickly as he as came, he left.
Bulma stood there near her table, dazed. She hadn't even asked him his name. It was odd, but she left a surge of happiness flow through her. Then quickly she ran after him into the side gardens.
She looked around hoping to see his face staring back at her, but all she got was a garden filled with roses.
She slumped against the wall, staring down at the crumpled napkin she had taken from the table. She now knew what she would draw upon the man's face.
Her eyes watered and for a moment she let the breeze cascade across her body. Her eyes couldn't stop the tears from coming.
Bulma jumped as a hand tapped her back. "Milady, if I didn't know better, I would think that you were avoiding the dinner with your family."
Bulma nodded her head quickly. But as she turned around, Chi Chi caught the tear that had fallen from her face.
"Miss..." Chi Chi began.
"It's alright Chi, you may leave me. I have other obligations to attend to before I go to the dinner. You are excused."
Chi Chi curtsied, and left the room.
Bulma quickly walked into her room, and opened the drawer to her nightstand. She searching until she found the wooden box. She opened the box to find the napkin she had at that dance ten years ago. It was still crumpled, but she had always kept it close to her heart, in case he came back to her.
She always thought it might have been a figment of her imagination, that a man like that could come into her life and change everything that she had ever known.
She didn't know anything about him, yet she fell for him. Those dark eyes, that hair, and the smile that had graced his lips. She knew that wherever he was, he would always have a piece of her heart.
She had finished the drawing of his face and hair that night in her room. It resembled him to a extend. But even she could not draw out those perfect features.
She quickly put the napkin away as she heard a knock at the front of her room. Noticing that she only had a simple under dress and nothing else, she called out, "Just a moment please."
She ran into the large bathroom and pulled the royal blue dress over her head. Running her hands down her sides to sooth out the clothe that had gotten a bit wrinkled. She pulled the blue sash around her waist tightly and ran into her bedroom.
As she opened the door, she looked at her appearance from the left side of her room which contained a large mirror.
Sighing, she opened the door to greet a guard. "Milady, The King requests your services in the ball room."
She thought for a second. She was seriously walking into her own grave. Her father was bound to have all the nobles there to announce her marriage to Vegetasei. This was an utter nightmare.
It wasn't bad enough that she had to sit through twenty hours in total to have a painting of herself done, so that the heir to the throne of Vegetasei could get a good examination of her. But now a dinner to announce her marriage. Like she even wanted to get married.
The guard who had knocked looked down at her curiously. "Are we to be leaving, Milady?"
"Yes," she said nodding towards the two other guards who were stationed at her door to protect her.
The men took a step forward, and the guard who had knocked on her door led the way to the ball room.
She paused as she stared across the gardens. The palace had open windows across the back of it. Thinking about it, she knew she would never see what she was seeing, once she was married.
She was bound to her husband and duty to serve him. This was her ultimate downfall. She was doomed to a life as a slave. It was cruel but true to a sense.
As they neared the ball room, Bulma touched her hair to make sure it was in place. The doors swung open with a loud thump.
Several dozen eyes looked upon her. She felt her cheeks turning red at the sight. Apparently her father had invited more than she had expected.
A polite applause rippled across the crowd. Her father and mother approached her.
Her mother gave her a hug. "Oh my sweet girl, you do not know how long we have been waiting for this day. Now you will be married."
Bulma could only nod her head in response. The sight was overwhelming. She felt like fainting.
Then her father began to speak to her. "King Vegeta will be glad that his son Prince Vegeta is marrying you, my dear."
"Prince Vegeta?" Bulma fumbled with the words. She had never even met the prince, how was she supposed to know him at all?
"Yes my dear. Did you forget that the Prince was supposed to be your husband?" Bulma stared at her father. He never mentioned a man named Vegeta, ever to her. Well of course he had mentioned getting married, but this was the first time she had heard her soon to be husband's name.
She nodded again, not quite sure what she was nodding to. "He will be arriving in a day or two days to commence with the wedding. If we're lucky he should arrive tonight."
Bulma gasped. "But father you never mentioned this to me! How could you just allow him to come! I don't even know what he looks like! What if he is ugly? What if I hate him?" Bulma was now screaming at her father.
Her father looked embarrassed. "Bulma, it's just that you knew this day would come. It's not as if you didn't. I just hoped that you would cooperate more." The king's cheeks brightened.
She was horrified. This was not her day. She turned around and left the room. No one dared to follow her. She could feel the tears burning down her face. How would she ever be able to love a man she had never seen before?
She ran towards the stables, where her horse was bound to be. She collapsed onto the soft hay and began to cry. Her dreams shattered in a moment of knowing his name.
She continued to cry until she had no more tears for him. She got up, brushing stray pieces of hay from her hair and dress. She turned in the dark to see which horse was hers. Towards the end of the left, she saw Dew standing in her stall, watching Bulma.
She quickly pulled the horse forward into a slow walk. Then she pulled on the reins, pulling herself up into a side saddle position. She turned the horse left, towards the Oak beech fields. No one would figure that she had gone there. They would all think that she had gone towards the Tree Side fields.
The night was cold. The wind whipped at her dress, only reminding her of the ball, ten years ago. She knew if she lived, she would never see him again. Never taste his lips upon hers. Her husband would make sure of that.
Her eyes wouldn't allow her to cry anymore. The tears were all gone, if she could she wouldn't. Her life as it was was no more than a mere lie. She closed her eyes, until she felt at one with herself. Not noticing the galloping of a horse nearby until the sound became unbearable. Not bothering to turn around, as a hand grasped her shoulder to spin her around.
***
The end of chapter one. I hope you enjoyed it. I was going to put more Vegeta into it, but I didn't want to spoil their second encounter. Well if you want, you can review. The next chapter won't be out till later this week. It actually takes me a while to put my thoughts in writing. Thanks for reading.