I do not own DBZ or any of its characters. Isolda and Alpin are my original characters. I do not make any money from the writing of this fanfic.

Chapter 2

Freezing at the words, Isolda shook her head in disbelief, "No," she protested, knowing it was useless. The rules of the fights that went on during the Seiteki Festival were simple. If there was a female that the loser was responsible for, and the winner wanted, he claimed her and she was his. There was no way out, it had been this way for centuries.

Still, she found herself looking to her brother and King Cold for help. Alpin refused to meet her eyes, ashamed he'd failed her. The King's lips curved into a pleased smile. Of course, he'd wanted this the whole time.

"Isolda Otome Hitori," the King's voice boomed over her, smothering her, "I bond you to my son, Cooler Sai Cold. You will be his until your death, and he yours."

And just like that, Isolda found herself mated to a monster forever. Falling to her knees, she fell forward on her hands, tears streaming from her eyes. Taking one glance at the broken look on Alpin's face as he turned away from her, she looked away again. King Cold followed her brother, and left her crying in the dirt, alone with Cooler. Jumping when she felt his strong tail curl around her waist and lift her in the air, Isolda found herself being turned to face him.

Red eyes moved across her face, lingering on her lips for a moment before meeting her own blue eyes. Frowning, Cooler grunted and turned towards the wing of the castle his quarters were in, carrying her behind him. Not sure she could possibly feel any lower, Isolda fought the urge to bite his tail and allowed him to carry her. Now and then, more tears would escape, but she pushed them down. She wouldn't cry in front of him. She would never give him a reason to think her weak or useless ever again. The Prince carried her all the way up to the fourth floor of the castle, stopping in front of a large oak door. Setting her down in front of him none too gently, Cooler released his tail only to set a controlling hand on her shoulder. Opening the door, he steered her in.

"Is this your room? she asked, peering around at the dark furniture. The shiny black sheets on the bed looked cold rather than inviting.

"No," the Prince pressed a hand against her back, nudging her further in, "I do not keep a room at my father's castle. This is one of his extra rooms." The door shut behind her and she turned to see Cooler locking it. Striding past her, he turned on a light in the bathroom across the room. Turning the shower on, he glanced back at her over his shoulder, "If you think I'm going to let you walk around looking like that, you're very mistaken. You're my responsibility, and I'll be damned if you embarrass or disappoint me."

Despite being scared out of her mind, Isolda managed a sour look, but headed into the bathroom anyway, "You could have just mentioned a shower," she mumbled.

Giving a frustrated growl, Cooler moved to leave but stopped, "Wash well, little one," he purred menacingly, and Isolda felt her spine shake violently as he left, giving her one last, cruel smile.

...

It didn't take her long to wash up. He had enough time to send an order down to the kitchen and receive it before she stepped out of the bathroom. Her white skin shimmered in the sunlight coming in from the windows and her slender tail curled shyly in and around her legs. Cooler admired the gentle curves of her body as she came towards him. When Cooler found himself wondering what she looked like without the armor plating over her chest, he tried to cool his thoughts down by focusing on the food that had arrived.

"Are you hungry?" he offered a well-stacked plate to her.

Blue eyes widening, she raised her face to look at him. Hands coming up as if it might be a trick, she took the plate from him with a barely audible, "Thank you."

Smirking, Cooler motioned for her to sit, beginning to fill his own plate. Sitting opposite her at the small table for two by the only window, he dug in. He was halfway done with his plate before he realized she hadn't touched a single scrap of her food. Poking at it with a knife, she flinched when he said her name.

"Isolda, are you alright?" If she was mentally ill, he'd kill himself for claiming her at the festival.

"Y-yes,," she blinked up at him, "I'm fine."

The heat on her cheeks hinted at what had really been on her mind and Cooler grinned, setting his plate aside, "What have you been thinking, Isolda?"

The young Ice-Jin woman licked her lips and opened her mouth only to snap it shut again, "Nothing," she finally murmured.

A deep chuckle escaped him as he rose to his feet, "Come here," he commanded, waiting for her to stand.

Hesitantly, she went to him, her tail quivering behind her. Stopping an arms length away from him, Isolda stared at her feet. Reaching out, he slid his fingers around her throat and used his thumb to tilt her head back. He could see she didn't like having her neck exposed to him one bit.

"You are brave for a female," he observed and she met his eyes. Most crumpled into heaps if he so much as looked at them, "But after tonight, you will not be the same."

Whimpering, her eyes darted to the bed and he laughed, releasing her.

"What did you think was going to happen? We're a couple now, how can you be my mate if we haven't mated?"

Shrinking away from him, Isolda sat back down, "Do we...have to do it right now?"

Scoffing, Cooler slapped his tail against the floor, "No, you damned female, you don't have to do anything."

Flinching, she sat in silence as he fumed in the middle of the room. What good was a wife that didn't want to get in bed with him? The little brat had no idea how grateful she should be for his father's demand that Cooler marry her. Her status and way of life had instantly risen to the highest of any living female Ice Jin. King Cold no longer had a Queen, and Frieza was too young to have a mate.

Isolda cleared her throat with a small cough, "My lord...I didn't mean to offend you." Cooler turned to find her blue eyes pleading with his. "I will be a good wife, my lord. I just..."

"Oh shut up," Cooler turned away and headed for the door, "Eat your meal and do as you wish, but don't leave this room," he ordered, "I will be back soon." He wanted to chuck the door at her, but instead, slammed it hard enough to crack.

...

Cooler met his brother, Frieza on his way to his father's throne room. Frieza was just coming out. Grimacing, Cooler tried to ignore the annoying boy as he passed, but Frieza stopped and turned to call to him.

"How is your new mate?"

"She's fine."

A knowing smile pulled at Frieza's lips, "Father says he expects grandchildren soon. I told him I wasn't so sure."

Fists clenching, Cooler showed no other sign of his anger, but it was enough. Frieza giggled to himself, pleased he had found a new button to press.

"I'll give father grandchildren if I feel like it," Cooler growled, "Isolda is mine now and I'll do whatever I want with her."

"Of course," the pestering boy shrugged and turned away, "You always do what you want, dear brother. Why should now be any different?"

Staring after him suspiciously, Cooler hesitated only a moment before striding forward to speak with his father. King Cold sat in his throne as if he'd been waiting for Cooler. Maybe he was. Kneeling before the throne, Cooler straightened and flexed his tail in agitation.

"I hear you're already expecting grandchildren."

Laughing, the King of the Ice-Jins stood and went to his son, "You don't think I set you up with that little Jin for no reason, did you? I wanted your children to be the best, to carry on my bloodline."

Snorting, Cooler crossed his arms, "From what I've seen of Isolda so far, father, I'd be just as well off mating with any other woman."

"Then you haven't seen enough," the King chuckled secretly, "She will show you why I picked her for you. Just give her time."

"About that father," Cooler was confident in his question, he'd never asked for anything else before, "I wanted to ask for a time of leave, to take my new wife home and...show her the ropes."

"How long were you planning?"

"A month."

"Double it."

"What?" Cooler backed up a step. He was his father's number one planet harvester, barely given any time off, and now his father was saying okay to two months.

"Grandchildren aren't going to be born if you never bed your wife."

Never knowing his father to be eager for more children to roam around and pester him, Cooler was skeptical, but two months off... In that time, he could have that little Jin woman wrapped around his finger, "Thank you, father," he said at length.

"Think nothing of it. In fact, consider it a wedding present."

Why did he feel like he'd walked into a trap?

"Thank you," he said again.

The larger Jin slapped him on the back, laughing, "Thank me by getting back to that wife of yours." Cooler found himself being turned towards the entry hall again, "Was that all you wanted, son?"

"Yes father. I will see you in two months."

"Two months!" the King repeated happily, and practically shoved him out of the throne room, shutting the door behind him.

Remaining there, staring at the door in shock, Cooler wondered what in the world his father was up to and what it had to do with Isolda. Someone owed him answers, and his father was obviously not going to be that someone. Snorting, he turned on his heel to go back to his room and question the only person he could think of.

...

After eating her fill, Isolda wandered aimlessly around the room, trying to find anything that would tell her something about her new mate. Cooler had left nothing personal in the room, as far as she could tell. There were decorations on the walls, but none of them seemed to match him. Everything was so...formal, contained, and the warrior prince didn't seem like that at all. Sitting on the bed, she leaned back against the pillows and found a distinct scent rising from them. Blushing a little, she lifted one into her arms and hugged it to her chest, sniffing delicately. It was his scent. The scent of the clean winds that blew over the frozen tundra of their world. The only thing in the entire room that spoke of him was the bed.

Swinging her feet off the edge, she kept the pillow clutched in her arms and made her way to one of the windows. Seeing that it led out onto a balcony, she unlatched the windows and stepped out. The cold air felt good and natural against her skin, the alien room had started to unnerve her. Leaning against the railing of the balcony, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Life was going to be very different from here on out. She was no longer just Isolda, now she was Princess Isolda. Panic made her heart thrum, she didn't have the slightest clue as to what her duties or responsibilites as princess were. She'd sworn to herself to not give Cooler another reason to think less of her bloodline, but how did she keep that oath if she didn't know her job?

Biting her lip, she wished Alpin were there, but in the next moment, she felt a flash of anger deep in her heart. It was all his fault she was here after all. She hadn't asked for any of this. If he'd just declined the Prince... But she knew he never would have. His honor would not let him. It was the same honor that kept him from helping her on the platform earlier.

Tears started falling again, and she buried her face in the pillow she held. Her heart and brain warring with each other, sadness and anger whirling through her like a storm. Sobbing, she didn't hear the door to Cooler's room open and close behind her.