Summary: In a medieval-like fantasy world, Son Gohan meets a young woman, Videl, who comes to West City in search of medicinal herbs to develop a cure for a mysterious illness which is killing people in Orange Star, her home. Will she achieve her goal before it's too late? Who will help (or delay) her? Gohan/Videl

Disclaimer: Do I own DBZ? HA! I wish… (sigh) A story partly-inspired by Game of Thrones, which I do not own either.

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Previously…

Later on, Gohan eyed suspiciously at Trunks as they rode on horseback through the country, but none said a single word. He noticed something was the matter with him. Both Trunks and Gohan had already set out to the nearest harbour to board on a ship which would take them to Orange Star. If they were lucky, they'd find Videl before she could have managed to sail away. If they weren't, they would have to cross the sea. In that case, they hoped the tide would carry them fast enough to land on its shores by the afternoon.

Gohan was obviously worried for Videl, but all the time he rode on and on through the countryside he could only feel the cold breath of a ghost creeping into his soul. That vision, or whatever that had been, had caused a long-lasting dreadful effect on him. If what he had seen were to become true someday…

Maybe spending the rest of his days defending the Demon Realm Doors amongst other godforsaken men wouldn't be that bad…

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Chapter 12: Dragon Ball, the legend

Just a few hours later, it was not long after sunrise when Videl was about to set sail for Orange Star on a ship with some really weird company. The captain of the ship, a tall guy whose name was Dabra, was having a hard time trying not to die of shame in front of Videl, and that was the reason why: the Ginyu Force was shamelessly performing a pathetic self-introductory dance for Videl.

"Recoome!"

"Burter!"

"Jeice!"

"Guldo!"

"Ginyu!"

"Together We Are The…" All of them gloriously sang in unison. "Ginyu Force!"

When they had finished dancing and yelling their parts, they froze in a highly-uncomfortable pose, smiling as if what they were doing was the coolest thing ever. Dabra had one of those tell-tale sweat drop hanging from his brow and he was frowning in disbelief at their own stupidity. He was already used to it, but Videl had never seen such a thing and she was shocked. When she realised the show was over and that the five men were staring at her, she just clapped her hands a little bit just to be polite. Then, the whole team got together to talk about their performance and how it could be enhanced.

"Please, don't hold it against them. Or me." Dabra then whispered to Videl feeling ashamed. "They actually think it's cool, but as long as they work efficiently I'm not thinking of firing them. Other captains have given them the sack the minute they witnessed this foolishness, but they're actually good sailors. I hope you can bear their stupid dancing poses during our trip. They mean no harm, you know."

"OK, fair enough." Videl agreed. She thought that having to endure such childish performances seemed unimportant in comparison to what would happen to her if she was found and taken back to West City: she'd be killed by the king. Or so that blonde woman had told her. Because she was a bastard princess.

"The other members of the crew are more or less normal guys." Dabra went on, distracting her from her own thoughts. "They dislike those dances as much as I do, but at least they tolerate it better than most people." Dabra was referring to the other members of the crew if that ship: Freeza, Buu and Babidi, who by the way were still doing their chores, cleaning the deck and carrying crates full of goods to sell. "May I offer you a cup of wine or some other refreshment? Come with me to my office room, and we'll talk for a while before we set sail. It's going to take a while until all those crates have been boarded."

They were headed to Dabra's office when, out of the blue, two guys appeared out of nowhere and started to attack the members of the crew. The attackers were really fast. Babidi was the first to fall on his back unconscious. Being as he was a small weakling thing, he wasn't good at fighting at all. Buu seemed rather strong but he was taken by surprise and fell overboard into the water down below. He didn't know how to swim, so he just started yelling like a little child. The Ginyu Force tried to do as usual, that is, they tried to introduce themselves to the newcomers by dancing once more, but they failed horribly because before they could actually finish the two attackers punched their faces and kicked their asses so badly that the guys flew overboard to God-knows-where. Dabra and Videl rushed out to see what was going on. Freeza was the last member of the crew to pose a threat, and he fought valiantly until Videl decided to stop that madness:

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Videl exclaimed frowning.

"Videl, there's been a mistake."

The sound of his voice was so familiar that it hurt.

"Thank God you're OK!" Trunks replied immediately, not wasting a single second to appease her anger. He rushed to be by her side while her dear Gohan was standing right there, a few feet from them, frozen as he was staring at her with both regret and desire. But Trunks demanded her whole attention: his honest puppy eyes denoted his eagerness to tell her something which was of vital importance. "King Hercule doesn't want to kill you! You have to believe me! There is no reason why you should flee to Orange Star. Your life is not in danger. We know what really happened. That woman you met last night was an ex-lover of the king who wanted to harm both of you. Her name is Android 18, and she only wanted to cause upheaval, even though she is actually your biological mother. King Hercule means no treat on your life, Videl. The story she told you was all a lie… well, most of it, I guess."

"What do you mean by that?" She asked back feeling somehow calmer then now that her life wasn't in danger anymore.

"I mean that you really are King Hercule's daughter, and therefore a princess. That's true." He smiled back at her. "But also the only lawful heir to the throne. She didn't tell you that, right?"

"No way…" She whispered back in disbelief. "Hey, but what about Prince Yamcha? He is the lawful heir! Not me!"

"In fact, Yamcha was the Queen's bastard son, not the King's. He was the outcome of incest, actually. The other offspring that the King has ever had has been killed on the former Queen's command. All of them but you, of course. The King has proclaimed that you're his lawful daughter."

"Oh my God!" She couldn't believe it.

"The king was so angry tonight that he wanted to get rid of the Queen, her brother and their incestuous son."

"What?" Videl asked in disbelief.

"It's true." Trunks replied.

"A bit rash, isn't it?" Videl frowned.

"Rash? They lied to him. It's a legally punishable offense against the king, and therefore it is considered treason. The only punishment that ensues such actions is death by beheading."

"OK…" She didn't sound convinced, basically because she was still trying hard not to doubt that her life was in danger. "But I'm still a bastard daughter. I know what that means in this country. I don't get why the king might still want me. He could still marry someone else and have legitimate offspring. Why should he stick with me?"

"No one dares to say it out loud, but he's rather old. In addition, he doesn't seem to want to trust a woman again. So, you're the only one left. The Queen had commanded to kill all the king's bastards in Capital City, but you were spared because you were sent away. In a way, that was a blessing. Now King Hercule prefers to spare your life. He'll probably marry Android 18, if she consents, which will automatically make you a rightful daughter. Hopefully, that will be the end of it."

"Why does he want to marry the woman who's just tried to harm him? I don't get it." She found it hard to believe. "If he doesn't trust women anymore, why marry her or accept me? I'm still a woman, you know."

"I honestly think it's only because of you, to make you a lawful heir in front of the whole country. Besides, my father had spoken so fondly of you that I don't think the king considers you a threat. You're his own flesh and blood. I wouldn't hesitate if I were you. He means to protect you and stand by your side when you finally meet each other. He'll be a great father, I'm sure. You'll have a wonderful life. You'll be a princess!"

"What if I don't want to?" She asked seriously.

"What? You can't be serious!" Trunks replied not believing what he was hearing. "Who would not like to become a princess?"

"Me, for example." Videl replied seriously.

"Videl, you must be joking. Please, reconsider."

"I won't. It's actually very simple: I already have got a father." She explained rather straightforwardly. "He's waiting for me in his deathbed in Orange Star. I need to save him. I have developed the cure that not only can save him, but also a whole country. I have a mission to fulfil."

"You can't be serious."

"No, you can't be serious about this. I'm not forsaking my dear old father for a new one." She replied calmly and with great determination.

The argument went on and then Trunks suggested that the ship should set sail to Capital City immediately. Videl gasped amazed and didn't like that attitude one bit. Dabra was being pushed by both sides, but he eventually did as Trunks commanded. Videl couldn't believe it. She was angry like never before.

Gohan, who had been standing at the back of the scene doing and saying nothing, got closer to her and tried to calm her down.

"I know you need to come back," He said with a warm but sad voice. "I know how much your adoptive father means to you, but you must acknowledge that being a princess puts you in a dangerous position now: you cannot lead a 'normal' life anymore." He softly touched both her shoulders then. "You're of noble blood. You have new responsibilities. Some people might even want to kill you or kidnap you just because you're a princess. But don't worry. We're here to protect you. It'll be safer if you go to Capital City and stay in the palace. We'll send a dove to your adoptive father to tell him about the news. He'll understand."

"I warn you." Videl replied right on the verge of tears. She didn't want that kind of life. She wanted to come back to her 'real' home, the one she had known all her life, the one she had grown up in. And then she went on: "If my father dies before I can get back home, I'll blame you, Gohan. And you, Trunks. His death will be on you." She warned both young men with fiery eyes.

She got rid of Gohan's hands on her shoulders and stormed back inside the ship. Gohan was left speechless. Trunks was the only one who dared to break the silence.

"I need to send a dove to the king immediately." He said seriously. "I need to tell him the good news. Captain Dabra, may I use your office?"

Dabra just noded.

"Good. We need to set sail for Capital City immediately. Get your men back and tell them to get going. The king will pay you handsomely for any inconvenience. I'll make sure of it."

Dabra was quite satisfied with the result of the whole thing and did as told with the Freeza's help. Gohan was left alone on the deck.

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A few minutes later, the ship was on its way to Capital City and then Videl heard a soft knock on her chamber's door. She had been sitting on a large table, staring at the waves endlessly undulating outside the round window of her private cabin.

"Who's there?" She asked rather annoyed to have company then. She just wanted to be left alone.

"It's me, Gohan." He replied sadly.

"Come in. The door's not locked." She replied with mild exhaustion, wondering what Gohan might want to tell her.

When Trunks and he had beaten up the members of the crew, he had only stared at her and had never said a single word until it had been clear that Videl was mad at Trunks for not letting her go to Orange Star. But she imagined that Gohan would tell her something then that he might have not dared to say in public, specially bearing in mind the awful way they had departed from each other.

"What is it, Gohan?" Videl said almost whispering, fearing to know the answer. "Tell me."

"Direct. OK… Hummm…" Gohan replied not knowing how to react as he was closing the door behind him.

"I don't wanna lose a single minute with you. For obvious reasons." Her eyes glowed in anticipation of something else, something with more desire than she was willing to admit. He slowly came towards her. "You mean so much to me. That hasn't changed. But I assume you're here because you're mad at me for using a sedative on you to get rid of you in the stables. And I also bet you're extra mad at me for fleeing. And last but not least, I think you're so fucking mad at me because I ruined your marriage proposal."

"You didn't ruin it." He whispered back apologetically even though he wasn't the one who needed to apologise. "You did what you thought was best." Then he sat on the large wooden table right beside her.

"I think so too." She replied sadly. "Had I accepted your proposal, I wouldn't be able to keep my word now that I'm officially a lawful princess. I'm awfully sorry… for everything I've done, for everything that's happened."

"I know." He replied also sadly. "But you must know that I'm not mad, and that I'm not accepting any apology on your behalf, not because I don't want to forgive you, but because you don't need to be forgiven."

"So now what?" She asked defeated.

"You need to know that you're going to Capital City so that you can be formally introduced to your biological father, the other nobles, the clergy and the peasants. A bountiful celebration will take place in your honour. You'll get married to my brother Trunks and you will live happily ever after."

"What?"

"Your father, the king, wants both of you to get married. It's a good alliance. But besides that, I don't know whether you actually ever noticed that Trunks has been nurturing feelings for you ever since he had met you. He'll be a loving husband, unlike so many these days. Nobles don't usually marry for love, you know."

"You must be kidding me! But… what about you?"

"Me?" Gohan just smirked a bit and his eyes shied away to the floor. "I'm just a bastard, remember? I have a duty to fulfil guarding the Demon Realm Doors. As soon as you're safe and sound in the palace in Capital City, I will leave and never see you again."

"Wait! What? No!" She exclaimed frustrated. Her pupils were trembling as she stared with incredulity at the love of her life.

"Once a soldier departs to the Demon Realm Doors, his duty in life is to guard them, to make sure no one trespasses, until he dies."

"That is so unfair!" Videl frowned, but then her face lightened a little bit when a brand new idea dawned on her. "I can change that! I'm a princess. I might have some power now so that I can change your fate! Why don't I just…?"

"My father has tried, and tried, and tried. No exceptions are made for bastards. End of the story."

"Don't underestimate my stubbornness." She replied a bit daringly.

"I know what you're capable of." He smiled briefly at her. "But you don't need to worry for me." He said sadly as he walked to the door and opened it to leave. "I won't be fine, wherever I go, wherever I am, no matter what you do."

"You're giving up. It's not fair." She said with her wounded pride on the tip of her lips. "There must be a way! At least let me try!"

Then he closed the door once more and frowned.

"Try this." He said in a rush with his bottled-up feelings bubbling higher and higher like the content of a bottle of champagne.

He breached the distance between them in a couple of angry strides of his, took her face into both his hands, and kissed her as if there was no tomorrow. That caught her off-guard. It felt as if he was leaving her forever, and then in the blink of an eye they were so radically intimate once more.

"The last one." He whispered back at her with sadness. "Goodbye, Videl."

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The silhouettes of two young men leaned on the side of the ship observing the skyline and outlined by the orange rays of that warm afternoon sun. Their wintry clothing had to be removed, because the weather in Capital City was much warmer, and their exposed, well-built arms could bask in the gentle, lively sunrays of the afternoon. The sea was gently rocking the ship as it slowly approached its final destination.

"Capital City is beautiful! A lot more than I could've ever imagined!" Trunks exclaimed with joy. "Kami was quite mistaken. He said it was a great city, but this looks like paradise itself to me. Look at the sun! Have you ever seen a sun like this?"

"The temperatures are much warmer, yes." Gohan said dryly, as though he could never be happy again.

"Warmer than you at least, brother." Trunks replied with sarcasm, but he went on as happy as before. "Why are you so gloomy anyway? You got a temporary reprieve. You should enjoy it. Maybe the king will think twice about your fate."

"I'll bear that in mind." Gohan answered as dryly as before, not daring to look straight at him.

Gohan was acting weirdly to his brother because he was aching inside. Even though he was hopelessly in love in Videl and seeing her one more time had been the only reason that kept him alive, Gohan wasn't sure whether later he'd dare to abandon her and leave for the Demon Realm Doors eventually, as he had said he would do. On top of that, before leaving West City he had heard the worst piece of news that his ears could've ever heard: Trunks was to marry Videl. It didn't strike him as odd, it actually made sense, but the pain he felt was like a thousand thorns stinging his tender flesh.

'Once I leave and join the men at the Demon Realm Doors,' Gohan thought with sadness. 'I won't see her anymore. If I could, though, the sight of her with another man would kill me on the spot. I don't think I could outlive that. I love my brother, but I don't think I can take this. I'm afraid of what I could do. If I lose my mind, I'll lose my head too, physically – by an axe or a sword.' He thought as his right hand unconsciously was shot to the spot where her sea shell necklace with his silver ring was hidden beneath his clothing. It was cleverly concealed because he didn't want anyone to know he had a token of her love. He wondered whether he should give it back to her.

Time flew by. They were about to descend to the docks when a large amount of guards welcomed Trunks and Gohan.

One of the guards waiting on the docks, a short bald guy called Krillin, was dressed like a general in fact. He was leading a group of guards from King Hercule's palace, under his command. The king had sent a dove to let them know about the current state of affairs and that the princess was arriving home. The group of men was impressive: they were a bunch of well-built killing machines called Piccolo, Tien, Cell, Bandages the mummy, and Spike the devil man. Their reputation as ruthless soldiers preceded them wherever they went.

"Guards, the King will arrive in a couple of days, he says." Krillin tells them. "He says there's a lot of work to be done here, in Capital City, when he arrives. He says that we should welcome the new princess as if she was a queen. She is the lawful heir to the throne! We shall obey her orders. Guards, you know your duty! Make the king feel proud of you!"

The guards straightened their pose and welcomed the new princess and her friends in Capital City as they came down.

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In the meantime, in West City…

"Are you sure this will work?" Erasa asked Ranfan with mild hesitation.

"Of course it will." Ranfan replied whispering. "Now shut up or we'll be spotted!"

The two girls had hidden themselves in a large cart containing clothes, furnishings, food and drink, and tons of other stuff which belonged to the king. He had ordered the servants to pack his things so that he could depart to Capital City immediately. Erasa and Ranfan got the chance to sneak in and hide themselves among all the king's stuff. The plan was to get to Capital City to start a brand new life as cabaret singers and dancers in the greatest nomad artistic company in the country: Le Cirque de la Lune. At the moment, they were residing temporarily in Capital City for a couple of months. The girls wanted to take their shot at the auditions. They were confident they would be taken as part of the crew.

"I swear it'll work, Erasa." Ranfan whispered back at her, smirking. "We're on our way to success."

"Indeed we are, sister." Erasa smiled back at her.

The king's servants were ready and closed the cart's back doors. Everything had been packed to leave.

"Good!" King Hercule roared. "Now, let's go already!"

And the king and his servants left to Capital City, eager to meet the new princess.

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Meanwhile, in Capital City…

"Once upon a time, there was a father and a mother…" A young mother was telling a tale to her four-year-old daughter before sleeping in a god-forsaken brothel of the most-densely-populated cities in the kingdom. The other bedrooms in the building were not so quiet and full of love like that one. "…whose baby son had made them very happy when he was born. He was the loveliest creature in the world, and the belonged to a long noble lineage of heroes and kings who could always win over evil and defeat all the monsters. They could master the power of fire emerging from their hands, of what is known as ki, and they could ride dragons in the sky with ease."

The child was listening intently because that was his favourite story, but it was not a normal story. No, it wasn't. I was a legend, the greatest legend ever told. And the velvet voice of his mother was the finest narrator there could ever be.

"King Vegeta, the father, was a mighty man. He was the most powerful of them all. He had no rival in the battlefield. And Queen Bulma, the queen, was the most beautiful woman who had ever lived on this earth. But, oh, she was also the most intelligent! She was wise, and quick, and sharp like no other. One day the king and the queen gave a token of their love to their baby son: a Dragon Ball. It was a hand-sized round orangey ball with a red star in the centre. But it wasn't just a ball! In fact it was a dragon egg. The story tells that there will be a day when the ball ignites and then a new dragon shall be born. When that day comes, it means that the baby boy can become a king, that he's ready to rule. And the king and the queen were waiting with joy to see how their baby son would grow up strong and healthy, and someday become a dutiful king when the awaited day would come… but suddenly, a usurper raised an army against them and took their power. The king didn't know what to do but send away his beloved wife and son to a faraway place during the awful battle."

"Mommy, can we skip this part." The four-year-old told his mother frowning. "I don't like this part of the story."

"I know you don't like it, but it's an important part, Jason." She complained mildly. "Now, where was I? Oh, yes! The battle took place and hundreds of men died, but the battle wouldn't be over until either the king or the usurper had exhaled their last breath. And that was when King Vegeta…"

"Mommy, why did King Vegeta die then if he was the mightiest man in the world?"

"He was getting old or ill. Who knows. But the fact is that he lost the battle and died." The mother replied sadly. "The queen wept and wept for days until the usurper's army found her and killed her. But before she was killed, the legend says that she was able to hide her little son somewhere in the country, in a place amongst wolves in which she knew he would never be found, so that he could grow up and, hopefully, one day… What will happen one day according to the story, Jason?" She asked him with joy.

"The Dragon Ball will appear to him, a new dragon will be born – that's how we know he's the chosen one – and the new prince will come to us and reign! He will avenge his family, kill the usurper and be a brand new king!" Jason exclaimed with joy, too.

"Good boy! You know the story so well." She said giggling.

"It's not a story, mommy! It's the greatest legend ever told!"

"It's just a stupid story, you know." A cold male voice replied over Jason's mother's shoulder.

The man who had spoken was very tall and well-built. His skin was green, his eyes were pink. He was one of the regular customers of that brothel, and also one of the king's best guards.

"Oh, it's you, Cell." The mother replied. "You startled me. What do you want?"

"You know, I never thought you were a traitor."

"A what?"

"Speaking of the kings of the past is treason." Cell replied coldly, getting hold of his sword. "It's forbidden and you know it."

"C-Cell, it's j-just a s-story." She started stammering in fear. "Please forgive me. I just… I just…"

"Mommy, who's this man?" Little Jason asked.

"You treacherous whore…" Cell whispered back in anger.

Out of the blue, he cut her in half in front of the innocent eyes of her own son. She was dead in a heartbeat. Little Jason was so frozen that he forgot how to scream.

"You know, little son of a bitch," Cell told him as he put his sword back in the sheath. "it's a false legend. Your mother was always inventing weird stories and lies, that bitch. She's better off dead. You're welcome."

But why kill a whore if the legend she had told was not true?

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Hello my lovelies!

Don't you hate it when real life gets so fucking real that you get sucked in all the mess and you can't even breathe for a second (or spend at least some minutes writing a story you've got written half-way through)? Anyway, I'm back, but I don't think I'll be as punctual as before… I'll try my best.

Soooo… did you enjoy today's chapter? Do you think Videl will be able to do something about Gohan's fate? Will she ever be able to come back to Orange Star and save her adoptive father? Will she marry Trunks? Will Erasa and Ranfan succeed in the auditions and become professional cabaret dancers?

All this and more… in the next chapter! :)

XOXO

Denim Jean