Chapter 61. Introductions
It wasn't Akane's time just yet when the King decided to introduce his son first.
"My son and heir, Trunks." Vegeta spoke, looking to the lavender-haired young demi standing close to the entrance. "Come, boy."
The young Prince disappeared and popped back into being at his father's side. It was cleverly done. Had Akane been him, she would have opted for showing off that skill as well. Everybody gathered there was in awe of the young boy. None had ever seen a technique as awesome as that.
Trunks no longer looked nervous. He too left it behind as he introduced himself. He told the gathering about how he had traveled time in the machine his mother built to avenge their people by killing both Frieza and Cold on Earth. The whispers were sceptical ones, even if the young Prince had just shown them such an extraordinary skill. The King urged him to demonstrate the power that had enabled him to defeat the then two strongest beings in the universe. When Trunks phased into his super form, the whispers turned into gasps and cries of amazement.
Seeing the reaction his friend received from the crowd, Kakarot's young son Goten couldn't refrain from phasing into his super form as well and then Aina, roused by the flaring battle powers of the two boys, made her mop of red hair turn bright blonde with a very fierce little cry. This caused Kakarot, who was still holding her, to startle and phase into his own super form. At that Vegeta could no longer stave off his prideful nature and he phased into super as well, his green eyes spitting fire at his adversary. Akane witnessed all this with growing amusement, then took on her own super form just to show off.
Scouters were being pulled out by any soldiers that were present. One after the other device exploded on their faces when they tried to get a power reading on the six Saiyajins that had transformed.
Warrior Chief Bardock felt the need to bellow: "That's my son!" pointing to Kakarot down the dais and proudly brandishing his fist at him.
His cry was only just audible above the din that had errupted from the awestricken, open mouthed, big eyed gathering inside the great hall. Many cried: "The legend!" and: "My King!" and also: "My Prince!" There was even the odd: "Captain!" hollered for Akane by men that had served under her. She smiled cockily.
"You are a corker, sister." Biran next to her said as he reached out to pull at Akane's wild blonde hair. "Could I do it too, you think?"
"You should definitely try, big brother."
"Bloody marvelous!" hollered gargantuan Lord Brachus.
The other lords were all thoroughly intimidated by the power emanating from the six super Saiyajins. The whole hall was crackling and surging with it.
Vegeta was the first to phase back to his normal form. Both Akane and Kakarot followed soon after. The young demi's threw each other a huge grin and phased out simultaniously. Only Aina remained in her super form. That made Akane happy. Her kitten should show off. She was the only true super Saiyajin in this hall.
Trunks took his seat at his father's right side and sat looking very pleased with himself. Yes, he too had inherited his arrogant father's talent for showing off. Akane snickered at the sight of the young Prince, but er laughter stifled when her mate's voice popped into her head.
'Are you ready?'
As Akane rose, feeling unsteady and absolutely despising herself for it, the King raised his voice. The din inside the great hall died out immediately, everyone present hanging on his every word like they had done with his father.
"My mate, Akane of House Bethar, Grand Marshal of the Royal Fleet."
Akane somehow found her way over to the seat that was reserved for her without stumbling under the gaze of every person in the room, her mate's dark eyes most intent on her of all. Just as she internally thanked Mother Victory for having managed and made to sit down, Vegeta spoke inside her head again. She watched his gloved hand appear from behind the elaborately adorned back of his throne, beckoning her lazily.
'Nip on down here, little one. I won't have a moment's rest with you skulking at my back. I want you where I can keep my eye on you.'
It was another break with the rules. Akane was met by several shocked glances when she grabbed her seat and dragged it next to her mate's roughly. She sat down, taking the hand he held out casually for her to take and doing her best to ignore the wardrum her heart would not seize in her chest.
"It is my mate's wish that there be no union ceremony." Vegeta addressed the gathering again as he passingly stroked her digits with his thumb. His words evoked quite some whispering, but it died out soon as their King continued decidedly: "It is in accordance with my own wishes. The state our planet is currently in hardly calls for celebration. Furthermore, we are already bound through blood. It would be senseless to do it twice. I will say my pledges to formalize our union with everyone in attendance today as my witness."
He turned to her. Akane almost didn't dare face him. Her overwrought state wasn't even about fear of making him loose face anymore. It was about her having to declare her love for him in the presence of all these people. As expected she found the trademark half smirk firmly in place on his handsome face. It was perceivable to all yet meant for her alone. He was going to drag this out to her discomfort, she just knew he was.
"My mate long ago vowed to my father that she would bring me back to him. She has never given up on her duty and fulfilled it at great cost to herself and the men that served her. If it wasn't for her unwavering courage and loyalty, none of us would be here today. This is the kind of woman that is to be your Queen. You should all take pride in her, as I do."
Akane wanted to hide behind her hands at the cheers that followed the King's sincere declaration.
'You really are sadly out of your element.' Vegeta prodded inside her head. He decided to cut her some slack, knowing just how much she hated feeling exposed like this.
"I, King Vegeta, the fifth of my name, take Akane, daughter of the noble house of Bethar, descendant of the Shield Smasher Tribe through her mother's line, for my Queen."
There was a silence and Vegeta said in her head, still sounding far too amused: 'You do have to accept to make it formal, little one.'
"I accept, my King." was all Akane said, her voice so rough and hoarse she questioned whether anyone had been able to hear her.
'Poetic.' Vegeta drawled inside her head.
Akane was already baring her teeth at him viciously before she remembered where they were. The low laugh that had been resounding in her head became audible at her snarl. Her mate grabbed her face at the jaw like he was prone to do in the midst of passion and forced a kiss on her that left no doubt about his affection or his lust for her, declaring his love for her and his dominance over her to everyone there. Akane was so blindsided that she did the only thing her instincts wanted her to do and that was tug a fist full of his hair and kiss him back.
The men present were cheering their King on with words of approval and the women were swooning and giggling and becoming breathless.
'Nicely done, ugly. The wenches are all creaming their kecks.'
'This is not for them. There are more men present in this hall with knowledge of you than I care to give thought to and my adversary's father has not stopped giving you the bridle-eye since my arrival.' his low laugh sounded inside her head again. 'I should give you a good seeing to on that throne.'
'I was going to say that!' Akane sent back disappointedly.
They shared a voiceless laugh, their kissing lips curving into smiles for all to see.
'I love you, little one.' Vegeta said fondly.
'And I you, ugly.' Akane returned.
He cut her loose then, leaving her winded in her seat.
"The twining!" a young woman positively moaned from the balcony. The call was quickly picked up by several of the other attendees. "The twining ceremony!"
"Off with their clothes!" Lord Brachus hollered and Biran repeated it with much enthusiasm. Her brother enjoyed getting on her tits almost as much as her mate did.
Bardock, though being from the tribes meant that he never engaged in the ceremonies of nobility, took it on himself to fiercely echo the chant in his booming voice. Akane snickered which her mate did not appreciate. That the Warrior Chief would die for a chance to be part of her twining ceremony was to be expected.
"There will be no need for that either." the King said, being sure to give his adversary's father the most prideful smirk he could muster. "Our union is consummated and has proven to be fruitful. My Queen is with child again and has already granted me issue that is only spoken of in legend." He looked to the Royal Guard standing at the doors and ordered: "Bring me my daughter."
Turles moved to do so very swiftly, as if he wanted to make right for his father's obnoxious adoration for their Queen. He handed Vegeta the still transformed kitten with a bow.
"This is what we were meant to become." Vegeta spoke as he sat Aina on his arm so that she faced the gathering.
The kitten glared into the hall with that deadpan expression that usually gave Akane and her mate the snickers, but they both swallowed them, only sharing them amongst themselves through their bond.
"The daughter my Queen has borne me is the embodiment of our evolution." the King resumed reverently. "Princess Aina was born ascended. She is a true Super Saiyajin. "
More cheering from the soldiers and the tribes men especially. They truly knew what it meant, what unparalleled strenght and unlimited potential their Princess possessed.
Akane took Aina from him when Vegeta turned to pass her the kitten. While he set out to wrap up his oration, she let her daughter droop over her shoulder and held her in place with one hand, the other one coming to lightly touch the spot below her navel where new life had quickenend. Her nerves had occupied her so fully that she hadn't been aware of it until her mate made the announcement. There was no fever. With her continuous nursing of Aina, her hormones had not had a chance to settled down yet so that the transition wasn't a very great one this time around. She was easing into this pregnancy quite peacefully and she hoped that it was a foretoken that the coming three moons would be less of a challenge than they had been with Aina.
Vegeta had stopped speaking. He came to his feet and Akane and Trunks followed suit. The Great Vegeta rose as well. All eyes followed him as the King left the hall with his family in his wake. The Royal Guard, Kakarot and his son and several high ranked officers of the Royal Fleet, Ruirdo included, filed in at the doors that opened to let them through. As they emerged and the doors thundered back shut behind them, Akane wanted to cry her relief that her ordeal was over, but when the King announced that he was leaving for Sunstrewn immediately, she almost wished that it hadn't ended for then at least he would remain by her side.
Having already thoroughly said his farewell to her inside her bower last night, Vegeta merely kissed her one last time and left her behind in the hallway feeling amputated and with his parting gift inside her womb.