Other Stronghold characters appearing in this chapter: Daniv=18 yrs.; Isriam=18 yrs.; Morwenna=40.
CHAPTER 3
Slowly he was gaining consciousness. He felt himself lying down on the floor but everything else was fuzzy. When he was totally wide awake, he picked himself up and looked about the place. He saw Goten and Marron just beginning to awaken. Like him, they also lost consciousness. Now that he has full control of all his faculties, he remembered what happened. He and Goten saw Marron pressing the ignition button, the door sliding shut and the TDmeter going haywire for it wasn't programmed to a particular destination. Because of the lightspeed centrifugal motion, he lost consciousness and the last thing he saw was his mother crying out his name. From the expression on Bulma's face, it seemed like she won't be seeing them anymore. And because of that, he was afraid of the reason behind his mother's expression. So it's time to check where and when the TDV brought them to.
"Are you guys okay?" he asked them as they were dusting themselves out. At least he knew where and when they have to go back to. Unfortunately, when he checked the TDmeter, he discovered that the console that will enable them to get to their own timeline and dimension had not been installed. He turned around and looked at Goten in horror. He could see realization dawning in Goten's eyes as he stared at Marron and slowly advancing towards her almost shaking with rage. Trunks flew past Goten in a nanosecond and placed himself infront of Marron.
"Now, now… there's no use crying over spilt milk. We're here already, wherever and whenever here may be." He turned to Marron and looking at her, he was reminded of what she did and would like nothing better than to pound her to dust for putting them in such a plight. He sighed heavily and straightened himself up and decided to keep his cool. It would not do any good to take out his anger on Marron. He knew that she is very close to her parents, this situation is going to be very hard on her. At least Goten and I had experienced being away from our parents for a long time unlike her. He looked at her sadly, "I'm sorry but it seems we have no way of getting back to our own dimension. Mother hasn't been able to install the console yet that will allow this machine to do just that and when you pressed the ignition key, it sealed our fate. The best that we can do now is stay together and investigate what's in store for us."
His fingers were punching keys with lightning speed to find out if the whole system is still operational. However, when he tried to open the metal paneling that will enable them to see the world where they've landed, he discovered that it was not working. Somehow the rigors of their jaunt had overloaded the control for the titanium integument. I guess we have to look at this world the old way, he shrugged his shoulders and surrendered to the thought.
"There is a malfunction in the control of the titanium seal. We won't be able to open the glass panels and see what's outside. So I suggest you two go out and see where we've landed? I'll stay right here to make sure that this contraption is not wholly broken. There's a chance, a slim one at that, but still a chance that I can make the 'return' console. It'll take me a long time to do it (with trial and error), moreover, we have to look for the parts needed to make one." He told them over his shoulders. "Oh and guys, I think we should all refrain from flying and using our powers here, unless it's a life-and-death situation. We don't know how the people in this dimension would take to our kind." He added as the two moved to the door.
Goten touched the green button on the control panel by the door to slide it open. Marron is following him while apologizing profusely to the two of them. He just snorted in disgust.
"Oh, please say you'll forgive me. I'm really, really sorry. I should have known better. I guess my curiosity got the best of me and before I knew it, I pressed the button already." She was tugging at Goten's shirt begging forgiveness.
Being a man of a natural sunny disposition, he succumbed to Marron's pleading. They were only a few yards away from the door when he abruptly stopped and she bumped into him.
"Nani---? Why did you stop?" complained Marron as she smacked onto his back and looked over his shoulder.
"Uhmm …. I think we should all get out of this machine and conceal it. I can see some people heading this way in the distance and their outfit looks like from out of the medieval period. I don't think we should let them see we have this machine. We're already dressed strange as it is but having this machine with us announces our being alien in this world." Goten went back inside to warn Trunks and then glared at Marron over his shoulder to emphasize that SHE needs to be very careful of what she says and how she acts.
"You don't have to look at me that way! I'm not a child. I know we must be very careful since we're all strangers in this land," she sneered at him as he informed Trunks of the danger they are in.
When Goten took a peek at the door, he saw the natives coming closer.
"I think we really should get out right this instant because they're almost on top of us," Goten told them hurriedly as he got out of TDV.
Trunks followed suit, immediately pressed the encapsulating button and caught the encapsulated vehicle as it transformed. Five minutes more and the strangers would have seen the machine and its transformation. That was really a very close call.
Only when they were all outside did they notice that they were in the middle of a desert and the people dismounting looked like Arabs because of their outfit: turban-like head gears, facial coverings, swords and the like.
"Good afternoon to you, strangers! I am Daniv, squire of High Prince Rohan of Stronghold, this is his Sunrunner Morwenna and the rest are armsmen." He gestured towards his companions. "Who are you and where did you come from?" he inquired without any preamble to them while looking them over with silent interest.
"I am Trunks, this is Goten and Marron," being the eldest of the three, he spoke for them. "As to where we came from, we're from Satan City. I'm sure that you haven't heard of that place and you won't find it anywhere in your maps," he told Daniv mysteriously while looking at Morwenna with curiosity. This guy looks like a warrior but what's he doing tagging along an old woman with him? Trunks thought.
"I see," Daniv replied. "How did you people end up here in the Desert?" he gave each of them a thorough glance but when he had a closer look at the girl, he caught his breath. Marron looked like Princess Meiglan when you was in her teens, with her pale blond hair, red lips, and perfect slender body but none of Meiglan's fragility. Besides her eyelashes are so thick and long that looking at her deep green eyes, one couldn't help but wonder what mystery is hiding underneath those lashes. This girl seemed like she can take care of herself and not afraid of anything.
"That's the amazing thing. We don't know how we ended up here. It seemed we just landed in this place unknowingly," Goten blurted out the truth. Morwenna looked at him in askance.
"How will you get back to your homeland?" Morwenna asked them.
"We don't know if we will ever get back home." Trunks said truthfully. "I'm afraid we have to stay in this place while I figure out how we can go back to our city."
"Morwenna, can you kindly inform the High Princess Sioned about our find. And ask her also if the keep is up to guests at this late of the day." Daniv requested while looking at Trunks wondering if his lavender-colored hair is for real.
The two Saiyajins were so startled when they saw Morwenna widen her eyes and had the glazed look in them. They can almost see her ki being woven to a ray of sunlight. And both of them can slightly hear the thoughts being relayed through the sunlight.
"Your grace, this is Morwenna. It seems that Rohan was right in sending us to investigate the flash he saw in the desert." She relayed to Sioned their findings.
"What was it? Was it dangerous?" Sioned asked waiting for more report.
"It's not a what, more like who. There are three young people at the exact place where the Prince saw his flash. They dress strangely and one of them have, (would you believe?), lavender-colored hair and it certainly looks natural. The young men are formidable. I can feel strong presence from the both of them and truth to tell, both are very good looking," Morwenna chuckled.
As the two men listened on in the private conversation, they blushed beet-red when they heard Morwenna described them to this mysterious Sioned. They both tried to keep a poker face but Marron saw their faces redden for a split second. Since she hasn't gotten that far in her training, she could not tap into the conversation and so was not aware of what Morwenna was doing.
"The one with the strange hair is just as tall as Daniv but the one with unkempt black hair is a head taller than the both of them," she continued. "But the young woman is enchanting, Daniv will attest to that. She has almost the same beauty as Meiglan but none of her frailty. She's also a formidable figure but unlike the men, her presence isn't as strong." She described the girl to Sioned. It's a conundrum for her to face three people with such mien.
"Do you think they're diarmadh'im?" Sioned inquired.
"Sorcerers? I'm not sure… but their presence feels like faradh'im if not a little more overwhelming than most," Morwenna said hesitatingly. "You'll find out for yourself when we get there in time for dinner. These people claim that they have no idea how they got here and assured us that where they come from is not shown in any of our maps. I have a feeling that they meant something more with that. Its like they're saying they're city is not in this world which is absolutely ludicrous. Oh I almost forgot, Daniv wants to know if you have enough room for three guests in the Stronghold," she added when she remembered the purpose of her sunrunning.
Trunks huddled closer to Goten and Marron, talking about what they overheard in the conversation. He doesn't need to tell his two companions of the situation they're in. They agreed that as much as possible they will all try to be inconspicuous in showing their powers. From out of the private conversation they surmised that some people in this world are able to sense their presence. No, they are not sorcerers nor Sunrunners.... they are something else. Something more powerful than any of those two.
When Morwenna's eyes blinked and refocused, she nodded to Daniv. Getting that signal from her, he invited the three to the Keep. "The High Prince and Princess will be honored if you grace their keep with your presence. His grace, Prince Rohan, was the one who detected your arrival. They would like to see you and hear about your travel to our Desert." Morwenna just raised her eyebrows from the flowery speech of Daniv. He looked back at her and shrugged his shoulders.
"Please lead the way. If our accepting the invitation will let us get out of this searing hot sands, then by all means, we're honored to accept your invitation." Trunks replied, speaking for the three of them. They would have preferred to fly to the Keep since it would take a lot less time than riding a horse but then again, they have to refrain from showing their abilities to these people.
Daniv offered Marron a ride in his horse, let Goten ride with Morwenna and Trunks with one of the slight-framed soldiers. Having settled on the saddle, they all backtracked and headed back to Stronghold.
--to be continued.
CHAPTER 3
Slowly he was gaining consciousness. He felt himself lying down on the floor but everything else was fuzzy. When he was totally wide awake, he picked himself up and looked about the place. He saw Goten and Marron just beginning to awaken. Like him, they also lost consciousness. Now that he has full control of all his faculties, he remembered what happened. He and Goten saw Marron pressing the ignition button, the door sliding shut and the TDmeter going haywire for it wasn't programmed to a particular destination. Because of the lightspeed centrifugal motion, he lost consciousness and the last thing he saw was his mother crying out his name. From the expression on Bulma's face, it seemed like she won't be seeing them anymore. And because of that, he was afraid of the reason behind his mother's expression. So it's time to check where and when the TDV brought them to.
"Are you guys okay?" he asked them as they were dusting themselves out. At least he knew where and when they have to go back to. Unfortunately, when he checked the TDmeter, he discovered that the console that will enable them to get to their own timeline and dimension had not been installed. He turned around and looked at Goten in horror. He could see realization dawning in Goten's eyes as he stared at Marron and slowly advancing towards her almost shaking with rage. Trunks flew past Goten in a nanosecond and placed himself infront of Marron.
"Now, now… there's no use crying over spilt milk. We're here already, wherever and whenever here may be." He turned to Marron and looking at her, he was reminded of what she did and would like nothing better than to pound her to dust for putting them in such a plight. He sighed heavily and straightened himself up and decided to keep his cool. It would not do any good to take out his anger on Marron. He knew that she is very close to her parents, this situation is going to be very hard on her. At least Goten and I had experienced being away from our parents for a long time unlike her. He looked at her sadly, "I'm sorry but it seems we have no way of getting back to our own dimension. Mother hasn't been able to install the console yet that will allow this machine to do just that and when you pressed the ignition key, it sealed our fate. The best that we can do now is stay together and investigate what's in store for us."
His fingers were punching keys with lightning speed to find out if the whole system is still operational. However, when he tried to open the metal paneling that will enable them to see the world where they've landed, he discovered that it was not working. Somehow the rigors of their jaunt had overloaded the control for the titanium integument. I guess we have to look at this world the old way, he shrugged his shoulders and surrendered to the thought.
"There is a malfunction in the control of the titanium seal. We won't be able to open the glass panels and see what's outside. So I suggest you two go out and see where we've landed? I'll stay right here to make sure that this contraption is not wholly broken. There's a chance, a slim one at that, but still a chance that I can make the 'return' console. It'll take me a long time to do it (with trial and error), moreover, we have to look for the parts needed to make one." He told them over his shoulders. "Oh and guys, I think we should all refrain from flying and using our powers here, unless it's a life-and-death situation. We don't know how the people in this dimension would take to our kind." He added as the two moved to the door.
Goten touched the green button on the control panel by the door to slide it open. Marron is following him while apologizing profusely to the two of them. He just snorted in disgust.
"Oh, please say you'll forgive me. I'm really, really sorry. I should have known better. I guess my curiosity got the best of me and before I knew it, I pressed the button already." She was tugging at Goten's shirt begging forgiveness.
Being a man of a natural sunny disposition, he succumbed to Marron's pleading. They were only a few yards away from the door when he abruptly stopped and she bumped into him.
"Nani---? Why did you stop?" complained Marron as she smacked onto his back and looked over his shoulder.
"Uhmm …. I think we should all get out of this machine and conceal it. I can see some people heading this way in the distance and their outfit looks like from out of the medieval period. I don't think we should let them see we have this machine. We're already dressed strange as it is but having this machine with us announces our being alien in this world." Goten went back inside to warn Trunks and then glared at Marron over his shoulder to emphasize that SHE needs to be very careful of what she says and how she acts.
"You don't have to look at me that way! I'm not a child. I know we must be very careful since we're all strangers in this land," she sneered at him as he informed Trunks of the danger they are in.
When Goten took a peek at the door, he saw the natives coming closer.
"I think we really should get out right this instant because they're almost on top of us," Goten told them hurriedly as he got out of TDV.
Trunks followed suit, immediately pressed the encapsulating button and caught the encapsulated vehicle as it transformed. Five minutes more and the strangers would have seen the machine and its transformation. That was really a very close call.
Only when they were all outside did they notice that they were in the middle of a desert and the people dismounting looked like Arabs because of their outfit: turban-like head gears, facial coverings, swords and the like.
"Good afternoon to you, strangers! I am Daniv, squire of High Prince Rohan of Stronghold, this is his Sunrunner Morwenna and the rest are armsmen." He gestured towards his companions. "Who are you and where did you come from?" he inquired without any preamble to them while looking them over with silent interest.
"I am Trunks, this is Goten and Marron," being the eldest of the three, he spoke for them. "As to where we came from, we're from Satan City. I'm sure that you haven't heard of that place and you won't find it anywhere in your maps," he told Daniv mysteriously while looking at Morwenna with curiosity. This guy looks like a warrior but what's he doing tagging along an old woman with him? Trunks thought.
"I see," Daniv replied. "How did you people end up here in the Desert?" he gave each of them a thorough glance but when he had a closer look at the girl, he caught his breath. Marron looked like Princess Meiglan when you was in her teens, with her pale blond hair, red lips, and perfect slender body but none of Meiglan's fragility. Besides her eyelashes are so thick and long that looking at her deep green eyes, one couldn't help but wonder what mystery is hiding underneath those lashes. This girl seemed like she can take care of herself and not afraid of anything.
"That's the amazing thing. We don't know how we ended up here. It seemed we just landed in this place unknowingly," Goten blurted out the truth. Morwenna looked at him in askance.
"How will you get back to your homeland?" Morwenna asked them.
"We don't know if we will ever get back home." Trunks said truthfully. "I'm afraid we have to stay in this place while I figure out how we can go back to our city."
"Morwenna, can you kindly inform the High Princess Sioned about our find. And ask her also if the keep is up to guests at this late of the day." Daniv requested while looking at Trunks wondering if his lavender-colored hair is for real.
The two Saiyajins were so startled when they saw Morwenna widen her eyes and had the glazed look in them. They can almost see her ki being woven to a ray of sunlight. And both of them can slightly hear the thoughts being relayed through the sunlight.
"Your grace, this is Morwenna. It seems that Rohan was right in sending us to investigate the flash he saw in the desert." She relayed to Sioned their findings.
"What was it? Was it dangerous?" Sioned asked waiting for more report.
"It's not a what, more like who. There are three young people at the exact place where the Prince saw his flash. They dress strangely and one of them have, (would you believe?), lavender-colored hair and it certainly looks natural. The young men are formidable. I can feel strong presence from the both of them and truth to tell, both are very good looking," Morwenna chuckled.
As the two men listened on in the private conversation, they blushed beet-red when they heard Morwenna described them to this mysterious Sioned. They both tried to keep a poker face but Marron saw their faces redden for a split second. Since she hasn't gotten that far in her training, she could not tap into the conversation and so was not aware of what Morwenna was doing.
"The one with the strange hair is just as tall as Daniv but the one with unkempt black hair is a head taller than the both of them," she continued. "But the young woman is enchanting, Daniv will attest to that. She has almost the same beauty as Meiglan but none of her frailty. She's also a formidable figure but unlike the men, her presence isn't as strong." She described the girl to Sioned. It's a conundrum for her to face three people with such mien.
"Do you think they're diarmadh'im?" Sioned inquired.
"Sorcerers? I'm not sure… but their presence feels like faradh'im if not a little more overwhelming than most," Morwenna said hesitatingly. "You'll find out for yourself when we get there in time for dinner. These people claim that they have no idea how they got here and assured us that where they come from is not shown in any of our maps. I have a feeling that they meant something more with that. Its like they're saying they're city is not in this world which is absolutely ludicrous. Oh I almost forgot, Daniv wants to know if you have enough room for three guests in the Stronghold," she added when she remembered the purpose of her sunrunning.
Trunks huddled closer to Goten and Marron, talking about what they overheard in the conversation. He doesn't need to tell his two companions of the situation they're in. They agreed that as much as possible they will all try to be inconspicuous in showing their powers. From out of the private conversation they surmised that some people in this world are able to sense their presence. No, they are not sorcerers nor Sunrunners.... they are something else. Something more powerful than any of those two.
When Morwenna's eyes blinked and refocused, she nodded to Daniv. Getting that signal from her, he invited the three to the Keep. "The High Prince and Princess will be honored if you grace their keep with your presence. His grace, Prince Rohan, was the one who detected your arrival. They would like to see you and hear about your travel to our Desert." Morwenna just raised her eyebrows from the flowery speech of Daniv. He looked back at her and shrugged his shoulders.
"Please lead the way. If our accepting the invitation will let us get out of this searing hot sands, then by all means, we're honored to accept your invitation." Trunks replied, speaking for the three of them. They would have preferred to fly to the Keep since it would take a lot less time than riding a horse but then again, they have to refrain from showing their abilities to these people.
Daniv offered Marron a ride in his horse, let Goten ride with Morwenna and Trunks with one of the slight-framed soldiers. Having settled on the saddle, they all backtracked and headed back to Stronghold.
--to be continued.