Disclaimer: To the friggin idiots out there: NO, I DON'T own DB, DBZ or DBGT
A/N: In the reviews, I received a question on what a 'marchioness' was. A marchioness is the female of marquis, the rank that is below Duke in the nobility hierarchy thingy. Because Trunks is a duke, Bra, his younger sister, can't be a duchess ('cos she isn't the eldest and so didn't inherit the rank), and so she has to be the next thing down, a marchioness.
Chapter 3
Marron, sighed, blowing the stray strands that had escaped from her messy plait away from her face. Another day, not another rose sold. If she didn't sell the flowers soon, people would wonder how she managed to survive AND support Rei…and Marron, growing up on the streets, had learnt the hard way that people's attention wasn't something you really wanted.
Shaking her head in frustration, she wearily climbed the steps to her little flat and pushed open the pine-wood door. Eyes blinking in the dim light, she entered, setting the basket of flowers upon the ground. "Rei? Are you back yet?"
"Uh…yeah…I'm back…"
"Rei?" Marron turned from the fire, a concerned light in her eyes. "Are you-"
She was cut of as a lavender-haired man, sitting next to Rei stood. "Are you this girl's mother?"
Marron stopped, barely managing to hold back a gasp. She knew who this man was. What the hell is the Duke of Forthan doing here? Did Rei get caught again? Shaking worried thoughts out of her head, she forced a smile, brain whirling to respond to the demand of the duke. "No, no. Rei's parents were killed years ago in a street brawl, your Grace. I hope she hasn't been causing any trouble…" Trailing off, Marron glared daggers and the whimpering Rei.
"But…but…Marron…please don't tell mama about this. She'll beat me an' beat me…" Rei's voice suddenly pierced through the tense atmosphere as the ten-year-old ran from the table to attach herself onto Marron's waist.
Marron's eyes widened. So she had used that story…
Trunks raised an eyebrow. "No mother? It does seem that she has one."
"I am sorry, good sir," smiling and shaking her head, Marron felt like bursting into laughter. She knew what to do now. "Rei's parents were killed in a street brawl, but her mother did used to beat her. Unfortunately, it has left quite an impression in the girl's mind. Rei now goes through relapses - she thinks her mother is still alive and thinks she's coming back to a solid beating. It is sad really." Sighing, and patting Rei on the shoulder, Marron knelt down and gave Rei a comforting hug. "There, there, dear, your mama's not gonna hurt you no more." Leaning over, she added under her breath, "And you've got a lot of explaining later, young lady."
Trunks watched the scene play out before his eyes. There wasn't something quite right about this…he just couldn't put his finger on it… Shaking his head, he paused. So…they were obviously lying…and they obviously knew the penalty for being caught as a pickpocket… Perhaps I can use this as an advantage…the poorer people do seem to know the doings of The Cat better then I do… With an innocent smile that matched Marron's expression, he shrugged. "How about we bring this up with the Lord Provost? I am sure that he'd be just as sympathetic with your predicament…perhaps he can recommend a suitable mind doctor for your needs?"
Marron's eyes hardened. The Duke had seen through their façade. Damn him. "Look, your Grace, Rei is happy here. And she doesn't relapse that much. Perhaps it is your strange presence that brought this one on?"
Trunks' smile widened. Exactly the reaction he had expected. With a light shrugged he spoke again. "Very well, I will not inform the Lord Provost of your predicament, if you will agree to do me two small favours?"
"What-?" Marron glanced at him, distrust evident in her eyes. She felt Rei tense in her arms. "I understand that you are the Duke of Forthan, your Grace, but even if you were a diety from heaven, I would still not agree. Why should I, when I do not even know what the favours are?"
So she knows I am the Duke…Trunks paused. Something about the gold-locked girl before him intrigued him…had he met her before…? Even though both she and little Rei were painfully thin, she exhibited a charm that he found hard to resist… Shaking the thoughts from his mind, Trunks focused on the mind at hand. For an unknown reason, he did not really want her to think him the Duke…not just yet anyway. "What? I am no Duke, I am Sir…T-Terinus. The present Duke and I are distant cousins, but our families…have fallen out of favour with each other." Trunks added with a smile. "And if you do not wish to agree to my favour, then I have no choice but to…"
"Alright!" Marron cut off the Duke, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. She doubted his story was true, but when it was the only thing she could go on…
"Marron no…" Rei's whisper reached her ears, but she shook her head. She refused let Rei be sent to some mine somewhere because of a stupid mistake!
With a curt nod, she shrugged. "It doesn't look I have much of choice in the matter, does it?"
"I am glad you are beginning to see things my way." Trunks decided to ignore the daggers being glared at him. "For my first favour, I was wondering if you could show me around the city, seeing I am new here."
"Can't. My income." If she had to accept his request, she'd make it as hard as possible to think of favours for her to do.
"I'll pay."
"Fine. And the second favour is…?"
"I haven't decided that yet. I will inform you when I think of it." He held up a hand to stop Marron's outraged reaction. "I must now leave Lady…?"
"Marron. Just. Marron."
Smiling, Trunks rose. Perhaps now I can finally figure out the secret of The Cat and catch him at his own game…"Very well Lady Marron, I will be seeing you around."
~
Marron glanced at the streets around her, gritting her teeth in irritation. Duke or knight, why the hell did this nob want a tour of the slum area? She knew from experience, no nob or Bag want anything to do with any of the poorer folk if they could help it… Her eye fell onto Rei, calling for potential flower buyers in the middle of the road. She had insisted that they leave Rei out of this useless tour, and surprisingly the nob had agreed…
"So, where do these alleys lead off to?"
Marron turned and sighed in frustration. "More homes. Look, if you're new here would you rather not want to see a tour the major landmarks of Forthan instead of the city slums?"
"You do have a point there." Trunks shrugged, eyeing his reluctant companion. She looked as if she had not eaten for days! Perhaps a little food would get her to trust him better… "Seeing that it is midday, would you mind joining me for-" His voice was suddenly broken off as the thundering of hooves broke through the conversations, and everybody around them began racing off the road.
"Rei!" Marron's voice screamed above the noise of general panic. Horsemen racing in the slum streets with no concern for human life were common, Rei should know to move off the centre…jumping up above the heads of the crowd, forgetting her noble 'companion', she saw Rei, glued to the center off the road, eyes fixed in fear at the approaching lord on horseback. "Rei! NO!"
Trunks heard the panic in Marron's tone and guessed at once what was happening. Without a thought, he pushed pass the panicking crowd, racing towards the ten year old paralysed with fear…and grabbed her just in time to hear iron-shod hooves racing past.
"Rei!" Marron's sobbing voice was beside him as she pulled the still-shocked Rei from his arms and held her in a tight embrace. "What do you think you were doing…standing there? You know what the nobs are like…they're nobles so they think they can treat us like ants beneath their feet. Why didn't you…?"
"No one should treat anyone as 'ants beneath their feet'..." Sir 'Terinus' mutter broke through her panic state, and she rose, fury flashing in her eyes, his actual comment unregistered.
"Look mister, this entire fiasco has been your fault. How dare you interrupt me when you could have nearly gotten Rei killed??"
"Me?" Trunks stepped back, confusion written on his face. "I was the one who saved her! How could you connect what that lord just did, to something I did?"
"Look, if it weren't for you, Rei here wouldn't be selling flowers. I would. And if she weren't selling flowers, this would never have happened. So it's all your damn bloody fault!" Marron knew her reasoning was unfair and the logic in her words did not add up, but she was too distraught to care. Rei, her only friend, had nearly been killed!
"Marron…" She felt a little tug at her dress. Rei, still dazed from her ordeal stood, balanced unevenly. "Marron…it wasn't Sir Terinus' fault. It was mine. I should have moved away…I knew what I had to do, but I didn't do it…"
"Rei, darling, of course it isn't your fault. You weren't to know that that idiot of a nob would come…" Marron sighed, all the energy drained out off her. Raising her eyes to Sir Terinus, she grinned sheepishly. "Sorry…I…just…I don't know…thankyou for saving Rei."
"You are welcome." Trunks glanced at the duo before him before shrugging. "I do not know about you, but it is midday, and I am feeling a little hungry. I have found a small tavern in the main square that serves a decent meal. Care to join me?"
~
Rei sat back in the high backed wooden chair, one little paw patting contentedly had her stomach. Some nobs weren't so bad! Sir Terinus was nice…he had grabbed her out of the horse's way and had taken them out to lunch – his treat! And at a nob n' Bag place too. She couldn't understand why Marron was so against nobs…
Marron…Rei peeked under her lashes at her 'big sister', who was trying and failing miserably at keeping herself distant from the insistent 'knight'. They got on so well, once Marron had started to trust him…
Rei frowned in thought. Marron was eighteen…Rei didn't know much about marriage, but she did know that many girls were already mothers at sixteen…and she reckoned that Marron and Sir Terinus looked so cute together…perhaps if she did some prodding at those two in the right direction…
Hiding a mischievous grin, Rei nodded to herself, a plan already formulating in her mind.