Where I've Fallen

By Poe

Author's Note: Ok, I just wanted to ask, that you give this chapter a chance. It's a bit slow at first, but it gets into something really cool. It also leads into a lot more romance, so please read it! If you want, you can skip a few pages and jump right into the action, because a big event happens. Thanks!

Chapter Two:

Unlikely Fate

            Trages took another sip of his wine, the well-crafted glass unpleasantly cold in his hand, and the taste of the wine bitter on his distinguishing palate. He never had an affinity for anything on New Vegetasei, except for his position as assistant ambassador. It seemed everyone on the planet knew that, and took the liberty of humiliating him as much as possible to compensate for his lack of patriotism.

            It started with the gay jokes. He did posses a womanly beauty, most would agree, but he claimed very stubbornly that he was a heterosexual. He insisted so much, that as a jest, every present he would get for completing an assignment well would be a whore or concubine, always female.

            And that's where I come in. King Vegeta told be specifically to rid him of the concubine he had become acquainted with, so I went to the most casual place I could find to drop off a strange and shrewish woman. So there I stood, watching Trages uncomfortably, shifting from foot to foot, waiting for his approval.

            "Laii Trages," I ventured, clipping on a respective title to the beginning of his name, "is she adequate?"

            He raised an eyebrow in mid-sip. Finishing it, he said, "Is she sane?"

            "Um," I started, shifting my weight again, "As sane as a concubine need be."

            "And is she physically handicapped in anyway that would limit her duty?"

            "Not that I know of."

            "Good," he said, setting down his wine, "Throw her in back with the rest of them."

            I sighed with relief and bent down to struggle with her again. She certainly was heavier than she looked.

            Reluctantly, Trages rose from his seat. "If you're having difficulty, it won't be necessary."

            I tried to assure him I could carry her, but he brushed me off. Bending down to pick her up, he scooped the blue-haired concubine into his arms with ease. My eyes widened at his casual strength.

            "Tell me, messenger," Trages said, "Who exactly is this gift from?"

            "King Vegeta, Sir."

            "Another gift from him? I hate to boast, but that armistice with North Sun was not my best work."

"Oh, but very fortunate, Sir. Certainly King Vegeta does not undervalue the difficulty of his assignments." I was trembling as I spoke; my lies were getting more and more unbelievable.

"Very well. Give him my thanks."

I noticed the concubine in his arms shift around. He looked down at her and said, "Heh. You didn't drug her, did you?"

"No, she fainted."

"Ah, of course. Delicate creature, is she?"

I give a mild-mannered shrug. He looked back at her.

"Oh, isn't that curious. Do you see what she's wearing? Around her neck, here, take a look." He held her up for me to see, and I looked at her neck. Around it was a gold necklace, with a special emblem on it.

It was a fair necklace, with the inscription causing an echo of a memory to sound in my head. That inscription…

"I am certain I've seen that script before. You don't happen to know where it's from do you?" he asked, as though reading my thoughts.

"No, but you're right, it does look familiar."

How strange, those smooth, gold curves in an almost flowing letter. It haunted me, the feeling of recollection, of reaching for a memory and almost grasping it but not quite there. That letter… That letter… Where was it from?

"I swear I've seen it before, somewhere important," Trages said. We both looked at it, intently pondering its mystery, staring blankly at the stark gold on the paleness of her exposed neck.

And then, at once, I remembered. It came to me almost like a lethal blow, and I stood there stunned, in utter shock at the reality of it all. Trages seemed to get it at the same time as I did, and he tore his gaze from me to the necklace, completely aghast.

And he dropped her.

"It can't be. She can't be. You don't think…" I stuttered.

"Of course she can't be! That's the sacred emblem of the messenger sent from God to deliver the message of apocalypse of the 7 known galaxies of the universe. Does she look like a divine messenger to you?" Trages said, flushed with surprise.

"Well, messengers come in all shapes and sizes, I can tell you that," I pointed out, thankful he didn't glare at me for joking in such a grave situation, "But I don't think she is, either."

"No, there's no possible way that could be the actual messenger of God. It's easy to create a false emblem, ask any artisan, I'm sure it's no difficult task."

"Maybe that's what we should do. Ask an artisan."

"Of course," Trages responded, "That would be the first course of action. But what we should ask right now, are we ready to handle the implications of her being authentically the messenger?"

I gulped. "I don't know, Sir. Perhaps we should ask King Vegeta what he thinks. He should be the first to know about such a development, no?"

"Fair enough," Trages compromised, picking the girl up, "Then we shall have an audience with the king."

"But before we go," I said, "may I request something?"

"What is it?"

"Just in case she is the real messenger of God, could you try not to drop her again?"

Trages took a long look at me and then shook his head. "Please tell me you're joking."

I sighed, and then began to walk towards the door. I hoped I hid my confusion well.

***************** 15 MINUTES LATER ***********************************

            "Perhaps I am having difficulty understanding this," Vegeta spat out, cynically, "the blue-haired concubine I found destroying my chamber, the one I almost considered throwing in jail, is possibly a divine messenger of God?"

            "Um yes, Sir, that would be the abbreviated explanation," I explained. Trages shot me a questioning glance.

            "And you expect me to take this seriously? To send this potential and very likely cheap imitation to an artisan to appraise?"

            "Out of caution," Trages added, "You never can be too sure."

            "And what makes you sure at all that this is the real thing?"

            "The resemblance is incredible," I stammered, "Take a close look at it. It looks just like they prophesized."

            "Yes, well, it is foolish of a warrior-king, or any politician, to rely on a prophesy to dictate his priorities. Do you realize what it would mean if the artisan were able to prove that she is the messenger?"

            "Well, I can speculate," Trages said, "She would be treated like royalty and put under constant surveillance, eating food only prepared by priests and subject to elaborate bathing/cleansing ceremonies 3 times a day-"

            "Of course, what I'm asking is, do you have any idea how much money it'll cost me?"

            Trages and I looked at each other.

            "Perhaps it would raise moral, in both villagers and soldiers."

            King Vegeta sighed. "It would have other benefits, I can surmise."

            "Then will you give it a chance?" Trages asked.

            "Give it a chance? Forget the artisan, we're going to claim she's the real thing even if she's not, as long as I decide so."

            "What?" we both gasped.

            "Do you forget that I'm king? She's a messenger of God if I say so, and if I need an artisan to second that, I can always bribe him."

            "But Sir…" I stuttered, and Trages quickly silenced me with a glare.

            "So you want her to be the real messenger? I guess that's the way it is. We should prepare the ceremonies at once, don't you agree, my dear page?"

            My jaw dropped, but I was forced to conquer. "If… you really want her to be."

            "Yes, I have my reasons. This is sudden, of course, but I want you to spread the news that she is the new messenger of God. Is that clear?"

            "Are you sure?" I asked quietly, before Trages hit me on the head in punishment.

            "Of course he's sure," he said, "And he wants us to prepare the ceremonies. Are you going to question him further, or come with me?"

            "Um, Laii, Sir, this is all so sudden, my head is spinning."

            "Isn't that a shame?" Trages noted, sarcastically, "If King Vegeta wants it done, then we'll do it."

            "It seems you have your priorities straight," King Vegeta said, smirking his deadly smirk.

            I felt as though I would faint just as the "messenger of God" had done only an hour or two ago. First I find the chamber in ruins, then I meet a woman who is obviously insane, then she collapses in a dead faint, then, after delivering her to Trages, I discover that she could possibly be a messenger of God, and finally, King Vegeta finds out and decides to pass it as truth anyway. What a day! I wasn't quite sure how much more of this I could take.

            "Well, then, I should get started on the ceremonies, shouldn't I?" I said, shyly because I still was reeling from it all.

            "Exactly," Trages replied, pointedly.

            I took one last look at the girl and had to steady myself again from fainting. How could one girl cause such a burden?

            Little did I know, King Vegeta was about to find out.

Author's Note: Ok, you can look forward to a bit of romance in the next chapter, as well as a lot of craziness with Bulma being crowned "messenger of God", and all the pampering and fame that follows. Please review if you want the next chapter to come out soon, it's really hard to write these sort of fics without inspiration. Thanks so much!