Longshanks and the Blue Maiden
Author's Note: Well, this is Chapter 2. I think that really the first chapter was like, an intro to the story. This is where you get to figure out a little bit more about the world that Vegeta lives in. It's kinda strange, but hey. Have fun reading!
Chapter 2: Arguments
Vegeta sat at his desk, looking out his window. His father was to be coming home today, with the arrival of an "important issue" to be discussed with him. Vegeta rolled his eyes, knowing that the stupid thing was about either politics or war. It always was, and it always probably would be.
He felt a tug at his sleeve, looking down to see his little sister, Gretta.
"What do you want?" Vegeta said in an annoyed, but somewhat affectionate tone. The little girl was the last of his 6 siblings, she was only 4.
"Elly won't let me play with her doll! She doesn't even play with it anymore, it's not fair!" Gretta said, her lips pouting. Vegeta couldn't help but put a small smile on his lips. He was always mediating between his sisters. Elly was 6, and she was actually quite a fierce little girl. Selfish and proud. 'Just like father...' Vegeta thought to himself.
"Why don't you and I go talk to your sister, shall we?" Vegeta said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it lightly. Gretta grinned up at him, her eyes sparkling. Her older brother was always her favorite, he liked her more than her brother and sisters. She led him through the castle walls that she'd grown in, down to the children's wing. Vegeta longed to be here on more than one occasion, but his pride kept his father's wishes. He didn't want to ever defy his father, he had an fierce temper when it came to disobedience. And he wasn't home enough to even have anything to argue about that anyways.
He stepped into the little girl's room, Elly sitting and looking out her window, a picture book of princesses and princes. He remembered when Margaret had showed that book to him long ago, it had been through now three daughters of Henry the III. 'How time flies...' Vegeta thought, sighing at his own memories of a child. They weren't near this pleasant. The women of the royal family always got live as close to normal childhoods, while the men we shipped off nearly a month after being born, away from their family's constantly, being trained and educated.
"Now Elly, what did I hear about you not letting Gretta play with your doll?" Vegeta said, in an affectionate but firm voice.
The little girl turned, startled by the fact that her older brother was in her room. She had always looked up to him, he was always strong, but somehow a little bit short. Her father was short as well, but she didn't really see her father that much, and she didn't really understand why.
"It's my doll! Princess Ann doesn't want to play with Gretta, she'll just get it dirty!" Elly said in a whinny, 6 year old voice that she had.
"Well, you know Elly that you haft to share with your little sister Gretta, I'm sure she wouldn't get it dirty, now would you Gretta?" Vegeta said, watching his little sister Gretta shake her head 'no'.
"But what about that one time? When I gave Gretta a cookie and she dropped it on the floor!" Elly said, pouting and folding her arms across her blue dress.
"I didn't mean to! And I didn't even ask you for it!" Gretta said, moving away from Vegeta a little bit. She started scowling at Elly, mad at her older sister. It seemed that she always got what she wanted.
"Now now girls, do you want me to take you to mother? She's sick, remember? I don't want you two to get into trouble, but why don't you guys compromise?" Vegeta said, looking back and forth between the two.
"What does compromise mean?" Gretta said, looking up at her older brother. Elly watched her brother curiously, her face staying the same, but she didn't want to admit that she didn't know. She was the smartest in the family, and she was very proud of that.
"Compromise means that you do something to get what you want, and Elly is okay with that. Like, Elly could let you play with her doll, IF you stayed in her room, or inside." Vegeta said, a small twinkle in his eye. He was always good at solving his sibling's problems.
Gretta looked pleadingly at Elly, accepting that if she could play with her doll.
"Okay, but as long as you stay in my room." Elly said, sighing in defeat.
Gretta moved across the room, getting onto her big sister's bed. She got her doll off of Elly's largest pillow.
Vegeta smiled, turning and leaving Elly's room. He knew that his father would be home very soon, so he walked down the corridor and went down the stairs to the throne room. He heard his oldest little sister, Margaret, arguing with his mother. Vegeta sighed, knowing that they were arguing about who Margaret was to wed. Margaret was always picky, but he didn't want her to be THIS picky. No one did.
"But Mother! I don't WANT to marry the prince of France, they're idiots over there! They don't have very much land either, so why in the world would I even HAFT to marry that fool?" Margaret yelled, her hands on her hips as she came into view. Vegeta smirked to himself, Margaret could be such a bitch sometimes.
"Because you know that war is expensive, and that Louis the VI is willing to give quite a bit of money if you marry him! You could live better than you do here, and you know that he's a nice man. And he's only 3 years older than you! I don't know how much better I can get, Margaret." His Mother stated, frowning at her eldest daughter. They seemed to be both oblivious to Vegeta being in the throne room.
"He is a good man, Margaret. He'd treat you well, and you know that. Why don't you just do what father pleases for you to do?" Vegeta asked, looking as his sister as he put his back to the wall, crossing his arms.
"Because I don't want to marry a french man! I want to marry a man that I want to marry WHEN I WANT TO MARRY HIM!" Margaret yelled, fuming at Vegeta, seeming to take out her anger on him, instead of their mother.
"That is QUITE enough, Margaret." Vegeta's Mother stated, glaring at her daughter, "You will go to your room now, and the wedding will go on as planned."
Margaret began to say something, but kept her mouth shut. She just glared at her older brother, then leaving the throne room hurriedly.
"She gets her stubborn streak from your Father, you know." Vegeta's mother said simply, sighing to herself.
"Oh, I wouldn't doubt it." Vegeta said, looking at his mother. She was beautiful for a woman her age, a french one at that. She had dark brown hair, and pale skin. Her eyes where the same as Vegeta's, a very strangely dark brown.
"When is father to be home?" Vegeta asked quizzically, but watching his mother rub her forehead between her fingertips.
"He should be here by sunset, Vegeta. I'm not sure why he decieded to come home earlier than planned, but you never know about your Father. Probably to congratulate you on your victory at the Tournament of Blythe, knowing him." She stated, watching her son's reaction. He had been very disappointed when his father hadn't turned up watch him. 'All he wants is his acceptance...and that's the one thing I can't give.' She thought to herself, twirling her hair between her fingertips.
"Yeah, right." Vegeta said, snarling at the reminder of his disappointment in his father. He had never been there for him, and he knew that he probably never would. It didn't even matter, any ways.
"Vegeta, you know that your father is proud of you. He's sent you to the best trainers, given you the best tutors, the best clothing. Everything gold can buy these days." She said, her eyes pleading for Vegeta to cheer up.
"But Mother, it doesn't matter! I went to the tournament 2 months ago, and not even as much as a MESSENGER from him! I had spent YEARS with a lance, and you know how much I love jousting! He just doesn't give a shit about me, that's it." Vegeta said, starting to get pissed off.
His mother sighed, knowing that at least part of that was true. But she'd been thinking for a long, long time if that was all true.
"Vegeta-"
She was interupted by the throne room door opened, and a messenger boy bowed graciously to the Prince and Queen. He knew that if in anyway that he disrespected them, the King would have his head. Vegeta nodded, rolling his eyes, acknowledging him, and the messenger walked up to the queen, bowing his head for a moment.
"The King has arrived, Your Majesty. He will be here in a moment." He said quietly, backing away from the throne as he was done delivering his message.
"You are permitted to leave now." Vegeta said, without a drip of emotion in his voice. He was only kind or really any kind of emotion to people he loved and trusted, and servants he did not. The boy left quickly, the doors closing behind him.
"You could be a little bit more polite, Vegeta." His mother said, her eyebrow going up and looking him straight in the eye.
"He's nothing more than a servant, so why even bother?" Vegeta said, looking into his mother's eyes, emotionless.
"I'm going to my chambers now, when Father is prepared to speak to me, please send Sybil to my room." Vegeta said, walking out of the throne room, disappearing into the shadows of the cold and dark castle that was his home.
Author's Note: Well, this is Chapter 2. I think that really the first chapter was like, an intro to the story. This is where you get to figure out a little bit more about the world that Vegeta lives in. It's kinda strange, but hey. Have fun reading!
Chapter 2: Arguments
Vegeta sat at his desk, looking out his window. His father was to be coming home today, with the arrival of an "important issue" to be discussed with him. Vegeta rolled his eyes, knowing that the stupid thing was about either politics or war. It always was, and it always probably would be.
He felt a tug at his sleeve, looking down to see his little sister, Gretta.
"What do you want?" Vegeta said in an annoyed, but somewhat affectionate tone. The little girl was the last of his 6 siblings, she was only 4.
"Elly won't let me play with her doll! She doesn't even play with it anymore, it's not fair!" Gretta said, her lips pouting. Vegeta couldn't help but put a small smile on his lips. He was always mediating between his sisters. Elly was 6, and she was actually quite a fierce little girl. Selfish and proud. 'Just like father...' Vegeta thought to himself.
"Why don't you and I go talk to your sister, shall we?" Vegeta said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it lightly. Gretta grinned up at him, her eyes sparkling. Her older brother was always her favorite, he liked her more than her brother and sisters. She led him through the castle walls that she'd grown in, down to the children's wing. Vegeta longed to be here on more than one occasion, but his pride kept his father's wishes. He didn't want to ever defy his father, he had an fierce temper when it came to disobedience. And he wasn't home enough to even have anything to argue about that anyways.
He stepped into the little girl's room, Elly sitting and looking out her window, a picture book of princesses and princes. He remembered when Margaret had showed that book to him long ago, it had been through now three daughters of Henry the III. 'How time flies...' Vegeta thought, sighing at his own memories of a child. They weren't near this pleasant. The women of the royal family always got live as close to normal childhoods, while the men we shipped off nearly a month after being born, away from their family's constantly, being trained and educated.
"Now Elly, what did I hear about you not letting Gretta play with your doll?" Vegeta said, in an affectionate but firm voice.
The little girl turned, startled by the fact that her older brother was in her room. She had always looked up to him, he was always strong, but somehow a little bit short. Her father was short as well, but she didn't really see her father that much, and she didn't really understand why.
"It's my doll! Princess Ann doesn't want to play with Gretta, she'll just get it dirty!" Elly said in a whinny, 6 year old voice that she had.
"Well, you know Elly that you haft to share with your little sister Gretta, I'm sure she wouldn't get it dirty, now would you Gretta?" Vegeta said, watching his little sister Gretta shake her head 'no'.
"But what about that one time? When I gave Gretta a cookie and she dropped it on the floor!" Elly said, pouting and folding her arms across her blue dress.
"I didn't mean to! And I didn't even ask you for it!" Gretta said, moving away from Vegeta a little bit. She started scowling at Elly, mad at her older sister. It seemed that she always got what she wanted.
"Now now girls, do you want me to take you to mother? She's sick, remember? I don't want you two to get into trouble, but why don't you guys compromise?" Vegeta said, looking back and forth between the two.
"What does compromise mean?" Gretta said, looking up at her older brother. Elly watched her brother curiously, her face staying the same, but she didn't want to admit that she didn't know. She was the smartest in the family, and she was very proud of that.
"Compromise means that you do something to get what you want, and Elly is okay with that. Like, Elly could let you play with her doll, IF you stayed in her room, or inside." Vegeta said, a small twinkle in his eye. He was always good at solving his sibling's problems.
Gretta looked pleadingly at Elly, accepting that if she could play with her doll.
"Okay, but as long as you stay in my room." Elly said, sighing in defeat.
Gretta moved across the room, getting onto her big sister's bed. She got her doll off of Elly's largest pillow.
Vegeta smiled, turning and leaving Elly's room. He knew that his father would be home very soon, so he walked down the corridor and went down the stairs to the throne room. He heard his oldest little sister, Margaret, arguing with his mother. Vegeta sighed, knowing that they were arguing about who Margaret was to wed. Margaret was always picky, but he didn't want her to be THIS picky. No one did.
"But Mother! I don't WANT to marry the prince of France, they're idiots over there! They don't have very much land either, so why in the world would I even HAFT to marry that fool?" Margaret yelled, her hands on her hips as she came into view. Vegeta smirked to himself, Margaret could be such a bitch sometimes.
"Because you know that war is expensive, and that Louis the VI is willing to give quite a bit of money if you marry him! You could live better than you do here, and you know that he's a nice man. And he's only 3 years older than you! I don't know how much better I can get, Margaret." His Mother stated, frowning at her eldest daughter. They seemed to be both oblivious to Vegeta being in the throne room.
"He is a good man, Margaret. He'd treat you well, and you know that. Why don't you just do what father pleases for you to do?" Vegeta asked, looking as his sister as he put his back to the wall, crossing his arms.
"Because I don't want to marry a french man! I want to marry a man that I want to marry WHEN I WANT TO MARRY HIM!" Margaret yelled, fuming at Vegeta, seeming to take out her anger on him, instead of their mother.
"That is QUITE enough, Margaret." Vegeta's Mother stated, glaring at her daughter, "You will go to your room now, and the wedding will go on as planned."
Margaret began to say something, but kept her mouth shut. She just glared at her older brother, then leaving the throne room hurriedly.
"She gets her stubborn streak from your Father, you know." Vegeta's mother said simply, sighing to herself.
"Oh, I wouldn't doubt it." Vegeta said, looking at his mother. She was beautiful for a woman her age, a french one at that. She had dark brown hair, and pale skin. Her eyes where the same as Vegeta's, a very strangely dark brown.
"When is father to be home?" Vegeta asked quizzically, but watching his mother rub her forehead between her fingertips.
"He should be here by sunset, Vegeta. I'm not sure why he decieded to come home earlier than planned, but you never know about your Father. Probably to congratulate you on your victory at the Tournament of Blythe, knowing him." She stated, watching her son's reaction. He had been very disappointed when his father hadn't turned up watch him. 'All he wants is his acceptance...and that's the one thing I can't give.' She thought to herself, twirling her hair between her fingertips.
"Yeah, right." Vegeta said, snarling at the reminder of his disappointment in his father. He had never been there for him, and he knew that he probably never would. It didn't even matter, any ways.
"Vegeta, you know that your father is proud of you. He's sent you to the best trainers, given you the best tutors, the best clothing. Everything gold can buy these days." She said, her eyes pleading for Vegeta to cheer up.
"But Mother, it doesn't matter! I went to the tournament 2 months ago, and not even as much as a MESSENGER from him! I had spent YEARS with a lance, and you know how much I love jousting! He just doesn't give a shit about me, that's it." Vegeta said, starting to get pissed off.
His mother sighed, knowing that at least part of that was true. But she'd been thinking for a long, long time if that was all true.
"Vegeta-"
She was interupted by the throne room door opened, and a messenger boy bowed graciously to the Prince and Queen. He knew that if in anyway that he disrespected them, the King would have his head. Vegeta nodded, rolling his eyes, acknowledging him, and the messenger walked up to the queen, bowing his head for a moment.
"The King has arrived, Your Majesty. He will be here in a moment." He said quietly, backing away from the throne as he was done delivering his message.
"You are permitted to leave now." Vegeta said, without a drip of emotion in his voice. He was only kind or really any kind of emotion to people he loved and trusted, and servants he did not. The boy left quickly, the doors closing behind him.
"You could be a little bit more polite, Vegeta." His mother said, her eyebrow going up and looking him straight in the eye.
"He's nothing more than a servant, so why even bother?" Vegeta said, looking into his mother's eyes, emotionless.
"I'm going to my chambers now, when Father is prepared to speak to me, please send Sybil to my room." Vegeta said, walking out of the throne room, disappearing into the shadows of the cold and dark castle that was his home.