Chapter Thirteen:

The princess was ignoring her.

Bulma sat on the edge of the bed, wondering what was wrong. Was the girl upset or angry? She wasn't revealing anything with her blank expression. She couldn't even tell if the young Warkind was annoyed or in pain or… anything.

"What's your name?" Bulma asked, trying once again to get the girl's attention. But yet again, she was ignored.

The girl was pretty and petite. She had a tan-ish skin tone with curly, brown-blue hair and bright blue eyes. She had a number of freckles on her high cheekbones and across her nose. Her eyes had natural, cloudy shading and perfectly long lashes. Her eyebrows looked perfect, as well as rosy, plump lips. It must be nice, Bulma thought, to wake up every morning and look like you spent two hours on your make up… not that she wore any of that stuff. But this girl made her wish she took more care in her appearance. This child made her feel like she looked the part of a chambermaid.

"You know," Bulma frowned, getting tired of being ignored. "Don't you have anything to say about this arrangement? Aren't you even a little scared to do this? I mean, you're a virgin, aren't you? You've never done this before and yet you have no complaints?"

And suddenly the little girl turned and looked at her with heated eyes. "Tell me what he's like in bed. Teach me what he enjoys."

Bumla gawked. "How the hell would I know? And I thought you were taught how to… you know."

"I was only taught what my people assumed from other Saiyan males. They taught me general things to please a man, but I need to make sure I'm prepared to make him happy."

"Seriously? You sound like you're crazy… How could you agree to something like this?"

"This is a noble sacrifice for my people. And it's not like I'm going to die. No one will hurt me, and my aunt and grandmother both told me that it will be enjoyable. Grandma told me that as long as I'm not tense or afraid, I will be able to enjoy myself. And Aunt Gemma told me that it's not every day that I can be with such a powerful and influential prince in this way."

"Yea… I still only hear crazy coming out of your mouth..."

"A servant like you wouldn't understand matters of state."

Bulma couldn't stop the laugh that came out of her mouth. "And a kid like you wouldn't understand anything about what's really happening here, so why don't you just go home, because believe it or not, I'm trying to help you. And to help you, I swear, this so-called arrangement will never happen."

"Are you jealous because you want him all for yourself?"

"Oh, please. Prince Vegeta the ruthless tyrant? Not to mention annoying as hell. And arrogant. And dumbfounding. Trust me, I wouldn't want him for myself even if I was about to die."

"But the way he kissed you when you came in here seemed quite urgent. And you did kiss him back."

Bulma felt a flush reach her cheeks. "This isn't even about me! This is about saving you from being stupid! I don't care about your aunt or grandma or whoever told you that you need to do this! It's not happening!"

"If the prince doesn't hold up his end of the bargain, my people will attack this planet and decimate everyone they find. And I'll be sure that you're included."

"Me? Really? What did I even do to deserve such extraordinary threats from a little princess?"

"If we were on my planet, I'd have my guards throw you in prison for talking to me that way."

"Good thing we're not then, huh?"

"I'm done talking nonsense with a slave. Leave me now."

"Sorry to break it to you, but I live here. I sleep here, too," Bulma let a devilish smirk cross her lips. "The prince asked me to sleep in his bed with him permanently. He even told me that he can't wait until you're gone so we can be alone again." She mentally rolled her eyes at her own exaggeration, but the girl's face turned red and she immediately smiled.

"But you're a servant," the girl spat. "No matter how many times he invites you to his bed, you can only be his mistress. Only a princess could truly stand at his side. It's unfortunate how little it would mean to anyone if someone were to just kill you… I doubt the prince would care. You're not even that pretty. He would just buy a new servant and start bedding her for fun, too. Probably with the hope that the next one wouldn't get so obnoxiously attached to him."

"If you're this much of a brat, I'd hate to see what other trash lives on your planet. It's a shame the Saiyans couldn't have just killed you all. It seems like the universe would have been better off—"

Bulma barely had time to blink before the girl was standing right in front of her. And when she did blink, the princess's small hand was wrapped around her throat, and Bulma gasped as the thin child lifted her a couple inches off the ground. Bulma grabbed for the girl's hands and clawed at her, moments before she was released and crumpled to the ground in a fit of coughs.

"I am royalty, you weakling," the small girl stated flatly. "While I am here, you will treat me as if I am part of the Saiyan royal family. You will listen by my every rule and you will listen to all my commands. You are now my servant, as well. Is that clear?" Bulma looked up and nodded only once. She hadn't realized this girl had that much power. She lifted her like she was lifting an empty plate. "Good. And my first rule is that you will not sleep in the prince's bed. You will sleep on the floor, like the dog you are. In fact, you will sleep under the table, and you may not have any meals while I am here. You will only eat what I give you. You may only eat my leftovers, after I have thrown them to the floor. And you may not stand and walk. If you want to go anywhere, you will crawl on your hands and knees." She strode past Bulma, still on the floor, and sat right on the edge of the large bed, staring down at her. She crossed her legs and crossed her arms. "Now, go sleep under the table, little doggie. I will sleep in the prince's bed tonight and wait for him to return to me. If I hear you make any noises, I'll come over there and squeeze your throat until you're unconscious and you can't bother me again. Understand, doggie?"

God, and she thought Vegeta was bad… She just nodded once again, holding in her will to fight back. She shoved her hands out in front of her and crawled to the table. She moved a chair out of the way and made her way underneath, putting it back in its place behind her. Then she turned and looked at the tiny tyrant. Her bright blue eyes were narrowed with her smile, and she dramatically fell backwards into the large bed, sprawling out on the sheets and tangling herself up in them. Bulma watched her for a minute longer before swallowing her pride and closing her eyes.

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There was no way in hell she was ever going to be able to fall asleep under there.

After a couple hours of trying not to move or make any sounds, Bulma practically gave up on the idea of sleep. Against a hard floor, her back ached in places she didn't even know could feel discomfort. She had to move every few minutes so she wouldn't get a bruise or go numb. And every time she had to move, she wondered if she could do it without accidentally hitting the floor or a chair and annoying that small brat again. Ugh, she was going to pay for this.

But for now, Bulma heard soft snoring from behind the closed double doors, and she safely and quietly made her way out from under the table. She stood and stretched for a good, long minute, feeling the muscles in her back creak, and her elbows loosen. Her knees felt better off the ground and her legs were finally free to stretch out. She craned her neck to the right and then the left before stretching her shoulders back, hearing her spine crack softly a couple of times.

She wasn't sure when the prince would be back, but she knew she couldn't stay here any longer. She felt like she'd break in half if she stayed under the table any longer, and once she got out, if that girl woke up and saw her off the floor, she wasn't sure what she'd do to Bulma. And after the last attack, she wasn't too keen on finding out.

So, she tiptoed to the door and left the room without a sound, closing the door soundlessly behind her. She turned and looked down both sides of the hall, but no one was around… If something bad really happened with the princess, no one would have been around to help her. Bulma gulped, but decided to head towards the medical wing. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she remembered Chichi talking about different part of the palace, and the fact that Bulma lived here for over three years now and yet she was still unfamiliar with much of the exceptionally large building.

She wondered what she didn't know about. It was interesting for her to see the banquet hall for the first time, and enlightening. She'd had no idea about the room, and it made her feel a bit dumb, to be honest. As if there was no logical reason as to why she missed it all these years.

The medical wing was somewhere she'd been a number of times before, and if she went exploring, she was sure to be able to find her way back to the prince's room. However, she wasn't sure how she was going to get back inside… It would be even worse for her if the princess woke up to find her gone, or even as she walked in through the door. Maybe she just wouldn't go back… But Vegeta would certainly be pissed if she just went missing.

Bulma frowned at her own thoughts. He was the one who left her in there alone with the Warkind girl in the first place. So, he should be the one who must come find her later, when he needs something. Her job was to clean and serve, not to get abused by some child.

She stepped onto the white tiled floor of the medical hall and paused. She knew these rooms, for the most part. She knew where to bring someone who was injured. She knew where to go if the prince needed help. And she knew where the basic medicinal herbs were kept that she was allowed to just grab and go. But other than that, she'd always thought of the other doors as unimportant… Or at least not as important as the others. She also lifted her gaze to further down the hall—one of many places she knew she'd never been before. And this one, mostly because the candles on the walls were never lit. If she walked down there, it would all be dark. And total darkness to an Earthling in a Saiyan palace was never a good idea.

But Bulma was nothing if not bored, so she grabbed a plate and candle off the wall beside her and headed down the dark hall. It was still lit from the medical wing behind her once she'd noticed the white tiled floor turned to a dark reddish-brown marble. She kept the candle out in front of her and squinted her eyes to see better, and after what seemed like a minute or two of walking, the candle lit up a t-off in the hall. Bulma turned to the left and only saw more of the dark hallway. But to the right, the candles started up again further down.

She set the candle against the wall on the floor, leaving behind a light in case she had to turn back, and slowly made her way down the right hall, her eyes thanking her for the small light as she neared the lit area.

It took her less than a minute to figure out that she was heading towards a dead end… Which was odd because she'd never seen a dead-end hall in the palace before. Everything went around and around in circles. If you followed one hall, you'd always end up where you started, however long it would take. But then she noticed something against the left wall way at the end, and she found herself walking quickly towards it. The dark hall must have gotten to her, but she knew that she was alone. Any footsteps would have an echo, and hers were the only ones that made a sound.

She stopped at the dead end, seeing a wooden door and a metal handle. She paused for a moment and turned around, making sure her candle was still on the floor in the distance. But just as she turned, she saw a shadow coming up against the wall she'd set the flame against and her heart began to pound. She stayed quiet, but she was in the light, and someone coming around that corner would easily see her. She held her breath, but then she could hear the light echo of footsteps and she couldn't stop herself from quickly opening the door and sliding inside, closing it quickly behind her, careful not to make any noise that would echo and give herself away.

But when she closed the door, Bulma was surrounded again by total darkness and it was all she could do to hold onto the handle of the door. She was afraid if she let go, she'd never be able to find her way back. Her eyes wouldn't even be able to adjust in such complete darkness. She shuffled her feet in discomfort—and her ankle slipped off a step behind her. Bulma swung one hand out to catch her fall, and involuntarily released the door handle to stop herself from making any noise as she hit the ground. But she hadn't realized that a thin flight of stairs must have been behind her, because he put her hands out to catch her fall, and only met with air and a further drop. She stumbled down at least four steps, and froze as she finally caught herself, listening to the loud thump of her fall echo down… down… down… down…

"Who's there?" a rough voice crowed, and Bulma couldn't stop tears from entering her eyes. She heard footsteps sounding like metal on cement coming closer from down below and she scrambled to climb back up the steps and get out. But it was too dark, and she didn't know how many steps she'd fallen. And now she was echoing sobs and clamoring for everyone to hear as she reached out into the dark, desperately searching for the door handle.

It took her a moment, but suddenly she could make out the silhouettes of the steps, and she froze as light was coming closer to her.

"Hey, you!" that same deep voice angrily shouted, "Get over here!"

Bulma let out a scream as loud as she could manage and looked up, reaching for the door handle—

But not before the door swung open and the silhouette of a man stood before her. Half expecting someone else, Bulma screamed again as the new man reached for her.

"Come here!" the man behind her growled, grabbing her ankle and pulling her down a few steps. Bulma gasped as her back hit the edge of a step. "How'd you get in here?!" And before she could answer, the man in front of her took a step down and closed the door behind him. She saw his silhouette cross his large arms and look down at her before the light faded, and all that was left was the small flame from behind her. "Grab her front!" the man barked, and Bulma felt the two men lift her into the air and pull her arms and legs apart as they walked down the steps with her. Bulma screamed again.

"Let me go!" She tried to squirm, but she didn't know what was happening. She tried to think fast. "If you hurt me, Prince Vegeta will kill you!" Her throat stung from the volume of her own voice and she threw herself into a coughing fit.

"The prince?" the man holding her arms repeated, and both men paused. "Why would he kill us for doing our job? He sends us you wretches, and we punish you. That's our deal. He wouldn't lay a hand on any of us."

"I wasn't sent by anyone! I got lost! I was walking around and I just found myself here!"

The men started laughing and walking again, taking her down the steps with them. "Nice try, but we've heard that one a thousand times. You're going to have to be a little more creative than that, you little runt."

"Yea, instead of making up stories, why don't you tell us what you did to have the honor of our company, huh?"

"I didn't do anything! Let me go!"

"Squirming will only make it worse." The men laughed again.

"Please, I have to get back! I work for the prince!"

"Sure you do," the man behind me snickered. "What, were you a whore? He probably sent you down here because you didn't make him happy. Is that it?"

"I am not!"

"The last one used their teeth and he sent them here for three months, and then the death penalty. He's a sick fuck, but he's got style. I have to hand it to him. But I guess we'll have to see what he had planned for you. It's not every day we get a surprise visit, you know. I can't wait to find out what we get to do to you."

"Let's put her in the light. I have the feeling she's a pretty little thing," the other man said happily, and Bulma lifted her head to see more light from what looked to be the bottom of the staircase.

She could see a flat, gray floor, and a number of metal work-benches and tables. There were some large and small machines everywhere, but it wasn't anything she'd ever seen before. Some had large hooks and cushioned chairs. Some had glass pieces and overhead mechanics. Some were just strange-looking, like animal teeth and claws.

"Well, what do you know. She is a pretty one."

"I hope he gives us at least a month with her."

"First we need to find out if the prince actually sent her or not. Then we'll know what to do with her."

"I mean, there's only one reason people get sent down here to begin with, so there's really no reason to wait, now is there?"

Bulma's breathing was heavy, and she thought she was about to hyperventilate as they placed her squirming body onto one of the metal tables and strapped her down with ease. They had to be Saiyans, or at least have the strength of Saiyans, from the way they moved her around like a rag doll, despite her using all her strength to try and fight them, as futile as her attempts were.

"Now you behave, little mouse," the one man laughed. "We'll just prepare a room for you and be back in a few minutes." And then both men were gone from her view. Bulma twisted her head to look around, but she couldn't see anyone else. There were a couple faint lights around the table—one above a rusty sink, sticking out from the wall, another above a dirty countertop, and one more right above her head. It was far too faint to blind her, though.

Once Bulma managed to calm her breathing, she realized that she'd been making a lot of sound by herself, and there were actually noises coming from the distance as well. She couldn't tell where any halls could lead to in the dark past the table, but there must have been more than a couple, because she heard clamoring on her right, footsteps on her left, and what seemed like faint wailing somewhere far behind her, yet not in the direction she'd come from. Even worse, now she didn't even know which way the staircase was. If she'd been able to stand up and look around, she wasn't sure she'd be able to find her way back…

Just then, one of the two men came back into the faint light and smiled down at her. He had crooked, off-white teeth, and he didn't seem as friendly as he was trying to be. He grabbed for one of the straps holding down her hands and removed it. But he grabbed her wrist and held it, and Bulma knew better than to try and fight his death grip while she still had the rest of her tied down.

"All right, little mouse, we set up a room for you. You'll be nice and cozy. I turned on the air and you've even got a roommate to spend some quality time with you while we wait to hear back about your punishment." His words were like thorns. He used a tone that made it seem like he was being considerate, but Bulma could tell from the slight laughs that left his lips that he thought this was all a joke.

"I wasn't sent here," Bulma repeated. "There is no punishment. I got lost and ended up here. I'm not even supposed to be here! And if you do anything to me—"

"You'll what? Insult my mother?" He barked out a laugh. "Well go ahead! She was a whore anyway!" He gripped his stomach as he laughed, undoing her other hand and holding both her wrists painfully together above her head as he went to undoing her ankles.

Once she was free, Bulma had just started to squirm before something metallic and cold touched her throat and the man sneered. "One move and I'll cut you. Come nice and quiet so I don't have to clean your blood off the floor."

Bulma squirmed a bit, but not enough to anger him, and definitely not enough to get away as he dragged her off the table and she stood shaking on the floor. He pulled her from behind in the direction of one of the dark halls, and she realized that for sure, there was no ay she'd be able to find her way out on her own. And she was being led down the hall where the soft wails had been coming from. Now, however, everything was eerily quiet, save for some footsteps and banging noises down some other halls.

She felt like they walked for well over a couple minutes and then she was forcibly pulled back, painfully cracking one of her shoulders. It was still almost pitch black, but she could make out a few silhouettes down here. For instance, she knew she was still in a long hall, because she could just make out the stone walls beside her. But then there were metal bars on either side of her every few feet, but she couldn't see anything beyond them.

"I better get a damn good apology when you find out that you're making a big mistake," Bulma growled.

"Sure, little mouse. Whatever you say." She was released, but not before a metal-barred door was creaked open in front of her and she was shoved inside. She landed on her hands and knees and threw a hateful glare at the man behind her, smelling bad dirt in the air.

She heard the door close behind her and the footsteps of the large man as he walked away. His steps faded into the dark again and she was left alone. But once she couldn't hear walking anymore, some new sounds started to surface. There was breathing… across the hall. Panting, more like. And some shuffling. People were moving around… Or animals, or something. But there was movement, and suddenly a loud bang hit the metal bars to her right and Bulma screamed.

"Don't worry," a voice suddenly said, and it came from directly behind her. She jumped and whipped around, squinting her eyes in a desperate attempt to see something a little clearer. "He's in a different cell than us. He gets a little rowdy, but he's harmless as long as those bars stay between him and us."

"Who… Who are you?" Bulma shouted behind her.

"Wait… your voice…," the person behind her said nervously. "…Bulma?"

She froze. What…? Who…?

"Bulma, how did you get here? What happened to you? That rotten prince didn't send you down here, did he? What did you do?"

"Wh… Who…"

"It's me," he said. "Bulma, it's me. It's Yamcha."