Chapter 4
You Are My Prince
When they all reached the Prince, they bowed down to one knee, fists over their hearts.
Trunks nodded for them to stand, and they did. He was surprised to see Son Gohan here, but after that brief thought entered his mind, he thought nothing more of it.
"So, my Prince?" Pan asked. Her voice was angry, but it held a certain amount of respect and awe in it. "What will be my punishment?"
Trunks stared at her for a brief moment, then answered. "I haven't thought about it much," he started. Truth was, he could get his mind off it. He had finally decided the best punishment for her, the best punishment that she would give her all not to repeat it. "But I have decided that you shall stay one month here in the palace, working as a servant."
Pan would rather go tot the dungeon-and she was about to tell him so. Gohan placed a restraining hand in her shoulder. "No Pan," he said softly.
Pan's glare hardened, but to Gohan's relief she said nothing, though her tail was jerking about wildly.
Prince Trunks smirked-his punishment had the desired affect on her. "Guards, lead her to the servants chambers. Get her a temporary room, and let Head Master Doshen see her."
The guards nodded and then bowed to the floor as one, saying together, "For the glory of Vegeta." Gohan was next and he did the same. Before he turned to leave, he clasped Pan's arm. "Stay out of trouble, ok?"
Pan nodded, and gave his arm a firm shake. "I'll try, Tousan."
Gohan turned and left, wishing with all his heart that she'd be ok.
Pan followed the guards down the hall, knowing that this would be one hell of a month.
*******
Pan was the only female servant, one of the only females in the palace, for that matter, and was treated as such. She was sent to do the easiest, most feminine of the tasks, and she was angered when the easy load was dumped on her. She could handle just as much work as the male saiyans could, and she aimed to prove it.
"Pan, our Prince will be out on royal matters today-do clean his room, will you?" Head Master Doshen said coolly. He was one that enjoyed giving Pan easy tasks.
"P-prince T-Trunks?" she stuttered. No 'low-class' servant like herself was aloud near the Prince's quarters.
"Yes, Prince Trunks," Doshen replied angrily. All of the other servants were out on other business, and Pan was the only one left.
Pan nodded and left quickly, not at all liking the mood Doshen was in.
Pan flashed her gold coin to the two guards standing at the side of the Prince's doors-her pass-carrying a bucket of soapy water along with her. She opened Prince Trunks' doors, expecting to see a colossal mess, and was utterly shocked when she saw that the room was only in need of some minor cleaning. Him, of all people, she thought, neat?! I thought he would be a slob, even though he is a Prince. Guess I was wrong.
She set to work immediately, scrubbing the large, wooden desk and bookcase (with very few books) clean from dust, careful not to rearrange anything. She changed the sheets on the bed, then carried the pillows down to a room at the bottom of the palace and returned with new, fresh pillows. Only the best for our Prince, she thought wryly as she worked.
As she was cleaning one of the glass sconces on the wall, she noticed that the maroon tinged glass was broken. Probably threw something at it, she thought with a snicker and smirk.
She left the sconce for the end as she finished the room. She then took the broken glass out and took it down to the glass room. She looked around for another piece like it, but could find nothing. She ordered the glassmaker to make her one that looked exactly like it, and he assured he it would be down by dusk.
She nodded and left, getting angrier as she did so. Prince Trunks… you're not even here, yet I am still doing you're work! She thought. Her tail flickered heatedly, and she retreated to the console of her room.
Her room was actually a guest room-and was bigger then most servant's rooms, since she was only going to be here for a month. She began her daily exercises, the closest she could get to training-pushups, sit-ups, and everything else imaginable.
*******
Pan opened the Prince's door after showing the guards her pass. With the freshly made glass sconce in her hands, she walked in, not yet noticing the figure lying on the bed. She saw no need in turning on the lights, so she worked in the dark. She began the time consuming task of putting the glass back onto the wall without breaking it.
"There," she muttered, looking at her handy work. "Done." She got off the chair she was standing on to reach the wall and began to walk out when a voice froze her in her tracks.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Pan stopped and whirled around, for the first time spotting the figure on the bed. "T-Trunks!" she gasped. He wasn't supposed to be here!
In the dark room it was hard to see, but Pan could make out the figure, which was the one and only Prince Trunks, turn over to lie on his back, and prop himself up on his elbows. "What are you doing here?"
"I was sent to clean your quarters, your highness," Pan said, and she was so frightened and shocked that she forgot to bow. She saw his smirk, though. "But what are you doing here?"
"Well, I, uh," Trunks stammered.
Pan looked to him, shocked. He's stuttering?! What was wrong? She took a tentative step towards him. "So… why are you here?" she asked again.
"This is my room. Why can't I be in here?" he snarled.
Pan sensed he was hiding something and took a few more steps towards the bed until she was almost touching the bed. "But you're not supposed to be here until tomorrow," she countered. The sinking feeling in her stomach was getting bigger and bigger.
"And you're only a low class saiyan, and you're not supposed to be here at all. So LEAVE!" he growled.
In the dark she saw him wince in pain and she heard a low, pained moan escape his throat as he slipped from his elbows to his back on the bed.
"Prince?" she asked, and was instantaneously by the side of the bed, and the sinking feeling in her stomach was instantly gone.
"Nothing," he growled through clenched teeth. "Nothing is wrong."
The fact that he had answered a question she had yet to ask confirmed her suspicions that something was wrong. "What happened?" she asked as she turned on a small light on the night table by his bed. He winced a little at the light, but for once he did not complain.
Pan gasped when her eyes adjusted to the light. Prince Trunks had various cuts layering his face. She wondered briefly what the rest of him looked like. "What in the world did you do? I heard that you were away on royal matters… but I didn't know THAT was what happened when you left…"
"It is nothing. I am fine. Leave me," he growled softly.
Pan looked at him, slightly amused. "I'm not going anywhere. And at the current shape you're in, neither are you!"
"Curse you! Why won't you leave me?" he snarled. "I deserve what I got."
"I doubt that highly," Pan said. She took a look at him again. "There's no way you deserved THAT."
Prince Trunks eyes narrowed. "Why won't you leave me be?" he repeated heatedly.
"Because you are my prince," Pan answered absently. She pulled the bag that she always carried with her since she had become a servant at the palace off her shoulders and rummaged through it a bit. She pulled out a small bag, which the contents were hidden. She glanced around the room, and her eyes landed on a bottle with a cream-like substance in it, used to prevent infection on cuts and minor abrasions. "My Prince, can I use this?" she asked picking the bottle up.
"What? Why?"
"Thanks."
"What? But-"
"Well, you never said I couldn't,' she countered as she emptied the contents of her small bag into the bottle then shook it up. "Turn over," she commanded, "And take off your shirt."
"I will not! I will not be-"
Pan cut him off. "Stop being a conceited bastard and just do it!" she growled.
Surprised by her tone, Prince Trunks meekly obliged to the younger saiyan.
Pan cringed when she saw his back; the long lash marks and deep gashes were bleeding on the new sheets. Slowly she placed the cool, soothing cream all over his back, and not for one mere second did she relish her actions.
She waited for the cream to sink into his skin, and then ordered for him it turn around. "And don't ask why," she said. "I need to spread this on your chest."
Surprisingly Prince Trunks did what was asked of him. When she reached up to spread the cream on his face, his eyes flashed dangerously and her hand stopped. "I need to put this on your face, my Prince. You need them to heel quickly, and this will help," she explained. The defensive, protective look in his eyes vanished, so she completed the task.
When she was done, she turned to leave, turning off the light as she did so, but stopped when she heard Prince Trunks gasp.
"Why…" he said, marveled. "The pain is almost gone! How did you do that, Son Pan?"
"I mixed a few herbs I had with that cream of yours," Pan answered.
Trunks was puzzled. He had held her captive here when he could have released her, then unknown to her, he had ordered Doshen to give her the easiest of jobs, knowing she would be angry. He had been completely egotistical to her. Why had she helped when she knew she would get no thanks or recognition? She sure wasn't like most female saiyans he knew, that was for sure. Any other female would have jumped at the sound of his voice and left when he told them to. But Son Pan… Son Pan didn't. "Why, Son Pan? Why?" he asked at last.
Pan was speechless. She had no idea why she had just did what she did, because it was obvious to her and to Prince Trunks that she did not like him. So, as calmly as she could, she answered, "You are my Prince. There need be no reason why, Prince Trunks. If you wish to call it something, then consider it a gift." She walked out of the room, and her voice carried over to Trunks. "It's just Pan, Prince Trunks."
Prince Trunks thought to himself as he lie there on his back. Then, too soft for anyone to hear, he whispered, "It's just Trunks."
Author's Note: Thank you SO much for the reviews, everyone! Remember-you review, I update. Let's keep the balance people!! ^-^ Thankyouthankyou Thank you!!!
Did you like this chapter? I think it's going to be one of my favorites.
Next chapter-'Just Trunks'