Worth Any Price
By: Marle

Chapter 4: The Queen Mother

As the morning light poured into the bedroom, Uraraka groaned, pulling the covers over her head. She was never a morning person and today was no exception, but this marked the final countdown of her freedom. To her surprise, her body did not ache from fighting, but her eyes stung from the tears. It was the first time in her life she had slept in such a luxurious bed, which made her wonder if being Queen of the Scorched Valley would be so bad. Recalling the way King Bakugo's thumb gently caressed her lips and the pledges he made to her, she brushed them gently and felt her body grow hot. There's that weird feeling again, She noticed. Her daydreaming was interrupted by a loud commotion coming from the other side of the door. Uraraka heard the voice of a woman screaming incoherently and getting closer.

Immediately, she leaped from the bed and ran the sitting area, grabbing one of the smaller swords off the wall. While she had no experience in sword fighting, whoever or whatever was coming wouldn't get her without a fight. Her guard was shaken when she heard, "DAMMIT, KATSUKI! WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU HAVE SOME MANNERS AND BRING HER TO DINNER LAST NIGHT?"

"SHE WAS RESTING, YOU OLD HAG! SHE DIDN'T NEED TO DEAL WITH YOU FIRST THING WHEN SHE WOKE UP!" Katsuki hollered back. She heard a loud series of crashes followed by a series of loud swearing from Bakugo, followed by the door flinging open. To her surprise, a tall blonde woman walked into the room that had a striking resemblance to the Beast King. She who wore a long elegant deep wine colored cloak with the same magic beast hide that Bakugo had around her neck, wearing in jet black boots, flared black pants, a mauve blouse, grasping a golden scepter with a dragon's head resting at the top. Around her neck hung several gold necklaces of ornate design, with amethyst earrings accented with gold settings, and a crown of golden laurel leaves upon her head. Uraraka stared more in awe and wonder at her than her initial fear.

"Oh my, are you alright?" the woman asked, her voice warm and soothing as she moved to Uraraka, "Did something startle you? You're safe, my dear. There's no need to have that thing out."

"Should I know who you are?"

Behind her stormed in Bakugo, rubbing his head angrily, while grumbling as he approached the woman who had entered the room. He was in a deep red silk dress-robe with black pants that hung loosely off his body, both articles of clothing were accented with golden embroidery that was in the style of the Pyre knots. When he noticed Uraraka prepared to fight, his temper immediately flared again, "YOU SEE WHAT YOU DID, OLD HAG?! YOU'VE GOT HER ALL STRESSED OUT AND READY TO BATTLE AGAIN! SHE'S STILL RECOVERING!"

With a swift motion, the tempered blonde hit Bakugo over the back of the head, "YOU COULD AT LEAST PRETEND TO HAVE SOME MANNERS, KATSUKI! IF SHE'S RECOVERING STILL, IT'S BECAUSE YOU WERE TOO HARD ON HER!"

Bakugo snarled, "I'M THE KING, GODDAMMIT! DON'T HIT ME!"

"THEN ACT LIKE A KING AND NOT A CHILD! YOU'RE MAKING A HORRIBLE FIRST IMPRESSION ON MY FUTURE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW!" The lady screamed back. At the mention of her presumed future relation, it became clear to Uraraka that this woman was Bakugo's mother. She was strong and fierce with zero fear or caution about her infamous son. Her presence commanded respect and attention but despite her vicious exchanges with her son, her demeanor towards Uraraka was kind and caring, "Please ignore my browbeater of an offspring, my dear. My name is Mitsuki Bakugo and I am -" Mitsuki was interrupted by Kaminari running into the room and bowing, "Presenting her royal highness, the Queen Mother, Mitsuki Bakugo!"

It took Kaminari a moment to survey the situation. Bakugo looked like he was ready to strangle him, Mitsuki was trying hard not to laugh, and Uraraka stood dumbfounded with the sword still in her hands, "S-Sorry your graces, I didn't realize you had gotten so far ahead. Lady Uraraka, are you okay?"

"Kaminari," Bakugo's voice rumbled, threatening to explode at any moment, "You didn't just barge into my bedroom and gawk at my betrothed in her nightgown, did you?"

Feeling the building rage emanating from his King's frame, Kaminari bowed deeply, squeaked an apology, and bolted out the door.

Realizing that she still looked poised to attack, Uraraka immediately rushed to put the sword back on the wall then moved in front of Mitsuki, bowing profusely, "Your Highness, I'm so terribly sorry. I heard the loud noises and I had no idea it would be you."

Mitsuki smiled warmly, tilting Uraraka's chin up so she could get a better look at the young woman before her. Ochaco held still as the Queen Mother made a study of her, her crimson eyes surveyed her face and focused deep into her bright brown eyes. For being his mother, Uraraka was surprised at how young she appeared to be, "So you're the woman who matched my son in battle. I must say, you're not what I expected."

"M-Matched?" Uraraka stammered, but before she could correct Mitsuki, Bakugo interjected, "There, you've seen her, now get out."

Mitsuki scowled at her son, "Silence." to Uraraka's astonishment, her fiancee continued fuming but did not speak. The Queen Mother turned her attention back to Uraraka and embraced her warmly, "You must be very brave to be so bold as to challenge him. My Katsuki is very gifted, both in his brilliance and his magical prowess, which has made him a rather difficult young man. I am grateful he's found such a strong woman to be his wife."

Wrapping her arms around Mitsuki, Uraraka couldn't help but notice she had a similar scent to Bakugo, but where the King's scent had a warm undertone, hers was more floral. Perhaps it was the fact that someone was acknowledging her or that someone showed her some form of comfort in this deeply biased situation, Ochaco felt a relief within her to have someone understand how she was feeling. Releasing her slowly, Uraraka gave a grateful bow, "Thank you for your kindness, your majesty."

"Why don't you call me 'okaa-san'?" Mitsuki insisted, smiling happily.

"Mother-" Bakugo fumed, noticing Uraraka's face flushing pink, "That's enough. She needs time to relax."

"And relax she shall!" Mitsuki exclaimed happily, "Katsuki, how about you be a good husband and fetch your future bride's ladies to help her get dressed?"

Uraraka looked around, nervously, "I appreciate the kindness, but I can get dressed without help. I'm not sore from the fight. Um… where are my clothes?"

The Beast King scuffed, "Your outfit was cut up so I have Mina mending it for you."

"I can't go walking around in a nightgown, King Bakugo!" Uraraka exclaimed, covering herself nervously with her hands.

"Katsuki," he corrected, "And I'll send for the attendants to assist you."

"But I don't have my bag with my other clothes! I'm sure Deku or Iida grabbed it for me. If you could just let me go see them I can grab them."

"No."

"Katsuki, let her be!" Mitsuki chided, "My dear, let me dress you. It would make me so happy as your future mother-in-law to do so."

Despite her anxiety, Ochaco didn't want to seem ungrateful or snub her future mother-in-law. She nodded slowly in agreement and watched Bakugo leave the room

"Is he kind to you, Ochaco?" Mitsuki asked, "I know he has a temper, but he is a good man and a good King. He may be a ferocious warrior, but know he'd never harm you."

Uraraka smiled sincerely, "He is definitely intense, to say the least, but he did promise me that he would never let anything happen to me. I believe him when he says that."

Mitsuki's eyebrow quirked in curiosity, "He promised to protect you?"

"Yes, ma'am, why do you ask?"

"I'm sure you've heard the rumors, Ochaco," Mitsuki began, "That the tribal leaders have tried to entice Katsuki. There's no shortage of beautiful, strong, and affluent women in the tribes within the Scorched Valley. Despite even being courted by one of the Princesses of Llari, Katsuki never took interest in any of them. He always swore he would never marry a woman who couldn't hold her own against him. There have been hundreds of hopeful women, some who came with gladiators and others who picked up the sword themselves, but Katsuki beat them all without much effort on his part," The Queen Mother's gaze became soft and endearing towards Uraraka, "So you see, my dear, I am taking such an interest in you because you've earned my Katsuki's respect and he acknowledges your strength. I did not believe I would see the day that a woman matched him in battle."

Uraraka could not help but feel pleased with herself and flattered by Bakugo's assertion, "I feel he's being overly generous when he says that I matched him."

"Regardless, that is what he has told our kingdom and therefore that is how you will be perceived." At that moment, four young ladies entered the room carrying large long boxes. They were dressed modestly, but Uraraka couldn't help but admired how even the servants wore stylish clothes. The one girl who was giving the orders and organizing the others had pink skin and beautiful gold eyes with black scleras. From her cloudy pink hair sprouted two golden horns that curled towards the sky, Uraraka had never seen a person who looked like her before.

"Tsu, Itsuka, Ibara, did you guys need help with laying those out?" the girl asked.

"We've got it, Mina!" The shorter girl with the long deep sea-green hair said as she pulled some garments from the boxes, laying them on the bed. Uraraka observed she was a very cute girl with a unique appearance. Her eyes were black, with long eyelashes that curled on the top and bottom. When she noticed Ochaco making a study of her, she smiled warmly, "Kero! It's nice to meet you, Lady Ochaco. My name is Tsuyu Asui, but you can call me Tsu."

"I'm Itsuka Kendo," the taller girl with the long red hair exclaimed, giving a friendly wave as she laid out the dresses from her boxes on the foot of the bed. Itsuka was beautiful, with fair skin and stunning blue eyes. Despite her cheerful disposition and current profession, the lean muscles on her body indicated she was a fighter. The other girl was cute, with deep green eyes and long green thorn-covered vines for her hair, "It's nice to meet you, my lady. I'm Ibara Shiozaki."

The pink girl bounced over, clasping Uraraka's hands, "And my name is Mina Ashido! Wow! So you're the woman who matched King Bakugo?!"

"That's me," Uraraka claimed, nervously.

Mina's smile grew, "Wow, I never thought I'd see the day! But you're really cute too! Are you sure you want to marry a grouch like our fearless leader?"

"I already offered her an out, Mina," Mitsuki giggled, "She seems steadfast and tough so I think she'll be fine."

"You certainly arrived here with quite the entourage," Itsuka remarked, winking at Uraraka, "I haven't seen such fine men walk through that landing platform in quite some time. Were those men your bodyguards, Lady Uraraka?"

Realizing that Itsuka was referring to Deku, Iida, and Todoroki, she sighed while shaking her head, "No, they're my friends and travel companions. We came here to borrow King Bakugo's King Sigil."

"The King Sigil?" Ibara began, "Why would you need King Bakugo's King Sigil? There are six others from far more cordial rulers who I'm sure would let you borrow theirs."

Uraraka smiled sheepishly, deciding to avoid the conversation, "I'll be sure to tell Deku and the others so they can plan to move on. I don't think he's going to give them his."

Deku had received the King Sigil from Edo thanks to All-Might and Todoroki took the King Sigil from Endorea, which left five remaining Sigils to be gathered. She found her heart sinking again at the thought of the world falling into darkness because Bakugo had decided to be stubborn and wanted to flaunt his prize. She knew she had to find a way to convince him to escort them to the Altar at Mount Woe and retrieve his King Sigil. "You all have a pretty critical opinion of your leader. Aren't you worried that's considered treason?"

Mitsuki began looking enthusiastically through the dresses the girls had laid out, "It's all in jest because I'm here."

"To be honest, King Bakugo is the best leader we've had and I've lived in Pyre all my life," Itsuka recalled warmly, "Things were a lot different before he came here. We never expected one so young to take on the old King. He was such a selfish prick and there was corruption running rapid, but Bakugo definitely went to some extremes when he took power. It was amazing."

Uraraka looked over at Mina, Tsu, and Ibara, "Have you three lived in Pyre your whole lives too?"

"No, I'm from the Mizu Tribe to the west on the coast of the Scorched Valley," Tsu began, "I'm sure you know King Bakugo's formal title is The Beast King. The reason for that is while most of the tribes in the Scorched Valley have a humanoid appearance, many derive from a fauna or flora of some sort. In my case, my tribe derives from amphibians, which makes us great for naval protection and combat."

"And I'm from the Tsuchi Tribe to the south, closer to where the Scorched Valley borders the Kingdom of Endorea. My people are derived from chloroform based life-forms." Ibara explained, "For example, my fighting style utilizes my thorny locks both as an attack weapon and a defensive shield. It grows back faster when I'm out in the sun."

"I'm from the same Tribe as Kirishima," Mina stated, "We're from the Vuur Tribe to the North West, closer to the Volcano Corridor. Our tribe descended from reptilian ancestry, hence why we can turn into dragons."

"Are all dragons from your tribe?" Uraraka asked.

"Oh, Gods no!" Mina huffed, "Dragons, pure dragons, can be complete assholes. They have no logic, they're completely primal, and tend to give those of us who are shape-shifters a bad name because you can't tell the difference until we turn back into humans!"

Mitsuki beamed proudly, "Each of these lovely ladies has been hand-picked by Katsuki to act as your ladies-in-waiting and protectors."

Uraraka became flustered, waving her hands about her again, "That's not really necessary."

"Yes, it is." Mina began, as her and the other girls' demeanors shifted suddenly from bubbly to serious, "You're going to be our Queen, Lady Ochaco. Your life is the most important treasure in our kingdom now. You've been long awaited and wanted. Honestly, I've never seen his majesty act this way about anyone."

"Think of it this way, Ochaco," Mitsuki said, wrapping her arm around Uraraka's shoulders gently, "Katsuki is King, which means he would likely have ended up in an arranged marriage of sorts anyway in the near future if you didn't come along. The last King and his house fell because he was not married, had no children, and was not well-loved by the people. He entered into this arrangement of his own will. Despite the tenacity of his ways, I will give him credit that he is true to his word. Each of these girls has faced Katsuki too and were deemed credited to protect you."

"So you've all fought King Bakugo?" Uraraka exclaimed. The girls all began shifting uncomfortably with wary smiles on their face, "How? Why?"

"I was friends with one of the King's Squadron Leaders, Tetsutetsu, who came here to challenge Bakugo because he thought the King had kidnapped his friend, Kirishima. When Tetsutetsu lost, I came because I thought he needed rescuing." Itsuka muttered.

"And then when I didn't see Itsuka for a month, I traveled here and challenged King Bakugo because I thought Itsuka was being held as a prisoner," Ibara added, sighing.

"And then I came and challenged King Bakugo because I thought he was holding Kirishima and Tetsutetsu prisoner and they're both from my tribe." Mina groaned, "As it turns out, we were all wrong but it's all Kirishima's fault."

Ochaco tilted her head to the side and looked at the girls quizzically, "Why was it Kirishima's fault?"

"He lost a bet." the three lamented in unison.

"So then you all got roped into serving King Bakugo because Kirishima lost a bet? What on earth happened?" Says the girl who agreed that the risk of ending up a trophy wife was a good gamble on, Ochaco cursed.

Mina shrugged in an irritated fashion, "He made a bet that he could beat King Bakugo for the throne and instead of killing him, King Bakugo made his condition if he won that Kirishima would have to serve him as his personal guard and floating carriage."

"I still remember when they brought Kirishima into the Healer's ward. We almost thought he might not make it. Tetsutetsu wasn't nearly as beat up. I think it's because Bakugo had figured out a more efficient way to take down a dragon." Tsu recalled.

"Wait, but you said you fought him too. How did you end up as a servant, Tsu?"

Tsu pointed to herself and smiled, "I told him I wanted to be the captain of the next new ship that was built and work up to being an admiral. He said I could have the job if I beat him."

Uraraka frowned, "That's awful. He made you give up your dreams."

Tsu blinked and waved her hand dismissively, "No, actually, I'm a captain. I was just called to the Palace by the King to serve you. We all were."

"You're all warriors?" Uraraka exclaimed.

"Of course and we were honored to give up our positions to come to serve you, Lady Ochaco." Ibara declared, "We may make comments about his nature, but it is all in jest and love as the Queen Mother stated. King Bakugo has done great things for us, our families, and our people."

"That's right, Lady Ochaco," Itsuka added, "Before him, the country was on the verge of civil war again. A century of peace between the six clans was almost broken because the previous King became too greedy and sought to exploit his position. Unfortunately, because of his generals, the other tribal leaders were not in a position to remove him or overpower him."

"What happened to the previous King?" Uraraka asked.

The room got quiet as all eyes turned to Mitsuki for permission to speak on what happened after Bakugo had taken power. The Queen Mother did not shy away from the conversation and stated plainly, "Katsuki did what was necessary to establish his power and route out the corruption. Heavy is the head that wears the crown."

For some reason, that thought made her sink into a deep sense of sorrow that bordered pity. While Bakugo had made Pyre into a strong Kingdom once again and his people loved him, to have stained his hands with so much blood at a young age made Uraraka's heartache. She couldn't imagine what must have been going through his head during that time - the focus to seize the throne, the worry about the tribal leaders revolting against him, and the pressure of fixing what had been wronged. It became more apparent to her why Bakugo valued one's convictions and strength over their social status or simple words.

To break the tension in the air, Mitsuki clapped and tugged Uraraka over to the bed to view the garments the girls had laid out. "What your favorite color, Ochaco? My husband designed these beautiful dresses so if they don't fit quite right, don't worry. Mina can help tailor them and worse case is if you want to piece some together then my husband will happily create a custom piece for you. But for now, we need to at least get you dressed to go for a stroll."

Ochaco felt like she was dreaming. Never in her life had she seen such stunning outfits and fine clothing. From the exquisite fabric to the details of the embroidery, she couldn't keep her eyes from darting around the bed, "I don't know if I can wear these."

"Of course you can, my dear! These are all for you! If they aren't your style then what kind of style do you like?" Mitsuki beamed.

Uraraka began twisting the strap of her nightgown nervously, "I don't really know. I've never really had a 'style' before." She confessed, "My father is a carpenter and my mother is a midwife. We've never had a lot of money to have nice clothes. Food on the table and the roof over our heads was the priority."

The women in the room all convened upon Ochaco with care and concern, "I'm sorry, Lady Ochaco! This must be a lot for you to take in." Tsu apologized. Uraraka shook her head with a small smile, "No, it's just this kind of thing makes me think that I'm just dressing up in a costume and I'm going to pretend to be a queen. It feels weird and I don't know how I'll handle it."

"Well hey," Mina gabbed, "I'm fixing your outfit from your battle with King Bakugo and should have it mended by the evening so I'll be sure to have that cleaned, pressed, and back to you by tomorrow evening at the latest."

"Thank you, Mina. I really appreciate that. The hood means a lot to me. It was my mom's when she went through her healing mage training and my grandmother wore it before her."

"For now, we can't have you parading around in a nightgown." Mitsuki chimed, starting to sort through the dresses laid out, "You never said your favorite color, my dear."

"I really like dark colors, but also pinks and purples," Ochaco replied.

Mitsuki pulled out a simple light-pink dress that was made of silk and flowed to the ground. Unlike the other garments, it had no embroidery, but instead was accented at the bottom with pearls sewn into the fabric, "This one."

The ladies squealed in agreement, fawning over the dress and exuberant with compliments on how it would look on her. They seized her nightgown and fitted her with fresh undergarments, placing the dress over her head and fastening the detached sleeves to pearl strands that held them to the halter top. Uraraka felt like she was wearing a cloud, it was cool and flowed elegantly down her figure, accenting her curves in a flattering fashion, but was still modest enough that she felt comfortable.

Mitsuki gently pulled Uraraka over to a full-length mirror that stood near the sitting area, standing beside her with pride. When Ochaco saw herself in the mirror, she felt herself become emotional. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she looked at Mitsuki, who rubbed her back reassuringly, "It's a lot to take in, Musume, but you'll adjust in time. Your mother will be here soon and I'm sure she'd love to spend time with all of us."

"M-Mom is coming?" Uraraka whispered, her voice perking up, "When?"

"Tetsutetsu flew out this morning to give them the news and bring them from Kajar." Itsuka said, her face beaming with a warm smile, "King Bakugo woke him up early to make sure he had a proper announcement and gifts to present to his future in-laws."

"Gifts?"

'Of course," Mitsuki started with a smile, "Katsuki said he wanted to receive your parents' blessing on the marriage and make sure they were provided for. He said that it was important for you to have them here for the ceremony. The priestess was an old biddy about the aisle, but it's important to you so I'm working with the planners to make sure something is arranged."

"Katsuki did all of that for me?" Ochaco's eyes began to brim with tears again.

Mitsuki smiled, placing a hand on Uraraka's shoulder, "My dear girl, your family will never go hungry again from this day forward."

It was the thought of her father and mother being taken care of that broke her composure. She had aspired to be a Master Mage and become a great hero so she could become more renowned and help them as soon as possible by providing extra money to ease their burdens. Now, in the face of her losing her freedom, she found salvation in the fact that Katsuki had ensured that her beloved parents would never struggle again.