Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own it.

AN: I am so so so so sorry about the wait. There is absolutely no excuse for the delay but I hope you guys will enjoy the update just the same.

Eighteen frowned at her appearance in the looking glass as the pretty, petite, pink skinned maid tightened the bodice of her dark green day gown.

"That's tight enough, Zenyah," she muttered. "Fetch my ribbon, girl. I'll be late to breakfast if you do not hurry. If you make me late, I will have your hide."

All three of the girl's gray eyes widened and she nodded quickly. "Y-yes, mistress." Zenyah retrieved a dark green ribbon to tie back her lady's long blond hair. Zenyah moved quickly as her lady's mood since her engagement had become worse and worse. She did not want to tempt her to follow through on her threat.

With her hair neatly brushed and tied at the nape of her neck, Eighteen brushed the front of her gown. Though she was a true vision of loveliness, she continued to frown at her reflection. The knock on the bedchamber door caused the frown to deepen. With a dismissive wave of her hand, she wordlessly gave Zenyah permission to answer the door. The servant girl made her way to the door and upon opening it, she quickly stepped back before falling to her knee and bowing her head, her chin length lavender hair fanning around her face as she did. Never in her young life had she been in the presence of such high rank. It was true that her lady would soon be the wife of the ruler of Mongo, however, the Queen of Isles and the Princess of Vegetasei were a whole new level of royalty.

Bulma barely noticed the young maid as she entered the room, her pretty pink gown swaying gently. She smiled brightly as she gazed at her friend. "Good morning!"

Eighteen could not resist her friends smile and returned it. "Good morning to you, too, Bulma." She then glanced at the woman entering behind her friend and bowed to her rank. "And good morning to you as well your majesty."

ChiChi smiled in return as she stepped further into the room. "Good morning. It is nice to meet you again, Lady Juuhachigou."

Eighteen smiled as she straightened. "I hope you two slept well."

Bulma chuckled. "The accommodations are marvelous but this thing," she gently placed her hand on her large round belly, "makes a peaceful night a difficult goal even if I were sleeping on a cloud."

ChiChi chuckled softly. "Well, your torture will be at an end soon enough."

Eighteen smiled. "So, what brings you ladies to my quarters at this early hour?"

Bulma moved to set herself on the chaise lounge. "Well, we never got a chance to talk last night; you were so busy greeting your guests. And I'm just dying to hear your love story! So, ChiChi and I were making our way to breakfast and I drug her here first."

ChiChi gave her an apologetic smile. "I tried to tell her it was rude to bring me here when we have been so briefly acquainted but you know Bulma."

Eighteen nodded. "Yes, yes I do."

Bulma chuckled. "So, tell us the love story!"

Eighteen raised a brow as she moved to claim a chair in the sitting area of her chamber. "Love story?"

Bulma motioned for ChiChi to sit beside her as she nodded to her friend. "Yes! I want to know all about how you and Krillin fell in love. Have you been courting this whole time or is this a new development? Oh, this is all so exciting! I have to admit that I was shocked when the invite arrived but after I thought about it a moment, I realized there was perhaps no better possible match for you than Krillin. So, tell me, how did it all happen?"

Eighteen longed to tell her all the truth of the situation however she glanced at the other woman who was in all a stranger to her. That fact halted her tongue and she simply shrugged. "There is not much to tell really. He desires an heir and I can give him that."

The two women blinked at the response and glanced at one another before returning their puzzled looks to the blond. "You make it sound as if you are only marrying him for that purpose," Bulma commented.

"You say that as if it is not the purpose of marriage," Eighteen replied.

The two ladies exchanged another glance. "So you do not love Lord Krillin?" ChiChi asked.

Eighteen frowned at having her motives questioned by a woman she did not know. "It is a convenient marriage contract; I do not know how love factors into that."

"Oh Eighteen, that's awful! You cannot be truly planning to marry if you do not love your intended," Bulma chimed in.

"Your graces, this is much more common than you are making it out to be. Lord Krillin will make a fine husband and I plan to return the favor by making him a good wife. It is an acceptable match."

ChiChi frowned. "Lady Juuhachigou, I know it is common to marry for reasons other than love, however, I must tell you that there is no reason but love good enough to bind oneself to another. I was once betrothed to a man I did not love and I could not imagine the misery I would be suffering if I had gone through with it. I doubt Lord Krillin will force you to marry him and if that is so I would not advise marrying until you love him."

"Forgive me if I am speaking out of turn your majesty," Eighteen said in a clipped voice. "But I am not engaged to a man I despise as I am aware you were, so I do not think you can compare our circumstances. "

ChiChi frowned but closed her mouth at the woman's snappish comment. However, Bulma was not cowed by her temper.

"ChiChi's circumstances may not compare but mine most definitely do. If you recall I was once engaged to Kakarot. Like Krillin, he is an amazing man but even with that consideration, I could never be as happy with him as I am with Vegeta simply because I did not truly love him. You are making a mistake marrying Krillin if you do not love him."

Eighteen frowned. She did not like having her decisions dissected this way. "All women are not as fortunate as you two in marriage, nor are all women even looking for what you've found. Lord Krillin has done much for Seventeen and I and all he is asking of me in return is a child. Trust me, I do not find this a hardship."

Both ladies continued to frown at her, causing Eighteen to frown as well before she stood. "I do not wish to be rude, your majesties, but I am late to breakfast."

Bulma nodded slowly. "Yes, yes I suppose we all are." She motioned to the attendants that were waiting discreetly by the door. The four women hurried over helped their princess stand.

As the event took place, ChiChi stood as well. "I hope we did not speak out of turn, Lady Juuhachigou. We just wanted to help," ChiChi was sure to clarify.

Eighteen nodded. "Yes, of course. If you ladies will excuse me, I will join you in the dining hall shortly."

Bulma and ChiChi nodded before turning and moving to the door. Once outside, ChiChi turned to Bulma. "Oh Bulma, she's making a terrible mistake. Do you think we should talk to Krillin about this?"

Bulma paused a moment in thought before she began walking down the hall. "No, no I am sure Krillin all ready knows her feelings. I think what we should do is help them."

"Help them? How?"

"By helping them fall in love," Bulma said throwing her friend a smile. "Oh, I have so many ideas!"

ChiChi blinked as she paused and watched the other woman continue down the hall, voicing her ideas as she went. She was almost afraid to find out what those plans were…

Back in her bedchamber, Eighteen took a moment to compose herself, stepping to her window to look out at the morning sky beyond the glass. She had known Bulma wouldn't approve of her loveless marriage but she had not planned on that double team. She could not help that she was not capable of the feelings they were expecting her to have for the man she was to marry. She owed Lord Krillin much and she saw nothing wrong with repaying his kindness. After all, it is not as if she loved anyone else or intended to wed another. There was nothing wrong with her choice. "They just do not understand my position," she murmured softly to herself.

Heaving a sigh, she turned from her window, checked her appearance once more in the looking glass then exited the room. As she walked down the hall, she prepared herself for the festive breakfast. Upon entering the dining hall, she saw that many of their honored guests had all ready been seated and were enjoying a late morning meal. She looked over the room and spied an empty chair next to her brother and began walking in that direction when her husband- to- be caught sight of her and began waving her over. She took a deep breath then changed her course. When she reached him, the little ruler was grinning from ear to ear.

"Good morning," he said standing and pulling out her chair.

Eighteen nodded her thanks as she sat. "Good morning to you as well, sire."

"I thought we talked about that 'sire' stuff," Krillin smiled as he reclaimed his seat next to her.

Eighteen nods. "I apologize. Old habits are hard to break."

He nodded as well with a smile. "Understandable. May I say you look beautiful this morning?"

"Thank you," she said simply as a plate of food was placed before her by a servant. "Did you rest well?"

"I did. I didn't know greeting guests could be so tiring," he chuckled. "I still amazed at how many people showed up here last night. Would you believe that Nissa told me this morning guests are still arriving?"

"You have many friends it appears," she commented as she studied her meal before lifting her fork.

Krillin smiled. "And I am so glad they can all be here for our special time together."

She did not even look at him as she nodded slightly before cutting into her breakfast.

Krillin nipped his lip nervously before clearing his throat and asking. "So, how did you sleep last night?"

"Oh, I slept well, thank you," she said as she lifted her glass to her lips.

Krillin nodded as he watched her sip her drink. He tried to think of something else to say but that wall of hers was up. So instead he turned his attention to his own meal. A few moments passed before a thought occurred to him and he turned to her again. "I was thinking of taking a ride out to the country this afternoon, you know to get away from the chaos here. I would love for you to join me if you are free today," he smiled at her nervously.

Eighteen paused and met his gaze. "You want me to go to the country today? Horseback riding, you mean?"

Krillin paused. "You can ride can't you? If not we could take a hover coach instead-"

"No, no I can ride. It just seems odd to abandon our guest is all."

Krillin smiled. "I doubt they'll even miss us and if we leave after breakfast we can easily be back in time for dinner. So, will you accompany me?"

Eighteen frowned then lowered her eyes a moment before looking up at him. "Of course I will your grace."

Krillin grinned then motioned to one of the servant boys. "Kechi, run down to the stables and have our horses prepared for a country ride then have Mayah prepare a luncheon for Lady Juuhachigou and myself."

The boy nodded with a smile, setting his pitcher of water down before hurrying off. Krillin turned back to the table after giving the instructions and was dismayed to see his bride-to-be was once again engrossed in her meal. The barrier between them seemed insurmountable at that moment and he mentally sighed. It was quickly becoming clear to him that he was in for more of a battle than he planned. But as he let his eyes study her beautiful profile, he decided she would be more than worth the effort.

The rest of breakfast passed slowly for Krillin. He enjoyed conversing with old friends throughout the meal, but he could not help counting down the moments until he could be alone with Eighteen. He had meant what he said that night he proposed to her. If she did not care for him by the end of their courtship, he would not force her to marry him. However, he wanted desperately to make this mysterious woman his, so he had to get to work at breaking down this wall of hers. When the meal finally ended, he practically jumped out of his chair.

Eighteen told him she needed to change and that she would meet him in the stables. Krillin took the time to change into his own riding clothes, check their lunch, and then headed down to the stables to check their mounts. The animals and their packs were all ready to go when Eighteen entered the stables about twenty minutes after he did. She was as much a vision in her scarlet colored riding habit as she had been that morning at breakfast.

"You look lovely," he blurted then blushed slightly.

She raised a brow as she stopped before him. "You know, you do not have to compliment me every time you see me."

Krillin smiled bashfully. "I know but if you were not so beautiful, I might be able to contain myself."

Eighteen watched him a moment then nodded slowly. "Well, thank you," she said as she moved to the pretty brown mare she rode most often. "Good morning, Lulu," she said as she stroked the beast's nose.

Krillin's smile softened as he witnessed her gentleness with the animal. Despite her icy façade, there was clearly a warmth within her that he was most eager to have directed toward himself. "Well, shall we go? Would you like assistance mounting her?"

Eighteen shook her head as she began to levitate until she was a top of the horse. Krillin blinked and then mounted his own horse in a similar fashion. "I was not aware you could fly," he said as he maneuvered his horse next to hers.

"Seventeen taught me," she said simply.

"Oh, oh okay I see," he said. "Well, after you."

Eighteen nodded then nudged her horse encouraging the horse to make her way out the stable. Krillin followed close behind her, his guards and Eighteen's attendant following a discreet distance behind him. The day was perfect for just such a ride, the sun shone brightly and the light breeze kept it just cool enough. The small party made their way toward the countryside at a leisurely pace. As the palace faded into the distance behind them, the landscape became hillier and began to roll before them. The fresh scent of the plush green grass wafted up to them as their steeds hooves pounded against the ground.

The beauty of Mongo could melt even the coolest resolve and Eighteen found herself once more caught up in the breathtaking scenery flying by her as she nudged her animal to pick up speed. Her horse was soon at a full gallop causing the rest of her party to have to pick up speed to keep up with her pace. The breeze hitting her face was surely doing a number on her once neatly braided hair, but for once she was unconcerned as her heart raced along with her mare. She continued at the pace until she spied a small stream coming up. She began to slow her animal as they approached the crystal clear water. She came to a complete stop and allowed Lulu a moment to drink from the stream. In that time, the rest of her party was able to catch up and also took a moment to water their horses.

Krillin heaved a breath as his horse drank next to hers. "That was quiet a ride! You handle her well," he commented, clearly impressed by her skills.

Eighteen shrugged nonchalantly. "I take her out for a morning gallop three to four times a week."

"Ah, well, I wish I had known that," Krillin said. "We could have taken them together. I try to take old Brute here out each morning."

"I generally use that time for private meditation so it's probably best you did not know," she answered as she bent to rub the animal's neck.

"Oh," Krillin answered clearly disheartened by her rejection of his company. He was quiet a moment, looking off a little ways into the distance. After another moment of silence, he spoke. "You know, we've been riding pretty hard for a close to a couple of hours now. I'm sure the animals could use a break. There is a valley just over that hill there," he pointed out before continuing. "There is an even better stream than this one and a place for them to graze."

Eighteen shielded her eyes to look where he was motioning. After a moment, she nodded. "All right." She pulled gently on the reigns and slowly guided her horse in that direction.

As he watched her move away from the group he motioned to his head guard. When the large man rode over he spoke. "Hang back."

The guard nodded then returned to the other four men to give them their orders. Krillin then motioned to Eighteen's attendant, giving the girl permission to follow them. The three guided their animals down the steep hill to the valley slowly. Once there they dismounted and guided the animals to a place where they could graze. As Zenyah moved to set up their little picnic area, Krillin turned to Eighteen. "Would you like to take a walk downstream with me?"

Eighteen paused in stroking Lulu's coat and glanced at him then dropped her hand. "All right." She moved around the horses to where he was standing. She paused a moment and called out to Zenyah. "We'll take lunch when we return." The girl nodded and Eighteen turned back to the little lord. "Lead the way."

Krillin nodded and started downstream, letting her fall in step beside him. As they took up a leisurely pace, the sound of the flowing stream, the gentle breeze, and their light steps were the only breaks in the silence. Krillin wracked his brain for some topic that might engage her in conversation. As they began to encounter more trees and vegetation, he tried pointing them out hoping she might have some interest in the scenery. However, it quickly became clear that she was no more inclined to discuss that than she was about anything else. After a while, he gave up on conversation and decided for now to just enjoy her presence of this casual stroll. They wandered through what had turned into a wooded area for about forty-five minutes before Krillin paused to pick a small yellow flower. He caught her hand and stopped her so that he could offer it to her.

"A flower for a flower," he said, grinning bashfully.

Eighteen raised a brow at him but then took the offering. "Um, thank you, I suppose."

Krillin swallowed nervously when she was unimpressed by his corny attempt at romance. "So, I'm getting hungry. Why don't we head back and see what Mayah has prepared for us?"

When she nodded, they started back from whence they came. Once they came upon the site, Zenyah had laid out their blanket and opened up their picnic basket. Krillin helped Eighteen sit before claiming a spot beside her. "Zenyah, you can rejoin the guard. We'll call you should we need you," Krillin told the girl.

"Yes, sire," Zenyah bowed before both of them then turned to claim her horse to head back up the hillside.

He watched her go before picking up one of the cups and filling it with wine. He handed it over to his companion then filled his own. "It looks like he prepared a tasty meal for us," he commented before taking a sip of his cup.

"He is very good at his job," she responded as she picked up a plate and placed an array of fruits on it before sitting it before Krillin.

"As are you," he said. "You handle the household affairs with such ease. Have you done something similar before?"

"No, I learned the trade here," she answered as she made a plate for herself.

Krillin popped a piece of fruit into his mouth then continued. "So, what did you do before you came here?"

Eighteen frowned at him. "I was a slave," she stated.

Krillin swallowed. "Oh, sorry, I guess I didn't think that out. I guess I am just trying to find out about what your life was like before you came here."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "It was like the life of a slave."

Krillin swallowed at her look then tried again. "Well, I have no personal knowledge of that. You see, the ruler before me abolished slavery long before I was born so I don't know what that means."

"Oh," was all she added.

"Do you mind talking about it?" he ventured.

She shrugged lightly. "No, you will have to know eventually."

Krillin blinked then decided to push on. "So, where were you born?"

"Alloria."

Krillin frowned, trying to place the planet but he could not. "Where is that? I don't think I've heard of it before."

"It was in the ninth galaxy but it is long since gone," she said as she sipped from her glass.

Krillin was a bit surprised by the causal way she said it. "I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?"

"Frieza purged our planet," she said as she placed fruit in her mouth as she watched the horses roam about.

"That's awful," Krillin murmured. He watched her back grow a little more rigid before he leaned back, resting on his side, hoping his causal position would put her at ease. The last thing he wanted was for her to stop talking because she thought he pitied her. "That must have been terrifying to be there."

"Yes, yes it was," was all she added.

He waited for her to continue but all she did was nibble her food. "So, is that how you came to live on Vegetasei?"

She nodded. "I was taken as a slave and a buyer from Vegeta purchased me as part of a lot. Once on Vegetasei, I was purchased by Lord Kagon, a member of the Saiyan elite."

Krillin tried not to show his horror at how calmly she was talking about all this. "What was that like?"

"At first I was just a maid, Lord Kagon had a new wife from some far away world and two new step-daughters. Lady Indigo was a nasty woman, but her daughters always treated me kindly, especially young Lady Marron. I worked mostly for the girls."

Krillin looked down at the blanket, trying to recall why that sounded so familiar. "Lady Marron…"

Eighteen sipped her wine. "She was the escort to the Prince of Maldrat," she filled in for him.

Krillin blinked. "But neither of you seemed to know one another when they were presented last night."

Eighteen shrugged. "I knew she would not recognize me. Lady Marron has never been the most brilliant woman or the most observant for that matter. I did not want to have a discussion with her so I said nothing."

Krillin nodded. "I see. So how long were you a maid in their home?"

"Until my body developed."

That caught him by surprise and he looked at her. "Excuse me?"

"When I developed, I went from Lady Marron's maid to Lord Kagon's mistress."

Krillin was literally speechless.

Eighteen looked back at him. "What's wrong? I was a slave. Surely you're not shocked that a man would have taken advantage of that?"

"But you said it was when you developed. That seems way too young to be forced into such a role."

She shrugged.

Krillin swallowed. "So, I guess that did not make things any easier with the lady of the house?"

"No, she hated me all the more but there was not much she could do at the time. I was his favorite new toy." She picked up another piece of fruit before continuing. "But then he was killed on a purge mission and she took her revenge against me at that time."

Krillin paled at the way she spoke those words. He could only imagine how the woman took her revenge. "So, how did you get away?"

"Luck," she answered. "I was once again acting as Lady Marron's attendant. The King was forcing his son to court her. At the first, date where I accompanied her, I had the weird feeling he was watching me. I was proved right when the next day the royal guard showed up, ordered me to pack my things and took me to the palace. From that day on I was the royal consort of Prince Vegeta."

Krillin paused in reaching for another piece of fruit and looked up at her. "I never knew that."

Eighteen frowned. "Why did you think I was on that ship?"

"I guess I never really thought about it," Krillin murmured. "So, was he cruel to you?"

She truly surprised him by shaking her head. "No, not at all."

"Oh, so you enjoyed being his mistress?" Krillin asked almost fearful of her answer.

"No, because I was not his mistress." At his puzzled look she actually gave a small smile. "Prince Vegeta never demanded anything of me other than companionship. There was one time when I thought he would ask more of me. It was my first night at the palace and he summoned me to his bedchamber. It was clear that he intended to rape me that night but for some unknown reason he stopped before completing the act. After that he never summoned me at night again, but only required me to have dinner with him and attend royal functions where he was expected to have a woman on his arm."

Krillin was truly astonished. "Did you ever ask him why he behaved in such a way?"

"No, I did not want to run the risk of causing him to change his mind about our arrangement. Besides, I had my suspicions."

"Oh?"

Eighteen nodded. "You see, the people of Vegetasei worship their prince as a god, even before he became the Legendary Super Saiyan. Even his own parents treated him that way to a certain extent. This caused him to be very isolated I think. He had no true friends and after a few months of observing him, I began to realize that the Prince was lonely. It occurred to me that he may have seen a similar loneliness in me and that's why he picked me."

Krillin could not imagine the arrogant Prince Vegeta feeling so sensitive an emotion as loneliness but he let her continue her story.

"My suspicions were proven the first time I saw him interact with Princess Bulma. She was just as proud and spoiled as he and clearly did not fear him or worship him. To be honest, she did not even respect him in the beginning. Instead of it infuriating him as I thought it would, it seemed to intrigue him. The more they interacted, the more that cloud of loneliness began to lift and disappear each time they…well…did battle," she smiled as she thought of those days on Vegetasei's flag ship.

Krillin considered this then sat up. "So is that why you stayed here when the fight with Cell was complete? Because you were no longer needed as a companion?"

Eighteen nodded. "That and it was my first opportunity to gain freedom. Plus, Seventeen and I were newly reunited and he was planning to remain here so it just all fell into place."

Krillin watched her a moment then smiled a little. "You've taken an amazing and brave journey to get here. So, how did you and Seventeen reconnect?"

Eighteen put her glass down and looked at the sun's position in the sky. "I think that's a story better saved for another day. If we want to be back in time for dinner we should get going."

Krillin frowned a little as he followed her gaze. It was indeed getting late but he hated to give up this solitude he had found with her. "I guess you're right, but I have enjoyed this. I hope we can do it again."

She gave him one more small smile before nodding and beginning to stand. Before standing himself, Krillin began picking up their area.

Eighteen frowned a little in confusion. "I can call Zenyah to get this, my lord."

Krillin shook his head. "It won't kill me to clean up after myself once in a while."

Eighteen had spent a lot of time with aristocracy and had never met one who shared that particular opinion with the Lord of Mongo. It brought a small smile to her lips and she bent to help him clean up the picnic area. Once their things were all packed up, they returned to their horses and mounted them. Once they reached the top of the hill, Krillin turned to smile at her.

"You know, you beat me here. Allow me the opportunity to reclaim my honor."

"And how would I do that," Eighteen asked in surprise.

Krillin grinned. "By racing me back to the palace."

No sooner than he had uttered the words did he nudge his horse to take off. Eighteen blinked a moment then her eyes narrowed at the competition. With a slap of her riding crop, Lulu immediately took off in the direction of the disappearing horse.

It was a startled moment before the guards and attendant realized what had just happened. However, it took no time at all for them to recover and race off after the pair, all members of the party determined to reach home before sunset.

I hope it was worth the wait and if not let me know. See you guys next chapter. Thanks for reading.