A/N: Finally I have the feeling I'm getting somewhere with this story.

Chapter Eleven:

Dolus Matris

The Queen was applying make-up on Videl's face speechlessly. She had mixed a white substance – which Videl soon found out to be rice powder – with water to a thick paste she was now applying with a soft brush. Videl stole an occasional glance at the woman, who was fixing all her attention on applying the make-up.

"There." She spoke when she was done. "At least you can walk the palace now like a true Princess of Earth."

Videl looked in the hand mirror the Queen had given to her. Her face was brilliantly white, much whiter than her lead-based make-up could make it.

"Why aren't you wearing any?" Videl asked with difficulty as the older woman started to brush a suspiciously red colour on her lips.

"I always thought it was nonsense. And what's the use for it here, when no Earthling can see anyway whether you're keeping up these silly traditions or not?"

Videl shrugged. "But they're Earth traditions."

"So?" The Queen countered sharply. "Do you think you miss Earth less when you keep acting like an Earthling?"

Videl was taken aback by the harsh words of the Queen. Apparently the woman also thought they might sound harsher than she intended. She sat down next to Videl and looked at her significantly.

"I know how you feel." She started earnestly. "I really do. I've been in the same position as you are right now."

The young girl looked at the older woman confused. "What do you mean?"

"I came here fourteen years ago on behalf of my family. I was young, only a little older than you, but I was appointed to continue the family business."

"Family business?" Videl interrupted.

The Queen nodded. "I'm of the Briefs family."

"What?! Of Briefs' Capsule Corporation?" Videl almost yelled. Trunks, who was meditating at the other side of the room, opened on eye, disturbed from his trainings.

"Yes, I'm Bulma Briefs." The Queen replied, a little amused by the girl's surprised reaction.

Videl looked at her amazed and perplexed. "But you were…"

"Missing?" The Queen finished. "No, I've been here all this time. Fourteen years."

"But how? How come no one knew? I-I heard your spacecraft went missing in space."

Bulma chucked dryly. "I'm sure they told you that. But as I said, I came here on my family's behalf. There was a problem with the deliverance of some very advanced weapons…"

"Wait, what? Your family traded with the Saiyans?" Videl said almost indignantly. "But twelve years ago they were at war with Earth! Capsule Corporation has been delivering weapons for Earth for decades. "

"I know, and I understand it must seem like betrayal for you when an Earth company provides the enemy with weapons. But you must understand, trade is purely commercial. It refrains from politics. We just did what made the most profit. And two clients are more profitable than one."

As the Queen defended Capsule Corps. Videl couldn't believe the number one provider of Earth's weapons also traded with the enemy. It even got her a little mad. Bulma saw this and looked at her almost apologetically.

"If I can speak for my family, I wish we'd never done it though. Saiyans can't be trusted. And they've proven that. When I came here they immediately kept me hostage. Vegeta's father, who was King then, demanded that the company stopped providing weapons for Earth and the King be our only client. If Capsule Corps refused, I'd never return to Earth again."

"And they refused." Videl said incredulously. "I mean, you wouldn't be here if they hadn't."

Bulma's lips crooked in a hardly noticeable smile. "The story didn't go as planned. At first, the company made an agreement with the King of course. And, true to his word, the King released me. I was released immediately and returned to Earth."

"I don't understand." The younger girl said confused. "If you were released, how could you still be here? And why is Capsule Corporation still Earth's provider for weapons if it made an agreement with the King of the Saiyans?"

"No one intended that there would be love in the game." Bulma replied vaguely and with slightly gleaming eyes.

Videl opened her mouth, but closed it again when she couldn't say anything. Now she was really lost. The Queen laughed at her expression.

"I never intended to fall in love with the Prince of the Saiyans. The man who is now King Vegeta."

Suddenly Videl knew where this story was going. Love…

"Love makes a woman do silly things." The Queen mused. "When I was captured, Vegeta was head of the Royal Guards. During my captivity he served as my Praetorian."

Bulma eyed the young Princess of Earth and saw her swallow. She continued as she watched the girl's every reaction.

"He was with me every night, preventing me from escaping. I was furious that I was kept as a prisoner, but the longer my captivity lasted, the more attached I grew to the stranger in the darkness. And I felt attracted to him, even though I couldn't see him. He was the only friend I had. He comforted me when I was lonely and talked to me while no one would. He made my stay somewhat bearable. But then I was released after a couple of months. I returned to Earth, but in contrast to my expectations I wasn't happy with my freedom. In fact, I felt miserable. Horrible without my Praetorian. I missed him and realized I wanted to go back to him. And I did. I broke the agreement with the then-King of the Saiyans so the company could keep its trading contracts with Earth and took the first spacecraft to go to the planet that formerly served as my prison. I've been here ever since."

"You went back here for someone you never even seen?" Videl asked doubtfully.

"Well… I did see him once." Bulma explained as her eyes betrayed she was thinking of a fond memory. "On the night before I returned to Earth, he came to me. It was the first and last time we would see each other and he was sweet and tender. I think you can guess what happened."

Videl blushed a little as she could definitely make that guess. "I can't imagine him being sweet and tender though."

Bulma laughed. "Of course not, he's an obstinate man. And they all are. But as obstinate and conceited Saiyan men can be, their love is absolute. And that makes them great companions."

Videl felt a bit uncomfortable as the Queen gave her a piercing gaze. She already felt uncomfortable because of her story. It was a strange yet familiar one. Bulma also had a Praetorian and she had also grown attached to him. Like herself, even though she didn't want to admit to it.

All of a sudden Videl thought of the kiss the Praetorian gave to her a while ago. And the tenderness of his touch. And the excitement she felt whenever he invited her into the darkness with his velvet voice. It made her shiver at once, but nauseous at the same time. She didn't want to think of her and the Praetorian as lovers. Even though there was, or at least had been, attraction between them, it was dangerous attraction. Attraction that she feared yet liked nonetheless.

When she looked at the Queen again, she met curious eyes.

"How's your Praetorian treating you?" She asked, and Videl couldn't miss there was a suggestion in her question.

"He's… He's a good friend." She replied, deciding not to tell that he had been ignoring her the past few weeks.

"Yes." Bulma agreed. "He is a nice young man."

Now it was Videl's turn to be curious. She didn't care the Queen was waiting for her to ask more about the Praetorian, which she made clear by her long, expecting silence. She wanted to know more about him and the Queen might just provide her with some information.

"Do you know him?" She asked as casually as she could sound. Bulma smiled.

"I've known him since he was a child. I'm good friends with his mother."

Videl nodded and tried to act nonchalantly. "How old is he actually then?"

"He's a young man." Bulma said. It was clear she wasn't going to reveal crucial information.

"Oh. I expected him to be older than a young man." Videl continued.

"Well, I suppose he is quite mature for his age. Perhaps that's because he's been through so much."

The sparked Videl's attention even more. She was at the edge of her seat, dying to hear more. "How's that?"

"Your Praetorian is a real warrior. He's seen wars and battlefields at a startlingly young age, before he was appointed head of the Royal Guards. He's very experienced and capable and he had many victories and successes, but I can imagine it made him mature faster than should be allowed. It's quite sad actually that he couldn't enjoy his youth. He never had a youth. He was always training and fighting and struggling to survive, even when he was as young as my son now. He was enemy to the most dreadful beings and powerful opponents. A horrible life for a child if you ask me. Exactly the life I didn't want for my Trunks."

The Queen looked at the child at the other side of the room. He was still meditating as if he never caught a single word of their conversation.

Videl was silent. She didn't know what to say after Queen Bulma told her about the childhood, or absence of, of the Praetorian. She never asked him about his childhood, or about his past that is, and now that she heard about it she felt a bit upset for him. It was tragic.

"He turned out alright though." Bulma said in a sigh. "He's a lovely young man. Kind. Loyal. Polite. Trustworthy. More than you can say of certain Saiyans twice his importance. And not to forget, he's quite handsome."

Videl instantly got shy. It was a question she asked herself more than she wanted to admit, but she couldn't help being curious about it; how did her Praetorian look like? And now, the Queen called him quite handsome. She did her best not to react stupidly, but something fluttered inside.

Bulma noticed and had Videl looked at her, she would see the slightly self-satisfied expression on her face.

"Oh well. I'm glad he's nice to you." She remarked as a conclusion, as if she had said enough. She took a sip from her tea and Videl knew the topic was closed now. Somehow she was disappointed by that. She wanted to know more. She had more questions. She needed to know more about him. But she also knew that if she asked further, it wouldn't appear casual conversation anymore. Rather directed conversation, and she didn't want to give the impression that she was more interested in the Praetorian than would be appropriate. And thus, even though she was dying to hear more, she kept shut and drank her tea.

After a while Bulma spoke again. "I'm terribly sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave soon. I have a great deal to do today."

Videl nodded silently.

When there was only silence, Bulma continued. "There's an appointment here, and appointment there, I have to speak to some important people, have to make early preparations for the ball…"

"The ball?" Videl questioned as she frowned.

The Queen looked at her. "Yes, the winter ball the King and I are holding every Christmas evening. The only Earthly ritual I was able to impose in this place. It's going to be quite an event. Lots of people, important people. And there's dancing and food and wine. A splendid evening."

Videl looked at her enviously but pretended to be indifferent. She hadn't given Christmas a thought yet, though it was in a few weeks already. She hated the thought of being alone at Christmas and not being able to celebrate the evening. But as the young girl unsuccessfully tried to hide her disappointment, Bulma knew this was the moment.

"You are hereby cordially invited, Videl. After all, you're an important guest. I'd love it if you would come."

The younger girl looked at the ground and got shy again, not wanting to sound too eager. "I don't want to be invited because you are sorry for me or something."

"I know. But I don't. I would like it very much if you came to the ball. And Trunks would too."

Videl smiled, but still a bit uncomfortable.

Bulma looked at her half-sternly, half-humorously. "If you don't show up, I will be insulted."

The young girl laughed and nodded, feeling quite thankful for the invitation. Not much later she left the Queen's quarters, after assuring her she would knock on her door every once in a while for a cup of tea and a chat. Feeling lighter than she had in a long time, Videl walked across the long corridors of the palace and enjoyed the sight of the winterwonderland the windows gave.

When she returned to her room that evening, after dinner, she instinctively turned her head to the darkness. She knew he was there, in the dark shadows of her room. She couldn't help but feeling a slight flutter in her stomach after all the things Bulma had said that afternoon. One thing was for sure…

She certainly watched him with different eyes now.