Hindsight by Annie_Ominous

Chapter 3: The Proposal

Summary:

Bulma goes to find Ember in the woods, but instead finds herself alone with Raditz.

Edited by:
HannaBellLecter

With one last look at the mass of violently dancing bodies, Bulma left. Most of the fighting was over now, or so it seemed. Some part of her knew it was foolish to leave without Unus, but she headed towards the gate anyway. A rather large guard approached her.

"Good evening!" She said cheerily.

"Princess," he bowed. He was about as huge as Nappa, she noted. "May I join you, if you wish to leave the castle?"

"Please! I won't be gone long, I just need to go retrieve my mount from the woods."

"Perhaps we can send a stable boy, Princess?" The image of some poor northern Stableboy walking blindly into the woods to find Ember made her laugh.

"My mount is very frightening looking, I wouldn't ask it of someone who didn't know him." She pulled her cloak over her shoulders and lifted the hood.

"Very well, Princess. Allow me a moment to fetch another guard, it would be unwise to go with just the two of us."

"Yes, of course." She waited by the gate until the large guard returned with two more guards at his side. One of whom was almost as large as he was, while the other was normal sized if a little buffer than the average Northerner. "Wonderful, thank you. Is there anything else we need?" She asked, inching towards the gate.

"No, Princess." The largest one led the way, while the others fell into place on either side of her, towards the back making a sort of triangle shape with her in the center. She didn't mind it and looked each of them over as they headed out the gate.

The largest one stopped so suddenly she nearly ran into him.

"What is it?" She stepped back.

"I have heard that God is blessing the castle and its people for protecting you, Princess. It would seem she has blessed me as well."

"Were you hurt before?" She asked, frowning at him. He seemed okay, but she'd looked him over as a precaution anyway, out of habit.

"I have had pain in my head for many years, Princess. This is… the first time that I can remember there being no pain - it left so suddenly."

Bulma didn't say anything. Just looked up at his back, a warm feeling in her chest. She'd really helped him. Really, truly helped him. As she looked up at him, she noted a strand of red hair poking out from under his helmet. Maybe he wasn't native to this land?

"Captain, you never told us-" The smallest guard said. He looked very much like the others who lived in the north, with long shaggy black hair.

"It was not relevant to the job. Were you blessed too?" He asked the others.

"Maybe? I wasn't in any pain before."

"Yes," The other said firmly. The Biggest one, the captain apparently turned to look at him. Bulma couldn't read their expressions, but there was something interesting there. Some exchange she didn't understand.

"Were you badly hurt?" Bulma asked, not sure what else to do and curiosity getting the best of her.

"No, but I had pain. Most all of us do. One cannot be a true warrior without having some pain always."

At this, Bulma's eyes flickered over to the other guard, with the scars. He looked at the ground, silent, but clearly bothered by the statement that he wasn't a true warrior for not having been in pain. The other didn't seem to realize that he'd said something so offensive about his comrade though, or he didn't care because they started walking again.

"This can only mean God has blessed this mission, or at the very least, you, Princess," the smaller guard said.

"Yes," the Captain agreed. Bulma just kept her mouth shut and pulled her hood up to warm her head and hide a little, but a pristine white cloak sure did stand out.

The people of the city moved when they saw guards coming. Many of them stared in awe at Bulma, probably having never seen a foreign princess before, let alone one as stunningly pretty as Bulma was. It was interesting to see the town so alive. It was oddly warm now, with so many doors open and the heat from inside pouring out to warm the street before escaping up into the cold sky.

Bulma looked over everyone they passed, even people she could barely glimpse moving around through windows. Sure, this place wasn't as lavish or lovely as the Isle of life, but there was still plenty of life and love here. Children waddled around so bundled up they looked more like balls. She looked them all over. Most people didn't notice, but a few stopped to examine the body part that had been previously troublesome and painful.

They kept going until they had reached the edge of town and made way for the tree line at Bulma's instruction. The guards visibly tensed when they got to the trees, but Bulma relaxed because she knew Ember was near. She could feel his heat.

"Ember?" She called, as they passed a few large, gnarled trees that looked familiar.

'About time,' his ethereal voice rang in her mind and she looked around for him. "Who are they?" He asked distastefully.

"Guards. It's okay, you can come out. I've warned the King and his staff about you."

'Warned. Am I so hideous?' He complained, a little dramatically.

"Only to a fool's eye, my friend."

"Princess?" The Captain asked, turning and frowning at Bulma. To him, it looked like Bulma was just talking to herself.

"He can speak directly to one's mind if he wants. He's a very unusual being, but he won't hurt you," she assured him and moved around them to the spot where she thought she'd seen him moving.

"Your Highness!" They all three said behind her.

"It's fine, he's just right-" She looked over her shoulder to reassure them - but found all three of them kneeling to Prince Raditz. A stab of fear froze her for a moment.

'I'm a bit away, but I'm coming,' Ember told her. 'Who else is there now?'

"The Prince," she whispered while the three guards waited for a command from their prince.

'Oh no, the heroic type?'.

"You three shouldn't have taken the Princess from the castle without alerting us. Her guard Unus is in a panic. You're dismissed, I'll take it from here."

'No,' she thought. 'Not the heroic type.' She must have sounded frightened, even in her mind because Ember's tone changed.

'I'll be there soon.'

'Thanks. Hurry.'

The three guards stood up and left at once, without further question or even a hint of hesitation, but she thought the big ginger one did throw her a worried look. The last thing she wanted was to be alone with Raditz after the way he'd been looking at her before.

"You know it's funny, as soon as you left, the healing stopped."

"It did? I thought - I thought your god was blessing you for taking me in? She blessed the three guards - The Captain said-"

"It must only be those who are near you. Tell me, if you're hurt do you heal as well?" He asked.

"No," she lied. "Not that I've noticed before, but I also haven't been hurt since I got here, and no one around me was ever healed in such a way before I arrived in the North." She looked over her shoulder for Ember, wanting his warming and intimidating presence more than ever now.

"Interesting. Maybe this means you were meant to be here."

"Maybe it does?" She shrugged. "It scares me a little, but I'm glad I can help people. The Captain… he said he lived in constant pain before God healed him. I can't imagine what that was like for him."

"I can," he shrugged. "God hasn't healed me. Not once." He crossed his arms and looked around the little clearing. "Why did you come out here?"

"I came to get my steed. The one I told your father about? He looks very frightening, but he's really gentle and very kind."

"Oh right. You had him wait here so you wouldn't alarm anyone," he nodded as he recalled and looked her up and down with plain greed in his eyes.

That's why he hadn't been healed. Ever since she arrived he'd been eyeing her like that, and she wasn't going to heal anyone who actively looked like he was about to attack her. She twisted the hem of her cloak nervously in her hands while she looked over her shoulder for Ember.

"So, where is this steed?"

"He's coming. He's not far off now. He was just hunting."

'I was actually following an interesting scent, but I did eat along the way so that's partially true,' Ember answered in her head. If she was close enough for him to speak to her like this, it meant he couldn't be too far off.

"I see. How did you acquire such a horse?"

"It's a long story." She looked away from the woods behind her and back to Raditz, who'd gotten much, much closer. She took a startled step back. He was looking down at her with an expression she'd never seen before - but then she'd never been alone with a man like this before. Only doctors, her father, and once for a minute a male guard. She'd seen men look at her with greed before, and with desire - but never one she was at the mercy of.

Raditz took another step towards her - and she backed up again. This time, her back met with a gnarled tree, and he closed the distance between them.

"Goku is an idiot. Marry me," he said so simply - so easily that she was stunned. He wasn't even trying to hide his desire.

"Goku has a right - He seems very kind too, that's-"

"He's still in love with his dead wife. He always will be. He's not one to appreciate beauty as I do, and he'd be no help to you running the country. He's a fool. Strong, but a fool. Do you really want another woman's son calling you 'Mother?'" He reached out, and cupped her cheek in his massive hand and leaned forward, bracing against the tree with his free arm.

"Don't," she whispered, making him pause inches from her face. "I'm an excellent lover, you know. If God is healing you, if we can find out - then no one would know. You'd be a virgin forever," he said, a bit too eagerly.

"But we don't know th-" She was cut short when he pulled a dagger out of its sheath on his belt.

"We can test it. A prick on the finger is all…" He reached for her hand - his body was so close to her that she couldn't move away from the old tree.

"I don't want to sleep with you or marry you," she said firmly. "Even if I am being healed." That made him stop and look coldly at her.

"You'd rather have Goku?"

"I'd rather have someone who doesn't look at me like I'm a prize," she said firmly. "It's not a matter of attraction, most of you Saiyans look the same to me anyway." She wriggled against the tree, trying to slide out to the side to put some space between them.

"It's me, Goku, or Tarble. Do you want Tarble? That puny-"

"It's not that I want them more, it's that I don't want you at all - this is highly inappropriate! It's completely inexcusable for you to do such-" She fell silent when he suddenly punched the tree near her head. It shook so much snow fell off and landed on them in wet slushy hunks.

"Inappropriate? Goku got to marry Chi-Chi, the strongest woman on the planet. He got to move to her kingdom on Fire Mountain and rule. It wasn't until Fire Mountain was overtaken and his wife died that he was forced to stay here, with our sick mother. He had his chance to be King, and now – now he's getting another! It's my turn. My turn to become a King and rule. I don't care what my mother thinks or what that idiot wants – you will marry me."

"No. I won't."

"You will." He pushed her cloak open and ran his hands roughly around her waist. "Once I've had you, you won't want anyone. Besides, my father will see it my way. He's always resented Goku for giving up the Throne of the Fire Mountain."

Bulma kicked him as hard as she could between his legs. He cried out in pain and fell to his knees. She kicked him again, then elbowed him roughly in the face. His head snapped back a little, but the pain still seemed to mostly come from his groin - which he now shielded with both hands.

"Sir, you forget yourself. I am no princess, I am a Queen and if you touch me again I will have you hung," she hissed viciously. "I may not yet be crowned, but I one day will be. Who do you think your father will side with? The Queen of a wealthy land who wishes to unite our families forever? Or his idiot son who's already made a name for himself by pawing at any woman who holds still in his presence for too long?" He groaned in pain and leaned on his hands and began retching. She jumped out of the way, half climbing over him to move before he threw up.

For a brief moment, it was just Bulma, standing in the woods watching Raditz throw up while she crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.

"You - cunt!" He gasped between hurls of beer and meat working its way up through his mouth.

"No." She used the fact that he was on his hands and knees to kick him in the crotch again from behind, between his legs. He hurled harder and coughed agonizingly.

Once he got up, she was shit out of luck if Ember weren't here by then. "Princess, or Bulma," she corrected. "You'll treat me with respect from now on, and I'll do the same for you. And if I ever hear about you attacking some poor woman with no power to stop you again, I'll have you hung." She wanted to kick him again, but since he was retching so hard she couldn't bring herself to do it.

The quiet was disrupted by footsteps in the brush. Expecting Ember, Bulma turned, face alight- to find Prince Vegeta approaching from the town, wide smile on his face.

"Oh! Prince Vegeta!" She said surprised. He was grinning, in an almost smug sort of way.

"Hello, Princess. I see you've taught my idiot brother a much-needed lesson," he nodded to the crumpled, green Raditz on the ground.

"Oh! You - you saw that?" She felt a little twinge of guilt but dismissed it since she had every right.

"Best thing I've seen in awhile," Vegeta chuckled. "I've been telling this moron he was going to go for the wrong woman one day and get killed. He normally just goes for women he's sure he's stronger than. Handmaidens, peasants, those who can't turn down their Prince. Because he's a weakling."

"Vegeta - you-" Raditz groaned.

"Be quiet, Raditz," he scoffed and looked back at Bulma. She didn't understand his look. He was clearly happy, but there was also a touch of that greed she'd seen before - only not really greed so much as something else.

'Bulma,' Ember's voice in her mind startled her - she had been so distracted with Raditz and Vegeta that she didn't notice Ember had arrived and stood on the edge of the clearing. She went to him at once and hugged him around the neck.

"Impressive looking beast." Vegeta approached her from behind and reached out to stroke Ember's mane.

'I like him," Ember said out loud, which made Vegeta pause and remove his hand a bit from the silky black mane, looking stunned.

"He's very smart, too," Bulma added with a smile so wide it felt tight. Most people were afraid of Ember. They'd run at the sight of his flaming eyes, mane, wings, and hooves - but Vegeta was mostly just amazed he could speak. Bulma was just grateful to have her friend back and to be properly warm again. "His name is Ember. He came from another world."

"A whole other plane of existence, really but who's keeping track." Ember shook his mane out and curled a wing around Bulma protectively. She looked him over to heal any wounds and she could feel him relax a bit under her hands.

"Were you hurt?" She asked, frowning.

'I was, but I'm fine now.' He told her telepathically.

'What hurt you?' she asked.

'Someone amazing. I'm in love, I'll tell you about it later.' She pulled back to look into his eye and shook her head in disbelief.

"Good to meet you, Ember, was it?" Vegeta said after what to him was an awkward one-sided conversation.

"Yes, that's what Bulma calls me."

"I see. Well, it's… fitting." Vegeta reached out to stroke his mane again, clearly fascinated by the way the flames didn't burn and twisted around his fingers wonderfully.

"Incredible."

"Yes, I am. Aren't I? You have excellent taste, Princey. I like you," Ember declared as if it were a great honor. It was, Bulma thought, rare at the very least. Ember didn't like many people. He didn't even like Unus, but he was polite to her at least.

"Well, shall we head back?" Bulma suggested, and gestured to the clearing, ignoring Raditz completely.

"I don't think it would be wise to just walk Ember through the town."

"I can carry you both," he said confidently.

"I have no doubt of that," Vegeta laughed. "But, Princess, it would seem the people are hoping you'll return through the town. When I was following behind Raditz, I saw people sending their children to the main road, hoping to be healed when you passed."

"Oh! I don't want to leave them then… Ember, can you fly to the castle alone in about half an hour and we'll meet you in the courtyard?"

"I want to come. I want to see if more northerners have taste as good as Princey here." He complained.

'Dear friend, you know you would frighten the children. They'd see you and run before I could heal them.'

"Fine, Fine. Should I take him?" He nodded to Raditz.

"No, he can walk," Bulma said quickly.

"Not for a very long time," Vegeta mused. "It might be-"

"Prince, he just wants to drop Raditz from a high place." That made Vegeta roar with laughter.

"Right, so we're letting Ember take Raditz home-"

"He'd die."

"Princess, you've already convinced me. I'll just help him onto Embers back and-" He feigned a few steps towards Raditz and laughed when Bulma crossed her arms and glared at him.

"You can't just kill him, he's your brother! Leave him," she demanded. Her tone was so harsh that for a moment she thought Vegeta would be offended, but he just smiled that huge, slightly smug smile with the hint of something she didn't recognize.

"If you insist," Vegeta shrugged and approached her to hold out his arm. "Shall we?"

"Oh - yes. My apologies, for the tone - I know you were joking, I just-"

"No need. You're speaking like a ruler now." She took his arm, and they started going back to the castle.

"Oh, by the way. Ember- that thing you do with your voice in my head…"

"Yes, I can read minds," Ember said from behind them. That gave Vegeta pause, and he looked over his shoulder at the flaming horse. Vegeta looked tense and worried until Ember said something - Bulma had no idea what - that eased his mind.

"Thanks."

They left Raditz and Ember in the clearing. Bulma gave one last warning to Ember to not hurt Raditz unless he attacked him first.

The town was just as Vegeta had described. Children swarmed the main road and rushed over to them - giving them enough room to walk, but each one crowding to be near them. To be near Bulma, to be healed. She was happy to look them all over, and even the people waiting by the streets. She even looked over Vegeta again, just in case. He must not have been hurt though since he didn't react at all.

The kids would happily jump and run off once whatever hurt they'd been suffering from had vanished. It was a wonderful feeling to use this gift so freely, even if they all thought it was their God, blessing them, and not her. She didn't need or want the credit.

"Princess! Please!" A shout from behind them made Bulma turn. A woman was running towards them, bundle in her arms. Bulma felt her stomach sink as the woman approached, and held the baby out to her, sobbing. "Please! Please, my baby!"

"I- I don't-" The child was so wrapped in fabric that Bulma couldn't see it - so she took it into her arms and for good measure, threw a confused look at Vegeta.

"Maybe if you just hold it?" He suggested. Bulma nodded and removed just enough of the wrappings to see the baby's face. He was covered in pox of some kind. His little throat swollen, and his chest - unmoving. Was he dead? She pressed her hand to his chest lightly to try and feel if he was breathing and felt nothing. She put her ear to his mouth and listened for a breath - than to his chest to listen for his heart, but her own was beating so fast she couldn't tell if she was hearing his or her own.

"He's not - He's not breathing -" She didn't dare try and heal him here, in the middle of town when it was so unclear if he was alive or not. She didn't dare. Vegeta took the baby from her and began pressing on his chest, hard. She thought he would break the poor things bones, but he didn't seem to care. He pressed, again and again until she saw his chubby little hand jerk up and a whining cry of pain slip from his mouth like a tea kettle's scream. Bulma sighed in relief and looked the baby over to heal him.

Before their eyes, his pox vanished, and his throat deflated. His eyes opened and he screamed and cried as any healthy baby would. Bulma almost wept in relief - the emotion certainly built in her chest enough to make her feel like a damn about to burst and the mothers relieved sobbing as she took her baby back was no help.

The rest of the walk back to the castle was slower. Bulma kept wiping her eyes so she could see clearly enough to look over everyone who had gathered. It took them longer than expected and before they'd reached the gates, Ember flew over, his massive wingspan covering them in shadow for a moment before landing beyond the gates.

There was a moment of quiet before screams echoed around the street.

"He's a friend!" Bulma yelled. "He's an ally! Don't be afraid!" But people had scattered. Bulma and Vegeta exchanged a single look before dashing off towards the Castle gate.

They burst through the gate and stumbled into the courtyard - only to find Ember, standing there with Unus and Nappa while Goku and Gohan excitedly examined him. Bulma, already on the verge of tears let out a relieved sob and ran to her friend to hug him.

"I like these people," he declared while Gohan ran to the stalls to fetch a brush and returned to gently comb his mane. He bristled happily and pushed against the touch of the brush.

"Enjoying the attention?" Bulma asked, smiling in relief and excitement as she pressed against his side.

"Of course. It's well past due, you know. I deserve this - ow, hey - easy on the feathers." He jerked his wing away from Goku, who'd pulled a little too hard in an attempt to examine the feathers more closely.

"I've never seen a horse like this before. I've never even seen one this big!" Goku exclaimed and circled around Ember. He had to look up to see Ember's back, he was so big. Bulma had gotten so used to Ember, that other horses looked small to her.

"I am impressive, aren't I?" Ember was literally glowing from all the praise. His flames danced around his wings, mane, hooves, and eyes as if being stoked with wood.

At least someone liked it here in the North.

'What did you say to Vegeta, earlier?' Bulma asked him silently. He didn't answer for a moment. She thought he was ignoring her, but then his voice echoed in her mind.

'I promised him I wouldn't tell you what he was thinking unless he was thinking about hurting you.'

'He couldn't have been thinking anything so embarrassing when he found us, could he?'

'Let a man have his thoughts, Bulma. He's like you, after all. No privacy whatsoever, except in his mind. How would you feel knowing your thoughts weren't private?' Gohan had taken to brushing every inch of Ember, marveling at how the colors shifted in his fur when moved by the brush. He really was stunning when you got past the glowing red eyes and flaming wings.

'My thoughts aren't private. They haven't been since you joined this world.'

'Well, I don't go snooping, and I certainly don't tell people what you're thinking.' He said, annoyed now. She rested her forehead on his shoulder and felt his wing close around her.

'We'll get The Isle back. I know you hate it here. But everyone here thinks the sun shines out your ass, except for Unus, Vegeta and myself. You'll be fine.'

'Thanks. So, Vegeta doesn't like me? Is that all he didn't want me to know?' She didn't mind that he didn't like her, but his smile earlier, half-lidded and smug made no sense now unless he was a fantastic actor.

'He likes you. He's not blindly infatuated with your looks like most men though. So that's something. Enough, I've already told you more than I should. Look just - don't blindly agree to any of his battle strategies, okay? He's not as clever as he thinks he is.'

'What about Goku?' Bulma wondered. 'Is he as kind as he seems?'

'I think he might be too simple to be anything but. If you did marry him you'd be happy. He likes you, and he likes getting to take his son someplace warm and welcoming with lots of books. His son likes books, apparently. He's kind of weirdly pure. Sort of annoying to be around, actually. His thoughts make me want to gag or roll my eyes.'

'Thanks, Ember. Do you want something to eat? All they have here is meat, so you should be happy.'

"'Yes'" He said, both in her mind and out loud. "Food would be wonderful." Gohan dropped the brush.

"I'm on it!"

"No, not you that felt wonderful someone else get me some meat. Something smells like it's been spiced, bring that. I love spicy food."

The rest of the evening was spent doting on Ember. The Saiyan Royal family just couldn't get over him. A magical, talking horse was not something most of the world had seen before, and they were eager to learn more about him. Unus hung back, watching Bulma like usual, but she hadn't spoken to her since she got back.

Eventually, it grew late enough that Bulma had to go to bed- but she didn't want to be alone with Unus right now. There was no avoiding it though, so she excused herself. Now that she was sure Ember was warm, fed, and being pampered she could rest properly. Well, maybe she could when she was done talking to Unus.

As soon as they were down the corridor and out of earshot of the others, Unus started in on her.

"What were you thinking?! How could you run off like that?! Without me! In a foreign country! DURING A WAR! Your father was assassinated less than four days ago and you're running off by yourself! I know you were worried about Ember but that was the most moronic thing you could have-"

"And jumping into a fight with Nappa was the smart thing?" Bulma snapped.

"You were right there! I knew you'd be able to heal me so I just-"

"What if he'd snapped your neck or something!? I can't bring back the dead, Unus and you know it!"

"He wasn't going to-"

"How can you know that?!"

"I trusted that you were going to stay with me, but I guess I was wrong to do so," Unus spat and turned to keep walking. It was the sort of moment where Bulma wanted to be as far from her friend and lover as she could get. Far, far away. But she couldn't. Neither could Unus. At least, the risk wasn't worth it.

So, the two went to bed, in silence. They didn't touch or speak. Just slept, with the silence strangling them. The relief and joy Bulma had felt from reuniting with Ember and healing the people of the town had gone. Now, she was just left feeling bitter, and helpless.

Notes: Hope you all enjoyed that chapter! Poor hair son just isn't the smartest. Please let me know what you think! I honestly do love feedback, positive, or negative! Esp if it's something that can help me improve as a writer! Hope you're all having good days!