"Was this your plan?" Piccolo asked as soon as the latch on the door clicked shut behind them.
"Making them think it was holy intervention, or something? Your healing." He crossed her arms and frowned at her.
"It was, yes. There's precedent in their religious mythos, so it's not too out there." She forced herself to stand up straight, despite feeling like slouching and staring at the ground.
"I wasn't questioning whether or not it makes sense. Why do you trust them so little? The Northerners, have always been your allies, in peace and war."
"What do you mean? Of Course I trust them. I came straight here after all." She said defensively.
"Than why the deceit? Why not trust them to help you as they always have without divine intervention?"
That made Bulma look away from his firm eyes.
"I didn't want them to think it was me. Not directly."
"Why?"
"To protect them. If King Cold found out, don't you think he'd-"
Her jaw dropped and she stared at Piccolo, the shock of her realization freezing her.
"...they know." She breathed. "They know about my power- that's why they attacked the castle rather than declaring war! They just wanted to capture me, and force me to protect them!"
Piccolo's frown deeped.
"That makes more sense than hoping that by killing you and your father they would be able to take over The Isle. They must not have known about Ember, so they didn't know you had a way to escape by air." He began pacing the room.
"So… the gas wasn't to kill me, they knew I could heal, they were just hoping to kill as many guards as possible before I woke up!" She gasphed. "We just need to find out who told them about me! Who- who would have even thought to- I didn't think anyone knew aside from father, Ember, Unus, and you." She chewed her lip nervously. "But it's possible one of the castle squires or maids noticed and… and told."
"I think we need to tell the royal family about this." Piccolo said. "If King Cold knows, he'll be coming here to find you as soon as word gets out. He might know already if they're torturing people for information-" He cut himself off suddenly and threw a nervous look to Bulma. He realized too late what he'd said, and it couldn't be taken back now.
Torture? They were torturing people because of her? Cold seeped into her, deeper and more frigid than any cold the north could wrap her in.
"Maybe he's not, I doubt anyone who knew anything was left alive in the castle anyway."
"But… He'll keep killing and torturing people until he gets me." She said softly, too horrified to put any volume to her voice. "Why would he? If he gets me, than he gets…."
"Invulnerability."
"No. I wouldn't do it. He could hurt me all he wanted and I'd just heal myself."
"What if he had me, or Krillin, or Unus. What if he was hurting them, and you knew he was but you couldn't see them? Would you let them die or suffer?" He asked doubtfully.
"Y- yes. I would." She said it because she knew it was the right answer from a leader, not because she thought she would actually be able to do it.
"I doubt it." He shook his head. "We need to tell King Vegeta."
"But- than they'll know I was lying and-"
"Lying to protect them. I'm sure they'll understand. They can't help us without the right information."
"They already know I'm a target, how will this-" But she didn't continue the question. She knew the answer. This made her an urgent target. Before now, as far as the King was concerned she wasn't a priority to King Cold. Sure, they'd kill her when they got the chance but there was no rush to get to her. But now…
"I'll tell them. Let me just- Let me ask Vegeta what he thinks I should do first."
"Prince Vegeta?" Piccolo raised a brow at her. "Why? Did they arrange a marriage between you two? I thought they'd planned on Goku, but since he's married maybe now Raditz?"
"No, um- Goku's wife died, so they want me to marry Goku. It's just… I'm pretty sure Prince Vegeta already knows."
"How?"
"I don't know."
"So, they'd have you marry a widower before a bachelor?" Piccolo asked. "Odd."
"I'm not complaining. Raditz… um…." Bulma thought about telling Piccolo what happened. She didn't want too, but she knew if he found out some other way he'd distrust her. "He tried to rape me, yesterday-"
Piccolo's head snapped up so fast Bulma jumped.
"I'm okay though! He didn't! He just- erm- sort of tried too."
"What stopped him?" Piccolo asked, voice carefully calm.
"My foot against his manhood." She said smugly, which made Piccolo smirk proudly at her. "Prince Vegeta knows, and he's not letting Raditz near me now- that's kind of why I trust him.
"Alright. Let's get the guards to bring him here, and I'll go send word to the grand elder."
"Thank you." Bulma hugged him again. He'd always been her favorite adult as a child, and he still sort of was. He'd never spoken down to her, or treated her like a helpless fool. While every other world leader used baby-talk and a condescending tone, Piccolo was always honest with her, if not a little protective. After her mom died, he became like a second Dad to her.
The guards fetched the prince. When he got there, Piccolo clapped him on the shoulder.
"You're a good man." He said with an approving nod before passing him and leaving the two alone.
"What was that about?" Vegeta asked as he stared at the door for a moment, puzzled.
"I told him about Raditz, and how you've been keeping him away from me."
"You noticed?" Vegeta looked genuinely surprised at this as he took a seat.
"Of course I did. Thank you." She took her place, near the fire as usual.
"What was it you wanted to speak about? More news from the south?"
"Yes, actually. I'm- I'm afraid Piccolo and I realized something. We both believe that King Cold and his sons weren't just trying to kill my father and I. We believe he was trying to capture me." She looked him dead in the eyes the whole time she spoke, because she wanted to look away. Ashamed. But she needed to be strong.
"Because it's you, doing the healing. Isn't it?" Vegeta asked, without even a note of surprise in his tone. "I suspected as much."
"I know. You made that clear." Bulma let out a shaky breath. Coming clean was humiliating. "I'm sorry for deceiving you, and your family. But if word got out about my power than people would surely talk, and word would spread to Cold, and he would- but if he already knows…. Than it's useless to hide it now."
Vegeta tapped his lips thoughtfully and tore his eyes away from her to look at the fire.
"I would have done the same. We should tell my family. It won't change much. The guard is already more than doubled, and you do have Ember- though now I would suggest we put you in one of the towers with a high balcony so he can be near you at all times for a quick escape."
"They probably saw him when we escaped last time. We had to fly right over the town, in plain view. They know he's with me now, and putting him right by my room would be like putting a flag out of my window."
"Fair. Still, we should move you from the pink room. It's the obvious choice for a southern lady, so anyone trying to get to you would look there first." He jotted that task down on his list of things to do. Bulma wanted to argue, but that did make sense. She just wanted to stay in the warmth of the pink room, with it's wooden walls and plush rugs.
"So, are you going to tell me now how you got this power?"
"It's not relevant. There's no way to get more powers like mine."
"There's not?" Vegeta leaned towards her. "How can you be sure?" There was a hardness to his eyes that told her he wouldn't trust her. Not unless she was honest.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She was about to lose him as a ally. As a friend. He would become cold, distant, and want nothing to do with her after what she was going to say.
"When I was nine, one day my tutor was ill. The guards forgot to tell anyone ahead of time, since there was a royal visit around the corner, and my mother was very, very sick. So they didn't notice when I slipped away to explore. I had so little alone time… you understand." She gestured to Vegeta, someone in her position who would understand how it felt to be watched constantly. He nodded quietly.
"I had once seen my father use a secret door- so I went and found it, and looked around inside. Through a couple of doors, and deep underground I found myself in a huge cavern. Empty, but for seven orange balls that looked like glass. Each one had stars in the middle. The first had one, the second had two and so on.
"They were set in a circle, and in the middle of that circle was a note card with the word "Shenron." on it. Being nine, I thought it was a funny name so I said it, and- next thing I know, the balls are glowing and a huge dragon pops out of them. So massive, he filled the underground chamber. But than he smiled, with his dragon mouth. So I wasn't afraid. I asked who he was, and he told me he was Shenron. I asked if he'd been stuck inside those balls for very long, and he said a thousand, thousand years. I asked him if there was anything I could do to get him out- and he said all I had to do was wish for it. So I did.
"Than, the balls turned to stone, and the light vanished but he was still there, huge with glowing eyes. Looking back, I understand now that he was surprised. He said no one had ever thought to ask about his freedom. He said that as thanks he could give me three wishes. I thought of my mother right away and wished for the power to heal. His eyes glew more brightly, and he said "Now all you need to do is look at any living thing and decide to heal it. Any wound, any sickness, will be healed." I was so excited, I began to run off but he called me back and reminded me I had two wishes left. So, I wished to slowly become beautiful as I grew up, and for Ember. He vanished after that." She let out the breath she'd been holding, and looked away from Vegeta to stare at the fire.
"At age ten you wished for a giant, black, flaming, winged horse?" Vegeta asked after a long pause while he absorbed the information.
"No, I wished for a flying pony." She smiled at the memory of Ember appearing out of thin air, and how excited she'd been. She'd not even noticed he was frightening to look at until she saw someone else jump in fear at the look of him.
"And… The dragon gave you Ember? Seems like he was pretty benevolent about the healing wish to make it work so well when he could have messed it up somehow."
"I've been thinking about that moment for more than ten years. I think he was so kind with the healing because it was pretty selfless. The last two though… were very selfish. But all the wish's have downsides. Some I should have been able to see coming." She crossed her arms loosely in front of her chest so she could hold onto herself without looking like she was closed off.
"Yeah, but I don't know of many eight year olds who wouldn't wish for beauty and a pony. Honestly I'm just surprised you had the foresight to ask to slowly become beautiful as you grew up."
"I thought if I suddenly looked completely different my father wouldn't recognize me and I'd lose my home." She said with a sad little smile.
"I mean, it wouldn't have been a total transformation. You were never ugly, and neither was your mother. I saw all the portraits around your castle while I was there. The artists never exaggerate your father's looks, so I doubt they did for your mother. She was beautiful, and she looked like you when you were a child, just blond with narrower eyes." He shrugged.
"But now we'll never know what I'd look like without the wish. Of all the stupid things to wish for. I mean for god's sake I'm a princess. The fact that I'm well fed and have all my teeth already makes me better looking than the common person. I could have wished for battle genius. Or the ability to see the future so I could always be ready- but no. I wanted to be pretty." She sneered into the fire and shook her head bitterly.
"This has been bothering you for a long time, hasn't it?" Vegeta asked.
"Yeah, I suppose it has."
"Hm. Well, you should try to forgive your eight year old self. She didn't have the same hindsight you have now."
"Sure." She said, just glad to drop the subject. She was still so mad at her younger self that if left to it she'd rant on and on about the foolishness of wishing for beauty.
"So, tell me... if you got the healing power before your mother died than… why did she?"
Bulma had been dreading this.
"There's a downside to my power. After the dragon vanished I ran straight to her rooms, but when I got there- it was too late. She was gone. I tried to heal her anyway, and… something horrible happened." She was properly hugging herself now. The guise of loosely wrapped arms completely gone. She turned away from the fire to look straight into Vegeta's eyes.
"Do you know what happens when you heal a dead body of all wounds?" He shook his head, brow furrowed. "It moves. It gets up, and looks around. It looks alive, it has a pulse. But it's not the person it once was. It's just an alive body with no soul, no thought. My healing doesn't bring back the soul. Once that's gone, the body becomes a monster whose only goal is to feed itself. Like an animal. When I tried healing my mother- she became like that. A Monster. She sat up and for a moment we thought- but then she tried to bite my father- and the guards had to stab her."
"So yesterday, on the way back from the woods. That's why you didn't heal the baby until you saw it breathing." He said in realization. "I see."
"I don't want the people to know about this power, else they fear it. But it can be useful. We just to get me within eyesight of the battle field, and I'll be able to turn their fallen dead into monsters that attack their allies. They'll be too busy fighting one another to fight us."
"What about our men? The monsters will attack our men too."
"We bring ranged archers, and have them fire towards the back. Than, I only turn the ones at the very back of the line so that they have to go through several lines of alive allies to get to ours. And, we'll warn them about it. They won't be surprised like the cold army would be. That is, if we ever end up in direct battle with them. Seems more like King Cold's style is to attack the leaders directly."
"So, we put you with Unus, and Nappa and they'll be all but unbeatable with you healing them after each blow."
"An arrow to the head will still kill them. I can't make someone unstoppable, I can just make them really hard to stop."
"But only if you're in eyesight of the battle, which frankly, is too close."
"You fight in battles."
"I'm a northerner. I've been taught how to fight my whole life, and no I don't really fight in battles. I'm heir to the throne. I show up, say something inspiring to the warriors, and then I leave before the battle get's really going."
There was a touch of shame to his words, not unlike Bulma's when she told him about her wishes.
"That's wise, though. You're a king- or you will be. You certainly act like a king. Seems to me you do most of the work in your family." She said with a hint of a laugh in her voice. That made Vegeta give a little half smile.
"It's a northern tradition to spend time with a loved one after they've recovered from an illness. They'll be like this for a week or so, and besides it gives me a chance to prove to my father that I'll be a better King than he ever was."
"Your father is a good king, though." Bulma said quickly, before it could be assumed she was agreeing with any ill word to the current king.
"He is. But I'm going to be a great king. I'm going to be the King that's remembered throughout history for dramatically bettering the lives of each and every one of my subjects. They'll talk about me for centuries." He said very smugly as he stroked his chin, smirk playing on his lips.
Intrigued, Bulma left her spot by the fire and sat beside him.
"Oh? And how do you plan on doing that?" She asked. He exhaled through his nose and looked her over for a moment.
"I'll tell you when it becomes relevant." He pushed his sleeves up past his elbow and took the quill in hand to add a few things to his to-do list. He had very attractive arms, she noticed.
Bulma had always had a bit of a weakness for a strong handsome pair of hands and forearms. Vegeta had a strength, but also a grace to his hands that she'd never noticed before. His penmanship was excellent, which she found a little surprising. She'd always imagined Northerners wrote with short fat messy print like a child, but that was apparently prejudice of her.
"Is there a reason you're reading my list?" Vegeta asked, while he continued to glide his quill over the parchment.
"Is is private?" She asked, not looking away.
"No, or I wouldn't be writing it in front of you, but I hardly think it's as interesting as you seem to think it is."
"I'm just correcting a prejudice misconception I've apparently had my whole life." She propped her chin up with her elbows on the table.
"Really? Did you think Northerners couldn't read, or something?" He chuckled.
"No, of course nothing that bad, but I must say I am surprised by your penmanship, even though i have no real reason to be. It's lovely." Vegeta frowned at her as if she'd just said the strangest thing.
"I'm a prince. I've spent my whole life in lessons, did you really think I would have-"
"No, I didn't think that at all, yet I was still a bit surprised. That's why I said I was correcting a misconception within myself, you know." She shrugged, but she wasn't really staring at his writing. Not anymore.
"Well, I guess you thought we brutish northerners couldn't be graceful, just like I thought you delicate southerners couldn't be strong. I guess we were both proven wrong."
She looked up from his hands, to his face to see him smirking at her with that same look he'd had yesterday in the clearing after she'd kicked Raditz. The look that was so confusing to her. It had a touch of that lust she was used to seeing in men's eyes, but more than anything it was… pride? She just didn't know for sure. But she knew her heart leapt when he looked at her like that.
She was at a loss for words, for a moment. But she didn't need to say anything. There was nothing to be said. The silence between them was strangely comfortable, as he looked back down at his list and continued adding things, while she watched his strong, graceful hand glide across the paper and wondered what it would be like to feel those hands on her body.
But the world was intent on giving her no peace. Goku burst into the room, breathless. "Something happened to raditz!" He shouted, and ran outside. Vegeta and Bulma exchanged a worried look, and they both chased after Goku.
Notes: FINALLY. Some CHEMISTRY, amiright?Thanks for reading this chapter, everyone! I hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think and leave a review! Did you all like Bulma's backstory?