Bulma's path towards her bedroom was interrupted by Fasha, who called for her to wait as she ran to catch up with her.

"Fasha!" She greeted, smiling fondly at the spunky young woman, who ran towards her, her cheeks flushed.

"Princesses- You- Did you see outside? The weather is- it's just perfect- you should-" She doubled over to catch her breath. "You should leave. Tonight. With my brother, and Unus." She nodded towards the silent woman standing just behind Bulma.

"What? Why?" Bulma looked towards the nearest window and saw only darkness there.

"It's foggy! There's a storm rolling in, and the fog is incredibly thick! If you leave now, you'll be protected by the fog. No one will see you! I checked with the maesters, and they tell me this fog will roll all the way down to the southern border. You can just keep pace with it- and then you won't have to worry about archers or anything. Especially if you get high enough up- and no one will know because you didn't plan it!"

Bulma thought back to her plan, to smuggle herself out with Vegeta disguised- but Fasha had a point. She had a very, very good point. Since their plan was last minute, no one would be able to organize any assault- her only fear was Ember. Was he strong enough yet to fly them?

i "Sure. fuck it. I miss the south. Fuck it, let's go."/i Ember thought, his voice in her mind making her jump. She'd thought he was still asleep. i "I woke up while the king was -huh- furry- and I've just been listening in. I'm still tired, but i can carry you three okay." /i He insisted. i "If it means getting home in a hurry, I'm for it." /i

"Well-" Bulma said, feeling very put on the spot. It was a good idea though. It was a brilliant idea. So brilliant, that she couldn't think of a logical reason not to do it. Except that she worried about actually being able to get home- what if they flew too fast and lost the cover of the fog- what if Ember was too exhausted to actually get them home?

i I told the prince. He's coming, so stop worrying and let's go./i" Ember thought, impatiently. Feeling annoyed at being bossed around like this, Bulma turned and ran towards the courtyard. Fasha shouted orders at some handmaids, who ran to comply.

She ran up to Ember, and hugged him. His flames were back to their usual livelihood. She'd only just closed her arms around his neck when Vegeta came up behind her, and touched her back. She turned to him. They haven't spoken since his coronation. She had so much to ask him and yet…

There was no time. He leaned closer to her- for a moment she thought for a kiss- but he was just grabbing her hips, and lifting her onto Embers back. She swung her leg around. It was too long a flight to bother with sitting side saddle, and Vegeta climbed on behind her, shortly followed by Unus- who'd shed her full plate armor to save Ember the weight.

"Princess! Princ- King!" Called a handmaid- she ran across the courtyard to them, and held out thick fur cloaks- and three soft pelts. Some of the ones gifted to Bulma.

Since the handmaid had no way of knowing that Ember's back was warm, and pleasant no matter how high or fast he flew. So she didn't say anything, but gratefully took the pelt, and cloak and wrapped both around her shoulders. Vegeta and Usus did the same. Next thing she knew, Vegeta was wrapping his arms around her waist, and Ember was beating his massive wings and carrying them into the sky.

As they climbed higher, the icy fog whizzed past them. Before long, they couldn't even see the ground. It was like drifting through a never ending sea of dark grey, until finally the fog thinned and they burst above it into clear moon lit sky.

Vegeta was holding rather tightly to Bulma, and she suspected it wasn't out of affection for her. Below them the fog looked like fluffy rolling clouds that promised to be the texture and feel of soft cotton. Unlike the icy cold wet it really was.

Vegeta, seemed to hate flying. Bulma expected his grip to loosen over time but it never did. He held to her so tightly that she wondered if his plan was to take her with him if he fell off, so that she could theoretically heal both of them if they fell- but from this height there would be no chance either of them would survive such a fall. And she couldn't see Vegeta acting so selfishly.

But he held fast, and Bulma could only imagine that behind Vegeta, Usus was holding to him as well. She looked behind herself, but could only see Vegeta's broad shoulder. She tried to turn enough to meet his eye, but he seemed to be pressing his face against her, so she couldn't. And the wind was far too loud in their ears for her to speak to him.

At a loss for anything else to do, she put her hand on top of his, and squeezed it reassuringly. His head bobbed against her. A little while later, Ember spoke up.

i Goku is down there- should we land and see him?"/i Ember thought, his voice in their heads clear and loud despite the wind.

Bulma didn't know. She wished she could hear what the others were thinking, like he could.
"Why is here out here?"

i He took off right after the coronation, apparently. He's gone to try and save Chi-chi." /i ember explained.

"Could you carry him?" Bulma asked. "And us?" There was a pause while he listened to the others.

i'No. And Vegeta insists that Goku is well equipped to take care of himself.' /i

"I don't like this. I don't like leaving him when Chi-chi needs him." Bulma thought, ruefully.

i' Vegeta doesn't like it either, but you two are the ones most likely to be targeted by the Cold's, and I can't carry him anyway so… I think we should just keep moving. /i Ember insisted. Bulma sighed, and agreed.

Goku was invisible to them, up here in the fog. But knowing he was down there made Bulma's neck prickle with worry. But there was nothing they could do. Really, nothing. Except travel on foot with him, which would only endanger them.

i Unus wants me to land so she can travel with Goku and protect him. /i Ember said after a few moments. Bulma was startled by that, and turned to look at Unus- but as no one had moved she still couldn't see her through Vegeta's shoulder.

'Does she really want to protect him, or does she want away from me and Vegeta?" Bulma asked, cooly.

"Both. She knows you're safe with me, but she wants to protect Goku too. She fancies herself a hero, you know. And she is. Bulma, I know you're so angry with her you can't feel too sad for her right now- but imagine how painful it is for her to be with you two. I'm landing. /i He explained, and slowly, they bagan to turn around, and fly towards the ground in a wide spiral. The fog was thick here. It was so opaque that Bulma was actually startled when Ember touched ground.

Unus slid off his back at once.

"You've got no armor!" Bulma hissed at her, while Vegeta slid off his back too- apparently grateful to be on the ground. He leaned on a tree and took deep breaths to calm himself.

"And? I've still got my blade." She snapped back.

"This is insane! What if-"

"Than I die with honor!" She said indignantly and turned her back to Bulma. Vegeta looked uncomfortable to be here, despite his relief to be on the ground and tried rather hard to blend in to the trees while the two women argued.

i"Goku is approaching. He sees my flames." /i Ember warned them, and they all stopped to look around the thick fog, until Goku emerged, heavily bundled and looking confused.

"Ember explained what's going on. Unus, I don't need a guard." Goku said right away.

"You do. You're all alone. And, if I come with you i can pose as your wife and it'll make your erm-" Her eyes raked up Goku's frame, taking in the odd clothes and make-shift face covering. "...disguise, more believable. And I can help you save Chi-chi."

That seemed to shut Goku up. His desire to save her was such that he would even accept help from someone, and put that person in danger to do it.
"Alright." He agreed. Vegeta pulled the extra pelts the handmaid had given them off Ember's back and dropped them in Unus' arms. "So you won't freeze." He explained.

"Vegeta, get there in one piece. Okay?" Goku said- and there was such vulnerability in his voice that Bulma actually looked away from the two brothers to give them some privacy. She heard a thud, and some patting sounds that made her look up to see the brothers embracing and slapping one another hard on the back.

"I will. It's you I'm worried about. You're going on a much more dangerous trip than I am." Vegeta said with the air of someone trying to be light hearted. He climbed back up onto Ember, and looped his arms around Bulma's waist again.

"I'll be fine. You know me! I'm always fine." Goku chuckled, and so did Vegeta. It was true that the man somehow always seemed to get out of things unschathed.

"Fine. Be careful anyway. Okay?" Vegeta said, smirking as Ember beat his massive wings to take off. "Oh, and Goku-" Vegeta said when Ember's hooves left the ground. "Thanks for waiting for my coronation to leave."

Ember carried them higher, and just before the fog closed around them, Bulma caught a glimpse of Goku, looking determined and proud while he bowed, as one would to their king. Bulma looked frantically for Unus, wanting one last glimpse of her- but she had turned away from them.

The next several hours of flying were dull and uncomfortable. Normally Bulma could ride Ember easily and quite comfortably, but today with Vegeta clinging to her for dear life it felt more like there was a huge rock on her back, making her grip Ember's soft fur so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Eventually the they out flew the fog as they soared over the boarder and into the south. It was a dramatic difference. Slowly the air whizzing past went from cool and crisp to warm and pleasant, and they could see the ground. Worried this would make the flying more uncomfortable for Vegeta, Bulma patted his arm comfortingly, but he didn't loosen his grip.

Ember carried them through the night, until they passed over the Great Valley of the North with it's soft rolling hills and curved cottages and wide peaceful farmlands. Bulma found the name of the place rather silly now, as it wasn't very far north at all. It was in fact, decidedly south. With its comfortable green grass this far into winter. She couldn't see the cattle, but she was sure they were there. Lazily grazing on the always green passtures. Rivers snaked through the land like a spider web, making it some of the most fertile farmland this side of the world.

i 'I need to rest' /i Ember thought.

'Okay. In woods than. Where we can hide until this evening. We're far enough south now that- if the letters from Roshi were correct we should be safe.' Bulma thought, and Ember began to slowly descend, pointing towards the nearest patch of tall gnarled looking trees.

As soon as they landed, Ember got to his knees- and it wasn't just to make it easier for Bulma and Vegeta to climb off. He laid his head down with little concern for the softness of the earth, and was asleep almost at once. Vegeta, a little bow legged, began gathering firewood.

"That's a bad idea, I think." Bulma said when she realized what he was doing. "I think we should probably avoid building a fire. If someone saw the smoke they might come looking. At best it would be locals, and knowing we were here would only endanger them. Or, at worst it could be King Cold's spys, or men or- something." She shrugged.

Vegeta tossed the wood back to the hard earth and shrugged. "I thought Ember would like a fire." He said a little defensively. Bulma looked them both over, healing them. Vegeta stood up a little straighter. He was definitely used to riding horseback, she thought. He must have just been tense from the height- but he never complained.

"Thank you, he probably would but it's too dangerous now. You had a big night- so why don't you rest, and I'll stand watch." She gestured to the spot of ground by Ember. Vegeta looked at it, shrugged and nodded sort of reluctantly. For him to accept so easily rather than doing the chivalrous thing, Bulma figured he must be exhausted.

"Okay. I'll take the next watch." He decided, and laid out the only fur pelt they kept, and snuggled up beside Ember. His fire was still rather bright, and warm. Bulma wondered if Ember enjoyed their body heat as well.

The next several hours were very dull. Bulma sat next to them with the side of her thigh pressed against Vegeta, staring off into the trees, and drawing on the dirt with a stick while she waited. Some time later, Vegeta shifted and rest his head on her lap, his arms around her waist while he slept. She ran her fingers through his hair.

Slowly the little patch of sun that made it through the thick canopy began inching its way across the ground. Bulma contemplated waking Vegeta when it touched the fallen branch, but it got there too quickly, so she waited for it to get to the rock- and when it reached it also too soon she decided to just wait for him to wake up on his own.

The sun was high in the sky when she felt him stir on her lap. She looked down at him. He smiled sleepily up at her and pushed himself into a sitting position.

"You let me sleep too long. You go ahead and rest now." He gestured to the spot he'd just vacated, and with a tired smile, and a kiss on the cheek she laid down, and let herself doze off.

It felt like just a few minutes later when Vegeta was shaking her awake. She started and rolled over- only to find the forest much darker than it had been when she'd laid down.
"Hey, we need to leave soon." Vegeta said, with an air of forced lightness. Bulma sat up, feeling rather awful. Everything was sore- so she healed herself, and Vegeta again while she was at it. It helped, but there was little to be done about stiffness.
i I'm feeling better. You?' /i Ember asked, with a hint of humor in his voice. Bulma and Vegeta scowled at him. Only now that she was awake properly did she realize how hungry she was. She knew that Vegeta must have been as or more hungry than she was. They still hadn't had time to talk about the ape- and what it meant. She could only imagine something like that would work up an appetite though.

"We should get there by morning." She said, more to herself than to the others. "So we'll be okay." She licked her dry mouth. "We just need water, in the meantime." She pushed to her feet and swayed a little.

There was a river just down the hill, so the three of them snuck down and had a drink before flying off into the clear night sky. Bulma kept her eyes peeled for danger, but Ember had a wide range for his telepathy so she knew if anyone was thinking of attacking them, or if anyone saw them- he'd hear it and warn them.

This night was less comfortable even than the last. Vegeta didn't like flying, that much was obvious from how tightly he held Bulma- but now they were hungry on top of it, and it did nothing to better her mood. Her stomach swam uncomfortably. Shifting between being ravenously hungry and completely nauseous, and vegeta squeezing her stomach wasn't helping.

All in all, at the end of the night she was quite glad to see the castles domed ceilings come into view in the distance. She almost cried out with joy- but than a thrill of terror ran through her. What if everything was still terrible? What if the Colds were there and it was a tr-

i"I can hear Krillin."/i Ember said, cooly. i things are fine. I'm letting him know we're here now. Breathe. /i And- she did. She relaxed and leaned closer to his neck as they bagan soaring at a gentle slope towards the ground.

Bulma was so excited to see her home again, that she didn't know where to look first. The Kings city of the Isle of life was a beautiful lush place. Tall buildings with ornate gold, and glass domes to top them peppered the city. Rivers snaked through the town like like a crack on a glass. The streets were made of lovely white polished stone, while pink leafed trees dotted the landscape.

The castle itself was a stunning sight. It sat atop the hill alongside the largest river, overlooking the water, and the town. It was a many layered, sprawling beauty with huge glass dome ceilings. It seemed to be built out of polished light stone with white marble accents. Large inviting balconies littered the outside- it looked rather like a very beautiful maze.

Ember seemed to be taking them to the balcony of her father's room- where she spotted Krillin waiting, his white cape billowing behind him as he beamed up at them.

Bulma was so happy to see him that as soon as Ember landed- she slid off him and threw her arms around her old friend without getting a proper look at him. He was a short man, so when she hugged him she ended up crushing his head against her chest.

"Princess!" He cried, his voice muffled by her bosom. She eased up, and pulled back- her eyes wet.
"I'm so relieved you're okay, Krillin. I don't know what would have happened if I'd lost you." She hugged him again- this time bending over a bit so that her shoulder pressed into his face rather than her chest. She pulled back, and wiped her face on the back of her hand.

"Oh! Krillin- this is P-" She stepped away from him and gestured to Vegeta, but stopped as her lips formed the P sound, and looked to the nobel Saiyan, and smiled widely. "King, Vegeta of the North." She said proudly.

Vegeta's brow twitched at her introduction, and he nodded politely to Krillin, who bowed low.

"You're the new king, than. Sire?" Krillin asked. "Last we heard, it was still your father." Krillin added hastily.

"Yes. My coronation was the day before yesterday." Vegeta crossed his arms and looked around the lovely white marbled balcony.

"Congratulations, Sire." Krillin said politely. "And welcome to the Isle of Life." He bowed again, and turned back to Bulma.

"Speaking of, princess. We've got two massive ceremonies to arrange. Your coronation, and- firstly- since you're home in time- your fathers-"

"Yes." Bulma cut him off. "I know. Yes. Of course. First, though- Krillin, Is everyone okay?"

"No." Krillin said hesitantly. "We lost a lot of people, and many need to be healed, but right now everyone is stable."

"Okay. Than, for now we need food. And rest. In the morning I'll heal everyone." Bulma explained, and pulled the fur cloak off her shoulders. It was too warm here for fur. Krillin stepped aside and Bulma lead the way through the high elegant archway, and into the Castle.

It was good to be home.

Notes:

The fic has a discord!
Where we can hang out, you can ask questions, or remind me to write if i get lost in the hiatus zone again!
Come say hi!
/qUAPz8P is the discord code. Just put that behind "discorddotgg"