The world was in darkness. No one moved in the whole of the nameless city. No one but a restless monarch.
King Vegeta padded through the palace halls. He scowled at the lush furnishings, the useless trappings of his station. He wandered through the empty guest rooms for visiting persons of importance. There were four lush beautiful suites for visitors, only three of which were available to guests. The last and most luxurious was reserved for The Oji no Corudo-sama, popularly known as Emperor Frieza. Very few knew of his father at all, or that he was in fact a Prince, not a King as he led others to believe.
Vegeta paused in his wandering and growled quietly at the thought of the vile Frieza. His cursed father was the one who made the treaty with Corudo o-sama, not himself. He despised Frieza and his father Cold, hated having to uphold the treaty. But Vegeta was not the fool his father had been. He had no choice but to continue with dealing with Frieza, but the first chance he got, he was going to destroy that loathsome little monster.
The weary monarch slowly continued his pacing of the halls. He'd not really slept since he'd finally ascended the throne last year. He'd scorned himself ever since the eventful day really, because he'd been weak. He'd let his cursed father live after they both realized that the younger Vegeta was the more powerful and skilled of the two, and banished his father to the far side of Vegeta-sei with his Queen. He shuddered as he remembered the pair of them leaving; before they got into the shuttle, they'd exchanged this LOOK, a look so… warm that he'd been embarrassed to see it. He'd almost rethought his merciful decision at the sight; he wasn't one to care about or even understand emotional displays such as this. And coming from his own father, the former King made it worse.
But, as much as he'd hated his father, he'd cared a little for his step-mother, the Old Kings second mate; and it was for her sake that he'd let them live, not the man who shared his name. The whole thing was so quiet that most of his subjects had not really believed the made up story about the fight to the death the two Vegeta's had engaged in. Many thought the Old King had died in his sleep, a very sad death for a Saiyan, much less the Monarch. His advisors had warned him that he should provide a body to have lie in state for the people to view, but Vegeta sneered at this sentimental and nosy rubbish.
"They should listen to their new King, and accept his death. Any rumors are to be stopped immediately. I never want to hear of this again!" He'd ordered. And, that was that. No more mentions of the "dead" King or the missing Queen.
But Vegeta himself found them his mind much of the time, and he wasn't sure why. His own weakness he'd come to terms with, and explained it away with his fondness for the Queen. So why did he think endlessly of that moment? That look they'd exchanged and the emptiness within that he'd felt at the sight of it?
That morning, the King was met with news of an important Prince from the Far Territories. Some of his best fighters came from the Far Territories, and he would like to get more of this Princes' men from him if he could. So the news of Daiko's visit, complete with his mate and their own court was good for Vegeta. He ordered them set up in the lush apartments the Old Queen had set up, and went to train for a while. They'd want to rest, and maybe set up some sparring sessions with the elite guard themselves before the formalities of the evening meal and meetings.
When he'd finished off his trainer (The poor man would need a few days in a Isolation Chamber) the King strolled through the hallway, peering into the training cells and observing the Far Territories guards as they sparred with his own men. They were good, these visitors, he'd have to work his own guard harder as punishment for their poor showing today.
He came upon a woman who was watching a pair of very large men spar with incredible intensity. It was the Prince of the Far Territories, Daiko himself, and he was facing Nappa. The men had the same sort of look, with the upswept hair (Nappa's hair was thinning though, he'd be bald in a few years) and burly builds, but Daiko carried himself like the Prince he was, while Nappa was unapologetic about his rough manners.
They were having a great time in there though, that was certain. Nappa was grinning fit to split his face, and Daiko was laughing at the Elite, making very rude comments about Nappa's notorious womanizing. The woman who watched them sighed and then saw the King.
"My step-father is incorrigible, but he's a great fighter." She said chuckling. Despite her praise, she didn't look very fond of the Prince.
"I can see that." He said. She smiled and turned back to the window and sighed again. Vegeta realized she hadn't bowed to him. Of course he wasn't wearing his official garb, but training armor, which was only a battle vest and half girds with a full black suit under it. It didn't even have the Royal Crest on it. Still, only the very powerful members of the Blood had hair like his own, or Daiko's, which was the same only black not brown. She should have realized he deserved some respect!
"So, Princess, why aren't you sparring as well?" He said tightly, knowing her rank by her relation to Daiko. He was holding his temper for now, though he had little practice in such an exercise.
"Oh, I never have gotten training. I'm fast though, I'm faster than Daiko is!" She said proudly. Vegeta raised an eyebrow at that. He knew that Daiko was only a little slower than himself…
"I see. Well, I'm free for the moment. I can show you some moves if you wish." He smirked, sure that if she'd never gotten training, it would embarrass Daiko to no end if the King himself showed his stepdaughter how to fight. The girls' eyes sparkled at the invitation. She waved to her dress, not suitable for sparring. He led her to the outfitter, and waited as she changed into sparring gear…
Mari was thrilled at the prospect of learning something of fighting; she had only picked up a few things from watching the guards training. This was great, but she wasn't sure who this guy was. She'd seen him before, but couldn't remember when it had been. Still, she wasn't going to turn this down; no one had ever offered to show her anything before!
She stepped out and noticed that her benefactor was making everyone nervous. He stood casually looking out the window over the ancient city, arms folded over his chest. She smiled ruefully; though he was rather handsome, she doubted if he'd noticed her for her looks. She was rather plain, and had no curves anywhere on her body at all besides. She had no prospects for a mate, and doubted if she ever would, since she was weak and untrained, plain and unattractive. She had absolutely nothing to offer even a lowborn Saiyan warrior.
King Vegeta had warned his staff not to let on as to who he was to the Princess. He had moved from anger at her lack of manners to amusement, and relished the idea of embarrassing her when she found out who he really was. She'd be more respectful to all her superiors when she'd realized her mistake, a valuable lesson indeed for any Saiyan. Then he watched the city below, wondering if he should start a search for a new planet soon. This one was showing signs of being stripped of its resources, and game was getting very hard to find. It cost too much to import meat; it took too much of it to satisfy Saiyan appetites. Then he heard a sound behind him.
"Are you ready?" He said, not turning.
"Hai, sir… " She said softly. "I'm ready as I can be." He turned and looked her over. She was dressed like he was now, and she fidgeted nervously under his gaze. As a Lady of the Court, she'd probably never worn less than one of the formal garments while in mixed company, or been seen like this, her body clearly visible except for where the battle vest covered her.
'She must feel naked.' He thought as she clasped her fingers together letting her arms hang to cover her lower abdomen. She jumped when he laughed at her.
"Come Princess, lets get you started."
He taught her how to warm up and showed her some simple moves, then watched her repeat them, feeling nostalgic. He'd learned the same moves so long ago, and it reminded him of his sensei, who'd died before Vegeta had taken the throne he'd trained the then Prince for. Then he joined her in a very easy spar, being as gentle as possible with the awkward girl. Slowly she gained confidence, and began to make up her own moves, her natural Saiyan ability to fight coming out.
"This is good. You have a naturally great talent, Princess!" Vegeta said grudgingly. She smiled and nodded.
"I might not ever equal you, but I like it!" She said and ran past him with incredible speed. He followed her, amazed at her quickness; she really was fast! He caught up to her and leapt at her, swinging a fist at her face. Sure enough, he missed her as she ducked rapidly. She came up and jabbed his belly with stiff fingers. He grunted, since it hurt more than a fist would have, but still wasn't slowed down by her efforts. He brought his knee up, intending to catch her belly, but again she dodged, and spun around to his back. He wasn't exactly slow either though, and turned, leaping over her. She stared at him, and missed it when he hit her with his open hand. She fell back and sat on the floor, glaring up at him, holding her head.
"Yow! That was rude, a open strike!" She hissed and leapt to her feet. Open strikes were an insult in the Far Territories, he remembered too late. She rubbed her cheek and then jumped up and socked him in the jaw. Vegeta didn't try to duck, but let her hit him. She dropped down and stared at him for a second, and then yelled and cradled her hand against her side.
"Heh, you've never fought anyone stronger than yourself before." Vegeta said, rubbing his jaw where she'd hit him. Sure, he had a small sore spot forming, but he had heard her hand break against his jawbone. It had happened before when weaker opponents hit him, so he'd expected her to be hurt, and she'd really put her all into a swing that had no chance of dropping him. She was far too weak to hurt him very much. He came over and smirked into her tearing eyes. It must hurt a lot.
"If you're opponent is too strong for you, you should avoid his face. Especially if he is another Saiyan, Saiyan skulls are harder than most metals. Instead, focus on his softer parts, like the belly. You can wear him down and then finish him off much easier that way." He said, and then took her hand, looking at it carefully. She bit her lip so she wouldn't make any sound that showed weakness, though it hurt badly. It was swelling, but it looked like only two bones in the hand and three fingers were broken. He waved at her to follow him.
He led her out of the room, and the waiting guards snapped to attention, bowing quickly before remembering to ignore him in her presence. The girl blinked and looked more closely at him. He pointed down the hall, and led her to the infirmary. One of the assistants to the Royal Physician bowed deeply.
"O-sama! Are you in good health today?" He said carefully. It wasn't wise to ask a Saiyan if he was HURT. He might kill you for implying he might be less than invincible. The King was no exception in this. However, at the title, the girl yelped and whirled on him. Vegeta smirked at her horrified face.
"O-SAMA! Oh no, oh, I'm so sorry Your Majesty!" She gasped, and tried to bow belatedly. He raised an eyebrow and stopped her, frowning.
"It's a bit late for that… " He paused and wondered what her name was. He wasn't annoyed anymore especially since she was obviously quite sorry for her bad manners now.
"My name is Mari. I know, it's not a Saiyan name, but my mother served off world and heard the name, and liked it." She blushed with embarrassment; she'd broken her hand on the jaw of the King of the whole world. What had she been thinking, not being respectful to strangers she met in the High Kings Palace?
"Humph… well, put her into an Iso, I want to work with her some more later on, so get that hand healed up. And, if you don't tell anyone that you were rude then I won't either Princess." He said. She blushed again at the rebuke and bowed as he left the room. Of course, news of this would spread all over soon enough, so it hardly mattered if he did speak of it.
"I'll see you at the banquet, Princess Mari. You'll be at the left." He said and strode away, leaving her squirming in embarrassment as the assistant tried to lead her to the Isolation Chamber.
The rest of that day, King Vegeta was torn between anger and amusement about the morning's events. That girl was baffling to him; she obviously had raw talent, but no manners. His father would have killed her if she'd not shown proper respect to him. He had always thought himself more ruthless than his father, but somehow he just couldn't stay angry with this girl. She'd been so proud of her speed, and very game in sparring with him. Her embarrassment had been very funny. He was angrier with himself for being so lax with her than at her for being rude in the first place. He looked forward to the evening's activities though; hopefully she didn't force him to do something harsh in front of the two Courts!
Princess Mari was so nervous that she felt ill. She checked her reflection in the mirror and felt the familiar regret at the sight of her face. Like so many women, she wished she was beautiful, but she just wasn't. Even female Saiyan warriors wanted to be beautiful, so why wouldn't a Princess?
Mari's face was heart shaped, with high cheekbones; her mouth was full, too full to be pretty. Her jaw was firm and stubborn, and her neck too long. Her hair was wild like any Saiyans, and had to be tortured to look decent for court functions, though its thick black curls were the best feature she had. She also sighed as she ran her hands down her straight body.
She knew she'd become more curved when she finally began to have children, but until then, she'd be bitter. She had almost no breasts, and though her waist was narrow, her hips had no curves either. She did have very nice legs, and a nice rear… She slapped herself on the behind and laughed, then adjusted her tail around her waist, turning the gold bands on it so the jewels showed, glowing a soft crimson that matched her dress.
All her life she'd been the plain one, the unregarded daughter of an unregarded warrior. Her mother had mated but not bonded with a first class warrior, and Mari had been the disappointing result of that pairing. However, her biological father had died on a mission, and her mother had caught the eye of Prince Daiko. He'd mated with her mother, a woman of Elite status quickly, and had "generously" taken Mari into his house. Now her mother was a Princess, and herself as well, but in Mari's case it was in name only. Her power was pitiful; she was rated as less than third class.
She'd never gotten the training she'd craved; she'd always been left to her own devices. She'd educated herself as best she could, and did work out in strength training whenever possible. Still, her days were long and filled with empty hours. She'd been a dreamer all her life, for lack of anything else to do. But, something inside her knew there was more for her than being a trapping of the Far Court.
She might be weak, but she had an iron will under her soft exterior, inherited from both of her parents. Even Prince Daiko felt her will, and hated it. He'd order Mari to do something, and she would ignore him. She would flat refuse to do as he said, and that was it. He'd given up on beating her, since she still never obeyed, and because his mate told him not to bother.
"She's too much like her father; even looks like him. Of course, he wore that face well… " She would say, and go back to her gossiping and court duties. And Daiko finally left it alone after that…
"Mari! What did you do now? The King has set you to sit on his left? My mate is supposed to sit there! Girl… you are going to go too far one day!" Daiko's voice broke into Mari's thoughts. She winced at the tone in his voice. He strode into the room, a big man who bore a small resemblance to the King. They were distant cousins, and had the same hair, though Daiko's hair was black, not the light brown of King Vegeta's.
Mari was only his stepchild, which meant she was nothing to him, just a useless girl, not even fit to be trained. He was supposed to foster her, or arrange for her to be fostered, but he couldn't be bothered. She was only useful as a broodmare for more Saiyans in his opinion. She hated him really, for wasting her life, making her an ornament to the court and nothing more.
"Tousan, I am sorry. I didn't… " She started with false meekness, not wanting to get into it here at court, but he cut her off and cursed at her, yelling that she was going to endanger his plans to gain favor with the King, and get more of the bounty for the planets his men helped to take for Frieza. Mari waited, looking contrite, and promised to do better until he left, still muttering under his breath.
"Stupid old man. Hope your tail chokes you in the night!" She hissed the ancient curse under her breath and went to find the banquet room. She smiled at the thought of sitting next to the King while her mother had to sit next to her mate. She wasn't fond of her mother either. Mari was probably going to suffer for this, but it would be worth it!
The banquet was not very different from the ones at home to Mari. She was bored by the military talk, which she didn't understand. But, halfway through the meal, the King waved off the men's talk and turned to her. She was shocked by what was rather insulting behavior; he was ignoring men of state to speak with a worthless Princess!
"Princess Mari, wasn't it? Do you like the Royal Court? Its rather different from your home, isn't it?" He asked. She glanced at her stepfather and swallowed heavily at his angry expression.
"Um, yes, quite different, O-sama… but I've been here before… " She said softly, her voice demure in the noise of the hall.
"You have? When, I don't remember seeing you… " Vegeta said, frowning as if she'd done something wrong because he didn't remember her.
"It was a long time ago. We were both very young, and you were training very hard at the time." A small smile played on her lips as she recalled her own training session that day. She was glad she'd been put in the Iso-chamber actually, or she'd have been so sore by now! It had taken only forty minutes to heal her hand completely.
"I see. By the way, how do you feel after that training session?" He said loudly, smirking. Daiko glowered at her again, trying to get her to say something negative, like she'd hated it. He didn't want to bother with her, and the King might demand she be trained. But Mari wasn't afraid of him while the King was here, so she spoke her mind freely.
"It was so wonderful to learn how to fight! Even girls like to fight you know!" She said, her voice more sprightly, like it had been that afternoon. Vegeta turned to Daiko with an evil smile.
"Oh yes, Prince Daiko, I took the liberty of teaching your daughter some basic moves, I hope you don't mind?" He said. Daiko struggled to look nonchalant, but he was seething. Mari smiled sweetly, hiding her amusement at his predicament.
"Um, of course not, O-sama, but I cannot provide her with more training, so it was truly a waste of Your Majesties time." Vegeta's smile disappeared instantly. This was a veiled insult, implying that Vegeta had poor judgment and had done something foolish. He stared at his cousin with cold black eyes while Daiko went slightly pale. He'd not realized Vegeta would get so angry at his quip.
"This Princess Mari shows some potential. I'd like to see what she could do with training. Of course she has terrible manners, but maybe we can pound decent manners into her as well as fighting skills." Vegeta said angrily. Daiko and Mari both stiffened at the subtle slight to the Far Court. Mari felt her cheeks flame with embarrassment while Daiko growled softly to himself. He knew Mari's lack of finishing was really his fault, but he was going to blame her for it if at all possible. He was almost as proud as the King himself after all.
"Well, O-sama, I was thinking she could maybe be trained one day… "
"That day is now. I propose a challenge Oji-sama. I want to train this little female, and test our training methods against the Far Territories methods. Do you have a raw Seito out there right now?" The King said intently. Daiko sat back and thought for a moment.
He had no young men at the moment that weren't already in training, and he knew better than to cheat by using a trained boy. That meant that the only person that fit the bill was his daughter Matsi, Mari's half sister. He hadn't wanted to bother with training her either, but… This was important, and he might be able to kill two birds with one stone besides…
"Yes, I do, cousin. What are the stakes?" He said, eyes gleaming. The thought of getting the deal he wanted without kissing his Kings tail was appealing. Daiko was sure that there was no way to properly train Mari to fight now; at twenty-five she was too old, while Matsi was only fifteen. In his own mind he was assured of winning this little challenge!
"Ha! You want more of our bounties; I want the rights to get men when I want them without endless haggling with the Far Court. So, if Mari wins, you give me your guards, as I need them no questions asked. If she loses, you get to double your commissions." King Vegeta said without hesitating. Both Mari and Daiko were stunned at the proffered wager.
Mari wasn't sure she could come through with this; she was so old now, and so weak! She didn't know who was to be her opponent in this, but having voiced the wager out loud, Vegeta had committed himself and Daiko to it; Daiko couldn't back down now even if the odds were one hundred percent against him, not after the whole Royal Court had heard the challenge. She went white with fear, but held her tongue, looking down into her plate and wishing she could disappear.
"Vegeta, you are a fool, Mari is far to old to be trained, but if you wish to embarrass yourself this way, feel free. I accept, and may the best Seito win!" He held out his hand and the King took it, squeezing so hard that the bones ground together painfully, though Daikos face remained impassive. Just a little warning to his ambitious cousin!
"Agreed. We meet in one year, and they fight then. Who is your pupil?"
"My younger daughter, the Princess Matsi. My mate wanted to arrange for her marriage next year, so this will work out perfectly. Maybe you can make her the Queen, O-sama!" He said, chuckling. Vegeta scowled at the though of taking a mate. Women! He had no time for their baffling minds, and wanted to just sire a brat for the Empire and continue on with his life, not have to deal with a mate. The counselors were hounding him about the heir already, and he'd only been King for a year.
"Humph, talk to the counselors, but I have no need for a woman just yet, Daiko." He growled. Daiko chuckled, pleased at hitting a sore spot on his cousin, and stood.
"Well then. I'm retiring for the evening. I'll leave the Princess to you." He motioned to his mate to follow him, and neither bothered to look at Mari as they left.
Mari stared down at her cup of wine and swallowed heavily. Now what? She didn't want to stay here! And of course, no one had even asked her if she wanted to be involved in this! Her pride was deeply wounded, and it was all she could do to sit there quietly and not embarrass herself before the Court.
"Princess, go and get some sleep, tomorrow will be a long day!" The King said distractedly. She shook her head, forgetting where she was in her distraction and anger.
"Iie, my King. I can't sleep just yet." She saw him frown and grasped for some way to soothe his temper. She had learned to think quickly in trying to distract Daiko when he was angry, so it was easy to come up with something.
"Will you show me the castle instead?" She said politely. He looked at her angrily, but then calmed quickly. She looked a little shocked and angry to him; could he really blame her?
"Why not?" He stood and everyone stood as well, waiting for them to leave the room before falling into buzzing gossip about the wager the King and Daiko had made…
The Palace was so huge, Mari was confused quickly, not sure where they'd come from. Vegeta knew of course, but she felt little comfort in that knowledge. What if he ran off and left her here? He might need to do something quickly. She looked around for landmarks to follow in case he left her alone. It wouldn't be the first time she'd been forgotten…
"I know, its huge, but remember, we Saiyans didn't even build it. We just moved in." He said suddenly. He knew the Far Court had a much smaller palace, and she must be a little shocked by the events she was now a part of. She looked up at him (Being much smaller than he was) and sighed. She brushed two stray strands of hair from her face and smiled wanly.
"Um, O-sama… "
"You may call me Vegeta, since we are alone, Mari." He said absently.
"Hai, um, well… Why did you proffer that wager with Daiko-sama?" She said curiously. Her anger was waning, but her pride still stung from his comments about her manners, and Daiko's pronouncement of her uselessness. He stared up at the crescent moon for a long time before answering.
"I'm not sure. There was just this feeling I had… I know you will do well. You have a natural talent. And he pisses me off, always did. I have this urge to just kill him and get it over with, but I still need him for now. The Far Territories are too loyal to him right now and might rise against me if he is killed. He's a necessary evil I guess." He said. He turned to her and looked her over. She was so slender, and she'd not eaten very much at the banquet…
"Are you hungry still? I am, these functions are no way to eat." He said. Mari tilted her head to the side and then nodded.
"Yes, I can use a little more. And I agree about the banquets, there's never enough!" She said smiling. He turned and then looked at her over his shoulder. She was a puzzle; frightened or timid one moment, and bold, angry the next. He had no idea of how to predict how she would respond to anything he said. Still, she wasn't boring. After a lifetime of everyone tiptoeing around him, it was refreshing. He decided to head outside, rather than raid the kitchen like he had as a boy.
"Can you fly?" She spread her hands helplessly, so he took her around the waist and pulled her against him, and then took off.
He enjoyed the freedom of flying alone, with no yojinbo's to bother him. And the obvious delight on Mari's face was funny to him. He realized he'd have to teach her to how to fly; it was a vital skill for a Saiyan warrior.
He chuckled as he took them to an old hunting ground he'd been to before. He knew that game would be here, it was guarded from poaching by low-class Saiyans. He set them down in the dense jungle and paused, motioning for silence. Mari stood still, waiting, her nose and ears telling her that there were animals out there, and one of them was BIG. Vegeta sniffed and then tore his cape off; as he did, she noticed the Royal Pendant swing against his chest. He'd had it on earlier as well, and it had even been tucked into his armor during her training session.
'He must wear it constantly… ' She thought. He turned and handed her the cape, and motioned for her to wait for him there. Mari frowned, wanting to come with him, and learn how to hunt as well. Vegeta paused, reading her face, and then nodded, pointing to the ground. Without a sound, she laid the cape down, and then tucked her skirts up out of the way before taking it up again. He led her down a trail, pointing out the marks left by the beast he was after, and motioning how it walked and where it had stopped to eat; she learned to see the trail it left behind quickly, despite the silence they moved in. Then he paused and put out one hand.
Mari held her breath as he powered up; she could feel it on her skin, an electric tingle that warmed her as she faced him. Suddenly he let out a slender beam; she followed it with her eyes, and heard a scream and a thud from the lush underbrush. Vegeta took off running and she followed, weaving through the bushes and trees after him. She almost ran into his back as he stood over his kill, smiling a feral grin of triumph. Mari smiled too, suddenly very happy that she was here and not lying in her cold bed, hungry and depressed.
They still didn't speak as Vegeta showed her how to dress the beast and started a fire. They sat and waited for the pieces of meat to cook, watching the moonrise. It was not full, not even close, but it was still beautiful. The silence between them was so comfortable, and in at least the Kings case, welcome. The duties of court were exhausting and dull; silence under the stars while waiting for a good meal was surprisingly enjoyable…
Vegeta flew them back to the palace slowly, enjoying her warm arms around his neck as she dozed against his chest despite himself. She trusted him completely, something no one ever had done. He hadn't ever tried to do anything to earn trust; his temper was uncertain, and he was known to kill for no good reason at all. He'd been through six trainers since he'd ascended the throne, and had killed a dozen guards for being "lax in their duties". He was the ruling monarch of the most deadly race ever to live, and the most hated. As such, he was the epitome of his kind, the most deadly of them all.
But this tiny woman, this weak Princess seemed to trust him, and even to like him. He blushed at the thought, and was thankful that she was asleep in his arms and couldn't see it; she wasn't used to these hours, and why should she be? She had nothing to do at the Far Court, so why not sleep half the day away?
That was something that did anger him. Wasting a talent like hers, it was stupid. Granted, she was only a girl, but the more warriors the better in Vegeta's view. His own father had believed that the women warriors were in some ways superior to the males. Vegeta wouldn't go that far himself, but he did see them as useful, not to be tossed out needlessly.
Mari stirred and mumbled against him, and he smiled before he knew it. He immediately frowned, not liking his own… weakness about her. It was foolish to get attached to her; she was just a new warrior, part of a bet to get what he wanted… That's all she was, wasn't she?
The next day, Vegeta woke Mari very early in the morning. At least he tried to; she mumbled and batted his hand away when he shook her. He frowned, and shook her harder. Again she made a little noise and turned over, ignoring his summons. Despite himself, he smiled and shook his head; she was so funny, her face scrunched up as she tried to sleep despite his interruption.
"Oh, well, I guess you'd rather sleep, than obey your King?" He said loudly. She sat up quickly, blinking, and then meeped and dove under the covers again, blushing modestly.
"Oh no! I was being rude to you again, my Lord!" She gasped from under the blankets. He laughed outright at this, and dragged the blankets off of her. She gave a half scream and tried to grab them back, but he just hauled her onto the VERY cold floor. That did it; she jumped up and darted into the bathing chamber, fast as light. He began to laugh so hard he had to sit down as she yelled at him from the closed door. He held his belly and tried to calm himself, not wanting anyone to see the great King Vegeta laughing like a child.
"Really, my King! Dragging me from my bed like that!" Mari scolded as she emerged, having dressed in her training armor in record time. She stood, arms akimbo and glared at him, peeved. He nodded and sobered up quickly. She needed to be reminded of who he was, and why she was there in the first place.
"Listen, girl. Part of your training means obeying your sensei when he tells you to do something." He said sternly, his face cold. She sighed and nodded, calming. He was right, and these weren't her rooms in the Far Court, but her rooms at the Kings Palace. The thought that she was living in the Royal Palace made her feel good, like she had last night during the hunt. She bowed slightly to him.
"Hai, um… " She looked around and seeing that they were alone, smiled and said, "Vegeta."
"So next time, when I tell you to rise, DO IT!" Mari nodded, but she had to hide her smile under her hand as she did. It was funny, the King glaring at her in her room, mad because she hadn't wakened quickly enough. He sighed in defeat (The first of what were to be many such defeats) and waved for her to follow him. She was impertinent, but he still felt it was refreshing after all the Saiyans in the Palace kissing his tail. As they left her chamber, he ordered a servant to move her things to a suite next to his, so he could have better access to her, and thus could avoid marching through the halls and getting everyone's attention while he trained her. As he led her to a balcony, Mari pondered her strange monarch.
He was supposed to be this cruel, cold man, yet she found him to be much warmer and interesting than she'd ever have imagined. His decision to train her personally was shocking to her, because of his reputation for aloofness and cruelty. He could easily have handed her to a trainer, and left her alone for the year it would take to train her, yet he didn't. He'd taken the responsibility onto himself; it was his wager and he would see it through. She respected this, and was deeply honored.
He stopped by a window and motioned her closer. "I intend to teach you to fly soon, but for now, I'll take you to the place I will be training you."
"Why not train me in the training cells?" She asked curiously, not realizing that she was questioning his decision. He frowned at her, but answered her, seeing that she was just curious, and really had no idea of what his reasons might be. She didn't mean to be nosy or disrespectful. Still he should teach her a lesson about her inappropriate questions.
"Are you questioning one of my decisions?" He growled, his expression dangerous. Mari gulped and shook her head.
"Iie, my King, I was just curious… " She stammered, backing away slightly. This was the way she'd imagined him to be, dangerous and easy to anger. He ignored her fear and crossed his arms, staring out over the city spread below the window. Her reaction to his anger was comforting, since her familiarity was quite disconcerting. He didn't like it, it made him feel less in control of the situation.
"I was hasty in taking that wager the way it is… I don't want every petty baka of a soldier or the counselors watching our every move. You are bound to be very awkward at first, and this is normal, but they will try to blow your mistakes out of proportion, and destroy your confidence. No King of Vegeta-sei is that firmly placed on his throne, until he has an heir. Your Stepfather would love to take the crown from me, and this would be an excellent opportunity to do it.
"The Kings Seito is terrible, he's a fool, blah blah… " He finished in a mocking falsetto. She smiled despite herself and nodded. She did see his reasons, and was quick to see the things he left unsaid as well.
"I see what you are saying. It makes sense. And I can be a way to escape the weary routine of being a King as well, no?" She said, eyes merry with mischief. He turned on her and pointed a finger at her, but said nothing. He frowned for a few seconds, and then smiled slightly. He was getting the hang of her teasing him.
"Minx! Yes, that is true as well. You are clever aren't you? Well, if you are done questioning me now, can we go?" He replied mockingly. She bowed, one arm across her chest like a good little warrior and stepped closer to him. He chuckled and pulled her against his chest and took off.