Chapter One:
Be A Man
Bulma opened her salt-encrusted eyes wearily. Her fine gown was now slick with the saline mixture of the sea and gripped at her skin most uncomfortably. Bulma blinked a few times, letting her eyesight adjust to the blaring brightness.
"About time you came to, Mistress." Bulma quickly sat up to locate the source of the voice.
"Oh, Captain Benjamin! What happened? I can't recall much of anything!" He put a hand on her shoulder in an effort to calm the high-strung young woman.
"Thank the Gods above! We found you adrift off the side of our life boat!"
"Where are we?" she asked, much concerned.
"Off the coast of Vejita-sei. It shan't be more than a day of rowing till we reach the main port."
Bulma nodded her consent and her shoulders dropped in relaxation. Then suddenly she let our a small shriek of terror. The captain who had been talking to a rower was by her side in a flash.
"What is it, Lady Bulma?"
"My dear brother, Yamucha. Oh, I know he has perished!"
"There now, Mistress. I saw your brother with my own eyes. Smart boy, tied himself to a mast." Bulma's eyes widened, though they betrayed that she did not quite know what this implied. "The mast will ride the waves and carry him to shore. No doubt, he may even arrive there before us!" Bulma released a sigh of relief. She leaned back in the small skiff and prepared for the day long journey that would take them back to civilization.
Bulma stumbled disoriented from the skiff as a few of the kind local fishmen tied to securely to the dock. She nodded her head weakly at them while they gave her toothy grins. She quickly shot out her arms in order to balance herself. She felt as if the dock were spinning but she knew it was only her head. She groaned and sank to the water-logged wooden planks under her feet. Captain Benjamin rushed to her side.
"Are you alright, Lady Bulma?"
"Tell this blasted ground to stop spinning!"
He chuckled. "I have no power over the nature of things, Mistress, but I can get you to an inn where you can rest that head of yours." She nodded in coherently, clutching his arm in an effort to steady herself.
Bulma sat at a small corner table under at windows at the Six Meadows Inn. A hot cup of tea sat undisturbed between her trembling hands. She felt a strong heavy hands descend on her shoulder and she jumped up with a start. The chinaware clattered precariously on the table. She looked behind her nervously to see the calm, stoic face of the captain.
"No word?" she inquired meekly. He shook his head solemnly.
"But do not give up hope, young Mistress. I did see him with my very own eyes tie himself to that mast. He is alive and well, be sure of it."
Tears threatened to spill over her lush lashes. "How can I?" she cried. "My twin brother is nowhere to be found. Neither hide nor hair of him has been spotted. In all likelihood, he is probably dead."
Captain Benjamin sat down at the table opposite the blue-haired woman. "Mistress, you must pull yourself together. There is no proof of your brother's death. He may very well be alive. There is that hope. You must always carry hope in your heart if you wish to survive this world."
She nodded slightly. But he could see the defeat and torment as clear as day in her eyes. Suddenly, she cupped her hands over her mouth in a silent scream.
"Oh! How will I manage!" she cried. "I know nought anyone in this province. Do you know of Vejita-sei, Captain?" she asked turning to him.
"Aye. I was born but a mere three hours journey by horseback from this very port."
"Who governs here?"
"A Duke by the name of Vejita. A very noble man holding much pride and dignity," he claimed.
"I have heard of him from my father. Just a passing remark though. He is unmarried, yes?"
"The last that I heard, that was so. However, rumors flying about, as they often will, suggest quite strongly that Duke Vejita has set his heart on courting the Lady Marron." Bulma tilted her head quizzically and motioned for him to continue. "The fair Marron, is the lone daughter of a count who died just a year past. Her elder brother was put in charge of her, but most regretably, he has also passed on. I believe it has been but a few months since the illness took his life. The Lady Marron refuses to set eyes upon any man, a painful reminder of her lost kin. She dwells with the cold walls of her fortress mourning the death of her brother, whom she loved dearly."
Bulma nodded sympathetically. "I can feel her pain as it pulls at the strings of my own heart," she whispered. Bulma's eyes brightened. "I will seek solace with this Lady so that we may mourn together. You must take me to the Lady Marron and I will enter her service."
The captain shook his head, causing his unruly waves of white hair to rattle. "I'm afraid that will not be possible, Mistress. Lady Marron allows no person entrance to her domain. Not even the Duke himself!"
Bulma sat back dejectedly in her chair. 'What is to come of me?' She searched the ceiling for the answer but saw only clusters of cobwebs and cracks in the wood rafters. She sighed heavily. But Bulma, being an extremely bright and ambitious young woman, was not deterred much by this news. Her clever mind worked quickly, formulating a scheme in her mind. 'No! I couldn't.... or couldn't I? That would be most unacceptable indeed...' she mulled the idea over in her mind. 'How ever could I pull off such a deal?' She looked down from the ceiling, her eyes innocently happening upon the genial captain who was draining his tankard of ale.
"Captain," she called to get his attention.
He looked over at her. "Yes, Mistress?"
"I have an idea for how I shall make due in this unfamiliar province. But I shall need your assistance."
"What could I do, m'lady?"
She leaned in closer to the captain and sensing the urgency in her actions, he did the same. "I wish to dress as a man and enter the Duke's service as a page."
The captain's eyes grew wide. "Mistress, that is most... daring of you, I must say."
"It is, isn't it?" she smiled wide.
"I do not know what you wish to accomplish."
"I will remain here until I find what fate has befallen my brother. If indeed he is dead, somehow, I will return home to our parents. If he is alive, we will both return home...together."
"That is awful noble of you, Lady Bulma. No doubt you will make a fine young man," he joked.
She looked at him with playful scorn before laughing herself. "I have a few coins on my person with which to purchase the appropriate clothing... if you wouldn't mind, of course, captain," she said blushing.
He laughed jovially. "Not at all, dear maiden. I will aid you in your cause and may you have much success."
She stood up, her chair legs scraping against the cobblestone floor. He mirrored her and stood up as well. She gave a deep curtsy. "Many thank yous, my Captain."
He chuckled and presented her with a bow, bending rigidly at the waist. "The honor is mine, fair lady." Bulma laughed outright.
"Well, here's a farewell to formalities. From hence forth I will be..."
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evil cliffhanger. honestly, i did not know what to put there. by the time i get to the next chapter, hopefully, i will have a "stage name" for our dear Bulma. vejita will be OOC, just a warning. i would put him in character but the man he portrays (orsino) is love sick for the lady marron (olivia.) so work with me ppl. as always, read and review!!!
mushi_azn: thanks for being the first to review!!! i appreciate. there will be something citrusy straight from the fresh foods aisle later on. don't be disappointed. but since there was nothing of the nature yet, this story remains 'G' until otherwise posted. wohoo! let's more of those reviews ppl!