Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Ancient Future ❯ Time shifts ( Chapter 2 )

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN DBZ OR THE WORKS BY TRACY HARDING

Note: Characters may be out of character

THE ANCIENT FUTURE

THE DARK AGE

PART 1

TIME

Chapter 2

Time shifts

Bulma woke the next morning.

She squinted in the bright light of the morning; she stretched, trying to work out the kinks in her body.

`The ball of light'

Bulma sat up so fast her head spun.

All her bags were still there, and as far as she could tell she hadn't been harmed in any way.

Bulma put a hand to her forehead and questioned herself whether last night was real or not.

She felt gritty paint on her brow.

She lowered her hand, and gazed at her fingers, they were smudged with blue.

She pulled a pocket mirror out of her bag, and gazed at her reflection.

On her forehead, there was a dragon stamped.

In Celtic mythology the dragon represented the guardian spirit of Ancient Britain.

Why had she been marked with it?

Bulma decided that although the dragon was cute, it had to go.

She reached into her bag for her box of tissues when she remembered they were in the car.

She decided that it was time she got moving anyway.

It wasn't till she stood up, that she noticed that a few things were out of place.

She ran towards the road, which was now no more than a dirt track.

`Where's the fence?'

`What happened to the car?'

`Where's the road?'

`What the hell is going on here?'

She turned around, looking for landmarks, when she noticed that there were more trees than before, and different kinds.

They were different in height, location as well.

Bulma headed back to her bags, telling herself to stay calm.

But when she saw the stones, that almost went out the window.

The stones which were crumbling and broken were now over 7 feet tall and were fewer in number.

There were no power lines or traffic or planes or anything.

Bulma's mind went blank.

She became aware of a distant rumbling; the ground beneath her began to shake.

In the distance she spied eight men on horseback, coming across the field towards her.

She quickly whipped a cap out of her bag to cover the mark on her forehead.

The men came to a halt outside the circle of stones, and they were all dressed in armour.

She walked towards them, "Hey what's happening?"

She waved in greeting as she walked towards them.

She didn't receive the reaction she desired; in fact it looked like every word she said hadn't been understood.

"By the Goddess!" one of the Knights exclaimed, "It be a woman!"

He wasn't speaking Modern English, but what sounded like a form of Welsh.

Bulma was able to tell this because Welsh and its ascendant Brythanic were like second languages to her.

Bulma stopped several feet away from the men, who appeared very ominous.

They were all unshaven and unwashed, and their armour tainted with blood.

"What say thee, Majesty?" One of the younger men inquired of the dark-flame-haired man beside him.

"She be a feisty challenge, and I could use the exercise." His request was met by encouragement from his companions.

Bulma didn't like the tone of his voice, but the word `majesty' played on her mind.

She turned to the young man that had been addressed; he did seem to possess a regal disposition that set him apart from the others.

He sat quietly observing Bulma's attire with a very curious expression, before placing a hand on the man beside him shoulder.

"This woman doth employ a tongue and dress like none we have seen before. Caution Goku, a witch be said to haunt this place."

(A/n yeah I know this sounds wrong, the whole Vegeta calling Goku well Goku, but how else am I going to get it to sound right cos it sounds even weirder if Kakarot and Chichi get together, so it's my story and I make the rule ^_^)

"What!" Bulma exclaimed.

"I am not afraid," Goku said. "If she be a witch, thou shalt have her head."

The flame-haired man looked at Bulma and, with some encouragement from his men, nodded his consent.

The hair on the back of Bulma's neck stood up on end.

These guys were serious.

She backed away as Goku dismounted.

"Now hold on!" Bulma cried out, waving her hands in front of her.

"Could I speak to the man in charge for a moment please?" She made her way towards them hoping to appease the situation.

"I would start running if I was thee," Goku said moving to intercept her.

"Goku, one moment," The man with the flame hair said gravely.

This woman bore a vague resemblance to his deceased mother, except that her hair was blue, so he allowed her to voice her protest.

Bulma nodded politely, grateful for the chance to reason with him.

"Why, may I ask, dost thou think me a witch?"

Goku began to answer, but the man with the flame hair help up his hand and replied.

`If thou are not a witch, then why dost thou appear so uncouth?"

"UNCOUTH!" she repeated.

"Ye all appear very strange to my eyes, I assure thee. Doth his mean I should conclude that thou are involved in demonic practices and deserve to die? With no proof, no means to defend thyself."

Bulma realised she was being a little over- dramatic but she had him thinking.

"Be this thy concept of justice?" She said.

Goku went for his sword.

"Who art thou to question a Prince of Gwynedd! I shall sever thy head from thy shoulders for such insolence."

The prince waved him to silence, but with a smile this time.

"Goku I do believe I see her point."

He paused to consider her words.

"What dost thou suggest I do, give thee a weapon to slay one of my own men? This would seem rather absurd, would it not?"

With this the men all broke into laughter.

Bulma unusually held her tongue until they had finished.

`They'll be laughing on the other side of their faces by the time I'm done with them.' Bulma thought.

"May I suggest a solution that I consider to be fair?" Bulma put forward.

"Oh please do," the Prince said, partially sarcastic, partially interested. He was rather intrigued by her manner.

"If thy friend here removes his sword and protective armour, I would like to fight him for safe passage." Bulma chose her words carefully.

"If thou art agreeable, I would consider that a good show."

Again the Prince, his knights and Goku fell about laughing.

The Prince HAD to question this further.

"Am I to understand, that thee wishes to fight Goku with thy bare hands?"

Bulma was not fazed and pretended to ignore their mocking.

"Why?" she asked, giving Goku the once over.

"Dost thou not think him up to it?"

With this comment the Prince and his knights were beside themselves, however, Goku's humour was fading fast.

The Prince wiped a tear from his cheek as he caught his breath.

"I think it is fair to warn thee, Goku be my champion, he hast never been defeated in game or battle."

With this Goku became even smugger, he stripped off his armour to reveal a sweaty muscular chest.

(A/n Stupid out of characterness)

He reminded Bulma of her brother, as their eyes were the same piercing blue.

He was no taller then her, but he looked to be twice her body muscle alone.

All the better she concluded.

It will slow him down.

"I am not worried." Bulma assured them.

"I can see that." The Prince looked at her, shaking his head. "Still I fear Goku will snap thy tiny frame like a twig"

Bulma found this comment charming and smile as she reminded the Prince.

"Only a moment ago thee gave Goku leave to violate me in whatever way he saw fit. Be there a difference?"

The Prince acknowledged this to be true, realising he may have been a bit rash.

"She shall bewitch thee, Majesty. Speak to her no longer." Goku stepped forward to draw the Prince's attention away from Bulma.

"I am more then happy to tear her limb from limb with my bare hands."

The Prince was now reluctant to give him leave, but his companions would think him bewitched if he didn't.

"So be it."

"Safe passage remember." Bulma received a nod of confirmation from the Prince, and she backed up to prepare herself.

She removed her jacket, wrapped her hair into a bun to prevent it being pulled, and pulled tape from her bag to bind her hands in.

"Where on earth am I?" Bulma wondered.

She bound her hands like she did for competition, managing the task in minutes.

She decided she must find out who this Prince claimed to be; if there was one thing she knew thoroughly it was British history.

She walked to about five feet away from Goku and after rolling up her sleeves, turned her cap backwards so she could see better.

"So might I ask thy name before I meet my fate? Bulma asked the Prince.

"No majesty, Do not answer." Goku said, his gaze fixed on Bulma.

"I also must insist," and older looking knight said.

The Prince was obliged to heed the advice of his men.

"Afterwards perhaps."

"There will be no afterwards." Goku announced.

Bulma pretended she didn't care.

"Alright then, if that be the way of it,"

She resumed her dry confident tone of voice.

"I will just have to beat it out f thy boy here."

Bulma purposely turned her back on her opponent, walking slowly into the circle of stones.

She could feel Goku's rage build to its breaking point when she called him a boy.

This was obviously something he'd worked hard to disprove.

Seconds later, Bulma was charged by Goku from behind.

She stopped in time to take the weight of his body over her right shoulder.

He was mumbling something about respect before he realised he was airborne.

Bulma brought him crashing to the ground on his back.

She went down on one knee burying an elbow deep into his solar plexus before darting backwards to a safe distance.

It was clear that Goku had no idea what had happened.

The other knights were laughing at his misfortune, and the prince commented to Bulma.

"Good show."

He was surprised Bulma was not dead already.

It didn't take Goku long to recover.

He got to his feet, and was seething.

"I shall rip thy heart out and rape thee while thy body be still warm," he taunted, stalking her.

Bulma kept her humour.

Her brother had made worse threats in the past to get her to stuff up.

"In your dreams, maybe, still I do not think so somehow."

Bulma replied.

Goku lunged for her neck, but she pulled his arms to either side of her and kneeing his stomach.

This sent him stumbling backwards, and before he could recover, Bulma spun a full 360-degree to finish him off with a kick to the side of his head.

Her adrenaline was pumping.

She felt good.

She looked back to the Prince, who appeared to be rather dazed.

"Champion indeed," She said.

"What dost thou think, 3 points and I win?"

The Prince merely motioned behind her.

Bulma turned to find Goku, on his feet, oozing blood where her steelcapped boot had collided.

With no time for her to fend off the blow, he punched her in the exact place she had hit him, putting the full force of his body behind it.

She hit that ground and felt like her cheekbone had been shattered.

"There is no pain' She thought.

Goku approached.

"My dreams are filled with better than the likes of thee," Goku said disgusted, and bent down to pull her to her feet.

Bulma went into a tuck position.

She grabbed hold of Goku's arms as he leant down, and used her feet to propel him over her and onto his back.

She flipped herself onto her stomach.

Taking hold of Goku round the front of the neck to paralyse him by applying pressure to the vital points there.

She maintained firm hold, pointing to the Prince with her free hand.

"Very soon he will be dead. Dost though yield to spare this boy's life?"

Goku tried to shake loose of her grasp, his face turning red from strain.

"I yield and pronounce thee victorious this day." The Prince told her/

"And your name?" Bulma questioned.

Goku began to squirm harder.

One of the older knights whispered, "Majesty I beseech thee…"

"I swear I will kill him!" Bulma yelled impatiently.

Little did she know she not only held the life of the Prince's champion in her hands, but he was also his best friend and cousin.

"I am Vegeta, son of King Vegeta of Gwynedd," he shouted.

"And if thee would kindly release my knight I would be greatly indebted to thee."

Bulma let Goku go.

She got to her feet, her mind sifting through all the knowledge she had.

Vegeta was a Welsh King, as she recalled, she guessed him to be around the same age as herself.

`Now what year was he born? Around the 5th century if memory serves'

"So what year be this?" She asked, "Around five twenty?"

The Prince though surprised at the question answered.

"Five nineteen, to be exact."

Bulma held her face where Goku had hit her.

`Vegeta, Vegeta? Damn what did they call him?"

A cold chill ran down her spine as it dawned on her.

"Prince Vegeta, Dragon of Isle. I believe our meeting may have been intended."

She removed her cap to reveal the dragon on her head.

"Recognise this?"

Upon seeing the mark there was a rumbling of discontent among the knights.

The Prince appeared a bit disturbed; he raised his shield, and turned his horse so Bulma could see it.

It bore the same Dragon.

Bulma squealed with amazement, "Dost though know who put it there?" she asked.

"Nay, who?" the Prince misunderstood her.

"Well I'm afraid I do not know," she explained, mildly disappointed.

Bulma stopped in mid-thought, feeling the cold steel of a sword at her throat.

She could only assume Goku had recovered.

"No common woman possess such skills, thou art in cahoots with demons."

"I agree." A heavyset red-haired knight said. "Do it Goku."

"This doth not say much for thy word," Bulma managed to say, looking at Vegeta.

She dared not move in case she cut her own throat.

"Goku withdraw thy sword." Vegeta ordered.

"But majesty she has caused you to take leave of your senses. Did thee not see?"

"GOKU!" Vegeta roared, shocking Goku to silence, "I ORDER THEE TO YEILD!"

Bulma began to see why they called Vegeta the Dragon.

Goku reluctantly slid his sword away, making sure he nicked her neck in the process.

Bulma touched her throat and felt blood.

"Thee did that on purpose," She accused.

"Aye." Goku glared at her, his eyes alight with fear and hate. He sheathed his sword and moved to retrieve his armour.

"Majesty," the redheaded knight pointed behind them where a single rider made his way towards him.

"Now what?" Bulma grumbled.

"Cadogan," the red head announced and took off to meet him half way.

Since they party seemed more interested in their comrade, Bulma set about collecting her gear.

Fairly confident she knew where she was, she pulled her jacket on, and hoisted her bags onto her shoulders.

She noticed the other rider had reached them, and the Prince was ordering the others to move out.

Bulma knew something had them worried.

Bulma watched as the rest rode off, and the Prince turned to her, his face grave.

Goku who had taken off after the others stopped when he noticed his Prince was not following him.

He voiced his objection.

But Vegeta reasoned that he promised her safe passage, and he wasn't going to leave her behind to Saxon mercy.

He assured Goku he would catch up, silently fuming.

He was angry at his knight's incessant disrespect.

He had his own reasons to spare the girl, and none bar his father would question him.

"Go!" he hissed at Goku.

Goku left reluctantly.

Bulma grew nervous.

"Climb on." The Prince said.

Bulma backed away, she knew what an important man he was in history, and she would not be the one to get him killed.

"Nay thee will never outrun them with me…"

Do not argue with me woman, get on!" The Prince snapped, short on patience and time.

The Saxons emerged over the crest of the hill, and a few riders took after the Prince's party.

"They must have seen Goku," Bulma whispered.

She grabbed the Prince's arm, and he hoisted her, bags and all onto the horse behind him.

"Hold on." He cautioned as he turned the horse around and headed towards the forest.

Wow, that was long.

Anyway you know the drill people R+R