Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Little Slave Girl ❯ Little Slave Girl ( Chapter 2 )

Piccolo had nearly made it back to the Son residence, where he thought he'd ask Goku if he wanted to come out with his son, Gohan and spar for a little bit, when suddenly he had to stop to keep from crashing into the person who had flown up in front of him.

She was small, lithe and quick, golden hair trailed down her back and feather-adorned plaits swept at her long tapered ears. About her forehead she wore a bandana, as much to keep her hair from falling into her piercing azure eyes as part of her own personal style.

She wore a dark blue tunic and brownish-red leggings, a cloak billowed out behind her and she carried a sword covered with obscure elven runes which had been in her family for generations, sheathed and strapped to her back. There was no doubt that she knew how to use it, too!

What one noticed first about her, however, aside from her pointed ears, a gift of her elfin heritage, was the sense that she had overcome great mental and emotional hardships and the calm within her now was a fragile as it was hardwon, was the deep gashing scar which ran from her forehead over right eye and straight down from the bottom of her eye to the middle of her cheek.

She also seemed a bit unsure of herself and Piccolo felt bad often at times when her light eyes, a result of her parents mating out of status, (a/n: See Vicky's fan-fiction for a more detailed explaination of High and Low class elves…) held a flicker of fear that she was going to disappointment him in some way.

"Ryven!" Piccolo said her name as she crossed her arms, "Watch where your going…"

"Don't you even remember?" She asked, raising one pale eyebrow, looking a bit hurt, "Don't tell me you've forgotten!?"

Piccolo searched his mind frantically, even asking Nail and Kami for aide, though, just like them, they'd chosen just this moment to be silent, curse them!, for anything he might have forgotten…and came up empty handed…or headed, as the case may be.

"You did forget!" Ryven pouted, floating in front of him, Piccolo couldn't stand the crestfallen look on her face, "The one year I decide to celebrate my birthday…you go and forget it! How could you?!"

"Ryven, I…" Suddenly Piccolo had an idea, it was lame one, to be honest with himself, but it was only one he could think of at the spur of the moment. He just needed to stall for time, actually…He took her hand and began to fly with her back to the Lookout. "I have something you need to see."

"Why?" Ryven asked, grasping his hand tightly in her own. This being had been like a father to her when her own had passed on, she loved him with the strength of will that a daughter might love a parent, and Piccolo felt the same for her. He would protect her will his dying breath and she would the same for him, "What is it?"

"You'll see…" They flow onward in comfortable silence, each one content just to be within the other's company that no words seemed necessary. It had almost always been that way between them, after Ryven had grown up a bit, that is.

They reached the Lookout and Dende greeted them both, smiling at the little elfin girl who had been Piccolo's steadfast companion for as long as she'd been around…which was a very long time now, though only if you were human…Dende put a finger to his lips and looked over his shoulder at the doorway which led to the bedroom Rowyn was asleep in to indicate that she hadn't yet awoken.

Piccolo nodded.

** What is it? ** Ryven sent to Piccolo and Dende, curiously.

** Come with me, ** Piccolo sent to Ryven, ** Just be quiet…**

They walked on cat's feet to the bedroom door and Ryven peered in. She saw the little woman-child, an elf from the look of the pointed ears, curled up into herself on the large bed. Her dark hair hid most of her features from view but as she crept closer she could make out very small bones and a body that looked as if it hadn't seen a decent meal in who knows how long.

She reached out her hand to gently shove a strand of her tangled hair from her face and noticed that this girl too had scarring upon her face. She had no doubts that she also had some about her body as well, though she didn't venture to look. She realized the girl was dressed like Piccolo and turned one raised eyebrow towards him for an explanation.

** Her other clothing was ruined ** He sent, shrugging ** It's was all I could think of, at the moment…**

The child, who Ryven noticed wasn't a child, just a younger elf than herself, stirred under her touch. Quickly pulling her hand away lest the other have the thought to bite at it, Ryven watched the her from a safe distance. Rowyn opened her eyes slowly, as if she were afraid it would hurt to do so.

She felt the comfortable mattress of the bed she had been placed upon, the full fluffiness of the soft pillow behind her head and felt her body mentally for the wounds she knew should have still be there and hurting. But, oddly, they were not and she was not hurting.

Fear entered her heart once more as she thought that they must have found her…they must have found her and healed her to begin her punishment anew…She sat up in the bed and half crawled, half-scooted to the end of it, her back against a wall, her mouth open in a silent scream.

Ryven and Piccolo both had never seen fear like her's. They felt for her and wanted to help. Ryven opened her hands, palms upwards in a gesture of helplessness, towards the frightened one.

** She's a scared a baby rabbit ** Ryven sent to Piccolo, who was observing from the doorway, ** What in kami's name could have happened to her? **

** Y-you send! ** Ryven's mind was suddenly bombarded by the girl's own mindtouch, filled with all the girl's fear and making Ryven stagger at the strength of it.

"Y-yes," She stuttered, aloud, instead, not wanting to feel the girl's terror-addled sending again so soon, "W-we can. We aren't here to hurt you. Can you tell us what happened?"

For the first time, the girl looked around, seeming to notice her strange surroundings, the odd clothing she wore. She remembered her tattered pant and tunic outfit. She breathed a sigh that held all the terror of before as it escaped her small mouth before she turned her eyes, once more, like shining pools of black waters, upon Ryven.

Only, this time, Ryven and Piccolo both noticed, the look within her eyes was one more akin to worship. She scambled off the bed and threw herself upon the floor in front of Ryven, her arms over her head in a protective gesture. Ryven wasn't quite sure what to make of this sudden change of behavior. She waited for the girl to say something.

"Y-you…must have saved me!" She cried out, "I am forever in your debt! Mistress!"

Ryven looked from the elf on her knees before her and back to Piccolo, who shrugged, wide-eyed. He'd merely brought her here to show her the girl in the hopes that she, an elf like Ryven, may one day become a companion for the girl, who too often ran like a lone wolf, much like himself…

"Well, actually, I didn't…" Ryven began, "Papa…Piccolo…found you and he…"

"Oh, Master!" Rowyn cried, turning towards Piccolo, who looked at a loss as to what do, "Forgive me! Of course it was you who saved me! Oh, please spare me your wrath…!"

Ryven bent down and touched the girl's cheek, tracing a finger down to her chin. She felt her tremble under her touch, the fear not entirely gone. She lifted the girl's chin so that she had to look up and into a sitting position. Ryven looked into her dark eyes and shook her head at her, "No one's going to harm you, Rowyn…that's your name, right?"

Rowyn seemed taken aback by the kindness in Ryven's touch and in her azure eyes, never before had one of her Masters shown her the lest bit of softness. Ever since she'd been captured as an infant…

"Y-you're…not…" She stumbled over the words, trying to avert her eyes from Ryven's. Always before, meeting the eyes of a Higher One meant a swift cuff across the ears at the lest, a week without food locked in the her room at the most. She did not wish to anger them first thing! "…going to…?"

"No." Ryven said, "Whatever happened to you is not going to happen to you here. Understand?"

Rowyn nodded, her dark locks falling over her face. Ryven smiled, "Good. I'm glad we finally understand each other."

~*~*~

The days pass, Rowyn, it is soon discovered, is even more pretty after she's been properly cleaned up and fed. Mr. Popo takes a special liking to her quiet ways and enjoys telling her stories as she sits in rapt attention, eyes wide and taking in everything like a child who thinks it's all just a soap bubble fantasy that will pop at any moment and leave her dirty and broken in the darkness of the forest awaiting her death once more.

But, for all of Mr. Popo's interesting tales and wisdoms, Rowyn will always beg his pardon and leave him quickly at the sight of the other, white-blonde elf who often came and went with the large, green one she'd discovered was something called a namek whose name was Piccolo.

She still thought of Ryven as her Mistress, much to Ryven's exasperation who had been trying to get the girl to treat her as a friend and equal. The thought just seemed as out of place in her mind as Piccolo would seem a sea of Mr. Popos. She just wasn't use to anything else.

"Ryven! Mistress!" Rowyn ran after the other elf, no longer afraid of her, but still treading about her as if she thought of Ryven as a Goddess of sorts, albeit a kind Goddess, "I've missed you! Where have you been?"

"Rowyn." Ryven smiled at the other girl, hugged her briefly, "You've got to stop calling me Mistress. Call me Ryven from now on, please?"

Rowyn looked startled, actually shocked, she held one hand to her small breasts and gasped, "B-but, Mistress! T-that would be…be…I can't do it!"

Ryven sighed, hating the position this put her in. But she knew that the girl knew nothing other than being the subordinate one and how to serve, so she voiced her desire in a demand rather than a plea. "Rowyn," She said, "You will address me as Ryven. I command you."

"Yes, M-uh-Ryven!" Rowyn nodded, and Ryven smiled, taking her hand, she said, "Come with me, Rowyn, I have something to show you…"

Piccolo, watching from some distance, smiled to himself.

** Looks like you bought yourself a little time, water-for-brains. ** Nail chuckled, ** She even forgot her birthday! **

** It's not as if she ever really celebrated them before, after all, Nail. **

** Hehe, lucky girl, Ryven's probably lapping up being practically worshiped by that little elf! **

"Ryven's not like that!" Piccolo said aloud, "The other elf will be good for her. She'll have a friend of her own gender...and age…" He stopped himself before he said it, her own species…

** Aren't you afraid of losing her? **

"Shut up, Old man!" Piccolo growled, "You know that could never happen! She's my child! We've shared blood…!"

** So, are you going to adopt another, then? ** Nail asked, his voice inside Piccolo's head dripping sarcasm, ** Why stop there? I'm sure if you looked, you could find a lot more parentless little girls to take under your cape and adopt. Why, you could open up your own daycare center…**

"Baka!" Piccolo roared at him and flew off, leaving Ryven to do as she pleases with the smaller elf.