Author's Note: You can blame Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" video for this one, folks. :P I happened to watch the video for the first time after bingewatching lots of DragonballZ, capped with Battle of the Gods.
I had to watch and rewatch it to get some of the events right but I hope I did okay. :)
Also...yes, I know she's a bit Suish but I went with the material I had. The woman was a Queen, after all!
He stretched out, yawning and trying to ignore the ringing in his ears.
"Lord Beerus?"
He didn't respond, and curled up into a ball, hoping whoever it was would go away. Then he twitched when he felt someone scratching behind his left ear.
"You know that's just going to put me back to sleep."
"Do you want Whis to have to start singing? Because I can go get him."
"No." He grumbled, and turned to look at the woman sitting beside him. She had his head in her lap and was smiling down at him.
"Why won't you let me sleep?"
"Because you set the alarms, that's why," she said, indicating the plugs in her ears. "It's our anniversary."
"I forget, how long have we been married?"
"Two thousand years."
"Seems like only yesterday, too," he replied, yawning. He smirked for a second, and then looked up at her.
"What is it?"
"Just thinking of you. That thirst for destruction...I'd never seen it so well-tempered..."
"Queen Nebjren, are you sure that you are ready?"
"Of course I am," she replied, as a few attendants finished up the last of her eyeshadow.
"But you will, of course, be extremely selective?"
The voice came from behind. Her father appeared and placed the headdress atop her carefully crafted wig.
"Father, it lights up. Is that really proper?"
"It has been worn during the receiving of suitors since we learned how to use lights," he said. "It illuminates you as it should. The suitors and their pomposity should fail to outshine my beautiful daughter."
Once all was ready, she was lead out to a small shrine, where stood a statue twice her height. She knelt and spoke the traditional Day of Choice prayer:
O mighty Beerus, the Destroyer,
You who bring destruction, that it may be followed by creation,
Bless this day, that I find one worthy
To whom I might bear the next Vessel of Destruction
That we may continue to glorify you
Your will be done, else all that will be would never come to pass.
There was a pause as she bowed as best she could without the headdress falling, while her attendants and her father prostrated themselves, chanting variants of the prayer as it pertained to their roles in the day.
The four attendants were then each given their helmets-white and gold, to differentiate from Beerus himself, yet catlike to respect him.
Once everyone was ready, they were all lead into the throne room, where her father unrolled a scroll and began to read, "In the beginning, we were purposeless. We had power but warred uselessly amongst ourselves with fire and ice and the sword. And then to us Beerus the Destroyer appeared, and showed us the gateway to what destruction truly meant. The unworthy legions were annihilated, and those he left alive were gathered in fear, until he chose one to lead. 'And lead well,' he said to us, 'I will be watching you, and should you waste this chance, you will all perish.' That man was the first King of our people and the first to worship Lord Beerus, and he was called the Vessel of Destruction, for he was the first to drink of the wisdom given to him."
And with that, the Day of Choice would commence.
The first suitor was a dark-skinned man very nearly drenched in all manner of gold decoration-even his white hat and black head covered had golden designs on them.
Nebjren gestured to him, her hand glowing with power, and he drew from under his cloak an enormous diamond. She could see its value, and waited to see-
He looked at her.
Suggestively.
Her ire was already stoked, and her hand was instantly over her chest in offense. But she took the diamond anyway, and inspected it carefully. Well, it was real enough, but he had dared to look at her like that, had dared to overstep his bounds.
Her anger boiled, and from the Sphinx's eyes came lightning, channeled by her energy and into this tart who dared to look.
He cried for mercy as his body began to fade to sand, and looked up at her. Nebjren smirked, licking her teeth, and said, "You have failed, and the penalty is death."
The Sphinx added, "There's no going back."
There was a pause as his entire being crumbled to dust and left only a small jeweled piece, which an attendant grabbed and brought to her on a pillow.
She took it, feeling what was left of his life's essence-and ate it, although not before showing the gleaming gems against her teeth.
This will be no different than the last two times. They all still think I am like the other women, that I can be bought with gems...
The next suitor was a rather portly fellow decked out in purple, with an impressive golden headdress. His gift appeared not to be gemstones, but food, and she had to admit that he'd brought an impressive array of sweet desserts. And he was jovial, which did bring a momentary smile to her face.
Behind him was a large bowl of some red items, and he handed over one to her attendants, who in turn gave it to her.
Her mouth suddenly felt aflame, and desperately, she looked to her attendants for water-and then him, when they failed to come up with any. His jug was empty, and her anger exploded again A torrent of lightning was unleashed, and he, too, turned to dust. Only this time, what was left of him was a cup, with water. This was brought to her to drink and thankfully the fire was quenched.
And again, the life essence was felt flowing into her, increasing her power.
The third suitor was dark, like the first, and he brought a chariot with spinning devices on its wheels. He gestured to his own servants, who perched on its back and began to make it bounce. This apparently amused him, and he was laughing, right up until he too was destroyed by her lightning.
This time there was no cry for mercy, but all the same, the Sphinx added, "There's no going back."
What was left of him was a pair of golden dice on a chain, which she had the attendants add to the chariot. There was no need in its going to waste, after all.
The fourth walked in with two cups of golden coins and gems, and a flap of golden rings covering his face. When he had set the former down, he lifted the flap to reveal-the face of an atorkin-they were nearly godlike in power but not known for their appeal to human sensibilities.
They were also known to be enemies of the Court of Destruction. The face smirked at her, as if to claim victory for sneaking in.
"Deception!" she cried, and he too was blasted and transformed-into a clutch, which was put away for her personal use.
Then there was a fifth-almost a joke, really, as a puppy with a golden necklace approached the throne. Her attendants reacted as cats would, hissing and arching their backs, and the dog drew back.
"No," Nebjren said, "I spare you because you are young but my answer would still be no. No dogs are allowed in my court!"
It pranced away, whimpering.
The fifth was a pharaoah from a neighboring kingdom, and one whom she had often seen as she grew up, and who she suspected of possessing power on her level. He also appeared to know better than to bring her a simple gem or stores of food, or diamonds-instead, he brought an enormous artifact shaped like the pyramidal tombs of their families.
It was a thing of great power, and even her attendants marveled at the invisible aura that filled them all with a strange dread.
She cringed inwardly, and had a sudden vision of herself standing atop the pyramid, as the clouds swirled around her swelling power. She was Queen not only of her own kingdom, but all that she surveyed; they trembled at her power and trembled at the sound of her voice, and the unworthy masses would fall away and perish in an endless war.
No.
The thought came into her head and she stood, walking towards the suitor. So that had been his plan, to force her hand and make himself the hero if she took the offered endless wellspring of power. He hoped she would go out of control and destroy all that she saw, so he could strike her down and take her place.
But Nebjren said nothing as she approached him, and shielded her mind as he stood watching in confusion.
She stared, hard, and watched as his body began to crumble like the others, until his head was left intact upon the body of a dog.
"That is all that you are, and all that you deserve, for coming here and trying to corrupt me," she said. "Have him removed from my court. You-his attendants, you may leave, so his father might be told of what he tried to do. And if you ever try this again, I will come and dispense of you myself."
They left, and Nebjren gave directions to the blue-skinned male servants to haul away the pyramid and have it placed in the vault for safekeeping. It was where all artifacts of great power went-sooner or later, despite the thought that one could become all-powerful, none could hope to match Lord Beerus, who would certainly return and kill them all if they dared to approach that measure of hubris.
"We have one more, my Queen," her father said, "And he has brought no gift."
"No gift? Who is this man who dares not to bring-"
The doors were thrust open yet again, and in walked-
No.
No.
This was impossible. There was no way.
Everyone except for her felt to their knees and bowed with their faces to the ground. Prayers began to be chanted, pleas for mercy mixed with blessings for their piety were heard as well as the standard rote prayers.
Before her, at the end of the hall, stood Lord Beerus, and behind him-the Attendant.
Nebjren charged a shot of lightning, and shot it at him, but it was easily deflected and reabsorbed with little more than a smirk.
"My apologies, Lord Beerus," she said, kneeling and bowing as best she could, "I had to be sure that you were no impostor."
"You're lucky that I'm in a good mood," he replied, looking over her court.
"Would you be kind enough to tell us why you have graced our mortal plane with your presence?"
"Isn't it clear? Haven't I come on the appointed day?" He looked back at the Attendant. "Whis, did you wake me up late?"
"No, Lord Beerus, it was on time. Perhaps she is confused."
"The appointed-" she started to talk but was stricken silent. He couldn't possibly mean that he meant to be a possible Choice?
"Lord Beerus, do you mean you have come to submit yourself as-"
Her father rose to his feet. "But you have brought no gift, Lord Beerus, if I may be so bold."
"No?" he asked, smirking again. He extended his hand, and it glowed, just as Nebjren's had done earlier. "The gift I bring does not come in a box. It does not sparkle, or shine, or buy you anything that you desire on this planet."
Nebjren's eyes widened.
"The gift I bring is eternal life."
There was silence. Every eye was either on Beerus, or Nebjren, and each person watching thought that she would be a fool to refuse this one. To deny Lord Beerus himself would be to condemn them to death, surely!
She paused, studying his face. He showed no outward sign of deception as the others had, but then, he was a god and his motives were unknowable outside of his appointed sphere.
Their eyes met, and she felt the fear of him strike her very soul...
"Would you two do whatever it is you're going to do?" Whis asked.
"Patience, Whis." he said.
"My answer is yes," Nebjren replied, after the longest silence in her life, "Is it not our practice to worship you, to hope for your presence after death? I as the others would rather be destroyed by you than saved by anyone else, and to accept a higher honor is unquestionably wise."
Her father sprang up from his place on the ground and came over to bow directly in front of Beerus. "My Lord, we thank you, again and again, for deigning even to appear before us. But to take my daughter, the Queen, the Vessel of Destruction, as a bride? You honor us beyond compare! May your will be done evermore!"
"To answer the question you seem afraid to ask," Beerus said, looking approvingly at the man groveling before him, "I will explain exactly why I chose her. She is not as strong as I am-none of you, with all of your so-called magic artifacts, could even hope to approach a fraction of my power-but she has power, she destroys, she uses it well, as I tried to teach your kind to do. She was even wise enough to deny the use of what could have killed you all."
Then Nebjren approached him, and as tradition demanded, he bowed (at the waist) first to her, and then she to him, and then both together.
Cheers erupted.
"Is he awake yet, Nebjren?"
Whis's voice drifted up from below.
She looked over the edge of the platform and nodded. "But I think you may need to get the microphone out, he doesn't seem to want to move."
"I'm up!" he barked, "I should destroy you both for conspiring against me."
She laughed and scratched behind his left ear again. "You shouldn't make threats that you haven't any intention of keeping."