"Serenade of Flames"
Stand Strong
Chapter 1
"Bow before your queen!"
With that command alone, a warm surge ripped through my body; a feeling as strong as ecstasy itself. With two sweaty palms, I approached the stage in which a crowd bowed obediently in sync. These were now my people in which I will lead for the rest of my existence.
A grin crept across my face as the world became silent. They anticipated my voice, my command, my decisions. With two sweaty fists along my sides, I prepared myself to face what was before me. I let out a breath of air before speaking.
"At ease yourselves, soldiers." Of course, they immediately stood erect with their hands behind their backs. That feeling rushed through me once again.
"As you all know, this is a very important day for all of us. This will be the day this land will finally gain its independence from this God-forsaken war. A day that you will free yourselves from the dictatorship that Frieza has bestowed upon us!"
I noticed families and civilians standing behind the soldiers immediately letting out a roar of cheer while my army remained frozen in their position. I waited a few moments to allow them to simmer down a bit before addressing the rest of my speech.
"This will not be an easy war by any means. Though, we need to fight not only for ourselves, but the loved ones we are leaving behind. Your children deserve to grow up strong; not be tortured everyday with the fear of death, their loved ones dieing before them, or the struggles of separation of their own mothers and fathers."
Like me.
"Stand strong today and fight not for me, but yourselves! This is your life and your destiny. This is the time where you will be writing your own legend to pass on. Everyone of you are heroes in my eyes!"
The sigh of relief and confidence that veiled their faces energized me. I was to lead these people into their revolution. It is almost unbelievable how I am standing here for life did not even start with me being born into royalty. In fact, I was born as a traitor, a half-breed, scum as some may call it. I have heard stories from many of my close and trusted advisers, and it seemed rather gruesome when I came into the world. I was destined to a life almost in exile and torture. This is my story. It was a tale of ups and downs. At times I was crawling into my death and at others, well, you will see.
"Where is she?" If walls could shake, they would have with the deafening yell. The voice seemed to carry on throughout the whole palace. As it echoed throughout the halls, individuals froze in their place, not daring to move a muscle.
One was brave enough to speak up, however. "S-sir, she's upstairs in the birthing corridors." He was a bold, low-ranking soldier barely able to raise a shaky hand to point down towards the stairwell.
The intimidating looking individual bared his teeth as he stopped in his tracks to face himself down the east passage. "Soon, she will be in Hell where she belongs!" Immediately, the deranged young adult ran towards the stairs, pushing everyone out of the way as he passed. Everyone could only look at each other in fear.
"He's not going to actually kill General Mia, is he?" one dared to question another. "I mean, she's done so much for this war."
"An act of treason such as the one she committed is only sentenced to death," another man interrupted. "There will be no question about it."
"And the child?"
"I assume the child will suffer the same fate." Though, his face seem stern, his eyes told a different story. A glossy shield washed over them. "It's...a shame."
"We better get out of here before the prince gets back and thinks we are malingering out of the job. Move out everyone." Hesitantly, the crowd dispersed only to take a final glance at the stairwell.
"You will be in my prayers, Mia."
-/-
The prince had no problem opening the quarter door. With a simple flick of the wrist, he broke the solid wooden door in half and maliciously entered the room. Everyone fell silent and backed away towards the wall.
"Attention!" Choked a medic.
The medical ward staff quickly locked up and faced the prince. He could only growl in response.
"Where is she?" he demanded as he walked around the room pulling down curtains to reveal newly become mothers. "I demand to know where General Mia is!" Silence and fallen faces where the only responses he received which quickly escalated his anger. "I said, where is she?"
"Over here," a faint whimper responded.
Grinning to himself, he walked towards the east side of the ward. "So, the traitor decided to speak. You have more guts in you than I thought you had, General." With each step, the crowd couldn't help but jump a little. "Let me get this straight," he said as stopped in front of her curtained room. "With all of your power, honor, and..." He pulled down the curtain to reveal her face. "COMMITMENT. You go off, commit and act of treason and have a half-breed."
She was shocked beyond belief. All she could do was hold her infant child close to her tighter. "Sire, let me explain-"
"Explain what? How you slept with filthy, low class such as the humans?" He spit onto the ground before continuing. "Your mission was simple, spy on Kakarot to note his progression and leave. Nothing in your mission statement stated anything about fornicating."
He grabbed the sleeping child straight from her arms before she had a chance to respond. "No, Vegeta! Please don't," she cried as she tried to grab her back.
"Stand down, General!" he ordered as he shoved her back.
"Give me my child back! She doesn't deserve to be punished for the acts I committed. She's innocent Vegeta, please!"
"I said stand down!" in a bold act, he slapped her so hard across the face that it jerked her body to the side. A nurse tried to rush to her side but was quickly held back by another member in the crowd. There were to be no interruptions in the Prince's ordeals.
She could only lay back onto her bed with a tear-soaked face in defeat.
"Now, let's look at this mutt and see what everyone had to inform me about right away." He lifted the cover from her face reveal something he wasn't even expecting. He had heard how different this child looked from the normal Saiyan race, which is why treason was suspected in the first place, but nothing prepared him for what he was about to witness.
A pale, blonde-haired child with icy blue eyes. She was much more fragile than the average Saiyan child and more-so, lacked a tail. He balanced her in the crook of his arm to turn on his scouter. After a few beeps and clicks, it revealed a surprisingly low number.
"Hrmph, there is no doubt about it that this child has Earth blood. What a pathetic taint in our blood-line." His eyes shot back up to the shaken mother. "General, your time has come."
"Sire, shouldn't she be at least trialed?" came a trembling voice.
He chuckled to himself a bit. "I am sure my father will appreciate me cleaning out the trash. High ranking or not, there are no needs for her services anymore." With the child still in the crook of his arm he raised a gloved palm towards her face.
"Please sire, don't!" The crowd could only watch in fear at what was about to take place.
"Good bye, General." A warm sphere instantly magnified and shot out. The moment it flickered, an overwhelming sonic boom roared through the room causing everyone to duck away from the noise and debris.
It grew dead silent aside from a few whimpers and sobs from the crowd. As soon as the smoke cleared, he waited for his confirmation before lowering down his hand. A grin crept up on the side of his mouth with the clearing. "It is done," he whispered to himself.
He focused his gaze back onto the infant in his arm. She remained silent as the room before her, not a single whimper. All she did was gaze up into his eyes with her mesmerizing blue ones. "What do you want?"
"Sire! Are you okay?"
He spun around to see a squad of his top soldiers, ones that were only allowed to follow and protect him and his father. Already dressed in their Saiyan armor ready for a battle. "...Sire?"
He almost threw the child into their arms. "Bring her to the slave corridors."
"Sire?" The elite warrior asked in a confused gaze.
"How many slaves do we have working the ground level?"
"Seventeen or so-" He responded still looking dazed at the infant that lay before him.
"Inform whoever is in charge down there that they have a new addition. She will be named no other than Number Eighteen; thing doesn't even need a name. I want her, like the others down there, to never be seen in the eyes of society. Any insubordination will lead ultimately to death as you all know," he stated as he walked out of the room.
I never had the opportunity to meet my mother except that fateful day.