Chapter 2: Forbearance.
Ah! What a fine morning! Ox King observed happily.
The big man strolled leisurely across the village, making the usual rounds: greeting people here, chatting up people there. It was all in a morning's work. Most of the villagers had been up for hours already. Everyone working tirelessly on the reconstruction of the new castle. Again.
He stopped by the Kawara craftsmen – the designers and inscribers of roof tiles that would serve to protect the castle from wind and rain. "Gentlemen!" he boomed. "What designs are you working on today?"
The 3 craftsmen bowed. "The lotus flower my King," the eldest of the 3 spoke, sweeping his hand towards the completed tiles for the King's viewing pleasure.
"Excellent," Ox King roamed over the designs. The lotus flower was a representative of new life, rebirth and reincarnation. He was more than satisfied with their insightful choice.
"Excellent!" he beamed again. "New life ey?" He winked at the small crowd that had gathered to peek at the designs alongside him. "Now that Chichi's married, perhaps we'll be hearing some news in that regard before long." He chuckled, earning a few happy sighs from the women and some boisterous cahoots from the men.
Happy with the progress of the tiles, Ox King moved on to the next group of workers.
He found that these rounds were a good way to keep up moral as well as an efficient, yet casual method of addressing any challenges or concerns his workers may be experiencing.
It seemed that all was well this morning, so as soon as he finished with the last group of workers – the glass blowers — the big man happily made his way towards the centre of the village.
Ah! The warriors were already gathered for breakfast! "Morning everyone!" He bellowed merrily, taking his place amongst his elite guard. There was a chorus of rapturous greetings as the warriors welcomed their King into their midst.
Mogi – one of the serving women – sauntered over to his left and placed a huge bounty of food before him. It smelled incredible as always, and Ox King didn't waste any time in digging in.
Conversation around the table flowed easily, as the men emptied their bowls. Ox King was known for his enormous appetite, so Mogi kept placing bowl after bowl until he was full. "Ah!" he rubbed at his belly, reclining in his over-large chair. It creaked and groaned in discontent, but he was not phased. "That was delicious as always!"
Mogi cleared his bowl and placed a huge tankard of ale in its place. He downed a quarter of the contents in the first gulp. Ah, the ale was freshly brewed and refreshing. Nothing hit the spot like this stuff in the morning!
He was about to take another gulp—
"Ox King! Ox King!" a cry tore through the woods.
All conversation ceased as Ox King and all his men turned.
"Help! … Ox King! … somebody … please!" The cry was breathless. Desperate. The kind of cry that made a seasoned warrior's stomach sink like stone. A harrowed cry that forebode of ills to come.
"Ox King! Ox King!" A boy came stumbling through, clutching the side of his stomach, blood seeping into his tunic. He was a snip of a thing, all bony and reedy with arms that seemed too long for his body. His mop-head was pasted down his face by sweat and tears and blood. And his entire outfit was in tatters, his face an unrecognisable mass of dirt and bruises.
Ox King dumped his tankard on the table as he stared at the boy. Gods! The poor devil panted and buckled under the weight of his woes. He looked like he barely had enough strength to stand, let alone run.
Anger leapt from the pit of his large stomach. He pushed back his chair and rose to his full height — all 8 feet of hulking, bull-necked and square-shouldered mass. Whomever had done this to the boy would get the public flogging of his life!
A few of his men had already pushed back their own chairs, running to meet the injured boy. They held him in support as Ox King made his way with big angry strides.
He did not like the look of this. The imp was thoroughly roughed up. No mere scuffle between boys would merit such injuries. Something was terribly wrong.
"What happened?" asked one of his men.
"An attack," the boy wheezed through cracks of oxygen. "Lil' Calf was attacked."
"What?!" The men exploded, all of them instinctively reaching behind their backs and pulling out their weapons. Ox King had already pulled out his battle axe without even realizing it, ale churning in his stomach.
Someone had dared to attack one of his villages?!
"Explain yourself!" Kodi – a hulking giant of a man spat at the injured boy. Kodi was one of Ox King's fiercest warriors, kindness and patience however, were not amongst his strongest traits.
The boy flinched, wheezed. "They … they … stormed in at dawn." Another short wheeze. A muffled groan. "They smoked us out of our homes," his voice caught. "Burned down everything," his hands were shaking.
Mogi – the serving woman, placed her hands on they boy's, helping him put pressure on his wound.
"The children were unharmed but the women," the boy covered his face and cried. "We f-fought as best we could but there were so many, so many," his gooseberry eyes traversed with untold horrors, even as he tried valiantly to blink them away.
Ox King shook. Who would dare?
The boy breathed hard, a crackling sound in his chest as he took in gulps of air. "They spared me only to give you this— " he pulled out a missive from his tunic with soot covered, shaky fingers. "Their leader, he said to make sure to give you this—"
Ox King reached out to grab the missive from the boy's trembling fingers, one look and he couldn't breathe. His massive lungs, his huge chest … they were both of no use at providing him with oxygen. Not in the face of this. Please no. That emblem on the wax seal … oh god. His world went crashing off the sides of fire mountain, leaving his heart in little chunks falling down its slopes.
Gods. His pulse pounded in his ears. Not now. Not after all these years.
"Mogi!" his chest was tight. So tight it was a miracle he had enough breath to make any sound at all. "Mogi, quickly, the emergency bell!" he pointed in the direction of the little monastery they had in the village. There was a huge bell there that made a heck of a dong when yanked. "All the villagers are to evacuate to Ox Hall with immediate effect."
"Right away my King," the serving woman bowed and clutched her skirts as she ran down the hill towards the monastery.
"Kuri!" he bellowed.
"My King!" Kuri – a hefty, heavy-bodied warrior came forward, his long shark-toothed trident already in hand. Veins crisscrossed and pulsed on his egg shaped forehead. His eyes dark. His jaw as tight as the grip on his weapon.
"Send a rescue troop to Lil' Calf at once!" Ox King commanded. "I want all survivors tended and escorted to Ox Hall for safety."
"Yes my King," Kuri nodded, his eyes dark and muddy.
"I want all villages on full alert Kuri," his face was hard. "Tell them to ready themselves for war."
"My King," Kuri bowed sharply, swivelled round and motioned for the men to follow him.
"You," Ox King called out to an elderly woman who clearly had nothing more constructive to do than gawk at the injured teen. "You," he barked, and the woman's face drained of colour. "Run along and find Mogi, she's gone to the monastery."
The old woman trembled, and shrank into herself.
Ox King took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. "Tell her," he said more gently. "To make arrangements for the Lil'Calf survivors. They'll need medicine, food, shelter. The clinic won't be enough. They can make use of Ox Hall." When she still didn't move, he lost it again, bellowing: "Go!"
She drew back, eyes wide. Then she clutched her skirts and ran.
Having finished his first round of instructions, Ox King sighed, flexing his fingers. The injured teen was being seen to and his men had scattered to do his bidding. It was time to face his fears.
He'd always known his dark past would come back to haunt him. Thank Kami Chichi was married and far, very far away from the trouble that was coming.
Why couldn't it have been any other enemy? Kami knew he'd made a few in his wayward days. But he knew from the emblem that all the wishing in the world couldn't change the hard truth.
He squared his shoulders, and with weary fingers, he peeled open the missive and read:
The Silver Beak for the Ox Princess's life.
No. He swallowed, shaking his head. It couldn't be. They couldn't have gotten to Chichi. There was just no way. It had to be some kind of bluff!
Heart racing, fingers trembling, Ox King bellowed across the village, "Someone get me a damn phone!"
~0~0~
"Goku!" exclaimed Krilin, spying his best friend jumping down from Nimbus.
He raced forward, goofy smile splitting his face. Man, oh man! This was great! Goku had come for a visit!
He was about to fling himself against his buddy in their typical fashion when something made him stop in his tracks. Huh? There was something on his friend's face that made him take pause. Son Goku, champion of the world. The most cheerful guy alive looked … well, sad.
A dry lump lodged in Krilin's throat. Goku was sad? Something terrible must have happened. Worry, pounded at his temple. He closed the rest of the distance in a sprint. "Hey buddy," he planted his feet in the sand before him. "What's wrong?"
Goku's shoulders slumped as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. He didn't look at Krilin, not really. His eyes remained focused on the vast expanse of the sea.
"Chichi's gone," he said. His voice was so quiet, so grieved that it shocked the hell out of Krilin.
"What do you mean she's gone?" Krilin swallowed. "She's not— " He couldn't even bring himself to say it. Chichi couldn't have possibly … died?
"She's gone Krilin. She left me," his voice was gruff, strangled thing.
Krilin started. What? Chichi had left Goku? How could that be? That crazy girl had hunted his buddy down and practically forced this marriage down his throat!
Not that being tied to a girl like that was the end of the world or anything. She was a beauty after all. And Krilin himself would have jumped at the chance to marry a real life Princess. But the way everything had happened between them … so fast … Krilin was happy for his friend but, he'd also worried that they were moving too fast.
"But Chichi's crazy about you buddy," he said quickly. "Everyone said so. Why would she want to leave after just a few months?"
Honestly, it didn't make any sense to him at all. Surely that girl must be missing a few screws, Goku was the best guy he knew.
"It's my fault," Goku slumped. "I … I … think I scared her off. I didn't show enough control…" he trailed off.
"Control over what?" Krilin was truly baffled.
"I…" Goku reddened and turned away.
Gack! Krilin almost jumped. Goku blushing?! Oh man. It was all Krilin could do not fall over from the shock of it. Goku didn't have a single blushing bone in his body. He just didn't have enough sense to ever get embarrassed. He was too blunt and straight forward and clueless for that. Man, one thing was for sure. He'd never thought he'd see the day.
And then it struck him …
No way! Goku couldn't possibly mean that he'd lost control while they were … well .. when they … erm …did it? Chichi was a strong woman after all. But compared to Goku, he supposed she was a frail little thing. Goku could easily snap her in two.
"I think you should explain buddy," though truthfully, Krilin was not at all sure that he wanted to hear whatever it was that his friend had to say. There were just some things that he didn't wanna know, you know. That he didn't need to know.
"Well…I kinda…" Goku began, but he was blushing so much that Krilin felt his own blush creeping up on his cheeks. Yikes! Maybe he really, really didn't want to know.
"Krillin! Where are you boy!" Master Roshi shouted through the window.
"Not now Master Roshi!" Krilin shot back.
"Is that Goku out there with you?"
"Yes! Now could ya give us a couple of minutes?" Krilin shouted back.
"Goku! Get your butt in here boy!" Master Roshi whipped. "Ox King is on the phone and he's been looking for you!"
Goku paled. He ran his hand through his hair with something akin to dread. He looked like a man expecting to be torn a new one.
"Chichi's father. Shit!" Goku hissed, bouncing to his feet. "Shit!" he jogged towards the house with his fist in his mouth.
Krilin didn't know what to make of his friend's reaction, but he jogged alongside him as they headed to Kame House.
When they entered, Krilin noticed how Goku held the phone like it was about to burn him or jump out and bite him in the ass. He placed it against his ear hesitantly. "Umm," he bit his lip. "Hello?" and cringed.
"Goku!" Ox King's voice boomed so loud Krilin could hear him clearly from where he stood next to Goku. "Where the hell is my daughter?!" He thundered!
"Huh?" Goku seemed confused.
"Where is she Goku?!"
"I-I … erm, I-I'm not sure," Goku stuttered. "I came home yesterday and she was gone. All her things were packed and she was just … gone."
An animalistic roar erupted from the speaker. Krilin jumped back. Startled, as Goku promptly held the receiver away from his ear, his eyes bulging in shock.
"What!" Ox King bellowed, followed by a string of incomprehensible curses that made Goku cringe and wince.
"And you didn't go looking for her?" he barked. "She's your wife god damn you! You were supposed to take care of her," he thundered."You were supposed to protect her!"
"Ox King I— " Goku tried to speak but the King cut him off.
"How could you let them get their hands on my baby?" There was an unmistakable tremble in his voice. There was no disguising the distress and panic coming from Goku's father-in-law.
Krilin swallowed. What the hell was going on? Oh, this was bad, this was very bad. And the look on Goku's face .
"What do you mean Ox King?" It was Goku's serious voice now. "Has something happened?"
"You failed her Goku. You failed my daughter," the voice broke. "You'd better jump on that cloud of yours and get here as soon as possible. They have her, those monsters have my Chichi."
And then there was nothing but the loud thumping of their hearts and the dull beeping of the phone.
Without so much as a goodbye or a word, Krilin watched as Goku shot out the door, called for Nimbus and zoomed out of view.
"Ah damn it all to hell!" He'd wanted to go with him and help!
~0~0~