Zarbon Visits Serena's Grave
Couple of days later Frieza requested Serena's body to be shipped to his planet, so that Zarbon could attend her funeral, it was much too dangerous to go to Planet Primal to bury her there. They were on the hill, Frieza, Cui, Cooler and of course Zarbon. This private funeral was very private, in fact it was just them that attended it.
"We would like to say goodbye to a dear friend, and mother. Serena you will be missed, we will look after your son, and we will make sure that he's prepared to rule the planet in Morphiess' place." Cui said.
"Now hold on a moment Cui, who said we were going to place Zarbon back on the throne? We're supposed to let the civil war cease before we go in and kill the new ruler!" Frieza said.
"I think King Morphiess is still alive and unless he comes in and retakes the throne, I have a commitment with him. I am an ally of his still and as such, I will make sure that nobody goes onto the planet and overthrow him under any circumstances." Cooler said.
"Fine I guess we will wait it out then," Frieza said.
Zarbon cried and cried and Frieza looked down at him, "Zarbon dear, I have a question for you." Frieza said.
Zarbon looked up at him, "Yes?"
"How would you like to be the heir to the Cold Empire, and become emperor when I die?" Frieza asked.
"I don't know I just miss my mum!" Zarbon said whipping a tear away.
"Well you are a part of the Cold Empire now! I'm going to legally adopt you!" Frieza said.
"What? But, but, he's a Primal Changeling, you are an Icejin Changeling, you're going to get dirty looks for raising a Primal Changeling! You have already massacred so many Primal Changeling on this planet, don't you think it's a bit hypocritical to go and raise a young primal changeling who might destroy us by the time he hits puberty?" Cooler asked.
"Dear Cooler, I don't give a damn how hypocritical I am. Since I am infertile, I can take this one in and make him my heir to the Empire, until somehow magically I become fertile." Frieza said.
He grabbed Zarbon and held him in his arms and walked away from Serena's grave with him. Cui and Cooler looked at one another, "Oh dear, I don't think Serena would have liked this at all." Cui said shaking his head.
"It doesn't matter now, we have to watch Planet Primal and see how the civil war plays out." Cooler said.
As it turns out the Civil War lasted more than two years, the communists vs the sympathizers for a different king to put on the throne vs the sympathizers to put Morphiess back on the throne. Morphiess decided it was time for him to get the throne back. He talked it out with Cooler and Cooler gave him the necessary equipment to get the throne back.
Morphiess fought, and won the throne back, and killed all the communists and sympathizers for a new ruler for the throne off. He made communism and anything else that suggested putting a new ruler on the throne illegal! His planet was safe from Frieza's destruction, as Cooler kept the contract with Morphiess as a bribe to keep his planet safe from Frieza.
Sadly, Morphiess may have gotten the throne back, but not Zarbon. Zarbon became legally adopted by Frieza a couple of years later, he had to get permission from his father, family and the court system. There was much debate on whether or not a Primal Changeling would be able to rule a vast empire like the Cold Empire.
Frieza never ended up destroying either Planet Primal, or Planet Cyrillic, he simply lied about it in the public's eyes. Protection by Cooler for the Primal Changeling planets was limited. Frieza still persecuted the Primal Changelings that came onto his planet for a better life. There was still no freedom of speech, freedom of religion, or freedom to marry one another.
In fact, it was illegal for Primal Changelings on Planet Frieza to inner-marry with others species on the planet, and with each other! Which means the status for their children was being born out of wedlock. It was a very embarrassing status to be a part of, but nevertheless most other alien species on Planet Frieza did not really care. They also knew that Planet Cyrillic and Planet Primal were both still around.
Back to Zarbon, he grew up big and strong! He learned gymnastics, martial arts, karate and sword fighting. He spoke English, Japanese and French, studied the dead Primal Changeling language, and studied other alien languages. Of course, human languages were mostly used in Frieza's palace, because some of the time the aliens he had to talk to could not mimic his ancestral tongue and ect…
Things were not always so "rosy poesy" between Zarbon and Frieza. Zarbon, yes, was legally adopted by Frieza, but doesn't mean he was allowed to just call Frieza dad. Zarbon could only call him Lord Frieza or Master Frieza. In fact, even if Zarbon had more rights and privileges compared to the rest of the folk on Planet Frieza, he was behind closed doors abused by Frieza himself.
Not only did Frieza find time to push Zarbon around when he was little, he found time to sexually abuse him, mentally and emotionally abuse him and damage him so badly that Zarbon cringed at the thought of watching a porno or when the subject of sex came up.
Zarbon would also cringe at Shasha raping women in battle, because his memories of his mom's pain never left him. Of course this was complained numerously to Frieza himself, sometimes the complaints would be, "Zarbon run away crying like a girl, because he did not want to hear the girls shrieking in terror when Shasha was boning them by force!"
Other times the complaints went like this, "Zarbon did not show up for battle, where is he?"
More often like this, "Zarbon threw Shasha off this girl Shasha was raping, and let the woman get away! We had to track this woman down, kill her while Zarbon was more focused beating the crap out of Shasha!"
Zarbon had no intention of being a hero, or even an accidental hero. That's probably why Frieza put him in the position of being behind the battle lines, than in battle lines. It was easier to watch Zarbon and his emotions play out, but this was not very reliable because Zarbon faked being ruthless in front of Frieza and Frieza knew this, he just did not say anything to Zarbon because he found it more amusing.
Don't get us wrong, of course Zarbon killed grown men, women and children. He did not have a single choice in the matter, Frieza just couldn't get Zarbon to be more sadistic about it. Shasha and Dodoria were perfectly ok with beating unarmed people up and killing them and maybe doing more horrible things to them, Zarbon only killed them and ran into his room afterwards having the hugest cry fests.
If Zarbon wasn't a challenge on the battlefield or the takeover of other planets, he certainly was a challenge and a disaster for Frieza at home. Zarbon had mood swings here and there and that ended up being incorrectly diagnosed as being bipolar. He was just depressed and confused, because Frieza wanted him to be violent and sadistic, but Zarbon's own heart told him not to be.
Appule and Cui also talked Zarbon out of being violent and sadistic, and thus Zarbon hung around them most of the time. Most of the time in public, Zarbon was quiet, and sometimes he accidently brought too much attention to himself when this stupid spoiled brat Vegeta would bring out the complete worse in him, which ended up with Zarbon picking Vegeta up and throwing him across the room.
Zarbon was possibly the last person to hate Vegeta, as Vegeta was a very unpleasant person to be around, since he was raised by a very unpleasant person like King Vegeta, he had the mentality that he could do whatever he wanted to do. For Zarbon it was easier to be submissive to Frieza because Frieza raised Zarbon, whereas Vegeta was not.
So why was Zarbon the last person to hate Vegeta? Because for one thing like Zarbon, Vegeta too was a prince. Vegeta was also previously engaged to Zarbon's half- sister Miretta, who ended up marrying Shasha behind Frieza's back. Zarbon made a promise to Miretta that he could only try to kill Vegeta when she died. Vegeta carried on an affair with his ex-fiancé Miretta behind Shasha's back.
Zarbon had trouble with the opposite sex too, his on and off girlfriend Liya, was bossy, controlling and twice as violent and jealous vs Zarbon's quiet, almost gentle and somewhat moody nature. Frieza did not want Zarbon to get married until Frieza himself was declared dead. He knew Liya was a bad influence on him and she used to get Zarbon into trouble constantly when they were younger.
Sometimes as all this drama played out in Zarbon's life, he would feel lost and sometimes go on a year journey to his mother's grave. Sometimes Cui would come with him, sometimes Cooler, sometimes both of them, but Frieza never went to visit her grave and neither did Dodoria. This time around, it was Zarbon and Cui visiting her grave.
On the way to the grave there was a jungle, and sometimes it was a stopping ground for anyone that visited Serena's grave.
There was a little pond there and Zarbon was looked at his own reflection, of course he was very handsome, such a beauty that you would mistake him for a panty chaser and not even know the complicated shy soul under that beautiful, strong exterior! He had his crown and earrings on, Cui gave them to Zarbon, like he promised Serena.
"Zarbon come on, we have to go and see your mom!" Cui said.
"Just one moment I'm washing my face!" Zarbon said.
He put water on his face and stood up and walked over to Cui. They continued to walk because it was much better exercise for them than flying, flying did not burn too many calories. They walked up the hill out of the jungle and came to her gravesite. It was an unnamed grave, so it would not be vandalized by anyone who came, not that they would care.
Zarbon sat down in front of the gravestone, took a couple of roses out and put them on her grave, he looked up to the sky, "Cui, what do you remember about her?"
"She was just cute! Very sweet and small, hotheaded and did not like Frieza at all. I have mostly fond memories of her." Cui said.
Zarbon thought long and hard about his past on the way home, and he tried his best to remember her. His mother rarely came to see him in spirit, as he had the power to talk with the dead and conjure the dead up! Frieza used him for this purpose, but more to conjure demons and lower intellect alien species off of other planets to use as training for his solders.
Frieza still did not believe in ghosts. The majority of the time when Zarbon was asleep she would come to him in his dreams. Flashbacks entered these dreams too, so of course Zarbon had direct memories of what went on between his mom and him!
"Oh and by the way, Frieza thought he was in love with her, but really he wasn't, he tried to rape her." Cui said.
"What? Frieza tried to rape my mother?"
"Yep, but she threw him off." Cui said.
"Good for her." Zarbon said.
They continue to her grave site and they came upon it, Zarbon knew it was her because he visited every year and put flowers there. The flowers would of course rot, and he would have to gather what was left of the rotted flowers, throw them aside, and put new ones down.
He looked at her grave, put roses on it, and said, "Cui, I never told you but I remember it like it was yesterday."
"What are you talking about?" Cui asked.
"I was asleep and she came to me in spirit. She died the night before this happened. She said she would always love me, and like that she vanished." Zarbon said.
"This is before you found out you could talk to ghosts, right?" Cui said.
"Yes of course, and Frieza came into my room later to tell me that my mum passed away. Uhhh, I hate my father so much!" Zarbon said standing up.
"Why? Oh wait, that was a stupid question, it's because he cheated on her and dumped her for some other chick yes?"
"Obviously, and I hate him so much!" Zarbon said slightly angered.
"Your father still loves you, and he has been sending me letters asking for you to…"
"I don't want to hear it! I don't want to hear it ok? I hate him and I don't ever want to talk to him again! He abandoned my mum and me!" Zarbon said crossing his arms.
"Half of that was your mom's fault, she kicked him out of the palace and he handed the kingdom over to you." Cui said.
"I don't remember much of that, but sometimes I do have dreams that I am,"
"Zarbon, come here. Don't be hateful." A voice said close by.
"Cui did you hear that?" Zarbon asked.
"Hear what?" Cui asked.
"I heard a voice!" Zarbon said.
"Now you're seeing things!" Cui said defiant.
Then some woman invisible to Cui, but very solid to Zarbon was a couple of steps away. Her hair blowing through the wind. Thick, but long and neatly combed black hair. Her gold eyes, her outfit she wore when she arrived on Planet Frieza before Zarbon was even conceived.
She held out a hand to Zarbon who walked up to her, she was shorter than him by 5'2 feet tall and he was this 6'1 foot talk guy! "Don't be afraid Zarbon, it's just been a while since you have seen me. My son look how you have grown."
Zarbon put his hand onto her hand for a second, before the hand became transparent. "Sorry about that, but remember I will always be with you, I'm watching you Zarbon, always watching!" Serena said.
"Mum, why did you leave me? Mum please answer me!" Zarbon started crying and hugged her, but all Cui could see was Zarbon hugging…nothing!
"Can we go now?" Cui asked amazed, Cui didn't believe in ghosts, he was far too much of an atheist and a mathematician to do so. He was kind of late of getting Frieza's taxes together, other than being an inventor, he was also a great accountant.
"She's gone! No, she,"
"Calm down Zarbon, let's just go home!" Cui said taking Zarbon by the hand and leading him away from his mom's grave.
As they walked Zarbon turned around and saw nothing, just the unmarked grave of his mom. "Goodbye mother." He whispered.
The two then went home.
End of Story