Chapter Seven

The vast mountain range to the north was a breathtaking scene to say the very least. The wind howled echoing throughout the collection of snow covered peaks and blew flurries across the scene. Seeing the familiar scenery brought back memories for Bardock as he paused to take it all in.

This was the path he had taken on his way to Arendelle. In fact, where he stood was the exact spot had had first seen the small kingdom. Looking out in the distance the Saiyan viewed Arendelle in all its quaint splendor. As he continued looking off into the distance, Bardock mused at the situation, "All this for a Queen…" He shook his head and hollered to Olaf who was a little farther down the path, "How much farther till we're there?" The pint sized snowman who was riding on the back of Bardock's wolf, Fang, looked back to him saying, "Just a few more minutes!"

"That's what you said an hour ago!" The Saiyan yelled back. "And besides... I just don't understand why we couldn't fly there- We could've been there by now!"

"Silly Bardock… it's not the destination but the journey!"

They followed the circular path up a large mountain when something came into view that left Bardock in a state of awe. There sitting on a snowy plateau sat a massive palace made of ice!

"What the…." was all the Saiyan could say as he took it all in. The supernatural edifice had a silverfish-blue color that almost seemed transparent. Almost.

As they walked closer, Bardock looked up at the soaring towers that stretched toward the sky complete with a large balcony halfway to the top. The castle stood proud on top of the snowy mountain as if it were watching the horizon. In fact the structure itself was so tall that it included a regal looking staircase made of ice that lead up toward its grand entrance. "Olaf.. what is this place?" Bardock asked.

"This is where Elsa came whenever everyone found out about her ice powers. Long story short, they were afraid of her and so she panicked and came here to hide. After a while she got over her fears and let it all go. She accepted the fact that she was different and embraced her powers. That's pretty much why this castle is here. She created it with her ice powers." The Saiyan looked away from Olaf and back toward the palace, "This is incredible." If only Gine were here to see this…

The thought of his deceased wife brought back old feelings as he closed his eyes…

"Gine would have loved this place." Realizing he said that out loud, Bardock slowly opened his eyes and saw Olaf looking up at him expectantly. "Who wouldn't?!" The snowman remarked innocently oblivious to the awkwardness hanging among them. Looking up to the castle again Bardock cleared his throat and asked, "First things first; I want to explore the area. We're going to be here for a while, so I need to be better acquainted with the training area before we begin." They walked toward the grand staircase when a nearby pile of rocks came to life.

"WHO DARES INTRUDE ON MY MISTRESS'S DOMAIN!?" The ice golem commanded in a booming voice. Bardock took a defensive stance and answered, "Relax big guy. I'm just here to train!" Meanwhile Olaf waved with his stick arm at the monster and smiled, "Hi Marshmallow!"

The ice golem brought his fist down as he let out a mighty roar. "LEAVE OR DIEEE!" Before his rocky fist could make contact with its intended target, Bardock brought his own hand up stopping the attack altogether. The golem let out a growl of shock and confusion, how could someone be this strong? The Saiyan allowed himself an arrogant smirk as he continued to keep the enormous hand at bay, "Bad move." Then with lightning speed, Bardock threw the rocky creature across the plateau crashing into a ravine wall.

The golem grunted from the pain and tried to get up until his attacker descended on top of him standing on his chest. "Let's get something straight. I've killed a lot stronger guys for a lot less… I understand you're just doing your job, but I'm not above destroying you if you keep this up. But considering your ties to the Queen I'm going to ask you real nice- Please stop doing that." Marshmallow grunted in confusion before asking, "You know Queen Elsa?"

Bardock shook his head, "No. But I'm more or less training to help her out of tight spot." He hopped off Marshmallow's chest allowing him to stand as he continued, "I'll spare you the details, I'm fighting in a tournament. If I win, she'll be saved from doing something really stupid." He knew he had the Golem's attention now. "YOU WANT TO HELP MY MISTRESS?"

"Yep." After he said that, Marshmallow did something Bardock thought he'd never see, he smiled. It was in that moment an idea formed in the Saiyan's head, "You know, since I'm going to be doing some training, I could use a sparring partner. If you're interested…" The massive golem rubbed his chin considering it for a moment. "OKAY."

He reached his large ice hand down and Bardock shook it.

Bardock, Olaf, and their new compatriot, Marshmallow stepped back staring at the vast mountain range that lay before them. The Saiyan rubbed Fang's head as the wolf happily barked to his master. "Boys, we have a lot of work to do.. I say we get started immediately!"

Over the course of the following weeks, Bardock had made a solid routine in which he prepared and trained for the upcoming tournament. He'd wake up as early as six O'clock in the morning beginning his daily regimen at the crack of dawn.

He'd start with doing thousands of sit-ups, push-ups, crunches, and every other physical exercise he could come up with. Once his 'warm ups' were finished, Bardock would then begin the next phase of his training; sparring. This is where Marshmallow came in. Although the ice giant's strength paled in comparison to the Saiyan warrior's, he was still skilled enough to be a suitable training partner for Bardock. He was fierce, he was quick, and he was the very definition of brute strength. The two of them would go at it for hours; blocking, countering, throwing punches, and dodging attacks. Much to their surprise, each fighter showed the other a thing or two to improve their technique.

After he finished sparring, it was on to the next phase- Ki energy.

Thankfully Bardock was more than capable of working alone on this exercise. He stood on the peak of a nearby mountain and charged up a large ball of energy. Although the attack would be considered small by most fighters, the orb was still strong enough to destroy the mountain. Though many would have never considered this, Bardock was killing two birds with one stone on this exercise. The last thing he wanted to do was destroy a mountain- especially when it would draw attention to his secret place of training. So the objective to this exercise was simple; keep it from destroying anything.

After charging up the attack he threw it toward the mountain range with great velocity before going after it. He bolted by the orb and landed on the peak of the adjacent mountain and quickly deflected the Ki as it approached him.

The attack shot across the vast range with lightning speed as Bardock repeated the process. He seemingly vanished into thin air, reappeared at the next slope, deflected, blocked, or kicked it into another direction and chased after it. As the days raced by, he could feel his speed and guile increasing exponentially. It wasn't long before he did this exercise with two, sometimes three balls, skillfully keeping pace with all of the energy attacks.

Usually it was near dusk by the time he finished and moved onto the next task. At this point he would finish up with miscellaneous exercises before quitting to eat dinner. Whenever he wasn't eating or sleeping, he was training. At one point he used a large tree trunk as a dumbbell and worked out his arm muscles. Olaf stood next to him curling a long stick with two snowballs on each hand. "Three….four… FIVE!" After the snowman completed his fifth rep he dropped the stick and wiped his forehead, "Whew! That was hard… okay bye!" The Saiyan and Marshmallow looked at him with a 'You can't be serious!' look and shook their heads…

Hours later the trio along with Fang and the Snowgies that Queen Elsa created when she had her 'cold' during Anna's birthday all sat together around a warm campfire. Due to the little creatures being made from snow, the Snowgies sat a few feet back from the inviting glow. Olaf and Bardock each tore into their meals devouring them within moments while Marshmallow and Fang played tug-o-war with a small log. Finishing up dinner, Bardock carelessly tossed the bone from his meal aside while Olaf leaned back rubbing his belly. The Saiyan looked over to him and asked, "How are you able to eat? You don't have a stomach…"

"Cuz I'm magical, silly!" Olaf exclaimed. "Speaking of magical; if you win.."

"-When I win." Bardock corrected.

"When you win. When will you marry Elsa?"

Hearing him ask that sent a ping of guilt inside Bardock's heart. He was still getting over his previous wife, Gine. There was no way he was going to elope with some Queen who he never even met. The warrior shook his head and replied as calmly as he could, "Look Olaf… I have nothing against the Queen. But I'm not doing any of this for her; I'm just looking for the one who left me this-" He took out the note which was left for him by his stalker and continued, "- As soon as I find out who he is and what he wants, I'm out."

"What if this guy waits until the end of the tournament?"

"Then I'll play his game. Either way, I don't want the Queen." After he spoke, Bardock held onto the letter but his mind was elsewhere. What he didn't mention was that he had another reason as to why he was participating in this tournament. He knew Gine would want him to help this woman; regardless of who she was.

He threw the letter into the fire watching it burn to ashes. Please be with me, Gine…

Two weeks later….

Everything seemed to be falling into place for the people of Arendelle. Despite the minor setbacks which delayed the inevitable, the day of the tournament had finally arrived. Everyone seemed excited about this glorious day which was to decide the Kingdom's future except for the person to whom it really mattered, Elsa.

The Queen was wearing her formal attire which she had worn during her coronation and appeared as regal as one could expect. However despite her poised appearance she was a wreck on the inside. Never in her life had she felt so alone, so abandoned. Despite Anna and Kristoff's best attempts to console her, she just wished to be alone. Looking out the window, she saw the throngs of people making their way toward the large makeshift arena outside of town. They all wore smiles and sparked of excitement. Children were happily running alongside their parents or being carried on the shoulders of joyful fathers as mothers gave warm smiles. Other people were buying merchandise from the various stands that were erected on short notice as the numerous merchants peddled their wares. Seeing how lighthearted her people were broke the Queen's own heart.

A tear rolled down her cheek streaking her makeup. Turning to see herself in the mirror, Elsa wiped it away as she looked at herself. How could it come to this… she was once so free, so full of life. Everything was as it should be; she and Anna were finally close again, she was an aunt to one of the cutest nephews one could ever want, and she ruled a kingdom full of citizens who adored her. It was as if life itself were just playing a cruel joke on her.

"Elsa?"

Turning around the Queen saw her sister standing by the door. "Elsa, you look beautiful."

Anna walked across the room examining her sister further. She knew this was no easy task and so she wanted to be there for her as best as she could. "Your makeup's a mess, sis."

Gently guiding Elsa to her vanity mirror, Anna sat her down and began working on her makeup. "I know this isn't easy, but there's some silver lining to all of this." Seeing the skepticism in her sister's eyes the princess elaborated. "You know… our parents met through an arranged marriage. I remember mother telling me about it when we were young. She didn't think she'd really fall in love with father but fate proved her otherwise. I remember how she'd go on and on of how she and him were inseparable after a while."

"But this is different, Anna." Elsa said coldly.

"Not entirely." Anna countered. "My point is that if mother and father could make a rainbow out of their storm, so can you." The princess placed her finishing touches on Elsa's face as she put the makeup away. "And besides... I said it once and I'll say it again- Your hero could very well be out there right now as we speak ready and willing to fight for you!"

A few miles away…..

Bardock made his way down the crowded street in search of the large arena. He had awoken earlier than usual and mentally prepped himself for what was to come. Although the Saiyan felt as though he could've done more to prepare for this, he still knew he'd done all he could do on such short notice. Hopefully his rigorous training would pay off for him today. He wore his Saiyan battle armor with pride and even added a few more things to better suit him in this colder climate. He had even gotten rid of the facemask he had worn during his time in the wilderness and showed his face with confidence. This was who he was and anyone who dared to stand in his way would learn what it meant to fight a Saiyan warrior.

After crossing several more streets he had finally arrived to his destination. He followed several signs indicating where to go and found his way to a small wooden booth. Sitting on the other side of the booth was a woman who looked to be in her mid fifties and wore her gray hair in a bun. Despite the sparks of excitement that seemed to be everywhere, this woman seemed to own none of it. In fact she seemed to be annoyed at the world and greeted Bardock with a flat voice and rolled eyes. "Welcome to the tournament; Where only the worthy shall triumph…. Are you competing in the games?"

"Yes I am." Bardock answered.

"Only fighters with the proper paperwork, pedigrees, or invitations of participation may take part in the games… do you have any of those?" The woman asked.

Taking out the mysterious letter which the courier delivered to him, Bardock asked, "How about this?" The woman examined the letter reading its contents and answered, "Sir, this is an invitation of participation; what do you think?"

Hearing how rude she sounded made him ask, "You must really hate your life, don't you?"

"No. Just my job. Now please sign this." She opened a drawer and laid out a piece of paper with several lengthy paragraphs. Bardock examined them and said, "What exactly is this?"

"A waiver releasing the government from any and all liability should you get killed out there."

"I seriously doubt that's gonna happen. But you won't let me in there unless I sign will you?"

"That's correct." The woman said in her monotone voice.

"Fine." Bardock accepted the pen and quickly scribbled his name on the waiver. "Thanks… Cheer. What kinda name is that anyway?" He remarked while reading her nametag. "I got my name on account of my cheerful nature." Cheer said with a hint of sarcasm. She then pointed toward a set of double doors saying, "Walk through there and follow the long corridor. It'll take you to the staging area where the other participants are. Once you're there, wait for further instructions. Thank you and have a magical day."

Approaching the doors Bardock exhaled and said, "Here goes nothing." Then with mixed emotions he walked inside as the doors closed behind him.

Hello hello my friends! I sure hoped that you all enjoyed this recent chapter in my story here. I know things have been anticlimactic in the way of action but don't worry, that's about to change really soon! Especially now that the tournament is about to start!

As Bardock ventured past those double doors he came to a sudden realization. Somewhere past that long corridor, his stalker is waiting but who is he? A dangerous human? A psychotic alien bent on destroying him? Muffin button?!

TFS GOKU- Did you say Muffin Button?

Me- Go away Team Four Star Goku- You're not even the real Goku!

TFS GOKU- Awww….

(To answer all of your questions; Yes I love and watch Team Four Star's dub of DBZ. I know it's not cannon but it's definely worth watching for a good laugh ; -)

Anyway back on topic…..

Whoever is waiting for Bardock is obviously either very foolish or very powerful. Most likely the latter. So when will he reveal himself? And more importantly- WHEN WILL THERE BE SOME FREAKIN FIGHTS?! Trust me I know you're all waiting, I'm extremely eager to cut to the good stuff myself. And everything will be revealed in good time… Either way, Bardock has his work cut out for him.

Now then it's time for a little fun…SHOUTOUTS!

This first one comes from a reviewer named, Great.

"Great chapter, really like the tournament idea, bardock and olaf remind me of the time bardock was sent back into time in episode of bardock and olaf is berry from planet plant.I hope bardock and elsa meet next chapter. Can there also be lemon scenes?"

My answer, Well I'm glad you've enjoyed the previous chapter. And yeah the bond Bardock shares with Olaf is pretty similar to that he had with Berry. Despite Olaf's annoying tendencies, Bardock enjoys his companionship for many reasons. Despite his over-the-top light hearted nature, he can brighten up Bardock's days (despite the emotional turmoil he's going through on the inside) I also think that Bardock is reminded of Berry on a subconscious level whenever he's around Olaf because of his childish innocence. It kinda fills the void he had when he left Planet Plant.

And as far as the lemon scenes go, I probably won't do anything like that. Still there will be a lot of sexual tension throughout the story and MAYBE a sex scene. But nothing extreme though. I'm still on the fence about it. Anyway thanks so much for that review my friend.

Now to my next reviewer, Louisa.

"Wow just wow, im really enjoying this so far. Now down to business in the tournament are you going to have some egotistical asseholes (execuse my rudeness) because it truly isnt a dbz tournament without some of them. But other than that I have nothing elsa to say (eh get it) cause this story was baked to perfection with a dash of awesomeness on top
Live long and... wait no wrong franchise er...
Um...ill be ba... wait no still wrong...
Well this is a first I cant think of a quote to end this with...huh
Well bye have a god life I guess
-an idiot who cant think of good quotes ;-)"

My answer, Don't worry I struggle with quotes myself : ) Truth be told I'm the guy who has trouble thinking of witty comebacks when I'm talking to someone in real life- until I walk away and the conversation is over. Then it's like, "UGH! WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT?!" *Slaps forehead* Anyway don't beat yourself up : )

Now to answer your question; there will definitely be some egotistical jerk-offs participating in this tournament. You were absolutely right. If there's gonna be a DBZ style tournament then we gotta have 'em! And thanks so much for enjoying my story your review made my day!

Anyway that's all the reviews I got this time around unfortunately. Please leave me some more and don't forget to favorite and follow this story- and me! ;)

Until next time my friends on Made of Scars!