Chapter Ten: Family Reunions

Two days, in the Palace of The Horn Of Plenty Dining Room…

The dining room was oval-shaped with all of the tables either round or egg-shaped, and all of the pale yellow tables were covered with burgundy tablecloths decorated with thin gold stripes. Tayla was sitting at one table with Barley, Esmera, Shelan, and Rudijal, but she was not very happy, nor did she have much of an appetite. No one else was in the dining room with them, except for the servants that kept bringing them food and drink.

Barley had forbidden Caline to sit at the table with them, and he and Tayla had entered a huge, verbal argument with Tayla going as far as to threaten to quit her job as his bodyguard, if Barley wasn't nicer to Caline. Barley wasn't fazed at all by this threat, and he had said sweetly:

"You can quit, if you want to. Maybe I can get a bodyguard with more meat and muscle to watch me, but…how well is it going to go with your Uncle Gohan? I don't think that he would be pleased to know that his niece failed at her first Intergalacticpol assignment. Ah, well, maybe Intergalacticpol would be better off without someone like you anyway. I'd prefer another bodyguard anyway, but then no one gave me the choice."

Tayla had fumed, "Okay, Barley, that's it! I want to know what it is that you have against me, other than my being too thin for your tastes?"

Barley smirked. "Okay, so I don't really want a girl as my bodyguard, alright, but I don't have a choice. I doubt that you could even stand up to an ant, let alone a Saiyan!" Barley had heard of some of Tayla's previous battles from his parents, but he believed none of the stories about her fighting the Saiyans or Zarbon of Frieza's Elite. He knew that his parents were also skeptical of the stories, but they had accepted Chief Gohan Chloe's insistence that Tayla would be the best choice for Barley's bodyguard. Barley hadn't been happy with it, but his father had put his foot down and ordered Barley to accept Tayla as his protector.

"Do you want me to quit for real?" Tayla asked severely, although her voice was trembling. In the first days of her watching over Barley, she had done everything that she could to be diplomatic and friendly, but Barley had just made the task impossible. He would belittle her every chance that he got, even to this day, even on the occasions when Tayla had actually tried to do something nice for him. Barley had said off and on that he would rather have anyone other than Tayla.

During this last argument, Tayla was near tears with despair, but she wasn't about to cry in front of Barley and the others. When Barley had said reluctantly that she might as well stay on since no one else seemed to want her job, Tayla had then said very quietly, too quietly for her, that she would stay on then until she could see her uncle again. Then she would ask him to replace her with a male, someone more to Barley's liking.

An hour after that awful conversation, she sat there at the dinner table, picking listlessly at her salad while Barley was monopolizing the conversation with his friends and Tayla's Clan of Pearl relatives. Tayla was deeply depressed, and she had barely eaten within the past few days; she felt as if she had failed. Bendros didn't want her as a mate, and Barley didn't want her as his bodyguard. Nothing that Caline had tried had been able to bring Tayla out of her doldrums.

She felt as if she had failed Uncle Gohan by not being able to do her job properly as Barley's bodyguard. At times, she wondered if it would be best for her to quit the Intergalacticpol training program and come home; Nama had always said that she could come home anytime that she wished. She was certain that Nama and Dirkan would be happier if she stayed at home on Chloe with them anyway; Nama had not been thrilled when Tayla had said that she wanted to join Intergalacticpol. Nama had feared for Tayla's safety, especially with Frieza's warriors still prowling about the universe. ("Dandelion, what if you run into one of Frieza's Top Elite Officers, or one of the Saiyans again?") Nama had come close to forbidding Tayla to go at all.
Finally, it took Dirkan a few days to wear Nama down and convince her to allow Tayla to take the chance of becoming an Intergalacticpol police officer. ("You've got to let her grow up sometime, Shalila; you can't keep her tied to you for the rest of her life. Letting her grow up means letting her go. Yes, there's always a chance that she could end up captured or killed, but that can happen to any one of our people working for Intergalacticpol. I don't like her leaving anymore than you do, but she's almost an adult now, and she has to be allowed to do what she feels is right for her.") Shalila had reluctantly conceded, but she told Tayla that she could come home anytime that she wished.

"If it doesn't work out, dandelion, you can always become one of my bodyguards," she told her beloved granddaughter. Tayla had thanked her and hugged her grandmother fiercely, with Shalila clinging to her, not wanting to ever let her go.

Now Tayla was sitting at her table, mixing the fresh, tender leaves of her salad lethargically, as if they were wilted and brown. She had the additional misfortune of sitting between Esmera, who was happily bragging to everyone about Bendros's declarations of love for her, and Shelan, who kept flirting with her, despite Tayla's vain attempts to ignore him.

"C'mon, Tayla, cheer up," Shelan said smoothly, as he slid his muscled arm around Tayla's slender shoulders. Tayla shook him off, as if he was a poisonous snake, and Esmera looked at her and sighed.

"Tayla, you are still mooning over Bendros, who is mine now, and you have my handsome brother who would do anything in the universe for you. Why don't you give him a chance? If you wish, he won't even touch you until you're ready," Esmera said in a too kind, too sweet tone that made Tayla want to vomit.

"Tayla!" Shelan laughed, removing his arm from her. "I won't hurt you, I swear it. Believe me, I've learned my lesson the last time that you let me know that my attentions were unwanted." His voice then grew deep and serious. "Tayla, I want a second chance with you, honestly. I really do like you, and I would like to court you. I'd treat you well, and let you have anything that is within my power to give. And think about this, Tayla: you'd become Gran of Pearl eventually; wouldn't you like that opportunity? What do you say, Tayla?"

"Yes, Tayla," Esmera added in a companionable tone. "I'd love to have you for a sister, despite our differences. If things work out between you and my brother, you would be a Clan Gran. Isn't that the main reason that you wanted Bendros to court you, my dear? So you could become a Clan Gran, a ruler of a Clan?" Tayla was about to hotly deny this, but Shelan spoke before she could.

"You could achieve the same results with me," Shelan chuckled. "Just think about it, Tayla! What difference is there between being Gran of Pearl or Gran of Sahara? Only in Gran of Pearl, you wouldn't have to worry about having in-laws or children who can turn into huge, smelly apes whenever there is a full moon…oh, wait; you already have that problem in your family, don't you? Alora Sahara-Chloe and her children…why didn't Alora turn into one of those gorillas several times in her life…and I believe that Bendros turned into one on planet Calmag, didn't he? He almost ate you at one time, didn't he?"

"Where did you hear such nonsense?" Tayla asked him sharply. Shelan flinched at her tone, and Rudijal, who was sitting between Esmera and Barley, replied for him:

"Why, Tayla, I heard Petalia telling Lelina and Veal about it the last time I visited at the Palace of Chloe! By the way, next time you see Petalia, tell her that I'm interested in her, won't you? I really want to court her."

"I'll mention it to her," Tayla told him evenly. Her beautiful blond-haired, blue-eyed niece, seventeen-year-old Petalia, had already declared that she wanted nothing to do with Rudijal Pearl, considering the boy to be too immature and whiny for her liking.

"So, Tayla," Shelan said silkily. "A beautiful young girl such as yourself surely deserves better than a husband and children who can turn into giant, hairy, smelly apes whenever there's a full moon…do you really want to raise a family of monkeys, sweet Tayla?"

Tayla had heard enough, and she got up abruptly, with her brown eyes darkening to black. She hissed at Shelan, "Don't you ever insult Bendros, or any Sastorians again, Shelan, do you understand me? How dare you put down Bendros? Why Bendros is kind and brave and decent and caring…and he respects other people, no matter whom they are? So, he chose Esmera over me! I can live with it! There will be others for me, Shelan Pearl, but you won't be one of them! But if I ever hear you insult Bendros or anyone else in this family, I'll give you a worse beating than I did the last time! Do not ever come near me, or speak to me again!" And with that, she hastily hurried away from her peers and left the table, heading towards the entranceway of the dining room.

"Hey!" Barley shouted angrily after her. "What about me? You're supposed to be guarding me! I may not be thrilled with you being my bodyguard, but still it's your job to watch over me!"

Tayla was in no mood for Barley. She whirled on him, as she was nearing the entranceway, "Use this time as a break away from me! You don't want me around anyway, so what difference does it make to you?" And with that she angrily stormed out into the hallway, disappearing within seconds.













Out in the Palace courtyard…

Caline was almost as despondent as Tayla was; she was worried about her friend. Tayla had been depressed and anxious, barely eating a bite. Nothing Caline had tried could lift Tayla's spirits for long, and she was at her wits' end as to what to do. She sat down on a bench, smoothing her lavender caftan with a pale blue sash around her waist. Clear, sparkling glass slippers adorned her tiny white feet, and the slippers had a perfect rosy-pink pearl on each toe. Her silky, pale gold hair embraced her like a hood, and she was lost in her thoughts about Tayla…and her upcoming audition.

For in two days' time after a rescheduling from Operetta's group, she would be singing for the famous Melodian singer, and Caline had rehearsed her song over and over many times to herself whenever she was alone, which was more often lately since Barley had made it clear he didn't want her around during the hours that Tayla was guarding him. No one had heard the song yet, not even Tayla, for Caline wanted it to be a surprise.

Her thoughts drifted away from Tayla briefly to thoughts of her audition. She saw herself on stage, singing in her best voice to a crowd of adoring fans who would cry, "Encore, Encore!" after her performance. The lights would alight her every feature, making them more beautiful than ever. She saw roses and other flowers being thrown at her feet. And she saw Operetta rushing up to her, hugging her, practically demanding that she join her All-Star Fine Arts Tour at once.

And in this fantasy, she saw Kekron, handsomely arrayed in his Intergalacticpol uniform, with his still unruly, yet soft brown hair. His eyes were a deeper, more entrancing blue than ever, as he came upon the stage, holding a bouquet of Chloe roses, the roses that were either red-and-gold, or pink-and-white. He handed them to her, but he embraced her so tightly that the lovely roses were crushed, not that she objected, would never object.

She could literally feel his presence so strongly, could feel his ki (she had learned how to sense and hide her ki in the past few years), and could feel his clean breath on her sensitive, snowy skin.

And she could hear him speaking, almost as if her fantasy was real.

"Is this a private reverie, or can an old friend join you?" he said in that kind, gentle voice.

"You can join me," she whispered, and she turned towards him. And within seconds, the stage and the lights and the cheering people faded away back into the recesses of her mind. She was once again sitting in the courtyard…but she just realized that not everything in her fantasy had faded away.

"Kekron!" Caline gasped. "Are you here for real?"

Kekron chuckled. "This is no dream, Caline. I'm here."

And he was, sitting next to her on the wicker bench. Caline squealed with happiness, and the normally shy princess flung herself upon him, hugging him tightly around his neck. Kekron fell back and laughed, firmly embracing her in return. Caline burrowed her face into his neck, she held tighter than before.

"I've missed you," she whispered into the crook of his neck. She was now completely in his lap, with her soft body pressed against his.

"I've missed you too," Kekron said softly. "May I touch your hair?" Most Astorian females didn't like having their hair touched without permission; in fact they considered their hair to be an intimate part of their bodies. When a male asked a female for permission to touch her hair, he showed respect for her. Calmagian females were not as strict about hair touching, but Caline appreciated him asking anyway.

"Yes, yes," Caline whispered, still holding onto him for dear life.

Kekron stroked Caline's soft cornsilk hair with one hand and rubbed her back with the other. She had been in his dreams and thoughts during the months that he spent at the Hyslian Intergalacticpol station. He was deeply in love with her, although he wasn't sure yet if she felt anything for him beyond a sisterly love. He had held a crush on her since she was eleven-years-old, but he stood back and waited to let her grow up a little.

She smelled of hyacinth, and the sweet scent was enough to nearly drive the normally conservative Astorian prince wild. Her long hair was curled in places, and Kekron loved touching her hair; it was nearly as silky as an Astorian female's hair. He had missed her sorely while he had been working near Hysle on some machines and devices for Intergalacticpol. His arms tightened around her, as he inquired about how things had been on Calmag. As Caline began to tell him, Kekron felt, as if he held his world in his arms, and he would do everything that he could to keep it there.













"Barley did WHAT?" Kekron exclaimed furiously after Caline had explained why she wasn't with Tayla and Barley at this time. "That little prickien…and he had the nerve to treat the situation, as if it were your fault!"

"He thinks that I'm a threat to him, even though Tayla has repeatedly told him otherwise," Caline told him. "Either that, or he's still angry with me for turning him down. It wasn't really so much him, Kekron; it was the m-memories he brought back. The words that he said to me reminded me too much of what Alberm used to say to me…especially on that first night…when he-he…"

"Caline, Caline, it's okay," Kekron assured her, holding her close. "You're safe from him now, and bringing it up like that is only going to upset you further."

"I want to forget, Kekron, I don't ever want to see his face in my mind again! I want that time to fade away, as if it never existed."

"It will, Caline, it will. Someday what happened to you back on Calmag will seem nothing more than a bad dream. No one will hurt you here again, and I want to talk to Barley myself. I don't understand why Tayla is still guarding him."

"Tayla has a job to do," Caline replied. "If she gets a bad report on this assignment, it could ruin her chances of passing the training program. She doesn't like what Barley did anymore than we do, but she's stuck. Barley's not making things any easier for her either; he puts her down, Kekron, and calls her the most awful things. Did you know that 'stick' is one of the worst names that anyone can call a girl on this planet? Barley constantly refers to Tayla as his 'stick princess bodyguard' or 'Princess Taylastick'."

"I'm surprised that Tayla hasn't belted him one."

"She's come close to it. She's told him off several times, but it doesn't seem to work. I'll be glad when she doesn't have to guard him anymore."

"I'm sure that she will to. It isn't like Tayla to take someone else's abuse, but I suppose that seems to come with the job. But Vegeta and Nappa have been captured now, so Barley should be safe now."

"Not according to what Tayla's told me. Uncle Gohan has said that others in Frieza's Elite could come after Barley as well."

"That's true," Kekron sighed. "Frieza was never one to know when to give up."

Caline said suddenly, "Kekron, can we go find Tayla? I want to make sure that she's okay, especially since Shelan and Esmera joined her and Barley for dinner. Ever since Shelan's been trying to win over Tayla again and Esmera's been bragging about Bendros wanting her now, Tayla has had a hard time with both of them."

"Maybe we both can cheer her up," Kekron suggested, as he helped Caline off of his lap. He took her hand in his, and they both walked out of the courtyard together following the trail of Tayla's ki.









In one of the Palace's lounges…

Tayla was sitting in the same lounge where Caline had paralyzed Barley, and she was sitting in the same chair, reading a favorite Astorian novel, Passion Amidst Chaos, that she had brought with her. The novel was set in the time period in which her grandmother and Dirkan were still trying to free Astoria from the grasp of the Saiyans who has enslaved the planet. The novel was a love story between a fictional Astorian slave girl-warrior-trainee and a fictional powerful Sastorian warrior. Although many Astorian books were now on electronic hand-held devices, there were still a good number of books that were made like books on Earth, and Tayla treasured this love story that had been a favorite book of her sister, Gracina's, when Gracina had been Tayla's age; it had been Gracina who had given Tayla the novel. Tayla had often imagined herself in the role of Aya Emerald, the slave girl trying to help free her people from the Saiyans, and Bendros in the role of Netros Sahara, the heroic Sastorian warrior who had rescued Aya from her Saiyan masters when she had ran away from them. Any sexual scenes were briefly described, nothing too graphic or detailed, since most female Astorian readers were conservative, wanting more romance scenes than sex scenes.

Tayla was currently reading the part where Aya discovered that her murdered mother had been an Astorian Princess of Chloe when a loud, clear soprano voice echoed all throughout the room:

"HEL-LO, EVERY-ONE!" the clear voice sang, even though Tayla was the only one in the room. The door at the other end of the lounge suddenly burst open, and a tall, buxom woman in her seventies strolled in. She was at least five-feet, nine-inches-tall, with sallow skin, a long, pointed nose, and bright dyed burgundy hair piled atop on her oval head in a tight bun. Dangling, sparkling ribbons of bright jewel colors such as turquoise, emerald, plum, berry, and orange were woven into the bun, with the ends were dancing loosely about her tightly bound maroon tresses. A drooping chin suspended under thin, red lips, and her eyes were a clear green, the same shade of green as wine bottles. Her makeup had been applied with lavishly; she had hunter-green painted eyelids, bright orange blush on her wrinkled cheeks, shiny lavender lipstick and heavy gold mascara on her thick eyelashes.

And her clothes! She was brightly and elaborately dressed in a heavy turquoise tea-length taffeta skirt decorated with sparkly diamond hearts and a neon-green silk blouse with short, puffed sleeves and a bright pink frilly, lacy ruffle around her tall, thin neck. The green blouse was sprinkled with bright gold appliqués in the shape of ringed planets. She wore transparent neon-pink quartz slippers with sparkling gold stars on each toe. Silvery stockings brightly dotted with gold suns encased her thin legs, and each ankle held at least four ankle bracelets apiece.

And she wore much more jewelry, with five necklaces hanging around her neck. Two of the necklaces were chokers, one choker made with amethysts, and the other made from large, yellow teardrop-shaped pearls. A flashy gold necklace made in a herringbone pattern dangled down past her large, pointed bosom, and a silver bead necklace hung just above the garish gold one. But it was the last necklace that was the most extraordinary: it was a necklace made out of diamond planets, moons, stars, and suns tinted various colors in the same shades of the ribbons in her hair. Also, many elaborate rings decorated her slim, bony fingers, with five rings adorning each finger. And she had at least six different kinds of bracelets on her tiny wrists. And her ears held at least seven pairs of earrings apiece, ranging from jewel studs to gigantic gold and silver hoops.

Tayla couldn't stop staring at her, even though the bright, garish, mismatched colors were making her eyes hurt. The woman, who looked as if she could belong in a circus, twirled gracefully and merrily about the lounge, as good as any ballerina. She then stopped, holding herself easily on one toe, as she began what would be an elaborate hello:

"I…Am…OPERETTA!" the woman sang loudly and distinctively with her fingers entangled with each other, as if she were about to crack her knuckles. She never spoke, always sang, and she continued, "And I have come to entertain YOU! So…drum roll please!"
At this time, two little orange puffballs with tiny red eyes and little pink arms and blue feet with no legs came out pushing a huge drum with the surfaces made out of gold and the sides made out of mahogany. One of the puffballs banged the taut, gold surface loudly with a soft, padded stick.

"BUM-BUM-BUM-BUM-BUM-BUM!" went the stick on the drum.

"Presenting…OPERETTA'S ALL-STAR-FINE-ARTS TOUR!" Operetta sang happily. And she continued, as Tayla watched, entranced against her will, "Introducing right from our own planet of Melodia…the Cuddly-Cuuuuuuuuuuuuutes!"

"The Cuddly-what?" Tayla asked puzzled.

Operetta continued singing. "Come on out, Cuddly-Cutes! Don't be shy! This young lady wants to meet you! We have an audience of only one right now, but it's still an audience! Come on, Cuddly-Cutes! Come on!"

And at that moment, seven little colorful teddy-bear-like creatures came tumbling through the door that Operetta had made her grand entrance in. The blue-eyed teddy bears each had white round ovals on their torsos with either a flower or a heart in the middle. They were in pastel colors of pink, lavender, lime, saffron, baby blue, peach, and light orange. The bears stopped their antics, which included juggling, tumbling, standing on their heads, and dancing, to hold hands and sing in childish sweet voices:


"We are the Cuddly-Cutes, the Cuddly-Cutes!
And we want to cuddle, cuddle, cuddle your grouchies away, grouchies away!
And if you're ever sad, don't feel bad!
We can cuddle away the saddies too!
So if you're ever feelin' blue, you know what to do!
Call the Cuddly-Cutes…
To cuddle, cuddle, cuddle your saddies away,
To cuddle, cuddle, cuddle your grouchies away!
Cuddly-Cutes will save your DAY!"

Tayla's round brown eyes were rounder than usual, and her mouth was hanging open; she didn't know whether to be amused or to be horrified. Operetta laughed merrily and continued to sing, "Okay, Cuddly-Cutes, stand aside…and let me pass! I'm going to inquire as to this young lady is!" She ended the word "is" on a very high note. She glided easily over to Tayla, as if she were on a fast-moving conveyor belt. To the Astorian princess, it looked as if Operetta was floating on air.

"Hellooooooo, young girllllllllll! What is your naaaaaaaaame?" Operetta asked, still singing.

"T-Tayla. Princess Tayla Chloe of Chloe, Astoria," Tayla said, stunned.

"What did you think of my opening show so farrrrrrr?" Operetta asked, letting her clear, honest voice rise in tone. "It's not the complete opening performance yet, but you'll see the rest latarrrrrrrrr!"

Tayla laughed nervously. "It certainly wasn't forgettable, I can tell you that. I've never seen or heard anything like it."

"Why thank YOUUUUUUUUUU!" Operetta sang loudly, nearly hurting Tayla's ears.

Tayla asked, "Um, do you ever speak, instead of sing?"

"Very rarely…singing is so much bet-tarrrrrrr!" Operetta trilled happily. "I always sing when I speak! So much happier and better, don't you think? Hmmmmmmmmmmm?"

"I-I suppose," Tayla said shakily, not sure yet as to what to make of this strange woman and her entourage.

"Youuuuu are a Princessssssss of Chloeeeeeee, right?" Operetta's voice nearly shrieked. She toned down her powerful voice to continue. She crooned in a deeper tone, "I knew your grandmother once…I am an intimate friend of hers and the Namek Dirkan's. They once saved my planet from Sistrai warriors on their way to Astoria to free it from those awful Saiyans when I was just a tiny girl! It's been sixteen years since I saw them, and I'm looking forward to catching up with them!"

"Sixteen years…wow, a long time," Tayla said breathlessly.

"Yes, it is!" Operetta chanted. "Well, Princess Tayla, I must go now! Come on everyone; we have the rest of the Palace here to entertain before we do auditions on Grain! Fare thee well, Princess! Okay, puffballs, drum roll again please!"

And as the drum went, "BUM-BUM-BUM-BUM-BUM!" again, Operetta sang:


"Well, it's been nice knowing you!
We'll greatly miss you all!
It breaks my heart to leave you behind,
But there are other places
And friendly faces that we must see!
So ends the show for now!
But don't you cry, because wow!
One day, we'll be back again!
So this concludes the end, the end, of…
OPERETTA'S ALL-STAR-FINE ARTS TOUR!"

And the orange puffballs continued to hammer away at the drums, as Operetta and her entourage marched proudly out the front entrance, the one that Tayla had come in earlier. Tayla fell back in her chair, suddenly feeling very exhausted. She quickly fell asleep.










An hour later…

"Tayla, dandelion, wake up! Wake up!"

Tayla's saucer eyes awoke slowly, reluctantly, and through the widening crack of her opening eyelids, she saw her beloved Nama's face.

*I have to be dreaming. * she thought, as she yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"Darling? Dandelion?"

A deep, baritone voice followed, saying, "Tayla? Tayla? Wake up!"

Tayla opened her eyes fully, and she cried in delight to see that Nama…and Dirkan were there!

"Nama! Dirkan!" Tayla cried, as she threw herself upon them, hugging them both at the same time. "When did you two get here?"

"Just an hour ago," Shalila Chloe said happily, hugging her granddaughter to her. "We decided to come here first instead of going to the Intergalacticpol station on Thresh. We wanted to make sure that you and Caline were doing okay."

Dirkan rubbed Tayla's back. "And I wanted to make sure Mikos and Shelan and Barley weren't giving you two a hard time."

"Nothing that I can't handle," Tayla assured them. She had missed them so much. She had one arm wrapped around her grandmother's neck, and the other wrapped around Dirkan's neck. "I'm so glad that you two are here! I've been feeling so homesick lately!"

"Do you want to come home?" Shalila asked, as she and Dirkan finally released Tayla and went to sit in nearby seats around the coffee table in front of Tayla's chair.

"Shalila…" Dirkan said reproachfully.

"I just wanted to make sure that she was still okay here, Dirkan," Shalila protested.

"She's tough," Dirkan told her. He sympathized with Tayla, but unlike Shalila, who had secretly wanted to bring her home right away, he strongly believed that Tayla could stick things out. She would have to, if she were going to be an Intergalacticpol officer. "You know that she can handle just about anything. She'll only have to guard Barley…for how much longer, Tayla?"
"Until Uncle Gohan says otherwise," Tayla sighed. "Although I'm almost tempted to take up Nama's offer to come home."

"And what will your uncle say about that?" Dirkan asked her. "Are things getting that bad with Barley?"

"Nothing I do seems to be right lately," Tayla said, frustrated. "I can't get Bendros to see me any more than a little sister, and Barley likes me just as much as before-which isn't at all! And now Bendros is interested in Esmera Pearl-I saw them kissing, just when I went to welcome him back."

"Bendros kissed Esmera?" Shalila exclaimed. "What can he possibly see in her?"

"It's his choice, Shalila," Dirkan told his wife. He took Tayla's hand. "Although, if Bendros chose Esmera over you, you're probably better off without him."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Tayla asked despairingly. "Why does my heart tell me otherwise?"

Dirkan patted Tayla's hand. "You're heartbroken, so it's going to take some time for your heart to mend again. I know it feels like the end of the universe because Bendros chose someone else, but it isn't. It won't be long before someone else comes along to capture your heart, and then you'll forget all about Bendros."

"It doesn't feel that way right now," Tayla said miserably. She was near tears, and one of them escaped before she could stop it. Dirkan wiped away the renegade tear with his thumb. Tayla's last sentence suddenly brought back an old memory for the Namek.

Dirkan could remember seven years ago, when an eight-year-old Tayla had put her arms around him and asked him to marry her. Dirkan had been stunned at first, but once he recovered, he had gently refused her, telling her she needed to find someone of her own race, someone that she could have children with. Tayla, of course, had been brokenhearted…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tayla's lip trembled, and she was near tears. Dirkan felt awful, but he had to end Tayla's crush on him before it developed any further. She was just a little girl and an Astorian princess; she needed to mate with her own kind. And Dirkan loved Tayla's grandmother, Shalila, more than anyone else.

"Tayla, come here," he told her gently. He wasn't normally physically affectionate with the children, but Tayla was his favorite. Tayla stepped reluctantly into Dirkan's embrace. Her tears began to spill on his red cape.

"Tayla, don't cry," he told her. "You'll move on eventually, and when you do find a husband, you'll wonder what you ever saw in me."

"Maybe," she sobbed, "but it doesn't feel that way right now."

"I know, child, I know." Dirkan rubbed her back with one hand…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dirkan sighed, remembering that day. And now it was Bendros who had broken her heart, instead of him. If Bendros and Tayla had been an actual couple, and Bendros had done what he did then, Dirkan would have gone after the young man and challenged him. But right now, Bendros and Tayla had not been seeing each other, and Bendros, unfortunately, was free to do as he wished. All he and Shalila could do was help Tayla pick up the pieces and move on. There would be someone else for her, somewhere, someday.

But right now, Tayla was not convinced of that, and he and Shalila both knew it. Tayla allowed herself a few tears, but then she lifted up her head, dabbed away the last of her tears with the silk handkerchief that Shalila had given her. Tayla arose and put on a brave smile that concealed the heartbreak only from those that didn't know her as well as Shalila and Dirkan did. Tayla was now trying to move on to other things, and Dirkan couldn't help but be proud of her at that moment. She would rise above this within a few more days, he hoped. Nothing could bring that proud, noble young girl down forever.

"So, who else came?" Tayla asked brightly, too brightly.

Shalila and Dirkan smiled, allowing Tayla to change the subject for now. Shalila replied, "Gorna, Rojal, Lelina, Veal, Gracina, Lektron, Riccan, Cletos, Petalia, and Dedron. Oh, and of course, Raakon and Natala and their little girl, Maylia. They are getting settled in their rooms, but we'll be seeing them at breakfast tomorrow, my dear. Now where is Caline?"

"Caline!" Tayla exclaimed. "Oh, I forget about her, Nama! I remember because Barley wouldn't allow her to sit with us, she went to the courtyard. He has forbidden Caline to be around whenever I have to guard him." She briefly explained what Barley did to Caline, and how Caline had reacted. Dirkan, of course, wanted to go strangle the bratty Grainier prince, but Shalila quickly told him that would not be the wisest thing to do.

They wouldn't have to wonder for much longer about Caline, for at that moment, Kekron and Caline entered. Caline ran to Shalila and Dirkan and hugged and kissed them enthusiastically. "How have you been, Caline?" Dirkan asked her.

Caline said breathlessly, "Much better now, much better!"

"Well, I say that we all turn in for the night," Dirkan said firmly. "And in two days, Caline will be auditioning for that eccentric, croaking biddy-"

"Dirkan!" Shalila scolded, "Operetta is a good friend of ours."

"A friend whom we have not seen in sixteen years," Dirkan reminded her. "She's been touring the universe, or galaxy, or whatever. Anyway, she finally contacted us after all this time a couple of weeks ago when she said that she was going to Grain."

Kekron shyly came up to Shalila and Dirkan and they briefly embraced each other. Both of them asked Kekron how things were going in his job at Intergalacticpol, and Kekron assured them that all was well, especially since he was seeing Caline again. Caline blushed at this before she could prevent herself.

"I feel sorry for Petalia," Caline said shyly, changing the subject. "I know that she had wanted to audition, but when it was time to go to Grain, she caught laryngitis. How is her throat now-what caused her to lose her voice?"

"She had developed a tumor somewhere in her vocal cords, which was successfully removed," Shalila explained. "But she still can't talk much yet, but she is recovering. However, her voice is not completely back to normal yet, so she won't be able to audition for Operetta yet. Now let us get all to bed."

"Who else came?

Shalila gave the roster of names of Clan of Chloe relatives and friends, and Tayla suddenly remembered that Dedron had been mentioned earlier, and she made a face. "Dedron chose to come along? Was he blackmailed?" she asked wryly.

"Actually…it was his own choice," Shalila said uneasily. She knew that Tayla and Dedron, Tayla's niece by Tayla's brother, Cletos, were not the best of friends, with good reason. Nineteen-year-old Dedron was one of the meanest boys in the Clan of Chloe, and he along with Rojal, another nephew of Tayla's, had teased and tormented Tayla in their childhood whenever possible. On Calmag, Dedron's jealousy of Tayla had turned into hatred, and he had gone as far as to help Ridikar carry Tayla off to marry her. Rojal was nicer to Tayla these days, but Dedron had still been cold and nasty to Tayla up until the time that Tayla left Chloe for Grain. Dedron, who was nasty to just about everyone, held a special hatred for Tayla because Tayla to this day was still stronger than he was. He had referred to her in the past as "Great-Nama's lapdog" and talked to her as if she were a canine.

Tayla did not feel like dealing with Dedron since so much else was going on, and she was wondering how she was going to get through his visit. Dedron was like a fly in her favorite dessert.

"Actually Dedron has been behaving rather odd lately," Dirkan added.

"He's been behaving like a gentleman," Shalila affirmed.

The jaws of Kekron and Caline dropped in shock, and Tayla nearly fell out of her chair. "Dedron-being good?" she asked, shocked.

"Did Dedron hit his head?" Kekron asked.

"We're still wondering the same thing," Dirkan told him. "He's been acting perfectly good and kind ever since a couple of days before we boarded the ship for planet Grain."

"Acting is right!" Tayla declared. "He's up to something."

"Tayla…" Shalila began reproachfully.

"Nama, you know how manipulative Dedron is! He's pulled tricks like this before-like the time when he had tricked Riccan and I into meeting him in the woods on Calmag. He lured us there so Ridikar could kidnap me…Dedron made me think that he was going to apologize, and look what happened! Thankfully, it worked out better than Dedron had hoped, but still, Nama! He's up to something!"

"I would have believed that a month ago," Shalila told her. "But this time, he really seems like he's sorry. Why, on the ship coming here, he even apologized to Dirkan and I in front of everyone for the things that he had done in the past. And he begged forgiveness from Cletos and Petalia! He seemed to truly want to make amends for the awful things that he did in the past. And he also says he especially wanted to apologize to you and Kekron and make things right with you two."

"I've never known Dedron to ever want to apologize for anything," Caline admitted. "It sounds like he's truly sorry."

"I don't know, Caline. I wouldn't bet the Palace of Chloe on it just yet," Tayla told her friend. "Dedron's capable of manipulating people into believing into whatever he wants them to believe."

"I agree with Tayla," Kekron concurred. "I'm skeptical of anything that Dedron does or says." Dedron had not treated Kekron well in the past either. When they had been boys, Dedron would torment Kekron as almost as badly as he did Tayla, from mocking him for not being a warrior to ruining Kekron's blueprints and inventions to sometimes beating him up. Dedron had looked down on Kekron because Kekron did not fight unless he considered it absolutely necessary; he had considered his peaceful Technician cousin to be a weakling.

"He does seem like he truly wants to change his ways," Shalila told them. "I've never known him to admit that he was wrong, or known him to apologize before."

"I still think he's up to something," Tayla said firmly. "I don't trust him."

"I think that I'll take a wait-and-see approach," Kekron added. "This isn't like Dedron at all. I have to go with Tayla on this one."

"I understand your doubts," Shalila told both her granddaughter and her great-grandson. "But I have a feeling that Dedron truly wants to become good. At least hear him out, if nothing else; he is your relative."

Tayla frowned heavily while Kekron spoke, "Okay, Great-Nama, we can do that much." Tayla said nothing.

"Tayla?" Shalila prompted her. "What do you have to say?"

"I don't know, Nama," Tayla said very quietly. "I will have to think things over."

Shalila sighed, but she accepted Tayla's decision. "Very well, Tayla. But if Dedron proves to be sincere, please think before you turn him away. That's all I ask for right now, please."

Tayla said wearily, wanting not to speak of Dedron anymore, "Alright, Nama."










In the hallway outside of Cletos's bedroom…

Cletos hugged Dedron fervently. "Dedron, I just want to say how proud I am of how you've been behaving lately. The way that you've been apologizing to everyone, making amends…why, you're growing up, son! Dedron, I want you to know no matter what you've done in the past, I love you.

"I love you too, Father," Dedron told his father warmly, hugging him in return. "Again, I will do everything that I can to make amends for the foul things that I did in the past."
"I'm sure that you will, son," Cletos told Dedron confidently. "I believe in you, I always have."

Petalia, who was with them, was watching Dedron with a mixture of hope and skepticism, but now there was more hope than ever. Dedron left his father and went over to Petalia and hugged her for the third time that day.

"I love you, Petals," Dedron whispered into her ear.

"I-I love you too," Petalia whispered nervously.

"It will be okay, Petals," Dedron assured her. "You see a new Dedron before you now, and everything will be okay."

Petalia wanted to believe him, but why was that tiny part in her soul telling her otherwise?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Has Dedron truly changed his ways, or is he possibly up to something like Kekron, Tayla, and Petalia believe he is? And what will happen before Caline's audition? Will Caline even pass it? And what will happen, if she does?

Okay, Caline's audition has been delayed for another chapter or so. I meant for this one to be about the audition, but I wound up making it into a reunion chapter instead.

Well, in the next chapter, Tayla and her family are summoned to the RIC space station, where Tayla will encounter a certain Saiyan prince again. How will they each react after not seeing each other in the past three years? Find out next chapter!