I'm back from the conference! Here's two chapters as promised. Thank you so much for reading and feel free to leave reviews telling me about your favorite part.
33
The tiny Escort led his Winners through the maze of rooms, hallways, and stairs to a bedroom. It was a spacious room even with the huge ornate bed against the wall, easily seen as they walked in. Taking in the room, Vegeta found that he liked the gold accents on the cream-colored walls. Several violet chairs were scattered about the room; two were around a small, rich mahogany table with a decanter filled with an amber liquid and glasses atop it, while the others were situated by the massive windows and dresser.
Finally giving the bed a closer inspection, Vegeta found that the foot and headboards were covered with ruby red velvet. The quilt was of the finest materials and had an interesting pattern of interlocking circles in shades of blue against a cream background that had yellowed with age. A large rug in the center of the room covered most of the dark, hardwood floor. It was ornate like everything else in the room, black in color with small specks of white scattered about to give the illusion of a galaxy and in the very center, almost as large as the rug itself, was the Saiyan Royal Crest in blood-red crimson.
Breaking the silence, Krillin pressed his index fingers together nervously, "I hope you like it. We found records that said this was the room your father was always given when he stayed here." Gently rubbing the tiny man's bald head, his voice thick with emotion, Vegeta said, "It's perfect, Baldy. Thank you…" "Aha ha. Well, I'd better get going. Eighteen doesn't like being here, especially alone. If you guys need anything just holler, I'm sure somebody will come running." Krillin chuckled as he excused himself.
Vegeta stretched, reaching his arms above his head, before turning to Bulma, "I'm going to see what kind of food they've got here. Be back soon." Shaking her head, the other teen rolled her blue eyes, "You're always hungry, Vegeta." Quickly smooching her milky cheek, he laughed, "I'm just 'Saiyan'." "Haha. Very funny." Bulma quipped back, turning around to find the Vegeta had already left.
Vegeta had to rely on his nose to lead him back towards the more used living areas. His normally quiet footsteps echoed off the white marble floor and walls, causing him to grind his teeth as his hand slid over the smooth, black banister. Passing two guards without even glancing at them, the Saiyan Prince followed the smell of old paper and leather. The lizard's library… What was the name of that book I saw last time? Official Saiyan Handbook. Now, where is it… Just as he had begun to skim over the titles his stomach growled. Right, should probably find food first…
A few rooms over, he found a small-ish dining room with a round table that had a circle cut out of the middle of it. Twenty chairs? This must have been where the lizard held meetings over food… Sliding his rough hand along the smooth tops of the intricately carved chair backs, the Saiyan Prince meandered his way over to the windows to see what kind of view Freeza once had.
Outside, the manicured landscape where his parents first met, where his Father had proposed to his Mother, and where he and Bulma had their first dance was covered in a blanket of pure white snow. And in the distance, as clear as day to his Saiyan eyes, was a building with foggy glass walls. What struck the teen as odd was the number of guards around what looks to be an unoccupied greenhouse. So that's where they're hiding him…
The snow crunched softly under his feet, leaving a trail from the mansion towards the greenhouse as he marched. As the teen approached, a guard moved to stand in his way, holding out his hand as he said, "No one is allowed in, sir." Quirking a black eyebrow up at the idiot dumb enough to get in his way, Vegeta hissed lowly, "I don't care who gave you those orders, warrior; but I am Prince Vegeta and I have some things to say to that lizard you're guarding before I kill him tomorrow. Now, let. Me. In."
"Let 'em in, boys." An old voice cackled from a few yards away. Vegeta turned to find the white-bearded warrior leaning on his walking stick, dressed in a black coat with white fur in the hood and around the zipper, his signature red sunglasses still in place. A slight smile caused his mustache to shift as Roshi added, "He's got more of a right to what's in there then any of us do." Reluctantly, the guards stepped aside and let the teenage Saiyan Prince enter the greenhouse.
It's so warm… Vegeta thought as he stepped into what he assumed was Freeza's private getaway. Fighting the urge to sneeze as his sensitive Saiyan nose was filled with the smell of dozens of rose bushes, he glanced around to take in the pops of color against the green bushes. A blue rose, nearly the same color as Bulma's hair, caught his attention. Carefully plucking the flower from its home, the teen was surprised to find that it had no thorns on its stem. "Interesting, isn't it?" The high-pitched, whiny voice of his enemy sounded far too close to the Saiyan Prince.
Coal-black eyes snapped up, locking eyes with Freeza. How could I forget that he was in here? Vegeta wondered, glaring at the short murderer as he walked around a fountain towards the teen. Freeza continued, "Blue is a versatile color, but purple has always been my favorite. Your father planted that bush many years ago. The day he found out your mother was pregnant, if I'm not mistaken." A short, wet cough interrupted the lizard-like President, forcing him to sit down on the edge of the fountain, "I've never been able to kill it, no matter how hard I tried. Eventually, I gave up on getting rid of it and just let it be."
Quickly glancing at the door where two stoic guards stood, red eyes narrowed at them before returning to his guest, "I'm afraid our time together will be short, Vegeta; so I'll be quick. Even though there is much I would like to say. To start, I'd like to say that I'm sorry for the loss of so many medics. It's a shame. So much bloodshed for no reason. Surely even you could see that the Game was over by that point, Vegeta. I was ready to issue an official surrender, had it typed up and everything when they dropped those parachutes."
"Only cowards hide behind children!" Vegeta snarled, struggling to keep from destroying the rose in his hand. Shrugging, the murder dressed in a fine linen, amethyst dressing gown held his favorite plaything's heated gaze, "You know I'm not above killing anybody, Vegeta; children or otherwise. I've killed plenty in my time, you monkeys always were my favorites, but I never killed without a reason."
Another wet, hacking cough interrupted his words, forcing Freeza to pull out a crimson cloth to wipe the blood from his lips. "I admit," Freeza frowned at his next words, "it was a brilliant move on Paragus's part. Everyone thought I had sent those parachutes to kill my own peoples' helpless children… It turned everyone against me. My own guards forced me to kill them before they could return the favor."
Forcing himself to hold those dangerously gleaming red eyes, the teen ground his teeth together, "My Woman said it aired live. And you're telling me that you didn't do it?" A wicked grin stretched across his purple lips as Freeza cackled, "Paragus is a particularly savage monkey, isn't he? I'm sure he wasn't going after those medics but… these things do happen in war. We were both fools for taking so long to figure out his endgame."
Vegeta tried to keep his anger and confusion hidden, but apparently he did not do it very well since the platinum-haired man's smile grew. "Don't you see, Vegeta? He let the Capital and the Regions destroy each other. And who better to pick up the pieces then the so-called 'leader' of the Revolution? Make no mistake, Prince; he intends to take my place now. All while I've been watching you," Freeze pointed to the teenaged Saiyan and then himself, "and you've been watching me. Paragus has played us both for fools."
"I don't believe you. You're nothing but a liar." The Saiyan Prince hissed, his empty hand slashing through the thick, humid air. True hurt flickered across the older male's pale, round face before it disappeared as he smirked, "My dear Vegeta, I thought we agreed to never lie to each other." The annoying guard from earlier chose that moment to step in before Vegeta could ask Freeza about anything else. Growling as he followed the guard out, the teen hissed, "Enjoy your last night on Ee-arth, lizard." "Perhaps your lovely Mate could join me?!" Freeza called out to his plaything's retreating back.
The only thing that kept the flame-haired teen from attacking the dethroned President was the spiky-haired Saiyan pinning him to the wall of the entryway between the warmth of the greenhouse and the cold outside air. "Vegeta, stop. Don't give him the satisfaction of seeing that he got to you." Bardock spoke calmly even as he held an elbow to his Prince's throat. Closing his eyes and breathing deeply, Vegeta forced himself to relax. When Bardock felt the teen relax, he pulled away and opened the door to the outside, "Come on, my Prince. Your Mate is waiting for you." The softly crunching snow under his feet soothed Vegeta's chaotic mind as he mulled over Freeza's words.
Finally finding his voice as they entered the mansion, the teen wondered, "Why were you there?" Bardock paused at the bottom of a staircase, sighing, "When Master Roshi told me he let you into the greenhouse, I knew that something was bound to happen and those guards wouldn't be able to stop you if you didn't want them too. I happened to run into Bulma on my way to you." Laying a hand on the older Saiyan's arm, Vegeta murmured, "Thanks… I'll find my way from here…"
