The Prince
Chapter 4: The Test
By: senzubean
I do not own Dragon Ball Z in any way. I make no profit from this story. I just wrote it for fun.
Recely stepped over broken Tsoofur-jin glass vases as she made her way towards the throne room. There were similar messes in every hall. She was very dissapointed. She had been sure she'd gotten through to her son.
Recely sighed sadly, wondering just how she was going to convince her mate to be more lenient on her son when he acted like a little hooligan. She entered the sitting room in order to pass through it to the throne room and noticed, out of the corner of her eye through the window, the King enter the courtyard from the landing strip. She stopped and watched him head towards the palace, curious as to why he had not left the planet yet. He had told her that the occupations he was supervising were very important.
Well, I don't care as long as I can talk to him before he finds our son. She rushed in order to try to catch him before he disappeared. If that happened, she may not find him for hours. Swiftly, she rounded a corner in the hall and found herself on the floor two seconds later. Something had rammed into her.
"Sorry Mother." She heard a tiny voice say above her. She looked up to see the Prince staring down at her with a frightened expression. She looked up at him calmly. His father would be furious in this situation but not Recely.
"What's wrong?" She instinctively asked as she sat up She didn't often see her son tearing around the palace, it wasn't in his nature. He usually stalked around the palace much like his father, to Recely's dismay. She didn't like her son acting arrogant.
"Nothing, I was just seeing how fast I could run, sorry."
Recely smiled. "How fast are you?"
"Really fast." Vegeta replied and giggled. Recely laughed too.
"As fast as I, Prince?"
Vegeta looked up to see his father walk towards he and his mother. Recely stood up and faced him, determined to make him listen to her this time. He disappeared before her eyes and reappeared where Vegeta had been seconds before. The king had his son by the collar of his shirt in the air. Vegeta didn't say anything; he was too frightened by his father's actions to complain. The king rotated his son to face him.
"Did you make those messes in the corridors?" The king asked.
Vegeta didn't understand, his father knew that he had made the messes, he'd seen them before he left.
"Yes, Father." Vegeta replied. His father cocked an eyebrow at him expectantly.
"I'm sorry, Father."
"That kind of behavior is not appropriate here! Save your destructive tendencies for planet occupations!"
"Yes Father, I won't do it again." Vegeta replied meekly.
"Good." His father replied and dropped him. The Prince landed face down, then sprang up to his feet.
"What are you doing fooling around anyway?" The King continued his questioning. "I told you to get ready! Nappa is waiting for you in the launch pad."
Vegeta looked at his mother in a desperate attempt for salvation. Recely understood the fearful look and went to demand an explanation from her mate but was interrupted by him instead.
"GO!" The King snapped impatiently at his son. Vegeta gave one last glance at his mother, disappointed that he had not had the chance to ask her for a training session, and then ran to do as he was told.
"Where are you taking him?" Recely asked. The king stared over his shoulder at his son, completely ignoring her presence.
Recely regarded him in apprehension. "Not on an occupation?"
The King turned to look at her. "What if I am?"
Recely huffed in exasperation and planted her fists on her hips.. "He's too young!"
King Vegeta half smiled in amusement at her. "I agree. I'm not taking him on an occupation."
"Then where.."
The King began to walk away. "Nappa is taking him for a test."
"Test?"
"Don't worry, my Dear, he'll be fine."
I'm in trouble! Vegeta observed mentally as a huge alien with natural scale armor and long, sharp, teeth charged at him at full speed. Vegeta dodged to the right just as the beast was about to tackle him. He thought that he was home free and ceased the thrust of the power surrounding him. But he was wrong. So very, very wrong.
The alien whirled around and caught him by both of his legs as he was still in midair. He bit his tongue, as he slammed into the dirt floor of the arena with a force comparable to that of a spacepod slamming into the ground as it landed. At least that was how Vegeta felt. But that was just the beginning of the Prince's problems as the alien pinned him in the dirt
I'm in big, big trouble!
"Damn it, Vegeta! Do something!" Nappa's displeased voice rang out over the screams of the crowd watching the spectacle. There were hundreds of people in the arena watching the warriors fight. It was a competition and everybody laughed when Vegeta stepped into the ring. The man he was now fighting nearly pulled out, saying that it was too much of an embarrassment for a warrior of his caliber to fight a toddler.
Vegeta swore that he would defeat the alien. And in his arrogance, believed it. Now his pride was nearly crushed as he struggled under the palm of the ferocious hissing snake monster.
"Hey kid, " The alien stated in a sinister voice. "Tell me, have you ever seen someone eaten alive?"
"N..no." Vegeta replied confused and a little afraid.
"Well, this is your lucky day, because you're going to witness it first hand." The creature stated and laughed inches away from the Prince's face nearly smothering him with his hot, rancid breath.
Vegeta struggled harder, understanding that he was about to be swallowed whole. The sight of the alien licking his fangs with his ribbon tongue sent a wave of pure terror down his spine.
He panicked. "NAPPA, HELP ME!"
"Don't just lay there, fight back Vegeta!"
" HE'S GONNA EAT ME!"
"FIGHT!"
Vegeta froze under the alien's hypnotic gaze. The forked end of his thin tongue lapped at his nose. Six inch, needle like fangs were all that filled his view. The rancid breath condensed on his skin. Nappa continued to yell instructions to him, but all Vegeta could focus on was the gaping mouth and dark tunnel of the alien's throat advancing closer and closer, about to swallow him up.
"Bah!" the alien spat, pushing Vegeta down into the earth covered floor as he rose from his knees. "This is an insult!" The alien complained at the judges of the match with his back turned on his victim. "I will not dishonor myself by killing a helpless saiyan brat. Give me a real warrior to do battle with!"
Vegeta slowly pushed himself to a sitting position. He was thankful that he had not been swallowed, but he did not appreciate being called helpless. Moreover, he was not just some saiyan brat, he was the crown prince, heir to the throne and the most recent descendent of clan Vegeta, the greatest clan in the history of the saiyans. He would not dishonor his family name, the name of his father, by being spared.
"Get the brat out of here before I actually eat him!" The alien continued his demands completely ignoring Vegeta as he rose to his feet.
"Come on! Why are you dragging out this pathetic spectacle..." The alien stopped talking as his face smashed into the ground. Vegeta landed where the alien had been standing. Shocked the snake pushed himself out of the dirt.
"You should never turn your back on the enemy." Vegeta stated as the alien turned his snake like head to glare at him.
"Why you little..."
"Did you see that?" a green skinned alien asked as he stared out of the tinted glass of an enclosed balcony. "He's pretty clever."
A smile passed over the well-defined lips of the man sitting next to him in a hover throne.
"Yes." He replied. "Isn't that surprising?"
The snake alien hissed angrily as he fondled the end of a broken tooth.
"This time I'm going to swallow you, piece by piece!"
"Humph!" Vegeta responded with rekindled confidence. He had been a bit disoriented when placed in this arena against these fighters. Nappa practically threw him in the ring, stating "Since you think you're good enough to ditch training for two weeks, lets see how you fare here!"
He had never been subjected anything like this and was intimidated, but now, he was getting his bearings straight and was not afraid anymore.
Hissing viciously, the snake man lunged at Vegeta. Vegeta leapt above the alien's head and kicked his opponent as he rose, sending him face first into the dirt again.
The alien got back up and lunged yet again. His frustration was disabling him. He was suffering from a lack of confidence now. Vegeta sent him into the dirt repeatedly. Until finally the alien went down and did not get back up. Vegeta was then pronounced the winner and was expected to continue in he next round after intermission.
Vegeta was excited about the next fight. He was sure that he would win again. Nappa was busy talking to people. They all wanted to speak with he man who was considered this wonder child's trainer. Finally, everyone departed the training box, leaving Nappa and Vegeta alone while the rest went to get some alcohol and high fat foods from the concession.
"Come Prince. It's time for us to go home."
Vegeta looked at him incredulously.
"But Nappa, I'm supposed to fight in the next round."
"Doesn't matter."
"But it wouldn't be very polite of me to just leave."
"Politeness has no place here, Vegeta. This is a gambling arena and nearly everyone just lost a whole lot of money because of you."
"You're afraid?" Asked Vegeta in accusation. He was no coward and he did not want to be made to appear so.
"Hell no! I just had to see where you need improving, and I can see that we have a lot of work to do."
"But I won!"
"Only because that alien was a damned fool. If it were me, I would've eaten you."
Vegeta looked at the ground. He had been quite proud of himself.
"You think that you were pretty smart don't you? You fought poorly and then you lucked out! This wasn't mortal combat today. What would have happened to you had it been?"
"I..I don't know."
"You'd be half digested in that snake man's stomach. Your father is going to be very displeased."
"But..."
"Let's get out of here." Nappa ordered and started to exit the trainer's box.
"Going so soon?"
Nappa dropped to the ground instantaneously as the owner of the voice approached. Frieza came to a halt just in front of him and the Prince. Vegeta stared up at him in shock. Nappa grabbed his arm and pulled him down to the ground with him in a submissive bow.
"What a shame, I was so looking forward to the next round." Frieza continued.
Nappa rose on one knee. "I believe Prince Vegeta is not yet ready to fight warriors of this experience, my Lord."
Frieza, Dodoria and Zarbon all laughed.
"Experience?" Frieza repeated. "Ha! These warriors are nothing! I know talent when I see it and I saw nothing worthy of recruitment into my organization. That is, until you showed up Princeling." Vegeta rose his eyes from the ground to observe Frieza.
Frieza smiled at him. "I'm willing to make a bet on you, Vegeta. I bet that you will defeat every warrior that confronts you today. What do you think about that?"
"I..I believe that my trainer is right about me needing more practice, Lord Frieza."
Frieza chuckled. "You're too modest. It's not often you see that quality in a Prince. I think that you'll be the champion of the day. I'm so sure of that that I'm going to put money on you in the next round. You'll make sure I win, won't you Vegeta?"
Vegeta bowed his head, "Yes lord Frieza."
"I look forward to seeing you fight, Princeling." He stated as he hovered away.
Nappa gaped at Frieza's back as he hovered toward the crowd in the distance. "Shit!"
"What's wrong?" demanded Vegeta annoyed. He rose to his feet. "Have you no confidence in my abilities?"
"I have confidence in you to an extent." Nappa replied. "But.. Damn it! We don't know who's here! God knows who'll come into the arena at you!"
"But that's life in general, Nappa," shrugged Vegeta. "Besides, it'll be good experience."
"This is not a game!" Nappa practically screamed, caught himself, and continued in hushed but far from calm voice. " Frieza is putting money on you! Have you any idea how serious this is?"
"So, it'll be his mistake if I lose." Vegeta shrugged.
"No, it'll be my head!" Nappa snapped back. "I can't handle this situation. I have to tell your father about this." He stated and went to activate the communication device on his scouter.
"What's he going to do?" Vegeta pointed out. "Frieza has spoken. The responsibility is mine."
Nappa looked down at him unsure whether to trust in his abilities or not.
Prince Vegeta saw the doubt. "I can do this." He stated solemnly.
"That's easy to say considering that you have no choice!" Nappa spat, letting his hand drop from his scouter and back to his side.
"No." Vegeta replied in all seriousness. "I say this because I know that I can do it. I will defeat them all."
Nappa started to visibly sweat as the warriors were called to their respective gates for the next round. He ran his fingers through the tuft of hair on top of his head. "Damn it!" he cursed. "Don't you dare lose, Vegeta!" He ordered and joined the crowd as they reclaimed their seats.
Vegeta smiled in determination. "I'll do it. I'll prove that I'm the best saiyan of all!" He exclaimed and ran towards his gate, eager to commence the match.
"Look Mother, I won!"
Recely looked at the medallion her son held inches from her eyes.
"Won what?"
"The competition at the 7th Galactic Arena on Planet Serano!"
"What?" Recely asked in shock taking the medallion from her child and examining it. Sure enough, that's what it said. "I had heard that was a gambling complex?" She wondered aloud, unable to believe that her mate would allow their child to fight in such a place.
"That's right, it is. Frieza was there and he put money down on me. He got very rich because I won so many times. 15 matches! He said that he was so pleased with the show that he was going to give all the money he won to father '...to do with it what he sees fit.' " Vegeta quoted Frieza and then smiled. "I suggested that father pay the occupationalists, so they won't have to riot anymore and father said that that was a pretty good idea. Isn't that great?"
Recely threw herself to the floor from the chair she was sitting in, grabbed Vegeta and looked him all over.
"Are you hurt?" she asked urgently.
"Not at all. I'm a bit tired but...." Recely heaving a sigh of relief and embracing him against her body.
"But aren't you pleased, mother? Frieza said that it was exceptional that a child my age did so well." Vegeta asked disappointed. Recely smiled warmly at him.
"Oh yes, Dearest, I'm very proud of you."
Vegeta smiled happy with her response.
"Are you still going on about that thing?" His father demanded as he entered the dining room.
"Well, it's very special." Recely upset at her mate's dismissal of their son's accomplishment.
"He's gloating." He disagreed as he sat down at the dinner table. Servants rushed to serve the meal. The King looked directly at the Prince "And the match was meant to teach him a lesson. He has no right to be proud of himself."
"Well, I'm proud of him." Recely said confidently then smiled at her child. Vegeta laughed at her response to his father. No one besides her dared talk to him like that. She told him!
The King huffed in annoyance. "Eat your dinner." He commanded.
Recely took her place at the table and went about placing a napkin on her lap. Only obeying because, like any saiyan she was hungry and wanted to fill her empty stomach immediately. She noticed however that Vegeta was still standing beside her and wasn't making any indication of doing otherwise.
"What are you still doing there?" His father demanded after swallowing a mouthful of food. "Eat your dinner before I have the servants take it away."
"Why can't I ever do anything right for you, father?" The Prince asked in half confidence. Knowing that he shouldn't, but wanting to have a valid answer.
"Well, maybe if you did as you were told for once...."
"I beat all those warriors today! And you didn't say a thing to me!" Vegeta protested, the answer was the one he'd expected, not a valid one. Not the truth.
"Fishing for compliments is a very conceited thing to do." The King replied.
"He's not fishing for one, he deserves one!" Recely piped in.
The King huffed impatiently. "Fine, good job. Eat your dinner!"
"You don't mean it!" Vegeta complained.
The King dropped his fork on his plate, fed up. "That's it! Go to bed! I'm sick of arguing with you about everything!"
"Vegeta!" Recely exclaimed appalled that he would be so mean.
The King completely ignored her objection and pointed an accusing finger at his child. "You doubted yourself today. Nappa said you acted no better than a third class saiyan in the beginning of that first fight."
"Well, what did you expect? That was a very unfamiliar environment, he was nervous!" Recely yelled across the table.
"Keep out of this, woman!" The King snapped then returned to glaring at the Prince. "You think you're a warrior now because you defeated those losers? Well, I have news for you, brat! Any saiyan could have taken them. Frieza was only humoring you in order to make sport of me!"
"Then why even take him there if anyone could've defeated them?" Recely demanded pushing herself from her chair and knocking it to the floor.
"To prove the belief I have about him!"
"And what belief is that?"
"That he's weak!"
Recely opened her mouth to yell out her protest to that statement but her son did the yelling for her. He threw the medallion off the carpeted floor and ran out of the dining hall.
Recely growled, angered that her son was hurt. She lunged for the medallion, scooping it off the rug and ran after him.
"Where do you thing you're going woman?" The King bellowed, slamming his fists on the table as he stood up. Recely ignored his question and continued to follow her child.
She looked down the hall, not seeing him anywhere. She was about to call out to him when she was grabbed from behind and slammed against the wall.
"Don't ever ignore me, girl!" The King ordered holding her firmly against the wall by the shoulders.
"Let me go!" Recely screamed in the King's face.
"No! Did I tell you you could go after him? Did I?" The King shook her. "Don't you remember what I told you a year ago about keeping company with him."
"You bastard! How dare you hurt him like that!"
"I didn't mean to hurt him! If he had more confidence then he could take that criticism!" Replied the king exasperated.
"That wasn't constructive criticism! You wanted to hurt him because it makes you feel good when you do!" Recely accused venomously.
The King slapped her across the face. "I do not lie!"
Recely turned her head to face him. Her mournful expression penetrated through to his twisted heart and actually made him feel guilt.
"Yes you do. You lied to me about your reasons for wanting him and you lied to him about allowing us to be together if he did as you asked. He trains so hard!And he does it all for you! All he wanted was some acknowledgment. You're cruel, you're selfish and I hate you!"
The King relaxed his grasp allowing her to break free. She ran down the hallway crying, searching for her child and not caring how the King would punish her disobedience.
"Go away, Mother!"
Recely stood across the room from where her son was pulling on his pajamas with his back to her. She was hurt by what he said, but knew that her child was only acting that way out of fear for her welfare.
"Vegeta, I want to talk to you about what your father said to you."
"There's nothing to talk about. I've always known that he felt that way about me."
"Then why did you run off like that, Dearest?"
Vegeta turned and looked at her with a blank expression then furrowed his eyebrows into a vicious scowl. "He told me to go to bed. He gets very angry when I disobey him. That's why you must leave this room immediately!"
"I will leave at my choosing." Recely gently replied.
Vegeta heaved a sigh of despair. "Please mother, he's too angry now! I know that he'll do something terrible if he catches us together." He looked away from her as soon as he finished his sentence and rubbed his face on his sleeve in an attempt to prevent the tears that were welling up to escape.
"If my leaving will console you then I will go." Recely reluctantly agreed. Vegeta crossed the room and crawled up onto his bed.
"Thank you, Mother."
Recely held up the now warped medallion up for the Prince's inspection. "You dropped this in the dining hall, I'll just put it...."
"I don't want it anymore." Interrupted the Prince as he turned away from her, pulling the covers up to his chin.
Recely was about to argue but decided to let it be for another time. "As you wish." She pocked it and advanced to tuck him in.
"Could you please turn off the light on your way out?" Vegeta asked indicating to Recely that he did not want her to come any closer.
"Of course." She said and quickly crossed the room, tears threatening to drop down her cheeks at any moment. "Goodnight, Vegeta." She choked as she shut the door behind her.
"Goodnight, Mother" Vegeta gasped and swallowed quickly, trying to keep his emotions from bubbling up to the surface.
Vegeta stared at the door his mother had left through hours before. He tried to ignore the hunger pangs he was experiencing. They were keeping him awake despite the fact he was exhausted from fighting earlier at the arena. Breakfast seemed to be an eternity away.
To distract his mind from his stomach he relayed the events in the dining room in his mind.
Mother is always so good to me. He appreciated that his mother was trying to defend him against his father. But the King was too stubborn. He knew that no matter what his mother said, the King would never listen to her.
Tuce is right, it's not fair the way I'm treated and It's not fair how Mother is treated either.
Vegeta was at the brink tears when he heard the doors adjoining to his father's chambers open. The Prince shut his eyes and regulated his breathing in order to feign slumber.
"Vegeta," his father called out softly. Vegeta ignored his father's beckoning, hoping to trick the man. His efforts were not in vain and the Prince listened as his father crossed the room and set something down on his desk. The King started to walk back to his chambers but stopped by the bed on the way. Vegeta listened intently, wondering what his father was doing. After a few minutes the king heaved a sigh of remorse and continued his way on out of the room.
As soon as he was positive that his father was gone, the prince sat up to see what his he'd left. It was those unwanted picture books and a snack. Angry as he was, the king was still concerned that this child had gone to bed hungry. Vegeta lay back down, ignoring the food.
I'm not going to relieve his guilt by eating that! I hope he feels bad for what he's done to mother and I.
"Lord Frieza, I have just gotten word that those two high profile planets you wanted so badly were successfully occupied as of this morning." Zarbon stated as he entered Frieza's observation room.
Really?" Frieza asked in obvious pleasure. "By whom?"
"The saiyan elite, sire."
Frieza chuckled. "Ah those saiyans, my perfect slaves."
"Yes, lord Frieza. They are very good at killing things for you eh?" Dodoria asked. "I wonder how many were assigned to those planets?"
"Quite a few I imagine." Zarbon replied. "They are merely saiyans after all."
Frieza chuckled again. "I bet little prince Vegeta could occupy a planet like that with minimal assistance. Perhaps even by himself."
"Granted, he is quite powerful for a child of any race or breeding." Zarbon replied. "But I highly doubt he could handle a planet like the ones just occupied alone. They're much too big and the residents were much too powerful. He'd need special training first."
"Do you think that you could train him to do that Zarbon?" Frieza asked playfully.
Zarbon chuckled. "I am confident that I could. I have trained many of our other warriors to be fully capable planetary occupationalists."
Dodoria laughed at his companion. "Yeah, but this is a little brat, Zarbon. And a Prince at that. He's probably a whiney cry-baby, most princes are, they're too sheltered to be warriors."
"You forget that the is a saiyan. They're all bred warriors, it's in their blood."
"He's a lost cause that one. He didn't fight so well in the beginning of that match." Dodoria argued.
"As I said before, he needs to be trained properly."
"Moron! You can't teach a saiyan anything, they're too stupid!"
"Well someone has already taught him a thing or two haven't they...."
Zarbon and Dodoria would have continued their bickering if Frieza hadn't have interrupted.
"Zarbon, Dodoria, you're childish arguing is getting on my nerves. There's only one way to settle this and that is to allow Zarbon to train the saiyan and see what becomes of him."
"Ha!" Dodoria chided. "He'll fail, guaranteed!"
"Do you want to bet on that Dodoria?" Zarbon smoothly asked. Dodoria grimaced viciously.
"You're on, pretty boy!"
Frieza laughed in approval. "Very well, I shall arrange it then." He smiled pleasantly; it was so hard to be amused when you are the most powerful being in the universe. Everything becomes boring when you can have whatever you want.