The Prince
Chapter 5: The Agreement
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.
"No, that is the improper way. Again!"
Vegeta suppressed the urge to grunt, lest he be chastised again and carefully slipped his index finger through his teacup's handle, raised it to his lips and was careful not to slurp.
"No! That is incorrect." The old alien woman chastised then took a firm grasp of the Prince's wrist and extended his pinkie finger with her other hand. "This is the proper way for a young man to hold his teacup. Again!"
Vegeta sighed in exasperation, it was only the twentieth time he'd done it and the tea was getting cold, not that he even liked to drink tea. Vegeta hated it when his schedule rotated. He was now in for another two weeks of study during the morning and afternoons and evening combat training. He wouldn't have any all-day combat training for another two weeks. He cursed himself for skipping out on his last rotation of combat training; he always forgot how boring studying was. Also, he hated learning court customs. Saiyans weren't polite, his father wasn't polite. He was afraid that his people would think he was some kind of sissy. The Polite Prince of the Saiyans.
"Do not sigh, that is imprudent!" the cordiality instructor corrected. Vegeta glanced at her angrily. As Prince, he was not used to taking orders from a servant or allowing himself to be touched by one. "Do not scowl. That is very imprudent. You must appear pleasant, even if you are not."
Vegeta carefully picked up the teacup again and made sure his pinkie was extended.
"BWAHAHAHAHAAH!"
"Princess Sala!" The Cordiality instructor scolded. Sala shrank back into her seat at the other side of the long dining table. "Do not laugh like a buffoon! Also, it is impolite to taunt your company, especially if said company is of higher status than yourself."
"I can't help it!" Sala laughed. "He looks like a dork with his finger stuck out like that!"
The cordiality instructor pulled out a slim reed from behind her back and slapped it on the dining table, causing Sala to stop laughing, but she continued to giggle quietly.
She then turned her attention back to Prince Vegeta. "Pay her no attention, Prince. Continue."
Prince Vegeta rose the cup again but was too afraid to extend the finger. Sala confirmed his fears about looking like a sissy.
"Prince! Your finger!"
"I don't wanna stick it out like that." Vegeta mumbled.
"Do not slur your words! Speak in a clear, loud voice and ar-ti-cu-late!"
"I SAID, I DON'T WANT TO STICK IT OUT LIKE THAT!"
"Do not yell, that is extremely rude!" The cordiality instructor sighed. "I was under the impression that you had been taught basic manners."
"My mother did teach me manners." Vegeta replied annoyed. Recely had taken great pains to ensure that her son was polite if nothing else, but he usually only acted extremely polite around her because it made her happy. Vegeta was quite insulted that he was being punished with this instruction. Vegeta knew how to be polite. Sala on the other hand....
"Well, she obviously didn't do a very good job. But she can hardly be blamed."
"Why are you insulting my mother?" Vegeta demanded putting his teacup on the tablecloth.
"Prince, use your saucer!"
"I asked you a question!"
The cordiality instructor rose in a confident stance. "I was not insulting her. She was raised in the woods. It is not her fault that she is ignorant of the customs of court-life."
"She isn't ignorant of anything!" Sala said as she stood up on her chair.
"That's right!" Vegeta agreed standing up as well.
"Just look at what you two are doing! I have trained dozens of Princes and Princesses all over this galaxy to be perfectly well mannered in every respect. But you two are just impossible! I'm afraid that nothing will become of this kingdom if it's going to have you two in charge of things!"
"It is very rude to insult your superiors!" Vegeta replied in a clear loud voice being careful to ar-ti-cu-late.
"You sit down this instant! The King is right about you needing to improve your manners."
"I suggest you leave before I become enraged." Vegeta said calmly without the scowl that would usually accompany the statement.
"Well, I never..."
"You'd better get out of here, Manners Lady! He's got a real bad temper!" Sala said slyly.
Vegeta smirked evilly and started to power up. The cordiality instructor, who was not at all powerful, gasped in horror. "You wouldn't?"
"Stick around and find out!" Vegeta said as he increased his power. With that the lady screamed and ran out of the dining hall.
"That is not the proper way of leaving a room!" Sala imitated and then burst out laughing.
Vegeta powered down and laughed along with Sala. Sala stood up on the table; pulled off the cape she was wearing and threw it on the floor. She then started to rip away the skirt of her outfit making it substantially shorter. Vegeta got up on the table as well and sat down in the middle. He then picked up a teaspoon and the sugar bowl and began shoveling its contents into his mouth.
"Hey, Vegeta! That lady was the only one watching us!"
"Whot are oo suggestin'." Vegeta asked with his mouth stuffed with sugar.
"I suggest we go have some fun!" She said and leapt off the table and ran into the hall whooping. Vegeta tossed away the spoon and emptied the rest of the sugar into his mouth and swallowed it in one big gulp, then took off after Sala.
The kids were playing a game of run and tackle tag in the hallways. The servants that they passed all knew that something was amiss but didn't try to stop them. They knew better than that.
Sala and Vegeta were just about to pass the big double doors of the throne room when they were stopped by the explosion they heard from inside. The doors buckled in their hinges, accompanied by a loud thump and slowly creaked open.
Vegeta stopped and quietly padded towards the door. The scarlet carpet just inside the door had scorch marks allover.
"What was that?" Sala asked. Vegeta shushed her and peered through the cracks between the doors. The taller Sala folded her arms over the top of Vegeta's head and looked through as well. Vegeta was annoyed by her boldness but curiosity overwhelmed his desire to hit her.
Inside his father lowered his arm from an attack.
"Woah, " Whispered Vegeta. "He killed someone."
"Really?" Gasped Sala and was promptly shushed again.
The silence of the throne room was shattered by the sound of laughter. The King snapped his head round to see if his ears were deceiving him.
"You're such a brute, Vegeta."
"Who is that?" Sala asked, not caring that she would most likely be hushed again.
"Frieza...." Vegeta replied in shock.
"Frieza!" Sala yelped.
Vegeta shushed her violently and elbowed her to get his point across.
The Prince had missed what Frieza had just said to his father because of Sala's foolish outbursts, but what he heard was the most important thing he said.
"Are we still in agreement about your son?" Frieza asked, while sitting in his father's throne.
Vegeta was outraged. Why was Frieza sitting on the saiyan throne? Why was he even on planet Vegeta? And most important of all, why would an agreement between his father and Frieza concern him?
Vegeta promptly had his answer. "Yes, we are, " The King replied with difficulty. "You can have him."
Vegeta couldn't believe what he'd just heard. And the squeak Sala choked out indicated that she was shocked as well.
Everything else that was said was a complete blur to the Prince. He was still standing, peering through the door but his mind was somewhere else. He was awakened as Sala grabbed his arm and dragged him down the hall. He snapped out of his trance-like state and ran along with her. They rounded the corner and hid on the other side. Sala peered around the corner and watched as the elite slowly emanated from the throne room and out into the foyer.
"I can't believe this is happening!" Sala spat angrily. She turned to her friend who was no doubt devastated. "Vegeta....."
The Prince was staring off into space. An emotionless expression on his features. "Vegeta?" Sala prodded sympathetically. Vegeta squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to suppress his tears, grunted viciously and took flight down the hall. Away from the throne room, the elite, his father and Frieza.
"Wait!" Sala called out and gave chase. The Prince ignored her order and kept running. He was nearing the end of the hallway. There was a huge paned window blocking his way but he didn't slow down. Instead, he shoulder bunted the large window, propelling himself through. As soon as he was in the air he shot off away from the palace as fast as he could go.
"VEGETA!" Sala wailed mournfully as she neared the shattered window. When she got there all she could see was shards of splintered glass falling to the ground. Vegeta was long gone.
The commotion was loud enough to gain the attention of anyone nearby. A few servants had gathered in the hall. The King had departed the throne room moments earlier and he too was almost immediately on the scene.
"Sala, what is going on here?" The king demanded in agitation seeing a broken window and the mischevious Sala standing in front of it. He then noticed that his son was absent. "Where is Vegeta?"
Sala scowled at him venomously. "He's gone! And I hope you never find him!" With that said she too jumped through the window and flew away from the palace.
"Sire?" Nappa asked a she joined the King, not understanding what had gone on.
"The Prince has overheard the conversation between Frieza and I." The King replied in monotone while staring blankly after Sala. " Find him before he gets hurt."
Vegeta flew blindly over what would've been his planet someday if Frieza hadn't have interfered. He allowed tears to flow from his eyes a he gazed upon the landscape beneath him. He didn't care that he was going to lose his birthright. The situation was much worse.
He was going to lose his parents.
Somehow, he could not let that happen. But what could he do except hide? He knew that that was only a temporary solution.
The city Gardenia came into view below him. He recalled what Oniya had said a few days before when he was trying to hide from his father and his elite.
Let's go to the city!...There's lots of people to hide amongst..."
He decided. He would hide in the city until he could figure out another solution to this impossible problem he now had on his plate.
Descending carefully as to not bring attention to himself, Vegeta landed between two large buildings. The Battle Arena wasn't far away. Vegeta crooned his head up as he walked into the open street, staring at the huge structure. Suddenly he felt himself to be very small amongst the skyscrapers, automobiles and people. Torrents of busy people, Saiyans and foreigners alike, all too occupied with their tasks to notice that the Crown Prince walked amongst them. For once in his short life, Vegeta didn't mind being ignored.
The Prince padded along the sidewalk, entwining himself around the legs of people taller than him. He broke of the main street and started to stroll down a smaller one. Apparently this was a market of some kind and it wasn't so busy. The merchants yelled things at the adults on the street ignoring the children. The kids were running around playing various games and generally getting on the adult's nerves. Vegeta was delighted that he wasn't being noticed. He stopped on the sidewalk and watched a few saiyan boys who were around his age kicking a ball. He wondered if they would let him join them. Vegeta smiled and continued to watch. He contemplated going over to them but he couldn't figure out what to say. He realized that he was too shy to join them.
Vegeta sighed, figuring that he should keep moving anyway, lest he get caught. He began to recommence his journey down the street when his fears came true. Three elite saiyans walked out of a restaurant just across the street from where Vegeta was standing. What was worse was that the Prince could identify each man by name in his head. If the Prince knew them, then they would know the Prince.
Vegeta instinctively ran upon sight of them, plowing through the group of kids he was too afraid to talk to before. One of the boys cursed loudly at him while another yelled. "That looked like the Prince!" Vegeta thought that he was caught for sure and kept running.
Vegeta reached another main street and burst through the crowds traveling on the sidewalk. Ignoring complaints and protests, he continued his flight...
....right into rush hour traffic.
The sound of tires squealing stopped Vegeta in his tracks. The noise was accompanied by that of metal smashing against metal and glass shattering. Vegeta turned to look what had happened and saw a steel bumper inches from his eyes. Realizing that he had almost been struck down by a vehicle, he stood there in the middle of the street unable to move.
Horns blared and people shouted objections from their cars. The driver that had almost hit Vegeta leaned out of his window and started yelling at him.
"DAMN YOU KID! LOOK AT THE MEESS YOU'VE MADE! WHERE ARE YOUR...." The driver ceased his yelling as he saw who he was looking at.
"..Prince Vegeta!"
Vegeta looked around nervously to see if anyone had heard the man's realization. To his dismay, everyone on the street and on the sidewalk all knew, whether they heard the man or came to their own realizations.
Vegeta didn't know what to do. He was defiantly caught but he just couldn't go back to the palace. He had to find a way out of there. He looked around frantically trying to find an escape. To his horror, everyone around him fell on one knee. They were bowing to him! Then they all started to cry out. "Hail Prince Vegeta!"
Vegeta did not need this added attention. And the shouts were distracting his train of thought. He couldn't concentrate on finding an escape. Instead he found himself hyperventilating; this was all too much!
Just when he'd given up hope of salvation from this unfortunate situation, he was snatched off his feet and carried swiftly through the crowd. It took The Prince a few minutes to realize that the situation had changed. He was being held under someone's arm, and whoever was holding him was tearing around the city streets like an expert.
Vegeta looked up, expecting one of the elite he previously saw, but was wrong.
Vegeta gasped. "Tuce!"
"Hey Vegeta, how's it going?" Tuce said flashing a smile.
"Better!" Vegeta exclaimed elated that Tuce had seen him and provided him with an escape.
"So I thought." Tuce replied and picked up his pace.
"What do you mean, "Lost him"?"
"It's exactly how I've explained it, sire." Nappa replied simply through his scouter. "Everyone on the street here says that some kid grabbed the Prince and then disappeared with him."
"This is unacceptable Nappa!" King Vegeta snapped at the communication device on his desk.
"I'm sorry, sire. We'll start searching for him right away in the residential areas."
"No! Stay where you are! I'll be there shortly to organize this search myself!" The King then switched off the communication and rose from his desk to do just as he said.
Argo met him at the door.
"Hey Veg, I have to talk to you about something."
"It has to wait." The king replied impatiently and tried t to step past his friend.
Argo grabbed him by the arm as he passed.
"You'll have to make time for me, Veg." Argo replied gravely with an expression on his face that told the king he wasn't going anywhere.
The King sighed defeated. "Fine, Argo, but please make it quick. I have something of the utmost importance to attend to."
Argo let him go and they both returned to the office.
"Vegeta, Sala came home very upset. " Argo chuckled at the thought of his daughter, "She was babbling some nonsense about you giving Vegeta to Frieza. Now, I told her that that couldn't possibly be true. I just wan to find out who told her. It' s not a rumor to be telling children and if the Prince..." Argo stopped, noticing the look on his friend's face. He knew the king, and he knew that look.
"It..it's true?"
The King sighed. "Sadly yes."
"But Sala said that you agreed. Surely, you didn't really mean that. You just told Frieza that to placate him, didn't you?"
The King returned the same mournful look as before.
"Vegeta! No! You can't!"
"What other choice do I have?"
"You have to say no! That's the only choice!"
"Argo.."
"No Vegeta, this is your son Frieza wants! What's he going to ask for next if he's now asking for our children?"
"He's not asking for our children he's only asking for mine!" the King stood up and crossed the room, gazing at the city where his son was wandering aimlessly, alone and unprotected. "The prince is unique amongst us. Frieza sees him as a novelty."
"That's what you want for your son? To be a novelty to a vicious, bloodthirsty bastard?"
"NO THAT'S NOT WHAT I WANT!" The King snapped enraged at being accused by who was supposed to his best friend. "But that's the way it's going to be. I have a whole planet to think of. I will sacrifice my child for the safety of everyone else's. Frieza does not like being denied what he desires and I can only imagine what he'd do if I refused this request."
Argo clenched his fists, trembling with rage. "Ho w does your son feel about this? Is he willing to be a sacrificial object?"
"Who is ever willing to be sacrificed?"
Argo closed his eyes trying to suppress the urge to attack. He wanted nothing more than to beat some sense into his friend, but he knew from years of being his comrade that the king was too stubborn. Argo knew that nothing he would say or do would sway his decision.
" A few years before, you would never relinquish your child for anything. I don't know who you are anymore, Vegeta." Argo then turned and walked to the office door. He stopped and turned to look at the King again before departing. " I don't wan to know you."
"Argo, Wait!" King Vegeta pleaded as his friend continued on his way. Argo's response to the request was slamming the door.