The women of ancient Greece did not get out much, but once a year, they had their own party: a Bacchant. No men allowed.

More then a party! A celebration to their god, and that god did not allow men there on that special day.

But one man got curious. What did they do there?

What did all those women do, alone and drinking?

Did they cheat on their husbands? Did they miss-behave? Did they give themselves willingly to their 'god'?

He had to know.

His father warned him not to, but he paid the man no heed.

So he followed his wife and mother into the forest, to where they held their –'rites'; their party. He watched them get spiffing drunk and dance the night away.

Until… those women, in total ecstasy, caught sight of him.

Early next morning a thong of women gathered at the door of the father's house. Prime amongst them was the father's Wife, the man's mother.

She called her husband to the door. "My husband! Look at this, look what we caught. Last night, at our celebrations, a lion stalked us, dear husband. He was after our blood, but se did not fear him, dear husband. Look at your brave wife!"

The father opened the door, and took in a breath. "Dear Zeus!" Was all he could say.

The wife beamed. "Yes husband. It was the lion. Your brave wife didn't fear it, no. Me and my daughter-in-law and the other woman, we rushed the beast, and killed it. Look! We brought you its head!"

The man pulled a breath, coming out of his shock. "But look, my wife. Dear god! Look! That's no lion's head."

The woman looked at him stupefied. "What are you talking about?" and examined the loin's head. It was, indeed, no lion.

"Dear god."

It was her son.

Such cruel, cruel gods.

Zarbon stayed well back behind the throne as he watched the little pink creature known as Freeza pace up and down in front

of the two forms lying numbly on the marble tiles.

Pacing!

Freeza never paced, unless something was upsetting him.

"Tell me again what happened."

The 'master' practically shouted at an unfortunate guard, eyes blazing as he whipped around.

The man hesitated.

Bad move.

"We found them tearing into each-other and-."

-Blam.-

No more guard.

"Not THAT part!" The tyrant shrieked, his voice jumping an octave. "Before that! What got them started?"

No one answered.

No one else wanted to die.

Funny thing, that. Zarbon considered.

Zarbon doubted the two children on the floor were aware of it, but they were incredibly luck to be out cold.

Freeza was eyeing them, watching in disgust at the mess they had already made of his clean white floor. Blood and Sooth.

"Wake them up." He suddenly snapped.

-"Sir?"

"Wake them up." repeated master Freeza irritably.

The captain hesitated.

"Sir, the boy Mawi is in comatose. He cannot be awakened; in fact, he will die if-."

-"THAN GET HIM TO MEDICAL BAY!"

The captain cowered back a little, then saluted and gathered the kid up himself, no doubt taking this as an excuse to get himself out of there and into safety before Freeza decided to blast him too; in other words, a very smart man.

Zarbon wasn't that smart; in fact, he was about to do something very risky.

But, he knew that if someone didn't intervene soon, Freeza was about something he would later regret.

And if Freeza regretted something, soon enough everyone would regret it.

And, after the trouble the tyrant had gone through to keep this little Saiyj-jin Prince, he would most definitely regret killing him now. It was clear by the way the master of the universe was standing over the boy's limb form that he was about to do just that.

Time for a little Zarbon magic.

"But, Master Freeza, wasn't this what you wanted to happen?"

Zarbon cringed as the little creature turned its gaze at him. There was a dangerous glint in those red eyes, a promise of death. Zarbon knew quite well that, thought his little statue didn't betray it, Freeza was more then able to back up the silent

threat.

Still, it was better to continue.

"You expected this, didn't you? My lord."

Never enough 'my lording' and 'Mastering'.

It was his number one rule of survival.

Freeza answered him in his most patronizing tone.

"Yes, Zarbon. Eventually, I expected our little monkey to kill that brat. Eventually. But,.. NOT YET!"

Zarbon flinched, but caught himself.

As long as Freeza was busy explaining, he wouldn't be thinking of blowing anything -or anyone- up. Or so Zarbon reasoned.

"Well, the kid's not dead. What harm is done?"

A vein popped out on the master of the universe's left temple.

"WHAT HARM IS DONE? WHAT HARM IS DONE?!?"

Its voice dropping incredibly quickly into an angry hiss:

"I'll tell you what harm is done! I put Mawi in charge. This is insubordination!

Mutiny! I can't afford to have a backstabber in my army." Freeza reasoned.

"I don't mind someone openly opposing me, Zarbon. I don't mind that at all. Gives me something to do in my spare time; it keeps me in shape.

But what if there's trouble somewhere, and half my army decides to change side?"

Shaking his head, Freeza looked down on the little prince's limp form.

"I can't afford that, Zarbon. I can take on anyone, anything one-on-one.

But a risk like this I won't take."

Time to act quickly.

"But, as you said, his training has just begun, Master Freeza.

Perhaps,.. Perhaps it's a good thing you found this out now, so that you can discourage this behaviour now...?"

Freeza stared at his underling long and hard, then a smile spread across his features.

"Discourage, you say? Not a bad idea, I must admit. Yes.

I think I will do just that. Wake him up for me please, Zarbon, I think I know how."

Vegeta woke up to the usual feeling of cold stone, and the usual feeling of bruised muscle.

What was wrong, however, was the light. It wasn't usual light in his 'room'.

Add tot that, there was this nudging thing in his side.

For half a moment he thought it was a suicidal rat, but as he turned to blast the creature, he found it was a foot.

And not some lowly soldier's either, by the looks of the boot.

Slowly sitting up, he regarded his surroundings, his eyes coming to rest on... 'IT'.

Freeza again.

What had happened?

Oh yes. Mawi.

Slowly regaining conscious thought, he formulated the one question that popped up in his mind.

"Is he dead?"

Freeza looked at him with sad eyes.

"No. No, he's going to be fine, after a few weeks in the isolation-tank. But you have disappointed me greatly."

Its voice sad, tears seemed to be welling up in its eyes.

Vegeta looked to his side, doubting what he saw.

But Zarbon was just looking intently at his master, his face not betraying anything.

"Why, Vegeta? Why did you do this?"

That silly question got his attention back to Freeza.

Why? Because he had to...

"Just taking out the garbage."

Freeza sighed slowly at his answer, then turned his back to him.

"You really let me down, little prince."

Vegeta really couldn't care less.

Carefully gathering his aching body, he started to get up.

Only to have that same foot come down on his ankle.

Angrily, Vegeta followed that booted foot up to Zarbon's smirking face.

The nerve of that fellow!

Briefly, he considered calling Freeza to get his dog under control, but the pinkish dwarf was looking out the window,

seemingly oblivious.

"I had such high hope of you and now..." It continued.

Any other time the Saij-jin prince would have just rushed this Zarbon guy and pounded him.

After all, he hadn't ever had a chance to check the guy's power-level, but a pansy like him would most likely be a

pushover.

"... and at those put over you too! Such violence, no, such insubordination cannot be tolerated." Freeza was still rambling.

Any other time, in fact, Vegeta was seriously considering it now.

But his body just wasn't responding as it should.

He felt slow and sluggish all over, and his Left arm wouldn't support him.

"...I'd heard such great thing about you too. Every Saij-jin so full of proud words about their prince..."

Hard to lunge at someone in the state he was in, but at least he could glare at the guy.

"And what will your father say?"

-"WHAT?"

For once the little, ugly pink thing had actually managed to say something to catch the Prince's attention.

With an evil smirk, the tyrant turned to face him again, slowly advancing.

There was something very odd and new to Vegeta glowing in those red eyes; something capable of filling even an over-sure Saiyi-jin with fear.

"Well, yes, Vegeta. You understand I will have to tell. In fact, I'm afraid I will have to ask compensation."

Vegeta's blood went cold at the implementation of Freeza's tone.

"What do you mean?"

It shrugged, helplessly. Then turned back to its window.

"Zarbon, please be good enough to contact the king Vegeta and have him execute twenty of his elite soldiers?"

-"Nanni?! You can't do that! You're...-"

Suddenly, Freeza was right up in his face.

Vegeta hadn't even seen him move. It was unnatural to be able to move that fast!

"Oh YES I can, little one. I can do anything I like. ANYTHING!

I am Lord of the Galaxy. In fact,-"

And the little monster's voice dropped low. "maybe, just maybe, if you keep displeasing me this way, I'll kill your father."

Vegeta knew the thing was serious, knew it with a sick certainty, but some part of him just refused to believe it.

Refused to believe what this thing was threatening could be done.

"But... He is the king."

-"So?"

The silence was deafening as Freeza finally released the little Saij-jin from his glare and retreated to his window,

then finally spoke.

"If you have disagreements with your classmates, little monkey, that's one thing. But never, ever fight them out when you're on a mission."

Vegeta sat blinking into empty space. What had just happened? To him, it was like the little dwarf he so loathed, so detested and loathed, had just meta-morphed into a monster so terrible, so dangerous!

It couldn't do what it had just threatened, could it?

'It' was just a pathetic little... whatever it was.

How had Freeza changed so much from one moment to the next?

"Oh, and Zarbon,...?"

That honey-sweet voice again. Only, this time Vegeta heard it for the lie it was.

"Before you do what I told you, will you take our little prince back to his room and make sure he's not let out before

Mawi is completely healed?"