The Color of Blue
It was after dinner and I walked to my room but not without passing the throne room. I had to sit on it. Nobody would notice, I told myself. so I went over and sat on my dad's throne. My father came in. Oh great… I got up as quickly as I could but I wasn't fast enough. My only hope was that he was having a good day. Unfortunately he wasn't.
"What the hell were you doing on my throne!?" I quivered.
"uh I was only playing…" I was 13 and I knew that wasn't going to work on him.
"You were playing… and how old are you? 13?" he screamed in my ear but I took it like a man. "you should know better, Vegeta. Those guards could have killed you." He pointed towards the door where two guards stood. Their only orders were to kill anyone who sat on the throne, other than King Vegeta. I could tell he softened up a bit but that didn't mean he was going to go easy on me.
"For what you did I'm going to have to punish you to the peasent work yard."
"What!? No not there! Please, please, no don't send me there!" I wailed all the way there. Yeah your probably thinking that I am such a baby, but you have no idea what it's like to be down there with the peasants. They all want to kill you, beat you, fry you and eat you. It's that horrible.
I got there just as they were all coming back from eating their dinner of gerul and ham. The group I was with were all mainly my age, some younger, but that didn't stop them from making fun of me.
"Hey little vegetable! How does it feel to be down here with us?" they weren't afraid of me they knew I couldn't do anything to them. I stared at my feet until we were given orders. I was sent with the other 13 year olds to the ship-cleaning yard. No, not any old little boat but mile high and mile long ships that enter space. I was assigned to the tail of my fathers ship the lowest of all ship-cleaning jobs. I worked alone for most of the time, but up on the back of the ship some of the boys got in trouble and were sent to the back with me. I stood up striaght to show them I wasn't afraid of them, to show them I could kick their asses.
"Hey guys look it's that vegetable boy again, lets go tease him. heehee" They are so cruel.
"What do you lowly halfwits want?" I said
"Oh we just came to tease you vegetable. Come on let's fight." he beckoned to me with his fingers. I stood my ground.
"Dirt can't fight." His face turned from readiness to just plain anger. That got his attention. " yeah that's right your dirt" I chuckled at my own insult. Before I knew it he was on top of me, hitting me in the face and stomach. All of his little friends gathered in a circle to see me, the prince, get beaten up by a peasent. I couldn't let this happen. I hit him back in the jaw and broke it. He staggered back and I came at him flying, I hit him in the stomach, I dropped around his legs and tripped him. He fell with a sickening thud, his skull cracked open and he died. I stood up in a fighting stance waiting for the blows from his friends. But they all ran away…the cowards. I went back to my job of cleaning the blue tail of my fathers' ship. My father came out to check on the peasants a little while later. He finally came upon me just before the bell, for going in for the night, rang.
"So son, have you learned your lesson?"
"Yeah, but I don't think that guy did in time" I pointed to the body near me. My dad looked at me in surprise.
"Did you kill him?" he beckoned for a guard to pick up the body and dispose of it. I was waxing the tail, I didn't answer him until I was done.
"Yeah so what if I killed him. He deserved it."
"Well what did he do?" he stood there tapping his foot impatiently.
"He called me names and punched me, so I taught him a lesson."
"Oh…well good for you. Are you ready to go in now?"
"Yes sir!" I was freezing but I didn't show it, I was very glad that I would be in a warm home soon. I went back to the peasent work yard many times after that just to make sure none of the other boys tried to make fun of me. On one of those trips I had met a very stupid boy, and his name was Kakorotto. He kept trying to be my friend, and he always wore a blue tunic. He always followed me everywhere I went when I was down there. I guess it was ok, he showed spirit and never turned down a chance to spar with me.
One day a few years later, Kakorotto was moved to a new section and I didn't know where he was. I went to ask my dad if he knew, not that he even would answer me, I reached the throne room and looked in. My dad was there and so was the evil Freeza and his dad, King Kold. I shuddered I knew what they were here for, a bribe. They wanted me in exchange for not destroying our planet. I pleaded in my mind for my father to offer something else other than me to the two monsters.
"Well King Vegeta, do you agree?" Freeza hissed.
"Can't I offer you something else? The only thing I have is my son."
" No we will take nothing else." My father wilted.
"Ok, fine take him, but let me say good bye to him. I ask only that."
"Very well, but make it short." My father beckoned to a guard to go find me, but I came in instead.
"No! They will not take me! I'll fight them if I have to but I'm not leaving."
"Vegeta, come here son." I went over to him still defiant towards the monsters "I know you don't want to leave, but there is nothing I can do, just remember that it is you that saved the planet. You saved the people, they will always remember you for that."
"I don't care what the people think I just want to be here with you and Kakorotto…" my dad looked at me with so much sorrow in his eyes that I almost collapsed in a heap. I knew I had to go, but I wanted to say good bye to Kakorotto and I knew I wouldn't be able to.
I was then loaded on to Freezas' ship, my father handed me a blue rock as a keep sake for when I get lonely or home sick. As the door was closing I saw Kakorotto standing behind a pillar waving good bye.