Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ, the characters or any other anime, and I probably never will… * grumbles* I also do NOT own AD&D, the likenesses of its gold elves, blue dragons or liches. The characters Shani, Cereus, Empress Shinesta, and The Forgotten King are mine, as is the world called Talon. And… when I get my scanner working, I will be posting pics of them, and all the other characters in Shadows of the Past, and if you would like to use any of them, either their characters or their pictures, I will be happy to allow it if you e-mail me and ask first. With that little bit of unpleasantness out of the way, I am happy to present…
Shadows of the Past: Chapter 5
When Vegeta got back to his 'chamber' he was surprised to find Napa waiting for him. The huge Saiyan got up as he saw the evil expression his young charge was wearing; it had been nearly three weeks since he had seen such a dark expression on his face. " What happened, my prince? "
" Shut up, Napa. "
Napa arched one eyebrow in surprise, he was used to being told to shut up, but there was no heat in it this time, he sounded more thoughtful than angry… " Frieza and Zarbon request your presence at dinner tonight. "
" I don't care, Napa. I suppose that little brat will be there too? "
" Yes. " Napa had to bite down VERY hard on his lip to keep from laughing. The idea of the prince calling anyone else a brat was strangely satisfying… " I take it you don't want to see her again? "
" Did you deduce that all by yourself? Well Napa, I am astonished… Now, kindly drop dead for a while. "
" I would gladly die for you, my prince, but only in battle. " Napa chuckled, as he turned to the door. " This may be the wrong time to mention this, but you are to keep the princess entertained for the remainder of the journey. "
" That bastard! " Vegeta cried indignantly, but just as suddenly berated himself for allowing his emotions to get the better of him this time. He knew what they were doing, but he couldn't stop them, being a good guest meant helping to amuse other guests, and he had guessed that they would use this little rule of etiquette to their utmost advantage, he just hadn't expected them to do it so soon. " This is going to play hell with my training time, I can tell already. "
Dinner was actually pleasant for once, Zarbon and Frieza made no attempts to get him angry or to humiliate him, and Shani was careful not to say anything about the little incident in the hall, with the tiny dragon. Vegeta though, was having trouble with keeping his mind on business, whether this was because of the sudden lull in the game with Frieza and Zarbon, or due to the presence of Shani, he wasn't sure. He did notice, though, that he seemed to be looking at her a lot…
She had changed out of her finery, and now wore a fine suede leather outfit; it was a pair of pants and a white silk shirt with a leather vest and boots that reached just above the knee and there was a short sword buckled to her waist. Sitting at the table, he couldn't see her outfit anymore, but it was still a distraction, he had never seen a woman wearing actual pants before. They hugged her body as if they were a bodysuit and he could tell if she dressed this way when she was older, men were going to fall all over themselves just to get a look at her. She didn't appear to notice, her outfit had caught the curiosity of Frieza and Zarbon either, and she just continued to eat, minding her table manners carefully. Her golden hair was now braided back, and it allowed the others present a look at her neatly pointed ears. Vegeta had always thought Saiyans had rather large ears… her ears were large, but cute, in an odd sort of way. They looked like pretty normal ears, until one got to what should be the end of the ear, where they came to a sharp, but elegant point. Like the rest of her, her ears were and elegant and finely sculpted. The soft light of the dinning room gave her golden skin a lustrous glow that made her seem even more delicate and ethereal than she had she had in the throne room or on their little tour.
The tranquil calm at the table, though, was not to last, as Frieza addressed the princess." My lady, your mother tells me that you are an accomplished musician, after dinner, would you grace us with a song? "
She blushed and looked down. " I would love to… "
" You are a princess, my lady never lower your eyes when you speak. " Zarbon chided gently, she blushed, and bit her lip giggling, trying not to look down.
" I am sorry, my lord. It will not happen again. "
Vegeta snorted but said nothing. He was willing to bet that she would keep getting in trouble for that for a while, she was very shy at times, he had noticed she didn't like it when the conversation at the table shifted to her. She was almost the exact same height that he was or maybe a little shorter, but she was so lean and graceful that she seemed taller. The short sword at her waist he was a little curious about, it seemed too big for her, could she use it, he wondered, or was it purely for decoration…
" Prince Vegeta, after our guest finishes her song, perhaps you might return her to her room and play a game of tarchen with her? "
" Certainly, sire, but what sort of a game is tarchen? "
" Think of it as an Elven version of towers and kings. " Zarbon answered.
" Lord Frieza, " Shani interrupted quietly, " I'm not so sure that that would be such a good idea, you see, tarchen is a purely Elven game, and it is so because a single game can last anywhere from 5 to 10 years, and that is with beginning players. Advanced and truly gifted players like the dean at the college of wizardry, and the head librarian, have been playing for 75 years on the game they have going now, and they are still on their first board. "
" First board? "
" Yes, you see, tarchen is an ancient game, devised as a way to get the first empress and her husband to get to know each other. It worked, but the game has a lot more rules than your towers and kings, but since elves tend to live far longer than other races, one can expect to have plenty of time to learn them. The three boards are stacked on top of each other and moving any one piece on any board will affect the other two, so you must be careful, especially if you haven't cleared the first two and you move a piece on the top board. "
Frieza gave the charming little girl a thoughtful look, and then glanced at Vegeta, who knew exactly what he was thinking… " Well, the game sounds like a very interesting one to me… Perhaps you two could start your game on the ship, and continue it when we reach our destination. "
It really sucked being right…the look Vegeta sent him could've melted sand into glass, but of course, the ice-jin was completely nonplused. ' Well, young prince, just think what that girl will look like in about ten years… ' Frieza said into his mind. ' You know that their aging process speeds up to even out with most other known races before slowing down again at the apparent age of about 15 to 20. Elves are eternally beautiful. Her mother is over a thousand years old. '
Vegeta gave him a thoroughly disgusted look. ' Why would I care? I'll keep the little twit busy for you, but I have no interest in taking a mate. Especially not such a… an obnoxious one. "
Frieza blinked in surprise when he got the telepathic transmission from his young pupil. He knew that Saiyans were natural telepaths, but he had closed his mind, and the little brat had still gotten through! ' We shall see, Prince Vegeta, we shall see. '
Noticing that the atmosphere at the table had gotten extremely tense, Shani had gone to get her flute, and her bag so that she could begin her song and her illustration spells. She reentered the room looking excited but nervous and turned to her hosts with a gracious and elegant courtesy. " I know mostly Elven music, although I will be happy to learn other styles of music, as I encounter them. If it would please you, Lord Frieza, I would like to play and illustrate the tale of the great Dragon Cereus. He is a magnificent Blue dragon, and I hope that wherever he is, he approves of my song. "
Shani sent Vegeta a bright smile; her silver eyes glimmered with an almost metallic luster in the softly lit room. Then, she closed her eyes and raised the flute to her lips; the first notes of the song were soft, and sweet, calling to mind a moment of peace, and tranquility. Then, as she continued to play, she reached into the bag in front of her, and pulled out a softly shimmering white diamond of enormous beauty and quality. An almost imperceptible pause in the music, and the diamond rose from her hand, exploding into a sunburst of light and color, and as it did, there appeared in the pool of light, a shape. The hatchling dragon was a rich, deep blue, and his eyes were an incredible shade of bright violet, seeming to glow with their own inner fire… It was strange to realize that this was the same dragon that she had called forth as his spirit match. But as he watched he felt as if he were seeing an old friend, he shivered, uncertain of what to make of this vision. And he could only hope Frieza didn't make too much out of this later… The music continued and as it did, he found himself watching the entire life story of his spirit match. The dragon was huge in the vision, but had fit neatly in the palm of Shani's hand during its appearance on the ship that puzzled him, but he was too entranced to interrupt the story with questions. As he reached full adulthood, Cereus landed on a castle, wrapped its tail around it twice, and rained down fire from its enormous maw. The inhabitants had died quickly, and Vegeta felt the animal's adrenaline rush as it took to flight again, heading for a nearby village, which he also destroyed with the ease of an Oorazu, then continued on flying low over the ocean, there, it reached an island and entered a cave by casting some type of a spell, and making himself little… Small enough to fit in the palm of an elf, he noted with a wry smile. Flying through the cavern of its lair, the now tiny dragon reached a mammoth room, where it resumed its natural size, and dropped a huge pile of gems and gold onto its already massive horde.
As the dragon slept, a group of people the size of insects snuck in and Vegeta noticed the dragon was even bigger here than where he had destroyed the town and castle. The dragon awakened as one of the people began casting a spell… The spell was pure evil, Vegeta felt it like a slap in the face and watched in horror as the beautiful dragon reared back on its haunches and roared in rage and pain. Cereus's brilliant blue scales turned to jet-black, as its eyes turned to liquid gold. But his transformation wasn't done, the dragon roared again in pain as huge spines and horns erupted from his elegant head, which was also changing. His already huge mouth became larger; the teeth inside of it doubled in size, and his head became broader, the eyes slanted just slightly, as if arranged in a permanent scowl. Then, just as Cereus was collapsing in shock and pain, a massive collar appeared around the base of his finely arched neck. Made of platinum and adorned with a star sapphire five men couldn't lift, it should have been beautiful, but it was an ugly reminder of his servitude to his new master, and it seared the flesh upon which it lay, sending a plume of smoke into the roof of the cavernous room. For a moment, Cereus lay helpless on the pile of his treasure, as the spell caster and his men began to load the horde and take it and the dragon away.
Vegeta shivered he knew what that felt like… loosing everything… without meaning to, he glanced at Frieza, and was disturbed to note that he was watching him too. A slow, icy smile crossed Frieza's face as he turned back to watch the story. Vegeta could only say one thing… he knows…
Shuddering again, Vegeta also forced his attention back to the story and watched what had happened to the dragon. Possessed by the evil wizard, Cereus was forced to hunt down and destroy other dragons, he hunted them down and destroyed the other powerful creatures with sickening ease, and was forced to let the wizard and his men who called themselves dragon slayers carry off their hordes.
Worst of all was the way Cereus was treated, they gave him only enough of his treasure to keep him alive… and that just barely. Wounds that Cereus suffered in these huge battles were not treated until it became apparent that he was dying, only then did these so called dragon slayers kidnap a healer for him. His captors had him under their control, but they still feared him, yet thanks to the collar and his constant weakness from being left with no horde, though he could do nothing about it.
Shani never showed the face of the wizard who had cast the spell on him, until the slayers gave him a command to destroy a magnificent blue dragon, obviously a female, and huddled around her massive body, were more than a dozen hatchlings… From the way the music changed, Vegeta could tell that this was his mate… and their offspring. Cereus let out a roar that would have split the very heavens, and lashed out blindly in rage and pain. His fire breath was twice as large as he had used on any other dragon he was forced to kill… when it was over, all that remained, were the charred skeletons of his mate and the hatchlings, and nearby, the remains of the dragon slayers. Realizing that he had just committed a terrible sin, by slaying his own mate, Cereus set himself to destroy the hated collar…not knowing that the wizard was watching, he seemed pleased, very pleased.
The wizard's face remained hidden deep in the folds of his cloak, until Cereus managed to nearly remove the collar, his great neck was almost bare of scales where it had lain, and blood ran freely from scores of deep gashes from his own claws. He was the largest dragon the world called Talon had ever seen, and yet, in his weakened state, he was no match for the great wizard, known only as the Forgotten King. The wizard attacked brutally with a series of lightning bolts that no living creature could hope to withstand, driving Cereus to the ground, where he lay helpless and dazed. Walking around to the head of his massive pet, the wizard peeled back his cloak, revealing something Vegeta had never seen, even in his worst nightmares… The walking corpse was hideous, dried up bits of flesh still clung to bare white bone, and its eyes were tiny pinpoints of blue-green fire. The creature known as the Forgotten King laughed, a hollow, chilling sound with no humor as Cereus tried to defend himself, but no attack came. Finally, the corpse spoke, revealing that he was pleased with the ease with which he had killed his mate. But the slayers… he was angry at their deaths. Looking into the unholy wizard's cruel gaze, Vegeta saw a disturbing familiarity… as much as he didn't want to think about it, he saw Frieza in him at that moment, and it frightened him… " I am going to kill you now, Cereus, but as I will leave you in this form, I know that you will be restored to your natural form, by either the Empress of the Elves, or the goddess of dragons, and in time, we shall meet again to settle this. I will allow you to attain your full natural size, and return to full strength, as I would really hate to have you disappoint me again… "
The dinning room was cast into darkness as Shani collapsed, and the magical sphere that had been telling the story faded into nothingness, leaving no traces of the spell, except for a glittering pile of diamond dust.
As much as he wanted to know how the story would end, he was more concerned with the storyteller. Zarbon also came over to see what had happened to her. Vegeta gathered her gently into his arms and felt for a pulse, she felt very weak to him, but that might have been due to her delicate build, and a normal state for her. That she might have exerted herself too much telling the story never occurred to him, since he knew nothing of magic, or the strength it took to control it.
" Well? " Frieza demanded from his seat.
" I believe the girl will be alright, " Zarbon said finally, " I think she is merely exhausted, this magic the Elves practice seems to work a bit like our Ki control, using too much appears to leave her spent. "
" Well, that's good, I am glad to see it has some weakness after all. " Frieza chuckled, sounding more relieved by Zarbon's observation of her power than her condition. " Vegeta, return her to her room, and see that she is attended to. "
" You want ME to… Alright… " He shook his head and reminded himself that he was the one who started this game, and breaking it off would be exactly what they wanted. " I will take care of her, but I do not expect to see you before afternoon practice tomorrow. "
Frieza laughed, nodding slightly as he went into his chambers, and Zarbon got an odd look on his face and followed him. Not wanting to know what they were up to, Vegeta grabbed Shani and her stuff and carried them back to her room. She was so light that her bag seemed to weigh more than she did.
Her chambers were close to Frieza and Zarbon's own, and reflected her status as an honored guest, rather than a prisoner. Her 'room' consisted of a front room, a bedroom, and a large alcove near the table, which was set for dinner, even though everyone knew she would be eating with Frieza tonight. He shrugged; servants had done the same for him whenever he was needed at the dinner table at functions of state whenever both of his parents were to be present. Being with his parents always left him with an upset stomach, but it was nothing compared to having to sit at the table with Frieza and Zarbon… the only good thing about that, was they ate well, and at least Dodoria was never invited.
He laid her on her bed gently and watched her sleep for a moment. Why me? He wondered silently. I haven't had any medical training and have no interest in it, so why me? Finally he sat down in a chair close to her and waited for her to wake up. As he sat there, he started to get tired, and bored, realizing he still held her bag, he shrugged and looked inside. It was dark… too dark to see even for his Saiyan eyes, so, he reached in casually telling himself that he was going to put everything back. He found a few gems of various sizes and descriptions, and noted that there was something wriggling around, or at least he sort of thought there was, but he was ready to give up, when something bit him!
Well how was that? I noticed a few of you had questions about some things, I hope the extra details in here helped some, but remember, no one can see EVERYTHING their first look at someone, and little kids have short attention spans anyway. More details are coming, in the next chapters, particularly with the elves and we will even get to find out the reason Cereus was so tiny when he was with them in person… Vegeta hinted at it in his observation of the song and the story, but there is more… In case any of my readers are AD&D fans like myself, I know that Black Dragons don't breathe fire, and I am also perfectly well aware of the fact that a lich has fiery red eyes, not blue green… I also know that Blue Dragons of AD&D are not very powerful compared to say Gold or Silver Dragons, but that isn't the point, they are still Dragons and I'm sorry, I don't believe St. George and his war horse could've kicked any dragon's butt, not for one minute. Paladin or no, a dragon was supposedly large enough to land on a castle and dwarf it, in the case of a Great Wyrm, can lay down for a nap and be called a mountain range!! But Talon is my world, and I like those details the way they are, so I'm keeping them. Oh yes, and I am almost ready to make Napa miserable too… if he was smarter, his little problem might be easily solved, but… Hehehe I guess I'll save it till chapter 6!
Thanks to all of my loyal readers, and PLEEEEEAAAAASE review. Chapter 6 will be up soon… I hope!