Chapter Seventy-Two: Tayla Vs. Dedron
And finally, back with Tayla and the others…
Arlon, Lukan, and Riccan were both yawning and stretching their limbs. Riccan wanted to know why Tayla was asleep, and how long he had been a statue. Lukan had been trembling when he came out of his diamond state, and the last thing he remembered was that awful blue-haired girl ("she was a beauty, but meaner than a Saiyan!") shooting him with a laser. Arlon told Lukan that he thought that he would never see him alive again, and the brothers had briefly embraced.
Riccan recovered from his ordeal much faster than Arlon or Lukan did. "Boy, you should have been there with us! Tayla blasted away an ugly red monster named Balair, even though Balair bit her hard a few times. She toasted him for good! And I got to kill a bunch of green men; you should have seen them when I sliced a few in half! I liked hearing the sound of them plopping to the ground, wow! And Arlon and Lukan almost beat up Prince Vegeta! I was hoping that I'd get to see Prince Vegeta's Final Flash attack, but he didn't use it, and I was disappointed!"
Arlon spoke quietly, "Little Riccan here saved my life when Vegeta fired what he called the Big Bang attack at me. The little guy here pulled me out of the way, and I owe my life to him. Thanks, little guy." Riccan grinned and blushed slightly.
"He did very well for his first battle," Lukan added. "I just have a question though: why is Tayla dead asleep?"
"You three were turned into diamond statues, and Tayla cast a spell to reverse the Gemstarian woman's cruel attack," Toria told him solemnly.
"Amazing!" Arlon gasped.
"What happened to the Saiyans?" Riccan demanded to know.
"We defeated them," Dirkan told him quietly, and he briefly explained the separate battles that everyone fought to defeat Vegeta, Journa, and Raditz.
Riccan was cheering. "I knew that Tayla would kick Prince Vegeta's tail, I knew it, I knew it! Wow, I can't wait until she wakes up! When is she going to wake up? I want to know!"
"She'll wake up soon enough, young man," Dirkan told him firmly. "For now, leave her be, she needs her rest."
"I think that we could all use a few hours of sleep before going back to the royal castle to face the rest of Frieza's minions," Shalila told everyone authoritatively. Toria had explained to everyone about Balair and the others invading the castle on their way to finding Arlon, Lukan, and Riccan. "We will also need time to plan a strategy to save everyone inside, if it is not too late."
"Those poor people, our families, our friends," Petalia murmured sadly.
"I want to go fight the bad guys now!" Riccan declared loudly. "Why do we have to wait, Great-Nama?"
"Because we need to rest, Riccan, and while we are resting, we must pray to the Kais and to our ancestors for the safety of everyone in the castle," Shalila told him firmly. "Toria, what did you say about the reasons that they are taking over the royal castle?"
"From what I have divined from my visions, the one called Zarbon has thought up this strategy in hopes that we will give up Tayla, one person, in exchange for the lives of many, the many being the castle's occupants. They are not going to kill anyone right away until they are certain that they know where she is. We can rest for now, Aunt Shalila, but not for too long; time is running out."
"Time is running out for what or who?"
Everyone looked up in the sky where Bajal Chloe's voice had come from. Bajal, Raakon, and Lektron were landing slowly on the ground in front of everyone.
"What's going on?" Raakon wanted to know.
Shalila briefly explained the upcoming hostage situation and what had occurred before to her three grandsons, and Raakon, like Riccan, wanted to get back to the castle right away, but Shalila and Dirkan ordered everyone to stay and rest for a few hours.
"And we must formulate a plan soon before we return and advertise to Frieza's Top Elite officers that we're still ready to take them on," Dirkan told them firmly.
After Dirkan and Shalila had finished speaking, five more people arrived to join them: Alora, Gracina, Gorna, Cletos, and Dollan. Cletos was carrying Dollan in his arms; Dollan spent the entire time in flight reciting an impromptu love poem dedicated to "his" Alora. In order to control her temper, Alora had been counting to one thousand (as her sister, Gran Mauria Sahara, had long ago told her to do in times when she could not give way to anger or annoyance), and she had been on the number six-hundred-and-eighty five when they had finally found the others.
"Who's the young man?" Dirkan asked of Cletos when Cletos and the others had landed.
"Alora's biggest fan!" the normally solemn Cletos teased, and Alora punched him hard in his ribs.
"I'm going to marry her if her husband dies, or turns out to be dead already," Dollan announced brightly, and Alora nearly fell over.
Bajal glared darkly at the lovesick Calmagian boy. "I am her husband, and no, young man, I am not going to die anytime soon, so you will have to forget about her," Bajal told Dollan edgily.
Dollan gulped when he saw the size of "his" Alora's husband. "You're-you're her husband?"
"That's right, kid," Alora told him a bit cheerily, as she strolled over to Bajal, pulled his head down to hers and gave him a long, hard, passionate kiss. Bajal swept her up in his arms, and he returned her affection with an extended steamier kiss that almost shocked everyone watching. Dirkan sighed and put his head in his hands at this showy public display of affection; Alora and Bajal wouldn't know what discretion was if it hit them in the form of a ki blast….
…Lektron and Gracina, however, for once, were not mortified with Bajal and Alora's display of steamy passion, for they knew how they felt. Before everyone knew it, Lektron had swept his wife up into his arms and kissed her long and deep, with Gracina returning his passion intensely. His parents making out in front of him embarrassed Riccan, and he didn't hesitate to express his opinion of it.
"Ewww! Gross! Mamma, Pappa, can't you two do that somewhere private? Yucky!" Riccan declared, as everyone laughed. He thought his Uncle Bajal and Aunt Alora making out was gross too, but then they weren't his parents…
…Raakon's face fell; he wished that Natala had been able to be with them so they could be "gross" in Riccan's words as well. Raakon was deeply worried about his family, especially his wife. Dirkan noticed his sadness, and he patted Raakon's back.
"She's going to be okay, Raakon; we will find a way to save her," he told him consolingly. "We'll find a way to save all of them."
"I can't sleep, Dirkan, knowing that my wife and my children are in danger," Raakon said worriedly.
"You must at least rest," Dirkan told him firmly. "You will be no good to us or your family, if you are not fighting your best because you are too tired. We will save your family and everyone else; don't give up, kid." Raakon gave Dirkan a small smile; Dirkan still called him a kid even though Raakon was nearing his forties. He and Dirkan had always had a special bond, somewhat similar to the bond that Dirkan had with Tayla. Dirkan was not normally affectionate with many people, but just then, he and Raakon embraced, in an embrace like brothers or like uncle and nephew. Dirkan patted his back again.
"It's going to be okay," Dirkan assured him once more…
…While Dirkan was reassuring Raakon, Gorna was talking quietly to Rojal, talking proudly, much to Rojal's surprise and solemn happiness. "Rojal, son, I want you to know how proud I am of you," Gorna told him with pride in her voice. "You have done well fighting; you are becoming the warrior that you were meant to be. You have done well these past couple of days, Rojal, and I am pleased to have you as my son and as my heir to Astoria's throne."
Rojal smiled. "Really, Mother?"
"Really," Gorna told him firmly. "You are growing up, Rojal, and you are not a boy anymore, but a man. Your father will be pleased as well. Well done."
Rojal was amazed; his mother had never said so many kind or praising words to him in his life. He had strove much of his life to please her, and he had finally done so. He sensed that his stern, sometimes peevish mother was changing; she was not any softer, but she was kinder.
Gorna patted him on his shoulder, and she gravely kissed his brow. Gorna had always been regal and formal when she was not acting snobby, and she didn't show affection often, so Rojal was stunned. This kinder side of his mother would take some getting used to. They embraced briefly, but firmly.
"I love you, my son," Gorna whispered to him quietly. "Both you and Lelina. You have both done me proud, and I am sorry that I don't tell you both more often than I should."
"Mother," he told her quietly. "Is it ever too late to say that you're sorry?"
"What do you wish to apologize to me for?" Gorna wanted to know, unable to remember any previous offense that Rojal had committed.
"It's not to you, Mother, not this time. It's to Tayla."
"Tayla?" Gorna asked, puzzled.
"She saved Dedron's life, my best friend's life," Rojal told her quietly. "I always used to hate her so-"
"Hate is a strong word, Rojal, and a very ugly one. It is not a word that we should use often when dealing with people, especially our own family members. I don't think that either one of us ever really hated Tayla; I think that we both envied so much that it became confused with hatred. Do you really think that you ever hated her?"
Rojal looked down, now ashamed more than ever. "No, Mother," he whispered. "I was so jealous of her, so jealous of her power, her strength, her popularity. But, Mother, I can see why everyone likes her so much; Dedron and I have been so nasty to her, and yet she intervened and saved Dedron's life. Dedron wasn't even thankful, but I sure was, for Dedron is my best friend, the closest thing to a brother that I have. I feel so ashamed for how I've been acting towards her. I hope that she can forgive me someday for how badly I behaved towards her. I just envied her so much; she had attained what I am still striving towards. I want to be as strong as her, to have my Awakening too."
"You will get there, Rojal. The only reason that Tayla beat you to it was because she was caught up in battle first. You will receive yours someday, Rojal, and you will become as strong as she is, if not stronger. And I am sure that Tayla will forgive you; if she has forgiven me, who has behaved far worst towards her, she will forgive you as well. She has never been known to refuse an overture of peace from someone in her own family; she is a strong, temperamental child, but loving and kind as well. Just tell her what you have told me; we both owe her our love and acceptance."
"The words will stick in my throat when I speak to her, I know they will."
"Just speak from your heart," Gorna counseled him. "As I did."
Rojal nodded…
…Meanwhile, Cletos was standing near his children, and he was struggling to speak. Dedron looked at him, sulking; he had lost respect for his father years ago and didn't think him worthy of much attention. Petalia, who was more forgiving, was looking at Cletos with her heart in her blue eyes. Cletos held out his arms hesitantly towards both of them, and Petalia, after a few tense moments, ran into them immediately.
She began to sob into her father's neck. "Oh, Pappa, I didn't think that you loved us anymore!" Cletos was more ashamed of himself than ever. "I was beginning to think that you hated us, hated me because I look like Farla!"
Cletos didn't correct her about calling her mother by her actual name. He just pulled her close and hugged her tight, so tightly that he nearly squeezed the life out of his daughter. "I've never stopped loving you, Petals, not you or Dedron. I know that I have been a poor father for a long time, but I swear that I will make it up to both of you. I am so sorry, Petals, that I hurt you. I never hated either one of you, ever. I will make amends for hurting and neglecting both of you, I swear that by the Seven Moons of Astoria." Cletos held up seven fingers to seal his oath. Petalia just hugged him tighter.
"Fi luven, Pappa," she whispered. (I love you, Pappa.)
"Fi luven, Petals, fi luven toi," Cletos whispered back. (I love you, Petals; I love you too.) He then looked away from his daughter and at Dedron, who had his arms crossed and was sullen.
"Son, I love you, you know that now, don't you?" Cletos asked him pleadingly.
"Hmmph," Dedron told him coldly, as he turned his back on his father and looked away. Cletos could hear his own heart break just then; his own son had just rejected him. He had to keep himself from crying, as Dedron icily walked away without a backwards glance.
"Son?" Cletos asked desperately.
Shalila, who was still holding Tayla in her arms, had been watching, and she went over to Dedron, still carrying Tayla. "Dedron," she said sternly. "At least answer your father, if nothing else. He is trying to make amends with you and Petalia. I understand that you are hurt by his past actions, but at least listen to him before you turn him away. He is your father, your only parent."
"Yeah right, some father I have!" Dedron spat out bitterly. "He didn't give a Saiyan's tail about Petalia or me all these past years; why should he care now? I am almost a man; I can more than take care of myself, and I don't need anyone!"
"Dedron, you're mistaken," Shalila told him gently. "You need us, and we need you. You are part of this family, and we do love you. Now go to your father, and at least let him speak to you. It is not his fault that your mother left, nor is it yours or Petalia's."
"No way!" Dedron hissed at her furiously, so furiously that Shalila was taken aback. "You want to know something, Great-Nama? I wish, boy, did I ever wish that you had allowed my mother to divorce my father! She'd be with that bastard Uncle Jaypros, married to him, but at least she would have stayed on Chloe! At least, she wouldn't have run out on us! You should have granted Farla a divorce!"
"Dedron, I couldn't have," Shalila protested (she, the proud Superior Gran, protesting?). "You know Astorian law-"
"The hell with Astorian law! The hell with this 'no divorce except for adultery, abuse, incest, etc…yeah, yeah, yeah'! You know what, Great-Nama, you're right! It wasn't my father's fault or my fault or Petalia's fault; it was my mother's fault and my Uncle Jaypros' fault! But they are not the only ones to blame!" Dedron grew angrier and angrier, as he spoke, and Dirkan and Raakon rushed over to him and Shalila to see what was going on.
"You know who else is to blame for my slut mother and my bastard uncle running off together, Great-Nama? YOU! It was YOU who ran them off because you wouldn't grant my slut-whore mother a stupid divorce! You should have done so, and then my father would have been rid of that slutzini! Then Father wouldn't have shunned us the way that he did! So this is mainly your fault, Great-Nama, for if you had allowed my whore mother to get a divorce, she would have stayed! YOU are to blame, as well as them!" Dedron roared, and Shalila didn't know how to react to that, but Dirkan certainly did. He noticed his wife's gray eyes fill with tears, and her tears increased his fury at Dedron.
Dirkan snarled at Dedron, "Don't you EVER, and I mean EVER speak to your great-grandmother like that again, do you understand me, young man? If I EVER catch you speaking to her in that tone of voice or put her down again, I will give you the worst beating of your life!"
Tayla awoke with a start at the sound of Dirkan's shouting. "What's going on, Nama?" she asked sleepily of Shalila.
"Nothing that we can't handle, child," Shalila told her quickly, but a tear slipped down her cheek before she could prevent it. Tayla noticed it immediately.
"What's wrong, Nama?" she asked worriedly, now fully awake and seeing more unshed tears in her Nama's eyes.
"Don't worry about it, dandelion, just go back to sleep."
Dedron shouted back at Dirkan. "YOU butt out! This is between me and Great-Nama, the very woman who forced my mother to leave with my bastard uncle! It is just as much her fault that my mother, my whore mother ran off with my uncle! She could have granted that divorce or imprisoned both of them to force them to stay! She's supposed to be running this planet and our family, and yet, she couldn't keep my mother from leaving. She should have just let my slutzini mother and my bastard uncle stay together, and then Father could have found someone else, someone who wouldn't have abandoned him! Then Father could have been the father that he could have been to us, instead of being the pathetic weakling that he now is! I'm ashamed to call him my father now, and he thinks that just because he says, 'I'm sorry', I'm just supposed to fall down and forgive him! It's not happening! He and Great-Nama have both ruined my life and Petalia's as much as my mother and uncle did! Next to Farla and Jaypros, Great-Nama is to blame for this mess, for she could have done more to make my mother stay! So thank you, Great-Nama for helping to ruin my life!"
Tayla shouted indignantly, as she jumped down from Shalila's arms before Shalila could stop her, "It is not Nama's fault that your mother ran off with Uncle Jaypros! She is not to blame! She was right in refusing your mother a divorce because Cletos didn't do anything to her! Nama always knows what she's doing, and she didn't make your mother or Uncle Jaypros leave! They chose to do that themselves; Nama didn't make them go anywhere! How dare you blame her! You apologize to her right now, Dedron!"
"Tayla, please…" Shalila begged hopelessly.
"He's going to apologize to you, Nama," Tayla insisted furiously. "No one talks about you or to you like that! You tell Nama that you're sorry, Dedron, right this instant!"
"Make me, brat!" Dedron growled.
"Don't tempt me!" Tayla hissed. "I don't want to do to you what I did to Vegeta earlier! Tell Nama that you're sorry now!"
"I'm not apologizing, brat, so shut up!" Dedron yelled, as he bawled up his fists.
"No! Not 'til you tell Nama that you're sorry!"
"Butt out, brat, this isn't your affair!"
"Yes, it is!" Tayla insisted. "Anything or anyone hurting Nama is my affair! Now apologize!"
"Make me!" Dedron ordered her, posing into a combat position.
"Don't push me, Dedron!" Tayla posed into her fighting stance.
"You're not the boss of me, Tayla, even though you are Great-Nama's pet! Everyone knows that you're Great-Nama's darling little baby, her precious lapdog who says, 'Yes, Nama' and 'No, Nama' and sits up and begs for her. Yes, that's what you are, Tayla, Great-Nama's lapdog! She pats you on the head, gives you a bone, rubs your tummy, and says, 'Good Tayla, good little puppy dog, good little lapdog'! I bet that you lick her wounds and fetch her slippers; only you probably drown them in your drool!
"Dedron, shut up! That's more than enough!" Dirkan roared. "You will apologize to both Tayla and your great-grandmother now! You have no right to insult either one of them!" The shouting was now drawing everyone's attention, and within minutes they rushed over to the scene that Dedron was creating.
"Dedron, restrain your tongue now!" Shalila ordered, her pain turning into fury.
"Dedron, stop this immediately!" Cletos shouted.
"Dedron, please don't be mean to Tayla," Petalia pleaded tearfully.
Dedron ignored them completely, as he continued to rant at Tayla, "I bet you sit on your haunches besides her and wait for her to scratch behind your ears! I bet that you sniff her butt and her crotch as well, and she probably gives you your table scraps while you bring her balls in your mouth in hopes that she'll throw them for you! No wonder Great-Nama doesn't allow any pets in the palace, she already has a lapdog of her own. Great-Nama and her little loyal doggy; I've heard her say before about dogs becoming like their owners, and that describes you both to a tee! Both of you just know when to cause trouble; that much you and your 'owner' have in common! And furthermore-"
Dedron didn't get a chance to finish his cruel speech, for Tayla lost her mighty temper completely and punched Dedron hard in his face, between his beady eyes. Before anyone could stop her, Tayla punched Dedron in his face again, knocking him backwards to the ground. She landed one more punch in his face, and Dedron was knocked unconscious this time. Tayla would have continued, for in her fury, she did not realize how much damage she was doing, but Shalila and Dirkan quickly pulled her off of Dedron before she could attack him further.
"Enough, Tayla, calm down," Dirkan ordered her. "You have proven your point; no more of that."
"He insulted Nama!" Tayla screamed, struggling to get free of his and Shalila's grip. "And his calling me a lapdog didn't help either!" She was near tears.
"Tayla, enough, calm down," Shalila counseled her sternly. Tayla continued to writhe, trying to get back to Dedron, but Shalila and Dirkan held firm, with Shalila holding her under her arms and Dirkan holding her kicking legs. Shalila and Dirkan carried a furious Tayla over to a log, where both of them sat down with her. Shalila held Tayla close to her and began to stroke her hair and back, a soothing gesture that had always helped to placate her on the occasions when she had lost her temper when she was younger. She massaged slow circles along Tayla's spine, and the angry young girl began to calm down. She eventually relaxed enough for Dirkan to release her legs, and Shalila pulled her further into her lap, as Shalila continued to massage her back and stroke her hair. Tayla's eyes were now full of tears because of Dedron's cruel words and because of her own behavior, of her losing her temper. She began to weep bitterly into Nama's shoulder, as Dirkan patted the girl's back and wiped her unceasing tears away. Tayla choked and gasped for air, her tears now in heaving sobs. The traumatic events of the war, as well as Dedron's horrid speech were now finally getting to her, and she cried loud and hard.
Riccan was about to run over to Dedron to challenge him for making Tayla cry, but Gracina, anticipating that, swiftly scooped him up and held him tight to her bosom. Lektron stayed near them to ensure that Riccan would not do anything rash, for Riccan's temper could be as bad as Tayla's at times.
Raakon quickly examined Dedron and determined that he would just have bruises and a concussion; Dedron would have no lasting damage. Raakon began to treat Dedron's wounds, as Dedron lay there, unconscious.
After handing Riccan over to Lektron, who told Riccan that under no circumstances was he allowed to leave him until Lektron said that it was all right, Gracina hurried over to Shalila, Dirkan, and Tayla.
"Is she okay?" Gracina asked worriedly, as she touched Tayla's hair.
"She'll be all right," Shalila assured her, as she continued to rub Tayla's back while Tayla continued to cry. About ten minutes later, Tayla's sobs finally ceased, and Shalila asked her gently, "Are you all right now, dandelion? If I let you up, can you stay calm and not attack Dedron again?"
"I-I think so, Nama," Tayla stammered weakly. "But I'd rather stay here for a while, if you don't mind."
"If you want to sit here with Dirkan and I, that is fine; you need to rest more, child. I understand that you were angry, but you must keep a better control on your temper when someone talks to you like that. If you have to, walk away; a good warrior knows how to control his or her temper and keep anger under restraint."
"He shouldn't have talked to you like that; he shouldn't have talked about us like that," Tayla declared indignantly.
"No, he shouldn't have, but you must be careful not to let cruel words from foolish people ignite your temper, Tayla. Dedron's words were not worth your losing control at him like that; he was very unwise, and you do not want to sink to that level, dandelion. Sweet Kami, your temper can be so fierce! You cannot attack someone out of turn like that again; you must use restraint, or you could end up hurting or killing someone without good cause. You have great strength, Tayla, but sometimes I wonder if you realize how strong and dangerous you can be. If you feel that you can't control your temper, walk, or even run away until you can calm yourself. Go somewhere and meditate or talk to one of us about how you feel."
"Am I going to have to apologize to Dedron now?" Tayla asked quietly.
"What do you think?" Shalila asked her gently.
Tayla sighed. "I guess I will have to then."
"Good choice," Dirkan told her. "It is always best to have as few enemies as possible; your grandmother and I have learned that the hard way. And it seems that you have learned the hard way as well today." He patted her cheek gently. He told everyone around them, "All right, everybody, the show is over, and Dedron will live. Everyone is to get some rest immediately, no more words out of anyone!"
No one questioned or defied Dirkan's orders, and after the others began to find soft places in the grass to sleep for a few hours. Dirkan and Shalila decided that they would stay awake to keep watch; Tayla wanted to stay awake with them, but both rulers firmly insisted that she rest herself.
And finally, back with Tayla and the others…
Arlon, Lukan, and Riccan were both yawning and stretching their limbs. Riccan wanted to know why Tayla was asleep, and how long he had been a statue. Lukan had been trembling when he came out of his diamond state, and the last thing he remembered was that awful blue-haired girl ("she was a beauty, but meaner than a Saiyan!") shooting him with a laser. Arlon told Lukan that he thought that he would never see him alive again, and the brothers had briefly embraced.
Riccan recovered from his ordeal much faster than Arlon or Lukan did. "Boy, you should have been there with us! Tayla blasted away an ugly red monster named Balair, even though Balair bit her hard a few times. She toasted him for good! And I got to kill a bunch of green men; you should have seen them when I sliced a few in half! I liked hearing the sound of them plopping to the ground, wow! And Arlon and Lukan almost beat up Prince Vegeta! I was hoping that I'd get to see Prince Vegeta's Final Flash attack, but he didn't use it, and I was disappointed!"
Arlon spoke quietly, "Little Riccan here saved my life when Vegeta fired what he called the Big Bang attack at me. The little guy here pulled me out of the way, and I owe my life to him. Thanks, little guy." Riccan grinned and blushed slightly.
"He did very well for his first battle," Lukan added. "I just have a question though: why is Tayla dead asleep?"
"You three were turned into diamond statues, and Tayla cast a spell to reverse the Gemstarian woman's cruel attack," Toria told him solemnly.
"Amazing!" Arlon gasped.
"What happened to the Saiyans?" Riccan demanded to know.
"We defeated them," Dirkan told him quietly, and he briefly explained the separate battles that everyone fought to defeat Vegeta, Journa, and Raditz.
Riccan was cheering. "I knew that Tayla would kick Prince Vegeta's tail, I knew it, I knew it! Wow, I can't wait until she wakes up! When is she going to wake up? I want to know!"
"She'll wake up soon enough, young man," Dirkan told him firmly. "For now, leave her be, she needs her rest."
"I think that we could all use a few hours of sleep before going back to the royal castle to face the rest of Frieza's minions," Shalila told everyone authoritatively. Toria had explained to everyone about Balair and the others invading the castle on their way to finding Arlon, Lukan, and Riccan. "We will also need time to plan a strategy to save everyone inside, if it is not too late."
"Those poor people, our families, our friends," Petalia murmured sadly.
"I want to go fight the bad guys now!" Riccan declared loudly. "Why do we have to wait, Great-Nama?"
"Because we need to rest, Riccan, and while we are resting, we must pray to the Kais and to our ancestors for the safety of everyone in the castle," Shalila told him firmly. "Toria, what did you say about the reasons that they are taking over the royal castle?"
"From what I have divined from my visions, the one called Zarbon has thought up this strategy in hopes that we will give up Tayla, one person, in exchange for the lives of many, the many being the castle's occupants. They are not going to kill anyone right away until they are certain that they know where she is. We can rest for now, Aunt Shalila, but not for too long; time is running out."
"Time is running out for what or who?"
Everyone looked up in the sky where Bajal Chloe's voice had come from. Bajal, Raakon, and Lektron were landing slowly on the ground in front of everyone.
"What's going on?" Raakon wanted to know.
Shalila briefly explained the upcoming hostage situation and what had occurred before to her three grandsons, and Raakon, like Riccan, wanted to get back to the castle right away, but Shalila and Dirkan ordered everyone to stay and rest for a few hours.
"And we must formulate a plan soon before we return and advertise to Frieza's Top Elite officers that we're still ready to take them on," Dirkan told them firmly.
After Dirkan and Shalila had finished speaking, five more people arrived to join them: Alora, Gracina, Gorna, Cletos, and Dollan. Cletos was carrying Dollan in his arms; Dollan spent the entire time in flight reciting an impromptu love poem dedicated to "his" Alora. In order to control her temper, Alora had been counting to one thousand (as her sister, Gran Mauria Sahara, had long ago told her to do in times when she could not give way to anger or annoyance), and she had been on the number six-hundred-and-eighty five when they had finally found the others.
"Who's the young man?" Dirkan asked of Cletos when Cletos and the others had landed.
"Alora's biggest fan!" the normally solemn Cletos teased, and Alora punched him hard in his ribs.
"I'm going to marry her if her husband dies, or turns out to be dead already," Dollan announced brightly, and Alora nearly fell over.
Bajal glared darkly at the lovesick Calmagian boy. "I am her husband, and no, young man, I am not going to die anytime soon, so you will have to forget about her," Bajal told Dollan edgily.
Dollan gulped when he saw the size of "his" Alora's husband. "You're-you're her husband?"
"That's right, kid," Alora told him a bit cheerily, as she strolled over to Bajal, pulled his head down to hers and gave him a long, hard, passionate kiss. Bajal swept her up in his arms, and he returned her affection with an extended steamier kiss that almost shocked everyone watching. Dirkan sighed and put his head in his hands at this showy public display of affection; Alora and Bajal wouldn't know what discretion was if it hit them in the form of a ki blast….
…Lektron and Gracina, however, for once, were not mortified with Bajal and Alora's display of steamy passion, for they knew how they felt. Before everyone knew it, Lektron had swept his wife up into his arms and kissed her long and deep, with Gracina returning his passion intensely. His parents making out in front of him embarrassed Riccan, and he didn't hesitate to express his opinion of it.
"Ewww! Gross! Mamma, Pappa, can't you two do that somewhere private? Yucky!" Riccan declared, as everyone laughed. He thought his Uncle Bajal and Aunt Alora making out was gross too, but then they weren't his parents…
…Raakon's face fell; he wished that Natala had been able to be with them so they could be "gross" in Riccan's words as well. Raakon was deeply worried about his family, especially his wife. Dirkan noticed his sadness, and he patted Raakon's back.
"She's going to be okay, Raakon; we will find a way to save her," he told him consolingly. "We'll find a way to save all of them."
"I can't sleep, Dirkan, knowing that my wife and my children are in danger," Raakon said worriedly.
"You must at least rest," Dirkan told him firmly. "You will be no good to us or your family, if you are not fighting your best because you are too tired. We will save your family and everyone else; don't give up, kid." Raakon gave Dirkan a small smile; Dirkan still called him a kid even though Raakon was nearing his forties. He and Dirkan had always had a special bond, somewhat similar to the bond that Dirkan had with Tayla. Dirkan was not normally affectionate with many people, but just then, he and Raakon embraced, in an embrace like brothers or like uncle and nephew. Dirkan patted his back again.
"It's going to be okay," Dirkan assured him once more…
…While Dirkan was reassuring Raakon, Gorna was talking quietly to Rojal, talking proudly, much to Rojal's surprise and solemn happiness. "Rojal, son, I want you to know how proud I am of you," Gorna told him with pride in her voice. "You have done well fighting; you are becoming the warrior that you were meant to be. You have done well these past couple of days, Rojal, and I am pleased to have you as my son and as my heir to Astoria's throne."
Rojal smiled. "Really, Mother?"
"Really," Gorna told him firmly. "You are growing up, Rojal, and you are not a boy anymore, but a man. Your father will be pleased as well. Well done."
Rojal was amazed; his mother had never said so many kind or praising words to him in his life. He had strove much of his life to please her, and he had finally done so. He sensed that his stern, sometimes peevish mother was changing; she was not any softer, but she was kinder.
Gorna patted him on his shoulder, and she gravely kissed his brow. Gorna had always been regal and formal when she was not acting snobby, and she didn't show affection often, so Rojal was stunned. This kinder side of his mother would take some getting used to. They embraced briefly, but firmly.
"I love you, my son," Gorna whispered to him quietly. "Both you and Lelina. You have both done me proud, and I am sorry that I don't tell you both more often than I should."
"Mother," he told her quietly. "Is it ever too late to say that you're sorry?"
"What do you wish to apologize to me for?" Gorna wanted to know, unable to remember any previous offense that Rojal had committed.
"It's not to you, Mother, not this time. It's to Tayla."
"Tayla?" Gorna asked, puzzled.
"She saved Dedron's life, my best friend's life," Rojal told her quietly. "I always used to hate her so-"
"Hate is a strong word, Rojal, and a very ugly one. It is not a word that we should use often when dealing with people, especially our own family members. I don't think that either one of us ever really hated Tayla; I think that we both envied so much that it became confused with hatred. Do you really think that you ever hated her?"
Rojal looked down, now ashamed more than ever. "No, Mother," he whispered. "I was so jealous of her, so jealous of her power, her strength, her popularity. But, Mother, I can see why everyone likes her so much; Dedron and I have been so nasty to her, and yet she intervened and saved Dedron's life. Dedron wasn't even thankful, but I sure was, for Dedron is my best friend, the closest thing to a brother that I have. I feel so ashamed for how I've been acting towards her. I hope that she can forgive me someday for how badly I behaved towards her. I just envied her so much; she had attained what I am still striving towards. I want to be as strong as her, to have my Awakening too."
"You will get there, Rojal. The only reason that Tayla beat you to it was because she was caught up in battle first. You will receive yours someday, Rojal, and you will become as strong as she is, if not stronger. And I am sure that Tayla will forgive you; if she has forgiven me, who has behaved far worst towards her, she will forgive you as well. She has never been known to refuse an overture of peace from someone in her own family; she is a strong, temperamental child, but loving and kind as well. Just tell her what you have told me; we both owe her our love and acceptance."
"The words will stick in my throat when I speak to her, I know they will."
"Just speak from your heart," Gorna counseled him. "As I did."
Rojal nodded…
…Meanwhile, Cletos was standing near his children, and he was struggling to speak. Dedron looked at him, sulking; he had lost respect for his father years ago and didn't think him worthy of much attention. Petalia, who was more forgiving, was looking at Cletos with her heart in her blue eyes. Cletos held out his arms hesitantly towards both of them, and Petalia, after a few tense moments, ran into them immediately.
She began to sob into her father's neck. "Oh, Pappa, I didn't think that you loved us anymore!" Cletos was more ashamed of himself than ever. "I was beginning to think that you hated us, hated me because I look like Farla!"
Cletos didn't correct her about calling her mother by her actual name. He just pulled her close and hugged her tight, so tightly that he nearly squeezed the life out of his daughter. "I've never stopped loving you, Petals, not you or Dedron. I know that I have been a poor father for a long time, but I swear that I will make it up to both of you. I am so sorry, Petals, that I hurt you. I never hated either one of you, ever. I will make amends for hurting and neglecting both of you, I swear that by the Seven Moons of Astoria." Cletos held up seven fingers to seal his oath. Petalia just hugged him tighter.
"Fi luven, Pappa," she whispered. (I love you, Pappa.)
"Fi luven, Petals, fi luven toi," Cletos whispered back. (I love you, Petals; I love you too.) He then looked away from his daughter and at Dedron, who had his arms crossed and was sullen.
"Son, I love you, you know that now, don't you?" Cletos asked him pleadingly.
"Hmmph," Dedron told him coldly, as he turned his back on his father and looked away. Cletos could hear his own heart break just then; his own son had just rejected him. He had to keep himself from crying, as Dedron icily walked away without a backwards glance.
"Son?" Cletos asked desperately.
Shalila, who was still holding Tayla in her arms, had been watching, and she went over to Dedron, still carrying Tayla. "Dedron," she said sternly. "At least answer your father, if nothing else. He is trying to make amends with you and Petalia. I understand that you are hurt by his past actions, but at least listen to him before you turn him away. He is your father, your only parent."
"Yeah right, some father I have!" Dedron spat out bitterly. "He didn't give a Saiyan's tail about Petalia or me all these past years; why should he care now? I am almost a man; I can more than take care of myself, and I don't need anyone!"
"Dedron, you're mistaken," Shalila told him gently. "You need us, and we need you. You are part of this family, and we do love you. Now go to your father, and at least let him speak to you. It is not his fault that your mother left, nor is it yours or Petalia's."
"No way!" Dedron hissed at her furiously, so furiously that Shalila was taken aback. "You want to know something, Great-Nama? I wish, boy, did I ever wish that you had allowed my mother to divorce my father! She'd be with that bastard Uncle Jaypros, married to him, but at least she would have stayed on Chloe! At least, she wouldn't have run out on us! You should have granted Farla a divorce!"
"Dedron, I couldn't have," Shalila protested (she, the proud Superior Gran, protesting?). "You know Astorian law-"
"The hell with Astorian law! The hell with this 'no divorce except for adultery, abuse, incest, etc…yeah, yeah, yeah'! You know what, Great-Nama, you're right! It wasn't my father's fault or my fault or Petalia's fault; it was my mother's fault and my Uncle Jaypros' fault! But they are not the only ones to blame!" Dedron grew angrier and angrier, as he spoke, and Dirkan and Raakon rushed over to him and Shalila to see what was going on.
"You know who else is to blame for my slut mother and my bastard uncle running off together, Great-Nama? YOU! It was YOU who ran them off because you wouldn't grant my slut-whore mother a stupid divorce! You should have done so, and then my father would have been rid of that slutzini! Then Father wouldn't have shunned us the way that he did! So this is mainly your fault, Great-Nama, for if you had allowed my whore mother to get a divorce, she would have stayed! YOU are to blame, as well as them!" Dedron roared, and Shalila didn't know how to react to that, but Dirkan certainly did. He noticed his wife's gray eyes fill with tears, and her tears increased his fury at Dedron.
Dirkan snarled at Dedron, "Don't you EVER, and I mean EVER speak to your great-grandmother like that again, do you understand me, young man? If I EVER catch you speaking to her in that tone of voice or put her down again, I will give you the worst beating of your life!"
Tayla awoke with a start at the sound of Dirkan's shouting. "What's going on, Nama?" she asked sleepily of Shalila.
"Nothing that we can't handle, child," Shalila told her quickly, but a tear slipped down her cheek before she could prevent it. Tayla noticed it immediately.
"What's wrong, Nama?" she asked worriedly, now fully awake and seeing more unshed tears in her Nama's eyes.
"Don't worry about it, dandelion, just go back to sleep."
Dedron shouted back at Dirkan. "YOU butt out! This is between me and Great-Nama, the very woman who forced my mother to leave with my bastard uncle! It is just as much her fault that my mother, my whore mother ran off with my uncle! She could have granted that divorce or imprisoned both of them to force them to stay! She's supposed to be running this planet and our family, and yet, she couldn't keep my mother from leaving. She should have just let my slutzini mother and my bastard uncle stay together, and then Father could have found someone else, someone who wouldn't have abandoned him! Then Father could have been the father that he could have been to us, instead of being the pathetic weakling that he now is! I'm ashamed to call him my father now, and he thinks that just because he says, 'I'm sorry', I'm just supposed to fall down and forgive him! It's not happening! He and Great-Nama have both ruined my life and Petalia's as much as my mother and uncle did! Next to Farla and Jaypros, Great-Nama is to blame for this mess, for she could have done more to make my mother stay! So thank you, Great-Nama for helping to ruin my life!"
Tayla shouted indignantly, as she jumped down from Shalila's arms before Shalila could stop her, "It is not Nama's fault that your mother ran off with Uncle Jaypros! She is not to blame! She was right in refusing your mother a divorce because Cletos didn't do anything to her! Nama always knows what she's doing, and she didn't make your mother or Uncle Jaypros leave! They chose to do that themselves; Nama didn't make them go anywhere! How dare you blame her! You apologize to her right now, Dedron!"
"Tayla, please…" Shalila begged hopelessly.
"He's going to apologize to you, Nama," Tayla insisted furiously. "No one talks about you or to you like that! You tell Nama that you're sorry, Dedron, right this instant!"
"Make me, brat!" Dedron growled.
"Don't tempt me!" Tayla hissed. "I don't want to do to you what I did to Vegeta earlier! Tell Nama that you're sorry now!"
"I'm not apologizing, brat, so shut up!" Dedron yelled, as he bawled up his fists.
"No! Not 'til you tell Nama that you're sorry!"
"Butt out, brat, this isn't your affair!"
"Yes, it is!" Tayla insisted. "Anything or anyone hurting Nama is my affair! Now apologize!"
"Make me!" Dedron ordered her, posing into a combat position.
"Don't push me, Dedron!" Tayla posed into her fighting stance.
"You're not the boss of me, Tayla, even though you are Great-Nama's pet! Everyone knows that you're Great-Nama's darling little baby, her precious lapdog who says, 'Yes, Nama' and 'No, Nama' and sits up and begs for her. Yes, that's what you are, Tayla, Great-Nama's lapdog! She pats you on the head, gives you a bone, rubs your tummy, and says, 'Good Tayla, good little puppy dog, good little lapdog'! I bet that you lick her wounds and fetch her slippers; only you probably drown them in your drool!
"Dedron, shut up! That's more than enough!" Dirkan roared. "You will apologize to both Tayla and your great-grandmother now! You have no right to insult either one of them!" The shouting was now drawing everyone's attention, and within minutes they rushed over to the scene that Dedron was creating.
"Dedron, restrain your tongue now!" Shalila ordered, her pain turning into fury.
"Dedron, stop this immediately!" Cletos shouted.
"Dedron, please don't be mean to Tayla," Petalia pleaded tearfully.
Dedron ignored them completely, as he continued to rant at Tayla, "I bet you sit on your haunches besides her and wait for her to scratch behind your ears! I bet that you sniff her butt and her crotch as well, and she probably gives you your table scraps while you bring her balls in your mouth in hopes that she'll throw them for you! No wonder Great-Nama doesn't allow any pets in the palace, she already has a lapdog of her own. Great-Nama and her little loyal doggy; I've heard her say before about dogs becoming like their owners, and that describes you both to a tee! Both of you just know when to cause trouble; that much you and your 'owner' have in common! And furthermore-"
Dedron didn't get a chance to finish his cruel speech, for Tayla lost her mighty temper completely and punched Dedron hard in his face, between his beady eyes. Before anyone could stop her, Tayla punched Dedron in his face again, knocking him backwards to the ground. She landed one more punch in his face, and Dedron was knocked unconscious this time. Tayla would have continued, for in her fury, she did not realize how much damage she was doing, but Shalila and Dirkan quickly pulled her off of Dedron before she could attack him further.
"Enough, Tayla, calm down," Dirkan ordered her. "You have proven your point; no more of that."
"He insulted Nama!" Tayla screamed, struggling to get free of his and Shalila's grip. "And his calling me a lapdog didn't help either!" She was near tears.
"Tayla, enough, calm down," Shalila counseled her sternly. Tayla continued to writhe, trying to get back to Dedron, but Shalila and Dirkan held firm, with Shalila holding her under her arms and Dirkan holding her kicking legs. Shalila and Dirkan carried a furious Tayla over to a log, where both of them sat down with her. Shalila held Tayla close to her and began to stroke her hair and back, a soothing gesture that had always helped to placate her on the occasions when she had lost her temper when she was younger. She massaged slow circles along Tayla's spine, and the angry young girl began to calm down. She eventually relaxed enough for Dirkan to release her legs, and Shalila pulled her further into her lap, as Shalila continued to massage her back and stroke her hair. Tayla's eyes were now full of tears because of Dedron's cruel words and because of her own behavior, of her losing her temper. She began to weep bitterly into Nama's shoulder, as Dirkan patted the girl's back and wiped her unceasing tears away. Tayla choked and gasped for air, her tears now in heaving sobs. The traumatic events of the war, as well as Dedron's horrid speech were now finally getting to her, and she cried loud and hard.
Riccan was about to run over to Dedron to challenge him for making Tayla cry, but Gracina, anticipating that, swiftly scooped him up and held him tight to her bosom. Lektron stayed near them to ensure that Riccan would not do anything rash, for Riccan's temper could be as bad as Tayla's at times.
Raakon quickly examined Dedron and determined that he would just have bruises and a concussion; Dedron would have no lasting damage. Raakon began to treat Dedron's wounds, as Dedron lay there, unconscious.
After handing Riccan over to Lektron, who told Riccan that under no circumstances was he allowed to leave him until Lektron said that it was all right, Gracina hurried over to Shalila, Dirkan, and Tayla.
"Is she okay?" Gracina asked worriedly, as she touched Tayla's hair.
"She'll be all right," Shalila assured her, as she continued to rub Tayla's back while Tayla continued to cry. About ten minutes later, Tayla's sobs finally ceased, and Shalila asked her gently, "Are you all right now, dandelion? If I let you up, can you stay calm and not attack Dedron again?"
"I-I think so, Nama," Tayla stammered weakly. "But I'd rather stay here for a while, if you don't mind."
"If you want to sit here with Dirkan and I, that is fine; you need to rest more, child. I understand that you were angry, but you must keep a better control on your temper when someone talks to you like that. If you have to, walk away; a good warrior knows how to control his or her temper and keep anger under restraint."
"He shouldn't have talked to you like that; he shouldn't have talked about us like that," Tayla declared indignantly.
"No, he shouldn't have, but you must be careful not to let cruel words from foolish people ignite your temper, Tayla. Dedron's words were not worth your losing control at him like that; he was very unwise, and you do not want to sink to that level, dandelion. Sweet Kami, your temper can be so fierce! You cannot attack someone out of turn like that again; you must use restraint, or you could end up hurting or killing someone without good cause. You have great strength, Tayla, but sometimes I wonder if you realize how strong and dangerous you can be. If you feel that you can't control your temper, walk, or even run away until you can calm yourself. Go somewhere and meditate or talk to one of us about how you feel."
"Am I going to have to apologize to Dedron now?" Tayla asked quietly.
"What do you think?" Shalila asked her gently.
Tayla sighed. "I guess I will have to then."
"Good choice," Dirkan told her. "It is always best to have as few enemies as possible; your grandmother and I have learned that the hard way. And it seems that you have learned the hard way as well today." He patted her cheek gently. He told everyone around them, "All right, everybody, the show is over, and Dedron will live. Everyone is to get some rest immediately, no more words out of anyone!"
No one questioned or defied Dirkan's orders, and after the others began to find soft places in the grass to sleep for a few hours. Dirkan and Shalila decided that they would stay awake to keep watch; Tayla wanted to stay awake with them, but both rulers firmly insisted that she rest herself.
