Chapter Seventy-Four: What Happened To Tayla, Dedron, Riccan, And Ridikar?
Three hours later in the wilderness on the outskirts of Magan…
The Astorians and their friends had been well fed, and now Shalila was wondering where Tayla had wandered off. She had asked Gracina and Lektron to look for them because Gracina was looking for Riccan and wondering where he was. When they had asked around, everyone said that the last time they saw Tayla and Riccan was when they had been sparring two hours earlier to prepare to fight Zarbon and the other Top Elite officers. Not even Toria's visions would reveal anything to her about Tayla and Riccan's whereabouts; at times her visions of the future or the present would be blocked when the spirits didn't want her to know all right away. Toria was frustrated, but she knew that she would have to be patient.
And Dedron was missing as well. Everyone had asked Rojal and Petalia if they had seen Dedron, and Rojal told everyone that the last time he had seen his best friend was shortly after Rojal had apologized to Tayla for the way he had been treating her.
"I saw Dedron come up to Tayla for some reason. He looked to be apologetic, and I thought that maybe he was trying to say that he was sorry. He really isn't bad all the time, just angry and confused, although he shouldn't have talked to Tayla like that yesterday or about Great-Nama the way that he did. I meant to talk to him about it, but he kept changing the subject earlier when I broached the topic."
Petalia added, "I noticed something strange today; my brother was talking to Ridikar, and they seemed awfully chummy. I never knew they were that close, and it puzzled me that Dedron had spoken to him for so long. When he left Ridikar, I asked my brother what he and Ridikar had been talking about, and he just snapped at me, told me to mind my own business. I tried to apologize to him, but he told me to butt out and leave him alone. I know he's acted that way towards others, but that's the first time that he has ever treated me that way. I'm worried about him."
"So am I," Rojal told her.
"And I'm worried about Tayla and Riccan," Petalia continued. "I hope that they are okay."
"I hope those kids aren't messing around somewhere," Dirkan muttered. "This isn't time to go off and play."
"I can't sense Tayla's ki anywhere," Shalila said worriedly. "Not even a faint trace. I can feel Riccan's and Dedron's ki signatures, but they feel so far away from here."
"My wife I and will go find them, Nama," Lektron assured her.
"We were about to leave to find Riccan," Gracina added.
"I do hope so," Shalila told both of her grandchildren. "We need to get going, and the last thing we need is for three children to be lost or wandering off, especially since one of them happens to be one of Frieza's targets, Frieza's prey. I know that Dedron and Riccan are missing too, but they are not the ones that Frieza is after; Tayla is."
"We'll find them, Nama," Lektron assured her again, and then he and Gracina left.
After Lektron and Gracina had left, Dirkan said thoughtfully, "You know, Shalila, Ridikar is missing as well."
"Ridikar? Where would he go?" Shalila wondered. And then a thought struck her. "Dirkan, does he know yet that his father has died?"
"Not yet," Dirkan sighed. "I just went to tell him, but I can't find him anywhere either, and his ki feels like it's coming from very far away."
"You don't think that Ridikar would try to go back home by himself, do you?" Shalila asked.
"Knowing how rash that boy is, he's capable of anything," Dirkan growled. "I just hope he doesn't do anything to expose us or put us in greater danger!"
"Four children missing," Shalila murmured. "And one of them is in danger from Frieza's minions kidnapping her, and another one is the future king of Calmag. Sweet Kami, I hope those four are all right, especially Tayla. I don't like that she left without telling me where she was going. And for Riccan to worry his parents like that! And poor Cletos; he doesn't know what to do to make things right with Dedron."
"He could give Dedron a good cuffing," Dirkan said with a smile.
"Dirkan!" Shalila scolded, but then she laughed. "But then, I should have given him one myself yesterday! The nerve of that boy!"
"Tayla took care of him for you!" Dirkan declared, and he and Shalila both laughed harder. Dirkan continued, laughing, "Tayla Chloe, your own personal bodyguard! In a short time, you'll be replacing me with her as your valiant protector!"
Shalila continued to laugh, but then she sobered down and whispered, with a gentle smile on her face, "Tayla may be able to protect me in your place, but there are certain things that I need you for that I couldn't use her for. And this is one of them…" She slid her arms around Dirkan's neck and kissed him gently, and then the kiss deepened. Dirkan growled with passion, as his arms wrapped around Shalila's waist and buttocks and lifted her off of the ground. The Superior Gran and the Superior Granden of Astoria kissed each other hungrily, passionately, with tongues and all. Dirkan nibbled on Shalila's lower lip and Shalila pressed her lips against his harder, as she crushed herself against his body. Dirkan pulled her small, slender body against his, as he pressed his hips to hers. He then broke their amorous kiss, as he moved down to nibble and kiss at her neck and collarbone. Shalila playfully dabbed "butterfly kisses" all over his face, as Dirkan devoured her shoulders with his fangs. They kissed and necked like that for a few minutes, and when they finally eased their ardor, they were both breathless.
"Wow!" Shalila exclaimed, barely able to breathe. "It sure has been a while since we've done that! A week or two perhaps!"
Dirkan chuckled, a low sexy chuckle that made his wife blush to this day. "We may be considered 'old' to all these young folks, but we still have it what it takes to be lovers! Ah, I wish that we had time to indulge ourselves, and go a little further!"
"Remember the first time that we kissed?" Shalila asked excitedly. "I still remember it even though it was decades and decades ago. Sweet Kami Orchida, Dirkan, you sure knew how to kiss then, and you sure know how to kiss now!"
"You were the first and the only one that I ever kissed," Dirkan said, panting.
"And you said that you had no experience with women, but you kissed me that first time, as if you knew exactly what you were doing!" Shalila declared happily. "Shall we relive that moment one more time before we go find the children?"
"I'm up for it, if you are," Dirkan told her in great gasping breaths, and of course Shalila was, as they "relived" their memories.
Lektron and Gracina leapt off of the ground and flew into the sky, floating low over the tops of the trees in the wilderness outside of Magan. They noticed giant pieces of fiberglass resting on the tops of the tree, pieces that had once been part of Magan's "unbreakable" dome. Finally, Gracina gasped when she saw two young boys, one almost a man, and the other one still a child, lying facedown in the dirt deep in a thicket near five tree stumps. She called out to Lektron, and within seconds, the couple had landed in the wilderness near the bodies of the boys.
"Sweet Kami!" Gracina cried when she and Lektron found both Dedron and Riccan lying in pools of blood. "Dedron! Riccan! Wake up! Are you boys all right?"
Dedron, as if just awakening, slowly arose, rubbing his eyes, and he looked around in mock horror, exclaiming, "Tayla, Tayla? Where is she? Oh, no they took her! I am so sorry!"
Lektron then knelt near Dedron, checking him for injuries.
A kneeling Gracina was cradling Riccan's head in her arms and tried to rouse him. Slowly
Riccan awoke. "Mamma?"
"Riccan, are you alright, sweetheart?" Gracina asked her son worriedly.
"Where am I? What happened?" Riccan asked. He looked around for Tayla, and then he cried out, "Where's Tayla?"
"Tayla!" Gracina cried aloud.
"Tayla!" Lektron shouted. "Tayla, are you here?"
"Tayla!"
"Tayla!"
"She's gone," Dedron moaned. "The Saiyans must have taken her."
"The Saiyans?" Gracina asked, her sky-blue eyes widening to the size of plates.
"Yeah," Dedron told her in a weary tone, "it was them, it had to have been. You see, Aunt Gracina, the Saiyans must have held out better than we thought that they did, and while I was here with Riccan and Tayla, about to apologize to her for the things that I said to her earlier today, Vegeta and his bunch accosted us. They were injured badly, but they still overpowered us! Vegeta hit Riccan in the back of his head, and I tried to fight Raditz and Journa, but one of them must have knocked me out as well, for I remember nothing from the time that Journa struck out at me. They must have taken Tayla away!"
"Those bastards!" Lektron roared. "If that Saiyan royal brat and his friends do anything to Tayla, I'll-I'll kill them! They have some nerve!"
Gracina was near tears, as she clenched her fists. Her poor baby sister! Once again those monkeys had taken Tayla away!
"I hate Saiyan full-bloods, I hate them," she whispered fiercely. "Why couldn't they have left us alone? Why couldn't they leave Tayla alone? And look what they did to Riccan, my son, and Dedron." Lektron crawled over to his wife, and he gathered her and a woozy Riccan in his arms.
"They will pay!" Lektron growled.
Riccan looked up at his parents, and he was about to say something, but before he could, he passed out again.
Gracina shook her son. "Riccan, Riccan?
"Riccan?" Lektron asked worriedly.
No response.
"Riccan, Riccan?"
"Riccan!"
Three hours earlier…
Tayla and Riccan were kneeling by a rushing stream of clear, cold water; this stream was one of the few non-polluted bodies of water in this part of Calmag. The children scooped up small handfuls of the icy liquid and poured it into their thirsting mouths, drinking greedily. Tayla then left Riccan for a moment to check on a net in the stream that Raakon and Dirkan had lain there just a couple hours ago after both men had awakened. She squealed in hungry delight when she saw a school of large fish trapped in the net. Happily, she pulled the net out of the chilly stream, with the fish struggling and flopping about.
"Dinner!" she cried aloud.
Riccan scurried over to Tayla, who was pulling the net of fish onto the sandy, muddy shore of the bank of the stream. Tayla told Riccan to gather the others for dinner, and Riccan eagerly did so. Their stomachs growled loudly at the thought of fried fish. Tayla began to gather wood for a fire, and afterwards, she tied some strong sticks together to make a spit to fry the fish on.
Within ninety minutes, Tayla and her family and friends were dining on the fish, and the fish was made to be very salty, but Astorians liked their food that way; they could tolerate much higher levels of saltiness in their food better than other races, and high amounts of salt had no bad effect on their health. Dirkan, who did not care much for extreme saltiness, had eaten his two fish with a minimum of salt, of the salt that Lektron had "borrowed" from an abandoned grocery store. Veal had taken hers with no salt, and she relished the large fish that she was now dining on.
Dedron was sitting ten feet away from Tayla and Riccan, and he had been sullen and moody still, as he greedily devoured three fish. Tayla was daintily nibbling on her fish, and when she had swallowed her food, she whispered to Riccan, "I'll be back; I have to go apologize to Dedron."
"Apologize to Dedron?" Riccan nearly exclaimed in horror, as if Tayla had proposed that Riccan start dressing like a girl for now on. "But he hurt you! Why should you have to apologize? He should apologize! I ought to go beat him up!"
"Because I lost my temper," Tayla explained patiently. "And no, Riccan, you are not getting in a fight with Dedron right now; save your strength for fighting the Top Elite officers that Dirkan was telling us about. I can handle this."
"He doesn't deserve an apology," Riccan told her.
Tayla privately agreed with him, but she knew that she had gone too far earlier when she had hit Dedron for talking so ill about her and Nama. She was still furious with her nephew, but she had promised Nama and Dirkan that she would avoid fighting with him for now; Nama had told her that they did not need to be fighting amongst themselves, and Tayla knew that her grandmother was right.
But when she walked over to Dedron to apologize, Dedron stood up and abruptly walked over to talk to someone else-and Tayla's jaw nearly dropped when Dedron went straight to Ridikar.
Ridikar? Why would Dedron want to talk to Ridikar?
Dedron's sullen look had dissipated the minute that he caught up to Ridikar. Ridikar looked at Dedron strangely.
"Yes?" he asked Dedron.
Dedron asked him quietly, "Do you still wish to marry Tayla?"
Ridikar's face paled slightly. "I-I am not sure anymore. She has a fierce temper." Ridikar had spent much of his time awake wondering how safe a wife Tayla would make. He did not know yet that his father had died; Dirkan intended to tell the boy after they had finished eating. Dirkan had ordered no one to tell Ridikar of his father's demise until then.
"She can be controlled," Dedron told Ridikar steadily, and Ridikar blinked. Dedron continued wickedly, "If she can be controlled to your satisfaction, would you marry her then?"
"Sure," Ridikar told him. "I was considering changing my mind about marrying her because of the way that she had attacked you. I'd be afraid that she'd do the same thing to me."
"Not if you use this."
"Use what?"
Dedron smiled devilishly, and to Ridikar's amazement, Dedron held a silver gun-the same silver gun that had created the ki-restraining cuffs used on Dedron, Rojal, Dirkan, and Shalila earlier.
"I found it earlier just before we left to bring the diamond statues back to life. Vegeta or one of the other monkeys must have dropped it. You can use this on Tayla, and you'll be able to overpower her."
Ridikar looked at the gun uncertainly. "You want me to cuff Tayla? I-I don't know about that, Dedron; it would be like putting her on a leash like a dog."
"Well she does act like a dog," Dedron told him. "You heard me call her Great-Nama's lapdog earlier today. And she does need to be restrained; with this you can force her to marry you or whatever. Here's what I was thinking: you use this on Tayla and take her far away from here; you'll probably be able to find someone to marry you two. And when we kick the behinds of Frieza's warriors, you bring her back as your bride, and then she'll have to stay here on Calmag-and your marriage will be legal by both Astorian law and Calmagian law. Not even my people will be able to object because there will be no legal reason for Tayla to divorce you." Dedron saw Ridikar's eyes widen in surprise for a few moments. But he looked at the Calmagian prince again, and this time Dedron noticed a sly smile cross Ridikar's face.
Ridikar said thoughtfully, his smile widening, "It sounds like a good plan, Dedron, but why are you so eager to be rid of her? Won't your people need her to fight?"
"It's time that someone else was the hero. And Tayla does need someone who can keep her under control. She'd be a good, strong queen for your planet, and it would solidify the alliance between Astoria and Calmag. I think it's time that Tayla settled down, and I believe that you would make her a good husband, even if you did try to force yourself on her before. Tayla did lead you on, and no girl should be allowed to do that, especially to such an important personage as yourself. You are far more valuable than she is, someone who will someday rule an entire planet, and what is she? Just a lesser princess, someone who should be honored to be your wife and the future Queen of Calmag. I think that she was being foolish and ungrateful, and I totally agree that you two should marry. Look at how well things worked out for my great-aunt Kildara; she married your grandfather, and she is now Queen of Calmag herself. You would be good for my youngest aunt. She needs to be put in her place and humbled, and just think of the strong warrior sons that she could bear you." Dedron smiled gleefully at the welcome opportunity to get rid of Tayla once and for all.
"I like your plan, Dedron, but what about her family and her guardian, Dirkan? Won't they try to stop me?"
"Leave that part to me; I will gladly do anything to help you two get back together. The difficult part will be to get you two alone together, but even that we should be able to handle. I noticed her coming to talk to me, but I left quickly to come propose this plan to you. What do you think? Do you still want her badly enough to do anything to keep her?" Dedron asked, as he placed the cuffing gun into Ridikar's hand. He also handed Ridikar the control box for the cuffs.
"I do, and I think with these ki-restraining cuffs, she will learn to become a humble wife, and when she learns to respect and obey me, I will release her from the cuffs. This works out perfectly, and I will see that you are rewarded for this, Dedron, should everything go well."
"Reward me, if you wish, but don't tell anyone of my part in this; that's the only condition other than not bringing her back here until you two are properly wedded and bedded. Good luck to you, Ridikar and congratulations in advance." Dedron held out his hands in proper Astorian position, and Ridikar shook them.
"Now we just have a few details to work out…" Dedron continued, and his voice lowered to a whisper, as he and Ridikar discussed Dedron's evil plan to have Tayla carried off.
An hour later…
Dedron knew very little about kindness and decency, but he was a great manipulator. He knew just how to get Tayla alone; all he had to do was extend the olive branch towards her the same way that Rojal and Gorna had. He had heard Rojal apologize to Tayla earlier, and it had angered Dedron to no end, but he said nothing to his best friend about it. Dedron would be rid of Tayla soon enough. Dedron grinned evilly to himself when he heard Tayla forgive Rojal. So his best friend had now become friendly with that little wench; that was all right because Tayla would soon be gone.
Tayla just left Rojal, and she and Riccan were having a quick sparring match to warm up for their next upcoming battle against Zarbon and the other minions when Dedron strolled over to them. Tayla had Riccan in a headlock when Dedron spoke:
"Tayla, may I see you alone for a few moments?"
Tayla mentally put up her guard. "For what?"
"I owe you an apology for earlier today, and I would like to talk to you alone about it, if I may. I realize how great a warrior you are, and I realize now that Rojal and Aunt Gorna were right in making amends with you. It would take just a few minutes to talk to you because I want to make up with you; there are just a few things that I would like to say to you in private."
Tayla frowned for just a moment; it was not like Dedron to be this polite towards her, but she had forgiven Gorna and Rojal, and she felt that she owed Dedron the same courtesy. She had never expected Gorna and Rojal to start being nice to her, and Dedron's peaceful approach towards her threw her off-guard as well. Nevertheless, Tayla was not one to be unrelenting and grudging towards her own family members; she could forgive easily anyone in her own family, even someone like Dedron.
She turned to Riccan and said quietly, "Riccan, would you excuse us for a few minutes? Can you go spar with the others for a little bit until I can join you again?"
Riccan scowled; he hated leaving a good fight or sparring match unfinished. Plus, he suspected that Dedron was up to no good; Gracina's oldest and most rambunctious child was more perceptive than most people gave him credit for.
"I don't think that I should leave you alone with him," Riccan told her. "I think that he's up to something."
Dedron put on what little charm that he possessed, hiding his anger at Riccan seeing through him. "Riccan," he said easily with a casual smile, "I just want to apologize to Tayla and talk to her, that's all. Why would I hurt her now? I just want to make amends, is that so wrong?"
"I don't trust you," Riccan retorted. "And I don't think that Tayla should either." There was no love lost between Gracina's oldest son and Cletos' oldest son. He said to his closest friend and aunt, "I'm not leaving."
Dedron hid a fist behind his back, clenching it. That little brat of Gracina's was going to be a problem; he had to get Tayla alone. "Riccan! C'mon, little buddy! Let me talk to Tayla alone; I'm not going to bite her."
"I'm not leaving. You want to apologize to Tayla; you can do so while I'm here," Riccan said firmly, with his arms crossed in the exact same way that his mother crossed hers when she had made a final decision on something and would not be persuaded to change her mind. Riccan also wore his mother's determined "my decision is final, and that's the way it is" expression as well. He paid attention to his mother far more than she thought he did. Tayla looked at her young nephew, who had appointed himself her protector, and she decided that it would be far safer to have someone with her. After all what harm could Dedron really do against two people such as her and Riccan?
Dedron sighed, but then another plan came to him just in time. "All right, Riccan, why don't you both come with me then, over to those tall bushes? And then you will see that you had nothing to worry about. I just want to make amends with Tayla, that's all."
Tayla looked at Dedron skeptically, but then she said slowly, "Alright, we will come with you, but we must not take too long. We will all be leaving here shortly."
"That's the spirit!" Dedron told her happily while Riccan continued to scowl. Both children reluctantly followed Dedron over to the bushes he had told them about. Dedron continued to lead them further into the thicket for about half an hour, until they came to a woody place where five tree stumps lay. Dedron easily led Tayla to the most comfortable looking stump and settled her down there. Tayla watched him warily; why was he suddenly being so cooperative? Riccan's frown deepened, as Dedron led him to a tree stump and had him sit down.
"Okay?" Tayla said, hoping that Dedron would say whatever he had to say and get it over with. She was feeling very uneasy about being alone with him now, even if Riccan was with her.
"Okay," Dedron began smoothly, as he walked behind Riccan and stopped. Before Tayla could intervene, Dedron suddenly punched the back of Riccan's head hard with his fist, knocking him out. Not knowing who or what hit him, Riccan cried out just before he passed out into unconsciousness and fell facedown into the grass.
Tayla jumped off and yelled, "Hey, what did you do that for?" Dedron just smiled.
She tried to run to Riccan's side, but before she could do so, two beams of light shot out from nowhere and each beam hit her two wrists. Tayla cried out in horror when she discovered that she was now wearing ki-restraining cuffs. She looked at Dedron with fear in her eyes while Dedron laughed wickedly. Her face grew pale, and then she realized too late where her forgiving heart had led her. She discovered then the folly of misplaced trust.
She continued to stare down at the horrible cuffs restraining her ki severely, and she began to feel faint and weak, as her ki was reduced to nearly nothing. She tried to scream for help, but before she could do so, someone hit her in the back of her head as well, and she was knocked out easily. Everything went black, and Tayla knew no more.
Ridikar, Tayla's assailant, scooped her up into his arms and laid her across his broad shoulder. He said excitedly, "That was almost too easy!"
"Shhh!" Dedron scolded him. "Get her out of here now before the others come! Go, go!"
Ridikar wasted no time, as he ran away with Tayla deep into the wilderness. Dedron then moved to the next phase of his plan, and he picked up a heavy fallen tree branch and bashed himself hard in the side of his head. He bit his lip to keep from screaming at the pain of the tree branch hitting his skull, and he was relieved to see his blue blood covering the branch. Then he fired a couple of small ki blasts at himself, just enough to create some damage, as if someone had attacked him.
He had to make this look good…
…Ridikar was running through the wilderness quickly, with an unconscious Tayla bobbing up and down on his shoulder. Finally, he had to stop, and he carried Tayla into a nearby cave.
Ridikar laid her down, and she did not stir. He knew that the ki-restraining cuffs would keep Tayla's power at almost nothing, but just as a precaution, Ridikar yanked some vines off a tree near the cave, and he tied her ankles together and her wrists together securely.
He looked outside the mouth of cave, and to his horror, he saw a fleet of round, silver pods flying through the darkening sky.
"Frieza sent more soldiers?" he cried aloud. He paled then, wondering what to do now and where to go. The plan had been for Ridikar to leave to the nearest undamaged town and find someone to marry him and Tayla, but now more of Frieza's minions were coming? What was he going to do? He began to tremble.
It wasn't that far to Benedon, the nearest town that he knew had not been Frieza's forces had not harmed. In Benedon, he and Tayla were supposed to be married, and then Ridikar had intended to bed her and try to impregnate her, if he could. Ridikar hoped that Tayla's body had matured enough to where she could have children. He had been with other women before; his first sexual experience had been when he had been fourteen, when his father had taken him to a classy bordello to be "educated" in handling women in bed. He considered himself a good lover, and his previous partners had had no complaints about his prowess or techniques.
Tayla finally awoke, very slowly, and she screamed when she noticed that she was tied up. "What's going on?" she cried loudly, now fully awake. "Where am I? Riccan! Dedron! Somebody help me, please! Where am I? How did I get here? Why am I tied up?"
Ridikar rushed to her side and lay down beside her. He began to stroke her hair, as much to calm himself as her, as Tayla tried to crawl away. Ridikar pulled her back against him and held her close. "It's okay, Tayla, I'm not going to hurt you. We're just running away to get married, that's all, and then I'll bring you back to tell your family goodbye."
"Marry you?" Tayla shrieked, her fear turning into anger. "I told you that I don't want to marry you; now let me go! I'd sooner marry Prince Vegeta than you!"
"Oh, really?" Ridikar mocked, forgetting about Frieza's new soldiers for now. "I could have that easily arranged. I could-"-a thought came to him just then, something that Dedron had told him to use should Tayla continue to fight him-"turn you over to him and others. I could turn you over to Frieza's soldiers, but I won't do that. I just want you for myself, Tayla, is that so much to ask?"
"Yes it is!" Tayla screamed. "I don't like you, and I don't want to marry you! Now let me go back!" She tried to writhe to break free of her bonds, but then she realized that she was still wearing the ki-restraining cuffs.
"Get these things off of me!" she cried.
Ridikar laughed. "Not yet, not until you learn to behave and become the proper, obedient, submissive little wife that you're meant to be. I'm taking you to Benedon, my love, where we will be married, and I will plant my seed within you. Once you are pregnant with my child, even your grandmother won't have any choice, but to leave you behind with me."
"Ridikar, my family needs me to fight," Tayla pleaded desperately, her anger fading back into fear. "I can't marry you now; my family needs me, and I have to go back and help them, I have to."
"If you marry me quickly, I'll let you fight with your family, but then you must agree to give up fighting after this war is over and be my wife and the mother of my children. It isn't so bad with me, Tayla, it really isn't. And you wouldn't be lonely; Caline is your friend, right? Caline would be your companion, and I would keep her close to us."
"I thought that your father was so eager to marry her off to Filcork Sediment," Tayla scoffed. "She doesn't like him, but apparently that doesn't matter much to either one of you!"
"It doesn't really matter at all; Caline would be foolish to refuse such a good and prosperous man for her mate. He really isn't that bad as she claims. Filcor Sedemeyer would be a good husband and a good ally," Ridikar argued. "But I could insist that they live in the castle with us. You and Caline could see each other every day, Tayla, and you both would be happier, I am sure. Think about it, princess, your children and Caline's children could be raised together, and all of you would grow up together. We'd all be so happy with each other, Tayla, you can't imagine the respect and esteem that you would have as my wife and future Queen of Calmag. My father would see that we would be taken care of!"
"But, Ridikar-"
"But nothing, Tayla. You are mine, and you are just going to have to accept it. My father and grandfather will see that this marriage that we are about to have stays legal and binding. Your cousin, Prince Lektron, may have beaten him up earlier, and I will make him pay for that, but my father is still stronger; he is to be king right after Grandfather dies."
"Ridikar, your father is-" Tayla decided then and there that Ridikar needed to know the truth about his father's death.
"Don't insult him, Tayla. I know that you think that he treated Caline badly that one day, but Caline had it coming to her. She defied us, the heirs to Calmag's throne right in front of everyone and totally embarrassed us in front of your people. It wasn't well done of her, I'm afraid, and Prince Lektron had no right to interfere with my father's disciplining her. Princess Gracina, your sister, shouldn't have intervened either, and now they both made things worse. My father and I will practically have to drag Caline down the aisle on her wedding day, kicking and screaming. She is such a difficult girl, really; you two seem to have that much in common, but you both will grow and learn. She will learn to obey me, her father, and her husband, and so will you!"
"Ridikar, your father is-"
"That's enough, Tayla; I don't want to hear it anymore. You will be quiet from now on until we reach Benedon. Just to make sure that no one hears you, however, I am going to put this gag into your mouth." And with that, Ridikar pulled out a handkerchief, and before Tayla could say another word, he stuffed it into her mouth and tied the cloth securely around her face with a double knot.
Tayla began to struggle, and tears started forming at the corners of her cocoa-colored eyes. Ridikar brushed the tears away with his thumb, and then he gently kissed Tayla's now pale cheek, nuzzling the smooth adolescent skin. He began to whisper sweet nothings into her slightly pointed ear, so similar to Calmagian ears, saying:
"I love you, Tayla, and don't worry, you will be happy with me, I promise."
Tayla then closed her eyes and tried to keep any more tears from coming. Ridikar just pulled her back against him further and wrapped his arms around the tiny girl, cuddling her close, as he leisurely stroked her hair and arms. Tayla began to sob, but her sobs were so muffled that she herself could barely hear them.
Three hours later in the wilderness on the outskirts of Magan…
The Astorians and their friends had been well fed, and now Shalila was wondering where Tayla had wandered off. She had asked Gracina and Lektron to look for them because Gracina was looking for Riccan and wondering where he was. When they had asked around, everyone said that the last time they saw Tayla and Riccan was when they had been sparring two hours earlier to prepare to fight Zarbon and the other Top Elite officers. Not even Toria's visions would reveal anything to her about Tayla and Riccan's whereabouts; at times her visions of the future or the present would be blocked when the spirits didn't want her to know all right away. Toria was frustrated, but she knew that she would have to be patient.
And Dedron was missing as well. Everyone had asked Rojal and Petalia if they had seen Dedron, and Rojal told everyone that the last time he had seen his best friend was shortly after Rojal had apologized to Tayla for the way he had been treating her.
"I saw Dedron come up to Tayla for some reason. He looked to be apologetic, and I thought that maybe he was trying to say that he was sorry. He really isn't bad all the time, just angry and confused, although he shouldn't have talked to Tayla like that yesterday or about Great-Nama the way that he did. I meant to talk to him about it, but he kept changing the subject earlier when I broached the topic."
Petalia added, "I noticed something strange today; my brother was talking to Ridikar, and they seemed awfully chummy. I never knew they were that close, and it puzzled me that Dedron had spoken to him for so long. When he left Ridikar, I asked my brother what he and Ridikar had been talking about, and he just snapped at me, told me to mind my own business. I tried to apologize to him, but he told me to butt out and leave him alone. I know he's acted that way towards others, but that's the first time that he has ever treated me that way. I'm worried about him."
"So am I," Rojal told her.
"And I'm worried about Tayla and Riccan," Petalia continued. "I hope that they are okay."
"I hope those kids aren't messing around somewhere," Dirkan muttered. "This isn't time to go off and play."
"I can't sense Tayla's ki anywhere," Shalila said worriedly. "Not even a faint trace. I can feel Riccan's and Dedron's ki signatures, but they feel so far away from here."
"My wife I and will go find them, Nama," Lektron assured her.
"We were about to leave to find Riccan," Gracina added.
"I do hope so," Shalila told both of her grandchildren. "We need to get going, and the last thing we need is for three children to be lost or wandering off, especially since one of them happens to be one of Frieza's targets, Frieza's prey. I know that Dedron and Riccan are missing too, but they are not the ones that Frieza is after; Tayla is."
"We'll find them, Nama," Lektron assured her again, and then he and Gracina left.
After Lektron and Gracina had left, Dirkan said thoughtfully, "You know, Shalila, Ridikar is missing as well."
"Ridikar? Where would he go?" Shalila wondered. And then a thought struck her. "Dirkan, does he know yet that his father has died?"
"Not yet," Dirkan sighed. "I just went to tell him, but I can't find him anywhere either, and his ki feels like it's coming from very far away."
"You don't think that Ridikar would try to go back home by himself, do you?" Shalila asked.
"Knowing how rash that boy is, he's capable of anything," Dirkan growled. "I just hope he doesn't do anything to expose us or put us in greater danger!"
"Four children missing," Shalila murmured. "And one of them is in danger from Frieza's minions kidnapping her, and another one is the future king of Calmag. Sweet Kami, I hope those four are all right, especially Tayla. I don't like that she left without telling me where she was going. And for Riccan to worry his parents like that! And poor Cletos; he doesn't know what to do to make things right with Dedron."
"He could give Dedron a good cuffing," Dirkan said with a smile.
"Dirkan!" Shalila scolded, but then she laughed. "But then, I should have given him one myself yesterday! The nerve of that boy!"
"Tayla took care of him for you!" Dirkan declared, and he and Shalila both laughed harder. Dirkan continued, laughing, "Tayla Chloe, your own personal bodyguard! In a short time, you'll be replacing me with her as your valiant protector!"
Shalila continued to laugh, but then she sobered down and whispered, with a gentle smile on her face, "Tayla may be able to protect me in your place, but there are certain things that I need you for that I couldn't use her for. And this is one of them…" She slid her arms around Dirkan's neck and kissed him gently, and then the kiss deepened. Dirkan growled with passion, as his arms wrapped around Shalila's waist and buttocks and lifted her off of the ground. The Superior Gran and the Superior Granden of Astoria kissed each other hungrily, passionately, with tongues and all. Dirkan nibbled on Shalila's lower lip and Shalila pressed her lips against his harder, as she crushed herself against his body. Dirkan pulled her small, slender body against his, as he pressed his hips to hers. He then broke their amorous kiss, as he moved down to nibble and kiss at her neck and collarbone. Shalila playfully dabbed "butterfly kisses" all over his face, as Dirkan devoured her shoulders with his fangs. They kissed and necked like that for a few minutes, and when they finally eased their ardor, they were both breathless.
"Wow!" Shalila exclaimed, barely able to breathe. "It sure has been a while since we've done that! A week or two perhaps!"
Dirkan chuckled, a low sexy chuckle that made his wife blush to this day. "We may be considered 'old' to all these young folks, but we still have it what it takes to be lovers! Ah, I wish that we had time to indulge ourselves, and go a little further!"
"Remember the first time that we kissed?" Shalila asked excitedly. "I still remember it even though it was decades and decades ago. Sweet Kami Orchida, Dirkan, you sure knew how to kiss then, and you sure know how to kiss now!"
"You were the first and the only one that I ever kissed," Dirkan said, panting.
"And you said that you had no experience with women, but you kissed me that first time, as if you knew exactly what you were doing!" Shalila declared happily. "Shall we relive that moment one more time before we go find the children?"
"I'm up for it, if you are," Dirkan told her in great gasping breaths, and of course Shalila was, as they "relived" their memories.
Lektron and Gracina leapt off of the ground and flew into the sky, floating low over the tops of the trees in the wilderness outside of Magan. They noticed giant pieces of fiberglass resting on the tops of the tree, pieces that had once been part of Magan's "unbreakable" dome. Finally, Gracina gasped when she saw two young boys, one almost a man, and the other one still a child, lying facedown in the dirt deep in a thicket near five tree stumps. She called out to Lektron, and within seconds, the couple had landed in the wilderness near the bodies of the boys.
"Sweet Kami!" Gracina cried when she and Lektron found both Dedron and Riccan lying in pools of blood. "Dedron! Riccan! Wake up! Are you boys all right?"
Dedron, as if just awakening, slowly arose, rubbing his eyes, and he looked around in mock horror, exclaiming, "Tayla, Tayla? Where is she? Oh, no they took her! I am so sorry!"
Lektron then knelt near Dedron, checking him for injuries.
A kneeling Gracina was cradling Riccan's head in her arms and tried to rouse him. Slowly
Riccan awoke. "Mamma?"
"Riccan, are you alright, sweetheart?" Gracina asked her son worriedly.
"Where am I? What happened?" Riccan asked. He looked around for Tayla, and then he cried out, "Where's Tayla?"
"Tayla!" Gracina cried aloud.
"Tayla!" Lektron shouted. "Tayla, are you here?"
"Tayla!"
"Tayla!"
"She's gone," Dedron moaned. "The Saiyans must have taken her."
"The Saiyans?" Gracina asked, her sky-blue eyes widening to the size of plates.
"Yeah," Dedron told her in a weary tone, "it was them, it had to have been. You see, Aunt Gracina, the Saiyans must have held out better than we thought that they did, and while I was here with Riccan and Tayla, about to apologize to her for the things that I said to her earlier today, Vegeta and his bunch accosted us. They were injured badly, but they still overpowered us! Vegeta hit Riccan in the back of his head, and I tried to fight Raditz and Journa, but one of them must have knocked me out as well, for I remember nothing from the time that Journa struck out at me. They must have taken Tayla away!"
"Those bastards!" Lektron roared. "If that Saiyan royal brat and his friends do anything to Tayla, I'll-I'll kill them! They have some nerve!"
Gracina was near tears, as she clenched her fists. Her poor baby sister! Once again those monkeys had taken Tayla away!
"I hate Saiyan full-bloods, I hate them," she whispered fiercely. "Why couldn't they have left us alone? Why couldn't they leave Tayla alone? And look what they did to Riccan, my son, and Dedron." Lektron crawled over to his wife, and he gathered her and a woozy Riccan in his arms.
"They will pay!" Lektron growled.
Riccan looked up at his parents, and he was about to say something, but before he could, he passed out again.
Gracina shook her son. "Riccan, Riccan?
"Riccan?" Lektron asked worriedly.
No response.
"Riccan, Riccan?"
"Riccan!"
Three hours earlier…
Tayla and Riccan were kneeling by a rushing stream of clear, cold water; this stream was one of the few non-polluted bodies of water in this part of Calmag. The children scooped up small handfuls of the icy liquid and poured it into their thirsting mouths, drinking greedily. Tayla then left Riccan for a moment to check on a net in the stream that Raakon and Dirkan had lain there just a couple hours ago after both men had awakened. She squealed in hungry delight when she saw a school of large fish trapped in the net. Happily, she pulled the net out of the chilly stream, with the fish struggling and flopping about.
"Dinner!" she cried aloud.
Riccan scurried over to Tayla, who was pulling the net of fish onto the sandy, muddy shore of the bank of the stream. Tayla told Riccan to gather the others for dinner, and Riccan eagerly did so. Their stomachs growled loudly at the thought of fried fish. Tayla began to gather wood for a fire, and afterwards, she tied some strong sticks together to make a spit to fry the fish on.
Within ninety minutes, Tayla and her family and friends were dining on the fish, and the fish was made to be very salty, but Astorians liked their food that way; they could tolerate much higher levels of saltiness in their food better than other races, and high amounts of salt had no bad effect on their health. Dirkan, who did not care much for extreme saltiness, had eaten his two fish with a minimum of salt, of the salt that Lektron had "borrowed" from an abandoned grocery store. Veal had taken hers with no salt, and she relished the large fish that she was now dining on.
Dedron was sitting ten feet away from Tayla and Riccan, and he had been sullen and moody still, as he greedily devoured three fish. Tayla was daintily nibbling on her fish, and when she had swallowed her food, she whispered to Riccan, "I'll be back; I have to go apologize to Dedron."
"Apologize to Dedron?" Riccan nearly exclaimed in horror, as if Tayla had proposed that Riccan start dressing like a girl for now on. "But he hurt you! Why should you have to apologize? He should apologize! I ought to go beat him up!"
"Because I lost my temper," Tayla explained patiently. "And no, Riccan, you are not getting in a fight with Dedron right now; save your strength for fighting the Top Elite officers that Dirkan was telling us about. I can handle this."
"He doesn't deserve an apology," Riccan told her.
Tayla privately agreed with him, but she knew that she had gone too far earlier when she had hit Dedron for talking so ill about her and Nama. She was still furious with her nephew, but she had promised Nama and Dirkan that she would avoid fighting with him for now; Nama had told her that they did not need to be fighting amongst themselves, and Tayla knew that her grandmother was right.
But when she walked over to Dedron to apologize, Dedron stood up and abruptly walked over to talk to someone else-and Tayla's jaw nearly dropped when Dedron went straight to Ridikar.
Ridikar? Why would Dedron want to talk to Ridikar?
Dedron's sullen look had dissipated the minute that he caught up to Ridikar. Ridikar looked at Dedron strangely.
"Yes?" he asked Dedron.
Dedron asked him quietly, "Do you still wish to marry Tayla?"
Ridikar's face paled slightly. "I-I am not sure anymore. She has a fierce temper." Ridikar had spent much of his time awake wondering how safe a wife Tayla would make. He did not know yet that his father had died; Dirkan intended to tell the boy after they had finished eating. Dirkan had ordered no one to tell Ridikar of his father's demise until then.
"She can be controlled," Dedron told Ridikar steadily, and Ridikar blinked. Dedron continued wickedly, "If she can be controlled to your satisfaction, would you marry her then?"
"Sure," Ridikar told him. "I was considering changing my mind about marrying her because of the way that she had attacked you. I'd be afraid that she'd do the same thing to me."
"Not if you use this."
"Use what?"
Dedron smiled devilishly, and to Ridikar's amazement, Dedron held a silver gun-the same silver gun that had created the ki-restraining cuffs used on Dedron, Rojal, Dirkan, and Shalila earlier.
"I found it earlier just before we left to bring the diamond statues back to life. Vegeta or one of the other monkeys must have dropped it. You can use this on Tayla, and you'll be able to overpower her."
Ridikar looked at the gun uncertainly. "You want me to cuff Tayla? I-I don't know about that, Dedron; it would be like putting her on a leash like a dog."
"Well she does act like a dog," Dedron told him. "You heard me call her Great-Nama's lapdog earlier today. And she does need to be restrained; with this you can force her to marry you or whatever. Here's what I was thinking: you use this on Tayla and take her far away from here; you'll probably be able to find someone to marry you two. And when we kick the behinds of Frieza's warriors, you bring her back as your bride, and then she'll have to stay here on Calmag-and your marriage will be legal by both Astorian law and Calmagian law. Not even my people will be able to object because there will be no legal reason for Tayla to divorce you." Dedron saw Ridikar's eyes widen in surprise for a few moments. But he looked at the Calmagian prince again, and this time Dedron noticed a sly smile cross Ridikar's face.
Ridikar said thoughtfully, his smile widening, "It sounds like a good plan, Dedron, but why are you so eager to be rid of her? Won't your people need her to fight?"
"It's time that someone else was the hero. And Tayla does need someone who can keep her under control. She'd be a good, strong queen for your planet, and it would solidify the alliance between Astoria and Calmag. I think it's time that Tayla settled down, and I believe that you would make her a good husband, even if you did try to force yourself on her before. Tayla did lead you on, and no girl should be allowed to do that, especially to such an important personage as yourself. You are far more valuable than she is, someone who will someday rule an entire planet, and what is she? Just a lesser princess, someone who should be honored to be your wife and the future Queen of Calmag. I think that she was being foolish and ungrateful, and I totally agree that you two should marry. Look at how well things worked out for my great-aunt Kildara; she married your grandfather, and she is now Queen of Calmag herself. You would be good for my youngest aunt. She needs to be put in her place and humbled, and just think of the strong warrior sons that she could bear you." Dedron smiled gleefully at the welcome opportunity to get rid of Tayla once and for all.
"I like your plan, Dedron, but what about her family and her guardian, Dirkan? Won't they try to stop me?"
"Leave that part to me; I will gladly do anything to help you two get back together. The difficult part will be to get you two alone together, but even that we should be able to handle. I noticed her coming to talk to me, but I left quickly to come propose this plan to you. What do you think? Do you still want her badly enough to do anything to keep her?" Dedron asked, as he placed the cuffing gun into Ridikar's hand. He also handed Ridikar the control box for the cuffs.
"I do, and I think with these ki-restraining cuffs, she will learn to become a humble wife, and when she learns to respect and obey me, I will release her from the cuffs. This works out perfectly, and I will see that you are rewarded for this, Dedron, should everything go well."
"Reward me, if you wish, but don't tell anyone of my part in this; that's the only condition other than not bringing her back here until you two are properly wedded and bedded. Good luck to you, Ridikar and congratulations in advance." Dedron held out his hands in proper Astorian position, and Ridikar shook them.
"Now we just have a few details to work out…" Dedron continued, and his voice lowered to a whisper, as he and Ridikar discussed Dedron's evil plan to have Tayla carried off.
An hour later…
Dedron knew very little about kindness and decency, but he was a great manipulator. He knew just how to get Tayla alone; all he had to do was extend the olive branch towards her the same way that Rojal and Gorna had. He had heard Rojal apologize to Tayla earlier, and it had angered Dedron to no end, but he said nothing to his best friend about it. Dedron would be rid of Tayla soon enough. Dedron grinned evilly to himself when he heard Tayla forgive Rojal. So his best friend had now become friendly with that little wench; that was all right because Tayla would soon be gone.
Tayla just left Rojal, and she and Riccan were having a quick sparring match to warm up for their next upcoming battle against Zarbon and the other minions when Dedron strolled over to them. Tayla had Riccan in a headlock when Dedron spoke:
"Tayla, may I see you alone for a few moments?"
Tayla mentally put up her guard. "For what?"
"I owe you an apology for earlier today, and I would like to talk to you alone about it, if I may. I realize how great a warrior you are, and I realize now that Rojal and Aunt Gorna were right in making amends with you. It would take just a few minutes to talk to you because I want to make up with you; there are just a few things that I would like to say to you in private."
Tayla frowned for just a moment; it was not like Dedron to be this polite towards her, but she had forgiven Gorna and Rojal, and she felt that she owed Dedron the same courtesy. She had never expected Gorna and Rojal to start being nice to her, and Dedron's peaceful approach towards her threw her off-guard as well. Nevertheless, Tayla was not one to be unrelenting and grudging towards her own family members; she could forgive easily anyone in her own family, even someone like Dedron.
She turned to Riccan and said quietly, "Riccan, would you excuse us for a few minutes? Can you go spar with the others for a little bit until I can join you again?"
Riccan scowled; he hated leaving a good fight or sparring match unfinished. Plus, he suspected that Dedron was up to no good; Gracina's oldest and most rambunctious child was more perceptive than most people gave him credit for.
"I don't think that I should leave you alone with him," Riccan told her. "I think that he's up to something."
Dedron put on what little charm that he possessed, hiding his anger at Riccan seeing through him. "Riccan," he said easily with a casual smile, "I just want to apologize to Tayla and talk to her, that's all. Why would I hurt her now? I just want to make amends, is that so wrong?"
"I don't trust you," Riccan retorted. "And I don't think that Tayla should either." There was no love lost between Gracina's oldest son and Cletos' oldest son. He said to his closest friend and aunt, "I'm not leaving."
Dedron hid a fist behind his back, clenching it. That little brat of Gracina's was going to be a problem; he had to get Tayla alone. "Riccan! C'mon, little buddy! Let me talk to Tayla alone; I'm not going to bite her."
"I'm not leaving. You want to apologize to Tayla; you can do so while I'm here," Riccan said firmly, with his arms crossed in the exact same way that his mother crossed hers when she had made a final decision on something and would not be persuaded to change her mind. Riccan also wore his mother's determined "my decision is final, and that's the way it is" expression as well. He paid attention to his mother far more than she thought he did. Tayla looked at her young nephew, who had appointed himself her protector, and she decided that it would be far safer to have someone with her. After all what harm could Dedron really do against two people such as her and Riccan?
Dedron sighed, but then another plan came to him just in time. "All right, Riccan, why don't you both come with me then, over to those tall bushes? And then you will see that you had nothing to worry about. I just want to make amends with Tayla, that's all."
Tayla looked at Dedron skeptically, but then she said slowly, "Alright, we will come with you, but we must not take too long. We will all be leaving here shortly."
"That's the spirit!" Dedron told her happily while Riccan continued to scowl. Both children reluctantly followed Dedron over to the bushes he had told them about. Dedron continued to lead them further into the thicket for about half an hour, until they came to a woody place where five tree stumps lay. Dedron easily led Tayla to the most comfortable looking stump and settled her down there. Tayla watched him warily; why was he suddenly being so cooperative? Riccan's frown deepened, as Dedron led him to a tree stump and had him sit down.
"Okay?" Tayla said, hoping that Dedron would say whatever he had to say and get it over with. She was feeling very uneasy about being alone with him now, even if Riccan was with her.
"Okay," Dedron began smoothly, as he walked behind Riccan and stopped. Before Tayla could intervene, Dedron suddenly punched the back of Riccan's head hard with his fist, knocking him out. Not knowing who or what hit him, Riccan cried out just before he passed out into unconsciousness and fell facedown into the grass.
Tayla jumped off and yelled, "Hey, what did you do that for?" Dedron just smiled.
She tried to run to Riccan's side, but before she could do so, two beams of light shot out from nowhere and each beam hit her two wrists. Tayla cried out in horror when she discovered that she was now wearing ki-restraining cuffs. She looked at Dedron with fear in her eyes while Dedron laughed wickedly. Her face grew pale, and then she realized too late where her forgiving heart had led her. She discovered then the folly of misplaced trust.
She continued to stare down at the horrible cuffs restraining her ki severely, and she began to feel faint and weak, as her ki was reduced to nearly nothing. She tried to scream for help, but before she could do so, someone hit her in the back of her head as well, and she was knocked out easily. Everything went black, and Tayla knew no more.
Ridikar, Tayla's assailant, scooped her up into his arms and laid her across his broad shoulder. He said excitedly, "That was almost too easy!"
"Shhh!" Dedron scolded him. "Get her out of here now before the others come! Go, go!"
Ridikar wasted no time, as he ran away with Tayla deep into the wilderness. Dedron then moved to the next phase of his plan, and he picked up a heavy fallen tree branch and bashed himself hard in the side of his head. He bit his lip to keep from screaming at the pain of the tree branch hitting his skull, and he was relieved to see his blue blood covering the branch. Then he fired a couple of small ki blasts at himself, just enough to create some damage, as if someone had attacked him.
He had to make this look good…
…Ridikar was running through the wilderness quickly, with an unconscious Tayla bobbing up and down on his shoulder. Finally, he had to stop, and he carried Tayla into a nearby cave.
Ridikar laid her down, and she did not stir. He knew that the ki-restraining cuffs would keep Tayla's power at almost nothing, but just as a precaution, Ridikar yanked some vines off a tree near the cave, and he tied her ankles together and her wrists together securely.
He looked outside the mouth of cave, and to his horror, he saw a fleet of round, silver pods flying through the darkening sky.
"Frieza sent more soldiers?" he cried aloud. He paled then, wondering what to do now and where to go. The plan had been for Ridikar to leave to the nearest undamaged town and find someone to marry him and Tayla, but now more of Frieza's minions were coming? What was he going to do? He began to tremble.
It wasn't that far to Benedon, the nearest town that he knew had not been Frieza's forces had not harmed. In Benedon, he and Tayla were supposed to be married, and then Ridikar had intended to bed her and try to impregnate her, if he could. Ridikar hoped that Tayla's body had matured enough to where she could have children. He had been with other women before; his first sexual experience had been when he had been fourteen, when his father had taken him to a classy bordello to be "educated" in handling women in bed. He considered himself a good lover, and his previous partners had had no complaints about his prowess or techniques.
Tayla finally awoke, very slowly, and she screamed when she noticed that she was tied up. "What's going on?" she cried loudly, now fully awake. "Where am I? Riccan! Dedron! Somebody help me, please! Where am I? How did I get here? Why am I tied up?"
Ridikar rushed to her side and lay down beside her. He began to stroke her hair, as much to calm himself as her, as Tayla tried to crawl away. Ridikar pulled her back against him and held her close. "It's okay, Tayla, I'm not going to hurt you. We're just running away to get married, that's all, and then I'll bring you back to tell your family goodbye."
"Marry you?" Tayla shrieked, her fear turning into anger. "I told you that I don't want to marry you; now let me go! I'd sooner marry Prince Vegeta than you!"
"Oh, really?" Ridikar mocked, forgetting about Frieza's new soldiers for now. "I could have that easily arranged. I could-"-a thought came to him just then, something that Dedron had told him to use should Tayla continue to fight him-"turn you over to him and others. I could turn you over to Frieza's soldiers, but I won't do that. I just want you for myself, Tayla, is that so much to ask?"
"Yes it is!" Tayla screamed. "I don't like you, and I don't want to marry you! Now let me go back!" She tried to writhe to break free of her bonds, but then she realized that she was still wearing the ki-restraining cuffs.
"Get these things off of me!" she cried.
Ridikar laughed. "Not yet, not until you learn to behave and become the proper, obedient, submissive little wife that you're meant to be. I'm taking you to Benedon, my love, where we will be married, and I will plant my seed within you. Once you are pregnant with my child, even your grandmother won't have any choice, but to leave you behind with me."
"Ridikar, my family needs me to fight," Tayla pleaded desperately, her anger fading back into fear. "I can't marry you now; my family needs me, and I have to go back and help them, I have to."
"If you marry me quickly, I'll let you fight with your family, but then you must agree to give up fighting after this war is over and be my wife and the mother of my children. It isn't so bad with me, Tayla, it really isn't. And you wouldn't be lonely; Caline is your friend, right? Caline would be your companion, and I would keep her close to us."
"I thought that your father was so eager to marry her off to Filcork Sediment," Tayla scoffed. "She doesn't like him, but apparently that doesn't matter much to either one of you!"
"It doesn't really matter at all; Caline would be foolish to refuse such a good and prosperous man for her mate. He really isn't that bad as she claims. Filcor Sedemeyer would be a good husband and a good ally," Ridikar argued. "But I could insist that they live in the castle with us. You and Caline could see each other every day, Tayla, and you both would be happier, I am sure. Think about it, princess, your children and Caline's children could be raised together, and all of you would grow up together. We'd all be so happy with each other, Tayla, you can't imagine the respect and esteem that you would have as my wife and future Queen of Calmag. My father would see that we would be taken care of!"
"But, Ridikar-"
"But nothing, Tayla. You are mine, and you are just going to have to accept it. My father and grandfather will see that this marriage that we are about to have stays legal and binding. Your cousin, Prince Lektron, may have beaten him up earlier, and I will make him pay for that, but my father is still stronger; he is to be king right after Grandfather dies."
"Ridikar, your father is-" Tayla decided then and there that Ridikar needed to know the truth about his father's death.
"Don't insult him, Tayla. I know that you think that he treated Caline badly that one day, but Caline had it coming to her. She defied us, the heirs to Calmag's throne right in front of everyone and totally embarrassed us in front of your people. It wasn't well done of her, I'm afraid, and Prince Lektron had no right to interfere with my father's disciplining her. Princess Gracina, your sister, shouldn't have intervened either, and now they both made things worse. My father and I will practically have to drag Caline down the aisle on her wedding day, kicking and screaming. She is such a difficult girl, really; you two seem to have that much in common, but you both will grow and learn. She will learn to obey me, her father, and her husband, and so will you!"
"Ridikar, your father is-"
"That's enough, Tayla; I don't want to hear it anymore. You will be quiet from now on until we reach Benedon. Just to make sure that no one hears you, however, I am going to put this gag into your mouth." And with that, Ridikar pulled out a handkerchief, and before Tayla could say another word, he stuffed it into her mouth and tied the cloth securely around her face with a double knot.
Tayla began to struggle, and tears started forming at the corners of her cocoa-colored eyes. Ridikar brushed the tears away with his thumb, and then he gently kissed Tayla's now pale cheek, nuzzling the smooth adolescent skin. He began to whisper sweet nothings into her slightly pointed ear, so similar to Calmagian ears, saying:
"I love you, Tayla, and don't worry, you will be happy with me, I promise."
Tayla then closed her eyes and tried to keep any more tears from coming. Ridikar just pulled her back against him further and wrapped his arms around the tiny girl, cuddling her close, as he leisurely stroked her hair and arms. Tayla began to sob, but her sobs were so muffled that she herself could barely hear them.
