N. Hey! -=Waves.=- Chapter two all ready! I really like writing this
fic..don't know why.just do.
Warnings ~ Violence, Yaoi, Lemon, Language, Sexual Assault. Not in every chapter but this is a general warning for the whole fic.
Disclaimer ~ I own nothing at all! Sue and you will receive a bucket of Kobo drool.
SWAN LAKE
Chapter Two
Vegeta rushed through the darker part of the forest, shadowy trees blocking out all but the faintest beams of the silver moon to light his path. He stumbled over a large root protruding in the center of the narrow dirt road and fell to his knees, tearing one pant leg on the rough ground. The prince scrambled to his feet and continued to run down the winding road until he came to a place where the trees fanned out and the ground rose into a large knoll. Rising from the top of the hill was a massive dark building. A towering castle made of the blackest stone. It rose up into the cloudless sky like an ominous mountain. A handful of windows dotted its smooth walls, and a large iron door overshadowed by angry gargoyles gave the only entrance. A single tier rose out from either side of the center tower, small strands of dark ivy clinging steadfastly to the bottom of each circular protrusion. Vegeta had the smaller tier as his room, or rather his prison. He gazed solemnly at the midnight castle, the abode of his tormenter, and began the last few miles to the door.
Hushed footfalls echoed softly through the stone halls as the prince nervously tried to escape down the candle-lit corridors and up the winding stairs to his bedchamber. Vegeta was not to make it past the first landing this evening. He gasped as a large hand formed of granite stole out of a darkened room and captured his left wrist, holding him in place as another hand clasped his right leg, keeping him motionless. He struggled against the stone hold but was unable to step forward or backward. A steady drumming of thunderous feet marched his way, and he felt his heart clench with a sudden pang of fear as the one controlling the stone hands approached him. He looked up with wide black eyes as a giant form shaped itself from the darkness and loomed above him silently. One narrowed eye glared down contemptuously at him from under a thick eyebrow, the other eye permanently closed by battle scar. A timeworn face twisted in anger held his gaze as he looked down from the hard eyes to the tightly drawn lips under a bushy black mustache. The prince swallowed thickly as the towering man leaned down to look him in the eyes.
"You are late prince." His voice was heavy and raspy, more of a cruel hiss than a whisper. That dark eye held the nervous prince's eyes in a piercing stare. One gloved hand rested heavily on the black flame of hair; gently stroking the soft strands as though he would calm the prince. That same hand suddenly changed from gently petting to harshly twisting and pulling as he wrenched Vegeta's head back and snarled threateningly at his throat. He growled into the prince's left ear. "If you are ever late again Vegeta it shall not go well for you, I promise you that my dear." His dry lips brushed against the soft outer-shell of the prince's ear as he whispered to him. He licked Vegeta's ear lobe and throat, then released him from his hold. With a wave of his hand the stone arms vanished back into the castle wall from which they had come and the prince was able to move once more. He glanced up at the sorcerer who stood a full three feet taller than he did and glared. His mind and heart quickly filling with rage and bitter hate for the man who had cursed him so long ago.
"I ran as quickly as I dared, it is difficult to hurry to a place you never wish to lay eyes upon! There is nothing in this God-forsaken prison that I wish to see or touch! The least of all being yourself, Paragus!" The prince's voice rose with every word as his anger and bitterness began to consume him, till he was shouting at the man's face. He quickly realized his mistake as he saw that single black eye light with livid fire. He had only a moment to stumble back before he was lifted from the ground and slammed into the wall, a large hand slowly squeezing off the air to his lungs by crushing his windpipe. He clawed at Paragus' arm in vain, gasping for breath even as that haggard face leaned in and snarled at him.
"You dare to insult me Vegeta? I could change you into something far worse than a swan you know! Perhaps I should transform you into an ugly little worm and let you crawl about in the earth! You ungrateful little brat! I could have killed you when I slew your father, I granted you mercy if you would be mine, yet you always provoke me to such heights of wrath! Mark my words Vegeta, you are mine, and no matter how much you resist me, I shall have you!" He shook the suffocating prince once and then dropped him to the ground, stepping back as Vegeta coughed and gasped on the floor. "Now my dear, will you consent to be mine?" Paragus' voice had taken an oddly soft tone as he questioned the somewhat subdued prince. Vegeta lifted pained eyes to his face and spat upon him. The sorcerer's lip curled back with furious rage as he brushed the spittle from his silken shirt. He glared down at the prince who was rising slowly to his feet and let out a shout of anger. Vegeta glanced up in horror to see Paragus' eye glowing with a green shimmer and his emerald stone, the source of his power, to be alight with jaded fire. He fled past the man and raced up the stairs to his room, the thundering sound of Paragus' feet pounding in his ears as he chased him up the twisting steps. Vegeta barely managed to get his door closed before the sorcerer could shoot a blast of magic at him, the beam scorching the wall beside his door and chipping away some of the granite there. Paragus slammed his fist into the door, causing the entire frame to shake as he roared in his anger. "You still deny me prince, but if you do not wish to die still cursed as a swan then you will reconsider! Sleep well my darling Vegeta, you shall have no food tonight, perhaps tomorrow your attitude shall be improved. Good eve, my little swan." Paragus sneered through the door before walking away down the hall, his scarlet cape billowing behind the stalking form. Vegeta pounded his fists against the door and tried to open the latch only to find that it had been locked some time during his keeper's tirade. He gave a small cry of dismay and huddled down against the wall, sobbing with frustrated hopelessness.
Kakarot sat beside his father Bardock as the king and his court feasted upon the prince's catch from earlier that day. Nappa had entertained them all with his account of the hunt, leaving out the part where Kakarot had lost the arrow much to the prince's gratitude. After the meal the prince excused himself and took Nappa with him to his chambers for a private discussion. The king watched his son leave the room and turned a thoughtful eye to his two advisors and oldest friends, Fasha and Toma. His counselors had always given him the soundest advice when he needed it, and sometimes when he didn't. He stroked his chin and raised an eyebrow at the two of them.
"Counsel, tell me, what shall I do about my son? He is two years past coming of age, yet he is still without a mate. I pray you both, what is to be done in this case?" He frowned, deeply troubled by his eldest son's lack of interest in getting married. No matter how hard he had tried over the years to get his son a wife, Kakarot would have nothing to do with it. Fasha and Toma looked long at their disgruntled king and quietly spoke between themselves a moment.
"My king, we propose that you hold a ball for the prince. Invite all the maidens of noble birth to it, we are certain he shall choose one of them for his bride." Toma waited for the king's decision and smiled when the crowned head nodded his consent.
"What if he does not wish to wed a maiden?' Piped the second child of the king. Startled eyes turned to the younger of the princes, a pale boy barely out of his teens. He sat unflinching as the female member of the king's counsel glared indignantly upon him.
"Are you proposing our crowned prince does not wish to grace the throne with an heir? It is his royal duty to continue the line! He must wed a maiden whether he desires to or not!" Fasha snorted in distaste at the thought of a prince who wouldn't care about his line. The younger prince spoke up again in a quick rebuttal.
"That is not what I am saying Lady Fasha, I merely stated that my brother has no interest in females. It is a common occurrence, my father himself once favored a man from-" The prince stopped speaking when a fist slammed down onto the table, rattling the dishes in a small tremor.
"That is enough Turles! Kakarot will attend the ball and he will pick a mate from those present, am I understood?" Bardock narrowed his eyes at his youngest, who nodded quietly. "Good, now you are excused, go to your room and sleep well my son." The king waited for his second child to hurry from the room before continuing with the ball preparations with his counsel.
Kakarot had been discussing the events at the lake with Nappa in his chambers the entire time, blissfully unaware of his father's plans. He sighed heavily and sat down on the velvet-lined chair beside his open window. Nappa came to stand behind him and rested a comforting hand on his left shoulder. Kakarot placed his smaller hand over his and smiled at the starry sky.
"I made a vow to go back Nappa, and I shall. Tomorrow I will return to the lake and prince Vegeta will tell me all his secrets, I shall not be denied the tale this time." He glanced up at his friend. "You shall accompany me Nappa?" His burly escort nodded to him and grinned reassuringly.
Vegeta was starving in his room, he hadn't eaten since the evening before and his stomach complained loudly about that fact as he sat slumped by his door. He felt as though he would faint from the exertion of the day's activities and the stress of his emotions on his empty stomach. Just as he was about to crawl to his bed he heard a soft, timid rapping on his door. He knew immediately who it was and whispered through the crack in the doorframe to his only source of hope.
"Raditz, he locked me in again." His voice was nearly inaudible to the sorcerer's son, who crouched outside the door with a small bundle pressed to his chest. The longhaired son of Paragus glared down the hall that led to his father's chambers and shook his head. His cascading locks of ebony swaying gently over his back with the motion. He picked up a piece of the granite wall that had fallen to the floor earlier and held it next to the small green orb around his neck. A soft murmur of strange syllables passed his lips in hushed whispers and the orb glowed briefly before the granite took the shape of a key. Raditz slipped the key under the door to the prince and leaned against the wooden frame carefully.
"I left you a bag of food outside the door, I must go now before father catches me here. Re-lock the door after you get your food and hide the key." The young man flinched when he heard a soft thud from somewhere down the hall. He hissed and stumbled to his feet. "Hurry Vegeta! He comes!" His rushed words were not lost on the prince, who unlocked the door and snatched the precious bag from the halls even as Raditz ran back towards his own rooms. Vegeta closed his door, locked it and hid the key beneath the folds of his mattress. He held his breath as he listened to the sound of Paragus striding past his room and down the hall. Only after the sorcerer was gone did he open the bag and devour the small amount of food in the bag. Raditz had managed to sneak some fruit, a slice of bread, a wedge of cheese, and a piece of roasted pheasant to him this time. The prince hoped the young man wouldn't be caught by his father, Paragus held no qualms when it came to punishing disobedience, whether it was from the prince, or his only son. Raditz always managed to seem indifferent to Vegeta around his father, but secretly the two of them depended on one another for support in the sorcerer's bleak castle. Raditz was as much a prisoner to his father as Vegeta was, the only difference was that Vegeta was cursed as a swan, and Raditz was cursed as a protégé. He was destined to be molded in his father's image, by force if necessary and Vegeta feared for Raditz should his father discover the truth. The young man would surely lose everything if that happened.
The sun arose in a brilliant display of golden elegance as it slowly climbed over the tops of the mountains in the east. Vegeta was all ready awake and waiting beside his door when Paragus unlocked it and escorted the slight prince to the front door of the castle. He paused before opening the iron door and looked down upon the silent prince.
"I shall ask you once again my darling. Will you consent to be mine?" He waited as the prince stared silently at the door. Vegeta made no response to his proposal, he kept his eyes locked on the door and his mouth drawn in a tight line. Paragus snarled quietly and flung the door open with a bang. "So be it! Perhaps another day as a swan shall change your stubborn mind!" He bellowed as the sunlight descended upon the prince, enveloping him in golden light. The luminous swirl of golden rays broke away in a fountain of tiny yellow drops, revealing within an elegant ivory swan. The swan called out once and took to the air, flapping its great wings and speeding from the castle as fast as the winds would take it. Paragus laughed as he watched the bird disappear on the horizon. He turned with a smirk to look up at his son who had been watching from a window. The young man stared solemnly after the path the swan had flown in.
"Raditz! Prepare yourself boy, we start your lessons in fifteen minutes." He yelled out. Raditz nodded to his father and slipped out from the window seat.
Kakarot had gathered all his supplies. He turned to look at his escort and gave him a wry grin.
"Ready to go Nappa?" His calm voice couldn't belie the excitement he felt at seeing the enchanted prince again. His friend could see it twinkling behind his dark eyes.
"Aye my prince." Nappa gave a nod and gently kicked his horse. He blinked as Kakarot gave a shout and spurred his steed onward at a gallop.
"Onward then, to the forest!" Kakarot's voice echoed back to him as he tried desperately to make his horse catch the eager prince.
"Kakarot wait for me! Come on you old nag, move your damned hooves!" Nappa sighed as his horse gave an indignant grunt and continued to plod along at its current pace. The escort snorted quietly. "I could walk faster than this." His horse ignored him and kept on as the prince rode out of sight.
Warnings ~ Violence, Yaoi, Lemon, Language, Sexual Assault. Not in every chapter but this is a general warning for the whole fic.
Disclaimer ~ I own nothing at all! Sue and you will receive a bucket of Kobo drool.
SWAN LAKE
Chapter Two
Vegeta rushed through the darker part of the forest, shadowy trees blocking out all but the faintest beams of the silver moon to light his path. He stumbled over a large root protruding in the center of the narrow dirt road and fell to his knees, tearing one pant leg on the rough ground. The prince scrambled to his feet and continued to run down the winding road until he came to a place where the trees fanned out and the ground rose into a large knoll. Rising from the top of the hill was a massive dark building. A towering castle made of the blackest stone. It rose up into the cloudless sky like an ominous mountain. A handful of windows dotted its smooth walls, and a large iron door overshadowed by angry gargoyles gave the only entrance. A single tier rose out from either side of the center tower, small strands of dark ivy clinging steadfastly to the bottom of each circular protrusion. Vegeta had the smaller tier as his room, or rather his prison. He gazed solemnly at the midnight castle, the abode of his tormenter, and began the last few miles to the door.
Hushed footfalls echoed softly through the stone halls as the prince nervously tried to escape down the candle-lit corridors and up the winding stairs to his bedchamber. Vegeta was not to make it past the first landing this evening. He gasped as a large hand formed of granite stole out of a darkened room and captured his left wrist, holding him in place as another hand clasped his right leg, keeping him motionless. He struggled against the stone hold but was unable to step forward or backward. A steady drumming of thunderous feet marched his way, and he felt his heart clench with a sudden pang of fear as the one controlling the stone hands approached him. He looked up with wide black eyes as a giant form shaped itself from the darkness and loomed above him silently. One narrowed eye glared down contemptuously at him from under a thick eyebrow, the other eye permanently closed by battle scar. A timeworn face twisted in anger held his gaze as he looked down from the hard eyes to the tightly drawn lips under a bushy black mustache. The prince swallowed thickly as the towering man leaned down to look him in the eyes.
"You are late prince." His voice was heavy and raspy, more of a cruel hiss than a whisper. That dark eye held the nervous prince's eyes in a piercing stare. One gloved hand rested heavily on the black flame of hair; gently stroking the soft strands as though he would calm the prince. That same hand suddenly changed from gently petting to harshly twisting and pulling as he wrenched Vegeta's head back and snarled threateningly at his throat. He growled into the prince's left ear. "If you are ever late again Vegeta it shall not go well for you, I promise you that my dear." His dry lips brushed against the soft outer-shell of the prince's ear as he whispered to him. He licked Vegeta's ear lobe and throat, then released him from his hold. With a wave of his hand the stone arms vanished back into the castle wall from which they had come and the prince was able to move once more. He glanced up at the sorcerer who stood a full three feet taller than he did and glared. His mind and heart quickly filling with rage and bitter hate for the man who had cursed him so long ago.
"I ran as quickly as I dared, it is difficult to hurry to a place you never wish to lay eyes upon! There is nothing in this God-forsaken prison that I wish to see or touch! The least of all being yourself, Paragus!" The prince's voice rose with every word as his anger and bitterness began to consume him, till he was shouting at the man's face. He quickly realized his mistake as he saw that single black eye light with livid fire. He had only a moment to stumble back before he was lifted from the ground and slammed into the wall, a large hand slowly squeezing off the air to his lungs by crushing his windpipe. He clawed at Paragus' arm in vain, gasping for breath even as that haggard face leaned in and snarled at him.
"You dare to insult me Vegeta? I could change you into something far worse than a swan you know! Perhaps I should transform you into an ugly little worm and let you crawl about in the earth! You ungrateful little brat! I could have killed you when I slew your father, I granted you mercy if you would be mine, yet you always provoke me to such heights of wrath! Mark my words Vegeta, you are mine, and no matter how much you resist me, I shall have you!" He shook the suffocating prince once and then dropped him to the ground, stepping back as Vegeta coughed and gasped on the floor. "Now my dear, will you consent to be mine?" Paragus' voice had taken an oddly soft tone as he questioned the somewhat subdued prince. Vegeta lifted pained eyes to his face and spat upon him. The sorcerer's lip curled back with furious rage as he brushed the spittle from his silken shirt. He glared down at the prince who was rising slowly to his feet and let out a shout of anger. Vegeta glanced up in horror to see Paragus' eye glowing with a green shimmer and his emerald stone, the source of his power, to be alight with jaded fire. He fled past the man and raced up the stairs to his room, the thundering sound of Paragus' feet pounding in his ears as he chased him up the twisting steps. Vegeta barely managed to get his door closed before the sorcerer could shoot a blast of magic at him, the beam scorching the wall beside his door and chipping away some of the granite there. Paragus slammed his fist into the door, causing the entire frame to shake as he roared in his anger. "You still deny me prince, but if you do not wish to die still cursed as a swan then you will reconsider! Sleep well my darling Vegeta, you shall have no food tonight, perhaps tomorrow your attitude shall be improved. Good eve, my little swan." Paragus sneered through the door before walking away down the hall, his scarlet cape billowing behind the stalking form. Vegeta pounded his fists against the door and tried to open the latch only to find that it had been locked some time during his keeper's tirade. He gave a small cry of dismay and huddled down against the wall, sobbing with frustrated hopelessness.
Kakarot sat beside his father Bardock as the king and his court feasted upon the prince's catch from earlier that day. Nappa had entertained them all with his account of the hunt, leaving out the part where Kakarot had lost the arrow much to the prince's gratitude. After the meal the prince excused himself and took Nappa with him to his chambers for a private discussion. The king watched his son leave the room and turned a thoughtful eye to his two advisors and oldest friends, Fasha and Toma. His counselors had always given him the soundest advice when he needed it, and sometimes when he didn't. He stroked his chin and raised an eyebrow at the two of them.
"Counsel, tell me, what shall I do about my son? He is two years past coming of age, yet he is still without a mate. I pray you both, what is to be done in this case?" He frowned, deeply troubled by his eldest son's lack of interest in getting married. No matter how hard he had tried over the years to get his son a wife, Kakarot would have nothing to do with it. Fasha and Toma looked long at their disgruntled king and quietly spoke between themselves a moment.
"My king, we propose that you hold a ball for the prince. Invite all the maidens of noble birth to it, we are certain he shall choose one of them for his bride." Toma waited for the king's decision and smiled when the crowned head nodded his consent.
"What if he does not wish to wed a maiden?' Piped the second child of the king. Startled eyes turned to the younger of the princes, a pale boy barely out of his teens. He sat unflinching as the female member of the king's counsel glared indignantly upon him.
"Are you proposing our crowned prince does not wish to grace the throne with an heir? It is his royal duty to continue the line! He must wed a maiden whether he desires to or not!" Fasha snorted in distaste at the thought of a prince who wouldn't care about his line. The younger prince spoke up again in a quick rebuttal.
"That is not what I am saying Lady Fasha, I merely stated that my brother has no interest in females. It is a common occurrence, my father himself once favored a man from-" The prince stopped speaking when a fist slammed down onto the table, rattling the dishes in a small tremor.
"That is enough Turles! Kakarot will attend the ball and he will pick a mate from those present, am I understood?" Bardock narrowed his eyes at his youngest, who nodded quietly. "Good, now you are excused, go to your room and sleep well my son." The king waited for his second child to hurry from the room before continuing with the ball preparations with his counsel.
Kakarot had been discussing the events at the lake with Nappa in his chambers the entire time, blissfully unaware of his father's plans. He sighed heavily and sat down on the velvet-lined chair beside his open window. Nappa came to stand behind him and rested a comforting hand on his left shoulder. Kakarot placed his smaller hand over his and smiled at the starry sky.
"I made a vow to go back Nappa, and I shall. Tomorrow I will return to the lake and prince Vegeta will tell me all his secrets, I shall not be denied the tale this time." He glanced up at his friend. "You shall accompany me Nappa?" His burly escort nodded to him and grinned reassuringly.
Vegeta was starving in his room, he hadn't eaten since the evening before and his stomach complained loudly about that fact as he sat slumped by his door. He felt as though he would faint from the exertion of the day's activities and the stress of his emotions on his empty stomach. Just as he was about to crawl to his bed he heard a soft, timid rapping on his door. He knew immediately who it was and whispered through the crack in the doorframe to his only source of hope.
"Raditz, he locked me in again." His voice was nearly inaudible to the sorcerer's son, who crouched outside the door with a small bundle pressed to his chest. The longhaired son of Paragus glared down the hall that led to his father's chambers and shook his head. His cascading locks of ebony swaying gently over his back with the motion. He picked up a piece of the granite wall that had fallen to the floor earlier and held it next to the small green orb around his neck. A soft murmur of strange syllables passed his lips in hushed whispers and the orb glowed briefly before the granite took the shape of a key. Raditz slipped the key under the door to the prince and leaned against the wooden frame carefully.
"I left you a bag of food outside the door, I must go now before father catches me here. Re-lock the door after you get your food and hide the key." The young man flinched when he heard a soft thud from somewhere down the hall. He hissed and stumbled to his feet. "Hurry Vegeta! He comes!" His rushed words were not lost on the prince, who unlocked the door and snatched the precious bag from the halls even as Raditz ran back towards his own rooms. Vegeta closed his door, locked it and hid the key beneath the folds of his mattress. He held his breath as he listened to the sound of Paragus striding past his room and down the hall. Only after the sorcerer was gone did he open the bag and devour the small amount of food in the bag. Raditz had managed to sneak some fruit, a slice of bread, a wedge of cheese, and a piece of roasted pheasant to him this time. The prince hoped the young man wouldn't be caught by his father, Paragus held no qualms when it came to punishing disobedience, whether it was from the prince, or his only son. Raditz always managed to seem indifferent to Vegeta around his father, but secretly the two of them depended on one another for support in the sorcerer's bleak castle. Raditz was as much a prisoner to his father as Vegeta was, the only difference was that Vegeta was cursed as a swan, and Raditz was cursed as a protégé. He was destined to be molded in his father's image, by force if necessary and Vegeta feared for Raditz should his father discover the truth. The young man would surely lose everything if that happened.
The sun arose in a brilliant display of golden elegance as it slowly climbed over the tops of the mountains in the east. Vegeta was all ready awake and waiting beside his door when Paragus unlocked it and escorted the slight prince to the front door of the castle. He paused before opening the iron door and looked down upon the silent prince.
"I shall ask you once again my darling. Will you consent to be mine?" He waited as the prince stared silently at the door. Vegeta made no response to his proposal, he kept his eyes locked on the door and his mouth drawn in a tight line. Paragus snarled quietly and flung the door open with a bang. "So be it! Perhaps another day as a swan shall change your stubborn mind!" He bellowed as the sunlight descended upon the prince, enveloping him in golden light. The luminous swirl of golden rays broke away in a fountain of tiny yellow drops, revealing within an elegant ivory swan. The swan called out once and took to the air, flapping its great wings and speeding from the castle as fast as the winds would take it. Paragus laughed as he watched the bird disappear on the horizon. He turned with a smirk to look up at his son who had been watching from a window. The young man stared solemnly after the path the swan had flown in.
"Raditz! Prepare yourself boy, we start your lessons in fifteen minutes." He yelled out. Raditz nodded to his father and slipped out from the window seat.
Kakarot had gathered all his supplies. He turned to look at his escort and gave him a wry grin.
"Ready to go Nappa?" His calm voice couldn't belie the excitement he felt at seeing the enchanted prince again. His friend could see it twinkling behind his dark eyes.
"Aye my prince." Nappa gave a nod and gently kicked his horse. He blinked as Kakarot gave a shout and spurred his steed onward at a gallop.
"Onward then, to the forest!" Kakarot's voice echoed back to him as he tried desperately to make his horse catch the eager prince.
"Kakarot wait for me! Come on you old nag, move your damned hooves!" Nappa sighed as his horse gave an indignant grunt and continued to plod along at its current pace. The escort snorted quietly. "I could walk faster than this." His horse ignored him and kept on as the prince rode out of sight.