A/N: I do not own the DBZ characters, but Laylyn and the entire populace of and planet Nayr are mine. J
Chapter Three
Frieza and Laylyn had only walked a few feet when she paused and tilted to her head to one side, as if listening to something. He strained to make out any unusual noises, but he was on a planet where any noise was strange to him, and so the calls of the forest animals meant nothing special to him. He reached out with his ki, but felt no dangerous presences. The girl at his side seemed to be rather tense, so he did not let down his guard, his grip tightening on her hand as he waited to see if anything attacked them.
Suddenly Laylyn pulled her hand from his grasp and whispered, "No matter what you see, stay here and remain still."
Frieza frowned at her, not liking the sound of that. He did not want to be separated from her if there was possible danger. He opened his mouth to speak, but Laylyn reached up and laid her fingers against his lips. A jolt of pleasure went through him and rendered him speechless, and Laylyn used his disorientation to her advantage, moving away from him before he could argue the matter. He watched in silence as she quickly made her way to a small stand of trees and then dropped to her knees on the ground, bowing her head in a sign of respect.
Frieza stared at her, wondering what she was doing. He still didn't sense anything nearby, and he was about to speak when he heard something move. A white blur plunged from the trees, moving so quickly that he couldn't see it clearly. In its wake came a rush of emotions: joy, love, peace. All foreign to him for the most part, though he was starting to understand that the planet of Nayr was a paradise in more ways than one. The feelings swept through him with startling intensity. He knew in an instant that the creature would not harm Laylyn. It radiated a purity, a serene sense of good, that left no room for malice in the beast's heart.
As Frieza looked on, the creature slid to a halt before Laylyn and lowered its head. It made a soft sound that sent waves of tranquility through Frieza, making him feel completely at ease. He realized that even though the animal was no longer moving, he still could not see it in any detail. It simply appeared to be a large, though slender, white blur. He frowned, wondering if the creature used Magic to hide its appearance. If that was the case, were there other beasts on Nayr that could use Magic as well? At that moment, the animal raised its head and looked directly at him. It let out a clarion cry and then turned and fled back into the trees, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
He saw Laylyn stare after the creature, obviously surprised. Then a tiny frown appeared on her face, and she glanced at him with a bewildered look in her eye. She slowly got to her feet and walked back to his side, but she seemed troubled. She stopped in front of him, and glanced up as if she wanted to ask a question. He waited in silence, but she shook her head and then smiled at him once more, the puzzled expression gone as quickly as it had come.
"We had better get moving or it will be night before we get to Seres," she said, her voice only slightly less exuberant than before.
Frieza frowned and said, "What was that thing?"
Laylyn glanced at him in surprise. "That was a unicorn, Frieza," she replied, as if stating the obvious.
Frieza simply shrugged, not really caring so much about the name of the beast. He was more concerned about the expression of dismay he'd seen on her face moments before. "I have never heard of such a creature."
"That is a pity. Unicorns are creatures of love and light, they bring happiness with them and their touch is thought to be divine. They are beasts of absolute purity, there is no hate in their hearts. They can heal the most fatal of wounds with their horn, and they cannot be deceived."
Frieza went cold at those last words, eyeing her as he thought back to how the animal had seen him and fled even though he had not been threatening it at the time. Was it possible the unicorn had seen into his mind? "Are they psychic?"
Laylyn nodded absently, her mind clearly somewhere else. "In a manner of speaking. They are more empathic. They can see into a person's heart and soul."
If that were true, his plans might be ruined. That unicorn posed a threat to his infiltrating Sivare society. Yet even the thought of killing the beast was revolting to him. To harm such a noble beast would be…wrong. He doubted he could slay the animal if need be, and that was a startling realization. "They must be quite useful to your people then, if they can read hearts."
Laylyn blinked up at him, and then burst out laughing. "Oh, no, do not mistake me, though unicorns can read the heart of any sentient being, they are no one's servant. The only service they offer is that of healing, and they heal us of their own free will. They do not dwell among any people, not even the Sivare."
Frieza was relieved to hear that. He would not have to figure out a way to eliminate the unicorn after all. He immediately relaxed.
Laylyn noticed that Frieza seemed a bit more tense than before, and she wondered if the sight of so magical a creature had upset him. She hoped not, or else he would like very little about the city of Seres and the Sivare. Then again, that could always work to her advantage. If he did not like Nayr, he might leave, and Laylyn could ask him to take her with him, thus escaping her marriage to Thage. She did not know him well enough to ask yet, but if he mentioned leaving Nayr, she would bring it up.
Without even realizing it, she reached out and grabbed his hand once more. "I should warn you that all visitors to Seres are normally blindfolded on the journey to the city. My people are very concerned about their safety," she explained when Frieza visibly stiffened. "However, I am going to transport us there with Magic, so that will not be necessary. First, I must ask your permission to cast this spell upon you."
"That is the second time you have asked before using Magic on me," Frieza replied, his voice tinged with curiosity.
Laylyn nodded. "It is considered taboo to cast a spell on someone without their permission, unless they are your enemy."
"I see," he answered, thinking how right it felt to stand there so close to her, holding hands and just enjoying her presence. He was aware that he was behaving oddly, but for some reason he didn't care. He not only couldn't rouse his normally suspicious nature to be on guard against her, he found he didn't want to. "Well, I can refuse a lady nothing."
Laylyn smiled, an impish look in her eyes. "Really. I'll have to remember that. Now, you have to relax and close your eyes, and I will do the rest."
Frieza did as she asked. With his eyes closed, he became more aware of the sweet, wild scent of her, and he had to fight with his body to remain calm. Laylyn was oblivious to his reaction to her, she was concentrating on her spell. She traced a pattern on her chest, then his. Frieza shivered as her fingers gently slid over his muscles, but he somehow managed to keep his eyes closed and his hands off of her. He knew he was going to have to closely examine his responses to her, both physical and mental, at some point. Now was not the time, but he needed to do it soon or else he knew he never would. It was easier to ignore the strange way he reacted to her rather than to consider the reasons for his behavior, but he sensed this could be dangerous for him. How, he was not certain. He just knew it.
He felt the Magic enter his body in a warm rush, flowing through his veins until he thought he could feel it pulsing in every pore of his being. He seemed lighter, almost weightless, and before he had time to adjust to the feeling, he suddenly started to hurtle forward at an incredible speed. It was similar to the way his ships launched into flight. He could see the world around him, rushing by in a semi blur of motion, but it was too difficult to focus on what he was looking at, and trying to do so made his head ache. So he concentrated his attention on the delicate, hypnotic creature by his side.
When he left this planet, he was going to take her with him. He knew it wasn't wise, but he didn't care. She had made him feel emotions he wasn't even aware he still possessed, and he barely knew her. The idea of leaving her behind had already become unacceptable to him, and so when the time came to leave, he would take her. He knew that was selfish of him, and felt a momentary pang of sorrow at the thought that she would undoubtedly object to being taken from her homeland. But she was meant to be his. Of that he was certain. No woman had ever made Frieza feel anything but lust before, this female was unique.
Laylyn felt Frieza's hand tighten over her own, and she wondered if he was afraid. She didn't think so. He was so certain of himself, so very confident in his abilities. She found his assertiveness to be rather intoxicating. And sometimes when he looked at her, there was something unreadable in his eyes that made her shiver. She recalled how it had felt to be pressed up against his firm, strong body. He was so very…solid. And though he was admittedly different then the Sivare males, she still found him attractive.
She had been planning on taking him directly to Seres, but now she changed her mind. First she would take him to see the Fey. The shining faeries lived in a land of true beauty and enchantment, and they would not question his presence as the people of Seres would. She found herself reluctant to have Frieza meet her father, for more than one reason. Although Thage was the main one…
The transport spell delivered them to Aoro in mere minutes. Frieza was not prepared for the sudden stop, and his body swayed when the world around him grew still. He experienced a moment of dizziness, and then his body balanced itself and his vision cleared. What he saw took his breath away. He was standing in a wooded glen, surrounded by towering trees that looked to be ancient. Their branches appeared to have grown together, forming living walkways. And on these branches were tiny homes. Hundreds of them. Small, brilliantly lit, multihued creatures flitted among the boughs, and the combination of their various gleaming colors dazzled him.
"Is this your city?" he finally asked, wondering how he was ever going to fit into such small dwellings. He glanced at her, thinking perhaps she would use magic to decrease their size, and found himself wondering what her real height was.
"No," Laylyn laughed, her eyes twinkling. "This is the city of Aoro. It is the home of the Fey, who are friends and cousins to my people. I wanted to stop here first."
Frieza was about to ask her why, when a voice called out "Laylyn! You have managed to escape your cage."
The speaker was female, and fantastically beautiful, in an otherworldly way. Her skin was smooth, her hair long, her eyes lacked pupils, dainty wings fluttered at her shoulders, and twin antenna bobbed delicately on her brow. She was also completely blue, from head to toe, and glowed like a ray of light. She openly stared at Frieza, her expression conveying her curiosity. "Who is this you have with you?"
Laylyn smiled at the girl, and there was a warmth to her gesture that told Frieza the two were old friends. "This is my friend, Frieza of the Ice-jins. He is visiting Nayr and might decide to stay. As for your little jest about escaping, I come here often enough."
The blue fairy arched a tiny brow and said, "Not nearly as often as you used to. Thage is keeping you busy, perhaps. Maybe he can sense your desire to flee."
Laylyn couldn't keep from frowning. She had wished to avoid mention of her fiancé, and that was why she'd come to Aoro in the first place. She should have known her dear friend would bring him up, because Karal knew she had no desire to wed Thage, and was always encouraging Laylyn to break off the engagement, politics be damned.
"Yes, well, more likely it is Orac's doing, not Thage's. But enough of that," she went on, determined to change the subject, " I wanted to show Frieza the beauty of your home."
Karal eyed her for a moment in silence, and Laylyn sent her a pleading look. The fairy gave a small shrug and said, "Any friend of yours is welcome here. Bring him up."
Laylyn smiled, than turned to Frieza. "May I-"
He placed a finger over her lips and said, "I grow tired of you asking that question. You know my answer. You may use Magic upon me whenever you wish."
Laylyn smiled and then bit his finger. An electric shock ran through Frieza, making him grow taut with lust, but then Laylyn chanted some ridiculous rhyme and he found himself shrinking. Karal threw a small pinch of dust upon him, and he began to float in the air, a feeling of giddiness coursing through his veins. He glanced at Laylyn, his eyes wide, and she said, "It's fairy dust. It causes flight, but its side effect is euphoria."
Since Freiza had experienced far worse side effects, he said nothing. Part of him wanted to demand she tell him why she had bitten him in such an erotic manner, but his sane half advised that she had only been playing. And, they had company. It would not do to speak of such things in front of strangers. So he let it go for the moment. Karal was not blind, however. She had seen his reaction to Laylyn's gesture, and she began to think that perhaps this visitor might have his uses. Karal did not want Laylyn to marry Thage. The man was a bore, and not the one for her friend. This Frieza might be able to sever the political engagement. Laylyn seemed to be quite interested in him, and Karal had the feeling he was taken with her.
She turned and drifted up to the treetops, her aura lighting the way. Laylyn grabbed Frieza's hand and followed the fairy. The next few hours passed in a blur for Frieza. Aoro was a place of wondrous natural beauty, and the environment was a peaceful, playful one. He was given exotic foods, drank the richest wine he had ever sampled, and teased into singing duets with Laylyn. Frieza had never sung in his life, but he participated boldly, seeing that it made Laylyn laugh.
Eventually, Laylyn told him it was time to leave. They bid farewell to the Fey, and Frieza agreed to visit them again. Then Laylyn placed the transport spell upon them, and they were off, to her home city of Seres. The trip was not so bad this time, as Frieza had experienced the odd sensation before and was growing more accustomed to it. Laylyn seemed rather tense, but he decided not to question her about it. He had heard the Sivare were isolationists, and he doubted they were pleased to have interplanetary visitors. He assumed she was nervous about bringing an alien being into her home. He squeezed her hand, trying to be reassuring, and then went still. He could not believe how natural it felt to care for her, to comfort her, to make her laugh. He had almost completely lost sight of the reason he had come to Nayr, and in less than a day's time! He needed to distance himself from her, but as Frieza glanced down at the lovely lady by his side, he knew that wasn't a possibility anymore.
They came to an abrupt halt, alerting Frieza that they had arrived. He looked up and then his eyes widened at the vision before him.
"Welcome to Seres," Laylyn replied, a smile upon her lips as she watched a mesmerized look come over Frieza's face. "Welcome to my home."
