A/N: I do not own Frieza, nor any of the characters from DBZ.

Chapter Seven

            Frieza arrived at the lake in a matter of minutes. He knew it would be another hour or so before Laylyn arrived, but he didn't mind waiting, since he knew it was well worth the ecstasy of being in her arms. She insisted on arriving at separate times so as to avoid rousing her parents suspicions, and while Frieza understood her desire for secrecy, it still galled him that she felt their love was something to be hidden away. He knew her parents would never approve, and though he cared little for their opinions, he knew Laylyn loved her family deeply. Her loyalty to them was unshakeable, and sometimes Frieza was jealous of her devotion to them, wanting her love to be for him alone. But he knew she was close to her family, far closer then he had ever been to his own.

            Before long, he became aware of someone approaching. It was her, and she was crashing through the darkness loud enough to alert the whole area to her presence. He frowned, wondering why she was being so reckless when she normally took such great pains to approach him in silence. She burst into view, her eyes lighting up with joy and relief when she saw him. She ran into his arms, gasping, "Frieza!"

            He smiled, thinking she was delighted to see him, but right as he bent down to kiss her, an incredible surge of power slammed into the back of his head. His vision grew dim and he fell to his knees, his eyes wide in confusion as he stared up at her. The world started to fade into darkness, and the last thing he noticed was she didn't seem to be surprised by what was happening to him. She wasn't surprised at all.

            Laylyn looked up from the fallen form of Frieza with murder in her eyes. She had known this would happen. Well, perhaps nothing so drastic as this, but she had known something was amiss for weeks. Thage had been avoiding her home, yet she had sensed his presence constantly, as if he were tracking her. Sometimes he was alone, but often there were others with him. At first she wasn't sure what he was up to, and because he had never done anything hostile to her, she had assumed he was only keeping an eye on Frieza as a duty to his people, to ensure that the Sivare were safe from the outsider.

            But when she had left the valley of the unicorns and returned home, she had found her mother in hysterics. Laysynda was sobbing and babbling about Thage taking Nychalys away and holding him prisoner, that the prince had called him insurance, and said his life was forfeit. Laylyn had no idea what her mother was talking about, but she understood that Thage had captured her father, and she had remembered all the times the prince had followed her when she was with Frieza.

            Laylyn's blood had run cold, and she'd used a transport spell to carry her to the lake, even though she knew the prince would sense her use of Magic and be alerted to her presence there. She simply didn't care. She had to get to Frieza before Thage did. Her beloved would be no match for Thage, even though his gifts with Magic were relatively weak, Thage was still incredibly dangerous compared to most other races in the universe.

            Laylyn had been relieved beyond measure to see Frieza alive and unharmed when she'd arrived at the lake, and she had thrown herself into his arms in sheer joy. But before she was able to warn him that Thage had gone mad, he had been struck from behind, by the Prince of the Sivare himself.

            Now she glared at Thage with hatred in her eyes, and she could feel the Magic manifesting around her, responding to her rage, feeding on the fury that was beginning to boil within her blood. Thage backed away from her, sensing her anger and her call to the Magic. Behind him were at least a dozen other Sivare elders, their faces grim as they began to raise shields to protect themselves from her wrath. They were no match for her, her raw talent and power was unparalleled by any of her kind, but they had numbers, and while they could never hope to defeat her, they could nullify her attacks.

            Thage put his hands up in supplication as Laylyn began to stalk him with deliberate, measured steps. "Milady, please, calm yourself. This man you have been carrying on with is quite dangerous."

            Laylyn smiled at him, but her eyes were dark with fury. "It is not Frieza you have to be worried about, Thage. He seems to be sleeping, a nice little spell of yours, no doubt. But I am very much awake, and I am going to kill you," she said, her voice soft, her eyes blazing.

            Thage continued to back away from her, but his manner changed, his mouth growing tight and grim. "I would seriously reconsider doing anything rash, young lady. I have your father, and if you harm me, I'll see to it he dies."

            Laylyn paused, the idea of causing her father further pain too much to bear. She bit her lower lip and then glanced at the prone form of Frieza, and her eyes grew harsh once more. "Fine, I'll leave you in peace if you get out of my sight this instant. I have no idea what you were hoping to gain by attacking Frieza, but I'll not let you take him with you."

            He smiled at her nastily. "How touching, but I'm afraid we can't leave him here with you. He's quite dangerous, you see, and his very life is a threat to the continued existence of the Sivare. We have to take him with us, to be interrogated by the Counsel."

            "I think not," Laylyn hissed, each word ringing with rage, and a great field of Magic rose around her, tossing her hair into a tempest, lightning dancing about her fingers and eyes. "I'll die before I let you take him."

            "Perhaps, but your father will also pay for your foolishness," Thage answered her calmly, sensing the Magic of the elders was enough to protect him from her attack, for the time being. "You have no choice in the matter, Laylyn. This man is far more dangerous then you know."

            "Really?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "How is it that I have not sensed this before? How is it the unicorns did not flee his presence this very night then, when I took him to see them?"

            "I do not know," Thage honestly replied, pausing to drop his eyes to the foreigner who had cost him his betrothed and threatened to cost him the lives of his people as well.

            "Really, Thage, I had not expected such base behavior from you," she sneered, wind roaring around her, tossing her skirt in the air around her legs. "Were you so very upset and embarrassed by the loss of your fiancĂ© to an outsider that you had to concoct some wild notion he was dangerous to the Sivare so that you could have your revenge?"

            Thage flushed at her words, beginning to grow angry himself. "You have no idea what you're talking about, you little fool. I was glad to be rid of you. My father forced me into an engagement with you. I never wanted the marriage, you are too mouthy and headstrong to please any man, a life with you would have been torture. No, I'm glad it's finished. But this man is dangerous. He has destroyed entire planets for his own amusement and to slake his own greed, and I doubt he has come to Nayr in peace, considering we have discovered an enormous star ship in orbit around us, one that is so heavily armed it could destroy us with ease."

            Laylyn hesitated, remembering what Frieza had told her about his past. He had admitted to selling planets to prospective buyers, but he had never told her what happened to the natives of those planets, and she had never thought to ask. Could it be he had slain them?

            "No," she whispered, shaking her head. "I don't believe he means us harm."

            "You mean you don't believe he means you harm," Thage shot back. "It's quite obvious he adores you, I doubt he'd ever hurt you. But it's the rest of our people I worry about, and it is my duty to neutralize any threat to the welfare of the Sivare. You know that. This man must be questioned."

            "I said no!" Laylyn screamed, her fury overwhelming her, and the Magic exploded into an enormous halo of energy that swirled around her in wild circles.

            "If you attack us, your father is dead, and your mother as well," Thage snarled, his eyes dark with promise. "You will be branded a traitor, and your family will be executed."

            "You would harm my mother?" Laylyn asked in disbelief, for her mother had always been kind to the Prince and the King, and had never brought harm to anyone in her life.

            "I would do whatever is necessary to protect my people," Thage answered her, and the elders behind him nodded in agreement.

            Laylyn knew she could not defeat them, nor could she protect her family if they were declared traitors. Their lives would be forfeit. She looked down at the prone form of her true love, her mind assailed by doubts and her heart torn by conflicting emotions. "You will only question him?"

            "Yes," Thage replied, sensing he had won the battle.

            The Magic around Laylyn dissipated, and she bowed her head in defeat. "So be it. But if you harm him, nothing will save you from my wrath."

            She turned and vanished without a word. The elders and Thage exchanged a glance, and then they set about transporting Frieza to the palace.

            Consciousness came slowly to Frieza. He had to fight his way up through a pain filled void, and nausea rolled through him as he began to open his eyes. His head was throbbing, his ears were ringing, and his body quivered with pain. His muscles felt as if they had been pushed beyond endurance. His sight had not completely returned, everything was hazy on the edges and seemed inordinately stark. As he glanced around him, his mind clouded by pain and disorientation, he saw the reason his muscles ached. He was chained to a wall by beams of light, his hands, feet, neck and tail pressed firmly against solid rock so that he couldn't move. He simply hung in place, his muscles bearing the weight of his body.

            He didn't understand what was going on. He was in a barren room that housed only one table and a chair, nothing else. There were no windows, and only one door, making the room seem more like a cave. There was a small fire going in the fireplace, but other then that the room was empty. He had no idea how he had gotten there, his head felt as if someone had put their fist through it. He tried to pull free of the beams of light, but no matter how hard he struggled, they remained immoveable.

            He tried to think what had happened to him, to recall how he had gotten to this place. At first his mind was empty, remembering only the black pain he'd been drowning in, but then suddenly his memory returned, and he recalled his last moments of awareness with grim clarity. He had been meeting Laylyn at the lake like usual. She had come to him, gone into his arms, and then something had struck him, causing him to lose consciousness, and he remembered thinking as he'd succumbed to the darkness that she hadn't seem surprised by what had happened to him.

            Had she betrayed him?

            The idea seemed inconceivable, yet how else had he come to be here, bound and helpless? He attempted to power up, calling to his inner energy, and he was startled when he felt nothing. Normally his power was like a well, responding to his call, but now it felt as if he couldn't reach it. Frieza could sense his energy within his mind, but he could not summon it forth, it was being restrained as surely as his body was. He was being blocked from releasing his own power, and he had no doubt Magic was to blame.

            He began to struggle against his bonds in fury, but they would not move. He thrashed and pulled with his considerable strength, and only succeeded in tearing the flesh of his wrists and neck. The feel of his own blood sliding down his chest brought him an eerie sense of calm, and he began to go over the room once more, looking for some way to escape. As he did so, treacherous doubts kept circling within his mind.

            Laylyn was the only one who the Singing Serpents tolerated, no one else could have approached the lake without rousing their anger. Frieza had not sensed any presence but hers, though he had not been actively monitoring the area. He would still have heard someone else's approach. He had been hit on the back of the head, right as he had embraced her. And, worse yet, he had seen the look in her eyes as he had fallen. She had not been surprised by what had happened to him. And the only plausible reason for that was because she was the one who had struck him.

            Sorrow and rage tore through him, and his heart twisted within his chest as pain constricted his lungs until he felt as if he couldn't breathe. He threw back his head and roared in anguish, the sense of betrayal sweeping though him with such intensity that it threatened to destroy his very sanity. He had never felt such pain, never known it existed. All the times his father had ignored him and given praise to his brother, all the times Coola mocked him, all the times he had been stabbed in the back by members of his own family to further their own wishes, had never hurt like this. He felt as if he were losing his mind. He wanted to kill her, to torture her for deceiving him so cruelly, for taking his love and crushing it. Even as his heart was breaking, he knew he still loved her, and he despised himself, because as much as he desired to kill her, he knew he never would. But he would punish her. Oh yes, he would.

            The door to the chamber flew open, and Thage came striding in, his face clearly alarmed by Frieza's cry of rage. Frieza sneered when he saw the Sivare Prince, and he knew Laylyn had betrayed him without a doubt. Had she been laughing behind his back when she went to meet her lover, calling Frieza a fool for believing her betrothal to this man had been broken, when really they had been misleading him for their own purposes? His hands clenched into fists at his sides, and he impaled the prince with his eyes.

            "Why am I not surprised to see you here?" Frieza hissed, his body shaking with fury.

            "I'll ask the questions here," Thage snapped, his eyes following the trails of blood down Freiza's chest and hands. "Stop thrashing, you fool. You can't escape the bonds, and you'll only hurt yourself."

            "Spare me your false sympathies, you bastard," Frieza snarled, his eyes livid. "I can assure you, when I get out of here, I will have none for you."

            "What makes you think you'll ever get out of here?" Thage shot back, his own eyes narrowing. "I should have you killed now and be done with it, but that is not the way of my people. So instead I will ask you a few questions and give you a chance to defend yourself, Frieza. Why did you come to Nayr?"

            "I told you," Frieza replied, his voice suddenly going very calm as he abruptly stopped thrashing, his eyes never leaving the Sivare Prince's face. "I came here to explore the planet."  

            "Ah yes, I forgot," Thage sarcastically bit out. "But you seemed to have left a whole ship full of soldiers orbiting the planet. Were they here to explore, as well?"

            Freiza stiffened, cursing himself for a fool. He had been so taken by Laylyn that he had failed to see to the safety of his crew and while he might not like his men, he was still responsible for their well being. He narrowed his eyes at Thage and said nothing.

            But the Sivare Prince was not satisfied with his silence. "No, I think they were here to pillage. In fact, I'm quite sure of it. I know who your father is, you know. King Cold is known to me, and my father as well. I had never heard of him having any son save Coola, but then having met you and seen how very easily you are tamed, and by a woman at that, I am not surprised he doesn't wish to be known as your father."

            Thage's words opened raw wounds in Frieza's soul, some old and some new. He had always been jealous of Coola, and had hated his father for his indifference, even as he had desperately sought to gain King Cold's approval. He had told only one person of his father or his brother. Laylyn. And though he had suspected she had betrayed him, Thage's words made it fact. She had told the Sivare Prince everything he'd confided in her, and now Frieza was paying the price for having trusted her.

            "I can't release you, of course," Thage went on, oblivious to the inner turmoil Frieza was suffering. "I know you'll kill me, and most likely my people as well. But I need to know for certain."

            He made a small gesture, and Frieza's mind began to grow fuzzy. He could feel the Magic flowing through him, and he was powerless to stop it. His vision blurred and he suddenly had difficulty focusing. He watched with wariness as Thage approached him and said, "Why did you come to Nayr?"

            "To investigate the extent of the Sivare strength and wipe out the planet's inhabitants so that the planet could be sold to the highest bidder," Frieza replied, even as his mind cursed his mouth for its honesty. Obviously Thage had placed some sort of truth spell upon him.  

            "I thought as much," Thage snarled, his eyes going dark.

            He made a furious swipe with his hand, and Frieza jerked as a slash opened across his abdomen, wracking his body with pain. "How dare you come here and play upon our hospitality, all the while planning to kill us!" Thage roared, making another gesture in the air and causing wounds to open over Freiza's entire body.

            Frieza hissed in pain as his blood seeped to the ground, his eyes closed and his body convulsing.

            "Were it up to me I would kill you now," Thage hissed, his eyes shining with rage. "But the decision is not mine. It is for the Counsel to decide. They have been watching your confessional, you deceptive piece of filth, and now I shall go seek their judgment."

            Thage turned and left the room, and Frieza remained silent, his body in the throes of agony. But even as he shook with pain, and as his blood pooled beneath him on the ground, he smiled. During Thage's anger, the foolish Sivare Prince had lost focus on the bonds that held Frieza's power restrained. Thage had been so enraged he had not noticed his lapse, and now Frieza was going to show him the fate of those who would cross his will.

            With a slight smile, he tapped the depths of his power, and this time it answered him, flooding through him with such strength that the bands of light which held him captive shattered as the energy rushed through his body. He levitated in the air, frowning down at the numerous wounds on his body. The weakling had managed to damage him quite extensively, and Frieza knew that despite his greater power, the mystical abilities of Magic would defeat him in combat. The only way to defeat it was to counter it with surprise. He had a grudge to settle with Thage, one that would not be satisfied until he killed the man with his bare hands.

            And he would make that cold hearted bitch Laylyn watched while he killed her lover. He raised his hand and blasted a hole through the wall, then quickly flew to his ship. Dodoria's face appeared the instant he sent up a signal.

            "Dodoria, send Zarbon and Vegeta down here immediately. I require their assistance."

            The pink blob nodded, and as soon as his picture faded out, Frieza set the controls on his ship to return to the main destroyer in a matter of minutes. As he stepped out of the ship, a small pod landed, and two of his most dreaded killers emerged. Each man was beautiful in his own way, though Zarbon was infinitely more delicate in appearance. Vegeta had a dark handsomeness that was compelling in a brooding way. Each man was lethal, and very efficient.

            Zarbon openly stared at Frieza's bleeding body, but Vegeta merely regarded him with a calm indifference, waiting with all the patience of a trained killer dog.

            "I have conducted my research, boys, and I have decided this planet holds no value. I will have it destroyed."

            "But sire, the readings suggest it has massive amounts of natural resources, and we have buyers," Zarbon began to protest.

            Frieza was in no mood to be argued with, and he reached out to grab his subordinate by the throat, cutting off his air supply. "Listen to me, pretty boy. I want this planet to burn. Do you hear me? The reasons are my own, but I want it destroyed. First, I want to capture a few of the natives to take back with me, and that's why you're here. Now shut your mouth and do as you're told."

            Zarbon nodded weakly and Frieza released him, ignoring the other man's gasps for air. He glanced at Vegeta and gave one short nod, then the three took to the air. He quickly located Laylyn's presence, restlessly pacing the length of her quarters, and told Zarbon where to find her rooms. He had Vegeta follow him to the Sivare Palace, where Thage awaited his precious Counsel's decision on Frieza's fate. He waved Vegeta ahead of him, using the Saiyan's unknown identity as an element of surprise so the Sivare would not think to use their Magic, which they most definitely would do if they spotted Frieza.

            Thage looked up as Vegeta burst into the outer rooms. "Who are you? You are not allowed in the Inner Sanctum. Get out at once!"

            "I'd like to see you make me," Vegeta snarled, ramming a fist into Thage's face and knocking him out cold.

            The Saiyan snorted in disgust as Thage slumped to the floor. "Weakling," he growled before tossing the Sivare over his shoulder and then walking outside to where Frieza waited.

            "Excellent, my boy. Hopefully Zarbon has had an equal amount of success. Knowing my treacherous little Laylyn, she'll take one look at his pretty face and throw herself at his feet," Frieza hissed in disdain, his eyes alight with an unholy wrath.

            Vegeta simply stared at him. He had no idea what Frieza was carrying on about, but he had never seen his liege in such a rage before. Apparently, the wounds Frieza had suffered were more then skin deep. Frieza turned and took to the sky, hurtling back to his flag ship. Vegeta followed him in thoughtful silence, trying to figure out what had rattled his exalted leader to the point of such maddened fury.

             Zarbon was indeed waiting for them at the ship, but the girl he'd been sent to retrieve had obviously not come willingly. She was lying on the ground at Zarbon's feet, her body in an awkward position. Vicious slash marks marred Zarbon's handsome face, and he grimaced when he saw his lord. "She was not very willing to accompany me, milord. She put up quite a struggle for such a small thing. I had to knock her out to get her here."

            Frieza had been bending over Laylyn to examine her for injuries, his heart constricting with fear that she had been severely injured, and he went into a rage at Zarbon's words. "What did you do to her?" he snarled, his body exploding into its massive second form as he lifted Zarbon off the ground by his neck.

            "I just punched her, milord. I had to. She was using some kind of strange power that made the air put wounds across my body."

            "You punched her?" Frieza hissed, his eyes shining with a crazed light that made Zarbon tremble. Without warning Frieza backhanded Zarbon so hard his head snapped on his neck, and his vision grew black around the edges. "Don't you ever touch her again, do you hear me? I will kill you if you so much as lay a finger on her. Get out of my sight," he snarled, tossing Zarbon onto the ground.

            Zarbon crawled to his pod and let the autopilot guide it back to the main ship. Vegeta watched Frieza carefully, noting the way his harsh overlord went down on his knees beside the unconscious girl, a look of remarkable tenderness on his face. Frieza stroked her face and then lifted a strand of her hair to his lips, his eyes closing as if he were being overwhelmed by emotion. The next moment he rose with a snarl, glaring down at the girl.

            "Manipulative bitch," he hissed, his voice full of rage. Yet he handled her with the utmost care as he set her into his ship.

            Vegeta decided right then that Frieza had finally lost his mind, though the Saiyan was wise enough to keep his observations to himself. He stepped into Frieza's ship, the Sivare still out cold and hanging over his shoulder. Frieza gave the command for his small ship to return to the destroyer, and in minutes they were on board the larger vessel. Frieza carefully picked the girl up and carried her to the main deck, his embrace unbelievably gentle and at complete odds with the hate filled look in his eyes.

            He hated her. He loved her. He wanted her to hurt like she had hurt him, but at the same time he didn't think he could bring himself to cause her pain. Not directly, but there were other ways to take his vengeance.