Here is chapter one in its finished form. If you read the expert of the draft please read over even t he
parts you've already read before because I have added several clarifications in
them.
Disclaimer: I do not own nor
have I ever claimed to own Dragon Ball Z or any of its characters. I do own this story and the characters I've
created for this story including Naoko, Nira and Ice who appear in this
Chapter. This is a Nonprofit work.
The Vegeta Triology
Part 1: The Cold Accord
Chapter 1: The Prince Meets the Tyrant
Vegetasei was buzzing with excitement. The public buildings that contained viewing screens were full to capacity, still thousands of others stood in front of the massive screen near the courtyard to the royal palace and those who were especially fortunate were guests inside the Great Hall in the royal palace itself. The main attraction that day was the Warrior's Appointment Ceremony of Prince Vegeta and all were eager to see the historic event.
The Great Hall was especially spectacular that day. Of course it was the most spectacular room in the palace to begin with because it was for created for public viewing and what better way to make a grand impression of the ruling family's power on the minds of those who saw it than for it to strike awe in their hearts? By some other race's standards the room would have been thought rather sparsely decorated but for a warrior race, such as the saiyajin it was just enough without being unnecessarily gaudy. The palace servants had taken special care to clean and polish every square inch of the marble-like floor, hanging brass light fixtures, and large gilded windows that lined the room so that the sunlight that shone inside was reflected back making the whole place seem to sparkle.
The grandly attired guests that hung back around the outskirts of the room chatted amongst themselves while the new arrivals who, after having been announced, made their way to the three thrones and their occupants toward the rear of the hall to pay their respects.
The handsome royal family sat tall and proud on their golden ornate thrones as they received their guests. Today they wore their ceremonial dress, which instead of the typical royal blue and white house colors, was gold and black. Queen Naoko, who sat in the center throne, being the royal of the least importance in saiyajin society, was in a pure black dress of a shimmery, skintight almost translucent material. She wore a femininely cut golden breastplate that glinted in the light, her golden royal pedant of office about her neck, and a long golden sash accented her waist and hung to the floor. Flanking her both the King and the Prince were in identical attire except for two items. Both were clad in long sleeved, black body suits of the same material as the queen's dress (only it wasn't translucent), golden breast plates with the black embossed royal coat of arms over their hearts, blood red capes spilling over their shoulders and royal pendants, however Prince Vegeta insisted on wearing every day white gloves and boots instead of the black gloves and boots that were a normal part of the ceremonial costume.
The young prince stifled a yawn as the 50th couple of that afternoon came up and bowed before the royal family. "This has got to be the worst day of my life," he thought bitterly as they knelt first before the King and then before him. "Stupid ceremonies are the first thing I will do away with when I am King," he thought nodding at them pretending like he cared.
"May the gods bless you with a bountiful future" the saiyajin nobleman said
"What other kind of future do you expect?" came the five-year-old prince's remark startling all especially his mother.
"Vegeta they merely want to express their loyalty" she berated them.
"Then that is what they should say," he haughtily said back to the Queen eliciting a laugh from his father. "Every one knows that this thing is a sham. They only ever say good things about the future of the next King. This is a waste of time I could be using to train" Vegeta remarked crossing his arms over his chest.
"You are excused" the Queen said to the couple who quickly went on their way. Naoko was deeply distressed about her son's lack of respect for this saiyajin tradition but she couldn't expect anything else. He was spoiled and petted by everyone, including herself, and thus had come to the conclusion that the entire universe revolved around him. He was looked upon by the entire saiyajin people with the awe and ardor due a god, because of his incredible power, and they all expected him to become the Legendary. Add to the plate that he was intelligent, far more so than a boy of his age should be, made it worse. King Vegeta was arrogant to be sure, but the prince was far worse and Naoko knew that the pride of both father and son would be their undoing if they were not checked.
"Vegeta" the King told his son "you know that these ceremonies are a necessary evil. It gives the people a sense of being a part of the Empire."
"It is still a waste of my time," the Prince stated irritably setting his brow into a scowl. "I don't understand why we have to just sit up on a throne and watch everyone else have fun especially since it is supposed to be a party in my honor."
Before the Queen could remind him of his royal duty and honor the announcer's clarion call caught her ear.
"Lord Freeza of the Cold Empire" the caller announced.
Naoko turned to her mate venomously hissing reproach. "How could you?" she spat falling into the role of an angry mate and mother instead of the respectful Queen. "It isn't bad enough you have formed a pact with him but you invite him to our son's Warrior's Appointment?"
Vegeta was surprised with his mother's outburst and then he grew excited. He had heard his parent's fight about Freeza often and he had heard his name whispered in fear by others but he had never seen him. Although he was forced to sit in on other bureaucratic meetings as part of his royal training he had never been allowed to sit in on the ones with Freeza. He craned his neck anxious to get a better look at the all-powerful warrior.
"Know your place woman!" the King snapped back at his mate. "He heard of it and asked to come. It is all a part of diplomacy."
"He will be our undoing Vegeta" she told the King.
Only half-registering his parents' exchange Vegeta watched as a pasty, horned creature with a long tail whipping behind him entered the hall. Vegeta was surprised that he appeared to be alone, no bodyguards or dignitaries accompanied the ruler of half the universe, as one would expect. All the activity in the hall had stilled and all eyes were on Freeza as he confidently strode towards the thrones. Vegeta was surprised to see that Freeza wasn't very tall or stately; in fact he wasn't that impressive looking. Their was a great shelf of bone around the back of his head and down the sides of his face from which the shiny black horns protruded out of either side of his head almost making him appear top heavy. A great deal of his skin was pink, corded and scaly except for the skin around his face and hands which at first looked white but upon closer perusal had a sickly looking, barely visible pinkish cast to it. As the tsirijin stood before the throne Vegeta noted that he had almost-black lips, a wine color so deep it looked ebony in the shadows, drawn up into an imperious smile and red eyes that appeared to be studying Vegeta as intently as he was studying him.
"King Vegeta" the tyrant said in a raspy rather prim gentlemanly voice directing his gaze to the saiyajin monarch "how good to see you again." He then directed a quick glare of dislike to the Queen, which she returned.
"I'm so glad you came Lord Freeza" the bearded King replied.
"How could I miss the opportunity to finally meet your son who I've heard so much about," he said smoothly once again directing an intimidating gaze to the young prince.
Young Vegeta met the tyrant's gaze straight-on in defiance the corner of his mouth turning up in a rebellious smirk. "And I am glad to meet you Lord Freeza" he said sweetly. "Tell me is it true that you are the most powerful warrior in the universe?"
Freeza's eyes widened slightly at the brazen prince. He had never heard of a child that dared speak-up to or question a visiting dignitary let alone a ruler. He returned his own smirk of challenge. "No one is as powerful as I am" Freeza informed the prince.
"Not for long" Vegeta said proudly to the tsirijin relishing in the horrified gasp of his mother.
"You are very young to have such an ambition" Freeza said seemingly unfazed by the prince's remark.
"I'm an over-achiever" Vegeta remarked.
The powerful Lord chuckled. "Your son is refreshingly bold," he said to the King condescendingly. "I do tire of the boot-licking lackeys that surround me all day. He speaks well for a child of his age. I must say I am very impressed with him." He then turned his gaze back to the boy. "And if he is half as skilled in battle as he is with words then I will be still more impressed, however, he shall never compare to me."
Vegeta's, anger that had been growing steadily when the tsirijin began to mock his father, exploded with the stab aimed at him. "We shall see Freeza" Vegeta snapped, "When I become the Legendary no one will touch me! Not even you!"
"Hold your tongue boy!" King Vegeta bellowed.
Freeza chuckled again. "It is quite alright Your Majesty" he said with a dismissing wave of his hand "besides if what I have heard is true the boy is far more powerful than you are so I doubt you could discipline him effectively."
King Vegeta fairly growled under his breath and composed himself.
Freeza then directed his icy stare at the prince. "You are passionate little monkey but do not place too much stock in legends" he mocked. "I shall be seeing you again." With that he nodded to the shocked couple and disappeared into the crowd.
Naoko who had remained quiet through the entire exchange felt sick with foreboding. "Vegeta" she told her son. "You mustn't say such things to him. He is dangerous."
"You should have respect for Lord Freeza," the King added. "He is very powerful."
Vegeta 'humphed' and leaned lazily on the arm of his throne. "He had no respect for you and you are a powerful King," he said. "Why should I respect him?"
The family discussion was cut short when one of the royal guards approached. "Excuse me, Your Majesty," she said with a bow "but the soothsayer is here."
"Then let her in and we will begin the ceremony," King Vegeta declared rising.
After a disapproving glance was received from his mother Vegeta sat up straight.
"Every one" the King yelled over the cacophony "we are ready to begin." Once the noisy throng had quieted he cleared his throat as he began his speech. "Today is a momentous day for Vegetasei. Today its Prince has reached the age and skill level deserving of recognition as a warrior. It is particularly momentous in that he is the first on record to be appointed directly to Super Elite and the first in 1,000 years to attain the qualifying power level a full two years before the age of appointment."
Vegeta tuned out his father's boring speech and looked out at the sea of familiar faces marking that everyone he would wish to be there was there but for one. "Mother" he whispered in question leaning over to her. "Where is Nira?"
The Queen looked up and around as well. "I don't know" she replied noticing the disappointment on her son's face "but I'm sure she will be here any moment."
"Vegeta, Prince of Vegetasei come and receive your appointment" King Vegeta said beaming with pride.
Vegeta sighed and stood up to applause. He hoped it would be over quickly and he could sneak away after that.
Freeza slid into the library unseen. It had been all too easy to slip away since everyone's attention was on the ceremony. He scanned the room his ears perked to detect the slightest sound. His eyes snapped to the corner where the scene before him began to twist and an outline of a tsirijin became barely discernable.
"It is alright my dear," he said clasping his hands behind his back "there is no need to expose yourself any further. I know you are here."
"As you wish my Lord," the soft feminine voice replied. "Has it been done?"
"The ceremony has already begun" he replied. "Don't worry this won't take long. I know you have an attachment to the boy and wouldn't dream of keeping you from it. What do you have to report?"
"Nothing of great importance" the female continued. "Your supporters and those that speak against you are the same as they always were. The Queen being the loudest in the latter group."
"Its too bad she doesn't like me" Freeza said gleefully "but as long as she doesn't exert any undue influence over the King then she can remain alive. What of the supporters, have they accepted the bribe?"
"Yes my Lord" she said "they will eagerly pursue your interests with the King."
"Good" he replied. "I'm glad things are running so smoothly. Now that is all and you can be on your way, but with this word of warning. Do not let your affections lead you to question where your loyalty lies."
"I won't my Lord" the voice replied and the shape headed for the door of the room.
"One more thing Ice" Freeza at last said unclasping his hands. "Keep me updated on the Prince's progress, he has caught my interest."
"As you wish my Lord," the voice replied in a worried tone and then the door opened and closed leaving the changeling Lord by himself.
Freeza smiled to himself. He soon would have another empire under his sphere of influence that would add to his fearsome reputation. "Just think I won't have to waste anymore of my soldiers by using them to purge planets. They will be free for me to use for wars and conquests instead. Maybe I'll even find a soldier or two in amongst the ranks of these monkeys to strengthen my army, like the Prince." The evil Lord smiled wickedly. Things couldn't have been more perfect.
"I pledge to live and die for the battle; to uphold the honor of my house and people; and to do all things for the glory of Vegetasei," the young prince recited from memory kneeling before his father his fist clinched over his heart.
"Then arise warrior prince," the elder Vegeta stated.
Young Vegeta rose facing the cheers of the adoring masses that lined the great hall and smugly he drank it all in. "At last I am officially recognized as the warrior that I am," he thought to himself with pleasure. "It was ridiculous that even though I have been the strongest saiyajin alive for quite some time that I couldn't be recognized as such just because I wasn't the traditional age to be appointed to the ranks of the army." He smirked, the lopsided smirk of his mother, crossing his arms over his chest, like his father, and basked in the glory of being royalty hailed by his subjects. With the air of deference of a god who was condescending to share his universe with mortals he bestowed those fortunate enough to catch his eye with a nod of approval. His eyes then spied Freeza in the back who seemed to be highly amused by the scene before him as if the Prince of Vegetasei was something to be scoffed at. Not one to be undone young Vegeta gave him his best scowling glare and then moved on until he reached the young saiyajin woman with the violet eyes toward the back of the room. Catching Nira's eye he gave her one of his rare true smiles that she returned clapping wildly.
"And now," King Vegeta stated "as is traditional, the life of our future warrior king will be told." Turning he sat back down on his throne leaving the prince standing alone to learn his fate. "Come forth soothsayer," he ordered.
Prince Vegeta cocked his eyebrow as the crowd parted for the old woman. She was clothed in a long black cape that covered her entire body and touched the floor. Her slightly pointed ears revealed her age, as did her hair, which was almost entirely gray but for two braided, black locks near the sides of her face. It was rare for a saiyajin to live to be so old. Most were killed in battle before they reached their hundreds but this woman had never seen a battle because of her unique gift. He was the 5th generation that she had lived to read. She approached the steps and kneeled before him. He looked at her with mild interest, after all she was the oldest known saiyajin on the planet, but not with anything approaching the eagerness of the other attendees for this was the part he despised the most. The appointment ceremony and feast weren't so terribly bad to suffer through but the reason for this part escaped him. The other peasant warriors never had their future read when they were appointed so he didn't see why it was done for royalty. All they ever did was tell about the great deeds that the King supposedly would do during his reign most of which never came to pass. He had read the records and watched recordings of this woman's previous readings and they were all the same.
"Old woman," Vegeta said to her "I dare you to give me my true future and not the lies you told my father. That is if you can."
"Young Prince" the woman said looking up at him with black eyes lined with crow's feet "know this. You want to know the truth about the future but it isn't always what we would like it to be."
Vegeta arched his eyebrow growing slightly more curious with what she had to say as she stood up.
"You will out live everyone in this room save one" she stated "but even he you will outlive in another life. You will never be King of Vegetasei because of him but you will find a crown of another sort. You will find the vengeance, which you seek, however, be warned that in your quest for it you do not become that which you despise. If you do not let your heart become completely cold you will find a balm for its wounds in time."
"What kind of a reading is that?" the bemused Prince asked.
"The kind you wanted" she answered with a slight smile. "I gave you the truth. No one ever wanted the truth before." With that she unceremoniously turned and walked away from the throne amongst the murmurs of the crowd. The soothsayer watched their reaction with amusement and a touch of sadness because she knew their fate. She knew that in a few short years Vegetasei would be destroyed and that its executioner now stood in her path to the door. Before she reached the exit she hesitated for a moment in front of Lord Freeza and, careful not to look back at him, she spoke to his mind. "I have a reading for you as well my Lord. The path that you now are taking will lead to your death at the hands of a saiyajin. " She then turned and smiled at his shocked expression just before she disappeared from view.
Freeza clinched his fists in silent anger. "How could she know that I have anything but peaceful diplomatic intentions?" he wondered. He shot a glance up to the raised platform and to find Prince Vegeta, who had remained standing in the same place where the woman left him, was curiously staring at him. It was then the woman's words came back to him. "The path you now are taking will lead to your death at the hands of a saiyajin." "Could it be possible that those absurd legends are true?" he thought looking at the boy who his people proclaimed to be the next Legendary Super Saiyajin. He watched as the young prince glared at him and turned with a snap of his cape and lowered himself onto his throne. Freeza turned and began to stride out of the hall but stopped short and turned to get a last look at the Saiyajin Prince. "I will be watching you young monkey," he said under his breath before leaving the celebration all the more determined to grind the saiyajin race under his thumb.
And thus the love/hate Freeza has for our little prince, his fear of the saiyajin and our story begins.
As I said before in the draft of this chapter I am
implying that there are female tsirijin. Even though it is popular in the fan fiction world to make Changelings
either hermaphrodites or asexual there is nothing in either the manga or anime
to suggest that is the case. In my
version of the Dragon Ball universe there are female tsirijin and if you don't
like it then don't read this story.
Next time you will learn a little more of Freeza's plan
and where its headed and the Prince's family life in…
Chapter 2: Proposed Alliance
Stop by my homepage at http://www.geocities/l_songbird.com
for previous chapters of this epic, other stories I've written, as well as
artwork based on my stories.