King Kold and King Vegeta stood opposite each other. Between them was a large stone circle on the ground, built into the grass of one of the gardens at King Vegeta's palace. This was where the final confirmations of important agreements such as the one of Prince Vegeta and Prince Frieza's wedding took place.
Their sons stood at their sides, both staring at the ground.
"Lift your head up, boy." Kold mumbled. "What will King Vegeta think?"
"He can think what he likes." Frieza replied. He lifted his head up anyway, though. At the same time as Prince Vegeta.
"Kold, is your son agreed?" King Vegeta asked.
"Certainly. And yours?"
"Of course."
"Good." Kold gave his satisfied smile. "Well, I believe all we need now is for them to make their wishes known." He pushed Frieza forward a little with his tail. "Go on."
"……" Frieza nodded, his face expressionless. "Yes, father."
"Vegeta," King Vegeta gave his son a light kick. "And you?"
"….. Hai." Prince Vegeta mumbled.

Frieza and Prince Vegeta stepped onto the circle. They both turned their heads to shoot one last pleading glance at their fathers, who just stared coldly and sternly back.
The two princes moved closer in, until they both stood opposite each other in the center of the circle. Frieza stared down at the saiyan prince and Vegeta, up at Frieza.

Vegeta walked over to Frieza, and took off the medallion he wore around his neck. He held it up to Frieza.
"For you, Frieza-san." He said. Frieza took the medallion, and put it on. This, of course, was the first signal that the marriage would in fact take place. Kold nodded approvingly for Prince Vegeta giving Frieza the medallion, and King Vegeta nodded in the same approving way for Frieza wearing it.

Now it was Frieza's turn to make his gesture. He swallowed, and knelt down to reach the little prince. Prince Vegeta put up no resistance and just stood there as Frieza leaned in and kissed him.
King Vegeta and King Kold both gave two other nods.
Frieza pulled away, and stood up.
"I shall gladly be your husband." He recited the words his father had taught him to say.
"And I, yours." Prince Vegeta answered with words that had been taught to him by his own father.
"Well," King Vegeta stepped towards them, along with King Kold. "I believe there is nothing else to be said."
"Well then, it's agreed." Kold replied. He put his hand on his son's shoulder. Frieza looked away as he did so.
"Our sons will be wed." Kold smiled.
"That's right." King Vegeta nodded. "Alright then," he looked at his own son, and then at Frieza. "We'll leave you two alone while we discuss the wedding arrangements. Feel free to explore the gardens." With that, he looked at Kold, and they both left.

Frieza waited until they were both out of sight, then he looked at Vegeta.
"I'm sorry about that." He said.
"I understand." Vegeta replied. "It's a traditional gesture made in an arranged marriage."
"This marriage is certainly arranged, there is no other way I'd go through with it!" Frieza exclaimed.
"You don't want to go through with this either?" Vegeta asked.
"Well of course I don't! First of all, you're just a child, and second of all… you're not my time."
"You're straight too, huh?" Vegeta mumbled.
"They must be crazy, why on earth would they want us married?" Frieza protested.
"My father tells me it's so I can be king of your race…" Vegeta answered.
"Yes…. And my father wants us married so I'm king of yours." Frieza told him.

"Why are you going along with it?" Vegeta insisted.
Frieza looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"How old are you?" Vegeta asked.
"Excuse me, that is a very personal question!" Frieza frowned.
"Well you can't be that old, you don't look a day over twenty." Vegeta replied.
"Oh…." Frieza was rather flattered by this remark. "Well…. If you must know, I'm thirty five."
"Wow, really?" Vegeta seemed surprised. "Well, changelings must age slower than saiyans." He shook his head. "But anyway, you're by far an adult. Surely Kold can't push you around like this! Why do you let him?"
"You could ask why do you let your father push you around." Frieza answered back.
"That's different. I'm five years old. My father has legal rights over me. Yours doesn't." Vegeta replied. "Why don't you just tell him that you don't want to marry me? There's nothing he can do about it!"
"……" Frieza looked away. "Prince Vegeta, with all due respect, you're much too young to understand even your own family issues. Let alone mine!"
"What is THAT supposed to mean?" Vegeta frowned.
"Nothing. I'm simply telling you to stay out of my domestic life. That's all." Frieza replied.
"But why?" Vegeta frowned in confusion. It was then that he noticed for the first time the mark Frieza had under his left eye, as if he had been hit.
"Where is that scar from? He asked.
"Hm?" Frieza looked at him. "Oh!" he touched the bruise. "I… I had an accident while training." He said. Vegeta wasn't convinced, but at the same time not that bothered right now.
"Frieza, you have to tell your father that you are an adult!" he insisted. "Please, you're the only one who can! You must stop this wedding!"
"… I…."
"Frieza, come on! He has no power over you! None what so ever! You are an adult, and if you don't want to go through with this wedding, he can't make you."

"…….." Frieza seemed to be considering Vegeta's words very carefully.
"I…. Suppose I could challenge him. After all, I am an adult…"
"Frieza!" Frieza jerked his head towards the sound of his father's voice calling him.
"Yes!" a triumphant look appeared of Vegeta's face. "Tell him! Put a stop to this wedding!"
Frieza glanced in the direction of his father.
"I…."
"Frieza! Come here this instant, boy!"
"Frieza?" Vegeta looked at him. Frieza looked back at the saiyan prince.
"I'm sorry. I can't." he said. Quickly, he rushed off to him father.
"But Frieza – " Vegeta didn't bother finishing the sentence; Frieza had already gone. He watched the changeling leave. Call it intuition, but he had the feeling something wasn't quite right with Frieza and his father.
"Hmmm…."

~~~Later~~~

"Vegeta-sama," a servant entered King Vegeta's chambers.
"Hm?" King Vegeta replied, not bothering to open his eyes to look at the servant. The king lay on a table on his stomach with a towel around his waist, his back, shoulder and feet being massaged by two very attractive female servants. His head rested on his folded arms.
"Your son wishes to talk to you." The servant told him.
"Yeah, what about?" King Vegeta replied carelessly.
"He will not say, but he says it's important."
"……" King Vegeta sighed. "Alright, send him in."
"Hai, your majesty." The servant said with a bow. She moved towards the door, opened it, and finally she bowed as Prince Vegeta walked impatiently in, before leaving the room altogether.
"Father, I want to talk to you!" Prince Vegeta announced.
"I know that, the servant just told me." King Vegeta mumbled, already bored of this conversation. "Well spit it out, boy! What is it?"
"I have reason to believe Prince Frieza isn't being treated properly." Prince Vegeta told him.
"Now what on earth makes you think that?" King Vegeta asked.
"Did you notice that injury he has under his eye?" Prince Vegeta replied.
"No, I can't say I did." King Vegeta answered. "And if he did have an injury, he probably got it through training."
"That's what he said." Prince Vegeta told him.
"Then what's the matter?!" King Vegeta insisted. "Away with you, boy. You're wasting my time!"
"Father, I don't think Frieza was telling the truth." Prince Vegeta said.
"And what makes you think that?" King Vegeta questioned him.
"He seems very uneasy about talking about his home life, like he has something to hide." Prince Vegeta began. "And I could tell he was lying when he made up that story about being injured in training."
"Are you suggesting that Kold is abusing him?" King Vegeta turned his head to look at his son.
"In a word, yes." Prince Vegeta nodded.
"Interesting." King Vegeta said with a little interest, and turned away.
"Well?" Prince Vegeta frowned.
"What?" King Vegeta spoke with his eyes closed.
"Is that all you can say? Don't you understand?! Kold is beating up Frieza!" Prince Vegeta protested.
"Well what do you want me to do about it?" King Vegeta asked. "Ring social services?" he smirked a little at his own joke.
"Father, don't you see what this means?!" Prince Vegeta demanded.
"Nope." King Vegeta replied.
"If Kold is abusing Frieza, who's to say he won't abuse ME?!" Vegeta insisted.
"He won't. He knows what will happen if he does." King Vegeta told him.
"Well still, I don't want to be marrying someone in their thirties who gets beaten up by their own father! The man is obviously a loser!"
"He is NOT a loser!" King Vegeta still didn't look at his son, but his tone did all the work for him. "Get out, will you? I know you only came here to try your luck at putting a stop to this wedding but it won't work. You're marrying Prince Frieza and that is the end of it. Understood?"
"But father – "
"Vegeta!" King Vegeta turned his head this time. He glared sternly at his son. "I'm warning you! This is the last I want to hear of it, you understand? Now go on, get out!"
"….. Hmph!" Vegeta stormed out, leaving a servant to close the door after her.

King Vegeta gave an annoyed sigh.
"That child!" he growled. "I always thought there was something wrong with him. Argumentative little brat." He mumbled. He moved his head a little to address the servant that massaged his back. "Go higher!" he snapped. "What do you think this is, a smear test?! And you, a little more round the ankles!"
The servants rolled their eyes and obeyed him. Great, he was in one of his moods again.