A/N: Going over reviews from the last chapter!
Absolute Fury: It's never explicitly stated that Gohan and Videl are dating in canon; we know during the Buu saga that they have feelings for one another, it's just not outright said and the relationship isn't touched on much after that. We're left to assume that after Buu's defeat, they officially dated before they got married four years later.
X3runner: (She'd probably wanna marry him at that point)
All jokes aside, Ivory would probably take a minute to digest the fact that he's a prince and have a lot of questions about what that meant for his status, but overall would just add to another quality of his she'd be obsessed with. She's already internally smitten with him; this would push her further.
Kirsi sat by the window, swirling the wine in her glass. Earth wine was…much sweeter than she was expecting, not at all unpleasant but it was a shock against her tongue the first time she tasted it. It was welcome, however, because of the overwhelmingly bitter taste in her mouth.
The argument stung, as it always did when she and her daughter were at each other's throats. But this argument was worse than before. They hurled insults at each other, said a lot of things they shouldn't have, Kirsi had even slapped Ivory. Ivory just held her stinging cheek (mostly for show; Kirsi knew Ivory had taken worse hits before) and walked away, but not before insulting Kirsi a final time before she stormed out.
"Stop pretending that you're doing this to uphold Father's legacy. You're doing this for you because you've never cared about anyone but yourself. We would all be better off without you."
She had no doubt that Ivory had meant at least a part her statement. Which part, Kirsi didn't know. She didn't want to believe that Ivory hated her so much that she'd rather Kirsi be dead, because somewhere deep down in Ivory, she still loved her mother; Kirsi was sure of it.
But the other parts, about her being selfish…
It hurt that her daughter saw her that way, but thus was the nature of their relationship. It started to sour when Ivory turned three, when her father, after spending so much time avoiding her, suddenly took an interest in her. Had she intervened, would things have been different? Maybe had she taken a more active role instead of letting the two of them bond without her, things would be different. Perhaps some fault laid with her; she was so happy her husband and daughter were bonding that she overlooked how much they were pushing her away.
Oh, how she longed for the good days, back when Ivory adored her dearly.
~/~
Ivory was about a year old.
She accomplished so much in the space of a year, going from a cooing, babbling little thing in her crib to being able to walk and talk.
Her speech left something to be desired and she could only say simple words, but she was slowly expanding her vocabulary. She was very expressive too; when she couldn't properly express herself with words she did it through body language or gestured wildly with her hands. Kirsi already loved how Ivory was able to say how she was feeling and was slowly trying to teach her that expressing herself mattered, which was something Ivory had already taken to heart.
And she was walking already, walking and always trying to dash away from Kirsi whenever she was given the freedom. She didn't walk completely independent all the time; sometimes she would take Kirsi's hand and lead her wherever she wanted to go. Her steps weren't always confident and sometimes she stumbled but it didn't change the fact that Ivory loved to run around and would either escape from Kirsi when she could or take Kirsi on adventures when she could.
She was already such a smart child and yet Frieza wanted absolutely nothing to do with her.
From the moment she arrived, it was all up to Kirsi to care for her. He laid eyes on Ivory once and decided she was a waste of time and effort. Too soft, too loud, too dependent; he even threatened to kill her on more than one occasion. He didn't bother checking on her more than once every few months, curling his lip in disgust whenever he saw her. She took more after Kirsi, so she reached milestones slower than someone of Frieza's race. As it was, the way she was developing, Ivory was a disappointment.
"You are lucky I allowed you to keep it."
'It' not 'she'. As if their daughter was some sort of pet project and not a being that required care from the both of them. A leech, he had called her, among other things. Kirsi loved him dearly and loved their daughter. But he was distant, even more so now that Kirsi spent a lot of time with Ivory. Perhaps one day, he would grow to love her. But as it stood, Kirsi would have to love Ivory enough for the both of them.
~/~
It was a shame because Ivory had already loved her father so much back then and he never returned it. She'd smile at him and he'd scowl. She reached for him and he would turn his back on her. The one time she accidentally ran into him, he batted her away with his tail. And she would cry and be upset at all of these things and yet, despite it all, Ivory still loved him.
He never cared. Not until That Day.
Maybe…just maybe…she shouldn't have said anything to her husband. Or, better yet, she should've lied to him, taken the blame for what happened. Because it was that incident that brought about a change, that day when Frieza finally showed a spark of interest in Ivory. That day was when it began to all go wrong.
~/~
Their daughter was quickly approaching two years of age, and in that time, she made leaps and bounds in her achievements. The most startling one of all, at least in Kirsi's mind, was when she walked into the nursery to see Ivory floating in the air and giggling. It had taken Kirsi two hours of coaxing to get Ivory to come down, who seemed delighted to evade Kirsi's hands by any means necessary.
She was tired from Ivory's play, so she excused herself for a moment to get herself together, but it was truly just a moment.
A moment too long however, as someone managed to sneak in.
Kirsi to the present day still didn't know what the man had been after. More than likely, it had been another assassination attempt on her life (or possibly on Frieza's life, but it would've failed even if the assailant could have left the nursery). Whatever the case, Kirsi had left the room for a brief moment which was all the assailant needed to get in. Kirsi hadn't heard the scuffle, but she had smelled blood and immediately rushed to her daughter, thinking she was hurt.
There was someone in the room.
Kirsi was terrified, but even more so that the person was dead.
And there was Ivory, standing above the corpse, the hem of her dress slowly staining red as blood soaked into the fabric.
Her daughter was just…staring at the body, looking at it curiously. She didn't look injured, no visible wounds on her body. Her dress was splattered with red but it didn't seem to be hers, and her feet were red from the steadily building pool of blood beneath the corpse. Ivory was wiggling her toes in the mess, smiling.
Kirsi crept closer, giving the body a wide berth as she approached her daughter. As she inspected the lifeless creature, she noticed a single wound in the center of his chest. It was far too big and too mishappen to have come from the weapon beside him and even if somehow, her almost two-year-old daughter had wrestled the weapon from him, she wouldn't have known how to fire it.
That would have to mean…
Kirsi startled when she heard wet smacking sounds, looking down to see Ivory stomping her feet in the blood. She was looking up at Kirsi with a wide smile on her face but Kirsi didn't have it in her to smile back. Her heart was racing and she felt light-headed. Something truly dangerous could have happened to her daughter and Ivory was just…playing, as if nothing was out of sorts.
She had to report it to Frieza.
He arrived some time later with a disposal crew in tow, inspecting the room calmly despite Kirsi's frantic explanations. She tried to explain to her husband everything, but there wasn't much she could tell considering she hadn't actually seen anything; she hadn't been in the room and only smelled blood after the incident occurred.
Just when his inspection seemed almost complete, his eyes landed on Ivory, who was entertaining herself by jumping around in the blood that hadn't been cleaned yet. She was making more of a mess and in the way of the team sent to clean up, but for once, Frieza didn't seem irritated by her. She must've felt him staring because Ivory looked up and stopped her play.
"What happened?"
Ivory titled her head, blinking at him. Her fingers twitched at if she wanted to reach for something or show him, but it wasn't that simple for her. She finally settled on an answer and giggled. "Bang," she said quietly. She stared at him for a moment longer then went back to jumping.
Frieza didn't say anything. He watched Ivory carefully for a moment longer, then approached her. Kirsi wanted to shout at him to leave her alone, not to harm her, but to her surprise, he merely leaned down and patted Ivory's head. Ivory beamed, darting forward and wrapping her arms around his leg. Frieza looked uncomfortable at the action, but to Kirsi's surprise, he allowed it to happen.
At least he wasn't upset with her.
~/~
She'd been happy at the time, Happy that for once, instead of rebuking their daughter or ignoring her, Frieza had finally shown a shred of interest in her. But in her happiness, she overlooked the fact that the only reason he wanted anything to do with her was that she finally had a purpose. She was like Kirsi in looks, but as she grew, she proved to have more of Frieza's personality. All it took was that one act of innocent bloodshed for Frieza to see it.
Maybe Kirsi should've shielded Ivory from him, but she just hadn't known at the time how disastrous things would turn out. She didn't see a problem because they were bonding. For the first time, her two loves were finally getting along. How could she break that up?
She regrets it now. Regrets letting her daughter anywhere near that man. Because all it did was bring her a world of trouble.
~/~
Frieza checked in on Ivory more frequently now.
Sometimes it would be with a gift, sometimes just to sit and observe her. He spoke to her, more often than not having a one-sided conversation, as she didn't have the mental capacity to respond at the time. But Ivory's wide eyes were filled with intelligence; after a while, she was able to respond, first with a nod or shake of her head, then with one or two words, then with full sentences. He would nod his head at the little things she would tell him and sometimes grace her with a ghost of a smile when she did something he approved of.
The most surprising thing was the day he showed up with a solider and told Ivory that the man would now be by her side for as long as Ivory wanted him. His name was Biamuh, and he knelt down in front of Ivory and declared his life forfeit, that his duty from this moment on was dedicated wholly to her.
Kirsi pouted just a bit at that. Frieza hadn't done the same for her, but Ivory was a child and likely needed the protection. At least, that's what she told herself to feel better about the whole ordeal.
But no, the real reason he stopped by for this particular visit made Kirsi's heart drop.
In another year's time he had said, Ivory was to begin training. Young as she was, it would be reckless to let her continue the way she was. Ivory had dispatched of three traitorous soldiers and another assassin, but that was because they drew her ire; they'd angered her in some manner or another which led to her lashing out. Kirsi had protested the thought of her daughter being involved in any kind of training, but Frieza pointed out that it was likely Kirsi wouldn't be spared from Ivory's wrath: if she got upset with her mother, what was to stop her from attacking? Children were temperamental (and where Frieza learned that, Kirsi didn't know) and one like Ivory, who barely understood the power inside her, could easily turn Kirsi to dust.
Kirsi didn't want that to happen but at the same time, she knew Frieza would have no mercy on their daughter. He would push her to her limits and that was something Kirsi couldn't bare to think about. If something happened to their daughter…
"The child will be fine. She is my daughter after all."
Ivory, for what it was worth, seemed excited. But Kirsi didn't like it. She was still a child, despite the blood flowing through her. She couldn't be forced into something like that, Kirsi wouldn't allow it.
Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy. Regardless of what Kirsi thought, the next incident cemented in everyone's mind that Ivory's power was too uncontrollable to be left unchecked.
Kirsi searched high and low for her daughter.
Ivory often liked playing this game, escaping from Kirsi's watchful gaze and going off on her own. Kirsi didn't like it, because half of the time, Ivory was always hidden away somewhere near Frieza. Ivory was starting to become more like him, adopting his speech pattern and the way he walked. It would've been cute had Ivory not started to adapt his dismissive attitude.
Nothing was clearer than that day.
Ivory was kneeling in a corner, fiddling with something Kirsi couldn't see. She started to take careful steps closer when the overwhelming scent of blood hit her and made her gag. She was fearful that Ivory was hurt but it was worse.
Ivory turned and Kirsi screamed.
Blood. She was covered in blood. Her hands, her arms, her clothes; all of it stained red from whatever it was she was doing. She didn't seem bothered in the slightest, still preoccupied with her toy. Her toy which wasn't even a toy at all.
It had been a person. But their body was mangled. The thing Ivory was playing with wasn't a toy as Kirsi first thought, but with the person's ripped off arm. Their entire body was in pieces and Ivory was sitting among the body parts playing as if she was sitting in a pile of toys.
Kirsi must've blacked out because one minute she blinked and Ivory was using the arm to wave at her. The next moment, the disposal team was in the room again, cleaning up the body. Frieza was holding a still-bloody Ivory in his arms, wiping her face with a rag while she squirmed. A soft moment she wasn't sure she'd ever see, but one that left her with a slightly terrified feeling. Because Frieza looked proud of her for doing such a thing and Ivory was soaking up the praise.
Kirsi had a bad feeling about this whole thing, and all she wanted to do was rip her daughter out of his arms.
~/~
Her next sip tasted so vile she almost spat it back out.
Despite everything she had done for the two of them, they left her out. Created their own little word that she wasn't a part of and had no hope of joining. They liked things that Kirsi despised and bonded over things a normal father-daughter pair shouldn't: Ivory would watch Frieza wipe out a species and laugh along with him. Frieza would smile when Ivory emerged from a training room covered in blood that wasn't her own.
Sadists, the two of them. Ivory had once been a sweet, adorable little girl. But all it took was a bit of time with her father to turn her into a monster. Or rather, bring out the monster within her; sometimes Kirsi wondered if Ivory had put on an act as a child to hide her nature and only let it show when she saw a kindred spirit.
It would explain why things turned so sour so fast. Ivory may have been Kirsi's but she was Frieza's daughter at the end of the day.
And how she hated the both of them for it.
~/~
"Ivory?"
Ivory was going over reports in her room. She was too young to be doing this sort of work but Frieza allowed her to tackle smaller ones so that she could eventually build up to something more difficult. Kirsi's protests that he was working their daughter too hard fell on deaf ears and Ivory even told her to mind her business.
"Whatever it is, make it quick. I'm busy."
It stung to hear this from her daughter. Not only did Ivory spend a lot less time with Kirsi, but she also treated her like a nuisance more than her mother. She spoke dismissively and waved her away when she felt like she was "wasting words" on her mother. Her sweet child, an almost carbon copy of her father in all but appearance.
"You're too young to be working so hard. Why don't we take a little trip?"
Ivory huffed, setting her papers down roughly and folding her arms. "Didn't you just return from one? Why take another? Besides, this is your work that needs to be done but since you decide to slack off, I had to pick it up." She shook her head. "I don't quite feel like getting involved in that pageantry you seem to enjoy either."
The tone of her voice and manner of speaking were also reminiscent of Frieza. It hurt. It reminded her of when she first married Frieza, how dismissive he was of her and how quickly he would write her off. He had changed over the course of their marriage and things have been better since, but she couldn't handle two of the people she loved the most behaving the same way.
"It's been so long since we spent quality time together. I had thought you might want to spend time with me."
Ivory snorted. "You thought wrong."
Kirsi bit back her next retort. Ivory was becoming a brat and Kirsi didn't like it. But, if she tried to discipline her, Frieza would come behind and undo everything Kirsi tried to teach. Nothing she said mattered.
"Ignoring that slight, I was thinking we visit the beaches on Someria. You love it there. You work too much for your age."
"And you don't work enough for yours." Something beeped on her bedside table and Ivory smiled. "That's him! Father is back!"
Kirsi could only watch as Ivory grabbed her things and raced out of the room, a blinding smile on her face. Her heart began to crumble as she realized that she had no place with her husband and daughter. They didn't want her nor need her. They both pushed aside the hard work she had contributed and treated her as a nuisance.
All the love she had for them, and they couldn't return it.
~/~
That had been the depth of their relationship. Ivory didn't love her mother the way she loved her father. What could Kirsi offer her? Frieza allowed her to train, gave her gifts, harnessed her power, and showed her the world Kirsi was trying to shield her from. And Kirsi had none of what pleased her. Ivory grew into her own, and "her own" was a copy of Frieza with something uniquely cruel about her. Where Frieza was outright with how nasty he was, Ivory kept her cruelty carefully hidden, veiled under sly blue eyes and an innocent smile.
She almost felt bad for the Saiyan that Ivory had her eyes on.
It would've been a better fate if she just killed him outright. She'd never wish that fate on anyone, even people she despised. Being entangled with her was a fate worse than death.
Well, it was Kirsi's doing that got him in this position, but it was because she was trying to use that against Ivory. Set her up to watch her fall. Just so that Ivory could see everything she worked for crumble before her. Watching everything all around her so that Ivory could get a taste of what Kirsi felt all those years.
~/~
Kirsi watched from the hangar as Ivory hugged her father goodbye. She was upset, very upset that she wasn't allowed to go with him. Frieza had a bad habit of letting Ivory go with him on conquests and they had their first fight about this recent one. It started out civil but as things progressed things got heated between them. Frieza wouldn't budge on his stance and Ivory had some words about it. Frieza had a bad habit of spoiling her and was now facing the consequences as Ivory had stubbornly refused to give up her side either.
Kirsi didn't know how they resolved the issue, but Ivory pouted all the way up until the moment Frieza absolutely had to leave. She may have been upset but she wasn't about to see her father off in a bad mood. They hugged, exchanged promises, and Frieza was off on his next conquest.
Kirsi watched Ivory stay in the hangar for long moments, eyes watching the ship disappear until it was nothing more than a speck among the other stars. Then she slowly rose to her feet and walked away. Kirsi tried to reach out, tried to say something, but Ivory brushed past her as if she wasn't there in the first place.
Kirsi didn't bother chasing her. She knew when she wasn't wanted.
"We regret to inform you that…the planet Namek exploded. Unfortunately, Lord Frieza seems to have…perished…in the explosion."
Kirsi blinked, trying to process the words. Frieza…was dead. Is that what they were trying to tell her? But how?! There was no way he would die, much less to a planet's explosion! What was the meaning of this?!
"You had better have a good reason for spreading such lies!" Kirsi's heart was breaking. They clashed and had their arguments but she had still held love in her heart for Frieza.
Ivory clenched her fist, holding back tears. "My father…is dead? How can this be?!"
"The ships were transmitting data back to the ship until many of them abruptly cut out. From the scraps of data we were able to unscramble, we believe that the Saiyan prince and another unnamed Saiyan ambushed your father. There is other data we hope to recover and we predict that it will help us piece together the story. Regrettably…"
Kirsi didn't even hear the rest of the explanation. Her thoughts were racing and she felt broken. Frieza, for as narcissistic and cruel as he was, had still been her husband. And now she lost him? After he promised to reside over the galaxy for as long as he was able?
"This can't be," Kirsi whispered. "These are falsehoods!"
No one answered her. The only sound in the room was Kirsi's heavy breathing. Despite everyone else seeming to have made peace with it, Kirsi simply couldn't. She couldn't accept that Frieza was dead. This was all a cruel joke, orchestrated by Ivory, just to test Kirsi's patience.
But when she saw the empty look on Ivory's face, Kirsi realized this was no joke.
"Father is dead," Ivory mumbled, her voice strained and hollow. "He promised a swift return…"
Oh…oh dear. Of course Ivory was taking this hard. Kirsi may not have liked how Ivory had pushed her to the side in favor of her late father, but she would never have wished this on her daughter.
"Dear Ivory." Kirsi knelt down and drew Ivory into a hug, holding her close. "I'm so sorry sweetheart."
"Get off of me!" Ivory forcefully shoved her away, shocking everyone. But no one spoke out, fearful of Ivory more than they were fearful of their Queen. "Don't you dare touch me! Stay away!"
Ivory's face was streaked with tears but she kept her head down to avoid everyone's gaze. She fled the room, her guard following close behind, leaving Kirsi and the rest of the advisors wondering what to do next.
Two weeks later, Kirsi was gathered with a board of Frieza's advisors. There was time to mourn of course, but business was business and they had an empire to run. They couldn't let word of Frieza's death spread and people to think their organization would just collapse. They needed to be stronger now.
"We have word of Lord Frieza's final wish my Queen." One of the advisors bowed to her and pulled up a screen to his right, a dense wall of text appearing before them all. "In the event of his untimely death, the late Lord Frieza had few in terms of wishes he wanted carried out."
Kirsi tried not to let her anger show. This was the first she was aware of these "wishes" Frieza made. As his wife, shouldn't that have been something they discussed? She was a part of this empire too even if he hadn't been acting like it. "You may proceed."
Another advisor cleared her throat. "He requested that all his properties and titles be transferred over to his next of kin. Normally, this would mean that Lord Cold would receive these things, but the two of them amended this agreement in the last few years. If something where to happen, Frieza wanted everything to go to close family."
Kirsi smiled. Even in death, Frieza was still-
"He requested Princess Ivory be coronated the day she reached her tenth year. Until then, his board of advisors was to take over and guide the princess until that day comes."
Kirsi felt her whole world shatter. Ivory…Frieza had chosen Ivory; he thought that their daughter could do a better job than his wife? His wife, who had been beside him for years? And yet it was Ivory? Ivory was to take over for Frieza? What was left for her then? She was the queen damn it! Why did Ivory rank above her?
"What? Surely, that was a mistake."
"It is not my Queen. This was from a meeting with Lord Frieza from long ago." All the advisors spoke confidently, but they still shook as they braced themselves for the Queen's wrath.
Kirsi took a deep breath. No, it was not their fault this happened; they were doing their jobs after all. However, it was Kirsi's job, as Frieza's wife, to do what was best for their empire. And that was not their daughter. "Ivory is but a child. And will still be a child upon her tenth year. Surely, this was all a misunderstanding."
"My Queen-"
"We can speak freely here, and we can agree that my husband did not always make the best decisions, especially when it came to Ivory, who he spoiled. There were days he neglected his duties for her. Personal wish or not, this was probably something done to keep Ivory happy. Nothing more. We should disregard the wishes of a child."
To go against her husband's wishes was something she never thought she'd do. But it was what needed to be done. She could see a sense of relief on all of the advisor's faces and held back a smile. Of course they would agree with her; putting an entire empire in the hands of a child? Ridiculous. Besides, Kirsi was still the Queen and since no one else from Frieza's family seemed so concerned with Frieza's passing, it fell on her to pick up where Frieza left off.
Because that was Kirsi's job as his wife. As the Queen.
~/~
She felt so sure of herself at the time. That she had been doing the right thing by keeping Ivory away. The empire still ran with Kirsi at the helm and she thought Ivory had just accepted it. She didn't kick up a fuss or anything and Kirsi never had a reason to think that Ivory was upset. But, as Kirsi should've known, Ivory knew everything.
And she didn't get upset, she got even.
~/~
It was the day of Ivory's tenth year.
She hadn't celebrated the day in a long time, so it was passing without fanfare. Ivory was likely locked in her room with her guard, either reading or playing a game or whatever she tended up get up to on her own. Kirsi knew better than to try and disturb Ivory during this time; she had tried planning celebrations before and Ivory refused to attend each and every one of them. So Kirsi just stopped trying if her efforts were going underappreciated.
It was on this day that Kirsi was meeting with the board of advisors. They were discussing what to do with their army underperforming when the door slid open and Ivory swept into the room, flanked by her guard and surprisingly, Sorbet.
"Dear," Kirsi said with a smile. "We're in the middle of a meeting-"
Ivory held up a hand and pointed at two advisors. "You two are formally removed from your positions, effective immediately."
There was a beat of silence, then the room exploded into chaos. The two advisors cried out in protest and tried to plead with Ivory but they were ignored. Four additional soldiers appeared behind Ivory and dragged the former advisors out before Kirsi could even utter a word. Ivory simply smiled, waving a hand at them as they were pulled away. There was a shrill, horrible sound from the corridor, and then the protests died down.
"Kikono and Berryblue will be officially taking your places." She put a finger to her lips as if she were thinking. "Actually, now that I think about it, do we really need a board of five? Three sounds better." Her cold gaze swept to the remaining three. "You three are removed as well. Bye~"
There was outrage again but it was just more of the same, with the three of them dragged away despite their claims of loyalty and knowledge and pleas for their lives. Ivory watched them leave as well before she turned on Kirsi.
Kirsi stood swiftly, angry, embarrassed, and ashamed. "What is the meaning of this?!"
Ivory just laughed. "Mother, did you know that Father had a final wish? It was a very simple thing, really, but he wanted to ensure the empire was in capable hands. I learned some fascinating things. Did you know what it said?"
Kirsi glared daggers at Sorbet. How did she not think of disposing of him earlier? Of course he would abide by Frieza's word even in death. He'd been whispering in Ivory's ear since Frieza was gone; why did she think he would hide something so important from her?
Ivory waved a hand. "Oh don't worry Mother. I have no plans to upstage you; You're still the Queen. I just think the army is failing and it has something to do with those in undeserved positions of power."
She giggled and Kirsi felt as if she was being mocked. Who did Ivory think she was storming in here as if she was above consequence?
"Don't make that face. A downgrade in advisors doesn't mean a downgrade in other aspects. Too many kings and not enough soldiers makes for a bad coalition. I think you'll find that this change is necessary."
And like that, she and her new board sat around the table as if they hadn't interrupted Kirsi's meeting at all. They began to talk rapidly about changes, training, expeditions, and almost every subject under the sun. Kirsi felt like a fool sitting there, listening to them talk about things that seemed to go over her head. Every time she tried to speak, someone would talk over her or her words would be lost among the chatter.
She never got a word in that entire meeting.
When Ivory deemed the meeting finished and stood, a small smile played across her lips as she turned to Kirsi. "I hope everything is up to your satisfaction dear Queen. We'll implement our new regimen immediately."
Kirsi didn't even know what the new regimen was. She didn't even get a chance to ask. Ivory and her advisors quickly left the room, leaving Kirsi wondering what she was to do now.
~/~
It was like that for a long time. Kirsi would try to have a meeting but Ivory and her faction would take over and do whatever they wanted. It made for a bad image, as the soldiers outright refused to listen to Kirsi on occasion. They were far more afraid of Ivory and if she was the one pulling the strings, why should they have to listen to Kirsi? What good was a Queen who couldn't even control her own daughter?
Just like before, everything Kirsi had built was slowly taken away from her by her daughter. Ivory just waltzed in and stole everything, without much trouble. Though feared, her unique charm was what won over the soldiers in the end; them fearing her was just an added bonus. But they recognized that, while young, Ivory knew what she was talking about and seemed to know more than Kirsi could ever hope to.
Maybe that's why Kirsi started to seek comfort wherever she could.
~/~
Ivory's eyes narrowed.
"How many of you," she began calmly. "Have ever engaged in nightly activities with the Queen?"
There was a murmur going up in the soldiers as they glanced at one another, none of them very eager to speak up. Ivory didn't shush them, but her eyes roamed each and every one of them slowly.
Kirsi felt her face burning. How dare she ask such a question? "Ivory-"
"Hush."
She was about thirteen years old and a lot had changed since the faithful day she had so rudely barged into Kirsi's meeting. For one, Ivory had grown. Sure, she had adopted her father's height rather than her mother's taller stature, but her once round and soft eyes had an edge to them. Her cheeks were sharper and she had lost much of her baby fat, not muscular by many means but her limbs weren't thin. And she spoke in a manner that was always calm, even when she was angry or disappointed.
She folded her arms and waited for the chatter to die down. "Answer me honestly. How many of you have engaged in less than savory activities with the Queen?"
Hands went up, slowly at first, but more and more until men and women that Kirsi had been well acquainted with in the bedroom were looking at the floor, looking more like toddlers rather than soldiers. Guilty, shaking toddlers, some with tears in their eyes.
Ivory sighed, shaking her head. "I expected maybe four or five of you, but this is ridiculous." She snapped her fingers once, overwhelmingly loud in the dead silence of the room.
Soldiers with their hands down swarmed those with their hands up. There were screams, crying, and an overwhelming amount of blood flying through the air. Kirsi watched in horror as all of her previous bedmates were cruelly slaughtered by their fellow soldier. Even worse was when it dawned on her that Ivory had planned this beforehand and all the soldiers said yes.
"Let this be a lesson. My goal was not to punish them for what they do with the Queen; she thinks she's been having these affairs secretly for the past two years even though I knew all about her trysts. But that's not why I punished those soldiers. I punished them because I noticed that compared to others, many of those soldiers were slacking in their training and duties which is unacceptable. Whether that's because they thought the Queen was more important or because she was pulling them away from their duties, I haven't a clue.
My point is this: I hope the rest of you heed this and think carefully about what you choose to do in your free time. Because if this slack continues, the punishment will not be swift."
"Yes ma'am!" All the soldiers saluted and were dismissed, leaving the bloodied corpses of their former comrades behind.
"Well?" Ivory turned to Kirsi and raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have cleaning to do?"
Kirsi was taken aback. "You have some nerve! You embarrass me and then force me to clean up your mess?"
"It is not my mess," Ivory said calmly. "You let these people into your bed, you refused to hold them accountable for not performing their duties because they're entertaining you, and you neglected your own work for months now. If anything, all of this is your mess. And as such, you should be responsible for cleaning it up." She turned and started to leave but paused and looked over her shoulder. "I expect this taken care of in three hours. Don't disappoint me mother."
Kirsi spluttered. "You-You-You ungrateful, insolent child! You barge in on my meetings, you speak over me and go against my word, and now you try to punish me for my own choices?! How dare you! I am the Queen here, not you. This is my empire, not yours. And you are a mere child with a head so swollen from Frieza spoiling you that you think you have the right to do as you please. I am your Mother and your Queen and you will do as I say!"
Ivory put a hand over her heart as if she were hurt. "Mother…that is quite a hurtful thing to say, especially considering that you went against father's word and refused to give up the throne despite father passing it over to me."
"Your father didn't know what he was talking about!"
"And you do? You, who would rather vacation and shop and sight see? You knew better than father, who actually took time to think about this decision and had his advisors in my ear since I was young? I learned more in four years than you did in your entire lifetime about this empire."
It felt like Ivory just punched her in the gut. She sounded so much like Frieza in that moment that Kirsi could almost see Frieza's visage as she stared at Ivory. "You-"
"Go. Get out of my sight. I'll have this mess sorted out and I'll step down and let you handle all business of the empire from here on out."
There was so much Kirsi wanted to say. So much she wanted to do. But in that moment, all she could do was walk away, just as Ivory requested.
~/~
Four long months. Ivory left for four months to train or…something. She didn't tell Kirsi what she was going to do, just left a vague note that said she was leaving for a while and wouldn't bother Kirsi for the foreseeable future. When she asked around, no one seemed to know where Ivory had gone (or maybe they were just given explicit instructions not to tell her) or what she was up to. She made good on her promise and didn't interfere with anything Kirsi said or did. Any transmissions Kirsi sent to her were ignored for four months.
It was…difficult with some things and easy for others, but she just didn't have the same respect that the soldiers had for Ivory. They completed their duties with the most minimal of effort and laughed off her threats of punishment. Kirsi was left floundering and had to beg, beg, Ivory to come back and help.
And Ivory did, arriving with a sweet smile on her face and the look in her eyes that said she fully expected Kirsi to come crawling back.
It was insulting.
It was so insulting that Ivory had been playing her since she was three. Sweet, sardonic smiles shot at her, that coy look in her eyes whenever she watched Kirsi fail, the way she would effortlessly take over as if it was child's play. Insulting that the brat still walked around doing the same. Even when Kirsi tried to repair their relationship Ivory still mocked her and acted like Kirsi was a waste of time.
She loved Ivory, but she hated who Ivory had become.
Movement below her drew her gaze outside. The object of her ire was down in the garden, walking among the vibrant flowers without a care in the world. To think she looked so peaceful there, so serene. To think she was hiding such a cruel, disgusting beast underneath. That time and time again, she'd smile that deceptively sweet smile and tilt her head as if she was as harmless as a kitten.
But every kitten has their claws; Ivory was just better at hiding them.
A/N: In case anyone was confused by the timeline of events, here goes a little run down:
Kirsi was initially hoping that she and Frieza would raise Ivory "normally" but Frieza never wanted Ivory in the first place and Kirsi did; even though Kirsi loved them both, she refused to choose between the two which caused Frieza to distance himself because he didn't consider Ivory, or Kirsi since she was so obsessed with the baby, as something of a priority.
But the day Ivory killed someone for the first time and didn't react like any other child would made Frieza think that Ivory was born with a predisposition for sadism or something else, which is when he started to pay more attention to her; he wanted to see what kind of personality Ivory would develop and how he would be able to utilize it. Kirsi was fine with them bonding and didn't think anything of it because she didn't have to choose anymore.
When Ivory grew up and more of her nature became clear, that was when Frieza decided to take her under his wing as he could finally see some usefulness in her and figured he could raise her up in his footsteps. Kirsi didn't like this of course but she couldn't say anything.
Time passed and Ivory's dismissive attitude towards her mother came from spending so much time with her father as most of Ivory's feelings came from things Frieza said. Where Ivory was willing to work with him and the empire, Kirsi was not.
This eventually led to Frieza's decision to hand over control to Ivory when she came of age. It was very unlikely that he would die but it was a preemptive measure his father urged him to do to ensure that it stayed in the family should Frieza ever want to retire or if the worst-case scenario happened and he died. This does imply that Kirsi isn't considered "family" yet Ivory is.
Kirsi is dealing with years of resentment, loneliness, and frustration but she also knows that it's better to try and stay on Ivory's good side when she can; even with how much she grew to hate Ivory, she still loves her. And Ivory does still love her mother, but she also noticed that Kirsi was a bit selfish and that's where a lot of resentment on Ivory's part came from; she loves her mother but feels like she has to love her as part of some obligation she has to fulfil.
However, the same can't be said for Frieza because Ivory loves him without feeling like she has to. And because of that, she loves the empire he left behind and doesn't want to see it fall.
Whew! So there you have it!
There will probably be another flashback chapter soon that is more of Ivory's views on everything but that will wait for a while as we get back to the main plot.
