Et voila...chapter six. Very difficult to write, and I think it's not the best chapter in this story.
But anyway, hope you like it. And thanx for the reviews, keep on writing them!
That night all the guest left at a very late hour. Gohan was offered residence in the Royal Palace, which he gratefully accepted. After having said goodnight to the King and his family, he was led to his room. The room was situated in the east-wing of the gigantic palace. Of course it was furnished with the most luxurious and rare fabrics and items in the universe.
The skies became filled with dark, ominous clouds that night.
Gohan was leaning on the window frame and looked at the fast moving darkness at the skies above and he could couldn't help but think this was a sign. A sign that something dreadful would happen.
With a face free from expression, Gohan stared at the black horizon, thinking about the next day. How could he have forgotten his mission? The entire evening went by, without even thinking of going to a conquered planet and destroy the uproar. He didn't know anything of his enemy, he was totally unprepared for this mission, not knowing what he could expect, not knowing what he would face. And he didn't spend one thought on it that evening. Supposedly, the beverages that were constantly poured into your glass and the food that was shoved on your plate the second it was empty had caused people to forget about the important things and to live for the moment.
With a sigh, the general turned around, intending to go to bed and sleep all the problems away. Even though he knew it wouldn't help solving them, and even though there was a possibility of having a nightmare again, he hoped that he could forget about the world for a while and that pleasant dreams brought him to a surrealistic world, where anxiousness and darkness were non-existing, and where peace and warmth dominated everything. He had those dreams a lot when he was a child, when he was still innocent, but those times were over and long gone. But he always went to bed with a little piece of hope, hidden deep in his heart and almost expelled by his sense, that he would be taken away to this dreamland, and be in that dreamland for as long the moment of sleep allowed.
He crawled under the red and gold sheets of the enormous bed and lay on his back. He stared at the high, dark ceiling, thinking one last time about the next day, before he let sleep overcome him.
Tap, tap….Tap, tap, tap….Tap. The sound of light footsteps resonated in the dark, cold corridor of the mansion. Tap, Tap….again and again, until the owner of the footsteps came closer and closer. The large silhouette of the person became visible on the with a red carpet covered wooden floor. A light and swift breathing became audible and the owner became closer to a ray of moonlight, brought in the mansion by a window. After a few series of steps, which were sometimes interrupted by silence, the person stepped into the light, first it's toes, and eventually he became recognizable.
"Daddy, where's my daddy?" The small creature said. The voice belonged to a little boy with spiky hair, brown, furry tail and dark pupils. The little boy followed the corridor until he came to a door. Uncertain and afraid, the boy listened by the door. With his good hearing, he could hear someone breath in the room behind the door. With a shaking hand, he reached for the door handle and slowly, afraid to make a sound, he pulled it down. The door opened and made a high sound when it did. The boy closed his eyes, for he thought he wouldn't be seen with his eyes closed. After a few seconds, that seemed like hours, the boy opened an eye to make sure it was safe in the room. He could not see the corners, but he could hear and sense there was someone out there. Trembling with fear he opened his mouth and a soft, hoarse voice, which the boy could hardly recognize as his own, came out.
"H-hello….daddy, are you h-here?"
The frightened boy could hear something move in the dark room.
"D-daddy, is t-that you?"
The unknown thing suddenly stepped into the light.
The eyes of the little boy widened and became filled with tears. He opened his mouth and his bottom lip trembled by the sight he saw in front of him.
"My, my, you've grown, little man…I hardly recognize you!"
With all the happiness in the world filling his heart, the little boy ran up to the owner of the deep voice.
"Grandpa!!! Grandpa!!!"
The man closed the little boy in his arms and pressed the young child's body to his own.
"B-b-but h-how…?" The infant stammered while he pressed his face into crook of the man's neck.
The man loosened the hug and cupped the child's head in his hands, while he wiped away the tears on his grandson's porcelain face.
"Calm now, child. Let me see you first."
The man inspected the boy from head to toe with a proud expression on his face.
"You are 4 inches taller than when I last saw you. Let me see your arms."
The boy stretched out his arms and the man squeezed it attentively and carefully, with a serious expression gracing his noble face. This is how the boy remembered his grandfather, with this particular expression, as if he never had a different one on his face.
The lips of the man now curled in a small smile.
"You've got some muscle there, child."
He now squeezed the leg of the child and his smile broadened.
"And there too! I am proud of you!"
The man took the child in his arms again and ruffled his hair.
The child laughed happily and tried to hit his grandfather's arm with his fist.
"My mommy said that Surma flew you to the stars and that you shine in the skies every night. She said you wouldn't come back."
The man's smile turned bitter and he watched the smiling boy with the glistering eyes.
"Well, then you're mommy was wrong. I come back sometimes to check on you."
The boys eyes widened and he made a "ooohh" sound.
"But how come I never see you?" He asked his grandfather.
"Because I often come when you sleep."
"You see me sleep?"
"Hmmm."
"But if you see me, then do you see my daddy too?"
"Yes, I do."
"Do you know where he is now."
For less than one second the older man's face turned pale and he suddenly looked very old. But as sudden the boy saw that, as sudden the grandfather carried a serene expression again.
"You're father is protecting everyone in our empire. But especially you."
The man lay his finger on the child's nose while he said the word "you".
"My daddy is brave isn't he?" The child asked completely unaware of the seriousness of the situation.
"He most certainly is. And a great warrior, just like you'll be later." The grandfather said affectionately.
"Really?" The boy asked wide eyed and enthusiastically.
The man nodded and smiled at his grandson.
"You will be one of the greatest warriors our empire will bring forth."
The child pressed his hands to his mouth and laughed in his throat.
"But come now, I'll bring you back to your room". The grandfather stretched his hand and the child folded his smaller one in his. Slowly they walked to the door and to the corridor, to the boy's room.
When they were in the long corridor, the child watched the solemn form of his grandfather and the pondering expression on his face.
"What's it like, amongst the stars?" The child asked in all his curiousness.
The grandfather chuckled and thought before he answered.
"I can't complain. I can see everyone, everything. Every person, every animal, every flower, every rock. I have quite a view, I wish I could show you."
"Then show me".
"Hahaha, sorry. Can't. You'll have to wait until it is your time. Then you'll see how beautiful it is."
"Not fair". The child sighed in disappointment. "I want to see it now. When is it my time, grandpa?"
"I'm afraid I can't say that. But I dare say it'll be a while before that time comes. You'll have to be old, like me. You have a whole life in front of you and you have to seize it. For if you let it go, it'll be gone forever."
"How do you know these things?"
"It comes with experience."
"Can I be like you."
"I hope not."
"Ah, why?"
"Because wisdom is nothing more than healed pain. And I rather want you to be innocent like you are now, than wise like many who have suffered much to achieve it."
By now they reached the young child's room. The man took the child in his arms again and entered the room. He immediately walked to the bed and lay his grandson under the sheets of his bed.
"Tell me a story, like you used to do when I went to bed." The boy pleaded while he clenched the sheets in his hands.
"Alright, alright, what do you want to hear?" The man placed himself at the edge of the bed.
"I don't know, something nice!"
"Alright, let's see.
Once, a little boy, around you're age, saw a white bird flying high in the sky. Curious, and secretly very jealous because the bird could fly so high and he could not do that yet, he followed the snow-white creature, wondering where it could bring him. He followed him to town, through forest, across lakes, but the bird kept on flying. After a few hours, the bird looked down and, also very curious, he descended and he settled himself on the boy's shoulders. "Why are you following me?" it asked. "Because I want to know where you bring me if I follow." The boys replied. "But I'm going to the end of the world!" The boy thought of a reply, but since he got very fond of the bird's presence he answered: "Then I'll follow you to the end of the world." Together they made their journey, the boy on foot, the bird in the sky. But suddenly, the bird was attacked by an even larger bird. The bird squeaked for help and he received it when the boy threw a rock at the larger bird, which flew away in fear of getting hit. The bird descended and placed himself on the boy's shoulders for the second time that day. "Thank you for helping me." It said. "Instead of you following me, I will follow you forever." And thus the boy learned to follow, and made a companion, he learned to help, for which he was awarded with loyalty and he became a leader."
By the time the grandfather was done, the boy was fast asleep. The man smiled at the sight of his sleeping grandson and he kissed him on his forehead. Before he went, he bend to the child's ear and whispered words to him.
"I am so proud of you. Of what you will become. I want you to remember that life is neither cruel, nor friendly. It is purely indifferent. Be a loyal companion, a brave warrior, a loving son and show compassion for your inferiors. And remember, seize the blue eyes, the enchanting orbs. You'll understand later."
The next morning Gohan woke up way too early. The sun hadn't even rise and you could still see the stars. The dark clouds had passed away and made place for a clear, blue sky.
Gohan stepped on the cold wooden floor and stood motionless at his bedside. He remembered the dream he had last night very clearly. He saw his grandfather, and it felt so alive. His grandfather was so alive. Like it's like the dream was reality and reality is the dream. It was the most pleasant dream he had in ages.
And yet there was something very disturbing about it. He could remember everything his grandfather said, also what he said in the end.
"Seize the blue eyes, the enchanting orbs. You'll understand later."
Gohan wasn't stupid. Of course he knew what it meant. But he didn't know why his grandfather advised him to do that. It made no sense.
The only thing his grandfather could have meant was the eyes of the slave he saw the day before. "Seize the blue eyes, the enchanting orbs." Her eyes were blue and definitely enchanting. But why should he seize the eyes? Would it mean he would have to buy her? And why?
For a few minutes he thought about it, until he heard a knocking on the door.
"Come in." Gohan answered.
The door was opened by a slave, who brought in a tray of food, bowed and left Gohan by himself again.
The general had almost forgotten. It was the day he had to leave planet Vegeta and go to Alderyn to suppress an uproar. That's why the slave brought in the food so early.
But as Gohan ate, he came to the conclusion he had two options. Ignore the advise of his grandfather and go to Alderyn, and forget about the slave, because by the time he would be back, the slave would be long sold.
Or he could go to the market and buy the slave.
After a long thinking, reconsideration, some more thinking and more reconsideration he made up his mind.
He dressed himself in his usual armor and cape and left his room to go to the market.
What did he have to loose, after all?
R&R please!