M3: My Angel of Light
One year earlier...
My mind keeps bringing back images of the Saibamen I killed. I am not shaken by their deaths, no not at all. I'm proud of my training. But a comment that Frieza made keeps me maddeningly awake at this late hour.
"That's alright for a monkey," Frieza had said. That was the first time he had actually called me such an ugly beast. The name sends a chill like poison ice up my spine. The name insulted my honor, my pride. It insulted my very being. I hate that freak.
Nonetheless, I am awake at this late hour, still haunted by that one comment. I don't know why it haunts me so. Maybe how he said it, such venom as it left his lips. I cannot take it any longer, being in the darkness, words haunting my mind.
I get up and pull on a plain shirt. I already had some pants on, so I slip on some shoes. No need to dress royally, not at night. I open my bedroom door and step out. The biting cold goes right through my shirt. Obviously the winter has dawned and hit the palace full-force. Nonetheless, I make my way down the hallway. I pass banisters, decorated with the royal insignia. It is a large palace, but I know my way around. I make a left turn, checking to see of Zarbon or Dodoria decided to check in first, and seeing it empty, slip into my parents' room.
I find only my mother in bed, as my father is in a war meeting at this time. I slowly creep up and gently shake her shoulder. They have a somewhat large bed, and seeing my height, this was no easy task. She awakens, her beautiful blue eyes looking back at her small four-year-old prince. She smiled and sat up, her nightgown flowing and caressing her slender form. "What is it, Vegeta?" she asks, her voice flowing like honey. It soothed me somewhat.
"I can't sleep. Can you take me to the pond again?" I ask. Feeling like a weakling, she smiles and takes one foot off the bed, then the other. Her nightgown, sheer from the thigh down, brushes my cheek. It feels like silk, but when I wish to touch it more, she offers her hand. I shake my head.
"I am four, Mother." How I regret saying that to my Mother, now. But I cannot do anything about it.
"Of course, princely and manly as ever," she says in a joking tone, ruffling my hair. She leads me out of her room, not bothering to change. The cream, silken, see-through nightgown will have to do. Following her, she leads me out of the huge palace, out into the courtyard where decorative cream- colored tiles are.
"Oh, dear, looks like I've lost the way. Veggie-kun, could you please lead me to where it is again?" she looks down at me, a genuine expression gracing her features with an added smile. I knew she was lying. She was testing to see of I knew where it was. I nod, and take her wrist in my small hand, leading her to our secret place. The bitter, cold wind chilling us both, I use my energy to send a volt of warmth to her. She smiles and thanks me. I use more energy to keep both me and her warm as the wind blows. Her nightgown swishing through the wind, she looks like an angel with the moonlight hitting and lighting her graceful cheeks. I continue onward, guiding my angel of light.
I finally stop at the familiar copse of trees, the moonlight hitting the pond's surface, reflecting a large, circular, ghostly moon. I sit down on the nearby tiles and anxiously wait for Mother to follow suit. She does, gracefully spreading her gown around her and folds her legs next to her body. Her slender fingers grasp a piece of watercress, looping it around her finger.
"Vegeta, do you want a ring as well?" she asked, grabbing a passing blue moonflower. She joined it with her watercress ring. It now looked like a blue gem, once she joined the petals in a bud and twisted the tips. Wish you had my mother? I wish I had her, too. I nod, watching as she takes another piece and grabs my small hand. She concentrated intently, wrapping the piece of watercress on my small finger, as the moonlight spills onto her face. Her eyes shine with intelligence, her fingers moving in perfect coordination. She had grabbed two more lengths of watercress, braiding them around his ring finger. She then grabbed a nearby lilac and wove it into her creation. When she was done, she kissed my forehead.
"There, now you have a beautiful ring to adorn your finger, little prince. Now, would you like some warm milk?" Mother asks. I nod my head vigorously, wondering how she would do it this time; she always wanted to change my warm milk with different spices.
She got up to leave and once more the length of her gown brushed my cheek. It made me want to follow her, the ghostly form of her walking gracefully into the distance. Then she turned to the courtyard, out of my range of vision. All the beauty of this pond turned to nothing without her. I frown, missing her deeply, the feeling of loneliness settling in. I never wanted to be alone as a child. I always wanted to be around someone, talk about anything, even go in a verbal spar with someone. Anything as long as there was company. Now, I feel lonely. Now, I want my mother. Now, I want company.
I scanned my surroundings, looking for something. But I wasn't sure what. Just when I had begun to feel insecure, comes again the angel that is my mother. I love her, so much I would give my life to save hers if need be. I jump up, causing her to smile. She reaches me, and hands me my cup. It's insanely hot, but it feels good on my now-numbing fingers. She sits back down on the tile, and dips her bare feet into the water without causing so much as a ripple. I try to do the same as she, graceful without fault, but my feet end up causing a splash, water lapping up to my mother's ankle. Mother takes a small sip of her milk. Then she looks down at me expectantly.
"Try to guess the difference in the milk this time, Veggie-kun. I'm sure you'll be surprised," she tells me.
I take a small drink and warmth spreads throughout my small body. The texture pleasing on the tongue, the taste rich and pure. It didn't taste like cinnamon or vanilla had been added to it. In fact, the taste of milk from my Mother's concoction was completely gone. All I could taste was a sweet, delicious flavor. I loved it as much as I love my Mother.
"Chocolate?" I guess. She smiles and laughs.
"I guess that I need to put less so you don't know! Oh well, yes it is chocolate, my little prince. Now, Veggie-kun, I would like to give you a present," she said, getting up once more. "Come, it's in the courtyard."
We both leave our pond, taking our drinks with us. I follow, her going faster. She pushes one of her bangs behind her ear, the wind blowing it to and fro. I do nothing with mine, though how much it aggravated me. We both turned and went under the arch way, stepping on the courtyard tile. She went over to a bush, bending down to grab something.
I decide to look around the courtyard, wondering how in the world these wonderful topiaries could have came to be. At the very edge of it, large doors led to the inside of the palace. No commoner had been able to get inside, no matter the strength or charisma. I have always thought that this palace was the safest place. I look about, wondering about several things, when I am struck from behind.
A large arm had made connection with the back of my skull, causing me to tumble to the ground. Behind me, I could hear the sounds of a battle going on. How could I have not heard them? How could this ha-
Mother!
I open my eyes, blood coming from a wound on my forehead. I look about, wondering where my mother had gone. From behind, I am picked up by the back of my shirt, hung in the air. I see my mother in her fighting stance, a determined look in her eyes. She was staring with such hate it scared me.
"PUT HIM DOWN!" she shouted to my assassin. Apparently my attacker decided I would play hostage, punching my cheek. I cry out, the pain unbearable. Crimson liquid pours down my lips, dripping and staining my white shirt. Mother lashes forward, making a straight jab for my attacker's face.
My concealed assassin throws me into the air, giving me a glimpse of the battle. I see Frieza's henchman, Dodoria, dashing aside my mother's strike to his face. As I fall, Dodoria looks at me. He smirks, clearly amused by the tormented look on my face. He didn't catch me. Instead, he held out his fist, making my stomach land point blank on his fist. I cough out blood, right onto the courtyard. I could feel the tears stinging my eyes.
"Mother!" I yell out. She answers my feeble cry with a hard blow to Dodoria's pink face. I fall to the ground, hearing a sharp snap underneath me. I see my mother, the blood on her cheek shining in the moonlight. I try to stand, but only manage to sit up. I cough up more blood, seeing it on the pale tiles. Then I hear a feminine cry. My eyes shot up, looking for my mother. I find her embedded into tile. I run over, forgetting Dodoria in front of her, waiting to deal the final blow.
"V...Veg...eta...!" she strains to say. She was covered in blood, her lilac-colored nightgown stained with it. Several bruises and scratches adorned her perfect skin, her face caked in dust and dirt. I grit my teeth, knowing who did this. I turned to Dodoria, letting my eyes portray my hate for the beast. But I didn't know that he was already advancing. The next thing I know, a flash of pink floods my vision. Then it changes to red in one eye, blood filling it from Dodoria's blow.
I try to open it, but I instantly shut it again. I'm on my knees, clutching my left eye. I look up at the towering mass of pink in front of me.
"Ya know kid, I feel like the bad guy. Busting up your mom, hitting you a bunch, it all just seems like a horrible day to you, don't it? Well, you could have avoided it if your mother had not been such an idiot and done the right thing. She failed on her mission, leaving fifteen survivors. So now she has to be punished.
"I feel bad," Dodoria continued. "for doing all this. But the sad part is that I enjoy it." He smiled a horrible smile, letting me know this is my end. "If only your stupid mom hadn't riled Lord Frieza up, than you wouldn't be in this mess, huh?" he grabbed my small head in his hand. He thrust my head to look at my mother, straining to get up. "Any last words, Queen? No? Well now your son gets to look at your pitiful state. Look at her, Vegeta, don't you see how much of a failure your mother is? She may have married a royal, but she is still a low class Saiyan!" He busted out laughing, letting me go. I clutched my left eye in my hands, running to her.
"Mama!" I exclaim, the word tumbling from my lips. She looked at me and smiled. "Mom? Are you okay?"
"I'm sorry, Veggie-kun. I wish your birthday could have started out better. It's 3:00 AM, right?"
"Yes..."
"Well, then, happy birthday, my little prince. I...I have a present from me and your father." she looks down at a box, the top lid decorated with the Saiyan insignia. "Open it, Vegeta." I look at the box in my shaking hands. I slowly take the lid off, finding a small golden locket, the royal insignia etched onto the surface. Right in the middle of it, a lilac-colored gem rested.
"Do you like it?" My Mother asked. I nod slowly. "There's a button...I want you to press it and tell me what you see."
I do as I am asked, pressing the button. It clicked open, a picture of a happy family inside. My family. My mother stands, holding both me and Tarble against her in a tight hug. We both smile, enjoying the attention. My father is hugging all of us, smiling, the four of us happy. The background is of a lilac sky, blue clouds floating about. The grass beneath us seemed to shimmer, glowing from the sunlight pouring down on all of us. This was the only picture my family had with all four of us as a happy family. I nearly start to cry at the memory. Even though hot, sticky blood is cascading onto my cheek from my eye, my mother kisses me on the cheek.
"I love you. Now go, before Dodoria starts coming again. Run, Vegeta, run!" I am frightened at her serious tone of voice, but that only fuels me to run. As I am running, I send a powerful energy blast at Dodoria. It hits him right in his laughing face, causing him to fall backwards. Then I run, locket in hand, clutching it for dear life.
I run for my room. I shoot down the hallways, the events of the night replaying in my mind's eye. What stops me dead cold in my tracks was something I will never erase from my memory. A scream pierces the silent hallways, my saiyan ears catching every bit. A sickening crack follows, and the screaming stops. Tears cascade and mix with my blood. Mother is no more.
My loneliness cometh.
My angel of light has fallen and lost her wings.
She has fallen, a scream of death is what she sings.
Forever will she guide me, her wings aglow.
For I see them in winter snow.
Long live Queen Sprout.
For she has fallen and died out.
My angel of light has dimmed and faded out.
-Vegeta, in remembrance of Queen Sprout
