Author's Note: Sorry, sorry, sorry! I know, late update AGAIN! Totally my fault. But I'm already writing the next chapter so hopefully it will be out MUCH sooner. This story is actually coming to an end, I would estimate only a few more chapters or so. Bittersweet. But I am also hoping to put out a sequel, so we'll see. Anyways, pardon my grammar/spelling mistakes. I wanted to get this posted ASAP! ...I should really get a Beta or something. Without much further ado - enjoy!
Hello Darkness, my old friend,
I've come to talk with you again.
-Simon and Garfunkel
Set Me Free
Chapter 16
Vegeta narrowed his eyes as he gazed across the barren ice-land. Harsh winds hissed into his ears and howled in the distance.
The prince turned his attention towards a tent and stepped inside. There he was met with Lord Frieza and his father, both currently discussing strategy tactics. A map of the area was spread across the wood table, various objects strewn about, marking important features of the landscape, as well as enemy camps.
"-and we will have men stationed here and here" King Vegeta announced, moving several wood pieces across the map.
Lord Frieza shook his head. "And what of the others?"
"They will be marching through the mountain pass here-" The king pointed to a narrow opening surrounded by a mountain range. "Led by the prince. With this, they will be able to take the enemy base here."
Lord Frieza smirked, "Excellent." He bowed and left the tent to attend to his own business with his men.
The prince leaned against a wooden column of the tent, arms folded across his chest. He stared at his father, awaiting further instructions since he was no longer the one in charge.
King Vegeta ignored his son's presence as he leaned closer to the map, studying the many different landscapes that lay ahead of them on the battlefield.
After moments of silence, Vegeta nudged himself away from the column, releasing a sigh. "I don't like that plan. There are many different things that can go wrong-"
"I do not care what your opinion is! I have been leading these people into wars years before you were even born! My judgment on this matter far exceeds your's and you had better understand that soon." The king shouted at his son, looking up from the map.
Prince Vegeta glared at his father before taking his leave, slipping away into another tent with his generals waiting. Meanwhile, the king turned his attention back to atlas, stroking his beard in deep thought.
"Your highness, what is the word?" Radditz inquired, jumping up as the prince entered the tent. "What should I inform the men?"
Vegeta ignored the soldier and marched over to a table, laying out a similar diagram that his father had, marking the landscapes and territories. Radditz joined the prince at the table, studying the upcoming battle plan.
"You and I, along with Kakarott and Bardock, will take a group of five hundred men through this passage here-" He barked, pointing to the narrow pass between the mountains. "Taking the main base by surprise. Meanwhile, my father will lead a group of his men to watch here and here." He announced, marking the different areas.
Radditz silently nodded at the plan although a look of confusion spread over his features as he pointed to their trail. "But this does not seem-"
Vegeta stared at the other man, the direct eye contact making Radditz squirm. No further questions or concerns were voiced that night.
As Vegeta was leaving the tent for the evening, he shouted back, "Prepare to leave by sunrise."
The prince gazed into the sky, attempting to determine the time of day. They had been on the move for hours and although Vegeta was doing all right, the weather was beginning to take a toll on the rest of the soldiers. The prince glanced behind him, narrowing his eyes to better his sight through the blowing snow and whiteout conditions. He could make out his men marching on without complaints or worry but the prince had a suspicion it would not last long.
After studying the map, the prince figured a day and a half of marching would bring them to the mountains and another two days would get them to the other side. It would be another two or three days before they would reach their final destination, but for now, it would be one step at a time.
Easier said than done.
Vegeta looked down to find the snow piling up, almost halfway up the horse's legs. It would be even worse for those traveling on foot, which was the majority of the army. The prince cursed the absurd plan once again, his mouth turned into a snarl. He disliked cold and blizzard conditions – it made the job so much harder, especially when compared to the hotter climate on Planet Vegetasei.
The prince subconsciously wrapped the fur coat tighter around his body, praying an end to the days hike soon, more for the sake of his men.
Vegeta was unsure how long his thoughts were distracting him but he was quickly shaken out of his daze when he noticed the white sky grow dim. A light smile played his lips but disappeared as he stopped his horse and turned around to face his army. "We camp here for the night." He shouted, hearing a few excited voices amongst the crowd at the news.
Bulma stood at the balcony in the prince's main quarters, staring into the night sky as she did the night before he left. The prince stood next to her, in complete silence, casting glances in secret at the woman next to him.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts and she crossed the room in a hurry to open the door, slight confusion plastered on her beautiful face. Who could be visiting at this hour of the night?
"Woman, leave it" The prince shouted after her. She ignored his plea and reached to open the oak door.
As she looked into the face of the visitor, a look of fear spread across her features. The prince immediately raced to her side, pushing her behind him as he stared into the face of the intruder.
Frieza.
Chills ran down his spine as he questioned the creature, when he heard a scream from the corner of the room.
The prince turned his attention to Bulma, now kneeling down, covered in bright red blood and hysterical. Vegeta glanced back at Frieza, who stood smirking and chuckling as he disappeared into the darkness.
"Vegeta!" Bulma shouted. "VEGETA!"
"Vegeta!"
The prince felt a shake of shoulder, which caused him to sit up in bed instantly. Although the frosty weather seeped into his tent, he was drenched in a cold sweat from the nightmare he just encountered. His heart pounded as he tried to contain himself, looking into the face of Radditz.
"What is it?" He barked, slightly angered by the intrusion.
"The men are waiting for your lead."
Vegeta mumbled several curses under his breath as he quickly began to pack everything up and load up his horse, preparing himself for the day. Still, he could not get that dream to leave his thoughts…
The prince tugged lightly at the reins of his horse, slowly him to a halt. His eyes traveled up alongside the massive mountain that towered above them. The blistering cold and snowy winds continued to pound the crew as they stumbled through, finally reaching their first destination.
Soon Kakarott, Radditz, Bardock, and Nappa joined Vegeta at his side and looked at the treacherous path that lay ahead of them.
"Well, I'll let the men know to unpack for the night –" Radditz began, turning his horse around.
"No. You will do no such thing. We will keep moving." The prince announced, interrupting the soldier's plan. "The sooner we get through here, the sooner we will make it to the enemy camp. I want to be quick about this."
Radditz understood his leader and immediately signaled to the rest of the army to follow onward. Vegeta took the lead once again, giving a sharp whistle before galloping into the darkness.
"And carry the one to get-"
A knock at the door interrupted the young woman's thoughts and a look of confusion crossed her face as she glanced at the door. Who could that be?
No one else knew of her 'secret' lab except Vegeta and Kakarott, and they were both gone. A sudden wave of panic washed over her when another knock, this time, more persistent.
Bulma wanted to ignore the visitor, hoping they would get the hint that perhaps she was not here. However, the knocking continued.
The young woman crept towards the door with caution, placing an ear against the door. Damn that man for not installing an eye-hole!
"Yes?" She called out, hoping to identify the intruder, meanwhile seizing the lock (just in case).
"Bulma! Open up! Its me!"
An immense sigh of relief was released as she dropped her defenses and quickly pulled the heavy door open. "Oh Chi Chi. I was a little worried. Besides, how did you know of this place?"
Chi Chi walked through the door, making sure to close and lock it behind her as Bulma took her seat once again at her desk, finishing the touches on some calculations. The young princess pulled a metal stool across the room and sat across from her long-time friend.
"Sorry for the scare, Bulma. I was just lonely since, well, Kakarott left. So I decided to see what you were up to."
Bulma nodded but once again asked Chi Chi how she knew of her secret lab, slightly worried that her 'secret' was out.
Chi Chi assured her friend. "No worries my dear, Kakarott informed me the night after Vegeta presented it to you. I miss my Goku…"
"Goku?" Bulma smirked at her friend, awaiting her response to the silly nickname.
Chi Chi released a nervous laugh, blushing at the slip of her tongue. "Oh you know, just a little pet name. Do you have one for the prince?" She smiled, attempting to take the attention away from herself.
Bulma, shocked by the outrageous question, laughed obnoxiously out loud. "Yeah right. I'm lucky if I can call him 'Vegeta' much less a pet name."
The two women laughed together, thinking about how the Prince of Saiyans would handle such an absurd name. Finally, Bulma wiped a tear from her eye after much laughter and turned back to her work, mumbling a soft "I do miss him though. I hope they are doing alright."
"Hurry up and get that fire going!" Vegeta shouted, his voice echoing the mountain rocks that surrounded them.
After entering the narrow mountain passageway, the white daylight soon disappeared into complete darkness. Although the prince is fairly accustomed to darkness, he feared the new territory that lay ahead of him and his men. Part of being a leader, especially for such a notorious army, is scoping out the landscape and making sure one knows every inch of the land. Vegeta took this duty seriously and became nervous at the lack of sight to fulfill his plan.
A sudden spark of light, then a brighter yellow-flame interrupted him and he turned to where Bardock managed to light a 'torch.' Bardock immediately handed the piece of wood (which he got from his tent) to the prince, who demanded more fires to be made to set up camp.
Vegeta meanwhile examined their current position and the road ahead. They were located in a space not nearly ten feet in width. Narrow was right. Slight snowfall managed to fall within cracks and lightly fell upon the visitors. Jagged rocks and boulders surrounded the crew as far as the eye could see.
There were few positives about this passage, however. First of all, the harsh winds no longer could reach the army as they were protected by the massive mountain range. This also meant little snowfall, which drastically increased the temperature to make the condition more bearable.
The prince threw off one of his many cloaks, tucking it into one of his bags attached to his horse. He gave it a small pat on the neck before advancing further onto the beaten path into the darkness, anxiously waiting to see what was next.
Vegeta stared ahead, as he cautiously proceeded, noting the tightening passageway the further he walked. He cursed as he reached a point where the narrow path was just about two and a half feet in width. No light at the end of the 'tunnel' brightened his hopes either; just complete infinite darkness.
"Fuck!" He shouted, the walls echoing once more with his rage. He pushed forward, hoping to either see the end to this desolate place or perhaps a widening of the path.
Finally, he decided to put an end to his search. Frustration took over as he noticed neither of those wishes was met. However, the path did not appear to become much 'thinner', so a small wave of relief hit the prince. Well we may be able to get out of this yet…
The prince turned to make his journey back to his men, who were currently setting up camp (well, to the best of their abilities with such limited space). Small fires scattered along the hundreds of men that were grouped into 3 or 4 due to the narrow plot of land they had to work with. Most were encased in darkness and left to defend for themselves in terms of food and sleeping.
Vegeta entered his tent, which was prepared for him by his generals and met with Bardock, Kakarott, Radditz, and Nappa. He informed them of what he saw and what lay ahead of the crew, which included the endless darkness.
They exchanged disheartening looks towards each other but nodded in agreement that they have been through worse with one another. After a few drinks of Saiyan liqueur to keep them warm for the night, the men filed out of the tent leaving the prince to his own brooding thoughts.
As the night drifted on, the small fires disappeared one by one, until only a few were left. The Saiyan army also retired for the night, leaving only a handful of men to keep watch.
Silently, an enemy stood on the lookout, encased in darkness and keeping watch of the trespassers behind the mountain rocks, resulting in perfect camouflage. He gave a signal to numerous other followers, who crept along the walls in perfect silence.
"So then I said-"
"Quiet you fool! Did you hear that?"
The two Saiyans ceased their story and listened, looking around them. They were two of the few that were still awake to keep watch, warming themselves by the small fire. A few small rocks and pebbles tumbled downward from the top of mountain but no other sound was heard.
"I hear nothing. So anyways-"
Suddenly he stopped and cupped his hands to his throat, gasping for breath. The other Saiyan turned to face his friend, confusion at the site before him.
"Morock?" He questioned, getting up from his seat to provide aid. "What's going on?"
He squinted to fine a dark liquid escaping through his friend's fingers, running thin lines down his neck and into his chest. As he approached forward, Morock collapsed, blood pouring onto the ground below him.
"Morock!" He screamed, checking for a pulse. Before he could get a glance of the cause of death, a knife through his own heart prohibited further investigation.
Soon the entire Saiyan army was enveloped into darkness and the rest of the watchmen were put to rest indefinitely. Not a sound of alarm was made and the creatures of terror advanced onward, immersing themselves amongst the warriors.
They never saw it coming.
Author's Note: AH! What did you think? I actually really enjoyed writing this chapter and the time just flew by. It was a little shorter but I always like ending on a cliffhanger to keep you guessing :)
What is with Vegeta's dream? And what about Frieza? What is that bastard up to? And of course, what is going to happen to our love-able Saiyans?! Tune in next time!
And as always: please review! I love hearing all of your thoughts - you keep me going.
