Author's Note: Hey! I'm back! And I'm so so SO SORRY! Please forgive me and my awful writing habits. I hope you all enjoy this chapter - getting so exciting! Can't wait to hear your thoughts. And without further delay I present to you:

Set Me Free

Chapter 17


Faint cries echoed through the walls of the mountain pass. The enemy moved swiftly and silently throughout the army, leaving a ghostly impression, as it captured the lives of soldiers.

Some men tried their luck at running. Further and further into the darkness, they scurried blindly, until their lives were ended by the invaders. Experts of the land, they toyed with their prey, watching as the frantic men tried to battle or flee from their captivity.

Other Saiyans took to the sword, slicing and dicing their enemies, blindly slashing. Limbs were strewn about and blood ran like frozen rivers in the growing black cavern.

Fires were extinguished, one by one, until the darkness enveloped the two clans. Unfortunately for the Saiyans, their foes had the upper hand, as their eyesight piercing through the shadows like it was daylight. More and more filed into the passage, silently finishing off the remaining men.

As rapid as it began, the cries and shouts began to die down. The creatures regrouped and a leader stepped forward, giving unspoken commands. They slinked forward, surrounding Prince Vegeta's tent, and pulled out their blades. The silver edges glistened with fresh red blood until one by one, they filed inward and prepare for the ending blow to the prince of Saiyans.

The leader did the honors, slipping the blade under the soft, warm throat before giving it a quick and final slice. The head rolled to the side of the tent, blood bubbling from the neck. The Saiyan did not even make a plea for his life.

The alien creature smirked, revealing sharp fangs. Satisfied with the outcome, it nodded to the others, signaling their descent from the camp. As it turned to leave, a faint whisper fell upon its left ear.

"You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you?"

The hot breath fell stung the alien's face and it released a loud howl of anger as it slashed its blade feverishly at the empty space. Suddenly, the creature's blade ceased its frantic movement. It looked down at its feet, feeling a splash of warm, wet, and sticky colliding with skin. Mesmerized, the alien gawked at the site of its own innards cascading to the ground.

It never saw him coming…


The prince snapped off pieces of wood from his battered tent. Grabbing anything dry and flammable, Vegeta set to work in creating light. Fires soon bloomed, scattered about the passageway between the mountains. He held out the makeshift torch, squinting as he further examined his surroundings.

The carnage of bodies were strewn about, different colors of blood mixing together – dark purple from the alien creatures with ruby red of Saiyans. The prince looked down at his feet at numerous foreign bodies, recounting the previous hour that occurred after the predator threatened his life.

After taking out the leader of the clan, Vegeta began his work of annihilating the rest of the members of this elite enemy. Stepping out of his tent, his powerful sword as able to take out roughly ten of the creatures in just a few swings. Shortly after, he was able to track down Radditz and together, they were able to extinguish more group members. A massive blood bath was brewing, as they continued their red parade, marching and collecting other Saiyan warriors to join in the fight.

And suddenly the prince paused, looking around and noting the alien creatures had disappeared. He peered into the darkness, looking straight above as he caught a glimpse of the remaining dozens that were fleeing silently with their lives. They soon disappeared out of sight, behind the dark caverns and boulders.

Vegeta cursed, angry at the creatures for their coward escape but turned back to his fellow men. "Pack whatever you have left and find anyone who survived. Including the enemy. Burn the bodies. We leave as soon as possible." He turned to walk back to his broken tent, eager to collect his things and leave.

As the prince broke off timber for firewood, he heard a cry from a fellow soldier. Vegeta looked up from his work, turning his torch in the direction of his men to see a few burly soldiers dragging a battered body. As they came in view, Vegeta was able to identify the being as the enemy and more to his surprise: it was alive.

The prince rushed over, as the men dumped the body at his feet. Vegeta lowered the fire as he squatted down, further examining the creature. He dropped the flame and pulled out a small blade, removing a black mask that enclosed the beast's face, and tossed it to the side.

The alien lived, but barely. Audible wheezing filled the air as he gasped for breath, purple liquid oozing from its mouth. Vegeta grabbed at the being, forcing it to look into his eyes.

"Who are you?" The prince shouted, startling the alien. It said nothing but regained its composure and stared into the black eyes of the prince. A smirk formed upon the green lips and it hacked up a mouthful of blood with mucus before launching it directly at Vegeta's face.

Vegeta saw red, his patience running thin as his fury grew. He was in no mood for any of this. Quickly, he wiped away the bloody saliva from his face and slipped the small knife under the alien's throat within a second. The alien released a chuckle at the prince's attempts to gain information. It mumbled a word and shook its head.

The prince loosened his grip on the blade, a confused look briefly crossed his features. Prince Vegeta knew many different languages from being on the planet's council and of course, next in line for king. This language, however, was foreign to him. He truly had no idea of the origin.

Vegeta straightened up, focusing back to the task at hand. The alien continued to laugh, purple drool emitting from his lips. The prince scowled then discovered the fatal blow that would end this creature's life within the next few minutes.

A massive puncture would was settled on the left side of the green monster's chest. A thick dark fluid bubbled from it with each passing breath and each chuckled.

Finally, Prince Vegeta released a smirk and stood up. "You may be dying but there's still time to hurt you." He crushed the heel of his boot into the erupting chest wound of the victim before him.

The alien released a cry. A look of pure agony crossed its features, as it begged for cessation in its foreign language. But the look in Vegeta's eyes told the creature it would not happen. A fire blazed in those dark orbs, a manic look spread across his face, and a sadistic smile across the prince's ruby lips.

"Now! Tell me! I know you can understand me. Let me end your pitiful life – just tell me who you are!"

The green beast released a hiss, cursing in several different tongues. However, the prince continued his wrath. "Answer me! Who is your leader?"

Finally the being gave one more breath, gasping out one more simple word, before lying lifeless beneath the black boot of Prince Vegeta.

The rest of the Saiyans looked around at each other, shrugging their shoulders. They gave no attention to the prince, figuring no information was gained. Time was being wasted, and they set to work to find more survivors and pack to continue on their journey.

Meanwhile, Radditz stood by his leader, noting the distressed and shocking look on Vegeta's face. "What is it, sir?"

Vegeta backed away from the body, still in shock. The alien muttered several languages and curses at the prince, who managed to recognize the very last.

Radditz stared at his leader, prodding for more information, "did he manage to say anything important?"

Prince Vegeta broke his stare with the body to turn towards the soldier. "Frieza."


The army of over a hundred Saiyans led by Prince Vegeta was now reduced to a meager ten. Vegeta grew more anxious by the second, a cold sweat on his upper brow. The last word of the alien lingering in the air: "Frieza." How could this be? Vegeta pondered, deep in thought about the events that just occurred.

The group of ten sat around one of the remaining fires, contemplating their next moves. Some men argued to turn back, frightened at the next move, which could be their last. The dark caverns held shadows and unseen dangers. Others shouted to continue on and finish what they came here to do.

Vegeta remained staring into the bright yellow orange flames, mesmerized, as he thought about what to do next. Suddenly, a jab in his ribs brought him from his daze. "Well boss, what do you think?" Radditz sighed, eyeing the prince. The other men stopped their arguing and silently waited for Vegeta to speak.

The prince released a deep breath. "We march on, get through the pass, and meet up at one of my father's camps on the other side. We will then discuss our next move. In the meantime, our enemy is waiting for us. We kill, take no prisoners, and get the fuck out of this place."

The men shouted their excitement and immediately grabbed the remainder of their belongings before setting out. Vegeta and Nappa took the lead, carefully following the dark passageway Vegeta scoped out previously. They continued along the path, the air becoming more stale and heavy, as the walls continued to close in. Two feet of width left the men marching in a single line, holding their torches high.

With no sign of light ahead of them, the army began to grumble about their predicaments and voiced their concerns over hunger and fatigue. Vegeta stopped for a brief moment, narrowing his eyes. "We are leaving this mountain without stopping. If you cannot keep up, that is your business. We wait for no one."

Not another word fell from the lips of the obedient soldiers.


Bulma found herself inspecting her reflection, as she stood in front of the full-length mirror situated in her shared quarters with the prince. She carefully slid her fingers over the beautiful necklace Vegeta had given her before his departure.

She released a sigh, thinking it has been way too long. At least a week since he left and dare she admit it, she missed the guy! A smile crossed her face as she thought back to him and some of their special memories. She looked out the window, remembering running through the rain with that handsome devil. "Oh Vegeta…" She trailed off with a sigh.

Bulma slowly trailed the enormous room, touching items that belonged to the prince and sparking some memories back into her mind with a grin. The leather couch, his many bottles of liquor, dirty combat boots that were thrown in the corner…

Deciding she needed a break from her thoughts, she left the royal quarters for a stroll in other parts of the palace. She needed a good distraction and getting lost in a different part of the castle seemed like the perfect waste of time she needed.

The young woman hummed to herself as she walked past some memorabilia strung upon the walls. She suddenly found herself in another great hall, although it looked unused in ages. The only light that was present was from the massive windows to her right. Velvet rich maroon curtains hung from above, blocking out some of the light. Bulma hurried over, ripping some open to shed light on the features of the wall.

Tall oil paintings hung, mainly of the royal family of Vegetasei, along with swords and various other weapons. Bulma squinted, attempting to make out the features of the family painting that hung in front of her. A young boy with dark hair stood in the front of an older man, sitting on a throne, while a woman at his side, standing. "Vegeta?" She questioned out loud, further examining the small boy.

"Yes, that's him alright. What happened?"

Bulma jumped in fright at the intrusion and quickly turned towards the source. She smiled, realizing it was the queen. "Your highness" Bulma said, giving a slight bow in respect.

The queen gave a short wave of her hand and frowned, "please dear call me Esmeralda." Bulma was shocked at such a privilege but nodded in acceptance. The queen ushered the young woman over towards a bench, seated beneath one of the windows overlooking another one of the gardens. She waved to her guards, dismissing them for the time being.

"Admiring one of our gleeful family portraits, I see?" She smiled.

Bulma released a chuckle and turned back to the painting, noting that none of them wore any hint of a smile on their faces. Their display was stoic and strong. Bulma did not expect any less from the family of Vegetasei. "Yes, its lovely."

Esmeralda rolled her eyes and laughed. "Oh please, dear. You do not have to lie to me! Now my husband on the other hand…" She joked, then added. "Speaking of which, did Kakarott give you that lovely necklace? I always thought you two were so cute together." A genuine smile was placed on the queen's face as she waited for Bulma's answer.

Shocked, Bulma almost completely forgot her relationship with the prince was still a secret to mostly everyone in the palace. Bulma mumbled out a quick yes and excused herself, stating she had other matters to attend to. She did not know what else to say for matter and was nervous she may let it slip that she and Vegeta were seeing each other, instead of Kakarott. She hurriedly took off in the direction of her lab. Work always cleared her mind!


A bright white light burst through the darkness. After a day of marching in a single-file line, the soldiers found their salvation. Cheers erupted through the crew. Suddenly the prince gave a hiss, telling them to silence their voices. Vegeta heard talking, right outside the exit. A language he did not understand and concluded it must be more of the alien creatures. They were waiting for us here the whole time, Vegeta thought, irritated at the circumstances. Without most of his men and little space, there was not much he could do as far as a surprise attack on these creatures.

The prince stopped marching as they neared the exit, whispering his plan and spreading the news of the ambush that sat outside their escape. As it appeared, the aliens were currently distracted with each other, engaged in conversation, unaware of the blood thirsty Saiyans that lay within the dark tunnel.

Vegeta gave the signal and all the men burst through the exit within a matter of seconds, swords and weapons poised and ready for battle. The Saiyans had the advantage, as they immediately began slicing and dicing their enemies, who were completely unprepared at the time. The aliens quickly tried to find their weapons, but it was too late.

After the small fight, Vegeta inspected the group of fifteen green aliens, laying around, purple blood smeared across the white landscape. A blizzard was beginning to form but Vegeta continued his inspection of the slain creatures, looking for any new information that would be helpful.

"Sir…"

Vegeta gave a wave of dismissal, still stalking around and digging through pockets and bags of the aliens.

"Your highness…"

The prince angrily turned around to his army, irritated by second interruption. "What! What is it?" He hissed. The soldier pointed to the side of the mountain they just escaped. Hundreds of aliens crawled towards the Saiyan soldiers at an alarming rate.

Vegeta mumbled several curses, mostly at himself for being so stupid at the second ambush by this mediocre clan. "Alright men! Battle positions!" He shouted, crouching low, his sword drawn and ready. "Steady!"

The ground beneath their feet shook and rumbled from the enemy approaching. Small rocks tumbled from the mountain tops. Soon the first line of aliens dropped down and began to run towards the small group of Saiyans.

Prince Vegeta was the first to lead, releasing a battle cry as he raced towards the enemy, slashing blinding. His men followed without question. Swords clanked against each other, fresh red and purple blood mixed. Cries were heard in both languages.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes, looking at the mountainside, attempting to count some of the numbers that continued to flow down the cavern. He shook his head. There's too many… He never thought he would ever say that but he knew he could not give up now.

After what seemed like hours, the prince looked again at the mountain. Less dense in numbers but still present, the enemy continued to thrive, crashing down upon them. Vegeta paired up with Kakarott and back to back, fought off the enemy.

Suddenly, the area cleared, without heed or warning. Confused, Vegeta immediately eyed the mountainside to find it completely bare. He could have sworn there were more on the way…

The prince fell to his knees, dropping his sword out of pure exhaustion. Sweat dripped from his brow, even in the cold snowy wind. Purple and red decorated his clothes and covered his face and arms. One could barely recognize him as the prince.

"How many men do we have?" He questioned, sitting against a nearby boulder. He reached in his sack for some water to find it was gone since exiting the tunnel.

"Well, there's me and-" Radditz trailed off, looking around for the rest of the survivors. "And Kakarott, Bardock…"

Nappa's bald head could be seen in the distance. "Oh there's Nappa." Radditz pointed. "And looks like there's Turk."

Turk was another Saiyan soldier, found walking by Nappa's side towards the rest of the group.

Vegeta nodded, licking his dry lips. "We need to keep moving. Anyone injured?" He asked the group of remaining Saiyans. Bardock was busy wrapping a wound on Kakarott's upper right thigh.

"Ready when you are, boss!" Kakarott shouted.

Vegeta got up stiffly, dusting himself off and grabbing a handful of snow to rub off the blood from his face and hands. "We are near my father's camp. We will be there by night fall."

The men sauntered onward, missing their horses and layers of furs as the snow beat down heavily upon them. The deep white powder piled up to their knees as the temperatures dropped steadily. But the army continued on, grateful they were no longer trapped in the mountain pass.


The blizzard continued, showering white over the men. Vegeta squinted, looking in the distance for any sort of sign they were close. The white-out conditions were making it difficult for navigation and a pang of worry hit the prince. He quickly pulled out a compass-like tool from his pocket, to ensure they were headed in the right direction. He sighed in relief. Should be just over this hill.

As they reached the top, Vegeta peered down, seeing nothing but white. He growled in annoyance. Absolutely everything was going wrong. At this rate, he would never leave this horrible planet!

"Look there!" Bardock shouted, drawing the prince's attention to a puff of smoke, which lead to small tent. The men shouted their praise once again and took off in a sprint towards the shelter, while Vegeta marched on, a smirk on his face. He was just relieved it was here.

As they peeled open the leather flaps of the tent, a scent of cigars, food, and wine filled the air. The men piled instead, followed lastly by the prince. They lined up, waiting for their leader to enter and give the next orders. Vegeta said nothing as he crossed into the warmth of the shelter. His eyes first fell upon his father, then to the companion sitting across the wooden table.

"Frieza."


Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed it! Again, I'm sorry I suck at updating! I promise the next chapter will be out soon. I was busy falling in love with the BBC show Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch - I highly recommend it! In fact I used one of the lines in here, ha! Also, I've been catching up on my Game of Thrones, which "beyond the wall" scenery helped me write this chapter, giving me some good ideas.

I feel this story is getting exciting now and more fun to write. Its coming together nicely, in my opinion. Please review - can't wait to hear from all you fabulous people again :)