Stolen Hearts Chapter Eighteen
As Bulma sat in the garden smiling happily up at the clouds feeling quite giddy and foolish and loving it, Chichi came quietly up to her.
"Hello Princess Bulma."
"Hello dear! Do not be so formal, come and sit with me on this lovely day."
"Princess, I have to talk to you about something."
"Yes, well you are here aren't you? Speak!" Bulma said smiling at her old friend.
"What do you think you are doing?" Chichi asked, unpleasantly serious.
"I am sitting outside enjoying this wonderful day?" Bulma said not knowing what she was getting at.
"Princess, I'm your friend, and as your friend I don't want to rat you out but I feel it is necessary to help you with this. I want you to be happy, I do, but not at this expense. Can't you see this is madness? Ruin? I want you to stop before you hurt yourself."
"Nonsense," Bulma said losing much of her jovial tone, "Don't dampen this day Chi, I have no idea what you are talking about."
"You know exactly what I'm talking about, and you can't make it right by ignoring the fact Princess; you can't go on pretending anymore. I've been silent long enough. As you best friend I can't let you stumble blindly into insanity! You must stop!"
"Silence! Do not speak of what you don't understand!" Bulma shouted, getting quite upset by the topic Chichi seemed to know far too much about, "I am not blind, but I...I can't stop Chi, I won't. Don't you see this is all I have?"
"That's not true Princess, you have friends and family right here who love you dearly. Do they not matter at all? Just think of how you will hurt them. Open your eyes."
"I thought I asked you to stop being so formal." Bulma said in a tired voice.
"We will love you more then any Elf could Bulma."
Bulma gaped at he brazen comment, unable and unknowing of how to react. Fear spread through her body. What he house of card about to come crashing down around her?
"You're wrong," Bulma cried, but with less assurance. Her parents had been opening up to her, their love coming in the intense flow of all the love stored away by parents of an only child. Bulma truly didn't want to wreck that. But she knew Vegeta loved her, and she couldn't imagine wanting to live in a world without him.
"You will hurt him too Bulma," Chichi said as if reading Bulma's mind, "You know that's inevitable. You simply can't be together, maybe if the world was a different place, like it was long ago, but there is no hope now. It is better for everybody if you just forget him."
"How? How can you simply tell your heart to forget what it holds so dear?" Bulma's voice was raising, becoming hysterical.
"Tell me you'll end it or I will go to your parents tonight. I'm sorry love, but its for the best. You'll see that eventually."
Bulma glared at Chichi and thought of her catching fire right now. Her parents couldn't find out. It would ruin everything. What could she do?
"Alright, alright... perhaps you are right," Bulma said her mind racing for a way out, "I can't avoid this any longer. I must see him. Don't tell anyone, I'll come see you tonight."
The fractures were already tearing through her perfect picture and she dreaded every minute. She had to see him.
After hours of wandering through the forest, Bulma was still without Vegeta.
'Where could he be?!' she thought anxiously, 'Maybe he has left,' but she knew that was ridiculous the moment it came into her mind. It was just her worried heart overreacting.
There was a rustle in a nearby bush and she ran hopefully to it only to be startled by a playful scaled face.
"Per!"
He gave a lively 'eep' of recognition to the girl he had seen around a lot lately, then bounded off after a passing bunny.
"Oh Per, can't you ever leave the poor rabbits alone? It's a wonder there are any even left in this forest," she said, already in better humor. Per gave her a look that said, 'You must be joking,' and continued to try and dig the unfortunate rabbit out of its den.
'Ugh, well when you're done, would you mind showing me where Vegeta is?"
The dragon's head perked up at the sound of Vegeta's name and it got up, ran it two excited circles then shot off through the trees. It seemed he was just as impatient for his friend's return.
"Wait up!" Bulma yelled as she raced off as gracefully as she could after the flicking tail.
Vegeta was at his family's large stone castle, a rare occurrence indeed. Annually at this time the dispersed Elves came together for a festival and to discuss plans for the upcoming year. Vegeta usually did not make it his business to attend, but it had been a long time since he had seen his family and figured it would be well to know what was going on with his people. He liked to be informed and hated to be caught off guard. He didn't want any unfortunate surprises popping up.
He was very skilled at the art of appearing invisible and mostly stayed in the shadows picking up information with his keen ears. It seemed there were some rumors of a highly secretive plan about, that no one seemed quite sure of the details of, and this unsettled Vegeta. For that reason he lingered about longer then he had planned.
Vegeta had come to be alone for a moment and meditate in his father's gloomy council chambers to escape the screaming fact that he was terribly out of place even with his own people. He hated it and wished to be with his blue goddess. You can understand his shock when the object of his desires came traipsing fearlessly through the doors. Per had known to keep his distance when so many Elves were about, but the determined Princess kept plundering along stately.
"Bulma!" he called walking over to embrace her since she hadn't seen him there in the shadows. It was a wonder she hadn't been caught yet. She had the strangest look as she raced into his arms. It was almost a sad happiness if such a thing was possible. The couple didn't have long to talk though before another dark presence in the room made itself know.
"Welcome Princess Bulma, I am so glad to finally make your acquaintance," the man said with a smile of deceit, "Too see for myself the woman that made my son sink so low."
"Father," Vegeta said and turned on him in anger and panic for Bulma's safety.
Bulma looked with interestand shock at the creature she had heard about, there was something distantly familiar about him, about that voice, something more then just its relation to Vegeta. She would have hated this man even if she didn't know of the horrid things he had done to her lover.
"Too bad I can't say the same," she boldly returned.
"Vegeta," Volsung continued, ignoring Bulma as if she were no more then a fly, "I have tried to save your from yourself, but I have failed. I have failed because you are weak and have caused me nothing but shame. You let yourself be defeated by a Faerie, how fittingly pathetic. You are no son of mine. From the day you were born you've been nothing but trouble, a thorn in this family's side. You want my acceptance when you give me nothing to make me proud? I should have killed you when I killed your bitch of a mother."
Vegeta turned his head at each of the stabs, as if trying to glance them off. All he finally managed to stammer out was, "My mother? Amara still lives."
"Ha! Do you honestly believe someone of Amara's stature would be the mother of a pathetic wretch like you? I guess you don't have any brains either. You have the same weakness as your mother. Your real mother. Yes, now you know. Let it sink in. Does it hurt? I made a mistake once for which I am forced to pay endlessly with my unwanted bastard child."
Vegeta tried to control his temper and consider this situation dispassionately. He made an effort to be conciliatory, but he was not a conciliatory man, so the effort looked actually physical, like an earthquake. What he was hearing made him feel ill and glad at the same time. Glad that he finally knew there was a reason for their hate, but now that he knew the reason, it only made it worse.
His mother, his real mother, was dead, stolen from him, along with his only chance at a normal life and not turning out to be the beast he was. She was cruelly ripped away from him and he had lived his life in confusion. Always hated and never knowing why was such intolerable cruelty. Why had they kept this from him? Probably to keep Volsung from being questioned.
Vegeta growled horribly. He was filled with loathing at this incredible injustice. It was almost too much to process. They should have indeed killed him as well and saved him the sorrow of losing the world. Of losing her, the mother he would never know.
"Who was she?" he shouted trying to keep the pain out of his voice unsuccessfully.
"Does it really matter?" Volsung coldly replied.
"Yes!" he returned with fierce anger sneaking back into his voice.
"Her name was Elentari; she was a Light Elf who trapped me with her wiles. She was a wicked enchantress and was punished as such, though not quick enough. She had enough time to burden me with you, for she loved you so much and did all she could to keep you hidden from me. But I found out and against my best knowledge I kept you alive. You were my blood after all and I thought I might be able to turn you into something, beat the softness and light out of you. Only now do I see how wrong I was."
"No more words of a time that is dead. There are words that are better unheard. Maybe she wasn't a wicked enchantress, maybe you just loved her and were afraid of that! It is you that has turned our people into shame, not I!" Vegeta cried in a lost voice and Bulma stepped up behind him and held him softly. She must have know he was about to break apart and what she was doing was holding him together. This action however drew Volsung's attention to her.
"Well now Princess," he said with a bone chilling laugh, "Don't you remember me? It's so delightful that my son should fall for you and complete this circle of madness, for you are poison just like him and his mother, maybe even more so. My son had fallen for the same bewitching evil as his father did."
Bulma began to breathe through her nose, she was feeling as if there were two red thumbs behind her eyes trying to push them out, and she couldn't look at him for with a frightening realization she remembered who this man was. It would break Vegeta's heart. She was trying not to make a scene for his sake, but she dreaded her weakening heart. Shame and hatred filled her. She was like a person swimming in a rough sea on the verge of drowning. He was the dark man in the forest who had broken all her illusions on that day of her youth so long ago. He had come back to break them again.
She felt Vegeta looking at her questioningly, but she could not face him.
"Yes you remember me. Your own lover's father was the one who broke you. I hold your soul, not he. Does it surprise you? I doubt it. I think that is why you were drawn to him, because he is part of me. You two are my puppets; it is quite amusing to watch you flop about like you have some will of your own."
"No," Bulma tried to whisper in protest. Every word that he said was a dagger in her. She could not cry, she could not speak, she thought that she would turn to stone right there. She was trying desperately to get the muscles in her face to do what she wanted them to do, to regain control of herself, but the only thought that screamed through her head was, 'Vegeta must hate me, Oh God you are a fool Bulma, damn you.'
"Do you see what you have let yourself be absorbed by Vegeta? She is a demon that had bewitched me as well," Volsung said smugly.
"You? ...You are that man who..." Vegeta stammered unable to finish his sentence when the sharp shock of reality hit him with its full force, "Bulma tell me it's not true!" he pleaded.
She looked at him with sad eyes that could cut through bone confirming his worst fears.. Vegeta was frozen. Could this really be true? Something this horrible? She must hate him for his association with the man who had hurt her so deeply.
"Oh don't look so sad Princess, your dashing man here is no saint either. I believe you had a brother didn't you? A young brother killed by an Elf no less? Well look no further for revenge dear madam for you brother's murderer stands in front of you! I was there myself. It was your dear Vegeta who shot that arrow! Ha ha ha! You two are so hopeless," Volsung continued in his thrashing of their souls.
"No no no no," Vegeta murmered in a pained chant as Bulmas arms dropped from him.
"Oh yes my son, oh yes," Volsung continued laughing, quite pleased by the pain he was causing. And he didn't even have to lift a finger! How delightful.
"Oh god Bulma I didn't know, I didn't know!" Vegeta cried losing all hope that she would ever even look at him again.
All of Bulma's will slipped away and in was replaced by a bad feeling she did not have a name for. She only knew that it felt like sadness but heavier then that. She knew that this was not her first bout with the terrible overwhelming disappointment of reality and it would not be her last. She had lost the temporary peace of heart she had invented for herself and she could no longer drown herself in the passing minute. The charade was over. The deceptions were gone. She was poison, and he was a murderer.
Hate swelled within her. Hate towards herself, and hate towards Vegeta for being the one thing she could never have imagined, and the horridness of it overcame her. Hate for him making her love him, hate for making her hope, hate for making her aspire so high, only so she could fall so far. God damn him, god damn herself!!
Tears poured out of her suddenly as if a black cork had been pulled from the bottom of her soul.
With her eyes red from tears and a crooked smile of madness on her face she ran, unable to look at the man she loved, the man who killed her brother. Such injustice! She was disgusting! The end was here. There was only ruin in front of her.
Vegeta stood alone, his feet seemingly glued to the floor by his hollow heavy heart. Everything was broken, everything was wrong. His pain swirled out until it was too much to contain.
And then only one emotion could now surge trough him.
Rage.
He blindly attacked his father who was expecting and ready for this reaction. Vegeta felt he had to kill his father for what he had done to Bulma, and what he had made him do to her unknowingly by killing her Brother.
Vegeta's attack was strong but the intensity of his rage made the attack sloppy and his father's knife quickly reacted and was now at Vegeta's throat, lingering.
Vegeta begged his father to kill him, more furious then ever. "Why do you stop? Come then and kill me and finish your butchering. I will not yield. Kill me at once, for I shall only fight you again if you spare my life." He was crying, "I have nothing left to live for, kill me!! Kill me like you killed my mother!"
His father did not kill him, a strange look crossed over his face, and that gave Vegeta enough time to wildly trust his sword upwards in a fatal blow.
Volsung slumped down and his knife clattered to the ground with a sound of finality.
Vegeta's rage subsided as he felt the weight of his Father's dead body over on him. Vegeta's face was stone, insanely mixed between venom, blandness, and misery. It was only then that he realized how much he had loved his father, and so he began to hate him even more for the guilt he felt. If only he didn't have these sickly woeful passions. He hated his father for being dead, for making him feel a beast, for not loving him, for not killing him. Now there was nothing left to do but vent his shame and hatred of himself upon the corpse, setting it to flame as his tears continued as a disgraceful reminder of a heart that still lingered woefully on.
Vegeta looked about the room, which was wreathed in flames until it looked like hell, with a sorrowful affection. He had killed his own father. Could there possibly be anything for him after this? He looked at the blood on his hands and remembered what it was for. For her. It was no bewitching, it was love. He loved her still with desperate passion.
He fell to his knees with a cry. He had half a notion just to stay there and let the flames consume his evil. She would not love him. Not anymore. How could she? How could she possibly love such malice? How could anyone?
With the weight of a broken heart he rose. He had to be strong for her, she was his purpose. He had to make sure she was alright and that she had made it back safely. There were many Elves about and it was not an outrageous possibility that she could've been captured in her wild exit.
Once he found her and knew she was safe, he would then leave to finally end the suffering he called his life.
AN: A lot went down in that chapter, and I'll try to get the other one out soon. Thanks!