Stolen Hearts Chapter 31
"We must face our destiny Vegeta."
"What is our destiny Bulma?"
"To stop this bloody war!" Bulma could somehow now see it all clearly, "There will be no future for this world if we cannot learn to live together peacefully as we once did. It must stop, it has become madness! And no one else will do it but us. There is no one left to try, no one left to hope! They are all blinded by their murderous hate and we must make them see. We will make them see that we are not so very different. If we can love each other and bear a child from that love, how could there ever be hate? We have already made the one who will unite them Vegeta, half of both, now all we have to do is make them SEE. Trunks is the key to everything."
"But how? The madness runs deep. It consumes them all……"
"I don't know exactly, but there is little time. I sense dismay in the air and it gives me the impression that everything is on its last legs and will soon disappear from the face of the earth. This war is little more then an account of men slaughtering each other. It has lost all point, if there ever was one to begin with. Battle follows battle and they mean nothing. Countless heroes are always slain; rivers of blood drench the earth, hooves of fiery steeds spurting gory dew trample on the dead. Horrors cease to horrify that is how bad it has gotten. I am a Valkyrie am I not? I can make them stop. I have to try."
Bulma though of all she had seen and its unstoppable nature. The death, the blood, the madness. It did indeed run deep. She shuddered and for a moment hope seemed to wither. And even at that moment the sun for a second faltered and was obscured. Almost beyond hearing she caught, high and far in the heavens, a cry. Faint but heart quailing, cruel, and cold. She blanched and the very warmth of her blood seemed stolen away. There was something worse then Faerie or Elf loose in the world, but what? How can you fight a foe you cannot see?
Then she felt him by her side, and she did not despair. Her warmth returned. They may stand, even if it was only one leg, they would still stand. Yet the unexplainable darkness seemed overwhelming, and there would be no dawn unless they could stop it. Her chest swelled. She was ready.
"Let us fly. The largest of battles commences soon. It will be the end of everything if we do not intervene."
Bulma shone with divine light. The Valkyrie would indeed be the savior to this world as the ledged told. When the senses are shaken and the soul is driven off in madness, she would stand. When the souls of the lost fight in the troubled rages, she would stand. When the whirlwind of fury comes down upon the world and the nation drive together, she would stand. When sin claps its broad wings over the battle and sails rejoicing in a flood of death, when souls are torn to everlasting fire and the fiends of hell exult upon the slain, she would stand!
Vegeta looked at his lover with glistening eyes. She was radiant, and even though he wanted her as far away from the disgusting mess that had become the world, he knew she was right. There was something more then herself in her eyes. Something ancient and revered. He would follow her to the ends of the earth if she willed it so.
With a new wave of passion, heightened by the possible ephemeral nature of the world, he took the beautiful glowing woman in front of him into his arms and kissed her with everything he had. He hoped it would be enough to tell her how he felt, for he had no words to explain it. From the look in her eyes it seemed she got it perfectly.
"I love you. Whatever happens, I will love you forever."
Faster then the wind they flew into the gathering darkness, Bulma holding both Vegeta and Trunks, her power enveloping them both. The pressure and tension in the air became more and more suffocating as the approached that dismal battlefield.
Vegeta awed at the pure size of the armies. They stretched for miles; certainly every living creature was part of this monstrous clash. There was only a hundred feet or so between the two and it seemed the two appointed leaders were having a few choice words before their nations demolished each other. Not very diplomatic at all.
It was a clamor unbearable, like thousands of wild animals were tearing themselves to pieces, but when Bulma landed with a flash of blinding light an eerie hush came over the clearing. They were bedazzled, at least for the moment.
She took a deep breath and squeezed Trunks and Vegeta's hands.
"If this doesn't work, Bulma you have to take him and flee. Don't worry about me, you take Trunks and you get as far away from this place as you can," Vegeta whispered urgently to Bulma as she began to move toward the small group of people in front of them.
Bulma only answered with a solemn gaze back at him and then her face turned to stone.
"Listen to me, all of you!" Bulma said with a voice like thunder and a tone to drown the throat of war. Everyone could hear.
"Enough! This ends here today and not with violence! There has been enough of that to last many centuries. Look at yourselves! Look at what we have become! Would you really rather have everything and everyone you know destroyed then live in peace? Are you all fools?! I stand here today, asking, begging, for a new beginning. I have already begun it! My son stands here as proof, as a hope of a new tomorrow when we will all live in harmony! He is the joining of our races, half Elf and half Fey! It is no disgrace but the future!"
A rustle flowed through the crowed like fire. Was it really true? A half breed? Was that even possible? Was it the future? Slowly but surely you could sense a calm, or at least confusion, beginning. Bulma turned to Vegeta and smiled. Maybe this would work. The word of a Valkyrie is not put aside easily.
"No! There cannot be peace as long as you traitorous Faeries exist in the world! This child is no more then a mistake of nature! He should not be! This peace is false! Why should we listen to some Fey Queen?" Vegeta's brother Adrastus, who was now king, cried.
"Would you listen to your own brother?" Vegeta called in a harsh voice and stepped forward, "I Stand at her side and am not poisoned. It is folly to continue fighting brother! End this madness!"
Another murmur of confusion flashed through the crowd. Adrastus had a brother? More and more seeds of doubt were being planted in the masses.
"You are NOT my brother!" Adrastus hissed, "You are no more then a traitorous conniving son of a light elf!"
And then Adrastus made the one emission that Vegeta feared the most.
"You killed our own father Volsung, you piece of filth, I'll kill you right here!"
Vegeta winced at the words and he had no response. It was horrible and true. Bulma's heart dropped as the sides began their clamor again, soon it was a bad as before. Perhaps worse. What kind of spell were these people under? Why were they so consumed with this destruction?
Bulma only had one hope left. It was a vague idea in the back of her head, more like a voice almost, telling her what she had to do. What she had the power to do. She had to clear their eyes of this haze of madness. With a mass of creatures this large and this incensed it would take all would take all of her strength. She had to try though, it was the last chance.
Bulma closed her eyes concentrated all of her power in her core. It was suddenly a tangible thing. She could feel its edges with her mind and sense its power. It glowed and burned inside her.
With a deep breath and then a scream Bulma forced the light out, every last tendril, until the sky was filled. Nothing could be seen but the dazzling brightness. It was if the whole world had become nothing more then these particles of beautiful light and warmth. It was no normal light either, it was the light of the Valkyrie and it held the vision of peace and love. It reached far and wide. The weapons and hate dropped with it.
There would be no war.
It was over.
What ever dark force was that had taken root here was gone.
Vegeta gasped. She had done it! That radiant woman had done it. He smiled toward his love but his smile quickly faded as he saw her. The glow that had once radiated from her every pore, now seemed dim and fading. She began to sway and fall, but Vegeta had her in his arms before she hit the groud.
"Bulma are you alright? How do you feel?" Vegeta asked unable to hide his concern. Trunks was wide eyed by their side as well, his distress showing clearly on his face as well.
"I'll be fine, just a little tired. Did it work?" She said in a voice as soft and beautiful as a summer breeze, but also alarmingly weak.
"Yes, yes it is amazing. I have no idea what you did but it worked! They are free of any thought of war or hate. "
"We were actually lucky they battle was so large. That was the only way I could show them all, to end this………I don't know though, it seems there is foul play about still. I can feel it. Darkness lurks, it is not gone yet."
As if to answer Bulma's musing Adratus moved angrily towards them. It was as if all the darkness had somehow been drawn up into just him, so much so that even his features were distorted with it.
"Vegeta!" Adrastus called with a voice strangled with hate. "I will not lie down and let this new world commence! I will not give in! This is your fault, you have always wronged us you worthless fiend! You traitor! I will kill you!"
Vegeta leapt to his feet alarmed. He could barely recognize Adrastus. His features were so darkened and estranged with despise and wretchedness. He was hunched and wild eyed. There seemed to be darkness around him only where there should be light. It was strange, something was wrong.
"I will not fight you brother!"
"Then you will die!!"
"Vegeta," Bulma cried, "That is it, that is the evil! It has possessed your brother! Just as it has possessed all of us!"
"What?" Vegeta said, confused by this sudden emission.
"Yes. She is a smart one isn't she," It hissed suddenly with a voice that chilled your soul and made the earth tremble. It was almost like loud and quite having an argument, or a heated debate. It was evil.
"But she would know, I have intruded upon her life often enough. Yes little Bulma look at me, it is I who has caused you all this pain, it is I who has taken your life apart piece by piece, for I knew only you could make my ruin or my triumph. If I took away your happiness I knew you would be powerless to defeat me Valkyrie. So I took your innocence, so I took your siblings, and I took your love. I even had you kill your own king and husband," said the creature that wore Adrastus like a costume and it let out another mirthless laugh.
Vegeta and Bulma looked at each other, with wondering fearful eyes as the pieces of the puzzle slowly fell together in their minds.
"I know you must be confused my Valkyrie, for although I have watched you your whole life, you have never seen me, so allow me to introduce myself. I am Gorgorath and I used to be a God," it paused watching them carefully, like a predatory and his prey.
"But the other Gods got a little put off when I tried to take over the other realm Emeldir," Gorgorath continued, "I almost did it too until they somehow trapped me in this disgusting mortal realm. I was only a wraith here with no body of my own or ability to interact. At least at first. It took me centuries to acquire the ability to possess people and rot their minds and have them do my bidding, and when I found that I could I decided to take this world apart piece by piece. I knew it killed them to see their precious mortal world being ruined and ravaged, and I relished in their agony," Gorgorath sneered and Bulma saw how much he did relish it……
The fiend! Playing with all their lives as if it were no more then a chest game! How could the Gods allow this, this evil to walk among them?? If they really did have love for the mortal world, why hadn't they done something? But her question was answered by the monster.
"Then they sent you," Gorgorath seethed, now focused his evil eyes solely on Bulma, and they were filled with hate.
"They thought they were so clever, but I spent my energy ruining you in a hope that you would never realize your full potential and your pathetic idea of peace would be gone forever. Alas there have always been certain people I couldn't posses however, and your damnable lover was one of them….. I knew he would be a problem, so I tried to ruin him too. His father was all too easy to use and distort. I thought I had you both, I did have you both, but the powers of fate seem to be against me. Nothing seems to keep you two apart! Fie on you both, I will have my revenge! This is not the end for Gorgorath! I will not be thwarted by some filthy Valkyrie and her damned Elf lover!"
Bulma looked warily at this strange creature trying to absorb all that he said. Was it true? It was all too much to grasp right then. That everything in her life had been horribly orchestrated by this evil being….. It was madness.
But then she thought deeper. Volsung, her Mother, the Nymph Folora, Yamcha, the mysterious deaths of her siblings, and now Adrastus. They were all unexplainably evil, possessed you might say, doing deeds that Gorgorath wished for…… It was abhorred! This evil God thrown down from the heavens intent on making her life and Vegeta's life a living hell all because the God's had given her this, this Valkyrie thing inside her!? It wasn't fair! It wasn't right! Why did she have to suffer all those years? Why must Vegeta suffer?? So she could be a savior? She never asked to be a savior! She suddenly didn't feel like herself, she felt her whole life an unfair orchestrated lie put on by unseen forces of a magnitude she could hardly comprehend. All she knew was that she felt cheated. She felt used. She felt tired………. 'Please……. Let it be over……. I have no will to do the bidding of Gods any longer….. let this world fall to fire, all I want is him in my arms.'
Gorgorath was pleased with the distress he had caused. It seemed he was not so upset as someone who was defeated should be…… there were more evil plans spinning in his sickly head.
And an idea he had…… he would finally kill her love for good, something he should have managed long ago!
Gorgorath in Adrastus' body , snarled and began his attack mercilessly and without warning. Vegeta was unprepared, for he too had been trying to make sense of his life and all of its pain, and before he knew it he felt the deathly pressure pressing him to the cold hard ground.
'Not like this.'
Vegeta pressed back with all his strength and somehow managed to dislodge himself from the monsters grasp just before his mighty sword swung down to cleave him in two.
'How was a mere man supposed to fight a God,' Vegeta wondered hopelessly as he drew his sword with a meanacing cry, pushing Bulma and Trunks behind him.
"Stay back," he shouted to them.
"Vegeta NO!" He heard Bulma cry as he lunged himself forward toward Gorgorath. Hate now swelled through him. He would make that creature pay for all he had done to them! For all he had done to the world!
"Ah, ha ha, looks like someone has a little fight left in him, well come then boy! And we shall see who falls!" Gorgorath spat.
Bulma watched on desperately as the two exchanged earth shattering blows. She felt the tremors shoot through the ground and her heart swelled in anguish. There was no way Vegeta's mortal body could hold up against such an impact for much longer!
Vegeta was holding his ground but the air around him was becoming more and more suffocating. It must have been some evil trick of the black God in front of him, and he could feel his body breaking.
With a vicious slash from the left Gorgorath sent Vegeta slamming down into the earth with so much force that a small crater was formed.
The God let out a sickening laugh and raised his foot to press it into Vegetas chest.
"Looks like I will win after all," Gorgorath snickered evilly as he pressed down harder and harder onto Vegeta's heart until he felt the blood slowing in his veins, "No you will die at last my sneaky friend."
Gorgorath raised his sword above his head and Vegeta closed his eyes. He made a silent prayer to whatever good was in the world that Bulma and Trunks would be safe.
A female's cry cut through the air with a pain and desperation you could hardly imagine a voice could hold. Vegeta felt a warm pressure on top of him and then the sickening sound of flesh being cut that was followed by the emptiest silence ever heard.
The wind blew coldly through the air moving the hair on Vegeta's forehead. He was alive. Then...who had taken the blow?
His eyes flew open wildly and he beheld the worst fear in his heart. It was anguish too great for expression.
Bulma.
Everything seemed to stop. For a second that contained an eternity, Vegeta stared at Bulma's face, at her half open mouth, at her open crystal eyes, blank and expressionless as the windows of a deserted house, and his mind could not accept what it was seeing. All he felt was a numb disbelief as he sat with his love dead in his arms.
He looked upon her and his mind was not able to believe she was dead……… This must be a mistake, some horrible mistake or ugly dream. She was still warm in his arms….. He softly pressed his lips to hers as if she was still living. He ran his fingers along her soft cheek and through her pristine white hair, clotted with blood, so much blood... her eyes that had been so bright...
Dead. Her eyes were dead……….. he bowed and lowered his head and his tears ran down like raindrops fell. He cried slowly, deeply, primitively. He buried his face in her hair and throbbed with sorrow.
Who can be wise, amazed, temperate, furious, loyal, and neutral in a moment? No man. The haste of his violent love outran reason. There lay Bulma, her silver skin laced with her golden blood. Her gashed stab looked like a break in nature, such a wasteful entrance. Such ruin.
And there her murderer soaked in the color of his trade, his sword covered in her blood, stood. Who could refrain, that had a heart to love, and in that heart courage to make that love avenged?
Vegeta slew him with one blow, god or no he fell beneath the terror of Vegeta's blade, powered to an unstoppable height by his pain of lost love. Vegeta didn't even notice that Gorgorath didn't defend himself, for he was blind with hate and pain.
The body of Adrastus indeed fell lifeless, but the Gorgorath creature arose in a foul black cloud from the slain. A laugh that sucked all joy from the hearts of all that could hear emanated from the intangible form of evil.
"I suppose I should say thank you," It hissed, "Silly mortals always think of this world alone, but now you have released me from it in the only way I could. By a blade of love. And now I will return to my kingdom and I shall have your precious Valkyrie with me. I will not fail this time in my conquest."
And with that disheartening message the darkness disappeared from this realm, leaving Vegeta strangled screaming furiously at the unforgiving sky.
AN. What is there possibly for Vegeta to do now? Bulma is dead and Gorgorath plans to use her in his evil plan! Can he be stopped? Ok, does Gorgorath make sense? There is going to be some more explanation in the next chapter but I want to know if I lost you guys on that. It's a big leap. Thanks for reading, please review