Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Reflections of a King ❯ Chapter 8

As I neared the throne room, I began to experience a unnatural feeling of anxiety. I could feel it in my bones, something was terribly wrong. Without thinking, I flared my ki. I couldn't even tell the difference. It was Frieza's energy washing over me, his ki level so far above my own, that was electrifying the air. I opened the main doors with much trepidation.

Frieza was standing in front of the large windows, his arms crossed. His tail was whipping through the air with such speed that it whistled. The changeling turned as I entered the room, but said nothing.

"My Lord…" I said hesitantly. "Is something…"

Frieza moved so fast, his form blurred. He was in front of me, his claws gripping my neck, before I even drew another breath. "Wrong…is that what you were asking, Vegeta?" Frieza said mockingly, "Yes, something is very wrong."

I choked out, "Lord…please…"

He hauled me closer, his breath hot in my face, "Please? You ask ME for something? Really, you must be joking."

I gagging, his nails are digging into my larynx. I can't even scream.

Frieza continues, "I asked you one favor. No, I asked to do you a favor. And you won't even do that." He pushes me away from him, I slam into the wall full-force. I gasp, trying to pull in some air. The changeling makes his way toward my throne, settling in its comfortable depths.

I rasp, "Please, Lord Frieza, I can't send my son with you…"

He cuts me off harshly, "Why not? I want to train the boy. He has excellent potential for one so young. He would make an excellent addition to my organization."

I was stalling. Something had gone horribly wrong. Until that point, I had been able to put him off. He was determined to have Vegeta, and I didn't think I could stop him from taking the boy. No, I KNEW that I couldn't stop him. His rage was so great that the glass was starting to crack, the walls were buckling inward, and pieces of the flooring were breaking away to hover mid-air.

I was scared shitless. I had never known fear like this. My limbs were trembling as I attempted to stand. My eyes were dilated, my pulse erratic. The Saiyan in me wanted to fight to the death, but I was crippled by panic. I had gotten us into this situation…and there was no fucking way out.

I spoke quietly, trying not to anger him further, "I'm sure you would train him well. It's just that I'm reluctant to be without my son."

Frieza smiled, "Go on…"

I continued, "I've raised him since he was an infant. Vegeta means everything to me."

The changeling raised a hand, "Now, Vegeta, don't be silly. I'm NOT going to hurt the child. Are you saying that you don't trust me?"

Trick question. Either way I answered, I was fucked. If I said that I trusted him, then I really didn't have a reason to keep the child from going with Frieza. If I said I didn't trust him, Frieza would most likely kill me and take the boy. Catch-22, I believe they call it.

I started talking…not answering Frieza's question. All I could hope was that he would listen to me, and have some feeling of mercy towards me. "Please, my lord, let me explain. I have loved that child since the moment I saw him. He is my life. I have never loved anything so much. You call me Vegeta, but since my Vegeta was born, I have not thought of myself by that name. Ou, or Father, or Lord, but never Vegeta. He is Vegeta. He is my legacy, my one true gift to this world. We have fought, but my love for my son has never weakened. I'm begging you. Please don't take my son from me."

The monster just laughed. "Well, that was an interesting speech. Let me be honest. I think you're lying to me. I saw how you assaulted the boy. I don't think you give a damn what happens to him. No, but I do know why you want to keep him from me."

I shook my head, needing to say something, not knowing what.

Frieza continued, "I've heard an intriguing rumor, Vegeta. A legend of sorts. That there is a being, a mutation that exists in the Saiyan bloodlines. I believe it's called…Super Saiyan."

"My lord, please, I don't understand. There is only one Super Saiyan in every thousand years, it is extremely rare. What do you mean?" I tried to grasp his words, he couldn't think that…

"Vegeta is a Super Saiyan. Or he will be. I've felt his potential first-hand, and it's astonishing in one so small." Frieza explained, "And when the time comes, I don't want you to get any ideas about siccing the boy on me. No, better that I train him. Then I will control him."

Dear gods in heaven. He was serious. How in the hell did he know about the legend, and how could I convince him that Vegeta wouldn't become one. After the scenes I had witnessed, I wasn't entirely sure the boy wasn't a Super Saiyan. If anyone deserved to become all-powerful, it was the small Ouji. He had worked harder perfecting his skills than anyone. Damn it, if there was such a thing as a Super Saiyan, we needed one NOW.

I stutter out, "My lord, Vegeta is an exceptional child, but hardly on the level of a Super Saiyan."

Frieza screamed out, "Of course not, fool! But he will be when I'm through with him."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Which is probably true.

The beatings, the torture, the rape that Vegeta incurred at the hands of Frieza, these became the fuel that sparked his transformation to Super Saiyan. As I've said before, the closer a Saiyan comes to death, the stronger he becomes.

Heaven only knows how many times Vegeta stared Death in the eyes, or how many things he saw that made Death look positively inviting.

I had brought this monster into our midst.

I was in a battle for Vegeta's life, and I had no weapons.

I had no allies.

I had no one to blame.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Frieza was on his feet, moving towards me. I cried, I begged, I tried to calm him down.

He grabbed me by my hair and pulled me over to the windows. He forced me onto my knees, and hissed into my ear. "I'll make this simple. I don't have all day. You have something I want. Give it to me. If you refuse, then I will forced to blow up this miserable little hellhole you call a planet. All your people, including yourself and your precious son, blown into infinitesimal pieces. I won't even be scratched, and unlike your pitiful race, I can survive in space."

I was hysterical, babbling wildly, "Oh no, please, I can't make this decision, no…."

Frieza shook me, "Shut up! Your son or your planet. It's that simple. One of them has got to go. I'll give you ten seconds to decide…or I'll decide it for you, all of you."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Under certain circumstances, ten seconds can be a lifetime.

My son

My baby

My Vegeta

So small

So precious

My planet

My people

Monster

He'll do it

He won't

The bastard

I can't

I won't

He'll die

What can I do

One life

Millions of lives

He's mine

So are they

I can't fight this

I have to

I'm afraid

Rape

Torture

Blood

Cold

Death

I knew it

He warned me

Take me

My fault

My Ouji

My heart

My soul

My child

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

What could I have done?

I don't know. Frieza wanted Vegeta, in more ways than one, and he was more than willing to destroy the whole Saiyan race to get to him. Millions of lives on one side, my son's life on the other. A decision no father should ever have to make.

What should I have done?

I can't say. Had I self-destructed, I probably would not have even put a dent in the bastard. I would have killed myself, and most likely, my son. I should have fought him from the very beginning…while I still had allies. An army of Saiyans…who probably would have died, just as they did when Bardock attacked Frieza, years later.

What would Vegeta have done?

Good question. Wish I could ask him. One day I will. I will see my son again, and hopefully he can find it in his heart to answer all my questions. He might even forgive me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I don't remember what happened after that. I must have given the order, or my guards would never have handed Vegeta over to Frieza. I can't imagine what he thought, what he must have felt inside. When I think of it, my heart squeezes so tightly I can't breathe.

Thirty years dead, and the pain is just as fresh as if it were yesterday.

I woke up days later in the hospital ward. The doctors had been forced to sedate me. The palace was in an uproar. I never realized how much the little Ouji was actually loved. There was nothing we could do. Insane plans of attack were drawn up, only to be discarded. I sent a message to Bardock. One he never answered. He never spoke to me again. I heard stories, though, of his grief. The soldiers that were nearby said his screams tore through the air, then through their minds.

The worst moment was when I finally returned to my quarters. He was gone. Completely, utterly vanished. His clothing, his books, the sheets of his bed, his fucking pajamas, his very scent, nothing remained of my Vegeta. I tried to cut my wrists, but some bastard guard stopped me. They took me back to the infirmary, and put me under suicide watch.

From the moment of his birth, I loved that child. The idea of him, a tiny version of myself, and yet so much more than I would ever be. I loved the way he moved, the way he spoke, his pissy little face in the mornings, his tiny feet in socks, his filthy mouth, his rare and wonderful laugh, his stunning face, his onyx eyes, his raven hair, his lashing tail, his precious heart, and his noble soul.

When Vegeta was taken, when I let him be taken from me, I died. What there was of my heart, he took with him. I'll never love again…not until I see him again.

To be continued