Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Prince and the Pauper ❯ Ch. 3 ( Chapter 3 )

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The Prince and the Pauper

-By BlackDeath

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~~Chapter 3~~

The usual vibrance of Saijya's scarlet skies was dulled today, Prince Vegeta noted, hurriedly preparing for the monthly inspection of the Third Class.

Since his official coronation into the House of Vegeta two weeks ago to the day, his father had shoved off some of his more choresome and boring duties upon his heir, as each King was prone to do.

It was an easy outlet for the more tiresome pressures of royal rule.

Now in ordinary conditions, he would have been glad to oblige any responsibilities his sire would get the urge to bestow him with, though at times it did make one wonder if they were acting as the equivalent of a rat scrambling for the smallest crumb of food.

But the Prince was wise enough at the tender age of sixteen to realize that these small burdens were merely polishing him for the larger, more difficult ones to come. A time that he foresaw when he finally reached his Imperial Crowning.

The only annoyance that he was faced with today was having to inspect the peasants.

And as though that wasn't bad enough, he would soon find himself spending the better portion of the day with the Elite Guard's lecherous captain. The aforementioned officer went by the name of Nappa.

He was a burly, balding, blob of fat with thick, slobbering lips that always seemed to be ready to form vulgar innuendos.

Innuendos that more often than not, the prince was the unfortunate recipient of.

It made his blood boil, knowing that he'd have to contend with his irksome voice for another two years until he was made king and his father stepped down from the throne.

Not that he hadn't tried to get the brute fired, but his sire seemed to hold a strange, peculiar empathy for the despicable captain, having in turn, deemed his son's suspicions and extreme distaste for the man as trivial, all of his complaints falling on deaf ears.

Perhaps it was because Vegeta had never bested him in a fight...something that he hungered for.

He was the Prince of Saijyans, and should be second only to the emperor.

However fortune loved to have a laugh at his expense, and she saw to it that he only came in as a third to Nappa and his father.

So he dealt with it the only way he knew.

He did his best to avoid the lustful ogre at all costs, and try to restrain himself from making his need to vaporize him on sight.

With a furtive glance over his shoulder, the Ouji spied his silver and gold chest plate, and intending to throw it on, picked up his Saijyan medallion as well.

He was ready, though he wished that he had a few more moments to leisure about and not have to worry about greeting the salivating oaf in the East Courtyard.

But he didn't.

Shutting his chamber doors firmly, he stalked down the palace halls, anticipation of the day's events to come arresting his every thought.

***

Captain Nappa was tidying his appearance in the mirror.

He smoothed back the frayed edges of thinning hair and licked his chops in a failed attempt at staying the spittle that slowly creeped forth down his jaw.

Oh, such provacative thoughts swirled about in his mind at that moment. Every single one zeroing in on fantasies of his little Saijyan noble naked and bent to his will.

It was old news, this search for a suitor to the King's son, but nonetheless excitable for the old soldier.

If the Prince was looking, he might as well give him something wanting to look at.

His lips curled in sexual arousal.

He'd done all he could to secure a place for himself in the King's judgment, and would go to drastic lengths to protect it. For he had an unquenchable thirst for power and wealth...as well as the pleasures afforded by the supple flesh of the young.

All that was possible had been done on his part, now he had only to wait and hope that Vegeta no Ou would see the light in him, and give over possession of his rather 'spirited' offspring.

Not that it mattered though, this small flaw that his prince owned.

Everything in life could be broken one way or another.

***

"Fine morn to you, Captain. I trust you are in good health," was the Prince's stiff greeting.

That earned him a gaze of glittering beady eyes, eyes he knew to be filled with the sexual appetites of a satyr.

Lovely, he thought, none too derisively.

The over-zealous mouth widened at that, exposing a jaw full of straight, gleaming teeth, the kind that only the worst of predators were endowed with.

He felt the sinking sensation of disgust lurch up in his stomach.

"Yes, and the like to you my most worthy and noble Prince. I must say that your attire does not do your regal young form justice."

The bile rose in his throat, though he managed a tight smile filled with saturnine sweetness, tempered honey hiding the infuriated lion underneath.

Dear spirits, how would he survive an hour of this?

He marched stoically ahead of the Captain and his own private guards, though he would have preferred being of lower class at the moment, wishing to walk behind them, since he was confident his rear was being highly scrutinized.

Damnit.

His mood wasn't helped by the fact that he was feeling particularly weak today. Gods, how he hated this time of year.

This was the only penance that had to be paid for being of the blood of Vegeta; vulnerability to the whims of the moon. From experience, he knew that he probably couldn't even fire up his Ki if he tried.

They stepped up into the carriage which would take them to the village where the monthly demonstration was being held, and he was acutely unhappy to find that Nappa had the nerve to try and coax conversation from him.

Thankfully, the ride was not long.

They eased down into the hamlet's square, the crowds of common, third class spectators standing about in curiosity, no doubt attempting to catch a rare glimpse of the Prince and his first handling of the Inspections.

He was nervous in the midst of their wondering, dirty faces and clever eyes, though he refused to let it show, and squared himself off to meet his fate.

He spoke clearly and hollowly:

"Faithful subjects to King Vegeta, I commend you on your continuing strife in the face of hardship, your endurance is an inspiration and admiration to all, and you can be rest assured, has not fallen on deaf ears by your Lord. I am here to discover if there are any who have reached new high-ranking power levels, and if they are worthy to undergo training to become an Elite. I must ask that all who believe themselves to have reached a new level to make a single row, and remove your chest plates and armor so that Ki levels may be accurately read without magnetic interference."

With that he motioned for his footman to bring out the power scanner, slipping it's sheath of gold from it's cover.

The peasant clans were hungry as they looked upon the shining golden cloth.

Little did the Prince know how desperate his father's people were for a decent morsel of bread, some of which hadn't been seen in weeks. He was unwittingly holding up a piece of steak in front of starving jackals.

His eyes raked slowly down the list of names, even as he felt more than saw Nappa's revolting leers.

He began reading the first name as he operated the scanner, " Kajhe Dinef, would you please step up t-"

"HEY, OVER HERE YOU POMPOUS ROYAL BRAT!" There was a loud throb of feet touching the earth as a

fool-hearty Saijyan youth cried out, descending like an avenging angel from the sky.

***