Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Unfaithful ❯ Part Two: 5 ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

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................................................................ ...................Rhapsody~*



________________________~* Part Two*~: Temptations
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The next morning, Bulma found herself in the control room of the ship, hopefully awaiting their landing on Vejitasei. Throughout the entire unsteady ordeal through the atmosphere, the captain remained cool and confident. Bulma was grateful that Yamcha was smart enough to at least hire a skilled pilot.

"We're about to make our landing, Your Highnesses," the captain called out. "There might be a bit of a jolt."

Yamcha confidently remained where he was, while Nataliah and Bulma moved closer to the walls. Sure enough, Vejitasei's atmosphere set the ship rocking. Bulma was not frightened, however-- she was too busy trying to catch a glimpse of the planet through the small porthole beside her. Soon the ship steadied, and Yamcha hurried over to her.

"Remember what I said about our entrance," he hissed into her ear. "Impress and intimidate."

Bulma averted her eyes and acted as if nothing was wrong. Yamcha had indeed double-checked her appearance, as she had guessed he would. She wore a sheer golden wrap that secured at one shoulder with the royal insignia of Earth engraved onto the button, a dainty golden choker, many jangling bracelets and anklets to match, and even golden earrings in her ears. Her long curls were contained partly in a weave, with strands falling free to frame her face. Her eyes were smoky, her cheeks flushed, and her bow-shaped lips stained. She looked and felt beautiful, but a more than a little uncomfortable in the transluscent fabric. Her mother would have been appalled at the hinted outline of her small but perfectly shaped breasts, and the darkened circles of her nipples clearly defined beneath the flimsy material that was designed to accomadate Vejitasei's hot climate.

Nataliah was dressed in a plain white wrap, with only a silver necklace on her throat. Bulma was jealous of her comfortable clothing, though she was knew that, in turn, Nataliah envied her own uncomfortable garment. She had said it herself earlier that morning, while she had been dressing her queen.

The ship lurched again, and Bulma realized that they had landed. Yamcha grinned as he made last-minute arrangements for their entrance. When everything was in place, he turned to her, brown eyes gleaming.

Bulma stared at the arm he offered her, then took it. Yamcha yanked her close to his side and looked her over once more.

"You look marvelous," he informed her. "I especially love the material of that Saiyan wrap."

Bulma resented the transparent material and Yamcha with all her might. "Thank you," was all that she could safely manage.

"You'll knock those bastards on their asses for sure."

Bulma smiled tightly, but only because the crew was watching. "I do not like this at all."

Yamcha's grin disappeared. "Stop being so difficult. Pretending to negotiate this treaty is crucial to my war plans. Without a war, they'll be swarming and purging our planet within the space of a year."

"I think that a peace agreement would remedy that," Bulma replied bitterly.

"No-- with this war, our problems will be over forever," he assured her impatiently. "Captain-- open the doors."

Bulma watched as the doors of the ship opened slowly, revealing thousands of eager Saiyans surrounding the landing platform, anxious to get a look at the Earthlings. Nataliah's sources had been correct-- the people were all similarly tanned, with dark eyes and hair, and the planet was rather hot, the air dry. The landing platform was surrounded by red desert as far as the eye could see. They seemed to be on the outskirts of the capital city. In the distance, Bulma could just barely make out some of the highest towers of the palace. The barest trace of salty sea air could be detected from that direction.

Before she had time to make any further observations, Yamcha began striding confidently towards the small group of regal-looking Saiyans who stood at the end of the platform. Bulma was painfully aware of the reaction that Yamcha had so gleefully planned for-- Saiyan men and women alike chattering away excitedly about this beautiful, ethearal-looking queen. The worst, however, was still yet to come.

Surprisingly enough, it was the nobly beautiful Saiyan woman who stepped forward to meet them. Bulma knew that this was the queen, partly because of her deep green eyes, so much like her old friend Maylene's, and also because of the strange, royal sort of aura that emitted from her. Bulma took in the harsh, dangerously pretty looks and wise, knowing eyes and wondered what this woman was thinking.

"I am Queen Magdalene of Vejitasei," she began in a pleasant tone. Her Saiyan accent was heavy, but Bulma could easily make out her words. The accent sounded somewhat like what Australians on their own planet would have. "King Yamcha, Queen Bulma-- I welcome you on behalf of the royal family."

"Charmed, I'm sure," Yamcha replied boredly. "Who is the man in charge here? I would very much like to know who I will be dealing with."

The Queen looked more than little offended, but kept her temper. "My son, Crown Prince Vejita, will head up all of those matters."

A strong, darkly handsome man stepped forward, favoring Yamcha with a disapproving scowl.

"While you are on my planet, you'd do well to learn your place, King Yamcha." He spoke Yamcha's title as if it made him sick to his stomach. "As for your ridiculous entrance-- you've succeeded only in showing Vejitasei the beauty of your wife and the extent of your foolishness. Congratulations."

"If you'll follow us, we'll show you around the first class part of the city, and then to the palace," Queen Magdalene continued, shooting her son a warning look. Prince Vejita promptly ignored her.

Yamcha, his pride wounded, but not to be put off so easily, moved ahead to speak with Prince Vejita, leaving Bulma alone with the Saiyan Queen, who offered a warm but tight smile.

"You possess a rare beauty, my dear," she said. "However did you end up with a man like that?"

Bulma, shocked by the bluntness of the Queen's comment, didn't know what to say. The Queen recognized her awkwardness and laughed a bold, ringing laugh that made Bulma feel as if she were laughing with her, not at her.

"I see that I've gone too far. Don't be put off by the brashness of my kind, m'lady. You'll grow accustomed to it soon enough."

Bulma made a real effort to smile. "I suppose I shall have to. Thank you, by the way-- for your compliment."

"Don't mention it, my dear," Queen Magdalene replied. "My son is the biggest thing that you and your king have to worry about. I'm simply a mean old lady with too many opinions and way too much authority."

Bulma could not help but laugh merrily, but inside she felt guilty for waging war upon such a remarkable woman.
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Vejitasei proved to be an oddly beautiful planet. Queen Magdalene saw to it that everywhere possible was decorated tastefully, to counter the harsh red desert environment that surrounded them on all sides but one-- the one that was flanked by an amazingly turquoise ocean.

The capital city was a bustling, diverse place full of first and third class alike. Shouting merchants, much like the ones who had been below Bulma's balcony as a child, crowded the streets with their shops and stands, peasants and nobles made their homes in alleys and townhouses, and children ran through the streets, laughing and playing like any Earth children would. Bulma heard many languages and dialects, but the only two she could recognize were Saiyan and English. It seemed that English was used here as a common language among traders. Most of the first class spoke it, as it was taught early on to Saiyan children.

Queen Magdalene took them around the main parts of the city, to the many exotic food and spice stands as well as some of the upscale restaurants that could be found. Bulma found herself sampling the spicy native Saiyan food as well as some of the cuisine that she could have found back on Earth. They also ventured over to some of the silk merchants, who clamored and shouted over each other for a chance to outfit Queen Bulma. She politely declined their offers.

Yamcha and Prince Vejita walked ahead, not paying any attention to anything besides their argument. Bulma could not make out anything besides the occasional curse, the majority coming from Prince Vejita, who had a colorful and nasty vocabulary.

The closer they came to the palace, the more beautiful the landscape became. A common decoration were the Saiyan Queen's beloved magnolia trees. Bulma felt the urge to paint them. Despite her mother's attempts to hide it, she was a very creative person-- a skilled painter and musician. Palm trees grew right along with the magnolias, another common plant, giving some places an almost tropical look. Bulma felt as if she had stepped into a dream.

Even the palace itself was gorgeous-- tall and Gothic-looking with more than its share of towers and stained glass windows. It was surrounded on two sides by gardens, one side a large training facility, and on the other by the ocean.

It dwarfed even Earth's enormous palace at home. Queen Magdalene seemed delighted to have someone share her love of the place and was more than eager to share her knowledge. Yamcha and Prince Vejita remained uninterested, though Yamcha did sneak a glance at the beautiful palace once or twice while Bulma was looking.

They soon came to the coast line, and Queen Magdalene stopped, much to Bulma's disappointment. She loved oceans.

"I wish that I could take you farther," she apologized. "But unless you are properly equipped, going over the rocks would end up being dangerous." At Bulma's fallen expression, she smiled. "The view from your balcony should suffice, I suppose."

Bulma nodded. "That should be lovely, Your Majesty."

Yamcha turned to her and crossed his arms. "So, now that our entertaining little tour is done and over with, could we please be shown around the palace now? That tour would be far more useful to my wife and I, seeing as we'll be spending the majority of our time on business."

"Pushy, are we?" Prince Vejita taunted from behind Yamcha. He grinned lopsidedly at his mother. "They are merely weak Earthlings, Magdalene-- we should dump them into our ocean and show them how the Saiyan empire gets things 'over and done with'." Bulma was a little suprised at Prince Vejita's calling his mother by her first name-- it was something that simply wasn't done on Earth. She guessed that it was more of a personal thing.

Yamcha, meanwhile, turned an unsightly shade of red. "I hardly find that amusing, Your Highness. Is it part of regular Saiyan protocol to harass their guests?"

Prince Vejita's grin never faltered. "Only the useless ones."

Queen Magdalene chose this moment to interfere. "No, King Yamcha, it is not. It is merely my son's version of our protocol. Please ignore his attitude problem."

"Humans are pathetic, sniveling creatures," Vejita sneered, eyeing Yamcha and Bulma like they were common street trash. "If I had had a say in the matter, Earth would have been purged years ago, before the population had a chance to flourish like it has." His black eyes gleamed maliciously. "But they have been allowed to swarm over the planet and stupidly used up all of their resources, and now they are trying to come and do the same here."

"Vejita--" Queen Magdalene tried to interuppt.

"Shut up!" he snapped, his attentions completely fixated on Yamcha, who was beginning to look more than a little worried for himself. "I will not allow you and your whorish wife to fool me as your father has done in the past. I am in control now, and I shall see the end to your mind games!"

"How dare you address me like some kind of inferior--" Yamcha began angrily.

Bulma interuppted him, much to their collective surprise. "You are certainly entitled to your own opinion, Prince Vejita, but this is a diplomatic mission, not a declaration of war." Her blue eyes met the surprised Saiyan's black ones and held their gaze steadily. "I am looking forward to witnessing the progress that our planets can make together, peacefully."

Queen Magdalene's eyes twinkled when Bulma spoke up, and she placed a hand on the other woman's bare shoulder affectionately. "Bravo, m'lady-- well spoken."

Prince Vejita studied this Earthling Queen through narrowed, suspicious eyes. "Indeed."

Yamcha, seeing that he had lost control of the situation and been staged by his own wife, decided to take matters into his own hands. He stepped forward, snatched up his wife's hand, and slapped her full across the face. The resounding sound echoed off of the rocks around them. Bulma made no sound, no effort to break way from her husband's grip, just turned her head and took her blow timidly.

"Speak when you are spoken to!" Yamcha snarled. "You have no right to address male royalty in such a manner! Do you hear me?!"

Bulma nodded. "Yes."

Yamcha grinned, then released her and stepped back. "Good. Now, on to the palace." He started away from the coast and towards the palace, whistling as he walked.

Queen Magdalene rushed to Bulma's side, her green eyes concerned. "Kami, what a blow! Are you alright, child?"

Bulma lifted her head to respond to the Saiyan Queen's question, but instead of answering, she kept silent. Prince Vejita was studying her again, his tanned face impassive and completely devoid of emotion. When he met Bulma's gaze, however, he scowled and turned away after Yamcha. Queen Magdalene touched a finger to Bulma's red cheek.

"I am fine," Bulma finally answered. "I'll be alright in a moment."

"That was quite a slap," the Saiyan Queen pointed out seriously. "You look as if you've weathered worse before."

Bulma could not believe that Yamcha had the gall to strike her in front of the Saiyan monarchs, but at the same time was not surprised. She hoped that Yamcha felt proud of himself-- Prince Vejita was probably up there congratulating him on overcoming his human weaknesses and gaining dominance over his saucy wife.

"Perhaps I have," she said softly, smoothing down her sheer wrap. "It is really none of your business, Your Majesty. We are here on business, not for a leisurely visit, so let us keep going, hmm?"

Queen Magdalene watched as Bulma carefully made her way over the rocks and back towards the palace, where her husband and Prince Vejita waited. It was only too obvious-- Earth's Queen had overcome much worse than a mere slap to the face, and would likely end up weathering numerous more. It was also obvious that she had long since given up hope.

She was looking at an empty shell; a lost soul; a broken woman.
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The inside of the palace was every bit as beautiful as the outside. The floors were a dark marble flecked with obsidian, as well as the walls and columns that lined the great halls. The ceilings were high, and luxurious red and gold curtains hung over enormous stained glass windows.

Lining the walls in the passages were hundreds of skillfully created tapestries and murals depicting sour-faced leaders, bloody war scenes, and rugged Saiyan landscapes. Back on Earth, such decoration would have been considered unthinkable and scandalous, especially in a palace.

Yamcha apparently thought the same thing, because he grumbled and scowled at everything he could. Bulma embraced the refreshing change from the norm.

They were shown into modernly furnished meeting rooms, an antique chapel within the palace, and countless other interesting places in the palace before they arrived in the grandest room of them all-- the throne room. Bulma caught her breath in appreciation.

The ceilings were the highest she had ever seen, a true architechural marvel, and the columns that supported them looked like the trunks of trees. On one side of the room, two smaller thrones sat on either side of a larger one, and curtains designed to provide privacy when drawn hung on both sides. On the opposite side of the room, the wall was almost completely occupied by a large picture window that overlooked the rocky coastline. Directly in front of the doors, across the room, was a door that led out onto the balcony. It looked it could host an enormous party. A larger-than-life crystal chandelier hung in the center of the room. It far exceeded the quality of the throne room back on Earth, Bulma observed.

"Your welcoming celebration will be held here tonight," Queen Magdalene said, smiling at their impressed reactions. Even Yamcha could not hide his awe. "What do you think of our humble home so far?"

"Nice," Yamcha admitted reluctantly. "I am much more interested in seeing your training facility, though. Do you have one?"

Vejita chuckled at the foolish question. "Saiyans are the strongest beings alive, human. Our training facility is vastly superior to what you have." He watched Yamcha for a minute, then scowled. "Your power level is pathetic. It closely matches mine... on the day I was born."

Queen Magdalene's eyes danced, but she made an effort to hide her amusement. "Do not worry, King Yamcha. I shall have one of the elite warriors show you to an area where you can safely train without the interference of others."

Bulma hid a smile. What the Saiyan Queen meant was an area where he would not be made fun of. Apparently Yamcha's ego got in the way of his comprehension, because he seemed content enough. Prince Vejita looked as if he wanted to wring the king's neck.

"You are undoubtedly weary from your journey, so I shall show you to your rooms now," Queen Magdalene said. "Your servants as well as your belongings are waiting for you as we speak."

"There is no need for my presence any longer," Prince Vejita said, taking a seat on one of the thrones lazily.

It was then that Bulma noticed his tail, twitching behind him like a cat's as it eyed its prey. He noticed her glance and smirked.

"See anything interesting?"

Bulma saw that the Queen and Yamcha had already crossed the room. Prince Vejita still watched her, calculating.

"Excuse me," Bulma muttered. Before the prince could make another remark, she hurried to follow the others.

She made a note to never take a watchful eye off of the cold Saiyan Prince.
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She and Yamcha's chambers were extremely lovely, as the Queen had told her earlier.

An enormous bed took up a great portion of the main room, along with a nightstand, two bureaus, a vanity, and a blank canvas along with paints, just in case one of them found artistic inspiration. There was a bathroom also, complete with an oversized bathtub. The furnishings were the most luxurious Bulma had ever seen.

But the best part of the room was the balcony. It was huge, made out of white marble and overlooking the crashing waves of the sea. Bulma breathed in the brisk salt air and sighed contentedly. Queen Magdalene noticed and smiled.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" She came to stand beside her, leaving Yamcha to examine the room for himself. "You love the ocean?"

"Of course," Bulma replied. "I have never lived near to one before, though."

"The waves will chase away your nightmares," the older woman informed her lightly. "Or at least that's what they say."

"Can they chase away reality?" Bulma asked, almost inaudibly.

Queen Magdalene's sensitive Saiyan ears caught the comment easily, but she sensed that Bulma had not intended for her to overhear. She wisely acted as if she hadn't. "I must be off to do my royal duties," she said, stepping away from the railing. "I expect to see you both tonight, at the welcoming celebration."

Bulma smiled and watched her go. Yamcha may not have, but she found that she had taken a great liking to the woman. She made her feel like a real person, not a sideshow freak like most other people did.

As for the woman's enigmatic son, however... he must have inherited his father's personality.
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When Queen Magdalene returned to the throne room, Vejita was still slumped in his seat, glaring at nothing in particular. This day, she could hardly blame him.

"Well," she began, sitting in her own throne. "King Yamcha was certainly a character. His wife was exceptionally lovely, though. Don't you think?"

Vejita scowled. "Who gives a shit? All that matters is the treaty. That pathetic human is trying to fuck us. He wants war." But, despite his nonchalance, Vejita had noticed Queen Bulma. It had been impossible not to.

"I cannot believe that the bastard struck her," Magdalene continued. "And in front of foreign leaders!"

Vejita examined the golden tips of his boots. "It wasn't the first time, and it won't be the last."

"What a terrible life that girl has had," his mother said sadly. "It is such a shame-- she's an exquisite, intelligent girl. She used to be a spunky one, but apparently her life has all gone to hell."

"And how do you know that?" Vejita raised an eyebrow. "You did not spend enough time with her to learn her entire life story."

Queen Magdalene sighed. "Her eyes. You can see everything just by looking into her eyes."
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Rhapsody~*
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