Chapter 1: No Royal Road to Peace
"Where is he, Vegeta?" Goku charged. His nemesis stood not more than twenty feet away, clad in regal garments and with an air of arrogant nobility about him. The larger warrior tightened his muscles until the veins in his arms looked ready to burst.
"What are you talking about, Kakarott?” inquired the royal. “What the hell are you doing here?" The guards protectively surrounding the Prince of the Saiyans did not take their eyes off of the intruder for a split-second.
"You know exactly who I'm talking about, Vegeta! You had no right to kidnap a helpless child! Bulma’s worried sick." Goku glared at the other Saiyan. The lavender-skinned soldiers stiffened at the perceived threat toward the visiting royal.
"Who are you to preach to me what my rights are, you self-righteous lout? King Chrystla makes the laws around here," Vegeta gestured towards said sovereign and then continued, "and he says all offspring belong to their biological fathers. You're on the wrong planet to tell me what to do."
Vegeta threw a glance over his shoulder to the aforementioned monarch—the large, violet-skinned man in kingly threads sitting on a golden throne with purple velvet drapes. Chrystla had no idea how the man in the orange gi had suddenly appeared in his throne room or why the madman had begun shouting at one of the royal guests. The King’s anger and indignation were nothing compared to his bewilderment. He observed the scene without uttering a word.
Vegeta turned to Chrystla and started muttering something to him in an unearthly, melodious language. Goku raised a brow, surprised that Vegeta was able to enunciate such sounds as the alien tongue required. He figured the Saiyan Prince must be explaining the situation. Chrystla listened intently and gave a nod, then turned and frowned at Goku.
Vegeta returned his gaze to Goku as well. "You want to settle this in a more appropriate setting, clown?" He swept his velvet cape back in a dignified manner and signaled for one of the servants. Two attendants came up behind him. One undid the buttons adhering the cape to the Prince’s armor and the other took the garment and folded it up carefully. Goku gasped.
Vegeta knew immediately what it was that had shocked his adversary. He chuckled in delight and waved the appendage he knew the other Saiyan had noticed casually around in the air behind him. "Don't worry, Kakarott. I won't be in need of it." He snickered again at the shocked look on the other man's face. "Not this time.”
As much as Vegeta’s aristocratic appearance surprised Goku, the Earth Saiyan hid it as to not provoke any more arrogant behavior from him. The regenerated tail had caught Goku off guard and he growled low in his throat, which only had the effect of widening Vegeta's delighted grin.
Goku looked around at everyone in the room—King Chrystla, the guards, the servants, various other high-ranking individuals, and, of course, Vegeta, the one and only. He recognized the look in their eyes. It was the same look he and the Z fighters gave every nemesis that had threatened Earth. It was the look he had given Frieza. He was considered a threat, a serious one.
Vegeta stepped forward, head drawn down, in his princely Saiyan armor. The royal seal of the bygone Planet Vegeta marked his left breast. He lifted his head to meet Goku's stare. "If you want to duke this out, I know of the perfect nearby wilderness area to do so." Vegeta snapped a finger, not averting his eyes from Goku's, and two of the King's fierce-looking guards stepped toward him.
"Mereinme gata shim shim, Feldspar ibe Peridot," Vegeta ordered in a pleasant voice. The guards accompanied them to the front entrance, an elegant pair of crystalline double-doors. They appeared over eighty feet in height and sparkled above them. Goku felt a bit overwhelmed by the towering threshold. Peridot opened a small control panel and input a computer command. The enormous doors began to slide open, providing a grand view of the endless sky and the vast city surrounding the palace.
Vegeta floated up into the air and whizzed away into the blue-green midday sky, followed by his guards, and then by Goku. The palace entrance slid shut behind them.
Once I get that brain-damaged idiot alone I'm going to gut him alive and watch him squirm for hours. Who the hell does he think he is calling me out right in front of Pellucian royalty? And how dare he just IT into the King’s throne room like that? Ignorant dolt! But perhaps I can alter this situation to my advantage, Vegeta thought as he flew, hands fisted into tight balls.
Goku snuck a glance at the magnificent palace they had left behind as they soared into the distance. It was like a great gleaming jewel mountain on the horizon, surrounded by a beautiful, glistening city. Goku's brows furrowed further, taking notice of the air of superiority and condescension Vegeta was portraying. He didn't really want to fight the smaller Saiyan, but he could not let the Prince get away with his crime. It was his responsibility to retrieve Trunks and bring him home safe. He had to succeed.
Vegeta, Goku, and the two royal guards flew over cities and villages of multi-colored gemstones until they came to a wilderness clearing. It was an open meadow of blue-green knee-high grasses and wildflowers at the edge of a forest. Vegeta halted in mid-air, as did the others, and turned around to face his foe.
As he stared the Prince down, Goku silently wondered why Vegeta had taken the baby. Was he just trying to provoke the Z fighter to get him on the battlefront? Was he in it for revenge over his defeat on Earth? Goku did not know, but he hoped to find out.
A malicious smirk started slowly crawling up the side of Vegeta’s face. Goku noticed this and bore his teeth at the show of vanity. The Prince wrapped his tail around his waist protectively and readied himself.
"Well, Kakarott," he finally spoke up, "if you're ready to receive the pounding of your life, I'm more than ready to dish it out." He got ready in a pre-fight pose, which signaled to Goku to do the same. All inclinations to suggest that they talk it out first fell to the wayside as an immediate threat came to the Z fighter’s physical wellbeing. The royal guards barreled out of the way before Vegeta shot forward with blinding speed and a fist ready to wreak havoc on anything and anyone that stood in its way.
Link to story on fanfiction.net: link
