Dragon Balls gone Wrong. Part 5

Vegeta arrived on Frieza's ship flanked by a set of Saiyan guards. Their strength couldn't compare to his, but they were still a valuable asset even if only as potential cannon fodder. He had found that Frieza frequently liked to make displays of force, which Vegeta preferred not be made on him.

Not that his guards knew that that may be their fate.

The tyrant's ship was large, expansive, and luxurious; befitting a galactic conqueror. The halls were large and richly adorned leading up to Frieza's innermost chamber, flanked by enough guards to make Vegeta nervous. His own assemblage of security had never been on the ship before, and thus were clearly anxious out of their minds. The ones that weren't gulping constantly were sweating profusely or throwing constant, fearful side-eyes around.

Frankly, their cowardice disgusted him.

At least he was able to hide his anxiety.

The massive set of rounded double-doors leading to Frieza's throne room were pushed open by a pair of alien guards, light from the chamber pouring into the dimly-lit hallway. Vegeta squinted against it as it was revealed; a regal-enough inner sanctum to make his own feel like a lavatory. Frieza's throne sat atop an enormously tall, finely sculpted staircase of white marble that the entire room seemed to slope upward toward. It naturally drew the eye to the imperious whelp as he sat before Vegeta, exuding arrogance and power.

"Ah~!" he called in that irritatingly nasally voice, "The monkey king himself has arrived. It's about time."

Every word read as a threat, an insult, and a backhanded compliment. Vegeta grit his teeth as he stepped to the base of the stairs and dutifully fell to one knee, showing his subservience even if it was completely unwillingly. He bowed his head, waiting to hear whatever news it was that demanded his presence.

"Quite the little security squadron you've brought out!" he could hear the cruel smile in Frieza's words, "But I think there's one too many! You're crowding the room." Vegeta grit his teeth, already anticipating what was coming next, "Let's see! Eeny-meeny-miny… you."

Vegeta heard the finger beam shoot out and penetrate the chest of one of his guards, killing him before he could even scream. The others stifled cries of alarm at the display of callous brutality, quickly falling to their knees along with their king. Vegeta himself could be cruel, certainly, but even he wasn't so arbitrary with his executions. People died because they failed him or angered him, not simply because they were there!

"Much better." Frieza said, relaxing the slightest bit more, "Now, onto business. I have some good news for you, Saiyan!" the king didn't dare hope that these words were genuine, "My father, King Cold, is stopping by for a visit! It has been some time since you two last spoke, correct?"

King Vegeta swallowed, "Indeed."

"Then you will be prepared to organize a feast for him!" Frieza declared, "The best food you monkeys can possibly offer. Make sure there isn't the slightest imperfection, or I'll be prepared to give the Saiyans a new king that very night! Am I understood?"

Vegeta nodded, "You are, Lord Frieza."

"Excellent!" Frieza smiled, "You have one month's time to organize it, and I wouldn't disappoint! My father has very particular tastes and he can eat quite a bit! I would start preparations as soon as possible!"

"Why…" Vegeta bit out, "Why is he coming? What's the nature of this visit?"

"Hmm?" Frieza hummed, "Merely to evaluate the worth of you dirty apes. If you can't even host a decent feast, what good are you to this empire? And what kind of king does that make you?"

Vegeta felt another lash of disrespect against him, but he kept his head bowed.

"Of course, Lord Frieza."

"Good." the tyrant stated, "That is all. Begone, before you start to stink up my throne room."

King Vegeta was all too happy to leave. He rose to his feet and turned, letting his cape sweep out behind him as he crossed back through the double-doors. Really, news that King Cold was paying a visit wasn't as bad as he'd expected. Frieza's father was - by all accounts - a much more reasonable man than the little tyrant was. He'd dealt with King Cold before and knew that the former ruler could be… perhaps not merciful, but practical.

And he wasn't nearly so arbitrary in his cruelty as Frieza.

Still, this 'feast' seemed like a perfect opportunity for Frieza to run rampant over his people. All it would take was one steak slightly undercooked for him to lose his head. At least, that was how Frieza made it sound.

Vegeta grit his teeth.

Damned Frijians…

Hala inspected the glass vial in her hand.

Contained within was the recipe for life. At least, a life.

A Saibaman's life.

She popped the lid, studying the liquid as it swirled within, letting the seed knock against the walls of its container. Her habit wasn't a particularly good one, but it had led to her getting notably stronger. She couldn't argue with results, after all.

Hala lifted the vial.

Tilted it.

And let the contents drop into her mouth.

She crunched the seed up with her powerful jaw, making sure to mash it to pulp so as not to leave a trace of living Saibaman alive. She washed it down with the lavender-tinted liquid that they grew in, making sure to disperse the seed remnants before swallowing them. Instantly, she felt a crackle of power run through her as she began to absorb the creature's latent power. High-grade Saibaman seeds alone were potent stuff. Mixed with proper, rigorous training and she was growing in strength every day.

Soon, she might even surpass-

Her eyes widened as the hairs on her neck prickled. Instantly, the Saiyan woman whirled around to face the new presence in her orchard, relaxing at the familiar face she was greeted with.

Keelen.

Hala smiled.

"What did I tell you about sneaking up on me?" she teased, rocking her hips to the side.

"That it's a good way to earn some broken ribs." Keelen replied somewhat sheepishly. He approached her slowly, jolting to a stop as he suddenly remembered his place. Instantly, he fell to one knee, head bowed, "Your Highness, I-!"

"Stand up." Hala ordered, "I told you I'm not a fan of all that 'royalty' crap." she placed her hand under his chin, tilting his head up so that their gazes could meet, "Especially not from you, Keel."

The Saiyan man rose to his feet obediently, his hands going to Hala's hips. Hers found his cheek and cupped it, the two drawn into a kiss before either could think properly. For a moment, Hala let herself float on warm, calm waters. Kissing Keelen felt… right. They had known each other basically their whole lives; grown up together, trained together, conquered planets together. Being forced to marry their king was a rare honor - one Hala would never dream of passing up - but it had gotten in the way of… them.

At least, for a time.

Hala's kiss turned more fearsome as she dragged the young man towards her, inviting more. More of his warmth, more of his touch, more of his passion; she wanted it all. And for a moment, she thought she might get it. Keelen sank into her embrace, his breath turning hot and gaspy until the exact second he broke away from her. He tore his lips from hers, panting, his eyes wide and fearful.

"We can't!" he breathed, "Not out here!"

"Oh?" Hala cocked an eyebrow, "Bedroom, then?"

Keelen slipped away from her, irritating her. They'd lain together many times before, though not as many times as she'd lain with her actual husband. King Vegeta was a passionate man, but sex with him was different. It was about getting her pregnant and having her sire an heir, not passion. Not lust. Not… love.

"I can't…" Keelen murmured, "We don't know when he'll be back. I just had to see you."

"So you came all this way just to tease me?" Hala leaned against a nearby wall as she questioned her lover's behavior, "Didn't think you had it in ya."

Keelen laughed a small smile.

He really wasn't like other Saiyans. He was kind and gentle; still a warrior, but he didn't delight in cruelty and destruction the way many Saiyans did. Crushing enemies was merely something to do efficiently as part of the job, not something to take pleasure in. It had started out as merely a point of intrigue; something Hala found strange and funny about him. But as they grew up and she had to defend him less and less from bullies, she found him so… desirable. He was strong enough to protect himself, but also kind enough to not abuse his strength.

In any other life, Hala would've wanted to be with him.

Not that she didn't appreciate her husband, but it wasn't the same feeling Keelen gave her, where just a kiss could light a fire in her.

Part of her wondered if that was the reason so many of their children hadn't worked out; they weren't born from passion, the way Saiyans should be. She also knew damn well that not every child she'd ever carried had been Vegeta's.

Her eyes wandered up Keelen's well-muscled body. He was taller than her, with handsome features and short, black hair. He was the model of a Saiyan warrior in all ways except his fierce attitude; or lack thereof.

"He won't be back for a little while, I'm sure of it." Hala smiled, trying to entice him, "Besides-"

"There have been too many close calls lately." Keelen cut her off, "I can't- we can't afford to get caught. Like I said," he took another step away, "I just… had to see you again."

"Keelen…" Hala softened, the genuine desire for his company overriding everything else, "I-"

Just as she was about to order him to stay, he noticed the glass vial in her hand.

"You shouldn't be eating that stuff." he warned, brow furrowing, "It's not good for you."

Hala's face tightened with frustration, "One every once in a while isn't gonna hurt!" she snapped, "It's not like I'm eating'em every damn day!"

Keelen bit his lip.

"I've just heard… weird stories." he offered as some sort of explanation. Hala had heard them, too; tales of a sort of 'madness' that could affect people if they ate too many Saibaman seeds. To some it was like a drug more than anything, though to her it wasn't any different from the rest of a healthy diet. She wasn't reliant on them in any way, after all. They were just a supplement.

"Don't lecture me, Keel." Hala sighed, "Don't forget, I'm the older one here."

It was only by a few years, but it was enough to make for a distinct maturity difference in them. Especially when they were younger and she was protecting him from bullies.

"Of course, your Highn-" Keel was cut off by another kiss that was forced on him faster than he could avoid. His eyes widened as Hala dragged him in, taking his mouth for a ride as she glared at him. In reality, it was just an attempt to get him horny enough to fool around with; her liaison with her husband had been enough to get her going, but not enough to get her off.

She wanted more.

And Keelen - though he wasn't exactly a beast in bed - was at least willing to put the work in to help her finish. Sex with him was warm and comfortable and pleasant, and she wanted-

Keelen managed to break it off, pressing his forehead to hers.

"When do you think he'll be-?" Keelen froze mid-question, eyes widening. Instantly, he turned to look up at the sky, his face lost in analysis. Hala wasn't sure exactly why, but Keelen seemed to have a sixth-sense for Vegeta's presence. It had saved their asses from getting caught together more times than she cared to admit.

"Go, then." Hala growled, frustrated. She already knew her husband was coming back just by the look on her young lover's face; he didn't need to say a word.

Keelen offered her a remorseful look before stepping away, kicking off from the ground and shooting into the air. He was barely a visible dot on the horizon when King Vegeta's energy trail appeared in the sky above.

Hala sighed.

Back to being the queen…

Notes:

Deciding to drop this pretty quick after the last one since it's also a plot chapter. Keelen, to me, fits the role of typical 'cuckold guy' more closely, which was something I wanted. Ironic, I guess, considering he's technically cucking Vegeta, but really they're kind of both just cucking each other in slightly different ways.

And yes, I've elected to call Frieza's race the 'Frijians', based off of fridge/refrigerator and frigid. I know a popular fan-name for the species is Frost Demon or something, but that really just doesn't sound right to me. It comes across as very... DeviantArt I guess. It's not the worst name in the world, but I'm just not a fan of it. Arcosian is the other popular one, which I think is better, but I'm pretty sure that's just the name of another species in Dragon Ball. Soooo I just made up my own.

Also I'm gonna try to make Power Levels make a LITTLE more sense if possible. So basically in my head a low-class has a PL of about 2000~, a mid-class has one of about 4000~, and a high-class is typically gonna be 6000+. Obviously it's all give-or-take a few hundred, but that's roughly what most from each class will linger at. Reaching five digits puts you in the upper eschelon of Saiyan society, and very few people in this series will reach that point. At least where we're at currently with the story. Anyway, thank you for indulging my Power Level tism xD

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Power Levels:

Keelen: 4,100