Lamb Without Blemish [Discontinued]

Lamb Without Blemish

"And I saw him confronting the ram; he was moved with rage against him, attacked the ram, and broke his two horns. There was no power in the ram to withstand him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled him; and there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand."

(Daniel 8:7)

Chapter Seven

Vegeta awoke the next morning in his own bed. Blinking, he tried to recall how he had gotten there. 'That's right.' He remembered. 'I asked Kakarrot to be my mate. Oh, Kami. What am I going to do?' He stood and pulled the rope to summon his servant.

Once Vegeta was dressed, he went in search of the family records in the study. He spent a couple of hours digging through all the information and found the news puzzling. After retreating to the garden to digest his findings, Vegeta reflected on the anomalies of the records. A period of time was completely vacant from the files. The missing time stretched from his grandfather's reign to present day. It was usual to misplace a few years, but to lack a span of nearly fifty years was odd. Vegeta always thought of his family as excellent keepers of history.

The ruling Saiyan family were known to be quite proud and marveled at their splendor by recording their triumphs and made a point of showing off their pure-blood heritage. 'There has got to be an explanation for this.' Vegeta thought. He had found the names of relatives ten generations back, but the name of his bearer and his father's bearer were absent. Just then, Vegeta heard the gardener who had been tending to a flowering plant. The man looked very old. 'He probably worked here when my bearer was still alive.' Vegeta thought and called out to the man.

The gardener quickly made his way over to Vegeta and bowed very low, for Vegeta was sitting down. Once Vegeta motioned for him to stand, he began his questioning. "Have you worked here long?"

"Yes, Sir. I have worked here all of my life but the first five years."

"Did you know of my bearer or of my father's?" Vegeta said.

The gardener shifted nervously. "Sir, I'm not supposed to speak of that."

"Under whose orders?" Vegeta's eyes focused on him.

"The King's, Sir." He stared at the ground.

"All I ask is the name of my bearer and where he came from. I will only ask you this only once and will not speak of it again. Give me his name." Vegeta commanded.

"His name was Tokata, Sir. He was from the western side of the planet, a village called Levida." His said in voice barely audible. "I cannot say anymore. Please forgive me, Prince Vegeta."

"You have done your duty. I thank you." Vegeta sent the man back to his work with a flick of his hand. Vegeta sat in the garden for a while, contemplating his next move. He did not want to wait any longer. He had waited his entire life to be mated and to have a family. Only one hindrance stood in his way – his father. The King would never allow him to mate a third class, but this missing period of time and the circumstances surrounding his bearer seemed too connected to be circumstantial. 'Unraveling this mystery may lead to a resolution to my situation with Kakarrot.' He hoped.

Vegeta stood, feeling confident in his next move. He decided to go to Levida and track down his bearer's family. 'There is a secret buried, and I will dig it up.' He thought as he walked towards his room to pack for his journey.

|||:

Vegeta landed on the edge of town and took in the sight of it. The town of Levida was an old frontier town that had definitely seen better days. Fifty years before Vegeta's birth, Levida had been a popular stop for travelers heading towards the western wilderness. Now, the town reeked of decay and filthy transients.

His presence was marked by some, but thankfully for Vegeta, he had chosen to wear tattered coat and a wrap around his head, so he blended in fairly well with the common crowd of people that littered the street.

His first task was probably the most difficult. He had to track down his bearer's family. Vegeta figured if his father had covered this information from the family records at the castle that people in Tokata's home town would not be too willing to talk about him. He was hoping to find a Saiyan who was not so frightened of the King so that he would tell Vegeta the required information. Vegeta walked further down the street, noting all the homeless people. He saw one man at the end of street, standing at the opening of an alley. Vegeta decided he would be a good first attempt.

"What do you want?" The man yelled before Vegeta got to him.

Vegeta walked closer to him and said in a quiet voice, "I need information on a Saiyan named Tokata."

"Why? What's he mean to you?" He spit on the ground near Vegeta's foot.

"I'll make it worth your time." Vegeta reached in his pocket and pulled out some of his money. Flashing his money in front of the man, Vegeta figured he had made his point.

"Alright, I don't know much. That guy is dead. That's all I know 'bout him. His brother is still here though. He gives me food sometimes – good man."

"Where does he live?" Vegeta grew impatient.

"Well, if you'd give me a little more money I might remember." He smiled a toothless smile at the Prince.

"Here." Vegeta pulled another bill from his pocket and handed the pile to the man.

"He lives near the woods. He lived there since… Well, I guess it's been a long time. Everybody around here knows him." He grinned.

"What is his name?" Vegeta was losing patience with this man.

"It's Gratto." The homeless Saiyan held out his hand again.

Vegeta gave him one more bill and turned away. "Thank you." Vegeta called as he ran towards the edge of town. He figured that he could have gotten the information from a store owner, if what the man had told was true about everyone knowing Gratto. 'Oh, well.' He mentally shrugged away the worry. 'At least, I have the information I need.'

|||:

Vegeta stopped a couple more times on his way to Gratto's home. The instructions he had been given were not entirely accurate. Gratto's home was further away from town than the homeless man had made it seem. He ran at first, but after receiving too much unwanted attention, Vegeta walked at a moderate pace. He feared that night was drawing in too quickly. He did not intend to make a poor impression on his bearer's family by going into a heat induced rage at their home. Vegeta gripped his temples at the thought.

When he finally arrived at the house, Vegeta was thoroughly angered. All the villagers were difficult to ask directions from. 'They seemed to be lacking in some of their mental faculties.' He thought.

An over-grown path was all that marked the way to the house. After taking in the house, Vegeta understood why most people could not tell him how to accurately get there. The home was in disrepair. Surrounding the house were dying shrubs and abandoned tools. It appeared that the house was uninhabited. Vegeta truly hoped against this. Evening was approaching, and if this was not his bearer's family, he would have to wait another day to search. Slowly, Vegeta made his way to the front door, doing his best not to step on any of the old tools.

He got to the door and knocked three times with no answer. Vegeta peeked around either sides of the house. He knocked again, calling out to whoever was inside. "Hello?" He waited. Hearing nothing, he tried again. "Hello? I just wanted to speak to Gratto for a moment. Please, this is very important."

Vegeta heard a rustle from within the house. The door creaked open, slightly allowing for a portion of a man's face to be seen. "What do you want to talk to Gratto for?" The man whispered.

"Please, Sir." Vegeta pleaded. "I heard of Tokata, Gratto's brother. I just want to know more about him."

"Why do you want to know about Tokata? Don't you know it's rude to speak of the dead, Boy?" He glared at Vegeta.

"I apologize, Sir, but this is of dire importance. My name is Vegeta. Tokata was my bearer. I must know about him." Vegeta declared.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" The man eyed Vegeta.

Vegeta pulled off his head wrap in reply. The man's mouth hung open for a moment before he slammed the door. Vegeta stared at the closed door in disbelief before it was flung open. The man rushed from inside the house to Vegeta and embraced him. "Oh, Prince Vegeta, I have been waiting for you to visit me since Tokata died."

"I'm sorry that I only recently took an interest in him. My father never mentioned him until a few weeks ago." Vegeta said, a bit uncomfortable with the forced affection.

The man released him. "It's alright. I'm just glad you came. I am Gratto. Tokata was my younger brother. Come inside. I will tell you about him."

Vegeta stepped inside, thankful to find that the interior of the home did not match its decaying exterior. Gratto motioned for him to enter the kitchen. He opened a few cabinets and produced a couple of cups. He retrieved a beverage from the fridge and poured some of it into Vegeta's cup and then into his own. Gratto then began his tale.

"I must admit that I am a little surprised to see you here, Prince Vegeta. Don't get me wrong. I am very glad you have come, but I thought with the way everything went down in regards to Tokata that you would never know of us."

"I'm sorry, Gratto. My father told me about how he had Tokata terminated." Vegeta grimaced at the last word.

"Yes, he did. To the King, Tokata became a tool. When he was no longer useful to him, he got rid of him." He paused, looking at Vegeta. "What did the King say about Tokata? I mean. What did he say was the reason for his death?"

"My father said that Tokata was killed because he tried to escape with me to the other side of the planet. Was this true?" Vegeta questioned.

"Yes, it is. Your bearer was my little brother – ten years my junior actually. He was a kind person, perhaps a little too naïve though. It may not appear so now, but thirty years ago, our family was one of the few noble families in this region. When my brother and I heard about the young Prince looking for a mate amongst the noble families, we were very excited. Tokata and I dressed in our finest clothes and set out to meet your father. Once we arrived at the castle, we had to wait in the main hall with other noble families that had come. Your father walked in a few minutes late with his father nudging him along." Gratto laughed. "Your father looked nervous at first with the duty of having to greet all the guests, but when Tokata and I got to meet him, he smiled at my brother. I would not say it was love-at-first sight. I would say only that there was an immediate attraction between the two." He smiled at Vegeta.

"After that day, Tokata was invited to the castle several times before your father asked him to be his mate. Tokata was so excited. He thought that your father truly loved him, and with this connection to the ruling family, Tokata hoped to help second and third class Saiyans. Things were not as bad back then, but they were starting to decline. Tokata saw this and wanted to use his connection to positively impact our world. Like I told you, Tokata was a little naïve." He paused to take a sip of his drink. Vegeta copied him. After a long sip, Gratto continued.

"When your father and Tokata had been mated for about seven months, you were born. Tokata was very happy. He loved being a parent. Things were going well, as they usually are before everything changed. Your father spoke at a rally for second and third class Saiyans. A fight broke out in the middle of his speech. It took many guards to break up the fight. By the time it was over, your father had a thorough disgust for the lower classes." Gratto took another sip of his drink.

"To make matters worse, your father spoke to the King, your grandfather, and found out some disturbing news. The King told him that he should not judge the lower classes so harshly for he was one of them. Your grandfather explained to him that he had mated a third class to have him. Your father went into a rage. He didn't want to believe him, but when your father inspected the family records, he found it to be true. Tokata later told me that your father was never the same person after that. He said that your father would look at the lower classes like they were worthless. Tokata said that when the King died and your father took the thrown, your father completely ignored the lower classes. He told my brother, "They can fend for themselves.""

"Tokata returned home not long after that and said he couldn't stand being around the new king. He said that he was not the man he had mated. He told me that he wanted to get away from him. I was worried that Tokata would do something foolish, and he did. Tokata snuck into your room one night in an attempt to take you away. He was caught. When your father asked him why he did it, Tokata told him that he wanted you to be raised away from the King's hate. Tokata told the King that he wanted his child to care about the world. He said he hoped you could live with us, at least until you were twenty. Your father called Tokata a traitor and had him executed for treason." Gratto sat still after finishing his tale, deep in thought. After minutes of silence, Gratto spoke again.

"After Tokata died, your father had his name and your father's bearer stripped from the records. He wanted no evidence of his third class bearer. Since all of the noble bloods who knew of his bearer were dead, he signed a declaration of silence for all the servants and decreed that noble families may not mate below the second class."

"That would account for the missing records." Vegeta's voice trailed off.

"I told you about Tokata. I can understand your interest in him, but I can't imagine you'd travel across the planet just to know that story. Is there something else you need to know?"

Vegeta hesitated. Gratto had already put himself in danger for revealing his brother's story, so Vegeta decided to tell Gratto the truth. "I am in love with a third class."

Gratto's shock was instant. "What? Really? Prince Vegeta, are you sure?"

Vegeta sighed. "Yes, I'm quite sure. In spite of my situation in life, I have fallen in love with a man who just happens to be a third class."

"Is it serious?" Gratto questioned.

"Yes, I asked him to be my mate recently." Vegeta blushed slightly.

"Oh my… Prince Vegeta, I am glad that you have found someone that you love so strongly, but this is going to be very difficult. I mean. You would quite literally have to change the laws on mating for noble bloods to be with him. Is he worth that?"

"I have traveled away from the safety of my home while I'm in heat, putting myself and others at risk. Yes, he is worth it. Once I fell in love with him, he became worth all my efforts. I have to find a way to be with him, Gratto." Vegeta became very serious.

Gratto smiled at him for a moment. Remembering Vegeta's words, he spoke in a rushed manner. "Wait. You're in heat? How many days do you have left?" His eyes were filled with worry.

"Two. Oh Kami, what time is it? I have to be home before sundown."

Gratto looked out the window behind Vegeta. Vegeta followed his gaze. Both Saiyans realized the same thing. "It's too late." Gratto said.

"Oh, no…. What am I going to do? I can't fly back in time. Even if I did fly home, I don't want to attack anybody, especially not Kakarrot. I nearly took him last night." Vegeta buried his face in his hands.

"Don't worry, Prince Vegeta. You may stay here. I have Tokata's old room. I have maintained since he died."

"Do you have any restraints?" Vegeta looked up at his uncle, still unsure of staying.

"Yes, I still go into heat." He laughed.

Vegeta was still worried about staying, but did not want to injure himself or someone else tonight. He told Gratto that he would stay. With this, Gratto stood and showed Vegeta to Tokata's old room. Vegeta laid down on the bed while Gratto went to retrieve the restraints.

"Do not release me until morning." Vegeta commanded once he returned.

"Agreed." Gratto said as he tied Vegeta down to the bed. He told Vegeta that he would come back at sunrise. When Gratto left, Vegeta closed his eyes, preparing himself for another long night.

|||:

TBC