#//chucks this on the dash and scurries off to drafts

[regulus-regent]

Vegeta lay in his cot, staring up at the ceiling. Sleep eluded him as his thoughts replayed endlessly in his mind. Frieza had made it abundantly clear that this was his home now, that his father had no more use for him. That he had been sold. Vegeta didn’t want to believe it, couldn’t fathom his father despising him so much.

He tried to banish the memory of his father’s cold eyes, the way the king barely acknowledged him. He'd hardly ever seen the man, always too busy, always too distant. At a young age he had been taught to accept this as normal, it was the way of a king, his duties would always come first. But now, lying alone in the dark room, the young prince couldn’t shake the gnawing feeling of abandonment. Did he truly mean so little? Was he so unworthy? So disposable?

To be so deplorable as to not just hand him over, but to sell him to their most hated tyrant... The thought made Vegeta's blood boil. He had thought he was doing well, believed he was the up-and-coming prince who would make his people proud. His mentors praised him for his remarkable potential. With the princes power level being the highest of those of his age, the rumors of him being the next legendary super saiyan did not go unheard.

Had those compliments been just empty false promises? Hollow words from servants that were desperate to stay on the royal families good side? With each passing second his doubt began to fester, began to grow stronger. Vegeta needed to see it for himself. Knowing fully well he would be unable to rest with the uncertainty gnawing away at him.

He inwardly cursed at himself. Frieza had given him the opportunity, offered him the information when he'd been brought aboard. But he had been too stubborn too in denail to look. A part of him too scared to confront it. The tyrants smug grin certainly didn't help the uneasiness.

Unable to take much more, he rose from his cot. Leaving the room as he made his way towards Frieza's quarters. Each step he took echoed the empty corridors, he could practically feel his heart pounding. Sweat accumulating in his hands, his mind swirling with thoughts that he could not quell. He'd stop just short of the metallic door that would lead straight to the answers he was looking for. He paused, hesitating for a split second and before he could even make a move, the doors slid open.

"Frieza has not requested for your audience. Did you need something, monkey prince?" the voice laced with the all knowing arrogance that grated on Vegeta's nerves.

Vegeta's jaw tensed, his fists clenching at his sides as he glared up at Zarbon. "I came here to see Frieza."

Zarbon chuckled, shaking his head. "Always so eager to serve, aren't you? Just like a good little pet. Though I suppose it runs in the family, doesn't it?"

Vegeta's eye's narrowed, his blood boiling as his patience was beginning to waver. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh don't be so dense Vegeta. Use that primitive brain." Zarbon sneered, looking down on the prince with a gleaming malice. "You know exactly what I mean. As I have said before, Frieza will not see you unless he requests your audience. However, he has been gracious enough to instruct me to give this to you, knowing full well you would come crawling back to him."

He pulled out the data pad from his belt and threw it at his feet before shoving his way past Vegeta.

His pride bruised from the humiliation of being disregarded, pushed aside as his he were nothing. But it was nothing compared to the turmoil raging inside of him. Grabbing the data pad he quickly made his way back into the quiet dark confines of his room.

---

The prince paced as he stared down at the data pad. His heart raced as he hesitated. Opting to sit down in his cot as his thumb hovered over the screen. Did he really want to see this? Could he handle the truth?

With a deep breath he activated the device. It stayed on the loading screen with what felt like an eternity as the princes leg axiously bounced. Suddenly he paused, body tense as the information displayed on the screen. His stomach churned, the details of his sale were laid out in cold, clinical terms.

A wave of nausea swept over him, unable to read the rest as his hands shook. With a snarl he hurled the device across the room with all his strength, shattering it instantly as it left a dent against the wall where it had connected. But the act did not bring catharsis.

Vegeta's vision began to blur as tears welled up in his eyes, spilling down onto his cheeks despite his best efforts to stop them. His tail lashing angrily behind him. The betryal cutting deeper than any wound could ever. He felt abandoned, discarded like a worthless pawn in some twisted game.

Bitterness and resentment began to settle in his heart as his tears flowed freely. He was alone. Truly alone. And in that moment, the young prince made a silent vow. He would never allow himself to be weak. He would become the strongest and most ruthless warrior this universe had ever seen. And one day, he would make them all pay.