A Love Eternal

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Dragonball Z character, who will appear in later chapters, don\'t worry. However, Natalja and all other OC\'s are my own.

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Chapter One: The Beginning


The soft giggles of a young child rang through the large garden that sat outside of the palace of the Faturon Royalty. A soft rustle came to ear as the child, a tanned skinned silver tailed little girl wearing a thin sea-blue gown, appeared and looked around, her long sea-green hair spilling down to her feet as she sprinted down the stone walk, her bare feet hitting the walk as she hid in a Future Lily Bush.

\"Natalja? Natalja where are you?\" a young tanned skinned Faturon called. The young female was dressed in a thin deep green gown, a golden crown lined with emeralds sat on her short green hair head. Here fre feet padded softly beneath her as she walked down the stone walk of the castle garden. She sighed as she walked to a hedge and spread it a bit to look down into it, but didn\'t uncover her hiding daughter. Her long silver tail curling behind her as she stood and looked around looking towards her husband.

\"Nettie, have you found her yet?\" a tall midnight black figure called, his long green hair dancing in the breeze as he looked over the tall bushes to his wife and first Queen of Fate. He was dressed in a similar gown to that of his young wife and daughter except his was pure white, nearly see transparent due to the bright morning suns. He sighed as he saw her shake her head then looked over at some bushes that had giggled. With a smile he walked over and thrust his hands into the bushes retrieving a giggling bundle. \"Natalja, there you are,\" he laughed hugging his youngest daughter to him. Queen Nettie hurried over when he heard the giggles and smiled as he watched her husband tickle their daughter.

\"Come now,\" Nettie smiled taking her daughter from her husband\'s arms, \"it\'s time to get you properly dressed,\" she said walking towards the palace, her long silver dragon-like tail swaying behind her. King Shenlong sighed softly and followed after them catching up easily. He looked down at his young wife and daughter wondering why he\'d been so blessed. It had been frustrating to find wives...but tradition called for three, one to represent each Fate in the after life; Birth, Life, and Death.

Flashback.....

\"Why must I chose three, why not one as all other Faturons do?\" he asked the Oracle that sat before him. He paced back and forth in the Oracles chamber and the small Faturon female only shook her head as her long sapphire tail swung back and forth like a pendulum. \"You must chose three, each must represent a Fate in the afterlife. As you were taught as a child each Fate is represented by a particular color. Birth is silver, Life is Sapphire, and Death is opal, each female must have a tail of that color.\"

Shenlong only grunted and stopped his pacing to stand before the Oracle in deep thought. His own tail, a swirl of silver, sapphire, and opal, curled and uncurled beside him. The color of his tail was the reason he was the King of Fate, only after the current king died did a single young male\'s tail take on this pattern of three colors. With a final sigh he straightened his stance. \"Very well...bring the females of the village to me and I will chose,\" he ordered before retreating to his chambers to dress.

It didn\'t take King Shenlong to long to find his wives that represented the Fates of Life and Death, Zoyeran and Mareynce. Though Mareynce was a bit more difficult to...persuade for she represented the Fate perfectly, she was violent and sharp tongue but she was the perfect choice. However, he had not found a queen to represent Birth and sighed before dismissing the females and turned to the two that would become the queens of Life and Death. Over two years later, Mareynce had given birth to his first child a tiny baby girl the king and queen had named Mare. Her skin was pure white and had a head full of fuchsia hair, just like her mother and also like her mother her tail was the color of a new born white opal. However, in those two years he had still not found the wife that would represent the Fate of Birth.

Late one night, King Shenlong was taking a walk down to the village beyond the castle walls. He sighed looking up at the stars and the four moons that lay in orbit around his planet, his mind was not on the beauty of the night however...it was on the thought of when he\'d find his final wife, the first queen of Fate. His thoughts rotated around that single topic when his ears caught a soft sound. He paused in his walk and listened finally realizing it was a voice, someone singing. Slowly, he moved towards the sound and found a young female tending to a night blooming garden. His gaze followed the gentle curves of her body that was only covered by a thick black tunic though the glimpse of a silver tail was seen beneath the hem. At that very moment he knew he\'d found his wife.

Walking up to the young woman he spoke softly. \"You did not come to the palace when I was to choose my wives...\" The young Faturon gasped and spun around, her long green hair falling over her eyes as she came face to face with King Shenlong. After a long moment she let out the breath she\'d been holding and shook her head. \"Um...no sire, I could not,\" she said softly before turning away to clip a black lily from its stem. \"My mother was sick that day and I could not leave her.\"

Shenlong nodded and smiled walking up to her. \"For the reason that you were not there...I still have not chosen the Queen of Birth,\" he said softly. The young Faturon made a miss cut and gasped as the scissors sliced into her finger. Shenlong gently reached out and took her injured hand, his right index finger glowed and he gently pressed it to the injured appendage watching the cut seal over. \"Thank you...\" she whispered softly. Shenlong only nodded before reaching out and tilting her chin up to look into her bright silver eyes. \"Would you...do me the honor of becoming my first queen?\"

The female swallowed nervously as a soft flush covered her cheeks. \"I...I would be honored...\" she whispered. Shenlong smiled and nodded before asking. \"What is your name?\"

\"My name is Nettie,\" she whispered softly, a smile gracinr lir lips.

End Flashback.....

King Shenlong smiled and gently ran his fingers through his wife\'s shirt green hair. \"Go and get her ready, little queen, I will see to the preparations,\" he whispered and kissed her cheek before she ascended the main stairwell to their rooms. Shenlong watched until his wife\'s long silver tail disappeared around a corner then he turned to go down the long hallway to the dining hall. When he entered he had to laugh because there he saw two two eldest daughters running about the decoratedl col covered in flowers and streamers. Quickly reaching out he scooped up the little blue skinned child that was running after the older white skinned child.

\"Awww, daddy I was gonna get her!!\" she squealed the burst out laughing as he began to tickle her. The other little girl turned around and jumped onto her father\'s back as he fell onto his rear, all three of them laughing.

Now ,\" his second queen, Zoyeran, tsked walking up to pick up the young blue skinned girl. \"Zoya, I\'ve told you not to chase Mare around like that,\" she said softly, her skin the same color as her daughter\'s skin, a soft sapphire blue that matched her tail.

His first queen, Mareynce, came forward and neatly plucked her daughter off her husband\'s back. \"Are Nettie and Natalja coming?\" she asked, her purple eyes not leaving her daughter who only giggled timidly. Shenlong nodded dusting himself off. \"Yes, yes they are,\" he said and looked around. \"Well, you all did fantastic, I\'m sure Natalja will never forget this birthday,\" he sighed. Though it was his youngest daughter\'s birthday, there was something deep inside that he didn\'t like the feeling of disaster that was festering deep inside his stomach. He frowned a moment but it turned to a smile when he heard a squeal of surprise from behind.

He turned to see Natalja looking around happily at the decorations her mothers and sisters had done. \"Wow...is...is this all for me?\" the little four year old asked.

Shenlong smiled proudly at his youngest daughter. She was, personally, the most beautiful of his three children full of innocence and purity. He also felt a great power within her...one he remembered feeling when she was first born.

Flashback.....

(Four Years Ago)

Looking out the large bedroom window Shenlong sighed, he looked down at the kingdom he ruled over with his three beautiful wives and their ever growing family. A gentle knock at the door broke him from his trance and he turned with a slight growl in his throat but kept his temper in check.

\"Yes?\" he called to the person at the door. Slowly, the door opened and a young Faturon walked in, his golden skin and silver tail shimmering as he walked up to his king and bowed. \"Sir, it is time. Queen Nettie is in labor with the first Birth princess of Fate.\"

\"I see,\" he said softly then smiled as he turned to the young Faturon. \"Take me to her, young one, I wish to see my wives.\"

The young Fate nodded and bowed before opening the door for his king. Shenlong doned his long red robes before leaving his quarters and following the young Faturon to the birthing chamber. Shenlong gently knocked on the door, when nobody answered he opened the door and looked in only to have a slipper thrown at his head. He was able to duck then look back in a bit more cautiously.

\"My dear, what is...wrong?\" he asked a bit shakily when he saw his youngest wife, Nettie sitting up on the birthing beldinlding an empty bed pan in her hand, ready to throw that item at him as well.

\"What is wrong, my Lord?\" she said her eyes narrowing as she threw the pan at him. Shenlong raised his hand the pan stopped right in front of him then slowly lowered to the ground. \"What is wrong is that this child within me refuse to leave my body, it is your fault that she will leavleave me!!\" she cried then groaned in pain as contractions shot through her petite body.

Shenlong grit his teeth as he watched his wife suffer, her sister wives stood around her dabbing her forehead with cold towels and cooing reassuringly to her. Shenlong slowly walked over and took her hand gripping it gently and smiled down at her. \"My dear, little queen. Your sister queens were able to deliver health beauty baby girls, why do you doubt yourself when the end of this suffering is so close at hand?\'

Nettie looked up at him and he stiffened when he saw the tears in her eyes. \"I...I\'m scared, my Lord. It hurts so very much and I don\'t think I can take it,\" she said softly then gasped as she leant forward pushing, the contractions becoming closer together and harder to handle. Shenlong grit his teeth in anger as he watched his wife in such pain. \"Help her, get a doctor from the village immediently!!\" he ordered the young Faturon male in roomroom.

The young Faturon nodded and left the room, his footsteps could be heard as he ran down the hall. Shenlong looked at the door for a bit longer then turned back to his young wife who lay back on the bed panting trying to catch her breath, but was unsuccessful as another contraction tore through her body. Shenlong stroked her sweaty forehead and sighed wishing the pain for her would stop. Suddenly, the door flew open and the young Faturon ran in with a doctrom rom the village. The doctor walked over to Nettie and checked her vital signs then her dilation thus far. After making a few notes he turned to Shenlong then looked at the two other queens nodding.

Shenlong looked at him suspiciously. \"What\'s wrong?!\" he demanded, roaring at the doctor.

\"Nothing, my Lord, it is just she is having complications with the delivery and she must be left alone for this moment. Males are not allowed while the birth takes place.\"

\"Why is that?!!! I was in this same room when my first two daughters were born!!\" he roared.

The doctor cringed then cleared his throat. \"The Fate of Birth as you know is a very sensitive Fate and is shy keeping private or embarrassing scenes to themselves and sister Fates, it is the honorable thing to do.\"

Shenlong growled angrily then relaxed sighing softly. \"I...I understand...\" He then went over to his wife and kissed her forehead. \"Everything will be allright,\" he whispered before leaving the room. He did not go far though as he paced up and down the hall wincing at each cry of pain that came through the closed door. More then once he found himself gripping the golden knob of the door ready to burst in but forced himself to stay and pace. Over five hours later Shenlong was sitting back against the wall, he face in his hands when he felt a power that rivaled his own. He stood quickly and went to the door.

\"Allright, Nettie, you\'re almost done. I can see the head,\" Shenlong heard the voice of his middle wife Zoyeran coaxing Nettie. He there was silence for a long moment re Nre Nettie let out a cry of pain and silver light shone brilliantly from under the door. Shenlong could no longer take the suspense and opened the door to see a tiny screaming baby emerging from Nettie, its body cloakn sin silver energy. He was in...total awe, he\'d never seen anything like this before, his other children had never displayed such power in their first seconds of life outside of their mother\'s body.

He watched as Zoyeran quickly clipped the baby\'s cord and cleaned it up. Mareynce had turned and watched Shenlong\'s awe, he turned to her and she nodded silently. Slowly, he entered and when Zoyeran turned she smiled up at him before offering the child to him. \"A beautiful baby girl,\" she whispered. Gingerly, he took the tiny bundle and was met with the most beautiful sea-blue eyes he\'d ever seen. Shenlong stared down at his youngest daughter in awe then walked over to where his young queen lay exhausted and settled the baby against her chest. She opened her eyes and a smile of pure joy touched her face. \"By the Fates...\" she whispered and tenderly cradled the newborn. She smiled softly as the tiny bundle yawned and closed her eyes. \"Natalja...\" Nettie whispered.

\"What?\" he asked softly watching their tiny daughter sleep.

\"Her name...\" she whispered her eyes drooping before she too fell sleep, \"her name will be Natalja...\"

Shenlong smiled and nodded before kissing his wife\'s forehead. \"Natalja...my little princess...\" he whispered proudly.

End Flashback.....

Natalja looked up at her mothers and father and when they all nodded she threw herself into their arms hugging them tightly. At the exact moment that her arms wrapped around her father\'s torso, that was the exact moment the eastern wall exploded, a beam of energy cutting through, cutting the once beautiful castle in half.

\"Well well well, if it isn\'t my young future wife,\" a high voice cackled from the large cloud of smoke that had taken over the once clear air.


TBC...

Please R/R. Let me know how I\'m doing, ok?