I've seen a lot of fairy-tale AUs, but I've never seen anyone do an adaptation of "The Goose Girl", which is one of my absolute favorite fairy-tales. For those unfamiliar with the story, you can get a synopsis of what it's about by searching for "The Goose Girl" on Wikipedia. I will be taking a lot of liberties with the original fairy-tale, so don't be surprised if it doesn't follow the original! I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: The Titans ain't mine. Never were, never will be.

Chapter 1: The Proposal

Queen Arella raised an eyebrow at the red-headed messenger. "A marriage proposal?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." The messenger gave the queen an unexpectedly wide grin. "In an effort to ally our two kingdoms, Prince Malchior of Nol has asked for the hand of your princess."

"Forgive my suspicion, but we...well, we have never had such an offer before."

The messenger was almost smirking. Queen Arella wondered if all of the messengers from Nol were this impudent. "It's natural that you'd be curious. Prince Malchior has nothing but the best of intentions with regards to Princess Raven. He will care for her well."

"Even in her current...condition?"

Her tone gave the messenger boy pause, but he continued. "Always."

The queen was unsure of how to proceed. Her daughter was not exactly safe to be around, and she felt uncomfortable allowing the royal family of another kingdom to become part of their twisted destiny. Then again, with her demonic former husband looming outside of the kingdom, possibly waiting to strike, the idea of an alliance with another magical family sounded incredibly appealing. "Pardon me, Sir..."

"Wallace, but I prefer to go by Wally." There was that grin again. This time, Arella chose to ignore it.

"Sir Wallace. I feel it would not be wise to hurry my daughter into such a relationship so quickly. She is...delicate. Might we arrange a more suitable agreement?"

Wally sighed. "The royal family of Nol has anticipated this type of response. I have been instructed to offer you the following alternative: Princess Raven can come to the kingdom of Nol and stay within our castle walls in order to meet with Prince Malchior. If the two appear to be compatible, then the offer of marriage will be re-opened. Will this do?"

Arella considered her options briefly in her head. It would be unwise to reject such a proposal, particularly because there was no obligation involved if something went awry. The queen was weak, alone, and vulnerable, especially with Trigon the Terrible on the loose beyond Azarath's borders, and an alliance with a kingdom as powerful as Nol would surely keep Arella, Raven, and their people safe. But was it right to put them in this kind of danger? And Raven...what would Raven think about this? She'll hate the idea. And me, thought Arella. Raven's opinion on the matter is just about the only thing I can be sure of. But Arella had to think of Azarath first, and frankly, her people were not terribly fond of her daughter...

Raven will be safer with them. "I accept the generous offer of the royal family of Nol. We shall send Princess Raven on her way in three days' time."

Wally's face brightened, and he sank into a deep bow. "Of course, Your Majesty. The kingdom of Nol eagerly awaits the arrival of Her Royal Highness."

Arella raised a hand to thank the messenger, but he was already out the door. Quite fast for one his age. Perhaps an enchantment? His absence, however, meant that she had a job to do. She looked forlornly up at the staircase which she knew led to her daughter's tower. Heaving a sigh, Arella looked over and saw that one of her daughter's ladies-in-waiting had wandered into the throne room.

"Tara?"

Arella's question was met with an inquisitive pair of bright blue eyes. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

"If you would kindly bring the Princess to me, I would greatly appreciate it. Tell her that her mother has news for her."

Tara swept a lock of blonde hair out of her face and smiled respectfully. "Of course, Your Majesty."

As Tara ascended the spiral stairs to Raven's room, Arella massaged her temples. This was not going to go over well.

Upstairs in her room, Princess Raven of Azarath sat with her legs folded, floating a few inches from the floor and focusing intently on the sound of her own breathing. This was how she had spent most of her time since she was a little girl; it was the only way that she had found to control her emotions, and thereby protect her own people. Just another hour, and the people of Azarath could be safe for another day.

"Raven? Raven, it's Tara. Can I come in?"

Raven was jolted out of her concentration and dropped to the floor like a bag of rocks. Rubbing her tailbone, she called, "Yes, Tara."

The door to her dimly lit room opened and Tara crossed the threshold slowly. Though she and the princess had been together for quite some time, Tara knew that the princess greatly valued her personal space. "Your mother has news for you, Raven."

The princess's violet eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "News? What kind of news could she have for me?"

"I dunno. It seemed important from the way she looked." Taking Raven's lack of anger as an invitation, Tara sat down on the floor beside her. "Are you nervous?"

Raven didn't look at Tara, but instead stared out her window. "I don't get nervous."

Not two seconds after the words had come out of her mouth, Tara noticed that a glass bottle was wobbling on the edge of her dresser. Choosing not to point this out to Raven, she merely gave her a knowing smile and said, "Maybe it's nothing. It didn't seem like bad news, at least."

"There's no way it's good news if she didn't come up to tell me herself."

Good point, thought Tara. "Well, I'm sure it'll be okay. Let's just go down and see what she wants."

Raven rolled her eyes, but begrudgingly stood up. "I'd rather not, but if Mother's calling..." She began her descent down toward the throne room.

Tara bit back a comment about Raven's attitude and followed her down the stairs. Unfortunately for the kingdom, barely shielded annoyance didn't seem to be an emotion that set off the princess's powers. What was Raven's problem? Even with her curse, being a princess seemed like a pretty good deal to Tara. Better than tending to an ungrateful princess, anyway.

As the two girls walked into the throne room, Queen Arella stood, greeting her daughter cordially, if not somewhat impersonally, with a quick kiss on the forehead. "Hello, Mother," said Raven in a slow monotone.

"My child...Raven..." Arella, dropping all pretense, sighed. "A messenger came to me from the kingdom of Nol this afternoon...You have been offered Prince Malchior's hand in marriage, and I have approved for you to travel to the kingdom to meet with him."

There was silence. Tara's eyes widened and she glanced from Arella to Raven rapidly. Raven's face was entirely impassive. I can't believe it. Is she actually okay with this? Tara thought to herself incredulously.

A series of loud crashes from the kitchen, the sound of shattering plates, and the shrieks of a disgruntled cook told her otherwise.

What do you think? Would you like to see more? Reviews would be greatly appreciated, though I won't throw myself off a cliff if you don't review. And don't worry...we'll be meeting the rest of the team soon enough!