When one of Mumbo's tricks goes wrong, Beast Boy and Raven get trapped inside a mysterious playing card, the domain of The Queen of Hearts. With the strings being pulled by the queen and her ministers, can the two escape from the card? And what happens when the two become close?
This is before Trouble in Tokyo and "The End."
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.
Terminology
Polonaise: a woman's dress of the 18th century, having a fitted bodice and draped cutaway skirt, worn over an elaborate underskirt (source: Wikipedia)
Translation(s):
(1) "Ah, curious and curious(er)! I was hoping you would ask that question!"
(2) "I am so very happy to have visitors! It must have been a very long fall I expect!"
(source: Babelfish)
Warning: Characters can and will appear slightly OOC.
The Queen's Challenge
Beast Boy's liquid green eyes opened to the glare of harsh sunlight and the feel of the springy ground underneathhim. He let out a low, guttural moan and rolled over, trying to escape the sun and the blades of grass tickling his nose. But as he settled into a sleeping position, his eyes snapped wide open.
He was expecting the glowing neon lights, discarded dollar bills, and the other overpowering smells and sounds of downtown Jump City. Instead, he was met with the buzz of a bumblebee lazily fluttering away from a large sunflower. His looked around him in a groggy panic. "AHH! WHAT'S GOING ON?" He rubbed his temples in attempt to stay calm. He racked his memory for clues.
I remember chasing after Mumbo down the street. And then there was that strange card…and those arms that grabbed me and—"Raven!" Beast Boy especially remembered reaching for her hand and turning away before they were pulled down. He looked above the clusters of tiger lilies, buttercups, and other numerous flowers in a disorientated search. Standing to his feet, he parted and pushed away the grass hoping to see Raven's purple hood or her slender, gray hand shifting through grass or hear her voice calling him.
"Raven!" He hopped over some daisies before noticing a slight depression in the grass. Beast Boy unconsciously veered himself in that direction, spying the contour of a body lying on the ground. There, immersed among a large grouping of baby's breath was what he believed to be a sleeping Raven.
"Raven?" Beast Boy knelt down and brushed her arm gently. She groaned irritably in reply; he was positive it was her now. "Hey, Raven?" He watched as the girl turned over and opened her wide eyes before quickly shutting them from the sun. She bolted her body upright and wiped her eyes before opening them again.
"Ugh, what hit me?" She stared at the grass and the spattering of colorful flowers and then titled her head skyward. Endless fluffy white clouds sailed across a perfect blueberry-colored sky. A slight buzzing filled her ears and soft gust of wind played at the thick, green grass. Her violet eyes rested on Beast Boy's face.
"Are you okay?" He asked. She nodded and squeezed her eyes shut again. The last thing she remembered were those hands wrapping their fingers around her wrists, ankles, and cloak and dragging her away from the din of Jump City, her own hand still grasping Beast Boy's. As the nightlife faded away and bright light flooded her eyesight, she remembered things flying up as she fell down. A rope of pearls and blood-red roses passed her; a pot full of warm tea poured itself into a porcelain cup. Her fingers tried to grasp at the handle but watched with horror and panic as the tea spilled over and fell skyward.
Bricks, roof shingles, and windows followed. As a large picnic basket barreled past her, Raven had felt herself let go of Beast Boy and try to grab the basket with outstretched hands; anything to grab unto was better than nothing. Her lips had opened to scream, but she felt her body land in something soft and fragrant smells overpower her senses. Before she knew it, she had been lulled to sleep.
Now her eyes opened to a field of flowers and Beast Boy's outstretched hand offering her help to stand. She ignored the gesture and stood up by herself. Slightly disappointed, Beast Boy pulled back and looked northward, bringing his hands up to shield his eyes from the harsh sunlight. Raven did the same, but looked southward.
Butterflies floated gently without hindrance from a tree or a rock; the flowers shook off the last bits of morning dew from their petals and sprinkled them unto the ground. There wasn't a trail around for what looked like miles. The two looked at the infinite and endless field; the only sounds between them were those of crickets, bees, and the wind.
"Where are we?" Raven finally asked out loud looking at the endless land.
"Ah, curieux et plus curieux ! J'espérais que vous poseriez cette question!" (1) An unfamiliar feminine voice answered her. Green and purple squinted eyes looked over at a figure that suddenly appeared among the field of flowers.
Beast Boy and Raven walked over to the silhouette as it took on the shape of a tall woman holding a young Labrador puppy. Her red-painted lips gave a demure, seductive smile as they stood before her. "Je suis tellement très heureux d'avoir des visiteurs! Ce doit avoir été une chute très longue que je prévois!" (2)
They exchanged looks at the outpour of French. "Um…what?" Beast Boy finally asked. She blinked before clearing her throat.
"I was welcoming you. I'm sorry about that. I forgot myself for a moment." Her mouth curved into a shy smile.
Who is she? Raven stared at the movement of her white dress in the wind.
"I'm the Queen of Heart and this is my domain—my card." Their eyes traveled to the top of her head where in between a mass of pinned and powered curls lay a jewel-encrusted crown. The queen looked at them expectantly as the ruffles of her polonaise blew in the wind and snagged on the flowers and grass; with her powdered and lightly-rouged cheeks, she looked more like a fairy than a monarch.
What kind of joke is this?
"This isn't a joke at all. My card opened itself to you, and you fell down it. How can you blame me when you were the ones that caught my attention?" Raven's eyes widened as the queen played with the puppy wriggling in her arms. Raven's mind came up with about a million more questions before suddenly stopping; she did not want the Queen of Hearts reading her mind again.
"I'm not reading your mind; however, you do think too loudly." The queen kissed her puppy nonchalantly.
Beast Boy looked on between the two as the queen talked to his silent companion, finally finding a perfect opportunity to come in. He cleared his throat. "Okay, so if we are trapped in your card, how do we escape it and go back to our own world?"
"There is no escape. You're trapped—"
At these words, the two Titans moved in preparation for battle. Raven's hand raised and she began concentrating her energy into her hands watching as her fingertips started glowing white. Her hair blew in a wind of it own; beads of sweat were starting to form on her eyes. Her eyes focused on the Queen of Hearts and her mouth clenched tightly.
But something happened the moment she opened her full lips. "Aza—" Her voice caught in her throat, and she choked. It was as if a pair of hands had wrapped themselves around her throat. Her eyes began to water and she coughed violently; she knelt on her hands for support and wiped away the tears. The queen looked on with curiosity.
Beast Boy bared his teeth and crouched low. Nails grew from his fingers; his skeleton cracked as it changed shape. The queen looked on in fascination as Beast Boy grew hair and his mouth lengthened to that of a wolf's. But as soon as his body started its transformation, he groaned in pain and his body shifted back to his human state. His joints and bones were in fire with the painful effort. His body also sunk to the ground and he glanced at the queen staring at him with laughing, periwinkle eyes.
Giggles spilled from her lips and then chuckles and then full-blown laughter.
"Right! Challenging me to a duel!" She laughed raucously. "If only you could've seen your faces, so cute and determined. And you," she pointed to Beast Boy, "I don't think I've seen that before. That was a really interesting trick there. If only the plays or the circus were as interesting as you two." Her obnoxious laughter drowned out the panting breaths from Raven and Beast Boy before abruptly stopping and giving them a frozen, deadly look.
"As if that was going to work. I can understand why you would think that could help you against me, Beast Boy, Raven," they looked up at the use of their names, "but this is my card. There is no way you could possibly win if you tried to fight me directly. Remember that. We have yet to establish if I'm your friend or enemy and so I'd be careful.
"You're trapped—for now. There is only one way you can leave: there is a door leading to your reality in my castle that can be opened with a single key. And that single key is with me." She put a hand to her necklace. Clutched in her hand was a key lying on her apple-white skin. Both Beast Boy and Raven saw engravings of the same rabbit, tea cup, lock, and sword from the outside of the card as it gleamed tauntingly.
"However, before you can get the key, you'll have to accept the challenges of my ministers."
"Ministers?" Raven asked from her spot on the ground.
"Ministers. Of Trials, Police, Locks, and Militia. They are my most loyal and most powerful subjects. If you agree, they will test you. If you refuse, you can't escape. And there have been many who have refused my challenge and given up right where you stand."
The two of them looked around at the unending field in front around them. With tall grass stretching for miles without roads or other signs of life, they looked back at the Queen of Hearts and the secretive gleam in her eye. They couldn't fight her and without her, they could be stuck in the field for a long time. Violet and green eyes met as a bumblebee whizzed past them and the flowers blew with the gust of wind. There really was no escaping. "We accept."
"Good! There is a reason why you two in particular were brought into my card. There is something hidden and wonderful between you two. So let's begin the challenge." She reached inside her bodice and pulled out a watch.
"Each of my ministers has their own challenge for you. Whatever they wish for you to do, you will do it, or you can't move on to the next. I don't have any control over what they choose. And no two challenges will be alike.
"I'm assuming your abilities are your next question. Your powers, for the most part, are null; however, my power wanes twice everyday: twelve a.m. and twelve p.m. This lull only lasts for a minute." She held the watch up to the two Titans who watched as the hands—a sword and hilt—turned backwards until resting at nine a.m.
As she put the watch up, the queen looked at them with the same innocent childishness she had in the beginning. "Adieu, cheris! Good luck!" Grabbing a mass of her ruffled skirt, she and her puppy turned away, the queen running happily across the field, leaving Beast Boy and Raven behind.
A/N: Thank you everyone for the wonderful reviews and for putting my fanfic on Story Alert. It's nice to hear people's opinions. I just want to say that I love feedback and encourage constructive criticism—not flaming. Trust me, there's a difference. If you don't like the story, you don't have to comment; just stop reading. But if you feel you have to, give me a private message please.
So, I'm excited to get started on the first chapter for "Queen of Hearts, Redux." It was a struggle, especially since I wanted to use humor and all of that. I think I've come up with wit instead. There will be stronger hints of bbxrae in the next chapter. Throughout this story, I am trying to work on being descriptive in my writing without being "tell-y." And so, in doing that, I'm especially happy with my description of the field, of Beast Boy and Raven waking up from their sleep, and my introduction of the Queen of Hearts. I've based her particular style off of Marie Antoinette (2006).I saw that movie the other day, and thought it was awesome!
Anyway, this is getting too long! Thanks for reading!
