I know this episode in the series was more focused on Starfire than Raven. The last section of this chapter focuses on Beast Boy and Raven. Thanks for reading . . .

Chapter 4: Betrothed

I had just finished my morning meditation up on the roof of the Titan's Tower and was heading back to my room when I saw Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy staring in the direction of Starfire's open bedroom door.

"What's going on?" I asked in my monotone voice, as I drew closer to the group.

Before any of them could respond, the orange alien flew by us with huge, heavy looking boxes in her hands.

"Uh, Starfire?" Cyborg shyly questioned.

"Hmm?" she mumbled, as she set the containers down and turned to head back towards her room.

"Are you going somewhere?" Beast Boy asked, prying for information.

Starfire paused, and turned back to face us, a small frown on her face. "I am leaving for Tamaran," she admitted.

I nodded in the direction of where a pile of boxes were siting, right in the middle of the hallway. Apparently, she had been packing for awhile. "And you're taking all your stuff because . . .?" I let the question hang, as we waited for her response.

A small smile appeared on her face, but the happiness didn't reach her eyes. "I am not ever coming back."

"What?!" Cyborg gasped at her.

"Starfire, what's wrong?" Robin asked, concern written all over his face.

Beast Boy and I just stared at her in shock.

She wasn't really going to leave . . . Was she?

"Nothing is wrong," Starfire said, trying to reassure us. She paused before continuing. "I am . . . getting married."

"You're getting married?" Robin exclaimed yet again.

After a failed attempt on Robin's part to convince Starfire to remain on Earth, I suggested that we all accompany the young alien to her home planet. If Starfire was going to get married, I figured we should all be there for it. We had been traveling in the T-ship for a couple of hours now, but Robin was still having a hard time letting it go.

"Indeed." Starfire nodded. "And I cannot wait to see Tamaran. I have been having a bit of the sick-home feeling lately, and I am eager to introduce my home planet to you, my friends."

"You're getting married?" Robin questioned again. The repetition was starting to give me a headache.

"Yeah, uh, anyone we know?" I spoke up. Maybe if he could gain a little more information on what was happening he would finally shut up.

"Oh, I have never met him. My betrothed has been chosen for me by the Grand Ruler of Tamaran," she explained nervously.

"You're getting married to someone you've never met?!" Robin shrieked into his microphone. I cringed at the sound. I guess that only made things worse . . .

The young alien shrugged her shoulders. "It is the way of my people."

"But, Starfire – "

"My home!" Starfire gasped, finally shutting Robin up. Glancing over towards her compartment, I saw that she had her face pressed up against the glass that surrounded her. "Is it not the most beautiful place your eyes have ever observed?" she exclaimed in pure delight.

Staring out of my window, I took a look at the landscape below me. The ground was barren, scattered with immense, twisted rock formations.

"Uh . . . sure?" I replied with a frown.

Is this really what Tamaraneans took for beauty here?

"Friends," Starfire announced, as she laid a hand on one of the giant shoulders of a huge Tamaranean. "I wish you to meet my k'norkfa, Galfore. He raised me from the time I was very small."

I let out a low moan when I heard Beast Boy start to laugh.

Taking a couple steps forward the green kid pointed a finger towards the giant. "So this dude is your nanny?"

I held my breath as the man stared down at him, anger written all over his face.

"You find that amusing, green one?!" he questioned, his voice booming around the entrance hall.

Our teammates laughter died instantly and was replaced by a scared, slack-jawed shudder.

I let a shy smile appear on my face. Served him right for teasing the guy.

"I have missed you Galfore," Starfire spoke up, causing the alien to turn his stare away from Beast Boy.

"And I have missed you," he replied before kneeling, and bowing his head to the redhead, " . . . Princess Starfire."

"Princess?!" I cried out in surprise. Next to me, the rest of our friends were gasping at the news.

"Oh, yes . . ." Starfire replied shyly. "I am . . . second in line for the throne. Perhaps I forgot to mention?" She let out a nervous laugh, before turning to follow Galfore down the hallway.

I stared after the orange alien in shock.

"Did you know about this?" I heard Cyborg ask, and turned to see him looking at Robin, who looked annoyed to say the least.

My friends and I were just entering what appeared to be the thrown room, when Galfore's thundering voice echoed through the large room.

"All hail the Grand Ruler of Tamaran!" he cried, as we headed to join Starfire up front.

As Galfore stepped aside, a dark brunette appeared out on the platform. A metal 'M' plate was plastered onto her face so that the two end piece slide down the sides of her cheeks. It seemed to be the Tamaranean form of a crown.

"Blackfire!" Starfire gasped.

"Hello, sister dear," the woman stated, staring back at Starfire. "I'm sure you're wondering who you'll be spending the rest of your life with." Stepping to the side, Blackfire gestured towards a green slimy blob that had multiple tentacles springing from its body. "Starfire, meet your groom . . . Glrdlesklechhh!"

"My . . . groom?" Starfire stuttered. "But he is . . . I cannot . . ."

"You can, and you will. You see, this is the Exalted Sklerch of the swamp moons of Drenthax Four," Blackfire said, explaining the situation that they had been put under. "Since his invasion army is parked right outside our castle, I have arranged your marriage to help us save our planet from annihilation. If you refuse to marry this creature, we can all kiss Tamaran goodbye."

Two Tamaranean guards escorted Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and I to another room to wait, while Galfore showed Starfire where she could prepare herself for the wedding.

We were all pretty on edge after everything that had just happened. If Starfire really went through with that wedding ceremony, not only were we going to lose a friend, but also a member of our team. No one seemed to be taking this news harder than Robin.

"We can't let Starfire go through with this!" he cried. He was pacing back and forth in the spacious room, which he had been doing since the guards had left us alone, his hands clenched in tight fists at his sides.

"Come on, man. You sure you're not just, you know . . . jealous?" Cyborg asked with a slight hint teasing in his voice.

I had known for a while now that Robin did indeed have feelings for Starfire, and the alien girl clearly shared the same emotions for the Boy Wonder. They had never been good at hiding the many obvious signs of their feelings for each other. I wasn't surprised that Cyborg and Beast Boy, who were both so easily distractible, had been able to put the pieces together as well.

"Of that ugly, smelly whatever-it-is?" Robin defended himself instantly. The reproach came so naturally from him that I would have believed him, if I hadn't been living in the same building with him for so long. "You saw her face, Cyborg. She doesn't even like him!"

"True, but maybe she doesn't need to," I said, stepping closer to them. "Things are different here. Who are we to question her culture?"

"How do we even know any of this is real?" Robin snapped back before starting to dish out orders. "Cyborg and Beast Boy, check out the Drenthax fleet. Raven, see what you can learn about this . . . thing she's marrying."

"And you?" Cyborg asked.

Turning away from us, Robin said, "I need to see Starfire," and headed out the door before we could say anything else.

"Can you believe that guy?" Cyborg asked, not taking his eyes off of the door that our leader had just stormed through.

"I know," Beast Boy complained, gesturing wildly in the direction of the exit as he continued. "Why doesn't he just tell Starfire how he feels? She clearly likes him too."

"It's not that simple," I tried to explain to him.

"Yeah, it is," he insisted, staring right at me. I don't think I had ever seen him look so serious. "If you like someone, you should tell them. Why wait?"

I felt a tingling sensation on the back of my neck as I stared back at the shape-shifter.

"Come on, BB," Cyborg spoke up, heading towards the door himself. "Let's check out those ships."

Beast Boy's eyes lingered on me, before he finally turned and ran to catch up with Cyborg.

As the door slammed shut behind them, I slowly let out the breath I had been holding.

Was he right? Was it wrong for me to keep my feelings for him bottled up simply because I was worried about what was to come? It would be nice to just let go . . . To let myself be truly happy for once.

Even if he wound up hating me in the end . . .