I"M ALIVE! Seriously, this took too long. AGAIN. Ugh. Sorry y'all. Anyways, my English Teacher put this lovely little note at the end of the chapter, "Not sure I understand everything that is happening, but for the most part, I'm really liking it." Does anyone else fall into this category? If something is confusing speak up! I'll try my best to elaborate in a later chapter!

Chapter Four

I sighed in defeat. The crowd cheered. Xing rested a hand of consolation on my shoulder.

"Alright folks, the rules for this round…there are no rules! Anything goes. Last one breathing wins."

Starfire's face changed to horror as she looked to me. She knew how I felt about killing, but it was too late now. I nodded to her, showing her it would be okay. Of course it wouldn't, but at least we could pretend.

"To make this fight fair…" The announcer pressed a button up in the booth and Star's armbands opened completely to free her. She moved her arms and rubbed her wrists. "Anything you want to say before the fight starts?"

She looked at me, and I urged her on. "May I have a minute to replenish my energy?"

The ref standing off to the side looked at her strangely, and then motioned her to continue. She removed some of the metal bands that hid her skin from the light, in return, making her completely vulnerable. She slowly floated to the top of the dome and bathed in the sunlight. She almost glowed with energy. After her promised minute, she returned to the ground of the ring, ready to go.

"Alright everyone, for the title of Grand Champion, Princess Koriand'r vs. Grendal the Monstrous."

"Ten…nine…eight…" My hands shook in nervousness. I didn't want her to do this. There was no point. I just prayed that she would make it. "…two…one!"

For a while, Starfire just zipped around the monster while he swatted at her. My hair scattered in the wind from his swings. After awhile, he became tired and stopped swatting. From this, she came up to his face and kicked. He took a few steps back. She actually did damage!

He roared and sent her flight pattern off balance so she faltered. His claw snatched her from the air and threw her to the ground, where she made impact on the cement. I winced.

She started to get up, but Grendal's foot raised into the air.

"Oh, please, no…" I begged.

She let out a scream as he stomped down on top of her. The whole ship shook. The crowd cringed. The referee laughed.

"STARFIRE!" I screamed. Without thinking, I ran down the steps, blindly jumped over the railing, and landed back inside the ring. Adrenaline prevented the pain from shooting up my leg.

"Aw, isn't that sweet? The little earthling is concerned for his master! He should get out of there, it is dangerous," the anchor warned. I ignored him, but stopped running towards Star. Grendal had turned his attention from me, to his foot. A wave of awe hit me as I realized what was happening. His leg lifted the tiniest bit. Star was lifting his foot off her!

He recoiled from her, and she stumbled out of the crater. I ran to her.

"Are you okay?!" Obviously she wasn't, but I wasn't thinking very well at the time.

She popped her neck and rolled her shoulders. With a grimace, she grabbed the side of her chest. "Y'r…Thoma…" 'It hurts.' The only time I had ever seen her in pain was when I yelled at her. This bothered me.

"Can you continue?"

I was hoping she would say no, but she just pushed me away. "Meina flug! Y'rt stug tullna!" 'Stay back, it's not safe!' As if I didn't know that…I rested my hand on her shoulder.

"You got this, think of it as Vic's training." I smiled.

She smiled back. Then she stood up straight and levitated. I ran back to the edge of the arena. My adrenaline levels lowered and the pain in my leg resumed. I slumped against the wall. Star raised her fists, prepared to fight.

"Are you sure?" spoke a mighty voice. Grendal had finally spoken.

She wavered. "I need that belt. It's important."

"You should know, Your Majesty, I don't wish to die today."

"Neither do I."

"Then let the best champion win."

A high pitched ringing came from the speakers. "Less talking! More Fighting!"

Star was visibly annoyed. The fight progressed much like it started, with her zipping around and kicking him when he rested his arms. It was a slow process, but it was working. There was something about Grendal, I really didn't want Star to hurt him. He looked like he wasn't even trying, which I was thankful for.

The crowd started to boo. "Well folks, it looks like the Troq doesn't have enough guts to end the fight. We know Grendal won't end it."

Grendal wouldn't end it? What was that supposed to mean? Unless, the whole thing had been set up! That couldn't be right! I called up to the aliens sitting closest to the railing.

"Hey! Uh…" I conjured my best hessdon. "Fight…fave…Koriand'r?"

Some squid faced elderly chap answered me. "Didn't you know? The death match is an execution. The Gordanians prefer to give hope to those on death row, so they can crush them." Sounded barbaric.

"Grendal…crime…did?"

"Crime? No, he was just captured…"

"Why…kill?"

"The same reason the rest of us are in this game. Ethnic cleansing."

I could believe what I was hearing. Some of the people on this ship had done nothing wrong! Just born on the wrong planet! Suddenly, my heart grew heavy for Grendal. And if Star killed him, she would just prove the 'Troq' title fitting. She fell right into their trap, and only because they used my belt as bait. They did all of this on purpose. I had to tell her, she couldn't kill him.

I was too late. As I stood up, she summoned a ball of pure energy in her hands. It grew in size until the whole stadium glowed green. She sent it sailing into Grendal and knocked him off his feet. He fell backwards like an enormous tree.

"NO!"

As he laid against the wall, Star hovered in front of his face, her hands glowing, ready to give the final blow.

"Star! Stop! It's a trap!"

The stadium went eerily silent as Grendal spoke, his voice so soft I could barely hear him. "Do not let what they say ruin you. You are valuable. You have worth and purpose. You are no Troq."

Her bolt was extinguished. She sank until she stood on his chest. "GLIKE FORKMAST'G SORNA BOR!" 'I cannot kill him.'

"WHAT! You little-!" The ref intervened.

"He has done nothing wrong! I can't take an innocent life! I can't! I won't!"

"I concede defeat," Grendal added.

"Well, there you have it folks! Our winner!" It became apparent to me that the announcer was not Gordanian, and therefore didn't know the secret plot behind the death match. The referee threw up his hands and exited the arena.

"Thank you, Koriand'r."

"You are most welcome friend Grendal, I hope they will let you partake of my prize feast with me."

"That is hopeful thinking, young Tamaranian."

The platform containing my belt rose from the ground again. Star seized it and floated over to me. "Robin! I got your belt back for you!" She held it out for me. I took it and then clasped it around her waist. "I do not understand…"

"This is your prize." I smiled.

She hugged me and then flew back to center stage, where she basked in the glory of the cheering crowd. "HUR MOCKA VON KORIAND'R! GURB KATA DOUGA GLIKE THRART ZANKTA TROQ!" 'My name is Koriand'r, no longer will I be called Troq!'

"No Koriand'r, I don't think anyone will be calling you Troq you for a long time."

I sat on my mattress while Star kneeled in front of me. We were back in the cell, and Star was tending to my leg. The guards stood and watched so that we didn't try to escape, especially since Star was temporarily out of her cuffs. I winced as the needle punctured my skin for the eighteenth time. I'd had stitches before, and had learned it was always worse to count the number of stitches sewn, but I guess old habits die hard.

"Please Robin, try to relax."

"Yeah, sure. Relax while you embroider my leg." I tried to think of something else. "Hey, I noticed you haven't spoken English to me since the kiss...er, language transfer. Why?"

"I do not know," she said impassively.

It was a good enough excuse for me. I sighed, "This sucks." I waited for her to brighten the moment with her optimism, or ask why I was comparing the situation to a vacuum. She did neither, just continued her work.

"You've been awfully quiet today. You okay?"

"I do not know," she said impassively, again. Now I was really concerned. The more I thought about it, the more I didn't like what the conclusion was. I had to test it.

"Squirrel runners like drunken marionettes," I droned.

No response. It was like she didn't even hear me. I took both of her hands in mine and looked deeply into her eyes, making sure she was listening. I couldn't believe I was about to do this.

"Star, if I had to be trapped on an alien prison ship, I am so glad it was with you. You're my best friend, and the only person I've ever let in. I…I love you."

She blinked at me, slight confusion gleaming in her eyes.

"Do you know what I'm saying?"

"I do not know." An apologetic smile graced her face. Then she continued.

I was right. The language transfer messed up more than I had thought. She'd given up her English so that I could understand this new world.

Since the tournament, they'd kept us in our cell. A day had passed, I think. I wasn't sure since there were no clocks or windows. We had two meals and slept sometime in there, not for long though. My leg was healing nicely. The bite wasn't poisoned, nor did it contain any bacteria prone to infection. It still hurt to walk on it though.

It was around dinnertime when they came to get us, I could tell since my stomach was growling. The guards were completely silent. One gently raised me to my feet and unclipped my chain.

"You will escort your Princess to dinner this evening," he spoke.

Star smiled as the guard let her out, undoing her bindings as well. She strolled up to me and took my arm. I used her as a crutch to walk, but she didn't mind.

"The Azagardians are holding a ceremony in your honor for your victory in the tournament. Many races will be there, and it would be wise to not use this as an escape opportunity."

Star nodded in understanding, knowing that she wouldn't be able to escape if she wanted, and what would happen if she attempted and failed.

A different species came into the room, equipped with white and purple fabric. Whatever it was, it approached Star and used the white fabric to hide the black fabric of her uniform. Her prison attire was converted to a long dress, which resembled the dress she wore when she almost married Glirdelscletch. The foreigner similarly did the same to me with the purple fabric, only in a more masculine fashion. They led us into the hallway, surrounding us on all sides. The walk was quiet until Star finally spoke.

"Is this counting as a 'date'? I believe the tradition on Earth, a man escorts a woman into a restaurant where they engage in dinner and mundane conversation."

I rolled my eyes. She had been watching too many of Rachel's chick flicks. "Sall," I replied.

Her smile widened as she tightened her grip on my arm.

We arrived at two large double doors. The other side sounded crowded and excited.

"Introducing, the great Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran and her Earthling!" a thunderous voice echoed behind the doors. They swung open to a large space, resembling a cafeteria. The ceilings were tall and dome shaped. High windows was on two of the walls, letting in light from the nearest stars. A large red planet hung in the sky. The room was decorated with luscious greens and vibrant purples, Tamaran's colours. Table after table were crowded with all sorts of strange creatures, varying completely between each other. Some small and weak, some spiny and fierce, and others glob-like.

An overwhelming silence went up through the room. Without speaking, they all stood and fell into positions of respect as we passed. Some bowed, others covered their hearts, and others still saluted or raised their fists in the air. I noticed though, each guest had a blinking device on their bodies. I tried not to think about it too much.

"Robin," someone whispered in the crowd. It was Xing, and he tipped his hat. I smiled and nodded at him.

We made our way to a large table in the front of the room that was suspended on a platform. Grendal sat at one end, only his head and shoulders visible. I figured he was sitting in a stairwell or something to that effect. Two open spots for Star and I were next to him. At the other end of the table, three figures sat in critical air. They were garnished in royal garb, as guards stood behind them in attention.

As we approached the table, Star stopped and kneeled. She put one knee to the ground, one fist to her heart on her right side, and one fist to the ground. I quickly mimicked her stance.

"Hablg'r haus X'hal."

"Arise young warriors. You have fought well." The middle figure spoke. He looked almost human, despite the fact that he looked young, but had silver hair.

"SHOTA DEN ROWK!" The crowd suddenly shouted with a stomp to the floor. I didn't catch the translation, so it must not have been in any language I learned from Star.

We went to our seats. As soon as I was comfortable, I heard a click and my ankles were bound. Of course.

The meal commenced. Yet again, I didn't know what I was eating. It wasn't the same gray glob they fed us in the cell, but I still thought it looked like prison food. At least it didn't smell like garlic. I started to help myself, while Star sat with her hands folded on the table in front of her waiting. I looked at her in question, but she just waved me off, signaling me to continue.

A few moments passed before there was a clatter in the back of the room. Someone stood, and the species sitting around him waited to see what he would do. He looked angrily at Star.

"So Troq!" he yelled across the room, getting everyone else's attention. I sighed. There was always someone to make a ruckus. "Are you going to tell us why you spared the giant's life? All of us know that a Troq would kill without hesitation! Are you trying to prove something?!"

The big wigs at the other end of our table were looking to Star in anticipation. A small smile graced her face, as if she had been expecting the question. She stood slowly, and took a deep breath.

"Why do you call me that name? Have I not proved that it is an inaccurate description of my kind?" She paused, but didn't expect an answer. "I will admit, if I had been captured from Tamaran, Grendal would not be sitting next to me. But I have learned a great deal in my training in the last three years, as I have been on Earth." She rested her hand on my shoulder. "My dear friend Robin has taught me much in the ways of culture. Earthlings believe that all life is sacred, and has a purpose. It is not a living being's place to judge if another lives or dies."

"So you're saying living on Earth has just changed your perspective on sports?"

"No, not just that. When one murders…he enters a hole."

I recognized this lecture. I had given it to her after she had almost killed Slade when he had shot me in the shoulder. It was the same one Bruce had told my adoptive brother, Jason, and I when Joker had paralyzed Batgirl.

"He believes that only one death is okay, if the victim deserves it. It will make the world a better and safer place. But then another 'necessity' comes around and he kills again and again, slowing digging himself deeper and deeper. Eventually the only evil that would be left, would be standing in the middle of a canyon, being more deserving of death than the ones he has killed. He has brought ruin upon himself."

An eerie silence went up through the room. I swelled with pride.

"It is easy to kill one that you hate. But true strength is in the one who shows compassion to their enemies." She turned to the Azagardians. "I thank you for hosting this celebration. But I do not deserve it. I only did what was necessary to survive."

"You did not wish to participate in the tournament?" the one on the end asked, baffled.

Star was caught in a corner and had said too much. "Um, not exactly…"

Suddenly, a stinging feeling hit me right above my clavicle, where a blinking light sat. I gripped the table, but tried to hold back signs of pain. The others hadn't noticed, but Star did.

"I mean, I was just trying to survive the death match," she answered hurriedly.

I sighed in relief as the pain ceased.

Slowly, everyone in the room rose from their seats, even the Azagardians. A massive applause went up thought the space. She gave a small smile and nodded to the crowd. Under the table, she clasped my hand in apology.

My chest was still tingling.

Can't get enough and want to keep reading? I have a butt-load of one-shots up on my page. All happy endings! I promise!