Author's Note: I am back! Again! Hopefully I still have people reading this thing! Would love it if I got some coughreviewscoughfavoritescoughfollowscough, ugh, something in my lungs... Anyways! Would like to thank my newest follower! Flight Moore! She has got some neat DC stories as well, you guys should go check them out! Also, another review from my favorite (only) reviewer! Regina lunaris! She also happens to be working on an Inuyasha ff! You guys should go check hers out too! And, I am hoping I didn't go suuuuper ooc in this chapter, but it is very difficult trying to make them fit the story while staying completely in character. Muri! Well, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, please REVIEW and let me know what you do and don't like with the story, and make a guess at who i'll introduce next! ttfn! 3
Warnings: Nothing horrible in this chapter. You lucky dog you.
Disclaimer: Teen Titans are not mine, nor is Bruce/Batman, though if you're offering them to me, I will take them off your hands!
Titan's Kingdom
Raven's eyes widened in shock and her hands flew towards her opened mouth. 'What was the Princess of Tamaran doing on Titan's soil? And why was she in chains?' Raven felt her eyes seek Bruce's in hopes of finding answers there. Pity for her, his eyes were on the colorful creature on her knees in front of him. Feeling her jaw clench tightly, Raven dropped her now fisted hands down to her sides and drew herself up as tall as her tiny frame would allow. Looking down her nose at the woman, she tried to take on a snobbish-I'm-better-than-you-look, as she had seen directed at her so many times.
"Why are you here?" Raven asked in her achingly quiet tones.
Tilting her chin up and cocking her lovely head to the side, she spoke in a wounded voice, "What does it look like? I have been taken as a pleasure slave from my home lands and brought here to this heathen place! Ahh!" The woman let out a pained scream as Bruce yanked her chains back and shoved his boot into the small of her back, with enough force to cause pain, but no permanent damage. Darn.
"You will speak with respect to your Monarch, or you will be speaking without a tongue. Understood?"
Koriand'r grimaced and nodded her head, causing stray strands of fiery hair to fall from her messy braid and into her face. Bruce eased his grip on the chains but did not release them.
Raven stared at Koriand'r, trying to remember all that she knew about Tamaran. She remembered people talking about how barbaric the people were, some even said that they ate the people that lost to them in battle, leaving no prisoners. Raven shuddered slightly, eyes dropping down to the woman's small lips. They looked like they were thin, smooth and lovable, unlike her own. Raven's eyes narrowed.
"How did this come to be? You are a princess are you not?"
"Yes.. Your Majesty.. But I am not heir to the throne. My sister Komand'r is. She had our brother banished to an unknown region, and she tried to have me murdered." Her voice got an angry bitterness to it's angelic lilt. "I escaped with my life still intact, but instead of running, I challenged her for the throne. Sadly, there is no such thing as a fair fight with my sister. I lost, and as punishment, I was sold as a pleasure slave to those men your assassin killed so easily." The last statement held a note of admiration that caused Raven's insides to boil and rage.
"That seems a very cruel relationship you and your sister have. Are all Tamaraneans this hate-filled?" Bruce asked, not dropping his grip on the chains.
"Hmph! We are not "Hate-filled" as you say, we are a strong, independent, and powerful people. If someone does not do as they are commanded, they are given a chance to fight, if they win, they don't have to do as they were commanded, because the commander is now dead. If they lose, they are dead." She stated matter-of-factly.
"Sounds unstable and uncivilized to me." Bruce stated in disgust. "At least your sister let you live. Though not very dignified, you are still alive."
"Being sold into slavery is my sister's way of denying me my death. These chains may hold my strength, and this crown may hide my powers, but as soon as I am free, I will take the punishment that I was meant to have! I will have my death!"
Silence.
"So.. How are you going to do that?" Raven asked. "Are you going to kill yourself?" She was horrified at the thought. She had been through things that made her wish for death, but she did not have the willpower, nor the desire to take her own life.
"No! I would never do such a thing! A Tamaranean does not take ones own life! I will return to my sister, and I will attempt to kill her again. If I fail, I will have my death. But if I succeed, I shall become the next ruler of Tamaran."
Raven and Bruce looked at each other, both deep in thought. Raven could tell that Bruce would listen to whatever she commanded, but she was unsure of what she was supposed to do. She had never been one to Give the orders, always receiving them. But as Bruce had repeatedly told her, she was the Monarch, people would bow their heads and swear their swords to honor and obey her. They might never like her, but because of half the blood running through her body, they were forced to listen. Unless they killed her first.. But she did not want to thing on that.
"I had heard that the princesses of Tamaran were very young, yet you appear to be older. What is your age?" Raven could tell he was stalling, giving her time to decide what to do with her. The only problem was, she didn't know. If she listened to her gut instinct, she would have Bruce lop off her pretty head and send it back to her demonic sister as a peace offering. She would be saving her people from a potential future war and saving herself from having to deal with this image of unearthly beauty.
"For your people, I suppose we would be considered young, but for the people of Tamaran, sixteen and fourteen years since birth, that shows that you are strong. Most of our people do not live that long."
Bruce's eyes widened before he looked her up and down, blinking a few times. That obviously caught him off guard. Meanwhile, Raven was gaping at her, unable to take in what the crazy fire-haired woman had said. Fourteen? That was only two years older than herself!
Looking Koriand'r over and then looking at herself, Raven's hatred for her became intensified by thousands. Was Everyone always going to be better than she was?! Raven looked down at her shaking hands and realized, she had no idea what she was to do. Here she was getting overpoweringly angry at this girl all because she was jealous of her. Her anger turned to self-loathing, and she turned her back on Koriand'r. How was she supposed to rule a kingdom when she had a hard enough time trying to reign in her own feelings, thoughts, and emotions?
"Sir Bruce, I felt ok with ordering you to kill this woman, while I thought she was a woman, but I.. I don't want to see you with a child's blood on your hands. And as I do not have enough experience dealing with captive slaves, I am asking for your assistance on this. What do you think we should do with her?" Turning to face Bruce with her brave face on, Raven tried her hardest to appear older and more mature than she actually was.
Bruce watched his Monarch battle her inner demons, her eyes shining. He was a little shocked, for that was the longest sentence he had heard her say in the entirety of the time he had known her. He had no idea what was going on in her little head, but he could tell it was probably something demeaning towards herself. He had to admit, he was not expecting this.. Girl.. To be just older than his own dead daughter. She had the body of a grown woman, along with the bearings, and strength. But she was also from a rivaling kingdom. Would her hatred for her sister be strong enough that she would turn on her people and join the Titans? Or would her obvious love of her kind overpower her hatred for her sister, causing her to betray them?
Stifling a sigh, Bruce yanked on the chains, causing the girl to screech and tumble after him. Tying the chain around the thickest tree in the clearing, Bruce grabbed her by the face and sneered softly, "If you so much as move an inch, I will make sure to send your sister your bloody heart. Understood?"
Keeping her mouth tightly closed, Koriand'r nodded once and leaned against the tree, looking as if she were about to take a nap.
Bruce stalked over to where Raven was standing, still lost in thought, and tugged her to where they were just out of ear shot, but not out of sight of the girl. "What are your thoughts my Lady?"
Raven brought her lost gaze to his and shrugged her tiny shoulders. "I don't know. I am not a real Monarch, only half one.. And I have never dealt with this kind of situation before. I am used to people coming for my life, but I am unused to saving or taking another's life. You are an Assassin-Spy, I am sure you have killed many, and saved many as well, what do you suggest I do?"
Her large amethyst eyes looked frightened and nervous in the setting sun's light. Bruce shook his head sadly, wondering if she would ever gain the confidence that was needed to rule a kingdom. Heaving that sigh that he had stifled earlier, he informed her of what he had thought only moments before, curious as to what she would think.
"So, really, there is no "good way" to go about this situation. She can come with us and possibly betray us.. Or we could kill her, but then we risk Tamaran coming after us. Though the sisters hate each other, we don't need to give them any reason to attack Titan's Kingdom. We could let her go and hope that they kill each other, leaving the Tamaranean throne heirless. But that is a longshot, unlikely to happen. If anything, Koriand'r would announce that we helped her plan her attack, which would cause a war between our kingdoms. There really is not any sure way we can go about this, my Lady. The final word is yours, tell me what I am to do, and it will be done."
Raven's mind whirled at all the possibilities. 'Why is this so hard!? Why can't I ever have an easy choice.. Just one! That's all I ask!' Raven sent her thoughts to Heaven in hopes that she would get an answer. Quickly would be nice.
Glaring up at the sky when there was no immediate response, Raven crossed her skinny arms over her tiny wrapped chest and closed her eyes. 'No matter which choice I make, there is the possibility that something bad could happen. The thing I should worry about is, which one is the least damaging?'
Sending her glare across the clearing, to the girl leaning against the tree, Raven clenched her teeth and balled her fists at her side. She was fighting the voices in her head, telling her she was better off killing the creature. 'If I do that, how do I know that I did it for the good of my kingdom and not because I am jealous of her and want her destroyed? I don't. So it would be safer to keep her alive.'
The large hand on her shoulder paused her thought process. Looking up at Bruce's face, she suddenly knew what she Had to do. She hated killing, not that she had ever knowingly killed something, but she hated the thought of it. She did not want to be known as the Monarch whose first act was to kill a defenseless girl. She wanted peace. She wanted to be Loved by her people. And, even if it meant she could be betrayed, she wanted a friend. One that was preferably more ugly and not from a warring kingdom, but for now, this creature would have to do. Hopefully.
Turning away from Bruce, she picked her way through the bushes back to where the Tamaranean stood, now fully alert.
"Have you decided my fate? If you wish to kill me, you should do so now, while I am unable to stop you, because once you take off my shackles, my power is greater than the whole of Titan's knights." Her voice was honest, no trace of bluffing or bragging. 'Great..'
Raven shot a glance at Bruce, telling him with her eyes to restrain her. He obviously got the message, because he grabbed a hold of the Tamaranean's chain and stood behind her menacingly.
Taking a deep breath, Raven stepped forward and peered closely at the crown covering the girl's eyes. There seemed to be no way to get it off without causing damage to the person within it. Sending Bruce a confused look, Raven puffed air out of her pursed lips in frustration.
"My Lady is generous, if I had been in her position, you would be a head shorter. As it is, she is letting you live. How do we remove the crown?"
Raven was thankful that Bruce was making her out to be the "good guy" in this situation, though she felt like an imposter.
Koriand'r let out a soft gasp, obviously not expecting them to let her live. "While I am thankful, I believe it is a foolish move on your part. I could easily kill you both the minute you release me."
"So you've said. Twice now. Remind me again, and I will be forced to make good on all of my threats. Now, how do we remove the crown?" Bruce's patience was wearing thin. Not a good sign.
"You must melt it. I could do it myself, if my hands were unchained. If you refuse, melt it with whatever you have been using to cook your food. It should be hot enough." Again, her angelic voice came off honest, no sign of deception.
Raven cast Bruce a "uh-huh, suuuure." look over the Tamaranean's shoulder. Now, she wasn't the smartest person in the village, but she was at least a few steps up from the village idiot. At least, she had thought so, before she looked at Bruce's face. Now, she really wasn't sure. Raven was a little unnerved by the fact that Bruce seemed to be taking her seriously.
"I will get out the hot coals. If it happens to melt through that thick Tamaranean skull of yours, it will be no ones fault but your own." Bruce said, dropping the chain and stomping on it with his heavy boot, while digging into his fur pelt for the hot coals.
"You can't be serious." Raven deadpanned. "You will melt her head and I have already decided that would be a bad move on our part."
"Worry not, my Lady, Tamaraneans are beasts, not only are they stronger than any other, but their skin is so tough, arrows can't pierce it, heat cant hurt it, and cold can't freeze it. The only reason she has not broken these chains is, they have been coated with a herb that acts as a leech, sucking out her energy and releasing it into the air, so she is very weak at the moment. But the minute we get her free, her power will return." Bruce talked calmly and matter-of-factly as he struck the coals together, causing them to glow softly and burn hot. Using his booted foot that was not currently holding the chains in place, he kicked the back of the Tamaranean's knees, causing her to grunt out in surprise and fall into a kneeling position facing away from him.
Raven stared at the creature in front of her in awe. So much power. How come she had not been born a Tamaranean? Sure, she would have to eat her enemies, she would probably end up killing any potential lovers if they ever got into a quarrel, her skin would be thicker than a tree and the color of the setting sun, but she would be powerful, beautiful, and more than likely, she would have grown up loved.
Raven twitched as she watched Bruce shove the hot coals on either side of the girl's head, forcing the coals to melt into the crown. There was a sadistic glimmer in his eyes as he did so, as if a part of him was hoping her head would melt with the crown. Maybe she wasn't as evil as she thought, if Bruce was thinking the same thing as she. Then again, maybe they were both more evil than they thought…
Raven turned her head away from the sight, flinching as she smelled the stench of burned hair permeate the air. She could see Bruce sweating from the corner of her eye. 'His hands must be burning, his gloves cannot be all that thick. And I can't believe that she hasn't made a peep! I know that she has skin thicker than me, but if she is as weak as Bruce says she is, it should hurt some, shouldn't it?'
Raven turned again, when she heard Bruce drop the hot coals, and watched as he tucked his gloved hands into his fur cloak. She would have demanded that he show them to her and allow her to tend to them, but she was caught up in watching the crown fall to the ground, now split into two pieces. The creature's eyes clenched shut against the wind as it blew strands of her fire hair into her face. Then, as if in a dream, she slowly opened them until she was looking her captor in the eyes, face to face.
Raven's breath caught as she took at the beautiful wonder kneeling in front of her. Raven had thought she was beautiful before she had eyes, but now, now she was beyond words. Her eyes were big and round and the most stunning shade of green she had ever seen! Unlike Raven herself, the "white's" of Koriand'r's eyes were green as well, only more of a soft spring green, while her retinas were a deep shade of green, Raven had never even seen before. Her eyelashes were long and thick, a darker shade of the flame red hair that adorned her head. Her fiery eyebrows were like small round red caterpillars sitting above her bright eyes. Looking at her as a whole, Raven felt bile rise up in her throat, one thought thrumming through her mind. 'I should have killed her.'
Bruce watched the display with mixed emotions. He was never one to hand out trust to just anyone, but he did not trust this girl as far he could throw her, which, considering that she was practically a walking lump of steel, he doubted he could even lift her off the ground, much less heft her! He had to admit, though only to himself, he was not the biggest fan of Tamaraneans. Ok, fine, if he was being completely honest with himself, which rarely happens mind you, he would admit that he Hates them.
Bruce grimaced to himself as he looked at the searing burns that were already starting to bubble up under his glove. Well, what was left of his glove. Bruce tugged at the mutilated glove underneath his cloak, so as not to draw unwanted attention to himself, and clenched his jaw when he found that the glove had melded to his skin. This was going to be one mission he was not looking forward to.
Bruce looked back to where the girls seemed to be having a staring contest and peered suspiciously at the Tamaranean's face. She looked almost confused as she stared at his Monarch. He smirked slightly as he contemplated to himself. She probably had no idea that the Monarch that she had chosen to talk down to was such a young, sad, petite, little thing. It seemed that this bit of information was rather unnerving to her, but her discomfort made him Happy, so he did nothing to lift her unease. You see, it was very rare that Bruce could identify with the word, Happy. His happiness had seemingly died with his family in the fire, but today, right now, he was Happy. And all because a Tamaranean girl that he had captive, was uncomfortable.
He felt petty.
Happy, but petty.
Feeling that his Happiness, though long overdue, had gone on long enough, Bruce cleared his throat and rapped on the creature's head, successfully jarring her out of her stupor.
"Ah, I see you did not know that your Monarch was this lovely little thing, did you? I assume you thought she was some hardened warrior, thirsty for your putrid Tamaranean blood. But in fact, Lady Raven, whom you shall address as My Lady or My Monarch, has never directly killed anyone, nor has she ever met with your kind before. Though she nearly met her end because of a few rogue Tamaranean warriors a few weeks ago. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that.. Would you?" His voice was silk and steel, and dripping with malice.
Raven gasped slightly, her eyes flying between the Bruce's accusing eyes and Koriand'r's downcast ones. 'So, the reason that all of the holy people are dead, is because of her people?'
"My sister's handy work I assume. She fights very dirty. She probably thought that by killing off the only heir to Titan's Kingdom, she would be able to take the throne." Koriand'r looked thoughtful. "I am surprised that she did not succeed, you must be harder to kill than you look."
Raven had the sneaking suspicion that that statement had been a compliment.
"She is. She is also smarter than you would assume. And, the ruler of the Kingdom opposing your sister. The makings of a good ally is it not?" Bruce spoke what Koriand'r must have been thinking, because she was looking at Raven as if she were sizing her up.
"I am unsure. How can I trust a Kingdom that is against its own ruler. They have made many attempts on your life my Lady, have they not?"
"They have. But we are not asking you to trust the Kingdom. I am asking you to trust your Monarch. And by doing so, you could exact revenge on your sister, eventually taking the Tamaranean throne for yourself, with the Monarch's help. Our Kingdoms can then finally be at peace." Bruce watched Koriand'r's face, noting that she looked like she was warming up to the idea.
Raven watched the display with rapt attention. Bruce was saying everything that she had been thinking only moments before. But he was making it sound like it was all his idea. Who would want to trust and follow a Monarch who can't speak for herself? No one she knew.
Taking a deep breath, Raven spoke with as much zeal as she could muster. Which really wasn't that much, but for her, it's progress.
"You are forgetting one other thing Sir Bruce." Turning to the Tamaranean girl, Raven glanced around at the clearing noting that darkness was approaching fast, and then brought her gaze back to the beautiful face, "I.. grew up.. in many places." Was talking about your past ever this difficult? "And, because people don't like me.. I have never had.. A friend." Raven looked down at her dinky digits popping through the holes of her cloth booties. "I would very much.. Like one."
Raven felt her face heat up as she brought her eyes slowly up to the creature's face, wanting to see her reaction, but dreading it all the same. What she saw, took her by surprise. Koriand'r looked confused.
"What is this "Friend" you speak of? We have nothing like that in Tamaran."
"A friend is a person whom one knows, likes, and trusts, and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection. It could also mean, a person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause. In other words, a comrade." Her words were so automatic, she wanted to laugh. Wanted to, but didn't.
Bruce raised an eyebrow at her long, very accurate, definition of the word friend, to which she just blushed and shrugged. "I read a lot."
"I can tell." Bruce smiled. "That's a good thing. It means you are smarter than even I gave you credit for."
Raven smiled back at him, a small unsure smile, before looking back at the Tamaranean.
Koriand'r seemed lost in thought, staring at Raven as if she could see right through her. Then, before Bruce or Raven had time to react, she smiled, glanced down at the chains on her body, causing a bright green light to explode from her eyes and melt away the chains as if they were paper, and stood up.
Bruce lunged for her, while Raven just stared her down, still trying to get over the fact that she had green light shoot from those pretty eyes. No wonder they had them covered.
Before Bruce could cause her any harm, the Tamaranean bent down and grabbed onto Raven's hands, a soft smile on her face.
"I have never had a "Friend" either. Shall we learn how to be "Friends" together?"
Bruce almost tripped over his own feet. He was not expecting that. He was still clinging to the thought of her trying to do something suspicious so he could hit her with the poison dart he currently had in his hand. Hovering above the back of her neck. So. Tempting.
"I would.. Like that."
Raven could not believe her ears! She couldn't believe her mouth either. While the thought of not being killed and solving her Kingdom's problems sounded great, the thought of being any kind of Anything with this beautiful creature of light made her sick to her stomach. Her voices kept telling her she would regret this decision. Well. Too late to back out now.
"Then please, call me Kori, it is the name I prefer."
"Call me Raven." Yes. She was definitely going to regret this.