Disclaimer: Raven, Koriand'r, Dick Grayson, Victor Stone, Garfield Logan, Komand'r, and Tamaran all belong to DC. I claim no rights to them, and I make no money off of them.


Enchanted Mirrors

Chapter Seven: The New Setting

Two weeks went by very quickly.

Koriand'r's helm-decorated face poked around a tree to peek at the group of about ten Tamaraneans loading a ship with provisions they had stolen from a local town. A pale, feminine hand, dressed in a dark blue glove that left bare the thumb and first finger, reached around the tree, grabbed Koriand'r's face, and yanked it back under cover. One of the soldiers turned when he thought he heard a yelp, but dismissed it when he saw nothing.

"Kory," Raven admonished, "be careful. We are trying to remain unseen."

"My apologies. But I could not help it. It has been six years now since I have seen another one of my people, and I fear I have been homesick. I shall not endanger the mission again."

Raven simply nodded and went back on task- which was to ascertain how many soldiers were inside the ship. As far as she could sense- and her senses were generally correct- only the space craft's captain remained inside the ship, which left only the ten men working outside to be incapacitated.

That should be easy enough for the group of five.

Using the element of surprise, each of them took down two soldiers. Raven used her telekinesis to slam their heads together, knocking them unconscious. Garfield did much the same, though with his hands. Victor punched each man in the stomach, and followed by elbowing both in the face. Although one of the men managed to land a punch on Victor's jaw, he went down quickly with a third hit, and Victor cricked his jaw without concern. Koriand'r blasted both men in their backs with her starbolts, which made them cry out in pain and collapse. Richard took out a long staff that he preferred over his sword in group fights, and smashed it across one man's head, following immediately by hitting the other in the stomach with the butt of the staff. When the second man doubled over in pain Richard smashed him in the head, sending him downward, followed by the first man, who took another blow to the head from Richard's foot.

Richard observed as he straightened, "If this is considered Komand'r's personal guard, the best she's got, that means she doesn't have much of an army back on Tamaran. That's good news for us."

Victor and Garfield agreed with their prince, but Koriand'r and Raven both knew what Komand'r was truly capable of, and did not get their hopes up.

The group bound the soldiers- Raven carried them along with her powers because none thought it wise to leave alien soldiers on Earth- and entered the vessel carefully, watching out for traps, following Koriand'r, who was following signs in her native language. She led them to the captain, who, though a much greater fighter than his troops, was quickly incapacitated by the group's overwhelming force.

Koriand'r smiled widely as she flew around the control room, surrounded by her language and technology unique to her planet. She expertly pressed a series of buttons while her friends watched. The ship began to lift off the ground. Victor and Garfield cheered for Koriand'r as the vessel moved. The other two remained quiet, but smiled at her.

Because the Tamaraneans had long known how to bypass the speed of light, the trip to Tamaran took less than a day. As they approached the planet, the ship received contact from the landing base- they recognized the ship and gave them authorization to land in the base located just at the edge of the Tamaranean capitol.

Koriand'r jumped off the ship just as it touched ground, and flew in circles in the air, reveling in the experience of returning home. It had been far too long since she had seen the tropical paradise that generations of Tamaranean scientists had labored to make true. The sights and smells of the plants of her home filled the homecoming princess with childhood joy, pride, and evermore determination to reclaim her planet from the undeserving usurper on the throne. She twirled and flew upwards, hoping to glimpse her childhood home, the capitol city, where her sister now reigned. That was their destination.

She saw the palace first as she rose into the air. When the rest of the city came into sight, she frowned at the sight. It looked far more drab than she remembered. Anger rose in Koriand'r's kind heart. If her people now suffer, it is her fault for not stopping Komand'r all those years ago. This problem must be rectified immediately. With careful control, Koriand'r directed her flight downward once more, toward her group of friends. The sight of them, like the sight of her home had previously, filled her with joy; they would help her save her planet and punish her sister. Smiling, she hovered a foot or two off of the ground, facing her friends.

Raven watched her with annoyance and also indulgence. Her friend, though wasting their time with her antics, did deserve to enjoy her return to her home planet. Despite this belief, Raven could not imagine herself reacting so, should she ever be allowed to return to Azarath.

She gasped as a line of armed guards fifty yards behind Koriand'r caught her eye. "Kory, look out!" She cried, as she flew forward and erected a large wall between the guards' incoming starbolts and her friend's turned back.

Seven guards flew towards Raven's shield and one tried to fly off and warn others of the intruder's presence. Raven did not let him get away. Instead she raised her hand like she meant to grab him from forty meters away- and she did, using her black powers. The black fist-shaped soul-self pulled him to the solid, black wall and trapped him there, face crushed against the surface and looking on the group of seeming invaders. Even as his companions, flying into a rage at his capture, reached the shield and threw more starbolts at it, the man with his face against the shield stared at Koriand'r, who had turned to face the oncoming threat.

"Princess Koriand'r..." he whispered in shock and awe. The other guards, hearing him, stopped their pointless assault on Raven's force field, and looked at him.

The guard shouted this time, "Thank X'Hal, for our Princess Koriand'r is returned!"


A/N: Reviews are welcomed, encouraged, read several times, and severely appreciated. Cheers.