Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.
"This" means that they're speaking in Tamaran/used for whispering, you'll know the difference, and this is when they're thinking/their POV.
Thank you for all the awesome reviews I received! Sorry it took a while to update. I had exams and then writer's block. Dx Thank you for reviewing and here's chapter 10. :D In honor of the double digit, this chapter is really long. Enjoy. :)
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Your Reason Why
Chapter 10 – Up and Down
…
"You seemed to be taking in everything quite well…" the emperor replied, with nothing else to say. He focused his gaze on the door and then on Kori.
"I just want her to know I'm fine..." The emperor kept silent and still. "Galfore? Something is…wrong?" Galfore snapped out of his gaze.
"Nothing…but you must know that Koma and Ryan have taken Mariand'r out. They're not here at the moment."
"Oh." answered Kori, disappointed and anxious. "Where have they taken her? Will they be back soon? Is she fine? Galfore, what has happened?" her voice suddenly sounding tired.
"All will be explained later…after you get more rest." Koriand'r quickly shook her head no.
"I just want to leave this room…" she said looking around.
"We'll move you to your room and you can get some rest there." Galfore opened the door and stepped outside. Koriand'r supported herself by hanging on to Galfore's arm. He saw that she was struggling and lifted her up. "Call several servants and send them to the princess' sleeping quarters." He ordered a guard nearby.
"Right away, Emperor Galfore!" With a surprise look on his face, he quickly flew away to follow the order.
"Galfore, I don't think I'll need that much assistance. I don't want to relieve them from their duties in the palace."
"May I remind you of your current condition?" They arrived at her door and Galfore stepped inside.
"It looks exactly the way it did before it was destroyed…" mumbled Kori.
"And all your belongings are here as well. I had the room cleaned this morning..." He gently set her down on the bed and went to take out more pillows from the closet. A shy knock was heard at the door.
"You may enter." stated Kori. Galfore handed the pillows to Kori and helped her rearrange them.
"You called us, Emperor Galfore." said one of the five servants. The other four had their eyes on Kori with astonishment.
"Princess Koriand'r needs your assistance for the next few days. As you all know, she has not been in the finest conditions and I need you to attend to her. You are relieved from your other duties in the palace but you are all to keep her as comfortable as possible until she feels better. I ask all of you to not leave her alone at any moment. Is that clear?"
"Don't worry, Emperor Galfore. We will take care of Princess Koriand'r." said the head servant. The other four eagerly nodded. Emperor Galfore nodded in returned.
"I shall return to my work but you'll be taken care of. Get some rest and I'll stop by later when the doctor returns." he smiled and Kori returned the same gesture. Galfore excused himself from the room and left Kori with five servants staring at her ready for her to give out orders.
"I am fine for now. I think I shall just get some rest…" Just as the servants started to excuse themselves out, Kori's stomach growled.
"I shall have them cook your favorite meal right away, Princess Koriand'r!" One of the two male servants said and quickly flew out of the room. The other four looked at her with apprehensive eyes.
" Princess Koriand'r, I shall prepare a warm bath." said one of the remaining four and left.
"I will acquire fresh clothes for you, princess." The third servant ran toward the closet and stepped inside looking for clothes.
"A glass of water while you wait, my princess?" asked the other male servant and left the room without an answer from Kori.
"I will get fresh sheets for after you take your bath, princess." the remaining servant left the room with a confused Kori.
"Thank you?" she said, wondering what just happened. A long time had passed since she had servants do things for her.
oOo
"Alright, done!" yelled Victor from inside a bedroom. Garfield, Richard, and Raven ran into the room through the double doors with little Mar'i behind. "It took me all evening but it's finally finish."
"Wow…" whispered Raven, entering the room with Garfield. Richard and Mar'i stood by the door.
"Dude, this is awesome!" he said, looking around. A Tamaranean pinkish-purple sky was being projected on the four walls and ceiling. Stars and moons slowly moved across the sky making it seemed peaceful. The sky gave out a pinkish-purple glow to shine and light the whole room. A bed made with dark blue sheets laid by the window, other furniture was scattered across the room, and several shopping bags were placed by the large closet with mirrors as doors.
"Yeah…" mumbled Richard, still standing by the door way.
"With that switch you can change it from day to night." said Victor pointing to the switch by the door.
"So…basically the light switch." stated Raven.
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Sweet." said Garfield, turning toward Mar'i. She was still looking up at the sky with familiarity in her eyes. She grabbed Richard's hand and led him toward her bed. He picked her up and set her down. Mariand'r was now wearing the green pajamas with paw prints that Garfield had managed to sneak by Raven earlier at the mall. With the help of Raven, she had taken a bath earlier that evening and her hair was still a little wet. New bandages were wrapped around her head and she wore mismatching socks. One red sock and the other yellow.
"Time to go to sleep now." said Richard as he tucked Mar'i in. He handed her the Robin bear and she securely wrapped one arm around him. His three friends gather around.
"You are not going to stay?" she asked as she took out her free arm from under the covers. Mar'i reached for Richard's hand and tugged him toward her. Richard turned toward his friends for help.
"How about a bedtime story? We can take turns telling the story." suggested Garfield. "Dudes, this is going to be fun. Okay, I'll start." He cleared his throat and sat on the bed. Victor, Raven, and Richard shrugged and did the same.
"Oh! Yes, please!" Mariand'r adjusted herself and waited with wide eyes full of anticipation.
"It was a dark and stormy night when the handsome, tall, and mysterious knight rode his awesome fire-breathing dragon. Okay, so maybe he wasn't that tall or that mysterious…but he was definitely good looking. Anyway, his name was Gar– Gabriel and he was going on a super top secret mission."
"Oh. Come on." interrupted Victor. "Gabriel?"
"What? It's my story!"
"I'll take it from here." stated Raven. "So, Gabriel was riding over a gloomy castle that was surrounded by lava. Guards shot arrows aiming for the knight but his dragon dogged every single one. The majestic beast flew down toward a clear section in the castle. As soon as the dragon was as close to the ground as possible, Gabriel jumped down and withdrew his sword. The dragon flew up to the sky and disappeared behind the clouds. The knight was on his own now to complete his mission."
"Which was to rescue the beautiful mistress of magic, the princess from a magic realm!" cut in Garfield. Raven tried to hide her blush.
"Gabriel started to run toward the giant doors on the castle to enter inside." said Victor. "He sliced open the door and ran down the hall. With guards still on his tail, he lost them by making a turn and locking a door. He wasn't looking for stairs that would lead to the highest room in the tallest tower because he knew that was just to fool the knight. The princess was really kept captive underground. He found a doorway that led downward. At the bottom of the stairs he met a prince. He went by the name of– of Vince… Yeah, that's a cool name. Anyway, Vince was a friend of Gabriel and he was going to help him rescue the princess. He had gotten inside the castle through a secret passage because he was smarter and way taller. And clearly more athletic." Mar'i nodded in understanding.
"Hey!" complained Garfield.
"Continuing the story…" said Richard. "Vince and Gabriel ran down the underground passage lighted by torches. They came to a stop when they reached a large, clear area. Suddenly, giant bats appeared and started attacking them." Mar'i let out a surprised gasp. "Gabriel took out his sword once more while Vince withdrew his–"
"Powerful blue laser!" interrupted Victor.
"Right…" continued Richard. "Vince withdrew his laser and together they battled the giant bats. They defeated the monsters and proceeded to a secret passage that opened up. There they met a guy named Rick and he–"
"Rick was a merman." interrupted Raven. Victor and Garfield snickered.
"What?!"
"It's my turn." said Raven, shrugging. "There was a small river that ran along the passage and the merman had been trapped in that river for years because a dark magic kept him there. Gabriel and Vince saw him emerge out of the water and he transformed into a man–"
"Wearing a really small Tarzan outfit!" interrupted Garfield. Victor burst out laughing while Richard crossed his arms over his chest. Mar'i looked at them with curious eyes.
What is so funny?
"Anyway, Gabriel and Vince spoke with the merman and he explained his situation. The three of them made a deal. Gabriel and Vince would help the merman escape and lead him to the mighty waters only if Rick would help them rescue the princess."
"Rick–" said Victor.
"He was a ninja." interrupted Richard. Vic continued.
"The merman ninja,wearing only the Tarzan outfit, led them to the end of the passage and showed them the exit. Only Rick could not leave. Prince Vince, ha that rhymes, then recited an incantation and Rick was able to leave. The three of them ran through the tunnel–"
"Since when is Prince Vince a wizard?" asked Garfield.
"Since just now. When they reach the end of the tunnel they found the princess on a stake. She was going to be burned alive!"
"No..." whispered Mar'i, her grip on the teddy bear tightened.
"Victor, you're scarring her." complained Raven.
"Gabriel ran toward the princess and released her from the stake. To show her gratitude she was going to give him a kiss–" said Garfield.
"But before that happened!" interrupted Raven. "The princess disappeared right in front of their eyes and a demon dressed in red appeared before them. His name was Rage…the Terrible, yeah. Rage confronted them but the three heroes prepared to fight back."
"Raven? What is the name of the princess?" Mariand'r asked.
"Rave." blurted out Garfield. "After her father, Rage…" he quickly added.
"Right, Vince jumped into action and attacked with his laser." said Victor, breaking the incoming awkward silence. "Rick and Gabriel were right behind him. The knight attacked with his sword and the merman with his…ninja skills." Victor snickered and then received a glared from Richard. "The three of them ambushed Rage. Vince used a special incantation on his laser and his power increased. He prepared to attack."
"Rick faced the demon and with a hard kick he sent Rage to the floor." said Richard. Victor and Garfield busted out laughing picturing Richard fighting dressed as Tarzan.
"Rick's hit only made him angrier. Vince and Rick continued to attack Rage but the demon was too strong. Rage tossed them aside and Gabriel was to face him alone. The knight used his powerful sword and fought the demon!" said Garfield. Victor and Richard rolled their eyes in playful annoyance. "With a strong blow he hit the demon and Gabriel kicked Rage's as–"
"Garfield!" yelled Richard, shooting him a death glared.
"As soon as the demon was down! Sorry, got carried away…" he sheepishly said.
"Then the three warriors combined their powers. With Vince's laser, Gabriel's sword, and Rick's…merman powers they vanquished Rage and rescued the princess." said Victor. Mar'i let out a breath of relief that she didn't know she was holding.
"Really?" she asked.
"Actually…the warriors only thought they had defeated Tri– I mean Rage..." said Raven. Mariand'r tightened her hug on Robin.
oOo
"Will there be anything else you required, Princess Koriand'r?" asked one of the three maids in the room. Her short hair was tied into a ponytail and was in charge of the other four servants assigned to Kori.
Wearing a light orange dress, Kori was in her pool-like bathtub being bathed by her three servants. A bucket full of water was poured on her head and her hair covered her face.
"No, thank you. I am fine." she said, a little uncomfortable having to do nothing.
"Are you certain, princess?" asked another maid as she poured more water on her. Her hair was short and she was the youngest of the group. Kori nodded and removed her wet hair out of her face.
"Is this really necessary?" she asked.
"Of course, Emperor Galfore has ordered us to attend to you, princess." answered the third servant with her hair tide into a knot. She was going through some outfits she had acquired for Koriand'r.
"But I–" More water was poured on her and once again she removed her hair from her face.
"Princess Koriand'r, what would you wish wear? This dress, the robe, or nightgown?" asked the servant holding up the tree outfits.
"Um…the nightgown will be just fine. I think I will go to bed after this." The servant nodded and set the other two pieces of clothing down. Kori's bath was drained and she stepped out reaching for a towel. "Dismissed." She ordered, feeling frustrated. Getting the hint in her voice, the three servants didn't protest and excused themselves out. Koriand'r let out an irritated sigh and proceeded to dress.
Where are you, Mar'i?
oOo
"How are you feeling?" the doctor asked.
"Fine." answered Kori. Sitting up on her bed, she tucked in her knees and turned away from the doctor.
"Well, the toxic doesn't seem to be affecting your overall health." he explained as he went through some papers on his hand. "It's just the matter of your condition…" he trailed off. He motioned Galfore follow him outside. Kori heard the door shut and got up. She pressed herself against the door to hear the conversation but no sound could get through.
Heading toward the balcony, something caught her eye. A box was missing. She scanned the shelves but no box showed up. Kori caught the door opening and she raced for her bed. Galfore stepped inside and saw her sitting at the edge of her bed.
"What did he say?"she asked.
"The same thing he said earlier. You should get some rest now."
"Galfore, have they arrived yet?" she asked. Galfore sighed and shook his head no.
"Koma and Ryan took her on a...short vacation." he said, looking away.
"Oh." disappointment was heard in her voice. "When will they return?"
"In a couple of days. Goodnight–"
"Where did they go?"
"Kori, don't worry. They'll be back soon and you'll see her. Now go to sleep." Galfore smiled and headed for the door.
"Galfore, wait!"
"What's wrong?"
"No servants."
"Koriand'r, you know you can't do anything here without your strength."
"I've never had servants do everything for me. I feel useless." She gave him a sheepish look.
"An assistant." he firmly stated.
"One assistant?" Galfore reluctantly nodded.
"Now go to bed." Kori ran toward Galfore and hugged him. He returned it and smiled.
"Don't you think I'm a little too old for a bed time?" she asked, heading toward her bed.
"No."
oOo
A purple-pinkish starbolt lit the common room in Titans Tower. By the main computer, sparks flew out and occasional cursing was heard.
"Stupid human technology…" Ryand'r mumbled under his breath. "Outdated piece of shi–"
"Need some help?" interrupted Komand'r, a smirk on her face.
"I can handle this."
"Hopefully you can fix it before sunset so we can contact Galfore and Eryk." Ryand'r ignored her and continued to work. Grabbing another tool, he heard his sister scream out and shoot starbolts around. The room went from darkness to violet every second while Koma continued to scream.
"What's the matter?" he asked alarmed.
"I saw a rat…"
"A rat scared you?"
"It sneaked up on me, okay." Ryand'r shook the subject off and returned to work.
"Did they have to destroy everything when they left?" he asked himself.
"I can help." said Koma.
"Fine." Ryand'r let out a sigh of frustration and kicked the computer leaving a dent.
"Yeah, destroy it some more."
"Just fix it…"
oOo
"After acquiring help from the fairy, she released the flying monkeys, paid for the tacos, crossed the rainbow, and defeated Rage single handed. Vince the prince and Gabriel the knight kept their word and led Rick the merman to the mighty waters. The joyful fairy returned to her kingdom and both Gabriel and Vince continued their journey home." finished Raven. Mariand'r gave out a small, tired smile.
"And of course, Gabriel got his kiss from Princess Rave–" added Garfield.
"Princess Rave returned to her magical realm where she could take care of herself." Raven firmly stated.
"And so Rave, Vince, Gabriel, Rick, and the fairy all lived happily ever after." finished Victor.
"The End…" finished Richard awkwardly. Mariand'r had drifted off to sleep and Richard motioned his friends out.
The four friends carefully got up from the bed and quietly exited the room. Richard closed the door behind them and they headed downstairs.
"I don't know about you guys but I am tired…" said Victor yawning.
"Yeah… Hey, guys mind sleeping over? I need someone to watch Mar'i tonight." explained Richard.
"You're not staying?" asked Raven.
"Nightwing."
"Oh, right. Sure…we don't mind. We'll watch Mar'i." Garfield and Victor nodded in agreement.
"Thanks. You'll see me…later." Richard ran down the stairs and disappeared through a hall.
"When's later?" Raven asked as they walked toward the living room.
"It depends, either early in the morning, at work, or after work. Maybe dinner…if he's not training late or early. Depends when dinner is." answered Garfield.
"Sometimes we only see him after work." added Victor.
"Others…we don't see him at all."
"When he has to make appearances, we're there."
"On some occasions, we hang out all night. Okay, not all night but he's around most of the night. Unless he–" Raven raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, Gar, she gets it!"
"So, he's gone most of the time. Is he going to be around Mar'i?" asked Raven.
"That's why we're here." stated Garfield before yawning. "Okay, dudes, I'm going to bed." He stood up from the couch and stretched. "Night."
"Goodnight." Victor and Raven both stated as Gar headed for the stairs.
"Long day, we should get some sleep as well." said Victor heading for the stairs.
"Wait."
"What's wrong?"
"You don't think that Garfield was doing it on purpose, right?"
"Doing what?" asked Victor confused.
"The events in the story. He was just being his own arrogant self, right?"
"I guess."
"Good." quickly stated Raven. They both said goodnight and headed to bed.
oOo
"Emperor Galfore!" yelled one of the guards as he came running into the royal council conference room. Galfore sat at the end of the table with Koma's husband sitting to his right. "He has contacted you, your majesty! He wants to speak with you." Both men rose and headed for the communication room. Once inside, Galfore stood in front of the computer screen facing the ominous alien. The other Tamaranean lingered in the back.
"I understand the toxic worked, Emperor Galfore. This must be excellent news for Tamaran." stated the dark figure on the flat computer screen. "I am also informed that the princess does not have access to her magnificent powers. Most…unfortunate." Galfore let out a growl.
"How do you know about that?"
"I have my sources, emperor. Now, since you can't decide, I shall choose my price. I said I would give you more time but due to some circumstances I'm afraid I had to make some adjustments... As my price, I desire Princess Komand'r."
"What do you want with my wife?" yelled Eryk steeping in front of the screen.
"What's not to want? She belongs to me now. Isn't that right, emperor? After all, we made a deal…" The young Tamaranean turned to Galfore with a hurt and angry expression.
"What is he talking about?" he asked. Galfore ignored him.
"No deal was made." Galfore barked at the screen.
"Then you leave me no choice. Until then…emperor." The figure turned to the other Tamaranean. "Enjoy your last night with her, boy." The screen went black. Eryk let out an angry snarl.
"What was he talking about?" he demanded as he turned to Galfore.
"Nothing. Komand'r is safe with Ryand'r on Earth. There's no need for you worry."
"What deal did you make, Galfore?"
"That doesn't concern you."
"We're talking about my wife. It very well concerns me!"
"Komand'r is safe. I'll worry about the rest. What we need to do now is figure out who is giving them information."
"What about my family? If you think–"
"Anger is not going to solve anything! There's nobody we can trust now and we have to be on the alert. As long as Koma stays on Earth, she'll be safe. All that Tamaran knows right now is that she's out looking for Mariand'r and it has to stay that way. I've already talked with the servants and guards to not let Kori know about this."
"The five servants, the doctor, and the royal family are the only ones that know about Kori. We can–"
"Servants talk. News travels fast. The whole kingdom knows by now. It could be anyone."
"What I don't understand is why he would tell us he has a spy."
"Tamaran has been in this situation before." Eryk diverted his gaze away from Galfore. "They want Tamaran to doubt who to trust because they very well know who betrayed us last time. Divide and conquer."
"What should we do?"
"Be ready."
oOo
Koriand'r woke to the loud knocking at her door. She turned her head toward the balcony and saw the bright sky. Kicking her covers to the side, Kori sat up on her bed still looking outside the balcony.
That's strange. I usually wake at sunrise…
The knocking continued and she finally decided to rise from her bed.
"You may enter." she yelled. The door slowly opened and a young, tall Tamaranean stepped in. He quietly closed the door behind him as Kori stared in curiosity at the stranger before her.
"Morning, princess." he said.
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Who could that be? I know the whole alien enemies' thing looks like it's about Koma right now but it will play a big part soon. It looks like Raven got better at storytelling and Gar was trying to tell her something. :P It's summer so I will update often. :D
Review!
Next chapter: Richard has a date. Mar'i doesn't like it. Nuff said. xP
Oh, to answer the question: Richard's competition. xD
Review! :)
-Robstar4ever