Chapter 10
Ripping open old wounds
Later that day, Starfire walked down the halls of the palace and she walked to the council meeting room. She opened the door and there was the council along with Galfore were sitting at the table.
Galfore looked up at Starfire. "Princess Koriand'r, what is it?" Starfire walked up to the table. She bowed to Galfore and she nodded her head to the members of the council. She looked back at Galfore.
"Grand Ruler, before my friends and I depart, I wish to be here for the trial of Komand'r." Galfore nodded.
"We were just discussing that Princess. We will put her in trial first thing tomorrow morning. Starfire nodded. "Thank you." Galfore nodded. She walked back to her room where Robin was waiting for her.
"Galfore said her trial will be tomorrow morning." Robin nodded. "So does this work the same way it does on earth?" Starfire sat down next to him.
"Well the Grand Ruler will be sitting at a desk much like your judges on earth. Then there is someone who walks up to a podium and they read the charges against the accused. Then the accused states whether or not they are guilty of the crimes."
"Then the Grand Ruler along with the members of our council will decide what punishment fits the charges against that person." Robin nodded.
"What are you going to do if Galfore and the others decide to sentence her to death?" Starfire sighed and looked at the floor. "I will be upset sure, but if it's what they decide, then that's the sentence she deserves. She has done so much to her people and her own family."
Robin nodded. "I understand that you feel anger toward your sister, but this is dark Star. Even for you." Starfire looked at Robin with narrowed eyes. "Like you dealt with Slade? You wanted to destroy him as well."
Robin nodded. "Yes I did. But it almost cost me my team. It almost cost me you. And when I experienced that, I vowed never to do that again. I couldn't do anything that cost me you or my team. You showed me there was a better way."
Starfire looked back up at Robin. "Tell me Robin, did your family betray you?" Robin shook his head.
"No, but I know what it's like to lose both your parents. I lost my family at a young age too." Robin looked at the ground.
"I wanted to do what you do now. I wanted to destroy them, I wanted to make them pay for taking my family from me. I had all this anger inside me. But then Batman showed me that there was another way to channel that anger. He taught me that there is a right way and a wrong way to get justice."
Robin looked back at her with his blue eyes. "I just want to be there to make sure that you don't travel down that dark path. Because if you do, it's very hard to come back from that. Think about Terra." Starfire looked at Robin.
"Perhaps. Will you come with me tomorrow morning?" Robin sighed and nodded. The next morning Robin woke up to an empty bed. He sighed as he looked at the ceiling. He had hoped that he helped Starfire out a little.
He dressed in his uniform and he called the other titans together. "I think that we should all be there for Starfire. She needs our support. There are things that she needs us to be there to help her through." said Robin.
They all nodded. "We always have Star's back." said Cyborg. Robin nodded. They all walked into the courtroom and sat in the audience. Galfore slammed his fist on the desk. "Bring in the accused." he said.
The door opened and two guards walked in with Blackfire. They sat her down. Galfore looked at Blackfire. "Princess Komand'r of Tamaran, you are hereby charged with the assault of honored guests and the assault on Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran." He looked at the council members.
"Are there any other charges that need to be brought up?"
"Yes." He looked at Starfire and she walked to the podium. "I wish to add two more." Galfore nodded. She walked up to the podium.
"I also hereby charge Princess Komand'r with treason to Tamaran. And..." She looked at Robin. She took a deep breath. "And with the murders of King Luand'r, Queen Myand'r, and Prince Ryand'r."
Everyone in the courtroom gasped. Galfore looked at Starfire in shock. "For these charges, how do you plead?" Starfire asks. Blackfire looked up at Starfire and she smiled.
"Guilty." The courtroom went silent. "Although I am surprised that you didn't put the charge against you there."
Starfire shook her head. "This is not about me, this is about our family. What happened to me has nothing to do with that."
Blackfire scoffed. "You just don't want anyone to know what happened to you." Starfire rolled her eyes and looked at Galfore. "We will now leave to decide sentence." Galfore and the others walked out of the room for an hour.
Starfire sat in a chair and she looked at her sister and sighed. Galfore came back. "We have reached a decision. Princess Komand'r you have committed heinous crimes against the planet of Tamaran, and for that I hereby sentence you to death."
Starfire looked from Galfore over to Robin. She sighed and she looked at Galfore. "Grand Ruler, I object your verdict." Robin looked up from the ground to his girlfriend in surprise. Galfore looked at her.
"What punishment do you propose?" he asked. Starfire looked at Blackfire and back at Galfore. "I propose we sentence her to life imprisonment. Where she will never see the light of day again. We can lock her in where we lock away our worse criminals." Galfore looked at her with surprise.
"Maybe we should send her to life in the Citadel." suggested one of the council members. "No. I will not be responsible for subjecting anyone to what I experienced and went through."
Blackfire scoffed. "I don't need your pity sister. Go ahead and send me to the Citadel. I'm sure they would love to get more information of how to get their little toy back." A chill ran up Starfire's spine.
Galfore looked from Starfire back to Blackfire. "Princess Komand'r of Tamaran, you are hereby sentenced to life imprisonment." He hit the table with his fist and Blackfire was taken away. She stopped as she walked by Starfire.
"Do your little Titan friends know all of what really happened to you while you were a slave for 6 years? Or are you too ashamed to let your precious Robin know? Afraid that he'll see you differently?"
Starfire looked at her sister. "That is not your concern. And why do you care?" Blackfire smiled.
"Because I know what they did to you. I know what you are hiding, and what you blocked our for the past 8 years. And now that I have ripped that open it will start to haunt you. I can still break you sister. I don't have to use my fists."
The guards pushed Blackfire out of the room. Robin walked up to her. She looked at him. "Everything okay?" Starfire looked at him.
"I am ready to go home." She walked away from them. The titans stood by Robin. "No offense, but she's acting a lot like you." said Beast Boy. Robin glared at him.
Beast Boy backed away. "Her world is forever changed. Blackfire has broken Starfire in ways that not even Robin can heal." said Raven. Robin looked at her with concern.
"What should I do?" asked Robin. Raven sighed. "What you've been doing. Be there for her when she needs you." Robin nodded.
"Come on, we should probably get the ship ready to go home." They nodded. The next day they boarding the ship.
Galfore stopped Starfire. "Please, I want you to promise me something my bumgorf." Starfire looked up at Galfore.
"Please, let your friends in, and f not them, let that boy in. He cares for you." Starfire looked at Galfore. "I am sorry. But there are things about my past that not even Robin should know." Galfore sighed.
"Just promise me you'll try." Starfire nodded. She hugged him and boarded the ship. Starfire didn't say a word the whole flight back. No one wanted to pressure her into talking. Robin just worried for her.
But he figured that she needed her space. When they arrived home she went straight to her room. "Okay did you and Star switch personalities? Ow!" Raven slapped him in the back of the head.
Robin sighed and walked to her door. He listened but heard nothing. He knocked on the door. "Star, please open the door. Please talk to me. Don't shut me out." He put his fist on the door as he pleaded with her to open the door.
She opened the door. "I am sorry Robin. There is just so much running through my head. My whole life changed in three days. My family is gone, my planet suffered. It's just a lot to take in." Robin nodded.
"I know it is. And I am willing to give you space, I just worry for you." Starfire nodded. "And I also want you to know, that I am so proud of you. You are the strongest person I know Starfire."
Tears filled her eyes and she shook her head. "I don't feel really strong right now Robin." Sobs shook her eyes. Robin wrapped his arms around her. "Starfire, it will be okay. It's alright." he said, as her tears soaked his shoulder.
He got her to her bed and she cried herself to sleep. Robin covered her and he got up to leave. He felt her grab his hand.
"Please, don't leave me." Robin crouched. "I am just going to change." Starfire nodded. He quickly ran to his room and changed and he came back to her room and laid in her bed.
"Robin, I need you to promise me something." Robin looked down into her emerald green eyes. "Please don't leave me." Robin wrapped her tighter in his arms.
"Never." He said. She nodded and fell asleep in his arms. Robin was woken by whimpering. Robin looked down and heard that it was coming from Starfire. "Please." she said as she twisted around.
"Please, you don't have to do this. Please stop. No, Please, Please!" she started to scream.
"Starfire! Starfire, wake up!" She bolted up and panted, shaking. She looked at Robin. She rested her head on her arms. "What did you dream about?" asked Robin. She looked back up at him.
"I can't." She said, looking away from him. He sat up. "Are you afraid that I will judge you?" Starfire looked up at his eyes.
"Star, I already told you, I will never stop loving you, and think any less of you." She shook her head. "I can't talk about it Robin. I'm sorry." Robin sighed deeply. "You are angry. I can see it in your face." He shook his head.
"No. I just wish you trusted me more." he said, getting up. Starfire looked at him as he walked to the door.
"I do trust you. I just can't tell anyone this. I swore to myself." Robin looked at her with a hint of anger. "You don't trust me enough. I guess you come to me when you're ready to trust me more."
He walked out of the room. Starfire sighed and laid on her bed, looking at the ceiling. Perhaps she should keep her promise to Galfore. And who knows Robin may not see her as any less a person.
She walked to his door and knocked on his door. Robin opened his door. He crossed his arms and looked at her. She looked him dead in the eyes. "Robin I didn't tell you everything that happened to me while I was imprisoned. I'm going to tell you a secret. One that Tamaran can never know.