DianaLaura &PrincessNightstar& S.Y.G-14: Thanks for saying Wally was funny, I hope you laugh at him again in this chapter.

Night owl's Shadow: Oh its okay, just do a good job and it will be worth the wait

Amyanime4: Now that the truth, poor Wally and Batman have no luck with girls (Or BM would have gotten with Wonder Women by now:)

S.Y.G-14: Yep, it's the beginnings of love for those two, it was my take on love at first sight, where there is this deep connection.

KaliAnn: smitten you say? Wheee! That was what I was going for! Thank You!

I own zip zero nada nothing

Chapter 11

Tamaran

Royal Arena

One year ago…

Every year there was a Tournament held at the Royal Palace; marking the only occasion when commoners were permitted to enter into the majestic Halls of the High King and his family.

Most of them were simple farmers and craftsmen, men and women who lived their lives in humble-yet comfortable and sturdy- homes that were made of crude stone, which were then lumped into villages and towns that surrounded the local Lord or Lady's castle.

So needless to say, once a year the palace was filled with awed gasps as the people of Tamaran-dressed in their brightly colored robes like a flock of birds- gazed around like wide-eyed children as they took in the rich tapestries that hung from the arched ceiling, the exquisite paintings -all done by hand- that depicted Tamaran in times of war and the occasional times of rare peace that covered the walls, and the armor of long ago Warriors-such as Gorind'r, Radtor, Talun'a and Mari- that were on display for all to see. So it was with slow hesitant steps did the people pass between the proud columns on their way to the Arena.

Located in the center of the Palace under an open sky, the Arena was circular in design and capable of seating over ten thousand souls. It was the pride and joy of the Royal Household. For it was here they displayed their strength for their subjects to see. For the only contestants in this Tournament were youngsters of Royal Blood, from ages twelve to sixteen. Princesslings and Princelings of Rival Houses, joined by blood, and in some cases love, but torn by envy- would compete against one another in trials of speed, skills, smarts and strength.

Princess Koriand'r was twelve years old -this was the first Tournament she would ever take part in (It would also be the last, but she had no way of knowing that). Beforehand, when she had been waiting in contestant's grove just outside the Arena, she had been wrecked with nerves. As one of the Daughters of the High King, the expectations of her performance would be exceptionally high… especially since her sister Komand'r had dominated her age group ever since she started competing.

What if she couldn't live up to that?

Seeing her distress, some of Kori's cousins tried to reassure her.

"You'll do fine, cousin," soothed the girl's favorite relation, a lovely Shieldmaiden called Lay'a. A motherly, witty girl; she was a Minor Princess- the daughter and heir of a Minor Prince who was a grandson of Koriand'r's Great Grandfather- and her inheritance would be a minor province. With gentle waist-length curls, luminous eyes and a smile that outshined the stars, Lay'a would have no trouble finding a husband when the time came (for it was universally agreed that she and Koriand'r were the most beautiful girls of their generation). Next to her brother- who was up in the stands with their parents- Lay'a was her closest friend.

"The people have enough birth-wit to know that you are not the younger incarnation of Koma and not to expected the same thing from you," Lay'a continued as she draped a winsome arm around Kori's thin shoulders. Then shuddering, she added, "And I'm rather glad for that, seeing Komand'r has never broken her habit of sending her opponents to the Healer's Wing."

Laughing, two more cousins came over, twin boys, four years older than Kori and two older than Lay'a.

"Now that couldn't be more true had X'hal had spoken it," one called out jovially. "I for one, have little hope of lasting more than five minuets against her in sparing."

"I just plan to run away," his brother said flatly.

Lay'a's eyes narrowed disapprovingly, "You better be jesting here, Nictor, the people wouldn't be impressed with a show of cowardliness," she scowled.

Nictor raised his hands in a pacifing motion, "I am, I am, I promise you! I going to give it my all, aren't I Hacto'r?"

Clasping his brother on the arm, Hacto'r grinned, "We both are," he confirmed. "Not just for ourselves but for Father… to repay him for claiming us."

The boys were not their father Prince Teand'r's sons by blood; rather they were children of the women whom he had loved…who had married another. But when both parents were captured in a raid several years back, the man had felt duty-bounded to take the grief stricken youths into his Household, out of love for their mother and sympathy for their woes, which he himself had endured as a child.

But blood sons or not, the bond of filial loyalty from the boys to Teand'r could not be matched. They owed him everything, for he had helped them put their world back together when evil had shattered it.

Now Lay'a smiled once more. "That's what I want to hear," she said happily. Now turning back to Kori, her tone became softer.

"Just do your best Sweet One and everything will work out," she said encouragingly, before drawing her little cousin closer and hugging her tightly.

Just then, the trumpets began to sound off, signaling that the Tournament had begun.

All contestants now standing, they moved as one into the Arena, where they were separated by age.

That was the last time she ever saw her favorite cousins.

Though she would one day learn the fate of two of them… when she saw the armor of Nictor and Hacto'r hanging as trophies besides their father's in Lord Razor's chamber; their slain blood having dried on the cold metal...at least they had died together.

But of course she didn't know that then… none of them did.

The Tournament itself when rather well, for it was quickly proven that Kori's insecurities were unfounded. Over the remaining course of the day, Kori performed acrobatics in the air, shot targets with her starbolts, and out-maneuvered her opponents in the war games.

But her true moment to shine came during the hand-to-hand sparing, where she displayed an almost supernatural ability to predict her foes movements as they were making them. She wouldn't have been able to fully explain it had she been asked to (and later she would be asked more times than she could count).

Kori had always been perceptive, able to read the subtle body language of others, and when one mixed that with warrior instincts and adrenaline-it provided handsome results. Only Komand'r had been able to do the same, and this gift permitted them to fight many at once.

She was as flexible as water, as unyielding as stone, relentless as fire… as star-fire. None could lay a hit on her…and for the fist time in her life…she was invincible…

Y+J

Happy Harbor, Road Island

The Town

'And I still am!' Kori thought triumphantly as she ducked a blow the blue-eyed boy had aimed at her head. Once she was in the clear, she flipped backwards, so that her steel encrusted toes stuck the Angry-One in the chin, therefore dazing him for a moment.

With the first boy temporarily stunned, she turned her attention to the gray-eyed one, and blocked the water mace that the Calm-One had manifested, and was currently swinging at her legs. Without pausing she rolled to the left and pop up to deliver a round kick to the Calm-One's back, sending him into the Angry-One.

But rather than go flying, the Angry-One seemed to have braced himself, and therefore stood his ground, caught his friend, and mange to stay standing when the other boy collided with him; his feet skidding only a few inches across the ground.

'… If he could only control his anger, he would have the potential to become a great fighter,' Koriand'r thought with reluctant respect and a great deal of weariness. 'A quick temper makes for a foolish warrior,' went a Tamaranen proverb.

"And a foolish warrior will soon be a dead warrior," Koriand'r finished in a soft whisper. That was the first lesson that parents taught their children when they began training, because that was the single most important thing in warfare, besides looking after one's brothers and sisters in arms.

Clearly this Angry-One hadn't been in training for very long; because it didn't appeared that anyone had so much as thought of giving him this crucial advise for survival.

Kori wish she could tell him, but for that to happen they would have to stop fighting -that clearly wasn't going to come to pass. And even if it did, she still couldn't speak the langue… she had to do something about that...

But before she could muse too deeply on that subject, she was forcibly knocked to the side when a familiar red and yellow blur slammed into her.

Falling into a shaky shoulder rolled, the warrior girl found herself on her hands and knees, looking up at the red-haired boy as he grinned down at her.

"Hey Angel-Face," he beamed, "You got guts, taking on Superboy, I'll give you that. You know it's too bad you'll totally crazy, because you're seriously cute-"

That was as far as he got, because here Kori pulled her cuffed arms close to her chest, and lashed out, sweeping Red-Haired's legs out from under him.

But before she could knock him out cold, she saw the raven-haired boy coming at her out of the corner of her eye-more of those disks in hand.

'O-ho no,' The Shieldmaiden thought rather flatly as she saw this.'You are not hitting me with those again, Little Imp.'

Now wise to some of the boy's tricks, Kori dodged, twisted, and bent over backwards to avoid being struck. But while she was busy doing this, the Angry-One had finished recovering, and with a furious roar (Kori dearly hope this boy never when on a stealth mission) he flung himself forward, with such unimaginable speed that all Kori could do was raise her arms and brace herself as his fist collided with her cuffs with an resounding clang.

Being of smaller built that the Angry-One; the Shieldmaiden was thrown high into the air, spinning out of control. When she finally mange to steady herself, the girl shook her head to clear it, and flexed her fingers…flexed her FINGERS?!

Her eyes widening, Koriand'r looked down and was unable to suppressed a girlish squeal of delight to see that while her wrists were still bound together, the Angry-One had broken the top part of the cuffs off, leavening her hands free to use her starbolts.

Kori was unable to suppress a wild grin as the beautiful green energy filled her hand, and as her opponents stunned gasps reached her ears like sweet music another Tamaranen proverb came to mind-'The only thing that is more of a danger that a stranger is a idiot.'

'Thank you, Angry Idiot,' the girl thought cheerfully.

Y+J

"Oh nicegoing Supes," Kid groaned as they scattered to avoid the volley of green energy-bolts that the alien clearly took joy in making.

"Shut up!" Superboy snarled back.

"Both of you, ENOUGH!" Aqualad barked. "Robin, do you have any suggestions?"

The Boy Wonder snorted from his hiding spot-which was ducking behind a turned over car.

"Sure I do -don't get hit," the boy trolled as he activated his wrist computer. "According to my reading they wouldn't cause any lethal damage, but they'll still sting like nobody's business if she zaps you. So I say that Kid and Superboy should draw her fire while–"

But here the clone interrupted him.

"I hear something," the Kryptonian muttered under his breath, his head shooting up. If he had been a dog, Robin would have been willing to bet that his ears would have been straight up in the air.

"Like what, Superboy?" Aqualad asked immediately. "What do you hear? More back-up?"

"I-I don't know, I've never heard anything like this before."

"Well could you describe it, Supes?" Robin called out from across the street. "We need to know what were up against."

Giving a nod of consent, Superboy closed his eyes and tired to concentrate.

"It…metal…yah-definitely metal, a-and large…and its running-no- they're running-"

K.F gulped a little at that.

"Their?" he asked nervously.

Superboy growled at the speedster for disrupting him.

"Yes they're, as in more-than-one, as inplural," The clone snarled out from behind his teeth.

Kid had the good sense to throw up his hand in a pacify gesture.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, please don't kill me and continue?" he said hastily.

Huffing, Superboy did just that.

"Okay…they're running… and…and-"

Suddenly, the Boy of Steel's head shot up-his eyes wide- and whipped around to face the opposite duration.

"And they're here!"

Just as these rather chilling words left the Kryptonian's mouth, a bone rattling howl rip across the open air.

Y+J

X'hal bones what was the Angry One doing? For the life of her, Koriand'r could not tell, and it was unnerving.

Things had been going so well- for once the odds had flipped in her favor; she had plan to bombard them with starbolts for a few more minutes before making her getaway. From what she observed in battle, none of the boys possessed the power of flight, so they wouldn't be able to follow her when she took off.

That had been the plan.

But as she already stated, things rarely-if ever-when according to plan.

Koriand'r was a Shieldmaiden of the finest degree and training. She was powerful enough to crush boulders, or take on army with her hand bound in front of her.

And though she had only seen a few battles, and had never shed blood, she had learned what it truly meant to be a warrior.

Many people made the mistake of believing a warrior was any fool who could wield a weapon. But that was a lie.

Wielding a weapon makes one a fighter, possibly a great fighter- but still only that.

Warriors were of another breed, a separate mindset; for they devoted themselves to protecting a people and ideals-mind, body, and soul; and sometimes at the cost of all three.

Warriors were not always the swiftest or strongest of beings. That could be developed during training.

Oh yes…What showed the mark of a warrior, was that they were the ones who were willing, if not always gladly, chosen to stand between the enemy and all they loved or held sacred.

That was why a terror unlike anything she had ever felt before raced down her spine when she heard the Hunter's howl.

Reviews make me happy so if you want more tell me what you thought and I'll update sooner!

I'm rather proud of this chapter-the last part that is- because I have family that served in the army. What did you think, because that is my personally belief. Not to mention it describes Batman so well it's almost scary. Him and Wonder Women and Superman, because of all the heroes only they know what its like to be warriors. On a happier note I trust you see that I have lay the ground work for not only Robins relationship with Star, but Superboy's as well, because as a alien of near equal strength, She can train him to control his anger and made a warrior out of him. And in return she will gain a brother.