The Titans made their way over to the meeting room. It has been two days since Starfire's coronation and Galfore called for a meeting with them. Upon their arrival, they saw Prince Karras and his lieutenant seated at the far end of the table across from Starfire, Galfore, and her brother. It was late afternoon, but everyone was a big groggy from the change in schedule.
"Friends!" Starfire greeted them happily, waving for them to sit beside her. Nightwing obliged and sat to her right with the others falling in line. After everyone was situated, Galfore called the meeting to order. "What is it Galfore? Why have you gathered us all here?"
"New things have come to light within the very walls of our palace, my lady." Eyes shifted as the air in the room became thick. "Reports from the one called Beast Boy while on patrol brought up some concerns within myself, the Titans, and Ryand'r." Galfore nodded towards the young boy who sat almost cowering in his seat. All eyes turned towards him, waiting for the report. Hesitantly the boy stood and relayed his information and watched as Starfire's face slightly fell. After he told his tale, the room was silent.
"What proof do you have of this?" Karras questioned, somewhat enraged by the accusation. Sadly, Beat Boy removed his belt and offered it to Cyborg.
"A few years ago, when I was accused of biting a little boy in the form of a dog, I had Cyborg install an observation camera into my belt so I would always have proof. It's always recording." Cyborg took the belt and uploaded the information directly into his arm.
"Nightwing, pass me an empty one." Said hero passed an empty hologram ball over to the man. Cybord placed the ball into the receptor slot on his palm and loaded the video. Once he was done, he tossed the ball onto the table and it sprang to life, replaying the events Beast Boy saw that day. Starfire silently stood to shut off the hologram when she had seen enough.
"Karras." He met her eyes, full of fire. "I would like for you to call a meeting with your council. We will need to discuss how to proceed with this new information."
"Very well." He got up from his seat, set on leaving the embarrassing meeting.
"And Karras." He stopped short just at the door with Taryia at his tail. "Prepare yourself and your woman." Her voice was stern and hard. "As Grand Ruler of Tameran, I declare initiation of the ancient ritual of separation. We will fight and if I win, you will surrender your title and country to me as a punishment for your transgressions. If you win, you and your woman can leave with no consequence and the Southern States will remain intact. At the sound of this initiation, you are no longer allowed to leave the grounds of this palace until the ritual is complete. Do you have any problems with this proposition?" There was something in her eyes begging him to question her and provide a reason for her to strike.
"No, your highness. We shall prepare promptly." He grit between his teeth. "May we take our leave?" He instinctively put up his guard around himself and the young lieutenant behind him. His arms were up, anticipating an attack from the room full of people who held a deep love for the Grand Ruler. She gave him the permission needed and they swiftly left the scene.
"But sister, it is customary to enter the ritual in pairs. Shall I join you in the fight?" Ryand'r said, his eyes flickering a powerful green as he moved towards her.
"I appreciate your offer, dear brother, but we have not been a team since we were quite small. I was actually thinking of having one of the Titans join me." She turned towards her friends, all ready to be at her side.
"I'll go. Me and you have the most experience in combo formations in battle." Nightwing stepped forward, smiling at her and giving Ryand'r a reassuring look.
"I agree, Nightwing and Starfire are usually paired together for missions." Raven spoke up, not wanting to interfere with any political events.
"If he won't, you know I will." Cyborg chimed, bringing up his arm cannon. Starfire laughed, full and hearty.
"I thank you all for your assistance. I'm sure with Nightwing's help I will win." She looked down at her hands folded in anxiety. "I am not sure how I feel about the situation yet, but I do know that, although I have not been completely innocent, I have not betrayed the ancient expectations of our traditions." Her hands clenched until her knuckles were white. "All I asked was for loyalty in the most treasured of ways."
"What traditions?" Beast Boy was confused, which was normal, but the others didn't know the customs of their friends' home either.
"In Tameran, once your mate has been selected, either by or for you, it is expected that you stay true to them no matter how young you have been promised to each other or how far you may drift from them. Shameless things such as sleeping next to someone for comfort or even an innocent kiss would be excused as we are more free with our bodies and emotions, but sharing your entire body with another who is not your betrothed is frowned upon. From the day our parents decided to marry them, it was expected that Karras and Koriand'r remain virtuous, no matter how far apart their paths took them. Although the past had been unclear, until the binding done by our parents is undone, he should have remained bound to my sister and let no other experience him as only she should." Ryand'r's explanation sank into the others in the room as the gravity of the crimes became apparent.
"What?" Beast Boy would need a simpler explanation.
"So basically, he could do whatever he wanted as long as he remained a virgin. It's expected of the couple themselves for their life-long mate." Cyborg explained slowly and began to see the cogs start to run in the cobwebby head of his best friend.
"OH I get it. So since he broke tradition he has to pay. So what happens when you win Star? Do you have to get married to someone else?" A triumphant smile spread across her face.
"When I win, I will have won my right to choose and I choose to rule alone. I may find a groom eventually, but I have no intention of giving myself to anyone at the moment." Ryand'r shot a look at the dark haired boy next to his sister but he was unreadable to someone unfamiliar to his micromovement. Raven, on the other hand, noted a bit of relief and disappointment on his face.
"Very well. I shall discuss things with the council. I am assuming to keep with tradition the ritual will take place at midnight tonight?" Galfore asked, already making a list of things to prepare.
"Yes, please remind Karras and Taryia of this. Have the grounds prepared and ready the weapons. Nightwing, my brother will discuss with you the proceedings of the ritual. It is a fight, but it is also conditional." He nodded and looked to the younger man to confirm. "I will help in the preparations and speak with the council alongside Galfore. As for my friends, I have some tasks for you as well if you would like to help." Her smile made it hard to say no. "Beast Boy, continued surveillance of Karras will be needed all the way up to the ritual." Beast Boy gave her a salute before changing into fly and buzzing away, already familiar with the path to their room. "Raven, take this note and see to it that my older sister is informed of these events. She is free to attend if she chooses." Starfire quickly scribbled a note into a notepad and tore out the page. She gave it to the girls waiting hands and watched her leave alongside a guard to guide her to the prison. "Cyborg, I would like for you to be one of the guards presiding over the ritual. Higras, please instruct Cyborg on what is expected of him." She motioned for him to follow a rather large man he didn't even notice was behind him. "I will go with Galfore to speak with the council and prepare. I'll meet everyone around 11:00 tonight."
Ryand'r led Nightwing to a practice training ground just outside the palace. The sun was eclipsed by the tall palace towers casting a shadow on the field. The red haired man opened a hidden storage unit within the stones of the containment walls and pulled out a display of traditional weapons.
"This ritual is called Tolos, which means fool because only a fool would separate from their mate." He pulled the twin wooden swords from the display and took one in each hand. "During this fight, only traditional weapons are allowed. No powers or flight are permitted. This will give you an even footing, Nightwing." The dark haired man huffed in playful annoyance. He couldn't fly, but that never bothered him before. "You will need to choose one of these weapons." Nightwing examined the selection before quickly choosing a long staff. He felt the weight of it, twirling it to accommodate the uniqueness of the instrument to his style. "A staff?"
"I've trained with a staff for the majority of my life. I feel most comfortable with this weapon." He took the staff and stood, ready for the next instruction.
"Very well, we will practice for a while before going to get your traditional clothes. Once you beat me three times, we will conclude the practice." Nightwing smirked already in a battle stance.
This won't take long at all.
Raven entered the cold, dark prison unaffected by the conditions. She informed the guards of her task set by the Grand Ruler. The dark haired guard led her to a cell at the very end of a long hall. The heavy door was made out of a metal that Raven couldn't place or phase through.
How interesting, there are materials here that refuse even my powers. I supposed that it's needed to contain someone like Blackfire. The guard knocked harshly, alerting the lone woman inside.
"What?" The woman barked from behind the door.
"There is a messenger from Lady Koriand'r. Something has happened at the palace. We are entering." The many mechanisms within the door clicked and allowed the heavy metal to slowly creak open. Inside, Blackfire sat in a comfortable looking chair, reading a rather thick book on Tamaranean cooking. Her room was large, Raven assumed larger than any other within the prison due to her name. Her comfy bed sat messy in the far corner covered in multiple blankets and pillows. There was even a moderately sized television in the room.
"What is it?" Her annoyance was clear in her voice and face. Raven offered the paper to the woman in front of her with no words. She snatched it out of her hands and read over the familiar script of her sister's hand.
Komand'r,
It has been found that Prince Karras has broken our most sacred tradition and taken another woman into his bed. As you are aware of the expectations, I know the gravity of these transgressions is not lost on you. I have initiated the ancient tradition of Tolos, to be acted out tonight. I request your presence, but I leave it to you to choose. Be well.
-Koriand'r
Blackfire crumpled the paper in her hands before tossing it to one of the guards to review. She nimbly jumped from her seat and walked towards her guards.
"Take me to my sister. She needs me." She offered up her wrists for binding which surprised everyone. The guard cuffed her and followed Raven back to the palace.
Nightwing stood in the middle of the room atop a small platform. Ryand'r sat in the corner, watching him get measured with a sour look on his face.
"Are you still upset, Wildfire?" He teased, waiting for the older man to finish.
"Don't even talk to me." He huffed. "I thought I would last much longer than an hour and a half." The boys had gone three rounds straight with Ryand'r not winning a single one. Nightwing laughed as the tailor left to retrieve the clothes. "So what are these traditional clothes looking like?" The dark haired man flopped on the couch next to his companion.
"They are just plain clothes. Usually, they are made with specifications that best suit the wearer. Within this ritual we are supposed to come as ourselves and show our full self to our partner and their enemy. I'm sure the old man will bring back something that suits you." Ryand'r waved lazily towards the door the old man disappeared behind. After a while, the old man returned with a bundle of clothes in his arms.
"Here you are my boy. I did my best with such short notice. You may change there." He pointed to a small changing room. Nightwing took the clothes and went where instructed. After shedding his uniform and folding it, he took a good look at the clothes provided to him. Ryand'r was right, they were plain, but still had the signature Tameranean gems and made of the same almost featherweight material of Starfire's outfits. He pulled on the black skin tight pants, admiring the form and lightness of them, it almost felt like he wasn't wearing anything. The form fitting boots blended into the pants giving the illusion of a one-piece bottom. The top had the traditional silver neck piece with a green gem embedded in the center. It had no sleeves and was also form-fitting black. Lastly, he latched on a plain silver belt around his waist and short arm bracers that covered from the top of his hands to just past his wrists. There were no slots for weapons or accessories. He was basically bare. He took his uniform and went back to the front room. The old man nodded in approval and went about his day. Ryand'r came up and slapped him on the back.
"Tameran looks good on you!" His huge smile reminded him of Starfire. "The mask?" Wildfire pointed towards his eyes, indicating for him to remove it.
"The mask stays." The redhead shrugged and proceeded to admire his companion's new look.
"One other thing, you have to be your complete self during the ritual, so your name will be used. I understand that your Earth name is confidential, but there is no reason for you not to have a Tameranean name." The younger man beamed at him and began to drag him to the main parts of the palace in search of Galfore.
"Sister." Starfire turned to meet the deep purple hue of her older sister's eyes. Starfire could not meet her eyes and settled on a spot on the floor.
"Thank you for coming, Komand'r." A small smile made its way to her lips. "No matter what is happening between us, I really am glad you're here." Blackfire mader her way across her sister's room towards her. The guards with her grew tense with every step she took. Eventually, she was in arms reach. She grabbed her sister by her shoulders and pulled her roughly into a hug.
"I'm sorry, Koriand'r."