I updated! YAY! I'm very happy. Sorry if there are any mistakes. I was trying to get this story going since everyone liked the last chapter. Anyway, hope you like.

Chapter 11: Torment

A loud moan escaped through the walls of the room and blood splattered all over the covers, dripping down to the ground. The dark figure left the room, leaving his weapon behind through the chest of his prey.

Starfire woke up the next morning with a start, although she didn't understand why she felt edgy. She sat up on her bed and stretched her arms and her back, cracking her spine and making her eyes heavy. She yawned quietly and lifted herself off of the bed, letting her covers fall back on top of the bed.

The golden sun flashed in front of her eyes, revealing the new day. But it didn't brush off the bad feeling that gurgled inside her stomach. She tried to ignore it and instead enjoyed the breeze that came from her opened balcony. The curtains softly flowed up and down like the waves of the sea.

She got dressed in her clothes, thinking of the evening before to relax her tensions. She thought of Robin and smiled lightly, wishing to see him this morning. The way they danced alone and when they shared yet another kiss filled her heart with the desire to be with him forever. She brushed her long crimson hair and left the room while she still tried to put on her boots.

Her attitude lightened although she didn't understand her turmoil. The sun was blazing at the windows to her side, the birds were singing happily on this early morning, and the gardens were blooming with flowers and magnefied by the brightness of the green grass. It was a sweet day, why would she worry?

As she passed by a room, her body stopped in her own tracks. She slowly turned her head and noticed a door opened. She slowly came down and landed on her two feet with a curious, yet uneasy look in her emerald eyes.

"That door isn't supposed to be opened..." Her voice traced off as she approached the door and opened it all of the way, the wood squeaking slowly as it opened up her entrance to the room.

But when Starfire looked over the room, she noticed red blood puddling on the floor and stained on white sheets. What she saw on the bed made everything turn white and cold inside of her, petrified. She opened her mouth wide and let out the loudest scream anyone can hear as she stared at the lifeless arm that fell over the bed and hung by the side, covered in blood.

Lying dead on the bed were her only two parents.

Screams filled the air with dread and horror, like the howling of a wolf in the night or the moans of bodies coming back from their graves to haunt whoever lurked nearby. Although the morning sun glowed brightly from the windows alongside the hallway, it seemed to be glowing flames, burning and burning all with pain and misery.

Footsteps started pounding against the tiled, slippery floor after yet another scream filled their ears with worry and fear. Their mouths hung wide open with harsh, tired breaths. They panted heavily, their muscles burned, urging them to stop running and forget about running. But they kept on going until they've reached the door.

A great force, along with a loud groan, pushed the door open. It slammed against the wall and crisps of wood piled on top of the ground, marking the wall with a hole. Six figures stormed into the room, their faces beat red with sweat from all of the running.

"Starfire!" Robin cried out.
"What happened?" Cyborg shouted out loudly.

Starfire had fallen on her knees when her legs shouldn't stop trembling and couldn't hold her up anymore. Her legs grew numb to her toes and her shaking hands reached out for comfort. She grabbed the lifeless arm that hung beside the bed, covered with blood and bits of feathers from the pillows, probably torn by whatever had killed him.

She kissed his hand as she continued to sob loudly, with tears streaming down her cries, expressing her sadness and the wounds that were piercing into her heart as she tried to cry. Her throat was dry and lumpy, her eyes swollen with tears, and her hands covered with blood.

The Teen Titans looked up and their eyes and faces turned pale white with shock, their bodies turned frozen and cold at that moment.

Sheets and pillows were torn apart and feathers laid all around the bed. The sheets were pooled, covered with blood. The material of the covers couldn't hold so much of it, that some of the blood dripped from the tip to the ground, its sound as soft as rain in the night.

Cuts were scrapped across the faces of the lifeless bodies on the bed, their eyes wide open as if they had awakened right when whatever had attacked them and killed them with stabs. The once King and Queen of Northern Tamaran were dead.

"NO!" Redfire cried out as crystalline tears came into his aqua eyes. He ran by Starfire's side and grabbed onto the sheets with desperate, small, and childish hands. His red bands fell to his tearful eyes as his arms climbed up the bed to reach his mother and father, whispering something in the Tamaranean language, hoping that all of this was just a fragment of his imagination.

"Kali..." He said softly, as soft as the breeze. He should the body of his father and as he did, strands of fiery red hair came into his eyes, hiding the long scar that came diagonally across his face.

"Kali..." He said again, his eyes looking over his mother, her face so bruised up as if someone had physically hurt her with their own fists. Her once beautiful face was now with cuts and bruises that no doctor can heal or erase from her cheeks, her pink lips, or her indigo eyes.

"Kali...Kali..." Redfire shook his head in disbelief and continued to shake the bed, moving the dead bodies from left to right, sliding close to the edge of the bed. He continued to call out to them, but still no one answered. His eyes then flared with frustration and anger, and also with pain.

"KALI! KALI! KALI!" He cried so hard and pushed the bed so far off that Beast Boy ran to him and pulled him away from the bed. Redfire struggled to break free from his arms and almost slipped away, but Cyborg came and helped, trying to restrain the poor Tamaranean Prince.

"No...No...No..." Starfire whispered as she finally released her father's hand, letting it fall down like a useless rag doll.

Robin came beside her slowly, his face pained by the expressions on Starfire's face and also by what laid before them. She turned her head, her cheeks wet with tears and her cold hands wiped her tears, marking them now with her parents' blood.

He looked at her, unsure of how to express his feelings, whether to give her a sad smile or a sympathetic one that told her that he understood. But how can he show something as that? This was far worse of a death than he ever imagined.

Starfire's eyes were flooded with her tears and her throat was clogged up, she couldn't speak or wail anymore. So she just fell into Robin's arms and cried silently, her arms reaching up his back and to his face, hoping that his warmth would comfort her in anyway.

Raven's face was as pale and dead as Starfire's parents. But tears started coming into her eyes and slowly, the door behind them started swinging back and forth in response to Raven's outburst of emotions. She looked at Redfire and Starfire, seeing their redheaded figures crying and crying with agony and pain and mercy that this wasn't real, that this was all a dream.

She approached the King and Queen, her eyes scanning for any life that are left in them. She outstretched her arms, her cloak falling back behind her. Her hood covered most of her face, but revealed her intense violet eyes as she concentrated on her powers to work.

"Azerath...Metrion...Zinthos..."

Starfire looked up as Raven's hands started to glow a pale blue color. She lightly touched both Myand'r and Lyand'r and soon, both of their bodies started glowing with this luminanting light. Her emerald eyes reflected Raven's magic. The air grew thick and heavy with Raven's powers, her eyes dilated and turned pitch black.

"Azerath...Metrion...Zinthos..."

The Teen Titans and Princes watched silently as Raven tried to work. Wrinkles formed on her forehead as she tried to sense a small fragile heartbeat from either one of the Royal Highnesses. Buth there was nothing. She moaned softly as she forced more magic off of her to them, draining her life energy to try and save them. Their dead bodies still glistened with light and their wounds started bubbling with a new frame of white light.

In a second the wounds and cuts were almost gone, but she couldn't get into the deeper ones and she sensed that they could still be alive, all of her remaining energy to work was drained off and everything turned chaotic.

Raven groaned as her eyes grew weaker, but still glowed, trapped within her powers. She was forced back, away from the bed, with her arms over her head. The others gasped as Raven accidentally started shooting black disks all around the room.

Cyborg and Beast Boy dragged Redfire low to the ground as furniture started flying across the room, crashing into the wall and shattering into millions of pieces. Karras ducked as well, covering his head with his hands as chairs flew so closely over his head. Robin wrapped his cape around himself and Starfire for protection as bits of glass and wood came at them, but didn't harm them.

Windows near the balcony were broken and the glassware splattered to the floor. Sheets from the curtains were ripped apart by black magic. Wallpaper was riped off from the walls and slid down to the tiled floor, which was chipped off.

Raven screamed loudly to stop and abruptly, it did. All furniture fell to ground and the wind she had created had died out as well. She took a deep breath and sloppy moved back, her legs wiggling. She wiped her nose and noticed that it was bleeding a little. Her head felt lightheaded and she fell on her knees.

Everyone got up quickly and ran to her side. Beast Boy came beside her and helped her sit up, but he didn't let her stand up just yet. Her eyes were still dizzy and dried up blood encircled her nostril and hung over her upper lip.

Raven looked up, her vision was still fuzzy, but she cleared out that Starfire was approaching her, her eyes sincere, but also concern for her gothic friend. Raven stared at her sadly, disgusted with herself.

"I'm sorry, Star." She spoke softly in a whisper. "I tried."

Starfire looked at Raven and smiled lightly. She grabbed her hand and stared at her with her loving eyes. "It is all right, Raven. Your effort in trying is all that matters."

"What happened there, Raven?" Robin asked.
Raven leaned back, holding onto her head as pain came inside her head. "I'm not really sure. I tried to go further in the healing, but something blocked me and I lost control over my powers."

Beast Boy carefully placed her arm over his shoulder and slowly helped her stand. Her legs still trembled from the trauma and she fell on to Beast Boy. He blushed a little, but he brushed it aside and helped her stand upright, with her arm still around him for support. He looked up and noticed something on top of the bed that he didn't notice before.

"Hey, what's that?" He pointed his finger ahead to the bed. Everyone turned their heads to follow his strange gaze.

Starfire's eyebrow arched up with curiosity as she slowly approached her parents' bed. She tried hard not to look at their pale green faces, but when something sparkled from the sun's light, it caught her attention. Stabbed through her father's chest was some sort of weapon, almost like a knife.

She reached out her hand carefully, half afraid that something would happen once she touched it. Her fingers curled around the weapon and carefully pulled it out from her father's chest, wincing at the sound of her father's flesh.

She held the blood covered up beside the sunlight for a better look and what she saw her eyes widened with disbelief. She screamed out and threw the weapon away from her.

The Teen Titans looked down at what bothered Starfire and what they saw shocked them all as well. Suspicious eyes glared at Robin and it heated up his neck and he gulped nervously and also with anger inside of him.

On the floor was his own Bird-a-rang.

Robin moved away from the eyes of the others and kneeled down before it. He took it in his hands, observing it carefully. A figure approached him and he looked up, pained by the curious and hurtful face of Starfire. She had her hands by her cheeks, her fingers intertwined with each other, trembling nervously. She looked at him for a long time with her enchanting, but sad emerald eyes.

"Robin..."
"Star, it's not what you think. I--"

"You killed my parents?"

Robin turned around to find Redfire standing very close in front of him. His fists tightened as if ready to crush him at any moment. But Robin looked at him truthfully and dropped his blood-stained weapon to the ground. "Honestly Redfire. I didn't do anything."

But Redfire's eyes started glowing orange with his Tamaranean strength and with the sun beaming at him, it grew stronger. "YOU MURDERER!"

Redfire jumped at Robin and grabbed him by the throat. Everyone started panicking as Redfire started punching Robin by the face and stomach. He tried to grab him by the throat again, but Robin grabbed his wrists and struggled to restrain him from doing harm.

"Redfire, I'm telling the truth!"
"You killed them!"
"I didn't!"

Starfire ran to Robin's aid by grabbing Redfire under the arms. "Please Ryand'r, let him go!" She pulled him back slowly from Robin until he was about to stand. Robin stood up and wiped some blood from his nose and lips. His back ached and his arms strained from trying to push Redfire away.

Redfire groaned against Starfire's grip. He turned around and started swinging his arms at her. But she held him tightly, not letting go of him. As she tried, tears came blurring her eyes.

"Stop it, Ryand'r...please..."

Redfire groaned with frustration to escape, but eventually his temper gave in and instead he fell into Starfire's arms, crying away. "Mom...Dad..." He mumbled between each deep breath he took.

Robin walked up to Starfire and Redfire in hopes to comfort them, but again how can he? But anyway he tried. He opened his mouth to speak, but then the bedroom doors slammed open. Everyone looked up as a line of soldiers with thick brown, red, and black hair approached them all. Their armor shined under the sunlight and their eyes were deep with experience in the military.

Some of them held spears in their hands and some had swords hanging by a belt wrapped around their waists. Their stern eyes looked over Robin with hate. Robin looked at them with wide eyes and he slowly tried to walk back, but then someone grabbed his arm very roughly.

He turned his head and saw Karras with serious eyes looking hard at the soldiers instead of Robin. With a greater force he couldn't hold, Karras pushed Robin forward and before he could react, the soldiers grabbed Robin by the arms.

"Arrest him. For the murder of King Myand'r and Queen Lyand'r."

Robin groaned, "I'm telling you, I didn't do it!"

Karras kneeled on one knee and grabbed for the bird-a-rang. He held the bloody weapon in his hand, waving it in front of Robin's face. "And what was this doing in the King's chest, hmm? I think that this is more evident that you did this. No Tamaranean has this kind of weapon."

"But I didn't do it! I wasn't even near this place last night!"
"You could try and ask for forgiveness once you are placed in the cell."

"NO!" Robin groaned and struggled against the arms that were dragging him away. He looked up and stared at his friends, trying to see a glitter of hope from them. "Guys, you believe me, don't you?"

Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven looked at him silently, unsure of what to think. Robin looked at them surprised, but he didn't give up. He looked at them straight in the eyes through his black mask. "I'm telling you I didn't do it!"

Raven looked up to him hard, although her violet eyes were still weak from her little episode. His face was serious and pale, his brow intense with wrinkles, as if he was looking really hard on them. Her eyes softened.

Beast Boy noticed this. "You think he's telling the truth."
"I bet my life on it."

"Well, your life isn't good enough to prove his innocence." Karras said harshly. He looked at the guards and waved his hand toward the door. "Take him away."

"Wait a minute!" Redfire said, his ego has returned at last and he removed himself from Starfire's arms. Her eyes strained as Redfire approached Karras, for some reason, as if automatically, he was on Robin's defense.

"What makes you think that he did do it?" Redfire said, his eyes grew wide, but more likely observing Karras' reaction. But he didn't fall for his stare and instead looked at him sternly.

"His 'bird-a-rang' had pierced through the King's chest and blood is everywhere. What makes you think that he is innocent?"
"I believe there's something called 'the benefit of the doubt'"

Karras stared at Redfire with intense amber eyes. And Redfire looked back at him. Robin looked at Redfire and was surprised that his attitude had suddenly changed from seeing him guilty to seeing him innocent.

"Well, your words boy no longer matter. So stay out of my way." Karras replied and pushed Redfire hard, making him fall back with a loud thup. He fell on his side and everyone gasped.

Starfire and the others ran to Redfire's aid as he slowly sat up, rubbing his arm. Raven looked at him and made sure that he wasn't injured and turned around to face Karras with her cold, hard eyes.

"I think, Prince Ryand'r and Princess Koriand'r, that these Earthlings, these pests have brainwashed you from what you were brought up to obey."

Raven growled at the remark. Holding Redfire with her arms, with one of her hands resting on her back, tightened with anger and it glowed dimly black and white. "You should really hold your tongue, Karras. Because you'll regret your words."

"I rather have you listen to your own words, witch. You wouldn't want this palace to collaspe, don't you?"

Raven screamed out as a dresser flew over her head, glowing intensing with black magic. She threw it to him and he fell back when the furniture exploded in front of him. He looked up, with some strands in front of his eyes, with anger. He pointed his finger at Raven with an accusing tone as he roared, "Arrest her!"

Some free guards started walking toward Raven with outstretched arms and were about to grab her when a strong, mechanical hand grabbed one by the wrist and squeezed him hard until he twitched his eye with pain.

"I don't think so, buddy." Cyborg replied and punched the guard away from him, sending him flying across the room until he collided against the wall, falling unconscious.

Karras roared at the other soldiers to get them, but then they were attacked by a lion, his sharp claws scratched up their armor, pulling them away from the group. Beast Boy slowly transformed back into a human boy, watching the guards try to stand with marks on their steel shields. "You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!"

Starfire stared at the scene, overwhelmed as her friends fought off against the guards, even her little brother did in defense of Robin. But she knew deep down that the outcome would be more than she could bear.

"Stop this, Stop!" She cried out, but no one would listen to her. And for their price would be their freedom. The guards pulled themselves together and grabbed each and every one of the Titans, including Redfire. They forced them down on their knees, as well as Robin as Karras appeared before them.

"All of you are arrested by the Order of Tamaran, for murder, treason, and attempt to help a questioned suspect. Now all of you are suspects in the murder of the King and Queen. And when I am King, I'll made sure that you all will pay a very dear death. Take them away!"

"NO!" Starfire cried as she tried to run to her friends, but then Karras grabbed her around her waist, pulling her away from the others as they were being dragged by the guards to the door.

Beast Boy tried to transform a couple of times to escape, but the guard held him so tightly by his neck, he was suffocating and couldn't breathe. Raven tried to fight off as well, but so much energy was drained off of her, she gave in easily as the guards pulled her out of the room.

Cyborg tried to flip the guard over his arm, which he did. But the other guards were faster and struck something at Cyborg's back, shocking him with a power electrical shock that threw him off conscious. His battery died for the moment and his blue glow and red flashing eye turned dark.

Robin groaned loudly as he tried to kick his way out, but it was no use. But he kept trying other approaches, moving his body up and down in hopes of slipping away from their grasp. A guard kicked him hard in the stomach which caught him off guard. He gagged with pain and for air, blood spitted out from his lips from when Redfire had punched him and his body grew numb.

He looked up and watched Starfire struggling to break free from Karras, but he wouldn't let go of her.

"NO! PLEASE! ROBIN!" Starfire cried out, reaching out her hand to him. But before Robin could even reply to her call, the guards took him away and slammed the door closed, leaving Karras and Starfire alone in the bedroom.

Starfire looked at the door still, almost expecting for the others to fight off and come into the room to relieve her from this place. But they didn't come and it pierced her heart with old wounds into even deeper ones. She choked her next breath as she started crying again, slowly sliding down from Karras' arms.

Starfire wrapped her arms around herself as she sobbed loudly inside the room as if she was truly alone. From the corner of her eye, she could see Robin's weapon, dripping with her parents' blood, the sharp edge that killed them and took them away from her. But this time, they were truly gone. Forever.

Tears slid down her cheeks as her body grew cold with the emptiness she had once had from so long ago. She continued crying, but now she leaned down and pounded her fists against the ground until the tiles were bent a little by her natural Tamaranean strength.

The sunlight bathed over her and Karras. He looked down at her with shining golden green eyes, his long hair blowing with the breeze that entered inside this room.

Everything around them was almost completely destroyed. Glass hung loosely by where the window would be, tiles were chipped off from the floor, the furniture had exploded and pieces of wood were all over the place. And blood stains marked the bed and a sum of the floor.

Karras looked over Starfire with eyes undescribable. He kneeled down on his knees and tried to take Starfire in his arms, but she jerked him away from her, waving her arms violently in front of him. But he grabbed her wrists anyway and pulled her toward him, forcing her to open her eyes and look into his own.

"Your friends have betrayed you, Koriand'r." He said softly, the sound of his voice was breathtaking and would make any girl fall into his spell. But Starfire shook her head, trying hard not to listen to even a whisper from him, blocking out all that has happened in this room.

"It did happen." He said, catching her thoughts. "He killed them, They've killed them. They've killed you."

Starfire shook her head, not believing a word out from him. "No...it's not true..."

"It is true. And unless you don't go through this marriage as planned, I will be forced to terminant them for their crimes."
"No! You wouldn't!"
"I have more power than you can imagine. And I can, maybe today I will have them hanged or beheaded or tortured to death at the cell chamber. I can--"

"No Karras! Please!" Starfire said, grabbing his arms with her trembling hands. Hot tears pressed into her eyes and her voice choked to speak further. "Please, I beg of you. I don't have anyone else left, please..." She begged, tears streaming down her shining emerald eyes.

She sniffled, pressing her head against his chest with her begging and her tears. Karras looked at her and touched her chin and then raised her head so she would look at him again. "Then marry me. I promise that I will take care of you and if you follow me and my rules, I will make sure that no harm will come to them. Unless you disobey me."

Starfire looked at him, her face twisted with thoughts of regret and uncertainity. She gulped hard and sniffled again, trying to hold back any more tears. But one still managed to come down her cheek and down to her neck. She sobbed silently to herself as she thought of them and Redfire. She forced herself to nod, surrendering herself once again to the wrath of what was expected of her, Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran.

Satisfied, Karras leaned closer to Starfire, his hands coming up from her neck to her cheeks. His fingers wiped her tears away and he caressed her tenderly. Her eye flinched a little, her neck started heating up as he touched her neck and then slid down her arms. She couldn't do anything as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed her against his body, his desire grew and deep inside he knew that he had won her affection.

But not voluntary.

Starfire looked away as Karras kissed her cheeks and neck, his arms holding her close to him, afraid of letting go. But she knew she couldn't pull away from him, because she couldn't bear to lose another loved one from her life. As Karras kissed her hands and neck and cheeks, she thought of her friends and Robin.

Her heart knew that she was betraying them although her mind told her that she was doing the right thing, in saving their lives. But what good is saving their lives when they are just going to be tortured, tormented with this images and what they have to see with their own eyes?

Karras' fingers dug into her hair, pulling some of her straight strands of hair in front of her eyes, giving her a mysterious look. But her face showed her true sadness as Karras' hands came down and touched her cheeks, his wish finally granted. He held Starfire as his face came closer and closer to hers, his breath steaming against her skin and filling her with goosebumps and also with her physical attraction to him again.

Karras smiled seductively at her, his eyes filled with longing for her. He pressed his forehead against hers, looking at her beautiful face although she didn't want to look at him.

"You're mine, Starfire." He said and pressed his lips against hers.