CHAPTER 3: Call me a princess
Robin and Cyborg finally made it to the street, and found themselves in the middle of a huge crowd watching something strolling down the street. When Robin had made himself closer between the people, he was able to see something that looked quite like a parade. There were some men in soldier-like outfits, yet not the tamarean troopers, they were wearing gold and black armors, and were carrying huge banners and flags, which all had the same symbol: something that looked like a golden clock with black strands forming an spiral inside of it, and a black background. In the middle of the armored men was a golden robotic creature designed to look somewhat like a horse, and, riding the huge machine, was Warp (the guy from 'How long is forever'). Robin didn't know him, but he thought the man looked quite arrogant, in the middle of the army, wearing his gold and black outfit, riding that gigantic mechanical horse…
"On his way to the palace, I suppose…" Talked a man from Robin's left.
"Yep, here comes another one." Said another man. "He doesn't look quite smart, though… I bet he's done for tomorrow…"
"Heck, I say he'd be done in five minutes!" Replied the first man. Robin, being a good outcast as he was, wasn't aware of the royal and political businesses of his city, and therefore didn't know what the men were talking about. Suddenly, Robin's thoughts were interrupted by a whitish blur that passed like a tornado next to him. The blur was rushing its way between the crowd and onto the street, were it started to slow down. When the big mechanical horse saw the blur, it started to neigh like hell, and lifted itself on its back legs, completely scared (OK… a mechanical horse can be scared. Don't we learn something new everyday?). This made Prince Warp lose his balance and fall from the horse and into the ground. And, were a second before was the whitish blur, were now Mas y Menos, completely scared by the giant horse and screaming like hell.
"Look vhat ye deed, ye stoopeed eenfants! " Yelled Warp from the floor, in a pretty strong French accent. "Ye made me loose me ggoove!"
"¡Fíjate por dónde vas, imbécil!" Replied the still-too-scared twins.
"Le vhat!" Yelled Warp, not getting one word of what the twins said, but knowing it was not nice. "Vhy, I veell z'eech ye soome manneggs, ye lateen peeg doogs!" He then threw at the kids what looked like a small, glowing ticking clock. Then, one of Robin's birdarangs appeared out of nowhere and collided with the tiny clock, changing its direction, and it was a really good thing, because a few seconds later, the clock exploded.
"One would say that being a prince and all, you would have some manners!" Said Robin. Both he and Cyborg had ran to help the children, and were now standing between the Mexican twins and the French prince.
"Ye doon't fgighten mee, ye stggeet gawts!" Said the prince, mounting again the mechanical beast, and continuing his way to the palace.
"WHO DO YOU CALL A STREET RAT!" Yelled Cyborg, losing his patience. He shot the horse with his cannon, making it stand in its back legs again, which caused Warp to fall again.
"AAAAGGHHHH!" Yelled Warp, now full with anger. Suddenly, two little guns popped out of his shoulders and fired laser beams at Robin and Cyborg, making them fall in a mud puddle. "I bloow me noose at ye!" Said Warp, remounting his horse. He was now right in front of the big walls that surrounded the palace. "Go and boil yeg bottoms, ye soons of zeelly pegsoons!"
"Well, would you look at that, Cy…" Said Robin, watching the prince enter through the main gates. "We aren't watching Discovery Channel, and yet, there is a beast riding another beast!"
"Le VHAT!" Warp looked like he wanted to continue yelling, but right then, the gates closed themselves. Then, suddenly, Warp's head appeared above the gates, and from there, he continued yelling: "I DOON'T VANT TO TAWLK TO YE NO MOOGGE, YE EEMPTY 'EADED ANEEMAL FOOD TGOOGH WIPEGS! I FAWGT IN YEG GENEGAWL DIGGECTIOON! YEG MOOTHEGS WEGGE 'AMSTEEGS AND YEG FAZHEGS SMELT OOF ELDEGBEGGIEES!"
"COME BACK HERE AND REPEAT THAT, YOU SISSY FRENCH GUY!" Yelled Cyborg on top of his lounge, waving his robotic fist menacingly.
"Come on, Cy, let's go home." Said Robin in a quiet tone. Warp's hard-to-understand words made him think. Were they really just street rats? Wasn't there nothing more for them? There should be something… right?
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Meanwhile, Warp had already entered the palace and was now walking through what looked like a lobby. In the far corner a woman sit in front of a desk reading a magazine. Warp walked towards the woman and said: "Eexcuoose moi, I'm 'ere to see zee-"
"Princess." Completed the woman without looking up from her magazine. She then pointed to the other part of the room. "She will see you in just a few seconds. Would you like to wait?"
Warp then looked at where the woman was pointing. In the middle of the room was a coffee table full with old magazines, and, lined to the walls, were several chairs, and there were other persons already sitting there. There were other three people, actually: one of them was Glrdlesklechhh (the guy seen in 'Betrothed'.), sitting in his hovering silver bowl; there was also the rock-headed alien known as Soto, with his obnoxious green dog sitting in his lap; and Count Role Freako (Control Freak actually, but wearing the outfit he wore at the end of 'Episode thingy-thingy'). Warp, feeling curious, walked towards Soto and asked: "Now, vhat kind oof pgince agge ye?"
"I'm not a prince!" Said the alien. "Doggy is prince!"
"Uh…le vhat?"
"Well, it's a big universe out there, everything's possible!" Replied the dog. "And where are you supposed to be from?"
"Vhy, I come fgom the futugge, whegge doo ye zheenk I got zhees outzgageoos accent?"
"And what are you doing here in the present?"
"Mind yer oon busineess." Said Warp while taking a magazine and sitting down.
Just then, Galfore (the big guy from 'Betrothed', also) entered the room. On his head rested a big golden crown with green gems. He looked at the people sitting patiently in the chairs and smiled. "Good, the princes have arrived." He said. Then, a pair of wooden doors opened furiously, revealing a garden at the other side. Adonis, wearing his big red armor, entered the room with a mixture of anger and fear in his face.
"I can't believe it!" He yelled. "I haven't been so humiliated in my life! I'm outta here!"
"Prince Adonis!" Said Galfore. "You're not actually leaving so soon, are you?"
"You can bet I am!" He said, turning towards the exit. This revealed that a big piece of his armor from his backside was missing-the part that covered his butt, actually. "She's the devil! The devil, I tell you! The deeeeeviiiiil!" With that, he was gone.
Galfore put a hand on his forehead and sighed. Then, trying to pull a smile on his face, he said to the other princes: "Well, who's next?" But it was too late. The others were already rushing towards the exit as well, scared by Adonis's words. When they were gone, Galfore sighed again and went into the garden that Adonis had just left. It was full of exotic purple and green plants, with big weird birds flying from one place to another; and, in the center, was a fountain, were Starfire was sitting, with a silver tiara on her head; and standing next to her, were Raven, Bumble Bee, Sarasim and Jinx, her bodyguards.
"Oh, hello, Galfore!" Said Starfire when she saw the king. "Would you wish to sit down?"
"Eh… no. Actually, I would like to have a words with you about Prince Adonis…" A sound coming from the floor made him look down. And there was Silkie, eating what suspiciously looked like the missing part of Adonis' armor.
"Oh, I didn't like him! And his behavior towards me was extremely impolite. I do not wish to see him again." Said the princess in a rather commanding tone.
"But that's what you say every time a prince comes to see you!"
"Oh, but he was being really obnoxious, he was! He… he…" She then looked to her bodyguards, trying to come up with an excuse. "He was molesting friend Raven!" She finally said.
"I feel violated." Raven added, showing no feeling in her voice or face.
"But Starfire, you know you need to marry a prince." Continued Galfore. "And there are no more princes left! You scared them all! Who are you supposed to marry now?"
"Maybe… maybe I'm not meant to marry any prince… I do not think I wish to get married, and if I do I wish to marry someone I love, not a stranger."
"But you have to. Listen, I know you don't want to, but there's a war coming, the Gordanian army is getting ready to attack us for only X'ahl knows why… and the law says that there needs to be a king to face the war, a real king. Besides, we will need an ally kingdom to face the Gordanians. You know I don't have any royal blood, I'm just your k'norfka, I'm just supposed to be the king until the princes gets married, and that princess is you."
"Then maybe I don't want to be a princess…" Said Starfire, her voice full of sadness, while looking at her reflection in the fountain's water.
Galfore frowned. He didn't like to make Starfire unhappy, and, even if her total rejection to all of the princes was annoying him, he just couldn't be angry with her, not even if he tried. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and said: "Come on, I want to show you something." The both of them then went inside the palace, and Galfore started walking towards the hall that Starfire knew leaded to the Throne Room.
"There's another thing worrying me, besides the war…" Galfore said as they reached their destiny. It was, indeed, the Throne Room. Galfore then approached to a huge window, covered with purple and gold curtains and uncovered it. The window occupied a whole wall, and almost reached the tall ceiling, and when it was uncovered, it revealed the whole city of Tamaran, and even lands beyond its walls, passing the red desert, and other smaller cities, and even beyond, where gigantic purple rock formations popped in the horizon. "You see, one day you will be queen, and all this will be yours."
"Uh… the curtains?" Said Starfire, not understanding.
"What? No! I mean these!" He said, pushing her closer to the window, showing her the view. "Those lands, all of them, and even more, beyond the horizon, will be yours when you become queen. I know I'm not you father, but I've raised you and taken care of you since you where born, practically, and I love you like my own child. I just want to be sure there will be someone protecting you when I am gone."
Starfire then stood there, watching the lands that would be hers someday and thinking in what Galfore had just said. She finally spoke: "But the curtains…"
"FORGET THE CURTAINS, OK! STUPID CURTAINS!" With that, Galfore sent a green blast from his eyes, destroying the curtains, the window, and the whole wall.
"Oh! Is it the day of Glorf-Glorf already?" Said Starfire, not fully understanding why Galfore acted like he did.
Galfore finally calmed down. "Never mind… listen, why don't you go and play with Silkie? I have some things to think about"
"As you wish, Galfore. It was nice to speak with you." Said Starfire, exiting the room. As she did, twenty workers entered quickly, carrying the needed tools to rebuild the wall that Galfore had destroyed. The big tamarean ruler then walked to the throne and let himself fall heavily on it, putting a hand on his forehead.
"Are you having a royal headache, my lord?"
Galfore looked up. There, standing in the shadows in the corner, was the tall man, with his ugly vulture on his shoulder. His face was still hiding in the darkness, and his right hand was grabbing a cane with a red gem on the top-Mad Mod's cane.
"Ah, Brother Blood, it's you." Said Galfore. The tall man walked out of the shadows revealing himself to be, indeed, Brother Blood. "It's this whole war thingy that keeps me worried. The princess hasn't chosen a husband yet, and the Gordanians have proved to be dangerous enemies before. They have got their agents into the palace before, you know…"
"Yes, my lord, I remember. Quite a tragedy, that was…" Said Brother Blood, with his eyes closed and his head down, his vulture adopting the same gesture of sorrow. "But I think I could help you, my lord."
"You could? Well, I thank you so much… but how would you help me?" Said Galfore. Brother Blood was not only the Royal Vizier and his most trusted advisor, he was also the High Priest and Ritual Master of Tamaran, and was fully respected by the people, and, being really charismatic, had a lot of followers and power; but he was also a pacifier, and therefore Galfore couldn't see how would he help him, since Brother Blood had already tried to negotiate the peace with the Gordanians and had failed.
"Well, my lord, I must say I would require to use the powers of the mystic red gem… with your permission, of course…" Said Brother Blood, taking out a great chest made of gold with antique symbols on its surface.
"The jewel of Charta?" Said the king, looking at the chest. "I really don't know… its powers are so great… It wouldn't be nice if it fell in wrong hands…"
"But I promise to be careful, my lord."
"No." Said the king in a tone that marked decision. "I'm sorry but it would be too dangerous, and I can't allow-"
"But it's the only way to get rid of all the problems…" Said Brother Blood, pointing the gem on the top of his cane at the king like if it was a weapon. Suddenly, Blood's eyes changed from blue to a glowing red, while the gem on the cane started to glow as well. This made Galfore, who was already standing up, fall heavily on the royal chair again. "Everything will be fine…" Continued Brother Blood, his voice deepening and slowing down.
"Everything… will be fine…" Repeated Galfore, staring at the red glow on the gem.
"Give… me… the… jewel…"
"Here, Brother Blood…" Galfore then took out a huge golden key with symbols matching the ones on the chest. "Take anything you need…"
"Thanks, my lord." Said Blood, taking the key and hiding it inside his red robes. "Now go to take some aspirins, and don't let your royal head get worried about anything at all."
"Yes… that would be marvelous…" Said Galfore, already exiting the room. When he was gone, Brother Blood pulled the key out again, looking at it like a big treasure.
"What a way to pull the puppet thtringth, my lowd." Said suddenly the vulture. "But I can't undewthtand how can you tolewate that big ath bone head."
"Patience, Wintergreen. He may be quite a pain in the arse, but he's also easy to manipulate. Besides, I am now one step closer to become the king, then that big idiot will see…"
"Yeth! Then, he will be kithing youw ath!"
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It's night now, and we're back in the garden were Starfire was first seen. The whole surroundings are in silence, and there's nothing moving. Then, suddenly, a figure appears, crossing the garden without making noise. The figure is covered in a dark blue cloak, and the face is covered in total darkness. Suddenly, something starts pulling the cloak from behind it, and the figure turns around only to discover Silkie, biting playfully the low part of the blue fabric.
"Silkie!" Said the princess in a quiet tone, taking down her hood. The mutant worm stopped biting the cloak and looked at the princess with pleading eyes. "I am sorry, my dear Silkie, but you cannot come with me, for my journey can be dangerous." Then, Silkie started to cry loudly, full with sadness. "Please, friend Silkie, you must not make noise…" Said Starfire, taking her pet in her arms, her own eyes becoming wet from her little friend's sorrow. "You will alert the others, and I do not wish-"
"Who's there!"
Too late.
"OK, people! You better get out before I-" Suddenly, Raven stopped, looking at Starfire. "Uh… princess? What are you doing here… at this hour… wearing one of my cloaks?"
"Oh, friend Raven, I am terribly sorry, but I must run away. I do not wish to get married, but neither do I wish this war to happen." She then put Silkie on Raven's arms, tears streaking down her face. "Please take care of Silkie, and please tell Galfore that I am most sorry for letting him down. Goodbye."
"No"
"Huh?"
"I won't let you do this. The world is a dangerous place, and my duty is to protect you. Besides, you have never been out of this walls before!"
"But, friend Raven, you said it yourself, I have never been out of this walls, what kind of life is that for any person? I am a prisoner rather than a princess… please, friend Raven, you must understand."
"I'm sorry, but it's my job." Raven then started walking towards Starfire. "I won't let you go-"
"Stop! Remember that I am the princess and you are a mere servant!" Said Starfire in a defying tone, and Raven stopped. "If you do not do as I say, I can get you arrested, or worse, executed!"
"You wouldn't do that." Said Raven, matter-of-factly. "That's not how you are."
"You are most right, I wouldn't act that way." Said Starfire looking down. "But please, friend Raven, if you don't help me because I am the princess, then would you help me because I am your friend?"
Raven knew she had got her. "Oh, fine. But promise me that if you get in trouble, you will come back."
"Yes, I promise, my friend. Goodbye." And with that, she flew into the night.
Raven watched her friend fly away until it was no longer possible to see her, and then she looked down at Silkie, who was still in her arms. Just then, the worm puked something pink, that ended covering Raven's face.
"This is so not my job…" She said in disgust.
That was chapter 3! I'm proud of how this one turned out. There may be not many jokes, but a lot of characters were introduced, and the plot starts thickening (what do you think about the whole war thingy?). By the way, Glorf-glorf day is the national tamarean day of yelling and destroying curtains… or something to that effect (as seen in 'Can I keep him?'). And the jewel of Charta is the one seen in 'Betrothed'. I just wanted to make sure those two things because I don't know if I got the names right…
Do you think I pushed Warp's accent a little too much? Oh, and about him being French… well, he was French in the original comics, and I don't think Le Blanc would have worked as well… If there's anyone French out there, please don't feel offended, he's from the future!
And in case you're wondering how the Great Palace looks… is supposed to be the same one from 'Betrothed'. Yeah, that chapter seems to be the whole source and inspiration to this story, huh? Well, what else to say… REVIEW OR ADONIS WILL GO TO YOUR HOUSE AND MOLEST YOU!