Author's Note: I'm so happy the last chapter got such positive feedback! It's great that Talan was so well-received since it's my first time working with an original character, and I was worried since he plays a pretty big role in the plotline. Midnight Lies noticed that I did slightly model him after Red X. I love Red X. The two won't be exactly alike, of course, but I do have that character in mind while I'm writing Talan. cutter-with-a-cause was also right in her guess that there would be Talan/Rae/Robin, but there won't be much as I'm trying to stay away from too much Main Character/OC Character romances. As for the other people who reviewed and some who even put this story on their favorites list (that's so cool!), you guys rock. Please keep reviewing. You have no idea how much I love reading reviews. It's so sad. ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.

Polaris: Home Planet

The room was deathly silent, save for the squeals of "Princess Starfire! Please!" coming from just outside the door. As if in a daze, Robin moved to the entryway and revealed two, midget-sized orange creatures nearly falling over themselves in an attempt to knock down the door. "Princess Starfire!" they begged, "We need to speak to…"

"Princess Starfire," Talan finished for them, exasperated. "Yes, we know already. Calm yourselves, puerile creatures. He turned to the tall alien. "I assume you are the Princess they speak of?" His tone was spiteful. The creatures looked affronted but as Talan was hidden from their view, their attentions were soon diverted.

Starfire's chin rose defiantly. "I am." She glided over to the little creatures and bent before them. "Please, for what do you need assistance?"

Talan threw his arms up in the air, his cloak billowing out behind him. "Do none of you listen? There is a war, a war between the Tamaraneans and the…"

"Wicked Azaratheans!" the small orange aliens chorused together. "Vile, despicable beings, scourge of the galaxy, bane of the…"

Talan stepped forward, into their view. His lips held a threatening sneer. "Would you like to continue?"

The aliens shrieked upon recognizing his pale, pointed face and Azarathean garb, and they ran to safety behind their princess. "They have come for you! They have come for you! Escape while you can before he causes you harm!"

"Nobody has any intentions of harming anybody here," Raven spoke, mildly irritated. The small orange aliens caught sight of her as well and cowered further.

"Two!" they wept. "Two of the lowly, wretched creatures!"

Talan seemed to magnify in size as he grew truly angry for the first time. "You will hold your tongue!" he roared. "Princess Raven shall not be spoken of in such a manner!"

"Again with the Princess Raven," Beast Boy mumbled.

"Term of endearment," Raven hissed, sending him a glare.

"I should think not," Talan said scornfully. "I can't believe you didn't tell them before of your status. But then again, you always did resent the crown on your head. Why, I cannot say."

All occupants of the room turned to face her, curiosity plainly written across their features. "It was a curse," Raven said simply. They sighed and turned away, berating themselves for having expected a clear answer from the dark girl. A few moments of silence ensued, only to be shattered by the bothersome Tamaranean messengers.

"What will your answer be, Princess Starfire?" they pressed. "Will you and your friends, the Titans," the two paused in unison to send an uncertain glance Raven's way, "aid Tamaran in our struggle for victory against the Azaratheans?"

"I'm pretty sure we have a problem, guys," Beast Boy said in the silence that ensued.

"Shut up, Beast Boy," Robin ordered.

"Really now," Talan scoffed. "To be fair, I did ask first."

"Shut up, Talan," Raven ordered.

Starfire looked hesitant as she studied Raven's emotionless features. "I…I must give assistance to my home planet," she finally said as she hung her head.

The rest of the Titans seemed torn as they looked back and forth between Starfire and Raven. A collective "err" of discomfort was issued. None wanted to be the first to side with either girl. The messenger aliens, however, cheered in the background.

Talan cleared his throat. "So what will your answer be, Princess Raven? Will you also aid your home planet in our time of need?"

The room was bathed in silence once again. Raven seemed frozen into place. Tension crackled, almost audibly, through the room. Finally, Raven spoke. "I will fight in the battle." The Titans seemed to deflate while Talan's eyes lit in triumph. But Raven had not finished. "But not with the Azaratheans. I will fight alongside my friend, Starfire." Her hands flicked up her hood instantly after, to disguise any expression that might have been displayed across her face.

Every jaw in the room dropped in shock, but Starfire was the first to recover. "Oh, friend Raven!" she squealed, bounding over to her friend to envelop her in a bone-crushing hug. "You have no conception of the happiness you have bestowed upon me. I was certain your sense of loyalty to your planet would cause a rift in our friendship as we would inevitably be forced to partake in battle in opposition to each other."

"Star, if you don't let go of me now, I won't be able to battle on any side," Raven choked out.

Starfire released her immediately, looking sheepish. "My apologies, friend Raven. My enthusiasm was overpowering."

"It's all right, Star," Raven said tonelessly.

Slowly, the others in the room began to snap out of their respective stupors. Most of the Titans appeared relieved, glad they would not have to choose between their friends, although Raven noted that Cyborg was staring at her skeptically, and Robin also seemed to be…concerned? Why? He would have chosen to side with his precious Starfire anyway.

Out of all of them, Talan was the only one to audibly question her decision. "Your planet, Princess Raven…"

"Is not my concern anymore," Raven said sharply. "My loyalties lie with my friends now."

"Fine," Talan said, knowing when he was defeated. "Then will I align myself with the Tamaraneans as well."

"What?" gasped every other person in the room.

Talan smirked at them. "My loyalties lie with my Princess."

"If this is some type of plan to spy on Tamaran, Talan…" Raven warned.

"No deception here," Talan said cheerfully. "Read my thoughts if you must."

"Azar knows what I'll find there," Raven grumbled, but after a moment or two of silence, it was clear that she was indeed probing through his mind. A few minutes later, she gave a weary sigh, finding nothing to indicate he might be lying. "Fine. You may join us."

"Whoa," Beast Boy said, noticeably alarmed. "Can you do that with us too?"

Raven turned to face him and the rest of the uncomfortable Titans. "You all have nothing to worry about. Mind reading is something I can only do with other Azaratheans."

"And only because she's the princess," Talan put in.

Raven fixed an annoyed glower on him. "I am not the princess anymore. The Azaratheans mean nothing to me."

"Just because you ran away doesn't mean you're not still royalty," Talan said.

"Actually, it does," Raven shot back. "If my sources are right, then Azarath has placed Streya's family on the throne, making her the princess."

Talan waved her words off as if they were meaningless. "The Meere line is only the sovereign through election. You, however, dear Raven, are royalty by blood. Any time you wish to come back and reclaim your rightful place, they shall be disposed of immediately."

"They have nothing to worry about then because I'm not interested," Raven said, her tone unpleasant.

"You never were, darling. You never were."

"Will you stop with the nauseating pet names?" Raven demanded. "I'm not your darling nor your dear."

"As you wish, Princess," Talan said, at ease.

"He's gonna get it now," Beast Boy whispered to Cyborg. Cyborg shushed him hurriedly.

Raven clenched her fists. Then she unclenched them only to clench them again. The few closest to her, Talan, Starfire, and Robin could hear her muttered chant "Anger is pointless. Anger is pointless…" Slowly, her fingers relaxed. She gazed back up at Talan, her expression hard. "If I'm your princess, then you will not defy a direct order from me, correct?"

"I'm at your mercy," Talan said merrily. Beast Boy, however, blanched in the background, most likely imagining the idea of being at Raven's mercy. "I must inform you though: I'm rather abysmal at ordinary household chores. I'm more of a fun diversion kind of guy. Jokes, games, sexual favors…"

"That's enough, Talan," Raven said quickly.

"More than enough," Robin growled, stepping up behind her.

Talan raised his dark eyes to Robin's mask. "I was not addressing you. My offers are on the basis of a heterosexual relationship. Unless, of course, you are a long lost Azarathean prince."

Robin's face twisted, disgusted. Raven jumped back into the conversation before a brawl could be initiated. She had often seen Talan's behavior provoke another man into throwing a punch. While normally she wouldn't care, she knew Talan was strong, and despite Robin's skill in hand-to-hand fights, Talan was dirty as well. He didn't care how uneven the battlefield was, just so long as he won. He would not hesitate in bringing powers into the equation. Powers that Robin didn't possess. "Talan," she said, "as your princess, I expressly order you to hold your tongue."

Talan pouted. "You drive a hard bargain, Princess." His smile ventured on masochistic. "Anything else?"

Raven didn't miss a beat. "Yeah, actually. Stay away from me." A hard stare and flick of a dark purple cloak later, she had left the room.

The remaining Azarathean began to follow after her, but a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him. "She told you to keep away, Talan," Robin said coldly. "You wouldn't defy your princess, would you?"

"Certainly not," Talan said with a cocky grin. "I was just looking for the bathroom. Long flight, you know?"

Robin's shoulders slumped. "Down the hall, second door on your left," he said. As an after thought, he added pointedly to the alien's retreating back, "And nowhere near Raven's room."

"I hoped not," Talan laughed as he disappeared around the corner.

"Should we really let him out of our sight, Robin?" Cyborg spoke up, his tone harsh.

"No," Robin said authoritatively. "Go monitor the security cameras. If he does anything suspicious, alert me immediately. The same goes for if he tries to go anywhere near Raven's room."

"Gotcha," Cyborg said and marched off to follow orders. He didn't mind so much. It was satisfying seeing the technology he had implanted himself into the tower put to good use.

"Starfire," Robin said, apparently still in a dictating mood, "do something with those things," he pointed at the tiny Tamaraneans who were currently bouncing around the room gleefully and singing the praises of their princess. "Question them and find out all we need to know about this war or throw them in a closet. I don't really care."

Starfire nodded enthusiastically. "I will propel the knowledge we need from them."

Robin scratched the back of his head. "I think you mean pump the…you know what, never mind. You go ahead and propel knowledge from them, Star."

Collecting the two small aliens, Starfire's demeanor changed from happy to slightly less happy and more serious as she began to interrogate them on the nature of the war they would be fighting in while steering them towards her room for more privacy. She spoke in the language of Tamaran, making it impossible for Robin to listen in.

He turned to the final occupant in the room. "And Beast Boy?"

Beast Boy looked eager to be useful for once. "Yeah?"

Robin seemed at a loss. "Um, you stay away from Raven too."

"Oh," Beast Boy said, literally deflating before Robin's eyes.

Robin winced. If he didn't think fast, he would have a very moody changeling on his hands. Nobody, especially him, was in the mood to deal with that. "And, uhh, clean up your PlayStation. Buy a new one or something too."

"Cool!" Beast Boy exclaimed, his eyes shining. "Can I get new games for it too?"

"Sure," Robin said, distracted.

"Awesome! Wait till you see what I bring home! They just came out with Doom Speed Blowout 3000 and five, and Crater Explosion Double-Loaded, and Super Space Galaxy Wars with special features!" Beast Boy said as he danced in front of his leader. Robin opened his mouth to say more, but Beast Boy raced out of the tower before he could, cackling all the way.

"Just wait! Just wait!" Robin could hear Beast Boy's faint yells in the distance.

He frowned. "Maybe I made a mistake."

"Not entirely hard to believe," Raven said, materializing behind him. "You've made plenty before." She paused for a second as if mulling something over in her head. "But I'm going to have to agree that letting Beast Boy loose in an electronics store with no limit to his spending is one of the more stupid ones."

"Thanks for the reassurance," Robin said dryly. He turned to face her. "Why aren't you in your room anyway? Was Talan bothering you? I told Cyborg to let me know if he was."

"No," Raven interrupted before Robin could launch himself into a full-fledged rant. "Talan actually listened for once. He hasn't come anywhere near me."

"Good, I could tell he was bothering you," Robin said. Raven's raised brow caused him to launch into an explanation. "It was dangerous. You could have exploded the TV or something."

"Nice," Raven said shortly, turning away from him.

"I was joking," Robin said hurriedly as he reached for her. "I'm sorry; it wasn't very funny."

"You were right though," Raven said. "My powers are dangerous. To everyone."

"That's not true," Robin protested.

"It is," Raven said simply. "But I've gotten better control of them. They aren't as big a threat as they used to be. Otherwise, I really might have blown up the tower earlier."

"Must have been hard to choose between your friend and your planet," Robin said sympathetically.

"I'm not in the mood to discuss it," Raven said.

"But…"

Raven cut him off sharply before he could finish. "I ran away from Azarath, Robin. That's how bad it was. I had no intentions of helping them even before I knew they were fighting Tamaran."

"If you say so," Robin said, uncertain.

"I do," Raven said. "And I don't appreciate you insinuating that I'm a liar."

"I'm not," Robin said, eyes wide behind his mask.

"You are, but I'm not in the mood to argue," Raven countered.

Robin opened his mouth then shut it again. An awkward silence ensued in which he repeated the process a few more times before Raven walked out of the room towards the kitchen, not sparing another word for him. Robin frowned. Lately, he had noticed her doing that a lot. It was if the short conversation preceding her exit exhausted all the words she had to use for the day, and she was too winded for even a goodbye. Robin sighed as he heard clinking from inside the kitchen, no doubt Raven making her herbal tea. He, for one, did not know how she could swallow the stuff.

He stood in center of the room for a couple more minutes and listened to Raven move around the kitchen. This is pointless, he thought, exasperated. Maybe I should go watch the cameras with Cyborg or something. He nodded to himself, unable to think of a better plan, and strolled out of the room and into the hallway. He was just passing by the training room when he bumped into his least favorite person at the moment, Talan. Robin was determined to walk by and ignore the alien, but Talan stepped right in front of him, blocking his pathway.

"Yes?" Robin said, after attempting to sidestep the other boy and failing. Talan was quick.

The Azarathean smirked. "Nice place you got here. Rooms are big and well…roomy."

"It's a common quality," Robin said as he rolled his eyes. Talan couldn't see, of course, but his tone more than conveyed his aversion.

Talan was undeterred. "However, I did notice—not really any guest bedrooms set up or anything."

"That's too bad," Robin said. "I guess you'll have to find somewhere else to stay. The city just bought new park benches."

Eyes flashing momentarily, Talan was quick to compose himself. "Oh, really now. No need for that. Like I said, the rooms are big, and I don't take up much space." Now, his eyes gleamed. "I'd be more than willing to share with somebody."

Robin caught the insinuation immediately. "You're not going anywhere near Raven. I doubt she'd ever be willing to share with you anyway."

Talan laughed. It was smooth and effortless, much like everything else about him. "That's where you're wrong. Raven has gladly shared her bed with me in the past."

The tips of Robin's ears burned as an angry flush spread across the back of his neck and his cheeks. "That's enough, Talan," he said, echoing Raven's words from earlier in the day. The guy had a way of pushing the limits of what was acceptable.

However, Talan paid no heed. "What's the matter, Robin? You don't like hearing about past encounters Raven's had? Does it bother you? Are you embarrassed? No, better yet, are you jealous?"

"No," Robin said firmly, determined not to let Talan get to him.

"Really?" the other boy whispered, close to his ear. "You don't feel anything in the slightest at the image of Raven under me, panting my name? Nothing stirs when you think about how in love she was with me, back when she wasn't as strict with her emotions?"

"Shut up, Talan," Robin said. His voice was tighter now.

Talan crossed his arms, satisfied. "So you do feel something. Poor color-blinded creature is jealous, after all."

Robin finally broke. He lunged forward at the unsuspecting Azarathean boy, pinning him to the wall. "I'm not," he hissed.

"Then why are you getting so upset?" Talan asked, obviously amused.

"Raven doesn't deserve to be talked about that way by anyone, especially a lowlife like you."

"Defending her honor, are you?" Talan said, an eyebrow quirked, "How…touching."

Robin snarled. His hold on Talan's cloak grew tighter. "Raven's my friend."

"Why she'd choose you as a friend is beyond me," the alien said condescendingly.

"Well, she definitely has better taste in friends than in boyfriends," Robin challenged.

"I wouldn't have called myself a boyfriend," Talan said thoughtfully. His smirk deepened. "But I suppose she may have."

"You're sick," Robin growled.

"I only speak the truth," Talan said, failing to look innocent. "I'm afraid I meant much more to dear Princess Raven than she did to me back then. But with her best friend Streya waiting for me in her bed, how could I really take the relationship seriously?"

"Bastard!" Robin roared, pulling back his fist in hopes of knocking out a few of those perfectly white teeth revealed by a cruel sneer. Before his fist could make a connection, however, two things happened. Talan sent a black wall of magic between them, and somebody pulled his arm back from behind.

"Whoa, Robin," Cyborg said. "I don't think Raven would like you beating up on her friend."

"Trust me," Robin said, glaring, "I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

Cyborg sighed. "Maybe not. But I still think it'd be best not to punch someone out while they're staying with us."

"If you had heard the things he said…" Robin said, shaking his head. He wouldn't be the one to repeat what Talan had said so crudely about Raven.

Cyborg seemed to sense this and let it pass. "Then I'd probably be right beside you, man, I know. Maybe it's best that I didn't hear. Come on, just let the little weasel go, and we'll cool off somewhere."

It wasn't often Cyborg was the voice of reason, but he was convincing when he was, Robin mused as he reluctantly loosened his hold on the Azarathean. Talan was smart and knew to take an exit when offered, but not without an insolent wink as a parting gift.

"I really don't like that guy," Robin said as he watched Talan's red cloak disappear from view. Cyborg nodded in agreement.

Notes and References...

(1) The video games are made up. Again. Just don't even bother thinking I know anything about that stuff.

(2) Raven and Robin aren't together yet. They don't even like each other in that way yet despite what Talan said. Don't worry it'll come. It's going to be a gradual thing. But right now they're just good friends.