(Couple things, one I have one college class left that I'm working on this summer, and then I'm done with that. Two, I got a job and I'm working full time now, so updates are guaranteed to take a bit longer, especially since I'm working on a few other stories alongside this one. I plan on updating either this one or my other recent one, the Day After, next - as soon as I'm able to get those chapters written. As always, read, review, and enjoy!~RavensMind~)
Chapter 11: Throne of the Tyrant
"Hatred had been freed from two cells when Raven let her loose on Despair. The first required a key and approval from Raven, the second required recognition from Raven that Trigon no longer presided over Hatred's power. Free from Trigon's influence, Hatred now had to win the trust of not just Raven, but the other emotions, and Robin as well. Finally, Hatred had been given a new purpose, and a certain measure of trust. It was clear to Hatred that Raven's tower of memories had to be reordered if they hoped to permanently stop Despair's spawned armies, starting with the former seat of Trigon's influence, and ending with the guarded connection to Robin's mind. If their bond was growing and teetering on the edge of developing a deeper, more potent connection, it would require some renovations. Such was the reason Hatred gave for inviting Passion and Intelligence to join her."
Asleep and lost in dreams, Raven was allowed to rest while her emotions set about the daunting task of putting up new barriers, mending what had been damaged, and reordering her memory tower. Despair was placed in the care of a meticulously constructed cell in the dark dungeon that also housed Hatred's old cage. It was Hatred who saw to it that Raven would have a truly restful sleep, going so far as to knock out Despair. The other emotions were holding their own council as Hatred patrolled the halls, seeing that all was in its place. Righting overturned statues, correcting the many portraits hanging on the walls and ordering rooms that had been disturbed in the raids, Hatred began to renew her purpose to Raven. Trigon had always put Hatred at odds with the mind she inhabited, so acting as support to it was new to her. Planning the next move was never out of her mind, ever the vigilant crosshair; she would find the next target.
From Passion, she had learned of Robin's intentions. His commitment to helping Raven, the feelings he carried that may extend themselves beyond attraction and interest, even his recent appointment to help destroy the depression which hounded Raven's thoughts. The bond that connected his mind to her mind was foreign to him, so he was as much of an alien to Hatred as she was to him. He was important to Raven, so he would be important to her, Hatred concluded. If Hatred was going to be more pronounced in Raven's powers, in her actions, it might be helpful for Robin to know and understand more. Yet, he slept, and Hatred still had to establish herself in the memory tower again now that she was free. For her to reach across the bond to him in his dreams, she would need that former seat of power.
A plan in mind, Hatred strode purposefully through the halls, up the winding stairs, and to the floor of the tower which she had used to call home, before she was thrust into that cell. She found the door to the room she sought. It stood defiantly before her, challenging any that may pass, and torturing the very walls into which it was built. It was made of some dark stone with a twisted iron handle. The face of the door bore the mark of Scathe, forcing the intoxicating, poisonous visage of Trigon to Hatred. Through her, he had plundered his daughter's mind of power, knowledge, and strength.
Defacing that mark was the first thing she did.
Hatred held a hand over the mark and replaced it with a new symbol using her power; a raven's head done in some sort of blue etching was plastered over the old mark. Throwing the door open, Hatred walked into a grand, elegant, dusty, dark throne room and stood, taking in the old sight. A tall, red-stoned throne sat on an elevated platform that was accessed by a small set of steps in the center of the room. Narrow pillars ran parallel alongside a deep red carpet that led from the door to the seat of the throne. Bookcases stood against the walls in the dark, filled with prophecies of old and new that Trigon used. Spell tomes sat next to personal journals of Hatred. Glyphs were painted onto the walls above every bookcase, accenting the atmosphere of power that this room was meant to possess. Gemstones as deep crimson as Hatred's cloak were suspended in a few chandeliers overhead, illuminating the room in an intoxicating red.
Walking the length of the carpet to the throne, Hatred waved a hand overhead and the gemstones turned to a deep blue. As the new colored lights found the glyphs in the room, they bled their paint freely down the walls. Hatred reached her throne and gazed down at the seat. She seethed as she recalled how easily she had been manipulated and used against Raven by her father; she should have been stronger and resisted his will. Sitting down, she gripped the stone arms of the chair and slowly chanted Raven's mantra. A violet, solid circle of light appeared on the floor before Hatred's seat, and Passion rose out of it with her hand on her hip, and a smirk on her face.
"You called?" Passion asked.
"Yes. I need you to grant me access to Robin's room here, and I'll need the key to that door to his mind," Hatred said.
"No. Not happening. Raven wouldn't approve. She swore she wouldn't enter his mind again without his permission," Passion said firmly.
"I'm not going in. I just need to bring him here, or at least, I need to be able to speak with him," Hatred explained.
"But that's-."
"Allowed! She promised she wouldn't enter his mind, but he made no such promise to her. I won't let him stray, I want him here so we can work through some issues."
"What issues?" Passion asked, suspicious.
"His lack of trust in me, in Raven, and his role in ending her depression. Now, give me the key."
"I don't think so, maybe we should talk this over with the others first," Passion hesitated.
"There's not much time before they both wake up, I need to do this now. Don't test me, you know what happens if you do."
"Fine. I won't give you the key though, but I'll open the door and bring him to you. Good enough?"
"Just be quick about it," Hatred said curtly, "I'm assuming we'll have a lot to talk through."
With a nod, Passion vanished through the purple circle of light. Hatred rose from her throne once Passion was out of her sight and walked down the steps, and over to a desk with two black leather chairs sitting opposite each other near one of the many bookcases. She sat in one of them, her pure red four eyes scanning the nearest bookshelf for two particular volumes. She removed two leather-bound journals and set them on the desk before her. One of these journals she used to record Trigon's early manipulations of her and Raven, the second contained all that she had learned about Raven's power to form mental bonds with others from Trigon.
Influence that Hatred had possessed was used by Trigon to drive Raven to have such hopelessness in regards to the prophecy of her birth, which led to the end of the world that the Titans had prevented from being a permanent one. When it was over, Hatred's connection to Trigon was severed, and Raven found the power to fully bind and control Hatred, ability she had never had before. Time was wasted, Hatred believed, in being locked away. If she had been brought into the fold earlier, much of her strife could have been prevented. Despair wouldn't have had the power to depress Raven and Raven's power would have been strong enough to fight the criminals of Jump City more effectively and efficiently. Instead, that power had dwindled, thanks to Despair's aimless worry.
A surge of power jolted through the tower. Hatred was aware of Robin's entrance before the other emotions were. To ensure they wouldn't interfere, Hatred did her best to mask his presence, as the others would see it as an intrusion, and might alert Raven. If she was made aware, she might wake, and eject him from her mind. Better that she rest and entrust this to me, Hatred resolved. The doors to the room swung open and Passion led Robin inside. His unmasked eyes met Hatred's and he visibly tensed. Passion turned him into a tight, warm embrace and then gave him a smile before she left him standing by the door. He turned to look at Hatred who sat across the room and regarded her with suspicion. He was in detective mode, his demeanor defensive.
"Did Passion tell you why you're here?" Hatred asked.
"Yeah, she said you want me to work with you to help Raven," Robin said.
"And you don't believe her?"
"I believe her, I just don't believe you. Every time Raven has been angry enough to show you to us, it has never ended well, for anybody."
"Yes, I know. That's part of why I asked you here, to help you understand. Come, sit down."
Hatred flipped both journals open before her. Robin stood, shifting his weight from one foot to the next, his eyes narrowed, unsure if he should do as she said. Tentatively, he stepped forward, and crossed to the chair opposite Hatred. His eyes never left her. He sat slowly, crossing his arms as he settled into the chair.
He regarded her silently, his gaze shifting from her to the unknown glyphs on the wall, then to the bookcases, and back to her. He frowned slightly, analyzing the situation. He couldn't put her association with Trigon out of his mind. He couldn't see her in a different light.
"Think you could have an open mind for this?" she asked.
"Doubt it," he said tersely.
"I'm not the enemy here, I never was."
"Then who?"
"Trigon. He used me as his anchor here, to get to Raven."
"Why didn't you or Raven try to stop him?"
"Who said we didn't try?"
Robin fell silent, looking down at the journals between them, then to the bookcase nearest them. He read the spines of the books, noting that most of them dealt with some date or time in Raven's life concerning her powers, Trigon, or Hatred's perspective as an emotion. He glanced back to the journals and took the one containing the early interaction between Hatred, Raven, and Trigon.
"Maybe you did. What could you tell me about them?" he asked.
"Anything you'd want to know is in the volume you're holding," she said.
"Yeah, it probably is, but we don't have the time for me to read the whole thing, do we?" he asked.
"True. What would you want to know?"
"Tell me about how she knew him…when he was introduced to her as her father."
"I will tell you anything I can, but you will be bound to the same secrecy. Under no circumstances do you reveal what I tell you. Is that understood?"
"I understand. I wouldn't betray her secrets."
"Their…relationship, if you could call it one, was parasitic. Her father used her for her power and life from the first, to dominate and destroy, to further his influence in the world. Destruction followed him, so it followed her. He came to her early in her life, when she was living amongst the monks of Azarath, under their protection. He coerced her, acting like a benevolent, doting father-figure in her mind, and she blindly followed that promise of a bond, as her curiosity and need got the best of her. She wasn't as cautious as she is now, wasn't so certain of her convictions. The monks who raised her did what they could to teach her of the dark temptations of her power, but even they could only say so much without telling her the entire harsh truth: she was a tool of his to wreak untold horrors, he did not care for her or her mother or the future, only the throne he envisioned he would occupy, the place of untold, terrible power – the throne of a tyrant. Raven was not told of her purpose, was not told of her true nature, and so she pursued knowledge, a connection. She came to trust the one she perceived to be her benevolent father and listened to his counsel. From there, it was easy for him to establish himself firmly in her mind, creating a place for himself, and ambushing me. Raven wasn't aware of Trigon when he came to me, threatened me, bound me, and asserted his own mind on me. I became his hatred, as well as hers, and they've battled for control of her will and mind through me ever since. He influenced her, she came to him, and he entered the mortal world again – destroying her home world of Azarath, as he intended when he seduced her mother and sired her. She was at least partially responsible for the destruction of Azarath and the deaths of those closest to her – who tried their best to care for her, raise her, and protect her from her father. She fled, she tried to sever her ties to him, she came here and tried to help where she could, while she could, so that she might atone for what she had done, all the while knowing that what had happened to Azarath will happen again, to this world," Hatred explained.
Robin sat back in the chair, absorbing what she told him. He had guessed that there were some awful secrets that she had never revealed to him or the other Titans, but this was like nothing he could have expected. If she had told him that through her participation, her father destroyed a world, and left it to ruin. She may have been coerced, manipulated, and misled, but still – without her, it would not have happened. It colored his opinion of her. She must have known it would have made him and the others wary of her, less trusting of her. He frowned, annoyed that he had to learn of this through Hatred, and not from Raven directly. He felt his outrage rise and fall as he took deep breaths and considered that her father had used her. He didn't know what he could blame her for exactly; she was as much of a victim of Trigon's as any who died at the end of her home world. Something must have shown in his expression, as Hatred observed his reaction and a small scowl crossed her face.
"Don't give me that look, here, now, when I'm trying to help you both," Hatred said.
"What look?" he asked.
"You well know. That distrusting, pitying look you so often give her when she tells you of her issues with Trigon. It doesn't make her willing to tell you anything other than 'go away,'" she explained.
"Sorry, I just…I wish she would have told me this herself, a long time ago. It would have helped us, so we could have been ready for her father to show himself," he said.
"May I remind you that the only reason she knows anything about your parents is because of her time in your mind? You didn't share that information with her willingly, or freely. It angered her to think that you didn't trust her or your friends to know more about you," she said.
"There are things that nobody but me should know. And other things that I can't talk about."
"Can't or won't?"
"Both."
"Not even with her?"
"Maybe. I'm not sure…yet."
"Waiting to see if you can find the nerve to tell her you do love her, and if she will say the same to you?"
"Do you know what she would say?"
"In that, I know nothing more than you do already. Help me and you will get a better idea of how she feels."
"What are you planning?"
"Building a bridge, which should strengthen your bond with her, and give you certain perks you didn't have before."
"Why?"
"She's concerned that you don't trust her…or recognize her when her demonic side shows in her powers, when she uses powers I have recently given her. This might put your mind at ease if you can connect to her through your bond."
"Right…and what else will it do?"
"It will just make you both more aware of each other, you should be able to tell certain emotions she feels, and maybe exchange a few unspoken thoughts."
"And that's all?"
"For now. In time, you could both train it to give you other benefits, if you wanted to."
"Why didn't she talk to me about this? I'd feel better if she had explained it, instead of you bringing it to me in my sleep."
"She needs a restful sleep and she would still need you to be here as you are to do it. I'm just helping her; it also helps me settle into my new role for her."
"New role?"
"Yes, to get away from painful associations, I'm expanding what I help her deal with. After this bridge is finished, I put aside what I was as Hatred, and support Raven as her Wrath."
"How is that different?"
"I get a new place in responding with a just anger, instead of acting as the vicious, disloyal attack dog I've been under Trigon's influence."
For the first time since he had walked into the room with Passion, Robin smiled at Hatred.
"I can work with that," he said.
"Good. Now, shall we? This needs to be done before it's time for her to wake up, I can only ensure she's asleep for so long."
"Now? I don't even know what I'm really doing yet. I'd like to know more before I-."
"No time. Come with me now. I'll give you this book once we're so that you might absorb it in your dreams, and from it you'll learn what you need to know as well as how to best help her out of this."
"And she'll listen to me?"
"Naturally. She defers to you regularly because you're a proven leader and trusted friend, so, follow her down, and lead her back up."
"I'll do it, but I know it's not gonna be easy or simple, so don't make it sound that way."
"As you say."
Hatred led Robin from her throne room and through the tower. Walking down the halls, Robin noted certain marked doors – Starfire's, Beast Boy's, Cyborg's, Terra's, and other Titans. She must have a room for everyone she's known, he thought. They passed by a door different from the rest and it caught Robin's attention so that he hadn't noticed his walk slow to stop before it. Hatred paused and looked back at him, looking at his eyes look over the door. An 'A' was engraved on the handle.
"What's in there?" he asked.
"Arella's room. Raven's mother," she said.
"Raven never talks about her."
"And you've been so open about your parents," she remarked dryly.
"Is she still alive?" he asked, ignoring Hatred's comment.
"Yes. Raven only contacts her when she needs to, and prefers the distant connection. Arella conjures up too many old, bad memories for Raven, and was more of a protector than a mother. The two have never been on the best terms, it's complicated."
"I didn't ask for an explanation."
"No, but you would have."
"Yeah…I guess I would."
"Shall we move on now?"
"Does she have any other family?"
"No. You, Arella, her emotions, and the rest of your team… are all she has now. You can relate to that though, can't you?"
"Basically, sure, but my mom is dead, so not totally."
"But you have a distant relationship with the man who claims you as his ward now, don't you?"
Robin said nothing and continued walking down the hall as Hatred turned and led them onward through the tower. Despite that Raven knew about his past, it still unnerved him to hear his anything related to his secrets spoken aloud. His team knew his mentor's identity now, but Robin would keep the relationship he had with the man a secret for as long as he could. Denying Hatred's words wouldn't have done any good, and he didn't want to respond to the assumption.
Slipping into the room that Raven had dedicated to Robin, they went to the door that Robin had used to enter her mind. Hatred opened the door to reveal another door, surrounded by pitch blackness.
"Unlock the door," Hatred said simply.
"With what?" Robin asked.
"Your key," she said.
"I don't have a key," he said.
"No? Check your utility belt," she suggested.
He did as she said and after a lengthy search, found not one, but three identical keys.
"What are the other two for?" he asked.
"One is yours, another is-," Hatred began.
"Mine," Passion said with a wide smile, as she popped into the room through a dark portal in the floor.
"And the third?" he asked.
Hatred and Passion shared a quick glance and then focused on him. There was a brief silence that sent a chill through him, as though they were about to shove him over the edge of some tall building. His confident manner wavered in the face of something unknown, and he could only guess as to what he was to be said. He thought he heard something on the other side of the door and looked toward it. He noticed Passion and Hatred shift their gaze to it as well.
"The third…is for your Passion," Hatred said.
"My what?" he asked.
"Where do you think this door goes? What do you think you'll find when you open it? Your mind. Your own emotions. Your own place of memories. They don't command the same urgency that Raven's emotions do since you do not have demonic powers to worry about, but they exist and function as we do," Passion explained.
He shifted nervously on his feet. He wasn't sure he wanted to deal with his own emotions like this, it wasn't something he had to worry about before. His memories would be displayed openly in his own mind, and his heart sank at the prospect. Some space for Slade, Batman, and his parents would be there. Some space for all the criminals would be there.
An apprehensive look must have crossed his face, for Passion laid her hand on his shoulder. His eyes snapped to hers and he saw the source of Raven's warmth in her eyes. Nodding curtly, he stood firmly again and gave her an appreciative smile.
"You won't have to deal with them much if you don't want to, you don't have to explore if you don't want to, I can work with your Passion to make this connection stronger - so you only need to give him a key," Passion reassured him.
"You'll work this out with him?" Robin asked.
"Yes, this and more… I expect I'll be seeing more of him if you're serious about Raven," Passion said with a smirk.
"We do this to open your mind to hers, to let us work with your emotions, to build a stronger bond. These keys let you control when you will allow a connection from her to you or you to her. In this, I have to warn you, after we get rid of her depression, should anything happen to her that alters her mind; you are to lock your mind – this door. Do not leave it unsecured. Only unlock it when she is herself again. She must do the same for you," Hatred explained.
"What if I want to help her?" he asked.
"You could, but it would cost you to. You will be vulnerable to what effects she suffers and it would sap you of strength," Hatred said.
"If something happens, I'll help her, I know she would do the same for me," he said.
That earned him a beaming smile and warm regard from Passion, but Hatred held a frown on her face. Without another word, he used his key to unlock the door and pulled it open. He looked out across a great chasm and took in what lay beyond. Robin stood on the side of a cliff just outside Raven's Titans Tower-style memory tower and across empty space from him on an opposite cliff sat Wayne Manor, next to a carnival-style circus tent. He felt himself shudder as he stepped forward to the edge of the cliff. Without thinking, letting his feet carry him, he stepped off the edge and felt stones beneath his feet. Stones flew from both cliff-faces to settle beneath his footfalls, forming a make-shift bridge for him as he crossed from her tower to his mansion, her mind to his. He never looked down. His eyes were fixated on the manor before him. Stepping off the bridge and onto the other side of the cliff, he felt something surge through him. He instinctively walked over to a door at the side of the manor and opened it. A version of himself in a purple-variant of his uniform stood before him with a smirk on his face.
"Passion, right?" Robin asked.
"Right. Got something for me?" the purple-eyed Robin asked eagerly.
With a nod, Robin handed over one of the two remaining keys. Robin's Passion took it and put it into his own utility belt and stepped back, motioning for Robin to enter. They stood in a large gallery that housed all sorts of photos, decorations, and items that related to Raven in some way or another. His own iteration of the room he had left to cross the bridge. Raven's room. The mash up of his memories of Raven combined with the décor of Wayne Manor was oddly comforting and felt perfectly, just right. His Passion watched him scan the room, anticipating his approval.
"This place was always here?" Robin asked, referring to the mansion.
"Basically, yeah. First time you've actually been in here though," Robin's Passion said, almost sadly.
"Has this room always felt…right?" Robin asked, fishing for confirmation of his own feelings.
"It has for a while, I've been trying to tell you that, but the others talk over me, especially Cleverness. He just never stops working, or talking about what we have to ignore or focus on. You only started listening to me recently."
"Sorry. I guess I'll try and listen more."
"Yeah, you better. Try and come here when you sleep some time, you should be able to do that now, I'll show you around, but I need to get you back into a restful sleep."
"Whatever you say."
The two turned and walked out the door, heading to the make-shift bridge. Robin's Passion stopped upon seeing Raven's Passion standing next to Raven's Hatred, now Wrath, on the bridge. Robin watched as the two Passions met at the center of the bridge and stood but inches from each other. From his place, he could only see the face of Raven's Passion, and she was blushing deeply with an adorable small grin on her face. Raven's Wrath stepped up between them, took one of Robin's Passion's hands and one of Raven's Passion's hands and brought them together, clasped them tightly and then stepped back. And as the two passions locked lips in a deep kiss, Robin was swept into a deep sleep, returned to his dreams.
