Chapter Twenty-Seven
Arrival
"Stupid Robin." Beast Boy growled as he marched through the underbrush, trying to cool his temper. "Stupid anal, Type A, Batman clone, reject from a gay parade!"
Beast Boy lifted his fists and bellowed into the air "WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO GET A BREAK HERE!"
"Friend Beast Boy, what is wrong? Why do you desire the 'break'?" asked a certain alien princess, who had noticed Beast Boy's angry march through the foliage.
Beast Boy jumped in the air a little and turned around. When he realized that it was Starfire he relaxed. Then he remembered that he had just called her boyfriend a reject from a gay parade and started sweating.
"Oh, hey Star…it's just an expression."
"You are evading the question, friend Beast Boy. I ask again: what is wrong?" Starfire was giving him a look every female of any species instinctively knows: the Getting Info from an Unwilling Male look.
"I…have you ever had trouble with…you know…"Beast Boy shifted uncomfortably.
"You are having the boyfriend and girlfriend problems with friend Raven, correct?"
Beast Boy leaped up again. "How did you that I-"
Starfire giggled. "I may not know your Earth customs, or the customs of this planet we are on now, but I am not blind to what is very obvious. You have deep affection for friend Raven, affection that is much deeper than just friendship."
Beast Boy fidgeted. "Yeah, but…she's so shy, Starfire! I don't know how to tell her I like her without scaring her away!" His ears lowered "I don't even know if she likes me at all…and every time I try to…you know find out someone always walks in on us! I mean, first it was Cyborg and then it was Robin and...It's just so frustrating!"
"I have had similar problems with friend Robin, only it is not because he is shy, it is because he is a fool." Starfire smiled at the dumbstruck look on Beast Boy's face. "Do not misunderstand, friend Beast Boy, I love Robin dearly, but I am not blind to his faults. It is true that he is kind, courageous and loyal, but he is also obsessive, stubborn and when it comes to matters of the heart, extremely stupid."
"Yeah, how long did it take him to realize he liked you?" Beast Boy asked.
"Far to long, friend Beast Boy…how long have you known of your feelings for friend Raven?"
"Well, ever since the museum incident…but I don't know how long they have been there…"
Starfire grinned "Perhaps all Earth boys are dumb?"
"Hehe, maybe…but my problem isn't that I don't know I love Raven, because I do, I just don't know how to tell her. And I don't know if she likes me."
"I believe that she might, but as you said she is quite shy." Starfire said. "I believe that she might suffer from fears brought on by the Malchior dragon…and Terra."
"What does Terra have to do with this?" Beast Boy asked.
"Did you not have feelings for Terra?"
"No…I mean, yeah I had a crush on her, but I…It's not the same! I love Raven, but Terra…Terra was just someone I thought I liked, not someone I really liked. Does that make any sense?"
"To me, yes, but Raven might not think of it this way. Think of how you would feel if Raven was still attracted to the Malchior dragon, would you not also feel scared and uncertain?"
"You're right…I guess Terra was the biggest mistake I ever made." Beast Boy started pacing around. "I mean, it's not like she was a bad friend…but she broke my heart so many times. It was kind of obvious the last time I saw her that she doesn't really care about me…and I don't think I care about her as much as I used to. God! That sounds so horrible, doesn't it!?"
"No, it just means that you have gotten over Terra. If she were around today you might be friends, but I doubt you would be lovers. Just because you have found out that you love another more than you loved someone in the past does not make this wrong."
"But how do I convince Raven of this…I mean, have you noticed how low her self-esteem is?" Beast Boy's ears drooped ever further.
"I am sorry, friend Beast Boy, I do not know how to rise Raven's esteem of self." Starfire's eyes brightened. "But perhaps there is a way to make sure that the next time the two of you have the romantic moment that you will not be interrupted."
"What?...you're going to run interference for us?"
"Something like that…I will have to think on this."
"Yeah, you should probably head for bed Star."
"Goodnight friend Beast Boy."
"'Night."
"But…what is a "gay parade"?
"Ummmm, forget it!"
"Let me in, I need to see the king."
A young Nazlar boy, barely out of childhood, spoke to the guards at his grandfather's room with a look that suggested that he expected to be obeyed and right now.
"Of course, Prince Seerka." The guard willingly opened the door for the young Nazlar. They knew perfectly well that if Seerka wanted to talk to the king this late it was probably important, and it was not a good idea to delay this boy. Seerka was a very particular Nazlar. He was one of the few Nazlar who had precognitive abilities. Basically, he could see the future.
They did not even bother to walk in and check to make sure the king would be alright. A human guard would have felt the need to play bodyguard, but the Nazlar did not feel like this was necessary, since Seerka was the king's own grandson. The Nazlar would never imagine that a family member might bring harm to another family member. It was unimaginable for them to even conceive of such a notation.
"Grandpa?" Seerka inquired as soon as he walked in.
"Seerka? Is something wrong?" King Zarule said. "Have you seen something?"
"We're going to have visitors tomorrow."
Zarule grinned. "I take it they are not normal visitors, right?"
"It's her, Grandpa, h'Radoni."
"What! Are you sure...never mind, of course you are sure."
"You know of that team she joined, Grandpa? She is bringing them as well."
"Hmp, I don't care if she brings half of Earth with her as long as she shows up! Just think, Seerka, we will finally get to meet her! Since she is coming of her own free will no one can object! Especially not her mother."
Seerka nodded. Arella was kind of strange subject for the Nazlar rulers. One the one hand their natural devotion to family demanded that they be involved in the lives of their relatives, even the illegitimate ones. However, in Nazlar society it is the mother that takes precedence over the father in most matters, and since Arella wanted Raven's relatives on her father's side to have nothing to do with her…
Zarule was not even sure if the girl knew that she even HAD a home here! He had always made it as clear as he could that she would be welcomed in the Nazlar kingdom if she came, but since he had never even been allowed to see her at all he did not know if she knew this.
But she was coming now, and Zarule could not have been a happier ruler.
The Titans stared at the Nazlar king's castle. It looked very much like something torn out of a storybook. The thing was on a freaking HILL! It had a freaking town below it! There was even a winding path! One almost expected Tinkerbelle to pop in a wave a magic wand over it! This fact made Raven more nervous than she had been before if that were possible. In fact it looked like she wanted to just turn around and run away. She did not, but her friends could tell that she was uncomfortable.
It did not help that the entire Nazlar patrol kept referring to her as "Your Highness"…or "milady", which kind of contributed to the nerves.
"What is wrong, friend Raven?" Starfire asked her; very curious as to why her friend was acting so nervous.
Raven sighed. "I just…the way they are treating me," she nodded at the Nazlar "They think I'm some sort of royalty but-"
"But are you not the daughter of one of their princes?" Starfire asked.
"I'm Trigon's daughter." Raven muttered. "I don't deserve this."
"Raven that is foolish! Of course you deserve this!"
"Starfire I don't know the first thing about being royalty! What if I screw it up?"
"How?"
"I don't know…and that's the problem! What if I do something offensive like use the wrong utensil or insult one of them or…or…" Raven's voice fell almost to a whisper "What if they hate me?"
Starfire leaned over on her horse and put a hand on her friend's slightly shaking shoulder. Although you could not tell by looking at her Raven was trembling all over. Starfire could tell that she was scared, but was having difficulty understanding why. She would have thought that meeting your relatives, who happened to live in a very pretty dwelling place, would be a joyous time.
"Raven, I have no doubt that your relatives will like you…and even if they do not it shall not matter. You said so yourself when you defeated Trigon that we are your family, and nothing in the universe will change that. Even if these people do not like you, you will always have us!"
Raven smiled a little bit, it was still very small and almost nonexistent, but it was still there and Starfire could see it. Starfire resisted the urge to give Raven a hug, she knew Raven was not fond of hugs.
At that precise moment a certain Boy Wonder rode up on his horse with an odd look on his face. "Hey Star, mind if I talk to Raven for a moment…you know…alone."
Starfire gave him an odd look and then rode away…but not to far that she could not eavesdrop on the conversation. It was a good thing that normal people did not know the capabilities of alien eardrums that well.
"What do you want?" Raven snarled, still a bit sore over last night.
"Ummm, what is going on between you and Beast Boy? I think I might have interrupted something last night-"
"Brilliant deduction, Sherlock. What will you figure out next? The fact that the sky has clouds?"
"Raven please…I need to know."
"Why?"
"Team dynamics."
Raven snorted. More than likely it is because he can't pick up signals. Idiot! Boy Wonder indeed. Really should have been Boy Blunder.
"Raven…what is going on. Do…you like Beast Boy?"
Raven's eyes darted to a very interesting looking bird on the branch of a tree. It kind of looked like a male cardinal, only it was pink and had blue tail feathers. It made a very pleasant twitter.
"Raven?"
"Okay…fine." Raven muttered almost inaudibly "I…like him."
"You two going out?"
Raven fixed Robin with a Look. "You can't figure this out yourself?"
Robin turned red and looked away "I guess not. I had no clue that you two might like each other until I walked in on you. I just wanted to know what I missed."
Raven snorted. "Almost nothing…I like him…don't know if he likes me but he probably does not."
"Huh? He seemed kind of disappointed last night."
"Maybe he remembered who he was talking to."
"Raven, you lost me."
Raven snapped her head around and faced Robin with a glare. "Take a look at me, Robin. Do I have blonde hair, blue eyes and can I move rocks?"
"Ummm well, you can move rocks with your powers-"
"Is my name Terra?"
"No."
"Then Beast Boy is not interested in me! He might be my friend and I might like him but he will never think of me in that context. I'm just a friend to him."
"But Raven-"
Raven kicked her horse into a gallop and rode off to the front of the line, completely blowing off Robin. It was probably a good thing that Beast Boy himself had been in a deep discussion with Cyborg about some video game and completely missed the conversation.
"You now see the problem, Robin?" Starfire asked, riding back to him.
"You heard all that, huh? Robin said.
"Yes, and I had a strangely similar conversation with Beast Boy just last night…only it was much more pleasant and he did not walk away in a rage."
"So…wait a moment…Raven likes Beast Boy but he likes Terra-"
"No Robin that is incorrect. Beast Boy likes friend Raven, not Terra."
"But she just said-"
"She is blinded by her feelings of inadequacy and low esteem of self. Beast Boy did once like Terra, but now he had called her 'the biggest mistake I ever made'. And that is a quote, Robin."
Robin's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Okay, so, Raven likes Beast Boy and Beast Boy likes Raven, but Raven thinks that Beast Boy still likes Terra and that's why she is acting so strange and…MY GOD WHEN DID THIS TRIP BECOME A SOAP OPERA!!!!"
This little outburst earned him several strange looks, except for Raven, who refused to look at Robin at all.
"Robin…if you will please keep your voice down I would like to share with you a plan to get Raven and Beast Boy together."
Robin gave her a clueless look only a man could achieve. "Huh?"
Starfire rolled her eyes. "Do you not want to see the two of them happy together?"
"Ummmm….sure?"
"We must find a way to get them alone together with no more of the interruptions from you or Cyborg or anyone else. Do you understand?"
"Yeah, but, what are we going to do?"
"I am still thinking about how to get them alone, I need more time…and some help…"
The reaction they got in the Nazlar kingdom was very different from the one's they had received in the other Azaratian cities they had visited. Instead of every other person insulting or sneering at Raven they would look at her, mutter amongst themselves, and then…start bowing. They were brief up and down bows, and the people certainly were not groveling. In their eyes they were just giving proper respect to a long lost noble.
Said long lost noble looked like she wanted to hide.
The Titans, however, were pleased. It seemed like Raven was finally getting the appreciation that she deserved!
"Should we…you know…find an inn?" Raven said, her eyes darting about.
"Nonsense!" The Nazlar patrol leader sounded shocked by the thought "Your grandfather would kill me if he knew I let you hole up in an inn like a commoner! You and the others are heading straight up to the palace!"
"Oh joy." Raven muttered her sarcasm still in full effect. The others, however, seemed ecstatic about getting the royal treatment.
Raven's nerves only got worse as they were lead up the hill towards the castle, which to her looked like a menacing maw of doom that read "Abandon All Hope ye Who Enter Here." The urge to turn Mithrah around and run away right now was almost overwhelming.
The worst part was that not even Raven knew why in the world she was so scared.
They crossed a drawbridge and where soon through the gates, which Raven was certain resembled a mouth. She gulped as they dismounted their night horses, who where lead away by grooms. Even Mithrah went with them when he smelled the sent of food coming from the stables (even though Raven had to reassure him a bit, which was hard since she was so edgy).
They entered the front door, and Raven wondered if she was hyperventilating. She was, but just a little bit. They were going down a long hallway with a blue carpet instead of a red one. On the walls where huge portraits of what looked like battles of some kind, most likely ones form Nazlar history, but a few looked like ones form battles where no Nazlar had participated at all.
One in particular caught Raven's eye. It depicted a great white dragon wrestling with a sea serpent. A sea serpent with read scales and four glowing crimson eyes. Trigon and Azar. Even though it was just a painting Raven could feel the evil in Trigon's gaze. The same evil that had born her. She could recognize the dark gaze, though it was a painted one and not a real one. She could almost hear HIS voice in her head again, and though her powers where gone she could feel the evil inside of her boil. She shivered in horror.
She was so focused on the painting she never noticed the one beside it. This painting depicted a sea serpent, a normal blue sea serpent with sea green eyes. It was battling the armies of Scathe from the ocean. What was strange about this serpent was that it was covered in dragon claw shaped scars. It had all the same markings as the first one, though it was clearly not under Trigon's control.
Even if Raven had noticed it she would never had thought that this serpent might have been the same one that had been under Trigon's control. After all, she had been taught that the sea serpent had been destroyed.
But sometimes what you are taught is not the same as what is real.
An Author's note: No, I have nothing against gay people, I just thought that might be a nice insult for someone angry at Robin…and his outfit is a little….well…loud.