Disclaimer: I have no ownership of Teen Titans
Chapter 23
The next afternoon Starfire returned, but not with a car to take them to the airport. She informed her friends that the next flight to the airport that would take them back to the U.S. wasn't for another two days. Luckily, she'd hired someone to come get them in two days, so she wouldn't have to make the journey by herself again. So, the Titans were stuck in Upper Lamumba for another two days. Needless to say, Beast Boy felt relieved. This gave him two more days to make up his mind.
That day he decided to take his friends on a bit of a safari around the area and show them some animals. By then they were used to the heat and agreed. Well, all but Raven who stayed behind, claiming to have a headache and a need to meditate. Of course, that wasn't the case, but she didn't want them to know why she'd really decided to stay. She wanted to have a talk with King Tawaba.
Once her friends had left she approached the king's hut. She was actually pretty nervous, but kept herself composed as always. She took in a deep breath and was about to enter, but suddenly Aiyana cut her off, blocking the doorway.
"Go away," Aiyana said in Swahili.
"I want to talk to the king," said Raven.
"You're not worthy enough to talk to him," said Aiyana,
"It is about Garfield," said Raven.
"I know," said Aiyana, her eyes narrowing. "That's why I cannot let you go inside. You'll try to put a spell on the king, you pale witch."
This was a little too advanced Swahili for Raven, so she just disregarded it and went on. "Please, I need to talk to him," she said.
"Go home, pale witch!" said Aiyana.
"Please!" said Raven.
"What is going on?" asked King Tawaba, moving Aiyana aside and exiting his hut.
"Please, sir, I need to speak with you," Raven said in English, a language she was glad King Tawaba spoke.
"Of course," he said, moving aside to let her through.
Aiyana ground her teeth and watched Raven walk inside. She glared at King Tawaba, her father, and then stomped off. The king sighed and followed Raven inside.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," said Raven, apologetically.
"No, nothing," said King Tawaba, taking a seat. "Please, sit."
"Thank you," said Raven and she sat down.
"Now, what do you need to speak with me about?" he asked.
"It's about Beast Boy," said Raven. "Garfield."
"Yes, I thought so," King Tawaba sighed. "Aiyana has told me you and him have been getting very close."
"We are close, sir," said Raven. "Maybe not when I left him here two years ago, but over time we've gotten very close and I care very much about him."
"Do you love him?" asked King Tawaba.
Raven felt quite off guard by the question and wasn't sure she was prepared to answer it. So, dug deep into her heart and answered honestly, "Yes, I do love him. I mean, I know love usually takes longer to be established, but I've never felt like this for anyone before. And I think the only thing I've never felt was love. So, yes, I love him."
"And so you want him to leave the tribe and go home with you," said King Tawaba.
"I don't want him to leave," said Raven. "I just want him to be happy, no matter what that means."
"So, what do you want me to do?" he asked.
"Bea-Garfield looks up to you the most out of anyone else in his life," said Raven. "You're like a father to him. I just want you to have his best interests at heart, too. You should want him to be happy. How could you force him to marry your daughter when it's clear he doesn't like her?"
"I am not forcing him," said King Tawaba. "It is part of the trials. If it were up to me then I would let him be with whomever he chooses."
Raven sighed and said, "So, he really has to marry Aiyana?"
"Yes," said King Tawaba. "And he will."
"What?" asked Raven. "You said you weren't going to force him. How do you know that he'll marry her?"
"Because, I know his destiny," said King Tawaba. "Garfield is destined to remain here in Upper Lamumba where he will do many great things for the village, live a long life, and raise a large family that will be as kind and exceptional as he is for many generations to come."
"Is… Is that really his destiny?" asked Raven.
"Yes, and it is absolute," said King Tawaba. "You can even ask Karasi if you don not trust my word."
"No, I do trust your word, sir," said Raven. "So… he really is going to stay here and marry Aiyana."
"I am afraid so," said King Tawaba. "And you can not tell him this. He is not allowed to know his destiny until the completion of the trials. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Raven said as her head fell and she felt her chest grow heavy. She slowly stood and said, "Thank you for your time."
"My pleasure," said King Tawaba. "And I'm sure you will find love again."
Raven gave him no reaction. She only turned and exited the hut. On the other side she saw Aiyana watching and waiting nearby. As soon as she saw the despondent look on Raven's face she smiled. She knew her father wouldn't succumb to the witch's spells. She walked over to her with a smug look on her face.
"Your spell didn't work?" she said, smirking.
"I did not use a spell," said Raven, looking at the ground as she continued to walk.
"It wouldn't matter, even if you did," said Aiyana. "You can't change anyone's destiny with a spell. Not even Garfield's."
"I know," said Raven, quickening her step so that Aiyana took the message and left her alone. She did, but not before pouring a little more salt in the wound.
"He's mine, pale witch!" she called after Raven. "Garfield's always been destined to be with me!"
Once Raven was free of Aiyana's presence she slowed her pace. A warm breeze passed her, whipping her hair about. She simply tucked the strands behind her ears. And all the while she did her best to keep her emotions from affecting her enough to cause any harm. But, in her heart, she wept.
"It has been a long time since I have seen such sorrow," said an older female's voice, thick with her own accent.
Raven looked up and saw on old woman sitting outside of her hut. Her eyes were wise and Raven felt a calm, kind aura coming off of her.
"You speak English?" Raven asked, surprised.
"Yes," she smiled. "My name is Karasi."
"Oh, I've heard of you," said Raven. "You helped Beast Boy with his Destiny Ceremony. My name's Raven."
"I know," said Karasi. "I first learned of you through Garfield. Now, tell me, why are you so unhappy?"
"It's nothing, really," said Raven, looking away.
"Come now, you cannot lie to an old woman," Karasi laughed. "If you do not tell me I shall tell you."
Raven looked at her oddly and said, "I'm fine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to meditate." And with that she proceeded to leave.
"You have just found out that Garfield will be staying," said Karasi. "And this does not please your heart because you love him."
Raven froze in her place.
"So, what are you going to do now?" asked Karasi.
"What can I do?" said Raven, her back still towards the old woman. "His destiny is absolute, as was mine."
"But, like your prophecy, perhaps there is more to his destiny than meets the eye," said Karasi.
Raven turned and looked at her. "How do you know about my prophecy?" she asked.
"The spirits tell me many things," said Karasi. "They have told me of your past, your present, and your future."
"Oh," said Raven. "Well, what do you mean there's more to his destiny than meets the eye?"
"That I cannot explain," said Karasi.
"Then why tell me that?" asked Raven, growing aggravated. "I have enough on my mind without any of your riddles. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go." She proceeded to leave again.
"He loves you," Karasi called out after her. But Raven did not stop this time. She continued on her way out of the village. "You will see, young Raven. You will see."
As soon as Raven made it out of the village she took to the air and flew towards the secret spot. As she flew high above the jungle she could see the clearing she'd created when she'd lost control of her emotions those few days ago. She decided to go there first, just so she could have a little freedom from her emotions for a little while.
She landed and looked around at the quarter mile of damage she'd done. She felt quite horrible for destroying so many trees and plants, but she knew they would all grow back in time. Time healed all wounds… she hoped.
She sighed and took a seat in the middle of the clearing. She looked down into her palms, relaxed, and allowed her emotions to spill out. She let out a few sighs of despair as pent up tears slowly coursed down her cheeks. Around her, the debris from her previous emotional outburst began to move about.
After an hour she lifted the bottom of her shirt up to dry her cheeks. She took in a few deep breaths and attempted to calm herself down. That hour of pure emotions release made her feel far better and she knew she could continue on now. She could handle leaving him behind.
She sighed and lied back onto the soft ground she'd created. She looked up and saw the small breaks in the canopy where bright, pure light shown through. She couldn't help but notice that the light shown all around her, but not upon her.
"This place is so beautiful," she said to herself. "I can see why he wanted to come back her do badly. I'm… glad he's staying. I know he'll be happy. I mean, he never was very good at being a superhero; his heart was never really in it. He put on a good show but I know he only did the job because he felt he couldn't be anything else. Here, he can be as normal as he wants, even if he's not all that normal."
She stood up and took another look around, hoping she hadn't done much more damage. She was glad to see that things had only moved around a bit. And then her eye caught something. A bunch of leaves and odd little branches had settled in a peculiar way. They almost looked like they'd formed a makeshift house. It had little sides and a few leaves for a roof. It was a little crooked, but still impressive for being an accident.
"Well, at lease some good came out of this," Raven said to her self. "I've made a home for a little animal. I'm sure Starfire will be please to know-"
She stopped mid sentence as an epiphany struck her. The gears in her mind began to spin and turn with excitement as the idea grew and became more and more possible. But she had to know a few things first. She quickly took to the air and flew back towards the village.
She landed right outside of King Tawaba's hut and called for him. "King Tawaba, I need to speak with you again," she said.
"Then come in," said a startled King Tawaba. She made her way inside and saw the king and his daughter; they had obviously been in the middle of a conversation.
"Sir, please pardon my intrusion, but I need to know something," she said.
"What is it?" asked King Tawaba.
"If Beast Boy doesn't complete the trials what will happen to him?" she asked.
"He will not be allowed to live with the tribe any longer," said King Tawaba.
"Does that mean he could still interact with the tribe as long as he didn't live here?" Raven asked.
"Well, yes," said King Tawaba.
"So he could live, let's say, a few miles from here but still come every day and be among you?" she asked.
"I suppose so," said King Tawaba.
Raven gave a small smile and said, "Thank you." She then left as abruptly as she'd arrived.
"What was that about?" asked Aiyana, who hadn't understood the conversation.
"I think she may have just found a loophole," said an astonished King Tawaba.
Aiyana's eyes grew wide and she turned towards the doorway Raven had just ran out of. Her eyes narrowed and she growled, "No!" And with that she leapt up and went after her.