Author's Notes: Complete rewrite, posted 4/27/11. Will change later chapters to match new details. If you notice anything that you feel needs a rewrite, please point it out to me so that I may correct it in future rewrites/editing.

—Chapter Three A: The Gentle Almost-Elf—

"But… Lore, what would our children be like?"

Why would they have anything wrong with them? Or do you mean… you're afraid they'd be like me?

"Lore… you have to understand. I want to make a difference…"

And you can't do that with me? …What am I thinking? Of course you can't. I'll never have that sort of power.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the coming-out party, but you were in Klazar and…"

It only takes two days by messenger bird. But… I'm sure you had your reasons… Some people feel awkward around Wateria's elf, after all…

"I love you, just… it won't work."

What does that mean? I don't understand. You won't marry me?

"I'm sorry, Lore. I'm so, so sorry…"

I am too, Maya. It hurts… No. I can't let it hurt. It doesn't hurt.

"Are you mad?"

Of course not. I can't get mad. People get hurt if I do. You would get hurt.

"It's not like we'll never see each other again. I'll always be your friend."

That will be enough. It has to be.

"Maya… let's not talk about this again."

I'm sorry. I misunderstood. I thought that you… I'm sorry.

A beautiful teenager with long white hair and dressed in an elegant robe trimmed in silver and purple was stirred from his dreams by a heavy weight on his chest. He opened his eyes to see a large green cat curled up on top of him, purring as it rested. It must have crawled up there while he was sleeping. That was no surprise – he often woke to animals on his chest, against his side, or draped over his legs.

What was odd was that he was sure he'd fallen asleep in a bed. In King Barrick's castle in Northern Klazar. Why did it feel like he was sleeping on the ground?

Lore reached out a hand and ran it over the grass. Yes, grass. He was outside, sleeping in the grass. It appeared to be mid-day, though he didn't feel like he'd overslept.

The boy sat up, carefully shifting the cat to his lap so as not disturb it, and looked skywards with large purple eyes. It was a beautiful day. Bright and sunny. Very warm. Birds singing, dogs barking, squirrels chattering.

He sighed in pleasure and looked around. It appeared to be a large garden of some sort, and he was quite appreciative of the style. Instead of mounds upon mounds of flowers and bushes and trees so close breathing was difficult, it was mostly a wide expanse of grass, spotted with wooden benches, with the occasional tree and a medium-sized lake. Dogs ran freely with their sparsely dressed owners, birds sang cheerfully and plentifully from the trees and where they hopped along on the ground and in the bushes, cats prowled around, quietly stalking the various rodents going about their business. Some people were sitting in groups on blankets or sheets, eating lunches while talking and laughing, while other played with various sorts of discs and balls.

How beautiful… The easygoing boy smiled happily and untied a piece of string from around his wrist, which he used to tie back his incredible waist-length silky white hair in a low ponytail.

Lore stretched and allowed himself to relax. He had no idea where he was, but it really didn't matter. Someone would come for him eventually, so he might as well enjoy this peace while it lasted. Wherever he was, it was beautiful. Besides, when he worried it tended to cause serious damage to the surrounding flora and fauna. It'd been nothing short of disastrous when he was a child. For now, he would relax and enjoy the bright sun, beautiful view, and enjoyable surroundings.

The grass around him seemed to brighten up and even spontaneously flower. All the shrubs and trees in the park suddenly decided it was springtime and burst into blossom, growing before the very eyes of anyone paying attention. Dogs suddenly abandoned their owners to rush over to the strange white-haired teenage boy sitting in the grass, who was already surrounded by birds, cats, squirrels, chipmunks, and even lizards.

Lore didn't even notice, but the large green cat in his lap slowly woke up. It stretched out its legs and snuggled against his chest, before suddenly jumping back and turning into a startled green boy, dressed in purple with pointy ears.

Beastboy had no idea why he'd woken as a cat in some random Lord of the Rings cosplaying teenager's lap. He only remembered suddenly deciding to walk towards the lake in the park. It was a strange decision, apparently something instinctual, something he didn't understand that had drawn him here. That something didn't seem threatening or dangerous. Just… something he had to see. Something a part of him deeply desired to be close to.

And here he way, facing a robe-wearing, uncommonly beautiful teenage guy with long white hair in a ponytail down his back. The boy had his eyes closed and was facing the sun, completely oblivious to the world around him. The teenager, probably older than him by a few years, around Robin's age, sat in the middle of an amazing array of flowers and sprouts and animals of all shapes and sorts. All the animals seemed perfectly at peace just sitting or laying around the stranger, as if his very presence itself was a source of calm.

Beastboy frowned, realizing it was. The strange calm, the fuzziness in his mind, was from this weird boy, he was sure of it. The guy had some sort of freaky, manipulative power.

He shook his head roughly, but the cloud didn't go away. Now that he was aware of it, though, he could do something about it. The green shapeshifter grabbed the strange boy's arm, jolting him alert.

"Yo, dude! Cut it out! Yeah, it feels good and all, but Raven already says I don't do enough thinking without my brain entirely shutting off!"

The boy blinked in surprise. For one thing, the boy in front of him was green, the same shade as the cat that had been in his lap but was now gone. For another, the green boy was speaking to him, acknowledging that Lore had a brain and a will. For a third, he was saying he had been affected by Lore's presence? He'd never affected another person before.

"I apologize," said Lore, sounding more surprised than sorry. "I did not know my power could affect certain people, or I assure you I would have been more careful not to relax quite so much."

Beastboy met the boy's violet eyes, similar to Raven's but open and earnest where Raven's were dark and closed. Well, he didn't seem like a bad guy. "My name's Beastboy. Who're you?"

"Lore. It is nice to meet you, Beastboy."

"What were you doing? Was that some superpower?"

"You mean the strange affect my emotions have on plants and animals? I wasn't really doing anything, to be honest."

Beastboy frowned, then nodded. "Yeah, a lot of superpowers are caused or controlled by emotions. Starfire can't use hers at all if she can't feel the right emotions, though that's rarely a problem for her. Raven's the opposite. Her powers go bazooka if she lets herself feel ANY emotions! It's gotta be tough."

"Sometimes. If I can stay relaxed and cheerful there aren't any problems."

"Come to think of it, dude, Starfire and Raven are both aliens. Well, I think Raven counts as an alien… Anyway, are you one too?"

"What is an alien?"

"Someone not human, from another world out there." Beastboy waved his arm skyward.

"I am human, but I am not sure how I got here. So perhaps I am from another world. This one seems quite pleasantly unfamiliar to me," said Lore thoughtfully.

Beastboy frowned. "You don't know how you got here? Dude, shouldn't you be upset?"

"This is a very nice place. I'm fine."

"If you say so, Lore."

Just then Beastboy's communicator beeped. He picked it up and flicked it on. "Robin? You there?"

"Beastboy! Where on earth are you? I thought you were supposed to be in the Tower with Cyborg and Starfire!"

"Oh, Cyborg kicked me out and Star was making something that smelled really strange in the kitchen, so I went for a walk in the park. What's up?"

"Raven and I each ran into someone probably from another world. If there was some sort of anomaly or distortion, there could be more, so I wanted you to keep an eye out for…"

Beastboy glanced at Lore, then suddenly grinned.

"Hey, Rob?" he interrupted.

"Yes?"

"Does a white-haired guy in a robe that can control plants and animals with his emotions and has no idea how he got here the type of person you're talking about?"

"… I'm not even going to answer that. Just take him to the Tower, Beastboy. Robin out."

"Okay. See ya."

Beastboy turned off the communicator and smiled at Lore. "That's my boss. You heard the man. Want to come see my home? It's that tower over there, on the island." He pointed at a giant T in the middle of the bay, just visible from their spot in the park.

"Sure," said Lore easily. "Why not?"

—Chapter Three B: The Overly Serious Bodyguard—

"What about this one?" a beautiful brown-haired girl in a private school's uniform asked her bodyguard, a stiff-looking, though exceedingly handsome black-haired, blue-eyed elf in a stiff black suit. She was holding out a magazine, pointing at a picture of a red Chinese-style gown with a long slit up the side.

"Milady, that is quite inappropriate."

"Not for me! For you!"

The elf didn't even blink. "Princess Isalla. That is impossible."

"But you would be soooo pretty in it! No-one has to know!" insisted the princess. Her brown eyes were completely serious as they stubbornly met the elf's blue ones. "You could try it on in my room! I could do your hair and everything!"

"I am male, princess."

"Oh, but..."

"It is a fact."

"Fine, fine, have it your way, Arthur," grumbled Princess Isalla, folding up the magazine and setting it back on a shelf.

The two were in the royal Maeriano family's private library, ostensibly doing research for an essay due the following week. Really, Arthur was trying to do research and the princess was fooling around. Well, to be fair, the princess was trying to cheer up her bodyguard, who seemed even more cold than usual.

"Did you have another fight with your father?"

"…"

"That must be hard. Did he hit you?"

"…"

Arthur looked away from the princess' piercing gaze. Isalla would have none of that and grabbed her friend's arm.

"You are good enough, Arthur. You're the best. No matter what he says."

"… Thank you, Princess."

"When will you call me Isalla?"

Arthur finally smiled slightly.

"Thank you, Isalla," the elf whispered.

"I care about you, Arthur," whispered Isalla back. "You're my best friend, and you always look after me. Can't I help you? You can't keep doing this forever."

"Your thoughts are enough, princess," replied the elf, bowing slightly and turning around the end of shelves to continue looking for books for their research.

"Arthur?" queried Isalla. No answer. The princess sighed and picked up a book that actually was related to their assignment, though the glint in her eyes announced that she hadn't given up the idea of helping her bodyguard.

And Arthur suddenly found himself… NOT in the library. He was facing a beautiful blue ocean and standing on a beach.

He had no idea what had happened. That was bad. Arthur always knew what was going on, it was quite literally in his job description. But he had no idea what had happened, where he was, and more importantly, what had happened to Isalla. His best friend, the person he had sworn to protect and serve for his whole life.

Of course, Arthur hadn't had a choice in the matter. His family was required to provide a bodyguard to each member of the royal line. It was just his bad luck that his older brother, who had been appointed Crown Princess Isalla's bodyguard, had died shortly after the princess' birth. His bad luck that he had looked so much like his brother and been just as skilled at fighting, enough so that his father and his highness had decided to simply pull a swap and not tell anyone about it.

His bad luck that bodyguards were required to be male, and so she had become a he and had to live uncomfortably in hiding.

It had been easy to replace Arthur with Artemis, as Princess Isalla hadn't met her bodyguard yet, as she was still being cared for by a nursemaid. A bodyguard wasn't necessary until they started entering the public eye. The only thing her father had had to do was throw out all her female clothing and accessories and force her into strict bodyguard training. Things hadn't gotten complicated until later, when her chest had started to grow and various other female problems started. The chest problem was solved with a vest beneath her crisp white shirt. Slight changes to her uniform, a simple black suit, effectively hid her new, and thankfully slight, curves.

And threatening her with death should she be discovered effectively solved the other problems, as Artemis became incredibly inventive afterwards. She'd quickly found that a simple smile towards the maids, and they'd help her with anything, no matter how strange the request. Though she found it quite disturbing that the poor girls were falling in love left and right with Arthur, who truly did not exist anymore.

Right now Artemis' confused mind was panicking, knowing she'd die if it was found out she'd abandoned the princess, regardless of circumstances. Elves, as her people were called by the humans, never got second chances. That was why there were fewer than 30 left, including half-breeds. She hated herself for it, but honestly she was more worried about her own safety than Princess Isalla, who was probably still happily flipping through a book in her father's library.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. She fixed the sword at her waist, then looked back out at the ocean, before turning around and looking at the giant T-shaped building on the island with her.

Yes, it was real.

She viciously shoved a pitiful and disgustingly feminine "Why me?" to the back of her mind and focused on the situation.

This was a problem. But not an unsolvable one, she was sure. She'd been in scrapes before, though granted none involved reappearing in the blink of an eye in an entirely different place.

Well, she had to get home. The quicker the better. That meant she would have to figure out where she was. How she had gotten here was unimportant unless it held the way back.

She heard voices coming from around the corner.

"Okay, Robin, no prob. I'll run a sweep over the city searching for any strange signatures. If they were teleported here by some mechanical device, I'll find some trace of them. Afterwards I'll patrol the…"

"Excuse me?"

Cyborg looked up in shock to see a foreign-looking young man, perhaps some sort of Middle Eastern and Asian mix, in a fine suit with a sword at his side. Wait, young woman. He frowned. His sensors definitely read woman, and the face was certainly a little too fine-featured.

"I hate to interrupt, but may I ask where I am?"

Cyborg blinked at her, looked around to double check that there were no boats or planes of any kind anywhere on this side of the island, then gave her a strange look and gestured up at the Tower.

"You have no idea where you are? The giant T doesn't tell you? Island in the middle of the bay? Cybernetic black guy talking on a communicator to a guy named Robin?"

"I would not ask if I knew, sir."

Cyborg blinked again, then lifted the communicator to his mouth. "Rob, I got another one. Unless there's a chance someone could appear on our island without transportation and have no idea who we are."

"Roger, Cyborg. I'll be there shortly. Beastboy and Raven should also be on their way."

"Another one?" queried the strange young woman, sighing. "Is this a common occurrence around here?"

"More common than you'd think," said Cyborg, shrugging. "Can I get your name? And where you're from?"

"Sir Arthur Slate, Knight of Vitania and Guardian to her highness, Crown Princess Isalla Maeriano. I am from the Ricel Parveau in Vitania."

Apparently she really was trying to pass herself off as a guy. He'd let it slip, for now anyway. "Never heard of it."

She blinked. "It's the richest country in the world."

"I think you better come to grips with the idea that this may not be your world."

"Ridiculous. How could such a thing be possible?"

"Technology. If not that, magic."

"Magic does not exist," said the young woman with absolute confidence.

"Well, here it does. Though I'm more comfortable with superpowers than magic, myself. Easier to explain scientifically. I don't mean to be rude, but for the sake of finding a common ground, may I ask what you are? Race-wise?"

"I am an elf, of course," she said simply, gesturing to her ears, as pointed as Beastboy's. Now that Cyborg looked closer, her hair did seem more of a dark, dark blue than a black.

Cyborg couldn't help himself. He sighed. An elf, from another world, posing as the opposite sex, with a knighthood, that didn't believe in magic. This might be a challenge.

The sooner the others got back the better.

Author's Note: Again, this is an entirely new chapter three, so there will be inconsistencies between this and later chapters. Thanks for reading and please review!