The following morning, Kori stood in front of the large mirror within her bedroom and glanced over her appearance. She was wearing a simple outfit to begin her day considering she had combat training to start with. She wore a simple grey crossover crop vest that revealed her stomach and a pair of grey pants that had a mesh material against the leg. The Princess sighed as she pulled her long auburn hair up into a high ponytail to keep it out of her face whilst she practiced.

Sometimes, Kori honestly felt depressed when she had to follow her stupid schedule. Normally, she wouldn't mind having combat practice; in fact, she would usually welcome it but when she had to do it at a certain time every day, it got her down.

Kori shook her head and wandered out of her room and continued through the hallways. She started thinking about the war once again. Not a day went by without her thinking about it at least once. Kori hated the very idea of war. She didn't see how violence could ever beat violence. Logically, it would never make sense.

She approached the armoury and mentally prepared herself for her training. She softly smiled as she noticed Nightwing turning the corner opposite her. Kori brushed some of her hair behind her ear and placed her hands behind her back, gracefully.

Nightwing immediately smiled back at her when he looked up and his eyes locked with hers.

"Good morning, Nightwing." Kori greeted, nodding her head at him,

"Good morning, Princess Koriand'r." Nightwing replied,

"May I ask what you have planned for the day?"

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, "Well... I was wondering if I would be able to use the weapons to train with... I mean, if that's okay?"

Kori smiled, "Of course you can, Nightwing."

She took a step forward so that she was merely inches away from Nightwing. He could smell her intoxicating strawberry scent as she suddenly got closer. Nightwing couldn't help himself as he stared at the Princess before him. It was no lie that she was beautiful; he knew that the day he had met her. However, he simply enjoyed examining her outstanding features. Her eyes were a deep shade of green that held lighter flecks within them when she stood in the light. Her skin was a gorgeous golden colour that caused her to glow stunningly. And of course, her wardrobe choices had the ability to make him forget every thought in his head. He knew it was wrong to have anything close to feelings for the Princess but he couldn't help whatever it was that he was feeling; she was just so captivating.

Nightwing cleared his throat and refocused on what she was actually doing. Kori spun the lock around and the heavy doors suddenly released and opened without delay. She placed her hands on her hips and turned to him with a smirk.

"What about you, Princess?" He paused as he too, stepped inside, "What are your plans for today?"

"I am about to start my combat practice."

Nightwing stared at her for a moment, shocked at what she had said. It started to make sense in his head that this delicate Princess was often placed upon the battlefield with the other soldiers.

"Princess... Do you intend on physically being a part of the war?"

Kori glanced at him incredulously. She crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at him, "Of course... Why? Do you think that I am incapable of combat due to being a female?"

His eyes widened momentarily and he put his hands up immediately, "N-No... It's just... Wouldn't it be dangerous for the Princess to be in the middle of a battlefield?"

"No more dangerous than it is for my father; the king or my brother; the prince to be upon the battlefield."

Nightwing smirked at her determination to be treated like everyone else when it came to battle. He crossed his arms over his chest, "So, Princess... How good are your skills?" He challenged, earning a mirrored smirk from Kori.

"Do you wish to see how skilful I am?"

"Are you asking me to fight you?"

"What is wrong? Are you afraid to fight a Princess?"

He chuckled in response and shrugged, "Let's go then,"

Kori giggled and they entered the arena part of the Armoury. Nightwing glanced around at the space around them. It was similar to the arena that he trained in back home with Bruce. The walls and floor were white which he assumed allowed the Tamaranians to conduct realistic simulations of battles to prepare themselves.

Nightwing turned around to face Kori who had two wooden swords in her hands. Of course, real swords weren't normally used during training because it was more dangerous if a mistake was made. The Princess handed him one of the wooden swords and then took a step back from him. He watched her as she wrapped white gauze around both of her hands. Nightwing assumed that it was to keep her hands protected so that they wouldn't end up cut and bruised whilst she practiced her fighting skills.

Kori tilted her head at Nightwing and smiled softly, "Are you ready?" She asked, positioning herself so that she was poised for attack.

Nightwing gave her a quick nod and mirrored her stance. Kori grinned, "Go." She ordered, sparking the fighting attitude within them both.

Kori quickly moved forward, holding her sword out in front of her to be ready for any jabs. Nightwing responded by leaning away from her. He carefully stepped back and kept his eyes glued on her form as well as her weapon. He felt a small smile tug at his lips. She was beautiful even when she held battle stances. Nightwing could tell that the exotic Princess was beginning to captivate him and he knew that was dangerous territory but he didn't want to stop hanging out with her and getting to know her just because he may develop a crush on her. That's all it would ever be anyway; a crush.

While his mind had been focused on Kori, she had gracefully moved behind him. Nightwing shook his head and performed a back flip just as she dashed forward with her weapon. He flashed Kori a smirk and stepped forward, hitting his sword against the edge of hers. Kori bit her lip in concentration and fought back by stepping forward, causing him to lose confidence. She dodged a hit from Nightwing by stepping to the side and in a quick motion; she twirled and followed it through with an elegant cartwheel. She spun back around and smacked the wooden sword out of Nightwing's hand. He lost his balance and fell on his behind. Kori stood before him, holding the sword to his neck to signify that she was victorious.

"Yeah, yeah, you win," Nightwing chuckled, gently moving the hollow blade away from him.

Kori giggled, "You are very skilled though, Nightwing. I feel honoured to have practice with you,"

Nightwing offered her a soft smile as she held a hand out to him. He accepted it and was pulled to his feet. His hand stayed within her grasp for a couple seconds more. All Nightwing could think about was how soft her skin was. He sheepishly retracted his hand and rubbed the back of his neck.

Kori blushed a light pink and brushed some of her hair behind her ear.

"I should go... I am supposed to be seeing my mother and father to talk about defence techniques in case a surprise attack should occur in the near future." She explained, "I shall see you later, yes?"

Nightwing smirked, "Definitely."

The Princess bit her lip to fight the big grin that threatened to show across her lips. She nodded and strolled out of the Armoury. Kori leaned against the wall for a moment as the light blush upon her cheeks deepened at the thought of the boy beyond the wall that she had just left. It was so easy to get along with him but the feelings that she was experiencing were so new to her; she didn't completely understand them. She knew that she was feeling romantic emotions for Nightwing but she wasn't sure how to deal with them. Kori knew the differences between them. She was a Princess whereas he was a human. However, Kori had always been the rebellious type; to fight for what her heart wanted so she didn't care much for the 'rules' that someone of her status supposedly had to stand by.

Kori blinked a couple of times to bring herself out of the trance she was in and set off to find her parents.

The evening was just beginning to draw in when Kori found herself wandering through the royal gardens, accompanied of course, by Nightwing. They calmly strolled past the rose bushes and trees that were lined with beautiful string lights. Nightwing smiled at the beauty of the gardens. It was clearly an area that had been preserved carefully and tenderly.

He threw a glance in Kori's direction and smiled as she idly stared up at the millions of stars in the sky. He had a question that he had wanted to ask her.

"Uh... Princess? I've been meaning to ask you something..." He began,

"What is it, Nightwing?" She replied,

"... I was wondering about your sister. I had heard that you had a brother and a sister but I've only seen Ryand'r."

Kori sighed, "She... Komand'r was not pure of heart. She betrayed us 3 years ago and when she did not deliver enough information, members of the Citadel murdered her."

Nightwing frowned, "That's horrible..."

"I was not affected too much by her death. She chose to betray her family and her world. In truth, I believe it was her own fault."

He nodded as he listened to her carefully,

"After she passed... My family became closer. Ryan and I became inseparable."

Nightwing smiled and raised an eyebrow, "Ryan?"

Kori giggled and took a seat with Nightwing upon a stone bench, "Oh... Yes. We shorten our names with one another. I call him Ryan whilst he calls me Kori."

"Kori... That's pretty."

The Princess felt her cheeks heat up and she grinned, "Thank you, Nightwing. You may call me Kori too, if you wish. I believe we are friends so I feel comfortable with it."

Nightwing nodded, "Alright, I will, Princess..."

Kori laughed and shook her head at him, "Please... You do not have to call me Princess, Nightwing. It is simply a status... In truth, I hate it when I am referred to as 'Princess'. It is like people are defining me as the king's daughter and nothing more.

"Oh, you're much more than that." He blurted,

Her blush deepened and she ducked her head briefly before she blinked innocently at him, "May I ask something of you, Nightwing?"

"Of course,"

"Do you have a real name? Surely it is not truly Nightwing?"

Nightwing chuckled, "Yeah... My name is Richard Grayson but a lot of people call me Dick so... Your choice."

"I believe I like Richard more..."

The two of them gazed at each other with matching smiles of shyness. Kori's heart beat faster and she was somewhat afraid that Dick would be able to hear it. She opened her mouth to say something but their moment was suddenly cut short by two loud booms from the cannon.

Kori turned her head immediately towards the bangs. She gasped, "Surprise attack..."

She hurried over to the edge of the gardens and briefly leaned against the stone wall that overlooked the city. Kori's eyes widened as she witnessed the houses below being set alight with families being dragged out of them, crying and screaming. Kori gritted her teeth as she noticed the soldiers laughing about the destruction that they were causing. She knew that they were easily outnumbered but she needed to hurry to the battle.

Kori tapped the stone wall and sprinted inside with Nightwing following closely behind her. She burst into the throne room and caught her father and brother's attention immediately,

"Father... Outside..." She panted, tying her sword to her waist,

"I know, Koriand'r. We're sending soldiers now. Let's go!" Myand'r stated, grabbing his own sword as he headed outside.

Nightwing followed the King, Ryand'r, Kori, Batman and Superman but felt lost amidst the chaos that was erupting from the quaint city. They all stopped as they reached the area of devastation.

The Princess glanced around with tears in her eyes. The city was on the verge of complete obliteration and they were failing to stop it. Kori shook her head and unsheathed her sword. She became poised for battle whilst the rest of her company ran off in separate directions to help the people. She kept in mind that Nightwing was hovering near her and she took a lot of comfort in knowing that he was remaining by her side.

Kori turned her head and watched a soldier run at her with his sword drawn above his head. She clenched her teeth and practically danced around him and stabbed him through the chest.

She gulped and looked up at Nightwing, knowing that he was uncomfortable with killing. Part of her prayed that he didn't think of her as some kind of monster; she had to protect herself and others and if killing was the way of doing that, then she would do it without question.

Nightwing stared at her for a moment but something registered in his head that things were different on Tamaran; it was war, not murder. He gave her a small nod to tell her that he understood.

Koriand'r spun around as she heard a soldier approach and swung her sword into his side, causing him to collapse on the spot. She breathed deeply as she watched the soldier suffer. She hated killing soldiers because she knew that they were just following orders but she was also fully aware of her duties to her people. It was an inner conflict that continuously went through her head that could never be resolved.

Suddenly, Kori heard the screaming of her name and frantically looked around for the source. Her eyes fell upon a small child that she recognized immediately.

"Princess! Help! Please!" G'narah cried, desperately clawing at the arm of the soldier who was dragging her out of her home.

Kori's eyes widened in fear and she tightened her grip on the sword in her right hand. She and Nightwing quickly began to move towards G'narah but they were being slowed by the wall of soldiers before them. Koriand'r pushed most of the soldiers away from her, deciding that they would be foolish in trying to pursue her.

The soldier that had G'narah drew his sword and Kori's heart raced faster.

"G'narah! No! Please! Leave her alone! Please!" Kori screamed, letting her emotions suffocate her warrior exterior.

Kori panted as a soldier roughly grabbed her arm. She growled and stabbed him through the chest, killing him instantly.

The Princess turned around and froze. The blood drained from her face and she felt weak. She suddenly felt cold as she witnessed the soldier slice G'narah's throat. Kori immediately went into a state of shock. She had seen many battles growing up in a world that was run by anarchy but she had never seen a child killed in such a barbaric way. Kori felt numb as she watched G'narah's life evaporate as if it was nothing. She knew that tears were falling from her eyes but for some reason, she couldn't feel them roll down her cheeks.

Nightwing practically mirrored Kori's expression. He felt sick at the blood bath around him but seeing the young hopeful girl he had met a day earlier be killed so cruelly caused him to feel dizzy. He watched Kori carefully for her reaction; it was clear that she had close bonds with her people.

Kori huffed as her feelings bubbled. Her eyes fell upon the soldier who had just killed G'narah. He grinned and disregarded the young girl's body by simply letting it fall to the ground disgracefully.

That was what brought Kori out of her trance like state. Anger was the one and only emotion she felt. Her breathing came quicker and she moved towards the soldier hastily.
She dropped her sword and heard it clatter against the ground. Kori felt raw, savage rage burn throughout her body. She snarled and darted over to the soldier. In a quick motion, the usually graceful and elegant Princess punched the soldier in the face before she pounced onto his shoulders. She swiftly snapped his neck in one jolt to the right with her knees.

Nightwing closed his eyes as Kori brutally eradicated the cold-blooded soldier. He agreed with killing him whole heartedly but he knew that Kori was enraged so he understood that the method would be vicious.

He looked at G'narah's limp body with a sad expression and slowly made his way over to her. He kneeled down beside G'narah and gave into a heavy sigh. The fact that children were dying was a wakeup call that the war was completely out of control. Nightwing felt a presence beside him but he didn't need to look up.

Kori fell to her knees beside him. She looked over the girl in front of them and lowered her head. Dick glanced at her as her auburn hair cascaded around her shoulders like a curtain. He heard her sniff and understood that she was crying. He hesitated but placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder.

She slowly shook her head and looked up at the night sky,

"This... This is my fault..." She whispered,

"Kori, don't say that-" He began,

She suddenly looked him straight in the eyes, "It is true! My duty is to protect my people. Does it look like I have done that?"

"Yes. You can't protect them all but you did protect a lot of them tonight, Kori."

Kori sighed and her shoulders slumped. She gently closed G'narah's eyes so that she could rest peacefully in death.

"Zakarah'eh neut'ael, G'narah." Kori murmured. Dick assumed that it was the equivalent of 'rest in peace'.

"I... I didn't realise how barbaric they are..." Dick stammered,

Kori was distant as she responded, "Never underestimate the citadel. They will kill anyone that stands in their way... Even an innocent child."

She proceeded to stand up. Kori brought G'narah into her arms and carried her to the river that flowed along the edge of the city. She lowered the child's body onto a sturdy piece of wood that rested against a large rock upon the river bank. Kori continued and grabbed flowers that ranged in colour and size and started decorating G'narah's body with them. She placed a couple of red flowers in her hair, blue and purple ones in her hands and she even laid some orange and pink ones on the edge of the wood.

Koriand'r could almost sense Dick's questioning expression in the back of her mind so she cleared her throat and explained, "So that she has peace and nature with her in the afterlife."

She grabbed two sticks and began rubbing them together. After a moment, fire sparked the sticks in her hands and she lowered them onto G'narah's body and the piece of wood which she rested upon. Kori pushed the wood out on the water and watched as the lifeless body began to burn.

"It is a Tamaranian ritual to burn the body and push them up the river. It is said that their ashes take to the sky and they become united with X'hal." Kori said, quietly.

Nightwing nodded to show that he had listened to her. Kori turned to him and eyed him carefully. Without warning, she threw her arms around him and leaned her face against his shoulder.

Dick was initially caught off guard by the sudden movement but he didn't hesitate to return the hug. He gently wrapped his arms around her and even went so far as to stroke her hair. Kori closed her eyes and sighed. She felt comforted by him and right now, that was exactly what she needed. Nightwing frowned. He felt sympathy for the Princess. She had the weight of Tamaran on her shoulders with few people to talk about it with. He found it unbelievable how she could still walk around with a smile on her face and positivity radiating from her but of course, he understood, she had to do that to give her own people hope...