The following morning, Dick wandered through the hallways as he attempted to locate Kori. After she had come to see him the previous night, they had talked for approximately 2 hours. He had consoled her about the loss of her father but they had also talked about the war and what the next step would be. Kori had informed him about her revelations of having to carry on with the war so that they can win.
Dick considered their conversations as he continued to move through the palace. He approached a corner but froze when he turned. He took a couple of steps back and leaned against the wall so that he was out of sight.
Prince Da'akaar stood, looking as smug as ever whilst he conversed with one of his personal soldiers. Dick leaned to the side slightly so that he could see Kori's fiancé. He still had the signature grin painted across his face but now it portrayed a sinister connotation.
"You were very clever in the last battle, my lord," The soldier complimented,
Da'akaar suddenly turned to the soldier and Dick could have sworn that his grin widened, "I know. I truly am an important piece to the Citadel right now." He bragged, "My idea to bring in more soldiers at the last minute to kill that oaf of a King was genius, I must admit."
Dick's eyes widened and he leaned against the wall completely as he processed what he had just heard. His heart began to pound, knowing that Da'akaar had been a traitor the whole time. It made him angrier to know that the King was dead because of him. His head spun with all the information being mentally pieced together. His deceit had explained his constant absences when the planet seemingly needed him. He shook his head and focused on their conversation again to see if there was anything else about his true intentions.
"So, is the war over then, my lord?" The soldier asked,
"Not quite but it shouldn't be very hard to rid the land of the Queen, Prince and my blushing bride to be." He paused and sighed, "I do not know whether or not I will kill her... I may keep her around for... Other purposes,"
The soldier chuckled, "Very Good, Prince Da'akaar,"
Dick gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He wanted to step around the corner and kill Da'akaar with his bare hands for speaking about Kori disrespectfully let alone for betraying the whole planet and leading the King to his own demise.
He inhaled deeply to try and calm himself down. Dick knew the attempt was futile as he kept repeating Da'akaar's words in his mind. He began to feel pain where his jaw was set so strongly.
With the feeling not going away, Dick angrily marched away to find Kori. He needed to warn her about Prince Da'akaar's real intentions for Tamaran.
Kori and Ryan sat on the stone bench, talking about war matters and tactics.
"Well, in the next battle, if we were to take this route... Around the side of the cliff, we would-" Ryan cut himself off as he caught a glimpse of Dick storming closer to them.
Ryan raised an eyebrow at his friend's apparent anger. Kori stood up from the bench with a concerned expression across her face,
"Kori. Ryan." He stated as he stopped moving just as he reached them.
Kori gently rested a hand against his broad chest and could feel him relax ever so slightly beneath her touch,
"Richard... Is everything okay?" Kori queried in a soft tone to try and soothe his ruffled emotions,
"No. You need to break off your engagement to Prince Da'akaar." Dick responded, the rage seeping through his voice.
Ryan stood up immediately, trusting Dick in his announcement, "What has happened, friend?" Ryan asked,
"I need you guys to believe me. A couple of minutes ago, I overheard the Prince talking to a soldier. He's been lying to you this whole time! He was never here to help you!" Dick paused and glanced at Kori, "He's a spy for King J'akhan. He told the army that the King would be in the centre of the last battle. He's the reason that your father was killed."
Kori's eyes widened as she considered everything that Dick had just told them. Her breathing suddenly became uneven as vexation coursed through her veins. Ryan mirrored Dick's initial reaction by clenching his fists and gritting his teeth.
The Princess turned to Ryan and her voice was lower; like she had a vendetta to carry out, "Shoktar koli mokvier." She hissed,
Dick raised his eyebrows as he was surprised to hear Kori use her native language. She had never spoken a word of Tamaranian whilst she had been around him.
"Nikiere, vek sugete zar moovar." Ryan responded,
Nightwing felt completely out of the loop. He raised an eyebrow and raised his hand slightly, "Um... Do you guys believe me or...?" He asked, praying that they did,
"We believe you entirely, my friend," Ryan told him, earning a nod from Dick,
"We trust you..." Kori paused and smiled up at him, "I trust you."
Dick smiled back at her and softly kissed her forehead. When he took a step away from her, Kori raised an eyebrow at him in confusion at his keenness to show a public display of affection.
"What? You aren't still going to marry him, are you?" Dick questioned,
"Of course not," Kori answered,
"Well then; it shouldn't matter."
Kori timidly smiled at him but she knew that their focus needed to be placed elsewhere.
"We need to find mother," Ryan commented, earning nods from both Kori and Dick,
With that being said, the three of them sprinted off towards the throne room so that they could expose Da'akaar for the fraud that he was...