Chapter Eleven

It was well into the night when Yalfore was disturbed from his sleep, his presence requested at the front gates. He walked decisively with an irritation in his wake. As usual, he displayed a calm demeanor with his arms folded patiently behind his back. When the city gates opened before him, he kept his face pensive and unmoving, though he was quite surprised to see a handcuffed Cyborg and Raven standing before him with the Centauri police surrounding them. In the distance, the T-Ship had been landed to a platform where more Centauris walked it and searched the pods. Yalfore's dark eyes looked between the stone hard gazes of the Titans as they did not resist, despite the cold metal digging into their wrists.

"Adviser Yalfore, we found these two suspects in an unmarked ship beyond the shared boundary of Tamaran and Centauri," An officer reported, saluting in the process. "They claimed to be lost, looking for Tamaran. They say they are invited guests of Princess Koriand'r's coronation."

Yalfore was quite amused by the report. The Titans lost from Tamaran? Whatever could they be looking for? He briefly remembered his conversation with Robin just days before. They lacked any coordinates beyond Tamaran's jurisdiction. That could only mean one thing, he thought, as his eyes fleetingly fell over the ships lined up towards the tall city walls. Still, Cyborg and Raven remained unmoving. The adviser had to admit, he was quite impressed. Blackfire hadn't let on that the humans were too savvy, but he was beginning to realize they had their ways and their own notions with enough of a reason. He knew they were only playing mental checkers with him. In their minds, they were invincible. Until the new moon, however. Starfire's daily digestive treatments were well on track and underway. Yalfore was comforted by his time line. The Teen Titans didn't know how little time they had. And Yalfore knew they only had but just the tiniest piece of the entire pie they were trying to devour.

"Whatever were you doing out in space by your lonesome without our escort?" Yalfore asked gently.

There was a brief pause. "Just sight seeing," Cyborg replied with a heavy shrug. "Tamaran is the furthest we've been in space. Just wanted to take the sights in, y'know?"

Yalfore held a tense eye contact with him for a moment before he mustered a reserved grin. "Well, no more of that without the proper help of Tamaran, yes? You may unshackle them, officer. Thank you for taking care in our shared jurisdiction. Guards, escort them to their accommodations. A good nights rest is needed for all of us before the big day." Yalfore could barely withhold the laugh of what fools they were as he took his leave, listening to the metal sheer as Raven and Cyborg were released back to Tamaran. The sorceress rubbed her wrists sorely, staring a near hole in the back of Yalfore's thin figure as he disappeared into the darkness of his city, misconstrued in fear and twilight.

...

Beast Boy couldn't sleep, naturally. He laid up against the wall length windows, watching the empty streets below as the shadows slowly angled with the cycling moons. The young green boy felt an emptiness inside of him. A despair that hadn't plagued him in years. He felt so alone, almost frightened, though he wished he could be brave. Without any of his friends, however, on the alien planet with creeping shadows and an invisible iron fist, he couldn't help but flounder. Beast Boy slumped his cheek against the window, looking to the cluster of stars above. Life had a weird way about it. Life with the Teen Titans in Jump City had just been too good he reasoned. Perhaps he had flown too high to the sun and melted his cheeky, radiant wings. Just one week ago, he had been trying to teach Starfire the way of Monkey Karts, and while she had been so willing, she still fell shy of truly understanding. Beast Boy appreciated her exuberance about it, though. Just before the letter had come to Starfire, Beast Boy remembered the Titans outing to a sushi bar. They had laughed and chatted the whole night together, until they were the last table still dining. Shoveling away fish, sticky rice, and soup, Beast Boy's insides ached with anxiety, wondering if that would ever happen again. Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, and Raven had become his family. And it felt like they were all slipping through his fingers and he couldn't do a thing to grasp it, like grains of sand passing him by.

Movement caught his attention, though, and he sat up, pressing his hands anxiously to the spotless glass. Tamaran guards walked in formation. And between them were Cyborg and Raven, looking unharmed and walking freely. With a pounding heart, Beast Boy scampered from the window and dove straight into a bed, pulling the covers tightly over him. He faced away from the door, counting each second that passed. Soon enough, the milky moonlight spilled across the room and he constricted beneath his covers.

"You are to stay put. Meals will be brought to you. You are not to leave until the order of the new moon, do you understand?"

"Yes," Raven's raspy voice replied. "We'll stay here."

"I suggest you go to sleep."

The door closed heavily and a few beats passed before Beast Boy sprung from his covers and raced forward, enveloping Raven's thin figure into his arms. "You're OK!" Beast Boy cried out, squeezing the young sorceress dearly. "You have no idea how worried I was! I thought I was gonna be all alone... again..." His voice slowly trailed off. Raven looked to Cyborg in that moment, her purple hair glowing in the moonlight pouring into the room. She then wrapped her arms around Beast Boy, cradling his head against her shoulder. Cyborg completed the hug and they all held each other soundlessly, not realizing how much they needed it.

For Raven, though she never expressed much outward emotion, she felt a flooding within her as her thumb ran tenderly along Beast Boy's cheek. She needed the Teen Titans, she realized. She'd do anything for her teammates, even if it meant sacrificing herself for any one of them. She loved them and she knew it. She had never loved anyone or anything before. The feeling was almost unrecognizable. But she reasoned that this is was what love was as Beast Boy's warm body pressed to hers and Cyborg's hands gripped her tightly.

For Cyborg, he didn't doubt the camaraderie and endearing relationships he had gathered from the Teen Titans. He had been an outcast for so many years. But these people were vulnerable with him, opened up to him, and accepted him without a second thought. He nearly scooped Beast Boy and Raven right off the ground as he felt an intensity in the pit of his stomach. Things had been rough, but just the simple touch of his friends somehow made things believable, almost doable. They had such a long road ahead but as they gripped at him, Cyborg knew he'd do nothing short of making sure they made it out alive.

The scene was cut short, however, as they all perked their heads up when a hissing sound became apparent. They parted from each other, looking all around the room. Beast Boy stopped in his tracks, staring dully at an odd fragrance coming over him, weird shapes making shadows on the walls. "I guess they wanted to make sure we really slept..." He muttered, almost uselessly. Raven raised her hand in an attempt to cast a shield around them, but the fog reached her mind quickly and she staggered, falling against the foot of a bed and wheezing. Cyborg tried to reach for her, but fell backwards against the wall. Beast Boy was numb to it all as he simply fell to his knees, his cheek colliding with the floor. The room became deadly silent as the wheezing came to an abrupt stop. The Titans chests fell heavily and, for once, they were guaranteed a soundless sleep on the foreign planet.

...

The bright morning light was piercing and dizzying, even with her eyes closed. Raven winced against the sunlight and turned her head to the side, realizing a pillow was beneath her. With a pounding head, all the blood rushing up, she bolted forward, realizing she had been tucked away into a bed. She pressed her hand to her temple and moaned slightly, looking to see Cyborg and Beast Boy also safely put to bed. What had happened? The sorceress slowly looked around the room before her eyes paused, realizing the fourth bed was occupied. Despite her body aching and her mind spinning, Raven staggered from the tangled sheets and came across the room, laying eyes on a slumbering Robin. He looked perfectly fine, not at all like the reflection she had gazed into before. Raven's heart was pounding in her chest as she seated herself on the bed, gripping his shoulder as if he wasn't really there.

"Robin? Robin!" Raven was nearly overcome with shock and despite trying to hold it all in, it leaked from the fragmented sorceress after everything she had endured. Her voice began to rouse Beast Boy and Cyborg, who wasted no time getting up and hurrying to Robin's bed. Beast Boy leapt onto the foot while Cyborg fell to a kneel beside him, bringing the screen in his arm up. "Robin, wake up," Raven jostled him with a great urgency.

"His vitals are fine," Cyborg looked up from his arm. "He's stressed, naturally."

Raven gripped his green sleeve beneath her slender fingers. "No permanent damage?"

"Not that I can see..." Cyborg shook his head. "We'd need more equipment to check his heart, though."

"Robin, dude..." Beast Boy sighed. "I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Beast Boy," Raven told him gently. "We all let him go back into that castle."

Cyborg pulled a wire from his arm and drew a sticky pad towards Robin's temple. For a moment, the leader stirred. "Starfire...?" He mumbled as his chest continued to rise and fall. Grimly, Cyborg monitored the screen.

"His stress levels are off the charts. He took a pretty bad beating," Cyborg shook his head, watching the line spike in front of him. "We should let him sleep as long as possible. Sounds like he's having a good dream, at least."

"You know," Beast Boy now turned away from his friends, dangling his legs off the foot of the bed and shrugging sheepishly. "I guess I never realized how much Robin cared for Starfire. I mean.. I know he cares for all of us but... there's something different about Starfire to Robin."

Cyborg smirked as he carefully peeled the pad away from Robin's forehead. "Yeah, sometimes you just click with someone. I think we've all found that in each other in different ways."

Beast Boy bobbed his head for a moment. "I'd never want either of you to sacrifice yourself for me."

"Robin can be... passionate," Raven stood now, still staring over the sleeping young man. "But we'd never let him take it that far. It's true, though," She folded her arms over her chest. "Robin loves Starfire. He can be as sheepish as he wants about it, but at least we know the truth."

Cyborg sighed and stood up, pacing to the window where the early morning light shed in. "We shouldn't push our luck too far today. Especially now that we're altogether. Tonight, though, it will be a party."

"This Nelda-girl is willing to help us at the coronation?" Raven asked, seating herself at the table now and pressing her knuckles beneath her chin. "With Robin's condition and Starfire not on our team... I can't really say we have the upper hand here. Between the guards and any nationalistic Tamaranean, this might be the fight of all our lives."

The room was silent for a moment as Raven's words sank in. They each thought back to their tenure in the Teen Titans, recalling every battle they'd been apart of. Slade had always been their toughest opponent with tricks and mind games that exposed Robin's weak points. There were of course the miscellaneous villains that occasionally gave them a run for their money. They had gone through bouts of separation, sore egos, and feelings of haplessness. But slowly, it was becoming true to them in that moment. It really was them against an entire nation, a whole world, that seemingly had become lost and fearful. Some benefited, naturally, but those who were caught in a state of petrification maybe wanted to be saved, but also was scared of any scenario in which it unfolded. With two integral members of the Teen Titans caught directly in the line of fire, it made the situation all the more grim, daunting, and necessary.

"She's reunited with her sister," Beast Boy said, still dangling on the end of Robin's bed. "Nelda will come no matter what. I hope she can convince the rest."

"We can't do it alone," Raven's onyx eyes were trained out the window. "If anyone wants Tamaran to be restored to its former state... someone has to do something. And it can't be just us."

...

Starfire stared at herself in the mirror as behind her, a maid tugged tightly at securing the corset of her gown. It was elaborate with flowing purple sleeves, streaked with glossy blacks. The waist was form fitting before it fell into an a-line skirt that was full with motion, matching the design of the torso. At the collarbone, a signature emerald gleamed. Starfire's mother had worn it. And so had Blackfire when she had been deemed a woman. For Starfire, it was her first time to don it. On her head sat the angular and sharp grand ruler crown, settling just above her brow. Her hair had been whisked into a braid, falling down her back. As she looked at the reflection, Starfire almost didn't recognize herself.

She was nervous, naturally, to become the ruler of her planet. It was daunting knowing so many would look to her for guidance. But Starfire couldn't shake the discontent, queasy feeling that plagued her beneath her skin. Her stomach waxed and waned between upset and simply unsettled. Her feet constantly felt as if they couldn't support her. And Beast Boy's words ran through her foggy mind, like shivers down her spine. Her friends were protective of her, she argued to herself. They cared so deeply and genuinely for her that Starfire wanted to say they were only upset about her sudden exit from the Teen Titans. Robin's absence, however, terrified her. She and the leader of the Teen Titans had grown close - much closer than she felt with the other teammates. Starfire thought she and Robin held a very deep, unique, and mature bond. Starfire was certain he was very sad, maybe even mad at her. She would think of him constantly, forever, until her last breath, that much she knew. If things hadn't gone so awry, Starfire daydreamed what would have continued for the two. It wasn't mean to be, however. Fate had a funny way about it and Starfire was not one to question it. Her thoughts were so discombobulated, though, she had a hard time focusing on the why of everything that was happening.

"You look stunning, Your Highness," The maid said, finishing the corset off and stepping back. "The perfect ruler to restore glory to Tamaran in the wake of our tragedies."

"Yes, I thank you," Starfire folded her hands in front of her, her sticky palms gliding against the silky fabric. "Might I have some time to myself?"

"Of course, Your Highness," The maid bowed politely. "Yalfore will be along shortly to finish the tradition." And with that, she saw herself out.

Starfire approached the large balcony, watching as the sunset burst across the sky, slowing being overtaken by the sanguine darkness of space. The faintest inkling of stars were beginning to break through the waning daylight. Starfire squeezed her hands tightly together. The name Yalfore was beginning to mean something different to her, but she couldn't place her finger on it. He had always been a presence in her youth, filling the role of a somewhat reserved but caring uncle. He certainly was nothing like Galfore. But she didn't want people to fault him for keeping to himself. Beast Boy's words the night before echoed against the aching confines of her skull. Why would Yalfore do such a thing? What could he possibly gain? Starfire furrowed her brow, recalling when her parents were the rulers. Yalfore had always been present and quite supportive of them. The Gordanian Invasion changed everything and everybody. In the years since her parent's death, Starfire could still feel the ruminating mourning for what was lost for the planet so prematurely. Starfire knew it was desperate times. And maybe that's why Yalfore came across as so blunt and hasty. He had to thrust her into the throne, even when she didn't understand it all. Starfire wanted to change so much for Tamaran, but she couldn't deny her heart still longed for Earth. She agreed with her friends there were things wrong on so many levels. The royal family was fragmented. Yalfore had devoted his life to this family. He was a stubborn, charged man. She knew he was only acting out of fear and necessity. It probably came across as cold and disenchanting to her friends. Starfire was certain once the sun shone on her first day as Grand Rulers, things would be different. She couldn't let things spiral any longer.

And she had to show Yalfore she could do it, with the spirit of her parents, and within their sacred memory.

...

Yalfore's advisory chambers were on the opposite end of the castle from Starfire's. Unlike the open french doors and wall-length windows sporting no curtains, Yalfore kept his chambers dark. Something about the outside seeing in made the Tamaranean uncomfortable. Many of the citizens living within the city needed to understand that fear as well. He sat hunched at his desk, crushing leaves together before smashing a small orange berry into the mortar. As he worked diligently, he though of everything that needed to be done and accounted for. Tonight marked the true turning gears of his plan. Though gratification would be delayed, Yalfore longed for the day when it was seen through to completion. He reached for a flute glass nearby, where the bubbly digestion drink sat and poured his little paste into it. The carbonation of the liquid quickly ate away at any bits of leaves not throughly mushed. Yalfore watched it quiet before he looked up, spying his collection of vials filled with berries of all colors.

"Ah, the Humbuck tree, truly a lasting legacy and stain on Tamaranean history." Yalfore was silent as he stood and turned. There was Blackfire. Her black hair jetted down her back as she sported her typical dark attire, accented by steel arm and leg protectors. Her purple eyes were so jubilant and she gave him her characteristic grin, her arms crossed over her chest. "It's amazing of all the flora and fauna to survive the invasion, the most deadly has a shining spot in our botanical garden."

"Komand'r, so glad you've made it," Yalfore folded his hands behind his back. "I have just finished preparing your sister's drink for the toast."

Blackfire crossed to the desk, lifting the flute glass up to inspect the bubbles. "The orange berry, hm? That should settle her stomach, give her a bit of hope, huh?"

"That's the plan," Yalfore replied simply. "I realize now I may have made some errors in judgment about just how fast I could push the throttle. Her friends are on me like maggots on dung."

"Oh, the Teen Titans are here?" Blackfire's smile only became bigger and she set the glass down. "I know them quite well. Easily fooled on earth, but not when you zap them off their little safety net from the beach. I imagine they've given you quite a bit of trouble. Especially Robin. He's oh-so protective of my dear little sister. It's a shame, really. But that's okay. I know each and every one of their little weaknesses should anything happen."

"Good," Yalfore nodded. "I expect there to be trouble at the coronation shortly. We must be careful in our response. The Teen Titans may want to use lethal force. And we shall allow it. We must make Princess Koriand'r believe they do not have her best intentions at heart. That they're nothing but selfish earthlings who could never understand anything outside of their atmosphere. And when they leave, they are never to return to this part of the galaxy. The Centauri police have already been made aware."

"So sad for the Teen Titans," Blackfire clucked, touching her cheek. Her smile never waned, however. "Losing little sister and being stripped of a portion of their hero status. They need to be brought down a peg, anyway. Things always work out too well for them. They must learn the Tamaranean way that there is no such thing as a happy ending."

"Speaking of which, where is Ryand'r?" Yalfore turned towards his young protege.

"Oh, little brother is taking a nap in the royal prison," Blackfire grinned. "I've been feeding him the Humbuck berries raw, as an experiment. They work much quicker. He was none the wiser, either, the poor little boy. I suppose the invasion happened long before his lessons in botany. Just a few more berries of protein for him and he may never wake up again."

"Then all that is left is Koriand'r," Yalfore returned the smile. "Excellent work, my little one. You will prosper well from your never ending devotion. Come, we must begin preparation for the order of the new moon. We have quite a long night ahead of us. Princess Koriand'r is expecting me shortly in her chambers."