Alice: New chapter!

Emily: There is going to be a lot of RobRae and a lot of StarRae friendship!

Alice: School just started, so I won't be able to update as often, but I figured I would be able to make the chapters longer.

Emily: My goal is to make the majority of the episodes one chapter instead of two. That way my updates won't be too short.

Alice: Anyways, here's the next chapter!

Betrothed

Part 1

Beast boy sighed tiredly as he walked back to his room. He rubbed his neck, feeling a cramp forming due to the rocks he leaned on for too long. His visits to Terra were becoming rare, and it scared him that he might forget about her. Logically he knew that wasn't possible, but emotionally was a different story. Sighing again, he nearly missed Starfire flying with a huge pile of her stuff in her hands. He frowned at her, "Starfire?"

"Beast boy!" She gasped in surprise, almost dropping her boots. "I'm sorry! I did not see you there."

"Yeah…" Beast boy frowned at her. "What's going on? Going somewhere?"

Starfire nodded, a sad expression overcoming her face. "I just received news from my home planet an hour ago. I am told I must come back home."

Beast boy gaped. "Home? Why?"

Starfire flushed. "I am… getting married."

"WHAT?!"

"WHAT?!"

Starfire flushed as the entire team stared at her with shocked expressions. Beast boy insisted that she tell the team immediately, and Starfire reluctantly agreed. She wanted to hold off on telling her friends for as long as possible, but she knew that was unfair to her friends. "Aren't you a little young for marriage?" Robin asked.

"Yes," Starfire nodded. "On my home planet, the age for marriage is around the same as on earth, but I am told this is of great importance, and I must be wed immediately. I cannot come back although I will try to visit."

"So that's it?" Raven frowned. "You're just leaving like that?"

"Yes…"

"Can't we come with?" Cyborg practically pleaded. "To the wedding?"

Starfire gasped, a bright smile coming onto her face. "You can!" She smiled happily. "I almost forgot the bride can do whatever she pleases! I can invite all of you to the wedding!"

"Great," Robin smiled, and the whole team perked up. All of them were thinking along the same lines: maybe they could stop the wedding if they went there. "When should we leave?"

"An hour."

The titans practically ran to their respective rooms to pack.

Saying the ride to Starfire's homeplanet was awkward would have been a vast understatement. No one knew exactly what to say, and the idea of losing their teammate to something as silly as marriage never came to them before. Beforehand it was death or injury, never domestic issues.

Of course, it was Starfire who broke the awkward silence. She grinned brightly and practically shouted, "I cannot wait for you to see Tamaran! I wonder what we should do first? We should—"

She then proceeded to rant about the multiple beings and foods on Tamaran and how she would show her friends her culture. "Girl, you're getting married!" Cyborg interrupted. "Can we talk about that for a bit? How do the weddings work? What do you guys do? Is there a maid of honor? Who are you even getting married to?"

Starfire flushed before playing with her fingers. "Well…" she mumbled. "I don't really know."

Robin frowned. "Don't know how weddings work?"

"Don't know who I am getting married to…"

There was a three second pause before everyone on the ship exclaimed, "WHAT?!"

"An arranged marriage?" Robin's jaw dropped. "You do that on Tamaran?"

"It is quite common actually," she confessed. "I always expected to marry someone my parents picked out for me since I was a child. I just thought I would be a few years older, but the grand ruler of Tamaran insists I marry now."

Robin frowned, about to ask why the grand ruler would dictate who Starfire would marry, but Beast boy beat him to it. "So wait… if you knew you would be in an arranged marriage, why did you get a crush on Robin?"

That caused Starfire and Robin to blush heavily. While it was widely known Starfire had a crush on Robin, it was something the team never talked about when they were together. One on one, yes they would discuss Starfire's crush on Robin, but never while Robin and Starfire were in front of each other! "I could not help how I felt," she mumbled, embarrassed to be discussing this in front of Robin. "Besides, due to the encouragement that Robin returned my feelings—"

"Wait you guys encouraged that?" Robin interrupted, gaping at the screen that showed his teammates. "I knew you guys knew… but you encouraged it? Really?"

"Well yeah man," Cyborg shrugged, remembering how he thought they would get together. That was before he learned of Raven's feelings for Robin, and it was before he realized Robin felt nothing for the redheaded alien. "It seemed kind of obvious at the time."

"I definitely thought so too," Beast boy chipped in, also recalling how much he supported the couple until he realized Raven loved Robin.

"We all thought it would happen." Raven claimed with a monotone.

Robin raised his eyebrows at the last comment. "You too?"

"Yep."

"You thought I had feelings for Starfire?" Robin clarified. "You?"

Raven narrowed her eyes. "Why wouldn't I have?"

"Because I'm an emotional wreck and you can sense it every time? Wouldn't you know if I had deep romantic feelings for Starfire?" Robin snipped back. The rest of the team rolled their eyes, knowing a fight was about to break between them. Again.

"I can sense negative emotions," she clarified angrily, "because they're more obvious and overwhelming. I'm not snooping through your every emotion."

Before Robin could retort, Cyborg quickly asked, "So Starfire, what were you about to say?"

Starfire blushed but continued. She'd rather talk about something embarrassing than have her friends fight again. "Well," she said nervously, "I thought Robin returned my feelings, and I thought we would eventually court each other. I thought my parents would be fine with that since Robin is an important person on Earth, but he never returned my feelings so it doesn't matter."

Robin blinked. "Wait, so if we got married, you'd be able to stay on earth?"

"Perhaps…"

"Let's just get married then!" He exclaimed. "A green card marriage!"

Starfire blinked, blushing heavily at the proposal. "A what?"

"It's… well it's hard to explain. But why can't you just marry me and stay with us?" Robin asked, a huge grin coming to his face.

"Because it's too late for that," Starfire reminded him. "I am already engaged, and it is necessary that I marry him."

The grin vanished. "Oh," he mumbled. "Never mind then."

It became silent again. None of the teammates knew what to say after the "marriage proposal," and they didn't know how to convey their current emotions into words.

Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, the back of their ship was hit, interrupting the awkward silence.

Each titan gasped and immediately went into action. "They have us outnumbered ten to one," Raven informed the team.

"Not for long. Titans, separate!" Robin shouted, and instantly the ship divided into five different parts. Each titan flew their part of the ship towards the green alien spaceships, and they began their individual attacks.

Cyborg instantly began firing at the aliens while trying to ensure they would crash onto the surrounding asteroids. They easily fell for his misdirection, and Cyborg smirked in response. He glanced at the screen in front of him that showed the other titan's locations along with the enemies. From what it looked like, the titans were winning. He smiled, and noticed that the majority of the aliens began retreating. "Titans," Robin's sharp voice filled his ship, "back together. They're retreating."

Cyborg sighed and began flying his ship back towards the rest of the titans, where they attacked together into one. "Who were those guys?" Robin mumbled to himself. No one knew the answer, so no one spoke up.

Not until Beast boy asked, "Where are we?"

He said that in reference to a white and purple planet that looked almost surreal to the titan's eyes. Starfire smiled softly, "Tamaran… my home."

When they shakily landed their ship onto the castle's platform, they didn't know what to expect. Starfire rushed out of the ship with a bright smile, and the team slowly followed. She quickly flew to the front doors where multiple guards walked out. A large man walked with them. Like Starfire, he had long red hair and wore purple. He narrowed his eyes at Starfire and began shouting at her in a different language. Starfire's eyes glowed green as she flew up and began screaming back.

The large man held out his hands as he shouted, and Starfire reacted with a scream.

"Titans!" Robin shouted. "G—uh…"

The large man began tickling Starfire! She squealed with happiness and hugged him tightly. "Galfore!" she smiled happily. "I've missed you!" Turning to her friends, she introduced, "My friends this is Galfore! He raised me from the time I was very small."

By the way she phrased it, the titans deduced that this man was not her father. Beast boy snorted, "So this guy is your nanny?"

Galfore narrowed his eyes. "Is there something wrong with that, little one?"

Immediately the smile was wiped off of Beast boy's face and he sheepishly grinned, "No! Not at all!"

Galfore smirked in amusement before his noticed the state of their ship. Anyone could tell they had been attacked, and Galfore sighed in resignation. "I see you have met our new enemies."

Robin frowned. "You know them?"

"They are the great Drenthax army. They invaded us and threaten to overthrow our way of life," Galfore said sadly before his face tightened in anger. "If I were grand ruler, I would fight! I would fight for our planet and try to defend us but… but I am not. Oh Koriand'r, much has changed since you were last here."

Starfire's eyes softened, and she whispered, "I heard of what happened although I did not believe it at first. There is a new grand ruler now, yes?"

Galfore nodded. "There is, but we are very happy to have you back Princess Koriand'r."

Suddenly Galfore bowed before Starfire along with all the guards who came with him. The titans took in the scene, and their jaws dropped. All of them had a shocked expression, and it must have looked idiotic to the people around them. "Princess?" Raven choked out. "You're a princess?"

There was a time Raven thought Starfire had everything. At the time, she believed Robin loved her, and it was obvious that Starfire was beautiful. She had full range of her emotions, and she was the most expressive, friendliest, happiest person Raven had ever met. She remembered how she enviously thought Starfire was better than her in every way.

Thank goodness she didn't learn Starfire was a freakin' princess during that time! It would have definitely pushed Raven over the edge.

Starfire blushed at the awed looks her friends were giving her. "Ah yes, I am in second line for the throne… perhaps I forgot to mention that?" Judging by her questioning, light tone, she purposefully left that out. Before the titans could ask why she hid that from them, Galfore gestured for her to start walking. Smiling at her friends, she began to walk into the palace with the guards following behind her.

"Um… did anyone know she was a princess?" Cyborg dumbly asked.

"No," Robin blinked.

"Of freakin' course she is," Raven mumbled under her breath.

Robin turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "Are you—"

"Oh please for the love of God!" Beast boy exclaimed, glaring at the two of them. "Do not talk to her! And don't talk to him! Our best friend is getting married, and we can't have you two at each other's throats the entire time!"

"But—" Robin began.

"No but's!" Beast boy interrupted. "Just don't talk to each other! At all! Understand?"

Raven and Robin glanced at each other. When their eye's met, they instantly began glaring at each other. "Fine," they said at the same time through gritted teeth.

"Good." Beast boy smiled proudly before he started following the guards.

Cyborg quickly caught up to him. "Nice job, BB."

Beast boy sighed, "Someone had to do it."

"They'll get over their little… whatever it is."

"I hope so..."

Apparently it was custom to throw a large dinner party for the bride before the groom was introduced. That was how all of the titans ended up sitting at a giant table with giant cups in front of them. Robin took one look at his cup and sighed. There was no way he could pick that up.

The banquet mostly had older Tamaran members, and Robin guessed they were nobles. From their outward appearance, they seemed rather snobby. Robin knew how to deal with those types of people (after all, he had to go to multiple banquets as Bruce Wayne's ward), but he wasn't sure if his methods would be proper for Tamaran like they were in earth. Instead he decided to focus on Starfire, who seemed rather dazed by the whole ordeal. "Starfire," he whispered to her. "What's going on exactly?"

"It's just a normal banquet," she whispered back. "It is in my honor, and it is a celebration of my status as a bride."

Robin frowned. "About that… Starfire, do you—"

"What are you two whispering about?" One of the elderly men condescendingly asked.

Robin blinked, sitting up straight. He put on his most polite smile and started, "I was merely asking about the culture of Tamaran. I did not want—"

"Do you think we are so foolish?" Another man cut in, glaring at Robin. "Do not think we haven't noticed you glancing at her all throughout the evening."

"Of course I was," Robin tried to remain polite. "She is about to get married, and this will be the last time I see her. I just—"

"You desire her, don't you?" A woman of the court giggled although it was obvious she did not approve.

"I… what?" He had no idea how to respond to that. Why did everyone seem to think he wanted Starfire? Firs the Titans now the royals of Tamaran! He didn't want Starfire! He wanted—

"He does not!" Starfire cut in. "He has no desire for me at all."

The first man who spoke smiled, "Princess," he said respectively, "you do not know the minds of men like we do. He most likely wishes to bed and marry you. We are just looking out for your wellbeing!"

Robin flushed red at the "bed" part of the statement. Starfire sighed, as though she was used to this type of talk. "I know he does not desire me because I confessed feelings of love towards him," she blushed. "He rejected me."

The court members all seemed shocked. Some even gaped at Robin as though he were some kind of idiot. He glared back at anyone who gave him that look. A woman cleared her throat, "Clearly she is lying to save her friend his dignity. My dear princess, no one would ever reject you. You are far too beautiful! I believe we should have this Robin boy exiled for attempting to seduce the bride."

The courtroom nodded in agreement. Starfire gulped, her eyes glancing around the room in a panic until they landed on Raven, who was watching the conversation with a mixture of surprise and annoyance. An idea came to her head, and she inwardly hoped Robin and Raven's fighting wouldn't ruin this. "The reason he rejected me is because he was courting another," Starfire lied. "Robin is in a secret relationship with my teammate and good friend Raven."

Robin gaped. "What?!"

Raven flushed. "Excuse me?"

Starfire apologetically smiled. "I am sorry I had to reveal your secret, my friends, but I did not want Robin to be exiled over a misunderstanding."

Cyborg and Beast boy were trying their best not to laugh, and Robin and Raven just stared at their friend in horror and embarrassment.

"I see," another woman smiled. "The only reason a man would reject you, princess, is if they had another! We are sorry for the misunderstanding!"

Robin numbly nodded his head, trying hard not to turn and glare at Starfire. What was she thinking? Why would she do that? Starfire turned to him and smiled innocently making him forget why he was angry in the first place. Instead he remembered why they were here. He needed to stop this wedding, and he couldn't if he was exiled. So he smiled, "That's right," he tried not to sound forced. "Raven and I are dating."

Raven's head whipped around, and she gave him an intense look. "Robin," she warned.

"It's out now," he shrugged, trying to seem casual. "We might as well stop pretending."

He gave her a look, and she sighed, forcing a smile at the table. "That's right," she said emotionlessly. "We're in love."

Robin nodded his head, smiling brightly at the court, who seemed to be buying it. They thought that Robin and Raven were in love! Robin sighed.

Yeah, if only…

Alice: Thanks for reading!

Emily: This chapter is going to have a ton of RaeStar friendship! As you can tell with Starfire's oh-so-subtle way of trying to get them to hook up!

Alice: Like I said in my previous "With You" stories, I don't like the whole "let's antagonize Starfire and have her be terrible to Robin and Raven when they like each other." It seems so OOC and just un-Starfire.

Emily: In this story, I'm trying to convey that while she's hurting and wants to be with Robin, she still respects her friendship with Raven and would never let Robin get in the way.

Alice: Yeah there will be more bonding in part 2.

Emily: Anyways, what did you guys think?

Alice: My goal is to publish the next chapter by the 16th. School started so chapters will be up every two weeks instead of every week. Sorry about that. I'll try to update as often as I can!

Emily: Anyways, happy Labor Day! Good luck to everyone starting school!