Ryan/Fox

"He came after you of course," Blackfire dismissed, sauntering into the room nonchalantly as their Gordanian escort held Starfire back. Nightwing glared at her murderously as she reached to grasp his chin, her fingers pinching. "Honestly I don't know why you're so surprised. Of course he wasn't going to just let you come quietly to sacrifice yourself for our people. It's like you don't know him at all."

Nighting would have spat something snarky back at her, but didn't quite trust his stomach not to revolt if he opened his mouth. He could still feel the bruises from her blow to his abdomen, a vicious punch that had knocked the wind out of him and made him hang limp and breathless in the manacles holding him to the wall for a few horrible seconds.

"But anyway, he's my special guest now." Her violet eyes leered and her voice dropped to a low purr. "Aren't you sweetheart? And I've been taking very good care of you."

This time he did snap back, jerking his chin out of her grip. "Piss off, Blackfire," he snarled.

The open-palmed slap came so fast he almost didn't see it, a thunderous blow crashing across his face. He heard Starfire yelp, but his vision was flashing with white spots and his head rang loudly with pain again, loud enough to drown out the Tamaranian curses she was probably spitting.

He shook his head, feeling a strain in his arms from dangling limply, and pushed past the pain to get his feet better underneath him again, and straightened up.

Blackfire's eyes were hard daggers, sharp and hostile. "Keep running that mouth, Nightwing, and I'll have to put a muzzle over it," she warned him. "Don't think I won't do it."

Nightwing heaved for breath, blinking, trying to focus his vision.

"Sorry about him," Blackfire was apologizing to Starfire. "He doesn't quite know his place yet."

Starfire's eyes were shimmering faintly at the edges, crinkled in distress. "Why are you doing this?" she cried. "What do you want?"

"What I've always wanted, little sister." Blackfire put her hands on her hips. "Power."

"I do not understand!" Starfire was trembling, her arm shaking in the Gordanian's large fist. "You have already taken over, deposed Galfore, and installed yourself as Grand Ruler! What more could you possibly want?"

Blackfire gave a little shrug. "Turns out being Empress of Tamaran isn't as smooth and seamless a process as I'd thought. See, you didn't quite dot your i's and cross your t's correctly when you transferred power to Galfore after our little rite of challenge the last time," she explained, waving a hand. "It's all very complicated and tedious but legally speaking what it boils down to is that several of the outlying vassals still considering you the rightful heir, and believe that upon your eighteenth birthday you should have ascended to the position of Grand Ruler." There was a cruel edge to the smirk she wore, vindictive, savoring her own words. "So what I need you to do, sweetie, is just sign a little document making your abdication official and forfeiting your birthright."

"My... birthright?" Starfire repeated, in confusion.

"You do that for me, and you and little Dickie bird here can go free. You can go back to Earth and forget all about me," Blackfire promised, tone dripping with false sweetness. "And live happily ever after on that miserable backwards little blue planet."

Nightwing's heart sank. He'd suspected upon his capture that Blackfire intended to use him as leverage against her sister, but up until now he hadn't known exactly what that would entail.

Starfire stood there bewildered, and Nightwing watched her mind spinning behind her wide green eyes.

"That is... I do not..."

She found her sense then, and shook her head.

"I cannot give you my birthright, Blackfire," she said.

"Why not?" Blackfire stepped over casually, falsely pleasant smile still in place. "You never wanted the throne anyway. What's stopping you from just letting me take that little problem off your hands?"

Starfire's head twinged up, eyes hardening, and she quietly pulled her arm free from the escort's hold and straightened up boldly.

"Because you are unfit to rule Tamaran," she declared.

Nightwing had to bite back an Atta girl, as Blackfire lost her temper and got in her sister's face, screeching.

"I trained just as hard with the Warlords of Okaara!" she shouted. "I made better grades! I was always stronger, and faster, and more skilled at fighting!" Her face was twisted in anger. "I was always more of a warrior than you!"

Starfire didn't flinch. "And you are selfish, and greedy, and petty, and cruel." Her voice and eyes were steady. "You are unfit. You do not care for our people or for their well being. You only care about yourself."

He was so proud of her. His mouth tugged at a grin. He was so tempted to make a snarky comment but held back on account of the violent aura now flowing off Blackfire.

The older Tamaranian princess seethed, drawing back like a coiling snake. Her teeth were clenched, jaw pinching with force.

"Well then," she spat.

She backed up again, to stand next to the chained Nightwing, and his grin quickly dropped as dread curled through him.

"If that's how it is I guess your boyfriend doesn't need this intact."

She punctuated her words with a vicious kick to Nightwing's shin, full Tamaranian strength brought to bear.

Nightwing shrieked as the bone snapped, his head whiting out with pain, sharp, fresh, hot, and horribly blinding. His upper body shook, almost convulsing, and he gasped helplessly as the weight on his shoulders became even more uncomfortable to bear and tolerate with one of his supports gone.

He deliberately didn't look at Starfire, but he could feel her horror, her fear and dismay as Blackfire took aim again.

"Or this!"

KRACK!

That was the ribs this time, and Nightwing choked on a gasp, eyes blurring.

"Or these."

Blackfire reached up and seized a couple of his fingers, her next threat eminent.

"Stop! Please!" Starfire begged, lunging forward and grabbing her sister's wrist.

Blackfire's hostile glare sizzled between the two for a long moment, before she stiffly withdrew, yanking her hand out of her sister's grip.

"I'll give you an hour to reconsider your position, little sister," she growled. "After that, I have no more use for your pathetic little boytoy and I'll be only too happy to break every single one of his bones while you watch," she emphasized.

She stalked out of the cell, barking a sharp order to the Gordanians on her way out. They followed her silently, leering looks sent back at the two prisoners.

Starfire glared back and clutched Nightwing's head protectively until the door was sealed behind them.

Once the echos of it shutting began to fade, she quickly pried apart the manacles around Nightwing's wrists, the metal warping easily under her fingers, and caught him as he immediately sagged into her arms.

He gasped sharply as his weight went on his broken leg; Starfire lifted him and very, very gently, eased him down to the ground.

"Why did you come?" she warbled, eyes shimmering. "I told you I could handle it."

"Your sister always plays dirty. I wasn't going to let you face her alone." Nightwing grimaced through his self-deprecating smile. "Some help I turned out to be huh?" he said.

"Shh..." she soothed him, stroking fingers through his hair tenderly. "You have helped me, greatly."

Maybe it was the throbbing pain clanging inside his skull but that didn't really make sense to him. Nightwing squinted up at her through his one good eye. "How?" he asked.

Her eyes began to blaze forth bright green, lighting up the room, as she looked up with determination.

"Because now there is no prison cell that can hope to contain me."