#ramonda fanfiction | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

uzumaki-rebellion · 1 year

Text

“Ramonda’s Choice”

Summary: Ramonda Matela makes a choice that changes the course of Wakandan history forever.

Finally! My Ramonda fic is finished! Enjoy because it’s long! Please reblog, comment, share etc, because that is the only payment I require.

NSFW. Some smut. Angst. My usual stuff!

"With every passing moment Thoughts of you run through my head Every time that I'm near you I realize that you're heaven sent, baby I think you're truly something special Just what my dreams are really made of Let's stay together, you and me boy There's no one like you around…"

Tamia – "So Into You"

Ramonda Matela knew the Udaku brothers like the back of her delicate hand from childhood to adulthood.

T'Chaka Udaku was the gregarious extrovert: arrogant, vain, and the elder statesman of the two. N'Jobu was the introverted one who observed the world with inquisitive eyes, a quiet nature, and a smoldering confidence that was less flashy than his older brother, but just as appealing nonetheless.

Ramonda was in the middle of their age group, meeting both boys at the same time when she was thirteen and dreaming about becoming a Dora Milaje. The palace had an extravagant fourteenth birthday celebration for T'Chaka out in the royal garden that was so exclusive, that Ramonda almost didn't get invited herself. It was by sheer luck on her mother's part in nabbing coveted invitations. Saffra Matela knew the head gardener who oversaw the royal grounds, and he was the Godfather to Ramonda and her younger brother, Khosi. L'Wazi had twenty years of service to the royal family, and he emboldened his throat to ask for permission to allow his Godchildren to attend the festivities and have the one opportunity to see the layout of the garden estate. He was granted permission and their household received the invitation on exquisite linen paper laced with pure gold and purple satin trimming on the envelope.

She squealed when the personal invitation sat in her hands, and she traced languid fingers across the gold-embossed words that lifted in a heavy Wakandan script from the paper.

"You are cordially invited to the Umgidi of Prince T'Chaka Milani Udaku…"

Fourteen was the age of manhood for Wakandan boys and after the birthday celebration, Prince T'Chaka would be whisked off to initiation school near Warrior Falls where all fourteen-year-old boys went for thirty days, only returning from the rites of passage retreat wth a new status as young adult men.

Ramonda couldn't wait for her version of the event. Her parents saved money for three years to prepare for her upcoming intonjane and the celebration that went with it. T'Chaka was lucky, his parents could afford to have a combination birthday and rites of passage party. Every night she counted down the days of the royal celebration. Her mother sewed her a lilac dress from a pattern Ramonda begged her to make, and her father purchased plum-colored diamonds for her neck and ears. Her maternal umakhulu twisted her hair into an elaborate cascade of thick textured layers that made her neighbors snap tons of holo pics when she was picked up with her brother by her Godfather L'Wazi.

They brought a hand-crafted citrine gilded filigree of a golden jaguar made by their father as a gift. It stood two-feet tall in a fancy silver gift box and Ramonda held onto it so it wouldn't fall to the floor in the back of L'Wazi's vibranium powered car. Nervous and a bit anxious at being around so many nobles and royals for the first time, Ramonda's godfather was a natural charmer and had everyone thinking that Ramonda and her brother were nobles from the Panther tribe because the Queen of Wakanda, Zintle, greeted him with such affection. Eyes wide and full of wonder at the dazzling purple dress and matching isicholo of the queen, Ramonda stood frozen in place with T'Chaka's gift in front of her while introductions were made.

"I see you love purple as much as I do," Queen Zintle said. She touched Ramonda's ears. "What lovely plum diamonds. You have wonderful taste for such a young age. L'Wazi tells me you have so many interests and hobbies. Tell me, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

"Queen," Ramonda blurted out.

But that was not what she meant to say. The exact words Ramonda practiced in her head just in case anyone asked her was "To become a Dora Milaje for the queen." However, the dazzling smile and elegant beauty of Queen Zintle flustered the young girl, and made her forget the first seven words in her sentence before the word "queen".

"Ohhhh, I see!" Queen Zintle said out loud for all the adults to share in the bold accidental declaration.

Queen Zintle winked at L'Wazi and then put a finger under her chin.

"Well, in order to become a queen of the nation, one must meet the crown prince. T'Chaka, come here! N'Jobu, you too!" Queen Zintle shouted.

Ramonda's cheeks warmed up like the tea on her mother's stove and she stood there mortified in her pretty lilac gossamer party dress and grown-up fancy jewelry in front of the mother of the nation. Two good-looking rambunctious boys trotted over with feisty giggles and a jovial shoving of each other as they approached the queen.

"I want you both to meet, Ramonda."

T'Chaka grinned at her with big white teeth, and N'Jobu lost his smile as he stared at her.

"Hello," T'Chaka said, his voice bold, colorful and a little bit creaky from puberty.

Ramonda lowered her head in a polite bow.

"Hi," N'Jobu said.

Ramonda lowered her head to him too and then forget to raise it back up. Both boys were so handsome and she was not prepared to be up close and personal with royalty so soon.

"What is in the box?" T'Chaka asked, touching the gift Ramonda brought.

"That is for later," King Azzuri said, stepping forward with a flock of admirers following behind him.

Ramonda's heart beat so rapidly like hummingbirds fluttering around inside her chest. The king's powerful voice was like a sudden booming of thunder from out of nowhere.

"Why is she still bowing?" N'Jobu asked.

Ramonda raised her eyes and the first-born prince smiled at her again and she could not fathom the emotions that swirled inside of her. She was two feet away from the future king of Wakanda and her friends back in her neighborhood would not believe that she had spoken to him.

Wait.

She hadn't said anything yet.

Royal drummers beat out a steady rhythm to announce entertainment, and when Ramonda finally straightened her back, she watched the shaggy-headed king and graceful queen lead away a procession of adults. Her brother ran off with the two princes to check out the stunning colorful acrobats flipping and flying through the air in the distance above the surging crowd of guests.

Left alone as two servants lifted her gift for the prince to join the hundreds of others on a raised dais, Ramonda touched her heart to make sure she was still alive as the beginnings of a crush developed for Prince T'Chaka… and Prince N'Jobu.

"Hurry up, you silly girl!"

Sixteen-year-old Ramonda stood on a flat wide rock ledge and peered down into the cool, dark blue waters of Warrior Falls. Laughing voices echoed all around the enclosed part of the natural pool that sat far enough away from the actual waterfall.

T'Chaka called out to her again, teasing her for not jumping into the depths like the others had moments before. There were six of them there. T'Chaka, N'Jobu, Ramonda, and their three school chums, Zhari, Sitha, and Imbo. Everyone swam in the pool except for Ramonda. She had a fear of dark water and the inky depths below the surface frightened her. The others frolicked in the cooling liquid counteracting the blistering sunlight that roasted all their skin into dark ebony hues. N'Jobu was the only one who treaded water in front of her, beckoning for her to join them with his hand outstretched for her. T'Chaka had encouraged her to jump in holding hands with him and she thrilled to the touch of his warm fingers threaded with hers. But she panicked and he became annoyed, leaving her to dive in head-first with the others.

"You won't drown, Ramonda. Holy Bast, you know how to swim for goodness sake!" T'Chaka shouted.

The two other teenage girls and boy watched her with T'Chaka and smirked at her fear.

"Ramonda, it's okay. It's not that deep," N'Jobu whispered to her.

"Don't stand there all day!" Zhari yelled, tightening the braids on top of her head with a hair tie.

Warrior Falls was a sacred place and they weren't supposed to be there desecrating the waters with their loud splashing and wild frolicking in the nude. Skinny dipping was something they started doing as a group the previous year and the risqué behavior was something Ramonda liked because she had the chance to look at T'Chaka naked. He had a beautiful physique and began to receive the delicate scarification rites that would prepare his body for ruling. Fresh symbolic cuts had been made on his pectoral muscles and on his stomach, marking his future ascension to the throne. The wounds had finally healed and his dark mahogany skin looked like a work of masterful art. T'Chaka preened and strutted like he ruled everyone already and it sometimes annoyed Ramonda because he was so much more than that when they were alone. He was sweet to her, and patient, but not then, not in front of their friends he liked to show off for.

N'Jobu had no marks on his body.

As the second son, he would receive no special cuts or the same treatment as his brother. The weight of the nation would never burden his shoulders like his brother. He was the spare royal, born into wealth and power, but would never harness it for himself… unless, of course, something happened to T'Chaka. Perhaps that fact made him the way he was with people. Unpretentious. Self-deprecating. Down to earth. His soft puppy eyes looked up at her and she still couldn't unfreeze her legs or stop her heart from palpitating, looking down into the void. If she could just see the bottom, she would be able to leap and join the fun.

Clenching and unclenching her fists, she relaxed her hands and stepped away from the ledge,

"I can't," she whispered.

"It's okay. Sunbathe and relax. Read a book," N'Jobu suggested.

Ramonda nodded and headed back to her folding chair where a fluffy yellow towel protected her skin from its heat. Stretching out her body, she watched her crew swim away toward the hidden caverns they would explore. She read a book about gemstones, her latest hyper fixation, and dozed off.

An hour later, she woke up to a wet tongue sliding around her right nipple. Opening her eyes, she blinked several times from the brightness of the sun and found T'Chaka's head dipped down to her plum-sized breasts. She glanced around to see if their friends were watching, but they were alone.

"Relax, everyone is still exploring the caverns," he said.

He lifted her off of the chair by her hands and wrapped his arms around her. Their naked forms melded together, and he kissed her with so much passion that it took her breath away. Rubbing her lower back, T'Chaka sighed into her mouth.

"I'm sorry for teasing you," he said.

She lowered her gaze to his chest and traced her fingers along the embedded half-moon-raised scars that marred his flesh.

"You always make fun of me when I'm afraid of something. You know dark water scares me. I don't know why you insisted on coming here. We could've gone to the beach or Pearl Lake. There's the palace pool—"

"Everyone wanted to come here. I didn't want to leave you behind. You would've been upset with me if I planned a trip leaving you out… even if I did it to protect your phobia," he said.

He nudged her chin to raise her eyes to his.

"Still mad at me, love?" he asked.

She tapped her fingers on his collarbone.

"Are you?" he pushed.

"It hurt my feelings," she said.

He kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her nose, and her chin, his special way of begging for forgiveness. She crinkled her nose and twisted her lips to pout, seeking more affection from him. He stroked her dark twisted hair that fell to her shoulders and nibbled on her earlobe.

"I don't want to hurt your feelings. I love you," he said.

She stared at him, her heart nearly flying out of her throat. He grinned, flashing those pretty teeth and a lupine smile.

"Say it again," she squealed, jumping up and down in his arms.

"I love you, Ramonda Matela. I have loved you since you told my mother you wanted to be queen and take her place on the throne so you can rule the nation—"

"I did not say all that back then!" she said, smacking his chest.

He pressed his forehead against hers, scooping her elbows into his chest.

"You have to take a chance sometimes and push against your fears. I will never let anything bad happen to you… ever," he said into her mouth before kissing her.

T'Chaka pushed her against a grainy wall of red rock and slipped his tongue into her mouth. He palmed her breasts, tickling her nipples with flicks of his fingertips. His left hand trailed a line down her flat belly to her warm mound. He palmed his hand into the shape of her vulva and held her gently as he gave deep, slow kisses. She moaned into his mouth once he went further and fingered her clit, spreading her natural sticky lubricant all along her sensitive folds. He pushed open her labia, allowing air to hit her damp opening before he dared to insert a finger. Her body stiffened. It was the first time he had ever tried to do that with her. The furthest they had gone with her body was the slow delicious fingering on her clit until she came. That was usually hit or miss because she was still learning her body with him. Sometimes he could make her cum and sometimes he couldn't, depending on how relaxed or tense she was.

Ramonda grabbed his arm when her opening resisted the push of his fingers inside of her.

"Relax, I'm moving slow," he whispered into her ear.

"I'm too tense," she said, gritting her teeth with discomfort.

"You need to relax so you can enjoy it… I'll go slower… like this… see… I'm almost in there all the way," he huffed.

T'Chaka's dick was hard and pushed against her thigh, the tip already spewing pre-cum. His steady breathing turned into heavy panting. Ramonda tried to relax, but once she focused in on his pleasure instead of her own, she tightened up down there and his fingers hurt.

"Stop, it doesn't feel good anymore," she said.

"Okay," he said, removing his index and middle finger and placing them back on her clit.

He rubbed gentle circles and pressed into the swollen nerves, but Ramonda couldn't find pleasure in it anymore because she was so worried about disappointing him. She faked an orgasm and stroked his dick for him, forcing him to splash cum all over the rock wall. He shouted with pleasure and hugged her afterward.

"You always make me feel good," he said.

He grabbed her hand and dragged her to the ledge again.

"Jump in with me. I will hold your hand. If you get scared after we get in, I'll lift you out," he said.

Ramonda could see the love in his eyes for her. He wanted to share everything with her.

"I don't want to jump. Can we just sit on the ledge and just… drop in?" she asked.

"Of course!" he said.

They sat down together, and he kept holding her hand. He kissed her knuckles, then leaned over and kissed her cheek. There was something so young, sweet, and innocent about them being naked together out in nature.

"On the count of three… one… two… three…," he said.

They scooted their rumps together and plopped down into the chilly water. Ramonda shivered from the cold until her skin became accustomed to the temperature. T'Chaka clapped his hands for her and snuggled with her near the ledge, their legs pumping furiously below the surface. She eventually swam away toward the middle of the pool and felt more confident with him next to her. The others returned, impressed that she finally braved the water. N'Jobu gave her a thumbs up and she had her chance to frolic and gossip while cooling off properly.

T'Chaka summoned a spider jet to pick them up on the other side of the falls and a pilot flew them toward Birnin D'Jata to have a late lunch before the two princes had to return to the palace. Everyone had to sport large shades to avoid the intrusive nature of the Wakandan paparazzi who snapped holo pics of their group dining in an expensive restaurant.

T'Chaka waved goodbye to them all once they arrived at the palace. A royal shuttle took the rest of them home and Ramonda floated to her room in a daze. The future king of her country loved her. She twirled around giddy and tapped her kimoyo beads to tell her besties the good news.

Ramonda caught them in the shadows of the tearoom when she ran back to fetch a headscarf for the queen.

T'Chaka had pretended to seek his brother in the royal garden and would see her at his mother's private art reception inside the second palace. The queen, forgetting a simple teal silk scarf, brought Ramonda face-to-face with her lover's infidelity.

She stood in the shadows with tattooed geometric red shapes on her bald head designating her status as a Dora Milaje guard for the queen as T'Chaka inserted an uncovered erection inside of a woman he insisted was the head of his new conservation project in the Border Tribe lands. He grunted and humped the full-figured woman, pushing her up against a wall with her curvy thigh resting over his arm. Pulling out his dick for a guttural climax, he ejaculated all over the woman's vulva.

"Bastard!" Ramonda shrieked, running from the room without the queen's scarf.

She ran smack into N'Jobu, who carried a tall stack of old texts, knocking them over.

"Ramonda," N'Jobu said.

Flustered, she dropped down to help collect the books with him. T'Chaka rushed out and his secret tryst was revealed to his brother, too.

"Let us not make a scene, Ramonda," T'Chaka said.

He stroked the hairs on his new goatee as his lover dashed off in embarrassment, avoiding eye contact with Ramonda. Had N'Jobu not been there, she would've knocked T'Chaka on his ass with her sonic spear. N'Jobu positioned himself between the two of them, sensing the rage coursing through her fired-up body.

"Leave us," T'Chaka said to N'Jobu.

"I should scratch your eyes out!" Ramonda screamed.

"You are on duty and will do no such thing," T'Chaka said.

The sweetness he once carried in his teenage face so long ago didn't stay with his mid-twenties demeanor, and a part of Ramonda knew that the halcyon days of their youth would change once they grew older and adulthood wiggled into the equation. They had kept their love affair quiet, but Ramonda trusted he would be faithful as she took on her additional responsibilities as a Dora. All her life as a child, she dreamed of wearing the shaved head, regal-looking uniform, and garnering the respect of her family and peers for such a prestigious honor. Her grip on the sonic spear tightened, and she lifted it an inch off the floor. N'Jobu blocked her from T'Chaka.

"Mother is waiting for you," N'Jobu reminded her.

Ramonda stomped into the tearoom and collected the scarf she came for.

"I hate you!" she hissed at T'Chaka, storming past him.

He chased her down, and they stalked through the halls side-by-side.

"I messed up," T'Chaka barked.

"It's over."

"It doesn't even count as cheating. We are on a break, remember? Your new assignment changed things. You told me—"

"I told you my work would keep us apart at times and we should concentrate on our duties until I was settled in my position. That was not me saying we were on a break."

"I misunderstood—"

"Liar—"

"Watch your tone with me!"

He snatched her arm and pulled her into an alcove for privacy.

"I am still a royal and above you in rank and status. While you are on duty you will address me as the Prince of Wakanda."

"Fuck you… your highness," she spat.

She left him behind and wiped away the tears that leaked from her eyes. Reaching the queen, she handed over the scarf and took her place among the other Doras. T'Chaka pretended to be interested in attending his mother's social event so he could be near Ramonda, but she ignored him. Queen Zintle's gracious nature dazzled her guests, and the artwork was astounding. Over one thousand guests packed the gallery, and Ramonda kept her concentration on protecting the mother of the nation. T'Chaka's regretful stares didn't penetrate her cooled heart. How she wished she had been on assignment with the king in America. Discovering her man in another woman's arms was the last thing she imagined happening in her life. Would it have been better to not know in a foreign country, or walk around like the biggest fool in Wakanda with the revelation?

There were signs of his unfaithfulness in the past year.

She ignored her intuition, hoping she was wrong about her man. After college, they went their separate ways for one summer as she trained to become a Dora. Their love was too strong to stay apart, and they found themselves together again, more in love than ever, until they handed her final assignment to her. Working for the queen. It shifted their relationship because Ramonda was out and about in public all the time. She committed to five years with the queen before she'd have to be rotated in duties or discharged from the corps, and it put a damper on their time together.

The eldest prince walked around the art gallery being charming, keeping himself in her constant view. Hurt washed over her in waves that grew in intensity until her eyeballs felt like they were cooking in their sockets from the heat of her anger. Her temples throbbed all night. He took advantage of her words. Used them as a loophole to fuck someone else. Perhaps two others. There were women he had around that she was not familiar with personally, and she chalked that up to his extra responsibilities as the Black Panther. They had given the mantle to him right when she became a full Dora. The added complication of their important work and love life clashed. They hadn't slept together for a few weeks because of travel and the various events the queen was in charge of while the king was away for conferences and the U.N. general assembly meetings in America. T'Chaka was left behind to protect Wakanda in his father's absence, and Ramonda was grateful that the prince would be home and not abroad.

A lanky woman with twisty black hair approached T'Chaka in a way that was too familiar and Ramonda grit her teeth. So be it. If he thought he was single, she would let him be that. A hot pain brewed in her stomach and she clenched her jaw until N'Jobu swept into the room. The younger prince looked like a dream in a cranberry and crème colored tunic and flowing pants. He had spruced up for the event after bumping into the scandalous affair of his brother. Ramonda's jaw relaxed watching the royal sibling make the rounds of greeting guests.

"Mother," N'Jobu said, kissing his mother's cheeks.

Queen Zintle beamed, having both of her sons present. N'Jobu positioned himself beside his mother, but close enough to Ramonda.

"It would be wise to finish my brother in private and not disrupt the queen's gala," N'Jobu said with a playful tone as her eyes glared at T'Chaka like hot spikes ready to carve him into pieces.

"The Wakandan streets can have him. We are no more," she whispered.

"You only say that because you are hurt. Look at him, doing his best to impress you," N'Jobu whispered back.

T'Chaka was all smiles, but he kept looking over at Ramonda with worry in his eyes. N'Jobu's cloying cologne shifted her attention. Standing close to him, she studied his profile, and a feeling came over her that should've stayed hidden. Her attraction to him bubbled up quickly.

There had been public gossip about N'Jobu's dating recently. He stayed discreet, but there were rumors of him courting two noblewomen from distinguished families vying for a chance to snag him. Ramonda hoped he went for the sweet one with the wide eyes and the adorable wide nose who made him laugh in all their holo pics together in the media. He liked plump women with personalities and they appeared to be a good fit from what she knew of their relationship.

"I am ready to retire," Queen Zintle said to all four Doras protecting her.

Ramonda tapped her spear, signaling the queen's departure from the event. She helped lead the queen out into the hall where a new set of Doras met them for a change in shift. Free from her duties for the night, Ramonda scurried down a palace hall that led to a private elevator for staff to leave the main rooms. The other Doras followed her, chatting about tired feet and wanting to sleep for hours.

"Ramonda,"

N'Jobu called to her before she stepped onto the elevator with her co-workers. The doors slid shut, and she faced the younger royal. Released from her work, Ramonda's body trembled with vexation as she fully processed T'Chaka's deceit. Her kimoyo lit up with T'Chaka's avatar signature and she ignored it. N'Jobu watched her expression and chuckled.

"Let's go have a drink before you run off to fight him," he said.

T'Chaka appeared down the hall and she balled up her fist, ready to punch him.

"Can we talk, please?" T'Chaka begged.

"I think you should let her cool down first," N'Jobu said.

"This is none of your concern, baby brother. I want to talk to my woman."

T'Chaka clasped her hand and Ramonda shook him off and turned away.

"We can't even talk?" T'Chaka whined.

"Go away. I can't even look at you!" she said. "I'm working my ass off protecting your family and you're running around fucking women all over the palace. You disgust me."

"You broke up with me."

"No, I didn't!"

"Okay… okay you two. Stop. Take a breath—"

T'Chaka threw up his hands at his brother and spun on his heels, leaving in a huff of entitled indignation.

"Brother," N'Jobu called out.

T'Chaka ignored him.

"Did you know?" Ramonda asked.

N'Jobu's bottom lip smooshed up into his top lip and Ramonda sighed.

"I didn't think it was my place to speak. I'm not privy to your personal interactions on that level," he said.

She waved a hand at him.

"Don't beat yourself up. I always suspected there was something off about us. I just didn't want to see it… not like that."

She rubbed the deep crease in her forehead and closed her eyes.

"Maybe I did make him think we were on break. I put a pause on so much to do well in my work."

"Don't second guess yourself. Clearly, you thought you were still connected, or else you wouldn't be so distraught. I'm sorry I said nothing to you. I try to stay out of his way. Being the Black Panther has puffed him up."

"Does that drink offer still stand?"

He grinned.

She pretended to escort him to his quarters and, once there, she placed her spear against the wall and pulled off her work boots. He loaned her a long caftan to change into after she took advantage of his luxury shower that overlooked a terrace with a view of the golden city that was spectacular.

N'Jobu mixed their drinks from his private bar stash and they sipped together, leaning against the terrace railing. The liquor hit them both hard on empty stomachs. She needed the feeling. It protected her heart from breaking.

"What will you do?" N'Jobu asked.

"Work. Become the best Dora Milaje there ever was. I'm living my dream. Your mother is an exceptional woman and I am so blessed to lay my life for hers if I ever need to."

N'Jobu reached over and stroked her cheek.

"Hopefully that will never happen. You would be a significant loss to me."

Ramonda took a step back and gulped down her third glass of hard spirits. She willed her legs to walk to her spear, grab it and her uniform, then vacate the premises, but she stood there and allowed his fingers to linger on her skin.

"Maybe breaking up with him is best," he said.

"Maybe."

His eyes captivated her, while his hand cradled the back of her neck and pulled her in closer.

"I think we've had a little too much," she said, holding up her glass like a talisman to ward off the arousal stirring within.

"I don't think we've had enough," he said.

She became so aware of herself naked under the caftan. Strange to think that for years they'd swam nude together as teenagers, but at that moment, a thin bit of material made her feel more naked than she had ever been in front of him.

"He doesn't deserve you. Never has," N'Jobu said.

"Why are you saying this when you know I'm feeling vulnerable?"

"What better time to tell you how I feel than now? When you're finally free?" he countered.

"This is too much. Goodnight, your highness—"

Warm arms with powerful muscles enveloped her, pulling her close to his broad chest.

"I'm sorry. This liquor has loosened my tongue, and I have dishonored your feelings," he said.

His touch caved in her will to leave his side. The urge to get back at T'Chaka with someone else raced up her spine and tilted her head up to look at the second prince with desire. Thrusting herself against him, Ramonda kissed N'Jobu and gave in to feelings that hovered beneath the surface between them since childhood. Her world had been upended and giving into her lust for T'Chaka's brother felt like the right thing to do.

Their lips sought an agreement on who would lead, and N'Jobu gave Ramonda control of the encounter. Full fleshy lips painted stories across her mouth before moving to play sonatas on her neck and clavicle. She arched her body, giving him room to explore, and he lifted the caftan off of her, tangling her hands. He nibbled, licked, and kissed his way to her breasts, circling each pebbled nipple with the tip of his hot tongue, bathing her areolas with saliva and promises of more.

Ramonda moaned and buried her fingers in his thick curls that smelled of sage wood and bitter root hair butter. His tongue slid further until it reached her clipped mound, slathering the area with more warm saliva and tender kisses. He parted her folds and teased her clit with artful, long swipes of his eager mouth muscle and looked up at her face. N'Jobu's lips glistened with her arousal and the slick feel of his lips on her forced a whimper from her throat. He took that as the signal to go further, resting his tongue against her slippery folds, before sucking on her clit again. She pulled his head back by his hair.

"We can't," she said.

"We can… we will," he replied.

He stood then, revealing an erection through his garment. Pulling it over his head, his length bobbed with pre-cum spilling out from the deep slit of a wide head that ran down the thick ridge surrounding his tip.

"Come," he said.

He led her to his bedroom and tapped the top of his fireplace to make a small fire appear, making the room cozier. The firelight flickered, and she glanced around his private space. Books were in various stacks on every open surface. English-language books and non-fiction texts about America surrounded them. The Udaku brothers were already fluent in three languages other than English. She herself was taking a crash course in American standard to prepare for away trips with her work.

His unmade bed had a small pile of poetry books resting on an unused pillow. He lifted them away and added them to his nightstand. Reaching for her hand, he settled her on the edge of his bed and sat next to her. The doubt in her eyes clouded his.

"If you don't want this, I will understand," he said.

He cupped her chin.

"I won't pressure you," he said.

Her rational mind finally made an appearance. She scooted away from his warm thigh.

"I'd only be doing this to spite him," she said in a harsh tone.

"So spite him."

"I would be using you."

"Use me."

"This isn't right. You're his brother. My friend. I can't sink lower than him."

N'Jobu's eyes were shiny beacons reflecting the crackling fire.

"I'm in love with you, Ramonda. I will never have a chance to be this bold again," he said.

She touched her right temple lightly and thought of a hundred reasons to walk away, but… she couldn't. T'Chaka stopped her angst by calling her again. Her kimoyo beads warmed up and his small avatar floated above her wrist. N'Jobu crashed his lips into hers with a sad desperation to keep her by his side.

"I love you," he murmured under his breath, his lips sending hot tendrils of pleasure all across her chest and neck.

He placed her hand on his dick and she squeezed it, wanting to know the heat and thickness before she jumped up with his pre-cum sticky on her fingers.

"We can't… I'm sorry. I love you too, but not the way you want…"

Ramonda ran out of his bedroom and gathered up her uniform and boots. She dressed quickly in the living room and grabbed her spear. Praying to Bast, she hoped no one saw her leaving his quarters or looking suspicious while departing the palace. A mad dash to her vehicle in the underground parking structure had her out of breath and feeling loopy. N'Jobu had never acted that way with her before. She sensed a crush when they were children, but she thought for sure he would never cross a line over his brother. What a mess!

She used autopilot and sat back in her car, watching the cityscape whip past. Her condo was located a half hour away by car and she arrived home trembling with confusion. Stepping inside of her spacious floor plan, she locked her spear in its safety housing and nearly jumped out of her skin when T'Chaka approached her on quiet feet.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have some other woman to bed tonight?" she quipped, turning the living room lights brighter.

His royal attire was gone, and in its place was a basic loose-fitting pink shirt and white lounge pants. He stood barefoot in the middle of the room with his hands at his sides, looking defeated and sad. For the first time since knowing him, he looked vulnerable.

"I made a mistake, Ramonda. You were so adamant about work and duties and being apart. I really thought you had broken off our relationship. My love, I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you by seeing me like that. There's nothing serious going on with that woman. Just a fling to pass the time waiting for you to come back to me."

A quiver in his voice gave credence to his words.

"T'Chaka, I'm tired…"

She walked around him, hoping N'Jobu's scent wasn't obvious. Rushing to her bedroom, she removed her clothing and jumped into her shower, scrubbing so hard that her skin became irritated. Water ran down her bald scalp and she tilted her neck, allowing the warm liquid to rinse away tears and guilt.

T'Chaka stood in her bedroom doorway when she stepped out dripping nude, searching for a clean towel in her bathroom cabinet.

"I want us together," he said.

"Can we talk another time? I'm not… I'm not in the right frame of mind to deal with us."

A shimmer in his left eye brought her closer to him. Watery sadness threatened to drip down from his tear ducts.

"Mondie, I miss you. I barely see you anymore. I'm lonely without you with me. Being the Black Panther is difficult, knowing you don't need me anymore. I wish we could be like we were as teenagers… free. No responsibilities. Without you, I am nothing… not even close to being my best self."

He encircled her waist with his arms and pressed his cheek against the middle of her breasts.

"Please, don't throw us away," he said.

Ramonda cuddled him with her hands on his nape. His tears were warm droplets on her clean skin trailing down her belly.

"I love you, Mondie," he shuddered into her flesh.

His pet name for her soothed the ache in her heart. She lowered her head and kissed him, his lips frantic to connect with hers. Slow and lazy, she shared her mouth until he undressed, parting from her to get everything off until he was naked. Ramonda straddled him, gripping his hard dick, lining it up with her entrance. His skin smelled delicious, lickable, and all hers. Inching her way down on his erection, she grunted in her throat when she reached the fruit at the bottom.

T'Chaka's soft lips were slightly parted as he grew accustomed to having her ride him again. His pants and gentle groans pleased her. Clutching his strong back, she bounced on him faster. Images of N'Jobu tangling up her lovemaking. She squeezed her eyes shut, savoring the feel of T'Chaka inside of her, chasing away thoughts of his brother's dick weeping pre-cum in her hand. Ramonda slammed her ass cheeks on T'Chaka's thighs and he shouted her name. He threw his head back while praising her tight walls clenching him into submission.

"Yes… yes… yes…," he panted in her ear, fondling her ass cheeks while his warm breath stimulated her ear.

The woman he fucked in the tea room flashed in her mind, throwing off her rhythm. She adjusted her speed and thrust into his groin, bending him to her will. He began lifting her up and down, and gulping for air. His release was upon him., so she tried extending it by pushing him back on her bed and loving him slow and easy.

"Oh, Bast… oh… Bast!" he shouted, staring at her breasts.

The juiciness of N'Jobu's dick haunted her, and she stared across the room at her reflection in a wall mirror, drifting into a state of panic. Her pussy grew wetter thinking of the younger prince. The memory of his mouth on her folds catapulted her into murky waters. Watching herself fuck T'Chaka, she pretended it was N'Jobu and her walls spasmed. Her orgasm throbbed all over the future king's dick, shoving him over the precipice of release too.

"Mondie!"

He shoved his hips up from the bed and rooted himself in her depths. His body became stiff, and he shoved his face to the side, lost in his pleasure. His cum felt warm and thick, coating her walls. She collapsed on his chest and their sweat mingled and cooled quickly.

Butterfly kisses peppered her chest as T'Chaka showed his appreciation for their reunion. He helped her roll off of him and they stared at her ceiling, shoulder to shoulder. They fell asleep together in that position.

The next morning, they made love again. The parting of her folds relaxed her with his gentle missionary position. Afterward, he showered, and she stayed sprawled on her bed. Her kimoyo lit up with an encrypted code in the floating avatar. Facing away from the bathroom with T'Chaka singing off-key, she read the message.

"I love you."

N'Jobu's three words filled her heart with dread and longing.

Ramonda kept her distance from N'Jobu in private. Publicly, she did her job as a Dora and treated him the way she treated all the royals, with deference and respect. But he scared her sometimes. His eyes followed her whenever they were in a room together, and she feared everyone could see his feelings for her.

She made a mistake.

A year after his confession and their only sexual encounter, she gave into their lust for one another. It took place on her first and only trip to America with the queen. An East African delegation of women headed to the U.S. for a week-long women's conference. Queen Zintle was a guest speaker, and Ramonda almost didn't make the journey because her English skills were still very poor. The queen vouched for her to go anyway so she could learn on the job. Ramonda was one of the fiercest Dora Milaje, and the king allowed her to take the trip. She wore a translator to help guide her and felt comfortable leaning into the tech to help her along.

Ramonda hadn't expected N'Jobu to accompany his mother. A sudden change in plans had T'Chaka traveling with his father to Europe instead of the queen. Doing her utmost to stay above the carnal desires that always lingered around them, she picked a fight with N'Jobu to thwart his advances when she had a half day to herself to sightsee and play tourist. Exploring the rugged harshness of New York was going to be an anthropological experience for her. Americans were dangerous and odd. A deadly combination. New York was supposed to be the epicenter of their culture and it smelled like human waste and hot garbage the moment she stepped out onto the street to protect the queen and her son.

N'Jobu found it a fascinating place and went on day-long excursions, worrying his mother. He had the audacity to ditch his set of Doras on a subway by pretending he had to use the restroom. Queen Zintle fussed with him and forced Ramonda to escort him because he could never ditch her. N'Jobu went all out pretending to be upset with a babysitter, but the moment they hit the streets together, he gloated. It was her time off, but she didn't want the queen to worry and fret while trying to represent Wakanda.

"You are a stubborn rhino," she hissed as they rode to a museum.

"Do I look like I fit in?" he said in English.

She stared at him with wide eyes and an open mouth. His English was impeccable and there was no trace of an accent. He winked at her and stuffed his hands in a puffy black jacket that was a stylish New York trend in the city. His hair was clipped short and tapered in a style that fit in with the Black Americans on the subway.

"I do!" he said with enthusiasm.

She rolled her eyes, and he pressed into her, using the crush of new riders boarding as an excuse to get closer to her.

"Yo, my man, back up from my lady," N'Jobu said.

Ramonda glanced to her left side and noticed a light brown-skinned man easing up to her with a large backpack draped on his chest. N'Jobu glared at him and the man moved through the subway to get away from the bass in the prince's voice. She couldn't get over how comfortable he was speaking the language.

He grabbed her hand for the next stop at the American Museum of Natural History and dragged her out of the subway.

"Where are you going? The museum is over there," she pointed.

"Plenty of time to see that. Let's go for a walk," he enthused.

The excitement on his face made her smile.

"An hour's walk, and we'll come back," he offered.

They never made it to the museum.

N'Jobu entertained Ramonda with stories of his travels in Brooklyn and Harlem, speaking to her in his flawless English. Her earbud translator missed a few phrases, but he allowed her to practice openly and didn't chide her for mistakes in pronunciation. The city's ugliness transformed into a lesson in American culture through his eyes. He fed her giant salty pretzels with mustard, had her try a greasy pizza slice, and then took her to Central Park. Hours flew by. On their way back, he took her to a discreet hotel to rest in private. Watching American news together was depressing. Nothing positive happened in the country. Murder, poverty, racial tensions, and government failures dominated the airways and Ramonda switched over to her kimoyo beads to check on her homeland and all the amazing progressive programming they had for their news streams. N'Jobu seemed fascinated with the Americans. His eyes never left the flatscreen as story after story piqued his interest. Ramonda grew bored.

"We should leave," she said once the sun slipped down from the sky.

"No rush. You're not back on until morning," he said, relaxing on the king-sized bed across from the chair she lounged on.

"I have to check in with T'Chaka," she lied.

His expression changed with his lips pouting in frustration.

"You don't have to lie to me," he said.

"I'm not."

T'Chaka hadn't responded to the last four messages she sent, so wrapped up in being around his father. A bit of worry whispered to the anxious part of her brain with him being so far away.

"Okay, let's go then," he said.

He checked his kimoyo, swiped some code, and grinned.

"What?" she asked with curiosity.

"Made some plans. Grab your sweater," he said.

"Plans… where? With who?"

"Dinner with a friend."

They left the hotel and journeyed down to the subway. Ramonda fidgeted in the seat next to N'Jobu, wanting so desperately to know who he was seeing.

"Here's my stop. You can continue on back to the hotel on your own," he said.

He plunged through the crowd and exited with ardent strides to his next destination. She followed him down several blocks until he arrived at a hole-in-the-wall spot stuffed with chatty diners. He took a seat in a far corner booth. Ramonda spied on him from outside, but he sat alone for fifteen minutes. His date must've stood him up. She walked inside the restaurant and surprised him at his table. With hands on her hips, she stood ready to tease him until he pushed a menu on the table toward her.

"I hear the seafood here is delicious. It took you long enough to come inside," he said.

Flummoxed, Ramonda sat across from him on an uneven chair that rocked slightly when she moved closer to the table.

"You tricked me into having dinner with you?" she said.

"Not exactly. You want to be around me… don't shake your head… following me here lets me know you have feelings for me."

"Your safety is important—"

"I can protect myself with my vibranium shield. You were jealous and wanted to see who I was with. Admit it."

"I love T'Chaka."

"I know you do. But you love me too."

"Absurd."

"Why? Love is a powerful emotion that transcends time and space… history, even. It is limitless, and sometimes it does absurd things like put you in my heart… and my brother's."

"You are a mess."

"Then leave."

Ramonda stood up. Then sat back down abruptly. N'Jobu reached across the table and held her hand.

"Fate has brought us all together. You love my brother. Dearly. He has all the trappings that women want. But a part of you wants something different, just like me."

"The boldness from your lips—"

"I never pull punches. You know that. Give me one night. That's all I ask. If you don't feel it's right after that, I will fall back and let you trot after him."

"You make me sound like some lovesick puppy."

"You are a lovesick puppy with him. But it's not a good balance. I could give you a life, too. It may not be as flashy and far-reaching as my brother, but I sense a longing in you, Ramonda. You want to live a full, unrestricted life and you can't do that if you become the queen of Wakanda."

Her cheeks warmed up. Talk of becoming the queen was wishful thinking, considering T'Chaka hadn't proposed or even brought up marriage.

"This tension between us could go away if you stayed with me tonight. Last year, when we were together… I've never forgotten how you tasted or how you felt in my arms. You ran off before we could consummate our union fully, but I know you still dream about that. I know there are times you are with my brother and you wonder what it would be like with me. Give in to that and we can see if I'm being a fool for you."

"You are a fool. I am too, for sitting here and entertaining any thoughts of that. It is a betrayal—"

"Alls fair in love and war. This is a battle for the rest of your life."

She pushed away from the table with a queasiness souring her stomach and mouth. He spoke the truth. She loved them both for different reasons, but since she accepted T'Chaka's advances so long ago, she wanted to remain loyal. N'Jobu had plenty of time to claim her hand, but he didn't. His loss.

Ramonda turned down dinner with N'Jobu and wandered the streets for an hour. She caught a cab back to the luxury hotel they were hosted in with their entire Wakandan delegation. Inside her room, she showered and called T'Chaka on her kimoyo, but he still didn't answer directly. There were messages left for her, and he sounded bored and irritated at the European trip. He hated the outside world and how primitive it acted compared to their homeland.

Unable to relax fully, she showered, changed into casual clothes, and stared out of her window. Checking her kimoyo, she noticed the Wakanda media posting photos of T'Chaka in France, posing with international women who attended the same event as him. He wore a broad smile in all the pictures. The ones with his father were nice as they stood near the Eiffel Tower with a group of government officials. Wakandans back home gossiped about when the eldest prince would marry. She hated conversation threads like that because she couldn't scream to the world that he was her choice. Until T'Chaka made an official proposal, Ramonda was nothing to him. Just his secret lover hidden in the shadows until he stepped up to the light and made them official. For all she knew, his parents could arrange a marriage for him in the future to someone else. The queen had discussed family alliances in her presence with the king before.

Grabbing her room card key, she ambled down to the hotel lobby bar to get a drink and commiserate all alone over what her life would be in the future. The longer she sat and sipped, the fuzzier her mind became. Hailing a cab from outside, she returned to N'Jobu's secret hotel, tipsy and unstable on her feet as she knocked on the door. He answered. Naked.

Wasting no time by overthinking it, Ramonda pounced on him, smashing her eager lips over his thick, willing ones, and they tumbled back into his room and onto the bed. She wanted a fast fuck, a way of getting it over with and out of her system so she could erase N'Jobu from her mind, but his hands ruined her. He held her still, slowing their progression.

"No," he said.

"What?" she asked, breathless and agitated.

"You will not give yourself to me like this. Like I'm some chore for you to complete."

Pushing her away, he sat up from the bed and palmed his forehead.

"Leave," he said.

Naked and warm by his side, Ramonda stared at him with a puzzled expression. Her lips quirked and the creases in her forehead tightened her face.

"This is what you wanted," she spat out.

She shrank away from him.

"You're only toying with me. Is this to shame me? Test me?" she screamed.

"Lower your voice."

She slapped him. Twice.

N'Jobu closed his eyes and curled up his lower lip when she struck him there. She burst into tears.

"Oh, Bast! Why did I even come here?!" she wailed.

Raising from the bed, she wiped her eyes furiously, then held up her wrist draped with her kimoyo beads.

"I'm going to tell him," she threatened, "I'm not worthy of him."

N'Jobu leaped from the bed and held both her wrists.

"You are worthy," N'Jobu said.

"No, I'm not… I wouldn't be here if I was…"

Ramonda went limp in his hands and N'Jobu held her up, gripping her arms tight.

"I'm sorry, Ramonda. I don't want you to hurt, but this is more than I can bear. I love you and want you… but I can't force you to do anything you don't want. I want to see you happy."

She nodded and let her tears drip onto his neck as he held her close.

"I wish one of you was just awful so I could move forward in peace. You're both… perfect in your own special ways…" she moaned in his ear.

She pulled back from him. His eyes bound her to him.

"This will never go away. I'll love no one else but you for as long as I live, Ramonda."

The love in his eyes bathed her in warmth. Touching his face, she thought of all the times N'Jobu had stayed quiet behind his brother in all things. His family cherished him, but the reality was a more blatant truth-teller: T'Chaka was the favored one. He was destined to lead the nation and N'Jobu would forever be in the wings, watching and hoping to be noticed.

Ramonda kissed him, letting her tongue dance in his mouth. She shed away all the years of viewing N'Jobu as her friend and T'Chaka's side-kick. At that moment, he was to become her lover for the night. The elder prince was thousands of miles away, and once she was back in Wakanda, she would pretend nothing happened in America.

Lush lips explored her body.

Ramonda reclined under N'Jobu and allowed his mouth to savor every inch of her body. He took his time, the soft pads of his fingertips tattooing unspoken words onto her skin. Lifting her legs and dropping her cinnamon brown thighs open, she watched him fist his length, the swollen mushroom cap of his tip dripping pre-cum. She held her breath at his girth, stretching her, and only released it when he planted himself deep within. Slow and meticulous, he made their lovemaking last a long time. Soft murmurings and gentle pants spilled from her mouth. He grunted a few times and locked eyes with her throughout. His thrusts arched her from the bed and she threw her arms around his shoulders to tether her passion in that room. She had to keep it locked there forever, never to be opened again.

But it was.

Again and again.

Returning to Wakanda didn't quench their thirst for each other. It inflamed their lust. Not only did their passion ignite… so did her ardor toward T'Chaka.

Ramonda became insatiable. Loving both men in secret. In fact, her sex with T'Chaka became even more intense and more pleasurable. She worked her job well, rising in the ranks of the Dora Milaje, and becoming the head Dora for the king. Her mind hid the niggling doubts about how long she could sustain juggling two men. She spent most of her time with T'Chaka, but he traveled often with the king. On those occasions, N'Jobu would come through. She had learned to balance her affections with him, but he increasingly grew reckless with her love. Wanting more from her than she was willing to give. Despite her behavior, T'Chaka meant the world to her, and she held N'Jobu back from making future plans. The Dora Milaje was her priority over everything. He kept pushing, and she stopped seeing him. Cut off their affair and never looked back.

It all came to a head many years later when the king died.

King Azzuri was already middle-aged when he married Queen Zintle. She was a few years younger, but Wakandans tended to marry later and have children later in age, too. The culture believed in having full lives before settling down. Azzuri died peacefully in his sleep with his wife by his side, and although it was a sad occasion, there was no time for the queen to mourn when she was set on putting T'Chaka on the throne quickly.

Ramonda had entered a new phase of her career, training young Doras. The news of the king's passing came directly to her from T'Chaka. He arrived at her small house with a weary expression early in the morning.

"My father has transitioned, Ramonda. He is with the ancestors now."

T'Chaka sat at her kitchen table when he told her, and she hugged him until he wept. Wiping away his tears, it surprised her to see him smile.

"He lived a good life. A joyful life. I want that for us. I was hoping he would be around to see our first child together," T'Chaka said.

He held out a small satin purple box.

"I was going to wait until after winter when you finished training your latest recruits. But now, Baba is gone… and I will be king. I need my queen by my side."

Ramonda couldn't hide the shock from her face.

"Will you marry me, Ramonda Matela? I know this isn't the most romantic way to do this, but the way I feel, nothing is more special than now."

Her emotions were all over the place. Learning of the king's passing rocked her, but being asked to become a wife too was staggering. T'Chaka fell to his knees and held the box out to her. She took it, popped it open, and they both stared at the delicate blue diamond-crusted gold band. He lifted the ring and held it at the tip of her ring finger.

"Ramonda?"

T'Chaka's soft voice prompted her to smile and nod. He pushed the ring far back onto her finger and clasped her hand before burying his face in her lap and weeping profusely.

"Thank you, my love," he said between tears.

She held him, rubbed his back, and said soothing things about his father before he raised to his feet again.

"I would like for you to come with me to the palace. The family is gathering together for the press announcement. Queen Mother is waiting for us."

Ramonda showered and dressed quickly, choosing a long pale blue dress. Pale blue was the king's favorite color, and she wanted to pay tribute to that. She ran a light oil over her baby locs and put on make-up. The Royal Talon Fighter floated in front of her house and her neighbors were outside watching and wondering why it was there.

They flew over the golden city and arrived inside a hectic palace. The severity of the passing hit her. Nothing would ever be the same again. The gravity of her thoughts were reflected to her as the palace staff worked non-stop. The Dora Milaje escorted her and T'Chaka to the queen's chambers. Close relatives were already there. N'Jobu stayed by his mother's side with a grim expression. Queen Zintle's eyes shined with tears, but they became shinier when she saw the ring on Ramonda's hand.

"Daughter," Zintle said, holding Ramonda's finger up to admire the engagement ring.

N'Jobu's face became unreadable. Ramonda couldn't bear being near him. They hadn't been intimate for a long time, and there was enough distance in that for her to ignore his disapproving glare. She focused on the bereavement instead, hugging the queen and greeting the rest of the Udaku clan. T'Chaka introduced her as his fiancé with pride. Ramonda rested in that pride, wishing that they had been connected like that years before.

She avoided N'Jobu and took part in the mourning period, which lasted weeks. Plans were already in the works for T'Chaka's coronation and the presentation at Warrior Falls. She wondered if other tribes would test the new king, but there was no word on any challengers to the throne. Ramonda planned for a summer wedding that would take place once T'Chaka was crowned. The palace kept her busy with lessons on protocols and her new role as a future queen. Zintle was over the moon. Keeping busy with a wedding helped ease the loss of her husband. They spent hours on the design of Ramonda's wedding dress and royal isicholo and fussed over what foods to feed the guests. The queen showed Ramonda what would become her new home in the palace with T'Chaka.

Her life became an open book to the palace, and N'Jobu's words came back to haunt her. She wouldn't be free anymore. The needs of the king and the Council of Elders would dictate and control every aspect of her life. Ramonda belonged to the people and not herself anymore. The weight of that pressed down on her shoulders.

A few days before challenge day, Ramonda wandered the halls of the palace alone, taking in the beauty and thousands of years of history that rested within that structure. Meandering out into the royal garden to get fresh air, she came across N'Jobu walking near a gazebo overlooking a pond. He noticed her before she could slip away.

"Hi," he said.

She lowered her head, and he shook his.

"You are about to become royalty yourself. No need to defer to me anymore, Queen Ramonda," he said.

He pointed toward a bed of water lilies.

"Right over there, you told my mother you wanted to be the queen one day. You finally got your highest desire," he said.

"I hope we can be civil," she said.

"Why wouldn't we be? Instead of a lover, you will become my sister."

Ramonda stepped closer to him but kept a respectful distance.

"I will challenge him," N'Jobu said.

"No," she said.

"I will."

"Please don't do that. Your mother just lost her husband. She doesn't need to see her two sons fighting over the nation."

"Fighting over the nation? Do you think that's why I want to challenge him? Stop being silly."

"I chose him. It was always going to be him."

"It doesn't have to be."

"Things have changed… I've changed. Please, don't do this."

"I can do what I want."

"You're being spiteful. I'll tell him everything. Confess it all!"

"You think he doesn't already know? Maybe I told him myself."

Her heart fell to her feet.

"You didn't…"

"Marry me."

Ramonda pressed her right hand into her chest.

"Did you tell him?" she demanded.

N'Jobu's blazing eyes glared at her. Her eyes welled with tears. His face softened.

"I have not."

She covered her face with her hands and exhaled loudly.

"Please. Let me be with him in peace, N'Jobu. Don't tear apart this family over me."

"You're asking me to live without my heart. How am I supposed to survive without that? Eh? What do you expect me to do, fade into the background like always? I am tired of being second in your life."

"We are over—"

"We will never be over. You can marry him and fulfill your role as queen, but you will always itch to come to my bed. That is a fact."

"Don't fight him. If you love me, let me have this. Don't destroy the family."

"If you marry him, you will destroy me."

"I'm sorry."

She fled the royal garden, blinded by her watery eyes and fear.

"Ramonda."

She slammed into T'Chaka near his quarters, and he hugged her.

"What has you so upset?"

"I was thinking of your father… in the garden. The memories came back when I looked at his favorite lilies. I'm fine… really… it's hard letting go. I grew up here and around him. He was like my father, too. I wish he could see us marry."

"Me too," T'Chaka said.

Her heart thumped in her chest, and the lump in her throat swelled as more tears leaked down her face. What if N'Jobu killed T'Chaka? What if everyone found out it was her fault?

T'Chaka held her for a long time. All of his love flowed into her. The fear never left.

At Warrior Falls, Ramonda stood next to the queen as the royal shaman beckoned challengers to step forward. The elderly woman wore long, dark royal purple robes, and held out a long staff that she pointed toward each tribe's representative who was eligible to fight T'Chaka. Two men and two women stood in their tribal regalia, deflecting their eyes from T'Chaka, who knelt down in the cool water, shirtless, covered in dark body paint, waiting to see who had the nerve to step to him. Hundreds of witnesses crowded the sacred site, hoping for something to pop off. The energy in the air crackled with intensity and anticipation.

"Anyone?" the shaman said, her glittery eyes encouraging bravery.

Ramonda's eyes cut to her left as N'Jobu shifted his weight on his feet. He leaned forward and Ramonda nearly lurched from her spot to stop him. Their eyes met and locked. She trembled and her lips parted. N'Jobu lowered his gaze and kept his head down.

"I present to you all, King T'Chaka Udaku!" the shaman said.

Ululations and drumming rang out as the shaman placed a panther claw necklace around T'Chaka's neck.

"Wakanda Forever!" the people shouted.

Ramonda closed her eyes and shoved her hands to her lips to hide her relief. The crowd genuflected to T'Chaka, and he held his hand out toward Ramonda. She lifted her dress and stepped into the sacred water to greet the new ruler. He kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear.

"One day, our child will stand here to rule the nation. Don't you ever forget this day because we shall see it again," T'Chaka said.

They stepped on board the Royal Talon Fighter to do a flyover of the city before heading to the banquet and ball back at the palace later.

The day flew by fast. There was the Council of Elders' special ceremony for the king and then greeting all of his kin privately before they had a break to change clothes and prepare for the evening festivities. Ramonda had her hair in long braided extensions decorated with shells and gold hair jewels. Her elaborate orange ball gown was presented to her by personal handmaidens, and she allowed them to bathe, perfume, and pamper her for the night. Once dressed, she presented herself to the king, and the audience of guests praised her beauty and charm. The coronation turned into an engagement party as the queen brought in gifts for the couple. The whirlwind of activity gave Ramonda a taste of what life would be like with T'Chaka. All eyes were on them.

Ramonda took a private respite to walk outside on the long bridge that connected the double palace. The cool air blew across her face and hair, rejuvenating her spirit. N'Jobu walked past her on the bridge, his steps brisk. He ignored her completely, which was surprising. The Queen Mother came out onto the bridge with her personal Dora.

"N'Jobu! Come back!" Zintle shouted to her son.

"What's wrong?" Ramonda asked.

"He's being foolish. Maybe you can talk some sense into him," Zintle said.

Ramonda gathered up her gown and followed the angry prince.

"N'Jobu."

He stopped at an elevator and jabbed at the call screen.

"What is going on?" she asked.

"Did Mother send you?" he said.

"She said you were being foolish. What have you done?"

"I'm leaving Wakanda."

"Leaving? Leaving to go where?"

"I'm going to be a War Dog. If I can't have what I want here, I will go away."

"Breaking your mother's heart is what you're doing."

"Don't talk to me. Go back to the party and live it up."

"You stubborn man!"

She gathered up her dress and huffed away. He snatched up her arms and shoved his lips against her ear.

"Come with me," he pleaded.

Ramonda shoved him from being so close to her on the bridge exit.

"I want to hate you so much… if I could hate you…" he said.

The doors to the elevator opened, and he fled her side to jump on it. She ran after him, jamming her arm through the doors before they closed. Riding up to his floor with him, Ramonda stayed quiet.

"You won't truly be happy. I wish you well, though," he said.

"And you are making a decision in haste and under duress. Your father just died. The nation is in transition. Queen Zintle needs you here."

"I cannot stay here any longer. I will not be at your wedding next month."

The elevator doors opened on his floor. N'Jobu stepped out and faced her. The lights from his floor made his skin look like the precious ebon stones from the edges of Warrior Falls. His nostrils flared with his intention to escape the palace.

"Do you really want to be a spy?" she asked.

"I know how to blend in anywhere," he said.

He tilted his head.

"Do you even want to be a queen?" he asked.

"It is my destiny. According to you, it is my greatest desire."

He gave her a slight smile, then stroked her face.

"You are truly a queen at heart, Ramonda. You will serve the country well."

He leaned in and kissed her cheek.

"Next lifetime then," he said, before the elevator doors closed.

Ramonda saw N'Jobu one last time before he took a War Dog assignment in Oakland, California.

T'Chaka stayed busy adjusting to being king and left Wakanda before their wedding to take part in a summit that his father was supposed to preside over. Left alone in the palace with the queen, Ramonda prepared for marriage and decorated her new wing of the palace, making it cozy for T'Chaka's return. His presence at the summit cemented his place on the global scene. He was a colossal hit with Americans and the EU, and this pleased the Queen Mother and Council of Elders. T'Chaka's leadership would continue the great legacy of the Udaku rulers.

She invited N'Jobu for tea with his mother and he was pleasant and funny, making Ramonda relax. The sweetness he held blossomed all over their afternoon together. Zintle wanted to be supportive of her youngest son, but becoming a War Dog was a heavy burden for any family. N'Jobu had military training and the skills to do well overseas. Pretending to be a Black American seemed like such a simple job and so beneath his skill set. He appeared excited and his mother accepted his new pursuit.

They left her home in the early evening, and she cleared away their teacups and dishes without her servants. Spending time out on her own terrace, Ramonda rubbed her arms to self-soothe and watched a quarter moon rise. Her kimoyo beads lit up.

T'Chaka.

"I miss you," she cooed at her fiancé's floating avatar.

T'Chaka smirked and gave her a pretend smooch by puckering his lips.

"I miss you more. I'll miss you even more in the next few weeks. They have invited me to present in Switzerland at a consortium."

Ramonda pouted.

"Patience, my love. Oh, before I forget, did you have the tea gathering with Mother and N'Jobu?"

"I did. It went well. Queen Mother is upset that you won't be able to see him off."

"I will see him when he does his first check-in. Don't worry. I'll be with you soon enough."

He ended their call, and she went back into her parlor room. N'Jobu left T'Chaka's small parting gift on a side table. She picked it up and stroked the blue ribbons and decorative wrapping around it. Ramonda knew there was a ring inside. A black and silver ring that belonged to King Azzuri and was made as a set for both sons. T'Chaka wanted his brother to have the ring before he left the country and entrusted it to Ramonda. She hurried out of her suite to give it to him.

N'Jobu had a few bags packed and by his suite door when she arrived. He answered her knocking with a grin on his face.

"You forgot this," she said.

He took the gift and opened it, slipping the ring on his finger, and they both marveled at how regal it looked on him.

"There are only three rings like this ever made. We buried one with my father. T'Chaka has the other. I have this one," he said.

"Take care of yourself, Prince N'Jobu," she said.

"Farewell, Queen Ramonda."

They stared at each other for a very long time until he kissed her mouth.

After marriage, life was kind and fruitful.

Ramonda gave birth to a son, T'Challa, and she had never seen a man lose himself over his child before. Her T'Chaka spoiled and coddled the baby boy so much that she had to fight for time with her own child to breastfeed him. Never a prouder father had existed before King T'Chaka. Their son brought the family closer together over the years, especially when N'Jobu disappeared.

His last check-in had been when T'Challa was nearing thirteen. After that, there was an attack on Wakanda by a colonizer named Klaue. T'Chaka lashed out for answers as to how a white man could enter and exit Wakanda. Those were dark days, and the king leaned on Ramonda for support. Hundreds of Wakandans lost their lives on the border and T'Chaka swore to find the perpetrator no matter how long it took him. Soon after, they lost track of N'Jobu. Ramonda and Zintle pestered T'Chaka about his whereabouts, fearing the worst. The king stayed elusive and cryptic, telling them the work was a part of national security. Zintle visited the royal temple daily, burning incense and praying for her youngest son. Ramonda joined her on the days that T'Challa wasn't busy with school or activities. All three of them would kneel at the temple in front of a small black marble statue of the Panther Goddess holding long incense sticks, praying to Bast that N'Jobu would be found alive.

T'Challa asked about his uncle and Ramonda soon learned to change the subject until T'Chaka confessed to believing the worst, too. N'Jobu must've died on the job and was lost to their family forever. There was no official burial and T'Chaka forbid anyone to discuss N'Jobu in front of Zintle. He was simply missing in action under the official record.

Ramonda wept in secret often. The stubborn fool had gone out and gotten himself in trouble. All just to escape from seeing her with his brother. Lamenting over his fate, Ramonda's son helped bring her out of too much sorrow. He was a brilliant, growing boy who needed a mother's full attention. Especially since he had developed a crush on a young girl named Nakia.

Years marched on.

T'Challa became a young man, and Ramonda had a daughter to tend to also, little Shuri. The world moved on without N'Jobu.

Then the world moved on without T'Chaka.

The news came to her from T'Challa as he stood in front of a damaged building in Sokovia that a bomb attack had felled. Through smoke and tears, her beloved son told the sad fate of the king of Wakanda.

Broken down to her knees, Ramonda screamed her grief. She lost two men she loved in tragic ways.

"Mother… my wonderful mother… do not worry. I am coming home," T'Challa said.

His grief slashed lines across his forehead as he wore his father's ring.

"Come home, my son. Bring your father to me," Ramonda told him.

She trekked through the palace moaning her sorrow. Shuri held her arm, weeping, and Ramonda gathered the strength to be a rock for her precious baby girl. T'Chaka had been a lion for the nation. After their marriage and the birth of T'Challa, he rose in stature as the global leader the world needed. She created a life with him that put the needs of Wakanda first and they led the nation as no other royals had ever done in the past. Their War Dogs kept them abreast of the pulse of other nations and T'Chaka walked with the power of knowing how to bend the world in protection of his people.

"Mother, it's time. T'Challa is here," Shuri said.

Ramonda looked at her youngest child with loving eyes. Seventeen and full of spunk and confidence like her father.

"Let us greet the new king," Ramonda said, clasping her daughter's warm hands.

A phalanx of Dora Milaje surrounded Ramonda and Shuri as the Royal Talon Fighter gently landed on the Talon Port. A ramp slid out from the aircraft and T'Challa walked with the swag of his father. Nakia was by his side. Ramonda closed her eyes for a second to thank Bast for his safe return. She held her head high in the colors of dawn, her isicholo tall on her head, fingers clasped together. Her daughter stood next to her, watching T'Challa walk with General Okoye. The Dora Milaje crossed their arms with respect in the traditional Wakanda Forever salute, but protocols and salutes meant nothing to Ramonda. Her son was home. She bowed her head slightly to thank Bast, and then her feline eyes sought the child who would soon become king.

"Queen Mother… Princess," Nakia said.

The Wakandan spy bowed in the colors of her tribe, her head wrapped and her eyes downcast before Ramonda.

"My comfort for your loss," Nakia said.

Ramonda noticed her son could not stop looking at the River Tribe woman who grew up with him. Holding her queenly stance, Ramonda grinned at who she hoped would become her daughter-in-law soon.

"Thank you, Nakia. It is so good to have you back with us," Ramonda said.

Okoye addressed Ayo.

"Take her to the River Provence to prepare her for the ceremony," Okoye told Ayo.

"Yes, General," Ayo said.

Nakia walked toward another aircraft behind Lieutenant Ayo and once more Ramonda's son tracked her with longing in his dark brown eyes. Shuri fidgeted next to the queen.

"Did he freeze?" Shuri asked Okoye with playful aplomb.

"Like an antelope in headlights," Okoye offered with teasing eyes.

The embarrassment on T'Challa's face made Ramonda soften inside. She understood the feeling he wore on his handsome face. Shuri laughed, making her brother uncomfortable because of the open desire in his eyes.

"Are you finished?" T'Challa demanded of his first in command.

Okoye's teasing eyes fluttered across to the queen, and Ramonda held her head higher, trying to diffuse the ribbing her son was taking so poorly. Okoye tapped her spear and all the Dora Milaje turned in perfect formation to enter the palace, leaving the Udaku family alone.

"So surprised my little sister came to see me off before our big day," T'Challa said, holding his arms behind his back.

"You wish!" Shuri challenged. "I'm here for the EMP beads. I've developed an update."

"Update? No. It worked perfectly," T'Challa said.

Shuri pursed her lips, then cajoled her brother.

"How many times do I have to teach you? Eh? Just because something works doesn't mean it cannot be improved," Shuri said.

Ramonda caught the unsaid teasing name-calling in her daughter's tone.

"You are teaching me. What do you know?" T'Challa said.

He handed over his EMP beads, and Shuri palmed them.

"More than you," she chided.

"I cannot wait to see what kind of update you make to your ceremonial outfit," T'Challa called out.

Not seeing her daughter from behind, but knowing her well, Ramonda tilted her head back and called out to Shuri, who more than likely had her middle finger up.

"Shuri!" Ramonda shouted.

"Sorry, mother!" the princess called back.

Ramonda gazed at the man before her. Thirty-three years ago, Ramonda gripped her birthing chair and squeezed T'Challa out to the world in a rush of blood and prayers. He was the light of T'Chaka's life, the future beacon carrying the hopes and dreams of Wakanda. The world was much too cruel to deny T'Chaka the chance to see T'Challa take the throne. N'Jobu too.

Ramonda fought back the tears that loomed so close. The past created a reckoning that she swallowed down.

"How are you feeling today, Mama?" T'Challa asked.

Ramonda quelled the broken parts laying inside of her spirit. Deception and regret had no place before her son.

T'Challa had his eyes. His temperament. His smile.

"Proud," she said as T'Challa entwined his hands with hers. "Your father and I would talk about this day all the time."

A lie.

"He is with us… and it is your time to be king," Ramonda declared.

N'Jobu's son smiled at her, and Ramonda stroked his cheek. The past was the past. She made her choice and had to live with the outcome. Alone.

N'Jobu's son, not T'Chaka's, would become the king of Wakanda.

The secret she held for thirty-three years would never have to be revealed. T'Challa would go to Warrior Falls and defeat anyone who challenged him. The two men she loved were dead and gone. The living would carry on. Ramonda would carry on.

"Your grandmother is waiting to see you. Come, my son," Ramonda said.

She led T'Challa inside the palace. The family would live on in peace now, Bast willing.

Author’s Note: Betcha y’all will look at the Black Panther movie different now, lol!

Tag List:

@nahimjustfeelingit-writes

@nessa41890

@impremenior

@tchallasbabymama

youtube

#Ramonda's Choice #Ramonda Fanfiction #Black Panther #Wakanda Forever #Uzumaki Rebellion's Pantherverse #Black Panther Fanfiction #Ramonda Fanfic #T'Challa #T'Chaka #N'Jobu #Shuri #Uzumaki Rebellion Writes #Uzumakii Rebellion

149 notes · View notes

bestfriend491 · 1 month

Text

“You know you saved my life, right?”

- a drabble (I'm back 🤭)

Ramonda

"You know you saved my life, right?"

You turned towards your wife at her words, baring a smile only she could get out of you. “Oh, did I now?”, you asked playfully. You were a renowned Dora Milaje in your own right, but personally saving Ramonda had never been something you recalled doing. Not that you wouldn't jump at the chance to if the moment arrived. It just hadn't happened yet. And you were glad to keep it that way.

“You did.” she replied truthfully. Going in to hold her hand, you found her face growing serious, as though she were seeing the memory of this so-called ‘saving’ and it wouldn't leave her mind. You found yourself growing hesitant at your previous answer.

Had there been a moment where you'd saved her from something?

In your mind, she was the one constantly saving you. Stopping you from being hasty in dangerous attacks. Making sure your armour was on correctly, even while knowing you'd never put it on recklessly in the first place. All she did was save you. Or, at the very least, try to save you.

“When did I save you, my love?” you asked, bringing her hand to your lips, and kissing it gently. Her serious expression melted at that, and you could tell that you'd just soothed a craving in her. so, you did it again.

In any other moment, she would have let herself get lost in the physical contact. Let herself forget that anyone but you existed. But she had started a conversation; an important one. And she wanted to finish it.

“It's not a singular unit.”

“So you're saying I've saved you more than once without any recollection of doing it? Was I sleepwalking or something?” you tried to joke. She let out her silk-filled laugh, the smoothest of sounds. One that never lasted quite long enough for your liking. Especially now.

“I'm serious, Y/n.” she tried again. You let the confident act go, wanting to hear what she actually had to say.

“I didn't know where my life was headed before I met you. I mean, I knew I had a nation to lead and protect. But that was my life as queen. I had no idea where regular Ramonda’s life was going.”

You smiled at that. Regular Ramonda. It was strange to hear her say that. As though her regular self was somehow less of something to fawn over. Regular Ramonda was your everything. She was the reason you held your head up so high. She was your first thought in the morning and the sweet song that lulled you to sleep every night. There would be no Queen Ramonda without Regular Ramonda. And that made her so much more special in your eyes.

“But then I met you.” she continued, “And all the missing pieces came to make the life I have now. The life we have now”

You saw the stars in her eyes at that. Stars that had been there since the moment you'd first set your eyes onto the stunning woman. They were perfect. She was perfect.

“That’s got nothing to do with me, Ramonda.” You started.

“But it does, sthandwa sam. It all does.” She moved closer, the stars becoming even more clear to you.

“You saved me before anyone knew I needed saving. You held me up before even I knew that I was on the verge of falling. Your existence has lifted years of burden off of my shoulders and replaced them with enough good memories to last a lifetime.”

You hugged her at that point, holding her up once more.

“I'll never be able to thank you enough for that, Y/n.”

“You wouldn't ever have to. Some gifts are happy coincidences given to deserving people. And Ramonda, my darling, I've never met anyone as deserving.”

#queen ramonda #black panther fanfiction #black panther fics #queen ramonda x female reader #queen ramonda x reader #ramonda x reader #ramonda #im back #just a little something to ease into things #mostly dialogue

45 notes · View notes

scribblecake · 5 months

Text

It's Almost Here~

Here's some *short* teasers

Content warning: slight smut & angst

Eyes On Me-

You were roughly pushed against the wall, a warm tongue making its way into your waiting mouth. Soft moans were trapped between two pairs of hungry lips. Ramonda’s skillful hands slid themselves down to shamelessly grip at your ass. She pressed closer, her heaving breasts pushing against your own.

Eventually she broke the kiss. The Queen’s wanton mouth trailed down to suck and bite at your neck. Pleasure warmed your body. Your womanhood clenched around nothing as arousal began to wet your folds. Though as nice as this was. As much as you wanted her. Needed her. There was no time.

“M-my love!~ You have a meeting in ten minutes!”

Ramonda nipped at your earlobe. “Plenty of time…”

The Prayer-

Okoye had barely placed her offering down when the altar began to glow. Its dual panther statues rumbled and shook, small purple flames burned where their eyes had once been. Shock lanced down her limbs. She stumbled backward when magic began to thrum around her.

Wind whipped through the trees as swirling bioluminescent patterns glowed brightly on every surface. It was so bright, Okoye was forced to shield her eyes. Panic spurred her heart to beat loudly in her ears. The very air seemed to crackle with magic, filling the warrior with awe and making the tiny hairs on her neck stand on end.

Then all was still…

Shades of Green-

Not even the warmth of alcohol could quell the feeling. Watching you dance like that, pressed up against some other woman, ignited deep pain. It was then and there that Shuri’s mind began to taunt her with all the chances she gave up. All the times her tongue would tie into knots. All the chances she let pass her by. All because she couldn’t get the words out.

Those damn words. Three little words, so sweet on her tongue, turn to bitter poison when faced with the full brunt of your attention. Forcing Shuri to choke and forget all she’d planned to say. She’d thought that tonight would be the night. After a lifetime of friendship, a lifetime of pining, she could muster the courage to tell you how she felt…

#fanfiction #teaser #ramonda x reader #okoye x reader #shuri x reader #back on my bullshit

44 notes · View notes

palettesofrenaissance · 11 months

Text

Why are there no Queen Ramonda/Nick Fury fics? Even crack fics? They could have been a powerhouse, and just the thought of them meeting and interacting would have been cool to see, I think

#queen ramonda #ramonda #nick fury #black panther fanfiction #black panther fics #nick fury x queen ramonda #nick fury x ramonda #queen ramonda x nick fury #ramonda x nick fury #black fanfiction #secret invasion #avengers fic #avengers fanfiction #rare pair #black panther #black panther wakanda forever #wakanda forever

58 notes · View notes

theeblackmedusa · 9 months

Text

and to the river she returns

lil snippet: "The tranquility of the Ancestral Plane was quickly overtaken by Shuri's heartache. Her pain was radiating out of her, piercing through the living dimension, and easily making its way into the ancestral, squeezing a tight hand around my heart. It was as if I could hear her screams and pleas for me. Even worse, I could feel her belief that I had forsaken her. For just a moment, I was sure I made the wrong decision. What kind of mother am I to leave my child to fall even further into the grief that had already been holding her with an iron grip?"

the vibes:

writing an angsty ramonda oneshot from her pov as she comes to terms with her death, the daughter she's leaving behind, and the life she's lived if anyone's interested

reply to be added to the taglist. i plan to publish it on thursday🩷

#bpwf #black panther wakanda forever #black panther #queen ramonda #angela bassett #marvel #fanfiction #fanfic #angst #mcu #black writer #theeblackmedusa🐍🐍

46 notes · View notes

nzia-writes · 1 year

Text

•{Recover The Lost}•

Synopsis:

Can you fall at the ledge and watch your body gruesomely tear itself from its skin?

Once you lock eyes with your body of skin, can you dare to fall again?

Even if it is a fate you have prepared for?

Tag list: @shinsousliya @mbakuetshurisprincess @bestfriend491 @mysteryofthe90s @ctrl-liah @afriques @basket-baddie @wakanda-forever-andotherfandoms @alejandradrake14 @sharonrb @purpl3-menac3 @genderappropriation @post-woke @sweetsummerhaze @youre-where-i-wanna-go

Queen Ramonda (big ass gif incoming)

An ancient wakandan proverb states as so: ‘A soul can prepare for death but a soul cannot prepare for mourning.’

Wakanda knows of heartbreak and mourning. War. Division. Thievery. Anything which brings along the need for suffering.

They know nothing of this pain. This pain isn’t one the soul mourns. It is one the soul becomes.

Death.

Become death. Fall. Break. Die. Experience eternal damnation of these three and let someone ask you if you have mourned. You will smile with bloody teeth, and with one violently bursted vocal chord, you will declare, “Death is how I live.”

A balloon sized gasp bellows from Ramonda’s throat as she ascends from thick water, eyes burning bright. A waterfall works in concert behind her, pounding and splashing violently. It is where the waters from warrior falls coalesces with the Yodoon canal and spill over, plummeting over a sandy red cliff into an orchard pool.

Ramonda’s feet sink into the moistened indigo sand as she trudges onto the shore. She wears the skin she entered this world in, vulnerably bare and illuminated with pounds of grief. Heavy tears fall until her vision blurs over. Seeing is facing. She cannot face herself. She cannot face her truth.

“Yip!”

Ramonda looks up to the waterfall.

Up high on the wet stones stacked along the edge of a hidden cave, stands a woman. Ramonda squints from afar. It must be time. The woman’s body lunges off the rocks like a majestic sea creature, diving headfirst into the bristling waters.

Ramonda swipes away her tears and collects herself as the woman’s bodily outline in the water cruises to the shore. She transcends from the waters, standing chest to chest with the ruler of Wakanda. A scar runs along her eyebrow, telling many stories of sacrifice. And her tribal paint has washed away, leaving her majestic features to glow more than ever.

The two bow simultaneously.

“Queen Ramonda,” the woman humbly greets.

“Queen of Yodoon,” Ramonda returns.

Queen of Yodoon takes Ramonda’s soft hands and holds them to her chest. “I am deeply sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you,” Ramonda whispers, giving her palms a reassuring squeeze. She then lets them fall at her sides. “Did you find it?”

“No,” her accented voice hits like an iron hammer.

“I‘m kidding.” She laughs sweetly. Maybe it will do Ramonda some good to hear a laugh or two.

It doesn’t.

She looks on, pain so strong it is all she can feel. “Show me.”

“These are some of the last we have been able to grow. The soil is dying.” The Queen of Yodoon lowers and reaches for the hand-carved bowl that dips and bobs in the water until sliding onto the sand. “It is a delicate thing.” She pries one of the heart-shaped items from the bowl. It’s wrapped in banana leaf and fastened with an enchanted thread.

“Here you are,” she eases it in Ramonda’s cupped hands. “You may want to cover your body, unless you would like to be electrocuted by its essence.”

“I’m comfortable as I am.” Ramonda’s hope unfurls as she unwraps the herb. Sitting in her hands is the beautiful, the utter powerful…

“Painted rock?” She deadpans.

The woman bursts into giggles. “I kid again.”

“You have one more chance.” She has little patience for games.

“One is all I need and one is what you will receive.” The other item is placed into Ramonda’s needy hands. This time her hope prevails as she unwraps the herb. It glows a vibrant blue and small bolts of lightning surge in its core. The Yodoon lands harvests the last of its kind, so she had no choice but to seek it before the soil died out. She needs this.

“Very well,” Ramonda leads the Queen over to her campsite. She throws her shawl over her nude body before the both of them take a seat on their respective logs. The satchel she has kept dry for her time being is tossed to the Queen. It contains a year's worth of vibranium she snagged from her daughter’s lab.

The Queen of Yodoon checks the vibranium. It gleams in the pouch like a galactic rock. She looks up to Ramonda’s face, amused at how a noblewoman could steal such a precious item from her nation then hand it over to another without hesitance.

“You are burdened by grief. Terribly so,” she notes.

“This has surpassed grief long ago.” Ramonda reaches for her wooden mortar. She places the herb inside and mills away with the pestle. The sparks ignite then decrease in size the more she grinds.

“This wasn’t for your daughter’s consumption then?”

Ramona scoffs in disdain. “I’ll tell you something now…there is no despair greater than knowing you have outlived your own.” More than she can count, her anguished cries have echoed in the palace halls, begging for the gods to return her son at once. They hear her, but they have yet to answer her. “Despite me having the ‘power’ they say I do, I had to sit like some useless fraud and watch it happen.”

“Ah, you aren’t the only weak Queen, I promise you,” Queen of Yodoon laughs.

Ramonda doesn’t laugh. If she does, she will be betraying the reason she is here. “My entire life I’ve been pushed to the side embodying the role of a ruler, but never having the power of one.” She halts her grinding once the herb has liquified. The soft azure glow reflects off her chin.

“So you are doing what you believe will give you true power?” The Queen hums. “I support it.”

Ramonda’s lip lifts slightly. It vanishes just as quickly. She sits the mortar to the side then kneels in the sand, digging a pit large enough to store a body.

“So what do you think the world will say of this?”

Ramonda pauses. “What world? Mine has been destroyed.”

Grief and anguish paints a bridge between their faces. It is so intense and familiar that it pushes whispered words over the edge of their lips. “All I have left is death,” they murmur simultaneously. Both in the sense of shared loss and in the sense of the soul.

“Come.” Ramonda lays in the pit. Her short afro submerges into the sand. “Bury me and call upon the ancestors. I need to see my son.”

What harm could it do? The Queen picks up the mortar. She kneels beside Ramonda and raises it above her head. “Allow this heart shaped herb to give you the strength of the Black Panther and take you to the ancestral realm. T’challa…we beg of you, come to your mother.” She carefully pours the liquid into Ramonda’s mouth. The herb courses through her veins, igniting her with the power she desperately needs.

The Queen then buries her body until nothing is left but her shape. She eases into her meditative state, allowing her eyes to roll back and her head to do the same. Her tongue hisses with the chants of the ancestors' call, body swaying in steady flow to the waterfall and the hymn of the forest around them.

Suddenly, she finds herself parched. Severely parched. “Water,” she croaks, holding a hand to her throat. She needs water. Now. She bolts to the pool, scooping handfuls of the grape-colored liquid hungrily, downing with haste. But it isn’t enough. Her veins are set alight, as if plucked from her body and burned with the Yodoon flame. It burns so bad that she swallows heaps of wet sand to kill it off.

Now the burn outlines her stomach.

“Yumak ttuzani!” It is a language she has never spoken. She clicks it and ululates it, her mind spiraling in constant peril. “Help me!” Her veins bulge out of her forehead, pulsing in a blue pigment. She sends out an agonizing yell and her eyes shoot to the sky, gleaming a ravenous blue.

She blacks out.

~¥~

She awakens with the harsh cold of water stinging her skin. She’s in the water. Deep. Her legs kick and her arms make wide strokes until she is at the shallow end, crawling out of the water’s strong pull.

“I’ve told many lies but I swear to you ancestors I did not deserve this.” She dry heaves.

Ramonda.

She is still under the sand. The Queen stumbles as she makes it to Ramonda’s buried body. She hurriedly digs the sand away until her face is revealed. “Ramonda!” She gasps. Her eyes are wide as is her mouth. They glow a beautiful blue and her pupils are ghostly purple. She’s deadly still, as if listening to the frequencies of the world without notice. The Queen shakes and shakes her body, calling to her name until she blinks and bolts upright in a frenzy.

“Are you alright?!” The Queen searches her frantic eyes.

“I…I…” Ramonda’s gaze has this energy to it. She isn’t sure what to think of it. Her shaky hands reach up to cup the Queen’s cheeks. She has to say something but it takes her time to gather her frenzied thoughts. Silence stills their breathing. Something inside…it is growing.

“Queen Y/N, daughter of Yaa. I have an offer,” Ramonda says.

“Why don’t you say the offer then?”

Ramonda goes on. “There is a threat looming over us; an army of enhanced individuals who will stop at nothing to destroy Wakanda and every city within it if we do not do as they say. Y/N…I have seen your power as a leader in the past. You are excellent at slivering your way out of such battles.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“What would you say to ruling two kingdoms?”

“Absolutely not.” She scoots back. It is an absurd idea. One that will uproot tradition set in script since the birth of the Great Mound. It would never go with those of Wakanda and it’ll hardly go with her own people, regardless of the threat Ramonda speaks of.

“Please.” Ramonda swallows again. “If you return to Wakanda to share the throne, anyone who steps to us will not step far. My nation and your tribe. They will be at their strongest. We will be at our strongest.”

This will not happen. It is out of the question. Ramonda has overstepped her boundaries. “My tribe is lost for a reason. I can not have Wakanda knowing we exist. You have no idea of the loss we’ve endured—of the loss I endured at the hands of Wakanda.”

Oh but she knows very well. “I know of your past and I know of your present. Join me and I will provide you with twenty-five percent of the vibranium mined annually.”

Ramonda’s voice darkens. “Don’t and there will be trouble for everyone. Your tribe included.”

If she were to accept this offer, Ramonda wouldn’t be seen in such a noble light anymore. An exiled tribe leader stepping to the throne to rule Wakandan land? It would be a call for division and rebellion amongst the tribes.

“What exactly did you see on the other side?”

“That does not matter right now. What does is us regaining our power together.”

It is too much to ponder alone. “I need time to discuss this with my people. Stay here.” Y/N turns her back to Ramonda and heads toward the waterfall.

~¥~

Ramonda lifts her gaze from the flames of her fire to Queen Y/N as she trudges out of murky water. It is with abundant hope that Ramonda stands and takes long strides to meet her at the shore. She silently awaits her verdict, for the woman has come with a clearer head.

“Vibranium. One half to my people and the rest to yours. That is my price.”

Ramonda keeps herself composed. “I can’t allow that.”

“You are asking for a significant part of me. Take it or don’t.”

As big a price it is, Ramonda can not let this power pass her by. Not after what she saw.

She curses inwardly and asks for the forgiveness of Bast and all powers that be. She hopes she won’t regret this.

“You have yourself a deal.”

Before Queen Y/N can respond she is interrupted by a tickle in her psyche. “Could you please give me one second.” The Queen channels her Nyanza, the spiritual bond that connects the Yodoon people. She hears the gravelly voice of her tribe’s Sangoma. He has news.

“Yes, Shaka?”

Ramonda perks as a feeling of intrusion seeps into her gut. At what? She does not know. “What? What is it?!” She searches Y/N’s weary face.

“Your army stands at my border. They demand we bring you out.”

End note: Y’all know who else is the daughter of Yaa? *evil face*

#queen ramonda #queen ramonda x reader #black panther wakanda forever #queenramondaxblackfemreader #grief poetry #loss #waterfall #warriorfalls #wlw fics #wlw imagine #fanfiction #wakandans #wakanda forever

91 notes · View notes

letitias-wife · 1 year

Text

Our Countries Greatest

Description: Anathi and the queen have arrived in Haiti a/n: mb yall...I meant to post this like 3 days ago... Warnings: mentioning past break up Word count: 1138

Chapter 1,

Chapter Two: Nakia, Daughter of Yaa

Anathi’s point of view

I was led into the throne room where Queen Ramonda and M’baku were seated.

“M’Bakuuuu.” I grinned, “Bagged the big dog huh?”

Ayo plucked the back of my head, “Shut up.”

“I’m just messing.” I chuckled, “Y’all all of a sudden can’t take a joke?”

“This is not the time for that, Anathi.” The Queen hushed me.

“What is it?” I scanned the room, “Where’s Shuri?”

“I’m sure you know already, Shuri’s been kidnapped.”

“Of-fucking-course she is.” I whispered under my breath, “What do you need me for?”

“I need you to retrieve her,” The Queen stood to her feet and slowly trotted towards me, her hands clasped together like my mother’s were a minute ago. “By any means necessary.”

“Have my mother do it.” I scoffed, “I have things to do.”

“You have no assignments for the next week.” She rested her hand on my shoulder, a small but fake smile on her face. Her grip tightened on my shoulder, I scrunch my face in disgust. Her eyes met mine, “I know you…care about my daughter-”

“I loved her.” I hissed, “You took her from me.”

“I did what was necessary to protect her.”

“Protect her from what?” I shifted my shoulder, knocking her hand away from me.

“You were not well then.” She said in a soft but assertive voice, the kind my mother used.

“Neither was she.” I snapped back, “None of us were.”

“Silence Anathi.”

“So you drag me here…in chains, insult me, yet beg for my help?” I chuckled and fiddled with my cuffs.

“Anathi, I wouldn’t have requested your presence if there were other options.”

“You’ve made that painfully clear.” I sighed, “When do I leave.”

The Queen looked somewhat shocked by my response, “In two days, we will fly to Haiti to retrieve Nakia then you two will leave.”

I shrugged, “Fine, but if she gets in the way-” I warned.

“She won’t.” M’baku chimed in, “I’m sure we won't have any repeats of that little incident.”

I glanced over at the fuzz-covered man, “Repeats of what M’baku?”

“Nevermind that.” Aneka leaped in front of me before I could say anything else.

Queen Ramonda waved her hand, “You are dismissed.”

I yanked my body away from Ayo and Aneka and stormed out of the throne room.

"I'll need a copy of the fight with my mother and these creatures," I spoke harshly as I rushed back to my room before tears could surface.

Queen Ramonda’s point of view

It came time to board the talon jet and Anathi was waiting in front of it, with two large duffel bags on either shoulder. She was dressed neatly in a skin tight suit that was similar to Nakia’s except her’s was a mix of gold and purple. She frowned when she saw me eyeing her outfit. Purple was not to be worn for today as respect to T’Challa.

“I don’t have anything else that’s not damaged.” She mumbled.

“I see.” I stopped and waited for her to board the jet. As she walked ahead of me I took note of the clanking and shuffling in her bag, “What did you bring with you?”

“I looked over some video footage of my mother fighting the fish people. They seem to have some indigenous descent. They were known for having incredible fighting skills, close to ours minus the tech advances.” She explained as we took flight.

“Which means?” I leaned down to closely observe what was in the bags as she opened them.

“I’m going to need larger blades, not sure which ones though.” She pulls out a few different swords and maces, “I couldn’t decide in time.”

I nodded and leaned back in my seat. I shut my eyes trying to relax before we reached Haiti. Praying to our gods that Shuri is safe and unharmed.

"I can't decide." Anathi says.

I only hummed back.

"I prefer small dual swords, good for close combat but-" She lifted a thin katana, "These will work best with his scythe as well."

"Dual swords, there are too many of them to fight with one sword alone." I chimed in before she could start rambling.

She nodded, "Seems like you know everything." She said in a joking yet serious tone.

My eyes flicked open to look down at her. She was squatting on the floor of the jet, hunched over her assortment of weapons. A focused and stressed look on her face. A face I remember all too well.

“You made her leave me?” She stood before me covered in sweat, her eyes pink from crying.

“Shuri is old enough to-”

“You told her to, I knew it.” She turned back to her sparring partner, aggressively fighting with tonfas. Her frustrated grunts turned into weeping as she continued to fight…

"Anathi." I called to her.

She only hummed.

"I'm sorry I influenced your breakup, but you know I was right."

"I know…" She whined.

"Then why do you-"

"I just miss her." She groaned, "I spent so much time with her for so long that without her I can't function."

"That is the problem, child." I said softly, "You should not depend on one person alone for happiness and peace."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, "You sound like my mother."

"Maybe you should listen to her every once in a while."

"I don't need to." She stood up and placed her sheaths on her back, "I've heard it all before, 'I'm too weakminded' 'not ready' 'too hostile'" she recalled the insults with ease.

Her voice sounded a bit softer now, like she was on the brink of tears.

Anathi placed a set of knives into either of her boots that then retracted to match her suit.

"Your mother only wants what's best for you."

"Sure." She chuckled to herself and set her assortment of weapons back in their respective bags.

>Queen, we have arrived in Haiti<

Nakia's point of view

Toussaint and his group of friends rushed towards the center of the school to play followed by giggles and loud French-Haitian. I turned to face one of the older students, "Alors expliquez-moi comment vous- (so tell me how you-)"

"Mère! (Mother-)" A voice called out which I knew as my son's. I swiftly turned back to the group to see them missing from the courtyard. My eyes frantically scanned the school until my eyes landed on a familiar face.

"Bonjour." The woman said.

"Ikumkani wam. (My queen)" I slightly bowed, noticing another set of feet a few steps behind her. I straightened my back and watched the second woman approach me, Anathi.

Anathi, I haven't seen her in years. What has happened since I've been gone?

The queen gave me a somber look before speaking, "Nakia, I hate to disturb you at such a peaceful time but we need your help."

"Anathi…needs my help?" I chuckled, "What's going on?"

The queen took a deep breath, “Shuri has been kidnapped.”

Shit.

Chapter 1

#nakia gif #nakia #letitia wright shuri #attuma/reader #attuma #attuma x reader #attuma smut #attuma of talokan #and they were roommates #princess shuri #queen ramonda #shuri smut #smut #light angst #black panther: wakanda forever #black panther #black panther 2 spoilers #black panther fanfiction

43 notes · View notes

chrlvctius · 1 year

Text

I miss this era of black panther:(( this shuri too:( 🤍

#shuri udaku #black panther #chadwick boseman #t'challa #letitia wright shuri #shuri fanfiction #letitia wright #wakanda forever #sub mariner #namor #queen ramonda #riri williams #general okoye #attuma #slaytheday #wakanda #i love girls #we slay #this era

132 notes · View notes

ireviewthingssometimes · 1 year

Text

I'm glad the fanfics are out and about. But I need more black writers. Or more black culture. When I read stuff like Shuri back talking/yelling/raising her voice to her mother. Or her storming out. Things like that, automatically takes me out of the story. Because there is NO WAY in hell that would fly in their very black, African household.

And I know when it's written no harm is trying to be done intentionally...but still

I guess I could be the change I want to see and write it myself...but probably not anytime soon

#ramonda #princess shuri #black panther #black panther fanfiction #queen ramonda

74 notes · View notes

tallulahchanel · 11 months

Text

Disintegration (AU) [Part 2]

Fandom: Black Panther; Wakanda Forver; Avengers Infinity War

Characters: Nakia, Sizwe (River Tribe Elder), Unathi (oc), Queen Naomi (oc), and Queen Ramonda

Warnings: Angst, mentions of character death, grief

Words: 3.2k

Tags: @thekrazykeke @marieewrites @masterofhounds @post-woke @loloalin @i-drink-and-i-write-fics @lady-olive-oil @griot-of-wakanda

~~~

The image of Kya disintegrating into ash right in front of her still plagued Nakia's mind as she willed her legs to get her home. She and Okoye settled for walking back, neither of them having the energy to call Shuri for a jet, if she was even there to accept the call. They also needed time to process what had just happened and how it was going to affect everything around them.

As soon as Nakia walked into her mansion, she was met with the concerned faces of her father, stepmother Babalo, and great-aunt Rhikya. Since the fight wasn't near the River Tribe borders, there was no need for them to evacuate, so they waited at the mansion for the two sisters to return.

Just as Nakia was about to tell them what happened out there, her voice caught in her throat, unable to say the words. Instead, she collapsed to her knees and allowed tears to fall from her cheek and onto her father's sandals. She soon felt his arms wrap around her and she buried her face into his shoulder and sobbed into it. She could sense that he was fighting back his own tears from the pain of losing his youngest daughter, but at that moment, she could only think about her grief and distress.

Time seemed to blur as Nakia eventually got up from the floor and went to wash off the blood, sweat, and dirt from the battle. She didn't bother looking towards Kya's suite, knowing her sister wouldn't be there to greet her with her bright and warm smile.

After showering and changing into her nightgown, Nakia climbed into bed and pulled the covers over her head, begging for sleep to come. Babalo had come in to check on her, insisting that food would be good for her, but she shook her head and promised her stepmother she would eat in the morning.

Babalo could only nod and leave her alone to sit in her grief.

~~~

Wakanda was in a state of mourning, and the dark cloud that loomed over the skies for the next few days didn't help. Even the market that usually buzzed with gossip and half-truths was quiet enough for one to hear their sandals walking against the grasslands.

To honor the lives that were lost from either the battle or becoming ash, Queen Naomi organized a mass grieving ceremony in which the citizens would release lanterns in the air as a celebration of the lives lived and the memories preserved.

Nakia stood in the middle of the River province with her family as they released a lantern in remembrance of Kya. "Goodbye, my omncinci," she said as tears fell down her cheek as she remembered Kya's bright smile, warm presence, and funny personality.

That night, as Nakia lay in bed, she felt her mother's presence. It was rare for Unathi to visit from the ancestral plane, claiming that they rarely need her, but tonight was an exception. More tears flowed as Unathi twisted Nakia's tight coils around her finger.

"She's not there," she told Nakia, adding to her disappointment.

It relieved the War Dog that her baby sister wasn't dead in a traditional sense, but it left her wondering where her spirit was and how much she would give to see her omncinci again.

Unathi's actions eventually lulled her to sleep and gave her much-needed rest for the night. However, Nakia was ready to return to work the next morning. She needed to do something besides sitting in that mansion all day, thinking about Kya.

Fortunately for her, great-aunt Rhikya had an assignment in Liberia and could use the extra hands. "The time away might do you some good," she told Nakia while pouring herself a glass of iced tea Babalo mixed with some lemonade. "But it's only a temporary fix. You still have to do the work of healing yourself."

Nakia didn't say anything, just shoved a fork full of eggah in her mouth and nodded.

The work in Liberia only lasted for two months, and she intended on returning to Oakland to continue her work at the Outreach Center. That was until she received notice that Queen Naomi will eventually switch her to another program.

"My Queen!" Nakia addressed her after barging into her office uninvited, Ayo on her tail.

"I tried to stop her," the second-in-command informed her queen, who just waved her off.

"It's alright, Ayo. Return to your post."

Ayo gave Nakia a warning scowl before leaving out, but the War Dog kept her gaze fixed on Naomi.

"Why would you move my work to Haiti without consulting me first?"

Naomi adjusted the glasses over her eyes. She would've usually worn her contact lenses, but maybe she didn't feel like putting them on that day. Truthfully, the queen hadn't been seen in the glamorous light everyone knew her for. She once walked the palace with confident strides, adorned in a fine gown or custom-made bodysuit as her cocoa-brown skin glistened with perfumed oils. A grieved soul that didn't have the energy to do those things for herself replaced that woman. Today, she wore a simple and clean t-shirt with gray sweatpants that still showed off her curves, and flip-flops, even though the chipped polish on her toenails showed that they hadn't been painted in a while. Her black silk-pressed hair scattered on her shoulders as her bangs hid her eyes, along with her cat-eye glasses. Since there wasn't a council meeting that day, Nakia figured she chose to dress down for the pile of paperwork on her desk.

"Nakia," Naomi addressed her, "I'm building an Outreach Center there, and when it opens, I want you to direct it. You're the best person for the job, and you'll be closer to home, which means you can make more frequent visits to your family. I think this assignment would be good for you."

"Who gave you the authority on what's good for me?"

With a heavy and exasperated sigh, Naomi got up from her desk and walked around to get eye level with Nakia. "I'm trying to be as empathetic as I can with everything that's going on, but I'm not gonna deal with your attitude right now."

Nakia tried to reprimand the queen for speaking to her in that manner, but Naomi continued.

"I'm sorry about Kya, and I miss her too, but you're not the only one here who has lost someone. Queen Mother lost both of her children. M'Baku lost his wife. And not only did I lose my king, I lost the father of my child, my best friend, and the love of my life." Naomi paused to wipe the tear that fell from her eye. "The point is, we're all doing what we can to keep Wakanda running smoothly. All I'm asking is for you to do the same."

Before Nakia could say anything in her defense, the office door opened to reveal N'Kusa, the Dora of Prince Javon, cradling the toddler in her arms.

"My queen. He's awake from his nap and wanted to see you."

"Come here, my baby." Naomi took her son from the Dora and hugged him close.

Prince Javon was a spitting image of his father. Deep-ebony skin, baby doe eyes, and tight, black coils. When he did smile, it was big and bright, just like T'Challa's. The smile that warmed the hearts of everyone that came in contact with him.

Nakia hung her head in shame. Seeing the two of them together only emphasized the queen's words. She did only lose her sister, but everyone in Wakanda has lost someone as well, especially their beloved king.

"Your people need you now more than ever," Naomi's voice grabbed her attention, but she didn't respond. Felt too ashamed to say anything.

Nakia just cleared her throat to rid it of the forming lump and left without a formal dismissal from her queen.

With that day's revelation, Nakia made a point to check on her father. She hadn't really asked him how he felt, but she assumed it would be like the time their family lost her brother, Isipho. A bouncing baby boy that died from SIDS a year prior to Kya's conception. The circumstances were different, but it was still a loss.

"I can't help thinking it's all my fault," she told him while looking out the window of his study, a tear streaking down her cheek. "If I hadn't-"

"Shhhh," Sizwe cut her off with a gentle pat on her shoulder. "Kya had her mother's stubborn determination. There was nothing you could do to stop her. Nor could you have stopped what happened to anyone else."

Nakia wiped her tears away, but more came. "I'm sorry baba. I came in here to check on you."

"I'm taking it one day at a time. It's all one can do."

She didn't say anything, not that there was much to say. Except something she had been thinking about for a while, but she wasn't sure how her father would accept it. After a few minutes of silence, she finally looked away from the window to lock eyes with him. "I saw umama a few weeks ago. Something she said had stuck with me, and I can't seem to let it go."

"What is it?"

Nakia released a sigh. "She said that Kya wasn't there."

That made Sizwe's eyes grow like saucers. "But she's gone. How is that possible?"

"I don't know," she answered with a shrug.

"Can you excuse me for a bit?"

With a nod, Nakia got up from the window cushion and left his office.

In the morning, she got word of an emergency council meeting to discuss what she shared with her father the night before, but she didn't bother to attend. She wasn't in the mood to sit in a semi-circle to talk about the possibility of bringing back their loved ones, not when the reality of everyone's disappearance was right in front of them. This wasn't the time for fantasies and false hopes, just the real world grounding them all with a sense of purpose. The only way Nakia would get that was in Oakland, where she will work until the Outreach Center in Haiti was complete.

~~~

Haiti, Outreach Center – 2025

Years passed, and things changed.

Looking in the mirror, Nakia's hands brushed the auburn locs off her shoulders to scoop them into a ponytail. She wasn't always one for commitment, but the decision to loc her hair came a couple of years prior when she learned that a mother of one of her students was a loctician. She had thought about it for years in Wakanda, but she took that as a sign from Bast to finally do it. Things were already different for her then, and the new hairstyle was her way of opening up to the change. Embracing it so to speak. And finally, it was something on her own terms.

Nakia secured the ponytail with a hair tie and sighed at what she was about to do. She hadn't contacted home in a while, not since her father called two years ago to tell her that Kya and the others returned by some miracle. Work that day had been stressful, so the only thing she was in the mood for was a cup of ramen and Abbot Elementary reruns. He relayed the news via a voice message she didn't hear till the next morning. He even put Kya on the message so she could hear her voice, but denial clouded her judgment, and she deleted the message, angry at her father for playing a cruel trick on her. That's why she hadn't returned either of the several calls from him or her sister over the years.

The last call Nakia received from her sister was a week after T'Challa's passing made the news. He had been sick for a while, meaning there would be no miraculous return from him. He was gone for good this time. After two days of locking herself in her home to mourn the loss of the man she never fell out of love with, she buried herself in work to keep a sense of normalcy in her life. She didn't even make an effort to attend his funeral.

As Nakia twirled a loc that strayed from her ponytail around her finger, she waited patiently for Shuri to answer the call, wanting to know how she was doing and how things were back home. However, she was asked to leave a message, much like the other calls to the young genius. She took the silence in stride and pressed on her beads again to contact her father. When he didn't answer, she figured he was busy in the office or pretending to like the Border Tribe Elder enough to play golf against him. The only person she could think to call was her sister, but she doubted there would be an answer, as she still didn't believe Kya would be on the other end. Closing her eyes, she said a quick prayer to Bast and took the plunge. Her call was immediately ignored and sent to voicemail, which made her sigh again, this time in defeat.

They were angry at her and there weren't enough apologies in the world to make up for not returning home, especially for T'Challa's funeral.

~~~

Nakia spent most of the next day completing paperwork in her office. She was a workaholic, a fact she knew all too well, but never got help for. If she had continued her regular therapy sessions, Dr. Idowu would say she needed a proper work-life balance, like a hobby or hanging out with friends. Problem is, Nakia hadn't developed much of either. There was her frenemy Juleka, but she was only useful for nights at the club or bar or the occasional movie or dinner if Nakia didn't want to go alone.

Nakia took a break from the paperwork for a few minutes to close her eyes and soak up the sounds of the children playing outside, her nerves instantly relaxing at their joy. She hadn't thought much about having children, especially since the accident that left her with scarred fallopian tubes, but she enjoyed the sounds of their laughter and playing.

"I bet I can do it and you'll owe me a snack cake when I do," a familiar voice caught Nakia's attention, and she sat up in her chair to look outside her window. Sure enough, eleven-year-old Juna Yves was swinging on the monkey bars, ready to climb them to impress her classmates.

Storming out of her office, Nakia made a beeline toward the playground to stop Juna from hurting herself. As soon as she walked outside, she found the eleven-year-old with her foot on the second bar, preparing to put it on the top bar. "Juna!" She scolded the young girl with her hands on her hips. "Get down from there, now!"

The little girl narrowed her eyes at Nakia, but backed down when the headmistress folded her arms. "You know, Miss Nakia, you should really learn to lighten up," she said while climbing off the monkey bars.

Nakia rolled her eyes, but a smile twitched at the corner of her lips. "I'll lighten up when you learn to stay out of trouble."

"I am no trouble at all." Juna stuck her nose in the air, her words and demeanor reminding Nakia of when Kya would do the same thing when she told her to stay out of trouble.

Nakia shook the thought out of her mind before smirking at the little girl. "Why don't you come with me to check on the plants?"

That got Juna to smile, meaning she wasn't thinking about climbing the monkey bars for now. "I don't mind. Besides, I have to teach you everything."

Nakia let Juna walk in front of her, so the child wouldn't see her rolling her eyes, then followed her to the area where they grow the indoor plants. "This is beautiful," she complimented the garden croton Juna had been growing for months. "I might let you keep it in your room."

Before Juna could answer, a voice Nakia hadn't heard in years, greeted her in Haitian Creole. "Bonjour."

She jumped in startlement and turned to lock eyes with the tall, chestnut-skinned woman, who smiled back at her.

Nakia turned back to Juna and patted her shoulder. "Ale lave. Li preske tan pou repa aswè (Go wash up. It's almost time for the evening meal)."

"Wi madam (yes ma'am)," Juna replied with a sweet smile, and walked off, making sure to greet the woman that just approached them.

As soon as Juna disappeared, Nakia gazed at the woman in front of her, keeping her tears at bay. "Queen Mother."

The pair walked the halls while she explained how she was able to use the resources to provide better education as well as food for the children. The conversation was going well until Ramonda abruptly changed it to a heavier topic.

"You were missed at T'Challa's funeral."

Nakia sighed, knowing that was coming. She walked over to the nearby railing and gripped it while hiding her incoming tears away from Ramonda.

"It's been six years since you left us. We thought you would at least come back for the ceremony. If not for him, for your sister. She misses you."

Nakia turned to her as her bottom lip trembled. "I miss her too."

That made Ramonda raise an eyebrow. "You speak as if she's still gone."

Nakia didn't say anything because in her heart, Kya was. Even if she has heard her sister's voice via the messages sent from her, it wasn't enough to make her go home. She wanted to believe that her omncinci was back there waiting for her to return, but she worried that she'd go there and find that Kya hadn't returned and her mind had been playing tricks on her. It didn't help that the voice messages have stopped.

"I was afraid," was all Nakia could say before returning her gaze to Ramonda. "I thought if I went back there and she wasn't there…I couldn't handle it. And now that T'Challa's gone…" her voice trailed off as more tears threatened to fall.

"Nakia," Ramonda affectionately addressed her, placing a hand on her cheek. "No matter where you go, you will always be Wakandan. You know death isn't the end. It wasn't for her, and it isn't for T'Challa."

Nakia sniffled and sucked up her remaining tears. "How is she?"

"She is well, but that's not the reason I came."

Nakia wiped at her eyes, so Queen Mother would know that she was fully listening.

"Shuri has been taken."

This made Nakia furrow her brows. "What?"

"You have infiltrated different nations before."

Nakia immediately shook her head, knowing what Ramonda was asking her. "Oko kwakukudala (that was a long time ago). I was a different person then."

"I need someone who could find where she's being held and rescue her without being seen."

Nakia nodded in understanding, seeing the desperation in Ramonda's eyes. "Yes, Queen Mother. But who on earth would risk war with Wakanda?"

#black panther fanfiction #wakanda forever fanfic #black panther imagine #wakanda forever imagine #nakia fanfiction #nakia imagine #nakia & oc #lupita nyong'o #kya shauku #kia & kya forever series #river tribe elder #isaach de bankolé #unathi shauku #queen naomi #trinity fatu #queen ramonda #angela basset

21 notes · View notes

tchallasbabymama · 1 year

Text

I KNOW that after seeing Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, y'all are gonna want more M'Baku (and Killmonger)...

So here's a handy guide to my stories. Plus, a look at what's to come for those of you who are new and don't know what to look forward to yet.

Series in pink, oneshots in blue. Everything is 18+ ONLY!

First off, my M'Baku fanfics:

M'Baku's Love

Ménage à Trois

Ménage à Trois Part Deux (coming soon)

Her Throne

Girl of His Dreams

Ready

Tea and Tattoos

Used

Blossoming Ashes (coming soon)

Next up, Erik "Killmonger" Stevens:

All For Us

Black Lace

Baby Body

Don't Forget About Us

The Wedding Guest

Teamwork

The Temple

Also, I have one Shuri fic that I wrote as a way to process my grief.

Stay tuned for more M'Baku! There may or may not be more Killmonger, but I have a Ramonda fic and an Okoye x Nakia fic coming soon!

T'Challa stories here if you're interested💜.

#cecewritessometimes #m'baku fanfiction #killmonger fanfiction #ramonda fanfiction #shuri fanfiction #okoye fanfiction #nakia fanfiction

223 notes · View notes

bestfriend491 · 1 month

Text

Your shield of protection

- A drabble 🤍 (Imagine she's in a suit, though. I didn't mention it, but just do it. 🤭)

Ramonda

There's no doubt that Ramomda protects the people she loves, but it's always different depending on who it is she's protecting.

For her kids, she'd move heaven and earth to save them.

For her people, she'd defend the entire nation by herself if she had to.

For you, though, she'd never let a threat even approach you without interfering in some way.

From when you were younger, paving your way into your desired career even as you held the weight of the crown, she supported you greatly.

Years later, she's still as protective.

It's subtle, but a detail in your relationship that you never take for granted.

She'd never even let you trip and stumble without reaching out to save you.

She supports you unconditionally, no questions asked.

“Sthandwa sam…” Ramonda put out her hand for you to take as you got off of your hoverbike, smiling at her often overdramatic, but always appreciated way of greeting you.

“Ewe? (Yes?) ” you replied, smiling.

She helped you shuffle your way next to her, the royal drivers going off with the bike and making his way around the corner. Then, she got a good look at you.

“You look absolutely ravishing tonight. Who picked that outfit?”

You laughed, “Oh, my wife did. You might know her, I think she's got to be around here somewhere.”

“Mh, well, wherever she is, she's got incredible taste.” She pulled you closer, holding your waist, before kissing you.

She always knew how to compliment someone, you found. Even as she twirled you around slowly to give her final decree of amazement, you could feel yourself getting flushed at her gaze.

“Are you ready for tonight?” She asked, leading you to the entrance of the long awaited ceremony that you'd been invited to receive an award at.

You'd never been more excited for something. You'd worked hard to gain even a small amount of recognition at what you did. But Ramonda also knew your nerves were probably shot, driving your anxiety to a higher level than usual. That's why she'd offered to escort you herself. In any other case, she wouldn't want to risk bringing too much attention to you both. You were already queen, having her come to your work events would only exacerbate the amount of people who came to disturb your peace, or worse, threaten your safety.

In many ways, you wanted to be in and out as fast as possible, but hearing her words made you less wary. You knew she had your back.

“Probably not. But, it's happening now. And I've got you, so I'm sure I'll be alright.”

She hummed at that, content with you knowing that whatever happened, she'd be right by your side.

You walked towards the entrance, seeing a flash directed at you once or twice as you proceeded. You assumed the first few were accidents, merely the photographers getting their mandatory pictures of whoever entered. It was only when your names were called that the flashes felt more intentional. An onslaught of white blinded you as the clicking sound filled your ears in an overwhelming sense. You felt yourself moving only slightly, trying to adjust to the new environment.

“Ramon-”

“I've got you, Sthandwa.” She reassured, her arm already around your waist, leading you to the less intense side of the building.

Her grip on you was firm, not one that any accidental pushing or nudging could lead you to separate. It was just what you needed; a message.

I'm never letting go, my love.

Your nerves settled, willing your vision to grow clearer even at the sight of farther away flashes. It led you to letting yourself smile for the first time since before you'd entered. There had to be at least some photos of you not looking horrified or on the verge of running away.

With Ramonda still wrapped around you, you found your way to your seats. With her on your left, her hand found the it's way to your knee, another act of reassurance. You let out a quiet sigh, breathing more regularly now.

The night went smoothly, with Ramonda never resisting the urge to share a quick glance with you. Her gaze was so mesmerising, so captivating, that you found yourself getting lost in it throughout the whole ceremony. You'd let yourself forget what you came here for if you could. Fortunately, your wife was less enchanted when it was important.

“Y/n, baby, they called your name.”

“What?” You asked, still in a daze.

“Your name, darling. They called it. It's time to go up.” Ramonda whispered tenderly.

The words finally registered, and you stood up with her support. Leading you towards the stage, she was sure to stay more vigilant of where you were stepping than you were.

Extending her arm to help you up the steps, but not going up them herself, you found yourself reaching for her instinctively. Plainly speaking, you were gonna get her on the stage with you.

“Come up.” You mouthed to her, keeping a smile on your face for the probing eyes.

She shook her head, not trying to make this a moment about the two of you. She wanted you to have your moment.

“Please?” You pleaded, holding her hand with all the poised firmness that you could manage. You knew that with enough force, she could easily get out of your grip, but you hoped that the former description would help your case. It was your grip. That always changed her level of resistance..

Unsurprisingly, but still bringing you much relief, she relented, stepping up and next to you. She left some distance just in case pictures of you needed to be taken, but you couldn't help but notice her stepping a pace in front of you, angling herself as a discreet shield.

The fact helped you through your speech, and back to your chairs. All through the night you felt her protective presence make you feel more at ease.

An ease that only she could bring.

#queen ramonda x reader #queen ramonda #ramonda #queen ramonda x female reader #black panther fanfiction #ramonda x reader #black panther #thoughts that might turn into stories

38 notes · View notes

sharonrb · 1 year

Text

Death is only the Beginning pt 12

No warnings here

Chapter Forty-Three

“How is the patient?” Namor entering the lab to check on Okoye as promised to Attuma. Shuri was there doing other things when he came in.

“She is doing as well as expected,” she answered, finishing what she was doing. “How is Attuma?”

“He is healing, but asked for Okoye when he woke,” he told her. “I came to see with my eyes, so he could fine some comfort.” Shuri looked at him, always turns it into being about him.

“Well, I hope your eyes will reveal to him what will ease his stress,” Shuri said sarcastically, he caught it.

“I see we are back to this thing between us,” he said. Shuri walked over to her monitor looking at something there, as if she was truly too busy to get into this conversation again.

“No, we are not,” she replied. “Whatever my mother and you have has nothing to do with me.”

“What about what your mother and you have?” He asked. Shuri stiffens, then looked to him.

“Whatever we have, or the lack of; is no concern of yours.” She snapped. Namor came towards her; her eyes fixed on him. She had no fear of him, her powers had increased over the months. She was trying to research why.

“It does concern me, Shuri,” his voice was gentle and a hint of sadness could be detected. “She will need you in the coming months. Not everyone gets their second chances; you do.”

“I am sure when the time comes, you will be there as always,” she scoffed.

“I am afraid not,” he said to her. Shuri was puzzled.

“Why not? After all she has chosen you to go to when she is in any crisis,” Shuri becoming animated. “Now you want to dump her on me?” Namor was bewildered, wondering how could she be so callous of this beautiful creation who loved her more than life.

“What is wrong with you?” He asked. “You are so lucky to be loved by the most generous and forgiving person I know. You are all she ever thinks about; you and her reclaiming what you lost.” Shuri raised one eyebrow.

“Even when you two are sexing it up?” She chuckled. “That has to be quite awkward; thinking about me at a time so intimate.” Namor’s eyes enlarged, but his brows furrowed. His anger not contained any further.”

“You do not speak of what we had as if it was some sordid back street love affair,” he blasted her. “What we had was the real deal and I will always cherish the moments I had the chance to share with her. So, you go ahead and squander this time, and live to regret it one day.”

“What’s going on here?” Ramonda rushed into the lab. “We could hear you two down the corridors.”

“Nothing, where is Okoye located?” Namor walked pass her and into M'Baku entering the room.

“I will take you too her,” M'Baku told him, then looked over to Shuri. They overheard what she said. Ramonda will no doubt not mention it and because of the respect for her; he won’t either. His admiration for Namor rose, his defense of the love for his wife was gratuitous.

“Shuri?” Ramonda turned to her after they had left.

“Not now mom,” she said and rushed out of the lab. Ramonda sat down shaking her head. She tried to hold back the tears, but they flowed; her body shook as she sobbed. Her child was truly lost to her. Just outside, Shuri stood plastered to the wall; hearing her mother so broken by her doing. She ran as fast as she could, down the halls and out the door; as far away as she could, only stopping once she was out the city and alone. She screamed repeatedly; the words of Namor regurgitating in her mind: “You can go ahead and squander this time, and live to regret it.” Today was that day.

M'Baku led Namor’s to the room Okoye slept. Namor entered and saw she was quite asleep. He stared down at the mighty warrior wondering if this was the result of his doings. He breathes a little, recalling his discussion with Reminds and her declaration of no longer wanting anything to do with him. M'Baku could see there was more sorrow with Namor than seeing Okoye, laying there helpless.

“Want to talk about it?” They had gain mutual respect for each other. Namor looked at him wondering if he should discuss his relationship with him.

“I am not sure if I should or not,” he said with hesitation. “But I need to with someone.”

“Do you drink the spirits?” M'Baku asked.

“I am not sure I know what that is,” Namor told him.

“It is aged grape juice,” M’Baku explained. “You know when it has been around as long as you. Come with me and I will let you taste it and we can talk about what is unnerving us.” M'Baku headed for his private study with Namor in toll.

Ramonda found herself out in the green pastures among her spiritual source. She needed to find her center to balance herself. Between Shuri and Namor she was being torn apart emotionally. She wondered if it would have been best to remain in the Ancestral Plane; than to return to this turbulence. She never wants to question the Goddess Bast on the decision to send her back; but to this chaos from day one?

First to come back with no memory of who she was, and have the very person who killed her, find her wondering around helplessly. And to top it, fall for him; then marry him. How do you come back from that? Then there is Shuri, who treats her like a science project gone wrong. She rejects everything she tries to mend their relationship; and she has no clue, why.

Ramonda set with legs folded into her, hands resting on her knees. She closed her eyes, and empty her mind of all thoughts; listening to her surroundings. She breathes in the crispy evening air. The moon was high in the sky, its bright light sent down its rays washing over her. Her mind went blank, she felt someone approaching.

“Ramonda,” the Goddess came through the darkness in her mind. “Are you weary of this world now?” She asked.

“No, my Goddess,” she replied. “But I am tired of the struggling.”

“The struggles you are facing, are of your own making,” Bast informed her.

“I do not understand,” Ramonda said to her.

“You are taking care of everyone but yourself,” she told her. “You can’t make anyone to do what they do not want to do.”

“Who am I making do what they do not want to do?” She repeated the statement into a question.

“The two you lo e very much,” she told her.

“Shuri and Namor?” She asked.

“You already know who,” Bast was not up to playing games. “Let them go and go find who you are.”

“Like leave?” She asked. “Yes, for there is another to come you will need to be strong.”

“Another? Ramonda asked. “Who?”

“That is why you need to discover,” With that Best turned and enter the shadows. Ramonda opened her eyes, rejuvenated. She has to leave. She can’t return to the cave, Namor know that now. But where? She had a great idea, a promise once the threat was over. She headed home to pack her things and leave a note she was going away for some time and will return when she has discovered herself.

Okoye woke from her sleep; everything was a haze. It took her a few moments to lift the fog from her mind. She scanned the room, familiarizing herself with her surroundings. Her head was pounding as she tried to raise it; but laid back down. She deducted by the equipment and the tubing running from her arm to the bottled fluid she was in the medical unit. Her mind went back to her being held captive on a ship somewhere out to sea.

“W’Kabi,” she said. “This time I will slit his throat.” One attendant entered and saw Okoye had awakened.

“Hello General,” she was addressed. She looked at her as she approached. “How are you feeling?” Okoye wanted to snap her by saying, how in the he’ll do you think? But it wasn’t her fault she was feeling like crap. That was all on W'Kabi drugging her.

“My head feels like a thousand explosions are going off in it,” she told her with a groan with it.

“Let me give you something,” she said and went to get her something to ease her pain. “Has my husband come and gone?” The attendant returned.

“I have not seen him since you have been here,” she told her and gave her a shot in the arm. Okoye wondered why he wasn’t there. It’s not like him not to have seen after her; unless.

“Where is the Princess?” She demanded.

“She isn’t here General,” she informed her.

“Then get her here,” she commanded her.

“Yes, General,” she said and rushed out the room to locate and call Shuri. Okoye had a bad feeling something occurred while she was out; and it involved Attila with the answer why he wasn’t with her.

“Attuma my love, where are you?” She closed her eyes as the tears formed, her heart feared the worst.

Attuma’s eyes shot open; he tried to get out the bed, but Namora was able to refrain him. “Stop Attuma,” she told him. “You are still to weak to leave.”

“Okoye,” he said. “Okoye, she needs me.”

“She is in Demands getting the help they can provide,” she said to him. “And you are here getting the same.”

“K’uk’ulkan, is he back? He promises to check on her and return to update me on her health.”

“He has not returned,” she informed him.

“How long has it been?” He was lost for time, in and out of consciousness. Namora didn’t want to tell him it’s been a while since he’s been gone. Now she was concerned.

“Promise me you will not try to get up and I will go to Wakanda myself to see how she is doing.” She stared at him for his answer. “Or I can remain here and watch over you.” Attuma looked at her and made his decision. One thing he knew about Namora; she was thorough and efficient. She will go and come back with what he needed to know.

“Please go Namora,” he asked. “See how my wife is doing for me, and let her know how much I love and miss her.” She touched his arm.

“I will my brother,” she assured him. Usually, she wasn’t about the mushy stuff; but since her involvement with King M'Baku, that has changed. Which was another reason to go to Wakanda.

“So, now we are off again,” Namor said to M'Baku through slurred speech.

“Well, what do you want expect? You did kill her; then married her while she had no recollection of who you were or what you did.” M'Baku on the other hand remained sober: able to hold the juices intoxicating ability. So, he thought.

“I know but did I tell you I had eyes for Stuck first, hoping marriage with her could bring along a alliance between Wakanda and Talokan. Two of the only nations with vibranium; that would have been power.”

“That is wicked,” M'Baku said, pouring them their tenth round. “So, why did you go after Ramonda when she was resurrected, and wondering around with loss of memory? She was no longer Queen of Wakanda.

“Because I fell for her long before that,” he slurred. “Even when I killed her.” M'Baku eyes narrowed.

“What the--,” he said. Namor looked at him, hardly able to hold his head still.

“Yeah, I know,” he admitted to what M'Baku thought.

“You killed a woman you loved?” He had to ask. “That is pass wicked, that is demonic!”

“I guess you could look at it that way,” Namor surmised. “I did and do love her, from the moment I saw her on the shore, standing there like a Goddess.”

“And your answer to romance her was to kill her?” M'Baku was confused to his mind frame on courting.

“No, because she did not offer herself to me, I took it as rejecting me.” He explained.

“What?” M'Baku decided to put the lid on the bottle and cut Namor off. He was making zero sense.

“She asked what could she offered me in exchange for Shuri’s return,” he begins to explain. “I told her in a teasing way, nothing. She said she begged to differ, which at that time I thought she was going to tell me to take her in Shuri’s place.”

“But she did not,” M'Baku said. Namor looked at him with sadness.

“No, she did not,” he replied. “She threatened the existence of my people; and then the death of two with the rescue of Shuri and Riri, I felt tricked by her.”

“You mean outsmarted,” M'Baku keeping it real. Namor eyes darted about, contemplating what M'Baku had just stated.

Did he feel he had the upper hand, while it was her instead? Of course, he did, she had made a fool out of him in front of his people and for that she had to be made an example. No one does that to him and get away with it. Namor shook his head, no wonder she is conflicted with the past and the present.

“How are you, Okoye?” A familiar voice brought her out of a semi sleep, she turned to see Namora at her bedside. Now she could get some answers. The attendant was unable to contact Shuri.

“Namora, where is Attuma?” She was frantic, Namora gently took her hand to calm her.

“He is healing,” she told her.

“Healing?” she asked.

“Yes, he was injured trying to save you,” Namora informed her.

“Injured? How? By who?” Okoye rambled on the questions.

“Attuma and the Queen located the ship they held you prisoner,” she begins. “What I know; Attuma found you and your ex husband speared him through from behind with a vibranium blade. He has some poisoning in his system, that he will have to expel.” Okoye sighed. She knew something was wrong.

“I need to get out of here and to my husband,” Okoye told her. “Can you help me?”

“Only if you can safely get out of that bed,” she told her. Okoye moaned. She was still feeling the effects of the drug. “That’s what I thought. You two are definitely meant for each other. I will go let him know you are doing well, so you both can get the aid you need to heal. Then complete the wedding in Talokan and be each others problem.” Okoye smiled; this is Namora being nice. “Oh, he says he miss and love you.” Okoye chuckled.

“Tell him soon,” she said. Namora left to go find M'Baku.

“After all I did, from that time and beyond; I was hoping for more than the sparing of my life. Also, forgiveness from Shuri, but that will never happen. Even now, she tolerates me for her mother’s sake.” He told M'Baku.

“Do you blame her?” M'Baku asked.

“Oh no, I understand perfectly. I took away the most important person in her life, after she confided in me; how difficult it was to get over her brother’s death. No coming back from that.”

“But the Queen lives,” M'Baku announced. Namor looked him in the eyes, bloodshot and all.

“That’s the point,” Namor said. “But not the original Queen and her mother; as far as Shuri is concerned. This is another person claiming to be her mother. She doesn’t accept this, Ramonda; and I fear it will be too late when she decides to do so.” M'Baku was disheartened to hear this was the case. Now he knew the callous way she spoke of Ramonda, her mother. She can’t seem to connect to this woman, as she did before her death and revival. He promised he would advise and protect her; even from herself.

“My King, you have a visitor,” the guard announced.

“Send them end,” he told him. The guard gestures to the person and Namora enters, a smile on her face.

“King M'Baku,” She never noticed Namor until too late. “Oh, K'uk'ulkan.” She lowered her head.

“I told you whenever you wanted to talk about M'Baku and yoh I will listen,” he slurred, surprising her; as she has never seen him in this state before.

“What did you do to him?” She looked angrily at M'Baku.

“I did nothing he did not want, my dear Namora,” he expressed.

“And you too? What is wrong with you two?” She asked.

“I do not know about him, but I am deeply in love with my wife; but she does not want to have anything more to do with me,” Namor came towards her losing his balance but able to recover.

“Killing them will do that,” M'Baku informed him.

“Yes, I realize that now,” he said. Namora stared at the both of them, shaking her head.

“And you, King M'Baku,” she looked into his eyes. “What has you going?” M'Baku walked up to her and wrapped one arm around her waist; then lifted her up, causing them to be face to face.

“Love,” he said, then pulled the mask from her face and kissed her deeply. When he was done placed the mask back on a swooning Namora. And not from lack of oxygen, but the passion in the kiss. Namor had passed out, so he didn’t witness it. Namora rested her head on his shoulder as he held her for quite some time afterwards.

Chapter Forty-Four

W'Kabi was first placed with the other captured prisoners, but with the constant attempts on his life, they put him in an area alone. Not because they cared to protect him; they wanted him alive to face his day in their courts, before the people of Wakanda.

“I see your friends are no longer your comrades,” M'Baku had quietly walked in on him. “That is usually the way, when you aligned yourself with traitors. They did not quite get; you were not to be trusted.” W'Kabi stood up and faced him.

“You have a lot of nerve coming here, talking about being a traitor,” a brave man, but a foolish one. M'Baku thought to himself. “When Bashenga became the first Black Panther, and the tribes formed an established kingdom. What did the Jabari tribe do? Let me answer that for you. They fled into the mountains, and distance themselves from the rest of us. But you never missed that chance on challenge day; and got defeated. You wouldn’t challenge Queen Ramonda, after T’Challa passed; knowing you would not be accepted. Only because Shuri relinquished the throne, did you get it. No one else wanted to take on a broken nation, after that blue water bastard killed Ramonda. How did that work out? Was the Queen avenged? Or did he get away with that?” M'Baku allowed his rant.

“I guess your spies never informed you, the Queen is alive and well,” M'Baku informed him. “And the blue bastard you refer to him as being, happens to be her husband. So, she is still Queen; but of Talokan, and I am still King of Wakanda. Your invaders and you will be tried, not only in Wakanda; but Talokan also. If I were you; I would give up some information, that you can bargain with.” M'Baku turned away, and left him to his thoughts.

Okoye had been tossing and turning most of the night. She had received a sedative to help her rest, without results. She needed to be with her husband Attuma, and until then; relaxing was out of the question. Shuri had gone missing in action, the Queen mother along with her; who knows where M'Baku was doing, since his interactions with Namora.

“I got to get out of here, and see what is going on with my husband,” she sat up and waited for the dizziness to subside. She slowly eased off the bed, leaning against it for support. Once she got her footing under control, she started out the door.

“General, wait!” The Nurse came from behind her. “You can not leave as yet. You will need someone to take you.”

“I can go?” She asked.

“Yes, you can; but only if someone assist you.” She told Okoye.

“Find, let me call someone,” she told her, and made a call. “Ayo, come to the medical unit; I need to get to my husband.”

“You saw her?” Attuma asked Namora.

“Yes, but she was asleep,” she answered.

“But she did not look unhealthy?” He asked.

“No, she just looked as if she were sleeping,” Namora assured him.

“Good,” He sighed a relief. But he couldn’t help to notice, there was something about Namora, that was different. She had the forlorn expression; she was there but not there. And yes, he knew that look all too well. “What is going on with you?”

“What do you mean, what is going on with me? Nothing is,” she lied. Every since the kiss, she has not been able to get it out her mind. The gaze into his eyes, as he held her up in one powerful arm. The excitement she felt, as she had never before. She needed to see more of him, and possibly another kiss or more.

“Well, I see you have chosen a mate,” Attuma half teased, but was very happy she had someone.

“I did not choose, he did,” she said.

“But you have accepted him,” Attuma reminded her.

“Maybe,” she smiled for the first time. Attuma laughed, seeing this side of Namora finally revealed.

“K'uk'ulkan!” They heard coming from the other room.

“My head feels like a thousand urchins are growing out of it. Give me something to stop this!” He held his head between his hands. Namora walked in on him, slumped over on the floor.

“May be next time, do not drink anything the surface world has to offer; that you do not understand.” She suggested. He looked up at her with a glare, but in too much pain to debate the matter. The maiden came back to him, and offer him a herbal drink. Instantly, it had calmed the throbbing, and working on the pain.

“How is Attuma?” He asked, as he begin to feel better.

“I am fine K’uk’ulkan,” he called from the other side. “Seems better than you.”

“You two are out of control now that I am down,” he told them. “But I will be back to myself, and then we will discuss this insubordination. Attuma laughed from the other side.

Ayo and Aneka had come for the rescue of Okoye, and on her instructions took her to the lab. There was something Shuri was working on, she wanted to see if they were ready for use. She would need them to go see Attuma.

“Griot,” she called to him.

“Yes, General?” He answered.

“There was a special project the Princess was working on related to my wedding,” she said to him. “Are they prepared?”

“Yes, General,” he answered. “I will bring them up.” Weird sounds went off, then a humming; the floor opened, then three display tubes rose from it. Three diving suits show cased, inside the clear tubes. They were made for the wedding party in Talokan; to withstand the pressure of the ocean depths. “Will the three be sufficient?”

“Yes, very much,” Okoye told him. “Let’s take one of the jets, I want to get there as soon as possible. I know a island long lost from us, our ancestors used for their recreation; we will land the aircraft there, then dive down to Talokan. I will alert them we’re on our way.” Okoye explained the plan, as they walked toward the landing port.

“Bring in the prisoners,” a court officer commanded. The last few to be tried enter the room of Chiefs and Elders. Dora Milaje, with the King’s Guards were set around in stationed spots. King M'Baku took a seat to the side as a Judge came in and sat in place, as ruler of the court. He will here the transgressions and deliberate; then decide their guilt and sentences.

“We will here from the lawyers, witnesses, then take a recess where I will take the time to make my verdict and sentencing.” All have come before him, except for W'Kabi, there will be no trial for him. He has already been shipped off to a very high end secured facility. The others who were near Talokan will await their day in court or however they will be judge the Talokanil way.

Shuri finally decided to come home and have that talk with her mother, she just needed time to think about it. She entered and noted all the lights were off. She went to her mother’s room and saw her bed hadn’t been slept in. She came home to an empty nest.

Shuri returned to the front room, and noticed an envelope address to her. It was from her mother telling her she was going away to find herself, and not to try to contact Namor because she’s not with him, nor are they together anymore.

“What?” Shuri lowered the letter to her side. “Find herself? And she’s not with Namor anymore; they broke up?” She slumped down in a chair. Now that she’s ready to talk, she’s off who knows where. She recalled Namor warning her about missing out on that reconnection, and maybe her mother never finds herself. Then what does she do? Now she has to sit and wonders as her mother has done.

Okoye, Ayo and Aneka, landed on the island of their ancestors once in use. They replaced their clothing for the custom-made diving suits made by Shuri. Okoye was very anxious to see her new husband, Attuma. She needed for the two ladies to put a rush on it, though they were moving faster than most.

Attuma sat on the edge of the bed, exhausted from laying around. His mind continued with thoughts of Okoye and missing her. Namora stayed with him just to make sure he didn’t do anything stupid that would cause him a relapse.

Namor’s made his appearance, standing in the entrance of the area he was recuperating. He had a huge smile across his face. Namora was the first to see it, and bewildered. It’s not often he’s seen so elated, unless the Queen was somewhere about.

“K’uk’ulkan,” she rose to her feet searching for Ramonda. “Where is the Queen?” The smile left his face. Attuma looked up with furrowed eyebrows, wondering about the exchanged.

“Namora, not now,” he told her.

“Why not now?” Attuma asked.

“I have something for you,” Namor looked at him, diverting the question. At that moment without any further delays; Okoye rushed in and straight to Attuma who was caught off guard. He embraced her intk his arms, ecstatic to have her nearby. Namor and Namora left them to their privacy, and joined Ayo and Aneka beyond the area.

“Okoye, my wife,” he said to her. “How good does it feel to finally say it to you.”

“And you have always and forever be, my love,” she told him. “I want to kiss you so bad.”

“I know, I want us to complete our wedding here in Talokan, but as you can see, they have me confined.” He spoke to her.

“We can finish once you are well,” she told him. “I am not going anywhere. I will be staying down here until you are ready to leave. Then we can make our plans.”

“Staying here?” He asked.

“In our home,” she clarified. “It will be good to get the feel of it.”

“If you’re going to be here, then maybe I can come home with you?” He suggested. Okoye’s eyes brighten up.

“And why not?” She left his arms and went to Namor who was with the three women. “Can’t Attuma come home with me?”

“Home? It’s better for him to heal here in the oceans, than land.” He explained.

“No, Namor. Our home here in Talokan,” she told him.

“Oh,” he said. “Let me talk to our doctor.”

“Okoye, are you sure you want to live down here?” Aneka asked.

“That was always the plan to split our time in both nations,” she answered her. “Once he is well, we will complete our marriage and I will begin my time here.”

“As long as you are doing what makes you happy,” Ayo chimed in. Namora stood by listening but not understanding a word of what the were speaking.

“I am, he is what I want, and that is what makes me happy,” she confirmed her decision.

“Then we will take our leave,” Ayo told her. “Is there anything you need from above?” Okoye asked Namora something in her language, and she replied.

“No, I am set,” she informed them. “I will go with you halfway up.” The three left. Namora went in to sit with Attuma.

“Where is Okoye?” He asked, staring at the entrance then to her.

“She went to see her friends off,” she told him.

“Oh, I see,” he said, relaxing back in bed.

“K’uk’ulkan is seeing if you can be released into her care,” she informed him. He sat back up.

“Really?” He was overjoyed. “How did that happen.”

“Your wife, Okoye,” she informed him. He smiled, and reclined back in bed; preparing to embark on their married life.

Links:

Death is only the Beginning pt one

Death is only the Beginning pt two

Death is only the Beginning pt three

Death is only the Beginning pt four

Death is only the Beginning pt five

Death is only the Beginning pt six

Death is only the Beginning pt seven

Death is only the Beginning pt Eight

Death is only the Beginning pt Nine

Death is only the Beginning pt ten

Death is only the Beginning pt eleven

Tag list

@abbyeliza28

23 notes · View notes