#Uzumaki Rebellion's Pantherverse

[uzumaki-rebellion]

"King Killmonger: The Golden Jaguar" Chapter 11

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"They're calling me, back to the stars

Deep out of space, they're calling me

Back to the stars

They found peace in the ocean (peace with the pain)

Now they guide my way, guide my way…"

Meshell N'Degeocello—"Virgo"

The Royal Talon Fighter approached the opening of Warrior Falls.

Okoye and Ayo scanned a twenty mile radius before flying over the valley of gushing water walls to the other side.

"Kumkani, I've found the hover bike…"

Ayo glanced over at the king who sat in a pensive position behind her. Okoye flew the aircraft lower to the base of the Falls as N'Jadka stood next to Ayo and looked at the viewscreen that projected the image of a broken hover bike floating in an undertow where it was caught between two boulders.

"No signs of Queen Yani," Ayo said with a soft tone.

N'Jadaka's jaguar suit swarmed around him and he tapped the opening of the circular floor exit. He dropped eighty feet and splashed into a deep plunge pool of cold black water. Below the surface he scanned for signs of life around the bike before dragging it onto land. A flash of pink caught his eye and he lunged for it in the water.

Yani's walking shoe. It was drenched and unmarked, unlike the damaged hover bike. She had to have fallen trying to fly over the giant falls. He quelled the rise in panic in his demeanor. She was alive somewhere. He willed it.

Okoye's voice broke through his reverie, loud and clear inside his face mask.

"There are no other traces of anything. That is a good sign," Okoye said.

N'Jadaka dove below and searched underwater. Yani had a strong body. If she were injured somewhere he would find her. He scanned for her kimoyo beads thinking they may have been snapped away from her wrist, but there was nothing.

Breeching the surface he leaped onto the land and surveyed the surroundings. Okoye and Ayo dropped down from the gravity tracking beam. Aneka stood watch over the Talon Fighter. High above, stinger aircrafts circled the sky.

"Kumkani…here…" Ayo said.

Footprints in the moist earth. He recognized the pattern of her sandals. The king gave a grateful sigh of relief. His wife was alive and somewhere out there searching for God knew what. It wasn't like her to disappear like that without telling him where she was. He stared at the height from which she fell and all the dangers that could've swallowed her up. Was she under the influence of something? Did someone…or something lure her away? He remembered the panther cubs he couldn't see back in Ekuqaleni. Did they trick her into coming here?

Worry knotted his brow.

Wakanda was still a wondrous and mysterious place to them both. Anything could've happened to her.

"Come on," he said.

They followed Yani's tracks until they came upon two more that were bigger compared to hers. They made deeper impressions in the mud and directly faced Yani's footprints. Men. She followed them willingly because there was no sign of struggle in the area.

They scanned and tracked until the ground changed into grasslands and decomposing leaves. The grass was so thick like shag carpet that it didn't even bend to give an indication of what direction they went.

"They're gone…can't find anymore markings," Ayo said, crestfallen.

"She's gotta be around here somewhere. Let's spread out for a mile and check in," He tapped his kimoyo bead, "Aneka, contact Dr. Chidubem discreetly and have him flown here in case the Queen has major injuries."

"Yes kumkani, right away," Aneka said in his earbuds.

N'Jadaka shook out his arms and charged into the mountain forest on high alert.

He had to find his wife and return her to his side.

Warm balmy water cascaded all over Yani's body as she stepped through the birth waters. The entrance of the oracle's cave hummed and vibrated and the sounds made her jumpy. Passing through to the other side led her to the tranquil natural pool of glowing turquoise waters with steam rising from it.

"You made it Queen Yani."

Yani recognized the voice of Jabulile.

The woman was dressed in a long green robe like the men that brought Yani there. She was alone and holding a folded royal blue robe.

"Please bathe in these waters, from head to toe. I will help you put on this robe when you are finished," Jabulile said.

"Where are the other two women that were with you?" Yani asked.

"With Nolwandle…the oracle. They are waiting for you in the interior of the womb. Please kumkanikazi…bathe."

Jabulile turned her back to give Yani privacy as she willingly stripped down. She dipped a toe in the water first, and it wasn't too hot. Submerging herself, she gave into the heat and liquid comfort. The water smelled like sweet perfumes and tingled all over her skin. Dunking her head below, she quickly rubbed herself down. The water reflected against the ceiling and walls of the cave. She noticed inscriptions written in a language other than Wakandan, with pictographs depicting waves and sea creatures painted with neon blue paint. Some images were carved into the walls and looked older and eroded in some places. The bandage on her wrist fell away, and so did the dull ache of pain she carried since the Falls.

Stepping out of the pool, Yani looked for a towel.

Jabulile turned around and unfurled the robe she carried.

"No need to dry yourself, put this on quickly…here, I'll take those bandages for you. Follow me this way please…"

Yani trailed behind Jabulile. The light source used to illuminate their way couldn't be pinpointed by Yani. The cave floor was soft black sand that didn't seem to belong to that particular ecosystem. Her robe swished at her feet and stuck to the wet parts of her body, contouring itself like a designer dress. They walked through a purple mist that swiped across her skin like spiderwebs breaking across her face and body. She waved her hands around only to find that it was a sensation only…nothing was on her skin.

Her eardrums throbbed with the pounding of the drums…no…they couldn't be drums. The two young women who had drums were too far away to emit the sound she heard right then. Yani tuned in closer and realized the sound was a heartbeat, as if the cave was a living thing pumping its heart in a soothing rhythm.

Strange.

Yani walked a normal rate of speed, but her body felt like it was slowing down.

"We are almost there Queen Yani," Jabulile said.

Jabulile's voice sounded far away, the way it would if Yani were deep underwater listening to speech high above her head. Her heart thumped faster and she inhaled air through her mouth to calm down her fear.

They reached a narrow opening where the two women Yani asked about, Khanyisile and Nolwazi, stood watch holding torches. Both women smiled, relief evident on their faces.

"Go through there and you will find her," Jabulile said.

The passageway was dark and had only enough room for one person to pass through at a time.

"By myself?" Yani asked.

All three women nodded.

"Do not be afraid Queen Yani. Mama Wati protects you," Nolwazi said.

Yani shook her fingers and stepped past the women into the foreboding passage. Darkness swallowed her and she heard her own breathing speed up. Claustrophobia threatened to paralyze her from moving on, but she swallowed thickly and mustered the courage to keep walking, even as her shoulders hit the sides of the unseen walls. Step by step. Inch by inch. Yani staggered through thirty yards of pitch black until her cone and rod cells worked again to detect light and movement ahead.

Her eyes adjusted.

A woman with skin the color of freshly made Jamaican black castor oil sat crosscrossed on a bright green rug with painted sea turtles and stingrays. Her hair was wrapped in a large seagreen headwrap and her neck was heavy with seashell necklaces and sun-yellow glass beads. She could've been thirty, or she could've been seventy, it was anyone's guess with Wakandan people. They aged gracefully and seemingly slow. Bright eyes the color of glowing jade in the center and dark amber at the edges peered at her with a welcome kindness.

"Queen Yani Udaku of the Black Panther Tribe…and the unofficial adopted daughter of the River Tribe…I welcome you home. Sit…right there…in front of me," the Oracle Nolwandle said.

Yani crossed her legs on the long green rug facing the oracle. Nolwandle sat and stared at Yani's face until the young queen squirmed her hips.

"You look the way my emissaries said you did…youthful and full of energy. Very beautiful. The king loves beauty I hear," Nolwandle said.

The oracle's unnatural jade-powered gaze pierced through Yani's defenses of trying to appear stoic and queenly. Sitting in front of her made Yani feel like a young child chatting with her grandmother.

"King N'Jadaka's energy can be felt all throughout the kingdom. He carries his ancestors well. They are strong on the other side. The king is on his way now to retrieve you. I can feel his worry over you."

"I don't want him to worry," Yani said.

"There is apprehension in your voice my queen. Mama Wati wants you to be at ease here."

"It's hard…I don't know what to expect…I don't know what to do…"

"Ease…my queen…breathe in deep…"

Yani inhaled and Nolwandle urged her to do more. Behind the oracle, a small fire burned inside a stone fireplace. To the oracle's left side was a wide opening in the cave that led to a river of water not found on any Wakandan map. A pile of stones held another fire that lit up the roof of the cave leading out into the open water where other large mountains touched one another leaving gaps for water to flow past. Part of the walls shined like the sparkling emerald water reflecting shimmery images dancing on the walls. The interior felt dark, warm and mysterious and the waterway hinted at sunshine and an upperworld.

"Breathe…yes…deeply…slowly…"

Nolwandle reached behind her and lifted a bundle of herbs tied with bright white string. She tossed them into the fire and it sparkled and puffed out dark blue smoke.

"Breathe daughter…yes…deeper still…allow the smoke to enter your lungs."

"Are you drugging me…it feels thick in my chest…" Yani gasped, clutching her throat.

"I am opening the path for us to travel. Mama Wati will partially lift the veil for you to receive the message meant for you…"

"I can't breathe…I'm having a hard time…oracle! Help me…I can't!" Yani choked out.

"The message is coming, daughter. Mama Wati has opened the veil…"

The unseen presence of an entity larger than the cave itself came first.

It its wake was a pressure, like an ocean's weight of water pressing down on Yani's body, threatening to flatten her. The pressure in her ears changed too. She clutched at her throat and yet Nolwandle remained calm, her lips moving but no sound coming out.

The presence wrapped itself all over the cave and a roar thundered in Yani's ears. She looked toward the placid water outside and a mammoth ocean wave rolled toward her in slow motion. Yani couldn't move, her lower body locked to the ground helpless and unprotected. She could still mover her head though.

"Nolwandle!" Yani shouted.

Yani glanced at the oracle again and the woman's head fell back. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her mouth stayed wide open. Yani whipped her head to brace herself for when the wave would hit them, but it was gone. The opening was covered in a tranquil water barrier that made the outside scenery look blurry, fluid, and dreamy.

"Yani…"

A voice behind the water barrier came out of the oracle's mouth. Confused, Yani looked at Nolwandle again. Her mouth stayed agape and frozen in that position.

"Yani…JaJa's wife…"

Yani heard the voice come from the oracle, but it sounded like it was behind the water barrier too, as if it bounced out to use the oracle as its frequency to the human world. The queen rose from her seated position and walked toward the barrier. The shadowy outside world was there, rippling behind the veil.

Two figures walked forward.

Yani held her breath and waited until they stood before her. One was older and the other younger. Her breath hitched in her chest and she stumbled back, unable to believe her eyes.

The younger woman had fiery brown eyes and big ginger hair that crowned her head like a giant sunburst. Yani recognized the same freckles her son had. The older woman was shorter with an exquisite face etched with wisdom that matched the younger woman. Her hair was looser in texture and had faded streaks of light brown mixed in with white that was cornrowed in four thick braids going straight back. Yani knew right away the two women were related. Long pearl-white tunics shrouded their bodies.

"You know who I am. Don't you?" the younger woman said.

Yani nodded.

"Califia Stevens Udaku…N'Jadaka's mother."

"Yes…this is JaJa's great-grandmother, Nana Jean."

"Hello, ma'am," Yani said, instantly genuflecting to them both.

Nana Jean laughed and Califia joined her. The older woman held up a hand.

"We are family baby, you don't bow to us," Nana Jean said.

The presence pushed down on the cave and the water barrier vibrated, blurring the women from Yani's view.

"Califia!" Yani shouted.

Their images shimmered back into view seconds later. Yani wiped frantic tears away from her eyes, so terrified her mother-in-law and great-grandmother-in-law had vanished. Califia held her hand against the barrier. Yani raised hers to try and touch it. The cool blue kinetic liquid would not allow them to connect.

"I wish I could comfort you, Yani. Mama Wati has warned us. Bast is awake inside of my son. I'll have to speak quickly before we lose contact," Califia said.

Yani was spellbound by Califia, the woman's beauty staggered the imagination. She carried a vibrant charisma that was like N'Jadaka's times ten. No wonder Prince N'Jobu stayed away from his home and defied a nation. Califia was priceless.

"You're going to conceive a baby who is so important that they'll have the power to split the world into pieces in the future. I apologize having to sound so cryptic but I'm breaking so many rules to be here with you. I took what I could decipher from the realm of time in the spirit world with my limited understanding. Although I'm an ancestor now, Bast still shrouds us from telling humans too much."

"When?" Yani asked.

"Soon...two or three years at most from what little I could decipher from the time threads. A man is also coming there who will challenge my son for the world. I need for you to survive the war they may wage—"

"More war? In Wakanda?"

"War all over the world. You're the key to preventing their battle from consuming JaJa. If anything happens to that baby or you…my son will burn the world down and the future will become bleak for everyone on the planet even more than it is. Your baby must survive at all costs in order to claim their birthright and keep Wakanda secure years from now. That child will turn the nation into an empire. No matter the cost, it must happen!"

Califia stepped closer to the veil, unable to penetrate it. Her voice came from behind Yani through the oracle's mouth, but Yani focused on Califia's face.

"My son has lost too much in this world. I don't want him suffering again if I can warn you. I couldn't come to him because Bast would block me directly, so I had to come for you through Mama Wati," Califia said.

"I understand. I'll do all I can to protect our baby."

"Not just the one to come, but Riki and Joba too."

"Riki and Joba? What's going to happen to them?" Yani yelped.

The cave vibrated with the force of an earthquake. Califia and Nana Jean glanced behind them. Worry clouded their faces.

"Nothing will happen if you can prevent it," Califia said.

Nana Jean became agitated and looked over her shoulder again.

"We should leave now, Cali…Dayclean is coming," Nana Jean said, grabbing Califia's arm, pulling her back from the veil.

Califia gently patted her grandmother's hand, stood her ground, and locked eyes with Yani.

"Joba and Riki will be the ones to help the baby become what she needs to be in order to rule the future. But that future will face turmoil if none of them live once a foretold prophecy begins at your pregnancy. When Namor returns, be ready Yani. This is all I have to give you," Califia said.

"Namor," Yani repeated, searing the name into her mind.

"You must stay away from him…you and the children—"

"Califia!"

The booming voice of a distraught man flew out of the oracle's mouth making Yani jump. He appeared next to them in a long white tunic.

N'Jobu.

N'Jadaka's father.

Seeing N'Jadaka's parents together knocked Yani's knees. Never would she have dreamed of seeing them alive and looking so well from the other side. N'Jobu turned his kind eyes toward Yani.

"My daughter…Yani…you shouldn't be here with my wife or Nana Jean. Certain knowings belong to Bast, and only her. What you have heard is forbidden knowledge to that existence there. Your life must be lived with my son and grandchildren in ignorance," N'Jobu gently urged.

Califia shook her head and challenged her husband.

"No! I won't let that happen this time. Our son deserves happiness. Too much was stolen from him and I refuse to let anything be taken from him again. I don't care if I have to go against Bast or any other god to protect them."

N'Jobu put his arms around Califia. Her voiced raged from the oracle's open throat. N'Jobu's somber tone brought levity to Yani's predicament. Califia had gone above and beyond from the ancestral plane to reach her family. Her love bled through the water barrier and cloaked Yani with its comfort and legendary warrior spirit. Her willingness to defy gods was a trait Yani hoped she could live up to for her own babies.

N'Jobu gently scolded his wife.

"You have stolen free-will and burdened our daughter with fear and more confusion. That isn't fair to Yani. Now she will worry about our family needlessly," N'Jobu said.

The cave vibrated with the presence yet again. Mama Wati's collusion was weakening. N'Jobu held his wife lovingly as Nana Jean watched over them both.

"We must go back my love…please. JaJa will live a glorious life…"

"His children—"

"—will live out their destinies, whatever they will be, without interference from now on. Let them be…let them have their own lives. We are always here for them as a comfort and a reminder that life doesn't end at death."

"Yani," Califia said, still reaching for her daughter-in-law.

"You see death for us? Me and the children?" Yani asked.

Califia clutched at her temples and her mouth twisted into a horrid grimace. She appeared to be full of pain.

"Bast is jumbling up my mind…she's stealing the future threads from me…" Califia wailed.

"Califia!" N'Jobu cried out, grabbing her by the waist to keep her from falling.

A dark foreboding shadow loomed over them behind the veil in the shape of an enormous panther stalking tiny prey.

Bast.

"Forgive her Bast! Please!" N'Jobu shouted.

Bast's dark shadow scattered and floated away. Califia closed her eyes. Yani did the same as something slithery, warm, and invasive cleaved to her temporal lobe. The words of warning Califia gave her were plucked from her gray matter one by one until nothing was left. Yani struggled to grab onto anything, her brain synapses crackling with electrical impulses to store and hide any morsel. She was able to hold onto two words, and only because she sensed a benevolent shield from Mama Wati to allow her to grasp onto anything her mother Bast had culled from her mortal skull.

"It's gone, all of it. I can no longer see it," Califia said in a defeated tone.

Yani blanked out mentally as Bast swiped her mind clean too.

Nana Jean cradled Califia's face and N'Jobu nuzzled his nose against her cheek, comforting her. Soft footfalls from behind Yani captured her attention.

"Mom, Baba…"

N'Jadaka strode into the cavern with a shocked expression. Califia perked up and clung to N'Jobu's arm as she gazed at her beloved son.

"JaJa…your wife is fine. I needed to see her to tell her…." Califia glanced around trying to remember her thoughts.

N'Jadaka reached for Yani and pulled her into his chest.

"Thank the gods you're safe," he huffed into her hair. He kissed the top of her head and rocked her in his arms.

"I'm sorry I tricked you…I had to come. Your mother needed me."

N'Jadaka faced his parents. Their eyes shined bright with love for their only child. N'Jobu held Califia's hand.

"Nana?" N'Jadaka said, stepping closer to the water barrier to see his great-grandmother.

Nana Jean grinned. She swelled with pride at seeing her great-grandson as a grown man.

"Look at you… so big and handsome like your father. You did everything to hold onto our bond…my sweet great-grandson," Nana Jean said.

Pressure popped in Yani's ear. N'Jadaka experienced it too and winced like her.

"Leave here quickly son. You two aren't meant to be here like this. Your mother has been forceful as usual," N'Jobu said.

The water barrier rippled and the images behind the veil began to cloud and fade.

"Watch over each other, JaJa…love one another at all times," N'Jobu said.

N'Jadaka rushed the barrier and called to his mother. Califia gazed at him with a mixture of adoration and longing.

"Mom, why did you come to Yani?"

Califia's gaze fell upon Yani. The presence in the cave began to lift. N'Jobu tugged on Califia and Nana Jean to follow him back from where they came.

"Bast stole the memory from me, JaJa. I had it and she took it away. Yani, whatever I told you, hold onto it. I may never get to reach out like this again, but I want you both to know I tried my best to make life there good for you," Califia said. She gave N'Jadaka a winsome smile. "Take care of each other JaJa. We love you," Califia said.

Her voice sounded weary.

"Mom…Baba…wait…"

"We must go back, son. Feel us in your heart as always," N'Jobu said.

Nana Jean pressed her forehead against the barrier. N'Jadaka lined his forehead with hers and pressed against it.

"You have done well, JaJa. We are here with you at all times," Nana Jean said.

Califia blew Yani and N'Jadaka kisses and the water barrier snapped into a blurry whirlpool of foamy water. Yani turned to look at the oracle. The woman stayed in the same odd position with her eyes closed and mouth open.

"I soon come, Mama…Baba…"

A soft childlike voice came out of the oracle's mouth. It sounded like a toddler just learning to speak. It gave Yani chills, but not as much as seeing her body still sitting crossed legged in front of Nolwandle…with N'Jadaka sitting right next to her in the same position. Yani glanced back as a loud rumbling whooshing sound reverberated around them. The water barrier transformed itself into another mighty wave. It moved backward in slow motion beyond the mountain barrier. A strong force knocked Yani in her solar plexus and she gasped, finding herself punched back into her corporeal body still sitting cross-legged and staring at Nolwandle. The oracle's head fell forward and she closed her mouth, exhausted from the ordeal. Perspiration dotted her forehead and soaked her clothes. Her once glowing jade eyes had become a delicate dark brown since Mama Wati released her as a vessel.

N'Jadaka shook himself back into their side of the veil. Tears rested on his lids and Yani moved onto her knees and hugged him.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" Yani said repeatedly.

"It's okay. I found you and you're safe. You left for a good reason if my parents and great-grandmother sent for you."

Nolwandle shifted to her knees and bowed her head low to the ground, holding her folded hands toward N'Jadaka.

"I beg your forgiveness, kumkani. I was directed by Mama Wati that your mother and great-grandmother wished to see the queen. I am a mere servant of the divine. My intention was not to maliciously trick you or your wife but to service the needs of your ancestors," Nolwandle said with fear laced in her tone.

N'Jadaka looked Yani over.

"Did you hurt yourself? You fell didn't you?"

"Yes," Yani said. "I may have fractured my wrist, but it feels better."

"I sent for Dr. Chidubem. He's on his way here to look you over."

Yani turned to the oracle.

"Thank you, Nolwandle. I appreciate everything you had to go through to help me."

"Blessings to you, Queen Yani. I pray that the message you received is one that will please you and prepare you for what is to come."

Yani shook her head in disappointment.

"I'm afraid I made this journey for nothing and your body suffered needlessly. Bast took away my memory of the message. Mortals can't know the future."

"Baby, it's okay," N'Jadaka said trying to soothe her depressed mood.

"I have been instructed to prepare the queen's body by Mama Wati."

"What are you going to do?" N'Jadaka asked.

Nolwandle stood and shuffled over to the fire where she lifted two wooden bowls. She brought them to Yani and placed them on the rug. She pulled a small stool out and planted herself in front of the queen.

"May I?" Nolwandle asked, pointing to Yani's damp robe.

Yani nodded and Nolwandle opened it wide revealing the queen's nakedness. Lifting a brush from the first bowl, the oracle painted a ring of blue waves around Yani's belly button that soaked into her skin like a tattoo marking. She then switched bowls and painted a different ring of twisty swirls in light green around the first ring.

"There. When you return to your honeymoon time, rub oil over them every night. The color will soak into the pigment of your skin deeper. This is your talisman, Queen Yani. Mama Wati has marked you as one of her own. When the time comes these markings will reveal their true intent. Walk out of this womb of the world with your purpose intact."

Yani clutched the oracle's hands.

"I heard a voice come out of you…a young voice…a child."

"I can only transmit, not translate what is for your ears only, kumkanikazi," Nolwandle said.

Yani's lips turned down in disappointment.

"It was our baby," N'Jadaka said.

He stroked Yani's hand. She stared at him.

"My parents came to me after their funeral ceremony…that time I was late coming to the repast at your lake front home…when we were apart. My mom said I had a child coming that I had to show a lot of grace to because she would need it. I felt the energy in that voice when I heard it, Yani. That was our child…speaking to us."

Yani trembled and lowered her head, the knowledge unnerving her. To hear her baby's voice before she was even planted in her womb or even born yet astounded her. The child called to her.

I soon come.

Yani slumped into N'Jadaka's arms and cried. All her fear and worry about the journey to Warrior Falls jolted her emotions. His parents loved her. Watched over her and their grandbabies. His great-grandmother knew who she was and came to bear witness in defiance of a deity. She wept and her husband held her in his warmth and understanding.

N'Jadaka tied the robe back around her and guided Yani away from the oracle. Her wrist felt a little tender, but the pool water helped her endure the slight discomfort longer.

"You go through first," N'Jadaka said when they reached the dark passageway again.

Yani walked through with assured steps. She was proud that she completed her task. Even prouder that N'Jadaka's amazing mother reached out for her, trusting that Yani would heed her words one hundred per cent without hesitation. She waited for the king to join her out of the passageway and they met Okoye and Ayo waiting for them with the three women emissaries.

"Thank you, Jabulile, Khanyisile and Nolwazi," Yani said.

The three woman bowed low to her and N'Jadaka. They passed through to the outside and the two Uyakhusela's greeted them.

"Peaceful journeys to you both," the men said in unison.

The Doras walked ahead of them and N'Jadaka clasped Yani's hand tight and kept them in one spot out of earshot of their security. He exhales softly.

"I'm blessed and happy you got to see them…speak to them."

"Is Bast furious?" Yani said, ready to shrink back into the forest if the goddess set a bush on fire or struck her down with a plague.

N'Jadaka touched his chest and closed his eyes.

"Displeased. But not with you. Mama Wati is her daughter and they have to deal with their family squabbles on that side of the spiritual plane," he joked.

He touched her wrist and looked it over.

"Does it hurt when I touch it?"

"Not as much as before."

"Crazy girl," he teased

He tapped his kimoyo beads.

"Aneka, come get us. You have my coordinates," he said.

"Dr. Chidubem will be arriving soon," Aneka said.

"We'll meet him halfway," he said.

N'Jadaka brought Yani to an open clearing and the Royal Talon Fighter lifted them up high into air. They flew for an hour and stopped halfway to their destination when a quad stinger arrived ferrying Dr. Chidubem to them. He took Yani to the back of the Talon Fighter and injected her wrist with nano bots that stitched her fractured wrist back together. She swallowed painkillers to dull down a fading ache. Dr. Chidubem's short graying locs reminded Yani of Baba Z.

"You'll be good as new in no time Queen Yani."

"It wasn't as bad as I thought," she said.

"Hairline fracture."

They thanked the doctor and bid him farewell after he pumped Yani full of vitamins and electrolytes for good measure. It didn't take long to get back to Umbono Lake and their peaceful houseboat.

Alone once more, N'Jadaka pampered Yani, feeding her a hearty lunch and insisting that she rest after a long warm shower. He rubbed almond oil on her scalp and slathered fresh cocoa and coffee butter all over her naked form, paying special attention to the new markings on her belly. She slipped on a bikini afterward.

"That paint is like ink," Yani said, rubbing her shiny belly.

N'Jadaka made them tea and snuggled with her in their loft bed. The boat gently rocked with the small wind currents. Intense relief rested her husband's body as he held her against him tight. He had been frightened without her being with him. That man could face any evil killer or terrorist without blinking an eye, but not having her near was his only true weakness.

She caressed his face.

"We heard our baby," she said.

His eyes glinted with unshed tears.

"We did," he said.

"We'll have to prepare—"

N'Jadaka took his index finger and held it over Yani's lips.

"I don't want you thinking about anything but getting well and resting. We have a honeymoon to enjoy and I want to live it up without prepping for another baby."

"What? This coming from the man who gets aroused simply thinking about putting a baby in me every time we make love?"

N'Jadaka gave a sly cheesy grin.

"Yeah…I want to make another baby…but…actually hearing the voice of my future daughter reminds me that we'll have four kids to raise. Thinking of it as a hypothetical was cool, but shit switches up when you hear your child's voice. Damn…like my daughter spoke to me. Half of her is still in my nutsack and the other half is still in your ovary…that shit is crazy. Yo, Ma…the fuck? We livin' in wild times girl."

N'Jadaka laughed and his eyes became shiny with the wonderment of it all.

Yani's gaze darted away from N'Jadaka's well-meaning focus. She saw things through the oracle that regular people would never experience. Gods, ancestors, and spiritual realms could come and go in her new world. She heard the voice of her baby, and the unborn child sounded confident and sure. A little girl, too. A girl who would grow up loved beyond measure by her parents and siblings. Something had to be very special about her if Mama Wati permitted her to speak to them from the other side. And just maybe, it was the reason Califia felt it so urgent to seek out Yani without Bast's permission.

Was this how Mary felt when the archangel came to her and said she would birth Jesus?

Yani shook her head at the sacrilege she skirted with her heavy Christian upbringing. Who was she to compare her unborn baby to Jesus. Thee Jesus from the bible.

And yet…

A goddess came for her and opened up a holy realm for Yani to speak to the dead and to also hear an unborn baby. This was the stuff that prophets wrote in holy scripture. Was she not a child of Mama Wati? Wasn't that what the oracle said?

God put her on the path to have that baby with N'Jadaka.

Yani stared out of the window at the water. A slight pressure on the back of her head toggled something loose in the deepest recesses of her mind.

She remembered two things from Califia. Two things Mama Wati hid from Bast in Yani's mind to keep it from totally slipping away.

Prophecy.

And a name.

Namor.

Yani put everything together quickly. Their unborn daughter had to be fulfilling a prophecy Califia had come to tell her about. But the name? Namor. It felt familiar in Yani's gut, and it most definitely gave her a shudder throughout her body thinking about it. A residual reminder of its importance maybe…or a warning. Something hidden and sticky in her mind would not let her forget that name. It sat on her tongue inside a tightly closed mouth. If she just mentioned the name to N'Jadaka, maybe he could help her figure out the meaning of it. N'Jadaka stroked her cheek.

"I can see you fretting about something from the cave," he said.

She nodded, knowing she could never hide anything from him. Not even her private thoughts. Her emotions welled up deep inside. She witnessed a profound gift and it still lingered over her.

"Baby…don't cry. That shit messes me up when you do."

Her lips trembled and she shut her eyes tight.

"Your mother was so beautiful. And your Dad…he was so sweet and kind, so royal…and your Nana…she loves you all over," Yani said.

N'Jadaka broke out into a delighted smile, even as happy tears leaked from his eyes.

"I'm happy for you, Yani. I wished they could be here to meet you, and Mama Wati made it happen. A part of me even thinks Bast let it happen because, trust me baby, Bast does not play."

"She seemed so angry to me."

"Or maybe she needed you to feel that anger out of love to leave well enough alone. This world we live in now, nothing is ever what it seems on first glance. All of this was your journey Yani. Do with it what you want."

"I remember only two things your mother told me. I want to say them to you. If you don't want to hear them because Bast may act out, I'll respect your choice."

N'Jadaka gathered his own thoughts by gazing out at the water.

"My mother told me I was going to live a long and glorious life. That means that you and our children are with me because that is my blessing. Nothing can change that if she said it," he said.

Yani rose from lying on his chest and held his hands in hers.

"Do you want to know the words and what I think they mean?" she asked.

"Tell me."

"Prophecy. I think our daughter is going to fulfill the prophecy of the River Tribe. It only makes sense as to why Califia would do what she did to speak to me. She wanted us to get ready for her. That baby has to be special, destined for some greater purpose in the future."

"I'm down with that. Mom did ask me to be ready for her before."

"Okay…the next thing. Namor."

Yani studied her husband's face carefully. His eyes seemed to bulge in their sockets when she said it, and his entire frame went rigid.

"You know that name," Yani said.

"My mother said, Namor?"

"Yes."

N'Jadaka stared through Yani as if he was watching something of great importance play out.

"Who is that person?"

"A mutant I met some time ago. A dangerous person who rules an empire under the sea," he said.

The word "empire" tipped something in Yani's mind, but it shambled away before she could hold it for closer introspection.

"I think those two things are connected somehow. I wish Bast hadn't wiped everything away in my head."

N'Jadaka stood and cracked his knuckles. His concentration lingered outside. The sky was a beautiful azure with not a cloud in sight. He glanced back at Yani.

"Namor's name can't be spoken outside of us, Yani. I'm upholding an agreement that King T'Chaka made with him thirty years ago."

"You've met him?"

"I have. He looks human, but he has wings on his feet and flies. His strength is ten times of any human and he can breathe underwater and on land. He and his people have killed thousands to keep their existence hidden. They also have vibranium."

Yani jumped off the bed.

"How?" Yani asked.

N'Jadaka sat back down on the bed and Yani planted herself next to him.

"Well, it fell from the sky. Apparently a chunk of it broke off hitting our atmosphere and some of it landed in the ocean near where he is from. They call themselves the Talokanil. Namor's true name is K'uk'ulkan. It means Feather Serpent God in their language. He and his people have powers that…well, just imagine every person in Wakanda having the powers of the Black Panther. That's how powerful they are. We don't even know how many of his people live down there. I've got enough problems dealing with motherfuckers on land, I don't need no shit starting with an unknown entity like that. Hell, there might be more mutants down there with him."

"That's it then. That's what your mother wanted me to know. Namor and our baby are tied together somehow."

"I hope to Bast they aren't. We don't need that smoke coming our way. Humans I can deal with. I've whooped alien ass and plenty of warlords…but Namor. I will continue to act like he doesn't exist."

He wiped the creases in her forehead away.

"Don't worry your pretty head about nothing Yani. We make the future we want, especially with that new little one waiting on us," he said.

He sounded confident. Yani believed him. He rested the side of his face against hers.

"If my mom is aware of Namor then I will be vigilant in keeping him far from Wakanda. Nothing can harm us if my mother and great-grandmother are looking out for us."

Yani touched her stomach. She and N'Jadaka traced their fingers on the colorful blue and green designs.

"How about we call the three munchkins we already have?" he suggested.

Yani tapped her beads quickly, yearning to see her royal brood. She leaned into her husband before the children's images popped above her wrist.

"I'm truly so sorry I scared you," she said.

"It's over and done with. I have you back. We're good, Yani."

"Hi Mama! Hi Baba! Look how Auntie Twyla did my hair today," Sydette said, twirling around showing off her artfully braided hair.

"She did mine too!" Joba chimed in, touching the braided tips of her long tresses.

"Looks nice, girls," N'Jadaka said.

Riki stared at them with a grumpy look on his face. His hair was braided in the same style as Joba's and Sydette's.

"You don't like your cornrows, Dumpling?" Yani asked.

"Auntie always does our hair all the same. A prince should have a different style," Riki grumbled.

Sydette ran her fingers over his hair that touched down to his shoulder blades.

"It's getting so long and he's mad because his friends said he looks like a princess," Sydette teased.

Riki rolled his eyes.

"I like your hair long, Dumpling," Yani insisted.

"Baba's hair is long too," Joba said, trying to encourage her brother to like his braids.

"Mama, what's that on your stomach?" Sydette asked.

Yani looked past her bikini top, forgetting she was resting in a swimsuit.

"I'm trying out some body art," Yani said.

Sydette looked at Yani's stomach and then waved her hand at Joba and Riki.

"Go get your sketch pads…you both left them on the desk," Sydette said.

Joba and Riki scampered off and returned holding up their separate sketch pads.

"Mama, look," Joba said, "your body art looks like this," Joba said.

"And this," Riki said with surprise in his voice.

Yani and N'Jadaka looked at the pictures closely, then stared at one another.

"When did you make those?" N'Jadaka asked.

"Yesterday," Joba said.

"Before we went to Umama's suite," Riki added.

Joba's picture, drawn with the careful flourishes she was known for doodling when designing her fairy garden looks, was an exact match of Yani's blue body waves. Riki's drawing was close to a perfect match of the green swirls of the outer ring.

"Have you drawn anything like that before?" N'Jadaka asked them.

"Is something wrong?" Joba asked, sensing the odd tone of her father's voice.

"No, I'm just amazed that you both created something like this so similar to Mama's marking."

"The green lady showed us how to do it," Riki said, looking over his own design on his mother's belly.

"The green lady?" Yani asked.

"Yes, Umama took us to the museum yesterday," Joba said, "We had our sketch books with us. Riki and I saw her sitting on the floor in front of a painting we were trying to copy with our new art pens, and she showed us how to make this instead," Joba said.

"Why do you call her the green lady?" N'Jadaka asked.

Joba shrugged. "She had on all green…and her eyes were kinda green too. She said that the waves and swirls are symbols used to represent the ocean in Birnin S'Yan…that was the painting we were trying to copy. It had a big ocean wave. Umama wanted us to see it since it's a very famous painting in Birnin Zana. It's called "The Mother of Waters" and was made in 1546. See?"

Joba swiped the image of the oil painting for her parents to see.

"Holy Bast," N'Jadaka said.

Yani covered her mouth. She recognized the wave. It looked exactly like the one that rolled into Warrior Falls. The one that brought the water barrier and allowed Califia to see them.

"Well, that is some amazing work you two. Sydette did you sketch anything?" Yani said, trying to move the conversation elsewhere. Riki and Joba began to look concerned about their sketches and the way their parents looked at them.

"No, I was trying my hand at photography. Umama let me wander and practice lighting and shadow techniques. She was my subject for most of my pictures. I have some very nice ones she wants to frame."

"That's super cool, Sweet Pea," N'Jadaka said.

"Can't wait to see you all," Yani said.

"Will we get to wear body art too?" Sydette asked.

"Maybe," Yani said.

"We'll call you guys back in a couple of days, okay?" N'Jadaka said.

All three children nodded and blew their parents kisses before winking out. Yani stood in front of N'Jadaka.

"It had to be an avatar. There's no way the oracle could've been in Birnin Zana yesterday. Sydette didn't say that she saw anyone and no Dora would let a stranger approach our children like that," Yani said.

"I wouldn't put it past my mother to try and reach our children. They were meant to know these symbols too."

"They didn't seem scared at all."

"Not until they read our body language and the tone of our voices," he said.

N'Jadaka pulled back the covers and helped her get into bed once more.

"More rest for you," he said.

"Everything will be okay, won't it?"

"It will, baby...it will. No god would bring us this far and let us lose what we have now."

Yani accepted his doting on her for the rest of the night. She closed her eyes and knew she could face anything with Califia Stevens Udaku in their corner from the ancestral plane. Tucking Namor into a faraway nook in her memory bank, the Queen of Wakanda slumbered well.

And so did her husband.

Chapter 12 HERE.

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[uzumaki-rebellion]

“The Offering” Part 2 of 3 (A Namor of Talokan Fic)

Need to Catch up? Masterlist HERE.

Summary:

Lebadi has embarked on a two-year secret love affair with K'uk'ulkan on the high seas with a Wakandan houseboat she purchased for their clandestine hook-ups. All is well until their union is discovered.

NSFW. Smut. 18+. (6,254 words) Namor x Black Female OC

If you enjoy the content, please reblog!  That’s the only way our stories get circulated on this app!

"Baby, baby, baby… "

Evil Needle & Sivey—"Baby"

He liked to kneel before her and kiss her belly button first.

The indentation on her lower stomach seemed to be his activation button for Lebadi and she loved to stand over him, weaving her fingers into his soft black curls that crowned loosely around his scalp, still moist from the sea. The tip of his warm tongue dipped in and out and when he kissed the skin around her belly piercing, his dark brown eyes never left hers.

That was his way… always.

Touch. Kiss. Gaze up at her. Kiss again. Lick. Stare deep into her soul before sucking and tasting again, lowering his head to her sopping folds that plumped and bloomed open, revealing the sticky pink entrance to paradise. She learned over the two years of their forbidden courtship that he used those dark eyes to claim ownership of her. Every part of her. Cloying… fiery at times, and oh, so sensual, the sloe-eyed gaze of K'uk'ulkan demanded obedience. Submission.

She gave in.

The loss of will had her leasing a small houseboat in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Staying on the water was the only way to keep their liaison a secret from her world. He couldn't come on land without alarming her people, and she couldn't go down into his depths either, so they were forced to meet in the middle far off the Umkhombe Coast.

Anticipating his arrival was always the best part of their unions. She'd dance seductively on the deck, playing the erotic sounds of her favorite joot band, a style of Wakandan music that mixed instrumental sounds with dubbed vocalizations that played with the human voice in strange ways to evoke a hypnotic, romantic mood. Draped in a sheer azure cover-up with nothing else underneath except for a gold-hooped belly chain with matching bracelets on her wrists, Lebadi cranked up the swirling sounds and gyrated her hips with the syncopated rhythms. Tapping her bare feet on the deck with her arms dancing in the air, she snaked her body with sultry rolls of her hips to tease him from the sea.

Sipping on honey wine, she'd grab a handful of a mixture made from dried flower petals, spiced herbs, and brown sugar to rub against her shaved mound so that the scent of her juicy pussy was added. She called it her love offering and sprinkled it into the ocean, helping to entice his arrival sooner.

It always worked.

Humming and swiveling her loose hips, her eyes followed the line of the horizon illuminated by silver moonlight, waiting for the waters to part as her offering sank below the surface.

There!

A ripple breaking the tranquil ocean that grew into a wave rising to the starlight, his taut form bursting through a mountain of dark liquid, wings fluttering… behold… K'uk'ulkan. He flew high above Lebadi's line of sight, floating gently on a balmy breeze toward her, his dashing eyes never leaving her face.

Lebadi danced, twining her arms with slow sinuous motions that gestured for his company. When he landed next to her, she parted her sheer covering and fingered her folds, sharing glimpses of her wet arousal glistening like dew on a gossamer web across her fingertips.

"Namor…" she purred.

He closed his eyes and his nostrils flared, taking in the sweet odor of her swollen folds.

Down he went, on his knees, clasping desperate fingers on her graceful hips.

"In yaakunaj…" he murmured, sliding a fat wet tongue across her stomach before pushing his entire face into her pussy.

"Show me how much you love me, then," she replied with breathless abandon.

"Ch'ujuk," he whispered.

Sweet. That's what she tasted like to him. She kept that pussy sweet and delicious, like a ripe mango, eating plenty of fresh fruit and honey before traveling to see him.

Hot kisses slathered her clit with saliva and his mouth wasted very little time becoming reacquainted with what belonged to him. He sucked and licked her delicate parts, tracing wet silhouettes with an artful tongue tip. She gasped out loud, holding back her release until he told her she had permission to do so.

Standing up, Namor peeled off his skintight shorts, and she helped him unfasten his choker necklace. Tossing it on one of the bolted chairs set up for deep-sea fishing, he led her into the interior of the boat where the luxury stateroom awaited their in-depth union. He slid his fingers on the pearl clasps of her cover-up and pulled it off. Slanting his head to align his mouth with hers properly, his warm belly rested upright against hers, turning their bodies into writhing, serpentine creatures yearning to become one flesh… one being.

The interlocking of their tongues breathed life into her clit and it came alive between her thighs, thumping a staccato rhythm that made her pussy throb in anticipation for deep-rooted dick that would take her far beyond her stimulated senses.

Lebadi dropped to her knees and engulfed his thickening length into her greedy mouth, slurping his dick like it was the last bit of nourishment she would ever have between her full lips. Her neck worked his girth as it stretched her lascivious mouth, making her cheek and jaw muscles exhausted from handling such a thick erection. She made his dick shiny and licked around the head where pre-cum spilled all over her tongue. Namor tasted like the sea and promises of something smoky and rich that she couldn't get enough of. He threaded his fingers through her textured hair, twisting into the heavy locs securely before yanking her head back so her eyes stayed fixed on his face. Fisting his dick, he pressed it against her painted lush mouth, forcing her to lick away the spewing of clear arousal that had his lips twisted up with pleasure.

The man his people called K'uk'ulkan hated surface dwellers.

But he loved her.

The cognitive dissonance was never lost on Lebadi, even with all the libidinous, erotic things he did to her wanton body. She became a willing concubine under his magic touch. He was unpredictable. Dangerous. Irresistible. Their forbidden love was an addiction she couldn't be without. They were both from cultures that prided themselves on secrecy and discretion. Being practically invisible to the rest of mankind kept their people safe… and yet, they chose to be reckless with one another. It made their love illicit and delicious.

His fingers grazed against her cheek as a clap of thunder boomed above them.

"K'iibal cháak," he said. "The thunder… it will bring a strong rain."

"There was a ring around the moon. It won't rain until three days from now," she said.

He sniffed the air.

"Sáamal," he said.

Tomorrow. It would rain sooner than what the gauzy, reddish ring of light around the moon told her. Rain meant poor weather on the water, no lazy day of sunshine, and swimming with him in the open ocean.

He lifted her in his arms and placed her lovingly on the berth they would share. His dick pointed at her with a raging hardness that needed careful tending. She parted her thighs and used her fingers to push open her folds for him. The thick vein on the top of his erection showed the severity of his need. His slit wept pearls of pre-cum onto the berth. His regal bearing looked mystical in the low candlelight she had illuminating the quarters. He crawled onto the bedding and wedged himself between her legs. Gripping the heft of his dick securely, he twisted his fingers under the thick ridge of his frenulum and pushed the wide tip against her slick opening. Her pussy throbbed, letting him see the pink entrance wink open. The sight of it excited him more, and he held his slit closer to her as sizzling ropes of thick cum shot all over her, drenching her folds. It was so hot that she hissed with the intense feeling, wanting more. He gave it, cumming all over her clit, drowning it with a whiteness as creamy as icing on a cake. Namor groaned out loud and aimed his release toward her stomach, where warmer streaks painted her dark brown skin, pooling into her belly button before turning clear and messy all over.

Lebadi whimpered and played with his cum across her vulva. She spanked her glossy folds and Namor growled with pleasure deep inside his throat. Fingering her pussy, she licked his cum off of each fingertip like it was a sugary glaze. He dipped his finger into the sticky heat and traced it along her lips until she swallowed it all. Pushing her legs open wider, he parted the curtains of her inner lips and penetrated the deepest part of Lebadi, forcing the whimpers of happiness to ring in his ears, ushering a pleased smile to his face that lit up his eyes as well. He cradled the side of her neck and pulled out, swiftly thrusting back in again to make sure he hit her spot just right and she clawed his back to let him know he made it.

Linking her ankles around his waist, she panted as he stroked her walls, seeking new pleasure points to rub against, plucking out heavy moans from her mouth. At one point, she couldn't even close her lips, the delicious tugging against her clit weakening her hold on his shoulders. Arching her back, she sought his right earlobe and bit the pointed tip that was so sensitive to the touch. Namor groaned and pistoned his hips faster, the soft wavy pubic hairs of his groin mingling with hers until everything was frothy and wet with sweat and her slickness. The friction caused her to pee a little from the pressure inside and out, but her lover didn't care. He accepted all offerings from her body, everything became lubrication and a sign that he was putting in the necessary work to please her.

The churning water outside couldn't create more waves like the ones he made between the joining of her thighs, fucking her until she was cross-eyed and the cultivated coils in her thick hair flattened. His lips tilted up at the corners like a crescent moon then, pleased with her breathy sighs and pleadings for more until a strange shadow clouded his dark eyes. He stared at her primrose pink opening surrounded by the rich raven brown of her vulva, adoring the contrast of colors her body created compared to his sun-drenched sienna brown. Licking the pebbled nipples on her breasts, Namor thrust forward and cried out her name, his orgasm transforming his face into such sublime beauty that Lebadi wept under him, breaking apart all over his sturdy length.

His warm sweat fell onto her and cooled within seconds. He stayed inside of her pussy, filling it with more cum until he was satisfied that she was sated from clenching all over him.

Namor rested his head on her breasts. His breathing became soft as she fingered his hair. They fell asleep together just as light raindrops fell outside, making a gentle patter on the houseboat's roof. Both of them had been wrong in predicting the weather. No matter, though. Their entangled bodies basked in the afterglow of lovemaking.

The rain splattered harder on the roof.

Lebadi woke up with Namor still asleep on her chest, looking all serene and cozy while she listened to the rainfall outside. The houseboat rocked on the water and she wondered if they should move more inland to avoid larger waves.

His body had cooled on top of hers, and she reached for a thin blanket to cover them.

She stopped.

They weren't alone.

The shadow of a person stood across from them in the stateroom. The candles had burned out, and the moon had shifted its position in the sky, making it difficult to see who watched the forbidden lovers sleep. Lebadi shook Namor awake and his senses went into overdrive immediately. He rose from the berth, blocking her body from the intruder.

"Ba'ax ka beetik?" said a muffled woman's voice in Namor's language.

Namor picked up a small lighter and held it against the wick of a large yellow candle resting on a small wooden dresser. He spoke to the woman with an irritated tone.

"Táan in chan weele'—"

"Jach u yoojel tuus," the woman replied.

Namor flung a dismissive wave of his hand to the stranger and she lunged for him, coming into the light. Most of her face was covered with what looked like a green and blue turtle shell. Her skin was a pale blue color, too, a sharp contrast to the dark wet hair that hung past her shoulders. She had eyes like Namor's. Intense and angry.

"Ko'x!" the woman shouted, grabbing Namor's arm.

He shoved her back and Lebadi jumped out of the berth, grabbing for a pair of panties and a tank top lying across a chair.

"Is this your wife?!" Lebadi screamed, more embarrassed than angry.

Namor lowered his head before shaking it.

"She is not my wife… eetbak'el… same family… my cousin. Namora."

Namora tilted her head and stared at Lebadi with narrowed eyes. Her voice sounded guttural and mean.

"Bix a k'aaba teech?" Namora spat out.

"Do not answer her," Namor said.

Lebadi held her own name on her tongue as Namor commanded. Namora took a closer step, and she moved behind Namor for protection.

"I can't tell you my name," Lebadi said.

"Ma' tu na'tik," Namor said.

"She doesn't understand for real, or are you just saying that to fool me?" Lebadi asked.

Namor grabbed Namora's arm and pulled her outside onto the open deck while still naked, sliding the door shut behind him. Lebadi waited on the berth and listened to them argue. Their passionate voices raged with loud aggression for over an hour. When silence prevailed, she opened the door and stepped out to check on him. The rain had tapered down to a light drizzle, despite the grouping of menacing gray clouds at least a mile away in the sky.

Namora sat on one of the fishing chairs and Namor sat next to her on the other one. Lebadi reached into a cooler near the sliding door and pulled out two bottled waters. She handed one to Namora.

"Uk'ahech? A k'át uk'ul?" Lebadi asked, hoping she pronounced the words 'thirsty' and 'drink' correctly without starting a war of words between the cousins again.

Namora shook her head and waved her hand.

"She can only drink underwater. She can't breathe up here," Namor said.

"Oh," Lebadi said.

She put the bottles back in the cooler and stood near Namor.

"Is everything okay? Why is she so upset?" Lebadi said.

Namor reached for her hand and threaded his fingers with hers. Namora jerked her head away as if the show of affection disgusted her.

"What is going on?" Lebadi asked.

Namora reached for a reed-thin necklace that looked like it was made from an abalone shell. She blew on it, but no sound came out that Lebadi could hear. His cousin dashed from the chair, leaping onto the upper edge of the vessel with her arms bowed to dive into the cold depths. Namor flew so fast that he caught Namora in mid-air before she even touched a curling whitecap. The wings on his ankles carried them high above the houseboat. Lebadi watched Namora struggle in Namor's powerful grip.

In the water, a blast of air from a blowhole caught her attention. An orca with a massive dorsal fin circled the houseboat as the Talokanil fought above it. Namor dropped Namora into the ocean with a loud splash and the orca swam to her.

"Namora!" Namor shouted down to her.

Namora threw one arm around the dorsal fin and pointed at her cousin with the other.

"Sáamal!" Namora shouted and the orca dove under a wave, allowing the sea to swallow them up.

A crack of thunder boomed, and bright swords of lightning clashed together, brightening up the sky, and transforming her lover into a deity lost to the world floating above her. Lebadi rubbed her arms as a fresh shower of rain poured down. Shaking her damp hair, she returned to the stateroom and changed into a warm robe. She used a towel to dry her tresses that clumped up into tight spongy curls. Namor met her in the small kitchenette and watched her make a fresh cup of ground Jabari Mountain coffee. She offered him some, but he turned her down, studying her face for a long time.

"Why did she come here? And why did she mention tomorrow?" Lebadi asked.

"She has seen me like this before."

"Like what?"

"In love."

Lebadi mixed sugar in with her coffee and sipped it with her back against the stove.

"So I'm not your first surface dweller girlfriend?"

"You are."

"Have you been married? Have children?"

"You never asked me things like that before."

"Because this has been a fun fantasy while we were alone. Someone knows about us now… and I realize we are really strangers. Fuck buddies."

Namor slid his hand around her neck and brought her lips to his, sliding his tongue out before they connected. He sucked on her probing tongue and did the same to her lips, forcing waves to tumble in her stomach. His kisses were always slow and demanding. The man knew her weakness with him. She pushed him back.

"I want to know more about you, Namor. Will we just hook up on the ocean every three months when you make time for me?"

"We are not what you say… fuck buddies."

"Answer my question. Have you ever been married?"

"I have."

"What happened?"

"She died."

"Did you have children with her?"

"I did. They died too."

"How?"

"They grew old and died."

Lebadi blinked her eyes a few times and tilted her head as if that made the understanding easier.

"What do you mean? How old were they?"

He moved away from her and lowered his head, contemplating his answer.

"Namor?" she said.

"My wife lived to be ninety-eight. My daughter eighty-one… and my son… seventy-nine."

"I don't understand, you… you're close to my age. How do you have children older than you?"

"Lebadi… I have lived for nearly five centuries."

Lebadi laughed and threw up her hands, turning away from the bullshit. A warm hand slid up her thin robe and held her shoulder. Namor turned her to face him.

"I am telling you the truth—"

"You told me you were a mutant. That explained the wings and your other abilities… but now you're an immortal?"

"How do you think I know your language and so many others? There was a time when your people were not so secretive."

His eyes challenged her to doubt him. She couldn't. He could fly. Breathe underwater. Had the strength of many men, and could summon creatures from the deep.

"My people named me after an ancient god. They believe I am the return of him and I have cared for them like they were my very own children. I have lived many lifetimes under the deepest parts of the sea and lost more than one family. Colonizers have brought pestilence to my people… stolen land… destroyed so much. They continue to do so, all over the world-"

"If you hate surface dwellers so much, why come to me? You could've left me alone after that first time we met."

"I could not forget you… could not keep you from my mind. Your people are like my own. They want nothing to do with the outside world, and that makes you different."

"What are saying? You want to live a lifetime with me, too?"

Lebadi held her breath inside her chest. She curled her hands between her breasts and Namor cuddled her in his arms, peppering her face with tiny kisses.

"Namora is angry because she doesn't want me to hurt anymore. She has been alive long enough to know my last wife and the pain it caused me to lose her. After my first wife passed, I stopped having children. I had two more wives after her, and I made a vow to take care of my people and never have a woman again. Until you. My love for you clouds my eyes every day that I am by your side," he said.

Lebadi's eyes welled up, and he kissed away the tears that dropped like rain onto her cheeks.

"You are worth the pain… teech k'abéet ti'teen—"

"I need you too, but this is so much to take in all at once," she said.

"Tell me you love me."

She pressed her forehead against his.

"In k'áatech," she whispered into his parted lips.

The edges of his mouth ticked up into a smile, and he spanked her backside, making it jiggle. He rubbed on her bottom, lifting and separating the round mounds in his hands, squeezing them to enjoy the softness.

"Take this off," he said, fingering the top of the robe.

She undid the belt, and he circled her waist, lifting her up on her toes, his warm naked body evaporating the rain from his skin as it absorbed her heat too.

"Namor, what happens tomorrow?" she said.

"Namora will come back."

"For what?"

He walked her backward on her toes toward the stateroom. She pressed down on her heels to stop him.

"I don't want to talk about that now. Let me love you, Lebadi… your skin is like honey in my mouth, I want to lick all over your body…"

He nuzzled the side of her neck where fleshy immortal lips sucked and kissed chills down her spine and into her toes.

"Let me love you," he said.

She gave in, as he knew she would.

His morning loving was as good as his nighttime lust.

With her head down and her ass up in the air, he took her with long strokes from the back as she rested her head on a pillow at an angle where she could watch his face. His lips quirked up with tension and his right palm pressed down into her lower back. Her pussy squelched and became a gushy ride. Namor slapped her rump hard and used his right hand to palm her left ass cheek as he glared down at her throwing it back on him with frisky twists of her waist. He glanced at her face as if to question what right she had to have a pussy that good on his dick. She arched her back further, and he cursed at her with words that were too filthy for him to translate into Wakandan.

"Fuck me…" he panted.

"I know you like that," she grunted, shifting her hips and widening her thighs to let him sink deeper.

His fingers slid to her hips, and he gripped the supple flesh to anchor himself. He gave quick thrusts that just rested at the entrance of her pussy and she pouted, needing all of his thickness to make her feel full and stretched. Her toes lifted and teased the feathers on his ankles at the quill, which was highly sensitive to touch like the tips of his ears, stimulating another part of his erogenous zones that she liked to play with on his body.

"Fuck my pussy… s'good baby…," Lebadi moaned as she bit into the twisted, sweaty sheets.

Namor teased her entrance until she whimpered his name and he plunged into her, cumming while he did. He drenched her walls, then pulled his fat dick back out and ejaculated onto her ass and back before stretching her out again. His cum painted her walls with creamy warmth. He reached around and played with her clit, two of his fingers strumming a love language that only her stimulated nerves could translate. It was enough of a conversation to have her walls throb back with an answer. She squealed with pleasure and he laughed with obvious delight.

Afterward, they went for a swim.

The sky had cleared up enough to let a few rays of sunshine peek through. He dived below with fish netting and left her alone on the boat for an hour, returning with swordfish, shrimp, and mussels for them to enjoy at lunch. He cleaned and prepared the seafood. She seasoned and cooked it. They ate with their fingers and she showed him how to eat sticky yellow rice balls with a soft fermented flatbread that she made the day before. Namor liked the sour, porous texture of the bread, stuffing it down his throat with the fish tea she made from the swordfish.

Later in the afternoon, they moved the houseboat to another area when the water became choppy and unpleasant. Sleeping nude on lounge chairs, Namor watched her skin darken into a rich mahogany hue. He made her lay on top of him so he could run his hands all across her back and ass, fingering her pussy from behind until she came all over his hand with a sticky release.

Lebadi took a nap inside the stateroom for a few hours. She needed to recharge from a day of lovemaking and eating well. Waking up alone, she found several loose mothers of pearls wrapped in a large seaweed leaf fresh from deep sea oysters. Smelling the odor of good cooking, she rose naked and joined Namor in the kitchenette. He stirred a thin soup of clam meat that she liked for dinner. Holding up a spoon for her, she tasted it.

"Good… ooh, and hot," she said, waving her hand in front of her open mouth to cool the soup on her tongue.

The sun was low in the sky, announcing a gorgeous sunset that saturated the ocean backdrop with blazing red and deep mauve.

"Oh, shit!" she said, rushing back to the stateroom and changing into a short azure blue tunic over a bikini bottom. She dug into one of her travel bags soon after.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

She strode back into the kitchen, clutching a small sachet of her annual offering to Mama Wati. Bypassing the beach and surfing with friends again in Birnin S'Yan that year, she wanted to honor the mother of the sea with Namor by her side.

"Come," she enthused, tugging on his hand to follow her.

Lebadi prayed over the small bundle before untying it and dropping some of the mixture into the sea. She gave the rest to Namor, and he sprinkled it with amusement.

"This god brings you joy?" he asked.

"She does."

He touched her hair, which had shrunk up into tightly coiled spirals from the seawater. She twirled a thick lock of hair and stretched out its length, letting it bounce back into place.

"Children in Wakanda who are born with extra curly hair, like me, are said to be children of the sea. My grandmother was a child of the sea, and so was her grandmother before her. I come from a long line of Mama Wati babies!"

Namor leaned over and kissed her cheek, then held her face with both hands to kiss her longer. She was about to wrap her arms around the nape of his neck when the houseboat listed to one side, knocking them off balance. Namor flew with her a few feet above the deck to keep her from falling. The surge of water lifted the boat and brought it back down roughly, and from Namor's arms, Lebadi witnessed a pod of humpback whales breach the surface and rock the houseboat even more.

"K'uk'ulkan!"

Namora called to him as she pulled herself up onto the back of the closest whale. Namor put Lebadi back on the houseboat and two tall Talokanil men climbed onto the boat, giving her menacing looks. Namor barked orders to them and the men stopped moving, watching their god fly onto a whale to confront Namora. There was no reasoning with Namora and she leaped onto the boat and grabbed Lebadi by the throat, tossing her far over the side. The icy splash punched into Lebadi's back as the dark waters covered her face. She held her breath, watching the light from the surface fade from dark blue to rising ebony the deeper she went down. Flailing her arms, she tried to swim back to the surface, her lung capacity helped by her years of surfing and having giant waves crash over her before she could get more air. Her loose tunic floated above her, tangling her arms and covering her face. She pulled it off and pushed her arms to her sides, swiping away the weight of water crushing her.

Kicking her legs, Lebadi's ascent was thwarted by another Talokanil woman below her, who grabbed her ankle and dragged her further below. Seconds later, Namora was upon her, her hands choking the life out of Lebadi. Bubbles rose out of her mouth and she became woozy from the lack of oxygen in her lungs. She almost blacked out to the haunting, melodious sounds of whale song, until Namor fought off his cousin and the other woman to drag her away. Lebadi noticed a great number of his people holding spears and hugged up close to the whales, using them as living ships to travel on.

Namor burst through a wave and flew Lebadi to the houseboat. The rage on his face frightened her and he screamed at his people. Most stood on top of the whales wearing the same breathing apparatus Namora had to use above the surface.

Namor pulled Lebadi behind him and faced his people. Rapid-fire conversations ricocheted around them as she tried to pick out any words that she knew from being with Namor. It was clear to her that the posse revered him even as they pressed to retrieve him, but his actions upset them. She upset them by claiming his heart.

Namora had a pleading quality to her voice, and it softened Namor. He kept glancing back at Lebadi, and the longer his people spoke to him, she could see his body language changing. His shoulders slumped, and a light went out of his eyes. The voices grew louder, more incessant, and Namor threw his head back as if the stars above them had all the answers he needed. Then… they started singing to him.

Even the whales emitted sounds that Lebadi could feel flowing across her skin above the surface. The haunting melodies of the Talokanil mixed with the vibrations of the sea creatures they rode upon brought Lebadi to her knees. She wept from the pure beauty of it.

Namor looked down at her with a torn expression. Namora climbed back onto the boat and held her hands before him like the wide maw of a shark about to attack. The others made the same hand symbol toward him.

"Líik'ik Talokan!" Namora said.

Namor closed his eyes and Lebadi felt a trembling soul shift inside of him. Namora nodded her head and the other Talokanil on the houseboat dropped back down into the water. Namor sauntered over to Namora and held her face. Only their eyes spoke in a secret language they knew. He stroked his thumb across Namora's forehead and slowly flew up into the sky alone, raising out his arms.

One by one, the whales and the sea dwellers departed.

Namor came back to her side, and she knew.

It was over.

His people came first and she would become a lost footnote to the seductive antics of a foreign god who wanted to fuck a Wakandan woman for fun.

She ran from him, hot tears spilling in fat drops onto her arms as she wailed and beat her fists on the berth. He tried to comfort her, but she thrashed her body to get his hands off of her.

"Get out!" she shouted, burying her wet face. Snot and copious tears clogged up her nose and throat.

He wouldn't leave her side and stroked her back.

"You said I was worth the pain!"

"They are my children."

"I am your woman! They can have you forever, but I only get this one lifetime, Namor! Just this one!"

He pushed back the springy curls on her forehead. His soulful eyes bled into her spirit and she covered her face to hide all the pain that soaked her heart. Namor spooned around her and she wilted. Crying and pleading meant nothing. His duty to his own came first. Always.

They slept curled into one another. By daybreak, he was gone.

Lebadi ate leftover shrimp and rice for breakfast and tossed all the uneaten food into the sea. She started the quiet engine of the houseboat and programmed it to take her back to the Wakandan coast, where she would leave it at the marina rental space she kept for the past two years. Leaving the seaside was the best thing for her sanity.

Returning inland for good would help her forget.

Lebadi couldn't believe the message on her kimoyo beads.

Her former college roommate, Okoye, stared at her.

"Well, did you make it or not?" Okoye said.

Sitting inside an artsy café together, a table full of half-eaten shredded beef and coconut curried rice between them, Lebadi stared at the formal rejection of her application to the Dora Milaje corps.

"I was rejected," Lebadi said.

"Why?"

Okoye's voice went up an octave as she swiped the floating image of the document.

"I failed the physical apparently," Lebadi said.

"How? You seem fit to me… wait… what is that look for? Did you already know you would fail?"

"Not when I applied, but…"

"But what?"

Okoye nudged her wrist with her hand.

"Talk to me, Lebadi. We were supposed to tag-team in this thing."

"I know," Lebadi said. "I just failed. You'll have to become a Dora without me."

"Rhino shit! You always wanted this. We went to school purposely cultivating our education to prepare us. You did an internship in the palace for Bast's sake!"

Okoye lifted a finger to her lips.

"Call them and ask what happened. They have to give you specifics."

"No, they don't. I'm not qualified. I'll find something else to do."

"Like what?"

"I can be an executive assistant to a senator, or maybe a personal assistant to a Council Elder," Lebadi said.

Okoye's kimoyo beads glowed a neon blue.

"Dammit, I have to go. I'm picking up W'Kabi from his mother's house. His hovercraft was fixed at the shop finally."

"When is he going to buy proper transportation? He's had that hovercraft since he was in high school."

"You know how stubborn he is. He'll have that thing until he's an old man," Okoye joked.

She touched Lebadi's hand again.

"Do you want to go out for drinks later? Talk some more? I feel terrible about this news."

"No, go on and spend your evening with W'Kabi. I'll call you later if I find out anything more."

Lebadi didn't bother to stand up. She let Okoye bend over and kiss her temple before she dashed out to give the love of her life a ride to the bike shop. When Okoye was out of the café, Lebadi tapped her kimoyo again and swiped the second page of the form letter for the Dora Milaje corps. There was a listing of categories that could be checked off to explain why a candidate was rejected. The one that prevented her from becoming a Dora Milaje for that recruitment cycle was smack dab in the middle of the page.

Pregnancy.

Lebadi sighed and paid for the food by swiping her kimoyo beads over the dishes and stood up. The thick-layered skirt and jacket she had on barely concealed the baby bump sprouting from her middle. Four months along and she was already showing. Fatter in the face, too.

Walking alone in the downtown area of Birnin Zana, she turned her head to look over at the double palace. Okoye would get through Dora Milaje training easily. Her father was a lieutenant in the military and a decorated pilot. It didn't hurt that her mother was an interpreter for King T'Chaka Udaku either. The dream was for Okoye and Lebadi to protect royalty and travel with the king. She rubbed her belly and sighed. There were plans in place for her to live secluded in Birnin S'Yan and work discreetly as a monorail operator until the baby was born. No one knew she was carrying the seed of a foreigner, a mutant king who once said he loved her, but left her anyway. They had been careless with sex, and now she faced a daunting future.

What kind of child did he put inside of her?

Part 3 Finale HERE!

A.N.:

There will be a part 3! I’m working on several fics at once so be ready! And once I fnally see “Wakanda Forever” y’all in trouble!!!

Reminder:  I switched up the spelling of the actual Mami Wata to Mama Wati to give myself space to reshape my ancestor’s actual African/African Diaspora spiritual water being into a fictional Wakandan one.

[uzumaki-rebellion]

"King Killmonger: The Golden Jaguar" Chapter 5

Masterlist HERE.

"We hope each soul will find

Around and inside

Another soul to love

Let this be our prayer

Let this be our prayer, just like every child

Need to find a place, guide us with your grace

Give us faith so we'll be safe"

Avery Wilson & Candace Boyd—"The Prayer"

Yani held onto the hand of her baby sister Anika, as her middle sister Dawnette gushed over meeting Tahir. Anika told their entourage of women—Twyla, Zola, Ilana—the story of Killmonger and Tahir spending the night at their Aunt Leona's cramped apartment when she was sixteen and impressionable. But now that she was in her early twenties and legal, she had the right of first dibs on the handsome foreigner to Wakanda.

They entered the banquet venue's snazzy restroom where a full sitting room/powder room was set up before one even made it to the restrooms in a separate section. Checking their make-up and showering the room with their loud gossip over men and available bachelors, Yani noticed Ime in a corner with four other women seated on plush chairs chatting. Anika and Dawnette followed Twyla into the restroom to relieve themselves of wine and other spirits passed around for the after dessert libations. Yani took note of a few other noblewomen clucking together in their various groupings parceled about using wall mirrors to fix hair, and check make-up.

It was obvious that women snuck glances at Yani and she smiled while passing others to get to Ime.

"Princess Yani," Ime said.

Ime stood quickly and her friends did too, showing Yani respect.

"Leave us please…I would like to speak with Ime," Yani said.

Zola and Ilana walked away and kept watch over her for any intrusions.

"Shall we chat for a moment?" Yani said.

Ime nodded and Yani led her to some chairs in a corner that faced away from the other women in the room giving them some privacy.

"I wanted to talk to you about our relationship going forward. After I marry King N'Jadaka, I will be having a series of special events throughout Birnin Zana. Private teas, luncheons, and of course, the Queen's Ball. You and I will see a lot of each other because of Ramatla's position working for my husband."

"Of course."

Ime's voice was sweet as pie, but Yani wasn't keen on her maintaining a façade any longer.

"I know you don't like me. No need for us to pretend that you give a fuck about what I think about you."

Ime's eyes widened and several women within hearing distance moved away quickly to avoid catching strays. Hushed voices spread throughout the powder room and every woman not connected to Yani or Ime vacated the premises immediately. Zola and Ilana strolled over to the restroom toilet entrance to provide interference in case their party came out.

Ime pulled her shoulders back and lifted her head higher. She regarded Yani as a worthy adversary. Her mask fell away.

"It is true. I do not like you. You aren't fit to be queen—"

"You uncouth bitch!" Zola snapped.

Ilana held Zola back.

"I'm a bitch?" Ime said, slanting her gaze toward Zola. "You disloyal witches were so quick to scuttle over to her side that you threw away years of our friendship…and for what? A chance to be around the king?"

Yani glanced at Zola and Ilana. Ime craned her neck back and folded her arms over her chest. Her gaze burned into Yani's face.

"Do you know how many eligible women here that are better than you who would kill to have N'Jadaka Udaku?" Ime said.

"I know you are one of them," Yani said.

Ime didn't flinch. Her lips twisted into a devilish smirk.

"You are damn right. I was one of those women. Had you or that other one not showed up, I'd be in your place right now."

"Listen to this hussy!" Zola hissed.

Yani held up her hand to silence Zola.

Twyla, Anika and Dawnette wandered back in.

"What's going on?" Twyla asked, quickly sizing up the tension.

"Twyla, would you mind taking my sister's back to our party? I need to talk to Lady Ime in private," Yani said.

Twyla took the hint and gathered up the younger women toward the exit. Zola and Ilana followed behind to block anyone else from entering. Yani leaned her left arm over her right on the armrest and crossed her legs.

"I will be queen soon, so any dreams or aspirations you bad minded bitches had about N'Jadaka are over fuh good. I'll fuck up anyone who tries tuh come for we…even Remy."

Ime huffed and jumped to her feet. Yani's chest burned. She took her time standing up like a powerful royal woman with the highest status in the land shared with her man.

"This hatred yuh have in your heart…keep it or throw it away. I don't care. You mean nothing to me. However, we both have a duty to our country—"

"You are not a real Wakandan, Yani Galiber. You are a fake. A blight on the bloodline. You think your position is safe just because you will marry him tomorrow? Hmmph. Then you don't truly know the history of Udaku men. They have an appetite…a lust for life that you could never satisfy as an outsider. No Wakandan man in his right mind would see you as any kind of prize."

"Well, your man has a taste for me, so I can't be all that bad."

Ime's eyes narrowed and her right hand went up high to strike Yani.

"Ime stop!"

Remy's voice rattled them both. He grabbed Ime's arm and pulled her away before her hand connected with Yani's face.

"My apologies Princess Yani. She has disrespected you and I am…embarrassed by this."

Ime snatched her arm away. Her cold eyes had gone beyond jealous hatred. There was envious murder lodged in them too. Yani took a step back sensing an uncontrollable rage flowing through her nemesis. Remy struggled to get Ime's hand back down to her side. She stuck a finger in Yani's direction.

"You aren't special. He will get bored with you…you are nothing like us…"

Ime vomited hatred with her words, and Yani stood strong with a half smile on her face, allowing the woman to get everything off of her chest right then and there. Had Yani worn her finger armor that night, there would've been deep bloody holes in Ime's face. She kept a rigid posture despite her blood pressure going up. A physical entanglement would only fuel the fire of other nobles who felt the same as Ime. Her throat tightened and she parceled her words carefully. Yani's mind screamed to revoke Ime's wedding invitation, but she wanted the woman to watch her nuptials and squirm about it. Diplomacy and tact were the order of the evening.

"Lady Ime, I appreciate your honesty. You have never minced your words, so I will not run around the bush with mine. King N'Jadaka and I are one blade."

Ime's eyes narrowed hearing the euphemism. Remy watched Yani's face with an apprehensive expression. Had it been a club in St. Thomas back when she kept a reckless mouth, Yani would not hesitate to let all of the noble women know she was a good pussy gyal. They way N'Jadaka carried on in her pum pum was all the evidence she needed. The elites could come for Yani all they wanted, but that bad man from the hill wasn't going anywhere.

She took a step forward and Remy repositioned his left foot in front of the tips of her shoes to create a barrior between the two women. Biting back the rancor in her throat and the urge to call Ime a heavy-tongued cow foot whore, she opted to act her position.

"Your campaign to vilify me or make me feel less worthy of the throne has failed. You can't have N'Jadaka, so you go for Remy. The way I hear it, you backstabbed your best friend to get him…so if I were you Ime, I would worry about repairing my social reputation instead of coming for a queen. Good luck with this one, Remy. It's a pity that your family settled for this waste gyal as your future wife—"

Ime lunged for Yani. Remy became a shield. He hugged Yani and protected her body from Ime's attack. Ilana and Zola rushed over and yanked Ime into a corner, pushing her back against a wall mirror. They shoved her shoulders and cursed in her face to keep her from going up against Yani again.

"Please forgive her…I'm sorry for everything," Remy pleaded.

He held Yani's shoulders and she could feel his warm breath blow across her lips. From the reflection in the mirror behind him, Yani noticed N'Jadaka walking in with Twyla. Remy's hands dropped away from her body quickly, but N'Jadaka saw it all. Ilana rushed to the king's side and whispered something to him before he reached their side of the powder room. He moved like a stalking cat toward Ime afterward, ignoring Remy and Yani completely. Zola stepped to the side giving N'Jadaka space. Ime cowered before the man she desired above all others.

Everyone remained silent. N'Jadaka's smoldering presence held them all in a chokehold. Ime trembled.

"Look at me," N'Jadaka commanded.

Ime turned her head to the side and refused to do so. N'Jadaka crowded her body and Yani knew exactly how that felt up close. The heat. The crackling energy. The sexual prowess. It was too much to process all at once, and for a mere second, Yani pitied Ime. Her greatest desire was right in front of her and she couldn't even look at him.

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"King N'Jadaka, I beg…let me remove her from your presence. She has been drinking—"

"Do you have permission to speak to me?"

N'Jadaka didn't bother to look at Remy. His voice boomed and the message was received.

Stand down.

Ime lifted her head. Watery eyes peered at the king.

"I don't normally get into women's business, but I warned you once about bothering her, so now I will give you a choice. Get on your knees in front of her and beg forgiveness for your insolence or I will strip you from your title and make life hell for your entire family."

Ime jammed her back against the mirror with horror dripping from her eyes.

"She accosted me…I was minding my own business with friends," Ime whined.

"Ime…just do it. Stop making this worse for yourself. If you have no title, we cannot marry," Remy said.

The tears fell then. Ime wiped at her eyes as if her own body betrayed her. Yani slipped her hand around N'Jadaka's.

"Let it be. She's drunk and we know how powerful the drinks have been tonight. We need to leave for rest. Our wedding will be here soon, king," Yani said.

Mercy.

That is what Yani gave Ime. Although it would've been a sight to see Ime groveling at her feet, Yani wanted to be above the woman in the best way. Knowing N'Jadaka showed his trump card, she doubted Ime would get out of line ever again. The threat of losing a title was worse than going to hell in Wakanda.

The king allowed Yani to lead him away from Ime, and Remy rushed to her side, throwing an arm around his fiancé's waist. He guided her quivering form away from certain banishment. Twyla wandered over.

"Gossip has already spread outside. When you walk out of here, look cheerful like nothing happened," Twyla said.

Strolling hand-in-hand with Twyla cracking a joke, they left the powder room laughing. Their performance was good enough to get them past a few people, but it was clear the mood had shifted in the banquet room toward her. The upper class were shook to their core. No one was safe if the king jumped for Yani like that in public.

Yani gathered up her children with Leona and Dante's help, and they all bid farewell to the hosts and their dinner companions from the center table. Couples were still dancing and liquor still flowed and would do so into the night. Nobles from all the tribes rushed up to Yani and wished her a good evening, hoping that she graced them with her sweet voice and a smile. N'Jadaka shook hands and accepted congratulations for their upcoming nuptials once more. She waved at her favorite people throughout the banquet room while Zola and Ilana stayed close with her sisters in tow.

N'Jadaka held Yani's and Joba's hand until they were outside the venue boarding a different vehicle with the children by themselves. Yani turned on the sound-proof barrier for the back seat where Joba, Riki, and Sydette sat comfortably, their eyes drowsy from all the activity of the day. They spoke freely without their driver and guard hearing.

"I'm glad you didn't fight her physically," N'Jadaka said.

"Me too. It wouldn't be a good look for us, no matter how much she deserved to get boxed. She knows where I stand. That's the important thing when dealing with a yamhead gyal."

"Remy has a problem on his hands."

"You do too."

"How's that?"

Yani leaned into him and held onto his arm.

"According to her, you were supposed to be her betrothed if I hadn't showed up in Wakanda. Remy was her back up consolation prize."

The corners of his lips went down and his brows joined in the center.

"This caste culture is very particular, very selective of whom they pair couples. The more I learn, the more I see how dangerous it was for my father to choose my mother. Sometimes I think she would've received the same treatment."

"They aren't nice about my foreignness at all in Ime's cliques. She even insinuated that Ilana and Zola only came to me to get close to you."

"We know there are advantages being around me. But those two…," He gave a casual glance to to Yani, "Their hearts are in the right place. They adore you. I know they have crushes on me, but those are just harmless feelings. Most times I have to bargain with them just to get you to myself all alone."

Yani grinned and stroked a finger up and down his chest.

"Are you still going to your bachelor party tonight?" she asked.

"It's not a party. A little get together with the fellas."

"Where will you guys go?"

"We're staying in the palace. I have some food and drinks prepared up in the salon. We'll play cards, smoke cigars…catch up with my cousins. Nothing crazy."

"Strippers?"

Yani giggled and N'Jadaka put an arm around her pulling her into his side. Her breasts mashed into his chest.

"I've seen enough naked women in my life to last me. Every color, size, and from damn near every continent. I'd get bored watching some stranger shake ass for mere entertainment with a bunch of men. Smoking, drinking and shooting the shit is all I want to do. Besides…I have the baddest woman on the planet and I'll get my own private show after we get married."

She puckered her lips and he lowered his head to brush his mouth against hers.

They arrived in the palace parking structure at a reasonable hour. N'Jadaka carried Joba and Riki, while Yani carried Sydette in her arms. Back at their home, Kora helped guide the children away from the front door in their sleepy daze toward the stairs.

"I guess we have to say goodnight here," Yani said.

She wrapped her arms around N'Jadaka's waist and he held her close.

"Yep. I say goodbye to Princess Yani forever. I'll miss her."

They locked eyes, basking in the moment together.

"Thank you for never giving up on me…even when you thought I was gone forever. Thank you for making sure our children knew about me. Thank you for being the light that brought me back to myself…the light that showed me that I could find a perfect love in paradise. You have made this imperfect man so very happy."

"Thank you for coming into my life…thank you for believing in me and making sure I was taken care of even when you thought death was a possibility for yourself. Thank you for being the love of my life…choosing our precious Sydette as your own and giving me my beautiful son. Thank you for trusting me to raise a special extra daughter too. You have made this equally imperfect woman very happy too."

"Well shit, we might as well be married now. Sounded like we said some vows," he joked.

"I know. I'm actually happy that we don't have to say a lot tomorrow. I already feel like crying…"

"Aye girl…no tears…"

Yani buried her face in his chest and wept out her happiness. He rubbed her back with loving hands and cooed in her ear soft words of love.

"You are my life, baby."

He pulled away and kissed her forehead.

"Go on now, get some beauty rest. We all get to sleep in until twelve thirty. I shouldn't even be looking at you right now. We're supposed to stay separated," he said.

She held his hands, not wanting to let him go, not wanting to part from his warmth and strength. Staring into his eyes, she luxuriated in the overpowering essence of his presence the way Ime had experienced him up close. Yani still thrilled to his energy and aura. She pulled him in for a kiss…a long one. Their heads moved from side to side and his hands palmed her backside, squeezing the heavy orbs. His tongue explored and made promises for their wedding night. He kissed her woozy and she stepped back on weak legs. Her brain felt mushy and her body tingled all over. Especially down below.

"I should go now," he said.

"Okay."

Neither one of them left the front door.

"I have to change clothes for my bachelor party," he said.

"Hmmm."

His dimples and septum ring mesmerized her. The glint of his gold panther teeth held her captive when his lips parted in a gentle smile. The king's body heat wrapped her in a cocoon of love. His too-muchness enveloped all of her senses and she suppressed the urge to look away from his face.

N'Jadaka's kimoyo beads lit up breaking the spell for Yani.

"It's Mpilo…I betta dip. Can't be late to my own gathering," he said.

Yani moved away from him knowing that if he touched her again, she would pull him into their home and up to her bed.

"Love you," he said.

She blew him a kiss and dashed inside the front door, closing it quickly. Resting her back against it, she touched her face. It was hot and a light sheen of nervous sweat covered the back of her neck. She touched her stomach to calm the butterflies there. Lord…he still made her swoon like it was their first time together.

"Are you alright, Princess Yani?"

Sindiswa, the evening attendant for their home approached Yani with concern.

"I'm fine. Can you please bring me some bria tea and chocolate biscuits to my bedroom?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Yani climbed the stairs thinking of love, family, and finally having her happy new beginning with N'Jadaka.

Sunrises in Wakanda were a stunning tapestry painted with the delicate hand of Bast.

N'Jadaka rose early before the streaks of orange, rose, pale turquoise, and magenta saturated the horizon heralding the golden return of the sun.

He bathed in a wide tub filled with oils and herbs to purify his body for marriage. The humble priest Dinani waited for him on the balcony where they prayed together in the language of Bast, the ancient tongue that supported him through his transformation on the holy mountain. Ogum stirred in his chest and quickly rose to the crown of his head where the energies of two gods merged.

The ancestors rested within him.

Dinani and N'Jadaka's former temple caretaker Ayiz'e smudged him head to toe fully nude with river sage and more prayer work. As the sun rose, he watched it golden the sky while listening to a recording of a berimbau being played by his mother and a drum pounded by his Grandpop. He prepared his mind for hours of ceremony and honed in on Ayiz'e warming up a thick glob of ceremonial body butter in her hands. The pale yellow substance melted into clear oil and she rubbed it all over him, even his locs. It smelled wonderful, like citrus and honey. She knelt down and rubbed it on his buttocks and the back of his thighs. Dinani observed the preparation making sure no spot on his body was missed. Ayiz'e started rubbing the oil on his groin and when she stroked his flaccid penis and scrotum with it, Dinani held up a tied leather bundle about seven inches long.

"Kumkani, before you consummate your union with the new queen, you must remember to give Bast an offering of your semen first. Princess Yani has been trained properly to do this with you. We would all be pleased if you conceived a new heir on this night," Dinani said.

Ayiz'e finished oiling his nutsack and the front of his legs and feet.

"He is heavy with seed. We can expect plenty of blessings in the king's future," she said.

Dinani smiled.

"This is good to hear. It has been a long time since the royal family has had a bounty of children. Bast will be pleased with our king. We shall take our leave now until we see you at the wedding temple," Dinani said.

They left the suite and an attendant brought his early morning breakfast. Pork medallions, porridge sweetened with sugared red berries, buttery biscuits and slices of fresh fruit. He ate his meal alone on the balcony, calming his mind and the wedding jitters. The eagerness to be married right away already overwhelmed him. He wished they could skip all the ceremonial work, but the new marriage had to follow ancient Udaku customs.

Belly full and mind straight, he relaxed in bed for a short respite until it was time to dress. His wedding robes were brought to him and his personal stylist helped him dress. Ayiz'e returned to twist his locs into an elaborate bun with a few strands left to fall on his shoulders. She checked the wedding clothing front to back. His black opal ceremonial robes were blacker than an inky sky at midnight, but as he moved, the robes refracted an array of colors in blue, green, and silvery gray hues that looked like tiny galaxies bursting light in deep dark space.

"He is ready," she said.

Once more, she smudged him with a different bundle of dried plants that smelled spicy and sharp in the nose. It fit his personality. He sniffed it as she passed around him.

"You recognize it?"

He shook his head.

"Bast Root. It is the plant that we used for ceremonies before vibranium fell from the sky. This plant cradled the vibranium meteor when it landed. Bast led King Bashenga to it, and soon after, a patch of it mutated into the heart-shaped herb that we cultivate today. This original plant links us to our past because the Panther Goddess led us into our future. Smudging with it calls Bast and her sisters down to be with you on this day."

"I understand," he said.

Ayiz'e left his side and he stared at himself in the mirror.

"You truly are a king."

N'Jadaka turned his head and Dante walked forward.

"Your parents are with you…they can see how handsome you look, JaJa."

"I feel them."

"They came to me in a dream last night. All I could do was tell them how excited I was to watch you marry Yani, and they looked pleased. I woke up before I could remember what they said, but I'm sure it was something like 'We love you, son.' Their faces were so shiny…so close to me that I could touch them."

Dante touched N'Jadaka's shoulder and admired his wedding garb.

"Are the guys ready?" N'Jadaka asked.

"Waiting for you at the carport. Yani and the children have already left for the temple."

He took a deep breath and checked his clothing again. Dante tapped his arm.

"Come…let's go get your wife," Dante said.

N'Jadaka walked with his grandfather out of the suite. Four Dora Milaje and six kingsguards awaited him outside. They rode a private elevator down to an underground carport where his groomsmen stood near their vehicle transports wearing custom obsidian Wakandan suits that complimented N'Jadaka's robes.

"You look clean man!" Shawn said, giving N'Jadaka dap.

"Damn, I feel like royalty too," Walter said, showing off his outfit.

Tahir wore a custom suit that incorporated his cultural heritage into the design. Mpilo grinned from ear to ear in his own attire. Bibi shook N'Jadaka's hand and congratulated him on his day.

His older cousin, Junie paraded around in his suit.

"I think I ate too much last night," Junie said, patting his stomach.

"I think that fat has always been there," Bibi joked, poking Junie's round belly.

His cousin Nevaeh hugged him. She wore a long overcoat over her covered dress and would walk as his groomswoman carrying flowers to represent Marisol's missing presence. Yani's cousin Kendall was doing the same as a bridesman filling in the gap of missing family from the Galiber side. He would escort Nevaeh down the aisle.

"How are you feeling, JaJa?" Nevaeh asked.

"The nerves are kicking in a little bit, I'm not gonna lie," he said.

She kissed his cheek and wiped away the smudge of her lipstick.

"Are you ready to leave, kumkani?" a driver asked.

"Let's rock and roll," N'Jadaka said.

They split into three cars and N'Jadaka sat next to Dante.

The streets of Wakanda were jam packed with spectators who had lined up on every avenue and street corner waiting to catch sight of the royal family. Every inch of the city looked decorated and the festive energy of the citizens forced grins on all their faces in the cars. The wedding was the celebration the country needed after a tumultuous year adjusting to life removed from the Infinity War.

He watched people dance and throw flowers at the cars as they were whisked to the heart of the golden city where the temple waited. Traffic clogged up two blocks before they arrived at their destination, and they waited patiently for the kingsguards and the royal onyx squad to make way for their cars to get through.

They crossed through the gauntlet ten minutes late, but N'Jadaka didn't care about time. He stayed in the present moment, feeling all the feelings, letting the fervor of the crowd wash through him.

The ancient temple loomed in front of them. The last time they had been there was to reunite with his parents, but that sadness didn't linger over the ancient site. It beckoned to him with an ethereal beauty and gave him the gift of peace in his heart. His parents were there waiting to watch him wed. Their spirits hovered all around him.

Their vehicles were ushered into a covered parking structure on the west side of the temple entrance where his clan and extended family convened. Umama, Ramonda, and an army of other Udaku relatives stood waiting for him and his groomsmen.

"You look amazing Umama. You too, Ramonda," he said.

He hugged as many relatives as he could before a wedding director arrived and pulled him away from Soliel, Aujannue and Serah to give final instructions. Nevaeh's mother Rolita straightened the locs that tangled on his shoulders from all the hugging. The family drummers stood nearby waiting for their cue, and the family griot, his cousin Didah, walked in front of everyone carrying a centuries old staff that was carved with family sigils of protection. She touched the top of her forehead and took a deep breath before approaching N'Jadaka. He could feel the rising energy of his family behind him.

"Cousin N'Jadaka, the temple is packed. Your grandmother has permitted some people to stand in the back, so when we go in, please keep yourself in the center behind me at all times until we reach the front. The acting griot for the Galiber clan will come in right when the last of our family has been seated."

N'Jadaka nodded. He heard Didah's words, but his body sensed the anticipation inside the temple. Somewhere on the otherside of the structure, Yani was waiting for him. His heart thudded in his chest and his hands went clammy. Umama lifted his chin with her hand.

"Breathe, grandson…that's it. Relax and breathe."

Tunnel vision and anxiety ran through him. The overstimulation forced him to gulp in air. Serah clasped his hand and his Uncle Addae slipped next to him and gripped his elbow to steady him. N'Jadaka was about to ask for a chair to sit in, but a comforting warmth spilled down from the crown of his head and flowed to his feet. He closed his eyes. Her familiar scent came down on him the way it did when he used to cook in her kitchen when he was a little boy. Florida water.

Nana Jean.

"I'm glad you're here too," he whispered under his breath.

He knew his great-grandmother always stayed with him, but the scent of her protective potions surrounded him…grounded him. Standing tall, he shook his hands and prepared to swagger down the aisle so the world could see a king claiming his queen.

Didah gave him the biggest smile that rivaled the sun shining above them. She tilted her head back and burst into the first stanza of their family history and the drummers matched her strong voice as they pounded out the backing rythmn. His groomsmen and groomswoman were led away to join Yani's bridesmaids and bridesman to prepare for their entrance.

"I feel you all in me," N'Jadaka said out loud to his ancestors.

He held onto Dante's and Umama's hands and followed Didah out of the covered structure. The drummers controlled the pace of their trek around the temple and once they entered, N'Jadaka focused his eyes on Dinani the priest who waited for them at the front.

The temple overflowed with guests and their excited energy pushed against the king, adding an extra layer of sensory overload he tried to control. He was happy, so very happy, and every inch down the aisle heightened the experience. The piercing pride in Didah's voice carried him along as she sang out the story of the Udaku family leading the country for generations. Each time she named a queen or king, N'Jadaka felt their movement in his core as if they each tapped his soul to let him know they were walking beside him. He laughed out loud when Queen Shuriya's name was uttered. His greatest grandmother tickled the back of his neck and a vision of her clouded his eyes before the next name was called. His family gave a call and response with the drummers as they circled the temple allowing all the spectators to see the great King N'Jadaka in all his royal splendor. They made their way back up the aisle as his father's and mother's names were uttered. Umama let out a ululation that rippled through the family and N'Jadaka's knees almost buckled hearing the pain that was still in his grandmother's throat.

He closed his eyes when he felt a kiss from his mother on his temple and another kiss from his father on his forehead. He wiped his eyes and guided his elder relatives to their seats on a dais behind the priest. The rest of his family filled in the reserved seats in front of their guests.

N'Jadaka looked across the rows of guests and acknowledged the nearly nine hundred non-Udaku family members facing him. Sunlight filtered through the temple and illuminated the majestic indoor trees that created the canopy roof, their wide-sweeping branches intertwined with the solid pillars and Goddess statues making the atmosphere look surreal and holy. Didah and the drummers concluded their family song by highlighting N'Jadaka's bravery in protecting the people, and he danced entertaining the crowd. A few elderly Udaku aunts and uncles stood up and encouraged him to show out and he granted them a show. Umama and Dante hooted and hollered for him too. A bold drummer jumped in front of the king and pounded an extra rhythm for his feet and shoulders and he allowed his limbs to cut loose. The unseen Galiber clan called out his name loudly from the back announcing their entrance, and he ended his dancing by bowing to his grandparents. A riotous applause cascaded from the foreign guests in the audience.

Didah took her place behind him on the dais waiting for Yani's family griot to orate about her family.

The sound of clashing blades echoed from the far side of the temple. N'Jadaka waited with great anticipation. Kendall, and about fifteen of Yani's adult family members carried shiny cutlass blades and lit torches. They didn't use drums for a percussive sound, but sang acapella about Queen Mary, their history of enslavement and liberation using the acoustics of the ancient temple to echo the beauty of their combined voices. Leona walked among them lending her voice with her head held high wearing a strapless puffy champagne-colored gown decorated with tiny cutlass blades. Her salt and pepper hair was carefully decorated with Ginger Thomas flowers the official island flower from their home. Several young children and teenagers from their family followed along clapping to the beat and gazing at the wondrous beauty of the ancient temple.

Although Yani's family was small in number representing their clan in comparison to N'Jadaka's, they kept the guests spellbound listening to the story of their island roots and their connection to Africa through the diaspora. After singing the folk song of Queen Mary, Kendall took over the oral history and sang/rapped about their family. The other relatives stomped their feet and clapped their hands with percussive beats supporting his playful delivery of Caribbean history. The Galiber clan circled past N'Jadaka, and Kendall helped Leona join N'Jadaka's grandparents on the dais with four other elder cousins from her family. N'Jadaka moved over to them and gave them hugs and kisses before quickly taking his position back in front.

Kendall stood before Didah and the two of them had a playful back and forth of singing. Didah challenged Kendall to tell the world why Yani was the best woman for N'Jadaka and the young man waved his blade around and pointed the torch at the king. The fire was close enough to heat N'Jadaka's cheeks.

Didah held a long singing note and studied N'Jadaka's face.

"Is this woman for you, kumkani?" Didah asked.

"Bring her to me," he replied and the Udaki family laughed and clapped because he was supposed to simply say "Yes."

Didah's smile swelled his heart and she turned her attention back to Kendall.

"The king has spoken," Didah said.

Kendall grinned and attendants took away all the torches and cutlass weapons. The Wakandan drummers pounded away giving Kendall time to ceremonially return to the bride-to-be letting her know she was called forth. The sweet orchestral sounds of Wakandan strings, flutes, and violins mixed with the beautiful vocals of his paternal grand aunt serenading the strides of Twyla and Bibi. Twyla was already bawling as she clutched her husband's arm and the bouquet of flowers. Yani had all of her bridesmaids wear custom-made, iridescent mother-of-pearl dresses that each woman was allowed to choose in their personal style. Twyla's garment was a one shoulder wrap dress with a high slit on the left side. Her shoulder-length locs were also heavily decorated with island flowers. She clutched Bibi's arm tight while sniffling toward him. They stood on either side of N'Jadaka and he bent over and kissed Twyla's cheek, wiping her tears away.

"I'm sorry..I'm sorry…" Twyla whispered.

N'Jadaka laughed at her and she gathered herself together.

Zola and Ilana walked down with Tahir and Mpilo wearing elaborate crisscross halter neck gowns. The slits in their dresses were more modest, but their elaborate braided hair-dos showed flair and sassiness in their style. Mpilo looked terrified of messing up his walk down the aisle with Ilana, but he relaxed more when the king smiled at him. The heavenly music elevated the feelings in the temple and N'Jadaka touched his chest hoping it wouldn't explode before Yani appeared.

Anika and Dawnette made the long walk down the aisle with Walter and Shawn. Their dresses were a matching ruched style with sequins at the top and satiny overskirts that reminded N'Jadaka of mermaids. They crafted thick twists in their hair and wore their hair flowers tucked at their left temples like Billie Holiday.

Junie escorted Shuri who stunned everyone with her make-up and hair. She had fluffed out her hair into a perfectly coiffed 'fro where flowers were strategically placed to look like they grew from her scalp like a giant ebony bouquet. Her dress had a plunging neck with split sleeves that showed skin powdered with sparkly dust that twinkled like stars on her rich brown skin. As she passed the front row, she gave a nod to Nakia who held a sleeping Toussaint on her lap. Shuri gave a sly smirk to N'Jadaka knowing he was peeping all the extra make-up she never wore in her regular life. His young cousin looked stunning and his older cousin Junie looked proud to escort her in front of the Udaku clan.

Kendall strolled out with Nevaeh whose custom dress shared her Native heritage with Yurok detailing of abalone shells and stringed shell beads that dangled around her waist like a fancy apron that jingled as she walked. She wore a long braid threaded with flowers all the way to the small of her back. When she separated from Kenny she blew a kiss to N'Jadaka and showed him the extra bouquet of flowers she held for Marisol and Disa.

The music changed into a melody that transfixed the entire temple gathering. A young woman sang like an angel with a choral ensemble backing her up high above them. N'Jadaka lifted his gaze to a balcony above the temple entrance where the angelic voices rained down on them like holy blessings. He now understood why Umama insisted that the wedding take place in the late afternoon. The placement of the sun in the sky had its sunrays directed into the temple by the architecture where it created a natural spot light for his children coming down the aisle next.

The entire congregation stood up when Joba appeared, flower crowned with her thick wavy hair shiny with ringlet curls all down to her back. She held a basket of flowers and threw them in front of herself as she slowly walked in the procession. N'Jadaka heard the oohs and ahhs of their guests. The sun made Joba's skin a deep mahogany brown like her mother's and he beckoned for her to keep walking to him so he could hug her. Although her walk was out of order for an American custom, the Wakandans deemed it appropriate for the youngest child in the bridal party to herald the coming of the new wife with flowers and acceptance from the priest.

Joba reached the front and her eyes took in the ancient wisdom of Dinani who presided over the ceremony. Dinani gestured for Joba to come forward and the little girl paused, staring up at the expectant priest. Twyla waved for Joba to come to her side, but Dinani stepped forward and held Joba's hand. Something sacred transpired between the priest and his child. Dinani glanced at N'Jadaka and smiled. Whatever it was made the priest happy. N'Jadaka reached for Joba's hand and pulled her in front of him. He kissed the top of her head and the sweet show of affection made a few guests wave their hands in approval.

Sydette, his ring bearer, stepped lively carrying a satin pillow in her right hand that held the wedding rings. Her left hand kept a tight grip on a red satin binding rope that she would tie around her parent's wrists as part of the wedding ceremony.

His eldest child's hair carried buoyant curls that almost looked bigger than Shuri's 'fro with a braided Mohawk style. A few flowers were tucked into the intricate braiding pattern along her scalp accentuating the fullness of her curls, and her face glowed as she kept her eyes on her Baba watching her steps. Sunlight dappled across her hair and face as she drew closer to him. Her dress matched Joba's, silvery white and princess-styled to fit her age.

"Hey Sweet Pea," he said.

She fixed her lightly pink-glossed lips into a big smile for him showing big dimples like him, and took her place by his side next to Joba. He bent down and gave her a kiss on her nose and she giggled, patting his cheek with the hand carrying the marriage tie. She glanced at her sister and Joba giggled making Sydette giggle more.

"Wait until you see Mama," Sydette said to him.

N'Jadaka straightened right back up and waited for Yani to appear. Before she stepped into the temple, he heard her voice singing the words that were meant for him in that little St. Thomas club so long ago.

"Can't do without you for sure

Amount a place I and I explore

Still nuh find nobody else I adore

Them can't stop we, yeah

Yuh love a sumn wah mi have to protect

You are my balance and my ease to mi stress

Your vibration never fail me yet

Wull on pon me, yea…"*

N'Jadaka had been unaware that Yani was going to sing during their ceremony. Their rehearsal had been calculated from start to finish and at no time was he made aware of his bride serenading him. His ears caught the lead singer of the choral ensemble vocalizing the exact same English words into Wakandan, lending her vocals after Yani finished.

Like it had been in the past, he was mesmerized by Yani's voice before she even stepped into his sight.

Riki held his mother's hand and led her into the temple. His royal robes were an exact replica of his father's. His hair was fluffed out into the big sandy-red sunburst of his grandmother Califia. Yani wanted her son, the first child born to N'Jadaka, to give her away for the ceremony.

N'Jadaka's lips trembled as he watched the beaming face of his gorgeous bride walking toward him in all her glory. Yani's silvery-white dress sparkled in the light of the sun rays that struck the shimmery iridescence in all the right places. Form-fitting, a hood covered her head that fell back into a luxurious train, accentuating the roundness of her beautiful face and big tranquil eyes.

His heart stopped.

N'Jadaka gasped and Joba patted his wrist keeping his spirit from flying out of the room. He held out his hands, palms up, willing his radiant bride to come to him with all his might. Riki took his time setting Yani's pace. The boy wanted to show off his mother. The Wakandan choir sang over their bridal march with a hymnal that brought tears to N'Jadaka's eyes. Yani transported him.

He stood nude in warm liquid inside a Caribbean sea as a young mouthy woman fussed at him to get out of her waters. Surly eyes from the past challenged him to show his true self in a hectic kitchen on a compound until he clawed his way back to humanity and fell in love with his future queen. Yani beckoned him into the ocean of her love for all time. Was there no better proof of higher powers protecting him than that divine encounter with her?

Nothing prepared him fully to witness a vision coming toward him that made his whole body quake. He gasped for breath. Joba squeezed his hand.

"Its okay, Baba. Umi Yani is coming," Joba said.

Riki stopped halfway to the priest and puffed up his chest.

"Baba, come get Mama!" Riki shouted.

The congregation erupted into cacophonous laughter. Like his father, Riki eschewed tradition and said what needed to be said. Sydette pushed N'Jadaka forward and he took eager strides toward Yani. He was supposed to sing the royal wedding song that grooms shared with the bride, but he spoke them instead. The Wakandan words slowed down his steps and he approached Yani full-throated and proud:

"Come when the nights are bright with stars Or when the moon is mellow; Come when the sun his golden bars Drops on the hay-field yellow. Come in the twilight soft and gray, Come in the night or come in the day, Come, O love, whene'er you may, And you are welcome, welcome.

You are sweet, O Love, dear Love, You are soft as the nesting dove. Come to my heart and bring it rest As the bird flies home to its welcome nest.

Come when my heart is full of grief Or when my heart is merry, Come with the falling of the leaf Or with the redd'ning cherry. Come when the year's first blossom blows, Come when the summer gleams and glows, Come with the winter's drifting snows, And you are welcome, welcome…"**

He smiled, happy that he was able to remember every word and say them with enough eloquence in flawless Wakandan. Pausing for a moment to look over her stunning appearance, he relished the sight they created standing in the center of the temple with the warmth of the sun caressing them.

"Will you walk with me Yani Galiber?" he asked.

Yani kept her eyes locked onto his face. She fought to keep any tears from welling up, but the shimmer on her lower lids lost the battle. He never wanted to see her cry, but he made an exception for that day. Riki nudged her hip with an impatient hand. She cradled her son's chin and spoke to him softly.

"Should we?" Yani asked Riki.

A saucy grin curled Riki's lips and he nodded enthustiastically.

"I will walk with you King N'Jadaka Udaku," she said.

"Say that one mo' 'gin," N'Jadaka teased, cupping a hand to his ear.

Yani laughed and obliged him, her voice as soft and magical as it had been the first time he heard it.

"I will walk with you forever King N'Jadaka Udaku…my Golden Jaguar."

"Aye!" he shouted while offering her his arm. She held onto him with a firm grip and he clasped Riki's hand, escorting them both to Dinani.

Yani held tight to Riki's hand while the adult bridesmaids and groomsmen walked into the temple stepping in time to the exalted music playing for them. Several women priests had smudged her and the children with aromatic plants and oils before they left the palace and once again, a young female priest circled Yani and the children with a gold incense burner trailing a spiraling cloud of purple smoke that clung to their wedding garments and hair. The sweet odor calmed her mind and settled the children who were ready to gallop through the temple to reach their father.

Sydette hugged her waist.

"You look beautiful Mama," Sydette said.

"Thank you Sweet Pea. You all look beautiful, too."

Yani touched Sydette's hair then caressed Joba's cheek.

"I wish they'd hurry up," Riki lamented, swinging Yani's hand.

"They have to take their time walking down the aisle, silly. Everything is being filmed for the country and it's a big deal. If they walked fast they'd miss all the pretty clothes and how good we all look," Sydette said.

Riki and Sydette spoke quietly and Yani honed in on Joba's silence. She had been chatty and playful earlier that morning when everyone rushed around bathing in sacred oils and herbs with the female priests overseeing their preparations. But once they'd eaten a full breakfast, dressed, and left the palace, she'd quieted down.

Yani knelt before her youngest child and clasped her hands.

"How are you feeling, Sunshine? Nervous?"

Joba nodded. Sydette wrapped big sister arms around her.

"You'll make Baba proud when you lead us out…okay? We practiced and practiced and you will make the path for Mama pretty. I will be right behind you," Sydette said.

Joba clutched her basket of flowers and nodded. She tilted her head to look at Yani.

"What if I drop the basket or walk too fast?" Joba said.

Relief spilled over Yani hearing her speak again.

"All you have to do is listen to the music. It's like the metronome in Umama's suite. The beat sets the pace. If you think you're walking too fast, check the music cues. You are going to be a wonderful flower girl."

Yani hugged her and Joba leaned into the embrace. She kissed Yani's cheek and all was well again.

"It's time Princess Joba."

The lead wedding director smiled at the little girl and held a hand out to guide her into position at the temple entrance. Riki ran forward and hugged Joba. He whispered something in her ear and his sister broke out into another bright smile.

"You got this," Riki said out loud.

The director glanced at Yani.

"Everyone is standing up…here we go," the director said.

Joba took a deep breath and marched in time to the harmonious music.

"I'm next! I'm next!" Sydette squealed, twirling in a circle holding the wedding rings and sacred red tie.

Sydette peeked around the wedding director.

"Oh Mama! Baba looks so handsome," Sydette said.

Yani's heart and stomach fluttered. The anticipation of seeing him engulfed all of her nerve endings. They all heard collective oohs and ahhs and a smattering of applause. She wondered what happened to make the congregation applaud. Luckily, she would be able to watch the entire ceremony at a later time. The ceremony was broadcast live and recorded from start to finish. Palace recorders filmed everything the moment they stepped foot outside the palace for candid shots to later be edited into a royal wedding documentary.

"Princess Sydette, you are next please."

The director held out a hand and waved it, summoning the girl. Sydette blew Yani a kiss and marched out like a diva.

"Here you go, Princess Yani."

Another wedding coordinator handed her a mic. Yani waited for her music cue to tap it on. The peaceful strumming of harps alerted her, and she sang out all that she felt to N'Jadaka. She wondered what his facial expression looked like hearing her voice singing that particular song. Riki squeezed her hand in support and for a moment, holding her son's hand and singing to his father brought back all the connections they had in St. Thomas. Emotion spilled through her voice as she conveyed to the king how much he meant to her.

As the voice of the Wakandan choral member sang the song in their language with a different musical arrangement that transformed into the Wakandan wedding march, Yani held tight to her bridal bouquet and let her son lead them into the temple.

Grateful to have her son's hand for support, Yani took in the hundreds of faces that watched her march toward her destiny. Her brain tried to connect with individual eyes upon her. That proved useless once she zeroed in on N'Jadaka waiting for her at the far end.

God…he was more than handsome.

She lost her footing for a second and Riki helped her find her steps again.

It all came down to this moment.

Yani drifted away into a time when she was a lost woman-child trying to make a way out of no way on a small island. How many nights had she prayed for a better life for herself and Sydette? Given up on herself? How many days had she cried and chastised herself for choosing love with Chez who treated her so poorly and abandoned Sweet Pea? Yani had felt so alone and lost to a pre-destined fate that befell too many young women with big hearts and limited resources or support. Thank God Auntie was there for her. Thank all the angels too that her auntie liked Killmonger so much that she didn't run interference keeping them apart. There were too many tangible things that should have prevented Yani from ever meeting the foreign mercenary.

But look at God.

Her eyes watered and she looked away to control her blurry vision. No tears fell and she was able to concentrate on her delicate steps to reach the king.

Riki halted their march and shouted for his father to get her. The audience laughed and Yani chuckled herself. His declaration was not a part of the ceremony. She lifted her bridal bouquet to her lips to hide her open-mouthed laughter when Riki sucked his teeth sounding like an annoyed Auntie back home.

Her laughter fell away once N'Jadaka came down the aisle to claim her at his son's demand. She heard a few gasps from women around her who also felt that energy coming toward her. He spoke forceful words of love instead of singing them to her. The switch up made the evocative words more powerful and she felt every utterance in her bones, marrow deep. When he finally reached her, she could barely see his face. Her eyes had become a river threatening to spill down her face.

"Will you walk with me Yani Galiber?" N'Jadaka asked.

His voice was full of pride and so much love for her. The scent of oils on his skin and the smudging on his clothes smelled heavenly. She lost the ability to speak taking all of his spirit in. Riki balled up a small fist and pressed it into her hip. Yani lifted his chin and stared into Riki's shiny eyes.

"Should we?" Yani asked her son.

Those little Udaku lips on his face swept up into a knowing smile and Riki nodded like she was foolish to even ask the question. She looked at her great love again.

"I will walk with you King N'Jadaka Udaku," she said.

"Say that one mo' 'gin!"

N'Jadaka had cupped his ear and she knew in her soul he did that purely to show off for the nobles who questioned her place in his life.

"I will walk with you forever King N'Jadaka Udaku…my Golden Jaguar."

"Aye!"

Yani gripped his arm and he held Riki's hand, escorting them all to the priest waiting for them. Her bridesmaids and bridesgroom were in various stages of watery eyes, crying, and beaming love to her. She handed her bouquet to Twyla and her cousin gushed over her with a weepy voice.

Facing N'Jadaka, Yani watched the priest give Sydette instructions. She handed the wedding rings to her brother and a footstool was placed in front of her so she could easily bind her mother and father together. Dinani spoke ancient words as Sydette tied the satin binding rope around N'Jadaka's wrist first. She left about two feet of rope in between them before she tied the other end on Yani's wrist. Her task complete, Sweet Pea kissed both their wrists and returned to stand next to Joba.

Yani listened to the Wakandan words spoken by the priest, but her eyes stayed on N'Jadaka's face the entire time. His soulful eyes drank in every inch of her. It seemed like they were the only two there, but with the guests, plus the entire Udaku clan in attendance, over one thousand people witnessed their union and she blotted them all out.

Dinani spoke of their expected duties toward one another. Her ears glossed over all of those expectations and only tuned back in when the long ceremony moved into the portion where she was told the qualities of a virtuous queen.

Holy scripture was read by Ayiz'e who wore the sacred red robes of the mountain temple of Bast. A male priest presented Dinani with more sacred oils and they anointed Yani and N'Jadaka. The qualities of a virtuous king were recited to N'Jadaka. An older female priest blessed their children who stood there, and also blessed the children they would have in the future.

Umama stepped forward from her place on the dais holding Yani's queen isicholo. Dinani prayed over the crown and anointed it with holy Bast oils before N'Jadaka pulled back the hood on Yani's wedding dress revealing her platinum hair. Umama's voice was loud and strong.

"We of the Udaku clan accept Yani Galiber into this holy union. She is our welcomed daughter…our new queen…Queen Yani N'Isiqithi the First."

The women of the entire Udaku clan broke out into heartfelt ululations that echoed throughout the temple. Yani bowed her head slightly and Umama placed the queen's isicholo on her head.

"Stay blessed Queen Yani, may your reign make us all proud and may your greatest grandmother Queen Mary guide your hand in all that you do," Umama said.

Yani stood still and accepted the ululations, the shouts, the applause, the jealousy, the envy, the hatred, the admiration, the love, the curiosity, and the fear her queendom brought to Wakanda. She straightened her posture and let the weight of the crown sink into soul.

Queen Yani.

Heavy was the head that wore the crown, but not so much with N'Jadaka by her side. He held her hand up and they turned around to face the congregation. Dinani raised their arms and spoke with a firm tone in their voice.

"May I present to you all here, the royal heads of the nation, King N'Jadaka and Queen Yani Udaku, avatars of the Golden Jaguar…children of the Black Pather Tribe."

Everyone in the temple stood, including the relatives on the dais. The Council of Elders came forth from the audience and circled Yani and N'Jadaka. They held hands and recited an oath promising them both wise council in the days ahead. Stepping aside afterward, Yani and her new husband were able to acknowledge the crowd amidst their applause.

"You may now kiss your bride, kumkani," Dinani said.

N'Jadaka's lips were on hers before the priest finished giving permission, almost knocking her crown off. He kissed her within an inch of her life and backed away when she almost went limp.

"Hey queen," he said.

"Hey king," she answered.

Yani checked on their children and all three had glossy eyes admiring her new isicholo. N'Jadaka threaded his fingers with hers and boldly showed her off. To close the ceremony, they had to circle the inside of the temple as newlyweds counterclockwise. The isicholo settled nicely on her head, and Yani willfully entered her new era as ruler. She relaxed into N'Jadaka's strides and pranced about, letting her beauty and new status burn her enemies down to charcoal.

N'Jadaka kept stopping to kiss her hand and the red satin binding tie dangled between them letting everyone know they would never part. She reveled in the power, soaked it up and let it propel her around the temple with a fierce protective energy.

Back at the front again, N'Jadaka kissed her chasrely, with pecks to her lips and both cheeks. She bent down to hug and kiss their children just as the closing wedding march started. Dinani gave their final blessing and the Udaku family drummers showed out again, leading the march out of the temple. Didah sang a new griot song prophesying the reign of Yani and N'Jadaka.

"Ready to face the rest of the world?" N'Jadaka asked.

"I am," Yani said.

They held hands tight and strolled down the aisle together, exiting the ancient temple as husband and wife.

Chapter 6 HERE.

* Lyrics to Jada Kingdom's "Wull On"

** Poem by Black American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906), "An Invitation to Love"

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[uzumaki-rebellion]

Soon come... "King Killmonger: The Golden Jaguar" Chapter 12

Summary:

N'Jadaka and Yani are joined on the last leg of their honeymoon with their children as they explore hidden parts of Wakanda as a family and prepare to rejoin the ruling class once more.

[uzumaki-rebellion]

“The Offering” (A Namor of Talokan Fic) Masterlist

Summary:

A Wakandan woman makes an ancestral offering to Mama Wati during an annual seaside celebration for the mother of waters and meets the forbidden love of her life...  K'uk'ulkan, a being who claims to be a god, but only wants to live as a man.

Three Part Mini-Series. NSFW. Smut. 18+.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three 

(Check out my Quick and Dirty Masterlist of other content HERE.)

[uzumaki-rebellion]

Soon come... "The Feathered Serpent's Daughter"

Author's Note: I wanted to create a bridge story prior to my "King Killmonger: The Golden Jaguar" fic coming out next month. This story will take place a year before Namor shows up to confront N'Jadaka about RiRi's vibranium detector. You will need to read my 3-part Namor fic "The Offering" to know what is going on when this drops.

Summary:

Namor's oldest daughter, Lewatle, has grown up a bit. Although she is all of twenty-one in human years, her slowed down mutant age progression has her looking like a fourteen-year-old child. Her close friends in Talokan are moving on to marriage and creating families of their own, and she's stuck being the pampered princess of the Talokan king and his Wakandan wife, Queen, Lebadi.

Bored and a bit curious about the surface world of her mother, Lewatle slips out of Talokan to travel thousands of miles away for a secret peek into the world of Wakanda.

[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 4, Chapter 67″

Masterlist HERE. NSFW. Smut. 18+.

"But for now He moves so proud He dips, he pirouettes; The Mambo King Floats around the ring His hands like castanets; He sways, tugged back Gravity grows slack He's propelled by strings of rhythm He forward stalls, Yes, to dance is all' Yes, dance while you still have Breath."

David McLansky - "Riff on Rita Dove's Mambo"

N'Jadaka approached the viewscreen of the Royal Talon Fighter. A storm cloud of thoughts rested above his mind in a gray funk, but he pushed it aside to enjoy the sight of thousands of Wakandans dotting the beach below his royal aircraft.

"Baba, so many people!" Sydette squealed, standing next to him.

Riki held his hand and Joba stood in front of him peering at the spectacle below them. Behind them, the Udaku royal family sat in anticipation. Disa and Yani were among the group as were Dante, Umama, and Baba Z. Nakia sat next to T'Challa holding onto his hand with quiet affection.

The shoreline rippled with people dressed in the colors of the sea paying their respects to Mama Wati. Six men carried the platform of a giant blue-black statue of an African mermaid with long serpentine locs decorated with shells and starfish toward the warm water where revelers piled an offering boat with gifts. All eyes were averted to the Royal Talon Fighter as it hovered above a cleared pathway for the king. The excitement of his presence was palpable. Ramonda handed him an extravagant blue sugar and azure floral arrangement in the shape of a giant nautilus shell. The Talon Fighter ramp opened and N'Jadaka stepped out of the aircraft with his family behind him.

Drummers startled his children as the Birnin S'Yan elders from the Mama Wati Temple greeted them, holding their hands out in a sign of respect.

"Ukumkani, we are so honored you could join us on this special day," said a male elder draped in all white with blue glass beads around his neck.

The rulers of Wakanda normally handed over their family offerings from inside the palace, rarely attending the festive site in person. N'Jadaka wanted to be seen all the time and in all parts of the country. The wide-eyed stares all across his family hinted at how detached the Udaku clan had been for decades. His children were an extra rare treat. They were ogled as much as him. Their mothers stood behind him and there were slick glances their way too. As always, Disa stayed covered up with a flowing blue caftan, dark shades, and her hijab. Yani wore a light blue skirt with a white netted top layered over a blue-green half tank with loads of long, cyan-blue seeded beads. She decorated her face with white dots fashioned after Shuri's flashy style.

"I present to you our family offering. May Mama Wati accept our gift," N'Jadaka said.

A female elder took the nautilus shell from his hands and carried it over to the lead boat where it was gently placed at the top of other beautiful offerings completing the ritual procession. The Udaku family stood to the side of the gathered temple priests and witnessed the prayers and incense given to the deity. The stimulated energy from all those present crawled along his skin and he noticed the reactions to the projection of power he displayed physically from his hair to his cobalt blue robes. Nine Doras mingled nearby and watched the crowds. Birnin S'Yan wasn't particularly fond of the transition of power. A small but vocal minority in their governing territorial body didn't want T'Challa to cede power to him. It was also the original root of the Phuri and it was better to be overly cautious with security. The Kingsguard also kept close to his kin and his Onyx Squad spread out among the revelers.

Yani moved closer to him and leaned up against his arm. She kept a watchful eye on his physical bearing. He had rested for days before the celebration, however, she stuck to him all the way from the palace. She must've clued Disa in because both women peeped his every move for any signs of fatigue.

"It's so beautiful… and calm," Yani said, watching the offering boat sailing over small waves.

She threaded her fingers with his and squeezed them gently, then pressed her cheek into his arm. Ramonda cleared her throat, reminding them to keep aware of their surroundings. Public displays of affection were to be full of reserve, but N'Jadaka ate it up. Yani touched him first. He released her hand, but they stayed close to each other, their children enjoying the Black mermaid display once the boat was too far to see anymore. Ritual singers chanted a sailing song for the boat and attendants on board released the offerings into the sea.

White incense swirled in the air across the waters once the boat was emptied of gifts, and ululations broke out accompanied by raucous music tumbling all around them with wild abandon. The raging flares of sunlight bounced off of elaborately decorated blue and white umbrellas that shielded smiling faces adorned with crystals and paint. The contagious release of joy spread beyond the shoreline giving the flavor of a second line. Yani and the children shuffled their feet and bodies with the Wakandans near them and the urge to shake his hips seeped into his marrow. Disa clapped her hands encouraging their little ones and he thought he would abstain from moving to keep a reserved image. But Shuri wiggled her hips with Ramonda, while T'Challa rocked on his heels next to Nakia's body rolls. N'Jadaka shook his arms and shoulders causing a rush of excited clapping from his people, egging him on to cut loose more. He watched Yani twirl around with Joba and joined them, shaking his body in time with the drums and stringed instruments. They widened the circle and let Riki and Sydette in, as his eldest tugged on Disa's hand forcing her to link up too. The crowd made their way toward the parade route and the Udaku clan shuffled behind to find their roped-off section of a raised platform to view the continued grand festivities. Yani shimmied her shoulders and he couldn't help himself from dancing behind her. She grabbed his hand and he swung her around in a wide arc, pulling her back in close. Their eyes met and he let her go, aware that everyone stared at their brazen playfulness with each other that bordered on intimate affection. Pulling back from her, he took on a cool persona again, helping Riki and Joba up onto the risers.

He checked on the family around him and caught Disa tapping her kimoyo before peeking over her shoulder toward the visible mountain range that led to the Jabari lands. She smirked at him when she turned her gaze back toward the festivities in front of them. Her face glowed and he winked at her to let her know he understood her feelings. Despite the fun of being with everyone, she wanted to be somewhere else.

The parade delighted his children, their precocious eyes were wide open in wonderment marveling at giant aquatic creatures floating past with angelic grace. Dancers, acrobats, singers, rhinos, elephants, and giant, long-horned bulls marched past. A beautiful woman dressed to represent Mama Wati floated past on a platform tossing out gold shell-shaped wrappers filled with chocolates and his kids went nuts squealing, trying to catch them with other children along the route. An hour went by, and there was too much more to see.

"This way your highness, we would like to show you the family altars," a male elder said.

The entire family followed him and they played tourist to the elaborate altars and other fanfare. In the distance, he saw the section marked off for the diaspora delegates who watched respectfully. As the formal ceremony ended, the foreign guests were allowed to view a few altars before they were escorted away for a lunch spread above the bluffs where they could continue to enjoy the celebration. There was a fair and more activity in the city for them to participate in too.

Yani and Disa chatted about the altars and their children collected seashells and flowers that had blown off of displays. They cruised along to the boardwalk on foot and looked over brightly decorated vendor booths where souvenir items could be purchased. The sugary smells of sweet candies, grilled corn on the cob, fried dumplings, and meaty kebabs scented the air making his stomach grumble. Food vendors gladly gave him free samples and asked for pictures with him. He shook hands, smiled for holopics, and talked to enthusiastic citizens.

Joba grabbed Disa's hand and dragged her toward the fair with Dante and Shuri. Riki and Sydette matched her pace while tugging Marisol and Twyla along. Nakia and T'Challa straggled off in another direction. Their security team split up accordingly. Baba Z, Umama, and Ramonda walked ahead of him. Yani stayed by his side. Music blasted around them.

"Reminds me of Juvay and carnival in Brazil," he said.

Yani nodded.

"This is more ceremonial… serious," she said.

"You don't think people were shaking ass hard for Mama Wati?" he teased.

She punched his arm playfully and he clasped her hand in his. He kissed the top of her knuckles. Ahead of them was a large tent. N'Jadaka stopped in front of it.

"Let's go inside," he said.

He read the display sign next to a young woman with stars in her eyes as she stared at him.

"Is it all statues?" he asked.

"There is other artwork too, my king," the woman said, keeping her eyes downcast from shyness.

Ayo and Aneka stepped inside first and checked every part of the tent. A few Wakandans stepped out and his Onyx Squad blocked the entrance so that he and Yani could enjoy the vendor tent by themselves in private.

"Oh, look at this," Yani cooed at the first large, framed photo.

A vivid color photo of the Black Mermaid statue that represented Mama Wati gave notice of the splendor inside. Every picture was a stunning photographic lesson on the importance of the annual holiday. Each display became better than the last, and they walked in silence until they came across a photo of his father and uncle when they were young teenagers standing in front of the palace handing over a family offering to the sea.

N'Jadaka grinned.

"It's funny to see my Baba all skinny and without a beard," he said.

Both boys held the offering with giant grins on their faces. There was love there. Pure brotherly affection.

"Things could've been so…"

He didn't finish the obvious.

"I like these," Yani said.

She drew his attention to several small statues representing Bast and Sekhmet, Mama Wati's sisters.

"Oh, and this one!" Yani said.

N'Jadaka read the placard. The statue Yani fawned over showed a depiction of a more ancient onyx Mama Wati with an extended pregnant belly with a curved fishtail that she rested on. She had a bald head and closed eyes making it seem like she was sunbathing herself and her full belly.

"Looks like you," he said.

Yani beamed and circled around the statue.

"I was almost that big with Dumplin," she said.

She touched the belly button of the figure and he touched it too, rubbing it a little. Yani's eyes held a dusky sensualness. He let his finger trace up the statue and onto her arm. She shuddered and he slinked behind her, lowering his head to kiss the back of her neck. Peppering kisses along the bare parts of her shoulders, he wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned back comfortably and molded her soft frame against the hard muscles of his chest and stomach.

"You're still my Black mermaid?" he whispered in her ear.

Yani trembled and a breathy sigh escaped from her glossy lips. He nibbled on her earlobe and rocked her in his arms.

"Don't want to answer me right now?" he teased.

She tilted her head and he hummed her name in the shell of her ear and she giggled.

"Okay… okay… I see I have to get my formal courting on point before you accept me. Bet."

He released her and she turned around keeping her warmth against his warmer body. She raised her head up and he stared at her lips that were parted and ached to be kissed. Her hands slid up his chest and folded like little doves on the nape of his neck making him feel romantic and wishing to escape out of the tent and return to his palace home so they could really be alone together.

"I did well today, Yani. Didn't overexert myself or anything."

She nodded in agreement and he became so conscious of her body pressed into his with snug assurance. N'Jadaka's dick plumped under the royal robes and he relaxed knowing there were enough layers and beading on it that she wouldn't notice his arousal while holding her.

She kissed him.

Dammit!

Their lips connected and her tongue sought entry into his mouth right away. Being next to one another all day led to a fusion of plush lips, soft moans, and needy swirls of fingers against necks and waists. He angled his neck for more comfort and groaned when Yani figured out his erection disturbed his royal clothing. She sucked on his tongue and then licked across his upper lip, grinding her lower parts into him.

"See… I was tryna avoid this," he chuckled.

He adjusted his robes and she teased him by brushing sneaky touches on his privates.

"Show some respect to the king," he commanded.

She reacted to his tone and her eyes turned dreamy. He snaked a hand around her neck, holding her still. The air crackled with new energy and he wrenched his eyes away from her and toward the front of the tent.

"Someone's coming," he said, stepping back at an appropriate length between them.

Okoye rushed into their area and flanked his side.

"King N'Jadaka, you are being summoned by Captain Lebohang," Okoye whispered in his ear.

He looked at Yani and reached for her hand.

"I'll meet you when I'm done checking in with my naval officer," he said.

"Okay," Yani said with concern in her eyes.

"It's alright, Yani. I'll see you in a bit."

He kissed her cheek and she rested her hands on his chest.

"Don't stress yourself out," Yani said. "Today is Mama Wati's day… a day for family and fun."

He noticed Ayo waiting in the corner.

"Ayo. Please escort Princess Yani to where Lady Galiber and my children are."

"Yes, your highness," Ayo said.

N'Jadaka followed Okoye in the opposite direction of the vendor tent. The general led him to the well-guarded Royal Talon Fighter. Several stinger ships and wasp crafts flew above it for extra protection. T'Challa stood at attention inside, with an image of Captain Lebohang floating on the work console.

"Captain," N'Jadaka said.

"The Talokanil have attacked three more ships in the upper Atlantic. C.I.A. and Navy Seals connected. This time they sank them. A distress signal made it to their leadership and they are blaming us, your highness," Lebohang said.

"Shit," N'Jadaka grumbled.

"We intercepted a cryptic message to the United States Secretary of Defense and he is due to meet with their president later today," Lebohang said.

N'Jadaka turned to Okoye.

"Bring Fury to my office immediately. I'll be there shortly," N'Jadaka said. "Lebohang, what do they have exactly as proof that they think it's us?"

"Nothing. The hulls of the ship were damaged making the vessels sink. We know for sure that they are searching for vibranium."

Lebohang patched in audio of messages relayed before the ships were destroyed. N'Jadaka glanced at his cousin.

"I'll have to go to the states earlier than planned," N'Jadaka said.

"They are impatient for our resources and technology," T'Challa said. "Their search for vibranium will fail."

"Yet somehow, they keep getting on the Talokan radar," N'Jadaka said.

"They cannot detect vibranium. K'uk'ulkan is being reckless and the blame shifts to us," T'Challa said.

N'Jadaka projected a map of the globe and Lebohang marked off areas of ship attacks around the world that were not reported to the public.

"Show me a twenty-year overlay of classified American naval attacks," N'Jadaka commanded the Talon Fighter's griot.

Crimson markers sprouted up all around the world.

"They have a vast territory," T'Challa said.

"We barely know what's beneath the surface… looking at all of this… they could be legion and no one would know," N'Jadaka said.

N'Jadaka studied the data and compared intel from when he was a child on the Atlantic until their present state.

"I see a pattern," N'Jadaka said.

He tapped the projected screen and the Shuri-led Wakandan Group Design outreach facilities popped up in purple near the West African coasts from Senegal to Angola.

"The C.I.A. is searching wherever we are entrenched," T'Challa said.

"They won't be working alone. France has their foot on our neck too with the U.K. pretending to be patient with their former colonies who benefit from our research facilities," N'Jadaka said.

"We are providing desalinization machines, new fertilization techniques for agriculture, and diversification of seed farming, as well as medical training with advanced tools," T'Challa said.

"All benefits due to vibranium hardware," N'Jadaka said.

Okoye and Ayo ran back onto the Talon Fighter.

"King N'Jadaka," Okoye said.

N'Jadaka sensed her deep distress and followed behind her. They moved past the aircraft and stepped onto the edge of the boardwalk. Wakandans who stayed on the beach stood staring at the water. Okoye handed him a pair of slender binoculars.

"It arrived nine minutes ago and has been staying in that position ever since," Ayo said.

Peering into the binoculars, he observed a lone whale tail fin breaching the surface and standing still.

"This is not our season for that particular species of whale to be in our waters, and a spy drone detected traces of vibranium on the barnacles coating its underside," Okoye said.

N'Jadaka looked at T'Challa.

"He knows where we are," N'Jadaka said.

"A warning?" T'Challa said.

"A promise."

He peered through the binoculars again.

"The fuck?"

Several Wakandan leisure sailboats floated too close to the whale. One large boat sported the Udaku family crest. N'Jadaka tapped his kimoyo beads and contacted Noxolo.

"Where are you?" N'Jadaka barked.

His kimoyo GPS locked in on his children and their mothers. He knew the answer before Noxolo spoke.

"The royal family is taking a boat excursion," Noxolo said.

"Head back to shore now!" he shouted.

N'Jadaka ordered the Royal Talon Fighter to power up. A stinger aircraft zoomed above the whale and kept a tracking device on it.

"Take me to the boat," N'Jadaka said.

T'Challa's Black Panther suit swarmed over him and he jumped aboard a military quad aircraft that raced out to the whale. The Talon Fighter swooped down to the pleasure boat that carried his family. Okoye maneuvered the aircraft ramp onto the boat. He swept down to greet his people.

"What is happening?" Ramonda asked as she helped Umama and Baba Z onto the ship.

"Time to return to the palace," N'Jadaka said.

"Aw… but we wahn to go back to the fair again," Riki grumbled.

Sydette stared into his eyes.

"Baba knows best," Sydette said, pushing her little brother to move faster.

Disa and Yani kept quiet, already understanding that something wasn't right without asking him about it.

Nick Fury didn't try to hide anything from N'Jadaka.

He stood before the Wakandan king unguarded with his emotions and body language.

"The U.S. has been waiting to move on you," Fury said.

"What's stopping them?" N'Jadaka said, watching the man from behind his desk.

"Greed and collecting irrefutable evidence. We want you to hand over your vibranium and tech now. But we also want boots on the ground here just like we did in Iraq and Afghanistan. The success of your community centers and outreach facilities prevents an outright attack. Several U.S. senators have voted against pressuring the U.N., but the president will support covert operations from within and from our allies," Fury said.

Fury curled his lips into a sneer.

"You already knew that, king. Why the concern about it now?" Fury asked.

"I want full transparency from you, not the PR explanation."

"I could stand here and tell you we need your tech for the space threat, but our president looks beyond that. We want total control of this country and how you move. The U.S. is not beyond doing you like we did Japan in 1945."

"Destruction and then puppet master," N'Jadaka said.

"It's all we ever do."

"I will go to war if America feels froggish."

"You have a right to defend your nation. But you have no true allies anywhere. Your African neighbors look at you with distrust, even as you attempt to help improve their lives. Wakanda is a country without equals and you are a threat to everyone," Fury said.

N'Jadaka stood up from his seat and moved around to the front of his desk. He handed Fury a large cigar from a gold and mahogany humidor box. Lighting up the smokes, they both puffed and eyed each other warily.

"How soon?" N'Jadaka asked.

"How soon…?"

"Fury, now is not the time to jerk me around. When does the U.S. plan on coming for us?"

"The U.S., Spain, and France have drafted a joint plot to destabilize after the Asgardian problem has been resolved. China and Russia are already looking to disrupt parts of West Africa to get a foothold on any advances you share outside your borders. They all plan to reverse engineer anything they can take from you and retcon their previous calls to work in partnership with this country. The axis of global power is in your hand… just yours. Your assassination is on the table. They want T'Challa back in power. He is deemed flexible and more willing to do business."

N'Jadaka grinned and took a long drag on his cigar.

"I wanted to hear you say it out loud," N'Jadaka said.

"Yeah… well… before they come for your head, they want to use you. May I?"

Fury pointed to his controlled kimoyo beads and N'Jadaka's comm tab interface. N'Jadaka turned on his view screen projector. Fury tapped his beads against the floating screen.

"Received these images from your probe two hours ago," Fury said.

"What am I looking at?"

"To the military, a UAP—Unidentified Aerial Phenomena— to you, me, and the American president, little green men. Expect a call soon. We assume that whatever is coming from up there has sent a scouting team. An elevated orange alert is in effect."

"Place of impact?"

"There was none. It entered the atmosphere and went off the radar. The last known trajectory was over Western Europe. Scotland to be exact."

N'Jadaka rolled his neck and smoked. Both men stared at the images of bright lights streaking across the earth.

Fury told him a lot. N'Jadaka wouldn't reveal the Talokanil to him no matter what amount of intel he gave up. The whale sighting unnerved him, but he accepted the message K'uk'ulkan sent. The god-king knew where they existed just like Wakanda grasped their territories too. He studied war in the navy long enough to know how to be strategic. Talokan hated surface dwellers but had a vague connection to Wakanda. That made them neutral. The current threat floated in front of him.

"I want to leave Wakanda tomorrow morning. The Avengers have to be gathered," Fury said.

"I'll be in Switzerland next week and then I'm heading to the U.S. to meet the president on his home turf," N'Jadaka said.

Fury stared at him hard.

"You have international delegates coming here—"

N'Jadaka waved his hands at the man.

"I'm canceling all that shit. Shutting up shop. Telling them all that to their faces. Plotting against me? Nah, I'm coming to your house and setting everybody straight at one time and in one place," N'Jadaka huffed.

He crushed the last of his cigar in a brass ashtray and tapped the projected screen. Fury swiveled his neck to look at the new image above N'Jadaka's desk.

Agent Everett Ross.

"I'm familiar with him," Fury said.

N'Jadaka slid the government issue photo to the side and added another next to it. A slightly blurred picture taken on the Nigandan border from Nakia's bodycam long ago.

"I'm going to kill him," N'Jadaka said.

"Wait a minute…."

Fury held up an index finger and gave a nervous smile of disbelief.

"You can't kill a spook—"

"Ross came into Wakanda and pretended to be friends with my family. I shot him four years ago. He's supposed to be dead. T'Challa saved him because of Nakia. That spook came here, downloaded everything he could gather about us and our security, and pressured some unhinged Wakandans to go up against the royal family. He nearly orchestrated the death of my grandparents and helped murder civilians to stir up a coup. We captured one of the terrorists he instigated and supported, and I got a full confession in person with proof. I'm only telling you this so you can put some distance between yourself and us. I'm taking him out after I place Nakia in the States."

"King… N'Jadaka….listen…."

Fury ground out his cigar and furrowed his brow.

"He played in my family's face and disrupted the peace here. Threatening the safety of my children and their mothers is unforgivable."

"Why not use him? Huh? Play him like he played your people."

"No."

Fury held his palms together and closed his eyes for a second.

"His ex-wife is now the new head of the C.I.A. If you kill, you'll lose access to the root of all your problems. The Feds are hot for your head. Don't give them ammunition to come here early."

"We'd kill them all before they even reached the hidden border."

Fury paced the floor.

"I understand the fucked situation Ross put your people in—"

"Good, cuz there's no fuckin' way Wakandans should've been working with a C.I.A. agent in the first place—"

"But delay the revenge kill. There's a lot on the line on my end and I need that man alive."

"He orchestrated the destruction of the Hall of Panthers. The place where my ancestors rest, bruh. Umama and Baba Z were there to prepare for my parent's arrival back home… my three kids were in school not too far from where they could see and hear what was going on—"

"If you could find it in your power to hold off…for a time… I won't stand in your way. He isn't going anywhere. You said Nakia is heading to the States…best believe he'll be there close to her and T'Challa. Listen, I have no love for that man one way or the other. But I'm telling you as your only friend on the outside, the project I'm overseeing needs Ross and his contacts."

The urge to end the agent subsided. A coolness at the top of his head tamed him and he accepted the nudge from Bast to fall back. N'Jadaka did have time, and it would be smart to use Ross for a few more months by feeding him false intel and shadowing him. It took him over twenty years to be king. He could wait a year to snuff a rat.

"I'll give you twelve months," N'Jadaka said.

"Thank you."

"I'll have you set for departure after breakfast tomorrow."

Fury extended his open hand to the king.

"Let's meet in the States when you come over. I get word before you do about the UAP, I'll hit you up. We'll need everything Wakanda has if this turns out as bad as those refugees warned us about."

N'Jadaka shook his hand and summoned palace guards to escort Fury back to his personal villa. He missed dinner with the family and was shocked that Yani didn't send a message to remind him. Grabbing some leftovers in his office staff room, he heated up a vegetarian meal of slippery zucchini and pasta in a light cream sauce. He texted messages to his children that he would see them before bedtime and headed for the palace pool. Thoughts of murder and mayhem receded to the back of his mind.

Walking into the pool room he headed for the shower room first and shucked off his royal robes. Hot steam puffed around his nude form. His kimoyo lit up. A vid message from Yani. He played it.

"Hey! The kids are resting early. They want to see the fireworks tonight from the moon deck, so no storytime at nine. We can meet you there before they start. There will be ice cream too!"

He grinned and her image winked out. Stepping out of the showers he padded away from the fancy parts of the upper pool and headed down to the simple mineral water whirlpool section. Dropping down into the balmy warmth, he waded past a colored water display that sat in the center and discovered Yani already indulging in the soothing pool that bubbled and gurgled around her. She stood up and revealed her own naked form.

"I thought you were at the house. Got your message," he said, grinning so hard his cheeks stretched wide.

"Shuri and Marisol entertained them until they were knocked out for later tonight. Twyla and Disa went to a party and I didn't want to tag along."

"Decided to come here for a skinny dip, huh?" he said.

"Yeah."

"Me too. Some stress relief… wind down and shit."

"Was your meeting with Fury good?" she asked.

He could barely concentrate on her words. Staring at her in warm water with full breasts pearling with liquid droplets blotted out an answer to her inquiry. He shook his head and tried to focus on his hands swirling in the pool water.

"It was a good meeting. He's leaving tomorrow."

She nodded and turned away from him, heading for the stairs. He followed, watching her backside bounce as she moved in the heated water.

"Damn," he muttered while staring.

She bent over to fix a fluffy turquoise towel she had at the edge of the pool, and her ass cheeks parted enough where he could see the back of her vulva. Her folds glistened, not from water, but from her own sticky arousal. Had she been down here thinking about him being naked?

His dick jumped and he didn't try to stop it from reacting by thinking of mundane things. He embraced what was before him. She turned and lifted herself onto her towel. He moved between Yani's open thighs and held her by the waist.

"Why do I feel like you're really here to check up on my health again?" he said.

She batted her eyelashes. Her face was lightly made up and she smelled like sugar and vanilla. His body tingled up a storm so close to her and he was aware of her feeling the same way by how coy she played being there in the nude. He couldn't stop grinning while staring at her face and lush body. Yani knew that he needed to see her at the end of a long day and presenting herself fully naked and vulnerable was an invitation to love on her as he did in the past. He ignored the fat dick hanging between his legs poking at her thighs. Her big seductive eyes trapped him, turning his insides into mush. The heat of his love for her flowed out like it was a cloud of smoke and surrounded her, making Yani's fingers spring into action as they traced lines on his cheek and lips. A king needed a woman to come home to. N'Jadaka left his worries back at the office and slipped into the welcoming warmth of Yani's presence.

He held up a hand and she threaded her fingers with his and they pressed their foreheads together enjoying the peace of water and love floating through them. She would return to work in the morning with his older children and the separation ate at him.

"Yani, I love you."

Her gaze lowered and her eyes welled up, staring at his chest.

"It takes so much for me to be the king, but having you here with me means everything."

She placed her arms around his shoulders but still wouldn't look him in the eye again. Soft sighs fell from her lips and she listened intently. He wanted her in his home, but she valued her space away from him. A surge of energy reared up within him and she trembled, feeling it on her skin. He was a force of nature. As cliché as it sounded to him, he understood that his power was truly visceral, and everyone would always become affected by it when they were near him. Even his woman.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked.

She looked up at him then, her round moon-lust eyes so glittery with desire. Yani moved her face closer and he enveloped her lips with such tenderness that she cried. She needed his love and the weight of her heart pressed on him making his hands tremble as he held her face.

"You're so beautiful… gave me beautiful children… gave me life again," he said with soft words.

He kissed down her cheek and planted more kisses on her throat and in the middle of her chest where her breasts rested in wet glory. He palmed them, kneading the fullness until he plucked at her nipples, pinching them hard to make them pebble into high peaks. Lifting the royal dick that bobbed in the water, he fisted himself and sucked on a nipple. Yani threw her head back and moaned. He groaned while beating his dick, his fist bouncing from the wild hairy root of his dick. The thick thatch of hair that he kept ungroomed turned her on.

He released her plump nipple and lifted her legs out of the water, widening her thighs so he could stare at her pussy. Her folds were wide open and her slit dripped with slick arousal.

"Look at that pretty pussy," he said.

Yani whimpered and her pussy throbbed open, blessing his eyes with wet pinkness surrounded by smooth brown outer lips. He slapped his dick against the lovely sight and his tip spewed precum all over her clit.

They acted dangerously.

Her pussy was the gateway to paradise. They both knew it. His stiffness stood like smooth hardwood and slapping it against her folds made her weak. Her opening twitched and revealed heaven and he felt entitled to claim all of her. He was the king after all.

Dropping lower into the pool water for a better position, he smothered her folds with his mouth and sucked on her pussy lips and clit. Yani cried out and clutched at his locs. Coming up for air, the lower part of his face shined like a glossy welcoming to a new bond between them. He knew other men had been with his woman while he had been away. But there was no way any of them flooded her walls with cum. Her pussy was too precious for that after having royalty in it. He licked all around her vulva, even sucked on her meaty inner thighs to chase every nerve ending that came alive inside of her.

She had been his heart, the soft part of his soul when he worked for Klaue. Yani gave him kindness, and confidence to love again, yearning for a home of his own with a family of his own. She had nothing and yet gave him everything. She allowed him to be like his father. A provider. A protector. A lover. He was the one she came to when she needed reassurance and confidence in her own abilities. She followed him all the way to the end and despite the horrors of violence, a long separation, and emotional turmoil, she still loved the hell out of him. It poured out of her as she came on his lips, crying out his name and arching her back. He stood and stroked his dick, pressing the wide head against her opening, watching the aftershock contractions of her pussy making her shudder on her back. Being bold, he slipped the head in and she squirmed, raising up on her elbows to stare at his hooded eyes.

"Tell me nobody else came in this pussy," he insisted.

Her shiny eyes were drenched with an insatiable lust for him. A possessive streak rose in him.

"I want to hear you tell me… nobody came in this pussy," he barked.

His girth stretched her pussy lips and she gazed down at the brazen entry into her tight rings of muscle that squeezed at his tip. She closed her eyes, her lower body tense with expectation. Although he rested at her entrance, the bulbous head was still too much to take with the teasing. Yani could only shake her head, denying that anyone else had that type of close intimacy.

He relaxed and gripped the root of his dick, guiding the length out so that it smacked at her swollen folds again, testing the limits of her arousal. Her wet entrance curled around his girth as he shoved the head in again, not moving at all. He squeezed her breasts and pinched her nipples with gentle tugs. His tip pulled down on her clit, the friction bringing her intense pleasure and edging him closer to oblivion. The urge to plunge all the way in tickled his resolve, but he forced himself to keep control. He had to stay strong. Every second with her weakened him and he wanted to show Yani that a king had power over his own body and his word. He was supposed to court her properly. Not revert back to his island ways. The heat of his dick had her lips twisted up in agony. Her dewy eyes pleaded for merciful relief. He sighed knowing he would fail at restraint.

The gods inside of him watched with amused indifference and he was quite sure that Yani sensed that commanding otherworldly force. Her body definitely reacted to it. He wiggled his hips and her pussy contracted and squirted a drizzle of fluid that leaked onto his length. N'Jadaka kissed her and his tongue teased her mouth, drawing out scattered pants and mewling sounds. She squirmed and reached out to hold his shoulders, but he shifted back and pulled out of her entrance.

A king didn't need to play around in a pool.

He tongued her down properly, fingered her clit, spreading her wetness around, and helped her climax on his hand.

"Stay with me tonight," he said after she stopped shaking.

"People will talk."

"People are already talking about us. That can't be helped."

"I don't want our children to be confused… but I want to… I really do."

"We can have them stay with Grandpop. In the morning we can have breakfast together in my quarters and see them off to school."

Her hesitation felt more for his sake than hers. The king of Wakanda sneaking around the palace with the mother of his children sat in her cautious eyes. They both wanted to make love, not gossip. The public had accepted his domestic situation, however, there were still Udaku protocols about relations with royals. Technically, since Yani wasn't his wife, she would be looked on as a consort if they started a regular sexual liaison. Ramonda would find the need to keep it private and discrete. Umama and Baba Z would want a public formal courtship ending in a betrothal march. Grandpop would want more grandbabies.

He walked out of the water using the steps and lifted Yani to her feet. He kissed her again and palmed her ass cheeks. They filled his hands and made his dick spill more pre-cum onto her belly.

"Come with me," he said, pulling her toward the entrance.

"We have to shower and dress first," she said.

He let her saunter in front of him and he spanked both her ass cheeks. The dimpling on her backside and thighs had him cement hard. They stepped into the showers and warm jet sprays doused them. Rinsing away mineral water and sweat, N'Jadaka turned to look at Yani and she dropped to her knees and took his dick in her hot mouth.

"You like this, your highness?" she asked, with her lips pressed against his frenulum.

"You're starting trouble already," he groaned, rubbing her freshly cropped hair.

She slurped and sucked and stared at him, pleasing the king.

"Suck Daddy's dick," he moaned.

Yani sucked on his dick with such care that his legs wobbled to keep balance. She grazed her lips across his tip and played with his slit, swallowing pre-cum and playing with his balls. Her sensual touches and kisses served him the way he wanted to be catered to.

But playtime was over. He needed to cum in his woman. Needed her thick thighs and legs up in the air with his balls pounding against her fat ass. A king deserved exquisite pussy and he wanted to hear his ancient bed squeak with his thrusts into her. She hadn't had her ass cheeks clapped properly in four years. Her pussy was made for his royal dick. A princess required king things on his level.

He sensed nervousness from her.

She slurped on his erection and throated him down to his balls, and yet Yani was afraid of what he could do to her after all those years and as a new man. Her fingers played in the thick bushy pubic hairs that surrounded his heavy erection. He held the back of her head to help guide her mouth work. Pulling out from between her lips, she expected him to cum all over her face. He denied her that honor.

The king of Wakanda was going to cum deep inside of her.

In her pussy.

In her ass.

And all down her throat.

"Get dressed," he ordered, reaching for his robes after drying off.

Yani tumbled back onto her feet in a daze. He rubbed on her backside as she fastened her top, slipping two fingers in her pussy from the back. Licking his fingers before clasping her hand in his, he pulled her out of the poll room. His dick tented his clothing and he didn't care if the guards saw it. In the private elevator, he rubbed against Yani and she was already lost to anticipation, writhing against him. She was surprised to arrive at his home through his elaborate bedroom.

"This elevator was for concubines to secretly come up and please the king," he said.

Yani didn't like the sound of that. He smirked.

"Looks like you'll be my first," he teased.

She didn't like that either.

"I'm a princess," she said, stepping into the splendor of decadent bedroom furniture.

His round bed was on an elevated platform hidden behind beautiful ethereal red drapes. She took in all the artwork, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking parts of the royal garden and grand river with a serene smile. Darkness had fallen and blanketed the sky with lavish twinkling stars. He started a fire in the fireplace and lit romantic scented candles around the bedroom giving a sensual ambiance. Yani spun around to admire more of the fixtures and antiques from the thirteenth century.

"This is amazing. It doesn't even seem to be a bedroom but a whole living space," she said.

"Come here," he said, holding out his hand.

She kicked off her shoes and padded over to him with slow steps. Without his asking, she undressed him, folding each garment and placing it on a small wooden smoking chair in front of the fireplace. Firelight danced in her sultry eyes, and she took her time relieving him of clothing. When she finished, he took his time undressing her, fondling a breast and her rump as he did. She was perfect. He gently patted her vulva and the heat down there was ready for him. Yani turned away and wandered over to his giant bed, climbing onto it and opening her legs for him. She rubbed on her clit, beckoning him to kiss her there again. He obliged her offering, grateful to watch her open her silky folds and finger her pussy. She was still nervous, the enormity of what they were about to do making the room feel heavy. He buried his face in her folds, licking and kissing, but the king in him took over and he mounted her like royalty had down for centuries in that bed when it was time to get down to business. He thumbed her clit with a gentle caress and watched her pussy contract rhythmically.

"You want the king?" he asked.

She had to know his intent. Taking him inside of her once more would change the world again. Their union would solidify her place by his side. If she had any doubts about him still, he wanted to give her time and grace to leave of her own volition.

"I want you, N'Jadaka," she said with a throaty declaration.

So be it.

Chapter 68 HERE.

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[uzumaki-rebellion]

Soon come..."King Killmonger: The Golden Jaguar" Chapter 11

Summary:

N'Jadaka frantically searches for Yani as she meets with the oracle to receive a mystical message about their future.

[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 4, Chapter 68″

Need to catch up? Masterlist HERE.

"You gave me a shoulder when I needed it You showed me love when I wasn't feeling it You helped me fight when I was giving in And you made me laugh when I was losing it

'Cause you are, you are The reason why I'm still hanging on 'Cause you are, you are The reason why my head is still above water"

Kina – "Get You The Moon"

Yani's heart thumped with erratic beats that nearly burst through her chest. Her thighs rested around N'Jadaka's waist and he peered down at her like a heavenly being studying his creation. The air in her mouth turned into a dry shortness of breath, and the percussive castanet rhythm of the blood pumping through her veins frightened her.

She wanted to lay with him. Yearned for the closeness of their bodies intertwining like sacred vines that would never separate in a garden of love that only they could make. The bed was set up like an enchanted canopy with a four-corner post that surrounded the round bed with gauzy red fabric drapes studded with tiny crystal lights that matched the twinkling of the stars outside in the sky. High above the cast-metal headboard decorated with fluffy red satin pillows, a woven wall-sized tapestry graced her eyes. Ancient Wakandan script told of a blessing poem, and her study of the language helped her decipher most of it. The bed they were sharing was called a loving bed, and the tapestry promised prosperity, love, and fecundity to all who slept there. Spiral shapes and delicate images of fire, air, water, and earth watched over them.

N'Jadaka sensed her anxious hesitation and his searing eyes turned tender as they used to when he knew she was nervous about something. He crawled over her and pulled back the thick duvet and sheets, inviting her to slip under them with him. She did so, moving carefully until she was curled into him, her face resting on his chest with his left arm cradling her close. Yani felt her heart thumping harder against his chest and he kissed her forehead to ease her mind. She stood on a precipice with him and looking down into the depths, Yani could make out a possible future with him that would have no turning back. Her years of raising their children alone had changed her into a woman who wanted to make better decisions in her life. Choosing to join with a king would shift her future choices considerably. The Udakus did not play about their offspring's partnerships. N'Jadaka had messed up the nature of their established protocols, but if he was to choose her in front of the world permanently, that meant the clan would expect marriage. She could become a Queen Consort and her role in the palace would dictate the rest of her life. They could restrict her work as a doctor. She'd have to take instruction from the elders like her children did that taught them their roles as heirs and royalty.

Shaking her head, she lifted a finger and traced around his right nipple, her mind racing with scenarios of what could happen if she made love to him. N'Jadaka was possessive in the past, and his assertive personality seemed more enhanced since his return to the palace. Spending the day with the family in a formal public setting taught her quickly how every single movement she made was watched, especially in how she interacted with him. Before heading to the pool to meet him in private, she had already witnessed the local news vids splashing images of them holding hands and hugging up next to each other. It was deemed salacious to the older Wakandans who expected pious behavior in public.

N'Jadaka was also under a lot of pressure. He kept most of his work private, but she knew he dealt with a lot on his plate. There were probably more responsibilities that he wasn't even prepared to handle, despite his intelligence and experience. He remained stoic and professional in the public eye, nurtured his children, assisted Disa and Twyla with their work, and went home alone to only work late into the night. He never made time for himself except for the lone walks in the royal garden. She caught him there twice during her stay in the palace. He never saw her because his brooding face stayed distracted with constant thoughts and she watched him from a distance. Sometimes he smoked a cigar. Sometimes he drank an amber liquid from a round glass and stared at the moonless sky. He looked lonely and not at peace with the world.

His hand drifted over the curve in her hip and he kneaded her backside, his fingers grazing against the soft separation of her ass cheeks. Under the heavy covers, his dick nudged her wrist with its hard heat.

They didn't speak, only held one another, listening to their mutual breathing, and gingerly shifting an arm or leg for comfort. Being there with him was going to be much bigger than being with him back on the island. He was a real-life king. A ruler of over six million people. Wakanda was the richest and most powerful nation in the world, and the man in complete control of it was rubbing on her booty and kissing her forehead. Yani never dreamed that she would be in the position she was in. Wakanda still felt unreal to her.

He played with her nipple and she leaned back so his fingers could fondle both breasts. She watched him stare at his own fingers pinching and circling her nipples. His breathing became slightly ragged. He licked his lips as his fingers trailed down her midsection and groaned "Oh… fuck," when he dipped eager digits into her drenched folds. He hissed as if her opening scorched his exploration.

His gentle insertion only went about an inch, just enough to touch the slippery wetness coating her walls under her clit. He knew how to manipulate her sensitive insides without the coarse erratic jamming that most men did to her in the past. The king took his time and investigated every part that led into her deeper with a teasing quality that set her on edge. When he inched back to her clit again, she pulled back the covers more and lowered her head to suck on the head of his dick. It stretched her lips and stuffed her mouth, already making her jaws ache with the effort to please him. He tasted earthy… salty…sweeter when she flicked her tongue-tip into his slit where pre-cum dribbled into her mouth clear and sticky.

N'Jadaka stared at her mouth work, poking his lips out the moment she traced her tongue along the underside of his length. She sprinkled tiny kisses around the thick ridge of his frenulum, tickling it while licking warm saliva down the center. Popping the head into her mouth, she sucked on it slowly, letting her tastebuds give it plenty of friction and tension with the constant fondling of his balls.

"Damn… Yani… baby…"

"Yes, your highness," she said.

She made her eyes look coquettish and innocent the way he liked her to look when she sucked on that big meat. There was something illicit to him staring at her while she pretended to not know why he was panting and moaning her name. The direct eye contact with her plump lips slowly sucking his tip like a lollipop weakened him every time. He once told her she looked provocative doing it like they were about to get caught. It was the exhibitionist in her he rationalized. She fed into the scenario just the way she did when they role-played her being a wife getting caught by her husband. He enjoyed the idea of taking her from someone, it was why he nutted harder when she played a wife instead of the secret side-piece.

She rested her mouth by slapping his dick softly against her moist lips. The size of his dick against her face got him off too. Licking a throbbing vein on the side of his girth, she gave herself time to sniff the pleasing aroma of his pubic hairs. His scent was heavy with cocoa and coffee beans, a favorite body butter combo to rub all over on special occasions. Sucking his balls, she lifted them and shuffled herself between his legs to tend to them well. His sack rose up closer to his body, a sign that he was ready to release. Slowing down her attention even more, she kept her eyes on his like the sweet young thing he needed to soothe his political worries. Twirling her tongue in deliberate silky circles back up to the tip, she bobbed her head in his lap. Her slurps and tiny nibbles with her teeth made him buck his hips. He fucked her mouth with desperate thrusts, clamping her head with his hands to hold her in place. Using her hand and lips together, she pleasured him at her pace, pushing away his forceful grip and wielding all the power to tame him. N'Jadaka was the king… but she was royalty too. He made her that way and she sucked him down with the gifts of a desired pampered princess.

Smacking her lips, she pulled her mouth away from his dick and gave him a wanton stare. He gasped and his body shuddered with the change of direction with her loving. She had him in a frenzy moments before but wanted to enjoy the dizzy look of ecstasy in his eyes. Kneeling inside his thighs, she lifted her breasts and stuffed his dick between them. There was a rumble in his chest.

"Fuck!" he shouted.

Her breasts were heavier and hung a little lower which was perfect by the way he grunted and begged her for more. Pursing her lips, she rubbed her big tits up and down. The tip of his dick peaked out from her cleavage and she held her tongue above it, letting it swipe against the spongy texture.

N'Jadaka held his hand up the way he did when he wanted people to stop talking to him. It was something everyone watched out for when in proximity to him. She clutched her tits and a string of saliva dripped onto his slit.

"Let me taste you… the way I did that first time," he commanded.

His lusty gaze had her hustling to lie down on her back. He turned over and held her breasts, taking time to suck on her nipples and around her areolas. Lifting his face toward her, Yani met him halfway so they could kiss and swirl their tongues. Her pussy was swollen past normal engorgement. The deep arousal she felt seemed to spiral into her stomach and up to her throat. Every erogenous zone opened up tendrils of electrical sparks. Each place he touched her, from her earlobes to her jeweled toes, burst into fiery songs of the flesh. He woke up the erotic in her supple skin, moaning loud vibrations everywhere, and once his lips kissed her sugary wet folds that stayed parted for him, she came with a torrent of shrieks to God.

Yani mashed his face into her vulva and squeezed her thighs around his head. He gripped her hips and lapped up her release. Moaning into her opening, he accepted the nectar flowing across his tongue. She jammed her face into a pillow, whimpering his name endlessly, sweat falling into her eyes and pooling in her belly button. N'Jadaka raised himself and rubbed his dick on her sensitive folds. He lorded over her and humped Yani's mound, his perspiration raining down on her. His gold claw necklace glinted with the tiny lights on the drapes, and the shine of his smokey brown eyes burned into her soul. The head of his dick pulsed against her opening and he waited for permission to enter her depths. He dragged his loving gaze all over her body, his soft breathing expectant and raspy.

"Yani, if you're not really ready, it's okay," he said.

He rubbed his right hand across her smooth fade when she didn't answer. Moving onto his haunches, he separated from her, giving her space. She lifted to her knees and met him face-to-face. Her voice trembled as she spoke.

"I love you so much… I was hurt for so long when you came back. There's so much I want from you… I'm still finding my way in this new world but this thing with us… it never went away. I feel it… all around us. If you want me, you must treat me with the utmost respect. My love is conditional now. Our family has to come first before the nation. You wear yourself down to the bone every day and that is something I will not accept with our young children. We need more time together as a unit, doing things together away from the rest of the Udaku family," she said.

"I hear you and I will do that. But on one condition of my own."

"What's that?"

"You return to the palace with Sweet Pea and Dumplin after I come back from the States."

"Where will we stay?"

"For now, the suite you are in for the conference. This space has a private wing for royal spouses, so you'll have your own room in here after the formal courting."

She grinned.

"I like that you have to follow rules to have me," she said.

"I don't want to just have you, Yani. I want to make you my wife someday."

N'Jadaka left the bed and padded over to a dark ironwood dresser and pulled open a drawer. He lifted delicate, triple-stringed blue vibranium waist beads sprinkled with precious glittery jewels.

"I had these made after your conference speech. Been waiting to present them to you. A lot is going on and I never had a chance to pull you aside until now. Do you know what these are?"

"Not really. I see fashionable noblewomen wearing them in the city. Fancy jewelry," she said.

"My father gave some to my mother when he claimed her… that's what they call it here. You give them to the woman you want to call your own… publicly. When you wear them, the world knows you've been taken for courtship. It takes you off the market."

Yani held her cheeks with both hands.

"Will you allow me to claim you, Princess Yani Galiber?"

N'Jadaka unfastened the clasp of the waist beads and held them out to her.

"I'm on a transformative path and I want you by my side," he said.

She touched the beads, and let their elegant beauty run across her palms.

"I accept them," she said.

He nodded vigorously and his bottom lip trembled, matching the tremors in his hands as he held the offering to her. She scooted to the edge of the high bed on her knees, and he draped the beads around her waist. She raked her fingernails through his locs, knocking the high bun on the top of his head over. His locs fanned out all across his shoulders.

"Thank you," he whispered into her mouth.

She nuzzled her cheek against his and hugged him tightly.

"This is our time, hear me?" he whispered in her ear.

She nodded.

"You're precious to me. All I ever wanted to do for you was to make you happy and see to it that you and Sydette thrived, no matter if I was in the picture or not. I will spend the rest of my days making up for the pain I gave you… not just with Disa… but how I left you in St. Thomas. I thought disappearing without contact was best to protect you, but life had different plans for us. I should've stayed there—"

"No."

Yani shook her head.

"I know now that this was meant to be. You were supposed to be the king, and because of that, I can do so much for so many with my work," she said.

She wiped away tears that sprouted in her lids.

"You are a gift, King N'Jadaka. A gift to the world that needs justice and help. I will stand by you to make sure everything changes according to your plans and mine. I'm stronger…wiser, and mi have a purpose beyond that small island you found me on."

His warm full lips crashed over hers, hushing up words that didn't need to be spoken. They were united again. That's all that mattered. She accepted whatever would come to them as a couple.

"Oh!" she squealed when he lifted her like she was a tiny doll.

His strength was unbelievable with the sacred heart-shaped herb flowing deep in his veins enhancing the trace elements that were already in his DNA from his father. He slid her on his dick down to the root and her mouth shot open with a loud gasp of shock. He gripped her thick ass cheeks and thrust in and out, never giving her a second to catch her breath. The stretching of her pussy snapped her concentration onto holding his neck with a death grip. She gulped air with her mouth pressed against his temple. His balls smacked her heavy rump while the friction of his dick forced rhythmic clenching inside her pussy. The stamina of his fucking astounded her. Drowsy with lust, Yani became catatonic as she accepted his fat dick claiming her properly. She forgot how his lovemaking overwhelmed her. It was even more profound than before, blowing her mind completely.

The only noise in the room was her pussy squelching and being all gushy for his thrusts. All the panting noises she made near his ear spurred him to lift her on and off his dick with artful handling. His continuous groans made her walls quake and twitch with every swivel of his hips. He spun around and sat on the bed, and they both moved together to the center where she stayed mounted above him. N'Jadaka tucked his hands under his head and watched her wind her hips and cup her breasts. Leaning forward, she let her tits hang in his face, taking shallow thrusts from his dick. Kissing him until he withered into submission, Yani bounced on his dick, balancing her hands on his wide chest, giving him everything he'd been missing.

"Fuck me…harder baby…yessssss… like that…shit… keep doing that… so nasty with all this good pussy…"

He became delirious, thrashing his head and squeezing her breasts, pushing them together so that they made a smacking sound. She rode him well and they both listened to her ass cheeks smack against his thighs and balls. He liked having his large sack pounded by a fat ass, so she leaned in further until her face was on a pillow and her back arched higher to slam down on him better. Her king yelped and clawed the sheets.

"Yani…ah fuck… Yani…Yani… I'm finna cum…. Oh! I'm 'bout to nut all in you… you ready for me, baby?"

She leaned back and allowed him to witness all of her prowess, plucking at her nipples and wiggling her hips in achingly slow circles until he was begging her to cum on his dick at the same time as his orgasm.

"Cum on my dick… please… Yani… cum on Daddy's dick!"

His fingers slithered up her waist and tugged on her waist beads. They were so pretty on her and he seemed dazzled by them as they tinkled with a dainty sound like tiny bells. She stared into his eyes which had glazed over and turned into something different. The begging had stopped and the eyes peering up at her were his, but somehow not his at the same time. Lifting up from the bed, he smashed his chest into hers and kept still, forcing Yani to do the work while he watched her face contort with bliss. She held his shoulders and swallowed that dick with her deep pussy, startled by the sudden change in his demeanor.

"Fuck me, fuck your king," he growled.

The throaty demand gave her goosebumps. For a split second, she thought she heard two messages in the command like there was someone else controlling his body. It fired up her need to show how good she fucked. She lifted her leg and turned to face the opposite direction. Rolling her hips seductively, she learned on the fly how to make her waist beads jingle in time to her sensual fucking. Looking back at him, a shiver shot up her spine.

A powerful king glared at her with molten lust.

He smacked her ass, rubbed, squeezed it, and demanded that she show out for him. It felt like a waterfall of sweat poured down her back, but she had something to prove. She was his woman. The one he claimed and beaded. He grunted and groaned watching her perform magic with her backside and pussy. She gave him king things.

"Lemme clap them cheeks," he said, palming her rump and pushing her forward until she was sucking on the duvet mewling and whimpering that she couldn't take anymore.

He spanked her ass several times, correcting her position with his palm on the arch of her back, forcing her head down even lower and her ass up higher. He grabbed her left arm and held it behind her back for balance.

"Shit!" he gasped.

The clapping sounds were so loud.

"You miss this dick?" he asked.

"Yes!" she shouted, pressing her lips into a thin line to hold back her whimpering.

"Cum on it then," he said, tugging on her arm gently. "Cum for your king."

He pushed his thumb in her ass and the nerve endings came alive with the added pressure of her pussy stuffed with so much dick. She rubbed her swollen clit to gauge how much more she could take without crying for mercy. He didn't give her enough time to figure it out. His dick swelled inside her tight walls and she reveled in the long hot spurts that warmed up her pussy. With a twist of her hip, she let go and throbbed all over his girth, making another wet mess to match the one he flooded her with. She didn't have time to come down from the high of milking his dick, he had already pushed into her ass making her belly tumble. He palmed both sides of her ass and plunged in a few more inches and stopped to let her get used to it again. She needed the gentle acclimation and soon enough they were back into their groove. He smothered his body all over her, mashing her into the mattress, his mouth pressed into the shell of her ear talking the nastiest love talk she had ever heard from him. Every stroke made her gasp for air to find words that never formed completely in her mouth to answer him back.

"Letting me fuck you in your ass again… such a good girl…pleasing your king so much tonight. We need to do some more practicing so I can go balls deep next time," he said.

She loved it. Loved how he moved inside of her. His dick felt even harder, ready to go all night, and she would give him everything. He gave her long probing wet kisses and the weight of his body locked her down. Their tongues slid together in sensual harmony.

"Fuck that dick… ooh shit, I'm almost all up in there… love fucking you in the ass, Ma…"

He caressed her breasts and enjoyed himself, giving her more than she could handle, pushing her to go further with him. His voice hitched and she prepared to receive fresh hot cum.

"Baba! You in there?"

They both froze at the sound of Riki's voice outside the bedroom door.

"Shit," N'Jadaka muttered under his breath.

His dick throbbed in her ass expecting to shoot off another thick nut. Cum already spewed out from her pussy and soaked the duvet. Small fists pounded on the door.

"Baba? What are you doing?" Riki called out.

N'Jadaka tapped his kimoyo beads and they saw all three of their children standing outside. Their night nanny waited downstairs on the third level holding three small jackets for the moon deck.

"I'm waking up Lil Man. I overslept," N'Jadaka yelled back.

"Open the door, I wahn come in! We have to go see the fireworks!"

"Go downstairs and wait for me. I'll get dressed real quick…okay?" N'Jadaka said.

"Baba, is Mama in there with you?" Sydette asked.

"Um…"

"Her kimoyos say she's here," Sydette said.

"Hurry up, Baba, the ice cream will melt," Joba shouted from behind the heavy wooden double doors.

"Your Mama is sleep, and I'm reading a book," N'Jadaka said.

Yani jammed her mouth into the covers to keep from laughing out loud. N'Jadaka's erection pulsed inside her ass. He was reading a book alright.

"Why won't the door open?" Riki whined, jiggling the doorknob.

"He never keeps the door locked," Sydette said.

"I'll wake Mama up and we'll see you guys in a minute," N'Jadaka said.

N'Jadaka tapped his kimoyo and little feet shuffled away. He proceeded to finish his pleasuring, humping on Yani with urgent purpose, his tongue tickling her ear with the explicit language she expected from him when he was ready to bust hard. She was ready to be baptized with creamy cum.

"I'ma nut all in this big—"

"Baba, open the door!"

Riki hadn't left the bedroom door.

Yani snorted and Riki heard her.

"Mama, you up?"

"I'm up Dumplin. Go on and wait with your sisters like Baba asked you to," Yani said.

"I'll wait here. Baba… are you dressed yet?"

N'Jadaka grumbled in Yani's ear so that only she heard him.

"Baba is about to nut in ya Mama boy, go away," N'Jadaka whispered to Yani.

Yani smacked his arm and chortled, and N'Jadaka's voice hitched. She looked back at him and the man had gritted his teeth. There was a wild look in his eyes as he pounded her.

"Soundproof the room," she whispered to him.

"I can't, this part of the palace is older and doesn't have soundproofing. I haven't installed it yet since I moved in," he huffed.

His controlled exertion turned her on more. Trying to stay quiet intensified their lovemaking. Slowing his strokes had him whimpering to hide his moans from his son. It was too soon for the children to know they were having relations on that level in a bedroom together before the formal announcement of their courting.

The patter of Riki's feet finally left the door and N'Jadaka pressed his forehead on the duvet next to her face.

"You feel so good… ooh… fuck me, Daddy. I need your cum in my ass. Show me I'm your woman… show me you love me," she purred.

A roar burst from his throat as he exploded in her ass, soaking her deep. His dick kept throbbing and pushing out cum until he collapsed on her back.

"That was fucking insane, Yani…goddamn you know how to make a man nut hard!"

He jiggled her right ass cheek before smacking it hard. Pulling her toward him, he kissed her, groaning as he did it. He fell onto his back and stared up at the high ceiling to collect himself.

"Shit, I don't know if I can do that formal courting now with all the chaperones… I'ma want you every night after this," he said.

Yani lifted onto her knees and sat back on her heels. Fingering her waist beads, she realized she was in total control of his passions for the rest of his life. By giving her the beads, tradition held that his family would enforce the rules of royal courtship. The Wakandan public would eat it up and N'Jadaka would have to fall in line to please the people. She symbolically had him by the dick. Giggling, she covered her mouth to keep from outright laughing at him.

"What?" he said, still gulping for calming breath.

His dick remained stiff. Her sticky juices made his pubic hair shiny. She decided to push him over the cliff for good. There was one thing he loved doing to women when he was sexual and wanted to show dominance. Stepping off the bed, Yani dropped to her knees in front of it. She batted her lashes and placed her hands on her thighs. N'Jadaka was already up and sitting on the edge, stroking himself, his eyes raking all over the submissive stance. She widened her thick thighs so he could see her smooth brown mound and fleshy folds better. Her king stood up, fisting under the head of his dick, his pupils blown, his lips curled into a seductive sneer. His aura filled the entire bedroom and the hairs on her arms rose up as he stared at her.

"Open your mouth… stick that tongue out…"

She obeyed and tilted her head back. He fondled her right breast and shoved the head of his dick against her tongue. Stroking and twisting under his frenulum, his eyes narrowed as a surge of pleasure flowed over him.

Hot ropes of cum drenched her face. Long creamy white lines coated her tongue and he stepped back, aiming his bulbous tip, his slit opening and spurting more of his powerful release. He shouted her name, loud enough to make the sound echo in the room. N'Jadaka's semen blessed him with ownership over her lush form in her submissive pose. But they both knew the truth. She owned him body and soul.

"Yani… fuck… Yani…"

He babbled her name, his orgasm making his thick dick jump in his hand. She blinked a few times to avoid getting hit in the eyes, but he kept cumming until he staggered and hit the bed with the back of his thighs. He threw his head back and exhaled with a rush of jagged air.

Yani ran her hands up his legs and thighs until she rested them on his hard belly.

"We need to go," she said.

He lifted her up and took her to his master bedroom's bathing room. Showering together quickly, he dried up first and changed his clothes.

"I'll take the kids down to the moon deck. You can sneak over to your suite and change," he said.

She kissed him while drying off, and he left the bedroom quickly to save face with their children.

Chapter 69 HERE.

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[uzumaki-rebellion]

Soon come... “Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 4, Chapter 67″

Summary:

Wakanda celebrates Mama Wati in Birnin S’Yan and N’Jadaka realizes Namor has sent a spy to the coast.

[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 4, Chapter 66″

Masterlist HERE.

"Woke up this mornin' Found my peace of mind And finally I can say to you That I, feel good this mornin' No, I can't deny So finally, I can lay with you And feel, feel the pleasure Finally do what lovers do, with you, babe Ride for two Don't you know, oh So we, can roam all we want to, yeah"

Terrace Martin – "This Morning"

Feathered serpent god.

N'Jadaka squinted at the words on his comm tab. Shuri dug up more profound history once she knew what the leader of the Talokanil called himself.

"They are a Mesoamerican culture," Shuri said. "Yucatec Maya to be exact."

"Indigenous," N'Jadaka said, reading Shuri's notes.

"Yes. Central America roots…located here…"

She highlighted a map for him inside his office and tapped her kimoyo.

"Griot, send over enhanced images from the second file of apocryphal texts," Shuri said.

Shuri's A.I.'s voice sounded chirpy and bright.

"Files sent, princess," the Griot said.

He tapped the images that blinked into view and Mesoamerican pyramid structures were highlighted along with pictographs. T'Challa read the same notes and contemplated the significance just as N'Jadaka did. Shuri's excited tone couldn't change the somber mood he was in. Several cabinet members grumbled about the potential costs after two weeks of grueling work with the diaspora delegates. For some reason, his declaration to view their role as helping to subsidize existing grass-roots non-GMOs fell on willfully closed ears. He was accused of creating a welfare state on the popular Wakandan news shows that were deeply conservative.

As for the delegates, they came to the realization that N'Jadaka did not plan to save all Black people in the world. He was a big proponent of believing people when they showed him who they were, and too many Black people were unworthy of saving when they harmed their own people. As his older cousin Junie was fond of saying, Noah didn't take everyone on the ark, and Moses left some triflin' niggas in the desert. Everybody didn't want to be free on the outside. Even Harriet Tubman knew that.

As the king, he had to push forth the best plan since T'Challa revealed them to the world. His original plan of being subversive and swift had to be changed. The world watched everything they did and he couldn't go in swinging like he originally plotted the moment he ruled Wakanda. It was a grave mistake on T'Challa's part. He didn't hold it against his cousin. T'Challa was swayed by Nakia and her heart was in the right place.

But N'Jadaka knew better.

So did K'uk'ulkan.

Hiding the truth of their power was the winning hand, and they had lost it in N'Jadaka's absence. The Talokan leader rode the same wave he did. Hit the enemy in stealth with coordinated attacks that disrupted the system of exploitation. Wakandan War Dogs were their only secret weapon at the present moment. He would have to Trojan Horse his way around the globe carefully.

"He calls himself a god, although he is a mutant. I wonder if he is a tyrant," T'Challa said.

N'Jadaka loaded recorded images from the Sea Leopard.

"Look at that," N'Jadaka said, making the image of the second American ship freeze.

He pulled up another image of the Talokanil underwater, gliding over the dead sailors they lured into the sea.

"Underwater they have brown skin… but above the water, they're blue," N'Jadaka observed.

"Not K'uk'ulkan," Shuri said. "Because he's a mutant, he seems to be able to breathe above and below. His people wear masks to breathe while climbing up the ship. There must be a biochemical reaction in their skin that changes when they come into contact with air."

"So… his warriors do have a weakness above the surface," T'Challa said.

"They appear stronger than regular humans," Erik said watching the replay of blue men and women rappelling up the sides of the targeted ship.

"Five hundred years ago the Yucatec Maya were invaded by the Spanish," Shuri said.

"Nothing here mentions people with blue skin," T'Challa said.

"Their color switches instantly in the water… see?" N'Jadaka said.

He pointed to Talokanil warriors dropping back into the ocean making sure enemy soldiers were dead.

"They must be an evolutionary offshoot of the original people on the land," Shuri said.

"I agree. The little that we have about them here doesn't explain any underwater people," N'Jadaka said. "They turned into another Wakanda… hid for centuries."

"Their vibranium must be underwater with them. K'uk'ulkan is the protector of his people like the Black Panther is to us. His mutant powers enabled him to become a god to them," T'Challa said.

Shuri looked away from her brother and pressed her lips together, holding her tongue.

"What?" N'Jadaka asked when he noticed.

Shuri froze an image of K'uk'ulkan where they could see him clearly with lights from the Sea Leopard.

"His powers… the way he moved and acted… his total bearing is God-like. Look at this closer," Shuri said.

She enlarged a Maya hieroglyph.

"Griot, translate the logograms and phonograms for the passage," Shuri said.

"Yes, princess," Griot said.

The glyphs were shuffled and changed colors to match Wakandan glyphs.

"Ready, princess," Griot said.

Shuri opened up a digitized copy of a Spanish journal.

"The Maya described their gods with all their attributes throughout the thirteenth century and beyond. Look at this face… and now look at this sketch in the Spanish colonizer's journal. Does that not look like him in both images?" Shuri asked.

"Maya glyphs are hard to distinguish against a regular face because the writing is highly stylized," T'Challa said.

"But the regal bearing, brother. Tell me that isn't him," Shuri said.

N'Jadaka compared the journal sketch of a flying, dark-eyed man carrying a spear with the images recorded on the Sea Leopard.

"No way that's him," N'Jadaka said.

"He is a mutant. Longevity may be another trait he has. I say that's him. The journal is dated from the early eighteenth century. Around the time our greatest grandmother Queen Shuriyah traveled out of the country to explore the world."

N'Jadaka stared at Shuri and pondered her words. She continued.

"I have a theory that our people met the Talokanil hundreds of years ago. How else would he know how to speak our language without translator buds? I would dare say he's had centuries to learn about us. Maybe a pact originated way back then. We have all these myths and legends from other cultures written in the old and even our forbidden texts. There had to be contact. Very few people know Wakandan fluently outside our borders," Shuri said.

Her eyes searched for agreement between her brother and him.

"Interesting theory," T'Challa said.

"That drawing has to be a relative of his," N'Jadaka pushed.

"They look the same to me," Shuri said. "And don't forget. Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers have ages that do not match how they look."

"A super serum did that," T'Challa said.

"So why do you both not think his mutant DNA is capable of prolonging life for centuries?" Shuri challenged.

"It doesn't really matter if that man is five hundred years old or younger. He is a potential threat to us if we don't move carefully. All we know is that he's not interested in anything on land that doesn't bother him. That's good enough for me. My responsibility is to keep this country safe and help the people we care about outside our borders. Everyone else can fuck around and find out for themselves about the Talokanil," N'Jadaka said.

"Will you tell the council of elders about them?" T'Challa asked.

"No. This stays with us and our military."

Mpilo knocked on his office door.

"The governor of Birnin Azzaria has arrived to see you," Mpilo said.

N'Jadaka checked his kimoyo. He had several private meetings scheduled to listen to the concerns of the governing bodies of all the territories.

"Send her in," N'Jadaka said.

T'Challa and Shuri exited and he welcomed a thin dark brown-skinned woman with calculating eyes. Her braided hair was twisted into an extravagant updo with a few gray strands at her temples.

"King N'Jadaka, thank you for meeting with me so early in your day. I know you are a busy man."

"Governor Hlojeg… please sit down."

She could've called him and left a message. Yani chose to see him in person instead. Her part in the conference was complete and she was due back at the hospital after the Mama Wati celebration. Wearing her best azure dress, she presented herself in public to match the spirit of the upcoming ocean holiday. The palace was decked out in colors representing the sea and lovely paper aquatic creatures decorated the halls. There were starfish, dolphins, and rainbow fish all around her and she delighted in the atmosphere that reminded her of Christmas. She carried a covered platter filled with curried chicken, peas and rice, sautéed greens, along with a generous slice of yam cornbread smothered in butter and honey.

"Hello Tlotliso," Yani said walking through the front door of the king's outer office.

Tlotliso stood up from her desk, along with two other office workers on the public relations team.

"Is he in?" Yani asked, still moving past the staff.

"Yes," Tlotliso said.

Mpilo met her in the sitting room just outside N'Jadaka's inner office.

"Princess Yani," Mpilo said.

"He busy?"

"No. His last meeting was an hour ago," Mpilo said.

Yani knocked twice, waited, knocked again, then walked inside.

N'Jadaka rested his head on his arms, sleeping heavily. His deep exhales told her he was out for a long time. A map of Wakanda floated to the right of his desk and there were piles of papers stacked high in front of him near a glass pitcher of water. She moved his folders aside to make room for the covered platter. Gazing down at him, she ran her hand over the bun of his locs. Glancing over at the couch near the window, she noticed a small blanket and pillow on the armrest. He spent more time in his office and meeting halls with his cabinet and governing body than he did in his own home. N'Jadaka worked around the clock and there were stress lines on his face on the rare times she caught a glance at him moving through the palace. She could tell by the way he carried himself that there were things troubling him that he couldn't reveal. He acted the same way he did back in St. Thomas when he dealt with Klaue.

Yani was thankful the conference was ending soon. It took up too much of his time away from his kids, and she knew he hated that. Her fingers lingered near the base of his exposed neck rubbing tender circles. He groaned in his sleep. She stopped, feeling self-conscious about touching him in that familiar way. It was like old times back home in his workroom when he became hyper-fixated on his tasks and forgot to eat or drink anything. He could work himself down to the bone and not be cognizant that he needed to take time to care for himself.

She rubbed his neck again, moving her body behind him to even her touches to his wide shoulders tucked behind a smooth black tunic. N'Jadaka's focus had always been outside of himself, working toward helping other people. He was so much like his mother, community-oriented, and often to a fault. Thinking about it, she wondered what he did for fun all by himself when no one was around him in the palace.

His body stirred under her soft fingers and he shifted his head from one arm to the other before becoming aware of her hands on him. She moved away from him as he lifted his head from the desk. Gathering focus, he glanced at his work and then noticed the covered food.

"I made you a plate of comfort food," she said.

He smiled and reached out his hand, hesitating for a moment, before caressing her arm with a gentle rub.

"Thank you," he said.

She took the seat in front of his desk and watched him uncover the food and tuck in right away. He closed his eyes and groaned louder when he tasted the curried chicken. Licking his fingers, he pulled apart the yam cornbread and took less than fifteen minutes to devour everything. Yani sat there pleased as a peach watching him enjoy her cooking while being near him for longer than a few seconds.

"Damn, Ma, you put your foot in that," he said, pushing the plate away.

She covered it back up and studied the changes in his face that good food brought him. He appeared more relaxed and poured himself some water.

"Long day?" she said.

"Yeah."

His handsome face made her squirm in the chair. Everything about him was so… kingly. His clothes. Hair. The rings on his fingers. The diamonds in his ears. His aura of power. He had those things even back in St. Thomas, but they became magnified in Wakanda. He was true royalty. Always had been.

Drawing breath into her mouth to help out her nose once she became woozy staring at him, Yani stood up. He pushed his empty glass of water next to the pitcher.

"You have more to do today. I wanted to make sure you ate something. You've been skipping family meals," she said.

His piercing gaze dropped to his desk and took in all the tasks still ahead of him. Weariness drifted across his face. Yani walked around the desk and pulled the covered plate toward the edge of his desk. He reached for a folder and she placed her hand on the top of his head.

"Slow down and take of yourself," she said.

N'Jadaka closed his eyes at her touch and leaned against her chest. She cradled him and stroked his hair.

"Maybe you should take the rest of the day off," she whispered above his head.

"I wish I could, but there's too much to take care of. One of our War Dogs in Malawi thinks he located the man who helped bomb our country. I have to deal with that once he contacts us again."

"Can't T'Challa take care of that? He's the Black Panther."

"Nah, this man tried to kill my grandparents. I will see him myself and find out who put him up to it."

"Do you ever take time for yourself to rest? And I don't mean on that couch over there."

"I sleep when I can."

"It's not good for your health or the nation."

"I'm okay."

His warm breath touched her skin through her clothes with his mouth near her right breast.

"I know you. I see you carry stress in your body. If you don't slow down, I will call the royal doctors and have them force you to rest for a week. Hear mi, man? Our children complain all the time that they only see you for lunch. You haven't told them bedtime stories in a week. Sweet Pea, Dumplin, and Sunshine need you more. T'Challa can handle anything in your absence."

He didn't answer. She looked down and his eyes were pressed shut and he was in a deep sleep again. She grinned. His son was the same way. Head against a titty… instant sleep. Yani shook him back awake. He needed to know she wanted him to take care of himself for once.

"N'Jadaka…hey…"

She stroked his cheek and he pushed into her chest more to get comfortable.

"Listen to me," she said.

Yani lifted his chin and pinched it, forcing his eyes open.

"You are doing more than you need to. A king shouldn't walk around exhausted. I will have you put on bed rest if you don't slow down."

She sucked her teeth when he tried to bury his face against her.

"I need you to be at your best—"

"Yani, I'm good—"

"You are not."

She tapped her kimoyo and contacted the royal physician that looked after all of them. N'Jadaka fretted at her power move, but she spoke to the doctor and he arrived within minutes with an assistant rolling a medical cart. Mpilo and Tlotliso hovered at the doorway when the medical staff arrived and Yani closed the door on them. N'Jadaka was moved to the couch where he was checked and given fluids. The physician, Dr. Pheko, scanned the king's vitals with a frown on his face.

"Ukumkani, you are dehydrated. Lack of sleep and overwork has taken a toll," Dr. Pheko said.

"Make him take bedrest," Yani insisted.

"I'll take the IV and have a quick power nap," N'Jadaka argued.

"No," Yani said, standing behind the doctor.

"Yani, I have shit to do and very little time—"

"You will rest," Dr. Pheko said.

Yani crossed her arms over her chest and smirked.

"For how long?" N'Jadaka said.

"Three days at the minimum based on the readings I have," Dr. Pheko said looking at his small body scanner.

"In time for the Mama Wati celebration," Yani said.

Dr. Pheko's assistant gave the king a vitamin shot and they waited an hour for the fluids to perk him back up.

"Go to your quarters and sleep King N'Jadaka."

The doctor packed up his medical equipment and left with his assistant. N'Jadaka glared at her, but she stood her ground.

"I am a medical professional. How would it look if I allowed you to keep working without saying anything?" she said.

He grumbled under his breath and a mean scowl overtook his face as he stared at his desk filled with unfinished work.

"C'mon, let's go," she said, waving her hand for him to get up.

"… unnecessary…." he muttered.

He stood at his full height and she looked up at him. A tremble went through her.

"Just coming all in here and dictating," he said.

To keep her feigned cool with his heated gaze melting her resolve, Yani went to his desk and lifted the covered platter.

"Someone has to keep boundaries or else you'll run yourself down. Won't do anyone any good then, hear mi? Stop pouting."

He poked his lips out in an exaggerated expression and headed toward the desk. She blocked him. Putting down the platter, she pushed his folders aside.

"Leave all that alone," she said.

He brushed up against her.

"I hear what you're saying, but—"

"Mpilo!" she shouted into the desk intercom.

Mpilo walked in with wide eyes. Yani grabbed N'Jadaka's hand and pulled him next to her.

"Cancel all of his appointments for the rest of the day… and the next two. King N'Jadaka is under the doctor's orders to go home. Please contact T'Challa and Shuri to let them know he will not be disturbed."

"Yes, Princess Yani," Mpilo said.

Yani dragged N'Jadaka behind her.

"Please have the platter on his desk delivered to the palace kitchen staff on my behalf," she said.

"Yes, princess," Mpilo said, rushing to retrieve it.

N'Jadaka's hand felt cool and clammy in hers. The rest of his staff watched them leave and the Kingsguard, along with his Doras followed them onto the elevator. He waved the Onyx Squad away with the others leaving only Aneka and Noxolo with them on his private floor.

"The king will rest for the next three days," Yani told his Doras.

N'Jadaka opened up his home and Yani admired the interior. It was her first time there. Her children described the layout to her before and she sought out the stairs.

"Yani, I'm home now. You can relax," he said.

He pulled away from her and headed to a plush couch with a gorgeous view of the city skyline.

"Let me at least bring you some water… that way?" she asked, seeking the kitchen.

He nodded and she cruised through the spacious living room. It took her a moment to figure out the set-up of his dishes and glasses. She grabbed an orange from a bowl and placed it on a saucer first, before pouring him room temperature water into a tall glass.

"Here," she said.

He placed the fruit and water on an end table and leaned back on the couch.

"You look better," she said.

"Food and extra liquids. Nothing serious," he said.

"No working from home," she said, turning away from him.

"Yani…"

She stopped walking and took a breath. Pivoting around, she stood in front of him.

"Thank you for checking on me," he said.

"Call me if you need anything or if you want to talk to the children before they go to bed… if you're awake later."

"Does Grandpop still have them?"

"They've gone to the children's play with Ramonda at the city theater."

N'Jadaka grimaced.

"Shit… I was supposed to meet them there. Got my schedule mixed up," he said.

"Don't worry, I already told them you would probably be too busy to go tonight because you're getting everything ready for Mama Wati's day. They are more excited about that than anything."

"They get to swim in the ocean," he said.

He glanced at the skyline and a flicker of concern crinkled his forehead. His mind was already fixating on something else and not resting. She touched him above his brow to smooth the creases in his skin. He tilted his head back.

"Stop thinking about work."

"It's hard not to."

His gaze held her. She touched his nose ring and then traced the outline of his lips with a soft fingertip. Lowering her head, she brushed her lips against his. Her stomach fluttered with uncertainty and her heart galloped in her chest. N'Jadaka leaned into the kiss, his gentle mouth giving in to her advances. She parted her lips and slid her tongue against his. He welcomed the exploration. Yani pulled back when she sensed hesitation on his part. His eyes pooled with sorrowful tears and he bit his bottom lip to keep his face from crumbling.

She pressed her cheek against his and a hot tear streaked against her skin from his face. Wiping away a tear from the other side of his nose, she cooed soft words of forgiving endearments for what he couldn't say out loud. She sat on his lap, held the side of his face toward her, and kissed him again. He asserted himself more the second time around and all she could think with pure bliss was that he belonged to her. The king of Wakanda was hers to take.

Yani wanted him.

She weathered the storm and made it through to the other side of the journey a little bruised, but wiser with her maturity. She left him, created a boundary for herself, and held onto an expectation of respect that he had to follow. Yani took pride in that. No man would ever disregard her feelings ever again.

N'Jadaka put his heart on the table again, and she could choose to put hers next to it, or stay where she was in her home and pursue her work and parental responsibilities. She didn't need a man. But she wanted him back. Forever. She broke away from his lips and nuzzled her nose against his neck to smell his scent. He kissed her cheek and under her chin, his beard tickling her as his lips painted more kisses on her. She stroked his hair as he unstitched her nerves, his aura flooding her senses like a rush of powerful wind flowing over her.

Yani sucked his tongue. The tickling sensation in her panties turned into a heavy throbbing in her pussy. Their wet tongues collided and slid around slowly. She gasped when his right hand went around her hip and gripped her ass cheek to hold her tight against him. Yani went limp in his arms and he rested her against the soft armrest to support her head and neck. He nibbled on her bottom lip playfully before plunging his tongue back into her mouth. Her left leg shook, and he held her in place. She moaned in his mouth and he groaned when she shifted her backside on his lap.

She started kissing him with her tongue flattened against his mouth, licking his full lips and sucking them too. He went up for air and wiped the dampness from his forehead. His body heat soaked through to her and she burned all over with libidinous desire. He ran his fingers along her neck, nibbled her earlobe, and whispered her name in her ear making her tingle all over. Her folds were puffy and her pussy felt like it was wide open ready to receive the stiff dick jutting through his dark crotch-drop pants. They hid nothing from her. He adjusted himself and shifted her on his lap so that her heavy rump covered it from view. N'Jadaka kept kissing and her pussy grew wetter and soaked her panties. He licked the seam of her lips and thrust his tongue into her ear making her tremble more.

"I know you feel how hard my dick is," he said.

Yani dropped her head back trying to catch her breath. She wanted him to touch her. N'Jadaka only kissed and licked…sucked and teased her neck, ears, and lips. Her dress bunched up between her thighs and she willed herself to not rub on her clit which was swollen and ready to be kissed too. Grinding her ass in his lap, she welcomed more physical contact from him. His eyes narrowed full of lust and he groaned deep in his throat at the softness of her backside pressed on top of his covered dick. She noticed his mouth go lax and he panted a soft gust of breath. Was he about to cum? He smashed his lips against hers and snuggled his tongue back inside her mouth, the wet warmth and guttural moans from him sending her over. She whimpered in desperate pleasure as her walls throbbed in release, his kissing pulling out a big, messy orgasm that wouldn't stop until he gasped into her neck.

"Yani, baby… we gotta stop…"

He wrapped his arms around her and listened to her breathing return to normal. Kissing her temple, he cradled her face with his strong hands.

"I want to do this right," he said.

"How?"

"I was supposed to come back to you like this… ready to make love to you and make up for all those years I was gone. Let me… let me court you the way they do it in Wakanda. I want to show you that I'm worth it this time in a formal way. Will you let me?"

"Yes."

"Good. We'll go slow… get to know each other again the way we should've."

He rested his cheek on her breasts and she rubbed his neck.

"I love you, Yani."

Yani closed her eyes and a shudder went through her. Words meant things, but actions mattered more. She would allow him to court her and prove his worthiness to have her in his life again. Sighing, she rode the pulsing sensations in her clit. Being physical with him brought up so much yearning for more. He looked at her from his position.

"You came, didn't you?" he teased.

She playfully slapped his forehead.

"I could tell. Shit, I was ready to bust myself," he said.

He sat up and checked his pants. Back to normal. Standing, he held out his hands to her. She took them and he pulled her to her feet.

"I'm going to my bedroom to sleep. Can we have a late breakfast together here? You can check up on me… play doctor if you want," he said.

"I am a doctor, silly."

"I know. You can make sure I'm hydrated. I'll stay in bed all day tomorrow and we can have trays brought up with all kinds of food. I think you'll be impressed with my bedroom."

"That sounds very naughty and not in alignment with formal courting."

"We won't be naked… unless you want to be naked. I have no problem with that. Alternative healing is a thing."

"How about you rest by yourself and I'll bring all the kids to see you for dinner. We can eat here with you and they'll tell you stories for bedtime."

"Deal."

"Okay then."

He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight, N'Jadaka."

"Goodnight, Yani."

He spanked her backside and then held her hand to walk her to his front door.

"You were right. I needed to take a step back," he said when they reached the entrance.

"I have never steered you wrong, my king."

"I like how you say that."

His eyes looked glassy and far away like he was imagining her saying that in an illicit situation.

"Remember… respectable. I am a princess and you will treat me as such," she said.

"I'm glad you came to see me today. I feel blessed. I mean that, Ma."

"Get to bed."

He swept his arms around her waist and lifted her onto her toes. Her body responded to his touch again and she fought to make herself leave his home. The way he looked at her should've made her combust, but she kept it together long enough to get away.

Outside of his front door, she made no eye contact with anyone, not even the Kingsguard assigned to escort Yani to her guest quarters. They would see the bright arousal in her eyes and know all of her nasty thoughts about their king.

Her king.

She grinned in the elevator. He was earning his way back, little by little.

Chapter 67 HERE.

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[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 4, Chapter 64″

Need to catch up? You know you do for this long-running epic series. Masterlist HERE.

"Oh, let the sun beat down upon my face And stars fill my dream I'm a traveler of both time and space To be where I have been To sit with elders of the gentle race This world has seldom seen They talk of days for which they sit and wait All will be revealed"

Led Zeppelin – "Kashmir"

Llotliso met N'Jadaka at the entrance of his expansive office. She handed him a cup of red tea.

"They are waiting for you inside your inner office, King N'Jadaka," Tlotliso said.

"T'Challa, Nakia, and Shuri will be here soon. Show them in the minute they arrive. This is off the record, too," he said sweeping past her.

He drank the tea and stepped into his private think chamber. Yoneli and Sizani stood and watched him stride toward his chair.

"Sit, please," he said, holding out his hand.

"This must be serious to call us in without the elders," Yoneli said.

N'Jadaka stared at them a long time before leaning forward.

"How close is Wakanda with the Atlanteans?" he asked.

Sizani glanced at Yoneli.

"Has something happened?" Sizani asked.

"Answer my question," he said.

He kept his voice curt.

Yoneli mirrored his body language and leaned forward too.

"They are not Atlanteans. That is what the outsiders call them," Yoneli said.

"Captain…" Sizani said with an agitated breath.

"He is our new ruler. King T'Chaka is dead," Yoneli said.

"But the truce—"

"What truce?" N'Jadaka asked.

A knock at the door broke his attention.

"Come in," N'Jadaka said.

Tlotliso opened the door letting T'Challa, Nakia, and Shuri enter quickly.

"Tell us everything," N'Jadaka said.

Yoneli looked at everyone in the room, then lowered her eyes.

"Wakanda and the Talokan people have a truce to not speak of one another… ever," Yoneli said.

"Talokan?" N'Jadaka said.

"That is what they call themselves. In the ancient fables, there are texts written about people living under the seas of other lands. There was a skirmish two decades ago between our nations. We were doing aquatic warcraft tests far out in the Atlantic Ocean and they came to the surface to confront us. King T'Chaka ended the possibility of war by framing a truce that would keep both of our countries a secret as long as we respected their domain and avoided crossing the waters at particular coordinates. They do not want to be found, nor do they want to interact with surface dwellers."

"Who is their leader?"

"King T'Chaka met with someone alone away from the battle cruiser after your family escaped. We were only told that those people would stay below the surface unless they were threatened again," Yoneli said.

"They have underwater structures to live so deep?" T'Challa asked.

"Those people breathe the water. I only saw two who came to the surface," Yoneli said.

"What did they look like?" N'Jadaka said.

Sizani spoke up.

"Blue… they had blue skin. Wore very little clothing and had strong-looking bodies. The men I saw riding whales… they wore water masks…to help them breathe above the surface."

"Are they human?" N'Jadaka asked.

"Yes. At least they looked human. We traded soldiers so that King T'Chaka could go speak to their leader. We kept two of their people on the battle cruiser."

"Are they advanced like us?" Shuri asked.

Shuri was already on her kimoyo swiping through ancient texts looking for mentions of a hidden sea people. Atlantis was what N'Jadaka grew up with. He was curious to know what his ancestors called them.

"King T'Chaka returned to us with the edict that we would not mention seeing them or interacting with their kind. If the outside world ever became aware of them, our country was to remain silent," Yoneli said.

"But T'Chaka started flapping his gums about them when he became a bigger political player… T'Challa, what do you know about them?"

"My father only spoke of attacks when he engaged the U.N. and their troubles encountering them," T'Challa said. "I was never told about a truce or a meeting with them long ago. But he did say there was a growing problem after he began a long tour of America. That is when he started warning the world about messing with unseen forces without diplomacy. He was big on uniting other nations in peace. I didn't understand why he cared to mingle with the U.N. so much. Before he was assassinated, the attacks that were attributed to the Talokans…"

"Talokanil," Shuri said.

She presented a page from an old text on her kimoyo beads.

"There isn't much here. I will search for more," Shuri said. "The writing here tells of several fabled cultures outside the continent, and the Talokanil are mentioned in passing."

N'Jadaka grappled with the information.

"If their name is written in our books, then we have encountered them long before King T'Chaka ever did. The U.S. and Europe started blaming HYDRA, Russia, and some rogue mercenary units for the global water attacks. The Talokanil were thought to be a made-up ruse to fool people… muddy the waters of who was actually behind it," N'Jadaka said.

T'Challa folded his arms and looked at N'Jadaka.

"I was in a meeting with my father once in New York where some other foreign groups were accused, too," T'Challa said. "When my father died, whatever he knew went with him. There was pressure to get through the Sokovia accords and when I took the throne after him, the U.S. was heavily funding the Department of Damage Control in a joint venture with Stark Industries. They cleaned up messes and kept things as quiet as possible. The Talokanil were probably tucked away as a scapegoat to cover for someone else. Probably the Americans. Underwater people are not a true threat—"

"But why would T'Chaka make a truce with a powerless people?"

Yoneli looked away from him. N'Jadaka stepped to her. Taking in the captain's stressed energy, he reached out and held her shoulders.

"What is it, Yoneli?" N'Jadaka said.

"The king…King T'Chaka… that time at sea… he came back afraid. I have never seen him that way before. He wanted us to forget those people," Yoneli said.

N'Jadaka turned to Nakia.

"When The U.S. delegation comes here, we will make your formal introduction as Wakanda's ambassador and you will attend the general assembly in September back in the states. Stick close to the C.I.A. reps," N'Jadaka said.

"Agent Ross is always present," Nakia said.

"We'll use him. He thinks he's Wakanda's best buddy. Keep making him think that. I'll give orders for our War Dogs in port cities to start gathering any intel they can find about Talokan. Shuri, I need you to do a deep dive too. Pull in some of our best historians to help if you need them," N'Jadaka said.

He used his comm tab to bring up an image of a globe.

"If they scared King T'Chaka, then they must have an army down below that can do some damage," N'Jadaka said.

"Maybe that's what the Americans near our waters are looking for," T'Challa said. "All the sonar testing… underwater earthquakes. They're searching."

"What ships do we have that can pass as a research vessel?" N'Jadaka said.

T'Challa moved next to him and pulled an image from his kimoyo.

"We have the Sea Leopard. It has full submersible and camouflage capabilities," T'Challa said.

N'Jadaka and the others studied the ship. The charcoal gray vessel was sleek and curved like a bullet.

"I want that ship ready to go in three days," N'Jadaka said.

"In the middle of the conference?" T'Challa said.

"I want to find these people before the rest of the world does," N'Jadaka said.

"What about the truce?" Nakia asked.

"I'll respect it until I see what we're up against. Then I'll change the terms and conditions as needed. I don't want to take a wait-and-see approach. If the Talokanil spooked T'Chaka… we need to meet and find out why before they're discovered by someone else," N'Jadaka said.

His kimoyo beads lit up. Sydette's avatar spun on his wrist.

"My kids are up. T'Challa, notify our generals. Nakia, get in touch with Agent Ross and butter him up. Reveal your new status… let him think he has insider info about us before his bosses do. Shuri—"

"Research… on it," Shuri said.

Shuri paused before heading out of the door.

"Should we push back our sparring session until after lunch?" Shuri asked.

T'Challa tilted his head and smirked. N'Jadaka grinned.

"You two have been practicing your fighting techniques?" T'Challa said.

N'Jadaka swung his hand around playfully and T'Challa ducked, offering a counterattack that pushed the king back.

"We've been working on some moves in the gym. Gotta stay on top of the game," N'Jadaka said.

He stopped playing and huddled with his cousins.

"We won't discuss any of this with Ramonda. She's working hard on the conference and I don't want anyone outside of this room worrying about anything else."

"Agreed," T'Challa said.

"When the Sea Leopard launches, I want you on it with our best soldiers," N'Jadaka said to T'Challa.

He watched his cousins and Nakia leave. Outside of his inner office, Tlotliso waited for his instructions.

"You can go home. Thank you for stepping in on short notice until I arrived," he said.

"Not a problem," Tlotliso said.

She grabbed a sweater and started to vacate the room.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yes, your highness. I have some things going on at home... the usual family stuff," she said.

"See you next week then."

"Yes, kumkani."

She left him quietly. He returned to his inner office and regarded Yoneli and Sizani.

"Is there anything else I should know about T'Chaka's meeting with Talokan?" N'Jadaka said.

Yoneli's lips quirked.

"Do you remember the whales that sang to our ship? The ones you swam with alongside your father?" Yoneli said.

"Yes."

"I do not believe their singing was to entertain themselves… not from what we saw after your family left," Yoneli said.

Sizani's forehead creased and she tapped the side of N'Jadaka's desk.

"My king," Sizani said, "those whales… they were calling the Talokanil. Those people… they communicate with sea life. The whales led them to us."

Yoneli nodded her head in agreement.

"When they left us, the whales stayed behind… as if they were watching our movement," Yoneli said.

"Then that will be our cover as we search. We're going whale hunting," N'Jadaka said.

N'Jadaka's children were delighted to have him to themselves.

He cooked them waffles with strawberries and they ate outside on his terrace before heading off to swim in the palace pool. They entertained snail races in the royal garden, then watched boats pass through the river in the middle of Birnin Zana. He rattled citizens when he walked with the children to a favorite river café that served the best coffee and tiny teacakes. The children wore dark shades and his Doras watched nearby with Kora. They crossed the small wooden bridge that led to the floating café and the owner stood there thrilled and honored to meet his little ones up close.

Their lunchtime was spent eating batter-fried sandwiches stuffed with fish and pickled cabbage while strolling through a bazaar. N'Jadaka watched with pride as his children spoke Wakandan with a fluency he was only beginning to master effortlessly. With the creamy yellow sun beating down on them, he took in the mix of old and new structures throughout the heavily trafficked city center. Wakanda reminded him of Rome. He could walk two steps and see modern structures, and two feet away, there appeared an ancient building that existed when Queen Shuriyah walked the earth. The old and new stood together in harmony.

He ruled everything.

The shy glances from citizens and the sly snatchings of holo pics of him spending time with his children was something he wanted the people to see more of to humanize himself among them. There were still many who cursed his name in quiet corners of the land, who smiled in his face and sharpened knives behind their backs. No one would dare touch him in public though. Any and all dissent would come from the shadows once he became relaxed on the throne.

Sydette couldn't stop smiling so hard at being with him and Joba. The three children together became a unit of unlimited energy. He couldn't keep up with questions and simultaneous discussions on different topics from all three. After returning to the palace, he released the children to Kora for their nap and changed into abada pants and a thin yellow t-shirt. He left his home and headed for the private gym. It took up a floor on a lower level with advanced equipment and an indoor track and lap pool. The Dora Milaje shared the space during the week, to practice safety drills with the royal family or used it during their breaks, but on the weekends, the Udaku family used it privately. The 360-degree views opened up the space to lots of sunshine.

Shuri waited for him there, dressed in skin-tight purple athletic leggings and a tank top. She stretched on the floor, then did a few body rolls on the mat with her knees tucked into her chest. Jumping up, she held her arms in a defensive position and watched him saunter toward her. N'Jadaka turned on some soft drumming music from the Merchant Tribe on the ceiling speakers that had the perfect tempo for the ass-whooping he was going to give her.

"Oh, you need a soundtrack for this beating you are about to receive from me?" she said, circling him.

N'Jadaka lunged forward and dipped low, swiping his leg against her ankles. Shuri backflipped barely avoiding contact and jabbed her fists into his chest before he palmed the side of her head and threw her across the room. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. Crouching down, Shuri struck his left temple and he let her get a few licks on his midsection before he caught a foot against his right cheek.

"You did not see that coming, cousin. That one I learned from Aunt Califia's old vids. There is more on the way!"

She dropped to her knees and punched him in the gut once more, scrambling between his legs to throw off his balance as he reached for her hair.

"Cheater!" she said, smacking his hand away from her high bun pinned with shiny blue clips.

"You said you wanted a dirty fight," he teased, jumping up and down.

Shuri had speed like his mother and a knack for finding weak points in his defense when his guard was down. There was a boisterous tenacity in her fighting style and he appreciated her ability to switch up her technique when she realized certain combinations of hand and leg strikes didn't work on him. Her eye-hand coordination was tightly focused on countering the capoeira he slid into easily.

They play fought for an hour and rested on their backsides next to each other. Sharing a bottle of water enhanced with recovery herbs, Shuri studied his face.

"I found someone from the Birnin D'Jata University to help me root out more details about the Talokanil. They were known as the 'Amanzi Umhlali'… water dwellers who lived beyond the sunset. I was told that in the olden days, our elders witnessed sightings of them that were mistaken for the reborn children of Mama Wati, our water Goddess. A long time ago, women who had stillborn children would take them to the sea and give their remains to the water in the hopes that their babies would be reborn and return to them. Unfortunately, the little that I have found myself is just mythical tales. Nothing is rooted in factual details. All we know for sure is that they originate in Central America," she said.

"Keep me in the loop. You find anything, no matter how ridiculous it sounds, let me know right away," he said.

"I would like to travel with T'Challa on the Sea Leopard."

"I need you here."

"This is a scientific expedition as much as it is a military one," she said.

"Fury is still sending data and I need you on top of that."

"You know I can do more than one thing—"

"T'Challa can handle any threats from the sea. I need you checking for mofos coming from space."

Shuri laughed.

"What is so funny?" he said, nudging her shoulder with his.

"You have more than you bargained for taking the throne, N'Jadaka."

"Looks that way."

She patted his back and helped him stand up.

"I'm going to shower and take a long break," she said.

"Good. Stay out of your lab today. Give your big brain a rest."

He jabbed his finger on her forehead gently.

"Not too much rest. The Talokanil have me curious… and my father… he was not one to fear anything. Wakanda was a fortress in his mind. Nothing out there should scare a man like him."

"Rest," N'Jadaka said, pushing her arm to leave the gym.

"I want to go up and see my little cousins first," she said.

Grabbing her gym bag, she pointed at him.

"Give me ten minutes to shower and change clothes. I'll come with you," she said.

She scurried toward the changing room and he tapped his kimoyo. Shuri already had reports compiled for him from the university that covered the origins of Mama Wati and the connection to the Talokanil sightings centuries ago. Stepping over to the window he took in the royal garden until Shuri came back out smelling like lemon cookies. She wiped away her body butter on her arms and checked her own kimoyo before they walked out together onto the elevator.

"Have you heard from Disa?" Shuri asked.

"No. Why?"

"Nothing important."

"Seems like everyone has been asking me about her since she went up the mountain. Y'all worried about something?"

"What is there to worry about?" she asked.

"Her new boyfriend."

"I wouldn't call him a boyfriend…"

Shuri reflected on her words and clammed up. They stepped onto his floor.

"What would you call him?"

Shuri looked him in the eye.

"Her co-worker—"

"People don't have to tip-toe around me. I know she likes, Adebiyi. That's her type. I'm not surprised."

"He's a prickly fellow, but overall, I find him a hard worker and very knowledgeable about his craft. I've met him a few times. He tends to stay in the background."

"That's where I'll keep that situation… in the background."

"I upset you."

"Nah. She's been looking forward to going there. Not just to be around him, even though I know that's part of it. I want her happy and she likes being with Ayomide."

"I am glad that you are still friends with her despite everything you deal with in your personal life. It cannot be easy for you—"

"Baba!"

Sydette had the front door open before his Doras could step aside to let him reach it.

"I'm back with you know who," he teased.

Shuri hugged Sydette who pulled her over the threshold.

"Oh… my…" Shuri said.

She took a long gaze around his lower floor.

"I have never been inside of this place when everything was uncovered… beautiful," she said.

Riki and Joba ran downstairs and jumped into Shuri's arms. They tackled her down to the floor and she rolled around with them, testing their arm strength and agility.

"Where have you been?" Joba asked.

Shuri took a seat on a carved wooden chair with wide armrests.

"Working in my lab," Shuri said.

Riki slapped his own forehead.

"Aw, that's all everyone does… work, work, work. No fun here anymore," Riki said.

Riki balanced his arms on Shuri's knees.

"Perhaps for winter solstice, we should plan a family trip out on the boat again," Shuri said.

"Yeah!" Sydette squealed.

"Show me the rest of the new home," Shuri said.

Joba pulled Shuri's hand and the other two children followed further into the next room. N'Jadaka climbed the stairs and headed to his bathing room. His kimoyo lit up and he checked for a message.

Disa sent him images of the exterior of a forest temple overlooking a mountain range. He read the note attached to it.

"It's beautiful here. So much to see. I'm getting plenty of ideas to challenge my original sketches. Kiss and hug Joba for me. Disa."

He smiled and a warm peace came over him.

After showering and changing into loungewear, N'Jadaka padded down to his home office and went over his opening speech to the people he handpicked from all across the globe to join him inside the motherland. While listening to his children run back and forth outside of his workspace as Kora fussed after them about making too much noise near his room, he made some changes to a few sentences. He stopped and opened his comm tab and pulled up pictures of his mother and Aunt Lia together in Brazil the last time they were together. Their faces told the story of struggle and the promise of a better tomorrow. N'Jadaka had the power that they could only dream of having. Tucking his hands under his groomed beard, he stared at the two women. He thought of his father arming War Dogs and the careful planning it took for him to build a secret army for over a decade. The takeover of the world had to be gradual and the grassroots had to be in control in every city they moved in. Backlash, jealousy, F.B.I., and C.I.A. plants would try to derail his plans. Unlike Black liberation movements of the past, N'Jadaka would not create a cult of personality where one individual became the face of an entire struggle. On the outside looking in, it would appear that way since he was leading the initial charge. However, everyone who joined with them would become their own leader with communal goals. There was no place for the next Jesus figure to come and save Black people. Every territory would become the savior of itself. That meant churches would have to be left out of the equation. Too many Black men pimped the church for riches and prestige, muling the labor of Black women who followed them and propped up the institution. No one from any religious organization was invited to Wakanda. White gods and grifters were not welcome there.

He left the images of his mother and aunt floating above his desk as he continued working on his speech. His strongest appeal would be toward women, but he also had to deal with men coming there who had good hearts but patriarchy hardwired in them. Twyla's tour would help break those men in. Once they saw a country led by Bast that flourished with female leadership and brilliance, they would have to shift old thinking inside of themselves. Too many men thought they respected women until faced with working for them. He used to find himself acting out of pocket with women, even the ones he loved because patriarchy and bullying the weaker sex were taught to everyone and difficult to actively unlearn. He recognized it in his life too often than he cared to admit. That was a trait he wanted to keep Riki from falling into as he grew up. He felt the same way about helping Sydette and Joba recognize the behavior toward themselves at a young age and speaking out against it without fear of retribution.

Two days.

In two days, the diaspora would arrive and see the promised land. More than milk and honey flowed throughout Wakanda.

There was a knock on his door.

"Come in," he said.

Noxolo walked in carrying a sealed gold envelope.

"This was just delivered," Noxolo said.

She handed him the envelope and left the room.

He sliced across the wax red seal with a letter opener, and read the contents from the Council of Elders. They would allow the outsiders to witness the Mama Wati celebration in Birnin S'Yan. He was surprised they would give permission. Tapping his kimoyo, he contacted Twyla. Her image popped up quickly. He showed her the official paper.

"The council granted you the right to organize a Mama Wati tour," he said.

Twyla took a deep breath.

"This is huge," Twyla said.

"Will you have enough time to put together transportation… maybe lodging?"

"BiBi and I will make it into a day trip with a picnic above the bluffs. They can see the ceremony up close on the beach, but then we'll move them a respectful distance away so families can keep their intimate rituals going afterward. Oh, Big Man, you made my day!" Twyla said.

"They trust you, Twyla."

"I won't let you down," she said.

"I know you won't."

N'Jadaka worked on going over all of the non-disclosure and non-photography agreements every visitor signed in order to visit the country until dinner. The palace kitchen sent up comfort food of mashed green banana and a savory beef stew with lentils and yellow rice. He ate with the children inside the dining room as a light summer rain planted water drops everywhere. There were virtual reality games played around the lower floor until Kora took the children away for their baths. He plowed back into his work and fell asleep at his desk.

N'Jadaka woke up in his bed with heavy eyelids pressing down on him. Alone in his room, he checked his kimoyo. The children were fast asleep in their rooms and the sun was due to rise in minutes. He rose and went to his balcony for prayers to his elder gods and ancestors. Burning incense and a small white candle near his body, he prostrated himself on a prayer rug, pressing his forehead onto the cool silky threads.

Bast and Ogum stirred inside of him and he sensed the presence of his ancestors watching from beyond.

The day had arrived.

The energy around him snapped with frizzy intensity as he stood up and watched the scheduled arrival of six half-cruisers carrying two thousand diaspora kin. He allowed the cruisers to pass directly over Birnin Zana and the palace so the visitors could get the awe-inspiring splendor that he had the first time he flew into Wakanda. Back then he had been on a rampage. At that moment, he was calm and collected.

The half-cruisers were flanked by military escort ships as they floated toward their housing for the conference.

"Morning," Marisol said.

She walked onto the balcony and handed him tea.

Dressed in her own ceremonial white clothing, Marisol stood next to him and also looked at the ships flying away.

"I will keep the press and other non-staff away. The delegates need full immersion by themselves," he said.

"Will you need me here later this evening?" she said.

"No. The nannies will help with the kids and we can have dinner together with the rest of the family."

"This was all worth it, wasn't it JaJa?" she said.

"Yes."

No matter what may have transpired in over three decades, N'Jadaka knew he was where fate planned for him to be. Ignoring the whispers that fermented in the shadows of the palace, the hushed words of resentment of a foreigner sitting on the throne, he would smash the faces of the enemies within Wakanda into the ground where they would grovel at his feet. Never had he felt more Wakandan than when he watched aircraft filled with hand-picked African-descended people meeting their future. History would be written in their blood and bones from that day forth. Their influence back in their own lands after it was over would guarantee the sun would never set on Wakanda because the diaspora would be in alignment with them.

Warlords in countries all over the world dreamed of empires and vast armies to do their bidding. N'Jadaka wanted peace for the diaspora. Comfort. Rest. How could people enjoy life when they couldn't even live properly? The things that made him happy as a child were being with his family when there was no stress. No worries about food, housing, or danger coming for them. His people would finally have the tools to create the life they wanted in their respective communities.

War would come.

Black Wall Street. The New Jewel Movement. The Black Panthers. Patrice Lumumba and the Congolese National Movement. The Move Organzation. Malcolm X. Martin Luther King Jr. Angela Davis. Assata Shakur. Medgar Evers. Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Marie Sainte Dédée Bazile of the Haitian Revolution. Queen Mary Thomas. Nanny of the Maroons of Jamaica. Ganga Zumba in Palmares. Nat Turner. Charles Deslondes and the Louisiana Slave Revolt. Flore Bois Gaillard and the Battle of Rabot in St Lucia.

Everywhere on the planet where Black men and women sought freedom in ways that worked for them, they were met with force and/or death by white supremacy and upheld by the Black people beholden to whiteness for their own personal gain. There was never a time in history where Black people encountering white people had peace. Never. Even when Black people were isolated and successful in their own community, as they were in Tulsa Oklahoma, white people envied them and burned their world to the ground with the laws of the land protecting white supremacy.

No more.

N'Jadaka took a deep breath and rested in the power of his spiritual protectors. The diaspora would have peace and he would burn down the worlds of their enemies this time around. Wipe them from the face of the earth as a warning to anyone else feeling bold enough to challenge the new world order. If they just so happened to be Black or non-white in the service of white supremacy, they could catch hands too.

Ogum sat high in his chest. Bast positioned her power above his head. His ancestors flanked him with an invisible thread of verve. It was time to lead. Time to do king things.

He ate a simple breakfast of grits and glazed peaches. After dressing in his finest black tunic and robes, he let Marsol twist his locs into a high bun. She prayed over him while smudging him down with blue Wakandan sage. He wiped a small dot of oil from the Temple of Bast onto his third eye and admired himself in a full-length mirror.

"Ready?" Marisol asked.

He nodded and followed her out of his quarters. Surrounded by his security team, he boarded the Royal Talon Fighter. T'Challa greeted him inside and they all flew together to greet their guests.

The moment he stepped out of the Talon Fighter and onto the hotel grounds his heart thudded faster. He wiggled his fingers at his sides and the kinetic sparks of energy transference were already tingling across his skin. Aneka opened the double doors of the hotel's grand conference room and the rush of energy that passed over him from the people inside nearly blew him off of his feet. Thunderous applause broke out with shrill cries of joy all around them. A standing ovation went on for ten whole minutes as N'Jadaka took long strides to the podium. Two thousand shiny and exalted Black faces made enough noise to shout down the sun from the heavens. He glanced over at Marisol and tears glistened in her eyes. T'Challa's face held an expression of immense understanding and compassion for all the people there.

To the right of the podium was a section created for his transition team that had now become his royal cabinet members. They stood there stunned at the reaction to his walking into the room. Council Elders were also present and sat up on a dais behind him, overlooking the opening meeting. The history lesson he gave them about the people in that space guided their ability to take in the importance of the diaspora being there. Zinzi kept wiping her eyes and clapped her hands with the people. N'Jadaka held up his hands to quiet down the guests but they continued to clap, hoot, stomp their feet, and holler his name. No… not his name… Wakanda's name.

The energy they sent him flowed into his chest where Ogum soaked it up.

"Please… sit…." N'Jadaka said, waving his hands down.

They wouldn't stop.

From the corner of his eye, he watched his grandparents being ushered in by Shuri. They took seats reserved for them on his left side facing the podium. The zeal in the room struck them hard, especially his grandmother. Umama held her head high as she glanced around at all the people. Finally, after much coaxing and prodding, the applause and noise died down and the people took their seats in comfortable chairs. The backdrop behind him and the elders gave the guests a glorious view of the landscape. As if on cue, a herd of giraffes strutted by and the trumpeting sound of a braying elephant blasted in the distance.

"Welcome to Wakanda," he said.

The audience laughed and clapped again.

"Today is a blessed day that I get to share with each and every one of you here. The journey has been long—"

"Amen!" someone shouted far in the back.

The audience laughed and clapped again.

"I am King N'Jadaka Udaku-Stevens. Son of The Master Hammer Califia Stevens of Oakland, California. Son of Prince N'Jobu Udaku of Wakanda. American by birth. African by descent. Like all of you here, I am a child of the African Diaspora. A child of the stolen and enslaved. We are the Lost Tribe. I stand here to welcome you home. Brothers and sisters of the diaspora, look upon this place and be renewed…"

N'Jadaka spoke with the flair of a Baptist preacher and the fiery confidence of his mother whenever she rallied up a crowd. He relaxed the audience into the global importance of the work they were about to dig into. They were the experts and Wakanda was there to listen and support. Forty minutes in, he turned the mic over to Queen Ramonda and her welcoming speech was full of passion. She was a tremendous orator and the audience sat mesmerized listening to her. Next came brief introductory speeches by the Council of Elders followed by a nervous Twyla who spoke of the itinerary changes due to the addition of the Mama Wati celebration. As the others spoke, N'Jadaka watched the audience. The meeting was long, but no one showed signs of fatigue or boredom. He took to the podium again and closed out the first gathering. The guests would spend the rest of the day relaxing, acclimating to the time change, eating delicious meals, and mingling at a mixer later that night. They would tour the country for the next few days and then the serious purpose of their being there would begin.

The joy in the room was infectious and healing. He thanked everyone for coming and trusting the process of reinventing a future they could control. The Dora Milaje surrounded him as he took the time to shake the hand of everyone who wanted to touch him. Some could barely look him in the eye from the force of his aura radiating power, while others hugged him, much to the annoyance of Aneka and Noxolo. A few only reached out and touched the hem of his tunic, too afraid to touch his skin directly. One older woman kept shaking her head, her eyes glancing around at everything before she gently clasped his hand in hers and patted his wrist.

"I don't know what this is going to be in the end… but God bless you brother for bringing me here,' she said with a shaky voice.

Outside in a garden gazebo, a small band played music that shook some hips and made fingers snap. Across from the gazebo was a buffet brunch and folks were famished. They filled plates and relaxed around tables as peacocks strutted by hoping food fell on the ground.

N'Jadaka said a quick hello to his grandparents, and Disa caught up to him.

"That was a fabulous opening."

"A long ways from that old raggedy speech I gave about Chocolate City back at M.I.T.," he said.

She laughed.

"Hopefully those dudes turned into worthwhile human beings like you. You were great," she said.

"So… your trip was good," he said.

"It was. Did you get a chance to look at the other pictures I sent you?"

"I did. But you know anything you come up with is always going to be stellar."

She wanted to say more. He felt it.

"Proud of you," she said.

She gave him a hug before rushing off with his older relatives to eat in a private section away from the main groups of guests. He looked around as he moved with his security to leave the hotel.

There she was. Talking to a group of maternity doctors near a water fountain.

Yani fixed her eyes on him and waved him over toward the small group.

"King N'Jadaka, this is Dr. Ida Bryan from St. Thomas, Dr. LaShawn Dixon from Miami, Florida, and Dr. John Alcindor from London, England," Yani said.

All three doctors nodded their heads and shook his hand. Dr. Bryan kept shaking her head like a nervous tick.

"I told you he doesn't bite," Yani joked with her mentor.

"This is almost too much, King N'Jadaka. Thank you for choosing me to take part in this,' she said.

N'Jadaka leaned forward and kissed Dr. Bryan's cheek, startling her. He held onto her hands.

"You saved my daughter's life," he said.

Yani looked away quickly, the memory of that time still close to her heart.

"Will I get to see Princess Sydette?" Dr. Bryan asked.

"Later in the week," he said.

"I never dreamed that a patient of mine was from this place… Yani was always special to me, a serious student… I'm so happy to be here," Dr. Bryan said.

Yani didn't contradict him about Sydette. Once the children were in the palace, they became his full responsibility under Udaku family rules. She had to abide by them too as royalty.

"Make sure you all get some food to eat. You had a long trip to get here," he said.

"It was so cloak and dagger," Dr. Alcindor interjected. "I can understand why you used the secrecy to get us all out of our countries. Wakanda is… I can't even find words."

"You've barely seen it," N'Jadaka said.

His words thrilled them.

"Would you like to eat with us?" Dr. Dixon asked.

"I wish I could, but I have more business to tend to at the palace. I'll see you all tonight at the mixer," he said.

Yani lowered her gaze as if she were disappointed. He casually looked over her outfit. It was an orange off-the-shoulder wrap dress. She always looked gorgeous in orange. Her brown skin popped with that color and he suspected she wore it to make that happen with the summer sun.

"It is an honor to meet you in person, King N'Jadaka," Dr. Alcindor said.

"Enjoy yourselves," N'Jadaka said.

He regretfully left Yani's side and headed for the exit where the Royal Talon Fighter and T'Challa waited for him. Glancing back, he caught Yani looking at him. He waved to her and she waved back, moving behind the other doctors toward the buffet line.

T'Challa stood with Shuri at the Talon Fighter. Nick Fury grinned at him with his foot on the open ramp.

"Looking for me?" Fury asked.

N'Jadaka shook his hand.

"Come take a ride with us," N'Jadaka said.

Fury grew nervous staring at the Doras and part of the Onyx Squad behind him.

"Relax, man. You're about to see something cool,' N'Jadaka said.

Fury's body stayed coiled and ready for anything. T'Challa's Black Panther suit shot across his body as they walked onto the Talon Fighter. The view of the hotel shrank below them as they headed toward the coast.

"Where are we going?" Fury asked.

The speed of the Royal Talon Fighter worried Fury. His eyes darted about watching every move on the aircraft. They swooped down toward the rocky barrier that separated Wakanda from the country next to them higher up on the eastern coastline. In twenty minutes, they floated above the choppy water of the Indian Ocean that the Wakandan's called Mama Wati's home turf.

"What is that?" Fury asked, gazing down at the pristine shine of the Sea Leopard.

A floor exit chimed loudly and T'Challa, dressed as the Black Panther, stood over it. He pounded his fist against N'Jadaka's and the floor swirled open. T'Challa dropped out of the aircraft and landed on the Sea Leopard below. Shuri's expression stayed sour and N'Jadaka squeezed her shoulder.

"You'll have your chance to be on it once we find what we're looking for," N'Jadaka said.

"I will hold you to that, cousin," Shuri said.

"Mr. Fury, that is a ship on the hunt for whales," N'Jadaka said. "Talking whales that spy for people down there."

The dark churning waters hid so much from the surface world.

"What people?" Fury said.

N'Jadaka studied the face of the ops. Creased brow. Deep lines on his cheeks. The downturned lips hid an irritated scowl. Fury looked genuinely confused. N'Jadaka's gut sensed no deceptive smokescreen to deflect. He moved past N'Jadaka and observed the Sea Leopard with jealous eyes.

"This place never ceases to amaze me," Fury said as the Sea Leopard shimmered in bright neon blue lights and disappeared on the water.

N'Jadaka glanced over at Shuri and she stepped next to him. Folding her arms over her chest she gave Fury a withering look. It was hard to trust a man who lived a lie most of the time.

"What people are you looking for?" Fury asked.

"Americans," N'Jadaka said.

Shuri stared at him and he tilted his head to warn her about saying anything to Fury.

"They'll always be on your ass," Fury said. A smirk crossed his face.

"Come with me," N'Jadaka said.

They walked to the back of the Talon Fighter and N'Jadaka dragged images from a digital folder of beached whales on Wakanda's rocky shoreline.

"Sonar tests are killing marine life and encroaching on our people's fisheries," N'Jadaka said.

Fury looked at the dead animals and shrugged.

"Not my department. Cut the shit, king. Why am I out here?" Fury said.

"You're my guest. I'm giving you a private look at our naval reconnaissance missions."

Fury didn't believe him, but he was still interested in their military hardware. The man had been in the C.I.A. for a long time. Their interactions had been honest although tense at times. He was already privy to what N'Jadaka planned for the diaspora. The spirits within him instructed him to wait. There was no rush to show an entire hand at that moment.

"Your speech today… to all those people… inspiring," Fury said.

"I meant what I said."

"I don't doubt it. Being a king of all of this… having your cousin as the Black Panther… another cousin being a brainiac… you are in a position no Black person on earth has ever been in. How must it feel to be the one?"

"There is no one. There's no me without we. Believe that."

"Can you even fathom the risk you're putting all of those people under once they go home?"

"Nigga, what have you done in your life but work for the enemy? Your entire career has been spent sitting on a fence. You know what we have faced all over the world, but you chose…willingly…to work for the enemy—"

"You did the same—"

"I had no choice!"

N'Jadaka's shout alarmed Aneka and Noxolo. They stepped behind Fury.

He waved his hand to them and they moved back.

"I was made an orphan by forces you never had to face. I chose to learn the enemy so I could free my people, and today that time has finally come. Don't you ever think that I'm like you. I am reaching out to my people and you… you're a pawn who thinks he has a little power. Bitch nigga moves," N'Jadaka shouted.

He pushed up on Fury.

"Look at you. No real family. No connections to anyone outside of the work you do. Every night I see my children and know what they will be up against and I choose to make a way for them and others out there who were like me. I never grew up in a world of hope after my parents were killed. As king, I bring hope to the masses. When I die… for real this time… I know that I stood for something, and the Black world will benefit from it—"

"The world isn't just for Black people," Fury said.

"Then let those people stand up for themselves instead of sucking off of our labor. I'm only here for Black and Native people—"

"Selfish," Fury said.

"Who stands up for us? Huh? I say fuck everyone else except for who I look out for. The problem with Black people is that we carry everyone on our backs. Fuck that. We look out for our own this time… just like everyone else does."

"The power in your hand…" Fury said, shaking his head.

"Get with the winning team old man," N'Jadaka said.

N'Jadaka's kimoyo lit up. Joba's avatar floated above his beads.

"Excuse me," N'Jadaka said.

He turned away and tapped his kimoyo.

"Hey Joba," he said.

"Riki won't let us play with his cow game board," Joba whined.

"No, Baba! They played it already. I want to play with it by myself!" Riki insisted.

"But you need more than one person to play it," N'Jadaka said.

"I wahn to study it without them!"

Riki snatched the board from Joba's hand. Sydette stepped in and grabbed it away from him.

"He's being a rude brat!" Sydette shouted.

"No, I'm not!" Riki yelled.

Kora rushed into the playroom and took the board game away from Sydette.

"I am so sorry they disturbed you, King N'Jadaka," Kora said.

"Put the game away on my office desk. I'll talk to them when I get home," N'Jadaka said.

"Yes, kumkani," Kora said.

"Wait! Baba that's not fair!" Riki moaned.

"I'll talk to you when I get home—"

"Baba—"

"I said when I get home. Go work on your language lessons for today."

Riki stomped away from Joba.

"Bye, Daddy," Joba said.

Her image winked out and N'Jadaka turned back to Fury. The man had a grin on his face.

"It's not every day that I see a powerful man, a king, discipline his children in the middle of a military operation," Fury said.

"I'm going to be a father no matter what I'm doing."

"I see that," Fury said.

Vid screen charts of the ocean lit up orange above the Talon Fighter workstation table. A 3D image of the Sea Leopard appeared. The Black Panther's avatar came into view.

"We have crossed the international boundary and will release sea drones within a two-hundred-mile radius at the last location sonar was detected from the Americans," T'Challa said.

"Station the ship at the coordinates Captain Lebohang set. Meet me back at the palace before the mixer tonight," N'Jadaka said.

N'Jadaka walked back to the front of the Talon Fighter where Noxolo flew the aircraft. Aneka and his Onyx Squad members kept their eyes on Fury.

"Take us for a quick pass across the water," he told Noxolo.

The Royal Talon fighter raced across the ocean less than ten feet above it. Somewhere out there was trouble waiting to happen.

"Whoever is out there, we'll find them," he said to no one in particular.

Chapter 65 HERE.

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[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 4, Chapter 61″

Need to catch up before Namor appears? Masterlist HERE.

"How much better can I show my love for you Than say "I do, I do, I do"? I do, I do, I do You may not know right where you're going, but I do, I do, I do And all the times you wasn't chosen, well, I'll make it up to you All of the feelings you're not showing When your river's overflowing, mmm It's the truth, swear to you I do, I do, I do, I do, I do"

Yebba – "Yebba's Heartbreak"

Shuri followed behind the new king and watched the gait in his walk. N'Jadaka had taken on a persona so dramatic and otherworldly that she had to question everything she knew about him from the first day she ever met him.

There was a light in him.

Something in the deepest part of him reflected a light so bright that everyone near him fluttered about trying to bathe in the warmth of the aural glow. Shuri was a woman of the mind. Science had taught her that the tangible was real, everything else was fantasy. Raised in a culture that believed in magic and mystical wisdom, she scoffed at all of that and concentrated on a reality that she could see with her own two eyes, touch with her own two hands… but the cousin walking across the bridge in front of her… she wondered if she had been wrong about denying the existence of Bast, Mama Wati*, Sekhmet and all the other deities. A human lived and then died. There was no afterlife.

Did Queen Shuriyah really talk to him?

People clung to the idea of an afterlife to give them comfort, especially if their lives were cruel and full of struggle. It was a construct that held off the fear of knowing there was nothing to look forward to except oblivion. Who wouldn't want to think there was a chance to live again in a better place without needless suffering? Heaven wasn't real. Hell was the torture that humans put themselves through on earth while they breathed above the earth. All of it was make-believe and when she became old and her body could no longer properly function, she would cease being alive and decompose like the plants and animals around them as part of an evolutionary cycle of beginnings and endings, over and over. No ancestral plane waited for her. However, King N'Jadaka brought forth a tiny smidgen of doubt in her mind that was the size of a grain of teff that made the muncu flat bread her people loved. Staying on top of the oldest mountain in Wakanda had transformed him and the change was startling in its visceral impact on all who came into contact with him.

Although her brother had cut quite a fitting vision of royalty while he sat on the throne, N'Jadaka enveloped the seat as if the grand chair had been shaped just for him and everyone else had been babysitting it until he arrived to take his rightful place. Even her own father didn't look as worthy sitting there compared to the new king.

Queen Shuriyah watched over her and was proud? Impossible. The hallucinogenic chemicals inside the heart-shaped herb had spun his neural pathways around. His synapses had invented a fiction, no different from someone having a lucid dream and thinking it was all real.

Shuri stared at General Okoye as she greeted the new king at the bridge entrance to the West Palace. Forthright and not easily swayed, Okoye was a great barometer to see if the awe N'Jadaka struck in everyone else was just… holy Bast!

Okoye's eyes darted down the second N'Jadaka glanced her way, and her lips parted slightly as if she had to catch more air than her nose could provide. The king had his general shaken! Royal drummers inside the West Palace thundered a new rhythm, signaling that the king had arrived. A grouping of children in ceremonial clothing and painted faces matching the color spectrum of purples and mauves sang to him. Sydette, Riki, and Joba giggled and were the only ones not affected by the change in their father. He was simply their Baba, and he kept them close to his side, occasionally touching a braid, tugging on a twisted loc, or patting a puffy bouquet of curls on their heads.

Disa seemed to have eased into a tentative comfort level with him, but it was Yani that drew Shuri's curiosity. The nervous energy she carried was clumsy and sweet. It was obvious to Shuri that there was something between Yani and N'Jadaka that wasn't present with Disa. Yani fluttered like a butterfly tempted by an extraordinary flower, but one that couldn't figure out how to land on it.

N'Jadaka wasted no time jumping into his kingship.

The moment he arrived back at the palace, he held a private meeting with Shuri and T'Challa. He didn't even bother changing from his white robes that smelled of strong incense and the heart-shaped herb. They debriefed him on the military team that inspected the Phase Two structure out at sea and investigated the underwater earthquakes. There was satellite evidence of American military and private research operations occurring in open international waters too close to their shielded territory. Naval sonar evidence had been captured and recorded. That information pleased N'Jadaka. He wanted to gather more evidence before the international delegates came to Wakanda. There were plans to go to the U.N. and make his presence known as the new leader of the free world under Wakanda's watch.

"What do you think they are looking for out there?" Shuri asked.

"Vibranium. They will try to infiltrate this country inside and out. Staying in international waters will only protect them for so long in their search. The tactical gear I've seen, and the vessels used, point to the Navy Seals. They may create a fabricated international incident that will give them an excuse to turn the world against us. They'll claim we hide WMDs, chemical weapons, or even trumped-up human rights violations pretending that Wakandan citizens don't have freedom because we force isolation to hide nefarious behavior," N'Jadaka said.

"Ridiculous," Shuri said.

"America will stoke the fires and get the EU behind them. Classic playbook actions."

N'Jadaka's words were measured, especially when Nakia was brought in on the latter part of their private meeting. The first fifteen minutes of her entering the king's inner chamber had Nakia flustered by the intensity of N'Jadaka's bearing. Not only that, but his interactions with T'Challa were so comfortable and connected. They were confidantes, and her brother seemed to know what N'Jadaka needed to hear without him even asking. Not being the king anymore made her brother more powerful, if such a thing were truly possible. From Shuri's vantage point, N'Jadaka became the sheath to T'Challa's blade. Her brother stood in the office coiled and ready to take on the world, and N'Jadaka trusted him fully.

By the time the meeting ended, N'Jadaka had Nakia laughing, and the new ambassador post he assigned her made the former spy more open to the king. They had reached mutual respect. When Shuri left the king's office with her brother, Nakia stayed behind for a private chat with N'Jadaka.

"King N'Jadaka!"

A male host of the coronation ball jolted Shuri back to her senses, and she glanced around at the grandeur and the thousands of people packed into the ballroom aching to be near the new king. The immediate family went to a dais table to feast on nine courses as proclamations were read and live musicians provided entertainment. The extended family enjoyed the food and libations around the king, and Shuri kept a watchful eye on the citizens. Especially the challengers to the throne at Warrior Falls. The Council of Elders held court at their respective tribal tables while the nobles had the best views of the royal family.

Shuri noticed right away that Remy kept his attention on Yani.

His face looked better from the bruising beat down he took. Shuri could only imagine how all the fighters would be if they didn't have advanced medicine and tools to heal broken bones and swollen faces within hours and not weeks. While dozens of servers brought dessert out on floating carts, N'Jadaka rose from his seat to go around and greet the noble tribal representatives, starting with Nakia and her people. There were handshakes, good-natured pats on the back, and jokes shared, but none of that happened when the king reached Remy. The young noble stood and held his hands in the sign of respect that was traditional, but N'Jadaka leaned in and said something in Remy's ear that made the younger man's body go rigid and his face tense up.

Shuri had been greeting older relatives near the nobles and watched up close the shift in mood from the Merchant Tribe members in that section. Elder Zinzi stood and gave N'Jadaka a warm pat on the back, but he must've said something disrespectful to Remy because another elder grabbed Remy's arm to force him back down into his seat. Thankfully, the twelve-member band struck up a song that broke up the tension, seducing couples to move onto the dance floor.

N'Jadaka spoke to Zinzi with his back turned to the Merchant Tribe head table and Shuri felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Sinjin!"

With no thought about where she was, Shuri hugged her lover, and he squeezed her waist before moving a respectful distance from her.

"How long have you been in Birnin Zana?"

"I was part of the last wave of islanders brought inland two days ago," Sinjin said.

"Where have you been staying?"

"With relatives in Birnin S'Yan, near the high plateau."

"You look wonderful."

"So do you."

Shuri touched the fancy, pulled-back hairstyle she was trying out. The sides and back were shaved low, almost in the same style as N'Jadaka. She touched her nape with shy hands and couldn't keep herself from stepping closer to him in the surrounding crowd of dancers and nobles trying to get closer to N'Jadaka.

"He's finally the king," Sinjin said.

"Yes."

"Feels weird."

"Eh?"

"He's not the same man I fought for."

"He is the same to me, in a way. I think he has become more of himself by being here with his entire family."

"Things are cool with you all?"

Shuri grinned.

"I would not think it was possible over a year ago, but now… he is truly family. A brilliant man."

Sinjin nodded. It was too tempting to touch him, so Shuri moved closer to the edge of the dance floor where they would be openly seen.

"How are W'Kabi and Okoye doing?" Shuri asked.

Sinjin glanced over to where W'Kabi stood with a drink in his hand, speaking to the Border Tribe fighter who had lost to N'Jadaka.

"It is still touch and go. Talks of divorce have ceased for now…"

"But?"

"There is still hurt there. Okoye is hesitant to reconcile fully. Maybe things will change having a new king that they both have to answer to."

"I hope they work things out."

"I hope so, too. King N'Jadaka made many people reevaluate who they really are. He is the change we needed."

Sinjin lowered his head.

"That is no disrespect to your brother, Shuri. King T'Challa was placed in a tough position. King N'Jadaka was a storm that blew through here and it shook up people. To their core. Okoye and W'Kabi have never seen things eye to eye for a few years now. Our civil war underlined that fact."

"T'Challa was a good king."

"We need an exceptional one now."

Shuri's kimoyo beads warmed on her wrist, then lit up with an amber color.

"Excuse me," she said, rushing away from the people and toward a private alcove outside of the ballroom.

Nick Fury's face floated in front of her with a grim expression.

"Princess Shuri. We have a problem," Nick Fury said.

Yani held her breath when King N'Jadaka swaggered past the tables of the nobles he tangled with at Warrior Falls. When he stood in front of Remy, she immediately knew he said something mean because Remy looked like he was ready to fight again right there in front of everyone. She stood up quickly and moved away from the family table to pretend like she was checking on her children, but all the grandparents looked after them. Reversing her steps in another direction, she made sure no one could see her reactions. Checking her kimoyo, they had another two hours to go before N'Jadaka would have to leave for other ball celebrations in different parts of the city. She would have to change clothes and attend them with Disa, but the children would stay with Dante.

Marisol and Twyla caught up with her, and they huddled behind a pillar to gossip about Disa.

"See, look at him… I think there's something more serious going on," Twyla said as they peeked at Disa speaking to a giant man wearing Jabari furs and a leather military skirt.

"I know she likes him," Marisol said, tucking the back of her white head wrap tighter.

Twyla sucked her teeth.

"We all know she likes him, gyal, it's seeing them together like this that's making it obvious to everyone. You think Big Man noticed?" Twyla asked.

Marisol grinned.

"JaJa's so busy working the crowd he can't even relax," Marisol said.

Yani's kimoyo lit up. She turned away from the women. A co-worker at the hospital, a seasoned midwife named Atlarela, gazed at her with a strained expression.

"Princess Yani, I am so sorry to disturb your time at the celebration, but I need your help. Nks. Tshwete has gone into labor and she is having a hard time. I told her you could not be here, but she insists on talking to you. She is in a panic and the baby's heart rate has gone up," Atlarela said.

Yani walked quickly to a quiet area out on a terrace. There were a few nobles lingering outside to catch a pleasant breeze and enjoy the view of the golden city below.

"Do you all mind? I have an emergency call," Yani said.

The group of nobles nodded and left her alone.

Yani sat down on a low cushioned bench and tapped her kimoyo.

"I am here, Atlarela. Let me see her," Yani.

Nks. Tshwete's sweaty face peered at her with worry. Propped in a wide birthing chair with her husband rubbing her shoulders behind her, the mother-to-be visibly relaxed when she saw Yani.

"Dr. Galiber… this is harder than I thought," Nks. Tshwete said.

"But you are a strong woman and so ready to bring this baby out," Yani said in her best Wakandan.

"Ow!"

Nks. Tshwete rubbed her stomach and hissed.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" Yani asked, swiping a med screen next to the floating image.

"My back aches… I am so tired."

"Looks like we have you on a low dosage of imifuno enoxolo. I'll up that by five milligrams," Yani said.

She typed in her med code and Atlarela received the change notification on the floating screen that tracked the birth's progress. The hospital room's A.I. Griot scanned the medicine requested and popped out a skin patch from a dispenser on a rolling medical console. moaned with discomfort and her husband nuzzled his cheek against hers. The midwife stuck the small patch on the mother's left arm and checked for dilation.

"She is ready," Atlarela said.

Yani dragged her index finger across her floating screen that synched up with Nks. Tshwete's body scanner to check the position of the baby.

"Time to start helping that baby out—"

"I cannot! I am so weak… so tired," Nks. Tshwete said.

"That is not true. You carried this big baby boy for nine months—"

"Nine months and seven days," Nks. Tshwete corrected.

"Yes, now he finally decided to come out. You know something? My son did the same thing. Mi Dumplin, him got really comfortable in mi belly. Mi fuss every day with him fat self," Yani said.

Nks. Tshwete smiled through her discomfort. Atlarela squatted onto the medical seat in front of the comfortable birthing chair and gently massaged a warm cream along the perineum to prevent tearing. She tapped the side of the chair and it expanded, giving the midwife more room.

Yani clucked her tongue and put a hand on her hip.

"He stayed in mi for six extra days past his due date and I was over it!" Yani quipped.

Nks. Tshwete leaned into her husband's neck and exhaled deeply as a hard contraction took over her focus.

"Rubbed mi Dumplin right on out. Sang to him too."

"What did you sing?" Nks. Tshwete huffed out.

Yani hummed an old lullaby her Auntie Leona used to sing to her when she was a baby. Tingalayo.

"Tingalayo… come little donkey come. Mi donkey fast, mi donkey slow… mi donkey come and mi donkey go…"

Yani sang the song, her voice shiny and clear, like a bell. Nks. Tshwete panted and pushed.

"Mi donkey dance, mi donkey sing… Mi donkey wearin' a wedding ring…"

Mr. Tshwete laughed and gazed at Yani's image floating in front of them.

"Why is a donkey wearing a wedding ring?" he asked.

Nks. Tshwete chuckled until her cheeks puffed out with exertion.

"Them island donkeys like to be married, I guess," Yani explained.

Atlarela pressed her knees onto the wide cushion of the birthing chair, dipping her hands low as the baby's head pushed through.

"Him have a lil coconut head," Yani said.

"Like his father!" Mr. Tshwete joked, wiping sweat from his bald dome.

A young nurse brought the midwife a warm towel to tuck under the baby as his shoulders wiggled through.

"Here he is… look at this… look at this little one," Atlarela said.

Nks. Tshwete closed her eyes and wept, her face exhausted, and her body losing the tension in her shoulders. Atlarela placed the baby on the flat front of the birthing chair, allowing Nks. Tshwete to collect herself in a way that Yani was trying with new mothers. She would guide the babies down and allow the mothers to catch their breath. It slowed down the birth process and gave new mothers a chance to gather themselves before meeting their new bundle of joy. Instead of handing the baby over right away, Yani encouraged letting the newborn sit quietly in warmth as the mother rested in the release.

"Oh, look how well you did!" Yani said.

"Thank you," Nks. Tshwete said while her husband kissed her cheek and rubbed her forehead.

"All I did was watch you do what you already knew how to do, love. Look how pretty you look, Mama!" Yani clapped her hands.

Atlarela winked at Yani.

Nks. Tshwete reached down between her legs and stroked her child's feet first, then explored the wrinkled legs and ran a gentle finger up to his arms and tiny balled-up fists.

"He is beautiful," Nks. Tshwete said.

Scooping her hand under the baby, she finally lifted him up to her chest where she sniffed his skin and nuzzled him under her chin, giving skin-to-skin contact. Yani began singing softly again, and the exhausted mother sang along, calming everyone there.

"The afterbirth is coming," Atlarela said.

The new mother held her squirming child to her naked breast and the ecstatic father cradled his son's round, wet head.

"I will leave you all now. Happy birthday," Yani said.

Nks. Tshwete blew Yani a kiss, and Atlarela turned off the link. Yani touched her cheeks and wiped away a tear. She always cried when helping mothers give birth. So many babies had come through her hands in Wakanda, but each one made her weep with second-hand joy as if she had given birth too. She heard the jokes behind her back that N'Jadaka caused the birthing boom in the country. People made love to forget the war and thousands of babies were born soon after. It wasn't about to let up either. Her work calendar stayed filled with upcoming new arrivals. Wakandans fucked instead of fighting, which the people celebrated because the birth rate had been lower than normal in Birnin Zana.

She heard movement behind her.

"I always knew you would be a success."

Yani turned and the new king of Wakanda moved next to the bench she occupied. She stood, exhaled, and looked at him directly as she nodded her head in deference.

"You never have to do that with me, Yani," he said.

N'Jadaka moved closer to her, and she took a hesitant step back to give him room near the bench.

"I'm about to leave for the next ball location. Wanted to see if you were ready to go," he said.

Yani touched her chin, then looked down at her dress.

"I need to change—"

"Don't. I like that dress on you. It's regal… beautiful. Fit for a princess."

She found a more confident tone and rushed the words out.

"Thank you for that," she said.

"I didn't have time to see you before I left, so T'Challa and the Council took care of the details presenting the title to you," he said.

Her eyes drifted steadily to his face and there was a glow of confidence there that made her midsection relax. He rested in kingship. It fit him like a tailored suit and she thought of all the times back in St. Thomas when he walked around like he was royalty.

The old him… Killmonger… carried the bearing of royalty all the time. She had mistaken much of it as arrogance, but N'Jadaka knew who he was back then. He couldn't even hide it that well. The way he spoke, the force of his words, and his personality made people stop and take notice back there among the deadly mercenaries. She had made love and played house with a prince for two years. A natural-born leader from birth.

"I'll be prepping for the consortium tomorrow. I would like to have lunch with Riki and Sydette in my new office… if that can be arranged," he said.

"I'm staying in the palace for the next two days until my new rotation at the hospital starts. Before I forget, Dr. Bryan is all set to come here from St. Thomas."

"Good. This is going to be a massive undertaking. Thank you for putting in all the extra work to get her here."

Yani clasped her hands in front of her waist.

"How was it up there?"

They both glanced over at Mount Bashenga. He moved over to the protective railing and she followed him.

"It was an experience I will never forget. Even now, I'm still processing everything. I let a lot of things go… from my past and my present. It's like I shed two hundred spiritual pounds to open myself up for a different weight."

"Well, you look good… healthy," she said.

"I feel good. Gotta put in work now."

"Is it everything you thought it would be? Becoming king?"

"More, so much more, Yani."

His body became an imposing figure right next to her. The blinding white of his royal robes, the long, twisted locks, the piercing, the gold teeth, his scent… Yani gripped the railing to steady herself mentally. N'Jadaka sighed.

"This new life won't be perfect until I get things right with you," he said.

"Huh?"

"Had I lived that first time… I would've come back for you and Sydette."

He turned toward her, his eyes burning into hers.

"The day T'Challa stabbed me… I had secret orders to send a ship to St. Thomas. They destroyed it during the battle."

Yani took a step back.

"You don't have to make up stories to make me feel better," she said.

"Have I ever lied to you? Not about who I really was, but how I treated you there?"

She shook her head.

"You gave the good parts of me back to myself, Yani," he said.

She leaned in toward him and he gazed at the mountain again.

"I fucked up by going to Disa based on a promise I made to Grandpop, but I was on a rampage to get here. I hurt you in a way that no amount of sorry is going to make up for because I know what you went through with other men who let you down, and I acted like a basic fool, just like the rest of them that one time. I'm better than that. I acted carelessly… I mean… I guess I didn't care about living anymore… didn't think I'd make it out alive to get back to you, anyway. Weak excuses can't explain what I did. Words don't mean shit to you cuz niggas been spittin' game just to have you. Love for another person is supposed to be a positive action, and I didn't even love myself enough to stop and think about anything beyond getting here and taking everything for my people… for my parents. I got what I wanted and I'm grateful for that. It cost me though. I will own that. All those broken parts, all those lost years… Wakanda gave me my parents back. Gave me peace with my ancestors. United me with my cousins and my grandparents. I have all of my missing pieces back... everything except for you. You are the one. Accepted me for how I showed up, even the bad things. Gave me my first child. One that I didn't even make!"

N'Jadaka laughed, but Yani had a lump in her throat and another in a hollow part of her chest.

"I'm going to spend the rest of my days trying to make up for lost time with my kids… and Yani… I want to make everything up to you."

The lump in her chest stayed solid. Men always said shit they didn't really mean. The high of the day impacted his words. He probably had a lot to drink and wanted to butter her up because of guilt.

Yani ran those thoughts through her head, but the man next to her didn't match up with the energy of the one who crushed her heart. Killmonger broke her by getting someone else pregnant and still loving them. But the man next to her was N'Jadaka. The difference was night and day.

"Yani… is there a chance for me to make up for everything? I would like to—"

"King N'Jadaka!"

Noxolo rushed onto the terrace with Quamba.

N'Jadaka strode toward them. His kimoyo beads lit up. He tapped them and Shuri's image appeared.

"Nick Fury contacted me. I am headed to my lab now, and I need you and T'Challa to come right away. The Americans have found the Asgardian people," Shuri said.

N'Jadaka turned to Yani.

"I guess I won't be able to finish talking to you tonight," he said.

"It's okay. You have more pressing things to do."

"If this doesn't take long, I'll try to meet you at one of the other parties," he said.

"I better get back inside," she said.

Yani attempted to walk past him, but he reached for her hand and pulled her back.

"I meant what I said, Yani."

"I heard you."

"If or when you think I'm worthy… I'd like to start over. Slowly, of course. If you don't feel it in your heart anymore, I'll understand. I want to put it out there so you know where I stand," he said.

His kimoyo beads lit up, and T'Challa's avatar twirled in a circle above his wrist.

"Go," Yani said, pushing his arm.

His Doras turned and walked toward the exit to wait for him. N'Jadaka stared at her. His mouth parted and seemed to want to say more.

"I will consider everything you've said. No promises," she said.

He nodded and when Yani lifted on her toes to kiss his cheek, she missed him by a mere two seconds. With his frame gone from her side, the removal of his body heat made the empty space so cold and lonely. A cool breeze rushed over her where his body once blocked the chill. She watched him move with his personal guards and admired the vision he presented, even as it moved away from her quickly.

Once he was gone, she turned back to the railing and looked over at Mount Bashenga. She had to be about her work, too. N'Jadaka had high expectations for his consortium and the Wakanda Outreach re-haul under his command.

It was a new beginning for everyone.

The Royal Talon Fighter landed on a platform outside of Shuri's lab with N'Jadaka and T'Challa on board. They moved in tandem into the building and walked down some spiral stairs where they met Shuri at her revamped computer workstation. She brought up Fury's image.

"Talk to me," N'Jadaka said.

Fury looked from T'Challa to him. His cousin no longer wore the royal clothing of the king.

"Damn, that was quick. You really weren't bullshittin' about taking over," Fury said.

N'Jadaka folded his arms.

"Time is money, man," N'Jadaka said.

"Asgard was destroyed on purpose to protect the people. There was an entity unleashed there that could not be contained and they had to self-destruct to save themselves. Those who survived the initial assault were on course to earth aboard a foreign vessel called the Statesman when they were attacked by what they call space pirates. They killed half on board. The rest used escape pods to get to earth."

"Thor tell you all this?" N'Jadaka asked.

"Thor is still out there somewhere. He's more than likely dead. There's something coming here that is a threat to us all… in the entire universe," Fury said. "These so-called space pirates are fronting it and they are coming here."

N'Jadaka glanced at T'Challa. His cousin moved closer to him. Shuri watched with concerned eyes. Fury touched his creased forehead before he threaded his fingers together.

"On our side, we're collecting as much evidence and corroborating what the refugees from Asgard have told us," Fury said.

"How many survived?" Shuri asked.

"Less than 2,500 were able to make it all the way here," Fury said.

Fury lifted a glass of amber liquid, letting them all know he wasn't on anybody's clock and his intel was for their ears only.

"I need to know how secure your borders are, King N'Jadaka," Fury said.

"Despite our internal terrorist issue that has been contained since you've been here, we're the safest country on the planet," N'Jadaka said.

Fury wiped his forehead nervously with his drink glass. The cool, calm, and collected bravado was gone. The man looked stressed.

"I pray to God you are because what's coming down the pipeline is going to suck you in. Since T'Challa opened you up to the world, we are going to turn to you soon."

"For what?" N'Jadaka.

"Help. To save all of us," Fury said.

Fury gulped down his drink.

"I'm compiling a confidential Asgard report just for your eyes. Shuri, I would like to ask that you recalibrate those probes of yours and start tracking the signatures I've already emailed you… with encryptions. Maybe you can find out where these pirates are," Fury said.

N'Jadaka sensed something more.

"Why are you holding out more information from us?" N'Jadaka asked.

"Need to know is how I play it close to the vest," Fury said.

"With this new intel, will you be coming to our grand opening delegation meet-up?" N'Jadaka said.

"You're still going through with it?" Fury said with a grin.

"Shit, I would look too janky if I pulled the rug on it now with the change in leadership. Gotta pacify these fools somehow before I have my consortium."

"I regret to inform you that I will not be attending the meet-up. But I'm coming to your other private gathering."

"Good," N'Jadaka said.

Fury pointed to N'Jadaka's nose ring and decorated beard.

"That's a lot going on, brotha. I thought you Wakandans kept it low-key."

"New sheriff in town, bruh," N'Jadaka said.

"I'll be in contact again soon," Fury said.

He blinked out and Shuri immediately pulled up the schematics for their hot probes still working in the field. She pushed away 3D images and plucked out others. Data flashed past in bright neon orange sequences and her computer started deciphering code.

"I'm downloading their files and the ones Fury sent me. Tracking highlighted emissions and anomalies shouldn't be hard now that we have trace evidence to go on from the escape pods. All this life out there… incredible," Shuri said.

"Dangerous too," N'Jadaka said.

"I'll get to work with General Okoye and our military heads to prepare upgrades for all security measures and evacuation," T'Challa said. "Go on back to the palace and enjoy the ball."

"I'd rather work here and go over this data that's coming in," N'Jadaka said.

He pulled off his top robe and tossed it over a chair. Grabbing a stylus, he began opening files on his kimoyo beads Shuri sent to him too. T'Challa left them to do their work as he sought Okoye in person.

"Shuri, if you want to go back and be with your mother and the rest of the family, I can dig into all this myself," N'Jadaka said.

"Parties and big social events aren't really my thing. I'm more comfortable here."

"What about your boyfriend?" he asked.

She froze. Still staring at the chemical makeup of one of the emergency pod metal samples, Shuri took a deep breath.

"I'm not tryna get into your business, but I noticed you with him. He looks crazy about you."

"Please… say nothing to anyone else. No one knows about Sinjin."

"W'Kabi's cousin, right?"

"Yes. We met when you came here. During the war."

"I'll keep it to myself."

"Thank you."

She swiped and enlarged the tracking data, then glanced at him.

"Things have changed for you. With Disa and Yani?" she said.

"You can read me too," he said.

"In my time with all of you, I noticed that you have an interesting dynamic with them both."

"How's that?"

"I watched some old videos of your family in Brazil that Marisol shared, and I made an interesting observation. You fell in love with two women who are basically your mother and aunt."

N'Jadaka's face scrunched up in confusion.

"It's true, cousin," Shuri said. "Disa is so much like your Aunt Lia, and Yani is… well, she is a toned-down version of your mother, Califia. At the heart of each of them is a connection that you lost as a little boy. No wonder you love them both so much. The two women you admired most at the beginning of your life were the blueprint for who you ended up loving later as a man. But now… I think… maybe… you have settled your mind about them. You were different with them tonight."

N'Jadaka sat on a stool next to Shuri. Her words sank into him.

"I love them both dearly, for different reasons, but—"

"Yani is the one you want," she finished for him.

He closed his eyes.

"Yeah. She's who I love for all the right reasons, though. I felt like I owed Disa so much. I was so young and naïve when I went after her. She's my best friend, and I promised so much to her I never fulfilled. After all was said and done, I turned her into a single mother, something she was never supposed to be."

"I don't think she sees it that way," Shuri said.

"I do."

Shuri shook her head.

"She is so happy here. Have you looked at her? I mean really watched how she moves in Wakanda? Bliss. There are times I wish I could see Wakanda the way she does. I've been raised here all my life, so I'm used to a lot of things. But the wonder and joy she carries are astounding."

"I promised her the entire world," he said.

"You gave it to her. And you are still friends. With a beautiful child that she adores."

"I hurt Yani, though, and I don't think she will ever love me again the way she used to back in St. Thomas."

"Listen to me. You tried to kill me and my brother. We got over that and love you now. In time, she will see the new you and decide what is right for her. But she is happy too. I see the joy on her face and she loves her work here."

N'Jadaka stared at his cousin.

"You… love me?"

"Of course, I do. You have shown me who you really are, and I've had time to learn about your past. I've healed from it. In my opinion, murderous intentions trump having a child with someone else… don't tell Yani I said that!" Shuri said.

N'Jadaka grinned. Shuri laid her hand over his.

"You were lost and blinded by revenge. She loves you so much and it's just taking Yani a lot of time to heal from your one mistake with her."

"Did she tell you she loves me?" he asked.

"We can all see it. Her eyes never left your presence the entire day. Remind her why she fell in love with you in the first place and let her see that you are the one for her, too."

Shuri removed her hand, and a smirk crossed over her lips.

"What?" he asked.

She tilted her head and began singing.

"She is your queen… your queen-to-be…! A queen-to-be forever… a queen who'll do whatever his Highness desires… she's your queen-to-be… a vision of perfection, an object of affection… to quench your royal fire…"

N'Jadaka reached over and put Shuri in a headlock.

"See, now you got jokes! How did you learn that song?"

"My Dad watched all your corny American movies and swore up and down your Eddie Murphy was making fun of real African countries like ours," Shuri said.

She untangled herself from his loving grip, but he threw an arm around her shoulder.

"I love your smartass, too," he said.

"I am glad. Wakanda is the place of miracles, cousin."

"You are the miracle worker, Shuri. Gave me a second chance."

"Well, put your second-chance self to work. We just received our first clue," Shuri said, pointing to her elaborate 3D images.

"The space dust burned into the escape pods that fell into our atmosphere comprises particles from a meteor that came from deep space," she said.

She pulled in another image of the Great Mound that housed all of their vibranium.

"We haven't seen that type of chemical makeup since vibranium landed in our country inside a meteor two point five million years ago. These space pirates… they may come from cultures older than humanity," Shuri said.

"Hopefully, they bleed," N'Jadaka said.

They worked late into the night until he fell asleep, hugged up next to the computer images. Dozing off, he worried about how advanced the technology was on the other side of the universe.

Chapter 62 HERE.

A.N.:

*I changed the spelling of the actual Mami Wata to Mama Wati to give me the freedom to write about an actual African/African Diaspora deity that I am very familiar with as a Wakandan variation of that water spirit. She is the same one I use in my Namor fic "The Offering".

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[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 4, Chapter 59″

Need to Catch up? Masterlist HERE.

"I know some places and I've seen some faces I got good connections, they take my directions What people say, that's okay, they don't bother me, no I'm ready to make it, don't care what the weather Don't care 'bout no trouble, got myself together I feel the kind of protection that's all around me"

Marvin Gaye – "Trouble Man"

"Prince N'Jadaka, we are ready when you are."

The soft voice of his personal caretaker drifted into Erik's ear. He sat crossed-legged with his hands resting palms up on his knees. Incense burned smoky trails high above him and he shifted his hips.

"I'll be out in a few minutes," Erik said.

His voice finally sounded normal to him after forty days of disuse. His throat felt like dried, crumbling leaves and his tongue constantly slid around his inner cheeks to test the elasticity of words forming and flowing from a once silent cavern. Rolling his neck around, he lifted from a cushioned pillow and blew out the ivory meditation candles, and snuffed out the three-inch incense cones in his private quarters. Ayiz'e stepped into the space, holding out a white knitted robe for him. He turned away from her slender dark brown frame and slipped his arms into the proper places, and tied the front loosely over his black ceremonial shorts. She reached for his hair and twisted it into a knot; the length had grown past his shoulders. Erik barely noticed all the growth until Ayiz'e began doing his hair for him. She brought him his meals, prepared his scented baths, and kept him on his sacred tasks with all the priests. When his grandfather and Marisol were brought to the temple, they reacted to Erik as the other priests treated him once Bast manifested inside the holy sanctuary: cautious.

Grandpop and Marisol connected with the temple elders and there were long meetings with them for three days until they emerged at one of his ceremonial joinings with Bast. He couldn't explain what was happening, so they would understand in human terms because they forbid him to speak. Bast had used his body as a vessel to communicate with him, and human language wasn't fit to translate the meaning to anyone else. There was a knowing in carrying the Panther Goddess inside of him. For him to speak the ancient tongue of the Wakandan creator out loud would've ripped apart his esophagus and shattered the eardrums and minds of the humans who looked after him there.

Bast found him to be a worthy human and desired to know who else shaped him. He was not pure Wakandan and lacked some knowledge she sought within him, so his other family from outside bloodlines were brought to her. Erik watched helplessly as his poor grandfather shook with fear observing the stone head of Bast move as it watched him with ancient eyes. Marisol showed fear too, but she also had Gods ride her and was intimate in the ways divine spirit moved through flesh. Her presence eased Dante, and he was able to relay whatever the priests wanted to know about his Geechee Hoodoo roots. They used a protected human avatar, Dinani, a non-binary priest to relay the wisdom to Bast through the use of a fungal hallucinogenic.

Ogum became a trickster inside of Erik and brazenly challenged Bast's prowess in handling a human like him. Through the use of herbs, prayer work, and letting go of his body, he was able to step into the realm of gods and witness their coming together to make him whole and ready for kingship.

Erik stood in the twilight of the living and the ancestral realm for most of his days on Mount Bashenga. It was the reason why he could only see his children every couple of days because his body would become weak, leaving the spiritual realm. Once Marisol and Dante arrived, he was cut off from his children completely for two additional weeks because some fierce ancestors from his mother's bloodline rose up and chastised some of his father's bloodline and the priests scrambled to soothe all the souls on the other side. It wore him down physically and mentally, and he didn't want his children to see him drained or weak. They would've told their mothers something was wrong.

He touched other worlds. Mystical dimensions. Traveled back in time to see the beginning of his people, the way his father had taught him so long ago in Oakland. Erik acted greedily, wanting to see the future, but Bast would shove him back into human consciousness until he behaved. His body would shiver and there would be fevers, but he learned quickly not to test her. He absorbed everything, and his dreams worked to untangle visions of the subconscious that his conscious mind tried to fathom. Even he couldn't grasp certain lessons at times and would go on walking meditations following the path of a vast stone labyrinth for hours late into the night, seeking his own answers. Bast expanded his knowledge and tore down his inhibitions. His perception of the world and his place in it stood on new foundations. They gave him a white gold nose piercing etched with sacred prayers and placed a small, flat circular emerald piercing on the top root of his penis. Erik Stevens disappeared forever. In his place was a reborn N'Jadaka, the Golden Jaguar.

One thing was clear. His purpose was set, and he was ready to act. There would be no resting period in the palace. He wanted preparations for Challenge Day to be ready when he returned.

Ayiz'e smeared a rich body emollient onto his face. It smelled like coffee and cocoa. Dinani joined them, carrying small clear bowls of black and white body paint. They painted a black line across his forehead and on both sides of his cheeks. It dried quickly, becoming a thick crust on his skin. Dinani handed the rest of the covered paint to Ayiz'e.

"I will paint the rest of you on the ship, Prince N'Jadaka," Dinani said, not making eye contact.

"I'm ready," he said.

Dinani kept their eyes downcast, then pulled the hood of their pale robe over their close-cropped hair.

The entire priesthood lined up outside to bid him farewell as the Royal Talon Fighter landed at the temple entrance. Noxolo stepped out of the ship first and immediately dropped to one knee when she saw his face. He stroked the braids made from his beard under his chin decorated with silver beads.

"Your Highness," Noxolo said in a flustered voice.

His other Dora, Quamba, knelt too, and Erik waved his hand over them.

"Stand up. I'm not your king yet," he teased playfully.

"Yes, you are," Noxolo said.

Turning to all the priests, Erik cupped his hands with respect and they all repaid the sentiment back to him. Stepping onto the Talon Fighter's ramp with Dinani, he ordered Noxolo to fly him to Warrior Falls.

Only a select two hundred Wakandans were permitted to witness Challenge Day. Once the water of Warrior Falls was drained away to reveal the sacred battleground, there were only so many spaces people could stand and watch.

T'Challa stood with Ramonda and Shuri to his right. Yani, Disa, and Erik's children stood to his left. Behind them, Marisol, Twyla, and Dante shared space. Their Challenge Day regalia was striking, all wore gold to honor the Golden Jaguar. The children were adorable, with the girls touching their panther jawbone necklaces tucked around their jawline. Riki had his two bottom teeth fitted with small gold slugs to match his father's.

Along the various rocky platforms, the four Council Elders represented their tribes. M'Baku and his people were given their own platform too. All five tribes looked toward the edge of the falls, the anticipation building, as they waited for the Royal Talon Fighter to arrive from Mount Bashenga. Many in the crowd high above gawked at the Jabari people, since it was their first time taking part formally since M'Baku stormed down from the icy clouds to fight T'Challa. How times had changed!

"Where is Baba?" Joba asked, looking at her mother.

"He will be here soon," Disa said, patting her daughter's giant halo of thick hair.

T'Challa glanced above his head to a deep crevice in the red rock where his grandparents sat waiting. Umama and Baba Z looked anxious. There was a grave tension palpable throughout the Falls. He glanced over at Nakia, dressed in her River Tribe green attire and holding her weapons of choice, two vibranium hoops she kept close to her sides. She nodded to him and he wondered what she thought about his new role as solely the Black Panther and not the king. Gone were his black royal robes and in its place a subdued silver and gray tunic with hand-stitched trousers bearing the ancient symbols of the Panther tribe.

"Look!" Riki shouted, pointing toward the sky.

The Royal Talon Fighter.

A drum call began, and the spectators murmured with agitated excitement and wonder. Voices erupted, singing Erik's Wakandan name, The One Who Brings Thunder — N'Jadaka. T'Challa inhaled deeply and worried about the other tribes going against his cousin. He and Erik had grown so close that the lines of kinship had blurred into a brotherhood of sorts. T'Challa noticed Yani holding her head down and gripping the shoulders of her son. She shifted her stance several times next to him. Disa kept her eyes on the ship while stroking her daughter's hair. Sydette watched her Baba come to them with bright, eager eyes. Would he have a child like that one day? One who would wait patiently for his return to be loved unconditionally with all of his heart? T'Challa sought Nakia's eyes again. Her gaze was steadfast on the edge of the waterfall. Was she thinking of Erik tossing someone over again?

Baba Z and Umama stood up with proud faces and sang their hearts out. The sons of their sons were united, and the formality of Challenge Day was something to get through as quickly as possible. T'Challa studied the faces of the other tribal members who represented potential kings or queens. The Jabari tribe had M'Baku, who would not go against Erik. Nakia was promised a position as the Ambassador, so he doubted she would rock the boat against the Udaku clan. M'Kathu had a woman standing up for the Border Tribe. A heavily styled blue and silver blanket sat draped across her body and her facial keloid scars were shiny in the sunlight. Zinzi stood with her Mining Tribe challenger, and by the troubled expression on her face, T'Challa knew her people would go up against Erik. They had a giant of a man with large hands and a larger spear gripped tightly against his chest.

T'Challa did a double take when he finally looked at the familiar young man posted up next to Elder Efetobo.

Remy.

He nudged Yani gently and bent closer to her ear.

"Yani, Remy is standing up for the Merchant tribe," he whispered over all the singing.

Yani's forehead creased and her lips tightened as she peered through the gap of the family toward where the other tribes stood. In an instant, her eyes darkened with anger and she turned forward abruptly.

"That bastard," she uttered, not realizing T'Challa heard her clearly.

"Baba!" Sydette shouted.

The Royal Talon Fighter made a swooping arc and dropped from the sky, hovering over the edge. The two vibranium propulsion engines pulsed bright neon blue in the shape of the heart-shaped herb, paying respect to all rulers who were the only ones allowed to ingest the mystic purple plant.

Riki and Joba jumped up and down, and T'Challa felt a giddiness in his stomach, too. The priests from the temple had summoned him to spiritually bond with Erik. The ceremony had been short and done in silence. His cousin had been completely draped in white robes and a facial covering, but he could feel Erik's aura pressing against him in a warm embrace. Becoming one blade together linked them until death.

The rear door opened, and a ramp slid down. T'Challa held his breath.

"Look at him!" Ramonda exclaimed.

A reverent hush went through the waiting audience. Erik carried a short blade, and also a spear attached to the family shield that T'Challa once held. His cousin stepped out with the confidence of a king and whatever happened to him up in the mountains had marked his appearance drastically. His shoulder and pectoral muscles were painted grayish-black with white splotches. Black lines marked his face, too, and his eyes were blazing furnaces scorching the faces of every person present. For a second, T'Challa felt the urge to look away, like the mere sight of Erik in all of his glory was too much to take in all at once. The force of his presence was a tangible energy that radiated out from him like a powerful force field.

His beard was different, and so was his hair. The new nose piercing gave him a formidable appearance, and if T'Challa didn't know for a fact that his cousin was flesh and blood, he could swear that a god stepped down from the mountain. Bast lived inside of Erik, which had a profound effect on his bearing in front of their people. All the spectators felt it.

"Baba!"

Riki shot away from Yani and splashed into the water, going after his father. The shrill sound of his voice made T'Challa's heart melt. It was the piercing cry of a child kept from his father for too long. Joba followed her brother, but Sydette darted forward and pulled them both back.

"No, we can't go to him yet. He has to do the ceremony," Sydette chided in the proper tone of the eldest sibling.

The sound of the children helped break the hold Erik had on everyone. It was as if he gave everyone permission to breathe again.

The king-to-be gazed at his little ones with such affection that, for a split second, he looked like a regular man again. He nodded at the children and Sydette led her siblings back to their mothers. There had been conversations the night before at the family dinner about whether the children should see Challenge Day, but Baba Z convinced Yani and Disa that they needed to witness history in the making.

Yani gasped and covered her mouth.

Unreal. Erik looked so unreal.

Like Moses who went up the mountain to see the burning bush, Erik returned with the countenance of a man who had sat perched at the feet of God and was back to spread the holy word of truth. He didn't carry any stone tablets with the ten commandments hammered and chiseled on them, but his eyes held something more powerful. The conviction of his purpose in Wakanda.

All hail the king.

Yani looked away when Erik's eyes drifted across the hundreds in attendance to watch him stake his claim. They kept singing, and the crescendo washed over Yani's back as reality set in. The man in front of her was truly going to rule a nation of the future. Somewhere along the line, she had been chosen to be a part of his journey, birthed an heir, and stood strong among many who had shaped Erik's life to that point. His bearing was hard to take in all at once and she gasped when she felt his stare, even though she wasn't looking at him directly. She glanced at Disa who dropped her head down too. Only their children watched him during those first few minutes of his disembarking.

The Royal Talon Fighter flew away after delivering Erik. An older woman wearing the royal purple of the shaman class from head to toe carried a tall staff with a spear tip and approached the intimidating royal. She held her free hand out toward him and her painted face of white dots and black lines took on a fearsome appearance.

"I, Lithemba, daughter of Dambisa and N'Tando, give to you, Prince N'Jadaka, the Golden Jaguar!"

A roar came over the crowd that drowned out Lithemba's voice. Riki wiggled and jumped in front of Yani, and she lightly touched his twisted hair to calm him, but nothing would settle Erik's son. His little body was like an electric eel, squirming and ready to dart away from her again. Erik lifted his head to gaze at the people dotting the high cliff wall peering down at him. He raised his weapons and his pecs moved, his other muscles flexing, too. Yani lifted her head higher and pulled her shoulders back. Who would even dare battle him? A veil seemed to fall over her eyes, allowing her to look at Erik, shading her gaze from being overwhelmed by the obvious power he revealed with his chiseled body and stern face. The noise of the crowd rose higher until Erik took a knee in the water. The Dora Milaje surrounding the royal family pounded their spears on the rocks and Yani could almost hear a pin drop in the sudden silence.

Lithemba handed her staff to a male attendant who gave her a dark wooden bowl of black liquid. She held out the bowl to the people.

"The prince will now have the power of the Golden Jaguar stripped away!"

Pouring the liquid down Erik's throat, they all watched him shake and the cords stretch in his neck as black lines moved visibly along his blood veins under his nutmeg-brown skin. The whites of his eyes reddened, and he gasped for air. Riki and Sydette pressed closer into her waist and she was tempted to cover their eyes, but her own limbs were paralyzed staring at Erik.

His breathing became normal again, and he blinked his eyes several times before standing.

"Praise the ancestors!" Lithemba shouted.

The crowd shouted it back to her.

"In our tradition, victory in ritual combat comes by yield or death…"

Yani closed her eyes, refusing to accept anything less than a complete victory.

"If any tribe desires to put forth a warrior… I now offer a path to the throne!" Lithemba said.

Yani turned her head and stared at each tribal warrior. She dared any of them to show their ass.

Nakia shouted and swung her arms up from her side, a fearsome scowl on her face as she waved her hoop weapons. Elder Bhira stood confidently wearing his crown of horns, with his green lip plate making room for a proud grin at his tribal representative.

"The River Tribe will not challenge today," Bhira said.

Nakia gave a respectful nod to Erik and stepped back, signifying she and her people were behind the prince. Yani swallowed hard and flexed her sweating hands.

M'Baku growled out his presence d his people barked out a response to back him.

"The Jabari Tribe will not challenge today," M'Baku said.

He too nodded at Erik with respectful deference, and before he could step back fully, Elder M'Kathu shouted out, "The Border Tribe will challenge today!"

"Hafizah Allah!" Disa whimpered next to her.

The Border tribe warrior tossed off her blanket and stomped down toward the pool of water carrying a curved blade and a mask shaped like a rhino's head with a horn. Erik pulled on his panther mask and didn't wait for the woman to reach him before he splashed his way toward her. Another set of Dora Milaje surrounded them with spears, keeping either from escaping.

The woman was fierce, but she was no match for Erik. Her mastery of ulwa was superb, but Yani knew she couldn't handle the blend of capoeira with the traditional Wakandan martial art and the fluidity the prince displayed using both at the same time against her. Erik even put away his shield blade, only using one weapon to give her a fair chance to take him out. She gave as good as she got until Erik shoved his foot in her chest and knocked her into the middle of the water. Drenched and pissed off, she attacked again, swiping her leg at Erik's feet. He backflipped, and she jabbed at his side, cutting a good slice into the taut flesh. Yani and Disa both pulled their children into their robes to shield them.

"Mama, no!" Sydette whined, pushing away from Yani to see her father battle.

The fighting went on and on and Yani soon realized Erik was allowing the time to pass as a sign of respect for the Border Tribe people. The woman raised her blade and brought it down on Erik's spear with a loud clanging. He head-butted her, and she tumbled back, nearly falling. Erik helicoptered his legs, slapping her face and mask off with his feet, and she fell again. He jammed his short spear into her throat, drawing blood from a deep gash. Baring his teeth, he glared at her and she gripped his blade with both hands, cutting her palms by trying to remove it from her bloody neck.

Erik tilted his head and crouched lower above her.

"Yield or I will end you right here!"

The warrior slapped her hands in the water with fear in her eyes and Erik removed his blade, helping her up. Panting and worn down, the Border Tribe warrior threw down her weapon and knelt before him. Another drum call thumped a respectful rhythm for the defeated challenger. Erik flexed again and shouted to the other tribes, "Who else wants some?!"

Yani clenched her fists, her eyes hot and darting toward the two other challengers. Zinzi reluctantly stepped forward.

"The Mining Tribe will challenge today!" she shouted.

Zinzi lowered her head in a subtle nod of respect to Erik. The Mining tribe warrior raised up his spear and stampeded down into the water, pulling down his mask that had the shape of an elephant with tusks. A big bruiser with more weight than Erik, the man walloped the prince before the Dora Milaje could even close the fighting circle. Yani screamed for Erik, and he swung his legs around and pounced on the challenger at the sound of her voice.

"Yes!" Disa hissed next to her.

Erik struck the Mining warrior in the chest and the side of his temple before stepping back, spurning the man to bring his best. Sweat poured from Erik's chest and he fought hard, stabbing the Mining warrior in the side and nicking the back of his left knee, shocking the man with the ferocity of the attacks.

"Break him, N'Jadaka!" Umama shouted from high above.

T'Challa grunted next to Yani and balled his fists, following the same moves as Erik, as if something synched them up on a cosmic level. She checked on her children and they were beyond caring about the violence, their eyes glued to their father. Riki had tears in his eyes. Yani lifted her son into her arms, cradling his face in her neck, but he refused to cover his eyes.

"Mi wahn see, Mama," Riki pleaded.

The blood worried her, but there were other children there watching the ritual combat with their parents. Disa lifted Joba in her arms and the girl took on a passive, blank stare, although obviously feeling everything around her daddy.

Erik was out for blood and lashed his blade to bring on maximum pain and visual duress for the other tribes. Challenging his rule brought out the jaguar in him and he sliced up the flesh of the fellow warrior, making sure he understood his error in stepping to a king. Erik made his arms blur with movement and he spun around fast, throwing his blade into the Mining warrior's right pectoral muscle, piercing the flesh and forcing Yani and Disa to cover the eyes of their children as Erik lifted his left leg high, striking the man's mask and cracking it. The man fell onto his back with a horrible splash.

Startled by the brutality, the challenger looked at the weapon sticking out of his body with shock. Erik circled the man's body and tilted his chin with disdain. He lifted the elephant mask from the challenger's face and tossed it aside. There was blood all over his lips and he spat out some teeth.

"Do you yield?" Erik shouted.

"Never!" the man yelled with the pain of imminent defeat.

"You hear him?" Erik shouted to all the spectators.

His eyes locked with Zinzi's and the elder stood firm, allowing Erik to determine the man's fate. The prince grabbed the man's throat and squeezed it, choking the life out of him. His enemy flailed in the water, his body thrashed with the loss of air, and his skin color drained with the coming of death. In a fit of terror and self-preservation, the warrior smacked the water in defeat. Death by the hand of the Golden Jaguar was not worth being remembered by his people.

"That's it!" Yani shrieked.

Erik stumbled back on weary legs. He touched the bleeding wounds all over his body and watched the Dora Milaje help the defeated challenger back to his tribal elder, too injured to kneel before his superior warrior. Zinzi held her hands up in the praise sign for a king, and Erik nodded to her.

Yani inhaled deeply, but Erik didn't let them rest. He grabbed his spear and shield, lunging for Remy directly.

"I know you're coming for me!" Erik shouted, pointing his other spear at the startled final challenger.

Erik had been fighting for over ninety minutes non-stop. His adrenaline rush had everyone in a chokehold watching him defeat the two tribal challengers. Elder Efetobo pounded her staff into the ground.

"The Merchant Tribe will challenge today!" she shouted, her voice going creaky on the last two words.

Like Zinzi, Efetobo gave Erik a nod of respect. Remy shook off his robes and came forth bare-chested and without weapons. He pulled on his mask shaped like an ibex, the curved horns curling toward the back of Remy's head.

Yani's blood boiled.

Remy must've planned to face Erik for a long time, probably hoping to kill him and take Yani for himself with the throne. All that time caring for her children, gaining their trust… to fight their father in a brutal display of ego and subterfuge enraged her.

"Why is Remy fighting, Baba?" Sydette asked.

"He's showing off," Yani said.

"I hate him!" Riki interjected, his small fists raised up in anger.

Erik tossed his weapons into the water and beat the dog snot out of Remy. The man had to regroup, especially with Erik probably reliving all the times he sat up in Yani's home playing with his children.

Remy didn't go down easy, ripping off his mask halfway through the fight, taking the blows, and counting on Erik being worn out to bide his time. When the prince tripped over his own tossed aside spear after striking Remy in the face, the fumble gave the challenger an upper hand in knocking off Erik's mask and pummeling his jaw directly with hard fists then striking both sides of his ribcage. Yani heard Erik's ribs crack, and she dug her heels into the stone beneath her feet and screamed at Erik to punish him. Remy glanced at Yani and grinned maniacally, kicking Erik in the jaw, knocking him on his ass near the ledge. Fighting last gave Remy an advantage. He was fresh and alert and Erik was tired, his punches and kicks not as accurate as they were in the beginning.

Remy snagged a hold of Erik's knotted hair and dragged his face down into the water, pushing on the back of his neck to drown him.

"Get up Baba!" Sydette shrieked.

Erik's arms flailed to get the upper hand, but Remy shoved his knee into Erik's back, countering his ability to shove the weight off of his spine.

"Erik!" Disa screamed, covering Joba's eyes.

The prince grew weak under the water and Remy's lips curled into a smile as cruel as his aggression. He stared directly at Yani with great satisfaction at the turn of events.

"Please," Yani whispered, ready to kill Remy with her bare hands.

She pulled her children behind her back and stepped into the water, the cool liquid swirling between her toes. T'Challa gripped her shoulder.

"You cannot interfere, Yani," T'Challa said.

"He's drowning!" Yani wailed, gathering up the hem of her dress.

Disa stepped forward and helped lift Yani back onto the rocky platform they were on.

"Yani," Disa said with a firm tone, "look!"

Erik reached back and yanked Remy's head forward, throwing the man off balance into the water. Remy struggled to keep from falling over the edge and flung his body like a heavy sack against Erik, who placed him in a headlock and slammed him down on his bended knee, knocking the wind out of him. Remy gasped for breath and clutched at his ribs, which were broken worse than Erik's.

Both men staggered back and circled one another, clutching their sides. Erik's deadly eyes sought every advantage over the weakened opponent. Remy limped toward him and Erik lifted him up, jerking his body and cracking Remy's ribs more, puncturing a lung. An agonizing scream ripped from Remy's throat. Yani gnashed her teeth and relished the sound. Erik lifted Remy higher above his head and stood precariously close to the edge.

"Do… you… yield?!" Erik shouted so everyone could hear.

Yani clutched her children and held them close to her waist.

Remy whimpered, his eyes facing the sky and perhaps his last few seconds of life.

"Aggghhhh…. damn you…!" Remy shrieked.

Erik let his arms bend back to toss the man over and Remy screamed to the world, "I yield!"

The Udaku clan burst into cries of joy and Erik spun on his heel, throwing Remy toward his tribe. He crawled to his people whimpering in pain, and the Dora Milaje helped drag him there quickly. Erik faced them all, battered and bloody… but alive. The shine in his eyes made Yani cry out to him with relief. He took a step toward her, but Lithemba brought forth a necklace of panther claws and holy ivory beads.

"I present to you my people… King N'Jadaka. The Golden Jaguar!" Lithemba said.

Yani clutched at her chest and listened to ululations and cheers explode around her.

"My King," Lithemba said, lowering her head.

Sydette, Riki, and Joba ran their small feet back into the water, and Erik… N'Jadaka… knelt down to their level, finally able to accept hugs from them. Disa turned and hugged Dante and Marisol, who openly wept. T'Challa gave a wild smile and held his hands in deference to his cousin. When N'Jadaka stood up again, exhaustion drooped his shoulders, but his eyes were fearsome once more. They took in the praise and all the hand claps. He held his hands up to his maternal grandfather and turned them up toward his paternal grandparents. Umama blew down kisses to him, and Baba Z saluted him with arms crossed over his chest. N'Jadaka's devastating gaze fell on Yani and she looked away at her feet, overcome by the power in his stance.

The Dora Milaje chanted, led by Noxolo, and they raised their hands and spears toward the sky in praise of his name.

N'Jadaka surveyed the crowd once more and crossed his arms against his chest.

"Wakanda Forever!" he shouted.

"Wakanda Forever," his people declared back at him.

He was the king. At last.

Chapter 60 HERE.

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[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 4, Chapter 65″

Need to catch up? Masterlist HERE.

"Who took movement Spirit included Made it a Movement We did (Never Forget)

Who's the origin straight from the soil? And, then redistributed Who did (Never Forget)

Future ancient our souls they'll never get it Aye, information passed down for generation Future ancients our souls they'll never get it They will never forget"

Sampa the Great – "Never Forget"

Twyla's Wakanda tour was a tremendous success.

Professional, punctual, and far-reaching, it showcased her love for history and culture. It also revealed her love for the country as a new citizen. N'Jadaka joined a hover bus ride to a river pick-up spot north of Warrior Falls where they landed on River Tribe territory. The tours were divided into daily rotations over three days allowing the guests to pick what activities they were up for each day culminating with their participation in all of them. The city tour covered Birnin Zana's museums, temples, and other historical structures ending with shopping at a popular bazaar and dinner at a restaurant overlooking the palace. The wildlife tour was a safari day trip with elephant rides, flights across the long Ibukun River, a fancy lunch at a wildlife preserve, and then a special musical play at the Zana Performance Theater that ushered in an eight-course dinner near Mount Bashenga to see the spectacular sunset. The River Tour was a day-long excursion aboard several large luxury boats with cultural geography lessons, a gourmet lunch on the river, and then a tour of the double palace before an exclusive dinner inside one of the extravagant palace dining rooms.

N'Jadaka brought his grandfather and Marisol with him on the boat and they watched the spectacular scenery through the eyes of their guests.

When they reached the palace tour, N'Jadaka made his leave and met with his children for an early private dinner with the Udaku clan. Their family meal placated his stomach and spirit and he left his young ones with Ramonda and Shuri. He noticed T'Challa slipping away from the dining room with Nakia and grinned. They no longer hid their rekindled closeness. Ramonda appeared thrilled by it and no one said anything about the warmth exuding between them.

From N'Jadaka's viewpoint, T'Challa was in his element as the Black Panther. He allowed the king to concentrate on other matters without having to second-guess what was happening outside of Wakanda. T'Chaka's son was built for the mantle. Being free of ruling seemed to make the man happy. It gave him time with Nakia in private, unlike N'Jadaka who had to be the face of the palace at every moment. He leaned into Ramonda for guidance. Her decades of experience as Queen Consort mentored him on how to behave during the conference with all the power he exuded. She suggested he become less familiar with the visitors and create some distance so that they would understand the immense responsibility he had. Plus, he needed rest. His energy tanks were depleted by nightfall as his empath abilities took in everything.

She was tickled pink when he told her that T'Challa would join Nakia in New York for the U.N. general assembly. They would be there to work on behalf of the nation, but Ramonda acted like it was a honeymoon trip for her son and favorite War Dog.

N'Jadaka walked with his hands clasped behind his back strolling on the deck of the palace moon room. A giant telescope pointed toward the dark sky and he snuck a peek through it. The dog star Sirius shined high above.

"It is a beautiful night."

He turned to find Ramonda walking toward him. Without her isicholo, her long white locs flowed down to her waist and brushed against the pale green silk of her dress.

"Shuri and the children are playing the Catch Me VR game and it is a little too loud to read in my quarters," she said.

Resting her arms on the balcony, she looked at the skyline with him.

"Your father used to come out here to stare at the stars after his dinner meals, too. I thought he was daydreaming about parties and traveling around town with his friends… now I know he was thinking of his family on the other side of the world."

She glanced at him with soft features in the moonlight.

"He was a wonderful man. Beloved by all who knew and met him. Your mother was very blessed to have him as a husband. You and I had a very troubling introduction… life has an extraordinary way of shaking up the world and turning it into something so unexpected."

She laced her fingers together and stared back at the stars.

"Listening to all those people from across the world has been a tremendous experience these last three days, N'Jadaka. Welcoming them here has opened my eyes to so much. Wakanda is the light of the world. We were just afraid of the responsibility… the weight of it. Your paternal grandfather… my own husband… they were not willing to carry that burden on their shoulders. T'Challa did his best to step into that role with Nakia's coaxing, but in the end, you are the one best equipped for the task. When T'Challa was king, he encountered so much treachery and deceit from the west, especially from the Americans. They chomp at the bit to take from us and that made my son so tired of dancing around all of the constant diplomacy games they play out there."

"We won't be dancing anymore. T'Challa is our greatest weapon of protection out there. I almost feel sorry for whoever challenges him in the future," he said.

"No… the two of you together are Wakanda's greatest weapon. Bast saw fit to bring you back to us in the way it was meant to be. A rebirth. The Black Panther and the Golden Jaguar. T'Chaka and N'Jobu were never able to sit and talk together the way you and T'Challa do. I can only imagine what a force they would've been if N'Jobu brought you home with Califia," she said.

N'Jadaka patted her hand.

"The past is at rest, Auntie. T'Challa and I make a great team."

Ramonda placed her hand on top of his.

"Our country will be greater for it," she said.

N'Jadaka accepted the compliment. Ramonda had been a slow thawing of glacial animosity with their interpersonal relationship. He was a living testament to her husband's tragic flaws, and yet, the Queen Mother Consort of Wakanda… the respected dowager of the T'Chaka lineage, accepted him fully as the rightful ruler.

"I will leave you, my king," she said.

His gaze lingered on her exit before he returned to his own quiet thoughts. He spent another two hours on the moon deck reflecting on the invited guests. Sydette's avatar popped up.

"Baba, where are you? You promised us a story tonight to make up for the other nights," Sydette said.

"I'm sorry Sweet Pea."

"Auntie Shuri told us a story about Mama Wati, so you don't have to worry about tonight. However, tomorrow night—"

"I will tell you a story about your grandfather N'Jobu and how he came to America."

"Good," she said.

He ended the call and wandered out into the palace halls. Art and structural beauty guided his relaxing walking meditation. To be a ruler was to be conscious of every aspect of his life and the lives of others. He thought of the two thousand visitors and their first introduction to the wonders of his new world. As a king, he was in control of the fate of every human living on the planet.

At least above the surface.

He took an express elevator to the palace swimming pool. He stripped naked and slipped earbuds into his ears so the sound of the pool waterfall wouldn't distract him. Tapping his kimoyo, he contacted his Sea Leopard naval captain for a debriefing of the day's reconnaissance.

Captain Lebohang, a hard-faced Border Tribe member with a wrinkled bald head and hooded eyes, stared back at N'Jadaka.

"My king," Lebohang said.

Visual logistical reports sprung around N'Jadaka's kimoyo. Lebohang added images from their sea probes too. N'Jadaka rubbed the top of his locs and stretched his back before resting against the side of the smooth pool wall.

"Fill me in," N'Jadaka said.

Yani hid between the cavernous walls of the fake waterfall as she spied N'Jadaka speaking to his military captain. She hadn't moved fast enough to hop out of the deep end of the elaborate pool to grab her swim robe and bathing suit. Naked and feeling the chill of the waterfall mist behind a fifteen-foot rocky façade, she stayed rooted in place hoping the king would move to the other side of the massive pool that would hide him from her so she could escape with her dignity intact. No one ever used the pool late at night and Yani expected N'Jadaka to be in his quarters or reading to their children for bed.

His nudity surprised her. The body she knew so well was heavier all over from eating buttery-rich palace foods. The palace learned he liked yam cornbread and since his return, they sent him loaves every other day. His pubic area was untrimmed and grown wild. She liked it. His flaccid dick hung heavy between his legs, and all the wiry hair around it made it seem more illicit to be out in the open. Steam rose around him from the heated water. Hopefully, he wouldn't get too hot and wade down to cool himself in the waterfall that was created for that purpose.

She listened to him speak forcefully but noticed the fatigue riding on his shoulders. He wasn't getting enough sleep. His voice sounded tired. She wanted to slip back down into the balmy water, however, any movement would attract his attention.

"…keep me updated," he said.

N'Jadaka rested his head on the lip of the pool. His kimoyo lit up again and Riki's avatar floated in his face.

"Hey Lil man, you're supposed to be sleeping," he said.

"Baba, tell me a story."

"Shuri told you a story already."

"I wahn hear one from you."

"It's late Riki—"

"I'm in my own room by myself."

"Why aren't you with Joba?"

"Auntie Shuri said I was too scared to sleep by myself, and I told her I wasn't. I'm alone… it's too dark in here."

"Use your kimoyo night light—"

"I am, but they'll make fun of me."

"It's okay to go sleep with Joba and Sweet Pea—"

"They'll say I'm a baby… not a big boy."

"If I tell you a story, will that help you sleep by yourself?"

"Can you come get me? I wahn be with you."

"I'll come get all of you, then—"

"No, just me."

"Ramonda and Shuri will miss you at breakfast—"

"I miss you. How come we can't come to the hotel place?" Riki asked.

"That's for the grownups. You would be bored."

"No, I wouldn't."

"Yes, you would."

"Nuh-uh! I know how to write now, so I can take notes for you."

"My assistant does that for me."

"Baba… please."

N'Jadaka moved from the ledge and waded toward the wide steps. Water rolled down his skin in thick droplets.

"I'll come sleep there. Will that make you feel better?"

Riki nodded.

"Give me a few minutes. I have to clean up from the pool and I'll be there soon," N'Jadaka said.

Yani pressed her hands against the center of her chest. The king was weary, but he wanted to comfort his son. She watched N'Jadaka enter a cleaning chamber where a high-speed heater evaporated the pool water from his body. He dressed quickly and left the room. She lunged forward in the warm water and swam to the nearest steps. Bypassing the cleaning chamber, she threw on her swimsuit and cover-up. Rushing out of the pool room, she trekked her way back to the guest suite given to her for her stay at the palace. Guards who were sprinkled throughout the upper floors paid little attention to her because of her status. Entering her quarters, she shed her swimwear and showered, later changing into a flowing house dress. She curled herself up on a loveseat and practiced her presentation for the conference.

Observing N'Jadaka drove her to perfect her physical stance while speaking her words. She stood up and practiced moving around to engage an audience. Yani had to convey to the cabinet the dire circumstances in healthcare for poor Black people. Affordability, racism, lack of access, and stark poverty steeped too many in predictable untimely deaths.

Sleep overtook her, but she didn't worry. Her conference section didn't start until later in the afternoon. She could sleep in and skip the buffet breakfast at the hotel. Yani's dreams were pleasant and scattered. Images of St. Thomas and cooking on the outdoor grill. Standing on the beach of an ocean she didn't recognize.

She awoke refreshed and energized. The palace kitchen sent up fancy overstuffed breakfast omelets with all of her favorite sides and fruits, and she ate a generous portion of the freshly baked raspberry coffee cake to finish it all off. Checking the waves in her hair, she looked over her outfit for the day as Disa walked into her dressing room to fetch her.

"Ready?" Disa asked.

They looked each other over to make sure they were color-coordinated for Yani's presentation. Together they settled on coral pink and pale crème for a soft maternal look. Disa sported a flared pants ensemble with a waist-length jacket and Yani went for a flowing long skirt with a silky, off-the-shoulder blouse.

"Pretty diamonds," Disa said, admiring the earrings N'Jadaka bought her years before.

Yani took a deep breath.

"You'll be amazing. I have the holo pics lined up with your speech, and I'll keep my part of the presentation under ten minutes in the end so there can be a longer Q & A for the king's cabinet," Disa said.

"I know what I will say by heart, but I still feel like I need to hold onto something to keep me from talking too fast," Yani said.

"Maybe use your comm tab at the podium instead of the holo prompter?" Disa suggested.

Yani nodded. It was a good idea. She could glance at the comm tab and even touch it without the audience knowing.

"We look good," Yani said.

Disa grinned.

Both of their kimoyo alarms went off to remind them to leave the palace on time.

"Show time," Disa said.

Yani shook her hands nervously and grabbed her attaché. Their heels clicked in the palace hallway and they chatted about Disa's trip in the Jabari lands. Disa appeared giddy and her eyes crinkled with her smiles talking about the beauty high above them. Yani inferred that a lot of the enjoyment came from her time with Adebiyi, but she didn't let on to Disa that she suspected as much. Yani was happy for her. There was a bounce in Disa's step as she carried her own leather messenger bag. Two Doras met them at the launch site of the Royal Scorpion Fighter and she looked back with Disa at the palace. Their children had gone for a day trip with Dante to visit Umama and Baba Z giving their mothers quiet time to work and get ready without interruption. A gentle, skin-caressing breeze carried the vibrant scent of river waterlilies. Yani sniffed the sweet odors of the flowers wafting around them and took it as a good sign that the day would go well.

The flight to the hotel conference center was quiet. Yani went over her speech in her mind and their stroll into the main room kept her focused. The diaspora delegates had been divided into sections dealing with health. The afternoon session centered on maternal health and postnatal well-being. Yani would open the session and the rest of their time there would be spent hashing out the best way Wakanda could assist the various countries represented. Yani met up with her leadership team of Dr. Bryan, Dr. Dixon, and Dr. Alcindor and they all prepared paper documents to pass out to the round delegate work tables. The conference area had been broken down into a war room of sorts. People arrived on time and ready, and as the crowd surged, the more nervous Yani became.

Disa set up her holo projector and waited at a nearby side table for Yani's cue to begin after Queen Ramonda welcomed the delegates and did a bit of conference housekeeping. A shout from a side door by a Dora announced the arrival of King N'Jadaka. Everyone rose to their feet and a hush went across the room.

N'Jadaka gazed at everyone he passed by. Mpilo walked behind him with a new contingency of people. Yani recognized Rolita and Nevaeh walking with the king, but ten other Native people were with them. N'Jadaka led them to a special table near his and the Council of Elders. He walked to the podium and lowered his hands for people to sit.

"Good afternoon. I know this morning's session was busy, but you all look well-fed and ready for another round," N'Jadaka joked.

The audience agreed with him. He glanced over at Rolita.

"Seated near me is a very special delegation of Native elders who were selected to bear witness to our proceedings. Many of us throughout the African diaspora live on stolen Indigenous lands, and any plans we have to shape the countries we live in must take into consideration the people who lived there first. My Aunt Rolita is here representing the Yurok and will act as a lead liaison for Native affairs that may overlap with our plans. This small delegation has members of First Nations from Canada, Central America, and South American tribes. They are sworn to secrecy just the same as all of you. Are there any questions?" N'Jadaka said.

No one said anything.

The king turned toward Yani and she prayed her knees wouldn't knock. His intense eyes demanded the best of her.

"I present to you Princess and doctor Yani Galiber, a direct descendent of Queen Mary Thomas of St. Croix."

The audience rose and clapped for her. Yani threw her shoulders back and stepped up to the podium. N'Jadaka held out his hand for her and she took it. He bent over resting his lips near her ear.

"Do your thing, Ma," he said.

He winked at her as he walked to his seat. She nodded to Disa who awaited her signal to begin.

Disa tapped her holo projector displaying a beautiful model of a birth care center she made for Yani. She watched Yani captivate the enthralled audience with her moving speech and plans to replicate the successful birthing practices of Wakanda and Black midwives from an island collective she belonged to with members spanning the globe. Yani's voice remained confident throughout the presentation, although she stumbled once while glancing toward N'Jadaka. He wore a stern expression with a wrinkled fold down the center of his forehead, and Disa wondered if he was displeased with some figures and financial predictions presented. Wakanda was a wealthy nation, but it would take more than half a billion over the course of twenty years Yani projected to get at least two generations on track in the future.

Yani ended her speech and received a full round of applause before Disa stood up to show more sketches and models.

"Thank you Dr. Galiber for an excellent presentation," Disa said.

Yani stood next to her, relief softening her sweet face. Disa displayed her work and Yani answered questions with her when needed. They wrapped up in under seventy-five minutes. The next thirty minutes were given over for a Q & A with N'Jadaka's cabinet officials. They were all given a twenty-minute break before a late working lunch at their assigned colleague tables. Disa stuffed her mouth with garlic-fried potatoes and pepper steak while going over building codes in the U.S. with her northern hemisphere team. She ate, took, notes, gave suggestions, and listened to experts in her field from various countries on how to build affordable healthcare centers that would attract very little attention from other governments.

Before the dinner break, Rolita and a First Nation elder from the Kanai nation in Alberta Canada spoke of sovereign indigenous lands willing to have wellness hospitals built on tribal territories in exchange for protection and use with the African diaspora. Clean water was a critical issue in many areas, especially on tribal lands in the U.S.

Disa watched N'Jadaka's face as he listened. He interjected very little the entire day, preferring to listen and let the experts there present their needs and solutions. It was a good look for Wakanda from her vantage point. Wakanda became a partner instead of acting like a powerful twenty-first-century global colonizer. N'Jadaka still projected an imposing figure in his seat while talking with Ramonda and Efetobo.

She skipped the hearty dinner buffet and sampled a small salad and fruit cup instead. N'Jadaka made his rounds to speak with people seated at the outdoor dining areas before joining her and Yani in enjoying the cooling summer air. Reaching across the table he squeezed Yani's hand and she beamed from ear to ear.

"You put it down, Yani. Disa… you were outstanding, too. Thank you for all your hard work. I sent your projections of cost and labor to the treasurer early and we should be able to come up with a working budget soon," he said.

Yani leaned forward in her chair to say something to him, but Ramonda pulled him away from the table to discuss the evening program that would be a closed debriefing with the delegates. N'Jadaka greeted an older American woman from the Bay area and led her to a table with Ramonda far away from them. Yani sat back in her seat, the corners of her lips downturned by his departure. Disa lifted a glass of water.

"He's so busy," Disa said.

Yani nodded and tried to muster a smile, but her body language didn't reciprocate.

"I haven't had a chance to talk to him since we've been back here," Yani said. "The palace keeps him tied up with all his other duties."

"I'm glad that things are running well with the conference for him. A lot of Wakandans are still against helping on the outside."

Yani glanced around at all the visitors.

"These people are here to work for themselves. They just need our protection more than anything," Yani said.

"I heard he's flying Walter here to work on some protective clothing designs next month," Disa said.

"Really?"

"Dante mentioned it to me before I left for the Jabari lands. The idea is to have DNA sequenced shirts that activate by mental command."

Yani folded her hands on the table.

"Is everything okay, Yani?" Disa asked.

"Do you think he's doing too much too fast?" Yani asked.

"He's always been meticulous… a heavy planner with contingency plans while he was in school. When he sets his mind on something, he'll see it through."

"There's so much coming at him. I worry about his health."

"He's put on weight in the mountains," Disa said.

"Yeah," Yani said.

Yani's eyes became wistful and dreamy.

They were still in love with each other.

Disa felt it when N'Jadaka reached across the table for Yani's hand. Yani's hesitation was understandable, but Disa and the Udaku family knew the truth. N'Jadaka and Yani were scared to lose one another. But N'Jadaka had to serve the people first. That was the ultimate job of a ruler.

She thought of her time in the mountains with Adebiyi, how freeing it was to get to know a man away from prying eyes and public speculation. Disa gave that up willingly as she discovered the beautiful parts of a man from a new culture just as hidden as Wakanda. Her trip was eye-opening and solidified her desire to take what she needed in a relaxed environment. Ayomide was pleased with the interest in her brother from Disa, and she planned on exploring that relationship slowly without her daughter mixed up in it. That meant more trips alone and perhaps a move away from the palace. Umama and Baba Z were open to anyone coming to their Jabari estate, and if Adebiyi turned out to be the man she felt he was from her first visit, there were changes to come for her and Joba. A serious conversation needed to be had with N'Jadaka about that. Like Yani, Disa secretly worried about his mental and physical health with all the tasks he wanted to accomplish before the year's end. Had he bitten more than he could chew? The man was fully capable of compartmentalizing his world, but being the public face of a kingdom was all-encompassing of his twenty-four hours each day. The only exception he made for anyone was his children. They always came first.

The doors of the conference room opened back up and she took a seat behind her former professor from M.I.T. who had retired after Disa received her Ph.D. Professor Donald Robinson had been the reason why Disa chose to study at M.I.T. in the first place. He was one of the rare teachers who understood the need to integrate climate change with architecture in coastal territories. She patted his back to get his attention and he clasped her hand to shake it, his fingers trembling with nervous energy. The podium in front of the room had been removed and in its place were ten stately chairs with men and women seated in them. Once the doors were closed, N'Jadaka stepped to the side of the front chairs and addressed the audience.

"Dr. Barbara Davis, please stand," N'Jadaka said.

The older woman with slicked-back white hair and dark chestnut skin who sat in the center stood and surveyed the audience. She adjusted her thick glasses and glanced at the king. N'Jadaka walked over and held her hand.

"Dr. Davis was my therapist when I was a child. She specializes in generational trauma, especially in children. I asked for her help in dealing with issues that may be brought up because of your stay here for this gathering. Because we are all part of the diaspora with troubling histories, I believe it's important to face and voice what your experience has been like here, so far. I grew up only knowing the iceberg tip of what Wakanda was. To find out the truth was painful for me and my mother. Many of you may feel the same. Dr. Davis and her team will talk with us about how to deal with our emotions as descendants from the Lost Tribe, and they will help us look toward the future with tools to help us work through the mental work we will face leaving here… Dr. Davis…"

N'Jadaka stepped away from the front of the room and took a seat on a corner chair near the front. Dr. Davis greeted everyone with a warm hot cocoa voice that had the authority of a beloved grandmother smothering her grandchildren in a cozy weighted blanket. Disa didn't expect to get a wonderfully succinct explanation of epigenetics and the history of the enslaved, but she sat there and listened to Dr. Davis capture the minds of everyone present.

Disa glanced over at N'Jadaka and imagined him being a child and talking to Dr. Davis about his childhood pain. There were sniffles and quiet weeping throughout the room. She glimpsed Yani wiping her eyes with a tissue. So much hurt filled the air with a thick cloud that choked Disa up too. The psychic trauma of loss and abandonment pervaded the space. No wonder N'Jadaka kept all the Wakandans out of the room, including his royal guards. They had to purge their pain in private.

The other therapists there spoke after Dr. Davis, and the other people in the room who wanted to ask a question or vent their pain in a safe space did so. The mood grew too overbearing for some, and they were allowed to go sit in an adjoining room that was created for that need. Disa counted about forty people needing to step out from the core group. N'Jadaka had been so wise to set aside time for a mental health discussion.

The private session concluded after two hours, and everyone was free to relax and reflect for the rest of the night and all of the next day. Disa watched Yani step into a corner with Twyla. The two cousins hugged each other and Twyla kept wiping Yani's cheeks. She looked for N'Jadaka, but he had vanished from the scene, probably off to work on something else without resting. Her cheeks grew tight with a smile when she caught sight of him taking long strides to the Royal Talon Fighter waiting for him on the top of a grassy knoll of the hotel's welcoming landscape.

He was beautiful… his swagger so full of confidence and royal cool. The colors of the fading late sunset painted him with glorious shades of royal purple and burnt orange. The sunset was like their past loving romance… still beautiful even as that relationship ended. He would always be her special one, but like sunsets dying, there was always the promise of a new day and a new sunrise. Adebiyi proved that to her with his uncovered kindness and passion for his life as a creative builder… just like her. Disa blew a kiss N'Jadaka's way as he stepped onto the Talon Fighter with his Dora Milaje. Allah had blessed her king and best friend.

Yani and Twyla wandered out from the conference room and found her gazing at a blue-black sky.

"Ready to head to the palace?" Disa asked.

Yani stared at her face, then reached up and wiped a tear away from Disa's left eyelid. Twyla rubbed her back. The gestures of kindness were another gift from Allah. Marisol joined them and the mood lifted to one of reverent joy. Disa would always have a loving bond with the three of them. They were a sacred sisterhood in Wakanda. Daughters of the diaspora who returned home.

N'Jadaka waited until after four in the afternoon to leave for a visit aboard the Sea Leopard. He slept in all day and visited his children for an early dinner before picking up Shuri and T'Challa from her lab. They flew across Birnin S'Yan to reach the ocean and followed a course correction that was transmitted from the Sea Leopard hundreds of miles out to sea.

"There," Okoye said, bringing up the images of the formidable ship.

The Royal Talon fighter circled the Sea Leopard once before docking on it. Captain Lebohang greeted him with brisk professionalism. His eyes looked strained and bloodshot from a lack of sleep. Setting foot on the top deck, N'Jadaka adjusted his balance from the heavy swells rocking the ship. A gust of wind ticked up and blew cool air on his face.

"The weather shifted twenty minutes ago, there is a storm headed this way," Lebohang said.

Shuri kept up with N'Jadaka, geeked out that he had permitted her to come on the sudden trip. She deserved a break from the lab and babysitting Bucky Barnes and Nick Fury. T'Challa led the way to the quarterdeck where the bridge was. Ship personnel greeted him and his cousins with hearty enthusiasm. The three of them together were a sight to see. The Dora Milaje stayed in the background.

"There," Lebohag said, pointing to the radar imaging. "We have kept an eye on that ship all day. No movement. No signs of anything."

"Let's get closer," N'Jadaka said.

The chief officer moved quickly to direct the Sea Leopard toward the unknown ship. A gray hue of fat storm clouds crowded the horizon, swallowing the rays of sunlight until the giant puffy condensed air looked like smoke rising from a sea fire. Their ship moved a slow ten knots, and the closer they moved toward their target, the darker the sky became.

"So strange," Shuri said.

The waves kicked up, rocking them more, and the sky changed into a stark grayish blue.

"I see it," T'Challa said.

N'Jadaka glanced at the radar first, then stared through the window at a large vessel sitting in the middle of the sea.

"American," Lebohang said as he scanned the ship.

"Captain, there are no life readings on board," the first officer said.

"A ghost ship?" N'Jadaka said.

"I tapped into the ship's manifest. It is the U.S.S. Powell. The ship is only ten years old," Lebohang said.

The captain ran his fingers across a touch screen. N'Jadaka turned to T'Challa.

"Go with the ship's team to check it out. We need to know if this is a lure to trick us," N'Jadaka said.

T'Challa's Black Panther suit swarmed over him and he left N'Jadaka's side. Ten other soldiers from the ship joined him on board a spider-class aircraft that lifted away to go land on the abandoned ship. Lebohag set the soldier's visuals on a viewscreen.

The soldiers on the ghost ship scanned the vessel further for leaks, explosives, or traps. Nothing appeared wrong. Fresh food sat piping hot on their mess deck.

"N'Jadaka, all of their electronics work and there is no damage in the engine room," T'Challa reported.

"Where are the crew?" Shuri muttered under her breath.

"Their lifeboats and emergency equipment are intact," a soldier informed them on the other ship.

"Another American ship is approaching. Five miles away. Moving fast," the first officer said.

T'Challa and the inspection team gathered together and flew back over on the spider craft. Lebohang ordered submersion and the Sea Leopard camouflaged itself before going underwater to hide.

"Captain Lebohang!" The first officer shouted.

The Sea Leopard had only gone to a depth of one hundred meters, and their sonar picked up images that made Shuri gasp next to him. Lebohang tapped the screen in front of him and underwater lights revealed the fate of the U.S.S. Powell crew.

Hundreds of drowned bodies floated within the pale light of their submerged ship.

"Scanning," Lebohang said.

The captain stared at N'Jadaka.

"No wounds… no bleeding…" Lebohang said with disbelief.

All dead. Drowned by a hidden hand.

"Back us away at a safe distance. I want us to stay hidden but back up on the surface," N'Jadaka said.

He rushed away from the captain with T'Challa and Shuri on his heels. The low hum of the ship guided them back to the surface. The spectral camouflage allowed them to see out, but the Americans had no clue they were being spied on by the Wakandans. On the top deck, N'Jadaka's golden jaguar suit enveloped him. He used his mask to see further on the other ship. Shuri stood between them with her own binocular shades on.

The new ship approached the U.S.S. Powell and a flurry of activity took place on it as they maneuvered closer to the ghost ship.

"What is that glowing redness in the water?" T'Challa said.

They gazed at the dark water as a shimmering neon blood-red shape emerged from the deep. A monstrous giant squid breached the surface, stopping the new ship.

A shrill sound stabbed N'Jadaka's eardrum and he jammed his hands over his ears. T'Challa and Shuri became transfixed and slowly walked toward the edge of the Sea Leopard.

"The fuck?" N'Jadaka screeched.

Hundreds of human heads bobbed in the water, facing the ship. With his mask's enhanced optics, he made out fierce faces that seemed to be… singing?

He grabbed T'Challa and Shuri's arms, but they kept moving closer to the edge. Splashes broke his concentration away from his cousins. Across the water, sailors from the new American ship leaped to their deaths, the choppy waves folding over their bodies as they joined their unfortunate comrades floating dead down below.

"Captain Lebohang! Soundproof the Sea Leopard! Now!" N'Jadaka screamed.

He watched in rising dread as men took their own lives listening to the deadly voices luring them to commit mass suicide. T'Challa slumped to his knees as the effects wore off, but Shuri had reached the protective railing and climbed over it. She dangled like a limp doll, but N'Jadaka grabbed her, yanking her body back to him. Her foot smacked the spectral camouflage shield making it glint brightly.

A body floated out of the sea and flew toward the middle of both ships. It rose above the Sea Leopard's great height and N'Jadaka observed that it was a man. He stared directly at their hidden ship.

"How can he know we are here?" T'Challa said, shaking his head to get his mind right again.

"He senses that there is a protective covering," Shuri said, resting her fingers against her temples.

All they could see was his dark shape holding a spear.

"There are wings on his feet," N'Jadaka said.

"The others aren't able to fly," T'Challa said.

They watched a swarm of men and women crawl up the side of the new ship. Soldiers continued to toss themselves overboard.

"Should we help them?" Shuri asked.

"No, we'll be blamed for all of this and we don't have enough manpower to fight them," N'Jadaka said.

He shifted to night vision with his mask.

"Oh, my Bast!" Shuri shrieked.

N'Jadaka swallowed hard. The hairs on his arms rose. There were at least a thousand people in the water that they could see, their heads lifted in siren song to kill their enemy. Sonic warfare at its best.

"It is them… the Talokanil," N'Jadaka said.

Shuri clutched at her brother's arm.

"That is their leader," N'Jadaka said, pointing to the flying man who rose higher in the sky above them hidden in the darkness of the black clouds.

The Talokan leader thrust his spear out and hovered in the air. Waiting.

No more bodies jumped from the new ship. The bobbing heads turned to face their flying leader.

"Lebohang, lower the camouflage shield," N'Jadaka ordered.

"Are you sure about that?" T'Challa asked.

"They aren't singing," N'Jadaka said.

The shield disappeared and the Sea Leopard became visible to the Talokanil.

N'Jadaka stepped forward, his golden jaguar suit covering every inch of him. He lowered his mask and latched his eyes on the flying man.

"Ndingu ukumkani N'Jadaka Udaku, ukusuka Wakanda!" N'Jadaka shouted.

The flying man raised his hand and flicked it. His people in the water disappeared below the surface. Captain Lebohang turned on underwater lights and N'Jadaka exhaled with a shuddery breath. There were thousands more swimming under the water with orcas and humpback whales carrying most of them away. No wonder King T'Chaka kept his mouth shut for so long.

"Are you the son of King T'Chaka?"

The flying man dropped down so that he was only twenty feet away from N'Jadaka and his cousins.

"I am the late king's son," T'Challa said.

T'Challa stepped in front of N'Jadaka, automatically protecting the king even though he had his own suit.

"King T'Chaka was my uncle," N'Jadaka said.

"You see what we have done to those surface dwellers?" the stranger said, pointing his spear toward the water.

"We still recognize the truce between Wakanda and Talokan," N'Jadaka said.

The stranger tilted his head and his lips curled into a sinister smile.

"That is good to hear."

"What do they call you?" N'Jadaka asked, watching the last of the Talokanil disappear.

"K'uk'ulkan."

"He is a mutant," Shuri said, tapping her kimoyo scanner.

K'uk'ulkan stared at her and his jaw tightened, making the smile turn into a cruel sneer.

"I am the feathered serpent God," he said with a hard tone.

"Why did you kill them? What did they do to you?" T'Challa asked.

"Nothing. I will keep it that way," K'uk'ulkan said.

"Captain Lebohang, take us back to Wakanda," N'Jadaka commanded.

The Sea Leopard hummed and moved away slowly from the dead and two ghost ships. N'Jadaka turned his back on the feathered serpent God. Shuri rushed to his side.

"Wait, N'Jadaka! We must talk with him! Did you not see that he wore vibranium on his body? Even his spear was made from it," Shuri blurted out.

"I saw it, and that's why we're going home and minding our business for now. They don't fuck with the surface world and we will not fuck with them until we need to."

"But this is a tremendous discovery! That means Wakanda isn't the only country to have vibranium. We need to know how much they have… maybe even see their world."

"In due time cuz, but right now I need him to see that we're not a problem to him. The truce is our temporary buffer," N'Jadaka said.

"When we get back home, I am going to find where they come from and send a tracking drone—"

"Shuri. You can do your research for me, but we will not antagonize him. I needed them to see me in person so they know I'm not a punk. He knows that now. He'll also kill without provocation. That tells me his people come first above anything. He's not interested in a foreign exchange of intellect or curiosity. He don't give a fuck. He also knows we have vibranium."

"You're scared like our father," T'Challa said.

N'Jadaka stopped walking. They were back on the bridge.

"Cautious," N'Jadaka said. "We can't afford to look weak. But we know where his territory begins."

He rubbed his forehead.

"Show me where I can rest and think," N'Jadaka said.

"Right this way, King N'Jadaka," Lebohang said.

Chapter 66 HERE.

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[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 4, Chapter 57″

Need to catch up? Masterlist HERE.

"Listen as your day unfolds Challenge what the future holds Try and keep your head up to the sky Lovers, they may cause you tears Go ahead, release your fears Stand up and be counted Don't be ashamed to cry

You gotta be You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser You gotta be hard, you gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm, you gotta stay together All I know, all I know, love will save the day"

Des'ree – "Ya Gotta Be"

"Damn him!"

Disa tossed her comm tab stylus pen across her office and it struck the Phase Two model she built for the new man-made island she was to design. Her building team meeting had been going well until Adebiyi of the Jabari mountains criticized her roofing drafts. She had gone out of her way to request a skilled builder from the estranged tribe as a sign of goodwill to stave off criticism from other Wakandan design firms who lost the bidding war to create the new expansion of Wakanda onto the sea.

For hundreds of years, the Wakandans had protected their oceanfront by keeping it well-guarded and staying away from constant usage to keep other bordering nations from seeing what they had. Wakandan fishermen from the Border Tribe played their role as humble citizens, eking out a living on small boats. Luckily, the geography of their mountain range and their camouflage technology made the land on the beach untouchable for outsiders. Disa thought for months upon her arrival in the country that Wakanda was landlocked and was surprised to see the ocean for the first time with Yani and the children to honor Erik's birthday before they knew he was alive. They had a little birthday party for Sydette and she glimpsed the first man-made island territory when they did a flyover so the children could see what belonged to their new home and where Erik and N'Jobu's staunch supporters inhabited. There was also a quick trip to see the work ships on standby where the second island expansion would be built under her guidance. How the Wakandans lived cloaked in plain sight was astounding.

Five other design firms competed to build the new expansion, already miffed that they gave her the international embassy contract. Disa one-upped them all by asking for a Jabari team member to offset claims of her not understanding traditional structures. Who better to know Wakandan tradition than the Jabari people who left the nation because the others refused to hold on to it?

Adebiyi was sent to her, and at first, he was a quiet observer who listened to her ideas and inspected her early sketch designs. Then he began showing his ass, complaining about the materials she wanted to use and putting down her desire to have Wakandans involved with the design process. He was an artisan, and she fell in love with the work he had done in the Jabari lands. His middle-aged crotchety attitude polluted her office, and she regretted choosing him for her team. He was xenophobic, smug, and disparaging of her foreign ways. She kept her professional cool and refused to let him get under her skin where he could see how much he irked her. Disa was grateful when Yani showed up, freeing her for a few minutes from the Jabari tyrant. He was going to be a thorn in her side until Phase Two was completed. Kembintu, Atta, and T'Mbeze, her three other team members, rolled their eyes and gave subtle sighs whenever their gatherings turned into shouting matches. Disa made a note to ask T'Challa to come check the man and put the others on notice at the next family meal.

She whisked herself into the front office, and Yani looked frightened. Her normally warm brown skin looked unhealthy, and Disa immediately wanted to comfort her. With all the things they had been through, she still looked at Yani as a younger sibling. The fact that the woman came to her before anyone else with her fears showed Disa that she was trusted and her opinions on things still mattered to Yani.

After they spoke, Disa returned to her office and found it difficult to concentrate on her work. Even Adebiyi's spiel on some unimportant matter failed to get a rise in her. The man grumbled about her under his breath and the other team members ignored him while they planned a field trip out on the sea to supervise the installation of the island foundation. She pulled it together to finish a long day and practically ran to her suite to gulp down a glass of plum liquor.

A long bubble bath brought her back to life. She dressed in a lovely pink dinner dress and pinned her hair up for a sophisticated look. Disa enjoyed dinners with the entire family. It had become a rare event after the mourning period and she looked forward to seeing everyone, especially Riki and Sydette. Strolling through the palace on her way to the dining room, she met up with Umama and Baba Z. They were dressed in matching saffron robes, a sign that they would travel back to the Jabari mountains to wait for Erik's return. Umama rubbed Disa's arm with affection as Dante arrived with Joba carrying flowers from her fairy garden. Her daughter presented the bouquet to her great-grandparents and received kisses and a big hug from both Umama and Baba Z.

Attendants opened the dining room doors, and Yani arrived with Riki and Sydette. Joba squealed and ran to her brother first before Sydette picked her up and swung her around once. More hugs and kisses were given. Disa studied Yani's face. It still looked distraught.

Taking their places around the table, T'Challa, Shuri, and Ramonda soon joined them. The evening meal was filled with lots of vegetarian dishes, a hearty potato soup, and chickpea samosas. Yani glanced at Disa, cleared her throat, and brought everyone's attention to her when it was time for dessert.

"Will Erik have to fight again when he takes the throne?" Yani asked.

T'Challa didn't break eye contact with her, but Shuri glanced over at Ramonda and her grandparents. The silence around the table answered the question in the affirmative.

"He will face other tribes who have the right to challenge him," T'Challa said.

"You would have him risk his life again after all he's been through?" Disa asked.

"It is a tradition. We cannot take power until we give others a fair opportunity to rule," Baba Z said.

"Sydette… Riki… Joba… take your dessert out onto the patio with Hlano," Ramonda said.

The dining room attendant ushered the children with their small bowls of coconut and sweet potato pudding.

"What if he's killed? What will happen?" Yani said.

"He will not die," T'Challa said.

"But what if he does?" Disa asked, hating the sound of the words on her tongue.

T'Challa wiped his lips with a linen napkin and sighed.

"Riki or Joba would be chosen as his successor and I would become a regent until they came of age to take over ruling," T'Challa said.

"No one has ever beaten an Udaku… except for another Udaku," Baba Z said.

"When Killmonger beat T'Challa," Yani said.

"There have been other Udakus who have challenged family members before, centuries ago. N'Jadaka was not the first," Baba Z said.

"Can he refuse?" Disa asked.

"No," T'Challa said.

"This is acceptable to you? Him possibly dying again?" Yani said.

"My grandson will not die," Umama said.

The older woman cradled her chin with her hands.

"When he comes down from the mountain, no one will defeat him. Not here in Wakanda, or out there in the world," Umama said.

Baba Z put a hand on T'Challa's shoulder.

"With T'Challa by his side, we will enter a new age. I never thought I would see something like this, and I ruled this country for a long time. The Black Panther and the Golden Jaguar, together… it has never been done before," Baba Z said with pride.

Their confidence bolstered Yani's faith, and she sat up in her seat, relaxing her shoulders. Disa put her trust in the lineage. Erik wasn't facing another Udaku again.

"Set aside your fears, Yani. Bast would never allow N'Jadaka to be taken from us again," Umama said.

Disa reached for Yani's hand and squeezed it.

Dinner ended on a positive note and Disa mentioned her work issues to T'Challa. She tried not to sound like a bitter snitch, but her reputation was on the line, and having Adebiyi question her skills on every little step was beyond disrespectful. She wanted to use a diplomatic way to bitch slap the Jabari artisan without upsetting M'Baku.

"I will look into this for you," T'Challa said.

Disa sighed with relief. An inquiry from the king helped a lot, especially since he supported her all the way. A little chin check didn't hurt anyone out of pocket. T'Challa tapped his kimoyo beads as their dessert plates were cleared away.

"M'Baku, may I request a favor? Can you bring Adebiyi to the East tea room?"

Disa's eyebrows shot up on her forehead.

"Now?" she whispered to T'Challa.

He held up a hand to pause her. M'Baku's half-form floated in front of T'Challa.

"I can," M'Baku said.

"Let us meet in ten minutes," T'Challa said.

He tapped his bead and glanced over at Disa.

"M'Baku is staying in the palace this week overseeing some official business. We can go talk now."

Disa tilted her head with surprise.

"Better to handle it tonight before you face off again tomorrow," T'Challa said.

Disa glanced at Yani.

"I can take the children to your place with Dante," Yani said.

Dante was already up and ushering his great-grandchildren back from the patio/terrace. Umama and Baba Z joined him by the dining room door.

"Thanks," Disa said.

She followed T'Challa and his Doras to the elegant tea room. Moments later, M'Baku appeared with a gallant stride, followed by Adebiyi.

"Lady Abdullah," M'Baku said, giving her a warm gap-toothed smile.

"Hello, M'Baku," Disa said.

Adebiyi already had down-turned lips, but she noticed how different he looked with regular clothing on. He and M'Baku both wore casual robes much different from the official look of the Jabari people when they interacted with the Wakandans. Her nemesis rolled his eyes at first, and then he took in her dressed-up appearance with a trace of surprise. She looked away quickly to let T'Challa speak.

"M'Baku, Lady Abdullah has some differences to work out with Adebiyi that have come to my attention," T'Challa said.

The king's serious eyes darted over to Disa, and she cleared her throat and held her head high.

"The man doesn't respect my expertise or the way I handle the Phase Two project. I can't continue working with someone who fights against my vision. I have great respect for Adebiyi's artistry, but we cannot work together in the future if he continues to second-guess me," she said.

Adebiyi stared at her as if she had thrown grits on him and puffed up his chest. M'Baku held a hand up to him and stared at Disa.

"Adebiyi is the best in our land. Trained by an elder artisan from a long line extending seven hundred years. You will find no one better. I do not say this because he is my wife's brother, but because he is the greatest builder we have."

Disa blinked several times and took a deep inhale.

"He is your brother-in-law?" she squeaked out.

M'Baku nodded.

"With all due respect, Lady Abdullah, I do not feel that I have disrespected you. Challenged you, yes. Brought issues to your attention that I think you overlook, yes. I am a blunt man and perhaps that is something you are unaccustomed to," Adebiyi said.

His lips grew tight, and he crossed his bulky arms, looking smug and justified in his behavior.

"Cultural differences can create friction when two people from unique places come together," T'Challa said, trying to smooth over the tension.

"I've traveled the world," Disa said, "he has not. I'm accustomed to working with all kinds of people, but Adebiyi treats me like I'm beneath him. I am Lady Abdullah from the House of Udaku. The mother of a royal. I demand civility at all times and this is something he has a problem with because he sees me as an inferior—"

"Have I ever called you inferior, Lady Abdullah?" Adebiyi asked.

He stepped toward her and M'Baku lowered his eyes as if he expected his extended family member to act a fool.

"You treat me as such. No words need to be spoken if it is understood by body language, tone, and sucking of teeth—"

Adebiyi sucked his teeth.

"See? Shit like that!" Disa shouted.

Her loud voice startled Adebiyi, and he quickly stepped back in the king's presence. Disa took advantage of the royal support and sauntered over to the arrogant man.

"I have won awards all over the world. I chose you to work with me because I respect your craft, your experience, and your knowledge of Wakandan history. I'm exceptional at what I do. Work with me, not against me. If my ideas and plans are not up to snuff, come at me as a colleague and your superior with respect. I'm a big girl and can handle critiques and concerns. I will not, however, tolerate the way you act in front of other people. Bringing this matter to the king was the last thing I wanted to do, but since you act so ridiculous… here we are," she said.

"Kumkani, I am not a man who would treat a member of your family with disrespect," Adebiyi said.

"Tuh," Disa said, folding her own arms.

"Untighten your tongue and speak to her," T'Challa said, placing his arms behind his back and stepping next to M'Baku. The Jabari leader touched the back of his neck and pursed his lips with discomfort at the situation. He eyed Adebiyi with quiet contemplation.

Adebiyi looked at Disa with humiliation in his eyes. Being chastised in front of the king and his brother-in-law had to have knocked him down a peg or two.

"May we speak together in privacy, Adebiyi and I?" Disa said.

T'Challa held out his hand and had M'Baku follow him out of the tearoom.

"This was unnecessary. You could have spoken to me before running off to tattle like some child," Adebiyi hissed.

"I tried to speak to you several times, but you were dismissive and rude. You left me no choice but to speak to the king."

"Now what? Am I supposed to get on my knees and beg for forgiveness? I did this project as a favor for my youngest sister. I could care less about working for you."

"Do you always have to be a dick?"

"I am forthright and honest."

"You are, and I get down with that… I really do Adebiyi. But sometimes you make me feel like I'm trash and it hurts me."

Disa held her head down, not expecting to tell him her deepest feelings. She turned away and wiped at her eyes.

"I have a lot on my plate... a lot of expectations weighing on me. I'm one of the first immigrants to your country, and my presence… my family's presence, has changed your country so much. I don't know if that angers you and makes you want to sabotage my work… or if you genuinely just hate anyone who isn't Jabari—"

"I don't hate you."

Disa glanced back at him. He lowered his head.

"I am sorry if I made you feel bad about yourself. In my work, I am always in charge. Working for you has been difficult. Sometimes I do not see your vision, and others pretend they do. I speak out because… that is how I am."

"It feels like you are attacking me personally, not what's on the table," she said.

"I will give the king my resignation—"

"I'm asking you to believe in me, Adebiyi."

"I do not think I can, Lady Abdullah. We are too different."

"This disappoints me. When I told your sister that I chose you, she nearly jumped out of her skin. She is so proud of you and your talents. Her last words to me when I saw her in person were, 'You will be so impressed with what Adebiyi can do'. She didn't even tell me you were her brother."

Adebiyi's eyes grew soft at the sound of his sister's name. His broad shoulders slumped forward, and he wiped his forehead.

"If you quit, it will only reflect poorly on you. Not me. I know what I'm doing and I need your gifts," she said.

He turned away and headed for the door. Disa wilted until he stopped.

"Do not mention this to my sister. I will stay and work with you. If my behavior upsets you again in the future… speak to me directly," he said.

She nodded, and he exited. T'Challa returned to her side alone.

"How was he?" T'Challa asked.

Disa shrugged.

"I hope he will do better."

"M'Baku will talk to him."

"I wish you had spoken to him on your own first."

"No. The Jabari prefer direct confrontation. I wanted the man to face all of us at once. Let me know if he doesn't work out. They revere him in the mountains, but he is not the only person capable of carrying out your vision," T'Challa said.

"Thank you. Goodnight," she said.

She squeezed his arm and left for her home.

Yani waited for her inside a chaotic living room with their children running around laughing and playing chase with laser tag toys. Dante took part, huffing about out of breath and holding his side. Riki raised his laser gun and shot a green light beam across the room, striking Dante's chest vest, and causing it to blink with flashing red and yellow lights. Sydette cackled as she took out her brother from behind with the help of Joba.

"Everything okay?" Yani asked.

"For now. We'll see in the future. Adebiyi is Ayomide's older brother."

"What?!"

"I know… she never said a thing to me."

Disa glanced around, watching all the chaos babies play with Dante.

"Can you spend the night with the children? I need to just get some things off my mind. Work… Challenge Day. I feel like I need a vacation from everything," Disa said.

"We can stay," Yani said.

Disa smiled, and Yani's expression changed. She glanced back at their children, then stepped closer to Disa.

"I have an idea and maybe you'd like to do it with me?" Yani said.

"What about?"

"I have a lot of vacation time accrued from the hospital and I want to go back to St. Thomas for Juvay. Would you be open to coming with us? Getting out of Wakanda will probably do us both good right now while Erik is away."

Disa stared at Yani, unsure of how to respond.

"Plenty of parties. The children can swim all day together, and my Aunt Leona will spoil you with her food. Twyla is going back, and I invited Marisol, too. It can be a fun Girl's Trip. Joba really wants to meet Jerome, my little brother. He's an iguana, but we treat him like family."

Yani giggled, and her eyes twinkled. Disa closed her eyes and clasped Yani's hand.

"I think a family trip is what we all need."

"You can come back energized and ready to handle that Jabari bully," Yani said.

Disa rolled her eyes.

"If he wasn't such a stubborn, annoying ass, he would be an okay dude… what?"

Yani grinned and put a hand on her hip.

"Hearing you say that sounds like you're talking about Erik."

"That probably will be him in twenty years. As much as the Wakandans act egalitarian with women, there are still some men here who want to drag us back to the stone ages."

"Mmhmm."

The screechy squeals of the children drew Disa's attention away. The three little ones looked so happy. Stress, family tensions, and mourning affected them too. She clapped her hands loudly and gathered their attention.

"Guess what?" Disa said.

"What?" all three children said, staring at her with shiny eyes.

"We are going to St. Thomas!"

Twyla, Marisol, Leona, and the rest of Yani's immediate family waited for them on the private boat dock as the Royal Talon Fighter floated down. A ramp slid out and there were excited whoops and shouts for their arrival. The balmy heat struck Yani, and she closed her eyes, inhaling deep the scent of home.

Riki and Sydette dashed off the Talon ramp and jumped into the arms of her parents and Leona. Her sisters hugged her and greeted Disa, Joba, and Dante. The weight of Wakanda slid from her shoulders. There were Dora Milaje assigned to them, but one of them was Noxolo, so she was happy that someone close to Erik was with them as their security. The children loved her and she looked around wide-eyed at the island's beauty.

"There he is!" Yani said, reaching for Disa's arm and pulling her toward Jerome, who lounged in a tree looking down at them near the swimming pool.

Yani gave them all a tour, and her childhood companion still ruled the compound. His skin was a little ashen around the end of his tail and the top of his crown, but Jerome still had a lot of life still left in him. Joba was nervous meeting him, but Riki climbed the tree and pet Jerome's back.

"Jerome, that's my baby sister. You be nice to her!" Riki shouted.

Her cousin CeCe brought her young children down from the second house and several other cousins had their kids, so the children disappeared with Noxolo tailing them. Dante sniffed the air and threw out his hands.

"Beautiful. Simply beautiful."

"And hot," Leona said, reaching for Dante's hand. "Let mi get you a cool drink and some food."

"Can't say no to that. How are you, my lovely lady?" Dante said.

The older relatives and her parents followed them up to the house.

"She'll be on the phone late tonight gathering up the hens to fix him up with one of her friends," Twyla said, sucking her teeth.

With the help of Twyla, Marisol, and CeCe, they collected all of their luggage on two trips before settling inside the main house for refreshments. The familiar odor of the dwelling hit her right away, and she paused in her steps. Disa looked around, admiring the artwork and layout. Yani touched her chest and shivered at the ghostly memories that rushed her.

Twyla and CeCe brought out mixed drinks with snacks, and they feasted. Marisol spoke of her fun hanging with Twyla and Cece for a week prior to their arrival. Her bubbly personality had CeCe in awe of her. By the time Leona called to meet up at the front house for dinner, all five of them were tipsy and bonded like a band of wild women out to have a good time. Yani's sister Anika hugged her and rubbed her hands across Yani's freshly clipped hair.

"You ever growing this out?" Anika asked.

Almost twenty-one, Anika was a big woman now, not that pesky little girl who babysat Sweet Pea in a cramped apartment. She wore her hair relaxed and long, liked her nails done, and became a fashionista working in a hotel boutique selling tourists expensive outfits. Pretty and full of youthful energy, Yani wondered if she would've been like that if she hadn't had a baby so young. Picturing her baby sister carrying a toddler around and juggling three jobs made Yani feel so weary for her younger self. Women needed time to experience life, and not have kids so early.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Anika asked.

"You're so pretty and funny," Yani said, stroking the ends of her sister's hair.

Taking her seat at a large table, her family broke bread with their new guests and it felt like old times… well… not quite… not until Kendall showed up with gifts and superstar energy. Yani ran to him when he swept into the dining room. Her cousin was a bigger celebrity now, and for him to take time away from Miami to be back home was a big deal and cost him money. He'd moved into producing more and there were international artists lined up to work with him in the states.

"I can't miss being with the Fam with Juvay coming!" Kendall shouted.

She stuffed herself with peas and rice, oxtails, and stew chicken. Leona piled their plates with mango glazed short ribs and spicy shrimp salad. It was a feast for the ages.

"Mi belly full," Yani whined.

Sydette rubbed Yani's stomach.

"Can we go swim at the cove?" Sydette pleaded. "Mi wahn take Joba there."

"After a nap," Yani said.

The children whined, but Leona and Yani's mother Paula led them to the second house for naptime. Her father, Halston, took Dante outside to talk and drink beer for men's time, leaving everyone else free to do whatever they wanted. Disa wanted to rest, and she followed Marisol to the room they would share in the main house, leaving Yani with Twyla.

"Look at you, Dr. Galiber," Twyla said.

Yani grinned.

"One more year and I will feel comfortable with that title," Yani said.

They shuffled on bare feet to sit at the end of the dock. The Royal Talon Fighter stayed hidden away under a camouflage shield near the private beach. If anything happened, they would fly away quickly, members of the Royal Family.

The tide was low, and they watched a cruise ship heading toward the port. Twyla nudged her shoulder into Yani's.

"Bibi and I are talking about marriage," Twyla said.

Yani's mouth fell open.

"I know, I know… working together brought us closer, and Yani… he believes in me so much!"

Twyla's voice squeaked and her legs jerked about.

"Did he ask you?" Yani asked.

Twyla held up her right hand where a posh diamond and vibranium ring sat. Yani grabbed her finger.

"I noticed this earlier, but since it wasn't on your left hand…"

"I don't want anyone here to know about it yet. You're the only person I've told. I told Bibi I would give him an answer when I returned to Wakanda. Oh, gyal, that man loves him some Twyla!"

Her cousin waved her arms above her head and they giggled like little girls again together. Yani hugged her.

"I'm so happy for you!" Yani said.

"God… Wakanda has given me everything. To think if I hadn't sent Big Man your way on Juvay… my life would be so… I don't know. Killmonger pushed my business proposal through and once he takes the throne, Bibi and I can open our Eco-Tours business together."

"Will you accept his marriage proposal?" Yani asked.

"I will. I know I've kept things private from you, but I wanted to make sure this was right… and it is. He wanted to come here with me to ask for my hand in person from my parents, but I want this just for me."

"Aw! Look at you crying with joy!" Yani teased.

Twyla grinned through her glassy eyes filled with tears. A few leaked down her cheek.

"He thinks I'm the most brilliant and beautiful woman he has ever seen. He was so shy about asking me out. Keeping things professional. We always ended up together at the end of the day. When we began scouting locations to open the business, I realized I needed him to make the company happen properly there. He just wanted to be a tour guide. There's something about him that makes me grateful to wake up in the morning. His love is soothing and sweet, and he can handle me like no man ever could."

Twyla gazed at the water and hugged herself.

"Look, I'm getting goosebumps talking about him," Twyla said, holding out her arms.

Yani watched her cousin's face as it twisted up with emotion and her bottom lip quivered. She rested her head on Twyla's shoulder.

"His family is well off and part of the River Tribe. They wanted him to go into politics, but he wants to be part of welcoming international visitors. He's learning English so fast because he's excited about meeting new people from all over the world. Wakanda makes him so proud and he loves looking at it through my eyes. Sorry, I can't stop crying—"

"You're in love and happy. Cry all you want," Yani encouraged.

Twyla looked at Yani and her face slowly became calm once more.

"Yani, I'm happy for you too," Twyla said.

"For what?"

"For you and Disa. I watched you both since you've been home today and that closeness is back. You were both so chatty with each other and it was like no one else could break that bubble," Twyla said.

Yani nodded.

"This last week has been so good for us. Planning the trip together. Packing. Talking about Erik. God, Twyla, I wish we had her around when we were coming up. I was so consumed with anger for months and pretending I wasn't still processing everything. It was like moving forward and back constantly… I was so wrapped up in mi shit and I lost sight of her feelings… her fears. I missed that friendship—"

"And her jokes," Twyla added.

Yani laughed.

"She has a filthy sense of humor that I love so much. Her stories about traveling and being Muslim and wanting so much to happen for the world… she's like me, but like… older, y'know? For months, it intimidated me all the time. Comparing myself, but she would just tell me that time would bring me to her level soon enough. She just had years on me. With Erik being away, it's like a fog lifted from my eyes and I can let my hurt go finally."

Yani focused on the water and wiggled her toes.

"You two staying down here all day?"

Kendall called to them as he swaggered down the dock with his expensive celebrity shades and designer beachwear. He joined them, smelling expensive and flossing his new Cuban link chain. Yani stood, punched Kendall's shoulder, and rubbed her hand all over his bushy afro. Twyla raised up beside him.

"Open your mouth," Yani said.

Kendall pulled back his generous lips as they saw the gold slugs on his bottom teeth copying Killmonger's signature look.

"Dem Yankee girlies love it," he quipped with pride.

The loud patter of feet from eight children stampeded toward them, led by Sydette.

"Riki!" Yani shouted.

Too late.

The boy leaped off the dock and made a big splash below.

"Things never change with that boy!" Kendall said.

Yani ran to the edge and started scolding him for getting his clothes all wet, but Kendall shoved her arm. She went flailing into the water, followed by Sydette and Joba. The other children made the leap too and Yani treaded in the warm water, scolding them all while laughing about it. The Black mermaid had returned. A wave lifted them all and Joba wrapped her arms around the back of Yani's neck.

"I got you, Joba," Yani said.

They splashed around for twenty minutes until Disa and Marisol showed up.

"Oh my goodness, what is happening out here?" Disa yelled down to them.

Marisol bumped her hip into Disa's, knocking her in, but Twyla shoved Marisol seconds later, who grabbed a hold of Twyla's arm and they both went in. Kendall laughed his ass off at everyone. Noxolo stepped into view and surveyed the scene. Kendall took a step back from her intimidating stance. The spear in her hand didn't help him feel relaxed, either.

"They're all safe and having fun," Kendall said with a sheepish tone.

Noxolo nodded once and went back to patrolling the property near the beach, keeping her eye on all the children present.

"Aye, Fam, I gotta run," Kendall said.

"Where to?" Yani called up.

"The new studio Solomon opened with Henry. I want to check out the new setup," Kendall said.

Yani glanced at Disa who dog-paddled with Joba.

"Disa, would you and Marisol like to check out the studio?" Yani asked.

"Yeah," Disa said, her eyes lighting up.

They led the children out of the seawater dripping wet and sand stuck to their shoes and legs.

"They are a mess," Twyla said.

The walk back up to the second house took a long time because the children wanted to play hide and seek and Riki became distracted by new iguanas on the property. They turned the kids over to all the aunties so that the adults could shower and change. An hour later, they strode through Leona's front house.

"How long will yuh be at the studio?" Leona asked.

She already had a large knife and garlic cloves out in her kitchen when they headed out. Yani kissed her cheek and tugged on the headscarf that covered her long, twisty gray braids.

"A few hours, Auntie," Yani said.

CeCe brought out bread dough from a pantry to form into dinner rolls. A tall Dora named Quamba walked through the kitchen, excusing herself for getting a bottle of water from the large fridge and placing it inside a side bag on her hip.

"Princess Yani, the car is ready for you and your guests," Quamba said.

"Princess?" CeCe scoffed, with a smirk on her face.

Disa, Twyla, and Marisol followed Quamba to the Wakandan retrofitted black luxury SUV in the driveway. Yani grabbed an imported nectarine from a fruit bowl sitting on an unused cutting table. She bit into it, munching while her aunt and cousin stared at her.

"I forgot to tell you, Auntie. Killmonger changed my status in Wakanda. Twyla and Sweet Pea too, because we come from Queen Mary."

Yani put away her fruit, then pulled out a personal copy of the proclamation with Leona's name on it. The shiny purple and gold lettering dazzled, and she handed it to Leona.

"The royal court of Wakanda recognizes you, Leona Galiber, as the descendent of a warrior queen who fought for her people. Whenever you visit my new homeland, you will be treated as an important royal visitor," Yani said with deep pride.

Leona held the parchment in her hand. Her hands trembled as she stared down at her name with the title "Queen" in front of it. Her eyes read the fine print and grew large.

"This here means what, Yani?" Leona asked.

"When he takes the throne, he will elevate you to the title of queen under his rule. Queen Mary came from St. Croix, and because he holds you in his highest regard, he will recognize you as the successor—"

"But my older brother should have this—"

"Killmonger chose you, Auntie. You were kind to him… cared for him. He won't acknowledge anyone else but you," Yani said.

"What about me?" CeCe said.

Her forehead creased with displeasure, and she bared her teeth along with heated eyes.

"What about you?" Yani said.

"I'm a Galiber too! I should get something!"

"The way you talked bad about him?" Leona shot back. "About Yani?"

CeCe cut her eyes away.

"Queen Mary's blood runs in me too… in my babies," CeCe said.

"Maybe he remembers how badly you talked about him and me," Yani said.

She put a hand on her hip.

"Remember when you said he would just use mi up and throw mi away? Every chance you got, you called him a wasteman… told mi I was a fool for laying up with him. Now you want something from that?" Yani said with an incredulous expression on her face.

"None of we knew who he was… not the real him. Mi only spoke because I was worried… Auntie, you know that," CeCe said.

Leona held the proclamation against her breasts and closed her eyes.

"I always knew there was something special about him. He was so different from the others… cool, calculating… considerate to me and mine. To know he thought about me so many times when I asked for nothing…"

Leona touched Yani's cheek.

"Go have a nice time with Kendall. Dinner will be at seven. Call me if yuh late and I'll keep things warmed up for all of you."

"Auntie, I can hire caterers to take care of everything while we're here," Yani said.

Leona waved her hands about and pushed her toward the back door.

"I want to cook. Our new family is here. They will have my best," Leona said.

Yani kissed Leona's cheek and bounced away as CeCe cut her eyes again and pouted.

Disa took in the lush scenery as they arrived at a home studio on the other side of the island near Sapphire Beach. Behind a luxury condo was a grouping of upscale homes, one of which had been converted into a musical hub.

Walking into it, she immediately felt the creative energy flow as Kendall introduced her to the owner/operator, an older man named Henry, and his partner Solomon, who nearly bent over backward for Yani. A small crowd of eager recording artists sat in a large front room waiting to head into a sizeable recording studio that was stuffed with exceptional sound recording gear and some session players. Her gaze fell upon the empty drum set and her palms itched to hold sticks and play. Kendall sensed this and asked Henry if Disa could play on them before his next track recording. Smitten by her curves and the way her hips swayed, Henry loaned her his own sticks, eager to see if she was as good as Yani claimed.

Disa kicked off her kitten heel sandals and hiked up her lime-colored wrap-around skirt. Warming up by tapping the ride cymbal and testing the high hat, she launched into one of Kendall's last records and Yani's cousin lost his mind when she funked the beat up more than the original record. Henry stood outside the enclosed room with his engineer staring at her with his mouth open through the glass window. The band that had been on a short break joined her with Yani, Marisol, and Twyla stepping into the space with them. Kendall tapped the soundboard and his bright voice flooded the studio with excitement.

"Yani, sing!" Kendall begged.

"Sing what?" Yani said, with her hands on her hips.

Disa scooted her left food securely over the bass pedal and tapped a new rhythmic beat that the bass player followed in a jam session freestyle. The keyboardist peppered in runs and the guitarist grinned while plucking some nasty licks into the mix. Disa eased into her pocket queen groove and the bass player bobbed his head and twisted his lips at how wonderfully stank the sound was. She stayed on the one, and the studio band followed her lead.

"Make up something! You always make up songs," Kendall declared.

Yani glanced over at Disa.

"C'mon Yani! I got this on lock!" Disa said, slamming hard on the crash cymbal to emphasize her point.

"Goddamn!" the bass player exclaimed as Disa switched up the beat and rode the high hat for a spell before going down into the pocket and working the kickdrum.

Yani shook her head and shied away from one of the two standing mics, but Disa switched up the beat again, creating a dancehall cadence that made all the men yell with pleasure. Twyla stepped up and rapped a flow over the beat, and tugged on Yani's sleeve to drag her in.

"Yani, this shit is hot!" Kendall yelled over the speakers.

Yani stepped in front of a mic and closed her eyes, feeling the music.

"Them call mi muma heavy Bumpa big and mi likkle flat belly Young and healthy mi nuh done like credit Wuk fi mi things cyah seh mi beggy beggy Suh move up, cuz afta mi nuh idle Bitch yuh time up, and mi know yuh wish yuh did nice suh A gooda my fault mek the man a hide yuh Cuz everytime mi walk mi skirt a ride up…" **

Marisol and Twyla squealed and jumped around Yani as she laid down her lyrics. Kendall ran into the room and snagged the other mic, rapping bars that enhanced Yani's playful hook. Disa played with the drum beats more, banging out intricate rhythms that Yani and Kendall slid over effortlessly. Yani turned to face her and sang to Disa directly, playing with the sound of her voice, until Disa stopped playing and waved to Kendall.

"Can we record this? I mean, do an actual taping and redo what you all did?" Disa asked.

Kendall looked back at Henry through the studio glass.

"Henry?" Kendall said.

"I'll pay for the studio time," Disa said. "This is too hot to let it disappear."

"She's good for it, trust me," Kendall said. He winked at Disa, not letting on that Disa could buy the studio ten times over what it cost.

"I'll pay for the studio time of the talent waiting outside if they'll let us sneak in this set before them," Disa offered.

Henry clapped his hands and cued up the boards with the assistant recording engineer.

"I can't even remember what I said," Yani moaned.

"Kendall, you start first and Yani can sing her part right after… add all those ad-libs you did, Yani. Then Twyla, you jump in and we'll have Marisol come through with some Portuguese to give it an international flavor," Disa said.

"Okay band director!" The bassist said.

Disa worked out a plucky intro with the guitar player and showed him how she would come in after him with the bass player. She arranged, directed, and had them performing like they were her own band. The sweetness of Yani's voice made the recording full of sugary pop flavor, and Twyla's deeper voice coming after her cousin's added a rich boldness to the sound like an old-school dancehall queen tone that added heat to all of Yani's sweetness. Marisol's mellow voice gave the track an elevated spice.

The joy in Disa's playing bled through the session, taking her mind away from work and worrying about showing Wakanda her best efforts. They left the studio together in elevated spirits, riding around the island where Twyla pointed out landmarks and great bars. She let the window down and luxuriated in the breeze blowing over her face and curls.

Leona fed them well, and the children entertained them with stories until it was their bedtime. Resting on a pool lounger, Disa drank a glass of wine, stretching her legs, and inhaling the fresh scents of flowers and the ocean. Yani and Marisol joined her, reclining in comfortable shorts and t-shirts.

The next couple of weeks took on the same pacing of swimming, eating, visiting tourist spots, and Yani's old job at a protected mangrove. She guided them on canoes and Disa snorkeled, delighting in the wondrous schools of fish that swarmed around her. Twyla had them on humorous walking tours and showed them statues of the Three Queens, and she snapped plenty of holopics of the one representing Queen Mary.

When they weren't with family, Disa's favorite time spent there was with Yani talking about Erik's consortium and sharing her sketches of what she drew for Yani's vision of a proper birthing hospital for Black women. They spent long nights imagining the beautiful spaces newborns would be born in. Yani had introduced her to a doctor mentor that cared for Sydette when she nearly died, and they walked on Yani's private beach, staring at the stars in the sky and listening to the crash of waves.

"We have worldbuilding resources to do whatever we want, Yani," Disa said.

They walked barefoot into the water, letting the warm liquid lick at their ankles. Standing side by side, the words sank in.

"How does it feel to shape history?" Yani asked.

"Humbling. Scary. Fate really took over our lives meeting, Erik," Disa said.

Yani nodded. Her gaze turned distant, and then she pointed over to some craggy-looking rocks that curved out to sea.

"That's where I was shot," Yani said.

"Oh shit," Disa said.

"It was the last time I saw him. He told me to finish school to be a doctor and watched me swim into the ocean with Sweet Pea on my back and Riki inside of me. I miss him, Disa."

"I do too."

"I see his vision... I see what he wants to do. I worry I'm not qualified, but he believes in me… believes in us. The day he left, I went to his office and saw all the important things he wants to accomplish, and I want him to succeed," Yani said.

"In school, he always talked about what he wanted to do, and the conviction in his voice… his demeanor… there is no way Allah will allow him to fail. He has us. His children. He always had spunk and determination," Disa said.

"Mpilo told me that is what he had on his face when he left. Determination. I'm so glad you came here, Disa," Yani said.

"I am too."

Disa's kimoyo lit up. She gave an enormous sigh.

"What?" Yani asked.

"My head of construction. I need to take this."

"Stay. I'll go back up and give you privacy. Dominoes by the pool at nine."

"Hopefully, I won't have to scream at this man," Disa said.

Yani smiled and left her to her call.

Disa took a deep breath and tapped her kimoyo. Adebiyi's stern face floated before her.

"I'm on vacation. This couldn't wait?" Disa asked in a pleasant voice, trying to bite back on her annoyance. Answering him was a simple courtesy for her friendship with his sister.

"I would not bother you, Lady Abdullah, for simple matters. I want to inform you of some underwater seismic activity off the coast that is concerning. We have halted work until we can determine how aftershocks will affect us. A tsunami warning was issued for our coast, along with Kenya and Niganda's coastline."

"Thank you for telling me personally," she said.

Adebiyi wasn't in the palace anymore with M'Baku. He looked to be in his own private residence.

"King T'Challa has sent a crew to check our floating foundations for any damage."

"I would like daily updates until I return," Disa said.

"This could push us back on your deadline," he said.

"I don't care about that right now. Safety is important. Has there been seismic activity like this before?" she asked.

"Not as alarming as this one."

"Please call me at this same time tomorrow," she said.

"As you wish."

Adebiyi hung up first, and Disa felt a sense of relief flow over her. T'Challa was on top of it and the deadline for completion delayed was a nice breather from Adebiyi in person and dealing with her team back at the office.

She glanced over at the spot where Yani had been shot and walked toward it, trying to picture a woman fleeing for her life and that of her children. Turning around, she looked at the sand and the path back toward the main house. Somewhere, there was a mass grave filled with dead men that Erik had buried.

The world wouldn't know what hit it once he came back to the palace.

Disa couldn't wait.

Chapter 58 HERE.

Author’s Note:

** The lyrics Yani sings is Jada Kingdom’s “Badum” see video below after tag list!

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