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Chapter Text

Her brother once came home from a mission, all wet and sour-faced like a drenched cat. It was amusing at first if it weren’t for the fact that the mission was about missing Wakandans. She had asked, “What happened, brother?”

He looked at her and nodded, with eyes unfocused, “I could only save some,” he whispered quietly and Shuri took the moment of silence to mourn for her fellow countrymen. Shuri closed her eyes and sighed. She was not spiritual unlike the 99% of her country, unlike her family. Still, she closed her eyes in silence to pay respects to the lives that have been lost and opened her eyes solemnly. 

“And? Where were they?” She asked, curious and angry at the same time. Her brother looked away.

“Far,” was her brother’s cryptic and short response. Shuri raised an eyebrow. Half an hour into the mission, her brother had cut off his signal, basically going ghost. She had been in the middle of instructing him where to go and yet, he had become silent, so she checked her screen to find his signal missing on the map. Sometimes her brother did that so it wouldn’t alert a country’s signal or would turn it off if she was annoying him, so Shuri had never been suspicious of it. 

Right then, however, her brother was acting suspiciously. He was a bad liar, so he always had to resort to either not answering or avoiding it completely. 

“Will you tell me about it?”

Her brother’s eyes found hers. “I will tell you a story instead.”

She sat on her chair and waited.

There, he told her about a mythical creature called the Feathered-Serpent God, who was the god of rain, water, and storm. He punished evil doers in his sea and protected his people underwater. The mythical creature was a revered god and king of the so-called underwater people, and that this myth was so famous around Mexico, that a lot of people believe it to be true. Sometimes, they would whisper his name – K’uk’ulkan – out of fear and respect alike. Some even say they had seen him, and if you happen to see him, or he had shown himself to you – you better count your days.

Shuri had laughed. “Like Atlantis from Disney?”

T’Challa’s eyes did not crinkle, but they sharpened as they looked out of the windows of her lab. Her windows had ceiling-to-floor windows, wide and unmoving, clean of any dirt and clear. Her lab had the scenery of the mountains where the sun rose and set and the river water that ran nonstop almost every day. It is a beautiful sight; even more beautiful with the capital city just beneath that scenery.

“Maybe,” her brother said softly, eyes glaring through her clear windows.

Despite her brother’s weird behavior, she didn’t think much of it. At first, she thought he was affected by the death of their people, so she had not pushed and teased. The story he had shared – was just another mythical and superstitious story. Although T’Challa wasn’t usually the one telling her these kinds of stories, she had become accustomed to hearing things like this. Although, sometimes, it made her think. If wizards and gods were real in her world, well, she would still stick to science. 

So, she didn’t think much of it. Even when her brother asked her to strengthen the borders, to alert if anyone went through their sky and under the waters. The sky, she understood, but she was surprised to hear him say add securities in their waters. She did not ask, not even when the man asked her to make suits that are able to breathe and swim properly underwater. Those weren’t his only requests with the suit. He had made it clear that the suit should be made to withstand any current of the sea to the strongest current. It should be able to give the wearer the right temperature when deep in the sea, and still be unbreakable and strong.

His specifications fascinated her. In fact, making the suits made her so interested that it kept her busy from thinking about the real purpose of her brother. Still, she had made numerous of them just like he asked, but they never used them. It stayed in the confines of the glass containers, next to their father’s old Black Panther suit. 

She did not think about it much until now.

“Ready one underwater suit, please, usisi ,” was her brother’s first words to her the moment he stepped into her lab. Frowning and furrowing her eyebrows, she looked away from her chart, analyzing her brother who continued down the stairs from the mezzanine. He had a serious expression on his face, indicating the situation must be dire.

The silence between them gave her a chance to rack her brain for any reason her brother could be serious. Although she did not attend council meetings as she was only a princess, therefore not one of her duties, and she was busy with her lab and creations, she was updated with every decision and move the council made. Her brother was not the secretive type, hence he was willing to share everything with her. Not only that, she had Okoye to tell her everything in case T’Challa was feeling closed up.

“Only one?” She replied instead, raising an eyebrow and she knew her face showed suspicion. Her brother sends her an exasperated look.

“Yes, Shuri. Only one.”

“Are you going for a swim?” Shuri questioned, getting back on track with her calculations on the screen. She made no move to ready the suit. Behind her, she heard her brother sigh heavily. She knew that he knew she would not do anything without any explanations, and right now, that is why she was giving him a chance to do so.

With a little movement to her right, her brother sat next to her.

“I am going away for a while,” her brother started and the words were enough to fully catch her attention. Whipping her head with such speed, her wide eyes stared at her brother’s retreating figure. He walked up to the windows with his hands behind his back, staring at their home longingly as if he had already left.

It makes her enraged. Abandoning her work, she walked up to him. “Why have you only told me this now?” She demanded, glaring at him although her brother did not look back.

“It is because I must do it alone, sister,” he said softly like she was a child to be consoled. The words made her look down, feeling shame and anger course through her. “I will be going on this journey alone, and I need the underwater suit.”

“Why? Where are you going?” 

Her voice, despite being a demand, did not shake her brother at all. Instead, he turned to her with a smile. A small, guilty smile that she recognized from her childhood. “I’m sorry, but I cannot tell you, sister.”

Not only was she mad, his words only made her confused even more. Her brother had no problem telling her of his missions – what problem, when would it occur, and where it would be done. Usually, it wasn’t difficult for her to wrangle the details from her brother, but as he stood beside her, his form and figure unmoving… she knew she had to back down.

Still, she asked, “Does mother know?”

T’Challa tilted his head amusingly. “Yes. I was met with quite the resistance.”

I bet you did , she thought. Their mother has become protective over the past few years after their Baba had died. Shuri had no qualms with it, after all, she practically lived in her lab. Nakia and her brother would tease her for not going out and mingling with their people – but Shuri found solace in her lab, in creating things that help Wakanda. 

Shuri huffed. “And what of Wakanda?”

Everyone knew her brother, T’Challa, did not treat kingship lightly. He bore it with grace and sophistication, just like a rightful king. He was the perfect king – kind, a protector, and merciful. Once, she had been mad at him after knowing he had left their father’s murderer alive. Mercy and forgiveness were foreign for a while to her after the whole occurrence. Back then, she fought with her brother, but the only thing he told her was: 

“Vengeance consumed me,” he said solemnly, holding his Panther mask tightly, “It consumed them. I did not want that.”

“I will only be gone for a month,” T’Challa said so normally and nonchalantly that it surprised Shuri. 

“A month?!” She screeched, flailing her arms up in the air. “That is long! How will Wakanda survive a month without their king?!”

She was exaggerating since Wakanda could do well without a king by this point and it wasn’t really a problem, seeing their mother could stand in the throne while he was away. The problem, however, was that her brother still had closed lips.

T’Challa laughed, his shoulders shaking along with his body. “Shuri,” he said fondly, shaking his head. “This is not something I can negotiate with you. I must leave for a month, and Wakanda will do well still in the hands of Mother.”

Defeated, she slumped her shoulders. “Can I not go with you?”

T’Challa snorted. “No, Shuri. Even Sergeant Barnes and Captain America are not going.”

Suspicious , she thought, narrowing her eyes. Why would Bucky and Steve be needed for a journey he said he needed to do alone? “Nakia?” She asked hopefully. If Nakia was with her brother, maybe her worries would lessen. Nakia, after all, stopped his reckless decisions and stupid moves. Surely, he would not do well a month apart from his lover.

Surprisingly, T’Challa shook his head. “ Alone , Shuri.”

She heaved a great sigh. “Fine!” She said loudly, tapping her kimoyo beads. “GRIOT, please ready one wetsuit.”

Her brother stared at her. She lifted her hands. “I did not name them wetsuits. It was all the foreigners.”

“Thank you, usisi ,” he murmured at the same time GRIOT pulled out the wetsuit from one of its containers. It had been kept neatly there and Shuri would have liked to use the phrase ‘collecting dust’ for its current condition. Ever since her brother had requested the suit with very specific engineering, she had not taken a moment to improve any of it.

“I will update it before you go,” Shuri said, stepping forward and giving her brother a look that invited him to challenge her. He graciously stepped back, unlike the times he would complain and whine about her so-called updates and improvements.

T’Challa nodded. “I will be leaving tomorrow.”

Shuri did not want to think about it, so she focused on getting the wetsuit on her table. “Okay.”

“Thank you, again, sister,” he spoke before leaving her lab.

She stared at the suit on her table, untouched and still fairly new. 

She threw herself into work. If T’Challa was leaving tomorrow, this was not the time to dawdle and rest. She rolled up her sleeve and grabbed a screen next to her. Her mind was already running wild about improvements she could make to the suit, and a brilliant idea struck her.

Her brother might be secretive now, but she has her own ways to find out.

She grinned wide as she put the last touches on the suit. It was sleek and black and a bit on the thicker side. She still has not tested this and she did not know how well it would do against the water, but nothing has topped her genius mind yet. 

Not even the water could outsmart her.

Chapter Text

When the little rays of the sun continued upwards behind the mountains, Shuri sat up and straightened her back. The suit was fully finished – equipped with stronger armor, an advanced temperature changer and checker, and a fully improved breathing mask. The only problem she encountered was the oxygen tank her brother needed to carry. They come compressed in bottles, for easier access. She had also installed GRIOT inside the suit, knowing that her brother would need all the help he could get if he was going on this solo journey in the sea.

It was still weird for her, that her brother was unable to share everything with her. 

The doors of her lab opened and she was expecting her lab team to come in, after all, it is their time to work. Surprisingly, it was Okoye who entered. Donned in her Dora Milaje clothes with a spear in her hand, she announced her presence with the butt of her spear hitting the ground. Unnecessary and unneeded, but Okoye was a woman of tradition, so Shuri let her be.

“Your brother requests your presence,” Okoye said with an eyebrow raised, her eyes staring at the suit on the mannequin. “As well as the suit.”

Shuri glanced at the suit, oddly satisfied at the same time dread fills her.

Sighing, she took the suit off of the mannequin and looked back at Okoye. “Lead me, general.”

Okoye bowed and they walked.

– 

Okoye led her to their helipad, where the sunbirds and other planes are stationed. The only use of these are when they were going out of the country or if they were going to war, so Shuri hadn’t been here in a while. She barely greeted her brother whenever he went out of the country for a meeting, since she was always busy in the lab, so seeing the place felt refreshing to say the least.

“Wow, my sister has come to see me off,” T’Challa’s sarcastic voice rang throughout the place. She stared at him with a deadpan expression. If she didn’t love this childish brother of hers, she would have never made the suit at his request. 

She stretched out her arms with the suit in her hands. “Here. I’ve updated the model. It can withstand even stronger currents now and has armor and a shield in case anything happens. I’ve installed GRIOT in, and no, it is non-negotiable to take him out. What will happen if you suddenly have a cramp in the middle of the ocean and no one was there and your oxygen bottles have run out? You cannot possibly think – ”

T’Challa laughed, loud and clear, holding his belly. Even her mother and the Dora Milaje let out a couple of chuckles, and she glared at the general beside her. Her cheeks warmed in embarrassment and she swore she would never ramble like that again. Usually, she was the one teasing T’Challa, but it seemed her worries got the best of her. 

“Sister,” T’Challa said after recovering from his laughter. He rested his hand on her shoulder. “I will be fine. Do not worry too much,” he looked from her to their mother, who had a frown and furrowed eyebrows as her expression, “okay?”

Their mother, the Queen, could only sigh. “Be safe, unyana wam ,” (my son) she heard her mother whisper softly, kissing her brother’s forehead. “And may Bast guide you.”

T’Challa turned to her once again, this time with a wide smile. “You’ll be good for mother, won’t you?”

Before she could reply, her mother snorted. “I do not know whether this child will worsen my graying hairs or lessen it since you’ll be gone for a while.”

She cackled. “Mama! T’Challa gives you more headaches, remember?”

“You’re both the same amount.”

T’Challa accepted the suit, stepping inside the Royal Talon in his Black Panther suit. She stayed rooted to her spot, watching as the Talon Fighter finally lifted itself off the ground and zoomed past in the sky.

Her mother sniffs. 

“Well. We should have our breakfast now,” her mother said softly before turning around, most likely heading towards their family dining room. The rest of the Dora Milaje spread out at the noise of Okoye’s spear, most likely going back to their original positions to guard. Okoye stayed next to her while she stared up at the sky.

“How many suits did you make, princess?”

Her eyes glimmered and she grinned, still staring at the clouds moving in the blue sky. “I have made enough for the Dora Milaje. But I have only updated five of them,” she turned to Okoye, who had a similar grin on her face. Okoye usually wasn’t one to break the rules, seeing as she was the general of the Milaje and she was an exemplary role model for every fighter. “Are you truly encouraging me to go follow my brother?”

“As long as I’m coming with you,” she said firmly. She waits for another condition. “And if we have the Queen’s permission.”

She groaned.

– 

“Absolutely not. The princess is not ready to be out in the field,” The queen before her said hastily, glaring at the two of them. “And even then, her brother, the King , might I remind you, requested to be alone.”

Okoye seemed tightlipped and unable to say anything. Shuri took over.

“But mother, are you not curious where he is going? What if he suddenly gets attacked in the middle of this journey? What if he is hiding something? What if it’s about the Avengers? Or worse,” – and she can’t believe she was about to say this – “What if my suit fails?”

The act she has on impresses Okoye, though it only earned a suspicious eyebrow raise from her mother. 

The moment her mother sighed, she knew they had won. 

“How would you even follow your brother?” She said with her fingers on her temple, massaging them slowly. “He put off his signal on the Royal Talon. It would take you a long time to find him when he has shared none about his whereabouts.”

Shuri shrugged. “Easy,” she tapped on her beads. “Once the suit is activated, GRIOT will also be activated. Once that happens, I can get the details of his whereabouts and we can follow him. Easy ,” she repeated with a big grin, seeing the impressed expression on her mother’s face. She was nodding and thinking deeply about the idea.

“You knew your brother would try to find trackers on the suit,” her mother replied, although posed as a question, it was more of a statement. Shuri grinned proudly, nodding and crossing her arms. 

“He’s predictable,” was the only reply she gave.

The queen sighed. “That he is.”

She stood up from her throne and gazed sharply at Okoye, who stood tall and strong at the sudden attention. “When you have confirmed the locations, you, Okoye, will go with Shuri,” she fist bumped the air, turning to Okoye with a big grin and reaching to hold her wrist to drag her out of the suffocating room, until, “But it will not only be you. You will bring Aneka and Nakia.”

With a shocked face, she swiveled around to see her mother again. “Nakia? She will come?”

The queen smirked. “If I say it is about T’Challa, yes,” she waved her hand toward the door. “Now go. You tell me at once when you have his location and you will be accompanied by Aneka and Nakia.”

Okoye opened her mouth. “ Ikumkani wam , why not Ayo?” (my queen)

Ayo, who was standing nearby, twitched at the mention of her name. She did not falter in her stance though and kept her eyes forward.

Her mother raised an eyebrow. “Ayo will be needed here while you, General, will accompany my daughter. Nakia and Aneka are the ones I chose. Are they not enough for you to protect the princess?”

Okoye kneeled and bowed her head. “I can protect the princess, my queen.”

Her mother hummed. “Then you may go.”

Okoye sighed while Ayo sent her a withering look. Shuri laughed once they were out of the throne room. “Does Aneka bother you that much?”

Okoye sighed once again. “She has a rebellious spirit. Only Ayo can keep her in check.”

Shuri grinned, elbowing the general. “Oh, come on. It’ll be alright. Nakia will be there.”

“Besides, what could go wrong?”

–

The moment GRIOT alerted her of her brother’s whereabouts, she told her lab assistants to leave immediately. 

“Princess, the King has put on the suit,” GRIOT said out loud, earning her attention quite quickly. 

She looked up from what she was doing and turned to her assistants. “Please leave,” she softly commanded, watching them scurry out like little kids. She snorted. Although she has been the head of the scientific advancement, they still seem squeaky and nervous around her due to her being royalty. 

Once she had scolded them to treat her like a proper chief, which they do now, but they won’t drop the princess. She has long given up on that particular topic.

She walked closer to the monitor. “Show me where he is, GRIOT.”

“Yes, princess.”

A map showed on the screen and a tiny white dot could be seen. She reads the words displayed and scrunches her face in confusion.

“What in Bast’s name is my brother doing in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean?” She asked no one in particular, disbelief dripping her words. Shuri stared harder at the screen, analyzing and thinking. It would not have taken him long to travel to the Atlantic, and yet it has been two days since he left, meaning he has just arrived at the Atlantic Ocean. What was her brother doing?

As she glared harder, she realized something.

The dot on the map was not moving at all.

“GRIOT,” she called out worriedly, her voice pitching high. “Why is my brother not moving?”

“He is moving, princess,” was GRIOT’s reply, and before she could counter it, he continued, “He is moving downwards, princess.”

“Give me my brother’s vitals now ,” she demanded, going around her table and moving to another screen. It is much bigger and she could fully view her brother’s vitals with precision. His heart was beating at a normal speed, no wounds were reported, and no kind of internal bleeding. Everything seemed fine and perfectly normal and yet –

“The King has stable vitals, princess.”

She let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. Shuri leaned on her table, breathing out to calm herself. “Okay. Thank you, GRIOT.”

She pressed her kimoyo beads and called her mother.

“Shuri? You were missed at dinner,” her mother’s chiding voice came through. She smiled apologetically.

“Sorry, mother. GRIOT has finally contacted me about brother. Permission to proceed with the mission?”

Her mother’s face rested into a tired expression. “This is not a mission, Shuri. You find out what he’s doing and you come back. If your brother gets mad, you will be taking his ire.”

“Yes, yes,” she answered while rolling her eyes. Not being able to contain her excitement, she looked back at her beads, which it was projecting her mother’s face. “Can we go right now? We can still catch up with him. Please , mother.”

Her mother sighed. “I will call for the Dora Milaje and Nakia. Wait in the helipad.”

Those were the last things her mother said before she dashed out of her room with a big grin. Her brother might get furious with her, though she wasn’t really sure, and yet she did not mind. Once she finds out what secret he is keeping, she can finally sate her curiosity. She already had a speech in mind; in any case, her brother catches her and scolds her.

Her mother was waiting by the doors. She engulfed her in her arms, and Shuri let herself be pulled into a tight hug, melting in her mother’s arms. “Mama,” she whined. “I’ll be fine.”

The queen sighed and caressed her cheek. “I know you will be, intomba ,” (daughter) she muttered and pressed a kiss on her forehead. Shuri closed her eyes and sighed in relief. “May Bast guide you, my daughter.”

Okoye, Nakia, and Aneka were already at the helipad by the time she got there. Okoye was finishing things up with Ayo, then there was Aneka fixing up the Dragon Flyer plane, while Nakia was sitting inside, most likely waiting for her. Nakia stood up as soon as she noticed her, and Shuri sent her a big grin. 

“Nakia,” she breathed out, hugging her. 

“Shuri,” Nakia said back, politely and fondly. “You have grown so much. I was surprised to get a call from the Queen to accompany you on a brief mission. Are you sure T’Challa will not be mad once he finds out you put a tracker on him?”

Shuri let out a “Ha!” while dropping the bag of suits on a nearby seat.

“Do not worry, Nakia. I’m there to spy on him,” she wiggled her eyebrows, putting emphasis on the word ‘spy’ . “And that is why you are here. The best spy in Wakanda. We will not be noticed.” I hope , she said in her mind.

Nakia sighed, smiling faintly. “I hope you are right, princess.”

She sat on the seat, grinning. Okoye finally boards the plane and sends her a matching grin. Aneka was already sitting on the pilot seat, with Okoye joining her easily. Nakia sat next to her, chuckling at her excited expression. 

“You are a menace to your brother,” she said with a laugh. Shuri doesn’t deny it.

It was a quick trip to the Atlantic Ocean. They found the Royal Talon deserted and left flying in the middle of the ocean. The engines were whirring and safe, not a scratch on the plane. Shuri surveyed it with a bit of satisfaction. 

“Careless man,” Nakia said with a click of her tongue. “We should leave our planes somewhere. The Royal Talon cannot keep being in invisible mode.” 

They find a nearby island and Shuri practically jumps out of the plane with a grin, all suited up.

Okoye frowned as she stared at the suit. “Could you not have made this in a prettier color?”

Shuri stared at the grey and blue suit. To her, it was a simple and cool design, but of course, Okoye had notes. As per usual. She rolled her eyes and didn’t deign the question with a response. She pulled up the map where her brother’s tracker had already moved. 

“He’s heading west,” Shuri said, hurrying to the side of the water. “Come on!” 

Before she dived into the water, she could faintly hear three voices calling out to her. She grinned in her mask and swam downwards, activating her jets to make her faster. The three warriors could easily catch up with her, so she does not worry at all. Though the darkness of the sea does make her a bit hesitant and make her slower, she still pushes through. 

“GRIOT, how far is my brother?” 

“Approximately 10 meters down, princess.”

Shuri frowned. Even further below? What was her brother doing swimming down to the deepest parts of the Atlantic sea? She sighed and continued farther down, faintly hearing her name being called once again. Glancing behind her, she saw Nakia, Okoye, and Aneka swimming toward her and while any other time, she would have patiently waited for them, she only gave them an eat-shitting grin.

Even with the darkness, she could see Okoye groaning in her suit.

She switched on the light of her suit and swam deeper.

For a long while, she wishes to feel the water on her skin. In Wakanda, she was free to take baths in the river near the borders and the water was always clean and pure, making it even more enjoyable for her and everyone. She has never tried swimming in the sea, especially not in a sea this big, and while the vastness of the sea terrifies her a bit, she was more curious.

Shuri was never into wildlife although she does respect and make sure the environment in Wakanda was well-protected. Still, most of her life, she has only ever interacted with animals that lived in the forest, so she wonders if she would be able to encounter any sea creature.

After swimming for a while, she finally felt the tiredness seeping in. 

She sighed and stopped, looking around. The only thing she could see was blue and some corals beneath her. There were also rock formations and interestingly enough, they looked hand-made. 

“GRIOT, record,” she said after a moment of staring at the weird rock formation. She looked around and surveyed the area, only to realize the silence that surrounded her. Whipping her head back, she saw no one behind her.

“ Bast ,” she muttered and sighed, pulling up the map once again. The dots are moving slowly toward her and she sighed in relief. They had a tracker on her, too, which she was thankful for. Her earrings came in handy with these things.

Leaving the rock formation, she swam deeper. 

As she swam, she started hearing voices, distant from her position. She swam faster, turning off her thrusters and hiding behind the corals. Now that she was closer, she could clearly and distinctly hear her brother’s voice. Delighted, she looked up, but could not spot him.

Swimming to another side, she finally spots the grey and blue suit she had made. The light was bright enough to illuminate her brother, but she stopped in her tracks once she saw three people in front of him. She ducked her head behind with wide eyes.

The brief glance had her mind rolling.

They were not wearing any kind of wetsuit, nor were they wearing any masks that other nations have developed to breathe underwater. Furrowing her eyebrows, she thought long and hard about how could that be. Sneaking another glance, she examined their… persons.

One was wearing a bone on his head – was that a shark head? It only served to worsen her confusion. At the right was a woman with feathers on her head, and the man in front of her brother could be barely seen from this angle, but she could already deduce that the man was only wearing green shorts and – are those wings on his ankles?

“I will not ask again, King T’Challa,” a voice resounded in the waters, “How did you find us?”

Her brother replied, “I didn’t,” he gestured to them. “You found me, did you not?”

The man with winged ankles sounded displeased as he answered, “You are wearing a suit tailored for the waters. Were you seeking me even after our unsavory meeting last time?”

Her brother, ever the peaceful diplomat, does not rise to the bait. “Yes. I have come here precisely looking for you as I had no way of contacting you.”

“And how did you know we would be at this sea?” The man growled, gripping his spear tightly. Shuri almost moved from her spot, not liking the fact the man had a spear and her brother was equipped with no weapons. (Although, it did seem like a lie. She did put defensive mechanisms and weapons in the suit. Though, she does not think it could go against a vibranium spear.)

The man was covered in vibranium, from his neck to his legs. He had what looked like jade piercings and he was talking without a mask. There is the fact that there is vibranium on someone who was not Wakandan and the man was underwater. It was making her head spin and she didn’t even know what was going on.

Just who are these people? She thought, her mind reeling at the sight of them.

“I didn’t,” her brother said honestly. “I see no kingdom here, meaning you only frequent these waters.”

The man was even more displeased. “Who told you, King of Wakanda?”

Her brother, despite the harsh and threatening tone of the man, simply shrugged. “Let’s just say… someone made me realize it.”

The man pointed the spear at her brother. “ Who ?”

Unable to stay in her hiding spot, she finally moved. She pointed her blasters at the foreign people, making a sound as she did so. Four heads whipped in her direction and when she finally got a good look at the man, she growled, “ Get away from my brother .”

“Shuri?”

Chapter Text

“ Shuri ?”

Any other time she would have found the disbelief and surprise in T’Challa’s voice to be amusing, however, right now, she was busy being pointed at by three spears and holding up her own blasters from her own suit. The three foreign people – who were still not wearing masks of any kind which still had her mind reeling in confusion – did not move an inch though they had their teeth bared at her.

The man in the middle did not move, either way, content watching her from his position. Unnerved by the sudden silence, she revved up her blasters, which made the two warriors move slightly closer.

“Brother?” The man drenched in vibranium asked with a raise of an eyebrow, motioning his head towards her brother. Her eyebrow twitched and her frown deepened.

Her brother sighed and she knew that if it weren’t for the mask, he would've pinched the bridge of his nose. That meant annoyance, which was a far cry from the fond exasperation he usually showed toward her. Confused, she tried to swim a little bit closer.

The spears moved with her. 

“Brother,” she said, swallowing the high pitch of her voice, not wanting to seem afraid in front of the foreign people. She let out a shaky breath, glad that it didn’t fog up her helmet. “Who are these people?”

Before her brother could answer, the man with green shorts moved closer. She readied her blasters again, glaring hard at the man with jade piercings. The man stopped swimming closer at the sound, but gave her a raised eyebrow, whether of amusement or a threat. She wasn’t sure. 

“Before that, I should be asking what you two are doing here,” He said, staring at the two of them and clutching his spear tightly. “These oceans are not yours,” he said to her then glanced at her brother, “nor Wakanda’s.”

There was a threat implied underneath there and she bristled.

“Shuri,” her brother said sternly. “Stand down .”

“Why am I to stand down when they have not lowered their weapons?” Shuri said stubbornly. No one was backing down and the woman with orange feathers on her head looked very displeased at her. The man with winged ankles looked tired and finished with the conversation, because while she blinked – the man was in front of her, swiftly and quickly, holding her blasters.

She startled, thrashing from his hold.

“Namor, unhand my sister ,” her brother’s voice dripped with venom and it caught the attention of the swimming man. 

With this chance, she thrashed even more, landing a kick on his torso which pushed him back a bit, startling him if anything was to go by his expression. Her brother quickly pulled her behind his back and she gripped onto his arm tightly, glaring at the man with even more disdain than moments ago.

“Do not hurt my sister,” T’Challa said dangerously, hand traveling up to his panther necklace. “Or there will be consequences.”

The man huffed. And if he was offended by her brother’s threat, he did not show it. Instead, he held up his hand, motioning for the two warriors to lower their spears. Albeit hesitant, the two warriors lowered down their spears and bowed to the man. 

“If there are any more surprises, King of Wakanda, I would like to know,” the pointy-eared man that looked like an elf and greatly annoyed Shuri talked once again and Shuri wanted to claw his face out. Her blasters seemed fine, thankfully, but she did not like how weak she felt at that moment. When her brother took a look at her with an eyebrow raised, she sniffed.

“Nakia, Okoye, and Aneka are on their way,” she said nonchalantly, watching in great satisfaction as her brother’s eyes widened. 

“Nakia?” T’Challa asks in disbelief, turning his wide eyes to the fishy man. T’Challa breathed deeply, and Shuri knows he wants to scold her. She grinned.

“We will have three more guests,” T’Challa said after a moment of collecting himself. Steely, he gestured to her. “My sister is accompanied by my finest warriors. This was not at all planned and instead, was a surprise to me, as well. We mean no harm, Namor.”

Namor – that’s right. Shuri heard his brother say the name a while ago but was too busy escaping from the other man. She kept her gaze on the man, now known as Namor, who sent her gaze back. Not one to lose, she held the gaze, making sure the man knew how displeased she was by his presence. 

Namor frowned. “We were not expecting you, and we were not expecting more of you. Are you declaring war, King T’Challa?”

T’Challa gritted his teeth, a hand subtly raising to shield her from them. “King… K’uk’ulkan , my sister was merely worried for me, and that is why she followed me. I came here in peace and I would prefer it to stay that way.”

K’uk’ulkan? She furrowed her eyebrows, staying silent. While her brother conversed, she stewed on the name. She has heard it before, but where could it be? Before her thoughts could further delve into solid ideas, her name was called out in the distance. When she whipped her head toward the sound, she could see the warriors beside Namor get into a fighting stance once again.

The endless staring contest finally came to an end once Nakia, Okoye, and Aneka swam closer to them. Okoye activated her spear and Aneka did the same, with Nakia and her signature ring blades. A bit of her laughter escaped her mouth as she watched her nation’s best warriors stumble at the unstable environment of the water. Even she could see T’Challa stopping a smile.

Most likely exasperated, Okoye growled. “My King, princess. What is happening?”

“I have been asking the same question,” Namor said dryly and T’Challa turned to her again, expectant. 

Shuri huffed. “I put GRIOT as a tracker in your suit. I did upgrade your suit, you know,” she said with a roll of her eyes, pinching her brother’s wetsuit. The flying fish man looked ready to cut her off, so she quickly hopped on to the next words, “Not only that, I cannot seem to be trusted to go alone, so now I am accompanied by Wakanda’s finest warriors, the Dora Milaje.” She said these words with harder emphasis, glaring at the other water warriors. They do not look even a little bit intimidated and it irked her. 

“And Nakia,” T’Challa sighed fondly. Shuri scrunched her nose. 

“And Nakia,” Shuri said flatly, staring at Nakia who at least had the audacity to look shy.

The infuriating man called Namor quickly looked at her. “You made these suits?”

“I did,” she said proudly, crossing her arms and turning her nose the other way, high and mighty. Usually, she would be more humble, since everyone already knew of her ingenuity in Wakanda, but this was a man with winged ankles and he was covered in vibranium, a metal that can only be found in her home. He was suspicious and while she had seen a big green man from America on their television, the wings on his ankles should not have surprised her. 

“They could withstand strong currents of the sea, let the user breathe like a diving suit, and also be able to have combat abilities for protection,” she activated her blasters again, the mouth of the panthers glowing. The guy at least looked a bit impressed, but it quickly vanished to be replaced by displeasure.

He faced her brother. “I do not want to ask again, King T’Challa. Your purpose.”

T’Challa swiftly answered. “Peace, K’uk’ulkan. I ask for peace between our two nations. You have seen the world way before I could have. I originally planned to be alone, but due to my sister’s stubbornness,” T’Challa made sure to side-eye her. It took all her strength not to put her tongue out at him. “My people and I ask to learn Talokan's ways.”

Peace? Nations? Talokan? Shuri’s face twisted more in confusion. Her brother has always advocated for peace, and it was for the betterment of Wakanda. Until now, she had never known a nation called Talokan. Her eyes gravitated to the seaman. 

“What? So you could use this against us?” The distrust and disdain were evident in his tone, but Shuri couldn't even be mad at it. He displayed the same distrust Wakanda had for other nations and right now, they were at a draw - two nations who only know not to trust anyone. 

“No,” T'Challa said with a shake of his head, and behind him, Shuri felt so small. There her brother was, speaking to this… otherworldly man with such calmness and peace and power in him. He exuded what a king did – and Shuri's heart swelled with pride and love. She had never attended a meeting with her brother; she had always watched it live with GRIOT's feed and never in person, so seeing her brother stand tall… she felt safe behind his back.

“We are here to learn for the sake of learning. In return, I am willing to share my culture with my sister and warriors.” 

Unsurprisingly, she didn't have complaints. Unsurprisingly, Okoye had. If Okoye had a ground to stomp her spear on, she would've. Instead, she cleared her throat, gaining everyone's attention. Shuri silently groaned.

“I'm afraid that is impossible, my King,” Okoye said, eyes flitting to the newly met people. As far as Shuri knows, the woman didn't know anything, and that was unnerving her.

T'Challa raised an eyebrow. “And why is that, General?”

“Queen Mother explicitly said that we bring the princess home after knowing your whereabouts,” Okoye said firmly, eyes glancing at her. Even if she had widened her eyes to plead silently, the woman was unmoved and unphased. Just like she had always been. She clicked her tongue in annoyance. This was a chance of learning and discovering, and if her brother and the best warriors of Wakanda were with her – surely she was safe.

T'Challa frowned and sighed. “Then I must ask, King K'uk'ulkan, for you to let my sister and warriors go.”

The man didn't even think about it. He shook his head. “I cannot do that. They have already seen us, just like you had back then.”

Shuri finally left her brother's shadow and spoke again. “Then we will go with you,” at the astounded silence, she glanced back at the three female warriors, “All of us.”

“But Princess, the Queen – ” Aneka tried to say, only for T'Challa to stop her.

“It is alright. I will talk to the Queen Mother when this has all settled.”

“My King – ” T'Challa put up a hand and sent a stern gaze at Okoye, who was rendered speechless. Okoye bowed her head submissively.

T'Challa looked at Namor and bowed. “I hope this becomes a fruitful learning for the both of us.”

Namor, who was close to scowling if the twitch on his lips were any indication, bowed back. The air seemed neutral now.

His eyes bore into hers and Shuri couldn't seem to look away. “Follow us, King T'Challa, lest the waves sweep you all away.”

Her brother stretched out his hand and she held it tightly in hers. With a nod, they follow the three swimming people in front of them.

–

Being inside a whale was even more uncomfortable than wearing her ceremonial garb in Warrior Falls. The imminent fear of the big mammal choosing them as dinner stayed on her mind, though she was more preoccupied with the slimy texture of the whale's tongue on her newly upgraded suit. While it was designed for underwater submersion, she did not think she would be inside a whale just minutes ago.

“This is disgusting,” Okoye was the first to complain. “Unfitting for a royalty. My King, who are these people?”

T’Challa, who had been lying back, sighed out loud. “Okoye, they are allies. Do not fret.”

Okoye clicked her tongue. “Wakanda does not have allies.”

She watched as her brother opened his eyes and stared sadly at the slimy ceiling. “And that is why I am seeking one now.”

“But why them?” Nakia asked softly, raking a hand over T’Challa’s head. If they weren’t squeezed in the mouth of the whale, she would have gagged at the affectionate display. “Surely the UN countries are willing to work with us. A hidden nation like this… wouldn’t it be difficult?”

T’Challa held the hand that was on his head, kissing it. “You will understand soon.”

Before she could retort in Nakia’s place, the mouth of the whale opened, and instead of being met with light, darkness fell. The hair on her arms stood up as she moved closer to her brother, who held her tightly. 

Namor, who had produced a light with a glowing ball in his hand, stretched out his hand to her. She almost bared her teeth at him, but as the princess of Wakanda, she breathed deeply. She rested her hand on his and he faintly smiled. 

When she stepped outside, the cave was glowing in blue and she gasped, whirling around in amazement. Even Okoye was amazed, looking around and most likely inspecting every single corner. Aneka was more in awe like her, standing beside her with her jaw down. Nakia stood by her other side, gripping her shoulder tightly. A defensive stance, she had learned, because Nakia could very well push her somewhere to avoid danger.

She gripped that same hand. I am safe. We are safe. My brother is here.

“Welcome to my home,” Namor simply said and then pointed to the small open space at the side of the cave. “I must ask your forgiveness as we were not prepared to accommodate you,” he stated, sending a sharp gaze at her brother and he did not sound apologetic at all – civil at most. “but you are welcome to stay here in the meantime.”

Suddenly, three women – three, blue women – appeared from one of the cave’s exit and entry points. Shuri almost flinched in surprise while the three warrior women behind her got down in fighting stances. 

T’Challa held up a hand, forcing the women to relax. 

Namor gestured to the women. “And my people shall tend to whatever needs you have. Namora,” he called out, calling out to a familiar face. Shuri recognized her as one of the warriors who were with the man moments ago, except now – she is blue-skinned and Shuri’s head is filled with endless questions. “ K'ax le bey yu'ulabo'ob .” (Treat them as guests)

The foreign language made her even more curious. Namora, the woman in the orange dress, nodded dutifully. “ Je'el, K’uk’ulkan .” (Yes, K’uk’ulkan)

“And I shall be there,” Namor pointed to the small hut in the middle of the cave, turning toward it and walking forward, “And we can discuss there what we shall do, King T’Challa.”

T’Challa nodded respectfully, sending one last glance at them before following the man.

Shuri was pleading at him with her eyes;  Do not leave us, brother.

And with his eyes, he said, You will not be harmed, sister.

Damn her and her endless trust in her brother. A woman stepped forward to them and in the corner of her eyes, she could see the three warriors refraining from going back to a fighting stance. The blue woman, with a smile that was slightly skewed due to the mask on her mouth, held out her arms that carried a basket.

“ Teech gustaría janal? ” (Would you like to eat?)

Shuri stared at the basket full of fruits, calculating and analyzing. She grabbed a piece of papaya and shrugged. Why not? They were friends of Wakanda, were they not?

What could go wrong?

Chapter Text

When the two rulers came out of the hut, Shuri had been munching on every piece of fruit the handmaiden had given her. She was sat on one of the cave’s formed rocks along with the three warriors at her side and back, looking wary and concerned every time she bit into a fruit. Shuri did not mind them at all, humming into another blue corn she bit onto. The handmaiden brightened, smiling widely at her acceptance.

“This is good,” she said with her mouth full, letting GRIOT do the translating. 

“Lela' ma'alob,” GRIOT translated and Shuri watched with a smile as the handmaiden clapped her hands and offered her more. Namora, who had been stationed to look after them, watched them with curiosity – better yet, she was analyzing her, as if she were planning something. Shuri also let her be.

Her brother approached all of them with a hand on his temple.

Shuri almost snorted. The talk hadn’t gone well.

She stood up as the handmaiden made a way for the other king to walk. T’Challa responded with a brief nod of acknowledgment and got one back from the blue handmaiden. 

They were left alone and Shuri broke the silence, “They’re blue .”

T’Challa raised an eyebrow, sitting next to Nakia. “Yes. They are.”

Shuri paced the floor, her mind already working. “They were not blue when we were underwater, and yet, they become blue outside of water. But Namor isn’t like that, which is surprising. Maybe it’s some kind of infection? No, more like a mutation. Definitely. And Namor was covered in vibranium – that is impossible, but I know what vibranium looks like, brother, and he was covered in it. How could that be? The only possible explanation would be – ”

“That there were two meteors. Or the vibranium pieces had been washed away to their part of the sea,” T’Challa continued while nodding and scratching his chin. “Those are possible, yes.”

Okoye, who had been quiet the entire time, finally spoke up. “Vibranium, princess? Are you sure? Vibranium can only be found in Wakanda,” she said incredulously, facing the King sitting neatly on a rock and consumed by his thoughts. “What about The Great Mound? All of the legends and fables? Those stories are seared in my mind,” Okoye said with a shake of her head, sighing. 

“That sounds very painful,” Shuri said, cackling in glee when the warrior shot her with the deadliest glares that even no men of Jabari can stand against.

“This changes everything we know,” Nakia whispered and Aneka nodded furiously with furrowed eyebrows.

“It does ,” Shuri exclaimed joyously, jumping into her position. “Their vibranium, if my deductions are correct, can be found in the ocean. While I work closely with vibranium to make sure it is compatible with water, this vibranium grows with the sea, meaning it could be slightly different from our vibranium. How do you think they mine their vibranium? Would they not be affected? Or maybe they already are, because of their blue skin. Do you think – ”

“Your sister is quite brilliant.”

She startled when she heard the voice, quickly holding onto one of the rock walls as she found the fishy man in front of them. The man was not in his green shorts – thank Bast – but was now dressed in a more comfortable garb that covered his torso but had no sleeves. Did this man not feel the coldness of the cave? T’Challa stood up, meeting the man and standing in front of her. Huffing, she stepped aside only for a bit, so she could look up at the man with winged ankles.

“That she is,” T’Challa agreed, nodding and lifting his head with pride. “She has been the head of Wakanda’s technological advancement since she was sixteen. Her brain is her prowess.”

His eyes slid to her. She stood tall, unwavering. “That is quite a feat to achieve, princess.”

It almost sounds like a compliment but she has heard these words spoken to her numerous times. From her so-called friends in the university, from the elders in the throne room, and from her family. The only ones who have ever been genuine to her were her family. So instead of taking the words with pride, Shuri sneered. “Yes, well. To be young and gifted, right?”

If the man was offended by it, he did not show. Instead, he showed his teeth with a smile. Her eyebrow twitched in irritation. “Brilliance at a young age is not easily digested by the elders,” he spoke softly with her as if he hadn’t tried to attack her just an hour ago. She glared at him harder. Yes, she did agree with that statement and she could have never said it better but she wasn’t about to admit that to the fishman. “Wakanda is lucky to have you, princess.”

Her face warmed without warning, causing her to look away. “Wakanda would have been fine with or without me.”

T’Challa’s hand on her shoulder startled her a bit but she relaxed once she realized it was him. “Do not undermine yourself, usisi ,” (sister) he said fondly, messing her hair and she swatted the hand, “The princess is Wakanda’s pride and joy.”

“Okay, okay,” she lifted her hands up, putting a space between them and her, “That is enough. You were not here for me,” she said directly to Namor, who had an amused expression on his face. If he weren’t an important person to T’Challa and possibly the entirety of Wakanda, she would have blasted his face off. Smug fishman.

“I was here for the both of you,” Namor said, motioning for Namora to come beside him. Namora followed and offered up the clothing in her arms. “These are the clothes for the royalty in Talokan. I’m sure those suits are not as comfortable as they are.”

Shuri was about to refute that yes, it absolutely is comfortable because she had designed it to accommodate the wearer’s fit and make it as stretchable and flexible as she could. While it was no cotton or silk clothes compared to her usual attires in the palace, she felt offended he would even say that her design was not comfortable. And besides, they had clothes under the suit - was that not obvious?

It was a little thing to be mad about, she knows, and that is why she relented when her brother pulled her back by her shoulders.

T’Challa smiled and bowed. “We are grateful for these clothes, K’uk’ulkan.”

Begrudgingly, she accepted the clothes handed to her by Namora, and her eyes widened at the heaviness of the clothes. Namor smiled, all polite and nice. 

“Talokan?” She blurted out. She hadn’t ever heard of a kingdom named Talokan. Then again, these people looked like they were hiding. “Is that where we are right now?”

Namor’s teeth are shiny and white. How did they brush their teeth here? “I apologize for not properly introducing myself. My people call me Aj K’uk’ulkan ,” he said and they all watched as the handmaiden, the guard, and Namora bowed to the name. With a mischievous glint in his eyes, he continued, “But my enemies call me Namor .”

As he lifted his hand, he stated with pride, “And this is my humble abode. My private quarters that are separated from Talokan.”

Shuri can admit that it is a humble abode. It was no palace like in the Golden City. With one look, Shuri could see it was made of maize, leaves, and rattan – a common thing in huts. And wood that was most likely from their home. She squinted at the hut, but the drapes hid anything that could be inside the hut.

“Now follow Namora,” he tilted his head to the warrior with the orange dress, “And she shall lead you to where you can dress.”

She and T’Challa followed Namora, only to be stopped by a sound behind them. Namor had stepped in front of the three warriors, who looked agitated by his presence. Shuri paused on her walking as well as T’Challa.

“We do not need any companions,” T’Challa spoke first, firm and stern. “Stand down, warriors.”

Nakia shot them a worried look and Shuri could only nod. All three of them stepped back and sat back again on the rocks. 

Shuri’s heart beat faster as Namora led them to one of the cave walkways. 

–

“ Hmm ,” Namora hummed as soon as she left the makeshift dresser. The jade on her is heavy and strong . If she were not a princess and she did not know how to maintain her form, she would have stumbled already. Still, she held her back straight under the blue woman’s scrutinizing gaze.

“Is that a good ‘hmm’ or a bad ‘hmm’?” She teased, uncomfortable in the way the jade kept pulling her down like some kind of gravity. The jade, despite being heavy, was smooth on her skin, and with every move, she felt the coldness it provided. GRIOT translated her words once again and she patiently waited for Namora to answer.

Namora’s eyes darted from her dress and to her face. “ U k'áat u ya'al táaj t'aan. ” (It means he was right.) Was her deadpan response, turning around and leaving her to chase after her.

When they arrived back, T’Challa had already changed. He was dressed in gold, and Shuri was delighted to see that he also looked uncomfortable, if the stretching of the cloth was any indication. His eyes kept dancing around the clothes, frowning. Ever since her brother had taken the mantle of King and Black Panther, he refused to wear any gold, so seeing him draped in gold surprised her. 

T’Challa, once noticing her, smiled in relief. “Sister,” he sighed out loud, pulling at his clothes. “You look…” He surveyed her. “Pretty.”

Shuri rolled her eyes. “This shit is heavy,” she grumbled, ignoring the slight nudge her brother did. Her eyes went back to the gold adornments on her brother’s clothes. “Those are real gold and vibranium,” she said in awe, reaching out to touch them. 

Her brother nodded. “Yes. Well. It seems this is what the Talokanil royalty wear.”

“But Namor – ” she lowered her voice, knowing that Namora was listening, “he was not wearing any gold and vibranium a while ago. Only when he was out in the sea.”

T’Challa simply shrugged. “Maybe it’s like the Black Panther suit.”

“Maybe,” Shuri said with a frown. When they met with Nakia, Aneka, and Okoye again, Nakia took her in her arms. Shuri let her.

“Are you okay, princess? My King?” Aneka asked quietly and Shuri nodded, letting her eyes hover around the room.

They were not at the hut this time and there were a lot more… Talokanil people in the room. Shuri’s observant eyes gazed over the water pools all around them. If the cave were any smaller, they would have been crowded. All of the Talokanil had lined up properly and were openly staring at them like they were foreign. Shuri couldn’t even blame them – these people have probably never seen people that weren’t their own countrymen. Shuri stopped the urge to hide behind her brother’s back again, standing tall next to him instead.

Namor stepped up on a rock and if it were anybody else, Shuri would have laughed at the ridiculousness of it, but the man looked like he fit in that position, which only made her annoyed even more.

“ Talokanile’ex! ” The man in front of them roared. Shuri’s eyes stayed on him. “ Le ajawo' Wakanda yéetel u delegados u waye' utia'al formar jump'éel alianza yéetel to'on ,” (The King of Wakanda and its delegates are here to form an alliance with us.) He said in full Mayan that GRIOT has a hard time translating everything. Shuri frowned, barely catching GRIOT’s broken translation of the words ‘king’, ‘Wakanda’, ‘delegates’, and ‘alliance’. 

“ Enséñales k bejo'ob utia'al u ma' sufran le su'utalil tu beel inútiles ,” (Teach them our ways so they do not suffer the shame of being useless.) Namor said with a smirk, and Shuri scowled as the room filled with light laughter. 

Then, in a quick moment, Namor set his face in steel and stone – “ Wa kin wu'uyik u a causado loob ti' alguno ti' leti'ob, kin ts'áik ti' teech jump'éel castigo. Presta óolal ti' in t'aano'ob .” (If I hear that you have caused harm to any of them, I will give a punishment. Heed my words.)

The Talokanil nodded furiously and dived back into the water, surprising her and her family. 

Namor smiled as he stepped down the rock. 

“We can start tomorrow, T’Challa,” Namor said plainly, bowing slightly which T’Challa reciprocated. “In the meantime, Attuma and Namora have prepared quarters for all of you,” he started saying while he walked, motioning for all of them to follow. T’Challa followed willingly without hesitation, so she did the same, glancing back at the anxious warriors behind them.

Okoye was not pleased by what was happening, Aneka looked neutral and Nakia looked more worried than her own mother ever was. 

Shuri let out a deep breath.

Namor led them to two huts. He pointed to the first one, “For the warriors and the princess,” he stated before moving on to the other one, “For King T’Challa and his future queen.”

Nakia choked on air, coughing and having to hold onto her brother’s arm for support. Her brother looked genuinely concerned that he even put a hand behind her, moving in slow motion to comfort her. Shuri though? She laughed out loud in surprise – she hadn’t expected those words to come out of Namor’s mouth and she has always known about Nakia’s refusal to accept queenship, almost everyone did. Namor might not have even known but the smug smile on his face says otherwise.

Shuri coughed after laughing, poorly covering up her loud laughs, though she could also vaguely hear Okoye and Aneka laughing behind her, but much more controlled.  Nakia glared at her before turning to the otherworldly king. “I.. I am not his queen,” Nakia said while stuttering and Shuri noted with delight that this was the first time she had seen Nakia be flustered. Funnily enough, T’Challa has not uttered a word. 

Namor hummed, bowing slightly. “I apologize,” then his eyes flit to T’Challa, who wore a straight face, “King T’Challa talks about you fondly.”

T’Challa finally moved, coughing. “I think it is time we retire for the… night, K’uk’ulkan.”

Namor smirked, eyes finding hers quickly. Shuri wiped off her smile and thinned her lips together. “Yes. I bid you all goodnight. There are clothes fitted for sleeping inside the huts. Now, T’Challa,” he bowed slightly toward her brother and then he faced her, his eyes glinting and basically sparkling – Shuri twitched as he bowed lower, “ Itzia .”

“ Princess ,” GRIOT translated and she ignored the heat climbing up on her face. She bowed back, not uttering a single word as the man left them alone.

Nakia rushed to the other hut, followed by Okoye and Aneka. Shuri hummed in amusement and sent T’Challa a grin.

T’Challa rolled his eyes and went inside his hut alone.

Shuri considered this day a success. They were alive, were they not?

As she lay in the hammock provided by the Talokanil, she let the swinging of the hammock lull her to sleep. In the back of her mind, she noted to herself to call her mother tomorrow. Or remind T’Challa to call their mother. Whichever she decides tomorrow. She also noted to memorize her list of questions to Namor - surely he would not deprive her of answers, right?

Tomorrow. Tomorrow, she would know.

Chapter Text

“They have water in their masks and on their necks,” Shuri whispered furiously at her brother who had just walked out of his hut, yawning. He didn’t seem surprised by her presence so early – in the morning? – and entirely overlooked her for the favor of yawning again. Shuri huffed. “Are you not interested at all?”

T’Challa breathed out heavily. “I am, sister. But K’uk’ulkan has not yet shared anything about his people. Until then, it will remain a mystery.”

“Mysteries,” Shuri made a face. “ I will figure it out.”

And so, she headed deeper into the cave.

Behind her, she heard T’Challa call out to her. 

“Do not get lost. I do not want to tell Mother that I lost you in the depths.”

Shuri rolled her eyes. 

She came out and was greeted by another cave. She wondered how many entrances and exits this cave has. She almost gave up – but then she saw movement, and she saw the same handmaiden from yesterday. She smiled widely and carefully approached the woman, who seemed focused on her task which was pulling out… plants attached to the rocks.

Clearing her throat to gain the woman’s attention, she was delighted to see that it worked once the woman looked up. The handmaiden smiled despite her mouth being constricted in her mask.

“ U señoría! ” (Your ladyship) The woman exclaimed, standing up and bowing to her. Shuri quickly waved off the reaction.

“No need to bow like that. I am only a princess,” Shuri said assuringly, amused by the reaction. She can’t help it. The people in Wakanda do bow at her sometimes and they always greet her whenever she makes a trip to the city and was not stuck in her lab for some odd reason, and yet they never greeted her this enthusiastically. Unless her brother was with her, she received polite and stilted greetings, even more so from the elders.

She almost scrunched up her face in distaste. The elders have always been… hesitant when it came to her. She could not blame them; she was wild, more unruly than her brother ever was, and was spontaneous at times. Still, the enthusiasm from the handmaiden has her feeling a bit more respected than usual.

So, with a big smile, she watched the woman as GRIOT translated her words to her. The woman’s eyes were sparkling and they were directed to her kimoyo beads. 

Suddenly, she lifted her arm. “Do you want to learn about my kimoyo beads?”

The handmaiden looked at her as if she was the mightiest, mightier than the king she has. Shuri grinned and instantly, she let her mouth run. She had no qualms about lending the woman her beads and watched with glee as the woman fiddled with the beads in awe. 

The handmaiden asked questions like, ‘what does it do?’, ‘why does it talk?’, and ‘how was it made?’ and for the first time in a while, Shuri did not mind explaining. Usually, in the lab, most people already knew the answer, unless they were her brother, Okoye, and her mother – the three people who were the most clueless about technology. (Okoye would deny those claims as she was usually the one being gifted with her technology the most. She is the general of the Dora Milaje, of course, Shuri had to continually upgrade hers.)

When the handmaiden seemed satisfied with her answers, Shuri gestured to her. “I do not know your name. What is your name?”

The handmaiden answered with her words being a bit distorted due to the mask. “ Cualli .”

“Cualli,” Shuri said, cringing at the way it sounded from her mouth. “Those… things,” she pointed to Cualli’s neck. “What are those?”

Cualli blinked in confusion and pointed to her neck as well. “ In branquias, u señoría? ” (My gills, your ladyship?)

Shuri patiently waited for GRIOT to translate. “Yes,” she said a moment after, nodding. “Your… gills. And the cover?”

Cualli’s confused expression on GRIOT’s translation frustrated her a bit. She tapped her own neck. “What are they for?”

The way Cualli’s face brightened assured Shuri that she had understood her question. Shuri leaned back at the rock, cringing at the way the jade dug into her skin when she did. The thin layer of the clothing also did not give much comfort as the rocks at her back pushed onto her skin. Still, she let Cualli talk – in Mayan, of course, and listened carefully to both her voice and GRIOT’s translations.

“So they are like masks…” with water, she noted to herself and since Cualli wasn't being specific enough, she knew she had to do some research – “for your gills to breathe?”

“ Je'el !” (yes!) Cualli said with excitement. Her hands moved in the air sporadically, explaining with such enthusiasm it had Shuri smiling. She would laugh, but she didn’t know how Cualli would react.

From GRIOT’s brief translations, it seemed the water in their masks was a permanent part of the mask. Cualli only mentioned that it was vital to their survival, and it didn't take long for Shuri to figure it out. Shuri hummed, taking all the information in, then her eyes gazed at the smooth, blue skin.

“Why is your skin blue?” She asked, pinching her own skin to point it out. Cualli tilted her head until GRIOT translated her words.

Cualli looked away, suddenly seeming shy and withdrawn. “ Sa'asik in, ix ajaw,” (Forgive me, princess) she said apologetically and sulkily, as if she had any fault, “ Ma' u ti'al in tsikbal xook.” (It is not my story to tell.)

Surprised by her honesty, Shuri opted to smile instead. “It's alright. Still, thank you for answering my questions. I have never heard of a place like this,” she admitted, sulking a bit to match the handmaiden's mood, “And yet the water…” she let her hand glide through the water with ease. “It is beautiful. I am merely curious, is all.”

Cualli grinned wide with her teeth, stretching the mask. “K'a'abet a tsikbal yéetel K'uk'ulkan, ix ajaw! Leti' yaan tuláakal le respuestas!” (You should talk with K'uk'ulkan, princess! He has all the answers!) The words were hurried and fast-paced that GRIOT had to pause to translate them for her.

Once the words were finally clear and she was able to comprehend them, in a short moment she sent the handmaiden a doubting look. “All the answers?”

The woman nodded enthusiastically, hands flying around the air. Shuri found it amusing and endearing, half-listening to the Talokanil's praises of the god-king they call K'uk'ulkan.

“ Táak wáaj a t'aan tu yéetel ?” (Do you want to talk to him?) The girl doesn't give GRIOT any chance to finish translating and Shuri was left confused at the girl's excitement. “ Je'el in ya'al súutuka' !” (I can tell him right now!)

“Wait!” Shuri cried out, slumping on the rock in defeat when the handmaiden rushed into one of the cave walkways and disappeared. GRIOT was still processing the translation and Shuri sighed, dismissing it. Cualli was probably only excited to have talked to her, though Shuri is now left clueless as to why she left.

Pouting, Shuri deemed the conversation not fruitless but also not bountiful. 

She did gain a friend though, hopefully.

“Shuri?” She heard her brother call out and she sighed, standing up from the uncomfortable rock. Stretching seemed to be the only way to get rid of the soreness she feels.

“Yes, yes,” she called back, stretching her arms and torso. “I'll be right there!”

When she arrived back at the huts, everyone was dressed in the wetsuits she had created. T'Challa seemed to be the one feeling comfortable, meanwhile, the warrior women looked uneasy and uncomfortable standing in their wetsuits. She raised an eyebrow at them, only for T'Challa to answer for them.

“We are going… swimming,” T’Challa said apprehensively then gestured to the hulking blue man next to him. “Attuma is going to show us how Talokanil gets their food.”

Attuma, the big blue man with a big shark head as a headpiece bowed his head. “ K’uk’ulkan disculpa tumen u na'anil. Yanchaj u bisa'al jump'éel Bak'lis migratoria u ballenas u destino. ” (K’uk’ulkan apologizes for his absence. He had to lead a migrating pack of whales to their destination.) He said, his voice surprisingly not muffled by his mask. Shuri did also notice it when talking to Cualli, and right now, she wondered how that worked. His voice did echo though – from the vastness of the cave.

Once the translation settled in, Shuri furrowed her eyebrows. “Migration? Why would he need to lead a bunch of animals during their migration?” Surely those animals knew how to move about, were her unsaid words. Attuma tilted his head as they all waited for GRIOT to finish translating.

“K’uk’ulkan protects the ocean and its life. The ocean gives back,” Attuma said in English, surprising all of them. Attuma seemed smug at their reaction and continued, “He has been doing this for years. He wants to make sure it is all taken care of.”

“Huh,” Shuri said, impressed. She wondered how long were the years Attuma mentioned. Still, she asked a different question. “You know how to speak English. Only… your king has been talking to us in English.”

Attuma took pride in her question, puffing out his chest and earning a scoff from Okoye. Shuri barely held back a laugh at the blue man. “K’uk’ulkan taught Namora and I. To know our enemy,” he said, walking up to one of the water entrances and exits in the cave, crouching to feel the water. “It is all thanks to K’uk’ulkan.”

His words are stilted – practiced, Shuri noticed and somehow found it all endearing. She crouched next to him despite Okoye’s obvious disapproval. “You are close with him,” she said with a smile, watching as the big man’s blue cheeks turn even a darker shade of blue. “Is he your father?”

Attuma laughed boisterously. Shuri could almost imagine M’Baku in the room. 

“ Wa chéen,” (If only) Attuma said in his mother tongue, a grin on his lips. Shuri is a bit surprised the mask was that flexible. “He is like our father. He is the father of Talokan. Namora and I grew up together under his care.”

“Is he a good king?” Father, she almost asked. That would sound weird. 

“Shuri,” T’Challa scolded her quickly. He then turned to Attuma with a frown. “I am sorry. She’s not used to going outside and meeting other people.”

If Shuri was a bit younger and easily teased like back then, she would have found it offensive. Still, it held some truth, seeing as this was her first time going out of Wakanda that was not about the Outreach programs in other countries. She was here for a diplomatic purpose – for T’Challa, more like, and that was the only reason she wanted to get out of her lab.

Attuma’s grin never faded. “Do not worry. If it was Namora, she would have speared you.”

Okoye, Aneka, and Nakia stood rigid at the easy confession. Attuma waved it off. “K’uk’ulkan has already claimed you to be under his care. Yes. He is a great king, an even greater father to us.”

Shuri’s heart throbbed at the mention of a father, but she also couldn’t help but soften at the admission. The man might have left a bad impression on her, but she has eyes, and she could clearly see that his subjects loved him, and maybe there was a reason for that.

Another mystery, she thought, Another mystery to reveal. 

“ Taal u, ko'ox k'imbesaj,” (Come, we will feast.) Attuma said with a toothy grin and dived into the water. Shuri startled, holding her hands over her head to protect her hair meanwhile Okoye had been splashed with water.

Okoye scowled as she wiped off the water on her face. “He did that on purpose.”

T’Challa chuckled and dived. Shuri shot Okoye a look and grinned.

“Princess, do not even think – ”

She jumped in the water, with her knees tucked and her hands gripping them – a cannonball – and swam away gleefully.

–

Whoever said fishing was fun, Shuri would like to give them an award.

Shuri thought that they had to resurface and do normal fishing. Shuri already knew it to be boring, so she wasn’t expecting much but Attuma had different plans. They stayed underneath the water and Shuri, as well as the other Wakandans, had to watch Attuma shout in the deep blue sea. A number of spectators have also come, even other… fishermen came along, shouting and screaming to the dark sea beyond them.

It should’ve scared her, the way numerous schools of fishes came out of their hiding and headed toward them. Instead, she barked out an astonished laugh, ignoring the way T’Challa was trying to avoid being hit by the flurry of sea creatures and Okoye was not having a good time. At least Aneka and Nakia were amazed like her.

They watched as Attuma lassoed a big net and threw it to the other Talokanil. They all held onto each corner and watched as the fishes came in contact with the net and could not escape. Her eyes widened as the net continued to be filled with fish. Attuma sometimes swam up and down, removing certain fish from the net and letting them escape.

“Why do you do that?” she asked.

Attuma’s eyes glanced somewhere behind her but quickly turned back to her. “There are some fishes K’uk’ulkan takes notice of. Some are disappearing quickly. K’uk’ulkan made sure we knew every fish.”

She looked around at the corals and the blueness of the sea. “Is this Talokan?”

Attuma grinned. “No, princess. Talokan is far greater.”

She nodded, swimming closer. “Can I hold it?” She blurted out, pointing at the net in his hands. Attuma’s eyebrows went up to his forehead. She couldn’t really blame him. 

“Are you sure, princess?”

She looked back at T’Challa, who was already looking at her with exasperation. She waited for his acknowledgment and permission, which was granted fairly quickly with a nod of his head. Shuri grinned and enthusiastically snatched the net from Attuma’s hands. The fishes were far stronger than she realized but as she kept getting pulled, she laughed.

T'Challa stretched out his hand, tilting his head above. Shuri was sure she was beaming and grinning brightly as she handed over the net to T'Challa. Due to the heart-shaped herb, T'Challa was strong enough to hold on his own and while Shuri had always doubted tradition – she was glad the Black Panther was with her brother.

If another N'Jadaka happened… Shuri did not want to continue that trail of thought.

She then swam up, easily recognizing the fishes Attuma kept pulling out. When she looked back down, Attuma looked impressed which only made her more confident. While everyone was watching and cheering her on, she could feel an intense gaze on her, yet, when she looked back, she saw everyone clapping and shouting for her in glee. Even her brother, Nakia, and Aneka were clapping. Okoye couldn't be bothered to remove the sour look on her face.

She shrugged it off.

As the fishers finally closed the net, Attuma led all of them back to the caves. Shuri thinks this day was an absolute success, even if the hair at the back of her neck stayed up.

–

“You are early, K'uk'ulkan,” Namora stated as she came up behind him. He leaned on one of the rock formations and did not glance back at his cousin.

Namor hummed, eyes trailing the swimming body in the distance. His cousin was silent and he didn't dare break the silence until she did.

“ Did the whales have a hard time?” His cousin asked, making small conversation. Distracted, it took him a bit longer to answer.

“ No,” He answered truthfully. “ I didn't want to leave Talokan unguarded with our guests, so I asked for forgiveness from their matriarch that I could not accompany them in full term. She gave me her blessing. ”

The head mother of the pod was forgiving and happily sent him away as if to say to go back home. He made sure the waves and currents in their journey were smooth and untouched by storms.

His cousin huffed. “ So you do not trust these people .”

That much was obvious, Namor thought. They had vibranium – like he and his people and suddenly, the King was open to an alliance despite their dispute a year ago.

Namor tilted his head, curiously watching as the woman swam up to the net while her brother took over her initial task. “ Trust… It is hard to give something that should be earned .”

His cousin swam next to him. They both watched their people and the Wakandans enjoy fishing underwater. “ Cualli approached me looking for you .”

Cualli? Momentarily, his eyes broke away from the commotion. Cualli was a service girl whom he had specifically appointed to be the Wakandan's maid. Cualli had no qualms with his orders and was even excited to meet surface-dwellers when he told her of her purpose. “ Is there something wrong? Had something happened?"

Namora shook her head, easing his worries. “ She and the princess talked. The princess wants to talk to you .”

He couldn't hide his surprise as his eyebrow rose. “ The princess?” He turned away from his cousin and looked once again at the cheering and joyful people. The woman was plucking out the fishes carefully and easily with a smile on her face, joyously laughing. A smile worked its way up to his face, curving his lips. “ I wonder why .”

Ticked by his cryptic response, Namora glared at him. She was the only person who ever had the guts to glare and disobey him. He supposes a part of the blame could be on him.

“ You will entertain the idea of an alliance?”

She spoke of it with disdain and disgust, as expected of her. He didn't blame her nor did he scold her.

“ Bring the princess to me and we will see .”

Chapter Text

Shuri had been swinging in her hammock in her room with the other women when Namora suddenly walked into the hut. Okoye was immediately on her feet with her spear drawn and pointed at the door. Aneka didn’t seem bothered and Nakia merely looked back to see who had entered.

“For Bast’s sake!” Okoye hissed under her breath, her words being drowned out by Shuri’s fit of laughter with Aneka and Nakia joining in. “Don’t you people have doors?”

Namora simply shot her a blank look before turning to her. Shuri stopped swaying the hammock and sat up straight, suddenly feeling like she should be better dressed with the way Namora was addressing her.

“Ix ajaw,” Namora spoke monotonously, “Tech tu t'aanaj yéetel Cualli.” (You talked to Cualli.)

Only one word was familiar to her, but it did perk her interest. “Yes,” she answered almost excitedly. Namora didn’t ask her a question, but she answered her like it was. She hasn’t seen Cualli since this morning, and if GRIOT was correct, it was nearing nighttime already. “I did talk to her.”

Nakia shot her a look. It looked like something along the lines of ‘Why didn’t you tell us?’ Okoye sent her the same look but deadlier. Shuri decided not to respond to any of them. Namora seemed satisfied with her honest answer and really, what would Shuri gain by lying? She almost felt offended.

Namora nodded and tilted her head to the door. (It was, in fact, not a door, but an opening.) Shuri stayed rooted to her spot, confused. Nakia furrowed her eyebrows and stood up, stepping in front of her. “What is going on?” Nakia said cautiously and Shuri could feel the grip on her shoulder tightening.

The air was becoming tense as Okoye and Aneka stood by her side and she felt trapped between all three of them. Anybody else would have been intimidated by these three warrior women, but apparently, Namora was not anybody. She was looking at them with a calm expression and their eyes met.

“ Cualli tu ya'alaj teen Máax yéetel querías t'aan K’uk’ulkan ,” (Cualli told me you wanted to talk to K’uk’ulkan.) Namora said and Shuri waited for the full translation to come in from GRIOT. “ Yaan in bisikech ti' leti' .” (I shall take you to him.)

As they all heard the translation, Nakia lifted a hand towards Namora. “Excuse me. One second,” she said, before turning around to look at Shuri, who already wore a sheepish expression. Vehemently, she whispered, “You said what to who ?”

“It’s a long story,” Shuri admitted, looking up at Aneka for help. It was futile since she was purposely looking away.

Okoye stomped her spear on the ground, glaring at her. “Say it in twenty words or less.”

Shuri let out a nervous laugh. “I made a friend. We got to talking. I got a bit curious. She said to talk to the king.”

Aneka clicked her tongue. “So now you must go see him?” 

“Well…” Shuri looked past Nakia and saw Namora expectantly waiting for her and the warriors to finish. “It would be kind of rude to not go, right?”

Nakia scoffs. “You are not going without T’Challa or any of us.”

“ Le ajawo' chéen convocó le princesa .” (The king only summoned the princess.)

“So now it is a summons?” Okoye said with disdain, crossing her arms. Shuri knows that displeased look all too well. While it is weird and definitely suspicious, Shuri is a princess – the princess of the strongest nation in the world and the sister of the Black Panther. Even if the fishman planned to do something to her, she could protect herself.

“Okoye,” she called out, exasperated. “It is alright. I will come with.”

“Princess, we cannot let you go alone –” Aneka tried to stop her by holding her arm and Shuri glared at her, unmoving.

“Am I not the princess of Wakanda, Doras?” All three women silently froze in their places. While admittedly, she was and is a mischievous girl, she would never dare to use her position against people and definitely not for getting what she wants. Still, she stood her ground.

“I requested to talk to their king. I have been summoned and I will go.”

“Shuri,” Nakia hissed quietly. “You cannot go without your brother. He is not yet done with meeting the Talokanils and he is yet to talk to your mother. At least wait until your brother comes back.”

She could say yes. But her curiosity wins.

“I will be fine and safe, Nakia,” she glanced over at the blue woman, who had been watching the exchange silently. “Is that right, General Namora?”

Namora seemed surprised at the mention of her status but the shock quickly dissolved into one of annoyance. It is subtle but Shuri knew. “ Bey,” (Yes) she answered momentarily with her eyes gliding to the warriors behind her back. “ Ba'axten supuesto, princesa .” (Of course, princess.)

“Then it is settled.” She sent a stern look at the woman.

Nakia held her back as Aneka had. Shuri swiveled to her, tired and ready to protest. Nakia held up a finger to silence her.

“The princess will come back safe,” Nakia said firmly, glaring at Namora and then turning her glare toward her. “You will come back safe,” Nakia softly commanded at her as she reached for her hands. Shuri let her. “Or T'Challa will burn them for you.”

She softly laughed. “No, he would not,” she answered back. She was not bitter about it. She knew her brother well enough that he would not let vengeance consume him once again, even if her death was at the hands of the Talokanil king.

Nakia didn't reply but she let her go.

Shuri finally looked back at Namora once again. “Lead me to your king.”

Namora bowed and swiftly walked away. Briskly, she followed.

–

“Another dress?” Shuri asked with a scrunch of her nose and a grimace on her face. Namora had led her to one of the smaller caves – a changing room, she found out. She came out of the dressing room with a dress in her arms and just like the first time they were here, she handed it to her.

Namora blankly stared at her. Shuri breathed and looked down at the dress she was holding. It was heavy, like the dresses she has been given since she came here. Yet, it had more jade and the cloth was smooth and the sinews were tight and embroidered carefully. She ran her fingers on the thread, mesmerized by the beauty of the dress. She was not excited about the weight of it and yet she found that she would not mind it at all.

Instead of complaining furthermore, she went inside the changing room without question. Once she had put on the dress with a little bit of difficulty toward the end, she finally came out of the changing room, successful. Shuri knew there was no mirror in this cave, so she opted to look at her reflection in the clear water instead. 

While the dress was beautiful, she sorely missed her modern clothes.

Namora watched her closely. “ K’uk’ulkan yaan teen jump'éel nook'e' teechi'.” (He had that dress made for you.)

Startled, she looked up with wide eyes. “He sews?” She asked with disbelief.

Once GRIOT finished translating her words, Namora’s eyes widened and a shocked laugh – or was it a snort? – came out of her mouth. Shuri was surprised but she was also pleased. Unfortunately for her, Namora quickly wiped off the smile on her face and clamped her mouth shut. Unfortunately for Namora, Shuri was already grinning at the Talokanil woman. 

“You laughed!” Shuri pointed at her with glee. Namora glared at her. Based on Attuma’s words, she should be scared of this woman, and yet she couldn’t help but laugh. “Your poker face broke!”

Namora furrowed her eyebrows. “ Ma' in che'ejtaj,” (I did not laugh) she said harshly, turning around and never looking back at her. Shuri stumbled trying to catch up to her, laughing gleefully. 

“You laughed!” She exclaimed once again. Namora growled, hurrying her steps.

“ Ma' tin betaj .” (I did not.)

“You did. Also, Attuma said you can speak English,” Shuri said with a big grin. Namora seemed more annoyed with each word coming out of her mouth. 

“ Attuma kun muts'ik in chi' .” (Attuma should shut his mouth.) Namora hissed almost poisonously and Shuri laughed even more. Namora walked faster with Shuri keeping up with her pace.

“So you speak English.”

“ Ma'.” (No.)

“You do! Attuma told me!”

“ Ma'.” (No.)

“You also laughed a while ago. That means we’re friends now.”

“ Ma'.” (No.) Namora glared at her, then stopped before the hut’s walkway. Shuri was surprised, backing up a few steps. She hadn’t realized they arrived already and she looked at the wet floor. She sighed and took off her shoes, sending a last mourning look toward them as she walked through the water. Namora walked in front of her with no problem. The air has become silent at their arrival.

“Is he inside?” Shuri whispered once they stopped in front. Namora sent her an exasperated look, gesturing to the hut as if to rid her of her presence. Shuri pouted.

Shuri pushed back the drapes and was met with a deep and familiar voice, “ Princess .”

The man sat on a chair in front of his wooden table and stood up once she entered. Shuri barely stopped herself from bowing – they do not bow and she most certainly does not – to the man who was drenched in gold, vibranium, pearls, and jade from head to toe. His piercings are jade, the same ones she saw when they first met in the sea. His cape had golden adornments on its chest and shoulders and was accompanied by pearls. She was pretty sure there was vibranium embedded somewhere too.

Shuri merely gave him a small smile. “King.”

She did not call him her king nor the name for his people. 

He did not seem offended by it as he let her roam around the small hut. Her eyes wandered around the room, seeing glimpses of glyphs and big paintings on the wall, and yet only one thing caught her eyes. A shell had been sitting on the table along with a beautiful bracelet. Her hands itched to hold them.

“This one,” Shuri breathed out with her eyes unable to stray away from the bracelet. “It is… beautiful.” 

In the corner of her eyes, she could see him smiling. He moved closer and held the bracelet with such care and gentleness that it made her think it was fragile. Instead, he handed it to her and with the same care, she laid it on her palms.

“Funny that you should gravitate towards that,” he said with a genuine smile and Shuri thought that, maybe, who she was seeing now was the ruler the other Talokanils see. “That was my mother’s.” His words were as soft and low as a whisper while he stared at the bracelet in her hands. His gaze was fond and full of memories.

Shuri’s eyes snapped up in shock and she quickly handed back the bracelet. “I apologize. I didn’t know it was precious to you.”

The embarrassment was almost immediate in her blood. She could feel the warmth rush to her face and she was glad that her skin could not darken furthermore. Still, she averted her eyes when the ruler laughed at her action.

“It is of no consequence, princess,” Namor chuckled lightly, pushing the bracelet back at her. 

Hesitant, she examined the bracelet in her hands. She caressed the jade, the gold, and the thread. The square jades were still shiny, meaning it was real and nicely taken care of. It was clearly cared for by someone who held it dear. She stole a glance from the man who was watching her closely. The threads of the bracelet looked fragile that she was sure, if it were pulled, the bracelet would simply collapse.

“This is a Mesoamerican artifact,” Shuri said in awe as she lifted the bracelet closer to her face. “Most likely 16th century… How…” Although she has her eyes narrowed at him, her scrutiny seemed to only bring joy to him. He nodded with a smile, encouraging her with a wave of his hand. “Have you been alive since then?”

“As you may already know, I am not human,” Namor said with a quirk on his lips. He walked towards a painting on the wall and like a magnet, Shuri followed every step. “My mother was human…” Namor said as he stroked the wall. “But then she became something else.”

Shuri furrowed her eyebrows while squinting at the painting of a woman. “How…?”

Namor gives her a smile.

“How, is never as important, as why .”

He tells her of his people on the surface – how there had been a disease brought by the Spanish conquistadors spreading throughout their region and taking his people’s lives, how their Shaman was gifted with a vision by Chaac, their god of rain and abundance, to cure their problem – Shuri barely managed to keep herself from rolling her eyes. Namor must have noticed because he laughed and sat them both down. He told her of the flower that gave his people and his mother the ability to breathe underwater, that they were forced to leave the surface and he told her of how when he was conceived, he had wings on his ankles and ears that pointed to the skies.

“I was a mutant,” The man said while laughing shortly, similar to a disbelieving scoff. “I could fly in the sky and I aged slower.”

“Your mother…” Shuri whispered as she brushed her fingers on the bracelet once again. For some reason, she mourned. “She did not have the same ability.”

Namor’s shoulders slumped and joined her hands with his, startling her a little bit. She looked up and saw his face in close proximity. “No,” he whispered back solemnly. “As she grew older, my mother mourned the life on land that she once knew and died with a broken heart.” His thumb brushed over hers and she shivered.

“My mother made me promise to bury her in the soil of her homeland. But nothing could prepare me for what I would find.” His voice started to become deeper and rough. Rough with raw anger and fury. She could feel the hair on her arm and the back of her neck stand up as the man glared at their hands with such anger and yet, his hold on her hands remained gentle.

With a wave of courage, she rested her hand on his. His eyes snapped up to hers. She met his eyes willingly. “What happened?”

“The conquistadors,” Namor growled, pulling away from her. “They took over. The people of my mother’s homeland were enslaved. So I did the right thing, princess,” Their eyes met briefly. “I saved them.”

Shuri gulped. He uttered the words so clearly and while it would be vague, Shuri had no problem understanding the underlying connotation. But could she really blame him? If Wakanda was under a colonizer’s rule… Shuri would burn them.

“A Spanish man of faith cursed me as he died by my hand,” Namor continued, scoffing with a smile, “ El nino sin amor.”

“ The child without love,” Namor translated. Shuri’s eyes widened. “That is what Namor means, princess.”

“Oh,” she softly breathed out. What could she possibly even say to that? “That is…”

“Evil?” Namor said with a smile that showed all teeth. 

Shuri shook her head. “Of you? No. Of those conquistadors? Yes.”

“I’m glad we see the same, princess,” the mutant – the man – said in relief.

Silence filled the air. “You said… you could fly in the sky. But you could also breathe in the water.” Her eyes trailed around his face any hint of Namor – no, she chided herself, K’uk’ulkan – being offended or angry because of her silent question but the man did not show any of those feelings. Instead, he gave her another smile. He had been smiling ever since she walked in and she wondered what was so amusing to him.

“Is that what you wished to ask me in the first place?”

Embarrassed, Shuri looked down at the bracelet. It gave some sense of comfort. She didn’t know how. “Yes. A bit. Cualli told you?”

“Cualli told Namora. Namora told me.” The man tilted his head. “I am glad you are befriending my people, princess.”

Shuri raised an eyebrow. “This is an alliance, is it not? Of course, I will befriend the people of Talokan. Cualli is a nice girl. Attuma is a funny man. Namora is quite nice, too.”

The god-king of Talokan burst out laughing. Shuri felt even more embarrassed now but it was quickly masked by her furrowed eyebrows and frown. (It was not a pout.) “Did I say something funny?”

“I’m sorry, princess,” The man said, clutching his stomach while still laughing slightly. With the utmost patience, she waited for the man’s laughter to fade. “No one has ever said Namora was… ‘quite nice’ as you put it.”

Her frown became deeper. “What? How could they?”

“My cousin…” K’uk’ulkan waved his hand in the air with a small smile. “She is… not what you call friendly. She is a bit extreme, something she has clearly gotten from me,” he chuckled. “Namora has always been feared by my people. Not because of our relation but because she gives them something to fear. I am a little bit surprised that she is in the list of your blooming friendships.”

Attuma did imply that Namora would spear anyone that she found offensive or disgusting. Shuri still stood before the god, though, alive and well. Whether it was because K’uk’ulkan had already given his word or maybe Namora simply found her interesting. Either way, Namora will still be on her list. “I made her laugh,” she pointed out, preening. 

K’uk’ulkan grinned. “Then she likes you.”

“That is good to know.”

K’uk’ulkan moved closer and Shuri’s breath hitched when their knees bumped with one another’s. “About your earlier question… I’m afraid I cannot get into specifics, princess. But yes, I can breathe both in the air and underwater. I can swim and I can fly.”

“Huh.” Shuri could already think of so many questions. Why do you have wings but not the others? Why are you not blue? Why do you have pointy ears? Questions that could be answered if she brought him to her lab, though she didn’t think the man would be alright with that.

“Do you want to hear of Wakanda?” She blurted out despite the fact that she broke the comfortable silence that settled in. K’uk’ulkan didn’t seem to mind if it were evident from his pleased face. K’uk’ulkan accepted her offer and motioned for her to go through with it.

Shyly, she laughed quietly. “Do not expect so much. I don’t think I am a great storyteller like you.”

K’uk’ulkan widely grinned. “Do not worry, princess. Any word from you, I am thankful.”

Her face flushed with heat but she quickly invested in her story to ignore that.

“Millions of years ago…”

There, she told her of the meteorite striking the African continent and added – “It is possible there was another meteorite that hit the ocean, which explains your vibranium.” K’uk’ulkan nodded attentively as she continued. She told him of how five tribes found the land and called it Wakanda. They were not peaceful, not at all, unlike his mother’s people. They waged war against one another for resources and the ownership of the land.

“It is dumb,” Shuri added, scoffing. “They could have chosen to live peacefully from the start.”

K’uk’ulkan smiled. “They could not stop the temptation of power, princess.”

She sighed and continued, “We share another similarity in our stories. A warrior shaman received a vision from our Panther Goddess – Bast.”

She told him how Bast led that same warrior shaman to their flower. She did not say it was a heart-shaped herb. “It is the same with yours,” Shuri explained once again. The full attention K’uk’ulkan gives her makes her flustered but she pushes through. “This… flower gave him powers. Not really a mutant, but an enhanced and superpowered individual.”

“Is that not a mutant?”

Shuri shrugged. 

The story carried on with the warrior shaman ending up as the first king of Wakanda and the first Black Panther of Wakanda. 

“Like your brother.”

“Yes,” Shuri smiled, thinking of her noble brother. “Like my brother.”

K’uk’ulkan nodded. 

“The four tribes agreed to live under the Black Panther’s rule, however, one tribe called Jabari, refused to. They isolated themselves in the mountains. Just a year ago, I was sure they had been a myth,” Shuri laughed even though the mutant did not do the same. “They barely showed themselves to us. So everyone thought Jabari did not exist at all.”

K’uk’ulkan rose an eyebrow. “They were brave to separate from all the tribes. You lived peacefully with them?”

“Yes, for the most part. They did not bother us, we did not bother them. However, a year ago…” she trailed off, breathing deeply as the events of a year ago came back to her. Walking in the freezing snow, holding the blanket closer to her, and having to face M’Baku of all people to ask for his help. “My brother reunited all five tribes,” she finished firmly and refrained herself from going deeper into the details.

K’uk’ulkan could only nod along. “That is admirable of your brother.”

“It is,” she agreed with a smile. 

“Tell me more,” K’uk’ulkan said. He did not plead or beg, he simply commanded. If it were anybody else, Shuri would have found it annoying but like the princess she was, she agreed.

“You would love Wakanda,” and she knew it to be true. Wakanda is a beautiful place. It is her home and the land she grew up with. The high-rise buildings shone underneath the sun, the grass is greener, and the water is pristine. She echoed these thoughts. “The land is wealthy and the water is clean. I’m sure you would have a fun time in our waters.”

The king was attentive to her every word as he nodded along. When she mentioned the waters, he smiled even wider. “I would love that, princess.”

“To swim in Wakanda’s waters?” Shuri tilted her head.

“To visit your nation with you.”

Shuri almost lifted her hand to her face to feel its warmth but refrained from doing so. She coughed and felt the air biting her skin from the opening of the hut. Why did she feel so warm now? “Me too.”

K’uk’ulkan tilted his own head this time. “For me to go to Wakanda with you?”

“For me to visit Talokan,” she shamelessly admitted, then added, “I would love to see your nation.”

His gaze, if it were interested a while ago, lit up at the mention of his home. Shuri found herself being fond of that because she knew she was also bright when talking about Wakanda. No matter how tiring it was to hear and retell the story of the discovery of Wakanda and vibranium. 

“Well, you can’t go down there in that,” he said as he stood up, waving a hand at her jade dress. Shuri looked down on herself. Well, maybe it was not the best choice of clothes to go down an underwater kingdom. Yet, that was not his concern. “Hypothermia would grip you almost instantaneously. Your blood would become toxic. The pressure of the ocean would break every bone in your body.” He said with a straight face and Shuri looked up at him with wide eyes as she slowly stood up. The air bit her skin once again and she could feel the goosebumps forming on her skin. 

“Or…” she said slowly, “I could wear my suit.”

K’uk’ulkan smiled. “Or you could wear your suit.”

Shuri hurriedly pressed her beads. The suit engulfed her instantaneously. 

K’uk’ulkan laughed at her eagerness, already taking off his adornments. They shuffled out of the hut and K’uk’ulkan immediately dipped himself in the water. He turned back to her with an outstretched arm. For a moment, all she could do was stare at it.

“Are you sure about this, princess?” The god-king asked. “We do not know if your suit can handle Talokan’s waters. And your brother might get mad.”

With defiance and stubbornness that knew no bounds, Shuri gripped his hand tightly. She glared at him. “Firstly, my creation will be fine. I made it to withstand harsh currents. Harsher than the strongest ones. Secondly, He won’t be too mad.”

K’uk’ulkan grinned. “Then stay close to me, princess.”

Then don’t let go of me, she had wanted to say but the man already dived into the water, bringing her with him.

They swam deeper into the water and with each flailing of her arms, the surroundings became darker. She held his hand even tighter, not wanting to be lost in the darkness.

“GRIOT,” she whispered. “Lights?”

“As you wish, princess.”

A small light from her suit emerged and she breathed out in relief to see the hand joint with hers still had K’uk’ulkan attached to it. K’uk’ulkan looked back at her and she gave him a small smile of reassurance.

K’uk’ulkan must have deemed it deep enough because he had stopped swimming. For a moment, he let go of her and even though the darkness was not a problem anymore, Shuri panicked momentarily. She watched as the man swam toward a weird rock formation, a circular rock with a hole in the middle. A donut, she thought to herself. The funny thoughts soon perished from her mind when the water to her right started to flow.

Her eyes widened as K’uk’ulkan motioned for her to go inside the current. Briefly, she hesitated. The current was strong and fast, and she wondered if her suit could take such strength. She felt a hand on her arm, making her whip her head to the swimming man.

“I will be here,” he promised softly.

Shuri looked back once again at the currents and breathed in.

She swam to the currents and was instantly pushed away. “GRIOT!” She shouted, “Shield!”

“Yes, princess.”

While the water seemed dangerous and scary, a longing formed inside of her. She wishes she could feel the water on her skin. K’uk’ulkan appeared at her side, watching her with a smile as they traveled through the waters like a fast and furious car.

“Hey!” She cried out. “Wait for me!”

The man simply laughed and held her hand. Her rabbiting heart slowly calmed down.

Once they finally left the pushing current, she breathed out. Namor pulled her up and up, and Shuri held onto him tightly. 

For a while, they remained in the darkness. However, Shuri could hear something.

A whale.

She looked up just in time for a whale to pass by and she gasped. It was dark in the ocean, that much was obvious, but the city glowed brightly. The color blue surrounded the city and she found herself mesmerized by the sight.

She looked at K’uk’ulkan, who had been looking at her.

“Welcome to Talokan, princess.”

Chapter Text

Talokan is magical .

That was the only word that she could think of as she saw the blue lights emanating from each building. They were not proper buildings, per say. They were open, where the crops could be seen by everyone and accessible for everyone. The people swim effortlessly through the waters, greeting her with smiles that could only be perceived as both polite and joyful. It was contagious because it brought a smile to her face.

Her entire body, she realized, was a mess in deep sea water where the pressure was beyond anyone’s imagination. She breathed deeply, unconsciously reaching out to lean against something and suddenly, a hand accepted hers from the darkness that shrouded her. The touch surprised her but not enough to make her avoid it entirely. She looked up at him.

“It is alright, princess,” he said, bringing himself closer to her. “I will guide you.”

Moving her limbs was a bit of a chore. He must’ve noticed her struggle. “Relax yourself, princess. Relax all your limbs and feel one with the water.”

How can I be , she almost asked before she was pulled, how can I be one with something so unfamiliar .

As if reading her mind, K’uk’ulkan stopped swimming ahead of her. “Breathe,” he said while demonstrating it. “Breathe and let your body feel the water.”

He spoke with complexity in his words. It made her huff in annoyance. Water was nothing but a tool of science to her in her lab where she would create inventions none have seen before. It was what her mother or her brother occasionally brought to the lab, when she had forgotten to take care of herself once again. Nothing more and nothing less. But as she floated in the middle of the city, this country, with all these people, she pushed.

She breathed in and out that her glass was getting fogged up.

Nonetheless, the god smiled and said, “That’s it, princess,” then pulled her closer to the children playing. The children didn’t shy away from her despite her being a stranger who wore a suit. While approaching her, she could hear giggles and their murmurs as they got closer. They first stopped in front of their king, who opened his palms toward them after they did. Her smile did not waver when they finally floated before her.

“ Máaxech ?” (Who are you?) A girl spoke with wide and sparkling eyes. She held out her arms toward her and Shuri caught her, fumbling a bit. She wasn’t used to carrying toddlers and childrens and she was definitely not used to carrying them underwater. She did not weigh a thing and yet Shuri held her close.

K’uk’ulkan swam forward and took the girl from her. Shuri let him, smiling when the girl immediately latches onto the man and giggling at the onslaught of tickles. “She asks who you are,” K’uk’ulkan said in English and Shuri averted her eyes from his piercing gaze.

She slightly bent to the height of the girl in his arms. “Shuri,” she spoke slowly. Now, she wasn’t entirely sure about her being heard since there was an entire suit dividing them and her. How could they talk in water? She wondered. The girl reached her arms to rest her hands on her helmet, leaving smudged hand marks. “I am Shuri.”

Purposely omitting her position must have rubbed K’uk’ulkan wrong with the way his eyebrows are furrowed directly at her. He seeked to rectify it. The mutant man turned to the girl and said, “ Leti'e juntúul ix ajaw .” (She is a princess.) 

Like a light switch on, the girl whipped her head in her direction with such glee and excitement she couldn’t help but reciprocate. “Ix ajaw! ” (Princess!)

The little child swam to her expertly. “ Ix ajaw! ” (Princess!) She shouted just as loudly as the one before, pointing her little finger at her. Her words caught the attention of the other surrounding Talokanil. In her suit, she sweated as they flocked to her. The children have started shouting in earnest.

“ Ix ajaw Shuri! Jugarás wáaj yéetel to'on?” (Princess Shuri! Will you play with us?)

A boy older than the girl asked with a wide smile. She hadn’t realized she was asked a question and quickly fumbled for her beads. 

“Would you want me to translate for you, princess?” GRIOT’s voice appeared, echoing in her suit. 

Just as she was about to say yes, K’uk’ulkan appeared next to her. 

“They are asking you to play pitz with them, princess,” K’uk’ulkan emerged just as GRIOT withdrew. 

“Of course!” Shuri answered a bit too quickly and enthusiastically, surprising the children. Panicking, she turned to the man who had been watching them with a grin the entire time. She pulled on his hand, abruptly disrupting his balance. His wings fluttered to keep him upright while his wide eyes stayed on her.

She didn’t even notice the chatter die down as she said. “Tell them I want to play with them!”

K’uk’ulkan took a bit longer to recover but recovered nonetheless. Coming out of his staggered stance, he looked at the expecting faces of the children. “ Leti'e jugará ta wéetel ,” he said and was immediately met with the sounds of joyous singing and screaming.

It reminded her of Wakanda, of the people rushing in early morning to start their work, of the children playing by the field of the Border Tribe, of the children swimming in the waters of the River Tribe. While she did not get out of her lab that much, she would always try to make time to meet with each tribe. It was not for any show at all; she had just wanted to be able to interact and have moments like these with her people.

The pull of the children was strong and she let them lead her to a side of their… architecture ? There was a ring attached to it and one boy held a ball. Immediately, the boy held up the ball to her and, confused, she accepted it.

Without knowing what to do, she had to glance at the man they called king. He was floating to the side, away from them and from the ring. She furrowed her eyebrows at him, meeting his gaze with a questioning one. The man simply made gestures with his hands, unhelpfully.

“ Báaxal !” (Play!)

Panicked, she threw the ball and it floated. Slowly. Torturously slow to the kids.

The laughter echoed throughout and her face warmed. She swiveled just enough to face their king, who had his face covered with his hand. Unfortunately for him, she could still see the smile on his face. She huffed, embarrassed by the children’s laughter and watched as the man slowly swam toward her with shaking shoulders.

“It’s alright,” K’uk’ulkan said, laughing lightly. “You do not use your hands for this game,” he said as he swam closer. His arm reached out to touch her own arm and she seized up in her suit. “You use your body . Watch.”

His warmth burned through her suit and she quickly took her arm back. She watched as the man swam to the kids, much to their enjoyment, and bumped the ball with his chest. The children immediately went to their positions and started doing the same thing, some kicked the ball and some used their head. Amused and fascinated, she watched as the children swam around, trying to bump the ball into the ring.

It went back and forth with the man giving everyone a chance to touch the ball. He was an expert, obviously, with the way he was twisting his torso and swimming along the ring. Her eyes strayed to his neck that strained every time he threw his back to laugh at the kids, then her eyes lowered to his chest since he had foregone wearing the cloak and dived headfirst and half-naked in the water. His back muscles and stomach tightened every time he was going to swim around and body slam the ball. 

It took one swift kick from their king to finally shoot the ball into the hoop. The cheering of the children had her blinking back into reality. They were swimming around their god, smiling and giggling. K’uk’ulkan smiled back at them, trading quips and patting their backs. Then, the man swiveled around to look at her with an even brighter smile. She stood still in her place with flailing limbs.

“Good job,” she croaked out and coughed, clearing her throat. “You should’ve let them win.”

K’uk’ulkan grinned and swam to her, an arm already extended for her to accept. Slowly, she lifted her hand and he held hers with so much care and gentleness as he led her closer to the children. “Come,” he beckoned, tilting his head. “I will help you.”

Shuri thinks that if this were on the surface, she would have no problem at all, but as she kept missing the ball and kept hitting it too softly. K’uk’ulkan laughed and Shuri backed up. Unknowingly, a pout formed on her mouth and she was glaring at the ball with too much disdain as if it had sinned against her. 

“Princess,” the man said as he swam to her. She froze as K’uk’ulkan’s fingers brushed over her arm and an arm snaked its way around her waist, hovering. A shiver trembled in her body and reluctantly, she turned to the man. “Princess,” he whispered again. “You must use your body.”

Her tongue became numb. She nodded quietly.

They played for a little more while and Shuri found herself having fun. If she swerved quick enough, she could hit the ball harder. This time, she used her feet and her eyes widened along with her smile as she whooped loudly. 

“I did it!” She whirled around with an open-mouthed grin, uncaring of the consequences as she barreled into K’uk’ulkan’s chest and wrapped her arms around him. She barked out a laugh. Everything in the water stilled and even the children stopped cheering with her. Confused, she pulled back and looked back at the children who were gaping at her.

Her hands squeezed around the torso. She stared back at the brown chiseled chest before her.

“You did great, princess,” a soft voice carried through the currents and had her scrambling away from him. 

“Thanks,” she blurted out, feeling her face bloom with heat. She could hear the giggles from the children behind them and she averted her eyes. Bast! She shouted in her mind, How embarrassing . She was too caught up in the game to notice she had basically tackled the man. If he had any complaints, he didn’t utter any of them, so she deemed it safe. “Well. This was fun. You must show me something else.”

K’uk’ulkan grinned. “As you wish, princess.”

She let him lead her to another part of their city – their country? When she looked around, there were little caves, most likely leading to somewhere. The entire city glowed blue and every time her eyes caught onto those lights, it was like a moth to a flame. 

Breathing in, she whispered, “GRIOT, oxygen levels?”

“48 percent, princess.”

Low, but enough. Shuri nodded and watched as the Talokanils who swam by kept waving at her.

They stopped over people who had been tending to their… underwater garden? Farm? 

With delayed realization, Shuri finally processed the entire farm. They were corn – blue corn. Her jaw went ajar slightly and she had to shake it all off as the people finally noticed the both of them. Without hesitation, they greeted K’uk’ulkan by opening their palms up to him. A small deduction made her realize it was their form of greeting. 

A man waved at her and politely smiled before tending back to the plants.

“Corn…” she mumbled. “You have… corn. Underwater.”

“Is that unusual?” K’uk’ulkan asked with furrowed eyebrows.

Shuri raised an eyebrow. “Very. I am interested in how this crop manages to survive in the cold water. How it gets carbon dioxide. You plant it in the seabed,” she pointed at the seabed below and halted her words. It glowed with a faint blue and slowly, the thoughts warred inside her head. She looked up to see a smug grin on his face.

“Rich vibranium soil,” she said in awe, her eyes widening. “But… even then. Sunlight. It must need sunlight, right?”

The Talokan king smiled and stretched out his hand without any more words. She held his hand without hesitation. 

Their venturing was slow. Shuri didn’t mind since it allowed her to take in the entire beauty of the kingdom. People stopped and paused whenever they swam by, making sure to greet their king. Some kids swam up to her with curiosity shining in their eyes and really, she couldn’t even be offended at the way they stared at her in wonder.

“Hello,” she greeted softly, earning a wave from the little girl. 

K’uk’ulkan tilted his head. “ Vuelvan yéetel u na', mejen .” (Go home to your mothers, little ones.)

The children giggled before dispersing. One waved at her and with a small smile, she waved back. They went around the capital and she didn't think it was tiring to keep swimming, but she could feel the exhaustion seeping through her bones. The god must have noticed it because she was led to a rock that faced… a throne, if she was right. She was a bit far and while the water was not murky in any way, it was still a bit dark despite the blue glow the capital emitted. 

“Here,” the man said softly, offering his hand for her to lean on. She took it. “We will watch our sastun rise.”

Confused, she looked at him. “Sastun?”

In reply, he gave her a smile. “Watch, princess.”

He turned to face their front and Shuri followed his example. She watched silently and her eyes grew in fractions as a soft warm glow appeared behind the throne. A ball of light – because that’s what it was – appeared from behind and every Talokanil moved closer to them, watching the light rise, bathing the capital in golden light. She watched it moved upwards and upwards and then stopped.

An amazed laugh escaped her mouth.

“This is…” She turned to the man beside her, only to realize he had been watching her. Her words died in her mouth.

K’uk’ulkan had no problem continuing. “This is our sun. In the darkest depths of the sea, I brought the sun to my people. Since my people cannot go to the surface without the fear of being caught, they did not know the feel of the sun,” his eyes went back to the sun, eyes full of fondness and content, Shuri found it fascinating and touching. “This was the best I could do for them. For them to feel the warmth in the cold waters.”

And she believed it wholeheartedly. 

“But the warmth…” Unconsciously, her hand stretched out to the sun, as if trying to catch it in her hand. “It is… faint.” 

Realizing her words, she turned back with a panicked expression. “I didn’t mean to sound offensive. It is great what you have done here! It just… it feels faint. Of course, it is impossible to recreate the heat of the sun as it is a star. And while vibranium handles heat well, I’m sure it was – ” Someone help me , her mind begged. She can’t seem to shut up. “ – difficult to achieve this and still, you did! It is quite the feat – ” Why am I parroting his words back at him? She clamped her mouth shut.

K’uk’ulkan laughed, throwing his head back and exposing his throat. Shuri’s eyes focused on that. “It is alright, princess. I understand what you mean,” he said, after his short fit of laughter. Shuri nodded, embarrassed. While her skin did not expose her embarrassment, her flourish of words definitely did. 

“Yes, you are right,” the man said almost solemnly, although he had laughed just moments ago. His eyes stared at the glowing ball with another kind of sadness. “The warmth I once imbued in it… is dying. I do not know how to fix it. It has been more than four hundred years.”

Her mind started working. What kind of heat did the man implant in the vibranium ball? How did he carve it in a circle? Is it fully vibranium? It must be. Why was the warmth and light waning? Maybe there was something wrong in its current design? Improvement, her mind whispered, it needed improvement. 

Before she could suggest this, however, the man simply waved his hand in dismissal. 

“It doesn't matter to you, princess. Do not worry about it,” K’uk’ulkan then held her hand, leading her away from the warmth and once again diving her into the cold embrace of the sea. She watched as the other Talokanils who had noticed their leave, waved. She waved back but her eyes remained on their sun.

But it matters to me , she wanted to say.

Still, she kicked her legs, catching up to the man. As they silently swam side by side, she could feel the air thinning in her suit.

“Princess, your oxygen levels have become low. I suggest changing your oxygen bottle. Or get to the surface quickly.” Her eyes widened and her mouth went agape. She forgot to check her oxygen tank. She cursed inwardly, pausing to grab her the extra oxygen bottles tied to her waist only for her hand to find nothing.

Ah, shit.

“Bast!” She yelled, swimming frantically.

K’uk’ulkan noticed her distress almost immediately, swimming to her side with urgency. “Princess? What is the problem?”

With a panicked expression, she said, “I.. I forgot my extra oxygen bottles. I need to go to the surface quickly.”

The man’s eyes widened briefly before settling into determination. Before she could even comprehend his actions, his arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her. Beneath her bent knees were his other arm and with speed that could rival a Talon flyer, the man zoomed past through the waters.

Shuri knew, technically, she didn’t have to close her eyes since she had protection. Still, she closed her eyes and limited her breathing. She could see GRIOT flashing the oxygen levels in front of her and she held her breath. The man was already moving faster, faster than she ever believed. When they broke the surface, Shuri collapsed her mask and breathed deeply.

“I’m sorry,” she gasped out, lying down on the wet rocky surface. 

K’uk’ulkan’s face hovered over hers and her breath was cut off quickly. Her breath hitched and she didn’t dare breathe once as he got closer. “Are you alright, princess?” 

His hand felt warm against her cheek. She gulped. “Yes. Um. Space?” She pushed herself further to the floor, wanting some sliver of space in between them. Thankfully, she didn’t have to expand her words since the man willingly pulled away. 

“I apologize, princess,” he said politely, bowing a little as she sat up. “I was merely worried.”

She shook her head furiously. “No, no! It’s alright. Thank you for swimming. Fast. Very fast.” 

Questions rocked back and forth in her brain. How fast can you swim in the water? How fast can you fly in the sky? Do your wings flap furiously to help you? How are you not bothered by the water during a fast swim? How does one build an entire empire under the sea?

Atlantis .

She breathed deeply again. “Thank you,” she repeated softly, reaching out to comfort him and laid her hand on his forearm. “You practically saved my life,” she joked and she watched the man’s lips quirk into a smile. Relief flooded her system.

K’uk’ulkan sat next to her and they both stayed silent. Without uttering a word, the man stood up and walked toward his hut. Her eyes tracked every move, watching him in his hut as he plucked something off of his table. The glint of the jade begged for her attention.

Once again, he sat next to her. The jade bracelet was held delicately in his hands. “Your eyes… you have seen my kingdom, princess. My people. You now know the reason why we are hidden and alone .”

Her heart spiked with pain. “You don’t have to be,” she murmured, ignoring the way his warmth radiated like the sastun underneath the water, on her cool skin. 

“I am… hesitant,” He started, honest. “About this alliance. Your brother… while noble, has opened your nation to the world. And now other nations know about our vibranium. You cannot hold them off for long and when that happens, they will start to search in other places such as ours, for Eek'e' Chaac .”

She sighed. “I know. Still… Wakanda can keep your secret, and Talokan does not need to be alone anymore.” She stared at him and his eyes glinted with something unfamiliar.

He hummed before laying his palm up. She stared at it.

“Your wrist, princess,” He did not ask. He blatantly asked for her wrist. If he were any other man, any person, she would have been annoyed. Shuri gave him her hand and watched with surprise as the man wrapped the jade bracelet around her wrist. 

“ Wait – ” Shuri was quickly cut off.

“You have not once called my name since you were here, princess,” The man murmured, his fingers brushing on her skin as he tied the ends of the band. “You refuse to call me.”

Shuri, feeling vulnerable, took back her wrist. He let her, seemingly finished with it. Shuri drew back, averting her eyes to the water at their feet. She held the jade bracelet, not wanting it to fall off or accidentally become undone. “I do not know what to call you.”

K’uk’ulkan merely tilted his head like a curious puppy. “I gave you two choices.”

My people call me Aj K’uk’ulkan and my enemies call me Namor.

“Yes,” Shuri agreed sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. “Namor for your enemies, of which I am not, and K’uk’ulkan for your people, of which I am also not.” It was a bit of a weak excuse, but it was true. Shuri had no name for this man. He was a god to his people, a fellow king to T’Challa, but he was close to nothing to Shuri.

Another smile worked its way up on his face. “You are correct,” he nodded in agreement and took her hand once again. His fingers felt the carvings on the jade squares of the bracelet and finally, her mind focused on them. They were not normal carvings, they were characters, letters, words –

“Then I shall give you a name that only you can use, princess,” He said softly and his warmth burned through her. Her hand twitched in his. Intrigued, she kept her eyes on the jade bracelet. His mother’s jade bracelet. A 16th century artifact. 

Shuri patiently waited for him to speak once more.

Once he had gathered his thoughts, he spoke, “Ch’ah,” he whispered. A secret. “You shall call me Ch’ah,” He brushed over one square jade and then another, “Toh,” he stopped at the last square. “Almehen.”

“Ch’ah,” her mouth did a trial of his name, gaining his attention. His eyes flicked to hers.

“ Ch’ah .” The king who ruled Talokan. The god of the Talokanils. The mutant who was born from a human mother. The man who showed her the beauty of his nation.

The man leaned and like a magnet to a metal, she leaned, too. She could feel her heart beating against her ribs and could hear it drumming in her ears.

“ Shuri .”

The stern voice of her brother made her jump away, her heart beating extra faster than it was before. “ Brother !” Her tone sounded as if she was scandalized and maybe she was, still, it formed another embarrassment inside of her. Her brother was not looking at her since his eyes were focused solely on the man beside her.

The two rulers glared at one another.

“Go to your hut, Shuri.” T’Challa said firmly and petulantly, she stood up.

“Excuse me,” She exclaimed, crossing her arms on her chest. “You are not mother to command me however you please,” she snarked, scowling before schooling her expression into a more peaceful one, one that will make her brother fold. Softer, she spoke, “Brother, let us both go to our huts and rest. You must be tired from the meeting.”

His eyes flickered to her. “Shuri,” A warning was set in his tone. “Go to your hut. Namor and I shall talk about…” His gaze went to the other king. “...important things.”

The switch of his namesake did not go unnoticed by the both of them. Before K’uk’ulkan could answer, however, Shuri jumped in between. 

“ No ,” she said, just as firmly. “We can talk about important things in our hut. Ch… K’uk’ulkan needs to attend to his people. You do understand that, right, my king?”

T’Challa glared at her and she sent back a glare with the same ferocity before he finally caved with a sigh and a shake of his head. T’Challa inclined his head and Shuri acknowledged the motion, walking towards him and standing beside him. “We shall continue our meeting tomorrow , K’uk’ulkan.” T’Challa emphasized and swiftly turned around, clearly expecting her to follow. 

She took one step before glancing one last time behind her. The man smiled before diving into the water with a splash.

Shuri followed behind her brother in silence.

T’Challa entered his hut with her in tow. He let her inside first before closing the door carefully. 

“What happened?” Her brother was quick to be by her side, holding her arms and scanning her. “Did he hurt you? Are you okay?”

“Brother,” she said, this time, scandalized. “That is the king you are to be in alliance with. Do you not trust him?”

T’Challa’s lips pursed in response. He sighed and sat in one of the seats provided for them. “It is… hard. To trust that man,” he rubbed his face and taking pity on him, Shuri sat next to him. “He is not who you think he is.”

With furrowed eyebrows, Shuri stared at her brother. “And who do you think he is?”

T’Challa clicked his tongue. “A man who will do anything to get what he wants.”

Like Killmonger , her mind supplied and she knew her brother was also thinking the same thing.

Feeling the need to defend the man, she stumbled over her words. “He… was nice to me. He took me on a tour around his nation,” his empire , “and he was polite the entire time. This alliance…” She held her brother’s hand and T’Challa held hers tightly. “...it could mean that we do not need to be alone anymore.”

T’Challa’s eyes softened and his tense form relaxed. “You are correct as always,” he smiled with little teeth, “That is why I have made contact with him. To expose Wakanda to another country with vibranium. To form a bond between our two nations.”

“For that to work, you need to trust, brother.” She didn’t know why her brother was feeling conflicted now, when the alliance had been his idea. She frowned, watching her brother have a war inside his mind.

After a moment, T’Challa nodded solemnly. “Of course, sister. But please,” His eyes begged. “Do not get close to him. We do not know his… intentions.”

Harshly taking away her hand from his, she stood up. “Brother,” she seethed, anger festering in her body. “Do not imply anything.”

Her brother sighed and tried to reach out for her, only for her to walk away even farther in the room. “Sister,” he uttered, exasperated and tired. If they were in another situation, she would have taken pity. “I only want you to be safe. Mother has scolded me enough about it.”

“We are under the sea!” Shuri screamed while lifting her hands up. “We could not be any safer! And he was nice, polite. Like I said.”

T’Challa raised an eyebrow, his fingers fiddling with his Panther necklace. “ Intentions .”

Shuri, having had enough, threw her hands higher. “Is it such a big problem if I were to fall in love with this mutant king?”

Apparently, those were the wrong words. T’Challa’s eyes hardened. “What? Are you, Shuri?”

Shuri took seconds before answering. She was flustered and embarrassed and if her face was lighter like a colonizer’s, she was sure her face would be red. Thankfully, her skin only darkened. Slightly. But it did not go unnoticed by her brother. 

“No!” She spluttered, pacing back and forth. “I just said he was nice! We were both polite! He showed me his nation for the alliance!”

T’Challa sighed deeply, standing up and settling his hands on her shoulders, effectively stopping her. She stood still, though her leg kept moving up and down. T’Challa, with an amused raised eyebrow, stated, “I… look, Shuri. I will not tell you who to love and who to not love. If this man caught your… interest, I am just suggesting you to be careful. Alright?”

Shuri, stomping her feet, vehemently said, “You do not need to worry, brother. We are not interested. This is for the alliance .”

The emphasis was clear, yet it seemed to have flown over T’Challa’s head. He offered her another raised eyebrow and she was becoming annoyed once again. T’Challa let his arms fall to his sides as he shrugged. “If you say so, usisi .”

Her hand clasped around her wrist and her brother followed that action. Standing tall, she pushed through him. “I can handle myself, brother.”

“I know you can. But you shouldn’t have to.”

Silence spread throughout the room. 

“So? Was Talokan as beautiful as he kept boasting about?” T’Challa asked and Shuri froze.

Yes , she badly wanted to scream out. The capital was bathed in blue but when their sastun rose, it would be bathed in gold, like how the sun bathed their vibranium buildings in gold. The Talokanils were not blue under water – as they have previously already known, and they swam in the sea like how they would walk on land, effortless and efficient. A whole kingdom under the sea, advanced and intelligent. Safe and beautiful.

She gripped onto her wrist tightly. “Ask me tomorrow and I shall answer, brother.”

T’Challa nodded. “Of course, sister.”

She barged inside her hut, ignoring the worried looks from the warrior women and curling herself in the hammock.

Ch’ah Toh Almehen , her mind whispered as she stared at the jade bracelet that now decorated her wrists.

He was closer to something, to someone now. Far from nothing.

That should’ve scared her but she could only feel her stomach do somersaults and filled with butterflies.

Chapter Text

The King of Wakanda stood by the entrance of his hut with an aura that fitted a king – much like him, except the difference between them was that this king of the land vibranium was much more aloof and dare he say, friendly . While that friendliness was not much present when he was in the room, he saw how the man would talk to his lover, to his warriors and especially with his sister. While the other king had the same posture – squared shoulders, tipped up chin and confidence stride – the man was not like him in any way.

Granted, he called the man noble, but they have… different ways to be considered noble. The Wakandan king was noble for wanting to help people outside of Wakanda and yet Namor considered the decision to open up their country to be… not dumb, per say, but he was a bit affronted to learn of Wakanda. Much like Talokan, it had been in hiding for years, centuries, and decided to open up to the world after a civil war between the current king and his cousin.

And now, here the king stood and if he were any other king, Namor would have mistaken his rigid stature as a challenge.  

“King T’Challa,” He greeted. He did not bow but he did smile. That seemed to ease the other man. 

“King K’uk’ulkan,” The other man prompted and his lips almost pursed. “Will we continue our discussion from before?”

A stray thought crossed his mind: About the alliance or about your sister?

After the escapade with the king’s sister – Shuri , his mind whispered her name like a plea or a prayer that was only meant to be heard within a god’s presence – he found himself thinking of her the entire night. When he came back down to check on his people, he was swarmed by questions and was met with curiosity. It filled his heart greatly to know his people accepted the Wakandans despite coming from the surface. 

The children, especially, loved the Wakandan princess.

“A marriage celebration!” They had shouted and hollered at him, swarming his arms and head. He had only chuckled and reminded them to behave for their mothers but they continued to ask every question they could think of about the Wakandans, especially the princess.

“Do you think she would like a sewn dress, K’uk’ulkan?” A child by the name of Citlali, who had been born from her mother, who was the seamstress during her time, asked with sparkling eyes and a big smile. He could not say no.

“I think she would.”

Namor subtly rolled his shoulders back. “Yes. The conversation about the alliance. Let us sit, King T’Challa.”

Even now, the word king rolled off his tongue strangely, like a foreign name he was not used to. Not once has he ever called someone a king but for the sake of the alliance, he was cordial and polite, and might he even add: a great host to the Wakandans if their comfort was anything to go by. The man before him wore no resemblance of Talokanil wear and had worn another one of his Wakandan clothing just like the time they met under the ocean.

The two kings sat and Namor tilted his head to Cualli, who eagerly answered his silent command with a bow. She scurried off and left them both alone. 

“Last time, we disagreed on… some views,” T’Challa started carefully and Namor let him. Namor stayed quiet while the other king continued. “I do not condone the actions you wish to act upon in order to protect your kingdom. As a king, I do understand the need to protect our respective kingdoms and to fight off our enemies but,” T’Challa’s eyes flashed with something fiery, a fiery statement that clearly dared him to challenge him. Namor almost bristled openly. “That is not Wakanda’s way. What I can promise to you and your people, however, is that we will protect your oceans, your empire, your secret.”

He’s somewhat… satisfied with his proposal. Keeping Talokan secret had been the first and foremost priority ever since he was a young king. He had risked that all when he met T’Challa accidentally and to make the same mistake twice – he knew the other man was challenging him, that Wakanda would rightfully strike back if he ever decided to be their enemy. 

“Hmm,” He hummed, thinking and yet not thinking at the same time. His next words had already been planned. “And what of our… shared resources? You have opened up to the world about your – our vibranium. I hear the world leaders of the surface are begging to have even a sliver of it. Does that not concern you at all?”

The other man’s face betrayed nothing of his emotions. He wore a schooled and calm facade as he answered. “No, it does not.” See, his confidence both impressed and vexed Namor but as a king to another king, Namor couldn’t even blame him. T’Challa’s eyes blazed with certainty and confidence, fitting for a king and royalty, a protector. “If they try for Wakanda… I wish them the best of luck.”

Namor hid a smirk under his hand. “If you deny them… where do you think they will try next? They know they can’t take Wakanda on. But in this vast world… as you already know,” His necklace of vibranium, gold and jade glinted and a sardonic smile played well on his lips. He knew what he might have looked like; menacing and intimidating, if it were any other person. But this king was no other person and he couldn’t pluck out a reaction from him as his face stayed neutral. “ My seas have vibranium.”

“Then we will protect it. But blood does not need to be shed,” the other king said firmly and Namor almost let out a disappointed sigh. He knew this would happen. T’Challa was not a warmonger and Wakanda has never been dragged into war, surprisingly. It almost thrilled him; the thought of putting Wakanda in a corner, forcing them to side with them. If the conquistadors start attacking Wakanda, it could very much happen. 

The world in water. The world in flames. 

Chocolate eyes sparkling under the darkness of the sea. Skin as soft as the clothes they spin. A charming smile.

“You don’t have to be.”

He tilted his head a bit too harshly. Only a little; to rattle his thoughts away.

“That is impossible, King T’Challa.”

T’Challa heaved a sigh, crossing his arms. “Then there is the option of… becoming like Wakanda.”

Namor could feel his body tighten and become rigid. His hands tightened around one another and his eyes pierced through the other’s. T’Challa held his chin up and didn’t back down from his glare. Namor almost wanted to put a spear inside him.

“That is not an option,” he said firmly, the venom dripping into every word. Revealing Talokan to the world had never even crossed his mind. He promised to protect Talokan, to protect his people, and revealing the underwater empire he and his ancestors built would be a disrespect. Not only that, it was risky and the other king knew that, and yet he still suggested it. His blood warmed up – closer to a boiling point. “We agreed on keeping Talokan a secret. Are you backing away from your word, King T’Challa?”

It was meant to bait him but it clearly did not work. T’Challa shifted in his seat though not out of nervousness. “I apologize,” T’Challa said sincerely. Namor could see his sincerity but the anger still simmered inside him. Namor acknowledged the apology with a wordless nod. “I only wanted to make things easier.”

Namor felt the grind of his teeth. “And how would revealing Talokan be easier? Easier for you and Wakanda? Those foreigners might have accepted you but when they see my people…” He could see it. He could see the deaths of many Talokanils once they reveal their kingdom. The war against his people. If the people from the surface knew about Talokan… His fists trembled at the thought. “You must understand.”

T’Challa’s eyes now shone with something else. If it was pity, Namor would have to apologize to Shuri if T’Challa came out with a bleeding nose. But it wasn’t, and Namor’s fist had to be brought down. T’Challa looked at him with understanding, almost the same one like Shuri’s when they had resurfaced from Talokan.

“Talokan does not need to be alone anymore.”

T’Challa sighed through his nose. “Of course, King K’uk’ulkan. I did not mean to offend you.” 

“Then,” T’Challa regained his stance. “Wakanda will handle the foreigners. Your waters will be protected. Wakanda will keep you a secret. Your home will be safe. I only ask for one thing,” Namor watched as T’Challa spoke seriously, suddenly curious at the condition. He would have been miffed – he has never had anyone set a condition. It was always him. He was a god, after all. – if it weren’t for the seriousness and the sternness in T’Challa’s voice.

He nodded, motioning for him to continue. 

“Talokan will stand by us.”

Namor’s eyes narrowed. While not far off from his plan, it piqued his interest at the way the man made it a condition. Intrigued, he nodded slowly. “And for what is this? A fight with the colonizers?”

Somehow, his question made the man’s lips quirk into a smile. “Perhaps, yes. Have you heard of aliens?”

Aliens? “You mean… life forms in the sky,” Namor said slowly, assessing the man in front of him who nodded, confirming his words. He knew about aliens. He heard the whispers whenever he spied on the surface. Aliens had attacked their capital city once and they came from the sky. During the fight, he had watched from the seas, fending off the stray alien bodies that fell into the water. He watched as a man flew into the sky and entered the portal of darkness only to fall back down. 

“Aliens,” he repeated more to himself, rubbing his chin. “You mean to tell me… you want my aid for alien invasions?”

T’Challa nodded. 

Namor would have laughed if it weren’t for the fact he was suspicious. “You want me to protect the surface world.”

“Protect your people,” T’Challa emphasized and Namor clicked his tongue. Of course, he would protect his people. The absurd thing here was this man, sitting in front of him, and making a deal for him to join their band of… heroes . Surface-world heroes. He scowled. He was no hero. He was a god and gods were not heroes.

“I have no wish to join your… little band. I am a god ,” He stood up calmly, his cape swishing on the floor soundly. “And I am not to be some kind of pet dolphin you call upon to protect these surface-dwellers. I could care less for them.”

“I know,” T’Challa agreed, albeit a bit defeated. Namor felt smug. “I am not asking you to join. Only to join to protect both Wakanda and Talokan. I swear to you I will protect Talokan but I would also need your word that you would protect Wakanda.”

Protecting Wakanda. Protecting a nation that wasn’t his.

Protecting Shuri , his mind whispered and he twitched.

He did not like this situation. He wished to see the world in water, clear, blue water. He wished to eradicate the people who sullied his waters, who took no care of the life underwater, who threatened to break their peace. For that to happen, however, he would need Wakanda. A glance at the man across the table made his scowl deepen. 

A condition. To help useless heroes in protecting the dirty and ugly world above.

Chaac forbid he says yes – but now he is the one cornered.

Clicking his tongue again, he turned fully at the other ruler. The game was not done yet.

“You would risk your people for them?”

T’Challa looked up at him with a glare that was not meant for intimidation. “My people and I would lay down our life for Wakanda . I know you and Talokan are the same. I know the fear and risk of exposure is still imminent but you do not need to worry,” The man stood up from his seat, a small smile on his face. “After all, Wakanda is the home to the brightest mind.”

They stood in front of one another and Namor stilled. He knew he meant Shuri. He did not know he would bring her up after his initial animosity from yesterday. 

“...Of course,” Namor answered a beat late. “I will think about it. For now, I consider this meeting finished.”

T’Challa nodded and slightly bowed. Namor was cordial and reciprocated the same bow. 

Before the other king left, however, he stopped by the opening. “One more favor, King K’uk’ulkan.”

Namor averted his eyes from the paintings of his walls to focus on the man draped in purple. 

“Please refrain from approaching my sister.”

Ah, finally, he thought, a more riveting discussion .

Suddenly a bit more energized, he fully turned to face the man who stood by the hut’s entrance. His face was closed off from any emotions but Namor could see the telltale signs of annoyance. Was he that put off? Keeping off a smirk from his face, he put on an innocent face.

“And why is that?” He stepped forward. “We are friends, are we not? And by extension, your sister.”

T’Challa narrowed his eyes, his shoulders tensing. “Is it only friendship you’re after? It did not seem like it yesterday.”

Namor grinned with his teeth peeking out. “The princess and I have only met… three times. I would never take advantage of the princess.”

Still dissatisfied with his answer, T’Challa did not leave the hut. Namor was more than alright with that, sitting back on his seat to watch the other king process his words carefully. To be fair, he never knew the other king had a sister and even back when the first met, the sister surprised him; she always did. From the way she stood up against him in his own waters and from the way she showed genuine interest about his people and nation. Yes, the princess was never in the equation about this alliance but alas…

Ah, he’s getting distracted.

T’Challa heaved a sigh. “Why did you two meet yesterday?”

“She did not tell you?” Namor tilted his head. Though he was curious why the princess did not confide in her brother, the thought of her keeping it to herself only made him feel even more smug. He lifted his arm only to lean on it. “She had talked with Cualli about me. I sent for her and she asked me to see my nation. I willingly agreed and guided her. She is the first ever surface dweller to see Talokan.”

For some reason, he felt proud about that fact. He never had a surface dweller in Talokan before and before the princess, he promised himself he would never take anyone to see his nation and yet with a single smile –

T’Challa’s frown was too satisfying. It only continued to feed his smugness. “That cannot happen again. Shuri is bright and young. She has many ahead of her. She does not need to be… infatuated with a man like you.”

Like me? He felt offended. 

“Fortunately for you, King T’Challa, I am not a man ,” He could see the man barely refrained from rolling his eyes. He let that slide for now. Namor smiled but it was less friendlier than last time. “I am a god of an entire nation, of thousands of people. And I agree,” Namor stared at the conch shell where his mother’s bracelet used to be and that same bracelet now found a home around the princess’ wrist. “Your sister – Shuri is bright and young, curious and – ” beautiful – “kind but that is why I must decline your favor.”

The fire was back in his eyes. “Why?”

Namor simply shrugged, pretending to be calm and unaffected. “She might be young but she is a woman of her own right. If she chooses to seek me, I shall answer.”

Like a pet .

He is not a pet, not for him and not for her either.

T’Challa could only sigh. “You will not give this up?” Then he murmured something under his breath, something about Shuri. He pretended not to have heard despite the curiosity swirling inside him. T’Challa faced him, displeased if the curl on his lips were anything to go by. “I will entertain this only because I see Shuri is… content. But she belongs in Wakanda, I hope you do not forget that.”

The king swiftly took his exit, taking the last word. Namor pursed his lips together. 

Namor has half the mind to call on the princess.

If she chooses to seek me, I shall answer.

With that, he stood up and took off his cape and tunic, diving headfirst into the water.

Every morning, he swam around Talokan. He greeted every family and every person that was awake. He checked the strength of their architecture, making sure everything was in its right place. Next, he would check their crops, where he and the princess visited. The farmers looked a bit sullen, despite the harvest from yesterday. With pleas in the tip of their tongues, they asked him for his guidance. Their crops were growing slower and that the warmth of the sastun had started to diminish. A deep frown settled on his face permanently the entire time as he roamed around the nation he and his ancestors built for numerous centuries. It was true – even before the princess had visited, he noticed the lack of warmth from their sastun.

It was a problem he had been putting on the backburner for a while. It was not a problem for a while and he had many things to think about; the surface dwellers and their alien problems, the continuous oil spills and dirtying of his sea, and this Wakanda alliance the other king brought up.

He clicked his tongue as soon as he broke the surface. He slicked his hair back and wracked his brain for solutions. For years, his greatest feat was to bring the sastun to Talokan. Never mind the fact that he had been born as their god and he has battled great sea creatures in his lifetime, but the sun had become a mark in their culture and he could not fail now. 

His feet led him to his private spring and even though he was just in the water a moment ago, he soaked into it once again. Instead of cold water greeting his skin, the hot water welcomed him like a second home.

Due to his nature and the way he was born in cold waters, he much preferred the waters of the sea but found solace in the rare hot spring that sprouted in his caves. This place became his private quarters where he could think and take a bath. Talokanils did not really adapt the habit of taking a bath as they are already in water but they had soap, to clean themselves. As he reached for one at the side of the spring, his ears picked up a sound from one of the cave entrances.

“Ahhh. I’m lost, aren’t I, GRIOT? I knew I should’ve listened to Attuma. Or called Cualli. But Attuma is busy in Talokan. Cualli, too. I can’t find Namora. I think she’s avoiding me. What do you think, GRIOT? Ah, I should have gone straight to Namor but he wasn’t in his hut. Where are the people here? Brother will kill me.”

If she chooses to seek me, I shall answer.

He grinned.

The non-stop chattering should have grated his hearing and yet only a smile spread on his lips as he recognized the voice. He leaned back on one of the rocks, watching the cave entrance with such focus as he waited for the woman to emerge out of it. He could still hear her muttering to herself, asking this… GRIOT and conversing with them. He wondered who they were and why he could barely hear their response. Her words turned into a melody in his words and he closed his eyes, listening to the steps that were growing louder and closer by the second.

“Maybe I should turn back. Bast, I would just get lost again, won’t I? Let’s go through this cave extension first before I – Namor !”

“That is not my name, princess,” he drawled without opening his eyes. When the woman didn’t reply, he opened one eye and saw her back toward him. Confused, he pulled himself into an upright position but didn’t leave the water. “Princess? Are you alright?”

“I am!” The woman shouted, startling him. She still had her back at him and he started to rise from the water. “Sorry for intruding. You’re busy taking a bath. And now I’m going to go and leave and probably lock myself – ”

Amused, he cut her off. “It’s nothing you haven’t seen before, princess,” He rose from the water, feeling cleaner and calmer than before. The princess still refused to turn around and he sighed, wiping the water from his face. “I am clothed, princess. Please face me, itzia .”

Shuri finally faced him with wide eyes looking everywhere but him.

He stepped forward and noticed the glint of the jade jewelry on her wrist. It seems like his grin would never fade right now. He lifted his arm and reached for the woman’s chin, tipping it up. “Were you looking for me, princess?”

Shuri stepped back and he let her. The woman was flustered from the looks of it. “Um. Yes. I had been looking for you. Thought you would be by your hut after your talk with my brother but you weren’t. And I’m not exactly an expert with these caves,” she laughed nervously and he could hear the beat of her heart, drumming and thrumming faster than normal. “Ah, well. Anyway, I got lost so… I’m here.”

While she held herself quite well as princess of Wakanda, Namor found himself fond at the way the woman blabbered. The way she was avoiding his gaze and was unconsciously holding onto the jade bracelet unfurled something inside of him and for a moment, he reeled himself back into reality as he felt a familiar coil of heat inside of him. Namor also stepped back, allowing a space for the air to circulate around them.

The smile on his lips was a bit tighter than he liked. “And why did you seek me, princess?”

Shuri’s flustered and embarrassed demeanor simply vanished. She pouted up at him. Before he could ask what was the problem, she immediately answered it for him. “You do not have to keep calling me princess. I am Shuri. Everybody here has been calling me princess, the same in Wakanda. It gets quite tiring, don’t you think?”

Words flurry around him. He blinked. “I… well. I do not get tired of my people calling me K’uk’ulkan as that is the name that was blessed upon me. You do not want me to call you princess even though it is your right?”

Shuri shrugged. “You told me your name. I figured it is only right I hear my name from you. You have not once called me by my name the entire time I was here.”

He blinked again. He did not know that. He thought he had been saying his name all this while – it was only in his mind apparently. He assessed the woman and saw her fidgeting nervously. 

“Shuri,” he spoke out and saw the woman physically shiver. He smiled. “ Shuri .”

“Bast, okay! Once was enough – ”

“I have only said it twice – ”

“And that is more than enough! Now, focus ,” Shuri said desperately at him and even though he wanted to point out the hammering in her chest, he chose not to. He didn’t need to further embarrass the princess. Shuri continued. “Take me back to Talokan.”

A plea? A request? Or a command?

Her eyes sparkled with determination and it only thrilled him to know she wanted to come back to his empire. Still, he wanted to tease her. As he fell into a walk, he heard the woman follow him willingly and without hesitation. 

“And why would I do that, Shuri?”

“Namor – ”

He swiveled around, a blaze in his eyes. “I said that is not my name, princess.”

Most Talokanil would cower but she met him with a glare of her own. Her glare was fiery and everything opposite of her soft voice as she uttered his name, “ Ch’ah .”

He shivered and he could feel his skin form bumps. “ Shuri .”

Satisfied, he walked in front again.

“I must go back to Talokan,” the princess said, catching up with him and walking by his side. He ignored the little inkling of a feeling of how right it felt to feel her by his side. Instead of focusing on that thought, he focused on her words. “I want to help.”

Knitting his eyebrows together, he spared a glance at the princess beside him although it seemed to be a bad idea. Her eyes have become bigger at this angle and her smooth skin called out to his desires. He quickly averted his eyes. “Help with what, Shuri? There is nothing in Talokan that needs your help.”

The princess huffed and let out what seemed to be a haughty and arrogant sniff. It only served to make him feel fonder. “I am the head of the Science Advancement and Design in Wakanda. I can help fix your sastun.”

He paused on the steps of his hut. He looked at the smaller woman beside him. “Truly?” He asked in wonder and surprise. Namor shouldn’t really be surprised but Shuri had many ways to surprise him and it was as if she was born to do so. “You would help fix our sastun? Out of the goodness of your heart?”

“Of course!” Shuri’s flustered demeanor came back as her hands waved in the air. “And this could be for our alliance! After all, I am a scientist first! When you showed me your sastun, I wanted to help although you said it was not a matter of mine. Still, I want to help.”

Shuri looked genuine and sincere as she said those words. Namor couldn’t possibly decline her desire to help. “For the alliance, princess?” Shuri nodded furiously.

“Do you think you could fix it?”

Shuri reeled back, offended. An apology was at the tip of his tongue. “Of course! It might take me some days, but I think I can do it. Do you doubt me, Ch’ah?”

His name on her lips sounded sweeter every time it came. Namor smiled. “No, Shuri. I do not. But it seems someone is not… entirely alright with leaving you to my care.”

Shuri rose an eyebrow before realization dawned on her. “My brother,” she groused with a groan. “Do not mind him,” she said with a wave of her hand, dismissive and rebellious. It carved a grin on his face. A rebellious princess who wanted to help Talokan? How funny Chaac’s blessings are. “You have only been kind to me. I trust you.”

She said it with such softness and confidence that it almost made him grab her closer.

The desire pooled once again. “Those are dangerous words, princess,” he said with a step closer to the princess. The woman had no fear in her face and had no hints of doubts when she had said those three words. It almost made him want to – he breathed deeply to arrange his thoughts. 

Shuri merely smiled. Beautiful, lovely, charming – “Are you not someone to be trusted, Ch’ah? Are you telling me otherwise?”

His hand twitched and hovered above her waist. “It means you are quick to trust, princess.”

She tilted her head, giving him the perfect view of her neck and the way her skin glinted under the glow of the glow worms. Her hair had been tied up with braids forming into a bun behind her head.  “Is it wrong?” 

His eyes stayed glued on her neck and his teeth desired to leave an indent, a mark – “No,” he said with a controlled tone, snapping his eyes up at her. “No, it is not.” He stepped back and for a moment, he felt his eyes betray him. For a brief moment, he thought he saw the woman slump her shoulders in disappointment only to put it up a second later.

“Thank you for trusting me, Shuri.”

Her eyes, soft as ever, spoke volumes before her words came out. “Thank you for trusting me,” her hand travelled toward the bracelet and he watched every move. “Ch’ah.”

He stretched his arm with his palm up. Shuri accepted it without hesitation and without complaints. He watched as her suit engulfed her and they both dived into the water.

Just like when the princess first visited yesterday, she garnered a warm welcome from his people. The children flocked to her, speaking and shouting in their native language that the woman cannot understand, not with the flurry of words that became unintelligible. The children stuck with them until he made them depart, threatening to tell their mothers. It seemed to work as they all scattered away and he watched with fondness as they all came back to the arms of their mothers.

Shuri was next to him all the while.

“They seemed excited to see me,” Shuri said with a smile and a giggle. “I did not expect that. It seems I made quite the impression yesterday.”

As she swam away, Namor whispered. “You certainly did.”

When they finally arrived in front of the sastun, two warrior guards greeted the both of them. He waved them off. “ Je'el u páajtal u p'atik k. Le ix ajaw u dispuesta in wáantik k .” 

The two guards he appointed, Hagen and Abund, quickly bow at him, opening their palms up at him. He reciprocated it and was pleasantly surprised to watch them do the same to Shuri, who was taken by surprise. She fumbled to do the same and Namor watched with pride as the woman did the Talokan gesture.

Once left alone, he led her closer to the vibranium sun. “Are you sure about this, Shuri?”

Shuri nodded with determination, persevering every inch they swam closer to the sun. Even though the warmth was faint, it was still hotter. In the corner of his eyes, he watched the woman gasp in awe of the sun.

He pulled her to him, swimming both of them to the temple where the fiber optic cables connected to the sastun was. Shuri marvelled at the sight and his chest was filled with pride for his home and the beauty of it. He led Shuri inside and stopped in front of big vibranium cables. Not a word could leave his mouth because Shuri had quickly swam toward it, eyes wide and arms reaching out for it.

“Be careful, Shuri,” He said as he pulled her arms. “If harm befalls you…” the rest of the sentence was left unsaid but Shuri understood it all the same. Your brother would wage war in your stead.

“Yeah, yeah,” Shuri said with a roll of her eyes before focusing again at the fiber optic cables. “This will be an easy fix.”

Baffled, Namor shot her with what seemed to be a bewildered look. “You already have a solution?”

Shuri nodded. “Yes. Though the solution needs to be replaced… let’s see. Maybe every few years. An amplifier. If not for my solution, what would you have done?”

Namor motioned his head to the cables. “Replace the cables and forge new ones. Or find a better light source.”

“That would take longer, would it not?” Shuri asked. The question was innocent so he did not feel offended at all. There was no doubt, no mockery and she only showed genuine curiosity, just like every other time. Namor smiled.

“You are right, Shuri. It would. Would this amplifier take shorter?”

“Yes,” Shuri said with confidence then faltered, “But I would need my tools for this… It’s in Wakanda and without those, I will be unable to build – ”

“Princess,” He said with a huff. “We are an underwater nation that has survived for centuries. What makes you think we do not have the tools that you require?”

Her eyes sparkled like the sastun when he first brought it to Talokan.

He prayed to Chaac to give him patience.

When they came back up to the surface, Shuri was buzzing in excitement. She had been chattering and asking him about the tools and if they had any underwater labs, to which he all replied. He entertained all her questions and found himself enjoying every single one. Every single question had no malicious intent and it was refreshing to watch Shuri ask in an excited manner.

They talked some more in his hut. Him, admiring, and her, talking.

“Shuri.” The same voice that disturbed them from yesterday came back. Without moving from his seat, he watched with his eyes as T’Challa stood by the entrance of his hut. Shuri, thankfully, did not shout and jump this time. Shuri merely huffed and stood up, bidding him goodbye and a goodnight. Soft-spoken and gentle. 

“Thank you for letting me help, Ch’ah,” she said in a whisper.

“Of course, Shuri,” He said just as softly, finally standing up from his seat and walking over to her. He held the other king’s stare as he dipped down and pressed a kiss on the wrist that housed his mother’s bracelet. He could hear her breath hitch and smugly leaned away. “Goodnight, itzia .”

The two Wakandans left but T’Challa shot him a glare before they fully left.

Namor grinned.

—

“That looks beautiful, princess. Did you get that down there?” Aneka asked, disrupting her thoughts.

She had been in a daze after going back to Talokan and witnessing their sastun again. She blinked, staring at her wrist where Aneka had also been staring. It was Namor’s – Ch’ah’s – mother’s bracelet. The jade bracelet shone under the light and she smiled as she caressed it.

“Yes, I did.”

“Oooh,” Aneka cooed, lifting her wrist in her hands. “Is it true that there really is an underwater empire beneath us? You must tell us, princess!”

Shuri couldn’t help but grin bigger. “Oh, it was beautiful, Aneka! They have a whole kingdom like ours! They plant crops – corn, Aneka, corn ! Blue corn! And they had a sun, Aneka. A sun out of vibranium. And did you know – ”

Nakia shot T’Challa a worried expression. T’Challa sighed.

Smitten . The princess was smitten. Okoye sighed along with him.

—

“You are smitten.” Namora spat out as if it was a curse.

Namor sighed as he halted from sketching. He stared at the paper on his table.

Ah . He had been sketching Shuri.

Turning over the paper, he turned to stare at his cousin. “I am no such thing. I am not smitten with a simple princess.”

Namora scoffed. “You gave her Queen Mother’s bracelet even though women flocked to you. Though you have bedded them, they never left your hut with your mother’s bracelet before.”

Namor sighed, gripping his paintbrush tighter. “ It was for the alliance, cousin. A gift to show peace.”

His cousin did not stop. She was not satisfied with his answer. “ Alliance ,” she scoffed again and it was starting to grate on his nerves. Still, he focused on the now blank paper that stared back at him. “ Queen Mother’s bracelet being used for an alliance. You are funnier than you think, cousin. ” 

Despite calling him funny, Namora had a blank look on her face. As blank as the paper in front of him.

“Your fondness for her is jarring and she is young. If she is to be queen – ”

Namor lifted a hand. “If she is to be queen, it is because I would want her to be. Do I make myself clear, cousin?”

His words were final and his cousin understood that. She tensed her jaw and bubbles appeared in her mask. She clicked her tongue and sighed, bowing and giving him the Talokan gesture before departing.

He turned over the paper once again.

Brown skin. Charming smile. Crinkled and sparkling eyes.

He held his head in his hands.

Chaac, what was happening to him?

Chapter Text

A knock was heard from the side of the entrance, alerting all the women in the hut. Okoye stood up rigidly while Nakia stayed sat on one of the hammocks. Aneka belatedly followed Okoye, jumping from the swinging hammock.

Shuri rolled her eyes. She had already told them numerous times that they were safe here but seeing as this was a foreign land along with foreign people, Shuri could give them a bit of leniency when it came to their protection. Shuri stood up just as Namora appeared at the doorway, her stoic face bringing a joy in her.

“Namora,” Shuri greeted her with an enthusiastic grin and even though the woman didn’t reciprocate, she kept her smile. “Is it time already? We haven’t gotten our breakfast yet, though.”

Namora’s face remained unchanged and said in monotone, “ K’uk’ulkan' táan preguntando wa je'el u páajtal a jantik yéetel leti' .”

Shuri thanked Bast silently for her dark complexion hiding what might be a blush as she felt the heat rush to her face. Avoiding the other women’s eyes, she made her eyes fix on the wall behind Namora. She tried her best to hide her flusteredness but the attempts were futile as GRIOT translated Namora’s words out loud and for everyone to hear.

“Breakfast,” Shuri coughed out, gulping down. “W-With Ch – K’uk’ulkan?” The name earned her a very high raised eyebrow from Okoye, who seemed baffled at her. Clearing her throat, she continued, “I mean. I would be honored.”

Namora nodded and finally, Shuri noticed the clothes neatly folded in her arms. She extended it to her and mesmerized by the shining jewels and pearls, Shuri unconsciously stepped forward to feel the soft texture of the dress. “Am I to wear this?”

The woman nodded, looking bored. Shuri looked back to gauge the reactions of the warrior women behind her. Nakia had a doubtful yet curious expression; Okoye expressed her disapproval as usual and Aneka encouraged her lightly, earning a slap from Okoye. Shuri’s eyes moved back and forth from the dress and the women, deciding. 

“Well,” Shuri licked her lips and let out a nervous laugh, “It’d be a bit rude if I decline, right?”

She could hear Nakia sigh and Okoye’s grunt in disapproval. As she examined the dresses in Namora’s arms, her confusion doubled. 

“Why are there many dresses here, Namora?”

Namora waited patiently for GRIOT to finish translating before answering with a tilt of her head toward the women behind her. “ Estarán yéetel Attuma yéetel Teene'. ”

GRIOT translated once again and Okoye, as swift and quick as her spear, spoke her rejection out loud, “No. No way.”

“ Okoye ,” She hissed under her breath, annoyed at the stubborn woman. Okoye simply turned away, bringing out her spear and a towel that came out of nowhere and started to wipe at the nonexistent dirt on her spear. She turned to face Nakia, purposely widening her eyes and pouting her lips. 

Nakia easily understood and sighed even louder. Aneka giggled quietly and nodded at her to leave while they persuaded Okoye. Shuri grinned and watched as Namora put down the other three dresses on the table in the middle of their hammocks. Before she left, she noticed how different their dresses were from the one Namora had in her arms.

She glanced at her brother’s hut, wondering where the man was. 

“So, where were you yesterday?” Shuri asked in the silence of their journey. Not being deterred by the lack of answer, Shuri continued to talk. “I didn’t see you in the caves. Or in Talokan. Did K’uk’ulkan send you to a mission? Or maybe you have your own home in Talokan? Ah, wait. That is a dumb question – of course you have! Right?”

Namora’s stoic face broke just a tiny bit. Her eyebrows twitched and furrowed angrily. GRIOT managed to translate her words despite speaking fast and after the translation, Namora eyed her almost warily but also had a hint of irritation. 

“ Ba'axten tu llamas K’uk’ulkan ?”

Shuri blinked at the sudden and unexpected question. Why does she call him K’uk’ulkan? He did give her a name for her to call him but she has never heard the name be uttered by someone else hence making her shy to use it with others, especially with his people. K’uk’ulkan was much safer. Her brother also calls him that, so she wonders what’s bothering Namora.

Although she seemed to be taking a long time to answer, Namora didn’t abandon her. “Well… I can’t call him Namor, can I?”

At first she did call him Namor in her mind and in the privacy of their hut but now that he introduced her to a new name that she could call him – she couldn’t possibly go back to calling him Namor. Ch’ah much fitted him. 

“ Ba'anten ma' ?” Why not?

Confused, Shuri let out a small laugh. “Because I am not his enemy?” And it was the truth, an honest statement that didn’t have to be forcibly wrung out of her. When they met in the sea, of course, the idea briefly flashed through her mind. He was an enemy for a short while; he was pointing spears at her brother, after all. And in turn, she had lifted her Panther beams at him, making her an enemy to him.

However, her days have been fruitful and full of learning about Talokan ever since they arrived here. She has seen his kingdom and has seen the people that lived. She has seen more than a sliver of what kind of ruler he was. Though she was still unsure how similar he was with her brother, she thinks there were some similarities at least.

Namora seemed puzzled at her admission and shook her head. “ Bix a seguro ?”

The question made her halt in her steps. With a frown and knitted eyebrows, she looked at Namora. “Yes. I am. Do you think of me as an enemy, Namora?” 

That would break her heart and they weren’t even close friends but Shuri thought she was warming up to her. Had she done something wrong? Was it because she went to Talokan? Or was it entirely something else?

Her thoughts occupied her and her eyes suddenly went to the bracelet around her wrist. Namora followed her gaze even though she quickly averted her eyes. Namora frowned. “ Ma' in wojel ba'ax tuukul ti' teechi', ix ajaw. ” 

I do not know what to think of you, princess.

Her eyes softened and if she wasn’t sure that Namora would cut her hand if she dared to lay a hand on her, she would have hugged the woman. “I am not his enemy,” Shuri said, her voice becoming softer after every word, “I am not your enemy. I am not Talokan’s enemy. Once this alliance has been solidified, you will see.”

Namora stayed silent but she gave her acknowledgement through a nod. “ Wa leti' Oksajóolte ta, túun teen xan. ”

If he trusts you, then so do I.

“Thank you.” Her shoulders visibly slumped down in relief. With an outstretched arm and a small smile, she asked, “Well. I should change now. I shouldn’t make him wait.”

The Talokanil woman nodded and heeded her words, handing over the dress before she stepped inside one of the changing cubicles they made just for them. She wondered how fast they could work. They made so many adjustments and preparations for them barely hours after their arrival, just to accommodate them. 

She smiled as she put on the dress. She did not have a mirror to see how it fit her – but it did. Nothing was too loose or too tight and not a single thread woven into it was loosened. She marveled at the clothing on her way out of the cubicle. The last dress he made her wear was something similar except the jade was more prominent in the skirt area, dragging the dress down and scraping the floor.

Her worry must have been apparent because Namora quickly assured her that it was alright and that it fit her right.

That was probably the only compliment she would get from Namora.

As they approached closer to the cenote that led to Ch’ah’s hut, she could see from her distance that two tables were set up. 

She didn’t even know they had tables.

They were made out of rocks . Namora has long disappeared from her side and was now seated beside Attuma at the other table, along with Aneka, Okoye and Nakia. Aneka was laughing at something Attuma was saying while Namora and Okoye had the same impassive expression on their faces. She caught Nakia’s questioning eyes and she smiled in assurance. Her gaze went back to the stone tables and she wondered how they had carved it.

Before her confusion could fully settle in, Ch’ah came out of his hut, dressed in a loose-fitting tunic and a cloak. When their eyes met, he smiled at her widely with all his teeth peeking out and for a moment, Shuri felt like running back to her hut and hiding herself away. The man looked… handsome with his messy and curly hair and his untrimmed beard that he scratched. Shuri’s eyes followed his hands.

Ch’ah started to approach her and she stayed frozen in her place.

The god didn’t get to arrive in front of her before her brother whisked her away, quickly joining their arms together as they walked to one of the tables together. Shuri looked back briefly, watching with a bit of despair to see Ch’ah silently following behind them. The man’s eyes didn’t leave her while hers, unfortunately, had to dart her gaze away. She looked at her brother, affronted and a bit offended. 

“You froze, usisi,” T’Challa whispered and it only made her frown deepen. 

“Shut up,” She hissed just as quietly, glancing behind her to make sure the other king didn’t hear. Ch’ah looked unbothered and didn’t react to any of their words so she deemed it safe. Shuri glared at her brother, who was grinning smugly after getting his ‘revenge’. She would need to build another suit for him to test. “I did not ,” she vehemently denied, taking her hand back.

T’Challa let her but his smug grin wasn’t fading.

He moved behind a chair and started to pull it before she slapped his hands. “I can sit by myself,” she whispered angrily, only making him laugh. Ugh, he’s winning , she thought almost solemnly. 

Once she sat, she was in the middle of two chairs that was sat across from one another around the table. Her brother took the seat to her right and not a second later, Ch’ah followed through. He sat in the chair to her left, smiling at her briefly. 

“Thank you for accepting my invitation, King T’Challa,” He nodded briefly at T’Challa, who did the same back. His eyes bore into hers. “ Itzia .”

Heat flooded her entire body. “K’uk’ulkan,” she said without tremors in her voice; impeccable and polite. “We are honored to share breakfast with you.” In the corner of her eyes, she could see her brother raising his eyebrow at her. Was he impressed? Perhaps. Was he doubting her? Probably.

Ch’ah smiled again. “The honor is mine.”

With that, he raised a hand and called over the people standing at the side of the cenote. They had been holding a basket of food. Shuri’s eyes lit up and she was sure she was grinning when the food had been placed on the table. It was no fancy vibranium table nor were the wooden chairs being comfortable but she didn’t mind all of that once the food was in front of her.

She quickly noticed the blue corn she saw from the day before, as well as squash and some fruit she was not familiar with and could not identify at all. While this was not what her usual breakfast would be, she was excited to taste the native fruits and dishes Talokan might have.

Ch’ah seemed pleased by her reaction. He lifted his hand and nodded. “Please, help yourselves.”

When she grabbed one of the corn, Ch’ah said, “That is ixi’im , corn,” He translated by himself and her attention was fully on the basket as he kept pointing to every fruit inside of it. He pointed at the small golden cherries. “ Nance fruit. Cherries,” then, to her greenish fruit, “ Tauch . I do not know what it is called on the surface unfortunately.”

Shuri waved off his concern. “It’s alright.”

When she finally bit into the corn, a mixture of salt and sweetness bombarded her tongue. It is not typically her taste but she hummed the same, as if she was eating a dish prepared by one of their cooks. It was still delicious and she popped one of those golden cherries in her mouth and smiled at the sweetness. 

Ch’ah caught her gaze. “It is not much but I hope it will suffice.”

Since her mouth was full, her brother took it for himself to answer. With every amount of grace embedded in him, T’Challa slightly bowed. “It is enough, King K’uk’ulkan, thank you.” Then, he grabbed one of the corn and also bit into it.

The god-king finally made a move to eat, too. Shuri was enjoying her eight Nance fruit when Ch’ah’s hands came into view. He had broken the tauch fruit into half. He held the other half in one hand and in the other, a wooden spoon. Confused at the sudden interruption, she looked up, unaware of her full cheeks.

Ch’ah chuckled. “Eat this, itzia . It is delicious along with the other fruits.”

He scooped up a portion of the dark fruit with the spoon and held it up in front of her face.

A silence took up the already silent cenote. 

“I think she can feed herself, K’uk’ulkan,” T’Challa said through gritted teeth. She could practically hear it despite the fact her heart was beating at an unhealthy speed and her face was heating up even worse than before. 

“Ah,” The man said nonchalantly as if T’Challa wasn’t so close to breaking his fingers. Would his fingers break if they sparred? Shuri decided to put it at the back of her mind for now. Ch’ah pulled back but not before calmly and gently putting the fruit and spoon into her hands. His warmth left a mark on her already heated skin. “Of course. My apologies.”

“It’s alright,” she repeated again almost robotically, opting to stare at the fruit instead of any of the men beside her. She shoved a spoonful inside her mouth, munching and chewing and resolutely ignoring the staring contest happening before her. “This is delicious!” She exclaimed through her chewing.

T’Challa sighed. “ Usisi , chew first.”

“I am chewing,” she said loftily, affronted. T’Challa sent her a look; a reminiscence of the times she and her family would eat at the dining table together. He was trying not to smile at her antics and was trying to put on his ‘good and responsible brother’ facade which he ultimately fails at. She grinned wide and it only made T’Challa chuckle. 

“You’re close to one another,” Ch’ah stated; it was not a question. T’Challa turned his attention to him and Shuri followed him. The Talokan king was staring at her already and his gaze made her feel bashful, quickly gulping down the food. “It is a blessing.”

“Yes,” T’Challa answered fondly. “I held her when she came into this world,” their eyes met and Shuri felt like covering T’Challa’s mouth. He always would talk about holding her when their mother conceived her and it always made her feel embarrassed. Despite their big age gap, T’Challa did not act childish nor jealous of her when she came into the world. All her life, he would always play with her, entertain her questions, never dismissed her even when she made quite the outrageous creations in the lab, and would stand up for her when she became the chief of their science department.

“My sister is very important to me,” T’Challa said earnestly and honestly, reaching out and messing with her braids. She laughed quietly and slapped his hands. “That is why… I cannot bear to see her in danger. When N’Jadaka stood over her and held a spear…”

She froze. She hasn’t heard his name in a while. He would always be a taboo topic for Wakanda. Everyone knew of the uprising and the fierce and vengeful king. Shuri loathed to call him king; to her, he was no king and he was no Black Panther. He did not deserve those titles and while his death took a bit of a toll on her brother, he bounced right back.

Now, to avoid people like these, her brother put up outreach centers all over the world. The UN allowed it since it is done in good faith and Shuri has seen those outreach centers, and has seen the wonders it has done. The kids do well there – they were being taught Xhosa and would have education almost on par with Wakanda. 

“A man tried to kill you, Shuri?” Ch’ah asked, his eyes blazing with some kind of emotion. Shuri jumped at the sound of her name. Before she could answer, Ch’ah looked at T’Challa. “Is he dead?”

Shuri coughed. “Yes. He is. Do not worry about it.”

“I am not worried,” Ch’ah said with a smile. This smile was different and she could feel her hair standing up from her skin. The smile was unwelcoming and dangerous; a smile she never wanted to be directed at her. “I would be worried for him if he was alive.”

T’Challa cleared his throat. “Yes. Well. As you said, Shuri and I are very close. We grew up with one another and this umenzi wenkathazo ,” Troublemaker, Shuri rolled her eyes and munched on another bite of a fruit. “ – would get into so much trouble. She had me to diffuse those situations.”

Ch’ah chuckled and Shuri’s eyes instantly locked onto his neck.

“Then you are very close, King T’Challa. Maybe even closer than my Namora and Attuma.”

Shuri remembered her conversation with Attuma.

“You are close with him. Is he your father?”

“If only.”

“Attuma mentioned they grew under your care,” Shuri piped into the conversation, not easily unnerved by the pair of eyes on her. “Is that true? Have they been with you since they were children?”

Memories flooded her mind; memories of her and him in Talokan, playing with the children. She remembered how gentle and playful he was at the time, encouraging the kids to continue playing and teaching them how to do certain moves properly. 

Ch’ah smiled brightly and the menacing aura from before dissipated. “Yes,” Ch’ah answered, pleased and his pride was shining. “Attuma and Namora have been with me since their families died. I held both of them when they were born and I was there when their families died.” She watched as he smiled and looked back at the table behind them. Attuma was now annoying Okoye, who was trying her hardest not to reply back while Aneka teased her and Namora and Nakia, surprisingly, were engaged in conversation.

“I’ve taught them whatever they wanted to know about. They wanted to know how to fight? I taught them firsthand. They asked to know English. I taught them how to speak it. They asked me to teach them our ways, so I did.”

He spoke of them fondly – like a father would about his child. Shuri felt something in her chest stir. 

“That is kind of you, taking them in,” Shuri said sincerely, a small smile on her lips. “They care a great deal about you. Namora, especially.”

Ch’ah’s lips quirked up. “Yes, well. She has the most similarities with me, like my ire.”

An attendant suddenly appeared beside the other king, startling her. The woman spoke quietly, quiet enough for her beads not to catch.

Ch’ah grinned and nodded, waving the attendant away. He put his palm up in her direction and Shuri stared at it in confusion for an embarrassingly long time. “I’m afraid I must cut this breakfast short. Is the princess free to come along?”

T’Challa furrowed his eyebrows. “Why would you need Shuri – ”

“Yes!” She exclaimed as she put her hand on top of his, effectively cutting off her brother. Her brother shot her a glare but with the quickness of a panther, she donned her exosuit. T’Challa eyes became wide in realization and he stood up along with them.

“Shuri,” T’Challa said in a tone that bore warning. Shuri grinned back at him as she was led to the underwater entrance to Talokan. 

“I told them I would assist them in fixing their sastun and I do not need you to follow me, so I would be really glad if you do not shadow me and I just need you to trust me, brother.” The flurry of words stumbled out of her mouth before T’Challa could say anything any more and when he opened his mouth to reply, she and Namor jumped in the water.

—

“Grab your exosuit, your highness!” Okoye exclaimed and T’Challa simply sighed and waved his hand while he shook his head. Okoye tilted her head in confusion. “We must follow them.”

“No need, Okoye,” He said as he stared at the clear water, trying to find a sliver of Shuri’s exosuit and only finding his reflection. “Shuri can handle it.”

“But my king – ”

“Okoye,” He chided gently. “My sister asked me to trust her. And I will do that. In the meantime,” he turned his attention to the generals of this underwater world, who were looking at them with uncertainty. “Tell us more about Talokan.”

Namora patently disliked the idea but conceded. Attuma followed her lead.

He stared one last time at the waters before he sat back down.

—

“Here is our lab, Shuri.”

Shuri’s eyes roamed around the massive temple-like room. Numerous Talokanils were there, swimming leisurely from table to table. They were at the entrance and when they stepped – swam – inside, they were finally noticed by the people inside. All of them simultaneously stopped at their presence and gracefully bowed their heads and opened their palms up to them.

The Talokan Salute, as she had started dubbing it. It was like the Wakanda salute, where they crossed their arms on their chest. However, they weren’t in Wakanda and Shuri gladly reciprocated the gesture, barely catching the shock from the Talokanils. 

“ Yaantal je'el bix t'aane' ,” (Be at ease.) Ch’ah spoke softly and the Talokanils nodded before finally lowering down their hands and going back to work.

As they swam further inside the lab, she could see some Talokanils’ stares. She knew they were curious about her and she wouldn’t turn them away if they approached her. For now, she admired the architecture, the flow of the lab and how the scientists handled themselves well. Most of them were busy with their own creations and each time she peeked into one of their tables, they would shyly duck away from her.

When she approached a woman who had been tinkering with what looked like arm bangles, her eyes sparkled in curiosity. She went closer and closer until the woman started to move away.

“Ah, no,” she almost shouted, forcing her voice to be calmer when the Talokanil woman paused. “Please tell me more about your project.”

Ch’ah was at her side to translate fairly quickly. The woman brightened up almost immediately, delving into furious clicks and a storm of words. Her arms were going up and down as she explained and Shuri held a giggle from bursting out of her mouth when the god-king looked overwhelmed by the amount of information. 

After the woman was finished, she sent an amused expression at the man but sent the Talokanil scientist a bright smile. The woman hesitated before sending a smile back at her and she felt accomplished in a way.

“Well,” the god blinked many times, “That was very good, Xelha,” he spoke accordingly, in a soft and encouraging tone. Shuri smiled and listened dutifully as Ch’ah started to translate. The moment he started to translate, her curiosity peaked even more. What he was saying to her – what the scientist was talking about – sounded close to the almost indestructible cloak shields that were given to the Border tribe.

“It is like a force field but as a shield, she says,” He said with a hum, thinking. “But it will be infused in these bangles. To further protect my people.”

“That is amazing!” She exclaimed, grasping the scientist’s hands in her own. “We have something similar to that! If you ever need help, I would love to help. It is something close to our Border tribe’s defense cloaks. It is infused with vibranium and a shield as they are our first line of defense and – ” She suddenly stopped, finally noticing the shocked expression on the Talokanil’s face.

Sheepish, she pulled back. “Ah, sorry. I got a bit excited.”

Ch’ah was dutiful in translating everything she said to Xelha with Xelha nodding with every word. Once everything was said, Xelha turned to her and asked something quickly.

She looked at Ch’ah. 

“She… wishes to embrace you,” Ch’ah explained plainly but felt a bit flabbergasted in a way.

A hug? Shuri turned back to Xelha and opened her arms wide only for Xelha to swim fast enough to knock the wind from her chest. “ Níib óolal, ix ajaw! ” The woman exclaimed yet she still hasn’t let her go so Shuri laughed.

Once Xelha finished, she shyly waved at her when they retreated further into the lab.

At the end of the lab, a pathway had been freshly and recently cleared. Shuri stole a look toward the god-king, wondering what his plan was. Ch’ah only swam up so she followed his pace and direction. She could see lights and when they broke the surface, she was immediately met with the sight of glow worms at the ceiling of the cenote and luminescent plants around the cenote. They weren’t actually plants but –

“How did you collect so many dinoflagellates and have their continuous glow? And are those mushrooms – no, wait. Those are fungi. They do not glow blue like the dinoflagellates organisms. Green? Are they ghost fungi? They are not local here so how did you – ”

She heard Ch’ah laugh behind her and she didn’t even realize she was advancing towards the organism and plants. Ch’ah came to her instead of her stepping back and although he was dripping wet, the moment their skin came in contact, she could feel his warmth.

She didn’t dare move from her position. She let their shoulders stick to one another.

Ch’ah didn’t seem bothered about it at all.

“We are the people of the sea, Shuri,” Ch’ah explained cryptically. She could at least respect him hiding some things from her. At least his expression was more open and honest, smiling and kind. “We have some tricks up our sleeves too.”

“Not bad,” Shuri teased with a grin and was relieved to find him grinning back. “Ah, but is this your lab?” She looked around, admiring the cave. 

Ch’ah tilted his head and Shuri was sure her jaw would start hurting if she continued to smile. “This is not mine,” Ch’ah said in a tone that she couldn’t distinguish. He continued, “This is yours now, itzia .”

The words took longer for her to process. She stared at Ch’ah silently when her brain processed the words. It took some time but the realization sank in and her jaw became ajar. Astounded by what he said, she stood in front of him with an open mouth and wide eyes.

This certainly made him laugh which rattled her out of her shocked stupor. 

“What,” she choked out, eyes frantically looking for any signs of lying. Ch’ah had no such thing. “ This ?” She asked, gesturing to the entire cenote. It was big, perhaps a little bit bigger than her lab in Bashenga and she couldn’t help but think this was a prank. After all, why did this underwater god suddenly decide to gift her a lab? Her? A princess?

Ch’ah seemed confused at her own confusion.  Now they were both confused. At least only one became a blubbering fool. “Yes,” Ch’ah said, walking up to the wall and looking up at the faint glow of the glow worms. “This is yours now. You need a lab in order to work on the amplifier, do you not?”

Still speechless, she stepped forward to stand next to the man. “You… you are sure?”

“Yes, Shuri,” Ch’ah stepped closer, letting their arms brush once again. Shuri ignored the heat on her face in favor of looking up at the man, who was already staring down at her. “It is yours now.”

With an excitement that felt very familiar to the time she first got her lab underneath Mount Bashenga, she frolicked everywhere in the cenote. The cenote had wooden tables – something she would get used to but ultimately was not important. The planktons and fungi was something she had to be careful with. Seeing as they were the only source of light, she should search about how to take care of them or…

She glanced at the man who stood by the entrance, watching her. She could always ask the man.

The wooden tables had tools on it. Some she did recognize and some she didn’t.

Shuri sat on a stool and admired all the things laid out before her. With a flick of her wrist, she waved at Ch’ah to come to her. He willingly approached her and stood at her back as she pointed to each tool. He was a good listener, she found out and was an even better person when explaining. He was patient, she also found out.

While she was busy asking, he would be busy answering every question her mind could come up with.

For the first time since the uprising, she felt at ease.

“Do you want to go back to the hut, Shuri?”

“Hm?” She blinked quickly, directing her attention to Ch’ah. His face was close but not closer than the first time she visited Talokan and forgot her extra oxygen bottles. She gave a side glance toward her oxygen bottles and was relieved to see them there. 

“You seem… sleepy,” He frowned, pulling away from her and assessing her face. “Did you not sleep well?”

It was not that she didn’t sleep well – she couldn’t sleep at all. Ever since… the happenings in Wakanda, she had nightmares and nightmares like those do not go away. While there were times she would nap in the hammock they provided her, it could only do so much.

“I slept well,” she lied, smiling. 

Ch’ah continued to frown. “Is it because surface-dwellers are used to beds? Would you like a bed, itzia ? Would it be more comfortable than a hammock?” The man continued to ask questions in a rapid fire and her hands lifted on their own as they made contact with his face.

Suddenly, the noise faded away. Shuri laughed. “I am alright, Ch’ah. I am able to sleep and that is enough.”

Maybe she really was sleepy because she hadn’t noticed the man stayed motionless in her hands. “Oh,” she softly whispered, realizing the situation. Surprised and suddenly embarrassed, she pulled back her arms only for him to snatch them back in his own. The heat traveled back up to her face and as she stared up at his eyes, which was crinkled due to a smile, her heart came up to her throat.

“It is alright, itzia ,” Was that a purr? Her face worsened with warmth. “You can touch me however you like.”

This time, the words processed in her brain much faster, thankfully and she pulled back her hands. “Okay! Okay. Yes, um. Alright. Sorry for. Touching? You. Suddenly. Yes.” Her brain was short circuiting and the only thing she could do was stare at the tools on the table that stared at her back.

From their proximity, she could feel the shake of his body with laughter. “Well, I should leave you now, Shuri.”

“What?” She asked, surprised when the man kept walking towards the water entrance. 

“I’m sure you would be busy building the amplifier,” the man offered as an explanation while already dipping his feet in the water. “You wouldn’t want a distraction, would you?”

Distraction , she almost scoffed. This man thought too highly of himself. 

Their eyes met and it was a mistake; the man was challenging her. “Unless you would be okay with company?”

Averting her gaze, she picked up some tools. “Whatever. You can leave. You can stay.”

Please stay .

“If you say so, Shuri.”

She heard a splash.

She whipped around, almost mad at the way the man easily followed her. Expecting to see him gone, she was surprised to see the man lazily swimming around the pool of water. Before the man could look at her once more, she swiftly turned around.

She worked in silence with only the water splashes and dripping being the only sounds she could hear. Shuri didn’t think this would work; she always had music playing when she was working on a project. Right now, however, the tranquility of the place gave her the right amount of productivity and focus. 

Sometimes, the man would leave the water and sit next to her, asking and talking in hushed tones. She would answer and this made her amused. It seemed like she was the one answering the most now. 

Other times, Cualli would enter the cenote lab with a basket of fruits and water; clean, purified water, surprisingly. She and Ch’ah would share. The first time, they were silent since she was focused on the task in hand. The second time, Ch’ah regaled her with a story of how they had gotten the fruits to be grown underwater.

It went on for hours – she didn’t know how many hours it had been.

Shuri only stopped when Ch’ah held her shoulder. She looked up, blinking her eyes to refocus. The man stood before her with a smile.

“I think that is enough for the day, Shuri.”

Usually, she would complain, but she could feel the exhaustion wearing on her, so she conceded. She let herself be led out of her lab, out of their lab, and out of Talokan. 

Ch’ah was nice enough to lead her to the huts. T’Challa was still awake, meeting them in front of her hut. None of them spoke as T’Challa reached out for her and she hugged him, closing her eyes and falling closer to sleep.

“She worked hard,” Ch’ah whispered and she could feel her brother nod his head.

“Yes, but I hope not too hard.”

Ch’ah answered. “I made her take breaks. I kept her fed and hydrated. King T’Challa, you have always had my word. No harm shall fall on you and your family.”

T’Challa’s hold on her tightened and she whined. “I just want to sleep, can you guys wrap it up?”

Ch’ah huffed a laugh, the same with T’Challa. They bid goodnight and with one last look at the god, she smiled at him. “Thank you.”

Ch’ah smiled back. “Thank you, too, Shuri.”

T’Challa led her in the room, where Okoye, Nakia, and Aneka were still awake. They had waited for her. She could hear Okoye breathe a sigh of relief. Other times, she would comment on it but she didn’t care any more as she climbed in on her bed. It was soft and the texture of the cloth was smooth on her skin. 

It made her fall asleep faster than the bed in her home.

Wait, where’s her hammock?

Chapter Text

When her eyes peeled open, she was not met by the sun near her windows. She was not met with any light at all, only the soft glow of the worms around them. She pushed herself up from the bed, feeling the soft and warm bedding underneath her skin; it called to her, tempting her to sleep in once again. Resisting the temptation, she looked around the hut. 

Okoye has long since woken up – she didn’t know how she always did it. Aneka and Nakia, too, who were busy talking to one another at the corner of the room. As soon as they noticed her awake, Aneka scrambled to her feet to sit by her bedside.

“Princess,” the warrior whispered like she was about to say something secretive. Her sleep-addled brain didn’t let her reply, so the warrior continued. “Did you ask the fish king for a bed?”

Bed ? She furrowed her eyebrows. Bed . She squeezed the covers in her hands. Bed !

The moment her brain processed the words, her jaw dropped. Shuri almost leaped out of the bed but gathered herself enough to stare wide-eyed at the bed. The three women stayed silent behind her and she stole a glance at them. Okoye was displeased, as usual. Aneka looked intrigued, if the wagging of her eyebrows were any indication. Nakia was also curious but hers tinged with worry.

“Okoye, please wipe that frown off your face,” Shuri desperately begged as she collected her thoughts. Okoye sighed before thinning her lips. Well, that was better than a scowl and frown, so for now it will do. “When did this bed get here?” She asked, pointing at the bed as if it was some kind of foreign inanimate object. Maybe it was.

Nakia answered her. “An hour before you arrived last night. Attuma carried it inside, said it was an order from K’uk’ulkan.”

Her answer elicited three reactions;

“You call him K’uk’ulkan now?” Okoye.

“From the king himself!” Aneka.

“What the fuck,” Her.

“ Language .” Okoye and Nakia. She rolled her eyes and sat back down on the bed. It was soft. She didn’t even know Talokanils could weave something so soft. The dresses they were provided with were soft but it was not as soft as this. It almost felt like the bed in her room though she didn’t know which felt better.

Aneka sat beside her once again. “So, princess? Did you ask for the bed?”

Shuri frowned. Her memories flash back to the time in the cenote lab. No, she hadn’t asked for it but she had seen the worry and concern in Ch’ah’s face. She remembered she had already dismissed his concern and said she was alright. Ch’ah was in the lab with her the entire time, so how had he gotten her a bed so fast?

Her mind continued to work until silence was the only thing left in the hut.

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly, breaking the silence. “I… I didn’t ask him for a bed. But… he did notice I wasn’t sleeping well.”

Aneka cooed and as she did, she barely avoided the slap from Okoye. “The fish king seems like a nice man.”

“Fish king?” Shuri asked, amused. Her smile slipped out, only for Aneka to mirror. “When did you coin the term fish king?”

“Since now,” Aneka said proudly with a preen. It earned a sigh from Okoye.

“Hey,” she bumped shoulders with Okoye, who looked at her with dread in her eyes. She rolled her eyes again. The general was always dramatic. “You’re always frowning. Do you want to go back to Wakanda?”

“Badly.” Was her quick response. Yeah, Shuri knew already.

Shuri sighed. “Will you?”

Okoye kissed her teeth, firmly crossing her arms over another. “No. I was assigned to protect you, princess. As long as you stay here, I will be staying.”

“Well, if you’re staying here with us… please be nicer to the Talokanil,” It was a suggestion and an encouragement. Since the alliance was in the works, they didn’t need any strife between the two nations, and Okoye did not need to be in the middle of that strife because of her temper and frowning. “Attuma’s nice.”

“Oh, yes!” Aneka exclaimed, pointing at Okoye. “That big blue man? He’s very nice and funny. Thank Bast you put translators in our beads, Shuri.” 

Shuri grinned. She really was proud of her work. Thank Bast she decided way back when they were starting that they needed a translator. When they were still hiding and her brother had not yet opened Wakanda to the world, the tribal elders didn’t see the importance of the translator. She huffed at the memory. Now, what? She challenged the imaginary leaders in her head. 

“Right? Attuma is nice! Namora, too!”

Okoye let out a disbelieving scoff. “What? The scowling blue woman?”

Shuri sent her a raised eyebrow. Okoye wilted. Only a little bit. 

“Sorry, princess,” The woman apologized, slumping her shoulders. Oh no, Shuri thought. Every time Okoye started apologizing, she would start to talk about her traitorous husband and she would start apologizing nonstop. The wound from her husband’s – Shuri refused to call him by his name. Even though he was close to T’Challa. – traitorous deeds were still a bit fresh and Shuri couldn’t really blame her for anything. 

“It’s okay!” She exclaimed quickly, shooting a glance at Nakia and Aneka, who looked worried the woman would be going into another spiral. “Just.. you’ve been… frown-y .”

Okoye frowned, tugging her lips further down and further proving her words. “Sorry, princess,” she apologized again and Shuri felt like ripping her braids off in frustration. Okoye never looked pathetic until her husband did what he did. If Shuri hadn’t been forbidden to go to their jail cells, she would have ripped him a new one. “I admit I have been feeling… antsy.”

Shuri hummed in understanding although she did not actually feel what Okoye felt. While she did miss home and her mother, Talokan was different on a whole other level. Something, someone, and the whole world has never seen before. An underwater kingdom – like Atlantis! Except a city was never sunk and they actually lived underwater. 

“If you are feeling antsy, why don’t we set something up with the Talokanils?” It was a lightbulb moment for Shuri. If her warrior was feeling antsy and out of place, and since Okoye loved to spar, an activity regarding that would ease her out. She was sure Namor wouldn’t pass the chance to have their people bond together. Even if it is through fighting, well, sparring . Shuri grinned at Okoye, who looked understandably confused. 

“What do you mean, princess?”

Shuri giggled with a big grin. “What do you think about a sparring session?”

Okoye’s eyes lit up but it quickly turned into confusion once again. “With you, princess? You refused my offer to train you!”

Rolling her eyes while standing up, she walked closer to the entrance. “I meant with the Talokanils! It can be like a small sparring session. With you and Aneka and two Talokanils,” she glanced at Nakia, who didn’t seem bothered that she didn’t mention her. Nakia, instead of being upset, was nodding in agreement and approval of her idea. “We can ask for Attuma and Namora.”

Okoye let out a sigh. “Anyone but them, princess.”

“Why?” She asked with a raised eyebrow; challenging. “Are you scared, general?” Deep inside, she knew that Okoye was far from scared. However, if she really wanted for her anxiousness and uneasiness to fade, this was the only way. Namora and Attuma were Ch’ah’s generals meaning they were the leaders and the strongest of their army. Just as Okoye was. 

And just as expected, Okoye scoffed, offended. Shuri grinned. “Scared? I am never scared, princess,” The general said with a roll of her eyes, avoiding her gaze. Shuri continued to stare at her until Okoye finally met her stare. “ Fine , go tell your fish king.”

Shuri doubled back, heat growing on her face. “My what .”

“Fish king,” Aneka repeated with a teasing grin, not far from Okoye’s small and teasing smile, and even though she was trying to hide it, she has known her for too long. Shuri was pretty sure her face had scrunched up into a somewhat offended and disbelieving expression, to mask her embarrassment. 

“He’s not – my– what – He’s an ally of Wakanda!” Shuri spluttered and stuttered, unsuccessful in hiding her breaking composure. “He’s a friend !”

“Oh, he’s a friend ,” Aneka teased once more, exchanging a gleeful glance with Okoye. Okoye wasn’t even hiding her amusement anymore.

Okoye badly tried to cough her own laugh. “What a nice friend .”

Nakia laughed behind her and she whirled around to look at her, widening her eyes to plead. The woman laughed again when she saw her face. Nakia chided the warrior women in her defense. “Ey, ey ,” she called out to the giggling women. “Don’t tease the princess. She hasn’t had her first date yet,” Shuri’s face bloomed with heat and her glare was even hotter when she directed it to Nakia, who only continued to laugh. “Or did the fish king take you on a tour around his home?”

The three women howled in laughter and Shuri refrained herself from stomping her foot on the ground. “You three are impossible!”

She huffed amidst the laughter and left the hut. So what if she hadn’t had her first date? She’s had her first kiss! (If the clumsy peck of a teenager’s lips on hers were to be counted.) She has never had interest in a romantic relationship and it was never a problem – it was a relief for her mother and a nightmare for her father. (Bast bless his soul in the ancestral realm.)

Her Baba would always try to encourage interaction with boys. She refused every time and even if she was forced, it was where T’Challa came in to be useful. Due to T’Challa’s rank, anyone and everyone would be too scared to approach her. It was alright though; it was never a problem. It wasn’t like the throne relied on her so it never really bothered her that she was never in a relationship.

Besides, she was here for the alliance. She had other things to worry about like – like Talokan’s sastun, the vibranium sun in which Ch’ah carved and made himself. The amplifier was in the works already; she had made significant progress yesterday despite it being the first day. 

When she turned to a corner, she bumped onto a wall – well, no, that was no wall.

“ Itzia ,” the smooth voice purred. “Were you going to look for me?”

This man, she thought infuriatingly, the heat on her face returning. “I was not,” she vehemently and aggressively denied. And lied. But he didn’t need to know that. Ch’ah raised an eyebrow at her answer, looking behind him. 

“You were on the way to my hut.” 

“I was not on the way to anywhere!” She shrieked as the warrior women’s words started ringing in her ear again. Yours. Fish king. Tour his home . Ridiculous. They were being ridiculous. Ch’ah’s eyebrows went up even further and she hated that she followed the action, hating herself even more when the man looked handsome. Her sudden outburst followed an awkward silence. 

Shuri cleared her throat. “But now that you’re here. I have something to discuss with you.”

Ch’ah lifted a hand, gesturing for her to continue.

With a glare that she hoped came across as hostile, she crossed her arms over her chest. “You brought a bed in our hut.” 

He tilted his head. Shuri wanted to throttle him. “Attuma carried it. I merely told him to do so. You said – ”

“I was sleeping fine ,” Shuri cut him off, frowning deeply. “I told you.”

“Your eyes,” He started and it made her confused though he answered later. “Your eyes told me you have not been sleeping well.”

Her hands quickly went up to her eyes, feeling the bags under her eyes. Ever since they stayed in Talokan, they had only become deeper. She glared up at the god-king who had the audacity to look amused at her actions. “Are you telling me I look raddled?”

He pulled back and only in that moment did Shuri realize their close proximity. There was no wind in the cave’s hallway and yet her skin had bumps on it and she shivered when his knuckles caressed over her arm. Ch’ah’s amusement irritated her further and she held her arms together. 

“Yes,” Ch’ah said bluntly and she scoffed. “Your eyes showed your fatigue, Shuri. The least I can do is offer comfort as host. Did you get to sleep well last night?”

“Stop looking at my eyes,” she mumbled, feeling a pout form on her lip as she was already feeling embarrassed at being called out. Yes, she wasn’t sleeping well. Yes, she might have slept the best since the civil war with N’Jadaka. “Yes,” she grumbled quietly this time, “I slept well. Thank you.”

The god positively beamed at her words. His eyes crinkled and he looked pleased.

“But!” Shuri exclaimed and watched in amusement as the man paused on his little victory. “You must provide beds for all of us. I know my brother is not complaining out of respect but I’m sure his back is hurting.”

Ch’ah tilted his head with furrowed eyebrows. “His back hurts?”

Shuri let out a giggle. “Maybe.”

Ch’ah sent her another smile before lifting his hand in offer. “Well?” He motioned to his open palm. “You were looking for me, were you not?”

“I was just passing by,” She turned up her chin and nose, challenging him in a way. It did not work the way she thought it would; instead it made the man smile. Charming and bright. She scrunched her nose in irritation. “But since you’re here already,” she accepted his offered hand and watched as his smile became brighter. “I have a favor.”

“Anything, itzia,” His eyes twinkled in their crinkled state and she was led to his hut. 

—

“ Ba'ate'el amistosa? ” ( A friendly fight?) Namora asked with a frown evident on her lips with the way her mask was dragging down. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she held her spear tightly in her hand. 

“Ba'ax similar u k concursos ba'ate'lo', K’uk’ulkan?” (Are they similar to our training contests?)

She watched Namora and Attuma ask questions to Ch’ah, who looked pleased to answer each and one of them. Her conversation with the god-king was somewhat a pleasant one.

“You want a… sparring session between our warriors?” Ch’ah asked, genuinely confused. She huffed, a bit annoyed. She didn’t know why he was confused. It would be a great bonding activity for their warriors and a start for their shaky alliance. 

“Yes,” she stated firmly, straightening her back. “My general, you see, is getting antsy from staying here. Since we would be here a bit longer, I thought… Why not let our people interact with one another? Would that not be a great way to start our alliance?”

Ch’ah was nodding along to her words and was rubbing his beard. She wondered if it would feel itchy on her skin. “Hmm,” he hummed, his eyes never leaving hers and forcing her to take her gaze away from his face. “Perhaps. I can agree. Will those three women fight?”

“Only Aneka and Okoye. Two from us, and two from yours. Attuma and Namora.”

“Ah, yes. Namora.” He sighed and she laughed merrily.

“They are willing.”

The voice and words startled her. She glanced at her side to see Ch’ah standing with a smile at her. Shuri sent him a small smile and continued to watch Okoye and Aneka squabble with one another. They were most likely going over their movement and planning how to defeat the two Talokanil generals.

She had hope that they could. 

With a renewed grin, she looked up at Namor. “Are your generals ready to lose to mine?”

Ch’ah looked at her with amusement, barking out a disbelieving laugh as he threw his head back. “My generals? Lose?” He shook his head and for a second, Shuri thought arrogance made him handsome. Even just a tiny bit. Even if it irritated her usually. “There is a reason they are my generals, Shuri.”

His eyes strayed to Attuma and Namora, who were talking in hushed conversation. “I never did introduce them properly. Namora, my right hand who was named after me. Namora, Furia le k'áak'náabo' . The fury of the sea. Attuma, my left hand. Attuma, Le luchador le abismo . The fighter of the abyss.”

One brow cocked up and Shuri let out a breathy laugh. Her eyes met her brother’s, who were staring at them with a raised eyebrow like her. She immediately looked away. “The names are… quite the big deal.”

Ch’ah basically preened and grinned proudly. Unknowingly, her heart warmed and beat faster. “Yes, my warriors are the.. big deal , as you say. I have named them those. Namora’s wrath and Attuma’s strength is known within the seas. Namora, the lionfish warrior and Attuma, the shark-slayer. They are my pride and joy.”

For a number of reasons Shuri could not explain, her mouth became dry. She gulped and turned away from the man. 

“That’s quite the statement, K’uk’ulkan,” Shuri said softly, watching her very own warriors laughing and whispering to one another. Okoye seemed a bit lighter though she didn’t know why; she was about to spar and yet it seemed to be her only relief. Shuri smiled the same. “The Dora Milaje is the same. They are not only guards but they are… family .” She has never known a life without Okoye. Or any of the Dora Milaje.

Okoye is the same age as T’Challa as well as Nakia. Aneka was a year younger. Shuri was even younger. T’Challa had no problem bringing her to his friends and while she would have no qualms about spending time with these people, she would rather be in her lab or room, when she was younger.

“I’m glad we see the same, Shuri.”

A pair of spears that were stomped on the ground echoed within the cavern. They looked back to see Attuma and Namora. 

“We are ready,” Attuma said in English. 

Ch’ah smiled and turned to her. “Well? Who will be going first?”

Shuri looked at Okoye, who pointed at Aneka. Aneka stood tall and strong, her vibranium spear shining in the low light. It looked recently cleaned and knowing Okoye, she most likely forced Aneka to clean it. Shuri slowly walked to their side – the Wakandan side. There were other Talokanil warriors present and were sat on the other side to observe the fight. Ch’ah made no movement to follow her and stayed with his people.

Aneka faced toward her and her brother, who was next to her. “I will be going first, my king,” She bowed her head and to her; “Princess.”

T’Challa, who had been quiet the entire time, nodded along. He clasped his hand on her shoulder with a small grin. “May Bast bless you, Aneka, daughter of Kyana.”

Aneka beamed and stepped forward.

Shuri watched as Namora whispered something to Ch’ah. Ch’ah nodded and they all watched as Namora stepped forward. 

She rose an eyebrow, shooting the look at Ch’ah. He simply shrugged with a small smile which she reciprocated. She didn’t think Namora would go first but as Namora made a show of swinging her spear and slightly crouching; she understood. Aneka copied her, extending her spear but crouched into the familiar stance that the Dora Milaje do whenever they train. She was lower and she held her spear closer to her. 

Seeing her newly designed spear on Aneka made her grin proudly. T’Challa patted her back, easily recognizing her design and they both let out a quiet chuckle. The noise earned a certain fish king’s attention but she willed herself to watch the two warriors.

All eyes were on the two warriors in their makeshift ring and as they watched with bated breath, the fight began with two spears meeting one another with a resounding echo. Aneka swiftly jumped back away from the impact, giving the chance for Namora to charge and attack. Aneka met Namora’s spear with hers but in the battle of strength, Namora easily put her spear down.

Aneka clicked her tongue and dodged the next swipe, lifting her spear to hit Namora’s stomach, only for her to quickly block it with her own spear. The Wakandan warrior fell on the floor but quickly gathered herself and stood up.

Namora pushed her off balance. Shuri could feel her own muscles strain at the action. Aneka wasted no time attacking once she was up.

The fight continued on for a few minutes. Everyone was engrossed with the battle, more so the Talokanils at Ch’ah’s side. Their eyes never strayed away from the fight and while it was the same for T’Challa and her, they have seen Aneka spar a number of times already. T’Challa, being the king, almost always oversaw the training with the Dora Milaje and the army. He liked to be involved with their defense and training – to show support and encourage the warriors. For Shuri, however, she would always observe only for the sole purpose of upgrading their weapons.

Okoye would always ask her to join them; every time she refused but that didn’t let her off easily when it came to having combat experience. And after N’Jadaka… T’Challa tightened the lessons. She knew a bit when it came to spears now. She still prefers her sonic blasters, though.

When Aneka was thrown to the ground once again, she clicked her tongue. “Aneka!” She shouted, breaking the silence; the silence being the clang and heavy breaths from the two warriors. “You can do this!”

T’Challa laughed at her and from beside her, also sat up. He formed his hands around his mouth, “Aneka! We are rooting for you!”

Okoye and Nakia joined in and they were the only ones who were noisy for a time until Attuma shouted, startling all of them. 

“ Namora! Táan a púustik le orcas wa pierdes! ” (Namora! You are cleaning the orcas if you lose!) The words translated and a joyful laugh came out of her mouth. The man was threatening the woman to clean the orcas if she lost. It brought tears to her eyes and her throat felt strained from laughing. In the corner of her eyes, she could see Ch’ah smiling in amusement.

Meanwhile, in the ring, Namora’s eyebrows furrowed as she blocked another attack from Aneka.

It started a chaos. Now, the Talokanils shouted and cheered nonstop. 

At the sixth-minute mark, Ch’ah finally spoke up. “ Namora, termínalo bejla'e'. ” (Namora, finish this.)

That seemed to spur Namora even more and as her last strike, she rendered the entire room speechless when she swiped Aneka’s legs and made her fall on the floor. She whirled and pointed her spear at Aneka’s throat and everyone stayed silent. 

A slow clap echoed through the cavern. Shuri’s eyes drifted to the man with a smug grin directed at her. She huffed as the Talokanils cheered in delight. When neither of the warriors moved, Ch’ah’s eyes looked away from hers and went back to the two warriors. 

“ Namora .” 

Namora pulled away reluctantly, clicking her tongue. The Talokanil warrior extended her hand to the woman on the ground. Aneka groaned yet accepted it, letting the smaller woman pull her to stand. 

“Whew,” Aneka puffed out with a smile, shaking the hand of the other warrior woman. Namora seemed shocked at her positive reaction and Shuri couldn’t help but laugh. Nothing could ever put Aneka down. Unless it was Ayo herself. “Now, that was an exercise. Almost as bad when dealing with Okoye’s tantrum.” 

“ Ey !”

“I said almost!” Aneka said with a laugh. She rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck and arms. “Man. I’m going to feel that until tomorrow.”

Namora furrowed her eyebrows. “ Beyech yaantal ma'alob .” (You seem alright / You are okay.)

“Hm?” Aneka looked up from her stretching. “Yes, I’m okay.”

Namora merely tilted her head before going back to Ch’ah’s side. Aneka did the same, getting a firm scolding from Okoye. 

“It seems my general won, itzia ,” Ch’ah grinned from across. Shuri badly wanted to wipe off that grin.

“Only one,” she said haughtily back. “ Okoye .”

Okoye stood tall and proud. Something that was familiar and reminded her of home. She smiled as the warrior stepped in the circle with no hesitation. 

T’Challa grinned and leaned closer to her. “Okoye will win.”

Shuri snorted. “Of course, she will.”

Attuma stood up from the bench – the rock? – they were perching on. Attuma entered the makeshift ring and stomped his spear on the ground. “In ba’ate.”

Okoye tilted her head as GRIOT translated. “Warrior,” she repeated back and unlike Aneka, she did not bow. She crouched in the same stance Aneka had done, low and holding her spear close to her, pointed deadly at Attuma.

Attuma swung his axe-like spear and attempted to hit her without preamble. 

There, the fight began and they traded blows back and forth with neither one of them ceasing. As she watched, Shuri couldn’t help but be captivated. When she was a child, she always watched Okoye spar with other Dora Milaje. Other times, it would be exciting but as she grew up, she found most of it dull. Right now, however, this was the most she saw Okoye look excited and aggressive. The woman was dancing on her two feet, blocking and attacking each time. 

Unfortunately, since Attuma was bigger and stronger, he managed to push her. She jammed the spear on the ground, scraping it against the floor and managing to soften the impact. Shuri held onto her breath as she felt her hands go clammy. She has never seen Okoye lose and she wasn’t about to watch it happen now. 

Attuma wielded his axe and hit Okoye’s vibranium spear. The woman was pushed back a bit once again before she regained her balance and hit the man furiously, cutting his cheek in the process. Everyone gasped while Shuri silently cheered. Namora had jolted in her seat, clicking her tongue in surprise. Attuma seemed stupefied at the event and wiped his cheek for blood. Shuri could see Okoye grinning triumphantly. 

Ch’ah had been silently observing the match the entire time and although the dance of the two were very precise and captivating, her eyes strayed away from them. Her eyes stayed on the man’s form, watching as his chest rose and fell from breathing, watching as his eyes became piercing as they analyzed the fight before them. She watched his arms constricting and tightening over his chest and watched as his hands came up to his chin, rubbing at his beard.

Within the confines of her ribs, her heart beat faster without permission. 

She watched as the pointy tips of his ears twitched.

A loud clang of two metals meeting roused her from her daydream and her eyes jolted back to the two warriors in front of her.

Okoye’s finesse and smugness only spurred Attuma on. He became more aggressive with every swing, rendering Okoye’s attacks useless as their spears met with each blow. Shuri’s knees jumped when Okoye fell to the floor and she prayed to Bast fiercely, in the security of her mind. She may not believe fully but she believed in Okoye’s strength.

The big man pointed his spear at Okoye and spoke in his native tongue. No one seemed to have caught it within the loud cheering and Shuri seethed in her seat.

Before the match could be deemed over, Okoye grabbed the end of the spear and pulled hard. Attuma became out of balance and fell firmly on the tough and rough ground. He fell with a groan. Without wasting a moment, Okoye grabbed her own spear and straddled the man. She pointed the spear at his neck. Shuri watched, enraptured.

“This is over,” Okoye said with a hiss. 

Silence surrounded them before Shuri jumped to her feet with a cheerful holler. “Okoye!”

Nakia, Aneka, and T’Challa joined her in her screams. Okoye stood up and stomped her spear on the ground. The Talokanils at the god-king’s side were also screaming, though she wasn’t sure how joyous they actually were. Ch’ah was looking directly at her and she shot her smug smile at him, only to receive a heated gaze.

Shuri blinked, confused. 

When Attuma made no move to stand up, Ch’ah cleared his throat. “Attuma.”

Attuma blinked and stood up, accepting the offered hand by Okoye. Okoye looked at him and grinned. “Not so bad.”

Attuma nodded wordlessly and Shuri had to hide a giggle. The man looked dumbstruck from the battle while Okoye walked away from the ring smugly. Aneka patted Okoye’s back, teasing her and bumping shoulders with her. Shuri merely exchanged a look with her. T’Challa did, too, exuding his pride onto them. 

Ch’ah got up and cleared his throat. The action easily caught her attention. “It seems we have found ourselves at a draw.”

Curiously, T’Challa also stood up. She furrowed her eyebrows at the two of them. “Yes. Unfortunately, we can’t let that stay.”

“What,” Shuri spoke up, looking back and forth at the two rulers. Ch’ah has shedded his loose tunic and drapes while her brother has taken off his own robe with their crest on it. Under it, he was wearing a tight-fit shirt and pants. Shuri scrunched up her face. “Have you had a change of clothes this entire time?” 

T’Challa sent her a look; a look saying that she sounded dumb when she asked. Indignation flared up. “I told you I was going away for almost a month. Of course, I brought a change of clothes, usisi.”

“Unbelievable,” Shuri threw her hands up before pointing at Ch’ah. “What is exactly happening?”

Ch’ah stepped into the ring. “Well. We can’t leave the match unfinished, Shuri.” 

T’Challa sent her another look. A raised eyebrow. You really let him call you Shuri? His eyes asked.

Shuri rolled her eyes. Yes, what about it?

“The match is finished. It ended in a draw,” She said with a frown. “Now step off the ring.” It was a demand and perhaps it was the wrong thing to say because the deafening silence that came next was certainly unnerving. The god-king paused and made a move to go backwards.

After a while, the Talokanils behind the man gasped, making her pause. GRIOT has, unfortunately – or was it fortunately? – translated everything she has said. Namora’s grip on her spear seemed to tighten while next to her, Attuma guffawed quietly. Well, as quiet as the big man could. 

T’Challa, at least, appeared to be amused by the respective events. “Oh, come on, sister. It is alright. It is a friendly spar,” He cut a look at Ch’ah who still was silent from before. “Right?”

Shuri, with a small, apologetic smile directed to Ch’ah, who was looking at her with fierce eyes, tugged T’Challa by his sleeve and pulled him closer to her. “You are crazy,” She hissed in his ear, scolding. “I will tell mother.”

Amusement long gone, T’Chall pulled away from her with an eyebrow up. “Really? You’re bringing mother into this?”

She crossed her arms over one another and frowned. This was not part of the plan. The plan stopped once Aneka and Okoye had finished fighting. But as she watched the two kings step in the ring, she clicked her tongue in annoyance. 

“Shall I forego the suit?” T’Challa asked, folding his sleeves. 

Ch’ah took his eyes off from her and now, she let the warmth go to her cheeks. She had been disrespectful to the king of the country they were in alliance with – how embarrassing . No matter how embarrassing though, she kept her face emotionless as she watched the two men talk with one another. 

Ch’ah rose an eyebrow at her brother. “If you want to lose, then yes.”

Arrogant man , she said with a roll of her eyes.

T’Challa didn’t rise to the bait and crouched to a fighting stance. It was a stance he would take whenever he was in the Black Panther suit. She didn’t think she would see the man fight without it. “We’ll see.”

At the other side of the ring, Ch’ah raised his fists. 

As both of them circled the ring, Ch’ah charged. Shuri watched with dread and anticipation.

Her brother blocked blow after blow and Ch’ah used his fist every chance he got. T’Challa then would swiftly dodge the continuous attacks to hit the man on his lower torso. With the help of his wings, however, Ch’ah managed to dodge the incoming punch by flying back. 

Ch’ah blocked T’Challa’s fist with his forearm, using his elbow to harshly push back T’Challa. The impact caused T’Challa to slide back and wince at the pain.

Shuri frowned deeper. That was way too painful!

T’Challa charged this time and managed to grab a hold of the other man’s arm, quick enough to raise his leg and use a hard kick at the man’s stomach and strong enough to throw him to the side. Ch’ah barely took a second to gather himself and gain balance once again. Ch’ah growled and if her skin became even warmer in the cool cavern, it was nobody’s business but hers.

She startled when Ch’ah charged once again, tackling the other man on the floor. 

They looked as though they were exchanging words since T’Challa’s face twisted in irritation. The words were too low for any of them to hear and before it could continue, T’Challa pushed the man off, who simply flapped his wings to stop the impact. T’Challa jumped to his feet and charged, grabbing the man by the neck and squeezing it.

Shuri furrowed her eyebrows. “What…”

Before they knew it, the two traded blows with one another, blows that seemed to be harder than the previous ones. T’Challa was on the aggressive side as he kept punching the other king. Ch’ah did not back down and blocked every single one of them while also swinging his fist for a chance to punch.

When T’Challa’s fist met Ch’ah’s chest, he digs his own nails and they all watched with wide eyes as Ch’ah bled. Shuri gasped and stood up, her voice stuck in her throat. Ch’ah grunted and punched her brother next, square on the face. T’Challa’s nose bled from the impact and Shuri could feel the anger coiling inside her chest.

“Stop!” She shouted, looking at everyone frantically. The Talokanils cowered before her gaze and did not move to do anything. Nakia beside her could only look at her, pleading and depending on her. Shuri grinded her teeth when neither kings ceased from their actions. “ Stop !”

She caught Ch’ah’s eyes before another punch whacked his face. 

She clicked her tongue and felt her fists tighten. “T’Challa, king of Wakanda, son of King T’Chaka, you stop this at once!”

It seemed to have worked. Her brother paused and halted in his place. Ch’ah stumbled back, still with raised fists. Her eyes pierced through him as she walked closer to them, ignoring T’Challa staggering behind her. Nakia quickly rushed to his side and was already scolding the man as he sat on the floor. 

Shuri snarled at his face, anger palpable. “Ch’ah Toh Almehen, what the fuck was that?”

Ch’ah’s eyes widened, same with Namora and Attuma’s. Before he could reply, Shuri turned to face both of them. “You two are acting like idiots!” She shouted before storming off and leaving the cavern.

Her rage was seething inside her. She couldn’t believe both of them. They clearly stated this was to be a friendly sparring between two people of the two nations and now that the Talokanils have seen the aggressiveness of the Wakandan king, they will start doubting them. What was her brother thinking? Was it something Namor said a while ago when they were sparring?

She wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case – the man looked delighted when T’Challa grew agitated by his secretive words. Once she deemed herself far away enough, she glared at a nearby wall. It would not make her anger wane but it wasn’t as if she could punch a hole through the wall.

If she had Panther powers however…

The thought made her huff, sitting on a rock formation connected to the cave. 

“Unbelievable,” she muttered under her breath, annoyed. It really was unbelievable; two rulers acting like quarreling children in front of their people. T’Challa and Namor should be ashamed! Holding her throbbing temple, she wondered if she should come back or just go straight to sulk in her hut.

Images of the blood on her brother still haunted her. 

After N’Jadaka’s reign, no one challenged T’Challa for the throne ever again. It had been almost a year since then. Still, the memory of her brother being defeated in Warrior Falls had remained intact in her mind. It was… devastating, to say the least, to watch her strong and noble brother be put down by such a vengeful and cruel man. 

He might have been their cousin but she would never call him family although T’Challa would have said otherwise. 

“Princess, General Okoye is trying to – ”

“ Off , GRIOT.”

Footsteps echoed throughout the cave. She rolled her eyes. “Brother, say your piece already and leave.”

“Ah, your brother was not lying when he said that you would be greatly upset.”

The familiar voice washed over her in realization and she whirled her head around to see the man face to face. She let out the most unrefined silent scream she has ever heard from herself and almost slipped on the rock she was seating on. Fortunately for her, the man kept her steady and she sat up straight just to watch him grin.

Her face warmed. Both at the embarrassment and the sudden shyness she felt.

“Say your piece and leave.” She tried to be commanding but it clearly didn’t work on the god, who only laughed. His eyes crinkled every time he did and he would throw his head back, if only a little when he chuckled. His skin would stretch and his cheeks would lift. His ears would twitch a bit and she blinked.

“Your brother also told me I should apologize,” Namor said softly, sitting next to her. If she made space just for him to sit on, he would not need to know that. “And while I do not take commands from anyone ,” She could feel the heat on her cheeks worsen as she was reminded of how she acted a while before their sparring started. “I saw it fit to follow his words. So here I am, Shuri.”

Shuri pursed her lips and reached out to touch his chest, startling him a bit. “Have you fully healed?” She asked softly, scanning his torso for any injuries or bruises. The wounds that were inflicted were no longer there.

A hand rested on top of hers. “Once submerged in the water, I will be healed.”

He said it quietly, like it was a secret no one should ever know. Maybe it was. Now that she took a closer look – the man was quite damp.

Her eyes lifted up. “And brother?” She whispered, frowning.

“Healing,” he simply said before adding, “Healing with your beads and his lover.”

Hearing him call Nakia his lover no matter how much those two deny it due to their ‘on-and-off’ relationship, it was amusing. Even this old god-king could see how much the two wanted one another. 

The reminder of their battle rekindled the anger inside her. She snatched back her hand from his and scowled. “What was that about? It was supposed to be a friendly spar. No one was supposed to bleed. What will your people think? What will my warriors think? I do not want them to think you are some kind of violent man – ”

“And if I am?” 

Her thoughts and words halted. “What?”

His eyes met hers; piercing and serious. Her skin shivered. “A violent man.”

She backed into the wall behind her as the man advanced closer and caged her in with a hand beside her thigh. Her breath hitched when the man stopped a breadth away from her, never looking away from her. She craned her neck to meet his eyes just as fiercely which only seemed to make the man smile.

“If you are violent as you say,” she whispered with a hand resting on the man’s chest though it wasn’t pushing him. “Why do you treat me gently?”

She watched with mirth as the man’s eyes widened a fraction then narrowed.

Shuri gasped as he grasped her waist, pulling her closer to him; as close as he could, seeing as they were already in close proximity. Shuri put both of her hands on his chest, stopping his rough pull. The intensity in his eyes doubled and Shuri had to keep her composure, refraining from the temptation of looking down between them and staring at his lips. She could almost feel her heart trying to beat out of her chest and in her throat. She gulped.

“A princess must be treated gently. Is that not the right custom?” He whispered albeit a bit hoarsely. 

Shuri’s eyebrow moved up. “Are you saying you treat all princesses like this?”

Somehow, the thoughts of other… princesses visiting Talokan and being near Ch’ah did not sit well in her stomach.

He grinned with his teeth peeking out and leaned in closer to whisper in her ear. “Only the special ones.”

“Oh? There are others?” She tried to taunt him no matter how annoyed she felt about her thoughts. 

Ch’ah only laughed heartily at her reaction. She pouted. “You are the most special one, in k'iino' naciente .” (my rising sun)

The way he said it, the tone in which he said it made her shiver even more. Avoiding the confrontation, she diverted the conversation. She slapped his chest. “What did you say to my brother to have him acting like that?”

Despite being amused at her attempt to change the conversation, Ch’ah willingly followed her. “I was only taunting your brother about his power. Nothing serious, Shuri.”

Shuri raised an eyebrow. “My brother does not rise to bait that easily anymore. Maybe once, if you had caught him after the death of Baba, but he has matured and does not let such little things bother him anymore. So,” she glared at him. “What did you tell him?”

Ch’ah hummed and brought her hand to his lips. She froze. 

“Maybe another time,” he murmured on her skin. “Will you give me that, Shuri? Time?”

You have all the time in the world. You’re almost immortal.

She bit her lip and acquiesced. “Fine,” she huffed, pulling her hand back and closer to herself. “Another time.”

Ch’ah beamed. “Another time, it is. Now, come,” he stood up and extended his hand which she easily accepted. “You must see the temples in Talokan.”

Shuri grinned and let herself be led to the water.

—

Once Shuri had left, he turned around to go back to his people.

“Where are you going?” T’Challa’s voice stopped him. When he whirled around, he saw Nakia kneeling next to the man, healing his wounds with their advanced beads.

Namor looked at him curiously. 

T’Challa sighed, wincing as his nose was repaired. “You should go to her.”

That was… surprising. And suspicious. Namor narrowed his eyes on the man on the floor. “Is that not your duty as her brother?”

T’Challa shrugged a shoulder, quickly staying still when Nakia scolded him. Their eyes met and for once, they were not battling. “She would not want to see me now. After our childish blows.”

“Very childish,” Nakia muttered next to him and T’Challa readily agreed with a defeated sigh.

Namor ignored her and rolled his shoulders. “And you would let me go to her? Despite your… words from earlier.”

The other king glared at him, reminiscent of the one from their earlier match. “Don’t make me regret it. Now, go. My sister would rather be comforted by you, anyway.” The last sentence was muttered and it sent a joy in his body.

“Does this mean you accept?”

T’Challa snorted. “Not until you beat me.”

Namor grinned. “Another time, then.”

Chapter Text

Shuri was once again in her – their? – underwater cave lab. She was close to syncing the kelp fiber optics to the amplifier she was building. However, she was in a rut right now. She had spent most of her time in this lab, had eaten breakfast in the lab and didn’t bother joining her brother. While it would give her some joy, there were some things that needed priority.

She glared at the switch in front of her. It kept rejecting the fiber optics and three testings have already failed. She couldn’t fathom why yet. She specifically designed the amplifier to be a switch – like a switch to a bulb, the bulb being the vibranium sun Ch’ah hand crafted himself. The kelp fiber optics connected to it, while strong, were old. That was also something she needed to discuss with Ch’ah.

Speaking of the fishman…

Her eyes wandered to the man swimming in the pool of water behind her.

“Do you not have any duties to do,” She asked with a pout. Watching him swim effortlessly and smoothly in the water was an envy she did not know she would have. He looked… peaceful and joyful in the water. Naturally, since it was and has been his home for centuries. Though she couldn’t relate with it, it was nice to watch the man swim along the currents. 

Ch’ah tilted his head up and stared directly at her with crinkled eyes and a smile. “I am relieved of my duties today, do not worry, princess.” 

Shuri huffed. “I wasn’t worried. You’re just… so carefree .”

Carefree was the appropriate word for the god swimming in the pool. He was on his back with his eyes closed and Shuri wonders if the man ever thinks of the sun when he swims. Shuri has never thought of water as anything but a tool for experiments and yet water, to this man, was his connection to life. Shuri watched as he swam at the edge of the pool, leaning his arms on it while facing her.

Ch’ah smoothened his wet hair back and Shuri’s eyes followed the droplets that it caused. It traveled from his cheeks, down to his neck and to his chest. God – why does this man refuse to wear a shirt? 

“Perhaps you should be, too, princess.”

Shuri’s eyes snapped up, blinking in confusion. “What?”

A smile slowly spread on his lips and Shuri could feel the warmth seize her body. “Carefree, princess. Maybe you need it. A break.”

Her nose scrunched at the thought. She had been taking breaks more often and it prevented her from finishing the amplifier. So, with a shake of her head, she politely declines the suggestion. “No thanks,” she said, whirling back to her project. “I can finish this today. I just need to think .”

Behind her, the water moves and splashes. Despite knowing that the man was walking toward her, she froze as she felt a huff of breath next to her shoulder.

“ Itzia ,” He whispered and she could feel the bumps on her skin as she shivers. “You also need to take a break.”

Subtly leaning away from the man with warm cheeks, she averted her eyes and wondered if the man could hear her heart beating furiously in her chest. Without removing her gaze from the switch in front of her, she answered, “Well. I don’t. There’s no need for that.”

Even without looking, she could feel him frown as he huffed. “ Itzia .”

“ K’uk’ulkan .”

Shuri jumped in her seat, thanking Bast it wasn’t a high stool. She and Ch’ah looked back to see Namora in the water. 

“Yes, my child?” Ch’ah stayed standing next to her while he asked. Shuri, curious about Namora's visit, also listened. Namora barely approaches her and even if she did, Ch’ah was always with her. 

“Le ballenas ts'o'ok u suut tu yotoch. Le brillantes u yéetel leti'ob.” Namora said plainly although her expressionless face betrayed the light in her eyes. She looked excited and Ch’ah reciprocated this feeling, a big grin forming on his face as he suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her up from her chair. She could barely comprehend the translation GRIOT was speaking out loud from how loud her heart was when their skin touched.

Surprised and flustered, Shuri exclaimed, “Hey!”

Ch’ah didn’t stop until they were at the edge of the pool. Ch’ah’s grin had a boyish feel to it – all teeth and crinkled eyes. Shuri could feel her face warming all around at the sight of his smile. Bast damnit , she cursed inwardly, this man is too charming! 

“Activate your suit, Shuri,” Ch’ah said as he dipped into the water, unaware of her staring and how warm her face felt like. “You must see this.”

Shuri activated her underwater exosuit without hesitation as she furrowed her eyebrows in curiosity and confusion. “See what?”

The god-king had nodded to Namora, speaking in their native language. Namora’s face twisted, displeased but she nodded in affirmation, bowing as she dived back into the water. Shuri watched the interaction with confusion. Even though she was confused, she still found herself joining the man in the water with his outstretched arm.

Without uttering a word, the winged ankle man intertwined their fingers and she was pulled all throughout the city. “Hey!” She shouted again but was ignored which led her kicking her feet at a much faster tempo to match his speed. Thankfully, he wasn’t that fast and it gave her time to look around Talokan once again.

Everyone was swimming toward one of the exits of the city which surprised her. Some halted and gave Ch’ah a bow and the open palm salute only to hurry back swimming deeper in the sea. Shuri could only manage a quick bow before they scattered off. Their actions confused her even more – why was everyone leaving their positions and places? They seemed excited as they swam along the current. 

Ch’ah did not avert his eyes anywhere. Shuri had to grip his wrist tighter to catch his attention. 

He looked back, looking a bit startled from the interruption. At this point, Shuri was panting from kicking her feet and being dragged. “Slow down,” she panted out, leaning onto him for support. “I can’t keep up with you.”

This realization finally washed over the man as his eyes widened. He had already stopped swimming, coming to a full halt as he waited for her to catch her breath. Shuri closed her eyes and breathed evenly to keep her heart in check. Her attempt was quickly ruined when a hand grasped the back of her neck and she was sure that, if she didn’t wear her suit, she would have felt his warmth. Still, the action made her skin tingle. 

“Forgive me, in juntúule',” Ch’ah murmured close to her, stretching his hand for her to accept. Shuri lay her hand on his. “I was too excited.”

Shuri smiled at his apology and tried to ignore the fluttering in her stomach when he pulled her closer to him after their hands touched. Ch’ah didn’t seem to notice her distress over it, instead giving another smile back at her. “While we swim, why not tell me what I must see?” Shuri offered as they swam at a languid pace.

His face lit up like a child with a new toy. “What we will see is another masterpiece of nature, princess,” He explained, excitement latching onto his words. It was unusual to see him like this. Though he was open about his past and his mother, he was never one to indulge talking about things that made him happy. His happiness was contagious and it created a smile on her lips. 

“Keeping it as a surprise?” Shuri asked, amused.

Ch’ah grinned, a boyish and youthful look on him. “Yes. And it will be magnificent. Come,” He urged her to get closer. Unknowingly, she did and yelped when he took her in his arms. Before she could let out a word, he zoomed through the water, passing by other Talokanils. Through the haze of her vision, she could see the people being unfazed by this, most likely used to his fast traveling.

For a moment, in his arms, she wished that they weren’t in water. 

When he stops, she finally looks up. 

There were whales. She gasped, scrambling out of his arms clumsily as she took in the sight. Numerous Talokanils flooded the area, going straight to the whales that floated idly by. Shuri wasn’t so sure but there weren’t just one pod of whales, but a whole lot. And each Talokanil headed to a specific whale. A family of Talokanils went to a smaller whale, carrying their child in their arms and pressing their forehead on the whale’s head. Everyone did the same.

She must’ve been too quiet because Ch’ah swam next to her, breaking her out of her awe, “How is it, princess?”

“Incredible,” the whisper tumbled out of her mouth before her mind could comprehend it. She didn’t object, though, as it was only the truth. Now, as she watched the Talokanils swim around with the whales, it filled her with a warmth she had never known before. “Are they their owners?”

“Owners?” Ch’ah seemed amused at her question. “No, Shuri. We are not owners,” he took her hand, leading them closer to the scene. He, along with her hand encased in his, stretched. Her hand, despite being covered by the suit, was set on a whale’s head. The whale pushed back on her hand and it brought delight within her. “We are their Spirit Halves.” 

Her eyes brightened at the information. “We do not own them,” Ch’ah explained, smiling when she successfully played with the smaller whale. She patted its head and it leaned in for more. “Each Talokanil has one. We are one with them.”

“That’s…” impossible, she wanted to say but not after this, not after the proof was right in front of her. The people were talking to the whales and the whales were responding in a frequency only they, the Talokanils and GRIOT could detect. “How?”

She saw the man smile. “Is that so important, princess?”

Yes, she wanted to shout, of course, it is. Her fascination only multiplied when multiple lights appeared from underneath them. With her attention caught, she looked down in surprise. Blue and yellow light started flashing from below them. Numerous organisms were swimming up, their light putting on a faint glow on the people and the whales.

“Wow…”

Startling, she looked back to find Aneka, Okoye, Nakia and her brother standing behind her, eyes lit up and faces open with awe. Namora and Attuma, who had been tasked to guide them, swam away, probably to find their own whales. She swam to her family, sharing the same awe and wonder with them. T’Challa accepted her into the space, linking their arms together. 

“This is…” T’Challa sounded speechless, so Shuri finished the sentence for him.

“Beautiful,” Shuri breathed out, watching the sea creatures dance with the people, illuminated by the light. 

A light swam closer to her and she opened her palm, squinting at the organism. “Siphonophores,” Shuri whispered as she watched the little one swim away from her. “Of course. Bioluminescent creatures.”

“Is that what you call them?” Ch’ah asked beside her, eyes fixed on the people. “Le brillantes. The glowing ones.”

The only thing they could hear in the water was the non stop talking of the people. They were conversing with the whales and Shuri didn’t have the heart to bother them when most of them looked excited and relieved to see their whale counterparts. Curious, she turned her head to Ch’ah, whose eyes had already moved from the water to her.

“You said every Talokanil has one. Where is yours?”

A dark look cemented its place on Ch’ah’s face. It surprised her; she must have said something wrong and upsetting. Was it because he didn’t have one? Didn’t have a whale to link with?

“I had one once,” His eyes glazed and his expression showed a faraway look. “But they are of no importance anymore.”

Shuri opened her mouth, hesitating. “I’m sorry.”

Ch’ah shook his head, not disregarding but also not accepting her apology. “No need for apologies, princess,” He reached out to squeeze her hand, a reassuring action. Shuri didn’t know if it really assured her but she felt lighter, at least a bit. “It was a long time ago. We won’t see them again.”

Those words do not bring comfort at all, instead, they bring confusion and even more questions – questions she did not ask. Shuri gave him a small smile and a nod, watching him swim away toward his people and the whales. Suddenly feeling out of place, her deep thoughts were broken by the swish and wild moving of the water, as well as the looming shadow behind them.

They all looked back with Okoye and Aneka flinging out their spears.

A big blue whale floated in front of them.

Attuma was on top of it, grinning. Shuri looked up with a gaping mouth and wide eyes. Attuma didn’t leave the whale and instead shouted over the water, “Warrior!”

Each one of them stayed still. Shuri furrowed her eyebrows and turned to T’Challa, who looked just as clueless as she was. “Warrior? You?” Shouldn’t it be king? She asked herself but she knew her question would be useless seeing T’Challa’s expression.

T’Challa looked at her with a helpless expression, shrugging exaggeratedly. “I don’t know?”

Attuma seemed to have finally understood their confusion. 

“No,” Attuma barked out, pointing to Okoye. Shuri’s eyes turned to her. Okoye didn’t look back, she was too busy being shocked and craning her head up to look over the whale and at Attuma. T’Challa and everyone looked shocked – well, Nakia and Ayo were giggling together, actually, it was turning to full out laughter. 

That caught Okoye’s attention. She snapped her head to the two giggling women. “Shut up,” she hissed dangerously at the two. The two women didn’t cease their laughter and Okoye had to admit defeat, looking back at Attuma with the fiercest glare known to mankind. Shuri watched the entire thing in amusement. 

“What do you want,” Okoye asked harshly, huffing while she crossed her arms. “I do not have time for your games.”

“Ride Abismo with me,” Attuma asked – well, it was more of a demand – and stretched out his hand. Okoye only looked at it with one raised eyebrow, challenging and defiant in her way. Shuri couldn’t help the small laugh bubbling out of her mouth. Attuma didn’t seem fazed at her plain reaction, in fact, it only urged him to get closer.

“Ride what,” Okoye deadpanned. 

“Abismo,” Attuma answered with a bright smile, stretching his mask over his face. Shuri should really do something about those masks. While the conversation went on, she noted at the back of her mind to try to improve Talokan’s masks. “Her name is Abismo.”

Abismo seemed to have fully memorized her name and the introduction brought out a reaction from the whale. The whale flicked its tail and even swam around, turning Attuma upside down. Surprised, Shuri couldn’t help but blurt out, “Can I ride?”

Attuma looked delighted at her offer and nodded quickly. Okoye, flabbergasted, swam next to her. Shuri could vaguely hear her shout after her but once she accepted Attuma’s hand, Okoye followed her. They both swam up to sit behind Attuma. Excited, Shuri was about to settle herself behind Attuma, only for Okoye to cut through it and sit in between them. Shuri didn’t have any problem with it – and it looked like Attuma also didn’t.

“Ts'o'ok a li'iskaba?” The big man asked in his mother tongue. 

“Are you ready?” GRIOT readily translated. 

Shuri nodded with a big grin, wrapping her arms around Okoye’s waist. Okoye refused to do the same to Attuma, acceding to putting her hands on the man’s broad shoulders. Shuri ignored the glare Okoye sent to her when she accidentally let her laugh spill out. 

The man, who has forgone his shark headdress, grinned. 

Shuri was not prepared for the next events to happen. 

The next seconds involved Abismo swimming languidly around the area with them waving and saying hello to the other Talokanils and their whales. And then, in a blink of an eye, Abismo swam faster and Shuri’s hold around Okoye’s waist tightened. She was sure the woman wasn’t breathing with how tight she was holding it but Okoye wasn’t saying anything because, of course, she isn’t . 

She was about to verbalize this complaint but Attuma hollered something and Abismo only swam faster. Shuri and Okoye yelped, but Shuri’s shock turned into joy and delight, screaming into the water like how one would when they ride a rollercoaster. She didn’t dare to remove her arms but she screamed in joy, her voice reaching a higher pitch when Abismo swirled around slowly. 

Whales weren’t notoriously fast, but it still made her stomach jump up and down. She laughed openly, waving to Ch’ah, who was watching them from the start.

–

“The princess looks happy.” A raspy voice said from beside him, appearing out of nowhere. If it had been anyone, Namor was sure they would have startled but even the slightest movement in the water, he already knew the presence that was swimming closer to him. He didn’t look back, keeping his eyes at the smiling princess while her ride tumbles and circles around.

“Attuma is quite the charmer,” Namor hummed, a small smile spreading on his lips when Shuri took her arms away for a second – only to be thrown back. Shuri screamed in laughter and joy and Namor felt himself relax. “It is good our visitors are having fun.”

“Hmm,” the shaman hummed, his eyes following his gaze. Namor let him. Even if his hands itch when other eyes perceive his princess. “She fits just right. In our home. Don’t you think, Aj K’uk’ulkan?”

He barely gave the shaman a glance. “I do not need your permission.”

The shaman – Yunuen was his name – laughed. And if Namora was present, he knew a spear would have appeared on his neck. Namor could only lift an eyebrow at the strange reaction. “I was not giving permission, Aj K’uk’ulkan. Of all people, I would know. I am simply telling you to take what you want,” The shaman grinned a shark-tooth grin. 

He stayed silent, observing their visitors and his people. “What of the stars?”

“Ah,” the man’s eyes crinkled. “So you know why I am here.”

“You do not come out of the temple unless I come to you or you have a reading,” Namor explained which earned him another laugh. Namor, tired of the length of the conversation, sighed. “So?”

The man beside him simply raised his staff. “Take what you want, Aj K’uk’ulkan. You never know when they will be taken from you.”

Silent at the revelation, Yunuen left him to his own devices, bowing and gesturing the rising sun. Namor did not reciprocate and watched him scurry out of the populated area, most likely headed back to his own shell of a home. His eyes traveled back to the princess, who was now conversing with the other Talokanils and being permitted to touch the heads of the whales. 

Does he mean her? Take her? Taken? Does he mean her mortality?

The confusion laid heavy on his chest, festering anger within. 

His anger has to be purged when he sees T’Challa swimming to him. Namor kept his face neutral. T’Challa floated beside him, watching the same thing. The whales, the people, and Shuri. T’Challa didn’t face him when he said, “You told me something when we sparred. Did you change your mind?”

Namor watched as Shuri laughed with one of his people. The sight almost extinguishes the storm inside him. Change his mind? That felt almost absurd. “Of course not.”

T’Challa raised an eyebrow. “Did you tell her?” 

Namor sent the same expression back. “Did you tell your mother?”

A huff of breath leaves him, amused at the way the other king stilled at his question. T’Challa glared at him momentarily before facing front. “Do you care to have her permission?”

“No,” He answered with swiftness, a mocking laugh coming out of his mouth. “You are her old king, aren’t you?”

T’Challa narrowed his eyes at his words. “‘Old king’?”

Namor threw him a smirk. “Of course, I will be her king.”

Instead of being annoyed and aggravated by his words, the man only laughs. Namor’s eyebrows knitted with one another as the confusion settled in. People have been laughing too many times at him. Why is that? 

T’Challa was basically laughing out loud, clutching his stomach and bending over. With how long he spent laughing, Namor started to feel annoyed. 

“ What,” He spat out impatiently. 

“You plan to make her a queen?” T’Challa asked between laughs. “She would never agree!”

A little voice did agree with the other king. Deep inside, he knew the young princess would be hesitant to take on the title of queen. But then, he could see it – her willingness to help his people, her growing admiration for his nation and her… not loyalty, no, but something close to it. He caught her gaze when she looked their way, eyes full of curiosity. Probably because her brother was laughing hard right next to him and there he stood, wanting to swim away.

“...Do you think so,” Namor said, his voice edging to nervousness. 

T’Challa stared at him. Sobering up, he stood straight. “She wouldn’t agree because she would feel too constricted with her role. Don’t do that.”

Amused at his sudden change of demeanor, he takes back the upperhand. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Shuri swimming toward them, so he made sure to talk faster. “Does this mean you approve?”

“Once you have a spear at my neck, maybe,” were T’Challa’s last words before greeting his sister with a hug. Shuri seemed confused at the sudden hug but didn't push her brother away, only raising an eyebrow at his way. Namor shrugged as an answer. It wasn’t lying, technically. An omission. One that he and T’Challa agree on. 

Okoye followed suit, panting and catching her breath while Attuma stood beside her with the biggest grin on his face. Bigger than the time Namor has named him his Nacom, bigger than the time he first killed a ravenous shark, and even bigger than the time he first killed a surface dweller. Curiously, he looked at the man who had been once a child. Attuma seemed to ignore his gaze while he focused on the warrior beside him.

Namor sighed fondly. Of course, he was smitten. 

Just like you. He could almost hear Namora’s admonishing voice.

“Princess,” Okoye slightly panted out, arm stretching to grab the princess’ wrist. “Do not run off like that!”

Shuri simply smiled brightly. “I swam .”

“Yes, yes,” Okoye rolled her eyes. Those eyes moved to him. Her obvious discomfort and annoyance was evident through her face. Without looking away, she pointed behind her where Attuma was and said, “Can you tell off your… general? He is clinging on to me.”

Before he could answer and probably defend Attuma on his behalf, Attuma answered first. “But warrior, you were the one clinging onto me when–”

Okoye jumped on Attuma, who easily dodged her.

Shuri huffed, gaining his attention. “Okoye gets easily riled up,” Shuri whispered to him as they all watched Okoye and Attuma run like cat and mouse. Namor leaned in closer in the pretense of trying to hear her better although his hearing was far superior than anyone, “She gets like this sometimes.”

Namor smiled watching her smile. “Attuma seems to have taken a liking to her.”

The princess laughed. Namor could see her cheeks lift and her lips spreading into a beautiful smile. Namor wonders if they are soft. On his skin. On his lips. On his –

“Yes, it seems so,” Shuri said while giggling, unknowing of his heated gaze. “Can’t say the same for Okoye just yet. She just got out of a divorce.”

The word ‘divorce’ sounded foreign to him but he was sure he had heard it from surface dwellers before. With a confused expression, he put his face closer to Shuri’s. “Divorce? What does that imply?”

Shuri shied away from his proximity, conscious of her brother’s gaze on them. “W-Well,” She laughed nervously. “It means she and her husband have separated.”

Surprised, he leaned back. Not because T’Challa’s gaze was burning and disrespectful, but because he had to take one more look at the woman who was currently scolding Attuma. Attuma wasn’t even listening. “She has a husband?”

“Had,” Shuri said with distaste, earning a pinch from T’Challa. “Ow! What? Doesn’t change the fact her husband is a traitor who, might I remind you, was your best friend,” Shuri hissed, crossing her arms on her chest. T’Challa sighed and Namor watched them in silence. 

“And he is spending his time in the cells, Shuri. That’s enough.” T’Challa’s tone held no rebuke but Shuri wasn’t one to obey.

“He brought shame to Okoye,” Shuri said, turning her nose high. “He does not deserve to be called her husband.”

“I agree,” Namor cut in the conversation. T’Challa’s glare became directed to him. “He does not deserve the title of husband if he is a traitor. Though I would have done something else if he were to betray me.” The last words were  pointed to T’Challa. It was obvious to him because his eyes became sharp and narrowed, judgment laying weight in them. 

Noticing the silence, Shuri swam in between them. “Ah, but we shouldn’t talk about it. Okoye gets really upset when that man gets mentioned. I wouldn’t want that,” Shuri spoke with sympathy, eyeing Okoye from afar. 

Namor relented. “Of course, princess,” He took her hand. He wished she wasn’t wearing the suit. He wanted to feel her warmth once again, back when they were in the cave’s hallway – in close proximity, where their bodies and lips were barely touching. 

“Do you want to go somewhere else, Shuri?” He asked, pulling her closer. “Another trip around the capital? If you are not tired?”

From their closeness, he could see Shuri’s eyes brighten and crinkle at the offer. “What would you be showing me this time?”

Namor smiled at her eagerness. She was always like this – a never sated curiosity. It intrigued him even more and it made him admire her generosity and genuine interest in his people, his home, and history. Though she has said she was not fond of tradition as she has mentioned a number of times offhandedly when they were together (“I believe in science. In numbers. In something tangible, Ch’ah. It is the only way I can live.”), she has never outright disrespected Talokan’s practices. In fact, when he was showing her the temples built in his name and built in other gods’ and goddesses’ names, she was eager to search up their history.

Namor warned her she would not find anything on what she calls the ‘internet’ and ‘GRIOT’s database.’ Right now, she has borrowed more than ten books from their library. He wonders if she’s read them all.

His eye shifted to the uncomfortable king at the side. “If it is allowed?”

T’Challa raised a doubtful eyebrow at his act but one look from Shuri has him sighing in defeat. 

“Do not tire yourself,” T’Challa immediately chastised the princess who only rolled her eyes in response. It was amusing to watch the two siblings interact. He has never had a sibling before and Namora and Attuma were the closest thing to family after his mother joined the ancestors. Although Namora was his cousin, she treated him like how a daughter would and it was the same for Attuma. Namor had no problem taking on that role. 

Shuri huffed. “I won’t.”

“You have extra oxygen?”

Shuri lifted two bottles. “Yup.”

“Speed dial?”

Shuri rolled her eyes but showed T’Challa her beaded bracelet. “On. GRIOT is always on.”

T’Challa narrowed his eyes. “GRIOT?” He tried calling out and immediately received an answer from the AI. Satisfied, T’Challa nodded at her then at him. Namor, who was floating next to them all this time, nodded back. 

Shuri went back to his side. He couldn’t help but feel smug as they swam away from the people and whales. Vaguely, she could hear Okoye screeching and scolding their king but that isn’t any of his problems now. Not as long as Shuri held his hand tightly with a bright smile that rivaled their sastun.

–

Shuri already knew that Talokan was big but every time she visited, it gets bigger in her eyes. Her first visit was a tour of the capital, her second tour was of the temples – temples that have lived for centuries under water. Now, onto her third tour, Ch’ah was introducing sea life that she has never known before.

While she was not extensive in her knowledge of life in the sea, she did know some of them. And if she didn’t she knew she could rely on GRIOT, even if the signal underwater was not the best. She should probably fix that. She pushes those thoughts at the back of her mind; a note.

“Jalea fantasma,” Ch’ah points to a translucent jellyfish, radiating a soft red glow. “The ghost jellyfish. It does not sting, but it is better to leave it.” Ch’ah said as they both watched the jellyfish swim in front of them with not a care in the world. Shuri caught Ch’ah nodding to the jellyfish but before she could ask, he swam to another corner of a big coral rock, stringing her along. 

Shuri watched as Ch’ah swam closer to the coral reef, almost putting his head inside one of the holes. Black eyes with a body full of white strips pop out from the corals, shocking her for a moment. “Kaaye' muucho' rayado,” the man says almost fondly, touching the fish’s head lightly with one finger. “Striped toad.”

“A bit scary looking,” She said as she swam closer only for the fish to scurry back into the burrows of the sand. “And shy,” she laughed.

“Yes, they are,” Ch’ah smiled at her and she had to look away. If her heart beat any faster and louder, she knew the man would hear it. They swam to another underwater alcove, where a burst of fishes sprung up to them. They crowded against Ch’ah who only laughed at the ticklish sensation of the fishes.

Fascinated, Shuri watched with wide eyes. While most of the time, she would be more focused on the fishes, Ch’ah’s smile was rather difficult to look away from. 

“Yes, yes, I’m back,” Ch’ah said out loud, holding a fish. Shuri watched on with a gaping mouth. “You have been waiting for my visit.”

“You talk to fishes?” Shuri asked in disbelief, swimming to him cautiously. The fishes made a space, as if telling her she was invited to their space. Shuri readily accepted it lest they changed their mind. Ch’ah smiled at her and gave her the fish in his hands. Hesitantly, she let him. “You can talk to them?”

Ch’ah shrugged. “I understand them. Sometimes they understand us.”

Shuri looked at the little fish in her hands. The fish was smaller than her pointer finger. “That is… amazing. ”

“It is,” Ch’ah agreed, already moving on to another fish. “Sometimes they ask for help. Other times, they give back. The sea gives and takes, Shuri. It is how the nature works here,” He explained softly, rubbing a fish with his thumb. “What they give, I will take. What I give, they will take. An exchange, if you will.”

Shuri nodded, listening intently. She knew they lived with sea creatures but to know how they work with them – it was all very fascinating and interesting. She wonders if the fishes could reciprocate a human feeling, based on what the mutant man was saying. He was not one to lie; that one she knew from the get-go.

“Amazing…” she whispered. It was the only word that could describe the blue sea around them. 

Once she has taken in the beauty, she turns around and is met with Ch’ah’s offered hand.

“Do you want to explore more, in itzia? ”

Her answer was a resounding yes.

–

As she headed to surface at the pool near Ch’ah’s hut, a group of girls followed her. She looked back to see Cualli with them and they all looked shy, trying to approach her. She urged for Ch’ah to go on without her. With a slight hesitation, she managed to convince him she would only be under for a while to talk to Cualli.

Seemingly satisfied about Cualli’s presence, he swam up but not before throwing another look; a confirmation. Shuri smiled. That was more than enough for his concerns to be alleviated.

She looked back at the group of girls and swam toward them. As she swam closer, she could clearly see Cualli shaking her head while the girls urged her. Confused, she swam faster, wondering what was wrong.

When she was in proximity, the three unknown girls bombarded her with words in their native tongue. GRIOT sputtered out numerous translations. Her head was spinning but in order to be respectful, she waited for all the chatter to cease.

Once it has, she slowly made GRIOT repeat everything.

“Hello, land person.”

“Very pretty.”

“Who are you, really?”

“Will you stay long?”

“Will you be our friend?”

Shuri blinked at each one of them. She gestured to herself. “I am Shuri, daughter of Ramonda. I come from the surface from a nation called Wakanda. Thank you for your greetings. And I would love to be your friend.”

They looked clueless to what she was saying but as soon as GRIOT translated her words, they chittered and nodded excitedly. Cualli stayed back behind them with her head down. One girl grabbed her and Shuri’s eyes narrowed at the harsh action but saved her judgment for now. 

“Introduce us, Cualli!”

“Yes! Aren’t you close with her?” 

Cualli seemed anxious and was not meeting her eyes. “They are..Colel,” she pointed to the one with a brown huipil and a seaweed for a headdress. “Itotia,” she gestured to the one with a short dress and wore a string of pearls around her neck. “And… Lady Yohl.” She motioned to the one with a longer dress and jade covering her neck and wrists. 

Shuri brightened up hearing their names. They seemed just as excited to see her, so she tried to reciprocate it. “Your names are lovely,” she complimented, seeing the two of them preen at her praise and Lady Yohl huffing at it. She chuckled nervously. “I’m afraid I have to go. I need to meet your king soon.”

Lady Yohl’s seemed interested once she mentioned Ch’ah but before she could say anything, Cualli grabbed her and they swam up to the surface. 

Once they have resurfaced, she turned to Cualli with furrowed eyebrows and a disapproving frown as the Talokanil grabbed for her mask. She collapsed her helmet and asked, “What was that?”

Cualli frantically talked, surprising her. Cualli, while she was excited most times and would always do actions first before talking, she has never talked like this. GRIOT could barely catch her words with how fast she was talking.

Settling her hands on the girl’s shoulders, she soothed her. “Calm down, Cualli. Slower. Please.”

Cualli breathed hard in her mask. “Please do not talk to them. They are foolish and reckless. You will not be safe.”

Safe? Safe from who? From those girls? Shuri almost had to laugh. She had designed her suit to withstand anything. And those girls seemed friendly to her, although a bit weird. Still, she didn’t know what exactly was wrong. “Have they done something wrong?”

Cualli sobered, frowning. “No, but… please, ix ajaw, you shouldn’t talk to them,” she pleaded.

Shuri sighed, holding the girl’s hand to appease her. “I’ll try but… they seem nice. I’ll try, okay?”

Cualli nodded, pacified. “That’s all I ask, ix ajaw.”

“Shuri?”

Ch’ah’s voice came from one of the hallways and she perked up. She looked back at Cualli, who was still frowning. 

“Don’t worry, okay?” She assured the girl while squeezing her hand. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Cualli nodded silently and jumped back in the water.

Shuri sighed and was about to stand up from her sitting position. This was interrupted when she felt fingers ghosting her neck. She jumped and saw Ch’ah standing over her, his eyes staring intently at her neck. She coughed, feeling the heat crawling to her face. 

Ch’ah smiled, unfazed that he had been caught. “Will you tell me stories of you, itzia? ”

Shuri smiled and accepted his hand as they headed to his hut. “Why not?”

At the back of her mind, she worried about Cualli. Right now, however, she focused on the warmth on her hand and the ghostly feeling of fingers running up her neck. And the image of his heated gaze, burning and immense.