She hid behind the wall of the drawing room and listened to the conversation taking place within. She knew that this day would come and she dreaded it. She wished that time could rewind itself. She wasn't ready to find a suitor that would match her qualifications and accept her for who she was. She still wanted to be free and allow her childish heart to explore the unknown.
"She's the perfect age," she heard her father say. "She's young and beautiful."
"And do you really believe that she is ready?" his wife asked.
A deep sigh escaped his throat and he sat down on the sofa nearest to him. "She will have to be." He dug his hand into his waistcoat pocket and pulled out an envelope before handing it to her. "We've been summoned."
"To what?" She took the small packet from him and opened the broken sealed letter. She read the contents inside and exclaimed, "King?" She was speechless.
"They make a great match," he declared. "She will make him happy."
Her mother clucked her tongue. "She may be the perfect age for him, but she's still a child at heart for crying out loud, Alistair. She hasn't experienced the real world fully."
"You were 15 when we got married," he reminded her. "Or have you forgotten about our wedding night, Ophelia?"
"That's a different story. We grew up loving each other. No one played matchmaker between the both of us," she retaliated and began pacing the room. "They've never seen or heard of one another and you want to plan something that may never happen. What will you tell our daughter when she fails to impress the new King of Wakanda? That she's not good enough? That she's a failure?"
"Enough of this!" he hissed at his wife. "I am your King and husband. I will not have you questioning my authority."
She stood her ground firmly, gave him a cold stare, and folded her arms across her chest. "Very well then," she said in an icy tone. "What is your command, my Lord?"
He exhaled heavily and ran a hand through his hair. He knew that she was upset, but he had to do what needed to be done. "Get her ready. Teach her everything that you know. We leave first thing at nightfall tomorrow."
The heavy sounds of her father's footsteps echoed inside the room and she quietly sprinted off. Her mother followed momentarily and Katrina waited for her at the top of the staircase. She spotted her daughter sitting on the stairs with tears in her sad grey eyes and made her way towards her.
"Is father really going to marry me off?" she softly asked her mother who sat next to her.
Ophelia draped her arms around her daughter's shoulders and leaned her head on her shoulder. "I'm afraid so my precious Princess."
"I'm not ready mother. I don't want to rule a country. What if I make a mistake and everything goes wrong?" She lifted her head up and stared at her mother. "I've never met him. What if he doesn't like me for who I am? I don't want to dishonor the family name or bring shame to my parents if any of this doesn't work."
"We'll still love you no matter what happens." She cupped Katrina's cheeks in her hands and looked at her. "You won't make any mistakes. I'm going to teach you everything you need to know on how to become a Queen. I know that we don't have much time, but I believe in you." She kissed her on the forehead and smiled. "And if he doesn't like you for who you are then he'll have me to deal with. Now off to bed with you. We have a lot of preparing to do tomorrow before we leave."
The next day was indeed hectic and just a huge mess. Her mother had given her a crash course in table etiquette, walking properly as she had a bad habit of tripping everywhere, and how to curtsy to a King and Queen. Katrina's father and mother, including herself, were running up and down the palace trying to get everything organized for the trip to Wakanda. The maids were assisting the Queen and Princess while the butler was helping the King.
At half past six, three suitcases were being loaded into a Hawker 800. The King, Queen, and Princess of Froaria were marching down the red carpet that was laid out for them next to the back door of the black shiny limousine. They entered the private jet and it took off from the taxiway.
Night rolled in and Katrina had fallen soundlessly asleep. She had been extremely tired all day. She had found it difficult to sleep last night as she was up all night thinking of all the things that could possibly go wrong with marrying the King of Wakanda. The only thing she was aware of was that his father and her father were very good friends and that he had died recently in an explosion.
"Katrina." Someone was prodding her awake. "Katrina you need to get up darling. We're almost there and we need to get dressed for our hosts."
She got up from her seat and followed her mother to the back of the aircraft. The maids pulled the curtains shut and began preparing them. Katrina was clothed in a white strapless mermaid dress that had an overlay of gold lace; a floor lengthed train was circling her feet making it hard for her to walk. Her hair was pulled back into a smooth bouffant bun and adorned with a double-layered gold headpiece.
"Katrina," her father called from behind the curtains.
She separated the curtains and entwined her fingers together, holding her posture as best as she could the way her mother had taught her. "Yes father."
He smiled at her and held out both hands for her to take. "You look absolutely beautiful my little princess." She held onto his hands and he slowly drew her towards him before landing a kiss on her forehead. "Come see your future kingdom."
She glanced out the window and the view took her by surprise. The mountains, the various colors of greens and golds, and the many tall skyscrapers that surrounded the country. There was too many things to look at and she couldn't keep her eyes on just one part.
The captain walked in through the front door and she tore her eyes away for one second then returned it. "Your highness." He bowed. "They have granted us permission to dock at Gate 4. We are ready to land."
"Good. Thank you captain," Alistair said with a nod of the head.
The landing strip grew closer and with a soft thud the jet touched down on the hard surface. It slowed down to a complete stop and turned so that it was horizontal to the airstrip. The flight door unlatched and the staircase extended out. The three maids, captain, and butler exited first and formed two lines parallel to each other. Her father and mother were next in line and she followed suit.
The sun shined on her creamy soft skin and she soaked it in. It reminded her of the warm beaches at Froaria and all the memories came rushing at once. She listened as a group of footsteps approached them and tried to see what was going on, but with her mother and father standing in front, her view was completely obscured.
"Prince T'Challa," her father spoke at last. "It's so good to see you again." He formed an X with his arms across his chest and all the native warriors encompassing them, including T'Challa himself, responded with the same action.
"Thank you for accepting my personal invitation, King Alistair." He said in his heavily accented speech.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." He then faced Ramonda and she marched over to him. "Ramonda, still lovely as always." He grasped both her hands and kissed one earning a smile from her.
"You always knew the right words to say to me," she joked and everyone laughed.
Alistair's face became serious and he glanced over from T'Challa to Ramonda. "I am truly sorry for your loss. T'Chaka was a great king, a good man, a father, and an old friend. I miss him dearly."
"Thank you for sharing your sympathy with us King Alistair," T'Challa said. "I hope we continue to share this bond of friendship in memory of my father."
"Always." They shook hands and Katrina's father glimpsed over at the last person standing there. "Princess Shuri, how are you?"
She dipped her head and lifted it back up. "Splendid," she quipped.
"You remember my wife Ophelia," he pressed on.
T'Challa reached out and kissed her hand. "How could I not?"
Ophelia laid a hand on his shoulder and rubbed it gently. "You sure grew up into a handsome man." He blushed and she trailed her eyes over to Ramonda and Shuri. "Oooh, come here two of my favorite ladies in the entire world." She threw her arms wide open and they giggled. Ramonda and Shuri scuttled in her direction and they group hugged.
They let go and Alistair cleared his throat. "I have a new member I wish to introduce at this time. I have kept her hidden for far too long and I believe that today is the perfect day to reveal her. May I present to you the Princess of Froaria, my daughter, Katrina Kenley."
Her mother and father parted and she made her way to the front. The former Queen of Wakanda was taken aback by the exotic beauty of Katrina and allowed a hint of a smile to form on her lips. "Your Grace," she tilted her head to the side at Ramonda. "It's an honor to finally meet you Ramonda of Wakanda." The young Prince of Wakanda kept his composure as best as he could, yet it boggled his mind as he had never seen anyone look this exquisite before.
"The honor is mine Princess Katrina," Ramonda said.
Katrina switched to T'Challa and sunk into a graceful curtsy. "Prince T'Challa."
"Princess Katrina," he bowed to her. "Welcome to Wakanda."
She smiled at him. "Thank you."
"This is my daughter Shuri. She also happens to be a princess just like you." They beamed at each other and waved. "Shuri?"
"Yes mother."
"Take the Princess to the room we've prepared for her. Your brother and I will lead the King and Queen of Froaria to theirs. I'm sure our guests are tired from their journey," Ramonda said.
"Come along," Shuri said and gestured for Katrina to follow her.
Katrina took several steps onward, but glanced back at her parents. Her mother shooed her away and Katrina tailed after Shuri. T'Challa crossed his hands behind his back and turned his head to the side to steal one last glimpse at the Princess.
A/N: Black Panther? My thoughts: GO SEE THE MOVIE! It's well filmed and beautifully put together. The acting is amazing, the fight scenes keep you on edge, and Chadwick Boseman is hotter than ever. Yeah...I had to say that. He nailed it as T'Challa yet again. I had to beg to post this category up, because I seriously needed to share my story with you guys. So you can thank me later. *insert smug look here* My character is based off Hungarian model Barbara Palvin. Love her!
I wanted to create my own world in the MCU just as they did with Sokovia and Wakanda to show that there are many places around the world so henceforth I created Froaria Islands. It's located around New Zealand and Australia. They speak their native tongue which is Froatian, similar to Hawaiian, as the island carries a sort of "beachy" image. But they also speak English that sounds a cross between Australian and American.
Hope you enjoy the story. 💓