Disclaimer: I do not own Thor, nor the Avengers.
Chapter 3 – Shuri's Appeal
The scene they arrived to at the Avengers facility was not the peaceful one they had thought to find, though it gave them no worry.
"What's going on?" Jane asked one of the spectators of the heated argument taking place between T'Challa and his sister. The woman she had approached was clearly Wakandan, if both her dress and amusement were anything to go by; T'Challa and Shuri were speaking their native language and most of the crowd simply looked confused, not understanding a word they were saying.
"Your Majesty." The woman said with a respectful nod of her head once she saw who had spoken. "It is an honour to meet you. My name is Okoye, I am the general of the Dora Milaje, the King's bodyguards, and Wakanda's special forces and intelligence."
"It's nice to meet you." She replied, tearing her gaze away from the arguing siblings.
"Our King and Princess will be glad to see you are here." Okoye continued.
"Why?"
"Because it is about you that they fight." Jane startled.
"I think I'm going to need some context, if you don't mind." Okoye's expression became amused once more.
"Our King is insisting that Princess Shuri return to Wakanda with us, though the Princess insists that she must speak with you first. This alone would not cause an argument, but it has now been two days of waiting and the King is most anxious to return home. There is a girl waiting for him." She staged whispered, clearly making fun of T'Challa, even if he couldn't hear him.
"I see." Said Jane. "And is this one of those sibling arguments where anyone interrupting gets their head bitten off?" Okoye laughed and shook her head, motioning for Jane to step in, which is exactly what she did.
"I hear you're looking for me." She said loudly interrupting the argument.
"Jane!" Shuri cried happily, shooting her brother one more glare before coming forward excitedly. "I must speak with you."
"So I've heard." She waited for Shuri to continue and wasn't disappointed.
"F.R.I.D.A.Y. gave me access to the analysis Stark ran on Thor's hammer and armour a few years ago, and I have found something very interesting. The hammer is made of something I cannot identify, though as it's supposedly made in a dying star-"
"It is." Jane corroborated.
"That's not very surprising." Shuri acknowledged what Jane said with a nod of her head, but otherwise continued. "However, his armour is made of Vibranium."
"That's not possible." Thor joined in. "Asgardian armour is made of a metal we harvest from the realm itself, Vibranium has never existed on Asgard. In fact, the only known place the Vibranium still exists today is here on Earth, it has died out everywhere else in the nine realms."
"Well, possible or not, it is Vibranium." Shuri said. "Except, it is a Vabranium of a strength we have never seen in Wakanda. It is like Vibranium on steroids."
"Steroids?" Volstagg asked, he and his fellow warriors looking confused. While Thor had come to learn that term – Tony having said he must be on steroids often enough for him to have asked what it meant – the others did not understand.
"It means that some external source is giving the metal extra strength that isn't natural to it." Jane quickly explained, before turning back to Shuri. "That does make sense, in a way. Asgardian metal is used for far more then armour and weapons, and, as we now know, Vibranium has many similar uses as well."
"Yes. But from what you have said two days ago, when we compared Vibranium and Asgardian metal, your people had never realized their metal's full possibility as we have with Vibranium."
"Yes, that's true. But I still don't understand how it can be Vibranium, and we not even realize it."
"We have been harvesting this metal on Asgard for many millennia." Thor spoke up. "Long before even my father was born. I am not terribly surprised that the knowledge of exactly what it is was lost to us."
"And unless someone has studied it and Earth's Vibranium, no one would recognize that it's the same thing." Jane concluded quite quickly.
"I want to analyze Asgardian metal more thoroughly." Shuri then got to the main point of this discussion. "With my knowledge of Vibranium I believe I can use many of the same principles we've applied in Wakanda to harness the Asgardian metal's power as we have harnessed our Vibranium."
"Which given its added strength would be quite something." Jane was quick to catch on. Shuri hadn't had time to tell her everything that they were able to do with Vibranium in Wakanda, but she had said enough for Jane to know what even some of those uses could mean for Asgard, and for the war to come.
"Indeed." Shuri was getting excited. "If I could come to Asgard-"
"Shuri!" T'Challa snapped, continuing to say something in their language which Shuri scoffed at.
"You may be my King, brother, but you do not order me around." She said dismissively, turning back to Jane who was trying not to laugh.
"Thor." She said, turning to her husband. "I'd like to invite Princess Shuri to Asgard." Her tone brooked no argument and Thor's own amusement was clear.
"While it would be an honour to have Princess Shuri on Asgard, I cannot in good conscience go against the wishes of her King. It's not good diplomacy, you know." Shuri turned a glare on Thor before turning one back on her brother who sighed and came over to properly join the conversation instead of just being a spectator.
"I do not want her to impose." He said. "She can be a handful," Shuri flipped him off, though he pretended not to see. "And given both the coming battle, and your pregnancy, Queen Jane, I fear she will exhaust you, and only be in the way." Jane raised an eyebrow that nearly had T'Challa shrinking back. She supposed she should be glad that he hadn't said she was in a 'delicate condition' or some such thing, though as she thought about it, she couldn't deny that being pregnant wasn't easy. In the past pregnancy had been made out to be such a trying condition that it turned women practically helpless, while today there were many people who said that aside from some weird cravings and the odd mood swing, it wasn't taxing at all; the truth was somewhere in between and she now knew, and her eyebrow lowered.
"Thank you for your consideration, King T'Challa." She said rather formally, the only remnant of her continued annoyance. "However, as the Allfather said, it would be an honour to have Princess Shuri join us. Besides, if she is right then her aid will be invaluable for both Asgard, and the coming battle." Seeing her brother was giving in, Shuri gave a cheer and said she was going to pack before running off.
"She is going to be the death of me one day." T'Challa muttered.
"I know how you feel, my friend." Thor said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Siblings are indeed quite trying." He wisely left it at that; no need to open the can of worms that is Loki. T'Challa nodded and appeared resigned.
"Just don't let her take advantage. When it comes to knowledge and science, especially about Vibranium, Shuri never tires and will not stop until forced to."
"We will take care, I promise you." Thor said with a laugh.
"My King." Okoye had come forward now and appeared quite serious. "Ayo is prepared to lead five of the Dora Milaje to accompany the Princess as her protection."
"I don't think that will be necessary, Okoye." He replied. "I am certain that Thor and his warriors can protect her." Thor nodded.
"You have my word that no harm will come to her."
"Forgive me, my King," Okoye said tightly, trying not to sound like she was lecturing him, though he knew that that is exactly what she was doing. "But until you give Wakanda an heir, then Shuri is next in line for the throne. We cannot leave her unprotected."
"The Allfather has given you his word that she will be safe." Sif spoke up, sounding put out that anyone would question her King. "We will protect her."
"And if protecting our Princess means putting an Asgardian life in danger?" Okoye returned, not backing down. "We cannot simply take your word when it comes to the life of the current future Queen. Nor do we know anything of your training or if you will even be table to protect her if you tried." Sif's eyes blazed and Jane, Thor, and the Warriors Three flinched.
"Those are fighting words." Sif all but whispered. "Do not speak so unless you wish to meet my blade in combat."
"I am not afraid of a fight." Both women eyed each other the animosity between them clear. Then, without a word, they both drew their weapons, Sif's sword and shield meeting Okoye's spear. T'Challa tried to get Okoye to stop, but Thor stopped him, saying it was best to just let it happen. The fight lasted several minutes, both warriors being quite evenly matched, though in the end Sif came out the victor. She knocked Okoye to the ground at the same time she disarmed her, pointing her sword at the Wakandan's neck. Normally Sif would wait until her opponent yielded; however, instead she dropped her sword and held out her hand, helping Okoye up.
"You fought well." She complimented. "You nearly had me beat a few times there."
"But I did not." Okoye sounded upset with herself, and in a move neither Thor nor Jane expected, Sif tried to comfort her.
"Do not think this battle lost because you lack skill. Experience also matters in battle and I have lived for over a millennia, fighting in too many battles to count, on eight of the nine realms. Had you the experience I did, this battle could have ended very differently." After a moment Okoye smiled, the animosity between them gone.
"Only eight of the nine realms. You must be slipping." She said in a clear attempt at a joke, though Sif didn't get it.
"Svartalfheim is a dark world." She said seriously. "It's people, the Dark Elves, extinct in the time of Thor's grandfather, King Bor. Or so we thought until they re-emerged several years ago during the Convergence." Okoye merely nodded, deeming it unnecessary to try and explain her joke.
"The Princess will be safe with them." She then declared to her king who merely nodded, doing his best not to laugh.
"Your guards are welcome on Asgard." Sif spoke, irrespective that she was issuing the invitation and not Thor or Jane, though neither seemed to care. "I took offense that you would question our King's word of honour, I was not opposed to you wanting security for your princess." She explained when Okoye sent her a look. "Rest assured that neither our King or Queen, nor the Prince or Princess, once born, would be allowed even outside the palace, let alone a realm away, without a guard." Okoye's look turned understanding, had someone questioned her king's word, she too would have responded in the same manner. Sif had gained her respect, though she was glad to see that they were of the same mind, for she still was uncomfortable sending the heir to the Wakandan throne, and her friend, to places unknown without protection. Looking to T'Challa, Okoye saw the surrender in his eyes; his way of saying it was her call.
"Ayo and Teela then." She said. The two elite guards Okoye had named came forward and saluted their general before going to stand near the Asgardians. "And thank you for understanding." She directed to Sif, who offered a smile in return.
"Am I down to two guards then?" Shuri asked as she reappeared. T'Challa nodded and Shuri smiled. "Good, then I shall have enough beads." She dug in her bag and handed Ayo and Teela each a set of Kimoyo Beads, before handing a set to her brother and Okoye as well. "And one for mother." She handed her brother an extra bracelet. "I created an update once I knew that it was Vabranium on Asgard. These new beads should have a signal strong enough to communicate between realms, using the natural Vibranium on Asgard to boost the signal." She explained. "They will let us stay in contact if needed, and will let Ayo and Teela be able to inform you if I'm ever in danger." She winked at Okoye who smirked.
"I'm glad to see you care about your well-being." She said and Shuri rolled her eyes, both women knowing that was not what she had created them for.
"Are you prepared, Princess?" Thor asked, stepping forward. "We should return to Asgard." Shuri nodded and turned to her brother who came forward and pulled her into a hug.
"Don't cause too much trouble." He said, grunting when Shuri punched him in the side. "And be careful. Come home safe."
"I will, brother." Shuri promised. Jane felt herself tear up at the obvious displace of sibling love and didn't even curse her hormones for it this time; she'd likely have teared up regardless. Saying a quick goodbye to everyone else, Thor and Jane led their friends and the Wakandans outside where Thor summoned Gungnir, lifting it high as the Bifrost opened, summoning them home.
A/N - So Shuri's becoming a bit more of a main character. I didn't plan that, but I really liked Shuri, and the Black Panther movie in general so I'm quite happy.
Review please!
