18
After we floated back down into the court my body still atop of Namor's and our lips continuing to enjoy the others, Attuma and Namora approached with a bow. Immediately, I withdrew from Namor so the three could speak. After a moment Namor looked at me.
"I will take you home, I am sure you are ready to rest. Tomorrow we will plan for your coronation." he said. I tilted my head.
"My coronation?" I asked and he nodded lifting me bridal style again and moving from the court.
"Yes, I will officially introduce you to all of Talokan in the stadium as Queen of Talokan, my wife and mother to new blood, and you will be officially welcomed back to the home of your father's people." he explained. I was stunned by the titles and now thought of my father, the Talokan man. I didn't even think of him this entire time and I realized I had so many questions about him. Namor saw my face and smiled.
"Do not worry, we will speak on your father when you are rested." he said.
Within an hour we were back in Wakanda, and I forced myself to shower so once I hit the bed my muscles could relax. I was so sore and Namor entered with a bowl of water and set it on the night stand beside me so I could use it to relax my muscles. I sighed and nuzzled into my pillow happy to no longer have to swim. Namor sat at the end of the bed looking somewhat puzzled.
"Can I ask you something?" he asked and I looked at him thinking he wanted to know what I thought of his home world.
"Your home is beautiful and unlike anything I had ever seen." I replied with a smile. He gave a gentle smile and nodded as he gently took hold of my feet and began to massage my heal. He had the magic touch because I felt immediately at ease.
"When I led the attack on Wakanda last year… were you there?" he asked. Now I looked at him with mild concern sitting up on my arms. What brought this on?
"Why?" I asked. He turned and sat with his legs crossed with mine atop of them.
"Please answer, my love." he replied. I bit the side of my lip before nodding.
"Yes, I was there when the waters began to flood and your people came." I replied. He nodded, no guilt in his eyes.
"Where were you when everything was happening?" he asked.
"I was in the hospital protecting my patients." I replied. Now he did wince and he nodded.
"Did any of my people try to take the hospital?" he asked. I nodded.
"Some tried, but M'Baku protected us." I replied. He gave a gentle snort and looked away.
"Protected you." he muttered.
"You'd think you'd be happy about that seeing as if your people killed me you would have never met me." I replied quickly and his movements on my foot paused and he nodded.
"Fair enough. Shuri should have been the queen, after I drowned the queen." he noted. I shook my head.
"Why are we having this conversation?" I asked.
"Because I want to have it. I want to know… how I can work at getting Wakanda to trust Talokan. I know our marriage alone will not be enough." he said moving to crawl over me now, his eyes darkening on me with that familiar predator gaze. "You saved the queen." I nodded staring up at him as well.
"I did. I withdrew the water from her lungs and brought her back before she was lost to us forever." I replied. Namor nodded slowly watching me.
"You hated me like the rest of your people then." he concluded and I looked away.
"Of course, I hated any invaders who hurt the ones I love." I responded. He nodded and slowly moved to lie beside me so that he was in my line of sight.
"I'm sorry." he replied. "Wakanda was my enemy then, and now I am married to the most beautiful Wakandan girl I had ever laid eyes on. I want our people to truly be one." I listened and gently looked at the ceiling just wanting to relax.
"It will take time." I replied. He nodded.
"I know." he replied. We lied like this for a moment and I wanted us to just talk about something else.
"Tell me what I should expect of this coronation?" I asked. Now the seriousness in his eyes vanished and he looked at me with bright hopeful eyes.
"We will be escorted to the stadium where all of Talokan will meet you. You will be addressed as queen and given a special headdress created for you. Many will want to give you gifts for your chambers. Then we will eat and celebrate and watch many games. Simple stuff." he said. I grinned and nodded.
"Yeah very simple." I replied before looking down in some thought of what our future would be like.
"As queen, what would be expected of me by your people?" I asked. He shook his head.
"Nothing. You will be tended to and free to move amongst the people as you please and explore the land until you are pregnant-"
"Stop." I replied and sat up now and he mimicked my actions.
"What is the matter?" he asked.
"Is that what you want? Do you even want children? I mean you've lain with other women before have any of them gotten pregnant?" I asked. He shook his head taking my hand.
"Of course not. All the women I have lain with were at their lowest times of infertility. I will only be a father to the children that come from your body." he said moving to place his hand over my stomach.
"But do you want children?" I asked and he looked at me with a soft stare.
"Yes, I do. I am not expecting you to be pregnant immediately and I do not want to rush this. Right now, I want to enjoy being married to you… do you want children?" he asked. I looked down in thought of his hand on my stomach.
"Maybe once in my life I did, but sometimes all I see is him taking all over my choices away…" I said now not wanting to be touched and I moved to sit on the side of my bed holding myself now.
"Eywa, I am sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." he said moving to place his hands on my shoulders gently. I shook my head.
"It's okay… it's just- still all of this is still scary children, being a queen. I didn't want any of this. I wanted to just help people, I wanted that to be my life." I replied honestly. He nodded.
"And you still can. You may be a queen, but you can still help your people and mine if we ever need your help. I assure you my love you will still have purpose and everything else your heart desires all in one I promise this to you as I am your wings." he said. I stared up at him feeling my eyes water and a single tear slip down my face. He raised his hand and with his thumb he gently wiped it away before cupping my cheek. I nodded and felt his forehead against my own.
"Thank you." I said softly and he smiled and leaned in and planted a soft kiss to my lips. There was a gentle knock on the door and we both sat up from the bed and I moved to look out the window. It was Attuma and… Okoye?
We both got up from the bed and moved down stairs to the front door. Namor opened it and I could see them standing a reasonable distance apart from each other, Attuma however had a smirk on his face and Okoye was just rolling her eyes. She was in a more casual attire of blue and black. She looked completely different without her dora outfit. When they saw us they immediately gestured of respect to us. Even though Okoye was stripped of her title as captain of the Dora Milaje she was still allowed to teach new recruiting Dora. Captain Ayo allowed this. She also helps at the hospital being security if anyone gets too aggressive.
"Queen Eywa, you are needed at the hospital." Okoye said and Attuma began to speak to Namor who nodded and looked at me.
"I too am needed. I will return tonight." he said and taking my hand and kissing the top of my knuckles. I nodded and watched as Namor moved passed Attuma who looked at me and bowed before following after him. I looked at Okoye and smiled.
"I'm going to go get dressed, please come in." I replied and she returned the smile and followed. As I moved toward the stairs her eyes wandered all over the house.
"So how is being a queen?" she asked following me upstairs now. I shook my head.
"It's still catching up to me. I have my coronation in Talokan tomorrow." I replied moving to my room and over to my closet. I put on my usual red and brown dress with a red headdress and gold necklace. I then moved from the closet and caught Okoye staring with a smile.
"Neh?" I asked and just sighed happily.
"You have come quite a long way since him." she replied and I couldn't help but smile.
"Thank you. You and Shuri and many others have been a powerful support system." I replied and she nodded.
"We all needed each other during his reign and even after T'Challa's passing." she said with a wince. I looked down the soft sadness starting to fill me, but I was tired of being sad today. I lifted my head up and looked at her.
"So what is going on at the hospital?" I asked.
"There are a few people from Haiti who were brought in to be healed. Right now they are in induced comas, the flu is spreading amongst a lot of Africa." she said. Now I tensed and nodded moving from my room.
"And any word of a vaccine?" I asked and she nodded.
"Shuri is helping our scientists create a vaccine." she said following after me as we left the house and over to ship she came in.
"So why is this flu becoming a threat… it's been around forever it shouldn't be a problem, unless it is manmade." I replied as we entered her ship.
"Queen Ramonda and the council are discussing that… per Captain Ayo." she said. I respected Okoye even more now that there was no bitterness in her tone when addressing the new captain. I nodded as we sat down and she activated her control system.
"Anything else you have heard?" I asked. I could see her worried reflection in the mirror of the front of the ship.
"Yes. Our American and French allies are upset that Namor attacked their ship while delivering you to Washington. They are upset Queen Ramonda has allowed this to happen with no repercussion. There is talk now that if we do not give some of our vibranium as penance they will sever all ties to Wakanda and see us as an enemy." she said. I stared at her stunned.
"Who told you this?" I asked.
"Queen Ramonda did… she is going to soon speak with you queen to queen and discuss further what should be done about this. She wants to avoid all options that could lead to a war." she said. I looked down in thought.
"Maybe it's time we do cut ties with our allies." I said to Queen Ramonda as she did summon me after I helped those in the hospital.
"You cannot be serious." she said, and I nodded looking at the council members.
"Yes I am. Our allies only formed with us because they thought they had just put their foot in the door of gaining vibranium, our vibranium. When they found out that King Namor and his people existed, and was using Wakanda to get to Riri Williams, what did they do, they remained silent while Wakanda handled the Talokan threat… they remained silent while our nations fought each other. And now that everything is quiet again they want to either use me, Wakanda's ultimate healing source, or our vibranium, the resource we are entitled to." I explained looking around at everyone in the chamber. Ramonda tensed at my words and looked down for a moment.
"Queen Eywa is right," The river tribe Elder replied, "Wakanda did the world a favor by no longer staying in hiding. We even decided to be allies and remain allies when one of our vibranium labs were broken into, we give an inch, they take a mile."
My mother along with the other tribal members nodded.
"Maybe it is time to cut communications off with our allies for now while we deal with our sickness problem in Africa." she replied. I nodded.
"I agree with the Mining Tribe Elder. We do not need the Americans or anyone else, they need us." I replied and my mother nodded in agreement. I looked at Ramonda with a bow of my head.
"Whatever you decide for Wakanda is your choice. But tomorrow will be my coronation at Talokan and when that happens, I will no longer be a servant of Wakanda. I will be at no one beck and call for healing unless approached and asked, that means for you and your family as well Queen Ramonda. I have new duties to a new nation and I plan to see it through as was expected of me when I was just a healer." I explained making sure to look at every elder in this room before looking at Ramonda. She didn't look surprised if anything she looked understanding. She nodded.
"I understand, Queen Eywa. As your allies, I will keep you updated on anything I decide going forward with this situation." she said before bowing at me. I bowed back.
Woah, where did this confidence come from in me? I had never spoken with such authority to anyone let alone the queen. But now I was on the same playing field as her. I had authority and I had to remind myself of that.
Later that night, I was preparing for bed. Namor returned late in the night and entered in his usual attire. I was sitting at my vanity dresser when he approached and kissed the side of my cheek.
"I hope my time away was not distressing for you my queen." he said with a purr and I shook my head.
"It was not." I replied as I looked at his reflection in the mirror. I had just finished braiding my hair when he reached down and took my hand connecting our palms together.
"Everything is ready for tomorrow." he said. I smiled.
"Good." I replied turning to him. "Queen Ramonda and I discussed the American allies and I told her after tomorrow my duties would be to Talokan. I would no longer be a servant of Wakanda." His brows flexed.
"My queen is finally finding her voice." he said as if proud and I nodded standing up slowly looking at him.
"She is. They will be discussing if they wish to cut ties with the American allies since they only want to be close to us to use me for my abilities or get the vibranium seeing as they will never get it from Talokan." I replied. He nodded slowly.
"That is smart of Queen Ramonda. Wakanda has Talokan, Talokan has Wakanda." he said. I smiled as I looked at our palms together.
"You have me and I have you." I said looking back up at him. He nodded.
"We need no one else." he said lowly and I smiled before he leaned in and pressed his lips against me. I replied immediately, pulling him into me so that our chests touched. "I need you."
"So, take me." I said breathlessly.