As soon as I had spoken, the brute turned around, finally looking affected. Anger and irritation flashed across his face, and he drummed his fingers aggressively on the remote.
A wave of scorching pain rushed through every cell in my body. My sight and hearing were temporarily taken from me. When I regained some of my consciousness, I breathed shallowly, trying to see something through the tangled mess of hair in front of my face.
'Looks like she can't stand much more of this bullshit,' the brute said grimly to the camera. 'Just give us what we want. I don't think you have much of a choice.'
Whatever they did next, he would kill me. I was very well aware of that. Sooner or later, the end would come.
A loud yell rang out from behind the enormous lights. A dark figure jumped at me, wrapping his hands around the thick wires erupting from the shackles around my wrist. With a grunt he ripped them out.
Then he yelled out when a shock pulsed through him. Breathing heavily, he let go of the wires, half standing, half sitting on the ground, leaning with his palms on the bare concrete.
Before my eyes could focus on the attackers face, he pushed himself off the floor, and propelled himself at the brute. What happened next, happened too fast for my damaged mind.
There was a fight, a struggle, between the figure and the brute. Some other men tried to get to them, and some tried to get to me. None of them succeeded. Eventually I could see a gun shimmer in the dark, a gun that had its trigger pulled. A gun that let out a sound loud enough to bring me a little closer to the surface. A gun that shot a bullet.
One of the fighters fell down. In horror I watched as the victor staggered towards me. Slowly, the I could make out his face.
'James…' I gasped. Relief surged through me. My heart leaped of joy, and I let my head fall back. 'James…' I heard a soft thump. James had fallen to his knees, looking more damaged than I had realised at first glance.
'James?'
He looked back up at me. Dark strands of hair blocked much of his face, but I could make out his eyes between them. They were the eyes of an exhausted man. Exhausted, broken and in pain. The eyes of someone who wanted nothing more than passing out. However, he did not.
'Elissa,' he breathed, 'are you okay?'
'Am I okay?' I asked, in a voice between hysteric laughter and a cry of relief. 'You were dead!'
James shook his head. A soft smile appeared on his face. With what seemed a lot of effort, he got up, and removed the metal shackles from my arms. The moment I was free, I threw myself at him, and crushed him in a choking embrace.
'I thought you were dead,' I repeated, now really crying out of relief. Nothing had ever felt better than his two arms around me.
'Not as long as you need me.'
His breath stroked my scalp, and I shivered.
'You need medical attention,' James muttered. He used his body to shield my eyes from the many bodies spread across the floor, and the assortment of weapons that lay scattered – many of which James himself had carried with him.
'What? No!' I protested. Though as soon as I had said it, I collapsed.
Thus, two people, who both could barely walk, had to drag themselves onto the street. It was a painful journey. My muscles still didn't respond properly to my will, and James clamped his free arm against his chest.
When we were halfway through the maze of corridors, a couple figures appeared on the other side. At least half of them were carrying guns. At the sight of those my heart froze; not again.
'Elissa!'
'T'Challa!'
No more than two seconds later, T'Challa's warm hands gripped me, hugging me. I started crying again.
'Help James. James needs help,' I managed to utter before collapsing again. T'Challa carried me outside, where dozens of people were waiting. Most wore combat outfits, though there were also many doctors and other medical workers.
They put me on a stretcher. Immediately at least five different white coats surrounded me, checking my vitals, concluding that I wasn't in mortal danger, though my "shock therapy" hadn't done me much good either.
'Where's James? Is James okay?' I clasped T'Challa's arm. He smiled reassuringly.
'Yes, there he is. They are stitching him up.'
I turned my head, and saw James sit on another stretcher, as a doctor was indeed using a needle and thread to seal a round hole in his chest.
'Apparently he got the bullet out himself,' T'Challa said, a bit awestruck. 'That man should not be walking, let alone have saved you, Elissa.' Then he saw my face. 'But he is going to be fine, El. I just meant that he has immense willpower to go on with so much pain.'
'Much willpower,' I nodded. I lifted one hand and waved wearily when James' looked at me. He smiled, and waved back.
'I'm sorry, Elissa,' T'Challa muttered guiltily. 'I should have found you sooner, but-'
I stopped him before he could continue whatever silly apology he was about to give.
'Nothing of this is your fault, T'Challa. Period. You understand?'
'Loud and clear, queen Elissa.'
'I'm not queen yet, Challa.' My muttering became quieter and quieter the longer our conversation lasted.
'I saw the… video, Elissa. Coronation or not, you are queen.'
T'Challa gripped my hand tightly, looking worried, relieved and proud all at the same time. James appeared in sight, too. A same kind of expression was painted onto his face. Some doctor came forwards, injection a clear substance into my arm. Drowsiness came over me. I closed my eyes.
They were safe. It was over. I could rest.
Trumpets blared. A crowd cheered. People called out my name.
I was too nervous to smile when I stepped down from the carriage. James was holding my hand tightly. This time, the trip had gone smoothly. Even more guards had been on the lookout, unnecessarily so. As far as we knew, every last member of THEMIS had been captured - with the help of some of James' friends from America. They were her today, too. For some reason everyone tried to ensure my safety.
Inside the cathedral, a posh looking woman put the royal cloak around me, before I stepped forwards, passing the rows and rows of heads of state. I glance around. To my surprise, none of them wore the expression of masked disapproval I had anticipated. Instead, all of them seemed to think me equal. Some of them even seemed to be in awe.
Encouraged by this positive welcome, I strode to the golden throne in front of the seats. James took his place behind me. It all went smoothly. I didn't even stutter, or mispronounce a single word of my oath. Nor did I waver when the heavy crown was placed upon my head. Or was it that heavy? It seemed so much lighter than I had anticipated.
When the Bishop had spoken his lasts words, it seemed a dark lens fell away. As if I had been wearing dark glasses, that had obstructed me from seeing the world as it really was. T'Challa was the one member of the audience that stood out to me. His bright smile was like a solidified beam of sunlight, brought here especially for me. He was so proud, more so than I could have ever been.
"I thought I stood checkmate, Elissa. I thought they had taken my queen."
That's what he had said to me, when I woke up inside the hospital.
"They captured you, but you are truly unbeatable. Your parents would be very proud."
Indeed, they had not beaten me. Though it had taken me some time to not only recover from my physical wounds, but also from the mental ones. Especially gathering up the courage to repeat that disastrous voyage. However, I had not been alone.
THEMIS might have taken my father, (days after the attack they found proof that my father had indeed been poisoned) but T'Challa had been left on my side, and James had been brought to me as well.
Knowing one was standing before me, and one was standing behind me, gave me enough strength to do this. All three of us had suffered loss, and pain, and separation from those we loved. And all three had gotten through it, in our own unique way, for our own, unique reasons.
And all three of us had come out of it stronger than ever before.
The guests rose, every single one of them. A sea of colours, both in clothing and in skin. They looked up at me, and then called out, in one, loud voice:
'Long live the Marerran queen! Long live queen Elissa!'
