Chapter 25: Of regrets and revolutions
All hell broke loose.
Thankfully, no actual fighting though. There was a lot of shouting, however. It was to be expected. You take a deeply traditional and xenophobic group of people and give them a new, only technically Wakandan King and immediately confront them with a foreign hero. Of course they didn´t like it.
Not that N´Jadaka gave a shit.
Especially when he saw his cousins and his aunt trying to leave quietly.
"Hold up. Not so fast.", he called out over the noise of arguments.
The royal family looked up and stopped even as their bodies tensed as if to be ready to attack – or flee like scared animals. N´Jadaka walking up to them more like a predator stalking his prey than a King approaching his subjects, certainly didn´t help alleviate that impression.
"You can be on your way in a moment. But first, I ain´t be letting another Black Panther just run around.", the freshly crowned King said and turned towards the Forest Whitaker look-alike. "So, that is your job, isn´t it."
N´Jadaka´s treatment of the grieving family might have not won him any favors but I ultimately had to agree with the sentiment. Having an empowered T´Challa around was asking for trouble. And if T´Challa had had some time to grieve and some of his allies encouraged him to usurp the new King against his deceased father´s wishes… Well, that had just gotten a whole lot harder.
Even as he stared at his cousin in anger, T´Challa acquiesced. Next to anger and grief, I could now read defeat in his body language. His sister looked like she wanted to scream at him to fight back. Feisty little girl.
As the shaman approached with a cup in his hands and worry in the lines of his face, I left. I informed the new King of my plans via Ree and slipped out from under the Dora Milaje´s watchful eyes.
Cruel and vindictive or not, N´Jadaka was my ally and just had just won the fight, even if not quite the war. But I knew Wakanda wasn´t happy for him and he had none to celebrate with. So, I would have to do. Which led me to make a few preparations for the evening while N´Jadaka dealt with the matter of his new status.
A couple hours later, not quite late enough for my evening plans with N´Jadaka, I was finished and had time to spare. Visible now, I walked through the palace as distrustful gazes followed my every step.
I knew my new morally challenged friend had given strict instructions to let me roam freely but that sure as hell didn´t mean anyone was looking all that enthusiastic about it. I would have been a whole lot more nervous if I hadn´t had Steve barrage my constructs once with his shield to test if vibranium could somehow magically counter my ring´s abilities. It couldn´t.
Which meant the only things the Dora Milaje could pierce me with were their looks, not their spears.
Unhindered, I entered the lab. I was both surprised and entirely not so when I saw Shuri running about, feverishly working on something that was probably way beyond my understanding. Her brother, seeming much smaller and more tired now than during the ceremonial combat, hurried after her, speaking in a quiet but firm voice to calm her down.
What genuinely did take me off guard was that neither had noticed my arrival. As far as I knew, Shuri had an AI too and even if she hadn´t yet, I couldn´t imagine that there wasn´t some kind of intruder alert.
Maybe she just hadn´t heard. As distracted as she was, that wasn´t out of the question.
For a moment I was stumped on what I could say that wouldn´t have them hate me more than they most likely already did.
I cleared my throat.
Two heads snapped in my direction and now I had no other choice than to speak.
"My condolences for your loss.", I said simply.
This time my attention was drawn to Shuri. She looked so young. Too young.
I knew that I still had a bad habit of thinking of people as their fictional counter parts until I met them the first time, but that didn´t prepare me for the realization of how different Shuri was. Her image in my head had been tainted with her taking up the mantle of Black Panther after both her brother and her mother had died. A strong, intelligent woman and ruler that slowly learnt how to deal with overwhelming grief.
This Shuri was a child. A genius, yes, but a child that had just seen her own father die at the hands of her cousin and now King.
For the first time I felt a real wave of regret wash over me. Not just a seed or thought of "what if" running through my head. My whole body seized up for a moment. It took only a second and Ree confirmed my suspicion.
She was 14.
However, as fast as the regret came, as fast was it overshadowed by anger. At the situation. At Wakanda.
For a supposedly oh so advanced society, they sure had some very shifty traditions. Even if their monarchy was grounded on their beliefs in a Bast-chosen King, these combat trials seemed antiquated and foolish.
"What are you doing in my lab, foreigner?", Shuri snapped at me, her accent coming through stronger in her rage. Her brother laid a hand on her shoulder as if to calm her down and mustered me intensely.
"Why?", T´Challa asked with a strained voice.
I tilted my head as I held his gaze.
"Why?", I asked for clarification.
The young prince´s face tightened, anger and frustration again taking the place of defeat and tiredness.
"Why would you stand on his side.", he pressed out through clenched teeth.
"You seem awfully mad at you cousin.", I observed, ignoring his question.
"He murdered my baba!", T´Challa finally raised his voice.
He stared at me wide-eyed and took a single step forward. Shuri turned in his grip and hugged his side so that her arm was across his chest. He had held her back, now she was making sure he didn´t react rashly.
"Because your baba murdered his. And if I had to guess, T´Chaka had to spend much of his last hours talking you down from doing the same, didn´t he? So tell me, if it had been you, half you sisters age, stumbling upon your slaughtered father´s corpse, abandoned by your family and confronted with the horrors of the world – tell me you wouldn´t have done the same so that I can call you liar!", I answered, my words slowly building up speed and volume.
T`Challa recoiled like I had slapped him. Shuri was crying.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes to calm myself. These people were grieving. Shouting at them wouldn´t help.
"You ask why. I can understand him. I understand his rage. He`s seen the people Wakanda lets down everyday and so have I."
Wakanda´s cyber security was certainly better than anywhere else on the planet but even they didn´t measure up to Ree´s space-magic bullshit.
I have Ree hack the laboratories screens and let the displays show some of the more graphic documentation of Hydra´s experiments on mutants. The stuff that the public didn´t get to see because it would be too upsetting.
Shuri gasped and clung tighter to her brother.
"I saw mutants stroll down the streets of Wakanda, they´re free and without fear. But that is not what would await them anywhere else. And the moment T´Chaka considered upending a human-rights movement worthwhile because it was more convenient, I knew I couldn´t trust him to do the right thing. I consider all lives to be of equal value, so when it´s T´Chaka´s life against thousands of mutants? I´m sorry for your loss, but it isn´t even a question."
I looked on as a young girl cried in her brother´s arms. I felt more sad than regretful now.
After a few more seconds, I left the lab. The siblings clearly weren´t up for any more conversation today, although I was sure this discussion wasn´t over.
I crossed the Dora Milaje waiting outside and strode down the corridor. When I turned the corner there was no person in sight.
With a sigh I stopped and slumped against the wall. I raised my hand and rubbed my face, emotionally tired out after that confrontation. Surprised, I jerked my hand away. It was wet.
By the time evening rolled around, my mood had cleared up a bit. No need to rain on N´Jadaka´s parade. Everyone else was already quite happy to.
When I found him, he was alone in the throne room. The Dora Milaje were stationed outside. The young King stood at the window wall and looked out at his city.
"Simba, everything the light touches is your kingdom.", I joked as I approached him.
He snorted a laugh.
"Wouldn´t I be more of a match for Scar?", he asked with hints of mirth in his tone.
I tilted my head.
"Hm, the motivations don´t really track there. And I refuse to cast T´Chaka as Mufasa.", I denied.
"True.", N´Jadaka said and turned around. He frowned.
"Were you crying?"
I sighed. Of course, you could still see it. One of the downsides of my fussy skin.
"Don´t worry about it. I cry at the weirdest of times.", I waved him away. It was embarrassing how often I had bawled at the beginning of Up. That montage, man, fucked me up every time.
"So, ready to set off?", I asked brightly.
"Sure. You´re lucky that I was so busy. Else I´d have already eaten. Starving right now.", he complained.
I grinned and opened a portal to where I had prepared our meal.
"Woah, not bad.", I heard when he stepped through.
"Right?", I said.
I had us set up on a small mountain not far from the city. The view was utterly stunning. You could look out over the thick forest and the lively city. We were on a small and even stone platform, overshadowed by one crooked tree, that stood out from a giant waterfall.
I had to put some sound dampening runes out because the waterfall had been too loud, but this was worth it.
I sat down on the cushions I had left there in front of a low and broad table.
"Wait until you see the sunset.", I said with excitement.
N´Jadaka made a surprised sound and sat down beside me. It wasn´t difficult to guess what he was thinking about. Making sure that the first sunset he got to watch in Wakanda was a triumph had been the goal after all.
No bittersweet death for you, no thank you.
While N´Jadaka was busy being astonished at the view, I pulled out the meal I had prepared.
"What´s this?", he asked as he mustered the dishes on the table.
My grin broadened.
"Grandma´s recipe. I have something else if you don´t like it, but I thought it was fitting."
True to how hungry he had claimed to be, the young King started loading his plate.
"What´s fitting?"
I thought for moment how to put it best.
"Hm, when I was away for a while and returned home, this was what my grandma would make for me. It never tastes quite right in restaurants, so I only eat it when I make it myself. It has become a bit of tradition for me. Sauerkraut, mashed potato and Rauchendchen – which would be a sort of smoked sausage, I think?", I explained.
N´Jadaka watched me for a moment before he huffed a slight laugh.
"Home, huh."
Then he dug in. Either he liked it, or he was just that hungry. It wasn´t long before he went in for a second plate anyway.
"´s good.", he mumbled out with a full mouth. After swallowing he was a bit easier to understand. "Sauerkraut? Isn´t that… "
"German? Yeah, so was my Oma.", I answered. I had specifically tweaked that detail of my backstory because Sauerkraut was my favorite food. It wasn´t even really that popular in Germany, as far as I knew, so it seemed a bit necessary to explain my preference.
I pulled out two bottles and opened them. N`Jadaka took his and read the label.
"Bionade Kräuter?"
"Herbal lemonade, it´s err, also very German."
We ate in silence after that. When we were both finished, I stood up and dragged my cushion to the tree to lean against and sprawled out there. N`Jadaka followed.
I supplied us with lemonade, and we watched the sunset without saying a word.
The sun was already mostly out of view when I spoke up.
"Monarchy sucks.", I said.
"The fuck?", the King next to me snorted. "Hasn´t been a day, man."
I laughed.
"I don´t mean you. Monarchy in general is stupid. Especially in Wakanda. Have you seen how xenophobic these people are? It´s insane! They call me, a part alien, colonizer and but then they are just fine with following a supposedly god chosen ruler because that has never gone wrong. If Wakanda wasn´t so rich, they would be fucked. The whole society gives me Versailles and "L´État, c´est moi." vibes. They think they deserve all this luxury because they have been supposedly chosen by Bast. The noble protectors that defend vibranium from the needy dumb masses that would kill themselves while playing with it.", I ranted.
"That´s a lot jumps in thoughts that you are taking.", N`Jadaka said after he had digested my stream of thought.
"Can´t say I disagree with most of it tho.", he mumbled. "The council was pissed at everything I said, just because I said it. They sure as hell don´t see me as Wakandan, no matter my blood. Still couldn´t and wouldn´t do shit about it. They just talk a big game."
"They are so full of themselves. And then they pretend they are so much better than everyone else.", I agreed. "Please tell me you are going to abolish the monarchy after you are done with your changes. That would pull the rug out from under them right quick."
"Wakanda sure as hell won´t be getting another King.", N`Jadaka said with dark amusement. "They´ll have to do with me."
I toasted him with my bottle.
"Vive la révolution!", I laughed.
He grinned back and clinked our bottles together.
"Vive la révolution!"
AN: Urgh, so many emotions this chapter… And some german foods. And apparently you can get Bionade elsewhere but "Kräuter" (herbs) only in Germany? Weird. That is pretty much the only flavor my family buys.
Questions! I have still quite a list of things that are going to happen and storylines that need to be furthered but the outline leaves a bit more leeway at this point in the story, so:
What do you guys want to see? What do you look forward to? What did you enjoy the most up until now?
(For example: There are a lot of open directions right now. So… more Wakanda stuff? More Hydra? Vanko? Wintersoldier/Bucky and Cap? MESO? X-Men? Hellfireclub? Or more magic/Ancient One/Domi interactions? You see where I am a bit spoiled for choice here…)
And different POV´s! With how close the story sticks to Al´s perspective, those would be a nice contrast. But who? Should I do a long one or multiple short ones?
Also, have you ever eaten Sauerkraut and did you like it? I thought way too long about whether other people would think Sauerkraut tastes weird…