Revamped!

[Today is the big day and I am sorry to say that I am not going to be including the actual wedding in this story but I will include details at the end of this chapter].

Chapter Twenty-Three: My Prince

Today is the big day. Today is my big day.

I sit on the edge of my bed with my legs crossed and my head resting on my hands which are prepped on my inner thighs.

I've been sitting here for ten minutes.

I turn my head and look at the crisp flowing white wedding dress that has a gold trim along with the skirt and bodice, perfectly placed on my bed beside me. There's not one imperfection in sight, not even along the slits on the torso that have a piece of fabric joining them in the middle.

I carefully slide off my bed in my silk bathrobe, not to add any wrinkles or creases to my dress or else my mother will have a fit. I walk across my bedroom, open my door by a crack and slip out.

For once, my entire castle is silent. I miss the sound of suitors walking around or maids and butlers serving everyone. Today, they're either downstairs adding last-minute preparations or in the courtyard, waiting for the reception. I'm currently waiting for my mother who will help me get ready but I have no idea where she is. I guess that she's with my father, welcoming some of our guests or getting ready herself.

I walk in the hallways barefoot, allowing the cold wooden floor to creak underneath my feet. Excluding the day the palace was attacked, I'm always wearing shoes. Something about it seems right and proper.

I pass the line of portraits, thinking about the future one that will be mine with Imanu. Does it get painted right away or do I have to wait to inherit the throne before endless hours of posing for a painter? I never asked since it never crossed my mind. I assume it's later on since my parents got married and coronated as teenagers, but they look a bit older in their portrait. But that could've just been the case for them.

Huh, would you look at me? I'm not even married and I am being concerned about a painting.

I continue walking and stop in front of Imanu's room where he's preparing himself. I knock on his door and when there is no response, I slowly open the door and see Imanu pacing back and forth in his room nervously. He's still wearing his robe as his dashiki for the wedding sits on his bed just like my dress. Maybe he's waiting for his family as well.

He sees me after a few minutes and stops as I let myself in and close the door behind me.

"Princess…" He mutters quietly to himself. He's nervous.

"Many cultures believe that the groom seeing the bride before the ceremony on the wedding day is bad luck," I tell him, "but I don't believe in the concept of luck, let alone the idea of bad luck."

Imanu stares at me and only nods. Concerned, I take a few steps closer to him.

"Are you alright?" I ask.

"I'm anxious," Imanu replies, "that's all. Don't worry."

"So am I. Father says it's completely normal."

"It's not," Imanu says which scares me. "One day, Iqadi, you will be the queen and me, your king. That means that I'll be in charge of the country and be responsible for defending and protecting it. I can never do such a thing especially since the ones who threaten Wakanda are much more powerful than me. I was terrified during the attract and you almost died in front of me - even in my own hands when I was giving you your stitches. If Wakanda were to fall, I would not be able to live with myself especially if I were to be the reason for such a tragedy."

"Imanu, stop."

I put my hands on his shoulders and sit him down on his bed. He puts his head in his hands and I keep mine where they are, lightly and tenderly massaging his tension and nerves away. As I soothe him, he focuses on his breathing. I look up for a bit and think over what my mother told me a while back.

When she first entered the royal life, she felt more pressured that the heir himself. She worried about messing up and being a failure to everyone, especially herself. Because she came out of nowhere when they've been watching my father the whole time. They knew him, not her. Out of that whole story, there was one part that impacted me hard and I know that I have to apply it right now. The mere thought of it brings tears to my eyes and one of them falls. I take a deep breath to focus on my breathing as well. I don't want to say this but I know I have to.

"Mother felt the same way you did when she first became the queen," I tell him. "She had different reasons for such but her nerves and self-doubt were more or less the same as yours. Everything became much too hard for her to handle and she wanted to leave. My father allowed her to go but she stayed for him."

Imanu turns his head up to look at me, wondering when I started to cry. I kind of wonder the same since I had no clue one tear turned out to be more. He reaches up and cups my face in his hands to wipe away my tears. I put my hands on top of his and hold them graciously. I smile melancholically before biting my bottom lip.

"Do you want to leave?" Is a question that stabs my heart.

"Of course not," he whispers back. "Why would you ever ask such a question?"

I shrug a little with a small, nervous laugh. "The concept of bad luck is playing with our minds."

We hold each other like this for a bit, smiling once again. This is our wedding day, not a day for tears but joy.

"I picked you because your honesty, growing courage, and unfathomable intelligence have stolen my heart," I tell him. "Not one person can rule a country all on his or her own. Behind every king is his great queen and vice versa. I believe in your ability to protect this country, Imanu, my prince. I believe in you and will always be by your side."

I see him smile with radiant confidence beaming from it. He started as a shy boy and he has grown in this period which only gives me hope for the future.

Imanu stands up and pulls me into a kiss which will only be the first of many.

[Okay, I am ending Iqadi's story here because this is an appropriate place for the end of the story. Her relationship with Imanu will be further developed in Project: New Generation and here is where you can read the wedding which will be published in the following stories later in the year (around June or July)]. [2019: And for the years between this story and PNG, check out SHIELD Academy].

[But stick around because I promised a bonus chapter which will take place in the past with Iqadi's parents].

Emily's Counterparts - Chapters 293 and 294: Here Comes the Bride / Flash Mob, Newlyweds!
Britney's Counterpart - Chapter 291: (Britney Braun) Wakanda's Wedding