Chapter 22: under the sea

"I don't think I have ever seen you smile so hard, cha'h? what has you happy?" Shuri asked her husband as he dragged her down to the depths of the ocean. It was getting darker the farther they went down.

"you, my queen, and how you have helped our kingdom. Do you realize what the protective dome does for us? not only does it make us undetectable but it helps us clean our ocean. Under our dome, we can rid of any pollution that has gotten in. we often feel grimy going out into the open ocean, but even after a day of being under the dome, our citizens have said their skin feels different already. Our part of the ocean wasn't polluted, but we would still find remnants of the surface world's trash. The barrier is now protecting us from that. You have a brilliant mind! I am blessed to have you. I promise you will want for nothing. I will give you anything your heart desires. Within reason of course. "

"Well, I am glad I can help Mia amore," Shuri told him, blushing under his praise. "now tell me where are we going? It's getting dark."

"I am going to show you a place no surface dweller has ever seen." He told her in excitement. they were then submerged in complete darkness. she couldn't see her husband anymore. But then, a small glow reached her eyes.

"cha'h? what is that?"

Laughter emitted from his chest.

"get closer." He told her.

They were now descending to the ocean floor. Shuri gasped.

The bottom of the ocean was now glowing with beautiful coral reefs and sea anemones with multiple colors. There were reds, blues, and yellows.

"oh, my bast! It is beautiful! Ch'ah! I can't believe it!"

Ch'ah laughed.

"oh my queen it gets better."

…..

T'challa and Eric were in Jabari land. M'baku showed them the rare crop that was being affected by the lack of water.

"my king., we could benefit from this alliance with the fish man. He could redirect our waterways."

"I thought you did not like the fish man.." t'challa questioned.

"I do not, but that does not mean I will look a gift horse in its mouth and send it back. What concerns me is the way he looks at our princess. He called her by her first name the other day. Not princess. Just her first name. Have you noticed the way he looks at her?"

"I am not blind, to the curious nature, I see in his eyes when he looks at her. Shuri is just as curious but I think her curiosity is solely science-related. She cannot help herself when it comes to new things in the ways of science. Besides, my sister has her focus on the kingdom. She has much to accomplish before she settles down. She has much traveling to do and seeing the world. I will not confine her to the box of marriage so young."

To his surprise, Eric questioned his ideal.

"but what if she wants that? The whole marriage thing? What if she finds someone she's interested in? Have we thought about what she wants?"

" her only focus is her lab right now Eric."

Eric sighed.

"Sometimes, I don't think it is."

"Are you two done? are you done? I couldn't care less about the princess's love life. I just wanted to make sure the fish man wasn't trying to manipulate her to get to us?" m'baku interrupted.

"I trust in Shuri's abilities M'baku. Come continue to show us this plant."

…

Shuri and ch'ah sat on a smooth Rock as they watched the glowing sea life beneath beneath them.

" my queen watch…" he gestured into the darkness

Within seconds a giant squid was swimming near them.

"It's a giant squid!" she said in awe. She then watched three tiny squid swim with it.

" She's beautiful, isn't she? Our scientists have been working on a breeding program they almost became extinct because of pollution and hunting. When it's time to breed they have to come up to the surface. That's how they almost died off. Just like the mermaids. " he said with a tinge of sadness.

" wait what about the mermaids?" shuri questioned.

She wondered what his opinion would be of the movie but he seemed really quiet when they watched it. Had it offended him in some way?

Ch'ah looked off in the distance as he spoke.

"One thing the little mermaid got right, was King Triton's anger at the surface world. He was right to be cautious. The mermaids used to exist. They used to be kind, happy people, but they hung too close to the surface. The surface dwellers found their kingdom and destroyed it. that's one of the reasons why our kingdom sits so deep. We can't afford to be discovered. The little mermaid is a horrible representation of what the surface world wants you to think…why would she give up her whole family, her whole kingdom, for a surface dweller she just met."

"What makes us so different?" Shuri questioned.

Her husband chuckled.

"We knew each other before we fell in love, my queen. Besides unlike Ursula, I don't have to take your voice. Like our people, you sing a beautiful song. A song that hypnotizes me."

Shuri's eyes widened in realization. Mermaids had been real at one point? Why did it shock her?

And then another realization hit her.

"sirens! Our people have the ability to hypnotize people with their songs. Are our people the ones who have been singing to the pirates?" she asked.

Cha'h gave her a dark look. It was the look of a reigning king, who would do anything to protect his people. But it was also the look of a king, who had murdered countless people and yet, Shuri felt her thighs squeeze together. The thought of her husband being so strong, turned her on.

Ch'ah's nostrils flared as he smiled lustfully at her.

"yes, it was our people. But the siren call soon became a tale of legends and fables. And that is fine by me. maybe next time, the pirates won't litter in our ocean."

He swam closer to her, his pupils now slits like a snake.

"my queen... you have no idea what it does to me when you claim talokan as your own and yet you realize just how powerful we truly are."

Shuri swallowed hard. She was desperate and her husband knew that.

Overtaken by desire, they quickly swam back to their cave, ch'ah, forcing her to slow down.

"savor the moment, my queen.." he whispered to her, as he guided her to sit on a swinging couch that was filled with pillows.

"mango?" he questioned as she straddled his lap.

"I'd rather have you.." she pressed.

"lead the way…"

Just as the couple began a heavy make-out, session a clearing of the throat pulled them out of their haze.

With her husband's hands still gripping her hips, he sat them up. A dark look upon his face.

"This better be good, my child.."

Nakia, namora, and another servant were standing behind them.

"Kukulkan, we have a serious problem.." namora addressed, as she bowed before.

Her husband sighed, and gently sat up, placing Shuri feet first on the ground. He then without shame, adjusted himself and walked toward namora.

"it seems duty calls, my queen. Wait for me mia amore.."

Shur smiled, as she tried to calm herself down.

"always." Then she kissed him greedily.

He smiled brightly at her and then jumped in the water.

Nakia however, did not look too happy.

"you know we go home tomorrow right?"

"yes sister nakia.."

"Good, now when were you going to tell me you were pregnant?"

…..

T'challa yawned as he walked back into the palace. He had some paperwork to do and then he could spend the rest of the day with his son.

However, it seemed that life had other ideas.

His mother was rushing to him, a look of bitter-sweet excitement on her face.

"t'challa! One of the war dogs has returned. He completed his mission! He is from the mining tribe."

"very well. What does he want?" T'challa questioned.

" He wants to ask Shuri's hand in marriage! And the mining tribe brought a dowry as tribute."

…..