Chapter: 24 marriage woes

Shuri sat at the long table next to her mother.

The table was full of conversation at least between the council and her family. However, their talakon guest stayed silent. Her husband addressed questions when asked of him but did not go out of his way to make conversation. She would often throw him concerned glances but he ignored her.

Shuri ground her teeth. She hated this feeling. This feeling of tension between them and yet there was nothing she could do.

…..

Namor ate the lamb in silence, as the Wakandians talked around him. He noticed his guard tense and stiff as they picked up on his thunderous mood. As they should be, because he was furious.

How dare the warrior proposition His wife.

Namor should have approached the Wakandians about his intention to marry Shuri as soon as he proposed.

Now here they were trying to marry her off and yet they had no clue she was involved with him.

He wanted to stand up and reveal their relationship just out of spite but that wasn't wise.

He was a god amongst his people and he never made a move without a plan or strategy first. He would just have to make the Wakandians such an offer they couldn't refuse.

Of course, he was already married to the love of his life, but like a peacock, he needed to show the surface world why she had chosen Him. Not the clay-covered fool.

The very thought of the man near his bride made him want to drown every last man on the surface world.

Parts of him almost felt as if Shuri was ashamed of him. Ashamed of who he was to her.

A feeling of conflict and confusion poured over him.

He had never dealt with such feelings before. He was always confident and assured of himself and yet these feelings of doubt were suddenly pouring over him.

Was this what some of the older men he had talked to meant when they said love was a fight?

We're he and his wife fighting right now? Arguing? Disagreeing?

When he looked at her she flat-out ignored him just as he had done a few moments ago.

What had gotten ahold of them? The deeper he thought the more confusion seemed to settle.

Could she not see why he was angry? If they had announced their courtship, no one would have had the audacity to approach her in the first place. But then again, hadn't he agreed to the compromise they came upon?

" Kukulkan? What do you say we have a celebration of our people in two days? Our kingdom gathering on the beach? Celebrating our alliance?" King t' challa asked him.

Namor nodded with a serious look.

" I think that would be most appropriate. Talokan has many traditions. It is considered an honor to invite one to another's celebrations and shows the highest level of trust. " he explained.

"It is an honor to have your trust. As you have ours. My sister was telling me about some of your kingdoms and the things she saw. Would you care to tell us about your people? "

Before he says anything. A gag was heard and the sound of a glass breaking echoed in the hall.

All eyes turn to see Princess Shuri with her hand over her mouth. Her pretty gold dress is now splattered with something red.

Her cheeks flamed pink as she looked around the room.

" I am sorry! I spilled the sauce. Excuse me."

She then rushed out looking a little green.

Subtly, Kukulkan motioned for one of his female servants to check on her.

At the same time, one of the panther's guards followed after the princess.

Kukulkan stared after his wife in concern

Everything in him wanted to go after her.

"My apologies for my sister. She is recovering from a cold. Would you care to continue?" King t'challa asked. But namor could see the concern in his eyes as well.

It was then that Kukulkan realized he needed to go through with his plan sooner than later.

Shuri felt the talokan woman hold her hair back as she puked.

She was quick to tell the Dora to leave her but let the talokan women stay before she met the porcelain bowl.

" my queen, what ills you? Should I get Kukulkan?" the servant asked in talokan native tongue.

Shuri shook her head and was quick to brush her teeth.

" no. I am fine just a little nervous. "

As Shuri made moves to take off her dress. She felt the servant walk behind her and unzip it.

However, the servant's gasp made Shuri jump.

" what is it? What is wrong?" Shuri asked.

when she turned around, the servant was on her knees face to the floor.

" my queen! You are with a child! Many blessings unto you!"

Shuri stared at her with wide eyes.

"How did you know?"

The servant stood from her bow, with happy tears in her eyes and a blinding smile.

" your back my queen. Your neck is covered in the most beautiful scales I have ever seen! When talokonain women become pregnant they get a set of scales. Everyone always has a different color and the scales tell you about the health of your baby and how far along you are! Your scales are the back of your neck, so you are one month along, but you have some stress. May I take a closer look?"

Shuri sat in a chair and allowed her to poke around.

" I never got the chance to ask you your name?" shuri questioned.

"My name is Luna. My queen. And can I tell you something Or would you rather be surprised?"

" what else can be more surprising than this?"

" it's triplets, my queen!"

Shuri felt the air leave her lungs.

….

Eric walked with his cousin in the garden. He was supposed to meet Shuri and Kukulkan here but those plans failed miserably when Shuri got sick and Kukulkan got called away after the banquet.

However, he felt it was his duty, to explain the brewing animosity between the mining tribe's returned warrior and their newfound allies.

" T'challa I want to warn you. The mining tribe's warrior has not taken too kindly to Shuri's dismissal of his proposal. "

" ah yes, the mining tribe. The warrior tried very hard but my sister can be stubborn which is not always a bad thing."

" yes, but t'challa I don't think you understand just how angry this guy is. Auntie sent him to find Shuri and when he found her, she told him off. She told him she was in love with someone else."

T'challa gently pushed Eric away.

" stop joking cousin. My sister is too young to be in love. She is in love with science and her lab. She is in love with traveling and having fun. Speaking of fun, riri asked if Shuri could go to Coachella. I think it would be fun for the three of us to go as a family event. What do you think?"

Eric pulled at his dreads in frustration.

" T'challa I need You to listen to me! Shuri isn't a little girl anymore! She is a woman! A woman who has feelings! And these feelings are toward-"

Before he could finish Nakia came running into the gardens a wailing Toussaint in her arms.

" t'challa! He won't sleep! I have tried everything!"

Immediately his cousin was in father mode and whisked away with his crying son.

This on the other hand left Nakia standing in the gardens frustrated about two different things.

"hey Nakia, can I ask you something?" he asked.

Nakia gestured to the benches that were sat in the garden courtyard.

"what is it?"

"Have you noticed Shuri has been acting different since we met Kukulkan?"

Nakia sighed in relief as she looked at him.

"Finally! Someone with some common sense in this family! Do you mean have I noticed that Shuri and Kukulkan are hopelessly in love and T'challa is completely oblivious!?"

"yes! Nakia, we need to figure something out!"

"yes, we do indeed!"

As the two family members schemed Neither of them noticed namor flying up to Shuri's balcony.

…..

Shuri lay in bed as she rested her hand on her stomach.

Triplets! She hardly imagine one guppy with her husband's eyes and pointy ears, and her hair. But now three! She definitely couldn't wait to tell her family now. To keep her stress levels down, the cat would need to be let out of the bag. They would have to approach her brother formally and announce their courtship and maybe after a few weeks, ch'ah could propose. Bringing gifts to the palace door and knocking.

Shuri felt a headache come upon her. It was all too much to think about! She couldn't tell them this news when the alliance was so new! The elders would have a fit! And what of her mother? She would surely have a heart attack.

The soft closing of her balcony door made Shuri look up.

Standing there with his arms crossed was her husband.

" oh look the great sea king has finally come to see me." She snapped

Her husband's eyes were a deep red and his pupils were like a snake.

" Sarcasm does not suit you dear." He told her coldly.

Shuri sneered at him.

" why are you here? Come to ignore me some more?"

"I ignore you? You were ignoring me! It seems you prefer men with clay beads anyway " he argued

Shuri threw her hands in the air.

" If you are going to stand here and argue with me then you can go because I'm tired!" she told him

" and I am not! ?" he questioned. I am tired of sleeping in our bed alone! I am tired of hiding behind closed doors when I am with you! To sit there and watch other men ogle you! Ogle my wife! When she deserves nothing but respect! Not some little boy talking down on her because he can't accept the word no!"

"It's not like I asked him to approach me ch'ah! I had no say in that! He just appeared! My mother is the one who pushed him on me. And as you saw I told him no! I don't want him I want you!"

" so why won't you act like it? Why keep us a secret Shuri? We had a deal that once the treaty was signed we would announce our courtship. We were having a conversation, an important conversation before that imbecile interrupted us. And now that we finally have the time together you are throwing a fit. Now I admit I am very angry and I am jealous! I am beyond jealous I am furious! I want to slaughter every man that looks at you ! When that fool called you his beloved I felt a rage like no other. You are my wife, my friend, my confidant and I can't see myself with anyone but you. And yet I feel as if you are pushing me away. Or have you tired of me already?"

"I could never tire of you ch'ah! But we can't just announce our engagement when someone else has proposed to me! there is a protocol! And traditions. Traditions that I hate with a passion! "

"so what do you suggest we do?" ch'ah asked through clenched teeth.

Shuri sighed.

"I don't know."

Her husband shook his head. Anger, bitterness, and sadness in his eyes.

"Well, when you figure it out, you can come find me."