Wakanda's Outsider - King T'Chaka's Bodyguard

The Explosion..

  You read the words, 'A bomb has gone off during the United Nations conference' and you instantly start to panic. You ring T'Challa's phone but get no reply, you look over at Zuri who has a worried look on his face. You sit back with Shuri and put your arm around her for comfort, "Where's Mother Shuri?" She looks up at you, tears streaming down her face with worry, "I am not sure, I will go get her and bring her up here." You nod and watch her leave to go get the Queen. You stand and pace the floor, waiting for Zuri to get off the phone, most likely to one of the guards who were with the King. He finally puts his phone down and looks right at you, "It's not looking good Y/N. There is no sign of either of them. The damage is not yet known and only a few people have left the building." You hand your head and try not to loose hope. "They will be okay. There will be safety measures in place and they will be getting everyone out in time. We just need to be patient." He nods and sits back down, looking at the table infront of him. You continue to pace the floor, waiting for any updates and for Shuri to get back.

Shuri and the Queen come into the room, they sit together after you hug them both tight. You are still pacing the floors as you wait for any updates. You have been on and off the phone with Okoye and Nakia trying to make arrangements in case you have to travel to collect them both from Venice. You feel your feet start to hurt as you have not stood still since Shuri arrived not long ago. You watch them both sitting with Zuri, worrying and holding back their tears. You feel like you let them down but you need to keep your emotions in check, this is what you do and you need to be strong for them. You grip your phone, waiting for any news or updates but it feels like hours before there is another news update. Everyone turns to you as you open your phone up and read the update, "People start to be filtered out of the centre as fire fighters and ambulances line the streets of Venice. They believe the explosion was an act of terrorism but the target is uncertain. According to an inside source, at least 10 people are dead." You see the panic set once again in everyone's eyes as you now know there is a small chance that the worst has happened to your family. You get a message from Okoye, T'Challa's body guard, it reads 'I will be with you on the top floor in 15 minutes.' You let everyone know she is on her way as you try and stay calm.

The door opens and you look up to see Okoye come through and join you all. "My Queen, Shuri, Zuri and Y/N." You all nod towards her as she walks straight to you. "Okoye. Have you heard anything else?" She shakes her head, "I have not. Last I heard was they suspect at least 10 are dead.." You nod in agreement, "That's the last we have heard." She walks to the coffee table, opening a small tablet out which projects a screen slightly above the base of the table. It acts as a small TV which is playing a news report on the bombing. You stand behind the sofa where Shuri is sat with her Mother. Okoye sits next to Zuri and you all zone in to the reporters voice, "We believe there to be at least 10 people dead and 20-30 injured as the fire and rescue teams make efforts to evacuate the building, we do not have any idea who the casualties are but we will update you when the evacuation is in progress.." You all look at the screen and wait for any updates. Then all of a sudden, your phone begins to ring, "Hello." You hear a very shaky voice, "Y/N. Any updates?" It's Nakia, your Brother's ex-girlfriend who he is still very close too but she works away from Wakanda most of the time. "No nothing yet Nakia. Where are you?" She struggles to speak, "I'm on my way back to you all. I will be there within the hour." You sigh in relief, "Good news Nakia. I will update you if we hear anything." You put down the phone and tell everyone about Nakia, "We need to stay positive, until we hear anything let's try and keep hope." You nod and give Okoye a soft smile. You start pacing as the news channel repeats itself a number of times as if it is on loop.

It feels like the minutes are hours as you all sit and wait for any news or updates but nothing comes. 45 minutes pass and you lean against the sofa behind Shuri, "Does anyone want a drink or anything?" Everyone looks between each other before you hear a reply, "I will go get some water and food for everyone. You stay here Y/N." You nod as Okoye leaves the room. You start pacing again as you become really restless. You almost juggle your phone between your hands as more and more minutes go by. You are all startled by the door opening, but when it does you see someone with Okoye with their hands full of bags of food. You stand and compose yourself as you see it is Nakia enter the room and head straight to your Mother. She kneels as the Queen kisses her head and hugs her. As she stands you watch Shuri jump up and hug her tight, letting out a small sob. After they break apart she comes rushing over to you and you grip her into a strong hug. You grip her tight as you feel her bottling all of her emotions. You kiss her forehead as you break apart, knowing this will be hurting her as much as your family. "Glad your here Nakia. It's really good to see you. I just wish it was under different circumstances.." She nods and holds onto your hand before you both head over to the table, you notice Shuri isn't eating so you sit next to her and wrap your arm around her. "Shuri, you need to eat, please." You hand her a sandwich and she smiles and accepts. Your Mother gives you a smile, knowing your are the only one Shuri listens too. You give her a soft smile as you grab a pasta pot and try to eat it, you know you need to keep your strength up for everyone in the room. You all sit and eat in silence apart from the voice coming from the screen in the middle of the table.

You help clear away the mess from the table, before pacing the floors once again, hoping for some sort of news. You zone out for a few minutes but you are snapped out of it by the news reporter tuning in for 'Breaking News'. You stand behind where Shuri is sat and Nakia stands beside you as everyone fixes their attention to the screen. "We have some breaking news from Vienna as the rescue teams have managed to get into the building. We have been informed that one of the victims in the explosion King T'Chaka has been pronounced dead at the scene, along with 11 other people who have not been confirmed at this time. King T'Chaka's son, Prince T'Challa is one of those who survived with only minor injuries. We are awaiting more news on the other victims as they begin to secure the rest of the building.."

The room goes silent. You could hear a pin drop. Nobody is even breathing at this point. You can feel everyone's bodies tense at the confirmation of everyone's worst nightmare. Our King is dead. Our Father and Husband is dead. Our friend is dead. You can feel the whole of Wakanda fall silent. You feel this sharp pain emerge in your stomach, your heart is literally breaking. You have lost another Father. A man who took you into his country, protected you and gave you a good life. You spent everyday with that man. You laid down your life, on more than one occasion, to save his. You took a bullet for him, a knife wound for him, you protected him every time he left the Citadel. And now, the one day you were not with him, he has suffered in the worst way. You feel your stomach cramp as a overwhelming feeling of guilt and hurt rushes over you. You struggle to breath as you grip you stomach, you feel Nakia reach over and hold your shoulder as she notices your reaction. You watch as Shuri buries her head into her Mother as they begin to sob almost silently. And for the first time in your life, you see a tear fall from Okoye's cheek as she stares at the screen. Zuri stands and walks to the chair where the King sat everyday, he gripped it and let his screams out. The room is filled with sobs and screams as everyone is hurting so much right now.

The room is tense as nobody knows what to say, you watch as the Queen heads over to Zuri who is still stood at his chair, leaving Shuri alone. You watch her scan the room and you have a feeling she is looking for you but before you can move she gets up and comes to you. She wraps herself around you and you just hold her close. She sobs as she lets out all of her emotion slowly into your chest. You feel Nakia rub Shuri's back as she tries to comfort her. Okoye get's a phone call so she steps towards the door, you anxiously wait to see who it was. You all wait for her to come back and as she does she takes in a deep breath and addresses everyone, "That was Ayo, she is with T'Challa. He is fine, just a few cuts and bruises. She will stay with him whilst he deals with the arrangements over there." You all nod and let out some sort of relief knowing T'Challa was okay. "I will go and assist T'Challa, if that is okay with everyone here? I feel he needs someone for support." You see Nakia address the Queen mainly at this request, she nods towards Nakia, "Yes I agree Nakia, thank you." You look at Nakia, "Do you want anyone to go with you?" She shakes her head and holds your shoulder, "I will be okay Y/N, you are needed here with your family. I will bring him back once everything is taken care of." You nod and give a soft smile before hugging her with one arm as Shuri is still in the other, "Stay in touch and stay safe." She nods and forces a smile before saying her goodbyes to everyone and leaving to join T'Challa in Venice.

It has been a couple of hours since the news about T'Chaka. The Queen had to sit with Zuri and get everything prepared for T'Chaka and T'Challa's return home. You noticed Shuri had fell asleep so you offered to carry her to her room but the Queen advised you to take her to your room, and to sit with her until she woke up. You agreed and asked Okoye to stay with them both to which she agreed to straight away. You were not sure on any protocols for this type of event but you knew everyone in the family had to be protected. You said your goodbyes before carrying Shuri down to your room. You scooped her up and took her to the elevator. She was sound asleep, her emotional exhaustion had taken over. You opened your door and laid her onto your sofa, you covered her in a blanket and left her to sleep. You turned on the TV but left it on a low volume so you could keep up with any news updates. You make a coffee and sit on the floor infront of Shuri, glancing between your phone and the TV.

You nod off before being woken up by a knock at your door. You jump up and answer it too see Okoye, "Hi Y/N, how is she?" You shut the door, not to wake Shuri and step into the hallway. "She is still asleep, so the longer she sleeps the better really at the minute." She nods and puts her arm on your shoulder, "How are you?" You just nod and smile softly, "I'm alright. Just need to keep going for them you know.." She gives you a sympathetic nod and taps your shoulder, "I know. We will remember him in our own time." You nod in agreement as she turns to walk away and re-join the Queen. "I will stay with our Queen for as long as she needs me to. I will keep in touch." You nod as she walks to the elevator and the doors shut behind her. You re-enter your room and check on Shuri, she is still asleep so you sit back on the floor and watch the TV before flickering in and out of sleep.

You suddenly hear your name coming from behind you which wakes you from your nap, you turn and kneel infront of Shuri who begins to wake up. "Hey Sis, you feeling okay?" She looks right into your eyes, her eyes are red and puffy, but she still manages to give you a soft smile, "I'm okay Y/N, I must have needed that nap." You chuckle a little before helping her sit up and passing her a bottle of water. "You hungry or want anything?" She shakes her head before drinking some water, you make another coffee before sitting with her and turning up the volume on the TV. You both sit and watch the news coverage as they cover what has happened today in Venice and nothing else. You feel Shuri lean on you so you put your arm around her for comfort. You watch as the news reporter just talks and talks, "We have news that both Director Nick Fury and Agent Natasha Romanoff both survived the explosion today, Agent Romanoff managed to save both people sat with her as she shielded them from the blast. She came away with minor injuries.." You pull Shuri in tight as she laughs a little, "I didn't realise my Brother would be in the company of the famous Black Widow. She always seems to pull the short straw when it comes to public appearances." You chuckle as you are happy to see her joking a little with you, "Well let's be honest, she's a lot better infront of the camera than the arrogant Tony Stark!" You feel her laugh as you giggle at her.

Your laughter is stopped suddenly as a image of the building after the explosion comes onto the news, you feel your heart drop as you realise that's where he lost his life and nobody knows why this happened. You feel Shuri start to shake slightly as she tries not to cry again. You hug her tighter as she rests her head on your shoulder. You feel a tear fall onto your arm as you kiss her head, "I know Shuri, I know." She nods slightly as you feel more tears fall onto your arm. A few moments later your phone rings, Shuri lifts up as you pick it up off the table and answer it. "Hello?" You nervously wait for Nakia's voice, "Hey Y/N, I am just arriving in Venice. There is a lot of rumours going around on who done this so I need to get T'Challa out of here as soon as I can, are things being taken care of back home?" You look over at Shuri and let her know who it is before replying, "Yeah Nakia, I believe Zuri and Mother are making arrangements over here." You sit back with Shuri as Nakia replies to you, "Okay well I am landing as we speak so I will talk soon." You close your phone down and let out a sigh of relief knowing your Brother will have someone to support him through this situation. Shuri smiles as you lean back on the sofa and put your arm around her again and she leans her head on your shoulder. You feel Shuri fall back asleep so you lay her down, cover her to keep her warm and head to your bed to try and sleep.

You manage too sleep but an early phone call wakes you up. You reach over and answer, not even looking at you it is. "Morning Y/N, it's Nakia. We are planning to fly back later today. Everything here is taken care off. I have rang Mother and she going to prepare for our arrival, could you let Shuri know for me please?" You cough and rub your eyes to adjust to the light in your room before replying, "Yeah sure. She stayed with me last night so I will go wake her and let her know. Do you know what time?" She talks to someone else as you shuffle to the edge of your bed, "I would say anytime from 2pm to expect us." You give a quick reply before hanging up, "See you soon Nakia, and Thank you." She says goodbye and you hang up. You throw on some clothes and head out to see Shuri. You notice she isn't on the sofa but before you can look for her she comes out the kitchen with a coffee for you. You take it and sit down on the sofa, "Thanks Sis. How you feeling?" She joins you on the sofa, looking exhausted still, "I'm better than yesterday, just a lot to take in. But I know there is a lot to do still here so I will have my time to myself but I need to help keep everything going, for the family." You feel yourself choke on your words a little as you reply, "I'm so proud of you Shuri. You are so strong, stronger than you realise. We will all get through this, together." She nods and smiles as she gets up to go get changed, "I will be back soon Sis." You smile as she leaves to go to her room, you finish your coffee then get a shower and put your uniform on, you know you have to present well for the family, so you dress as you normally would and wait for Shuri to return.

You hear your phone buzz as you are sitting at the table, 'Hey Sis, I'm heading down to the lab I have a few things to catch up with, I will catch up with you soon :)' You put your phone down and turn on the TV. As you sit down on the sofa you hear the news reporter begin to talk about what happened in Vienna. "After yesterdays bombing, the City of Vienna pays their respects to those who lost their lives in the horrific attack. There have been many respects paid for the King of Wakanda, King T'Chaka, who is being escorted home by his son T'Challa and a number of trusted guards." The image pans over to the Wakandan jet which will be bringing your family home. You feel that guilty feeling in the pit of your stomach as you catch a glimpse of your Brother stepping onto the jet with Nakia by his side, you smile as you know she will look after him for you. You remember when he first brought Nakia to the Citadel, and how everyone approved of them together and how happy she made him. They were made for each other, but then you remember how much it hurt him when she chose her work over staying here to one day become his Queen. You remember sitting with him in your living room, drinking and helping him get over his heart break, and now you just wanted to be by his side again so he knows you are there for him.

You get lost in your thoughts before being snapped out of it by your phone ringing, you look and see it's Nakia, "Hey Nakia. Everything okay?" You anxiously wait for her reply, "Hi Y/N, just letting you know we have left Vienna and are on route home. I have notified Zuri and Mother so they are aware and have everything ready but we need you to be there to escort the King back into the Citadel. T'Challa specially requested you.." Before she carries on you cut her off, "Yes. Tell T I will be there for his arrival and it will be my honour to escort our King home." You hold your emotions back as you can feel your body tense, "Thank You Y/N. We will arrive within the hour." You say your goodbyes and hang up the phone, you decide to change into your most formal black uniform, ready for the King's arrival. You get changed and begin to pace the floor, but before burning a hole in the floor you decide to go and let Shuri know about the arrival. You head down to the lab in the elevator, straightening your tie in the mirror behind you.

You arrive at the lab and as you enter you notice Shuri sitting at her computer, going through some calculations on a new model for a jet engine. She was clever beyond belief, the things she could create and model, the way she could design almost anything was like nothing you had ever seen in your 'normal' life or here in Wakanda. You admired her creativity and always learnt so much from her. You headed over and held her shoulder, she turned and smiled at you, "Hey Y/N. What brings you down here?" You chuckle as she turns to face you in her chair, "Well I come down here to let you know that T'Challa and Nakia are on their way home.. With Father." You see her smile fade as she knows this all becomes real today, "Thank you for coming to tell me. How long?" You look right at her, kneeling down infront of her on one knee, "Within the hour, sooner rather than later, I have been asked to escort him into the Citadel." She gives you a small smile, "Father would have wanted that." You smile and look up at her, "Thank you. It will be my honour Sis." She nods as you stand back on your feet, you brush off the dust from your knee before Shuri stands and moves your tie around, "Stop looking so smart, Father liked your rugged look!" You both share a chuckle as you gesture for her to follow you to the elevator, "Let's go bring him home." You both enter the elevator to head to the main entrance.

You arrive at the main entrance to see the streets outside the Citadel lines with people but also so silent. You are taken back a little as you escort Shuri to the main doors, where the Queen, Zuri and Okoye are stood waiting for you both. As you reach them, Shuri hugs her Mother as you kiss the had of Okoye, you turn and shake Zuri's hand and bow your head slightly towards him. You then turn to the Queen and she holds your head in her hands, you bow your head as she leans forward, planting a loving kiss on your forehead. You close your eyes tight, feeling the emotion from her as you pull your head back slowly, her hands are still on your cheeks as she speaks to you softly. "Thank you, for everything. I would not want anyone else escorting him into the Citadel, you will be followed by the family behind you both but you will be the only one by his side. Do him proud, like you always do. And by the way, you look very smart." She gives you a Motherly smile before returning to her daughter and Zuri, you stand slightly behind Shuri and Okoye joins you and stands off your shoulder. You all stand silent, nervously awaiting the jet. You hold your hands behind your back, pushing your shoulders back with your feet almost together, you were ready for the whole of Wakanda to have their eyes on you.

It felt like a lifetime as you all stood waiting for the jet to arrive, the streets were hushed, all you could here was slight sobs and the hovering of the cameras about you all. You knew there would be news coverage but they were only allowing certain people to film this as it was a private affair to Wakanda. The Queen was always private when it came to the people and her family, which would mean the broadcast would not be worldwide, the world had never seen the entirety of this country as they would never let us live in peace. You could see Shuri becoming more and more anxious as time went on, you knew you couldn't move but you had to let her know you were there so you reach forward and stroke her back slightly, not to startle her. You notice her shoulders rise a little before she stops fidgeting, her head rises and you know she is calmer so you pull your hand back behind your back. You then see the Queen turn and smile at you, knowing you were doing the right thing. You nod and she turns back to looking over to the barrier, just as she does everyone's attention is shifted with hers as the noise of the barrier separating catches everyone off-guard.

You fix your eyes on the jet as it hovers in and over towards where you are all stood. The streets begin to fall into waves of sadness, people sobbing and crying when others just stand in shock as it all becomes reality. As the jet lands infront of you all, you nod over to Okoye and she signals for the guards to fall to one knee, you follow suit as do Okoye and Zuri. The Queen and Shuri bow their heads as the engines shut off and the ramp lowers. As the ramp connects with the floor, you lift your head and see Nakia signal for you to join her at the jet. You stand slowly, you catch Shuri's arm lightly with your hand as you walk past her, letting her know you are moving. You walk towards the jet, your nerves causing a slight tremor in your hands behind your back still and you feel your breathing become slightly quicker than usual. You hold your breathe for a few seconds as your compose yourself, knowing this will be one of the most important days of your life. You arrive at the bottom of the ramp, you take a second before stepping onto it and as you look up you are met with your Brother's eyes. He watches as you walk up the ramp, you meet with Nakia first who is waiting at the top of the ramp, she holds your shoulder and puts her head against yours as you share a moment. You break away from her as she walks down to the rest of the family. You look up and see T'Challa, who you can see is struggling but is doing so well to hold it together. You get to him, out of sight of everyone else and you can't help but hug him. He grips you tight as he lets out some emotion, you feel it leave his body as his knees buckle slightly. You hold him up as you struggle to breath with how tight he is holding you.

You break apart as you sort out your tie and shirt. You regain your composure and look right at him, "I'm so proud of you Brother. Hold your head up high when you go out there okay because everyone is proud of you!" He nods and smiles a little, "Thank you Sister. I wouldn't want anyone else escorting him home." You smile and look over to where he gestures and it hits you. A coffin draped in Wakandan robes and the national flag. You stare and the guilt creeps in again, you hold your stomach and wince a little before your Brother holds your shoulder, "Are you okay Y/N?" You snap out of it and let go of your stomach as you hold his hand over your shoulder. "Yeah it just still doesn't seem real, you know..?" He nods and lets go of your shoulder as you both walk over to the coffin, you lay your hand on top of the robes, and take a moment with your eyes closed before turning back to T'Challa. "Are you ready T?" He nods and gestures for you to lead the way. You hold out your wrist infront of you and channel your Kimoyo beads to link with the floating table King T'Chaka's coffin is on. You hear a beep and turn to the back of the jet, you take a deep breath and begin to walk beside your King as you escort him home to the Citadel.

You arrive at the Citadel doors, it felt like you had been walking for hours as you took your time, taking one step at a time as the table followed along side you. You felt everyone's eyes on you as you walked with pride. As you reached the doors you let out a sigh of relief as the doors closed behind you and your family, Shuri came running to you and leaped into your arms. You felt her relief at having her Father home. You see your Brother hug his Mother as Nakia joins you all. As Shuri breaks apart from you, the Queen addresses everyone in the room, "I could not be any more proud of my family then I am right now. I know this is a hard time for us all but we will pull through this. We get this time now with him before he is handed over to the elders and sent to be with the ancestors. Take your time and say your goodbyes. I will leave you all too it." You watch the Queen leave with Zuri and Okoye, leaving you with T'Challa, Shuri and Nakia. You all say your goodbyes together before leaving your King to rest. You have your arm around Shuri as you follow behind T'Challa and Nakia and enter the elevator. "I will take Shuri to her room, giving you both time to talk." Nakia looks at you, as you give Shuri a cuddle before they both leave the elevator. You press your floor number and turn to your Brother, "Everything okay T?" He nods as the doors open, you walk to your room and open the door. You both enter as T'Challa sits on your sofa. You walk towards your kitchen as you ask one important question to your Brother, "Drink?"