TALOKAN WAS THE MOST beautiful thing Aquaria had ever seen. Not that she's seen many places before, but it indeed was a sight for sore eyes. With a wide grin, Aquaria stared down from where she sat on a rock, far from the city's glow. People were swimming, games were being played, some were chatting, and all in celebration of the one girl who was supposed to be down there... Aquaria.
And it's not that she didn't want to be down there, trust me, she did, but this was also the night she would go explore the surface on her own. So that thought alone gave her the strength and adrenaline to swim off the rock she was sitting on and swim up to the cavern at the top of the water which held her room.
When her face broke through the surface, she was immediately hit with humidity. It was as if a wet, heavy veil had been wrapped around her skin.
The cavernous ceiling above her was enough to shock anyone with its beauty. A thousand lights of glow worms illuminated it, and blue-skinned women and men walked around adorned in ancient Mesoamerican-like clothes.
Aquaria, much like her father, had 'normal' skin. She didn't inherit his winged feet but instead, his slightly pointed ears and voice that could kill.
Walking out of the water, a marine scent wafted from her body, and the shimmer of saltwater could be seen on her dark midnight blue hair like a thousand stars on the sand. She wore a glistening, skin-tight, water-green dress with nacreous beads and golden strands woven expertly into the delicate fabric. The slight, quiet hum of vibranium could be heard coming from her dress.
But one thing always stood out to everyone, the necklace that held seven seashells that hung around her neck always caught the people of Talokan's attention. Aquaria searched the depths of seven seas for each of the perfectly put-together seashells. It always held a special meaning making it Aquaria's most prized possession.
Rushing to her room, Aquaria grabbed her vibranium bow and arrows that she had waiting for her before she stopped just for a moment as she caught a wall in her room which was covered with brightly colored drawings. Her father had painted a picture of what looked like Aquaria and him together; the brush strokes created a marveling delicacy.
Aquaria swallowed the lump of regret down her throat and turned around but stopped when she caught sight of a tall man with golden skin and a regal stance, her father. "Ma' a je'elel in, yuum. (You can't stop me, father.)"
K'uk'ulkan nodded, his head held high, "In wojel. (I know.)"
"Túun, wáaj ba'ax ka beetik waye'. (Then what are you doing here?)." Aquaria tilted her head and pulled the straps of her quiver and bow over her head.
K'uk'ulkan stepped into the room; a faint worried glance passed his daughter's way. "Wilik wa yaan alguna duda. (Checking to see if you have any second thoughts.)"
"Ma'alob, teene' ma'. (Well, I don't.)" Aquaria passed a sarcastic smile, "Bejla'e', je'el in disculpas- (Now if you'll excuse me-)."
"Ma' a gustará u encuentres te'elo' ka'anal yéetel ken estés ts'o'oksik ti' k'a', sabrás tu'ux kaxtik in. (You'll not like what you find up there and when you're ready to come back, you know where to find me.)." K'uk'ulkan tried to convince his daughter to stay. Still, he already knew it was a failed cause, so with a heavy sigh, he gave one last piece of advice, "K'a'as, Aria, teech jump'éel princesa, ma' cha'ik u mixmáak a t'aan k'aas yéetel ma', meentik ba'ax ka meentik, ma' interactúes yéetel le Wakandans. Wáa ka beetik, tu averiguaré. (Remember, Aria, you're a princess, don't let anyone talk down to you, and don't, whatever you do, don't interact with the Wakandans; they're dangerous.)."
A small smile made its way onto Aquaria's face, and with a simple nod, she returned to the water, getting ready to leave. With a deep inhale of air, not that she needed it, Aquaria dived right back into the warm, welcoming water she called her home.
AQUARIA HAD BEEN SWIMMING for far too long, and even she was exhausted. But finally, coming across a small body of water, Aquaria lifted just her eyes above the water, nothing more. She had never really been alone before, so her body was in the classic fight-or-flight response.
It was dark and cold, but the man Aquaria had her eyes on seemed not to care as he sat solemnly before a makeshift fire. He hadn't sensed her yet, so that was good, but in a way, Aquaria felt bad for sneaking up on the man.
With a sudden jolt, the man got up from the ground and extended his sharp, vibranium claws. Aquaria knew he couldn't clearly see her since it was dark, but the man was now aware of her presence.
Aquaria resisted grabbing an arrow and instead slowly walked out of the water with her hands raised to show she meant no harm. The dark-skinned man approached the lake and met the girl halfway. "Stop right there! Who are you, and how did you get in here?" The man spoke with a thick African accent.
"This place... it's beautiful," Aquaria spoke with a smile etched on her face as she glanced around. "The air is pristine, and the water..."
"I will only say this one more time, who are you?" The man spoke more firmly.
"My name is Aquaria Neptunia, Princess of Talokan, daughter of K'uk'ulkan, and a protégée of the general siren for the Talokanil army." Aquaria gave a small smile and tried to be as polite as possible, moving her dark blue hair behind her shoulder.
"That's quite the mouthful." The man scanned over her dress and weapons, "Your armor and arrows, are they made out of-"
"Vibranium, yes." Aquaria smiled widely out of pride, "My dress as well."
After realizing the young girl wasn't a threat, the man retracted his claws and relaxed his body, "I am King T'Challa, son of King T'Chaka."
Aquaria bowed her head in greeting and let T'Challa continue talking, "Well, Princess, what are you doing here?"
"I-I ran away from home, and I wanted to explore the surface world." Aquaria quickly shut her mouth after realizing what she said, but it had been too late.
T'Challa knit his eyebrows together and took a step towards the girl with dark hair, "'Surface World, ' you said?"
"Um," Aquaria let out a small, nervous laugh and dismissed his question, and fired one of her own, "Where am I exactly?"
"You are in Wakanda, and I need you to come with me."
"Wakanda?" Aquaria choked out, and her face slightly went pale. Being a teenage rebel, Aria was used to breaking the rules, and the one rule her father asked her to follow she accidentally broke, but there was no turning back now. So, calming her nerves down, Aquaria fully stepped out of the water and followed the man through the forest.
a/n: i've been searching for a good shuri fanfic, and I only found a few, and there should be more for our underrated queen.
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