𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴 , shuri udaku - discontinued

ANOTHER FALLEN KING

CITY OF STARS.
08. ❛ another fallen king. ❜

ALMOST TWO HOURS HAD passed and Aria was getting bored out of her mind and the questions Agent Ross kept firing was really testing her patience.

"Ross!" Aria yelled out after the man had asked her another stupid question, "Shut up for a minute, please. I'm not trying to be rude but I need to think."

"Think about what?" Ross asked.

Aria clenched her jaw at another question being thrown her way and before she could strangle the man Nakia threw open the door to the room, holding a bundle of clothes and blankets beneath her arm.

Ross stood up immediately, looking to see the woman who had a scarf over her neck. "What's wrong?"

"The King is dead." Nakia announced and threw the bundle of cloth at Ross and Aria. "Come now, unless you want to end up at the bottom of the river."

Aria's mouth dropped in shock, a sinking feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. Ross blinked before throwing the cloth over his head, rushing out the doorway.

"Nakia! Wait!" Aria whispered, stopping the woman from walking any further. "Let me get my weapons from my room. It's right down the hall across from Shuri's."

Nakia opened her mouth to protest but immediately closed it and nodded, "Go. But hurry, Aquaria."

Aria nodded and ran off, bursting in her room to see her bow and arrows on the floor. She ran to pick them up and threw her quiver over shoulders and held her bow tightly in her hand. The emerald and gold designs on her weapons were beautiful and she silently prayed that they wouldn't get damaged.

BLANKETS COVERED BOTH Shuri and Ramonda. The mother hugged her daughter as she cried, "First Baba and now my brother." Tears rolled down Shuri's face, as she held on tightly to her mother.

"Shuri..." Ramonda rubs her daughter's side.

"Mama, we didn't even get to bury him." Shuri finally broke, she buried her face in her mothers chest as her body shook with every sob she let out.

Rustling in the bushes behind the royal duo startles Ramonda, as she unsheathes a ring blade. Nakia held up her hands in surrender as she, Ross, and Aria broke through the foliage in the night. "It's only us, it's only us."

"Nakia!" Ramonda breathed in relief before tensing up at the sight of Ross, "Who is this man?"

"He's a friend of T'Challa's. He saved my life."

"Where is Okoye?" Ramonda asked suspiciously, eyeing Ross.

Nakia shook her head. "She is not coming. She and the Dora Milaje will serve the new King." Nakia added, her hands still raised. Ramonda slowly lowered her weapon, mouth hung in shock.

Nakia placed the bundle of fabric she held down on the ground before disappearing into the thicket again, "Wait here."

Ramonda blinked, her eyes heavy with emotions. "What has happened to our country?"

Aria stepped forward and bowed her head, "Queen Ramonda, my condolences."

Ramonda nodded and set a hand on the girl's shoulder, "Thank you."

"Mhm." Aria nodded with a smile before her eyes caught Shuri behind the queen. Her eyes softened drastically when she saw Shuri's trembling lips and bloodshot eyes. Aria immediately dropped her bow and rushed around the queen and engulfed the princess in her arms, smoothing down Shuri's hair, standing on her tippy toes slightly.

Shuri buried her face in the crook of Aria neck and wrapped her weak arms around her waist, trying to keep herself upright.

Aria stood with the girl for a minute, letting her cry before tearing apart their hug. Aria kissed Shuri's forehead and wiped the stray tears that fell down her face, "Oh, mi princesa."

Shuri sniffled as the tears collected in her eyelashes and make it difficult to see, "T'Challa he-...he-"

Aria brought the girl back into her embrace after hearing another sob, and closed her eyes, swaying from side to side. "Shh, shh, you don't need to explain."

"I've got you." The sound of Aria's soft and comforting voice made Shuri tighten her grip around the siren's waist, all of her emotions just flowing out.

Ramonda watched the two girls hug each other with soft eyes and a broken smile. She was glad her daughter finally found solace in someone and she didn't care who it was. Whether it was a royal or a commoner, a boy or girl, as long as her daughter was happy she didn't care who it was.

"SO WHERE ARE WE GOING again?" Ross asked, his warm breath contrasting against the cold climate, resulting in a small puff of smoke.

"We are taking the Heart-Shaped Herb to the Jabari land." Nakia answered.

Ross glanced at her, wrapped in a thick blue covering. "Heart-Shaped Herb? What is that?"

"It gives whoever takes it heightened abilities." Shuri said, hugging her body to keep warm and holding onto Aria's pinky instead of her whole hand.

"It what made T'Challa so strong." Nakia responded, shivering subtly as they walked.

"Nakia." Ramonda said, stopping in her tracks. Everyone stopped walking as Nakia came close to the queen. "I don't like this. The Herb belongs to us. We may be creating a bigger monster with M'Baku."

They all looked towards the cavern opening, chiseled into the shape of a gorilla head with the mouth as the opening.

"Nakia, you should take it yourself." Ramonda offered.

"I am a spy with no army. I wouldn't stand a chance." Nakia shook her head.

Ramonda sighed before slowly nodding, "We'll go."

As they started walking again, Ross sighed against the cold. Aria stopped walking and tensed up, letting go of Shuri's pinky to hook and arrow on her bow and point it in the opposite direction they were walking in.

Shuri furrowed her eyebrows, "Aria-"

"Shh." Nakia stops her tracks as well, "Wait."

"I heard something." Aria answered, her bow drawn.

The chant of men echoed all around them, watching as the Jabari tribe men emerged from the corners and walls of the rocks around them, surrounding the group of five.

Shuri lifted her hand to lower Aria's bow but the siren wouldn't let her, "Aria, put it down before you get us killed."

Aria bit her lip and looked to her left at Shuri before slowly lowering her weapon and putting the arrow back in her quiver.