"This alliance just keeps getting more and more complicated..."
Set briefly during 'Civil War' but mostly during 'Black Panther'. The nations of Sokovia and Wakanda have been allies for decades. Following the Sokovia Accords, Princess Kalyna of Sok...
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"Kalyna-" T'Challa's voice calling her name stopped her and broke into her racing thoughts.
She turned to face him. "I thought you were preparing for the challenge."
"I am, but I have to do something first." He held up his hand and removed his cherished ring, that which had belonged to his father before his death. He held it out to her.
She gasped. "Your ring."
"I want you to take it. Keep it safe. Just in case."
She shook her head firmly. "I-I cannot. I can't take it away from you. I know how special it is-"
"Please, I am giving it to you. Please." He took her hands and placed the ring in her palm, folding her fingers over it. "Now, I must go. I will see you at the falls." With a small smile he turned and began to leave.
She was too shocked to respond. Luckily though, she found her words again before he disappeared. "T'Challa - good luck."
He smiled and nodded his thanks before disappearing this time.
Had she known then that those were the last words she would speak to him, she would have said something more.
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"He will never beat T'Challa," said Shuri with confidence as everyone prepared for the challenge. It was much less of a crowd this time, only Shuri and Ramonda, the Dora, Zuri, Nakia, Kalyna, Niyah and Felix, and the two challengers. "He should have just come to the first challenge and gotten it over with."
Her comment though, did not lessen any of the tension felt there in that moment - everyone was equally tense, and more so than even the previous fight with M'Baku.
T'Challa turned to face his cousin. "Please, think about this. We do not have to fight. Put down your weapons and we can settle this another way."
"I've waited my entire life for this! I killed, I lied, I cheated-" Erik stripped off his shirt, revealing his bare chest and arms covered in little markings. Scars, she realized.
He traced his fingers along one arm. "All these, one for each kill." As he tossed his shirt to the side, he looked up and nodded to where she stood with Shuri and Ramonda. She looked away.
He turned back to T'Challa. Taking a spear he snapped the long handle to make it shorter and pointed the blade in his adversary's direction. "I killed in America, Afghanistan, Iraq. I killed my own brothers and sisters right here on this continent - just so I could get here and kill you. I'm willing to do whatever it takes - what are you willing to do?"
