The jet landed and Okoye, Nakia, T'Challa descended down the steps with Agent Ross on a gurney covered with cloth, their families ran to then and embraced their son, daughter and lover thanking their ancestors that they made it home alive and well. Nefretti however stood at the sidelines while W'Kabi kissed Okoye who kissed back with the same fiery passion, the River Tribe Chief embraced his daughter Nakia with a warm hug while the royal family did the same with T'Challa. Nefretti felt like an outcast, she is one, she looked over the horizon staring at the direction of home, where her brother was. Suddenly, she was pulled into a hug.
"You stubborn child. Couldn't resist the action?" Queen Mother Ramonda chuckled at her daughter-in-law.
A warm feeling was felt in Nefretti's heart. She looked up feeling more accepted than ever and nodded. Shuri and T'Challa joined in the hug. Nefretti also said to herself that they are home.
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"How kind of you my love." Nefretti eyed injured owl trapped in a cage. She didn't know what was more disgusting; seeing mother nature's gift being inslaved or calling Shaka 'my love'. Of course, Shaka wasn't anything to her but an old family tradition. Arranged marriage. The Jabari tribe believe that in order to breed more courageous and wise leaders, the chief's offsprings would be in an arranged to marry complete strangers from good back grounds. She didn't judge though, her mother and father are happily married with two children and so were her grandparents, great-grandparents and so on and so forth...Then why did she get the bad apple? Not only was Shaka disrespectful to nature, he was ignorant, merciless and unfaithful. She gave her betrothed multiple chances, but it was T'Challa who had stolen her heart.
The owl began hooting in the cramped cage. It couldn't even move in it since the cage was too small! Shaka poked the poor thing with a stick. "Quiet you ugly beast! Why must you be annoying now when you did nothing the whole day."
Nefretti grabbed the cage in a hurry before her fiancé could do anymore damage. "Owls are nocturnal animals which means they sleep through the day and become more active at night. Anyone with a common sense and knowledge would know that." She glared.
Shaka chuckled at her not taking anything that she said to seriously. "Nefretti you drive me crazy." He grabbed a hold her of wrist and jolted her closer "Which means that I might do something crazy to you if you won't shut up. Talk back and you will regret it fiancé." Shaka gritted his teeth and slammed the door to her face.
Nefretti ran to the balcony to free the bird. "Fly away as far as you can." She opened the cage. Tears flowed down her cheeks as the owl flew into the night. "Be free....unlike me." She clutched the promise ring give by T'Challa and cried the night. When she woke up, a bottle was placed beside her. Inside it was a note from Shaka.
You and I both know that i'm not the only one being unfaithful here. Get rid of him or I will get rid of whom you love.
She would never admit this to Shaka but she was scared to death of him. Nefretti didn't stop her relationship with T'Challa despite her betrothed's threat. A threat that would come true and Nefretti would regret it for the rest of her life.
Nefretti shot up from the bed and began breathe uncontrollably. She looked around for T'Challa but he wasn't there. It was the middle of the night. Where else could he be? But Nefretti began to realise where she was. She wasn't in the Jabari tribe anymore but within the palace walls of Wakanda. She was safe. That wasn't just a dream but a very vivid unwanted memory from her past. She hadn't uttered that name in years. Nefretti held tightly onto the promise ring in her neck. He's dead now. He can't harm you or T'Challa. She laid back down exhausted from her latest panic attack. But she needed to find her husband.
Nefretti roamed around the halls of the palace listing every possible place her husband might be at. Their bedroom? No checked that already. The cave? No too many people even at this hour of the night. The throne room? Not his style. There was only one more place left. Nefretti smiled.
The tower was in the jungle not in the city yet you could still see it as it was the tallest piece of architecture in Wakanda. It was an ancient building, built in the period when all the tribes in the country weren't yet united. T'Challa loved coming there to think and get away from the hustle and bustle from royal matters. Nefretti didn't balme him. He liked heights and good views. ON the top of the tower was definitely a sight to see. There are even rumours that you can even see the Ancestral Plain from up there. It is false unfortunately, yet the beauty of the cosmos made up for the disappointment.
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"I dreamed of him again." T'Challa looked at his wife in worry. Before he said anything though, Nefretti held up her hand saying "You killed him T'Challa. We are all safe now. It was just a memory of the past i've left behind." She half heartedly smiled. "Now tell me what's going on. You seem so distraught tonight."
It was now T'Challa's turn to explain as to why he was up here tonight. "Remember the mask man in South Korea? The one who shot at us while Klaw broke out of the cell?"
"Yes, of course."
(ADDED PART HERE HEHE SORRY GUYS)
"He-he was wearing my grandfather's ring identical to this one." Her eyes shifted from his wedding band to his other ring. "My father was a murderer. He killed his own brother and abandoned his brother's child. What kind of a king. What kind of a man would do that?" Nefretti took his hands on hers. No words can describe how much guilt and anger T'Challa felt. He had been fed with lies all this time. His father whom he looked up to so much was now a pain in the chest for him. His whole world turned upside down. "That child is now a grown man looking for revenge. My own cousin is out for my blood because of the actions of my father." T"Challa finished closing his eyes.
They stayed there all night listening to the crickets and watching the night sky. The king and queen were too afraid to sleep and face their demons in the dream world so they sought each other for comfort. They both came back to the palace hand in hand not before seeing the sun rise and wake the whole Wakanda.
"We should split up." She said whilst drying her hair.
T'CHalla, who just got out of the shower then replied "I love you. I love you more than I love myself even. But I never knew that you felt this way about us. We can work it out-ouch!"
Nefretti threw a hairbrush at her husband. She still chuckled at his joke. "You know what I meant." She stuck her tongue at him.
"I know, I know, we have our duties but I'll miss you." He went behind her and gave a kiss on her neck. She smiled giving more access to place tender pecks. Nefretti was relieved that T'Challa was still the same sweet man she loved and not sulking in the corner like a couple hours ago. He needed to be strong, but again, he's just a human, he has feelings. She kissed his hand clutched the promise ring. The memory of her parents prophesy about one of their deaths still haunts her. "Can I just say something that I have been holding last night?" T'Challa nodded. "No one is perfect. Not even your father."
T'Challa stopped kissing the nape of her neck. "My uncle betrayed us but my father, he created something that could destroy us."
"T'Challa" she grabbed his face to look at her. His eyes showed guilt and disappointment. "You can't let your father's mistakes define who you are. You get to decide what kind of king you are going to be." Nefretti gently pushed her husband away hesitantly "You check in on our newest guest while I check in on our other one." She tip toed to kiss him.
