Zoya Buhari is now of age, and her Kingdom is in need of a King.
"You have the beauty and grace of the grazing antelope, but the heart of the most fearsome lioness."
T'Challa and his kingdom are mourning the loss of their past king and his father...
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"Do not rejoice at my grief, for when mine is old, yours will be new." ~Spanish Proverb ♛♛♛
Zoya's eyes split open with the speed of a running zebra. She couldn't breath, her heart ached. The warm covers contrasted her cool skin, she felt dead.
"Shh, it's okay." A hand stroked her hair from above causing her eyes to widen.
"Imani? What happened, Where is T'Challa?" She spoke through forced breaths. Imani's eyes seemed distant as she turned her head away from the Queen's intense stare.
Zoya thought process shattered, along with her heart. "No...No....NO!" She yelled as salty tears escaped her eyes like a tsunami. Her hands locked to Imani's shoulders. "He's not dead Imani! Tell me he's not dead!" She wept as the warrior wrapped her arms around her leader. "I am afraid so, he had passed to the ancestral plane." Imani spoke in a soft whisper as she silently let out a few tears of her own.
The queen couldn't handle her grief. "Wh-Where is Queen Ramonda?" She spoke through her sobs trying to control herself at least enough for Imani to understand her. "She along with Nakia, Shuri, and Mr.Ross went to the Mountains to give a heart shaped herb to M'Baku."
"Why?" She stuttered out once more. "When T'Challa... Fell, N'Jadaka took over the throne, they are hoping M'Baku can save Wakanda and rule before it is to late." Imani spoke.
"I figured you would need me here, to help you." Imani pulled away from Zoya, but still placed her hands gently on her shoulders. Zoya's face hardened, any remorse she once had for Erik vanished like smoke.
"Thank you Imani, contact the Balindi, we have a war to win. I need to talk to Erik, alone."
She wiped the tears that fell from her face, she no longer held the soft emotion she felt for a loved one. Her father? Dead. Her mother? Dead. Her lover? Dead. She only felt grief and revengeful emotions.
She walked with purpose as she exited the room in her armor, her double sided spear in her hand.
Imani looked worried for her queen, but otherwise let her go. She took her bracelet Shuri had lended her and pulled up a contact to Duhariu. Her fellow warriors showed up all staring at the screen. "Balindi! Gather your things, we are needed at Wakanda! Prep for war." She spoke with authority. "Yes Imani!" They nodded their heads and the visual line cut.
Next she pressed a bead to scan her body, creating a hologram. "M'Baku." She spoke as her eyes clouded over from the hologram. The Lord let out a little yelp at the faded blue hologram in front of him. "Imani, what is wrong?" He asked with concern in his voice.
"Nakia and her party are on the way to the mountains, meet them there. It's urgent. An outsider sits on the throne, we are preparing for war."
M'Baku's eyes widened, "what? No one can challenge T'Challa, it's tradition in the rule, the only person that can challenge is a-"
"Relative, yes the son of N'Jobu had challenged and won." Her hologram stared at the Fur-clad leader. "You will be fighting for the throne, Nakia will discuss the playing cards when she arrives with the queen."
"When will you return and see Zain?" Imani scrunched her forehead at the mention of her brother she recently learned she had. "I don't think Zain is the only reason you want me here, Lord." She spoke with a smirk. "I suppose I miss you too." M'Baku joked from his throne-like seat, letting out a hearty laugh.
"Goodbye, I love you." Imani spoke with not as much enthusiasm as she usually spoke to him with, the death of the king dragged down her mood.
"I love you too, Mani." He pulled himself out of the chair and ran his hand over the hologram disconnecting the image.
M'Baku sat waiting for the party to arrive, he was to bare the news of the King's partial death, he felt the need not to tell Imani. She would surely get herself killed if she was to lose focus. Besides, M'Baku wasn't sure if he would make it.
♛♛♛
Zoya stormed through the kingdom, maybe it was her, but the walls and buildings seemed dimmer and less lively, people silently walked with their heads down and shoulders slumped, children stayed close to their parents. Zoya didn't like it.
Her feet stopped in front of the throne doors, her spear weighed heavy in her small hand. She pushed the door open, seeing Erik sitting on the throne, T'Challa's Throne. She grit her teeth in anger. She walked the length of the throne, smiling sweetly to the elders and the Dora Milaje, before stopping in front of her throne.
She glared at Erik who stood there basking in the superiority of being king. "I told you once upon a time that revenge wasn't my thing..." she trailed off as she ran a finger over the sharp vibranium of the spear.
Erik grew concerned about the mental state of the Queen. She grabbed the hilt of the weapon and slashed it at Killmonger's cheek. A gash appeared across the left side of his face. Warm blood seeped to his chin and dripped to the floor. Erik seethed, but he could understand her grief.
It seemed his anger was to strong to under power his remorse. "Khari!" He yelled the name out with force. Zoya froze to her spot. "How do you know that name?" She whispered, the name of her father has not been spoken in Wakanda for months.
"Do you ever wonder how your father died, princess?" He yelled out. Zoya choked, "You didn't? You were only a baby." She yelled out, still not understanding why Erik knew her father's name.
"June 15, 1993. T'Chaka and Khari knew a looming threat was casted over Wakanda, T'Chaka entrusted your father with an amulet and the vibranium a Wakandan was trying to steal. That Wakandan was my father, Zoya. My dad managed to penetrate the borders and found the vibranium, but Khari spotted him. Your father tried to kill mine, N'Jobu got to him first."
Zoya listened with tears. She always wondered why her father was murdered. She only heard stories of his death on the day she was born.
"He didn't want to kill him! But Khari was going to slaughter my dad. Please try to understand!" Zoya wiped her tears. She was tired of acting weak, she was a queen, she had to be strong.
"Your family has caused quite the grief to mine. I do hope you can redeem your cold dark heart, N'Jadaka." Her anger cooled, she put her duty before her emotion. Quickly she exited the throne room, going to the only place she knew, their treehouse.
"You heard your orders!" Erik yelled to the tribes as he placed a cloth over his bleeding wound. "Prepare the spears for ship out. Our people have a war to win!"
