A Princess and A Kang

1. Alone Again

Princess Shuri has always been an anomaly. King T'chaka's second wife passed away from a mysterious illness. Leaving him a widower and T'challa without a mother. T'chaka finds a spouse again in Ramonda, an apprentice of the high priestess. T'challa was still little when Ramonda and T'chaka joined their houses. Ramonda took him as her own.

Shuri was not planned. She came along as a surprise. Ramonda and T'chaka were not very keen on siring another child. Both approaching middle ages and content with each other's company and T'challa as the only baby. T'chaka is not able to entertain his daughter for too long at his senior age. He is busy running a country. Ramonda has her duties too. She gets help from the nannies at times.

Shuri has Big Brother to look up to. Despite their 12 year age difference T'challa always makes time for Shuri. The longest he's been away was during his time at Oxford studying. Being the last born can be despairing and isolating. Everyone is grown, going about their duties. Shuri feels overlooked and forgotten.

The demise of Big Brother under her own care is too painful for Shuri to bear. With barely any time to grieve they have to prepare for the public, the press and citizens of Wakanda. Everything is a blur, Shuri's mind is on autopilot. Survival mode. She hates this part about the Royal family. Always at the center of all attention.

The worst is almost over. A public funeral and a burial. First Baba and now Big Brother. It's like something bad out there is coming for all of them. Bad juju. Shuri and her mother have a short eye opening conversation in the tea room after the funeral. Shuri doesn't know how to begin this uncomfortable conversation.

"Baba was not a good person."
Shuri says under her breath. Waiting for the worst to happen.
"No."
Ramonda says in a small voice almost unrecognizable to hers.
"What he did to Erik...." Ramonda s voice breaks unable to go on.

Shaken by her mother's unexpected words, a tear falls from her eye. She is too stunned to speak. This is the most honest and grown conversation she has had with her mother. All that bad karma has come back to bite them.

Shuri spends most of her days wandering the palace gardens. She has no one to talk to. She feels so alone. She watches the bees hopping from one flower to the next then buzzing back into the hive. She also wishes she could also fly away, up into the sky. Disappear forever and never come back. Shuri believes that she died too. That's the only thing that makes sense. If she could somehow come across her body laying around somewhere then she can snap out of this endless nightmare.

Shuri spends most of her nights scrolling on her beads. Nothing can peak her interest. Too much copy paste content. Subscribe, like, follow. Too much oversaturated garbage. Morning comes Shuri is exhausted. Sore eyes and thumb. Plagued by a certain restlessness that won't leave her. One night she wanders down the hall into big brother's apartment and slips into his bed. It's comforting that the sheets still smell like him. Shuri is relieved that he has not been completely ripped away from her.

The following week Shuri is crowned Princess of Wakanda till challenge day which is 90 days away. They will chair council meetings with Queen mother and M'baku. M'baku has been around a lot since Big Brother left. Shuri appreciates that. Shuri finds herself in T'challa's office buried in paperwork. Approvals, budgets, reforms. The "burden of the crown" as Brother phrased it. Shuri gets a flashback of them cracking jokes in the office.

"Would you rather....." T'challa rolls his eyes as Shuri phrases her question.
"Go naked." T'challa blurts out.
"Eish, I haven't even finished asking my question."
"What kind of questions are these Shuri?"
"Would you rather spend a night in a cell with M'baku or Killmonger."
"None. I don't want blood pressure." Shuri laughs.
"Now leave. Let the grown ups work." T'challa shoos Shuri away. Good times.

Shuri feels like she is watching herself rise up early, tend to duties, retire to her apartment, lay awake till dawn. Rinse and repeat. Shuri didn't think she would need to design something ever again. She needs some kind of secret chute where she tosses out her food. Nothing tastes good anymore. Shuri has some weird unexplainable phantom taste that lingers in her mouth all the time. Sweet, sour, salty, spicy.... have all been replaced with flat and nasty.

Shuri doesn't care for the elders.
Doesn't care for their colorful description and disregard of her.
Too western. Too urban. A child who scoffs at tradition. This is the ugly part of her job. The disconnect is too loud, they can't mesh views. Their opinions are too old and outdated. She doesn't care enough to try to win them over in any way,  but she acknowledges that they are essential in the running of the country.

The third council meetings the elders voice their concerns and endless unwavering shaky support for the princess.

"What will happen to the future of Wakanda without the heart shaped herb." Mandla of the Jabari tribe asks.
"I have been working on a synthetic version."
"You mean the one that could not make your brother better?" Asili Suwa of mining tribe blurts out loudly. Princess face blanches, she has been triggered.
"Ever shameless." Ramonda checks Asili.
"It is true. She is too young and naive." Asili stands her ground.
"Bite your tongue." Ramonda warns.
"She is not capable of leading" Asili insists.
"A woman could never be the black panther." Ramonda asks the Dora to escort Asili out.

Shuri feels nauseous followed by hot and cold flashes. She rushes out of her chair dashing for the nearest exit. She goes for the door down the hall to the garden. She struggles with the knob never being able to successfully screw it open. She's desperate for some air. Shuri is going down. She feels somebody's arm around her steadying her. Fur. M'baku. He turns the knob and helps her through the door.

By the time they make it out Shuri is gasping for air. She grips her chest tightly as a sharp pain passes through it. Clothes are too tight, too tight. Shuri starts wheezing. She feels like she is suffocating. Shuri urgently points at the collar of her dress. M'baku grips it and she nods in approval. He proceeds to rip it apart to a loud shriek of disapproval from Ramonda.

"Is that better?" Shuri nods.

Shuri signals for her mom and the Dora to Shhhh... and to stand back. M'baku got this. They wait it out. She is starting to feel better, she weakly leans into M'baku. He leads her to a bench by the willow tree, they get seated. Leaning into M'baku's arm doesn't feel so bad. Aneka drapes Shuri's shoulders with a silk shawl. Shuri pins it across her chest.

M'baku digs into his fur coat and produces a golden flask. Shuri doesn't hesitate. By the third sip the burn is gone. Banana wine. Shuri has heard M'baku sing it's praises. Smooth, sweet with a slight after burn. He keeps her company while they day drink.

"Princess, have you ever tried Tumeric juice?" Shuri rolls her eyes.
"There couldn't be a more perfect time." Shuri complains
"To do what?" M'baku asks
"To toot your horn." Shuri points out.
"Juices by M'baku." He pitches his new idea
"I like it. What else you got?" Shuri says smiling.
"Jasmine beard oil." Shuri scoffs.
"Followers ask me for beard tips all the time."
"I should have never made you a social media account." Shuri laments.
"The people have spoken."M'baku states and Shuri scoffs again.
"What else you got?" Shuri asks actually curious.
"Jasmine hair balm."
"My favorite."
"Thank you." M'baku accepts Princess compliment
"What else you got?........"

They spend the rest of the afternoon together talking and laughing about M'baku's larger than life personality. Later on Shuri is led to her apartment. With a combination of the afternoon sun and booze Shuri goes to her apartment for some rest.