Shuri
Adia looks concerned. "What is the matter my friend." I ask.
"Some one is accessing her thoughts and memories while she's asleep." She said.
"I can't tell who but they're digging deeper and deeper with each dream. I sense that they're getting closer to the information. With every dream she sees parts of a possible future. Shuri, if what I'm seeing correlates with her dreams then there is a possibility you could die." Adia says.
It's Namor, that's how he knows so much. He was able to get through the barrier by using Tyler's knowledge. She's the spy. This whole time we've been looking for her. How do I tell this to the elders. How do I tell M'Baku I put my people in danger. I've avoided seeing the signs, all for a little happiness. This could've all been avoided.
"Is there a way we can stop him from using her?" I asked.
She sat and thought about it before jumping up and rumbling through some things.
"Yes, no? Adia I need to know. Tyler's life might depend on it. Wakanda depends on it." I touch her shoulder.
"There might be, we won't know until we try it. I have to get Bakari to gather some of the ingredients but within two days time I might be able to make a cure." She attempts to wake Tyler up.
"What if he is able to find out our plan before then?" I ask.
"You have two options, you could feed her false information and hope it works. Or you could monitor her dreams and keep her awake until the cure is ready." Adia says.
I sit back down. Tyler wouldn't trust me anymore if I don't tell her what's going on. My people would never trust me again if I keep something so serious from them.
I choose an option that would tend to keep everyone happy. When she wakes up we explain to her what's going on. She tells us what she saw in her dream.
I'm faced with so much to handle. One, I have to call a tribal meeting and tell everyone what's going on. Two, they might try and kill her. Three, I have to figure out what Namor knows. Four, I might have to prepare my kingdom for another death. Five, I'll be all to blame for this. Rightfully so. I put Wakanda in danger as well as Tyler. All for a title, being friends would have been sufficient enough. I wouldn't have had a problem showing her how to create the barrier and handing her to Namor. My people and my princess would both be safe.
——《 ☆ ♕ ✧◦♚◦✧ ☆ ♕ 》——
I have barely barely spoken a word to Tyler since the news broke. I called a meeting we're about to start. I have to be honest with everyone. Especially as the protector.
"Good evening my people. I have called us together because I have news. I have found the mole. It was Miss Basset, but unwillingly. Namor was able to infiltrate her mind with dreams. He has been able to find out very few things but if we allow another dream then he might be able to figure out our plans to end him. We have not figured out how he's able to do this yet. Luckily we have figured out a course of action. Miss Basset will take a cure in two days time. Until then she will be monitored." I get out.
I leave out the part about me dying, I won't bring it up until I'm sure I can handle it.
"No, she needs to be killed. If he keeps looking for the weapon he may very well find it in her mind. Especially since she works so closely with you on the project." Someone yells out.
"Miss Basset is an asset to Wakanda. We can not just kill her. That's not who we are as people." I say.
"She is not an asset now. She is a peril to Wakanda. There is nothing she can give us." someone says.
M'Baku stands up "She is an asset, she is the only person that can help finish the weapon on time. If we sentence her to death we might as well sentence Wakanda to death."
What is he doing.
The door opens. "Princess, Uhh Miss Basset. What are you doing here?" I ask.
Everyone looks appalled either by her barging in or the pet name.
"I came here to speak on my behalf. I came to Wakanda eager to study here, I came here with no intentions on harming the country, or putting everyone in harms way, somehow I did. Despite the bad things I fell in love, with the land, the culture, the people." She looked over at me.
"If you allow me another chance to prove myself worthy of life here in Wakanda I'll protect everyone even if that means putting my life on the line. Please allow me to help the Queen finish building the weapon. Please allow me to help stop Namor. Please allow me to live." She continued.
"You are still putting Wakanda in danger just by standing here as we speak we have no reason to allow you to live. If you were not the Queens "princess" as she just called you, you'd already be on the execution block." An elder said.
"With all due respect the Queen isn't my only reason for living. I have a family who'd be devastated if I never went back to Michigan. The Queen isn't the only reason I want to stay in Wakanda. It's almost like a home to me now. I love the vibe here, the food, the way the sun rises, the animals, the nature. The Queen is just a plus in all this. I haven't even begun to live my life. This isn't my fault I shouldn't be punished because a grown man can't be told no. He's the enemy, not me. The longer we stand here and debate on whether or not I should live is time I could be using help the Queen. Trust me I'm not helping him willingly I'd rather die. You either allow me to help or you won't but I will not be dying when Wakanda herself is in serious danger of falling." She finished.
There's no way they'd try to kill her now. Everyone is stunned by her little speech as am I.
"Well I think I speak for us all when I say, you are free to go and this meeting is dismissed Miss Basset." M'Baku stood.
Everyone left the room and it was just me, M'Baku and Tyler.
"Shuri, I would be careful from here on out. You need to make sure Namor doesn't figure out our plans and keep her within the palace walls. Some people may still be out for blood. No matter the cost. Good luck to you both, keep me updated on the weapon." He left out of the throne room.
It was just Tyler and I left.
"Thank you for not saying what you saw. I'll bring it up when I'm ready to tell my people." I reached out to grab her hand and she looked over at me and pulled away.
"Do you feel like this is all my fault or something?" She asked
"No, I would never. Namor used you, you would never willingly betray me and my people."
"What were you going to do if I had to be killed, if there was no other way to save Wakanda?" She asked.
How could she ask me something like that. That's a tough choose. That's like giving me an ultimatum, protecting my people or her. That's exactly what she's doing.
"I don't exactly know princess. It didn't happen, there's no need to think like that. Why are we having this conversation in the first place?" I asked.
"If your answer would've been no, you would've shut them down when the topic came up. I get it Shuri, you're a queen. I just need to know where I stand in all of that. Cause right now I feel like you would've happily laid me on the table for execution. I'll always be the American here in Wakanda and I'm fine with that. With you I just want to feel like Tyler. I'll be in the lab." She said before walking away.
I understand I haven't made Tyler feel like I'm 100% on her side. It's because I'm impartial to all of this. At the end of the day she'll always have half of my heart. Wakanda will always have the other half. My family left me here to protect it. Nothing will stand in my way of that. Not Tyler and certainly not Namor.
I do love my princess, but that's just it she's my princess not my queen. On my list of priorities my people will come first until Tyler's my Queen.
——《 ☆ ♕ ✧◦♚◦✧ ☆ ♕ 》——
Tyler
Ever since I found out Namor has been invading my mind I've felt nothing but the cold shoulder from Shuri. I will never ask her to ditch her duties for me but I need her to be honest about her feelings.
She plays it as if I'm high on her list of priorities and I know I'm not. She needs to understand that I'm used to not being put first. I've never been put first a day in my life, not even by my parents.
It just kills me when she makes me want to believe that she'll always choose me. I need to hear the truth from her mouth just once.
After I cleaned myself up from my crying fest I got to work.
I got the program for the weapon done finally. All that it needs to be finished is the model, I'm pretty sure Shuri has that under control.
I've also done some thinking. I need to talk to her. Maybe if I tell her how I feel she'll finally come to her senses about her true feelings.
——《 ☆ ♕ ✧◦♚◦✧ ☆ ♕ 》——
I make my way up to Shuris room. She's on the floor going through some files on her beads.
"Hey." I enter.
"Good evening princess, I take it you're done for the night." She says.
"Yep, only thing left for you to do is to finish up the model and she's up and running. Assuming it works." I sit on the bed.
She puts her arm down and all activity ceases on her beads. "I wanted to talk about what happened earlier."
"Me too, I've been thinking about it all day actually." I said.
She smiled "hmm, princess I want you to know that I love you and I love Wakanda as well. There are going to be instances where I put my people before you. There are going to be a lot of instances actually." She says.
There it is. I didn't know it was going to sting like that. I feel like our whole relationship just shattered right in front of me. Why is it so different this time? It shouldn't be any different from anyone else. I some how just want to pack up everything and go home.
"I understand actually, I just wanted to tell you that there were no hard feelings and you have every right to pick your people. You are their protector." I lie.
"I'm glad you understand, I don't know what I'd do without you." She says.
I try my best to keep my composure but I'm falling apart inside. I feel the band-aid that's keeping me together fall off. "I'm going to get in the shower then go to bed, it's been such a long day." My voice cracks. I grab my bag and go to the bathroom.
"Okay princess. I'll have you're sleeping arrangements set up when you come back so we can monitor your dreams." She says.
The door closing was like the final stick to my dam falling. I cried so hard, so silent.
Why does love always hurt. It always consumes me until I'm nothing. I can't keep living on like this.
After Namor is gone for good and Shuri is safe, I have to return to America. I know I promised Shuri I wouldn't go anywhere but she's been my downfall lately from the dreams to this.
If Mya taught me anything, it was I have to start choosing me.
It'll hurt because before anything Shuri will always be the love of my life. No one will ever be her. No one can make me feel the way she does, no one can make me laugh like her. I won't ever let people compete cause they'll never compare to my Queen Shuri.
——《 ☆ ♕ ✧◦♚◦✧ ☆ ♕ 》——
Shuri
Just as I knew she would she cried. Only she cried from the time she went in until it was time for her to come out. She wept for forty five minutes straight.
As much as I want to wrap her in my arms and tell her I didn't mean it, I can't.
I thought about our interaction earlier and it was foolish. I'd pick Tyler over Wakanda in a heartbeat. I've been doing it thus far. I'd give everything to ensure her peace and happiness. I love my princess more than life itself.
With that being said if I am to die in this battle I would rather her love me less so it won't hurt as much for her when I go. She's been though enough this year, I don't want her to start the next one off mourning the one she loves the most.
I want all of her years to come to be full of happiness, peace and love. I want her to have the world, to find a love stronger than ours ever will ever be. I want her to thrive even though I won't be around to see it. Tyler Basset I'll always love you, no matter the circumstances.