"King T'Chaka, the girl is alone."
"We do not bring outsiders into Wakanda."
"My King, what if she learns to join our nation? There is no one here for her anymore."
"...So be it."
***
Ava laughed as the young children danced around her, her lips spreading like eagle wings into a grin. Their dark skin was sparkling with beads of sweat, paint of yellow and white cracking and creasing on their foreheads and cheeks.
She was different from them. She always knew that. She was the pale walker. The kids often called her "Pale Mother". Ava never minded; she had grown accustomed to the people of Wakanda, as they had grown accustomed to her. She was, in a way, one of them.
The kids grabbed her hands, tugging her this way and that, through the tall, golden blades of grass. The sunlight shone down on them as afternoon grew high. "Calm, children. Let the Pale Mother be free." A familar voice called from someplace behind them, a laugh held within it's tone.
"Princess Shuri." Ava smiled, turning to her long-time friend with a slight bow. Shuri was only a teenager yet, and Ava was late into her twenties already, but they were inseparable.
Shuri rolled her eyes and strutted closer to Ava with a light-hearted giggle. "Shut up." She shook her head as the three little children took off to find their mothers. "I came to tell you father is leaving in the morning, and he plans to take T'Challa with him. It is time to expose just the slightest amount of our country to the world. It was some of our own- some Wardogs, that were killed in that explosion a few days ago in Lagos."
"I remember." The blonde woman nodded just slightly. "And won't forget."
"Yes, well, they are meeting with the United Nations panel. We are to say our farewells tonight in a dinner celebration." Shuri said, a glimmer of excitement in her eyes.
Ava pressed a thin smile to her lips. "I suspect you've already got me a new dress made, seeing that look in your eyes." She said, arching her brow as she crossed her arms across her chest.
"Oh come on! You have to admit that I create some pretty awesome ideas." Shuri said, pointing her finger at Ava's chest.
Ava put her hands up in defense. "I didn't say that you had bad ideas." She smiled and dropped her hands. "Alright, show me the dress so I can reject it for being ridiculous looking on me, once again."
Shuri shook her head. "You must embrace your beauty, Pale Mother." She tsk'd and smirked, beginning the walk to the palace.
"Why? I am the only white person here. The only Wakandan civilian not born here. I am not the face of beauty in this country." Ava shook her head with a laugh. "I've been well aware of that since the day I came here, and I have gladly accepted so. You, Okoye, and Nakia are the most beautiful women here."
"As are you, my friend." Shuri rolled her eyes and sighed. "You will come to see. Besides, Bomani seems to like you."
"Bomani and I ended a long time ago." Ava said with a humorless laugh.
Shuri chuckled again. "I know, and probably for the best. His head is thicker than rhino skin."
"Believe me, I know."
***
"I look ridiculous." Ava complained, her arms straight-stiff at her sides and fists clenched. Her shoulders drooped and a pout was on her face as she stared at herself in the mirror.
"Well, standing like that you do." Shuri crossed her arms. "Relax, Ava. You look great."
Ava was dressed in an emerald green dress that cascaded off her hips, hugging her legs just slightly all the way down to the floor. A beaded collar wrapped around her neck, one jeweled strip of fabric followed down the center of her chest from the collar to the top of the dress, leaving her pale shoulders exposed. A slit in the dress followed each of her legs, allowing for room to walk, and braided leather sandals wrapped around her dainty feet.
With a sigh, Ava braided her blonde hair back from her face, twisting it up into an intricate bun and nodded, letting her shoulders fall and her arms hang loose. "Alright." She said, pressing her lips firmly together. Shuri grinned and grabbed her friend's arm, pulling her quickly along.
"Dinner is starting soon. We won't want to miss out." Shuri smiled back at her, leading the way to the dining hall where everyone was already sat. King T'Chaka sat at the head of the large table, Queen Romonda directly to his left. There were seats reserved for Shuri and Ava beside Romonda, and a spot to the left of T'Chaka was open for T'Challa. Okoye would sit near T'Challa as well with W'Kabi, T'Challa's best friend and Okoye's lover. Elders from other Wakandan tribes were settled around the table, quiet chatter amongst friends, and Zuri at the other end of the table.
"You're late." T'Challa playfully chastised as he walked into the room behind the girls. Shuri scoffed and crossed her arms, a dark brow arching and a smirk on her lips.
"So are you." She said, full of sass. Ava bit her lip to keep from laughing as T'Challa grinned at his little sister, going to his seat beside his father. Shuri and Ava too, quickly found their seats and tried avoiding the eyes locked on them upon their late arrival.
Once everyone had been seated and calmed down, dinner was brought out to each person on a small platter, starting with the king and queen, then the elders. Next was the prince and princess, W'Kabi, and lastly was Ava as expected. "Thank you." She smiled politely to the servant presenting her food.
Fresh made chicken curry over rice. One of Ava's favorites to eat.
All waited for T'Chaka to nod to the group and take the first bite before eating on their own, and as they slowly spooned bites into their mouths, Shuri spoke. "Baba, whom are these Avengers you go to meet with at the panel tomorrow?"
T'Chaka swallowed his bite of food and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Great warriors of America. They claim to protect the world. Some of them carry gifts of magic." He said, looking to his daughter. "I do not hold anger to them. But they must be controlled if we are to be willing to expose some of ourselves to this new world."
Ava listened intently, her spoon full of food hovering in front of her lips. She was very curious about these so-called warriors, and silently chuckled to herself thinking that any of the Wakandan warriors could easily beat them. Most Wakandans grew up learning to fight, including Ava. This life was all she had ever known. She couldn't remember the outside world, or what it was like to see someone like her in person.
She couldn't truly remember what her parents looked like. But T'Chaka took her in, allowed her to join the people of his kindom and become one of them. She was only five at the time, when Zuri adopted her as his own, allowing her to grow up with T'Challa and Shuri, as well as many others.
"Your food will get cold if you keep watching it like that." Shuri leaned over to Ava and whispered, snapping Ava back to reality.
"Oh, right." She quickly muttered, taking a bite. Slowly, she chewed and glanced around the room absently before her eyes fell back to the king. One by one, the group at the table was finishing their meals. Once the plates where cleared from the table, T'Chaka began to explain his duty of this trip, how long he would be gone with T'Challa, and any other sort of plans. But Ava didn't listen. She thought about other things.
Her parents being one of them. All she could remember was a plane. She was within her mothers arms as the plane violently shook, and screams was all that she could remember clearly as the metal bird crashed into trees and the ground. She remembers the blood. Both of her parents, dead, their blood staining her skin as she clung to them. They had died protecting her.
Ava brought herself back to the real world with a deep breath, meeting the eyes of Zuri. She smiled at him, seeing the man as a father to her. Zuri returned the smile, his face painted with pale, yellow dots across his dark skin. Throughout the dinner, there was chatter and laughter, farewells and love being sent to T'Chaka and T'Challa before their journey in the morning. Once the dinner was done, the table was dismissed for the evening.
"My daughter." Zuri approached her as they began to exit, extending an arm to embrace her.
"Baba." Ava said softly, leaning into his side and curling her arm around his back as he did to her.
"How are you today?" He asked her in their Wakandan tongue.
Ava took a deep breath as her eyes scanned the horizon ahead. "I thought about my parents a lot today." She glanced up at him, worried her words had offended her adoptive father, but he looked at peace. He seemed not to mind at all, actually. "Tell me again of how you came to love me, Baba."
"It was the moment I saw you." Zuri smiled at her, looking ahead as the sun began to set above the tall, golden fields of grass in the distance. "You were so young, scared and alone. I went to the wreck of metal and smoke left of the plane you had arrived in. King T'Chaka had arrived there first, but you reached your hands out to me. You didn't say a word, you simply reached out for me."
Ava smiled up at him, then followed his gaze to the horizon. "Thank you, Baba." She whispered, a ghost of a smile gracing her lips. "Someday, I wish to save someone as you saved me."
AN: Alright! Chapter one is up! It is a little short, and a little boring, but it is mainly for introduction and backstory purposes for Ava's character. I hope you enjoyed it! I will be updating again soon, I promise. I have so many fun ideas for this book, and it is currently my main focus as far as writing goes. Also, and dialogue that is in italics is when they are using their Wakandan language. Thank you! Don't forget to vote, comment, and follow me! Xx