- Wakanda -
The sound of the ship humming filled the quiet room as the royal aircraft continued its path to its destination. Within it, stood the prince clutching his weapon and shield in hand. His heart beat madly in his chest, not in fear, but in anticipation, for the moment he knew was coming since his father's passing. Preparations had been made and arranged weeks in advance. It was expected that everything was to go as planned during the upcoming ceremony. Not long until his title as Prince would be stripped away to be replaced by the title of King.
King, his mind repeated. Am I going to be a good king? T'Challa wondered. His eyes fell to his painted chest before they shut closed. He breathed deeply while the ship slowed its pace to begin its descent. It was time, whether he felt ready or not.
His eyes fell open as the door began to pry open. Immediately, the chanting of his people filled his ears. T'Challa descended the stairs of the ship, being careful with each step. He looked ahead as his feet stepped into cool waters upon exiting the aircraft. He continued to grip the shield and sword while gazing around at the scene before him in awe.
People stood along the cliffs of the waterfall. They were dressed in an arrangement of a variety of colors and patterns, sporting their tribal garbs. There was a clearing in the water cascading down the edge of the waterfall, falling along the deeper crevices of the wall to prevent with people from being saturated with water.
T'Challa continued glancing around until his eyes met his mother, Ramonda, and sister, Shuri. They acknowledged him with a proud smile before his gaze fell on Zuri nearby. He was dressed in his regular purple attire, but for the occasion, his face was painted in an intricate pattern.
The prince stepped forward until he stood near Zuri. The people began to go quiet as Zuri's gaze fell upon them, preparing to speak. "I, Zuri, son of Badu, give to you Prince T'Challa, the Black Panther!"
The crowd erupted into cheers at his words. A serious expression was etched across T'Challa's features as he crossed the items in hand over his head to form an X and knelt into the water. The crowd mimicked his movements but instead, crossed their arms over their chest. The sound of the Dora Milaje slamming their spears into the ground followed and once again, the crowd went silent.
A wooden bowl was passed to Zuri. He clutched it into his hands, stepping closer to T'Challa. "The prince will now have the strength of the black panther stripped away!" He bellowed before placing the edge of the bowl to his lips to allow him to drink.
T'Challa took a sip and ignored the taste that flooded his mouth. He swallowed the contents and cringed as he felt it working through his system. He began to breathe heavily with black vein-like lines now present on his skin. He gasped at the pain that began to overtake him, his face scrunching in response. The people watched and bounced their shoulders with their arms crossed over their chest. They continued until the prince stood from where he knelt, all previous signs of pain now clear from his features.
"Praise the ancestors!" Zuri shouted in Xhosa. The crowd repeated before he continued, "victory in ritual combat comes by yield or death. If any tribe wishes to put forth a warrior, I now offer a path to the throne." He finished and motioned towards T'Challa.
A man from the merchant tribe bellowed from the crowd, diverting all attention to him. The tribe repeated before the leader stepped forward to speak. "The merchant tribe will not challenge today."
Following the merchant tribe, the border, river, and mining tribe stated the same. As things were going, there would be no challenge and the prince will immediately be crowned king.
"Is there any member of a royal tribe who wishes to challenge for the throne?" Zuri inquired as his eyes danced to the different tribes along the cliffs.
Silence fell until it was noticed that Shuri raised her hand. The crowd expressed their confusion and shock aloud as all eyes fell on the princess. She continued to eye her brother, both faces clear of any expression.
"This corset is really uncomfortable," she shifted in her stance to gaze up at the people above her on the cliffs, "so, could we all just wrap it up and go home!" She finished, clapping her hands together. Noise erupted from the crowd as Queen Mother pinched her daughter in disapproval. Shuri gasped in pain and inched away to retreat from the possibility of any further attacks. T'Challa couldn't help but smile and shake his head at his sister's antics.
All laughter began to be drowned out by distant shouting coming from inside a cave of the waterfall. Eyes danced around in confusion until several men appeared from the caves one by one, their voices growing louder. White patterns contrasted against their dark complexions along their faces and chest. One man leading the chant made his way out of the cave with a mask shielding his face.
Shuri's brow furrowed in confusion. "Are they Jabari?" She wondered, leaning towards her mother.
"Yes," Queen Mother muttered in response to her daughter.
The men quieted once the leader maneuvered to stand before Zuri and T'Challa. He gazed at the men through the holes in his mask prior to removing it. Anger was present on his features as he eyed T'Challa where he stood.
T'Challa's face remained neutral, almost unfazed as he stared at M'Baku.
"M'Baku, what are you doing here?" Zuri inquired.
"It's challenge day," he simply stated, shrugging. He finally tore his eyes away from the prince and turned on his heels. M'Baku eyed the people along the cliffs while they stared down at him in wonder. He took several steps forward, parting his lips to speak, "we have watched and listened from the mountains. We have watched with disgust," he inched closer to T'Challa's family, "as your technological advancements have been overseen by a child!" The spear gripped in his hand lurched forward towards Shuri. It didn't make contact but instead was pointed a few feet away.
Nevertheless, the Dora Milaje shifted to point their spears at him in protection. The parties involved didn't waver from their stance until M'Baku lowered his staff. He continued, "who scoffs at tradition. And now you want to hand the nation over to this prince," he turned to look upon T'Challa once more, "who could not even keep his own father safe, hm?" The tribe leader took steps towards T'Challa who eyed the man with newfound anger behind his orbs. He managed to display self-control, especially at the mention of his late father.
"We will not have it. I said we will not have it! I, M'Baku, leader of the Jabari wish-"
"I accept your challenge, M'Baku," T'Challa told him. The prince took in the man before him, tightening his grip on the sword and shield within his hands. His opponent was considerably larger than him but nonetheless, he remained confident in his skill. A part of him anticipated the fight soon to take place.
"Glory to Hanuman." M'Baku's lips curled into a small smile. He lingered before the prince a moment longer before finally stepping away.
Nearby, a set of drums began to beat as preparations for the challenge to come took place. The people didn't tear their eyes away from the two men. The atmosphere grew tense, but also matched the amount of anticipation T'Challa felt within him.
Zuri approached T'Challa to carefully place a wooden panther mask on his face. Meanwhile, the mask that once shielded M'Baku's features was returned. The Jabari tribe leader clutched the wooden spear in his hand before raising his free hand to form a fist few inches his head. He turned in the direction of his men.
"Jabari!" M'Baku shouted. In response, five men moved swiftly to form part of a semi-circle.
T'Challa mimicked his movements. "Dora Milaje, phambili!*" He bellowed. Five of his warriors made their way over to complete the semi-circle. The small group of women and crouched, their spears readily in hand. They surrounded the men, closing them in and everyone else out.
"Let the challenge begin!" Zuri shouted. He moved from where he stood to maneuver outside of the fighting circle. On his cue, the two men began.
Both T'Challa and M'Baku advanced forward to lessen the space between them. M'Baku began swinging his wooden staff in an attempt to strike him. The prince was light on his feet and swiftly dodged each attack. He sidestepped his opponent, quickly crouching into the water to evade another attack. T'Challa spun around before standing again, facing his challenger. He anticipated his opponent's move and placed his shield out before him.
Seconds later, M'Baku's spear knocked against the metal object. The Jabari leader shifted his hold on his staff and thrust his weapon out before him. The distance between him and T'Challa widened and the challenger took the opportunity to spin on his heels to build momentum into his next attack. The spear once again came into contact with T'Challa's shield. The built-up force was strong enough to knock the prince back, resulting in him falling backward into the water.
The crowd erupted as they watched their prince fall to the ground. Shuri's brows raised in concern for her brother while her mother grew weary.
Zuri slammed the hilt of his sword to the ground to serve as a signal for those forming the semi-circle to inch closer, giving the men less space to fight.
"Stand up!" M'Baku shouted.
T'Challa quickly rose to his feet and moved toward his challenger. He swung his sword only for M'Baku to inch back to dodge it. T'Challa closed the space and provided no time for M'Baku to counter as he lept from the ground, kicking his leg forward to collide it against his challenger's chest. The attack caused him to fall into the water just as T'Challa did.
The crowd responded with approval, heads nodding in the prince's direction in pride. Zuri knocked against the ground, the woman and men lessening the circle.
Returning to his feet, M'Baku began to swing his staff repeatedly. The prince evaded each attempted strike until he jumped in anticipation of M'Baku's movements. Much to his surprise, the prince's feet were swept from right under him. He spun in the air before crashing into the water.
The grip he once had on his shield and weapon loosened and as a result, both were now lost in the water. The prince rose to his feet quickly to gaze upon M'Baku from where he stood and positioned himself into a fighting stance.
"Where is your God now?" M'Baku taunted.
No answer was given as T'Challa sprinted forward. M'Baku pushed his staff out before him only for the prince to grab ahold of it. He spun to strike him again with his foot, knocking his challenger back a few steps.
The warriors forming the circle inched forward once again, the edge of the cliff now threatening both men. This had to end and quickly, T'Challa thought.
He stood before M'Baku with his legs apart and his hands before him clutched into fists. He saw an opening once M'Baku swung his staff. He struck his side before landing a one-two blow to his face. The Jabari leader stumbled in his footing but quickly recollected himself. He managed to sidestep T'Challa and positioned his staff behind him. He gripped the two ends of his staff and pulled forward to lock T'Challa against his own body.
M'Baku laughed as the fighting circle lessened. He drove his head forward to knock it against the prince and immediately blood began to drip from his nose. T'Challa's senses spiraled from the attack but continued to gaze at M'Baku. He knocked his head against T'Challa's once again.
"No powers, no claws, no special suit! Just a boy not fit to be king," he shouted in between his attacks.
T'Challa's head fell back, his vision now a blur. His mind was in a frenzy as his ears began to ring. The world seemed to have slowed and the shoutings of the crowd appeared muffled. He could see the form of his mother in her all-white gown. She shouted directions for her son from where she stood. "Show him who you are!"
T'Challa gathered the energy from within him to drive his elbow into M'Baku's mask repeatedly until it was knocked from his face. The prince was released from his grip as M'Baku stumbled backward from his attacks. He wiped the blood dripping from his face and upon looking at his hand, his face twisted in anger. He grunted in irritation and gripped his spear before taking strides towards T'Challa. The prince inched forward only for the spear to be driven into his chest.
He shouted in pain, his hands gripping the spear now lodged in his chest. M'Baku took the opportunity to twist the spear in hand. The sound of the piece of wood rubbing against his flesh filled T'Challa's ears. He gritted his teeth and met his challenger's eyes. "I am prince T'Challa! Son of King T'Chaka!"
"You can do this, T'Challa!" Shuri cheered.
T'Challa drove the spear from out of him. M'Baku attempted to strike him once again, but the prince shoved it away and kicked his leg out. The move came into contact with his opponent and caused him to fall into the water. The prince took the opportunity to dive down and trap M'Baku's head in between his legs. Both men laid along the edge of the cliff.
"Yield!" T'Challa instructed. "Don't make me kill you."
"I'd rather die." M'Baku fought from under him and made his attempts to escape his hold. But T'Challa maintained his grip against his foe. He wrapped one leg around his neck and held his arm tightly. A defeat was inevitable for M'Baku. The crowd grew excited, now shouting T'Challa's name.
"You have fought with honor, now yield. Your people need you."
M'Baku gazed at his people that stood before him with their spears in hand. He hated that T'Challa was right, but he hated losing to him more. He shut his eyes closed tightly before springing them open at T'Challa's repeated instruction, "yield, man!" M'Baku laid motionless under him. He took his hand and tapped it twice against T'Challa's leg.
The prince sighed in relief before releasing his hold. The crowd erupted into cheers at his victory. He threw his arm into the air upon rising to his feet. He walked, gazing at his people along the cliff with a new set of eyes. He looked to them not as a prince, but as a king.
The Jabari men lifted their leader from where he laid on the ground as T'Challa made his way to stand beside Zur. He held a necklace out before him as he addressed the people, "I now present to you, King T'Challa, the Black Panther!" He placed the necklace over the King's head. The crowd erupted into cheers once again.
T'Challa pulled Zuri into a hug and ignored the pain in his chest at the injury he suffered. "Zuri," he said, patting his back. He felt proud of his victory. M'Baku was worthy of a challenge. T'Challa expected no challenger to come forth but nonetheless, the title of King was fairly won. His people cheered and he hoped he could maintain their faith in him.
"My king," Zuri whispered.
Phambili - Onward