Walking into their palace, Shuri drags me to her lab and my mind is instantly blown.
"This is your lab?" I ask.
"Yes. Now put this on." Shuri says while throwing me an outfit.
She quickly disappears into a nearby room and I find one similar to it. My dress was similar to Shuri's except my midsection was a deep purple covered by a black corset. The beads attached to my dress were also purple and black and I instantly sensed a theme. Walking out and seeing Shuri dressed, I decide to ask.
"Did your brother tell you about how my powers manifest?" I say with a smirk.
"Maybe." Shuri replies.
"Then why is my outfit black with little hints of purple?" I question.
"Okay fine! Brother showed me some photos of you and your powers and I modelled your outfit after it."
I giggle quietly as Shuri finishes her makeup. She then puts on her headpiece and waves me over to where the makeup is. I sit down and she instantly gets to work. Thankfully she was quick because I was beginning to get antsy. Looking in the mirror I see that she did a simple winged eyeliner with small black dots under my eyes. A bold black line starting from the bottom of my nose and ending at my chin completes the look.
"This looks amazing!" I exclaim.
"Give me a twirl!" she says with a laugh. I groan and do what she asks and we both laugh.
"Thank you, Shuri." I say genuinely.
"It's no problem. Oh, by the way, the beads on your neck and chest are vibranium repellents. Any kind of vibranium that affects you is repelled so that you can enjoy yourself today." she answers while walking the stairs.
"What! That's amazing." I comment while following her.
"Anything is possible in Wakanda, Stark. Anything." Shuri replies.
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Shuri and I were quickly escorted onto a boat after we left the lab. Before she had to begin her part of the ceremony on the boats, she explained to me what would happen and what I should do. Then the boats began to make their journey over to the waterfall. I watched as all the tribes danced and sang, lively smiles on their faces. The joy was infectious and soon a smile crept its way onto my own face. Shuri looks over at me and must have seen that I hadn't joined in on the fun.
"Erin! Come dance!" she says while waving me over. Ramonda leaves her place beside Shuri and gently coaxes me over.
Shuri then shows me the dance and thankfully it was easier than it looked. Ramonda smiled while we laughed and danced for a few minutes. Then we heard the Dora Milajae yell out and put their spears down in unison. A huge drain appears and suddenly the waterfall becomes dry.
Everyone made their way onto the ledges that stood out from the wall while Shuri and Ramonda stood in front of it. A jet similar to the one I arrived in brought T'Challa to the small cove. All the people around me began to chant and I quickly followed.
Seeing the unity among them all and how happy they were to see a new king ascend to the throne, it was new. And yet it was exciting. Never had I ever seen something like this in my entire life. Yet here was this country, hidden away in the mountains and shielded from the world. They were truly one country working together in perfect harmony.
Everyone abruptly stops chanting and an older man appears beside T'Challa.
"I, Zuri, Son of Badu give to you Prince T'Challa the Black Panther!" he announces.
All around me, cheers erupt from the mouths of the people and T'Challa solutes them. He quickly bends down to one knee and Zuri continues.
"The prince will now have the strength of the black panther stripped away." he says while pouring some kind of drink into T'Challa's mouth.
Shuri and Ramonda cross their arms over their chest and swiftly move their chests up and down while they bow their heads low. I follow the same pattern as T'Challa's gasps and groans bounce off the rocks surrounding us. He soon stood and Zuri says something that the rest of the people repeat.
"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." Zuri says.
Then one by one each of the tribes step forth, each refusing to challenge to T'challa. Zuri turns to the royal family and asks if any of royal descent wishes to challenge. Shuri unexpectedly raises her hand and everyone is shocked, including me. Thankfully, she only did it to complain about her corset, resulting in her mother subtly pinching her. I chuckle quietly at the spectacle but some don't feel the same as me.
Suddenly, coming from the waterfalls is the sound of hooting and hollering. Men painted in white soon emerge, one wearing a threatening gorilla mask. The people around me begin to shake in fear, including the Queen and Princess. I feel my eyes glow purple as I move forward protectively the slightest bit. The Dora Milaje protect the three of us as T'Challa and the one in the gorilla mask talk. He suddenly turns to Shuri and points at her threateningly.
"Who scoffs at tradition!" I hear him say once I finally focus in. My hands quickly light up in defence but I feel a gentle hand lay on my shoulder.
"We are protected. It's okay." Ramonda says and I soon relax, returning my attention to the Prince and the gorilla.
The two begin to duel. As they fight, their chances of winning change as one overpowers the other over and over again. After many minutes, T'Challa rises victorious and is crowned the new king of Wakanda. I follow those around me as we cross our arms over our chest and yell out:
"Wakanda forever!"