Caged Bird [T'Challa]

Seventeen

Hunter spun around in front of the mirror happily as she gazed down at the elegant gown that she would be wearing to the engagement party. It was a beautiful coral pink with long, flowy sleeves. The dress stopped at her knees and was matched with a pair of white flats.

"I like it." She turned to see Shuri dressed in a beautiful ivory dress that had a cheongsam design to it.

"Not too much?"

"Definitely not." The princess grinned at her future sister-in-law and the future queen. "So, have you talked to my brother about a wedding date?"

The blonde shrugged as she followed the princess out. "Not really. We did decide that the wedding will wait a while since we kind of jumped into the engagement."

"Always a smart choice. I just hope my brother doesn't manage to run you off before then." She teased Hunter lightly as she linked arms with her, leading the way to the giant banquet room where parties were usually held. "I'm excited to announce that I have been working on some weapons and armor for you. Just in case your abilities become unusable during battle."

The blonde looked over at her friend, a bit surprised. "Shuri, you didn't have to do all of that."

"Yes I did. I will not be going through almost losing you again, because your suit is similar to my brothers and is completely made of vibranium and nanobots, except yours is more of a deep grey."

She arched a brow at this. "Does it look like a cat?"

Shuri gave a sheepish smile at this when Hunter gave her a rather pointed look. "What? The panther design is sleek and very stylish. Besides, it goes with your alias."

"My alias?"

Shuri nodded, bouncing a bit. "Nakia, Okoye and I argued for hours before we decided you would be known as the Huntress."

"The Huntress. That isn't too far from my name." She pointed out.

Shuri opened her mouth to say something more, but snapped it shut when her brother approached. "We will discuss more later." Shuri excused herself, leaving the couple alone.

"What was that about?" The king questioned, looking after his sister.

Hunter smiled and shook her head. "Apparently, she designed me a suit of my own and came up with a name for me."

T'Challa turned his gaze back to her, arching a brow. "Oh? Do tell." He took her hand in his as he led her to the middle of the dance floor, beginning to lead her in a simple waltz in time with the soft music.

"Well, apparently my suit is just like yours and my name will be Huntress."

The king had a thoughtful look on his face. "It sounds..interesting."

Hunter chuckled at this. "It's a bit cliché if you ask me. The name can stay, but I'm not dressing up in a cat suit. You may be able to make it work, I can't. I can't stand for my face to be covered."

An amused look passed over the king's face as their dance ended. "Well, you and I will design something then."

Hunter tilted her head to the right a bit. "Are you sure that Shuri won't be mad about it?'

"Not as long as we let her design the weapons." He assured her. His gaze shifted to something behind her. "If you will excuse me, I have someone I have to speak to. I will return." He placed a kiss to her forehead before he weaved his way through the crowd, Hunter's gaze following him before W'kabi cut it off by stepping in front of him.

"You look lovely, Miss Hunter." He spoke politely as he moved a step closer, holding his hand out. "I was wondering if I may have this dance."

The blonde hesitated for a moment before she placed her hand in his. They began to dance in a slow circle, an awkward silence hanging in the air before the man spoke again. "It is quite depressing to watch our king fraternizing with an outsider. Even more depressing is when he announces that he is going to marry her."

Hunter frowned at this. "If you're worried about me protecting Wakanda, I would give my life for it. It's my home now."

W'kabi's grip tightened on her, becoming a bit painful. "You don't deserve the title of queen. An outsider like you would only bring this country and the title shame."

Hunter pried herself from him, staring him down. "Say what you will, your words hold no value to me. I love T'Challa and I love Wakanda. Whether labeled as an outsider or as queen, I would give my last breath to ensure that both were safe as well as all of its people. Including someone as bitter as you."

The border tribe warrior set a glare on her before he disappeared into the crowd as T'Challa had previously done.

She had known that all of this was not going to be easy for the people to accept, and had prepared herself for harsh words. It didn't mean that they didn't leave an ache in her chest.