ACT ONE. CHAPTER IV:
NEVER SAY NEVER

RIVER VILLAGE, WAKANDA.
2016, FEBRUARY 14.

About two weeks had passed since Sade had found herself lying on a beach of her homeland, conch shell in hand, the artefacts she was to retrieve at her side, untouched. She had had to lie about her sudden disappearance from the radars, obliterating everything that had happened the moment the crew of the smuggling boat disappeared. The shell had remained hidden from view in her lab, continuing to attract the curiosity of its new owner whilst not revealing any of its secrets.

The young princess had risen early that day, sleep having slipped away like a thief from her mind despite her many attempts to catch it in its escape. It was the flow of the waves that helped clear her mind, their repetitive back and forth movement acting like a sedative she couldn't live without. With her head on her knees, she glanced at the conch Namor had given her, lying beside her in the sand. She had spent the past two weeks wondering how the object worked, and if it even had a use other than decorative.

It's just a shell. He gave me a fucking shell.

Not knowing what to do in the silence of dawn, Sade took the object in her hands to inspect it more closely as she had done so many times before. There was no indication of how she should use the object. She tried to blow into the conch before grunting in annoyance, frustrated that she didn't know what to do.

"You'll figure it out. My ass." she huffed as she tossed the object into the ocean.

Watching the object float away for a few minutes, a feeling of guilt gripped her, leading her to get up and retrieve it. With the sand crunching under her feet and the wind beginning to die down, she bent down to retrieve the shell, hoping she hadn't damaged it in her frustration. Sade let her gaze trace the untouched carvings, noticing all too late the foreign presence that had sprung up beside her.

"You figured it out."

The young princess let out a scream, swinging the conch at whoever she thought was an assailant. However, she froze in her tracks when she recognised the person in front of her.

"What the fuck?" she let out in a breath as she watched him retrieve the souvenir he had given her.

"I never thought of throwing a conch shell at someone... To be tested."

A mischievous smile stretched his lips as he read the incomprehension creeping across her face.

"I... didn't call you." she tried, taking back the shell he held out to her.

"You did."

"No, I just blew into it, and it pissed me off because nothing was happening, so I threw it in the water and-" Sade's sentence died in her throat as she saw the Talokanil king's smile intensify. "Oh... I guess I did call you then."

They both stared into each other's eyes for a long few seconds before the young woman cleared her throat, deflecting her gaze inland.

"The sun is starting to rise, I should-"

"Come sit with me." he cut her off as he headed further down the beach, leaving no room for objection.

To be honest with himself, though he would never be, the last two weeks had been the longest in his four hundred and forty-five years of life. The idea that the young princess had not sought to see him again had poisoned his mind like a creeping venom. Namora frowned on the fact that he returned to the surface so often, even more so to see one of their sworn enemies. He had brushed her off, convinced that he would eventually tire of her, that his interest would disappear when she would no longer seem intriguing. At least, that's what he was trying to make himself believe, because that foreign warmth he felt in his stomach when she laid her eyes on him once she sat down told him otherwise.

"Well?"

"Let's just enjoy the sunrise."

Sade stared at him for a moment in bewilderment before returning her gaze to the ocean, not knowing what to say to break the silence that was about to ensue. Unobtrusively, Namor detailed the features of her face, lingering unwillingly on the shape of her lips, the sensation of their touch on his own tickling him like a fugitive memory.

"You've changed your hair," he simply stated, drawing her attention, which he often found himself seeking. "It looks good on you, though the old one made you look better."

"I didn't know you had any knowledge of hairstyling, little mermaid." she replied with a soft chuckle, not being able to help but smile at the awkward compliment he'd made of her natural hair.

The Talokanil king returned her smile, somehow proud that his compliment had pleased her. "I've had plenty of time to learn about a lot of things."

"Speaking of which, when exactly were you born?"

"1571."

The young princess frowned slightly before staring into space for a few seconds. "You're 445 years old." she said, causing him to nod his head. "You're older than Santa Claus." she added with a giggle, earning an eye roll from him.

"You can just call me Namor instead of coming up with new nicknames."

"Nah, I'm not your enemy last time I checked. Or am I?" she asked as she looked at him through her almond-shaped eyes, arching an eyebrow in his direction.

The Talokanil king swallowed slightly before looking away. "Of course not." he let out in a breath before turning his head back to her. "You haven't told me anything about yourself."

"What do you want to know?"

"Anything you want to tell me, I'm listening." he told her, wanting to return the favour of when she had listened to him talk about his mother, without judgment and with curiosity.

"So, I have an older brother T'Challa who's 24, a younger sister Shuri who's 16 and there's me who's 20. I've lived in Wakanda pretty much all my life, except for the last few years."

Namor looked at her for a moment, waiting for her to continue to tell him more about herself but nothing came out of her mouth except for a small laugh at his questioning expression.

"Surely you didn't expect me to tell you everything about myself all at once?" she asked playfully, standing up to look behind her.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to get back to the palace before my mother starts to panic. And I can't risk anyone seeing you."

The man felt his heart bulge at her concern, joining the growing list of foreign feelings that had begun to eat him alive since he'd crossed her path.

"Don't look so downcast." she chuckled at the expression on his face that he had been unable to control. "I spend a lot of time on this beach, I even have a sort of cabin nearby. You'll probably see me again since you like to stalk me." she reassured him, waving the conch she'd retrieved. "And now I know how to reach you."

"Same time tomorrow?"

Sade simply smiled at him before she turned her back to him, not without adding teasingly. "Don't be so impatient or I'll start to think you're in love with a human, little mermaid."

BIRNIN ZANA, WAKANDA.
2016, MARCH 28.

"You've been in a really good mood these days, sister."

Eyes fixed on the screens in front of her, Sade glanced sidelong at her brother who had come to a stop beside her, a petty smile on his lips. "What do you want?"

"I see you smiling a lot lately, especially in the morning, when you are usually a brat at this time of day."

"That is some royal class in your words, brother."

T'Challa smiled even more as he began to touch just about everything he could get his hands on, hoping to get a confession from his sister. "Did you get back together with M'Baku?" he asked, knowing full well that it would never happen.

"Don't remind me of that dark time in my life."

"The funniest time you mean. Baba got tired of you hanging around with him." he added before his eyes were drawn to a book not far from him. "And what is that?"

Sade put down her notebook and turned her head towards T'Challa, who was holding the books she'd been struggling to get hold of.

"A Forest of Kings: The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya. The Cosmos of the Yucatec Maya. You have a new obsession?"

"Give it back! Do you know how hard it is to get them?" she exclaimed, snatching them out of her brother's hands who slightly frowned.

"They're just books."

No, they're not.

"Open your mind, T'Challa. Technology and books are the future, not your old claws."

"Meanwhile, you've got old claws too." he retorted with a sneer, watching her put the books away with particular attention.

"Mine are more stylish. Well, you still haven't told me what you want. Did you just come to screw up my lab?"

"It's your birthday. My baby sister is now 21, which is quite an accomplishment." he said, shaking her head as she tried to escape his grip.

"You already wished me happy birthday. Do you remember that? You threw water on me while I was sleeping."

"Baba told me to wake you up." he replied innocently as she scowled at him, tidying her table. "By the way, he asked me to tell you we're leaving soon."

"We're leaving? Where?"

"Vienna, dummy. You really do have a goldfish's memory." he said, heading for the exit.

"Goldfish actually have a very good memory."

"Look at her knowing a lot about aquatic life. Absolutely not suspicious."

Sade didn't respond and just crossed her arms as she watched him leave the lab and waggle his eyebrows, convinced that she was hiding something from him.

In a way, yes. No one knew about Namor, no one knew about Talokan, and absolutely no one knew what had happened during the attack on the ship. But there was no denying that her morning mood had changed drastically since they'd been meeting regularly on the beach. At around five in the morning, or even four, when the sun had not yet begun its journey across the sky, they would meet on the soft sand. The two of them could either spend their time talking a lot or sitting in silence, waiting to watch the sunrise before bidding each other goodbye.

The young princess walked out of her lab and into the corridors, her gaze on the large windows, remembering that she had missed their meeting today.

Oh shit.

RIVER VILLAGE, WAKANDA.
2016, MARCH 28.

"Namor?"

The young princess slowed her pace as she reached the beach, looking around for the familiar reflection of his jewels in the sunlight. Guilt washed over her as she couldn't find him, wondering well how she could have forgotten something she had made part of her routine.

"I thought you were not going to come, Princess."

Sade flinched slightly as she found the man she was looking for behind her, droplets of water escaping from his raven hair. She stealthily followed the path of one of them down his chest before looking up sharply at him, quirking a rueful smile. "I'm so sorry, I completely forgot-"

"I heard it was your birthday."

"Yes..." she softly agreed, not following what he was getting at.

"And that you have to leave for Vienna soon." he continued, hastening to add when he saw her arched eyebrow, "A few people passing by were talking about it."

"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense."

"I never really celebrated my birthday, but I know it's a pretty big day for you humans, so I brought something for you."

Reaching into the small purse he had brought with him, he pulled out a bracelet that seemed to be made of turquoise, glistening in the sunlight. Sade felt her heart briefly pause as she recognised the jewel he now held in both hands.

"It belonged to your mother, I can't accept it." she let out in a whisper as she alternately looked at him and the bracelet.

"I really want you to wear it."

"But-"

"Please... Sade." he insisted, not taking his eyes off her.

Somewhat taken aback, she finally held out her arm and he took it in his hands, tying the jewel around her wrist with a gentleness she didn't know. The young princess stared at the bracelet for a moment before looking up at him, a slight smile stretching her features. A rush of excitement made her hug him despite the water lingering on his body, leaving a kiss of thanks on his cheek.

"Thank you. I truly believe this is one of the best gifts I've ever been given." she told him, noting the flush that had taken over his cheeks at her last actions, making her laugh slightly. "Cat got your tongue?"

At this moment, Namor's entire body was burning as fiercely as an uncontrollable blaze. The proximity of the water was only a temporary respite as his wide eyes continued to stare at the young woman in a silence he could not escape.

"I... You're welcome."

VIENNA, AUSTRIA.
2016, MARCH 28.

The Austrian capital had a charm that she particularly liked, but the reason for her visit took away any desire to play tourist.

After the incident in Lagos, the UN had decided to put an end to the free activity of the Avengers. So here she was, accompanying her father and brother to a paper signing that was already looking boring.

Leaning against the bay window of the meeting room, she rolled up her sleeve slightly, running a finger over the bracelet Namor had given her. Already late, she'd had to cut their meeting on the beach short, having promised to make it up to him as soon as she got back.

"Imani."

The young princess raised her head to her father, who grinned at her. "I didn't bring you here to stay in your corner."

Sade simply smiled before stepping away from the window and entwining her arm with his. "I don't see why you brought me here if I would never be brought to rule, Baba."

"Ungaze uthi, ntombazana." (Never say never my daughter.) "Anything can happen."

"Stop it Baba, you will live long enough to berate me when I am 50."

The father and daughter duo burst out laughing before moving closer to T'Challa in the middle of a conversation with the Black Widow.

"Two people in a room can get more done than a hundred."

"Unless you need to move a piano."

Such a dad joke.

Her brother turned to them, greeting their father before winking at her, to which she couldn't help but respond with a mischievous smile.

"Miss Romanoff." he finally addressed the spy, his smile immediately gone.

"King T'Chaka. Princess Imani. Please allow me to apologise for what happened in Nigeria."

Sade looked at the redheaded woman for a moment, noting a certain sincerity in her speech.

"Thank you. Thank you for agreeing to all of this. I'm sad to hear that Captain Rogers will not be joining us today."

"Yes, so am I." she replied with a smile, albeit a slightly forced one.

She didn't seem to be really sorry that her teammate wasn't here. Perhaps she knew he was safe somewhere, escaping the armed forces in pursuit.

A voice announced that the session was open, inviting all participants to take a seat. Natasha Romanoff greeted them one last time before walking away, leaving the Udaku clan between them.

"What charisma. I was this close to fainting," Sade said to T'Challa with a chuckle, earning him a pat on the shoulder.

"Your sister is right. For a man who disapproves of diplomacy, you're getting quite good at it."

The prince of Wakanda laughed slightly. "I'm happy, Father."

"I'm hungry."

Father and son looked back at Sade, who smiled widely. "What?"

They shook their heads before King T'Chaka left his two children to take their seats among the world leaders present.

"Baba is looking a bit grim today." she finally whispered to her older brother who was standing beside her.

"I thought I was the only one who noticed. Is he sick?"

"No, not that I've heard of." she replied as she looked out the window, starting to get tired of standing.

"When stolen Wakandan vibranium was used to make a terrible weapon, we in Wakanda were forced to question our legacy. Those men and women killed in Nigeria, were part of a goodwill mission from a country too long in the shadows. We will not, however, let misfortune drive us back. We will fight to improve the world we wish to join. I am grateful to the Avengers for supporting this initiative.

But his gaze was caught by something outside that made him frown.

"T'Challa."

"Hmm?"

The young prince turned to her before following her gaze to the bay window she had approached. The perimeter around the building was secure, but one of the police dogs began to get unnaturally agitated, reinforcing that sinister feeling that had begun to take over.

"Wakanda is proud to extend its hand in peace."

Baba.

"Everybody get down!" her brother shouted before walking towards their father who was still standing at the podium, still in the middle of his speech.

She didn't have time to move away when a huge explosion went off between the two buildings, destroying the entire conference hall. The power of the explosion threw her against a wall, momentarily knocking the breath out of her. Sade lay on the ground for a moment, dizzy, feeling a warm liquid coming from her temple. Blinking several times, and waiting for the deafening blast to subside, she finally stood up shakily, searching through the smoke for her father and brother.

Stopping a few feet from her brother's form, she looked intently at the scene before her, hoping she was wrong.

"T'Challa?" she let out in a weak voice, causing him to turn around.

The agony on his face drove the first dagger into her heart, but she decided to ignore the wound, convincing herself that her father was just hurt. So she approached again, getting down on the ground to look at the face of the man she had been laughing with moments earlier.

"Baba?" she called to him, placing her hand on his, expecting to feel the heartbeat in the hollow of her wrist that she was desperately searching for. "Baba, please wake up. It's me."

No reaction. Sade's vision began to grow increasingly blurry, her breathing no longer following its normal course.

"Imani, he's-"

"Have you tried CPR?"

"Imani-"

"Have you tried using your Kimoyo beads?" she asked as she matched his words with her gesture, pressing repeatedly on her father's chest, ignoring the blood pouring from his mouth. "Baba, wake up... please."

"Imani-"

"Stop calling me! I'm trying to save him!" she shouted at him through the tears, pushing quickly against King T'Chaka's chest.

"Imani-"

"Leave me alone! Baba just fainted."

T'Challa watched her continue to perform CPR for a few seconds before he could no longer stand the denial she wanted to lock herself into. "Baba's dead-"

"No, you just don't know how. Look-"

"Baba is dead, Imani!" he finally shouted, making her shake her head vigorously, closing her eyes to keep the tears from rolling down her cheeks. "Imani, stop it." he said, taking her in his arms.

Sade looked down at her father's lifeless body, trying to suppress the sobs that wanted to leave her throat. Lowering her head to her hands, she looked down at the blood that had stained them when she had run her hand under his head.

I'm a failure.

"Imani, please breathe." T'Challa said softly to her as she thought to catch her breath, her breathing becoming wheezy. "It's not your fault little sister. Ayilotyala lakho." (It's not your fault.)

It's my fault.

If I had understood earlier.

It's my fault.

If I had reacted earlier.

It's my fault.

I couldn't even save my father.

"Ungaze uthi, ntombazana."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

what do i love writing besides angst? sadness, especially when someone dies. hehehe. i'm not going full tears this time, but when t'challa is going to die, let me tell you that... i'm gonna cry writing this chapter. is namor alive after this kiss? i have some doubt. they act like awkward teenagers, i love my children, this is so cute (while it will last). and sade learning more about mayan culture and yucatec maya? *sobbing* why can't i have this. yeah, m'baku and sade used to date, it was a chaotic era for both of them. oh and march 28th is actually my birthday 🤸🏾‍♂️🏃🏾‍♀️

double dose of memes today to forget about the pain delivered by the end of the chapter.

namora is NOT feeling this

while namor can't help himself

aaah, those two

hours before the disaster

actual picture of namor's heart when he gifted sade his mother's bracelet

i also wanted to thank you all for the support because i literally published chapter 3, three days ago and war of tides was around 12k? we're already at 18k and 1k 🫠😭 sending you many kisses❤️

&& don't forget to vote, comment and share 🫶🏾

© ADONYSIAC ― IZIA™