ACT ONE. CHAPTER III:
CON LA BRISA

TALOKAN, TALOKANIL TERRITORY.
2016, JANUARY 28.

He hated humans. His loathing for the surface dwellers was a fire that would never burn out, a relentless inferno that scorched every trace of empathy from his heart. The memory of their transgressions burned him, like the endless heat of the Earth's core, condemning them to remain irredeemable in his eyes.

But Sade, the defiant princess, the spy princess—she intrigued him. Their first encounter had been brief, yet the moment his eyes landed on her, the image was branded into his mind, like a searing mark he could never erase.

It was about two years ago. Driven by an inexplicable desire to feel the warmth of the sun on his skin, he had ventured closer to the surface, seeking a fleeting moment of relief from the crushing weight of his responsibilities. Just a few minutes, to release the pressure, to breathe.

Amidst the humans gathered along the shore, her voice pierced through the air, striking his ears like a melodic but sharp arrow, a mischievous rhythm that played on the edge of a storm. It wasn't a song—it was thunder, raw and untamed.

      "Can't you pick up your own garbage? Did your father pay for the sand too?"

One of the three inebriated men tried to retort, slurring his words. "It's going to decay—"

      "Yes, like your neurons," she snapped back, her voice cutting through the air with a sharpness that left no room for argument.

The man, clearly irked, stood up, his features twisted in anger as he moved toward her. She didn't even look up from the notebook on her lap, scribbling whatever thoughts filled her mind. Namor found himself toying with the idea of intervening if things escalated, but he hesitated, intrigued by her fearless defiance.

      "Repeat what you said."

      "There's no point in repeating it. You still won't understand. Pick up your plastic bag and get lost," she said after a beat, standing and clutching the notebook to her chest.

      "And if I don't? What will you do? I could knock you out in seconds."

A sarcastic smile curled on his lips as he reached out, patting her cheek in mockery. She followed his hand with her eyes, unamused. "You should be the one to get lost, pretty girl."

Before he could even register the movement, her hand shot out, gripping his wrist with a surprising strength. A wicked smile played on her lips as she twisted his wrist, and the sharp snap of his bone breaking echoed in the air. He winced, the pain sharp and sudden. She released his wrist, then patted his cheek, the red flush of his injury visible. "Pick up your pouch and... get lost."

He didn't need further encouragement. The young man scrambled to grab the plastic bag and hurried off, his friends trailing behind him. Sade watched them go, her expression unreadable, before she turned back to the sea.

Namor felt a sudden heat crawl up his skin, a sharp intensity in his chest. Her eyes had been so piercing, so knowing, that it felt as though she had seen straight through him. Yet she hadn't noticed him. She had looked above him, as if sensing something, but her gaze never fell directly on him.

As he retreated into the depths, a strange image lingered in his mind: the rebellious young woman, fiercely protecting the oceans. For the first time in years, he felt a spark of sympathy for a human, but he quickly buried it, reminding himself that his hatred for them was still unshaken.

Still, the universe seemed intent on weaving their paths together.

A few months ago, he saw her again. This time, it wasn't by chance. She had come to his domain of her own accord. Wearing a simple surf suit and a connected watch on her wrist, she descended into the azure depths with an ease that unnerved him. No diving gear, no oxygen tank—just her and the water. She was in total apnea, submerging herself deeper with every passing moment.

Namor watched, fascinated as she sank further, her wristwatch ticking away. He noted with surprise that she hadn't surfaced. Twenty-eight minutes had passed, and still, she didn't appear. He edged closer, unsure of what to make of it.

How was she still breathing?

Then, she did something unexpected. She inhaled, her face showing surprise at the act. He watched, wide-eyed, as she swam deeper, her excitement pushing her further into the depths. Without thinking, he followed her, unable to pull himself away from her reckless determination.

But her pace slowed, her body eventually coming to a standstill. His instincts told him something was wrong. Was she facing danger? Then he saw it—her body had stopped moving. She was unconscious.

His heart skipped a beat, and before his mind could fully grasp the situation, he dove toward her, brushing the water from her face. He checked her pulse—it was weak, barely there. Panic gripped him, a sensation he couldn't explain. Why did he care so much for someone he had never spoken to?

Ignoring his hatred for humans, he lifted her in his arms, swimming swiftly toward the surface, hidden in the shadow of rocks. He laid her on the warm sand, his hands shaking slightly as he checked for a pulse again. Relief flooded through him as he felt the faint beat beneath his fingers.

      "What am I supposed to do?" he muttered, his voice low and desperate. He had no answers. The Talokanils didn't drown—this was a human problem.

His mind raced for a solution, and the only one that came to mind was what humans did when they revived a drowned companion. He could only hope it worked.

Gently, he turned her head to the side, letting the water drain from her mouth and nose. Once satisfied, he placed her head back in position, holding his breath in anticipation.

      "I hope this really works," he murmured to himself, though doubt lingered in his voice.

Pinching her nose, he pressed his lips to hers, the softness of her mouth startling him. He exhaled four strong breaths into her, his hands moving with practiced precision. He didn't know what he was doing—he was just following instincts he hadn't known he had.

When she didn't stir, he prepared to repeat the process, but then, without warning, she began to cough violently, her body jerking as she came back to life. Namor froze, watching in stunned silence as she gasped for air.

He stayed with her, his heart pounding in his chest, until he heard voices approaching. The sound of her name reached his ears—"Princess Imani!"—and he knew it was time to leave.

With one last glance at her, still half-conscious on the sand, he whispered under his breath, "I'm sure we'll see each other again, Princess Imani."

And he vanished into the sea, the memory of her lingering in his mind, the spark of curiosity burning brighter than ever before.

There again, the intensity of his eyes made her zone out for a moment, forgetting for a moment what she wanted to tell him. Neither of them had imagined that the primary azure of the ocean could find a match in the complementary umber of the soil. Neither of them had imagined that they could drown in something other than the comforting blue of water.

"You still haven't answered me." she finally told him as she continued to stare at the walls in front of her.

"About?"

"Why am I here?"

"Why were you on that boat?"

"Do you ever answer questions without asking more questions?" Sade turned around and cocked her head slightly to the side. "Besides, you knew who I was. What reason would I have to be on a smuggling ship with vibranium on it?"

"You could very well have been with them." he replied smoothly as he approached a table not far from them.

"You're lying. You-"

"You looked intriguing to me." he replied simply, knowing full well that this was not true. He found her more than intriguing. It was like a vital longing he had had since the last time he had seen her. Namor knew he would see her again, he just didn't know when, and his intuition was not wrong. So, when he saw her on the ship, he tried to stop the universe from determining the next time he would see her if he had let her go.

"Oh, because you kidnap everyone you find intriguing? You'd have to go to therapy."

"I never find people intriguing, least of all humans. I kill them." The coldness with which he'd said that sentence made her frown even more. "You didn't jump like the others. Why?"

"Why would I tell you?"

"Because I asked you to."

"You are not my king. I don't have to answer to you."

"We're not going to get anywhere if you don't answer my questions, Sade." he finally told her as he leaned back against the wall slightly, lowering his head to hers.

"Stop calling me Sade like that."

"How?"

"Exactly like that." She felt like he was trying to enchant her every time her name left his tongue, draining her of all ability to reason. "What do you say you answer my question and I'll answer yours, then?"

"Why don't you answer-"

"You kidnapped me you answer me first." she cut him off quickly before looking down at the jewellery he was wearing. "The jewelry your cousin wore, the jewelry the other woman wore, the jewelry you wear, they're all Mesoamerican artifacts. Around the 16th century, maybe. How did you get them?"

Namor looked at her for a moment, a simple smile on his lips as he looked up at one of the paintings on the wall.

"You're asking the wrong questions, Princess. You should be wondering more about the why of it." He turned his head towards her, and seeing that he had managed to pique her curiosity, he continued.

"My mother and her village were driven from their farms by Spanish conquistadors who brought smallpox, a hateful language and dogma from another world. Facing starvation, war and disease, my people turned to Chaac, our god of rain and abundance." The young princess felt carried away by the sound of his voice, following his gaze over the rain god's artwork. It was strange to think that she was feeling the hatred he had for them as if it were her own. "Chaac gave our shaman a vision ― a way to save his people. Chaac led him to a plant sprouting from a blue rock" The drawing of the Talokanil plant caught Sade's eye as she approached it, hoping it was just a coincidence. She had already encountered the path of this plant, and she remembered exactly what she had done with it. "My mother was pregnant with me at the time, and she did not want to ingest the plant of fear of what it may do to me. But the shaman was convincing."

The King of Talokan turned his head towards her, waiting for her reaction to the beginning of his story. In a way, she understood his hatred for the surface world. Humans showed him nothing but violence and carnage, etching these forever in his mind. His eyes, fixed on her, still seemed haunted by the events he recounted, clouded by the dark veil of a life he never had.

"What happened next?" she enquired, wanting to hear the end of his upbringing.

"They all fell sick. And their lives, their existence there ended. The plant took away their ability to breathe air but enabled them to draw oxygen from the sea. They settled in the ocean, away from war and diseases. My mother gave birth to me there, and I became the first-born son of Talokan. The plant gave me wings on my ankles and ears that pointed to the clouds. I was a mutant. I could swim in the sky and age slower, breathe the air our ancestors breathed. But she grew older. My mother mourned the life on land that she once knew and died with a broken heart. She made me promise to bury her in the soils of her homeland. You can guess what happened when I got back."

Sade slightly moistened her lips before nodding. The arrival of the conquistadors had sent South America into a spiral of destruction that had wreaked havoc on everything in its path.

"They had destroyed everything."

"Nothing could have prepared me for what I found there." he replied through his teeth, turning his eyes to the drawing of the Feathered Serpent God. "A Spanish man of faith cursed me as he died of my hand. He called me, el Niño sin Amor. The child without love."

A cold laugh escaped his mouth as the young woman followed him with her eyes, not really knowing what she could say.

"And I took my name from there. Namor. Because I have no love for the surface world."

She didn't know why, but she placed her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly.

"How was she?"

Namor looked for a moment at the spot where her hand had been before turning his head towards her. "Who?"

"Your mother. What was she like? What was her name? What did she like?"

Shaking his head, he laughed slightly before looking at her. "You don't have to ask me these questions if-"

"I really want to know. If I didn't want to listen to you, I was going to cut you off as many times as possible. But it seems to me that you want to talk about her, so I want to hear you tell me who she was."

The Talokanil king didn't know if she was trying to manipulate him or else, but he could only read sincerity in her inquisitive eyes. Once again, that warmth taunted the ice that enclosed his heart, seemingly burning with a new flame. He nodded, inviting her to sit down.

"Her name was Fen. My mother was part of a Mayan tribe that lived in the Zama village. I don't really know my father; she had never really told me about him, and I didn't ask her about him since I didn't really feel his absence." Namor paused, expecting Sade to be annoyed by his narrative, but he only met her interested gaze and the faint smile she'd flashed to encourage him to continue. "I remember her as a kind and caring person, who was always looking out for others. She used to tell me legends from above, of places where our people wouldn't have to worry about anything. Where we could live in peace, happy she and I. She was kind-hearted, maybe too much so, but I loved her for it. However, never a day went by without her expressing her longing for the land the conquistadors had forced her to leave."

His voice had grown heavier towards the end, indicating to the young princess that he would surely not go any further in his story. Letting a small silence settle, she finally smiled as she looked at him.

"She seemed like a wonderful person; I would have loved to meet her. I'm sure she's proud of what you've accomplished so far."

Namor looked at her intensely in a strained silence, his expression undecipherable.

"You're not that bad for a human."

"I can be when I need to."

"Oh really?"

Their faces had moved closer together over the table, further crystallising the atmosphere as the tension reached its peak. With a chuckle, Sade moved away, sinking into her chair.

"Go ahead with your questions."

The man blinked a few times, realising that she had given him a run for his money, mirroring the same thing he had been doing to her since the first time they spoke.

"How can you breathe underwater?"

Sade frowned as she looked at him, not quite certain of what he was saying.

"Do you remember when you drowned a few months ago?" he insisted, catching the incomprehension on her face.

"Yes, I drowned... but the only thing I remember was waking up on a beach in Wakanda. But no one could have walked on that beach without... Wait, it worked? I actually breathed underwater?"

"Apparently-"

"How do you know that if..." she began to add before noticing his amused look. "You saved me." she let out in a whisper, making him nod. "How long have you been stalking me?"

Namor raised his eyebrows at her remark, opening his mouth a few times before closing it again, baffled.

"I wasn't stalking you-"

"Then how did you know I was in this exact spot at this exact moment?" she cut him off, her eyes squinting as she saw the disconcertment betray the calm of his eyes.

"How did you breathe underwater?"

Rolling her eyes, the young princess shook her head as she heard him answer her question with another question. "It's possible, or not, that I stumbled upon that plant that allowed your ancestors to survive underwater while talking to an old lady on a trip. She may or may not have told me that there were legends that a blue water plant had allowed a tribe to escape the clutches of the conquistadors. And I may or may not have tried to separate the allele that allowed you to breathe underwater to try it on myself."

If she could capture the horrified expression that had come over Namor's face, she would have done so without hesitation.

"Why would you want to do that?" he exclaimed, flabbergasted.

"I like swimming, okay? Like a lot. And I was working on an allele detachment project on a gene... and since I'm against animal testing... well I tried it on myself. Don't look at me like that, I know it's stupid and there was little chance of it working. But you just confirmed to me that it did work!"

"And maybe I shouldn't have told you. You drowned!"

"Why do you care?"

Namor stopped abruptly in his tracks, avoiding the young princess's inquisitive gaze as he rose to his feet. "I... don't care."

"You really are the worst liar I've ever seen."

His ego took a hit because he knew he had no trouble lying, he was a master of manipulation. But it seemed that he had found a greater master in the matter.

"You still haven't told me what you were doing on that boat," he finally said, putting as much distance between them as possible, running a distracted hand through his jet hair.

"I just had to pick up some artwork containing vibranium, to keep it from getting into the wrong hands."

Finally turning to her, the dangerous darkness returned to the depths of his eyes, having regained the zeal and predatory attitude that defined him.

"It would appear... that we have common interests, Princess." he whispered, not once breaking the eye contact between them. "I'll let you change yourself. Namora will bring you to me right after."

The young woman blankly stared at the place he once was before shaking vigorously her head, trying to break out of the trance she was in.

Sade had preferred to put on her own suit before following him into the water, comforted by the presence of a thermal cloth on her skin if she were to find the ocean's icy touch unbearable.

Waist-deep in water, Namor watched her slowly sink into the blue expanse as she descended the stairs. He noted the slight surprise on her face as she joined his side, leaning his head towards her.

"Is something the matter?"

The young woman shook her head vigorously before giving him a smile, once again shaking the hateful barricade that stuck to his heart like a leech.

"It's just that I'm not as cold as I thought. Hopefully I won't get crushed by the pressure." she chuckled lightly before looking up at him, her eyes shining with excitement. "Shall we go?"

Her curiosity and undisguised interest in learning more about Talokan was warming the icy place of his heart. Swallowing, he turned sharply and dove into the water, sinking into the darkness of a small rocky pit.

The only source of light came from one of her Kimoyo beads as Sade swam after him, taking one last look at the surface. Breathing in the water was a strange sensation for her, far from the usual one of freediving. She coughed violently as she unintentionally swallowed water, expecting to drown again, but nothing came this time. With a concerned look on his face, Namor reappeared at her side, mouthing something that she recognised as "Are you okay?" And despite the fact that she nodded to him that everything was fine, he reached out and took her hand in his.

The touch of his hand was somehow comforting in the darkness of these pits, unnaturally warm in the usual bone-chilling coldness of the underwater world. He came to a halt in front of a rock of some sort, giving her a small smile as he inserted his hands into the centre of it, forming a sort of jaw shaped figure there. Sade frowned slightly as she witnessed a light beginning to emanate from the middle of the round stone. Before her amazed eyes, a strange sea current appeared, similar to a tunnel with invisible sides.

Namor took her hand in his, squeezing it momentarily as if to ask if she was ready. When she returned the squeeze, he moved into the rushing current, letting himself go with the flow. It was like being propelled by a reactor or something, but it was only air, air that was moving at breakneck speed, leaving barely any time to observe anything around. It eventually reached a standstill, landing them in the still dimly lit ocean floor. The sensation was like akin to that of ending up in the pool after a waterslide. The adrenaline of the beginning was replaced by the deafening calm of the sudden encounter with the water.

Her hand still in the Talokanil King's, she stared with a smile as a shoal of fish passed by them, not even seeming frightened as they usually were in the presence of humans. Namor couldn't help but crack another smile as he saw her eyes widen in wonder as a whale swam past just above their heads, running a shy hand over the mammal's belly.

But nothing could match her reaction when she saw the tens of thousands of lights as they followed the animal through a tunnel. He had to tighten his hand around hers to keep her from going off in all directions, bringing her close to some children playing a sort of cross between football and volleyball. They all stopped to greet him with the hand gesture she had seen him make not long ago, reminding her of the one in her own country. Most of them gave her a curious look, smiling at her despite their interrogations.

Sade didn't know where to look when they arrived at a sort of tower that stretched deep among the seaweed, crowded with a myriad of Talokanils. It seemed to be a kind of market, with people exchanging things, and always taking care to greet each other. The city was thriving. Hidden from the outside world. Everything seemed so unreal to her that she didn't pay attention when she almost bumped into two children swimming by. Her facial expression seemed to be enough to show that she was sorry as the little girl laughed slightly, twirling around her playfully before wandering off.

The young woman laughed lightly, before looking at a point that seemed to light up in the distance above a large building. A brightly glowing orb spread its light to the surrounding spaces, like a sun.

"It's splendid," she let out in a whisper. "Is it made of vibranium?"

Namor nodded, "In the depths of the ocean, I brought the sun to my people." He then turned to her, an unreadable look on his face. "You are the first human to visit Talokan... I hope I can count on your discretion, Princess."

They had been back in the mural room for a while, sitting in comfortable silence. But Sade looked at her bracelet, suddenly reminiscing about what she had been doing before she found herself in Talokan. Part of her didn't want to leave, still under the spell of this underwater city, but it wouldn't be long before her people came looking for her, and she couldn't risk them finding her here.

"I am truly impressed with all that you have built here, with what you have done for your people... but I must go." she said softly as she removed the cloak he had placed over her shoulders.

"Must you?" he asked in turn as he moved closer to her, his gaze weighted down by the veil that only betrayed the predatory nature of its host.

You are not weak.

You are not weak.

You are not weak.

The young princess stood up abruptly, cutting short their visual exchange. She had felt herself losing control of her mind once again, that torturous experience Odysseus had willingly exposed himself to ― finding beauty in danger.

"My people will stop at nothing to find me."

Namor, as he had grown accustomed to doing, did not reply immediately, leaving the door of his thoughts open to her eyes. A burning gaze whose fierceness could not be subdued by the surrounding water. He finally got up, with a slow step, and went to retrieve a conch that was lying on his table. The object was intricately decorated, with fine lines of paint forming bewitching ripples, like a restless sea moving to the play of light.

"So, take this... as a souvenir." he said, taking her hands between his, placing the shell in the middle of them.

"That's really kind, but what am I supposed to do with it?"

The king of the Talokanils cracked an amused grin before looking into her eyes once more. "You'll figure it out, Princess."

"And if I don't?"

Those were about the last words she heard before the haze clouded her vision, sending her into a mind-numbing state of sleep. But the warmth of his breath against her ear faded with her, diffusing through her body like an antidote-shaped poison. "I know you will, Princess. And if you don't... I'll know where to find you, Sade."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

damn that chapter made me suffer because inspiration to write beautiful sentences wasn't kicking in. it's not chaptering the way other chapters chaptered if you know what i mean. and before y'all start, no. no, what happened doesn't count as a kiss. and is sade a little too curious experimenting an unknown vibranium-flower on her? yes. would she do it again? without a doubt. to be honest, alexa play a whole new world from aladdin, because it gives the same vibe. in the next chapters, namor won't be that present (i'll try to give them moments though) since 2016 is the year of civil war and black panther, so miss sade will have a lot on her plate. here are the memes (i know y'all like them, no need to hide it)

namor when he saw the smile that sade displayed on his little private tour of talokan

and little throwback to the previous chapter

i have two other namor fics and a shuri one in my drafts, sooo if anyone is interested *cough* and thank you all for the 10k!! it's so insane 😭 (it's 12k and growing way faster than i thought but the thought is there)

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

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