Chapter Text
Two weeks had passed since K’uk’ulkan and Shuri’s beach battle. In that time, the two successfully negotiated an allyship between Wakanda and Talokan—one that was promised to be solidified by a marriage between K’uk’ulkan and the Black Panther. Through the long days of council meetings, alliance negotiations, and wedding preparations, the affianced duo bravely exemplified the patience required of two great leaders who were deeply committed to fulfilling all of their obligations before succumbing to the bliss of their distant marriage bed. Since forging the alliance and creating contracts took so much time, the two were too busy to sneak away from all their political responsibilities to make love, despite aching for one another and craving lovemaking like nourishment.
Seeing Shuri, shining and radiant, at every council meeting made K’uk’ulkan long for her. Her presence reassured him through the more frustrating parts of their negotiations and soothed his heart whenever he recalled that something would need to be done about Namora, who had dutifully sworn herself to Shuri in gratitude for sparing her god-king’s life and now sat waiting in a Talokanil prison for the judgement of her rulers.
Every thought of Namora made K’uk’ulkan’s heart ache. The laws of Talokan stipulated that the crimes she’d committed were punishable by death. But could he be fair when faced with the obligation to execute his favorite daughter? She’d been nothing but calm and obedient since Shuri had defeated and spared him. Could and should she be allowed to continue living after all she’d done? The question kept K’uk’ulkan up at night.
Finally, the wedding days and celebrations came and went. After two ceremonies to honor Talokan’s traditions and Wakanda’s, the god-king and his newly crowned queen finally retired to their private quarters to consummate their bond and (hopefully) conceive a prince or princess to eventually lead their nations into the future.
“My love,” Shuri called to him from the bed. “Please, don’t make me beg or wait a moment longer.” K’uk’ulkan approached his bride slowly, taking in the sheer dress made of feathers, pearls, and jade that clung to her slender figure. His eyes traveled the length of her hungrily. It had only been a few months since he’d first deflowered her and now, he was tasked with f*cking an heir into her. He hoped he’d successfully plant an uncountable number of seeds within her, but first, he aimed to prepare the soil.
He stepped forward and brought one of his large hands to her face, pulling her in for a kiss. As the warmth of their kiss spread, he allowed his tongue to find its way into her mouth. Tasting her excitement on her tongue was a delight. He slowly began kissing a path from her mouth to her cheek, then downward to her most sensitive places. He guided her to lean back on the bed before sinking to his knees and lifting her dress to the top of her thighs. He kissed her left and right thighs again and again, coaxing them to spread for him.
Shuri quivered as he worshiped her thighs with his lips and tongue. His fingers caressed her skin as she opened wider for him. He placed a reverent kiss on her moistening core and she sighed in anticipation. “My beloved queen,” K’uk’ulkan whispered into her c*nt. “I’ve waited too long for this moment with you.” He fully spreads her open and licks a stripe from her cl*t to her asshole. His tongue curves and flattens as it enters her. She moans as the pace increases and K’uk’ulkan savors the sweet flavor and scent of her pleasure. His acts of worship are soon rewarded with a benevolent anointing from her sex. He groans in satisfaction as she wets his face, mouth, and beard with her pleasure. He licks the delicious fluid from his lips and hopes he’ll wear the scent of her satisfaction for days to come.
“K’uk’ulkan,” she moans with her arms outstretched. “Take me.”
He crawls up to her shoulders and tears her dress off with a mischievous bite before smoothing her bare skin with his palms and dragging his hands down to her hips. He grips the fullness of her ass and growls into her ears. “Get on top of me,” he commands. “Sit upon your throne and ride me.”
“As you wish, my king,” Shuri murmurs as she moves to straddle him. He falls backward as she positions herself atop him. Instead of holding her burning gaze with his own, he closes his eyes in anticipation. For a brief moment, thoughts of Namora flash across his mind and suddenly grief blossoms in his heart. It was just for a brief moment, but it was enough to turn the tide of the wedding night celebration.
“My love?” Shuri questions. He’s no longer hard and aching for her. She repositions herself at his side. “What’s troubling you?”
“My queen…,” he chokes out. “Forgive me, I’m not well. There’s much on my mind.”
Shuri nods. “It’s Namora, isn’t it? You won’t be well until you resolve things with her.”
“I must admit…I’m hesitating to order her execution—though I know it’s the right action in accordance with the laws of Talokan.”
“And who makes the laws of Talokan?” Shuri challenges. “We do. We can choose how to interpret the law as well.”
“She spilled Talokanil blood and made unwholesome advances toward one of her own blood in defiance of her king,” he hisses.
Shuri looks her husband dead in the eye. “Do you truly believe she deserves execution?”
He frowns. “I can’t change the law because I love her as a daughter.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” Shuri pushes.
K’uk’ulkan groans, “You have more reason than anyone to uphold the law when it comes to her. She disrespected you and advocated for your death.”
“And she’s been nothing but obedient and grateful towards me since you yielded to me on the battlefield," Shuri said. "She’s no threat to me or us.” Shuri wraps her arms around her husband then, seeing that he doesn’t need strident debate, but softness. “And you love her as only a father could love a deeply messed up daughter.”
“What would you do then, my love?” K’uk’ulkan asks.
“Give her a choice—one that you can live with, no matter which option she selects.”
*
In the dead of night, Namora lies awake in the darkness of her prison cell. She lets tears fall without bothering to wipe them away. She’d overheard the guards speaking of K’uk’ulkan’s wedding to the Black Panther, and despite her newfound allegiance to the pantheress, she still had to nurse her broken heart. A foolish part of her hoped to be K’ul’ulkan’s bride once upon a time and now she couldn’t even find comfort in that hope as a secret longing since confessing her affections to her god-king.
She’s startled when the lights of her cell flicker on and turns to see K’uk’ulkan standing beside her. “My king,” she whispers as she rolls from her bed and drops to her knees in a bow.
“You’ve interrupted my wedding night and I can’t get a moment’s peace until I deal with you,” K’uk’ulkan mutters. Namora lowers her head in shame and he continues with more bite to his words. “You killed a Talokanil soldier; disrespected my personal guest, the princess of Wakanda; made a bargain with her and then released her in defiance of my orders; shamefully sought my affections in an unforgivable fashion; and broke out of prison to fly in the face of my will as your god-king.”
“Yes,” Namora agreed. “I did all of those things. I will not deny it or try to justify my actions. You know why I did what I did, my king.”
K’uk’ulkan nods. “I’ll never celebrate defiance of that nature, but if you hadn’t disobeyed me, I very well may have killed Wakanda’s queen mother in an act of vengeance. Had I succeeded, the Black Panther might not be my queen and reclining in my bed as we speak.”
Namora scowled at the mention of another woman in his bed as K’uk’ulkan continued.
“I’m grateful for that positive result of your disobedience—even though your other actions wound me to my core. I’m grateful to you for helping me spare the queen mother’s life, just as you are indebted to the Black Panther and queen of Talokan for sparing mine.”
Namora nodded. “May I speak, my king?”
“You may.”
“I know my feelings and actions are unforgivable perversions. I never sought out to hurt you or anyone else, but I’ve also never viewed you as family. Only as a man I could love. I still love you, even though I will not fault you for hating me or punishing me to the full extent of the law.”
“You have indeed earned a punishment, Namora. And because I love you as I love all the children of Talokan, I will give you a choice. You will serve a lifetime sentence in this cell and waste away to think of your crimes forever more or you will serve Queen Shuri for the rest of your life and devote every moment to her safety and protection. In protecting Talokan’s queen, you will also be protecting a part of my heart. If your love for me is as true as you claim, then you will serve this sentence honorably.”
Namora lets her tears fall. Every moment that she serves her new queen will be proof that somehow, K’uk’ulkan can forgive her in his own way. “My king, your mercy is so much more than I deserve. Thank you.”
“Show your gratitude by fulfilling your duty,” he says, his heart lightening. “I trust you’ll be at your post with no further instruction needed upon your release from this cell?”
“Yes, my king,” Namora chokes through her tears. “Thank you…for giving me this.”
*
In the days to come, Namora serves as a personal guard to Queen Shuri. She accompanies the queen on every journey and at every audience with all the subjects of Wakanda and Talokan. She stands ready at every United Nations appearance Shuri makes and keeps the jealous representatives of colonizer nations at a distance from K’uk’ulkan’s bride. As they return to Talokan from one such engagement, Shuri addresses her soldier in the privacy of the Sunbird. “You’ve committed to your position quite well, Namora.”
“Thank you, my queen.”
“My husband, K’uk’ulkan, has been in better spirits since you took this position. You’ve helped make him very happy."
“I’m honored to do so, my queen,” Namora replies.
“I know this consequence and K’uk’ulkan’s sentence will not be easy on you. It was designed that way. But I see your love for him. I hope that someday this will not be an obligation for you and that we’ll be companions with a shared love for Talokan and its king.”
Namora considers the words of her new queen for a few minutes before responding. “You’re right, Queen Pantheress, it will take some time because it is not an easy feat to accomplish. But it is not an impossible hope.”
The two exchange smiles, then continue the journey home to Talokan.
