T'Chakia: prompt "this is a nightmare*
For the reincarnation/soulmate au: The Physical World and Our Place In It [ tumblr] + [ao3]
warnings: "only supposed to marry royalty" argument (not much of a warning but still)
addition: this is now edited and posted on ao3
For those who are old enough to remember, King T’Chaka of Wakanda has had a temper. A strong, resilient ruler, he is an unrelenting stickler to tradition, it being instilled in his son since he’d been old enough to comprehend (and will later do the same to his daughter when she is born).
It’s currently years prior when T’Chaka still ruled; when aforementioned prince, T’Challa, hits the cusp of his tenth year of life, he unintentionally impedes closely-held tradition. All it takes is a simple interaction: He’d been out with his parents and surrounded by their Dora Milaje on an outing into the city, and while searching the newest technical toys for one to beg to his mother, he’s approached by a young girl who comments about the toys he’s holding.
“I got that one last month. It’s one of my favorites,” she lifts a shoulder and smiles politely.
Young T’Challa hadn’t thought anything about it at the time and for much longer into the future—he hadn’t known any better anyway—he didn’t mean anything by it as he follows up with a question asking what makes the toy so good.
Surrounded by her Dora, Ramonda watches as the children hit it off immediately—which is good, she thinks; her son could use more friends considering those he has live a good way away from the palace. Ramonda speaks with the guardians of the girl and they set up a playdate.
It’s found out that the girl is named Nakia. She’s from the Water Tribe. Age eleven. Hates the color grey and her favorite animal is the Menelik’s bushbuck. She takes ring blade lessons and wants to become a humanitarian when she grows up. She tells corny jokes and is a morning person and already stands a good two inches taller than T’Challa.
And, by age eighteen, he’s utterly, downright smitten with her.
One of her favorite “cheats” from her trading schedule is swimming. She admires rhinos, hates cold weather, and her favorite color is the soft, darkened shade of crimson red. Like Cape primrose. Like the breasts of birds. Like what she dyes her kinky afro, it ablaze under the golden sun and stealing his breath.
Nakia’s beautiful, funny, self-willed, and ambitious, good-hearted, with a hankering for justice. She’s everything he’s been grilled to look for in a queen.
But, she’s not of royal blood.
“This is a nightmare!” T’Chaka bellows, reverberating down the posh and polished palace walls.
As children, playdates and friendship were acceptable. Hell, even as T’Challa grew, he’s formed strong alliances and relationships with those not of royal blood, even within other tribes.
But to desire to wed one, however, that’s—
“Unexpectable!”
T’Challa reveals this desire when he’s twenty and could no longer fight off wishes of arranged marriages.
“Now wait, T’Chaka—” Ramonda strides over, hand outstretched, aiming to calm her husband.
But he isn’t hearing any of it. “You endorse this?”
“Wait, T’Chaka,” she repeats, glancing to her son standing still and anxious with wide eyes. “We’ve known her for years and are close allegiances with the Water Tribe. Nakia’s a nice girl—”
“Nice or not, she isn’t a princess! For generations—as far back as I can remember—for generations, royalty married royalty. The second down from royalty, if need be. On a few occasions, their guards. But someone not of royal blood? What do you think our ancestors would think?”
“I think they would be happy that your son has found such a wonderful girl like her,” Ramonda defends. “She’s strong, resilient with a sharp head on her shoulders. And, she wants to be a humanitarian. T’Chaka,” she chastises, an arm vaguely gesturing towards his direction, “you should be proud!”
The tensity in the room urged all the servants to evacuate once it began. Now, with the air still heated, T’Chaka’s chest rises and falls with displeasure. Outside the closed doors, some press their ears to the door trying to overhear. When the news was heard—that the prince has fallen in love with a girl who isn’t of royal blood, a few exchanged shocked looks.
Watching his parents, T’Challa’s gaze bounces back and forth between them, knowing he shouldn’t speak his peace unless prompted.
T’Chaka’s hardened stare turns from his wife, rolls over to his son. “Do you love this girl?”
He does; speaking it feeling like a lifting weight. “I do, Baba.”
“Does she love you?”
Ramonda slaps his arm with the back of her hand. “T’Chaka!”
“This is an important question!” Turning back to his son, he then asks, “what if you two marry and then fall out of your honeymoon love? Would you still keep her as your wife?”
For T’Challa, it’s a trick question, knowing his father has always disapproved of divorce.
“That won’t happen,” he answers with more confidence and earning confused responses. “A few months ago, we found out that we passed the soul test. So, I doubt that will happen, Baba, Mama.” That soul test is just what it sounds—the ultimate test of compatibility, whether the two contain that strong bond that transcends time and distance.
She’s my soulmate, is what T’Challa is telling.
This single confession kills the mood in the room, it dropping from overheated to chillingly cold in that second. T’Chaka’s face falls. Ramonda covers her mouth with her hands to hide her smile.
Those eavesdropping have hands pressed to their mouths to withhold any kind of noise. One squeals in excitement, eternally grateful a friend has her hand covering her airways.
After the shock, T’Chaka exhales the last of his breath, deflating. “Is this something you absolutely want to do? Are you sure? Soulmates aren’t a guarantee happy ending—they take work.”
T’Challa’s certain.
Ramonda presses the tent of her hands further onto her face, containing her widening, proud smile.
“You know how tradition is; if two are soulmates there is no denying they should be allowed a union. If you do, thatwould break tradition more so,” Ramonda adds, biting her bottom lip.
It takes more time and silence in that room for the king to search within himself and his love for his son. Eventually, after casting a worried glance at Ramonda, he sighs, shoulders sagging. “Fine. Then you have my blessing.”
Ramonda no longer hides her bright smile.
“But!” he adds. “You’re not allowed to propose until you’re at leasttwenty-nine.”
“Twenty-nine!?” Ramonda echoes in disbelief.
“He’s just been given the permission to date at twenty. I can’t have him dating and marrying in the same year.”
It’s kept secret that he’s been officially dating Nakia on and off for a little over three years now.
----------------
Later, T’Challa keeps his promise this time and waits until his twenty-ninth birthday to propose to Nakia. Unfortunately, she turns him down.
“I’m not ready to be a queen,” is her excuse.
He’s quick to repeat her own words spoken just two weeks ago about not minding being queen, if the possibility presented itself.
“I don’t want to be Queen,” she lies even to herself. “I have my first mission tracking down traffickers and I won’t be able to do that or anything else if I’m Queen.”
And although that is a good reason and T’Challa respects it, the disappointment is nearly tangible.
“Not now,” she’s saying. “I didn’t say never.”
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What Marvel pairings do you ship?
during my earlier days on Tumblr, I used to follow writers in harry potter and teen wolf who shipped nearly everybody with each other, almost. Since then, I've found out how fun it is to play around with characters and relationships and thinking of what-ifs and AUs and rare pairs.
Because I'm feeling good right now and it's midnight so it's Writing And Motivation Hour and because @funnefatale convinced me, here are lists of rare pairs, crack ships, and SOME canon Marvel pairings I like. This is NOT all the ones I am open to. These are all romantic pairings.
steve rogers/sharon carter
eddie brock/felicia hardy
angel salvadore/alex summers
peggy carter/angie martinelli
yukio/negasonic
ava starr/hope van dyne
pepper potts/natasha romanov
wanda maximov/natasha romanov
pepper potts/may parker
valkyrie/thor odinson
peggy carter/jason wilkes
cindy moon/liz allan
ned leeds/betty brant
gamora/peter quill
kerry loudermilk/ptonomy
valkyrie/sif
may parker/bruce banner
kayla silverfox/logan
scott lang/hope van dyne
thor odinson/ororo munroe
t'challa/nakia
michelle/peter parker
okoye/ayo
steve rogers/sam wilson
ororo munroe/logan
bucky barnes/natasha romanov
gwen stacy/felicia hardy
vanessa/wade wilson
nebula/mantis
shuri/liz allan
flash thompson/brad davis
harry osborn/felicia hardy
gamora/thor odinson (thanks to @funnefatale )
.
I feel like I am still missing some that I cannot remember
I have not seen Captain Marvel or Doctor Strange so I don't know anything about those
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