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N’Jadaka’s gaze sets itself on the face of his newly discovered lover, the smoothness of it and the richness of his brown skin. Curly dainty eyelashes frame T’Challa’s doe eyes, pools of eternal warmth on any other day, but now they only reflect incomprehension. “So you don’t remember anything?” His lover asks, voice filled with hesitation even if he tries his hardest to remain calm.
T’Challa loses of course, despite the fact that he forces himself to appear reassuring in front of this man who he thought he knew, loved and who loved him back. Until last night that statement was true, months of circling around each other like moths and then weeks of courtship had blossomed into love. Countless times of stealing glances at each other during the day to later join in the privacy of their chambers at night had tickled the king’s heart with excitement. But now it sunk lower than it ever had in T’Challa’s life upon discovering that his lover suddenly didn't’ recognize him, worse he had forgotten all about their relationship.
Like all flowers do, it had blossomed into something beautiful and then the petals died one by one.
Except in T’Challa’s case, the petals all fell in one night.
“And you say that it’s our beloved goddess Bast who did this to you,” he began, trying to make sense of such a senseless situation, “she gave you a new life, as you said?”
When N’Jadaka or Erik -as he called himself- nodded, it planted another question in the king’s mind, as if he didn’t already have enough of those! Because if the man in front of him, who looked exactly like the one he had fallen in love with -and was planning to spend the rest of his life with- has been replaced by this stranger, then where did his dearest N’Jadaka go? Did his soul go to another body to bless someone else with the love T’Challa had received until now? Or even worse, was N’Jadaka’s soul lost forever, his body stolen by a stranger who looked exactly the same?“What you’re saying N’Ja-Erik,” T’Challa cut himself and took a deep breath before continuing,”you’re saying Bast put you here, with me so you could escape a life of solitude and remorse. Something you were bound to feel considering what you were, a soldier.” He stopped himself there not knowing what to say next because this raised even more questions.Wakanda was a country of fairness and for that, accountability was a must and as King, T’Challa was to always expect everyone to be held accountable for their actions. Even if they had the face of his lover.“I can’t wrap my mind around this Erik, I have to be honest with you,” he admitted, eyes closed as if it could shield the rest of him from this mess, “you- my lover, he was a journalist and one of the first foreign ones invited in the country after we unveiled ourselves to the world. He was Wakandan from his father and was a man of great integrity, courtesy of his mother. I didn’t get to meet his parent’s but just by the way he spoke of them, I knew they were good people and thus they raised him to be a good person.”
And now I got you, a murderer!
Hung silent in the air, unsaid but very much heard by Erik.
This man sitting on the king-sized bed layered in silk sheets, sheets in which they made love countless times during the last weeks, the room which before kept their feelings for them and kept them away from unwelcomed eyes. This room that felt like a bubble of comfort over the last few weeks; now felt like it was closing itself on the both of them.“Listen, man, I’m sorry I didn’t know this would happen, I didn’t even think she’d ever come to me. I’ve been calling her for years, praying she’d help me, by now I was sure she didn’t even exist!” Erik said just as confused by this whole ordeal, but already trying to find a way out of it.”If I call her again maybe I can get her to undo all of this, and you get your man back.”T’Challa rolled his eyes at that, offended by how this stranger spoke of the nation’s goddess as if she was a mere pet he could call whenever he needed. “It doesn’t work like that, Erik you said yourself you’ve been praying to her for years and it’s only now she decided to answer. There’s no telling if this plan of yours will actually work.”The sound of a notification on his kimoyo beads brought him back to the present, to his life as the King of Wakanda. He had spent more time in his chambers than usual today this morning and was expected at meeting any minute now. But he couldn’t, in good conscience and heart, leave this stranger for the day. N’Jadaka was appreciated by many people of the palace and they would quickly realize something was off. Scratch that his mother, Shuri and Okoye would know before he would even open his mouth that something was wrong, especially considering yesterday’s announcement.“Oh I really need to sit,” the king said before sitting right next to Erik, holding his head in his hands as if the weight of his responsibilities was simply too much to bear. “Currently I don’t see other solution we may have than you praying to Bast, I don’t see any other way that doesn’t make us involve somebody else in this situation, so go ahead and try.” He explained, resigned but still sure of his himself and quick to try and manage the ordeal, as was expected of a king.“In the meantime, we need to get you accustomed to Wakanda and its traditions,” he started hesitantly, voice softer than before, “especially when it comes to marriage.”Erik’s eyebrows furrowed at the last part; and “why ?” was all that came out of his mouth.T’Challa stared at him in anguish before saying“I’ve announced our engagement to the people and press yesterday, it’s gotten attention worldwide given the fact that we are now the only same-sex royal couple and the first one in modern history.”“We are also to marry in the coming weeks.”