Chapter 41: A Feast Fit for a King/ Answers Fit for a Mystery

"Oh I look goofy as hell for sure." Bronte commented as he stared at himself in the bathroom mirror across from his room.

His mom, Aneka, said the formal garb would be a little small since they underestimated his bulk. She was right. Too right, actually. The length of it all was fine. He wore what most other people wore. It was a long sleeved dashiki that hung down to his knees. Beautiful ornate silver and gold accents ran along the cuffs and outer edges of it but failed to match the intensity of the interwoven jewelry around the neck.

It was expensive. And Bronte felt like if he flexed a bicep the whole thing would explode into shreds. Same for his pants.

At least his hair looked nice. It no longer hung all around him wildly. He found rubber bands and clips in his room that he used to tie it up into a bun at the back of his head. The new sight only reminded him that he needed a line up. Soon. Preferably not from whoever gave Azari his shape up.

The door into the bathroom suddenly swung open and Daken stepped in with Raze.

"What's up, dreadhead!?" Raze slapped him on the back before approaching a faucet to drink the water.

Brontë nodded at them both before settling with watching Raze. He abandoned his human form Laura often kept him in. Now he was fully blue skinned and muscular as all hell. He kept his hair gelled down though as if to attempt a look of cleanliness. That all went to the curb after Bronte noticed he'd ripped the sleeves off his dashiki.

"You know we're going to dinner, right? You don't need to drink faucet water, bro." Bronte mentioned.

"I'm a rebel. Let's not act like we don't know this." Raze said in between loud gulps.

"What you are is untamed." Bronte let the water flow from his own faucet and splashed his face.

"THE UNTAMEDEST!" Raze gargled before surging upright and heading to a urinal. His body slimmed out and he gained an English accent as he spoke to himself, "Aristotle once said…. You must fill the pipes before they can be emptied…hehe."

The sound of him relieving himself filled the bathroom.

Brontë shook his head as he got up from the faucet and opened his eyes. Daken stood behind him casually.

He wore his clothing well. Same as Bronte, but his lean frame gave it a level of finesse he didn't have. The katana at his hip stuck out somewhat but he made it work. He was able to do that with most things.

"You excited to meet dear old mother?" Daken asked, ridicule in his tone. Jealousy even.

Brontë shook his head, "We've been through this. I'm excited to get answers. I'm excited to get shit done."

Daken's face remained flat. His eyes seemed empty— like fakes, in the silence.

"Good. Don't let the beauty of all this make you forget shit gets ugly. I'll whoop your ass if you get soft in here, ragdoll."

"You haven't been able to whoop my ass in years, Daken. You just chattin at this point." Bronte replied as he headed out of the bathroom. They followed.

"Plus. I can't get soft. Not until Romulus is gone. Like I said, I'm excited to get things done. Maybe we can get some answers at this dinner."

"HEHEHE— I love a good interrogation!" Raze said from behind them while shrugging on his pants with each hop down the hallway.

"Go wash your hands." Daken said.

"Go fuck yourself." Raze casually mocked as they headed to dinner.

***

They spent the rest of the walk in silence. Raze acted as their shared conscious as he sounded off their thoughts with each new wondrous aspect of Wakanda that showed itself.

Men and women in formal attire directed them to where the event took place. He could feel their eyes on him the entire way. It was nothing new. But he wished it was.

By the time they reached the courtyard he'd been on only an hour or so beforehand, he found that everyone was already waiting on them.

A massive rectangle table sat in the open space of the yard filled with foods and smells Bronte had never witnessed. There was a color to it that felt almost magical. So vibrant and fresh. The ships and bustling activity from people like the Dora Milaje that once filled the courtyard was gone. It was silent. He could hear the traffic down on the ground miles away.

He could also hear other things.

"You guys look handsome!" Gabbie shouted as she dragged Laura over to them.

"That's what I said!" Raze replied to Gabbie as they bumped forearms.

"You literally never said that." Daken said flatly.

"Stop ruining a Kodak moment!"

Brontë couldn't see it, but he could feel the shared sigh of relief. They all felt better together. Naturally, they'd spent three years that way. Maybe not Daken. But still.

He looked away from them and found Laura facing him. She had a similar effect on her dashiki as Daken. Her toned graceful limbs fit inside the uniform well. And the coloring of the jewels sewn in contrasted wonderfully with her light bronze skin. She even had in ear rings.

She didn't say anything. They shook up and hugged.

"My brothers a Mutant." The words came from his mouth before he meant to.

"It feels like there's too many here doesn't it?" She whispered back as they headed to the table.

"Yea….. yea it does. What does it mean?" Bronte asked.

"I don't know." Laura and Bronte stopped talking just as The King and Queen entered the court yard.

Azari who stood across from Bronte turned to salute them. Slowly everyone else followed, including his parents. The royal pairing returned the gesture as they approached the table.

They stood at the helm where two beautifully designed black seats were placed. Brontë was closest to them with Azari and his sister. He never got her full name.

"I hope you all were able to experience at least a little downtime before this meal. I understand this all can be a bit overwhelming at first." The Queen said.

"Your faucet water is fantastic!" Raze said while chewing on a piece of meat Bronte couldn't recognize. He didn't seem to care for waiting to eat. The piece also didn't seem to come from his plate. Some things never change.

"I know right?" Ororo agreed with Raze as she chuckled. Her laugh was cool. Deep in tone. Spoke of maturity and status.

She noticed Bronte and the others confused expression.

"You drink from the faucet, mama?" Azari's younger sister asked as her giant glowing tattooed Panther gagged.

T'Challa smiled faintly, "When she first came here she didn't trust the water people gave her so she'd drink the faucet water. Unless it was from me."

Ororo brought her hands together, "But that's a story for another time. Let's all sit. You've had a long day I'm sure."

Slowly everyone sat and began eating.

Brontë— who was always hungry, found that he couldn't eat.

He was nervous. He almost forgot the feeling.

"I like your nails." Azari's sister said as she swallowed down a handful of pounded yam and stew with juice.

"Thanks..."

"Her name is Kymera." Azari cut in.

"Right." Bronte said, "Thanks, Kymera. They're permanent."

"Cool." Kymera smiled. Her filled cheeks reminded him of a chipmunk. If chipmunks had Afro's and could tame massive magical predators.

"So. I heard you all attended the Xavier Institute." Ororo said.

"Is Cyclops still… well is he still Cyclops?" T'Challa asked.

"Hell yea." Laura replied and everyone laughed faintly.

"I wish I could've reached you while you were there." Ororo said.

"We couldn't stay because Sabertooth….." Gabbie trailed off.

Their faces went grim for a moment. Instead of it being awkward, it just felt as it was.

"I understand. I wish I could've incinerated him when I had the chance. it must've been rough out there. I won't ask you to delve into it all tonight. We don't have to talk about any of that if you don't want to. But I would like to get to know you all. Especially you, Bronte."

Brontë looked over at her once before looking back down at his forks.

"I've missed a lot of time with you, and I know you feel no connections to me. As you shouldn't. But all I ask is for you to let me get to know you while we remove your fathers demons from you all." Ororo said.

"Stop being a bitch." Bronte told himself before straightening out in his seat and looking up at her. He could feel the eyes of the others on him.

"Ok. We can do that. I'll let you know everything about me in exchange for Romulus. But I also need some questions answered."

Ororo nodded, "We may talk privately whenever you like."

"Who is Romulus?" Azari asked. "No child of the Queen should be plagued by one man for so long."

T'Challa looked over at Azari with those same calm eyes he had, "Easy, Azari. You have experienced little of the outside world in the ways they have."

"He's not just one man." Bronte replied.

"And there is a five year old girl here that doesn't need to hear this. Respectfully." Laura cut in while looking from them to Kymera.

Ororo and T'Challa nodded thanks.

"I am six!" Kymera said.

"You aren't six until midnight." Ororo replied.

"Can I stay up?!"

"You used to sound just like that." Bronte heard Laura whispered to Gabbie.

"No, Ky. We have the Ceremony of the Second tomorrow." Ororo replied.

"What's that?" Bronte asked.

Ororo was about to speak until the ground started shaking hard enough to spill juices over the table.

He could hear people in the distance screaming and shouting.

Brontë and his siblings exploded to their feet and popped their claws in unison.

"Any howls recently?" Bronte asked as they ran for the edge of the courtyard.

"Not one." Daken replied.

"We covered our tracks. There was rainfall. Their tracking skills aren't that developed." Laura said "Bronte give us eyes from ab—….."

They all trailed off as they found the sight of something bizarre yet horrifying in the distance.

The ocean. It was rising. High above the sky scraping buildings and flying vehicles of Wakanda. It was too far away to make out much else. Just the slow rise of water. Like a beast rearing it's head.

And then it was gone with a splashing crash that had to be sending low level tsunami's towards Wakanda's outermost portions.

"What the hell was that?" Gabbie asked.

Brontë felt his stomach tighten, "That's who they're at war with."

Slowly Ororo, T'Challa, Bronte's parents and Azari joined them at the courtyards edge.

T'Challa spoke, "They're the people of Talocan. They live in the water….. Mutants some would call them. Others call them Atlantean. They've gone by many names over time but they're all the same."

"What do they want?" Bronte asked.

T'Challa sighed, "What everyone wants. Vibranium. And they're getting more hungry for it. Which is why the Ceremony of the Second happens tomorrow."

"Wakanda may not function forever with only one Black Panther."