The Ambassador's Daughter

Chapter 2

It had been three months since Louise and her family had taken up residency at the Ambassador's Mansion on the grounds next to the American Embassy. At the king's request, Louise spent most of her free time in the palace. At first it had been like a strange dream. But she had enjoyed the freedom of the palace. She was allowed to go wherever there weren't security or body guards. Which totally beat the Mansion. There she was allowed to go wherever there weren't body guards, security guards, dignitaries or her father. So she pretty much stayed in her room and studied.

Louise was a good student, and she enjoyed school (not in the I-never-want-to-leave-the-class-room-EVER kind of way), but she did not enjoy studying non-stop. Which is what she felt like she was doing. Unless she was at the palace.

"Miss Louise" She turned. T'Challa stood at the end of the hall smiling. "If you are not busy at this time, I wish to show you something."

"Not at all, Highness. What is it?" Louise replied in his native tongue, as was her habit when alone with the king.

"Oh, no, Madam. You must wait and see." Fully curious now, Louise followed T'Challa down the marble hall. "How many languages do you speak?"

"Fluently? Seven, including yours." Louise responded, sticking her hands in the pockets of her skirt as she walked beside the King. "I have always had an affinity for languages. They come very easily to me. It has been an invaluable skill that my father has often exploi... I mean often tapped into. I speak all six of the official UN languages."

"That would indeed be a valuable asset." T'Challa agreed. He waved off a security guard and led Louise down a hall she had not been able to explore. Louise merely nodded, her brown eyes clouding over. T'Challa looked at her with concern. He truly admired this young woman; but he feared that she was rather stifled. As king, he had made several visits to all the new embassies and the mansions that were home to the ambassadors and their families in his small country, and with the Americans, he was made painfully aware that Ambassador Brandt's word was law to his family. Elise rarely spoke, and Louise always seemed to be speaking to her plate unless directly spoken to. It worried and bothered T'Challa to see such a beautiful, vibrant, intelligent young woman so restrained. With her gifts and personality, she should have been leading out most conversations, instead she acted as though she barely had the courage to join in. That is why he was showing her what he was about to show her.

As they approached the room T'Challa turned to her, barely able to hide his smile. "Here it is, Miss Louise. Are you ready?" Louise nodded, her eyes bright with curiosity, her face glowed with it. T'Challa smiled openly and threw the door open. At first Louise didn't see what the dramatics were for. It looked like a regular conference room with a large polished wooden table and leather swivel chairs around it. When one is the daughter of an ambassador, these things are not secret-trip-down-forbidden-hallways worthy.

But then she saw someone sitting in a chair at the head of the table. His tall, well-muscled physique was impossible to mistake. He stood up and smiled at her. Louise laughed in the self-conscious way people do when they are star-struck. "You're Steve Rogers!" Louise gasped, cursing her childish inability to handle herself better.

Steve raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Most people know me as Captain America." He responded, but Louise could tell that he was pleased that she had called him by his name, rather than his title.

"Well," Louise said calmly, recovering herself, "I know what is like to be defined by one aspect of who you are and not seen for yourself. Besides, my grandfather would've loved to have the world believe he created Captain America. If even one person sees the man behind the theme song, then I'd say you have a pretty decent shot of not being his dancing monkey." Steve looked at her sadly, as if he knew exactly what she was talking about and regretted that she had to know what that was like.

"Mr. Rogers is here on a personal visit of undetermined length." T'Challa volunteered. Louise glanced at Steve. What could a man like this want in Wakanda? That was her father thinking, suspicious rather than just glad to see another American, so she shrugged it aside.

"I hope your stay will be pleasant." Louise replied. "We have only been here for a few months but I love this country almost as much as my own, already." Steve laughed.

"You really are am ambassador's daughter, aren't you?" He asked. "But what else are you?"

Louise smiled and sat down in the chair he offered her. T'Challa excused himself and returned to some business of State that required his attention. About an hour later, his attendant poked his head into T'Challa's office and announced that Steve Rogers wished to have a word before leaving the palace for the day. T'Challa pushed his papers away and motioned for Steve to be shown in.

"Well?" he asked as soon as Steve was seated across the desk from him. "What do you think of her?"

"She's nice. Not at all reserved. Very much like her grandfather in that way. But thankfully, she isn't as pushy and...political as he was. She's shrewd, too, but not in an unpleasant way. It's like she wants to be seen as Louise, not Louise Brandt and so she's hell bent on seeing everyone as who they are, not who their name says they are. For years I have been Captain America, in one look she knew that I was more than that and in one sentence she let me know that." Steve paused. T'Challa nodded.

"And?" T'Challa prodded. "What of my plan?" Steve sighed and looked out the window, collecting his thoughts.

"She could be good for him. He's my best friend. I want him back, but I'm worried about taking him out before he's ready. What if she can't help him?"

"I've been getting to know Miss Louise for months. I truly believe that she can be healing balm to him. I think it is worth a shot." Steve continued to stare out the window and sighed again. "I suggest we introduce her to him, see how she feels about it, and then wake him up." Steve nodded.