Lioness | Erik Killmonger

Chapter nine: The undead and the living

' Like the Phoenix
He

Rises'

Chapter nine: The undead and the living

The Bdt Al'asad poured through the palace gates in a stream of the Asharni colours and polished gold and silver, two hundred strong, a pride of bannermen, servants and elders. Over their heads a dozen golden banners whipped back and forth in the hot wind, emblazoned with the Asharni royal family's crest.

Anila knew many of the people there. There came the general Ehsan with hair as bright as the finest copper, it contrasts his glowing tawny skin and dark beaded eyes. The boy beside him could only be one of his and Farah's sons, and trailing behind them was other little boys, presumably his brothers and finally Farah with her protruding pregnant stomach and two of her ladies, Ladonna and Dacia, an old friend of Anila's and Adnan's sister.

Yet, the tall man at the head of the column, flanked by two warriors in the colours of their family, seemed almost indistinctive to Anila. Until he vaulted off the great steps with a familiar laugh, and squeezed her into a warm and firm embrace. "Anila! Still as beautiful as ever," Moran looked her up and down, and Farah rolled her eyes, and he hugged his youngest sister once more. "I've missed you."

Anila could say the same thing. It had been a year past, when they had travelled without stop, back and forth between Asharn and Wakanda. Moran had been a nicely shaven man with the ends of his hair always cut by the ends of his ears, wide eyed with a big muscular frame of a beast that he undeniable was when he fought. A man as tall as six foot four that towered over every other person, even the general Ehsan. Now, Moran was fully bearded with the ends of his hair grown passed his shoulders. His eyes now narrowed as though squinting, and a little less muscular than before, but without a hint of doubt still a beast.

"I have missed you too brother," Anila said with a smile, before acknowledging her other brothers and Farah. By then the Wakandans had as well come forward with Karmi leading his Tenzians, very close behind. Erik stepped and stopped aside his wife with their younger children.

"And, you Erik!" Moran hugged him briefly to which Erik returned him with his usual casual greeting. "You haven't changed a bit!"

Anila smiled weakly, and Erik snorted. "Am I supposed to change?- but look at you Moran, you no longer look like the little bi-" Anila elbowed him at the ribs and Moran laughed louder than he done before.

"At least you could've always said I was incredibly beautiful." Moran jested. He greeted Mahir, Adara and the defiant Sagirah with kisses and hugs. No sooner had those formalities of greeting been completed, Moran said to Anila quietly. "Tenzians Anila? Really."

Anila stiffened quickly with no words needed, Moran called for their guests to be shown to the guest chambers to prepare for the evening. Farah had begun to tease Anila as she normally had always done, "so it's taken you this long to return home, no?" She snarled and everyone began to groan at her complaints that ended in light hearted laughter. Moran had looked at her and Ehsan, her husband, had taken her smiling by the arm to lead hem back into the palace.

"She still hadn't grown out of her childishness." Moran said shaking his head when the entrance of the palace no longer had anyone but them.

The siblings went down the pathway together, Anila and her brother that she loved the most. "Now tell me, and don't lie to me Anila - why are our family's greatest enemy is now on our land?"