Adamantine (A Post-Black Panther Bucky Barnes Love Story)

6

Michael insisted I leave him and explore, so, against my better judgement, I roam the Wakandan palace. I'm admiring a vibranium spear when I sense a presence.

"Ms. Azar."

"Your Majesty," I reply, turning to face the king with a brief bow of my head. I eye his necklace once more, though I try to make the glance of my eyes unnoticeable.

"You seem to like the vibranium my country offers," he observes, walking closer.

"It's very interesting," I offer up in a cool, even tone. "The craftsmanship of these weapons is wonderful."

"Thank you," he replies.

"The craftsmanship of your necklace is also rather nice," I add, and he narrows his eyes just the slightest bit in suspicion.

"Is it?" he asks. "Ms. Azar, if I may be so bold as to ask, are you hiding anything from my government that we should know?"

"No," I answer instantly. "Why would I be?"

"I just wanted it to be clear that lying to the king about matters of national security is a crime in this country, one that is prosecuted highly," T'Challa replies, and my expression darkens at the threat.

I take a step closer to the king and lower my voice. "You don't need to know anything about me other than the fact that the ambassador's safety is my top concern."

"I'd expect nothing less," he tells me, and I can tell he's carefully studying me.

"Have a nice day, your Majesty," I say curtly, and I leave before he has the chance to say anything else.

He knows something is different about me, I think. I need to talk to Michael.

I hurry silently through the halls, finding my way to the parlor where I know Michael was meeting with T'Challa. I turn into the room, and I breathe a sigh of relief when I see him sitting there with a cup of tea talking to Shuri. I nod politely at the princess.

"Aurea! How are you?" Michael asks, grinning at me.

"Excuse me, Shuri. I need to speak with the ambassador about an important matter," I say, ignoring Michael's question. "I'll return him to you in a few minutes."

"Yes, of course," she smiles kindly. "I'll go get some more tea. Aurea, would you like any?"

"That would be great, thank you," I accept, mostly just to get her out of the room. She smiles at us once more before leaving. Instantly, I turn to Michael and pull him close. I don't know if there are any cameras or voice recorders in here.

"Aur-"

"The king knows," I hiss into his ear, just barely loud enough for him to hear.

"What?" Michael gasps. "About-"

"I don't know," I cut him off again. "He knows I'm different. He suspects something."

He pulls away slightly and frowns at me.

"What are you going to do?" he whispers.

"I'm working on that," I tell him under my breath, my eyes darting around the room. "I'll let you know as soon as I come up with something."

He opens his mouth to reply, but Shuri chooses that exact moment to reappear with a tray in her hands.

"Oh, was I interrupting anything?" she asks with a small frown.

"No, not at all," Michael swiftly answers. "Aurea was telling me about a security issue with the embassy in Nigeria and how it might affect my safety."

"I can assure you, Ambassador, you're safe here in Wakanda," Shuri kindly tells him, a reassuring smile on her face.

"Of course."