The King: T'Challa.

Chapter 23: Black Order and the Outriders.

We were on the Wakandan battlefield. Carriers hovering over us, Wakandan soldiers, Steve and Bucky on board. War Machine and Falcon were scoping the sky and Bruce in the Hulkbuster armour.

"How we looking, Bruce?"

Black Widow asked from beside me, her finger pressed slightly to her left ear as she listens for a response. The armour then came into view as Bruce came leaping and jogging along, keeping up with the carriers, evidently delighted with himself.

"Yeah. Think I'm getting the hang of it. Wow! It's like being the Hulk without actually-"

Next thing is, the Hulkbuster goes down as he stumbled on a rock, and a carrier flew overhead. From my side I see Okoye give him a dubious look as he rightened himself, once again on his metallic feet.

"I'm okay. I'm okay."

Rhodey and Sam then came down to stand by the rest of us: Nat, Cap, Bucky, Okoye, T'Challa and myself.

"I've got two heat signatures breaking through the tree line."

Just as War Machine had said it two figures emerged from the trees. Steve and Nat already recognised the familiar faces of who I learned to be Proxima Midnight and Cull Obsidian.
Overhead a carrier swerved into a U-turn, causing the craft to tilt and allowed the soldiers to slide down over one side and into a run, never coming to a complete halt. A Dora Milaje shouted a command nearby as the last Wakandans joined the ranks.
Almost simultaneously, the Jabari warriors came chanting onto the field. M'Baku leading the pack over to us, rallying his soldiers with a war chant, but stops when he reached us.
T'Challa clasped his wrist with M'Baku.

"Thank you for standing with us."

"Kunjalo, ubhuti." (Of course, Brother.)

T'Challa maked his way towards me, taking his place by my side as we watch Proxima draw her sword along the barrier consideringly. Black Widow piped up from beside me.

"Where's your other friend?"

I could hear the blunt dig she was giving as Proxima just snarled.

"You will pay for his life with yours. Thanos will have the stone."

"That's not going to happen."

I say taking half a step forward. T'Challa then travelling the same distance.

"You are in Wakanda now. Thanos will have nothing but dust and blood."

Proxima tilted her head slightly to the left. And then to the right.

"We....."

She straightened her stance.

"Have blood to spare."

She brandished her sword with a snarl, the hundreds of ships behind her starting to raise their outer hulls to allow their 'passengers' to disembark - ready to attack.

The remaining few of what we once called the 'Avengers' stood side by side and readied ourselves for battle, but, there were no cries of war, no agitated movements, there was no movement at all - just silence.

I turned to T'Challa slightly, keeping Thanos' army in my line of view.

"Did they surrender?"

"Not exactly."

Steve sighed from beside us, obviously hoping to avoid a war. The Black Panther lead the Wakandans in our war cry 'yibambe'.
We crossed our arms across our chests, forming the Wakandan courtesy.

"Yibambe!"

We replied:

"YIBAMBE!"

It went on like that for the guts of five minutes before T'Challa informed us to 'hold fast' as the Outriders bound towards the barrier. T'Challa and I share a look just as Proxima dropped her sword arm down in the signal to initiate the attack on the Wakandan Empire.
But yet we stayed where we were, our feet planted in the ground - watching. Thousands of Outsiders plummeting towards the border. Flatly and astonished by the amount of Outriders, Bucky piped up from beside us.