Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 2 (A Black Panther Fanfic)

Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 2, Chapter 22

"Omi o l'ota o
Water, him not get enemy!
I dey talk of Black man power
Water, him not get enemy!
I dey talk of Black power, I say
Water, him not get enemy!
I say water no get enemy
Water, him not get enemy!
If you fight am, unless you wan die
Water, him not get enemy!
I say water no get enemy..."

Fela Kuti – "Water No Get Enemy"

Ramonda stares at him as he saunters into the sunroom. The Udaku family is present. T'Challa's little friend W'Kabi is there too.

Fifty of the most important members of the clan are there to meet Ramonda in a formal fashion. Just like it was done years before when Bathwandwa was chosen for T'Chaka's mate. The family would break bread, words would be spoken of the future of the bloodline and Ramonda would slowly be brought into the fold to attend public events with T'Chaka. The next step would be to have Ramonda's clan join the Udaku's after T'Chaka spoke to Ramonda's parents in private to ask for her hand. The joining of both families would formally end the betrothal march. N'Jobu had gone through it with Zinzi.

Her eyes are fixed on him and N'Jobu feels uncomfortable because he worries that others can sense her staring.

Ramonda has been sharing private thoughts with him...unasked for divulging of her feelings...her doubts about T'Chaka. Their family is on the cusp of solving the "T'Chaka" problem, and the woman his brother is madly in love with has confessed with a pure tongue that she feels a better match would be with him, N'Jobu. Bast help him.

She followed N'Jobu to plays and his royal duties visiting schools and organizations. When he went to show support for an art therapy wing of a hospital in Birnin Djata that Zinzi was sponsoring, Ramonda was right there with his mother and T'Challa. He took a few days for himself to go to Lake Umbono to float on a houseboat with Jax and his cousin Sekani to get away from the palace. But on his return, she sequestered him in the garden and told him about her issues with T'Chaka. They were valid points, but N'Jobu wanted no parts of her talk of aligning with him.

"Do you even love my brother?" he asked her, the stars of Wakanda twinkling above them, the lack of a moon making the surroundings appear illicit.

"I have great affection for him...I could love him desperately, but he...he is so rigid in his thinking. It frustrates me. He has no desire to see or even consider other viewpoints. He can be so loving...sensual...gentle with me, but so willfully tyrannical with other people. I do not know if I can take this much longer. Loving him would be consenting to a mercurial relationship."

"He loves you, Ramonda. I would be proud to call you sister—"

"But I don't know if I want to be your sister..."

Her eyes took on a pleading quality and he stayed silent.

"Did you hear what I said?"

N'Jobu nodded.

"You understand what I mean?"

"Say what you want to say."

She seemed irritated with him now too.