"Now I see. The demon is me."
Lisa May Stark is so much more than the child she used to be when she and her father were kidnapped in Afghanistan five years ago. She's Iron Man's daughter, she's the Red Raven, she's, well, you know who she is...
though we're tethered to the story we must tell when i saw you, well i knew we'd tell it well with a whisper, we will tame the vicious seas like a feather bringing kingdoms to their knees turning page — sleeping at last
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wakanda october 2, 2016 ( lisa's point of view )
present day
The sun was rising.
"Miss Stark..."
Booted feet slowly carried me to the front of the Royal Talon Fighter aircraft. My eyes squinted in the bright golden sunlight, and when the glare faded, my breath was taken away at what I saw.
Wakanda.
I suddenly understood why the capital was called Birnin Zana, or the Golden City. It was stunning in every possible way; tall glittering buildings surrounded by green-covered mountains and rivers with an ornate palace in the center of the city.
When I came to Wakanda as a little girl, it was only ever on the outskirts, beyond the invisible barrier that sheltered the advanced country. And then when I was in the capital city a few months ago, it was when I was half-drained of blood and nearly out of my mind.
The General of the Dora Milaje slowly turned to smile at me, "Welcome home."
When the aircraft reached the landing strip, the queen and princess of Wakanda stood across from me, straight-backed and faces stern. General Okoye had mysteriously disappeared. And T'Challa was nowhere in sight. And all the sudden I was met with the fear that this was definitely not where I should be.
Maybe I was wrong.
Maybe I shouldn't have come back.
Maybe all of this had been just one of those awkwardly forced invitations that people give out in the moment but they don't really want you to accept later on.
Maria whined impatiently in my arms, little hands tugging on the collar of my jean jacket.
"Alright, alright." I tried to make her leave me alone.
Stroking her curls, I let out a tight breath and my feet tripping down the bomb bay doors. My hands felt numb and my mouth went dry as I awkwardly shifted the baby on my hip and slowly stepped closer to the two members of the royal family.
Ramonda was looking me over, her dark eyes studying what I was wearing, if I looked injured. Shuri, on the other hand, wasn't looking at me at all; her eyes were glued to the baby in my arms.
I nervously rubbed my forehead, feeling sort of queasy as I stopped just a few feet from them.
I tried my absolute best to bow, but I'm pretty sure it ended up looking more like I was reaching for a dropped croissant than anything else.
