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The people of Talokan almost never showed up to see her, even though they knew she was the one carrying the future heir to their homeland.
Some people appeared on the surface, and went to where Shuri was temporarily installed to leave gifts for the baby, and if she was lucky, they would leave for her too.
Shuri stayed while Nakia took Riri to Wakanda, and it almost cost Shuri her life, who was caught trying to save one of the Talokani girls that Nakia left injured, one of them died but the other was saved thanks to Shuri. Still, no one noticed what she did for one, only what happened to the other. All but Namor, that's what made him accept Shuri's proposal. So it wasn't like she was accepted with open arms into the Talokan community.
The marriage of the two was purely strategic, thus uniting the two nations possessing vibranium in the world, Shuri did not complain about this decision, as it was she who gave the idea of the marriage. However, in the last few days it was getting harder and harder not to complain.
Shuri made a mental list of all the things she wanted while watching yet another episode of a cartoon that T'challa later loved, and on that list was:
1. Shuri missed, figuratively speaking, missed her mother deadly, who had taken such good care of her in the first few months of her pregnancy, when they hadn't realized that the baby wanted to be close to the water, the water where Talokan was.
During the first few months, Shuri was more dehydrated than usual, even with the amount of water she consumed every day. Shuri was so weak every day, and she couldn't even stand on her feet for a few hours.
The water was the only thing that made it better. The day Namor brought a healer from Talokan to see her, it was confirmed that she would feel better in a place close to Talokan, and Shuri actually feels more willing now.
2. Shuri wanted to eat the best meal that the Palace cooks made. Don't take this the wrong way, the food of the people of Talokan was great, it just wasn't spicy or made in Wakanda.
3. She longed to see the people of Wakanda again, even though she had only been in Talokan for seven months, she missed the warmth of Wakanda.
She longed to see someone other than Nakia, who was gradually coming to visit her. Okoye regained her former post at Shuri's insistence, and because of this, Okoye insisted on coming with Shuri to Talokan to protect her. Unfortunately Ramonda never seemed to have the time to visit her.
Shuri heard someone approaching, and then with a wave of her hand, she deactivated the cartoon the bracelet projected.
The blue cloth that played the role of the door was put aside and Shuri could see Namor enter her hut, holding paints and brushes in one hand, beside him, a girl with blue skin was holding what looked like more gifts for the baby. The girl smiled at Shuri, who returned the smile and thanked her when she put the present on the floor and left quickly.
"Don't touch the fabric, the ink is still drying." Namor said, and Shuri got off the bed where she was lying to look at the fabric on the floor.
"Even if i wanted to pick it up, i couldn't. It is on the ground and i can't bend down without pain anymore." Shuri replied looking at the fabric, it was beautiful, there were beautiful engravings painted on it.
"Isn't it time yet?" Namor asked as he painted an engraving on the cabin walls, onto the fabric.
Shuri thought it was beautiful, it was a painting of her, squandering her huge belly and inside there was a developed fetus. Shuri once asked why he painted that and Namor said it was to celebrate the arrival of the king's first child, so that she would always remember.
"Not yet." Shuri returned to sit on the bed, looking at her stomach and patting it affectionately. "Is it normal here? Going past nine months?"
"No." Namor said testing the opacity of the black paint on his skin, and after he saw it was right color, he started painting the fabric. "But i was born late, my mother used to tell me that she waited for me longer than she should have."
"Hmm." Shuri got up once more, dragging her simple white dress to the floor, she walked over to Namor and gazed at the nearly finished painting.
"When are you done?" Shuri said running her hand over the fabric, being careful not to run her hand anywhere where the ink was.
"Today."
Shuri took her hand away and pulled back to get a better look. It was beautiful and timeless, all the mothers who have carried their children in the world would resonate with the painting. Shuri thought of her mother, did her mother have the same fear while she was pregnant with T'challa? Did the great queen Ramonda feel as unprepared as Shuri did? Shuri had so many questions and no answers, as she couldn't communicate with anyone in Wakanda, the underwater cave she was in blocked all satellite signals that were responsible for carrying the information wirelessly. Shuri was lost. "Why are you crying, my love?" Namor asked, with a smile that could easily calm storms but unfortunately, couldn't calm hers.
"I miss my mother." She said softly, Namor wrapped her in his arms and Shuri let herself be comforted by him.
Namor didn't leave when Shuri cried harder, he just sat her on the bed and let her cry on her shoulder. The paint that wasn't yet dry on Namor's arm got on Shuri's white dress, but she didn't care.
At some point Namor started humming something in his mother tongue, and Shuri felt safe. After a while, she thought she heard him say "I miss my mother too." But she wasn't sure.
Shuri liked to walk along the water's edge once a week. Every time, Namor took her and made the experience better with so many curiosities and old tales, which were told for many years by the people of Talokan. Some stories were so old, originating from the original tribe. Surface stories.
The underwater cave had pools of natural water, but most just led out to sea, Shuri had learned to recognize the ones she could step into.
"Okoye?" Shuri asked, looking at the pool of water, not wanting to go in.
"Yes?" Okoye answered calmly, despite always having the spear made of vibranium in one hand because Shuri knew that she still didn't trust the people of Talokan. Okoye liked to make himself huge and dangerous, Shuri was the only one who spoke to Okoye freely.
"I'm sorry for bringing you here." Shuri said looking steadily at the woman, who didn't seem to understand the sudden apology.
"Princess Shuri, it is my duty to protect you." Okoye replied, passing the spear from one hand to the other. "And keep you company, who else would bring you food from Wakanda, no one can live on fish forever." Okoye said with a sideways smile and Shuri smiled, looking back at the water.
Okoye went to Wakanda each week to bring news of the princess to the queen and bring back some sweets from their homeland, but she never stayed long enough to eat a full meal.
"My god! i hate fish! I never want to eat one again in my life!"
Okoye laughed. "Neither do I, I miss the full Wakandan meal."
"Oh God! Me too!" Shuri said, "I'd give anything to at least eat Wakanda's breakfast!"
Okoye put her arm around Shuri's shoulders and said: "When the baby is born, i swear i'll take you to Wakanda and we'll eat the best meals, even if i have to make them myself." Okoye put her other hand in Shuri's belly, "He just needs to be born."
"How do you know the baby is he?" Shuri asked smiling.
"I've never been wrong." Okoye replied, walking towards the exit of the pool of water.
Shuri contemplated the cave for the last time and then followed Okoye answering loudly: "I'd rather die than eat some food you made!"
Shuri wasn't surprised when her amniotic sac broke, she had been feeling the pains of antepartum for a few hours.
The amniotic fluid soiled all over the painted dress she was given, one of the only gifts she received in pregnancy from the Talokani people. Shuri was being kept under surveillance by two Talokani healers and Okoye and Nakia, who had come to visit.
When her water broke, Okoye and Nakia had left, while the two healers changed Shuri into more comfortable clothing and carried her to the makeshift delivery room. They did not had one before Shuri as the Talokani women gave birth in the water.
Shuri was lying on the bed, feeling the unbearable pains in her body preparing for the child's passing, which she didn't even notice when Nakia entered the room, she only noticed when she held her hand tightly.
"How are you?" She asked.
Shuri sighed and replied: "I'm fine, so far i only feel the weak contractions but it's unbearable anyway!" Nakia listened and smiled empathetically, after all, she had been there too. A stronger contraction began to attack Shuri and she sat up, with Nakia's help.
"Don't worry, Okoye went to report your condition to the queen, and the Wakandan doctors will come to help, Namor has allowed them to come."
At that moment, Namor entered the makeshift room with three midwives and one of the healers who was with Shuri, probably the one who went to warn him about her condition. Namor asked something to the healer who was with Shuri until now, Shuri deduced that it was something about the baby, or about her. Namor waved his hand and she was dismissed, as was the other healer.
Namor walked up to Shuri and asked her, "How are you?" Shuri sighed placing her hand on her aching stomach and replied: "How do you think?" Ironically.
Namor made another gesture and one of the midwives started patting the princess's back, which was really nice, then Shuri murmured a "Thank you" and the woman seemed to understand her as she nodded.
As the contractions developed, Namor held Shuri's hand and let her body rest against his body while Nakia left to check if the Wakandans had arrived. And it was Nakia who held Shuri's hand and wiped her sweat when Namor needed to leave to report to the people that the baby was not yet born and that until now it remained strong in the mother's womb. Shuri remained only grunting and panting when the contractions were too intense.
The midwives were reassuring and helpful when Shuri wanted to walk around the room. Nakia helped her too, Namor just looked at her as he talked to the midwives who weren't busy.
A few hours later, Shuri screamed in pain.
Nakia wasn't in the room, but returned when she heard the scream.
Namor said something quick to one of the midwives and without seeking Shuri's approval or opinion, "She's going to touch you now." He said firmly and even if Shuri wanted to retort, the midwife checked Shuri's birth canal and widened her eyes slightly without showing surprise at what she found, the midwife called the others who were preparing for the delivery.
Nakia was looking at her steadily and Namor was concerned, but the only person who looked confused was being moved into an uncomfortable position.
"What is happening?" Shuri asked in a low, husky voice, "What's going on?" She asked again and Nakia looked at her, "Nakia?"
"It's time, Shuri." Nakia said, stroking Shuri's hand as Namor placed her in the proper position for childbirth.
Oh no. The Wakandan doctors hadn't even arrived yet.
"Namor!" Shuri tried to call him but the man was more preoccupied talking to the midwives, but he turned and warned, "It's time! Nakia, you need to stay outside."
Nakia made an incredulous expression and after a millisecond she made an angry one, but Shuri was the person who vocalized what the two were feeling: "No! if you need to stay here, she will stay too!" Shuri exclaimed.
The midwife exclaimed something in English, and shuri felt her touch again. And then Shuri felt the overwhelming and unconscious urge to push that thing that was bothering her so much.
So she did. She pushed.
one.
two.
three, she howled and felt someone's hand touch her back as she was crouched down and supporting her hands on the bed.
Four.
Ten, and it didn't look like the baby wanted to come out.
Shuri saw the white cloths coming out stained with blood, or rather soaked in blood underneath her, she stained the white gown even more with tears and blood, and all Shuri wanted at that moment was to faint and wake up with a healthy baby in her arms.
Shuri tried to push once more, she held onto her husband's hand so tightly that her nails had penetrated his flesh, but he didn't seem to care.
Namor and Nakia looked at each other, Shuri could see Namor's expression of fear and concern and the tear that Nakia let fall surreptitiously and then quickly wiped away, but all Shuri felt was pain and thirst.
Talokani women give birth in water.
Shuri grunted and tried again, she tried to explain it to Namor by saying, "Namor. Water." but he didn't understand, so she mumbled the same thing to Nakia.
In pain and frustration, nearly fainting from the pain, she looked at the blue-skinned midwife and muttered the same thing, she on the other hand widened her eyes in surprise, and exclaimed something to K'uk'ulkan, in their mother tongue.
Shuri fell to the ground when the hands of the midwives and Namor suddenly let go of her but it wasn't a worrying fall.
Shuri felt Namor's arms hold her and she was lifted off the ground, being comforted by Nakia who said beautiful words in their mother language.
Shuri didn't see it as the Talokani People collectively gasped in fear as K'uk'ulkan emerged from the makeshift tent with her in his arms, giving no one an explanation. The people were on the surface to receive the child and did not expect to see the princess covered in blood and almost unconscious in the king's arms, Namor took her to one of the pools of water with privacy as close to Talokan as possible, Shuri only felt it when she went put in the water.
The water washed the blood from Shuri's legs and the midwife undressed taking aways her now soaked clothes, but she was too weak to try to push again.
Namor held her, she was completely naked, Namor held her in his arms and tried to convince the princess to push her again, Nakia was also there, but she was on the edge of the natural pool, she didn't enter.
"She needs to push, K'uk'ulkan." The gentle midwife said, but Shuri didn't listen, she just rested her heavy head on Namor's shoulder, who was stroking her head.
When everything was turning black, someone jumped close to them, splashing water everywhere and waking the princess up. "Oh Shuri!" Someone spoke touching her, Shuri finally opened her eyes and saw who it was:
It was her mother. Her precious mother, who was touching her. "Mother." She acknowledged weeping.
"Shuri." It was the only thing she said, looking at the situation with worried eyes, she didn't look like a queen, right now she was only a mother. A thing Shuri was about to become.
"Mother." Shuri said softly, lifting her arm to touch her.
Ramonda took her daughter's hand and took Namor's place, as she was now the one stroking her head. "Shuri, my girl, you need to do this. You need to Push." Ramonda said firmly, and only her mother's confident expression made her swallow all the doubts she had for now, and so Shuri tried again.
One.
Two, the midwife exclaimed something to K'uk'ulkan and he took hold of Nakia's hand, which was out of the water.
The third time, Shuri screamed for the last time, feeling the baby finally leave her body.
Nakia sighed in relief, Ramonda looked at the midwife who dove in to hold the newborn and Shuri was being held by K'uk'ulkan.
The baby finally got out of the water and took its first breath, letting out an agonized cry.
Shuri instinctively looked more willing when the baby was born, and she then looked at her son.
He was a boy, with wings that decorated his ankles.
The midwife passed the child to the mother's lap, the baby was inconsolable, like any other newborn baby. The first thing Shuri noticed was that he didn't inherit his father's pointy ears, in fact, it was the only thing he didn't inherit from his father.
The baby looked a lot like K'uk'ulkan at first glance and Shuri didn't care, because at that moment all she felt was love.
Her mother's maternal love, the love of Namor, who had never left her alone, the love of Nakia who was in constant fear for her, and the love of Okoye, who went from place to place just to run an errand.
Namor held Shuri's body in one of his arms and with the other hand he used to caress his son's face, who is still so small and is being loved so much.
At some point, Okoye arrived, and was admiring Wakanda's newest heir from afar, along with Nakia. Romanda kissed her daughter on the head before getting out of the water and congratulated K'uk'ulkan who thanked her in return.
The midwives smiled with the privilege of being the first to see the son of the K'uk'ulkan and waited to conclude the delivery with the withdrawal of the afterbirth.
Only T'challa was missing, but Shuri was sure he would bless the life of the still unnamed new baby.