Dragons Among Heroes

After a few minutes of walking Devin and the two wakanadans found the others waiting for them beside the parked vehicle some distance from it's original parking location. Seeing that everyone was in one piece and relatively unharmed. The group began to buckle in for the trip back with Okoye once again driving while T'Challa rode in the passenger seat. The King and princess were in the back seat with Devin, while the last of the dora milaje were packed into the storage area. King T'Chaka hadn't let go of the tube filled with vibranium the entire time apparently.

Devin had raided Klaue's body and had stashed everything that he thought was of consequence as well as things that weren't. It had taken a hot minute to get his prosthetic arm removed, but eventually he managed to figure it out.

'Never thought, ever in my life, that I would be robbing dead bodies. Or just taking dead bodies period.' Devin morbidly mused as he remembered Sabretooth's corpse in his storage, 'Guess things change, sometimes for the weird, but what part of this whole situation isn't weird.'

King T'Chaka had been concerned about his son when the group had returned and was currently listening in concentration as Devin and T'Challa took turns recounting all of the happenings that had occurred after his subsequent kidnapping along side the princess and their confinement.

"Ondati told me some after we encountered that traitor N'Balli and she put him down." T'Chaka said as he frowned in remembrance.

'Ah shit, I forgot all about him. Well guess karma got him in the end.' Devin thought as he remembered the backstabber.

For the next period of time they traveled in silence, each person reflecting on their experiences from the past day or so. Devin was busy thinking of all the plans he had, not only for himself, but for Izabela and the kids. Some were still a ways off from being feasible until certain events came about.

'I need one more piece of the puzzle before I can start on my plans for Izabela and that mission. Yana is basically becoming a waterbender from Avatar so might need to get her some kind of container to hold some water in secret like Katara used to in the show. Henric is gaining new mutations left and right, but the majority of them seem to be physical changes instead of metaphysical. His mutation seems similar to Beast's mutation though I do hope he doesn't turn blue eventually too.' Devin ticked off in his mind as he thought about his adopted family back home in New York.

At first he was just trying to do something he thought was right when he brought them over from Sokovia, but looking back on it now he realized that his motives were not what he thought they were. He had just died and lost not only his two best friends, but his parents and everything he had ever known. Then he was thrown into a whole new world with a new identity and superpowers that require him to fight and sometimes kill in order to advance. So, when he found others that he could semi-identify with and could kinda understand what he was going through, he was becoming attached to them.

They arrived at the wakandan capital not too long after though Devin opted for T'Chaka and Shuri to get out of the vehicle so that he didn't replay the same scene as last time where he gets arrested as soon as he steps foot out of the vehicle. Been there, done that, not happening again. Thankfully, letting the royals go first got all the dora milaje and others to back off. Stepping out of the vehicle next, some Wakandans had complicated looks while others still looked hostile. A handful looked grateful after realizing that Devin had arrived with their king. Devin followed as all three members of the royal family headed up the steps surrounded by dora milaje. Devin then saw an older woman standing at the top of the steps with two dora milaje.

'Who is that?' Devin thought as the group kept up their pace ascending the stairs. Devin got his answer when T'Chaka stepped up to the woman and enveloped her in a hug before Shuri got her turn, then T'Challa.

'Guess that's the queen. Huh, neat.' Devin decided right before the queen turned to look at him. Freezing on the spot Devin waited to see what she would do. The woman was still resplendent even though she was older. Her skin was smooth and unmarred by age except for the small laugh lines at the corners of her eyes that spoke of happier times in the past. She wore a gown of indigo trimmed with gold designs along the top with an ornate piece connecting the gown to a choker around her slender neck. Perched atop her head was a matching headdress of the same indigo color with her hair tucked up under it as Devin could see the silhouette through the thin material that made up the headdress.

"You must be the foreigner that I've heard so much about these last few days. I am Queen Ramonda, wife of King T'Chaka and mother of Prince T'Challa and Princess Shuri." the woman informed Devin with a regal tone.

"It is a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to meet you your highness." Devin said as he bowed to the woman before standing up again. She continued to stare at him for a full minute more before she stepped forward and hugged him. Devin froze on contact, not knowing what to do before a whisper entered his ear from the queen.

"Thank you for bringing my family home safe." Ramonda whispered into Devin's ear which caused Devin to relax and return the gesture briefly before letting go and stepping back with a smile that matched the one worn by the queen. Looking at the other members of the royal family to see smiles on all of their faces as well. Soon T'Chaka motioned for them to continue on. The now larger group moved on till they reached the council room which was filled with the same people as on Devin's previous visits. The majority were scowling at Devin until King T'Chaka took his seat with his family standing around him.

"Why is this foreigner still here. Remove him from here and place him in a cell. He should be tried for his part in this catastrophe." one of the male elders said as he waved dora milaje in Devin's direction.

"Mr. Price had nothing to do with what happened. He shall be left alone and will be receiving the negotiated reward from us." King T'Chaka stated as the other elders began to protest before the king raised his voice and demanded silence.

"This man helped to save not only me and my daughter but also aided my son in eliminating a serious threat to our country. Klaue is dead as well as his accomplices and we have this man to partially thank for that." T'Chaka stated causing some to frown while others seem to still be in favor of kicking Devin out.

'Glad to see that the geriatric community is still as ornery as ever.' Devin thought as a smirk of his own crossed his own features. Soon the meeting was over after roughly another forty-five minutes of retelling the tale of what happened with a generous side of debate/arguing. At the end Devin was invited to spend one more night within the palace while his reward was being prepped for his departure.

After getting escorted to his room once again and a delicious meal of flaky fish served with vegetables and rice quickly devoured, Devin was relaxing on the couch in the lounge area when a knock on his door alerted him.

'Am I ever gonna get away from this deja vu or is this just what I'm gonna have to deal with forever from here on out?' Devin thought as a heavy sigh exited his lungs as he reached out and turned the handle to see who his visitor was this time. What he wasn't counting on was to have the king and queen staring back at him from the other side of the threshold.

"Good evening Mr. Price. Pardon the intrusion, but may we come in and speak with you for a moment?" T'Chaka asked as Queen Ramonda gave a small nod.

"Oh course. It's your palace so please come in." Devin said as he stepped to the side and motioned for them to come in with a wave of his hand and a small bow. The royal couple stepped through with Okoye right behind them with two more dora milaje behind her. Once everyone was situated Devin sat down as well.

"I would like to start off by thanking you once more for rescuing not only me, but my daughter as well. Without you lending a hand I doubt things would have gone as smoothly as they did." T'Chaka said as both him and his wife bowed their heads slightly.

"It's fine. I just wish we could have resolved everything without you guys getting kidnapped, but in the end you are all safe and Klaue is dead. Job well done I guess." Devin said as he accepted their thanks gratefully.

"Another thing that I wish to ask you about was something mentioned by my son as well as Captain Okoye. This woman that escaped at the end mentioned an organization called Leviathan. Have you heard anything about this group before?" T'Chaka asked as Devin rubbed his chin in contemplation while he filed through all the memories he had on the marvel universe. The name sounded familiar for some reason though for the life of him, Devin could not remember where he had heard it.

"I'm sorry. The name sounds familiar, but I can't recall where I've heard it or if I'm mistaken." Devin said as he shrugged while T'Chaka nodded in understanding.

"Well we will be looking into this organization and we'll keep you apprised of what we find." T'Chaka said as him and his queen stood.

"Sounds good. I'll do the same if I hear anything." Devin said as he shook the king's hand once more before the royal pair left though Okoye stopped at the door and said something to the two other guards and bowed to the king before returning into the room and shutting the door. The fact that she was doing so raised a few questions in Devin's mind at what she was up to. She stood facing Devin only a couple feet from where he stood.

"Something I can help you with?" Devin asked as the silence was becoming weird for him. A heavy sigh from Okoye was released before she began to speak.

"I also wish to thank you for saving my life. That woman had me trapped and I probably would have died in her clutches if you had not intervened. I am not in the habit of leaving debts unpaid, especially life debts. So I would like to offer you not only this present, but should you have need of help in the future then feel free to call on me and I will do my best to help you to the best of my abilities." Okoye said as she pulled a wooden case that was roughly two feet long and as wide a his palm from behind her back which confused Devin greatly.

'Where was she hiding that?' Devin pondered as he reached out to take the box. Opening it he found what looked like a spear head with a handle more suited for a dagger than the spear head attached to it. Pulling the weapon from the box Devin noticed a button on the side of the haft, so he pressed it with his thumb. This in turn caused the weapon to telescope out into a full sized spear. Testing the weight Devin stepped back a half dozen steps before twirling the spear before jabbing a few times. A press of the same button caused the spear to shrink once more as Devin nodded.

"Nice, thank you so much for this gift. I do have a question about your other statement though." Devin said to which Okoye nodded in an affirmative to ask her his question, "If you are the Captain of the dora milaje and I live in New York the how would you be able to help me? Are you even allowed to leave Wakanda?"

Okoye was about to respond when she stopped. A perplexed look crossed his face as she pondered her own offer. Devin could see that she had the gears of her mind turning at full speed to figure everything else out. He then decided to step in and help.

"Captain, let me help you with this. There will come a time in the future that I might need your help, but for the moment you can help me by keeping an eye on both the king and the prince." Devin said as he placed the spear back into the case before snapping it shut.

"I already do though I feel like you're trying to tell me something else." Okoye said as her expression morphed from confused to seriousness. She then crossed her arms and waited for Devin to respond.

"Something is coming Okoye and I can't speak on any details, but what I can tell you is that should either the prince or the king leave this country for any reason you need to make sure that they are covered against any and all threats. You understand?" Devin said before Okoye nodded her head.

"Alright though I would appreciate more details about this supposed threat." Okoye said with a little heat to her voice.

"Relax, any threats are a ways off at the moment. I promise to contact you and give you an update before anything should happen. Alright?" Devin said as he held out his hand.

"Alright, but I should be going now. Have a good night Mr. Price." Okoye said as she shook his hand then headed towards the door.

"You as well." Devin said as he watched the woman leave. Devin walked to the bedroom to change and get ready for bed.

'Well, last night in the capital and tomorrow I get to go home with a little extra something. It'll be good to see Izabela and the kids, not to mention sleeping in my own bed. Alright time for some shut-eye.' Devin thought as he laid his head on his pillow and soon was out like a light.