I Just Saw Black Panther Wakanda Forever And Without Spoilers Let Me Just Say

I just saw Black Panther Wakanda Forever and without spoilers let me just say

I have never in my life seen a movie that was so clearly made with so much love, and unity, and art. This movie was such a monument to Chadwick Bosemans memory and legacy, while doing every single character justice in a new story line. Ryan Coogler made one of the best, if not THE best movies there is, and I can't wait to see what comes next.

El Dios de la Brisa (K'uk'ulkan x Reader) (2)

Summary: You are a passionate Marine Biologist who has lived in the Yucatan Peninsula for some time now. After an encountered with a fabled god more information is learned about your past. The discoveries you make continue to unravel the world around you. This is only the beginning.

[Word count: 4,937]

☀

For the past couple of nights you were having the same recurring dream.

Jumbled fragmented memories tried their best to depict a clear enough picture that you could make sense of. All you could remember from your dreams was that you were awakened by the sound of a haunting song that put you in a trance; the melody led you to the beach where the villagers stood like statues, unaffected by the song, watching as you walked into the sea covered in heads peeking out of the water. They covered the entire bay. There seemed to be more eyes watching you from the water than there were people in Mérida.

You tried and tried but you could not remember what happened before it led you to such a scene or what happened after you walked into the ocean and the water rose over your head leading you into the darkness.

You did remember, however, that before the waves took a hold of you completely you looked up to see the mighty shadow of the king that flew imposingly overhead. His features were covered in darkness but he was outlined by the moon. In his hand was his spear, glistening with power. Though you could not see his expression you could read his satisfaction as the waves claimed you as their own.

Correction, as he claimed you for himself.

K'uk'ulkan.

It was no surprise to see him in your dreams. He had easily conquered your thoughts even during the day.

There were those that claimed dreams held meanings. You were never one to buy into it too much given that most of your dreams normally didn’t make any sense and it was logical that someone like him spent so much time in your thoughts that he could pop up in a dream or two. But you were not one to have the same dream over and over. Especially not the same exact dream, while only being able to remember the same exact things despite the fact your gut feeling told you there was a lot happening before and after the scene you could remember.

☀

“¿Crees que los sueños tienen significado?”

(Do you believe dreams have meaning?)

You had been invited by a friend you had made in the village, Clara and her husband Jorge, to a fishing trip. It felt so nice to leave the bay and enjoy the open ocean while someone else was manning the boat. Together, you and Clara worked on preparing the nets you would be fishing with. They had been one of the first to approach you when you had arrived at the village and though you felt familiar to their culture thanks to your mentor sharing it with you they were the two you learned from the most.

The Maya had never disappeared despite what the history books liked to say. Their descendants were still living in their ancestral lands proudly keeping their traditions alive among the strong colonial and Spanish influence left behind. You had seen this long before you met the god their pyramid was dedicated to and you felt unbelievably fortunate to learn directly from them.

“Claro que si. Todos los sueños tienen significado, incluso los que crees que no. Mi gente cree firmemente en el hecho que los sueños son algo que tu alma puede ver venir.” She said kindly, moving from working on the net to preparing the bait that would be used. “Has tenido algo en mente por días, me di cuenta. De niños, los mayores siempre nos animaban a hablar de nuestros sueños. Nos ayudaron a interpretarlos.”

(I sure do. All dreams have meaning, even the ones you think don't. My people strongly believe in the fact that dreams are something that your soul can see coming. You've had something on your mind for days, I could tell. As kids we are always encouraged by the elders to talk about our dreams. They helped us interpret them.)

You took a look at Jorge before turning to her, putting your net down and leaning your elbows on your knees. “¿Puedes ayudarme a interpretar el mío?”

(Could you help me interpret mine?)

You felt nervous talking about it.

You knew she could tell.

Growing up without anyone meant not trusting those around you with anything you considered personal. You had never had a sibling to talk about your dreams and aspirations to. You didn’t have a mother or a father to go to for comfort after a nightmare. It had taken you decades to find a friend you could fully trust and she was gone. You kept your personal life a secret from everyone, even the friends you were with now did not know much about who you truly were. You talked to everyone in the village; they knew you were a hard worker, they knew you loved the ocean, they knew you to be a respectful yet stubborn individual, they knew you to be closed off.

Yet they still welcomed you like Altagracia had.

Perhaps they all shared that gift of being able to look further beyond what they simply saw in front of them.

It wasn’t only talking about yourself that made you nervous, it was also the subject. You had given him your word that you would not reveal his existence to anyone. Ever. He had been generous, trusting you enough to take your word as truth and allowed you once again to step into his oceans. And now you were going to speak about him in his waters. You feared betraying him especially when it wasn’t your intention. Some secrets that were better off staying as secrets. You knew this.

But you were having trouble processing all of this alone.

“Agradezco su confianza en mí. Si me lo permite, sería un honor escucharlo.”

(I appreciate your trust in me. If you would allow me, I would be honored to listen.)

You trusted your instincts. Clara had never once given you a reason to doubt her.

Framing it as a dream and only a dream, you began to explain what you could remember.

Her hands moved purposefully as she separated the bait and prepared the hooks, eyes meeting yours to confirm that she was listening as she worked yet keeping them away to help calm your nervousness. It was not the first time that outsiders were enchanted by the ocean. The gods of her people were present, they had always been, and those who sought after them with hate in their hearts were struck down by their fury. You had not appeared to have come to their village with any of those intentions. You had come here to heal even if you had not known it at the time.

But it seemed that there was more at work here than healing.

You felt better after you were done though your hands gripped onto the net tightly. The ocean did not change around you. The sun continued to shine brightly, the ocean continued to be fairly calm and docile, the wind had not gotten any stronger in anger. You had described the king as a serpent rather than a man; detailing the colorful feathers of his headpiece to be the feathers covering the body of the winding beast that slithered through the air as if it were creating the ocean breeze itself.

Clara placed the last of the hooks in their bin and took a moment to think before facing you. There was a change in her kind eyes; the softness was still there but there was also apprehension. The serpent god was many things; a bringer of peace and founder of Chichen Itza, the one who was there at the beginning of time and put forth order when helping create all things, the one who fiercely protected those who inhabited the lands and dwelled in the depths of the ocean. His powers over creation also allowed him to destroy anything he pleased as there was nothing in the world that wouldn’t submit to his might.

“Es recurrente.” You spoke to fill the silence more than anything, her dark eyes pierced your own and it pushed you to speak without meaning to. “Cada noche…nada cambia. ¿Deberia estar preocupada?”

(It's recurring. Every night nothing about it…changes. Should I be worried?)

She took your hand in hers. “Tu alma siempre ha pertenecido al océano. No debes temerlo en sueños o incluso ahora. El dios que estás viendo es poderoso. Creo que este sueño es una representación de ti alcanzando un nuevo capítulo en tu vida. El agua es el elemento del cambio y K'uk'ulkan representa tu vida llevándote al océano para ser renovada. Le k'áak'náabo' a k'aaba'.”

(Your soul has always belonged to the ocean. You shouldn't fear it in dreams or even now. The god you are seeing is powerful. I believe this dream is a representation of you reaching a new chapter in your life. Water is the element of change and K'uk'ulkan represents your life leading you to the ocean to be made new. The sea calls to you.)

The moment she was done speaking, after speaking in her native tongue, the boat jumped, hitting a rather rough wave causing everything to be thrown around. You quickly moved to grab the hooks to distract yourself from how fast your heart was beating. You heard Clara ask her husband what had happened and he quickly replied that it was nothing but a wave and that he could see the other boats lowering their anchors. You thanked her quickly and nodded when she smiled and moved to help her husband but you could not forget the cloud of darkness over her eyes when you mentioned seeing the serpent god.

You trusted Clara but now you weren’t sure if her thoughts on your dream were true or if she had spun it into a positive tale for your sake.

Your soul belonged to the ocean and your life was changing. That had been her interpretation. In your dream, you had felt his satisfaction in him luring you into the water. What did it mean? Why did you feel it in your bones that this was more important than just any dream?

“¿Lista para pescar?” Jorge grinned as he clapped his hands moving to help you arrange the nets. He was the most energetic man you had ever met, always smiling and joking, radiating pure eagerness no matter what he was doing. “Es diferente a lo que estás acostumbrada. ¿Estás segura de que estás lista?”

(Ready to fish? It’s different from what you’re used to. Are you sure you’re ready?)

“¿Lista? Estuve lista toda la mañana!” You grinned, focusing on the task at hand and leaving your dream omens for another time.

(Ready? I’ve been ready all morning!)

“¡Entonces vamos! ¡Tu primera lección de pesca como lo hace mi gente!”

(Then let’s go! Your first lesson on fishing, how my people do it!)

☀

You couldn’t sleep.

Despite the long day out at sea fishing among the villagers, suffering the glare of the sun and feeling the exhaustion after a long day of work, the comfort of your bed offered no help to silence your thoughts.

The bottom of your dress brushed atop the sand as you wandered forward. You had been walking for quite some time. It didn’t worry you that it was after midnight and that you were walking along a new path away from the bay because above the treetops proudly stood a pyramid that would always serve as a beacon home.

Home.

You still weren’t used to that word. You don’t think you’ve said it out loud in a really long time despite feeling it in your heart. It just never felt right. When would it feel right? When you followed your dream and followed an unknown and powerful god into the water? That would never happen. You would never really have a home and that was okay. Not everyone needed one. Nomads existed in every culture, across all of time, as proof that not everyone felt the same desire to lay down their roots and stay in one place forever.

Because that was your desire, right? You didn’t want to stay. Or did you?

The frustration inside of you came from never allowing yourself to stay in one place for too long and now that you have you began to doubt everything. That much you knew. But then there was the unknown element of the absolutely alluring and dangerous man you had met that asked the same questions that made you run your entire life.

Answers to those questions only ever led to paths filled with pain.

That’s why you had to run.

That’s why you were taught to run.

Heading out from between the trees, you walked towards a new section of the beach you haven't been to before. This one was rocky. There were multiple different rock formations alongside the water and it created perfect pools for little creatures to live in. You immediately headed over to see if you could find a hermit crab or a starfish. You loved those little guys.

“I really should’ve brought a flashlight,” You muttered as you looked around the ponds, lifting your dress so it wouldn’t get too wet. “I gotta come back in the daytime and take some notes.”

A noise from behind you caught your attention.

Your eyes narrowed as you turned around and scanned the area. It was a bird. It had to be a bird. But after midnight? That wasn’t common. Yet there was no denying what you were hearing, the consistently singular note chirping of a bird that you could not see. Stepping down from an elevated rock pool, you turned a bit towards the moonlight and that’s when you saw it.

A Resplendent Quetzal.

A smile formed on your lips as you watched the brightly colored bird fly overhead, circling you as it called out into the night, filling the silence and joining the sounds of the waves. It was beautiful! They were known for their stunning green, red, and blue feathers that looked iridescent in the light.

The resplendent quetzal was sacred to the Maya.

Venerated as the god of the air, symbol of goodness and light, it was their feathers and colors that were attributed to…

K'uk'ulkan.

Green, red, and blue feathers adorned the body of the great serpent as it glided through the air; a god of the wind, sharing its glory and beauty just as this bird was doing with you. Another one of his symbols appeared before you. Was this a message? No way was it a coincidence.

You moved closer to the beach keeping your eyes focused on the bird until something else caught your eye.

Being pushed into the sand by the waves was your mask.

Your diving mask.

The one you had lost when he left you inside the pyramid. It was as if the ocean was presenting it to you. Immediately, you looked towards the ocean. There was nothing out of place in the dark water but you did not let that fool you. You continued to look out as you moved to grab the mask from the sand. A part of you was beyond delighted to have it back! Diving had not been the same without it and you had not enjoyed having to go back to using oxygen tanks that limited your time in the water. Another part of you was apprehensive, not worried per say, just wondering why you kept being the target of the feathered serpent’s generosity.

The mask had been modified.

The edges were lined with a green stone (or was it a gem?). Jade, maybe? Jade held a huge significance in Mayan culture, it was more important than gold; often being associated with water, the stone symbolized life and death. You remember Altagracia once explaining this to you on a trip in China, as the stone held a great importance in their culture too. There were pearls scattered along it as well, different sizes and shapes. The inside remained the same, mostly, aside from it now having a mouth piece that was meant to cover the area from your nose to your chin. You had no idea what it was made of or what it was meant to do but the shock had not worn off yet.

You had your mask back.

He’d given it back to you.

“A satal. Ba'ale' le k'áak'náabo' a k'aaba'.”

(You are lost. But the sea calls to you.)

His appearance did not surprise you. All of the elements leading to him making his presence known were there. Your eyes stayed attached to your mask, running your fingers along the new designs as he landed on the soft sand in front of you. When your eyes did look up you took the opportunity to really see the being before you.

He was beautiful.

The water that ran down his neck and shoulders enhanced the rich color of his skin. He was in his element; iridescent as the feathers of the quetzal, sacred. There was not a man more confident than the king before you who’s dark eyes held yours with a yearning to discover the secrets in you. His neck was adorned with gold and pearls and there was what seemed to be armor on his arms and legs made of the same things. He was enchanting as a siren. It didn’t need to be said and according to your subconscious that had created your dreams, you had associated him with one.

“Tech le k'áak'náabo'.” You replied quickly after he raised a brow at your staring, which didn’t do much to save you from embarrassment but you could see that your response surprised him.

(You are the sea.)

He had not been expecting you to answer him back in his language much less understand what he was saying but you were a quick study. Not only that those had been the exact same words Clara had told you about your dreams. Had he heard that conversation?

“Tene' tuukulo'oba' le k'áak'náabo' bey iik', ba'ale' ma' ya'ab ba'ax a u taasik waye'.”

(I am both the sea and the air but I am not what has brought you here.)

“That’s when you lost me. I’m not fluent in your language. Nowhere near it, actually.”

“I am surprised you know what little you do.”

“I tend to learn quickly, given if the subject interests me.” You don’t know why you said it like that and to save yourself from any further embarrassment, you kept talking. “I didn’t expect to see this again. The mask. I thought I had dropped it last time we met, well, not last time exactly. The time before that. After the cave. Oh! The turtle is doing really well, by the way. There’s a small facility in Izamal and they’ve been doing a great job. They don’t have many animals currently so she’s been the star of the show.”

He extended out his hand and instinctively you placed whatever you had in your hands into his. He examined your mask for a moment before removing the mouth piece that had been attached by his people and held it up for you.

“Should the hard surface ever be compromised, this will allow you to breathe underneath the water until you are able to reach the surface.” He explained before he placed it back inside and it seemed to readily attach itself. “I am glad to hear that the creature is recovering.”

“I was wondering what that was for. Thank you.”

“The markings around it will give you safe passage should you be at depths where my people may see you.”

“That is very generous. Truly. Dios bo’otik.”

(Thank you)

You had nothing to give and even if you did you doubt that there was anything you could find that would please a man like him. He had given away too much information about his kingdom, aside from that fact that it did exist and it was as vast as the oceans, but just by how he looks you knew that there was little he could want.

The oceans had always held riches and they were all his.

Perhaps that is why you gestured to the place beside you on the beach where you sat. You did not have riches or great knowledge to share but you could guess that a man who took care of an entire empire rarely got a moment of peace. You had the sense that you were right when he wordlessly took his place next to you.

He glanced at the oceans sparkling in delight at having his attention while you looked around for a moment, noticing the silence signaling the bird’s departure. For a moment you did consider if you had even truly seen it. He made no mention of it.

“There are not many that inhabit this area. The closest village still sits a good distance away from the pyramid’s beaches.” He observed.

“My, um, mentor had a research cabin built not far from the bay. That’s where I spend my time. The locals are cautious enough to build away. I’m sure it would make storm season just that more difficult to deal with if they were this close to the water.”

They were cautious but not only because of the storms. There were many stories that this beach held. Stories written by the Spanish of a demon that came from the water and cursed the land as hellfire rained down and destroyed what they had built. Stories from the villagers of an angry god that protected the area, that flew above the waters and feared nothing.

“Do you not fear the storms?”

“There are other things to worry about.” You surprised yourself with your honestly and made a point to evade his gaze when he turned to look at you.

“What do you fear?”

You kept your expression neutral, a mask you wore that was well practiced. It concealed your thoughts well enough. You were sure that he was not one of them; he clearly wasn’t from your world but there was nothing guaranteeing that it was safe to speak to him. You didn’t know him well enough. You didn’t know him at all.

He read you easily.

“My people were from these lands. They also did not fear the storms. They worshiped the god of the rain knowing that prosperity and new life would come after each strike of the clouds that would produce the rain and the thunder.”

“They were brave.”

“To put your trust in something unknown to you is a symbol of bravery.” His eyes met yours this time and though his tone was purely conversational, the meaning did not go over your head. “This world has forced many to hide who they are. It has taken their identities from them, made them ashamed of who they are. My people were freed of that fate. We were given something much greater this land.”

“I can only imagine what it looks like.” Your smile was soft but full of wonder. “I used to dream of finding Atlantis as a kid. In one of the homes I was in I found a map of the world in the basement. I spent so many days that summer reading all I could about it at the library and then running home and circling where I thought it was. A world away from this one? What I wouldn’t have given to just…disappear.”

“My city is called Talokan.”

“Talokan.” You carefully copied his pronunciation and felt proud when he nodded, pleased. “Do you spend a lot of time up here? For someone who lives at the bottom of the ocean you seem to have a pretty good understanding of what happens on the land.”

“It would be unwise of me not to know the ways your world changes. Many things tend to stay the same from my experience. It is key to notice what developments there are.” He continued. “I am from the sea as I am from here. My mother was from the surface world. These lands were hers. The god of rain had spoken to our shaman and through his blessing we were able to discover a way to live within the water. I was the first child born to my people. I am a mutant.”

Your reaction had given him just what he wanted.

It was a confirmation of what he had theorized from the moment he began to understand your connection to his world.

“Don’t say that!” Your words were harsh and your eyes were wide, standing to look around you as if you had forgotten it was the middle of the night and no one but the god shared the beach with you.

Everything told you to run.

You had not said, thought, or even acknowledged the existence of that word in years when you thought you had finally gotten away from it. You had outrun it. You had traveled the world, hopping from place to place, leaving few tracks and enjoying the safety of the oceans for years.

So many years.

Anger and fear had kept you alive for a long time.

You were not going to consider how your actions were disrespectful. It didn’t matter. He had been kind only to take advantage of your curiosity. You could handle the questioning, you could handle the looks of suspicion, all of that you could remain neutral to but that word, that damned word, would always find you.

He stood and watched as you walked closer to the water and threw the mask into the waves. He could see how angry you were at your own reaction, at the fact you left your emotions slip. You were choosing to stand your ground and defend your reaction. He could see that when you turned to him, eyes raging, dress caught in the breeze, moonlight forming a halo around you; you were a sight to behold.

“You can take your mask and stay the hell away from me.” Your eyes were watering and that only added to your fury.

“They have made you run for so long.”

He took a step closer to you.

He was being cautious not because he feared he would be harmed but because there was something growing inside of him from the first time he met you. He couldn’t explain what it was. It went beyond you being a mutant. That wasn’t important. He wanted you to understand that you did not have to live in that fear that others forced you to feel because you were different.

Something deep within him was answering to the pull that brought him to you.

You held a hand in front of you. “Stay away from me!”

The king stood still as the once gentle waves rushed forward. It wasn’t an attack and he would not label it as one but the water had moved forward aggressively only to pool at his feet before sinking into the sand and retreating. You seemed shocked by this too; quickly lowering your hand and turning to look at the pools you had been exploring that were now filled to the brim with water.

A little crab had been displaced from his pool by the wave and was making his way back.

He did not move as you quickly made your way back to the tree line and disappeared. Your expression had gone from anger, to shock, to fear at the mention of a single word. There was no more proof needed. It had not been a coincidence that night and it had not been your instincts either. The water did not only call to you but it answered your own call for protection, even if it was just a gentle push back; it had answered your call against him.

Your mask lay at his feet. Once again brought back to the shore.

He took it in his hands and admired the craftsmanship of his people. He knew you had liked it too, he had seen you admiring it. The inscription on the side held a message. He doubted you understood it. Perhaps one day he would tell you or your curiosity would lead you to the answer.

☀

The beach was soon left empty.

It’s two inhabitants returning to their homes each with a chest filled with swirling emotions.

The god bowed his head in greeting to his people as he walked into his hut and laid the siibil (gift) he had made for you on the table that sat in the middle of the room. He had enjoyed the moment of peace at your side. But there was no time to focus on what was but rather on what will be. Tomorrow’s sun will rise and there is no guarantee you would be seen again. But there was a change in the wind and something told him, deep down, that you would be in Zama for many more sunrises.

He took the shell that had his paints and turned to the wall behind him.

This was only the beginning.

☀

(Author's Note: I did take inspiration from the movie and I've been doing quite a bit of research to try and be as respectful as possible! I had the reader wandering to water as Queen Ramonda expressed that's how she found peace (I thought it would be interesting to have the reader find the opposite of peace doing the same thing), Zama is where the pyramid is located (which is modern day Tulum outside of the MCU), and the Maya did use nets to fish and you could see the Talokanil using nets a lot in that glorious scene where Shuri got a tour in the movie. Next Chapter should be up in a week! Thank you for all your support and for reading!)

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(A/N: Also, someone had asked me why I use the sun as my little dividers! The Maya saw the sun as a symbol of a new age; K'uk'ulkan brought the sun to his people, signaling that new age! Thought it would be nice to include it in!)

My Queen, My Sun and My Sea

talokan once had a queen. one who loved her people with all her heart—with the same heart she had given to her k'uk'ulkan for what felt like millennia ago. but they lost her to the hands of the enemy; it was a tragic tale painted on the walls of the king's mural, the pain searing itself onto his heart uninvited. he rules now with a darkened hole in his chest, fueled by the loss of his true love and a force to protect his people even more. after all, only the most broken people can be great leaders.

pairing: namor x fem!talokan!reader

warnings: bpwf spoilers!! death (i was lowkey evil for that), colonizers, inaccurate translations, nawt very proofread lol

El Niño Sin Amor.

That was a name that echoed deep inside Shuri's head, its bitter aftertaste lingering still; a piece of Namor that she'd just uncovered.

He was an enigma; a powerful being who rose from the sea, unannounced with his presence but has always been there, deep in the waters where he and his kingdom have flourished in the city of Talokan. He'd just finished recounting about his and his people's origins, how the colonizers brought a disease that left his ancestors to drink a concoction from a vibranium-infused plant found in an underwater cave to save themselves, turning them into water-breathing individuals; the Talokanil.

She turned to Namor with many questions unanswered, only to see him staring at something with a look akin to pain and longing on one of the surfaces on his murals, caressing the painting with a gentleness she had yet to seen from the god.

She shifted to the side quietly, trying to see what he was gazing at. When Namor bowed his head, Shuri saw a painting of a woman beside his serpent, posing regally with what looked like a staff in her hand.

She wore a beautiful jade and gold headpiece, green and brown feathers lining the outer layer, fading in its design as if the light was shining on them. It towered atop her figure, framing her perfectly like she was always meant to be there. She was adorned in jewelry, from the large, circular green jade plugs that hung from her ears to the tessellated necklace that she wore—a striking amalgamation of gleaming silver beads, plated viridescent tiles to carved gold pendants and everything that complemented her beauty. The woman had a tan clothe wrapped around her body, washes of terracotta and hues of sage and cream woven in stripes on the fabric. She was covered in jewels—just like Namor.

One thing for sure, she must have been of royalty in Talokan, or a goddess, perhaps. The corks in Shuri's head turned as she tried to figure out where the woman in the mural fit in Namor's story.

"Who is that?" Her question seemed to break him out of his reverie. She could see the way his body tensed at her question, and whether it was because she cut him out of his thoughts of because of what she asked, she didn't know.

It took a quiet moment before Namor answered, looking in deep contemplation with his eyebrows furrowed deeply and his eyes growing darker. The next thing he uttered was so full of emotion that it flooded through the sentence, his voice sounding thicker than blood.

"Leti' ka'ach in reina. My queen. In k'iino' ka, in k'áak'náabo'."

(She was my queen. My sun and my sea.)

For a second her words refused to make it out of her mouth. The Wakandan princess' mind didn't wonder to Namor having a queen.

The Namor now wasn't like the Namor she had met in the shores of her land with her mother. The Namor now felt like a broken man who would go the farthest lengths to protect his people. With every counting second of being in this underwater cave, Shuri seemed to discover more and more about the man, slowly laying bare the walls he had built around himself.

"Is she-"

"She was.. she was killed by surface dwellers." The god cut off, as if he couldn't bear to hear the words coming out from someone else's lips. He closed his eyes for a moment and Shuri felt the sea grow quiet for a split second. It was like it remembered their lost queen.

He took a deep breathe before speaking out and if one were to listen closely, they could hear the slight shakiness in his voice, like talking about this particular incident tore his wounds open again. "Years ago the surface dwellers tried to find Talokan. They were told of an underwater city filled with glittering gold and diamonds, with a palace of precious metals whose value exceeds all else."

"They are greedy, always taking and taking what is not theirs—beasts who ravage land with no mind of its consequences. She was there where the land met the waters along with the young ones, and those monsters crossed paths with them." Namor shook his head, disdain present in the way he moved his body and his words.

"The first thing they did they raised their weapons, pointing it at her when all she did was offer them her hands. She tried to speak to them, to negotiate with peace and kindness. But they are blinded with hatred." He spat that word out and Shuri almost flinched at his tone.

"With no mercy they killed her and the children. They took their lives as if it was nothing to them."

"When I emerged to the surface.. she was already dying."

One of your handmaids had been the one to inform him of the situation, barging into his mural room right when he got back from a trip with a growing panic in her eyes as she screamed in anguish, 'Le reina! Le reina!'

"I turned to those murderers and treated them with how they treated my wife and the young ones; I killed them with no mercy."

The feathered serpent god will never forget the possessing rage he felt when he saw what those killers did to his wife. Without a single doubt in his movements he flew towards them like a strike of lightning and sliced their heads off before they could even scream.

Something that would always haunt his dreams was seeing his beloved die in his arms, unable to do anything, running out of time.

Sometimes, if the K'uk'ulkan thought too much about it, he could still feel the way he held you in his arms, the jarring coldness of your body that surged across his skin like a bloodthirsty frostbite.

Your hair fell in a pool beneath your head, encrusted with blood that he didn't know where it came from. There was too much, too much of it that slithered around your body. With trembling hands he supported the back of your neck, bringing your face closer as he cradled your cheeks in his palms.

"Ma', ma', in puksi'ik'al.. jaap wicho'ob, láayli' ma' jach a súutuko'," he pleaded, heart racing a thousand beats at your weakened state. His fingers stroked your temples, tracing the skin from your eyebrows to the high point of your cheek and you swore you would forever savor the feel of his skin on yours.

(No, no, my heart.. open your eyes, it's not your time yet,)

"It's al-..right, in amado." You choked out, holding the hand that held your face and leaning onto his palms with whatever energy you had left in you. It was getting harder to open your eyes or even speak, the hole in your chest rampaging your body like an unquenched beast.

"In ku. Let go, K'ukulkan. Ts'o'ok in meentik le ba'ax táan des-.. destinado in beetik waye'.. je'el u páajtal in je'elel bejla'e'.."

(They call me. I've done what I was meant to do here.. I can rest now..)

He ignored your terrifying acceptance and gently quieted you, pressing his lips onto your forehead in deep fervor. "Save you words, in yaakunaj-"

Namor's heart threatened to jump right out of his chest when he felt your hand go slightly limp, desperately taking it above the crook of his neck, right where the ends of his jaw met his ears. The king held onto you so tightly, trying to keep you grounded with him in the world of the living as if the warmth of his body would spread life to your decaying one. He saw you smile peacefully, like his touch rejuvenated you for a single beat, slowly yet surely stroking the tip of his pointed ears as you've always done whenever you had the chance to. It was a small act of affection that Namor fell weak to, and he couldn't contain the abrupt cry that fell from his lips at the familiar gesture.

"K'a'as a puksi'ik'al yéetel a-.. a yaakunaj, in ajawo'," but even then your stubborn and insistent nature persevered. You spoke with only him and your love for him in mind, silently telling him that this will not be the end. That despite after all this when you will no longer be there to tell him just how beloved and brave he is, he should still remember what he had learned—what he had taught you. You hoped that it would keep him grounded and true, still fierce but with compassion and empathy.

(Remember your heart and your love, my king,)

"In.. yaakunech," and you let our your final breathe, the light in your eyes no longer shining as you stared up into nothing. At the least you looked content to pass to the afterlife in your husbands arms, a gentle lift on the corner of your lips to signify that you've moved on. But along with your departure you tore apart of Namor that he didn't think could ever be replaced—left him with a half-ripped heart and as a shell of the man he once was.

(I love you)

Now, kneeling on the prickling pearly sand tainted with weeping carmine, he was not a god. He was not the king of a powerful underwater nation, he was not a lethal mutant, a hero, a villain, or a protector. No, he was just a man. A man whose heart had been punctured with a hole in the shape of his beloved.

He screamed at the world with the voice of someone who had just lost everything, scorning the surface dwellers with a burning pit of anger and vengeance in his blackened heart. It echoed around the area, bleeding onto every rock, every blade of grass and every tree with his promise of death. The sea grew restless, mirroring the raging currents in his soul.

Namor choked a cry, closing your eyes as his hands shook with grief and pain, body threatening to collapse under his heartbreak. He brought your face closer to his, resting his forehead against yours while he scrunched his eyes closed, disbelieving and mourning of the loss of his beloved. Because no matter how much he begged, how much he cried for you, you would never come back to him, never blessing him with that delicate smile on your face again. The god stayed there for what felt like hours and days, whispering sweet goodbyes, harrowing sobs and promises to avenge you.

When he carried your cold body to Talokan, the people could only stare in shock and despair over the loss of their darling queen. In their eyes you were one of the most powerful people in the kingdom, not just because of your position, but because of your compassion and your love—something that knew no bounds.

It was a painful and gut-wrenching experience, to bury his own wife. It brought him back to the time where he had to do the same to his own mother, to cover her in clothe and put a piece of maize inside her mouth.

"The surface dwellers have taken so much. Talokan's queen, our home and our freedom. I will not let them do so again." Namor had a scathing look in his eyes, a latent tone of tiredness from facing a world that only took from him.

"She must have been an amazing queen and a strong woman." Shuri could only utter these words with a solemn expression on her face, unable to reply to such vulnerability of someone she had considered a dangerous enemy. Despite that.. there was an underlying empathy between the two. Shuri understood him. She knew the pain of losing someone you love.

"She was." A calm visage eventually spread around his face as he looked up at the glorious mural depicted on the walls of the room. "She had the biggest heart and the kindest soul."

Namor couldn't help but get lost in his memories of his beautiful wife. He speaks no lies when he describes you. You were the people's queen, as what the Talokanil called you. You'd always visit the people, play games with the children and scour the underwater markets that sold all kinds of trinkets and foods. Whenever the people needed you you were always there, willing to help them without a second glance as you opened your heart to them all.

After you death, whenever he would swim around Talokan and talk to his people—laughing and joking around with them—there would be this.. serene melody inside his heart, a gentleness that ran through his veins. Namor would feel the water pulsing on the pads of his skin and he'd always take a moment to close his eyes to relish the feeling. Then a smile would make it onto his face—the kind of smile that you would always tell him to show more often. His people felt it too, like a warm embrace to their soul, as if you were watching over them, still caring about them even when you were gone.

It was not only to Talokan's people, but to the ocean's animals too.

If there was one thing about his queen, it was that you had a deep affinity with the marine animals. Whenever the king couldn't find you anywhere in your room or in the palace halls, Namor would only smile to himself and swim to the clearing of the sea just outside of Talokan, watching his wife croon along the whales and the orcas, taking care of them as if your love spoke a thousand languages.

"In ch'ujuk, ko'oten paakat!" You would shout, gleefully waving your hand up in the air with no care in the world.

(My sweet, come and look!)

Sometimes he would only stay back and watch you with eyes so tender that it looked like he was entirely captivated by you. By your voice, your laughter, your smile; your everything. Other times, Namor would be too taken by you (as he always was), deciding to join you play with the creatures that you'd called 'your babies'. Whirling and chasing them around them felt like dancing in the water and Namor was too in love to ever deny you of your little joy.

Even now whenever the whales would call out to the sea, or when the orcas whistled and clicked along, he could still hear your radiant laughter singing along with them and oh how he longed to hear that sound again, to hear the melody of the ocean in its fullness.

You were simply the glue to Talokan; everyone adored the queen.

Until now, your throne still sat next to his, the jade and vibranium never ceasing to glow. Every time he sat there, watching over his people and celebrating his kingdom with defiant shouts of "L'ik'ik Talokan" he would always remember your face, remember the proud look you had when you would raise your fist to your chest along with everyone. Your memory will never fade in the heart of Talokan, always lingering in the brightest places, comforting during troubling times, because you will always be a precious piece of the kingdom that neither he nor his people would forget.

If he brought the sun to his people, you were the sun to him.

"You and I, we are not so different, princess." He broke his train of thought.

"Those people only see us as threats because they know we are powerful. They will not stop until they have what they want. It is a danger to my kingdom and my people—a threat to your people too."

Finally, Namor turned his head to face Shuri, a determined aura lingering in his voice and in his expression. She felt compelled to stare back straight into his eyes, the conviction in his tone like a true king. "And so I offer you again."

"Join me, and we will never have to see our people suffer, to see our loved ones suffer. We will no longer mourn our losses and bury the dead for unjust cruelty."

"Together, we will watch the world burn."

lawd this man singlehandedly got me out of a writing slump like.. making a fic with angst + namor = too easy 😩💳💥

this is my first time writing for him, so i hope it was okay! im so in love with him and i wanted to contribute my own piece to the fandom.

also, i'm pretty sure the yucatec mayan was not properly translated, so i apologize from my heart for the inaccuracies. please tell me if i have to fix anything!

dividers by @delishlydelightfuldividers and @rpinkling

tags: @bloatedandlonly

El Dios de la Brisa (K'uk'ulkan x reader) (1)

Summary: You are a passionate Marine Biologist who has lived in the Yucatan Peninsula for some time now. An accepted and welcomed member of the local village, you've been working through the heartache of losing your mentor and friend. You were not prepared for how your life would change and the discoveries you would make.

[Word count: 5,654]

. . .

There were many aspects of your profession that you adored.

You loved the time you spent doing fieldwork, gathering information about the diverse wildlife that inhabited the oceans and letting hours pass you by while you swim among them. You loved aiding in the restoration of habitats and looking at problems from all the different perspectives brilliant minds brought to the table to find solutions. You adored rehabilitating injured animals and felt a great sense of accomplishment and pride each time you released an animal back into the water where it belonged.

All of that is your driving force behind wanting to make a difference and take responsibility for the planet we all share and have to take care of.

There were threats to that passion.

Phone calls.

“The funding that your mentor left you won’t last an eternity. Listen, I know you are grieving her loss. We all are. But you need to stop finding excuses to push aside the real work that needs to be done elsewhere. Your technique of lab grown coral has completely revived the coral reefs in Culebra. You really impressed everyone in Puerto Rico with that. We need you here.” Enrique sighed, you could hear him shuffling papers as he spoke. “You’ve taken all her things back to her family and gotten a look at what she was working on in Yucatán. It’s time to move on.”

“It’s really nice of you to call in every week to repeat the same thing. Really keeps the conversation interesting.”

“You always have to take things the wrong way.”

“I’m not taking anything any sort of way. I’ve already told you, there’s something interesting here that’s got my attention and I have no intention of leaving until I’ve understood as much as I can. Funding or not, I’ll figure it out. I always do. Like I did before her, alright? So, thank you for the call but I don’t need you worrying about me. You or anyone.”

You didn’t enjoy being the sort of person that spoke to others like that but it’s what they brought out of you. You came from nothing and you had no one. Everything you had ever earned in your life you achieved through hard work and perseverance. You put yourself through school, through college, and with no help from anyone you managed to be taken under the wing of one of the world’s most brilliant marine biologists: Altagracia Alvarez-Delgado.

Paralleled stories and a common goal had united the two of you and together a real change happened in the world of ocean conversation. Your mentor had a way of inspiring crowds with her mastery in storytelling and she could create empathy in the hearts of others that got them to care – to truly want to join the cause of being responsible, intelligent, beings that could change the planet for the better. For everyone.

You had never admired anyone more. You never took a moment for granted, you never took her advice for granted, and you never took the many lessons you learned through her grace and humility for granted. You don’t experience loss when you don’t have anyone; her unexpected death sent you through a downward spiral you could not have predicted. It was in her honor that you traveled to her village to deliver the news of her passing and the last of her belongings. Her family had welcomed you, encouraged you to take up residence in her old cabin across the bay from the pyramid and gave you advice on how to find peace and comfort when you felt like you would never have it again.

It had never been in your plans to stay.

Now you couldn’t seem to leave.

You were naturally a curious person, always were. The draw to the sea called out to you like the hypnotizing melodies of a siren song. It didn’t matter if you never truly had a home because as long as you were by the ocean and allowed to get lost underneath its waves you would feel at home. There was something about the bay that called out to a part of you that was in tune enough to listen.

The first couple of months of living among the villagers you had taken to conduct undisturbed research of the area. Multiple times a day, Ines Delgado (your mentor’s mother), would spot your pack resting in the same place it always was in the shore line while you dove to the depths with your gear to spend time around the reefs and exploring the extensive cave systems. Each time you shared your discoveries with her over coffee.

There is one thing you could not get over.

“Ines, sinceramente, he viajado por el mundo y he visto todo tipo de ecosistemas y hábitats. Con la forma que están los océanos ahora, muchos de ellos están en diferentes estados de sufrimiento, pero estos…los que veo aquí son casi perfectos.” You had told her both in a state of disbelief and admiration, knowing that whatever your mentor had started here was working incredibly well. “Lo que su hija ha comenzado aquí es brillante. Ella es brillante.”

(Ines, sincerely, I have traveled around the world and I have seen all types of ecosystems and habitats. With the way the oceans are now, a lot of the ones I have seen have been in different states of suffering, but these…the ones I have seen here are almost perfect. What your daughter started here is brilliant. She is brilliant.)

Shaking her head, her hands trembled slightly due to her age as she brought the cup to her lips to drink. “Es la protección de el que la ha guardado.”

(It is all due to his protection, that has kept it safe.)

“Quien es el?”

(Who is he?)

“K'uk'ulkan. La serpiente emplumada existe. Lo he visto. Inspiro miedo en mi, cuando lo vi. Estaba vestido en trueno y oro, plumas y perlas. Alas en sus pies y rabia en sus ojos. Espero que nunca lo tenga que ver otra vez. Mi niña, tienes que tener cuidado por dónde exploras cuando estás debajo de esas olas. Rara vez estás sola. Nada existe en el océano que la serpiente no permita.”

(K'uk'ulkan. The feathered serpent exists. I’ve seen him. He inspired fear in me, when I saw him. He was dressed in thunder and gold, feathers and pearls. With wings on his feet and rage in his eyes. I hope to never have to see him again. My girl, you must be careful where you explore when you are underneath the waves. Rarely are you alone. Nothing exists in the ocean that the serpent does not allow.)

You promised Ines you would be careful. In a world where aliens can snap their fingers and change the course of life in the universe it never hurts to be aware and respectful of the myths and the gods others believed in for you never know what you might encounter. You had smiled and taken her hand in yours when the words left your mouth and a promise to be extra careful was made.

☀

It did feel as if you were breaking that promise now as you left behind your phone, not wanting to answer any more annoying phone calls, grabbed your pack and gear and headed up the trail to the base of the pyramid.

There was no escaping the heat.

It was simply impossible.

There was little solace to find in the shade provided by the thick foliage of the trees and the ocean breeze did manage to move leaves in gentle sways enough to reach you but your prayers to Kinich Ahau sadly went unanswered as the heat of the sun did not lessen. There were guided tours around the pyramid during the busy seasons where tourists invaded the peninsula in hopes of seeing, but never truly appreciating, the history that can be found in this land. One of the guides had befriended you and had mentioned a cave opening surrounded by an arch of hieroglyphics that housed the clearest water in the area.

It was believed to be a gateway to an ancient city forged in the depths of the ocean where the sunlight could not reach and many who still believed in the ancient gods left offerings for K'uk'ulkan.

Not only that but there were said to be schools of fish that pulsed light like eye catching signals that were rumored to be found deeper within the system. It had been mentioned a while ago and you had always had it in the back of your mind to see if you could spot and observe the fish.

What better time to do it than after a call reminding you that you might have to leave this paradise behind soon because of funding, of all things?

It had taken some time to reach your destination as it was not a well traveled path. Making sure you were hydrated and ready to go, you began to suit up. Your diving ensemble was state of the art. The suit itself worked wonders for helping you camouflage to your surroundings allowing you for the best sights of the marine life that happily swam around you after they got used to your presence. You didn’t have to wear a heavy tank that limited your time in the water thanks to the mask your mentor’s genius friend had invented and the fins you swam with actually worked pretty well when you were in a hurry.

Making sure your pack was hidden away in case someone else decided to explore the area, you carefully stepped into the water. The mask you wore covered your face entirely allowing you the luxury of not having to let your eyes adjust to the water. You did close your eyes for a moment, however, to take in how amazing it felt to be completely submerged.

This was home.

You were beneath a pyramid that was built somewhere along the 3rd and 9th AD by a powerful and rich civilization, miles away from where others would consider your actual home, sinking into an unknown darkness without any fear of what might be waiting for you. So many others would not find this particular situation comforting at all but you did.

The water called to you.

Like the soothing song.

This was home.

“Mi niña, tienes que tener cuidado por dónde exploras cuando estás debajo de esas olas. Rara vez estás sola. Nada existe en el océano que la serpiente no permita.”

(My girl, you must be careful where you explore when you are underneath the waves. Rarely are you alone. Nothing exists in the ocean that the serpent does not allow.)

Detaching the flashlight strapped to your thigh, you brought it up to shine at the cavern walls. You had been swimming for some time now, alone in the darkness, and though you had encountered some animals none of them were the glowing fish the tour guide had mentioned. What you had found, however, were intricate hieroglyphics that seemed almost untouched by time. Your eyes widened as you took in the absolute artistry in front of you.

How had they not been eroded by the currents after centuries?

You touched them and allowed your fingers to trace through the creases of the smoothly carved images. Had these been above water at some point? What did they mean? You could only make out a few images. Pushing back to get a wider view and moving your hair so nothing obstructed your vision, you listened to the sound of your own breathing as you moved the light further down; eyes eagerly searching for new wonders when suddenly your breath caught in your throat.

Eyes. You had seen eyes staring up at you and the moment your light hit them, whatever it was moved out of the way quickly. They weren’t the eyes of a fish, it looked human, it looked like a person.

You immediately moved your light all around you, twisting to see if you could catch a glimpse of what had run away from you. You had felt the water move and push against you as whatever it was swam away but it was back to nothing. It was just you in the darkness and the sound of your racing heart but you were no longer fooled. You were not alone.

Years of diving experience have made you become extremely well aware of your surroundings. You had to be when you spend as much time as you do in the ocean where the animals that lived there have evolved over millions of years to perfectly exist within the places you were not fully equipped to be in. That’s why you weren’t shrugging off what you saw as a figment of your imagination or a construct of your mind adjusting to the dark.

You saw a man. The eyes of a man.

And now you were seemingly alone but there was something there, something in the quiet shadows and you could all but feel his gaze.

Movement came from underneath you and into the path of your flashlight calmly wandered a nurse shark. Large, brown, and gentle; most definitely a nurse shark. Your brain began to give you facts about how many different species of sharks are cave dwellers and how nurse sharks are most definitely one of many different kinds found in the peninsula. You tried to calm your breathing to the almost lazy movements of the animal before you who was not frightened at all. It was home, it felt safe.

Yet you could not just simply calm your mind enough not to worry.

There it was again. You could feel something beneath you. Remaining calm, you closed your eyes as tightly as you could, reminding yourself of so many different situations you had been in where the danger level had been much higher and never had you felt this much fear. Never once had you feared even the biggest ocean creature but a man, this man…

You pointed your flashlight beneath you.

Below, curling up ready to attack, was a giant serpent.

Its tongue extended past its wide open jaw and around the head sharp triangle-like spikes circled around it in layers like a lion’s mane. The light only reached so far but it was clear that it was posed in action and ready to devour you whole.

K'uk'ulkan

Fear moved you before your mind could rationalize the giant feathered serpent to be nothing but a statue. You had never complained about the quality of the swimming fins you wore but quickly kicking your feet to get away from your perceived threat, you had moved too quickly right into a protruding hieroglyph that smashed into the shield protecting your face, your mask. You didn’t think that you hit it hard enough to crack but water began leaking into your mark by your eye, causing you to move both hands quickly to try and stop it. Your flashlight drops into the darkness. You cannot believe how unprofessionally you are acting and how stupid your decisions have been when you know better. She taught you to know better.

The water was now gathering beneath your chin. Your body was pressed against the cave wall, one hand trying to cover the crack in your mask while the other maneuvered around your bags around your waist to find something to fill the crack. Your hair bunched in front of you as you moved and during that movement something that went down to the cave floor and retrieved your flashlight.

You bet it wasn’t the nurse shark as the light turned off and the darkness did what the serpent wanted to do.

It swallowed you whole.

You centered yourself as much as you could and the water stopped as it reached your lips thanks to the plaster you had which you securely placed on top of the damaged part of your mask. It was not a permanent fix and you needed to get out of the caves. Now. Your heart was racing and you could feel your hand trembling as you gripped another flashlight from where they were strapped to your thigh but before you could turn it on strong hands grabbed your own and pulled you forward.

Instinctively, you thrashed against their hold hoping to escape but it felt like trying to pull your arms away from steel. You were pulled forward again and in the darkness your hands reached out and you felt…were those beads? A necklace? A chest? There wasn’t much time to determine what anything was before you were pulled further into the darkness. Whatever had you moved with the ease of an eel and the strength of a shark. It was disorienting being pushed around in total darkness with the water inside your mask splashing around, making you cough it out when your hazardous breathing accidentally made you swallow some of it. You could do nothing but let yourself be led.

You should’ve listened more carefully to Ines.

It felt like an eternity later but eventually you saw light. This cave you did not recognize but that mattered little as you were released and you began swimming towards the surface. You must be somewhere close to the surface as it seemed to be more than an air pocket where you were in. In the center was a platform, a perfect circle made out of stone that sat above the water and you gripped onto the edge with all your might ignoring the pain as you raised yourself onto it.

Your mask was the first thing to be removed as you moved to the center of the circle, coughing up water and breathing lungfuls of air. You were greedy after almost being sure breathing air was something that would never happen again. On your back, eyes facing the stalagmites reaching down towards you from the cave’s ceiling, feet still protected by the fins, and mask discarded next to you. You counted yourself lucky to be alive.

You had said it in your call to Enrique what seemed like forever ago even though it was just that very day. There was something about this place that refused to let you leave and your need to discover it, to understand it, had almost landed you a watery grave in the place you felt most at home.

Turning yourself onto your stomach, your wrists hurt where you had been grabbed and dragged through the water. Whatever it was, whatever that humanoid was, had the strength of a killer whale. You sat up and looked into the water. There was nothing there at first but then out of the water emerged a king.

You didn’t know who he was, what he was, but instinctively deep down you knew you were in the presence of something ancient, something above a human. It was like the water both clinged to him and helped him rise; a pure display of power just right there before your eyes. His hair was darker than the shadows of the caves, his neck adorned with gold and pearls, his eyes contained the rage of a summer storm, and on his feet…wings.

Fluttering white wings.

It can’t be…

He spoke in Yucatec Maya that much you were sure of. The pronunciation and formation of the words you were familiar with as the locals had tried to teach you one several occasions. It was too fast for your less than basic knowledge to pick out any words you knew but you did not need to be fluent in his language to understand that what he was saying certainly wasn’t good.

Then he surprised you.

“You have wandered around my home as if it belonged to you.” The anger in his voice was palpable yet he remained right where he rose from the water. “For many months, you pushed past the boundaries set in place and ignored the warnings to satisfy your own greed. My people have kept a close watch on you. You have trespassed for the last time, surface-dweller. What do you say for yourself?”

“I…” You struggled to find words, any words, in the presence of his might and fury. It may have been the incredible situation that you were in that made your mind override the need for survival with boundless curiosity and amazement. It was the only explanation you could think of for the way you sat up to look directly at him while your mind went wild processing and connecting what you now had knowledge on.

“It’s you. You’re…him. She was right. They were right! They truly had seen you. But the stories span hundreds of years, that must mean you’ve been alive for quite some time! A-and the reefs, the fish, they’re in abundance here. A thriving healthy community amidst so many disasters. If your people were watching me then-it was their work! I knew it! There was no way everything could be that pristine with the level of tourism, even with the help of the locals. It’s unfortunate to say that but it-it makes sense, you-”

He roared in Maya t’aan; though you may not have understood him exactly, you did understand context and his call for silence as his patience diminished. The cavern walls amplified his distaste as he stepped onto the stone circle before you. You bowed your head in fear of looking into his eyes again and kept your hands close to you in an attempt to stop them from trembling.

“My name is (Y/N) (L/N). I am a marine biologist and I never once intended to trespass into your territory. I have dedicated myself, my life, to the betterment of the oceans.” You explained through a shaky voice as he neared you, eyes firmly placed on the stone before you. “I may have wandered too close to places I should not have been at but I swear to you I meant no harm. Not to you, your people, or any creatures I may have encountered. Meent' uts, K'uk'ulkan.”

((Please, K'uk'ulkan.))

It felt to you as if an eternity had passed in the quiet that followed.

He wasn’t unaware of the state of the surface world. To be prepared for your enemy meant keeping yourself knowledgeable on their movements, their advances, their whispers. The reports he had gotten from his Talokanil is that you had an understanding of the oceans in ways they had not seen other surface dwellers have before. The ocean creatures calmed in your presence, almost welcoming it, seeking you out when you entered their home. You did not seem hostile or aware at all of their existence yet you chose to explore many of the routes created to lead to Talokan. You could never reach it. Not with your mask and suit that would do nothing to protect you from the pressure of the deep or the frigid temperature.

Your good deeds preceded you and just as your curiosity led you, unknowingly, to them it was his curiosity to meet the one his scouts spoke of that had led him to you.

“I have many names. My people call me K'uk'ulkan, but my enemies call me Namor.” He spoke with a deadly tone, causing your eyes to close as your mind jumped to the worst. “You have caught my attention as many surface dwellers have not. You are not welcomed in these waters and it will do you well to remember my words. Nothing roams my oceans, close to my people, without my permission and you do not have it.”

☀

There were many aspects of your profession that you adored.

Phone calls serving as reminders that your funding was running out was not one of them.

Being banished from the place you most loved by an ancient feathered serpent god was not one of them.

It had been a full moon cycle since that fateful encounter and you had taken a lot of that time to think about what the future held for you. It was difficult ignoring the call of the sea but that time had been spent being more involved with the village and carefully listening to all of the parts of their culture they chose to share with you. There were those that believed and those that did not heed the tales of the elders. You did your best to remain neutral but interested.

He had disappeared into the water after forbidding you from telling anyone of his existence and of what you had now come to know. Your mask had also mysteriously vanished. You had made it back to your cabin by the time the sun dived deep beneath the waves and for the rest of that night you could not sleep.

“Estos turistas! ¡No tienen respeto por nadie ni por nada!”

((These tourists! They don't have respect for anyone or anything!))

That’s how you had been woken up by a young boy named Mateo that you had befriended during your time in the village. He told you that there had been a big boat, painted in bright colors, that had been rented by some tourists a couple of times over; the boat was filled with men disturbing the wildlife and the boy had seen them wrestling a sea turtle out of the water. Mateo had shouted at them to stop from the shore but that did nothing as they did not listen.

The wind blew your hair behind you as you steered your boat in the direction of where the boy had seen the turtle go after it had been thrown back into the water. They’re fast swimmers and with only the light of the moon it would be a miracle if you spotted the injured animal but you had to try.

You were around the area of where the boat had last been seen by Mateo and looking back at the bay, you had moved farther away than they had been by a lot. But this is where your heart had guided you and you never doubted your instincts. You prepped the boat and lowered the anchor, quickly working on lifting the heavy ramp off the side of your little vessel preparing to have to lift a decent sized sea turtle. The bay was the home to many beautiful green sea turtles and though they were stunning, they were large heavy animals. Usually a rescue like this would be done by a team but it was just you.

You in the middle of the pitch black ocean you were told you weren’t welcomed in.

You were steady as the boat rocked and you held onto the railing of the steps leading down as you looked all around you and placed your hand in the water. This world had many living in it with special abilities forced to be kept secret for their safety. You did not believe you had any. You were sure there was nothing special about you until your early days on the field proved you wrong. You couldn’t communicate with sea animals but they did seem to come to you when they needed help.

Too many things happened that had no real good explanation for you to brush them off as coincidences.

The ocean was a completely different world from the one you lived on, now more than ever you were aware of that fact. Regardless of what you believed was real or not, you knew you could not go searching for the injured one so you closed your eyes, gripping onto the side latter until your knuckles hurt, and called out to the animal.

You felt ridiculous.

You weren’t special.

It wasn’t going to work.

Moments passed with no result and you had to fight the urge to just jump in the water, knowing the search would not be fruitful without your equipment. Your eyes watered and you scoffed at yourself becoming emotional. It had not been easy spending a month away from your research, away from laughing underneath the waves as fish darted around you and intelligent little octopi tried to steal your stuff. Just as it had not been easy to lose the one person who understood your need to be in the water.

A head with large eyes and hexagonal shaped markings popped out from the dark and soon the entire body came with it. The shell had been cracked, almost cut into. It wasn’t unheard of for tourists to try to remove the shells off the turtles to keep them as souvenirs and it angered you that it had even been attempted.

Your gasp of surprise quickly became gentle words of encouragement.

“Hi, beautiful, hello. It’s okay. It’s okay. You found me and I’m going to help you, okay? You’re a big girl aren’t you? I gotcha, beautiful. You’re so smart, all turtles are. I’m going to take care of you, let me just-” You had turned to face the deck and yelled.

K'uk'ulkan stood on the deck of your boat. Water rolled off his body and the moon silhouetted his imposing figure, allowing the pearls around his neck to glow on their own. The wings on his feet shook the moisture off of themselves and in his hand he held a scepter (or was it a spear, there wasn’t much light) crafted of gold and jade.

“You scared me! I didn’t even hear you-wait, your majesty, wait! I didn’t go back on my word. I need your help. Please.” You pleaded while frozen to your spot on the stern. “She’s hurt. She came to me for help. I can’t lift her onto the ramp and then onto the boat alone but if you could help me. Not for me. For her. Meent' uts, K'uk'ulkan.”

You had said it again. You had begged the god the same way you had done in that cave.

For the second time he was inexplicably moved to spare you.

The green sea turtle was young and healthy, you estimated around 200 to 250 lbs just by her sheer size. He showed absolutely no difficulty lifting up and placing the animal in the containment tub.

“I kept my word, you know.” You said as you quickly moved to grab a flashlight to inspect the shell. “I didn’t step into the water once. But this is my job, what I’m passionate about. I can’t just sit back and stay inside my cabin knowing there’s someone out here that needs me. If this gets me killed, so be it. Just let me make sure she gets treatment, an open shell like this is dangerous. I don’t want an infection to set in.”

You lost yourself in your work. Quickly diagnosing what you could without your equipment, writing it all down, and making preparations to get back to the cabin and contact the right people before you noticed that he was still there; watching your every move as you made it, concealing whatever he felt behind the strong confident body language of a god.

“You are different.” His head tilted to the side as he allowed himself to see you, to truly see you. “Her pain is soothed by your touch and you called out to her in the water. I saw you. How?”

“No, I didn’t do that. I was just, um, trying something. It’s a coincidence.”

“How did you know where to guide your boat in the darkness?”

You didn’t know what to say.

“I’ve got good instincts. I have to take her back to land and call the closest rehab facility. Will you allow me that much?” You asked, not wanting to rush him and ask the deity that may or may not decide to end your life to leave so you could get the turtle to safety as quickly as possible.

He bowed his head in agreement and you did your best not to sigh in relief right in front of him. It was left unsaid but it was understood and this would not be your last encounter and that it would not be the last time the conversation was brought up. You didn’t think about that now, or you tried not to at least, as you started bringing in the ramp and calling up the anchor to start your return to shore.

You had a job to do.

The god’s sentencing would have to wait.

☀

You had caught the attention of a god unlike any on the surface world had before.

There were no early signs of how much your life would change in the simple refusal of leaving the place you were slowly carving out a home after a lifetime of denying yourself one. The things you wished you could change were how you had gotten there; you would do anything to bring back your mentor. The past could not be changed but the future could be forged into whatever you desired.

There were so many stories to tell of how you got to where you are and you intended to share them. It’s been a long journey to get here.

To your boat sitting alone in the middle of dark waters, welcomed, with moonlight shining overhead.

With you sitting on the stern, hand in the water, calling out to the depths to the king that had stolen your heart as if it had always been meant for him.

It always took a moment and you could not see into the inky black waves but you could feel him approaching and your heart melted when a hand took yours within the water and laced your fingers together.

“You came.” You smiled, using your other hand to move his hair away from those eyes you loved so much.

“I always will when you are the one calling. Join me. I have much to show you.”

☀

((A/N: I'm excited to be actually inspired to write for the first in so many years! This is part one of many one shots that won't be tied to each other so they can be read in any order! If you got to this point and you want to talk about the movie, I'm just one message away! L'iik'ik Talokan!))