Shuri sat before the boys dressed in bright robes, small white dots brilliant against their ebony skin. Giggles erupted spontaneously between them as they chatted in the goofy way young children often do. Smiling broadly herself, she joked lightly with them as she gazed out across the lake just beyond and the tawny grass surrounding them swaying peacefully in the breeze. Feeling the warm sun on her shoulders helped to ease that persistent stress since Killmonger had been defeated and her brother returned to the throne.

"Shuri!" a boy called to get her attention from her daydreaming.

"What Uuka?"

"Tell us… again about the broken white man!" He had a gap-toothed grin and dancing eyes. The other children clamored in unison too.

Shuri rolled her own and regretted using that phrase out loud around the children. It seemed like an eternity since she has rebuilt the memories of Bucky Barnes from scratch using his notebooks and Steve's recollections. It was a such a struggle to remove the horrors of 70 years of pain not because Hydra was complex and cunning, but because they were so cruel and inhuman.

She had seen enough pain in his lifetime to last all of hers, easily.

"Alright." There was a squeal of happiness round the circle. "Once, long ago, there was a man and his best friend. They were inseparable, true brothers but not brothers."

"What does … insep… inseper…" the youngest child asked.

"Inseparable?" Shuri pronounced for him, "It means nothing can break their friendship. Not even death!"

"He is a Black Panther?" another child blurted, eyes huge and round, knowing the history of how all the Panthers make the journey to the Land Beyond to visit with the Elders who have gone before. The cat goddess Bast made this possible, ever Wakandan child knew this.

"No, sweet one. He is a white wolf."

"What is a white wolf?" the first asked.

"Hush and let her tell the story!" the oldest, Uuka barked. The others fell into line quickly only plucking at their robes to quell their fidgeting.

"As I was saying, he and his best friend had different life paths through many difficult and violent obstacles. There are people of the world who are not always kind and seek power over all else no matter who is in the way and will stop at nothing to get it." Several of the children's faces frowned in disapproval.

"Is that how he lost his arm? Is he still in pain? He sometimes looks… sad." Uuka asked thoughtfully , having observed Shuri when she brought Bucky to this remote location away from the palace after the coup attempt.

"Yes, he was hurt many times, including the original loss of his arm." Shuri said quietly, her eyes dark, "But what hurt him most of all, was he was separated from his best friend."

"But you said they were inseparable." another child added, confused.

Laughing, Shuri replied, "Yes, but I meant that their hearts and minds were not able to be separated. Are you right now away from your parents? Are you separated from them?"

"Yes."

"Are you inseparable from them in your heart even though you are not with them physically?"

"Yes."

"Understand?"

"I think so."

"Right then. So, his best friend, Steve Rogers and he were separated by these their two different life paths. But then, they were reunited because their hearts and minds remembered each other! But they needed our help to make Sargent Barnes's heart all right again because very cruel people did very horrible things to him. That is why he is here."

"But why do you call him White Wolf?"

Shuri gazed back at the hut, in which Bucky lay, still unconscious. "He is loyal to his friends beyond his own life. He is strong, and he is cunning. He is kind to his allies and merciful to his enemies." The happy memories of the Howling Commandos came into her mind from reading and listening to Steve. Their families growing up and sharing their homes with each other warmed her heart.

"So, he is like T'Challa?" Uuka asked.

"In some ways yes. But because of his past, he cannot be the same as our King." Shuri stood up from among the children, who also clambered their feet excitedly. "But all of you must remember, he is our friend. He is a good man."

Several faces beamed at her with anticipation. "I think it is time for our White Wolf to wake up and see Wakanda, don't you?"

Three boys pelted off before the rest could blink.

Bucky heard children. They were laughing. It was such a foreign sound, it took his brain several minutes to process what the sound was, so long had it been since hearing it.

Besides the laughing, he felt something he had not in a long time. He felt peace.

Opening his eyes, he heard a woman's voice chide the children away from him, as he looked up at three smiling face, giggling at him. Rising, the children ran away out the door of the hut.

He followed, the texture of the grass warm on his feet and the sun brilliant in the sky. A serene blue lake was before him and the lady, who he recognized as Shuri, princess of Wakanda, stood at the shore line.

If she had not been there, he would have sworn he finally died and had gone to paradise.

"Sargent Barnes." Shuri said warmly.

Quietly, he turned and looked at her, "Call me Bucky." Calmly, he returned his gaze to the lake.

She nodded in acknowledgement, seeing already the relief in his posture, on his face, and in his tone of voice. In her chest she was proud of herself that she could use her talents to help such a worthy soul, who never asked for any of his fate but bore it dutifully.

They stood together looking out over the lake, silently, while children played.

A/N- So, I looked up Xhosa names for children and used that for this story. The movie "Black Panther" uses Xhosa as the primary language of the film, so I felt that detail was important. I forget if it was two or three boys who woke up Bucky (Shame on me, I've only seen the film once). Thank you for the readership. Wakanda Forever…. And No SPOILERS on INFINITY WARS!