Princess Protection Program - Helmut Zemo x Wakandan! Reader
Chapter 1: The (Not Quite) Meet Cute
Chapter Summary: Y/N and T'Challa mourn, and she meets a certain German psychiatrist.
Chapter Warnings: Mentions of death of a family member, Drugging.
Notes: Female Reader, No beta read.
Word Count: 1520
The young prince, T'Challa, paced back and forth in the office. It had been a stressful day. He had fought the renowned Captain America.
Through the glass walls of the room, he saw a figure approaching. It was Y/N, his cousin who had he had been raised with like a sister. The approaching girl looked as innocent and demure as always. The structured business attire she donned looked out of place on her as she was more suited to the dainty dresses she usually wore.
The door opened, and the young woman rushed into her cousin's awaiting arms. The sound of her sobs filling the office. The girl pulled back,
"What happened, cousin? Is it true?" She asked, eyes glittering with tears.
"Yes, that man killed our king. He murdered my father, our father in cold blood," T'Challa stated.
Y/N fell back into the Prince's arms, once again sobbing. Y/N was not the king's daughter. She wasn't even from his side of the family. She was the daughter of Queen Ramonda's younger brother, and after he and Y/N's mother's mysterious death the Queen and her husband took the girl in. They raised her like their own child, and in return, she felt as though they were her parents.
"I tried to bring him the justice that he deserved, but Steve Rogers protected that murderer, the Winter Soldier," The Prince spat.
"But Captain America saves people. He’s good." The girl marvelled at the information given to her.
"I thought so too, cousin."
»»——⍟——««
The pair sat at the desk. T'Challa had calmed down enough to have the tea that was brought in. Cup in hand, he wondered what the girl was doing so far from safety. Y/N had been in the UN building during the bombing. She had been scooped away by the Dora as soon as she was found in the rubble.
Y/N had accompanied her uncle and cousin to Vienna for her first official trip as a diplomat after her university graduation. She didn't want to attend the UN meeting, but never could say no to anyone.
"I'm grateful for your company, Y/N, but I must know why you've come here? You should be somewhere more secure," T'Challa inquired.
Y/N gently put down her teacup and patted the corner of her lips with a cloth serviette, "This tea is wonderful. Uncle would have enjoyed it," The girl mused, trying to change the subject.
"You haven’t answered my question, Y/N. What are you doing here?"
Taking a deep breath, she said "I've been asked to do a job,"
When T'Challa stayed silent, she continued, "Rather... I asked to do a job... I asked to sit in on the Winter Soldiers psychological assessment."
T'Challa stood suddenly, making Y/N gasp as the table shook.
"You will do no such thing!"
"T'Challa, please. I'll be fine. It is my job, after all," Y/N pleaded. She hated to see people upset, and it made her feel even worse when she was the cause of it.
"That man is dangerous!"
"I'm aware, but I have to see him, I have to see the man that took our father from us" Her voice cracked, making the T’challa soften.
The Prince settled back into his chair, and Y/N took his hands. "Please let me do this. I'm begging you".
»»——⍟——««
The session was due to begin soon. Y/N stood alone outside the door, waiting for the psychiatrist to arrive.
Composing herself was more challenging than she thought it would be, but King T'chaka's murderer was so close, so who could fault her for being terrified of the man that had shaken her family like this?
Y/N felt fresh tears gathering.
"Is everything okay, Frauline?" A masculine voice said from behind her.
Y/N jumped with a squeak as she spun around to find a handsome young man before her. He had short brown hair, a five o'clock shadow and a pair of glasses on.
"I'm fine, thank you, sir. I'm just waiting for the doctor," she assured him.
"Oh," he says, extending a hand, "My apologies. Dr. Theo Broussard"
Y/N takes his hand and gives it a weak shake. She smiles timidly. This wasn't who she expected.
"Y/N M/N L/N, ward of the Wakandan royal family, but I prefer just Y/N. I'm here to observe the assessment process?"
She sees the doctor's jaw clench at her last statement but pushes it aside.
"It's nice to meet you, Y/N. Ward of the royal family, you say? Do you share any relation to the late King of Wakanda" he ponders.
"He is- was my uncle" She shifts uncomfortably, and the man sends her a sad look.
"I’m truly regretful of his loss. He seemed like a good man."
"Thank you, he was," Y/N said, thinking fondly of her uncle.
"I feel inclined to ask about the ethics of your observation. You are, as they say, 'too close to the case'"
"I assure you, I won't try to sway your judgement on the Soldier's evaluation. You won't even know I'm there," Y/N says
Dr. Broussard hums and looks into her eyes, reading her.
"Are you frightened to go in there?" He asks
"I won't lie, I am. I've always been very good at making other people feel better, be more at peace, you know. That's why I felt it was so right for me to pursue a career in psychology. But here I am, with my degree, and I can help everyone feel better but myself" She laughed a bit, and the doctor smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"It will take work, but you'll find a way. And remember, James Barnes is restrained. He can't get to you."
He fishes something out of his pocket and offers it to her. It's a Turkish delight. "Something to calm your nerves."
Y/N smiles and takes it. He watches her unwrap it and pop it in her mouth.
»»——⍟——««
Y/N didn't feel right. She was beginning to feel a bit weak and foggy.
Chalking it up to the fact that she was sat in a dim room with a killer, she ignores it.
As the doctor had said, the Winter Soldier was restrained, but it did little to help her feel safe. She did feel angry, an emotion she hardly ever felt but as soon as she had set foot into the room and saw the Winter Soldier, anger and fear consumed her.
Y/N was seated in a chair beside Dr. Broussard. Sending an icy glare, she didn't know she was capable of towards the man behind the glass.
"Tell me, Bucky, you've seen a great deal, haven't you?" The doctor asked.
"I don't want to talk about it," The Soldier said with a downtrodden tone, and a pang of pity hit Y/N's chest. She tried to push it down quickly, but it lingered.
Y/N began to feel light-headed. Touching the back of her hand to her forehead to make sure she wasn't feverish.
"Ms. L/N, is everything all right?" He asked, noticing her movement.
"It's nothing, Doctor."
He clears his throat and continues talking to Bucky. "You feel that if you open your mouth, the horrors will never stop."
As the doctor said this, the pity Y/N felt began to grow. She knew what HYDRA had done to him, and looking into his eyes, she could see that he was haunted. 'But HYDRA didn't make him kill my uncle' Y/N tried to convince herself, wanting so badly to remain angry, to show loyalty to her family, but the pity still grew.
The fogginess in her mind also grew. Stars began to gather in her vision, and she felt her eyes clouding over.
"Don't worry," The doctor says to the Winter Soldier.
Y/N stands, ready to excuse herself.
"We only have to talk about one," the doctor finishes.
The woman collapses to the ground as darkness and blinking, red lights overtake the room.
The powers out.
Going in and out of consciousness. Y/N hears banging and words spoken in Russian as she desperately tries to stay awake, translating what she can.
"Seventeen"
Bang!
"Benign"
Bang!
"Nine"
Bang!
"Homecoming"
Bang!
"One"
Bang!
"Freight car"
Crash!
Silence fills the room.
"Soldier?" she hears the doctor ask in Russian
"Ready to comply," The Winter Soldier replies.
Y/N's mind goes blank.
»»——⍟——««
Looking down at the girl passed out on the floor, Zemo couldn't help but feel a little bad.
The reason she had gotten in his way was because she was looking for closure over something he had done.
He knelt beside her and took off his jacket. Folding it into a makeshift pillow, he raised Y/N's head and places it beneath her. It was the least he could do.
He ran his thumb over her cheek. Even in a coerced slumber, the pretty young woman looked so peaceful and vulnerable—a sleeping beauty. 'How ironic,' he thought.
Far off he heard the footsteps of Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson as they approached.
He didn’t linger anymore. There was still work to be done...
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