Izogie X Fem!reader - Tumblr Posts

Y'all best go read this, it's so GOOD (especially if you love Princess!Readers)

The writing is so beautiful 😭

(Part 1)

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: hints of anxiety, you're awkward af, & heavily self-insert/indulgent fanfic.

Kikongo translations: Mindele = white people

The rhythmic gallop of the horses would have lulled you to sleep if you weren't afraid of falling off. Keeping your left hand around your rider’s waist, you wiped the creeping fatigue from your eyes with the other.

‘Time to look alive.’ You thought, putting on your royal face before you would greet your cousin’s kingdom, Dahomey. Your new temporary home. 

You were the youngest of 6 princesses from the Kingdom of Kongo. Since your dear mother gave birth to all girls, the pressure to marry a man was heavy among you and your sisters, almost suffocating for you.

Suffocating to the point you made up some nonsense lie about wanting to study in Dahomey under your cousin Ghezo’s watch. 

Study for what exactly? Something about the inner workings of running a kingdom; conducting meetings, learning trade and economics, hosting celebrations, and whatever else you aimlessly rambled on about to your parents so they’d be convinced to send you away.

The outer Dahomey homes started to draw near as time slipped by while you were in thought. Your aching back groaned as you straightened up, fighting the winces that threatened to disrupt the grace you were trying to muster.

The citizens of Dahomey watched as you made your graceful, yet quiet entrance into their home. You didn’t go outside of your kingdom much, so you were torn on whether to meet their eyes and smile, or keep your gaze forward to the royal gates of your new home.

‘Am I coming off cold?’ The palms around the chauffeur’s torso started to become sweaty as your nerves were getting to you. 

‘Just give them a smile or something, my gods Y/N.’ You overthought. Turning your head and looking at no one in particular, a small smile tugged awkwardly at your lips.

‘Not like that!’ Heat rose to your cheeks as your own thoughts managed to embarrass you. You decided to keep your eyes locked on the gate until your traveling group reached it.

The guards slowly swung the gates open and you were greeted with the clanging sounds of swords and grunts. Your eyes marveled at the scene in front of you.

It was the Agojie. The whole continent of Africa had heard of this fierce army of women. 

There were mixed opinions, of course. 

Most of the elders believed women had no business wielding a sword. Children thought they were the coolest people alive and wanted to grow up to be as brave as them. The men scoffed whilst being secretly intimidated. The women listened with admiration, but never outwardly expressed it to avoid upsetting their husbands or future prospects.

However, you never hid your awe of the warriors whenever they were brought up in conversation. You were a child of very few words growing up, but when there was something you were passionate about, you couldn’t fight the desire to gush about it to whoever was willing to listen. The passion would bubble in your abdomen like hot hibiscus tea, and threaten to spill messily over the sides of the pot if you didn’t say what you desperately needed to say.

Your gaze bounced around the compound as you tried to take in as much as you possibly could. 

“Holy shit, the stories don’t do them any justice.” You mumbled to yourself, not noticing the way your chauffeur shortly glanced back in shock at your sudden profanity.

A tall Agojie soldier stepped forward as your chauffeur pulled the horse to a halt. The sounds of metal clashing faded and the warriors' attention on their sparring partners now shifted to you, Dahomey's royal guest. 

'Holy shit, now they're looking at me.' Ignoring the anxious heart that started to knock against your chest, you let your rider ease you off the stallion. The woman bowed to you as your feet touched the compact, brown sand.

"Welcome to Dahomey, Princess Y/N. My name is Amenza and I will be escorting you to King Ghezo today." She greeted. You slightly cleared your throat before replying.

"Lovely to meet you, Amenza, and thank you." You greeted back in Fon. Amenza prompted you to follow her back to where your cousin was and you followed, trying your best to ignore the curious eyes on your mahogany skin. 

A certain set of eyes was hard to ignore though. Your gaze felt pulled to your right as you trailed behind Amenza. An Agojie who seemed a few inches taller than you from where she stood had the same curious glint in her eyes that the others held. And a bit of something else as well, but it was hard for you to pinpoint what exactly.

"Princess?" Amenza's voice broke their stare and you turned to her with raised eyebrows.

"Sorry, what was that?" 

"I asked if you had a good journey on the way here, your Highness." Amenza repeated, smiling in amusement at your habit to be in your own world.

"Oh, yes." You glanced back at the woman you locked eyes with, and she was indeed still looking at you. "Just a bit fatigued, is all."

You retired to your new room after you caught up with cousin Ghezo and got acquainted with his wives. Thankfully, he decided to give you your own room so that his wives wouldn't "keep you up with their gossiping"; which was a relief to you since that was one of your biggest pet peeves. 

Your studies would start in a few days, so you had some time to rest. What would you do in those few days? You had no clue. The absence of all your sisters' different personalities left you absentmindedly trudging about your room not knowing what to do with yourself. 

Eventually, you decided to go outside into the corridor of the palace and wander. You weaved past some of the king's frolicking children and nodded at some of his conversing wives that hung around in the hallway. Your feet eventually took you to a snug sector of the palace that had windows that faced directly towards the Agojie compound.

You let your curiosity guide you to a window's edge, and you sat like you were an audience member at a performance. 

If the gods allowed you, you would watch them for days. Your sisters would often make tongue-in-cheek remarks about your unusual interest in the Agojie. 

"Wow, she gushes more about the Agojie than any of her suitors! Maybe you should marry one of them instead, hahaha!" They teased one time. That joke alone sent you into a stuttering mess as you tried to defend herself. It didn't work though, it just turned into an inside joke after that. 

Too lost in thought fondly remembering your sisters with your gaze upon the Agojie trainees, you failed to notice someone stepping up behind you.

"Hello, Your Highness." The voice made the hairs on your dark skin stand at attention as you jumped, placing a hand on your thumping heart to prevent it from bursting from your chest. There the woman stood before you, with her palms relaxed over her machete's hilt. 

"Oh shit! I mean- sorry, you scared me!" You exclaimed, wincing at your own profanity. 'My first day here and I'm already not acting princess-like.'

"My apologies, Princess Y/N, I didn't mean to startle you." At first glance she did look apologetic, but one could tell that she was fighting back a smirk. "I saw you looking by the window and was wondering if you were in need of any assistance. My name is Izogie."

'Izogie. That's such a pretty name.'

"Uh, thank you, Princess." Your head tilted in confusion before it dawned on you that you said that out loud. Your cheeks burned and you thanked the gods that you were blessed with dark skin. Because if you were one of those mindele that came to Kongo from time to time, you'd be as red as a yam.

"Oh uh, yeah no, I was just... looking. I don't need anything, thank you for asking." It was strange how nervous you was getting in front of Izogie. You couldn't give yourself an answer. Maybe it's because of your massive admiration for soldiers like her. Maybe it was the confidence that was radiating off of her that you wanted to emulate.

Or maybe the way your heart skipped a beat every time you locked eyes.

"What exactly are you looking at if you don't mind me asking?" Izogie stopped fighting back the smile she held back as she prodded. Your hand, ordained with Kongo's finest jewelry, began to fiddle with your necklace as you tried to pick a scrambled thought that wouldn't make you as awkward as you felt at this moment.

"Well... it's not necessarily what, it's more who..." You trailed off, shooting a quick glance at the trainees. Izogie remained silent and answered with an eyebrow raise, waiting for you to continue.

"I was just watching the trainees. I've heard plenty of stories of you ladies down south growing up." You explained. The warrior asked if she may sit and you readily permitted.

"What do the Kongolese think of us?" She asked as she set her weapon aside so she could sit better, facing you.

"There's mixed opinions, to be honest." You looked off to the side to think, partially for fear that Izogie's undivided attention on you would cause you to stumble on your words. "Some admire, some don't understand, and others don't favor the Agojie much."

"And you?" The pointed question made your eyes widen for a split second. 

'This fierce warrior wants to know what I think?'

"Me? Oh well, I think that... you women are fascinating." You shyly responded, taking more interest in your necklace than the woman in front of you. The compliment made Izogie unconsciously smile wider.

"Why thank you for thinking of us highly. It's an honor." She slightly bowed with a hand across her chest. You weren't sure of how to respond, but before you could, Izogie stood back up.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to let me or anyone else know. Welcome to Dahomey, Princess Y/N." And with one last bow, you watched as she turned and walked back out through where she came. Not without admiring her muscular back as she walked away.

'Wait, did I just...? Seriously, what's going on with me?' You criticized yourself, blinking rapidly as if it would delete the mental image you took of Izogie's backside. It wouldn't.

A reflective beam of light flashed in your eyes offensively as the sun peaked out from the clouds above. With squinted eyes, you peered down next to you to see the machete that she left behind. 

Your delicate hand grasped the sturdy hilt. The weight of the weapon surprised you, but you quickly adjusted by sliding it towards you to your lap instead. The long curved blade was sharp and sleek, yet there were faint scar-like marks of varying sizes decorated across it. They made you wonder how it got each one, and if Izogie has similar scars on her body.

"Stand up! Are you just waiting to die!?" The shouts of the weapon's owner reminded you that she might need this at some point and you had to return it.

But that little mischievous devil on your shoulder was suggesting to keep it for tonight. 

'It's only one night. It's not like Izogie doesn't have other weapons. Plus, I can probably practice a few swings before I go to bed, then I'll return it first thing in the morning.' You bit her lip, torn between doing the right thing now or later.

'Later.'

"Ah fuck it, I'll give it to her tomorrow." Your itch for mischief was satisfied as you retired back to your room for the rest of the day, only coming out for dinner. 

Throughout the night, you sliced through the air with clumsy strikes in your candle lit bedroom. 

And Izogie softly chuckled to herself in her own bed, wondering when the cute royal guest would return her machete.