Two Eyes Cenote stars, aligning

for her a thousand times would he divert a river, uproot a mountain. for senmut was fellahin first and priest second, and prince third; servant to the darkness of fallow earth, servant to the gods, servant to queen, servant to pharaoh.

for senmut found in him the exquisite pleasure of service to those divine; fulfillment; contentment.

he was no romantic but he had learned what it might appear; he was not a man one might look upon and see lover, but senmut understood truth, and saw well enough which filled her unsaid gaze now.

to find it inside himself, wavering;

in daring touch he reached forward to brush breath from the inside of her wrist up into the crook of her elbow; never quite touching her hallowed person and yet allowing the whisper of thin hairs to speak for themselves as he woke them with the soft wind of his exhale.

"only you, pharaoh."