Lion Head Mesa Ilen En-mar

@Makono <3 vague on our other mother/daughter thread! but if anything major is revealed there... toula would still check in on makono so it makes sense. plus maybe we can attribute it to sleepy brain energy.

how her sister must be hurting too!
sister, Pharaoh; divine, now and always!
but it was hard. hard to think of anyone else other than the man that they had lost carrying such a powerful name. but who else could it be now, except for the one that had changed Ma'at?
it seemed they both granted one another the favor of space in the earliest days. but Makono had been so strong—Toula wanted to be strong, too. to be there for Makono to lean upon, a pillar for her as the new Pharaoh had been for her!
Toula spoke to a mazoi at her sisters door; she requested to join the Pharaoh. be strong, Toula demanded of herself—she blinked the water away from her eyes, and called silently to Iset for strength!

@Senmut would say a time would come, to sit her siblings down and speak among them. yet they mourned and she ran amok the palace balancing all the changes. Ma'at had changed much for her, but these things could not be changed.

it was a rare moment of peace that she sat within. idle chatter with a fellahin on the state of a room or the stock of a certain thing.

but there was a summon for her. there always was.

however it was toula. pure, pious, blessed toula.

makono did not need words in that moment. only offering open arms and hoping that she might scoop up her beloved sister in an embrace.

Makono!
their titles fell away, and as her sisters arms opened to her Toula knew that in this moment to embrace the divine woman would not be an overstep. and Toula did, swallowing the sob that threatened to overtake her at the sight of the familiar face that she loved so dearly.
in her arms Toula went, feeling safe—and as Toula opened and offered herself to her sister, Toula hummed a soft hymn to comfort. you are safe with me!
no words needed between them, then. the feelings they shared were great, and all Toula cared to know and to feel in this moment was that Makono was here, with her, alive. heart to heart, Toula leaned into her with a soft and adoring sigh.

she knew what toula was meant to be, in those comforting moments. knew that there could be no other choices. yet she did not speak it now. did not place the grand thing upon her crown. let them enjoy these soft moments for now.

a kiss to her sister's golden crown.

with one paw, she motioned a fellahin off. knowing that they would return with a meal of necessities only. in this mourning state, makono had not become fat upon her position like a lazy king. her figure stayed trim, the physique of a soldier as she would always be.

i love you. do you know this? another kiss, and another. her eyes softly misted. so sorry to have brought this grieving agony down upon her beloved.

she leaned into the touch, into her sisters affections, as she always had. all of Toula's fears seemed to go away, whatever they might have been. her father and mother were as capable as Makono in achieving this, but now... now it seemed to just be the two of them! and where could one acquire such a power? could Toula do the same?
she would try! she looked to Pharaoh with watery eyes, though the dam did not break. for Makono, Toula worked on her own strength, so very different than her sisters own. but let it be enough, she prayed—let it be a soft, comforting space for Makono to be liberated within. she could not be the snarling teeth, the protective shield just then... but she could, at least, be the place for Makono to land upon. no broken bones, no bruised or bleeding wounds here.
she saw the eyes of her sister misting. Toula encouraged this, an answering whisper-light kiss of reverence and love to her cheek. I know, she said in answer, and I you, sister, so much! she breathed, I am here. However you may need me, for Pharaoh carried it all!
Toula, softer edges than Makono, spoke gently but resolutely; for she could not so much as endure the thought of Makono carrying all these things alone! though she would make no demands, and even then had not—only willed for Makono to know that she was not alone.

she knew. of course she would know! the divine woven in all ways, her sister would always feel her love. no matter where they stood or what things happened. yet makono felt a deep need to make sure toula always understood this.

keep me company, stay by my side and — makono had a hoarding problem with those she loved. always wishing to keep them within reach and maintain all aspects of their life. perhaps that was a control problem.

you have a greatness in you, toula. just as me.

things were asked of her. all things that warmed her. how could Toula dream then of leaving her? she said nothing, though nodded; it was not something she felt commanded to do by Pharaoh then, but the spirit of her sister, the divine need they both shared. for her sisters thoughts echoed her own. do not leave me, her own spirit willed in turn, and was answered by shared sentiments!
but she did not expect the next words. her breath hitched to be compared to the incomparable divine one before her, the one that had changed Ma'at! but how could she not believe Makono, who had never uttered a lie to her own ears? it was hard to see in herself, though she did understand she was divine. it felt wrong to question her, and Toula did not, not really! not in this, nor anything then.
but she admitted to Makono, I have not looked at myself, as you have... implicit trust, then, to believe it! Toula stood a little straighter, though leaned softly against Makono still. I only know of Your greatness, and aspire to always make you as proud as you make me, and their parents, too!
all that she did, she did and would do for love!

makono had been placed in a high castle. given a platform for others to gaze up. she knew this and yet it stung that her own blood thought they too did not carry this!

siptah had crumbled. ashikaga ridden with grief. sethnakht wayward.

perhaps makono had been the only one to carry this. could toula carry the weight of it? this blessing given to them in the wake of their father's passing? she clutched her tightly now, for a moment. silent and pondering.

i am without shabti, toula. she confessed in a soft voice. settling her muzzle near her sister's ears. two women placed high in the eyes of akashingo! do you see such in yourself? did she have what it took to continue the concealed protection of akashingo too?

it was enough for her to feel the weight of her sister ease upon her, slightly—though this was just Makono leaning toward her, to speak of things Toula did not anticipate hearing!
Shabti. her mothers position. their mother before them. one poisoned, the other...
where had her mother gone? her heart yearned, her mind reaching into the depths of darkness to just remember...
but the word Shabti frightened her now. it felt cursed. perhaps she could bless it, bear its name renewed, but Toula thought beyond that to the whimsical (and true!) stories of ancients past. descendants.
did she see it in herself? no, not before—but she sensed that Makono must, to ask her. and that the question came... Toula felt deeply honored. I never imagined it, Toula breathed. Toula had been born and prepared to be wife! she bore none of the weight that Makono had, and yet, Toula stood tall, prepared to.
she confessed her own secret to Makono. I... when father, or sometimes the Hem Senmut, would speak stories of the past... I dreamt of becoming a Queen, a silly, girlish fantasy to play with, and at! but here it was. the Gods were cruel to bring it about in this way, she thought as grief stabbed her, but were they also not good?
not just a queen. a great one. perhaps... perhaps Shabti could be renamed, a silly suggestion, perhaps—ah, perhaps another dream! but by your side... be it Shabti, be it Queen... she breathed, for Great should be an epithet earned, should it not?! I see that my dream has answered me...
she was astounded by the Gods then, and Makono, divine herself—had she known them? perhaps! Toula leaned into her sister now, a little dazed.

she had dreamt of becoming a queen.

makono had known she was always a lioness in waiting. prepared to lead the pride of her father. with teeth and claws fit to sink in on the flesh of akashingo — which had come. now she stood as pharaoh with lapis eyes gentle upon the gold brushed hairs of her sister.

queen.

she held her closer when she leaned in. prepared to be a pillar of stone for the emotional weight they both already carried. it had not been just makono who had experienced loss!

you are divine in all ways, toula, no matter titles. she sought to remind her sister with a firm but kind voice. and your reach among the faces here and the land beyond is already that of a queen. now makono need only solidify it!

we will speak with the high priest senmut, hm? a title given before he even knew it. he has helped me with my greatness and he will help yours. all things can be sorted, if you accept.

the reminder served her well. Toula took it in, let the reminder ring in her mind. yes, she was divine; at least, were she called Divine Queen it would be true! for divinity was in their bones, their blood. 
she would make her sisters words so! for Her, Makono, and for their divine family.
further peace was felt as she heard of their pious priest, high priest! yes, that was right, too, she felt. moving to gratefully nose her sisters chin, eyes still wet with their shared grief and pain (but now brighter with love, and hope!), Toula nods. I accept, for you! for Akashingo! her voice unwavering in that moment as she smiles to Makono. her sister had asked; Toula would always answer.