Lion Head Mesa sphinx

eight days after the children were born, ramesses called upon @Treva.
his trailing followers waited outside as tavina admitted their ruler, bowing him into sight of two young babes.
his lapis eyes flicked to her pretty, strained face. "you gave me a prince first," he said gently, reverently. but he could not tell them apart, and nor would he reach to try. she would do that, present their boy to him so that he might bestow the name which had come to him that first hour.

she did her best, under such dutiful care, to bounce back. yet still there was an exhaustion that loomed and she wondered if this was merely life now. more often than not her eyes remained shut, the children her only concern and she stirred only for them.

but today came ramesses.

carefully, she settled a calm look on handsome features. his words as comforting as they were jarring. she struggled to think of the newborns as anything beyond that.

yet now she gently scooped up a slumbering boy, settling him before her forepaws. he squirmed briefly, a few disgruntled sounds.

he's strong. this she only knew by doctor observation of their health, but it felt important to declare.

ramesses did not comment upon what was said, though he privately agreed the child did appear quite robust. after a moment's inspection, pharaoh straightened proudly. "he will be called sethnakht, Prince of the Crimson Land."
once 'crown' had been appended to siptah's title, it would not be removed until his death or ascension to the throne of pharaoh. and this child. this greatly healthy boy filled with royal blood: he might be the very thing to strike down the son of satsu.
it was the way of things, at least until a crown prince understood such young brothers might come by accidents which ended their blooming threat.
it was why there was no true harem in akashingo. he had seen firsthand its evil.
"it is customary for the queen to affix her surname before the first." nekubi ashikaga. nekubi makono. "if you do not have one, i will give her my mother's own: it is said 'muat-riya: fertile land beside the river.'"
again his eyes climbing to her slim shoulders and her pointed muzzle. ramesses had missed treva, though he could not and would not admit it.

sethnakht, prince of the crimson lands.

such a large title for the boy. she stared at him, gently roving a paw along his side. somewhere along her side the daughter stirred awake. content to find somewhere warm to feed and remain in silence.

queen.

her.

her surname, the thing she lacked. here again pharaoh would find a way to claim a piece of her. yet she did not speak out against it.

your mother's. she decided on, eyes turning from child to his face. she had thought she might feel something grim next time she saw him, but ill was lacking and briefly she wondered if pregnancy alone had driven her to such darkness.

she felt a light upon her now and she knew not what to do with it.

"muat-riya will be her title, then. what will her first name be?" from these two halves he would make her a princess of egypt, albeit one who might not see queenship unless she was taken to wife by a member of the original line.
such heavy visions for so young a daughter. and yet ramesses now had been given another future to plot out.
it was not easy. he thought only of himself for a hot moment.

muat-riya, came the title to her daughter.

the girl pushed against her side, tenderly working for her meal. treva wondered what the child may think. could they think? so young, so fragile.

muat-riya toula. treva spoke it into existence, willing the girl to hold some shred of her mother within her via name. she wondered if they would grow to have markings more of their father or of their mother.

"muat-riya toula, princess of the Red Serpent."
it was a fitting name. it would proclaim her a treasure, one trained in classics and with as many skills as she was able to learn. she was pharaoh's daughter. and soon her mother would soon be divine queen.
he wondered if treva was pleased for this. he did not speak of it out of respect.
he saw that she nursed them. his lashes lidded his eyes. "surely the sesh offered you a wet-nurse."

princess of the red serpent.

it all seemed so above her, so divine in a way that made her head spin. then he spoke some more in a way that rankled her brain. the only saving grace was her body being far too tired to expel these emotions physically.

she did. i declined. simple and to the point. she would hold no patience for if he would push back on it and she had been warned by the sesh herself! treva wondered if perhaps she ought to call the doctor in, backup available for this arguement and —

she found herself racing away with her thoughts. no wonder she was so exhausted these days.

ramesses knew treva well enough to hear in her voice that he would win no argument.
he flicked his eyes over the babes suckling ravenously at her breast. he was still vaguely disgusted but for the sake of his great feeling for her, he would say no more.
"blessings upon you for your delivery of a prince and princess," he said once more. "i will make a sacrifice to Tawaret and to Bes in gratitude for how They kept each of my children safe."
"soon you will be called queen. and the apartments of the queen will be yours."
they had been carefully maintained. the princesses had collected the effects of their mother and the rest would be buried with her. they were empty and pristine and ramesses was selfishly, secretly desperate to see them alive once more.
it would not bring satsu to life again. 
it would only remind him each day that she had lived in those spaces.

sacrifices.

her queen, the prior queens apartment soon to be her own.

she found something unsettling about the thought. perhaps because only what seemed to be yesterday she had been declared murdered. not to mention she had not heard any verdict after germanicus' arrival and departure. although treva was not sure any verdict may change the mind of those who looked upon her, sitting where a cherish dead queen once had been.

i wish to see you more, she told him solemnly. perhaps after the transition.

she didn't dare to say how much she missed his company beyond that.

grief may have unsettled him, but she did not forget the finer moments.

pharaoh looked upon his queen-to-be. "you will sit beside me in the throne room. and our days will run together." surely as ruler she understood that there would be many responsibilities of her own?
but he wanted her all the same.
"would you like a great feast and celebration for our wedding? or shall it be quiet. you make the choice."

a celebration, she declared suddenly despite the tiredness of her voice. she had grown so horribly tired of the sadness that clung to everyone. she remembered early on the way the crying seemed to continue even in her dreams.

weren't they exiting the mourning?

and while she had worries still of the view of her new position, she did find an importance in the moving forward. she had been left with a horribly big position to fill, the least she could do was raise spirits as she attempted to fill it.

i want there to be...festivities. happiness. laughter. she cared not now if she overstepped. allies should be welcomed too, if you want.

she found her head resting delicately over her forelimbs, a heavy lidded look to the pharaoh now.

ramesses agreed.
his wedding to satsu had been breathtaking.
he wanted the same for treva. she deserved it, after all; look how she had given him a prince and akashingo a princess. there was the possibility for three alliances in those daughters, and he would make such matches as royal as he could.
"we will set it for autumn. princess lilitu and prince charles will be wedded also. and lady maegi to the neb gucci. you will have much hand in this planning, once — everything is complete."
he looked lovingly at her for a bold, raw moment.

could be a fade <3

i look forward to it. all of it.

and she did. the ability to be a busy body once more and not so confined in the space. when the children could move and learn would be better times. when there was happiness once more in the halls and —

she let her eyes rest on him as well. too tired to hide the longing in her looks.

she could not bring herself to speak.