Lion Head Mesa Acceptance

Hoping for @Treva and maybe the kids? @Toula @Sethnakht.

The Prince sought out Treva, whom he had never even spoken with. After conversing with his father, he felt better about the events of Akashingo, and would try today to accept his half-siblings and future queen. He paused outside of her chambers.

"Treva... It's Prince Siptah. May I come in?" He hoped he sounded brave... or at least confident in himself. As it was, he was experiencing a lot of anxiety and fears.

A new voice was heard. Or at least, it was new to her. She would not remember hearing it rich with anger but days ago. That had not been when the remembering began. And so she did not think to feel afraid, or anxious, as she looked to her mother with a wagging tail. What gift might this voice bring, she wondered?
She made her way toward her unknown brother with a skip in her step, her happy prance revealing all too easily her mood. Although she was an intuitive girl, she knew not the things that plagued the figure at their door. He was lovely to look upon, and Toula easily trusted those with such a countenance. She adored him at once. She greeted him with a happy chirp and a smile that easily revealed her feelings.

the last face she had expected had been prince siptah. she had not missed the steel that had hardened him during the festivities.

she did not know whether to be as hard as steel too — or to be warm and welcoming. so she was neither. she simply was. toula, on the other hand, seemed to be her usual bubbly self. this she regarded for a moment with a warm look.

of course. she offered. i think toula would appreciate it too...

He was allowed in. The Prince smiled, perhaps a bit stiffly, but he entered the room all the same. The girl, Toula, immediately came towards him, all smiles and cute noises. He swallowed hard, feeling as if there was some great battle raging on within him. There was still a part of him that wanted nothing to do with them — Treva and her children. But he was trying to be better than that.

Siptah lowered himself to the floor, so he might be at Toula's eye level. Um... hello. I'm Prince Siptah, your half-brother, he wanted to say, but he could not. He looked up to Treva. How is... everything?

he came closer. her mother was near, and she heard one of the many names used that were signs that she was the one being heeded. the princess turned her head to her, beaming, and when she looked back toward the prince he was suddenly level with her. toula gasped and giggled as she bounced toward him. standing before his nose, toula gifted him with several kisses of greeting and a wagging tail.
his eyes moved, and he spoke. toula blinked before she moved alongside his muzzle, leaning her head against it to inspect his handsome features with a still waving tail. well-mannered and quiet, toula was happy just to be close to this one. one word that he had said, Prince, was a word she knew and loved—it had come to mean Brother, and Sethnakht... both things she presumed also to be the one standing before her, and the same, now, for Sethnakht. though this ones name would take more repetition to recall. like Princess and Toula and Sister, like Prince and Sethnakht and Brother. like Mother and Queen... like Father and Pharaoh. one word with many meanings.

things are...good. busy. she was uncertain if he wished for one answer above all. perhaps he wished for her to be flustered and floundering underneath the weight of everything. perhaps he wished for her to flourish and fill the large shoes left.

not that she had any intentions of exactly filling those shoes but...

i think toula likes you, prince. she cooed warmly.

He imagined she would be busy, raising two whelps. He did not press for more — it was neither his business nor his interest to know. Instead, he focused on the little girl before him. Puppy blue eyes set into a small, cute face, and then she was kissing him, leaving the scent of milk on his face and nose.

His heart ached for Satsu. Warm memories filled him, back when she had nursed him. He had been safe, content with his ignorance of the world, and now... Now he knew grudges, resentment, and crushing sorrow. The Prince was too young for such troubles, but still he would bear them.

The girl, Toula, pressed herself into his muzzle, still staring at him as if she were starstruck. He swallowed roughly as Treva mentioned the girl liked him. He admitted, I... I like her, too... She was sweet, still innocent. She could not hurt him like others could.

Siptah swiped his tongue over her forehead, then nuzzled between her ears before he looked furtively back to Treva. I wanted to apologize for my reaction the other day. It... it was not befitting of a Prince. He had seen her as a threat, then. He wasn't sure she was one any longer.

toula looked at him as he looked to her. toula thought she saw the same thing there that she saw in the eyes of those she cared most for, and beamed. she gave the same, without being asked, without needing it in return... her own love. toula giggled softly at the affection he bestowed upon her, burrowing herself between his forelegs and pressing her forehead up against his chin. she settled there, looking happily to her mother.
all felt right in the world. all was, to toula. a new love, and an old one... the latter everlasting, one she had known for as long as she could remember.

they were royal blood.

intertwined in most every way. even toula seemed to already understand this, in the way she fawned and lounged upon the prince. she smiled. warm, motherly, approving.

prince siptah's words caused her ears to turn. push towards him.

apology accepted. her voice careful and smooth, warmth still for the sight before her. you should know i never held it against you.

Last from me, trying to end all current threads so I can have a fresh start <3

The Prince breathed a soft sigh of relief. He had done what he'd needed to, and things had all worked out. Thank you, he told Treva softly, offering her a tentative, nervous half-smile. He then looked to the girl between his forelegs, and he chuckled at her. She... she is brave, for one so young. He wondered what kind of Princess she would make. I should go, he decided, gently nudging Toula back towards her mother. Offering them both another smile, Siptah would dip his head and then return to his own quarters, where he had much to reflect upon.