Lion Head Mesa she who waits

set for midmorning sept 19th <3

at midday, an invitation came for the matrona @Aquene in the quarters she had been given. the invite was for her, the message said, but of course she was more than willing to extend it toward other members of her contingent. 
ramesses could scarcely be parted from @Treva. they had slept twined in the queen's quarters, woken to one another, and bathed luxuriantly in the wellspring. guests, well-wishers; they grew fewer and fewer. 
a light repast had been set out for the divine pair and any guests: rabbit meat and plain berries this time, fresh and unfermented. a large piece of honeycomb completed the meal.
pharaoh lounged with treva upon the eating mats, and could be seen whispering something quite lewd into her ear when their peace was disturbed by an announcement at the door.

her life was love and bliss.

another marriage was soon to come and go too, but she was so enamored in her own! she often held tightly alongside the pharaoh, a fawning wife with eyes only for him.

even when he dared to whisper things in her ear, the moment before they had company. she laughed warm and low before pulling herself together. inviting emerald eyes warm upon their guest of the hour.

Aquene had received the invitation to her quarters, rising and stretching out her limbs for a moment before she was escorted down the halls and towards the quarters of the newlywed couple by one of the servants that roamed the Mesa. It was so strange, and so different. She still was not certain what to make of it all, but would no doubt discuss her interactions in detail with the Imperator upon her return.
 
The rest of the party, to her knowledge, were sleeping off the previous night’s endeavors but she had requested each be notified in case they wished to join her, the Pharaoh, and the new Queen. She dipped her head in a polite greeting upon the arrival. “Pharoah, and Shabti… congratulations on your nuptials once more.” She would not hesitate to congratulate them each time she saw them, feeling it only polite.

ramesses saw that it was aquene, and she was alone, at least for the present. "thank you," pharaoh purled. "please. sit with us."
he indicated the place across from himself and treva settling beside his queen with the air of a contented cat.
"this is lady aquene, matrona of mereo," he said to his wife, though she would surely already know who had come to their wedding.
"germanicus is the imperator, but mereo does not function without both roles in support." it was a declaration meant to flatter — but also to inform treva that aquene might be amenable where germanicus was not.

she righted with warmth for the matrona.

lady aquene, she regarded her with a welcoming voice. noting that she was indeed alone. no soldiers or even the imperator himself.

you must tell me what life is like as a matrona of mereo. introductions, knowledge shared between them all.

surely her husband would wish to discuss other manners too. but she took this time to warm up their guest!

Ramesses was quick to introduce her to his wife, a smile on her features as she offered the lady an extra dip of her head, settling across from them. She knew her role and it’s importance, none the wiser to his shameless flatter that he had attempted to pepper her with.
 
“It is as it sounds. The days are long… I am also a medicus, and I tend to the soldiers injuries. I’ve been trained since near birth in my craft. I oversee the plebians, and help them figure out how they might best serve Mereo, and ensure that everything runs smoothly.” It was the simplest part of her role, though in truth even that was more complicated than she dove into.

ramesses glanced between the two of them, his lazuli eyes dancing with pleasure and with intrigue. aquene remained formal and treva was warm. "she wears many circlets, the lady aquene," pharaoh said softly. "when we met during the celebration, you spoke of your children. the queen and i have two of our own, prince sethnakht and princess toula. they will be about three months now, almost ready for their first forays as emissaries of the palace."
pharaoh sat back then, waiting for one of them to speak. and his honeyed gaze missed no detail, for he was pleased still to find an opportunity for aquene to misstep.

well then.

why did mereo keep this one hidden for so long? a gem! and she seemed to do so much too. keeping things running along smoothly so that the soldiers may be soldiers.

but her husband spoke with knowledge and grace. treva lapped it up in warm waves as her gaze fluttered between the two in the room.

landing on the matrona.

what did she make of the children? of emissary work? she remained silent, but obviously intrigued.

They complemented her, but she knew to keep her mind clear from such things. In her own experience, kind words often had been a shroud for something far more sinister, and there was much she still did not know about Akashingo. Still, the mention of children, her own and the ruling couple’s alike. “My own are about the same age as yours… Nanuq and Siku. Nanuq has promise of following in his father’s pawsteps, a soldier… meanwhile Siku has taken more after the healing arts like me.” Her children she did not mind speaking of or bragging about in conversation. The affection she held for her own was dear and genuine.
 
“What type of emissary work might they do?” She asked, curious about it. She did not know how she would feel about her own children going out in the world so young, but she also knew that Akashingo was quite a different place. “Would they come to Mereo and train? As others have?”

treva was filled with vibrating thought it seemed. aquene spoke at length. pharaoh smiled indulgently. "what each of them does is dependent on where they are called. toula is devout. sethnakht is shy. i would enjoy if they too visited mereo, and learned what there is to know from your world."
every part of wisdom could be used.
and the more eyes inside akashingo, the more that pharaoh himself would know of the one-time outpost. "your siku and nanuq, of course, are also welcome at the palace in return."

siku might learn from our sesh, return the knowledge to you in mereo. her eyes shined bright, offering in good faith. nanuq might train with our mazoi, see the sights of the palace. warm and vibrant.

we could have an exchange. let our children see your grand role, my lady.

she floated the idea in the room.

She listened as they spoke of children; it was far from the rigors of political discussion, even with the talks of exchanging the children so they might learn from one another’s worlds. “Nanuq will no doubt end up with a rotation here at the Palace, yes?” Though admittedly she worried for her sons… she knew that Akashingo had strange customs, and she feared that he might fall to them, breaking the rules of Mereo… and all while he was much too young for that as well.
 
“I would have to speak with my sons… Nanuq is quite adventurous, and I’m certain he would jump at the opportunity, but Siku tends to be more shy, more reserved… I do not know if he would want to stray from home.” She gave a non-answer, because there was truly no answer to give. It depended on a great deal of things, none of which she could come to know right now: when her husband would return, what Germanicus would think of the idea, and of course, if her sons even wanted to go. “Perhaps in a few months time, when they are older still?”

ramesses nodded smoothly. "akashingo has agreed to host any soldier of mereo as a palace guard for one month, as part of their finishing duties." to her motherly concerns he also gave a smooth gesture. "whether they come as soldiers or as guests of the palace, they will be well-tended. you are welcome back of course yourself, matrona."
he smiled a little, turning his eyes to treva. "when the queen and i have returned from our honeymoon, perhaps you might join us for a wintertime repast. something small and between friends."
and inwardly he delighted, wondering if aquene's loyalty might be tried by temptation, and not of the fleshly kind.

treva felt no anger.

this was not rejection and pharaoh smoothed things over with ease. assurance. he had been at this longer than her, after all.

her husband mentioned a wintertime repast.

the palace would be richer for your presence, lady aquene. her eyes shined. vibrant and warm. enchanted by the woman before them.

Aquene did think fondly of their relationship. While the soldiers life still scared her quite a bit, particularly when it came to her husband and sons, she could recognize how important it was for them to gain practical experience. Guarding the Palace allowed them just that. “Thank you, Pharaoh. I appreciate your kind words.” She would express back at the offer of her own return visit. She was not certain it would happen soon, or at all, but she would heed it.
 
“Perhaps… and perhaps next time, my husband might be able to join me.” She stated, hoping that he had returned home by then. Single parenting left much to be desired. “Thank you, Shabti. I am certain Mereo would welcome a visit from you both as well should you ever want to pay the canyon a visit.”

ramesses nodded graciously, though he had already been to the canyon when it was wet and muddy and did not intend to revisit the place.
after all, his queen would be a finer ambassador than he. 
at length he stood. "we must continue our greetings, lady aquene," he said formally to the mereoan. "please. enjoy the rest of the festivities. they will burn for days longer." the palace's guests would be filtering to the grounds and the throne room now. "you are welcome to return to the roof of the mesa, or stay here in court. there is some singing planned."