Two Eyes Cenote rekhyt

@Akavir ! belated v sorry

the fellahin had made the receiving room beautiful. the high ceilings glittered and glowed at this hour, and plush, fine furs lined the throne in which she would sit upon. word had come that they had their first visitor—and she, at least, was thrilled to know who it was! 
there was a resting place for him, with food lain out for him to enjoy. there was an assortment of furs for him to make himself comfortable upon, too, and as he entered the bioluminescent room with flora dangling from its ceiling, she swept to a graceful stand. King Taltos! she greeted, all too glad to see him.

He had been found by @Tavina—the logical aspect of him had known it would be best to turn around and leave. To run. The reckless side of him wanted nothing more than to understand the shredded pieces of his previous lover, and what these wolves had done to her.

What they might have done to his daughter.

Still, there was a warmth that Toula emanated—he had felt so upon first meeting her, though had kept weary distance. It had helped with @Wren by his side, practically seething the entire time they had been within the walls of Akashingo.

He was led to a room—as exquisite truly as any he had seen within their previous home, and he wondered idly how they had managed such a grand statement in such short time.

Champagne eyes fell to an aqua gaze—one that seemed to hold delight as she moved gracefully to greet him, amusement flickering at the corner of his lips despite himself. He drifted forward, hesitant only in heart as he felt a burning itch deep within—his gaze careful on her before tipping his muzzle slightly in greeting. “King is a title I don’t hold, Queen Toula,” he offered, his tone a tentative rumble. “Please excuse my unannounced visit.”

forgive me, she hummed, but you do have all the bearings of one, she answered in earnest. that, and she had not missed the way that he stood at the helm of the group, on a quest for his daughter—though, it was inspiring, and good. perhaps any might follow a man for even a journey so sweet as that! 
you are always welcome, announced or otherwise. please, eat if you hunger and rest if you are weary! the journey, was it long? Toula could not say why, but there was something magnetic about the man—she was charmed not only by his roguish good looks, but by his manner as well. 
she would let him settle, before seeing to the reason behind his visit—and perhaps there was no reason at all! after all, their claim upon the Cenote was new and he might not have known! 
she would not complain. not if she could drink in those champagne eyes for a little while, at least! but her gaze was not at all lecherous; it was warm, affectionate—as if they were old friends. 
once was enough for her to admire his character, at least! the brave King (even if he did not wish to be called such!) searching for his wayward Princess—not a traditional fairytale, but fathers saving daughters… well, she had a soft spot for such. only, Lilitu had not needed saving at least!

She spoke in a manner that complimented with grace and sincerity—and he found himself studying the youthful Queen—wondering at how such a creature before him had been carved into the world and placed. Had she not felt the misery of the world’s poisonous bite, yet?

Or was she simply one of the best actresses he had come across, aside from Silvertongue?

He huffed out a slow breath—feeling entirely aged in this moment. Only the spare corner of his lip lifted in a smile—his desire to seek truth and justice coming to a halting closure with the not just the disappearance of Riverclan’s Sharpfang, but also the disillusion of an alliance he had been so eager to build within the valley packs.

A haven. A safe place for them all.

In turn, they remained in a choke hold of deceit, internal wars, and haunting despair.

Toula’s offer was met with the light incline of his muzzle. Instead, his champagne eyes remained set upon her with an intensity that burned within him—a phoenix rising.

“Do you not grow tired of the politics, Queen Toula?”

he was refreshing in his transparency. and Toula was thoughtful in her true consideration of the question. politics—they had been a part of her life, since the moment that she was born. she had grown used to it, and she could not imagine her world without them. more than that, she did not think such a thing existed. those that did not see that lived in an illusion, the wool pulled over those eyes by the very ones who knew better.
she would not have that be herself—nor her people. politics, no, she answered, but the cruelty… yes. it is that I wish to work toward ending, she breathes, face a little more solemn for the words being spoken. for the way she truly felt about them. 
there is something on your mind, I sense—will you share it with me? she would not force it or him. but his own words begged the question she posed.

His pale gold eyes regarded her solemnly—the clench of a jaw as he wished to correct her—reveal his true name—everything she had done to a woman he could have loved. How she could not love him back because of it—how a kingdom had somehow brought the packs outside of it to ruin without even fluttering an eyelash.

For all he knew, the woman Akashingo had branded mentally lay dead in a desert—her survival remained unknown to him. What he did know was the scar across his eye, still fresh, from her. Her disgust with him—hatred, perhaps.

He knew Wren’s pain and abandonment, as well.

He knew his failure as a parent, five times over.

Akavir knew pain, and yet he could not bring this admittance to the girl so eager to please—was she truly the beautiful angel she portrayed herself to be, or was she one of the best pretenders to have ever existed?

Beaten—he could feel the weight of his failures so heavy on his shoulders now. “You know, then, the legacy of your pack? Surely, then… You might understand my need to keep my daughter from you and yours.”

He paused. And then: "I've lived in a kingdom, before. Cruelty will always be at the helm of your politics."

I can—at least from what might have become this places legacy. That will not be so any longer, she spoke this with no bite at all in her tone, only wanting him to know that things were different now. and added gently, your daughter has no obligations or debts to Akashingo. her marriage is no more, with no children between herself and the man she has once wed. 
his words surprised her—that he had once been a part of a kingdom! her eyes remained soft upon him, and asked him, tell me of this kingdom? for she sensed there was a story there he might wish to tell. but she paused, and thoughtfully added on, if you are ready to—and wish to,

Toula assured him Lilitu would be freed of Akashingo’s clutches—what he had yet to figure out, though, was why she had been there in the first place.

His daughter had come at a time before Toula reigned supreme, though, and given her gentle nature and naivety on certain matters, the Mayfair knew this would be a dead end. And, perhaps it best remain that way… Lilitu was nowhere to be found now—he could only hope she was somewhere with her sister, and the two were safe and happy.

Instead, the girl remained captivated by the existence of another kingdom—long fallen, now, he gathered, after his original and life-changing journey across the mountain with Wren and Germanicus.

If he had never been told of what Akashingo had done to Silvertongue—of what Germanicus had done—would Silvertongue still have had a place for him in her heart?

Would it have mattered, when Wren and Eshe had both carved themselves in a place among the now broken two?

He swallowed, but it felt dry.

“Reneian Empire. A kingdom in a beautiful valley in the mountains. To an outsider, it appeared to be the perfect home for all who sought it. My wife was a queen among them, alongside another. She was… Caring. Gentle. Playful, and full of life and love. You remind me of her, actually.” He paused—only realizing now how terribly accurate that was. The brightness of her eyes—the kindness that emanated from her. It was as if Toula was Ibis reincarnated.

He could feel the bile rise in the back of his throat. No wonder there was something about her that held him here, for the moment. That stirred him to trust her. “She wasn’t aware of the politics that happened beneath her reign—the scheming that happened in the forest shadows. I took her and my two children away from there—as far as I could take them.”

He paused, his eyes sharp upon her. His shoulders sagging in the weight of the moment—unburdening secrets. “And now she’s dead. And Lilitu is missing. And my name is not Taltos—a guise given to shield and protect a friend who had been placed under your father’s… servitude while I tried to find my daughter.”

she watched him, quiet—all listening ears and open heart. he had been through something, and his own revelations stirred something in her. a once-Queen, his wife—and Toula did believe that perhaps a piece of this woman may have been who she was once, who she was now. divinity, reborn,
and perhaps that was her own pull toward him! she has always thought him handsome. Akavir may have been the first to stir any feelings at all within her, and that had been from the way he looked alone! 
his story brought tears to her gaze. she was moved, wholly, and stepped slowly toward him. Taltos—no, not Taltos, it would seem!—looked as she felt to hear the story, and she pauses before him after she stepped gracefully down to meet him, no longer upon her plinth above. 
I had been unaware; it was all… hidden from me. but I know, now—at least, the things that had been shared. and the sort of servitude your friend endured… she shook her head, never again. wolves and our kith and kin are not things to be bartered. any who enters into service will always have the freedom to leave, and to choose that life for themselves. and whenever they wish to leave it, they may, 
she pauses, breathes, and continues, I am not so naive to think that things are not done in the shadows any longer. such beings, they exist everywhere—not only palaces. I can only hope that my reign will be the light that chases them from this place—and when I discover any nefarious thing, that they realize my light can burn just as well as it can warm, for such things would not fester and grow here! let it become ash, and be scattered by the wind to be only  formless nothingness. 
your wife—she exists still, in the Field of Reeds, where all the worthy go after their heart has been weighed and measured, perhaps he would not wish to hear this! and there, she knows no unhappiness. it is paradise. your daughter I have found in your heart. I know it is not always enough—I long for my wayward sisters and brothers. we can only hope that the Gods have guided them to their true purpose, and to their happiness. I pray on such, always—and I will pray for your Lilitu, too, her voice is soft, and she moves to gently touch the shoulder of Taltos if he permits it! 
I can take you to the altar of Khonsu, and of Osiris, if you wish to pray too—and if you wish to speak to your wife, she offers, her gaze searching his.

so sorry, love <3

There was something that branded him when the young girl looked to him—and he wondered there, if an inkling of truth seeped from her words. Ibis, reincarnated, perhaps, a queen once more.

The way he missed her—it buried itself in his soul, like a painful thorn that refused to release. Digging further, each moon that passed, scar tissue healing over, but forever locked with the throbbing pain.

She brushed to his shoulder—it was electrifying in a way, and his gaze, intense upon her, stares, but no words form.

Slowly, he stands, his muzzle swinging in gentle declination of her invitation to a place of prayer. No, something about the now-woman before him called to him—and in that moment, he knew he would need to leave, and not return.

“I must go home. Remember this, @Toula— you worship and favor your Gods and Goddesses… But it’s not them you need to fear. It’s your kingdom. And when the corruption comes knocking down your door… Know that you can seek me out in the valley. I’ll give you safe harbor… but only you.”

One more look was swept over her—consideration—unreadable—and then the man made to sweep aside. Within, his soul felt older than time itself—and whatever had come to arise within his thoughts from this very connection would need to be suffocated within, and never brought up again.