Lion Head Mesa you bring out the worst in me

"shouldn't you have water, highness?" 

tavina's voice was dry. charles was the most irate member of the palace. she would almost take ramesses' sardonic attitude and horrid demands over this. the man was drunk; a weltering fragrance of crushed berries followed him everywhere now. there would be time enough to stop that when the season turned to snow.

the sesh halted the tired servant at the door. the prince outranked her but tavina had better things at heart. she stepped into his room and offered crushed moss dipped in cold water, along with a tonic for his stomach. her herbs were carefully laid out. and her purpled eyes were on him.

"she left because she was not pregnant," tavina said, cutting smoothly to what she thought was the heart of the issue. "no one is a prisoner in akashingo." and without motherhood binding her to charles, lilitu had been free to go.

it was just she and the prince now. she stooped down to look into his angered, bleary face. "is this who you want to be, royal one? you are a prince of the palace." did this not matter to him? she began to mix the second medicine, something to settle his bitter stomach. "the servants fear you. the stores are all but drained of berries." her brow narrowed. "pharaoh will eventually be angry with you."