Lion Head Mesa the queens favorites

oh, different things, for each of them! she said with a laugh. now she lifted her foreleg to show off the gift of the Sphinx. he is generous, and he might best understand me. but could he love me, to know the ways in which I seek to give more to my people—all of them—than he might be used to? would he continue to allow my fellahin to use their voices? would he make choices for me, rather than with me? fears of hers—he was similar to her, yes, raised like her, yes… but that could be a curse as much as it was a blessing, in the ways Toula wished to outgrow. to change. 
but excitement in the thought that he, too, might want to leave a lasting and beautiful legacy. no doubt word of her ways had spread. would he have come all this way here, to change her? Toula did not think so—
it had yet to occur to her that any might be here solely for power. nor did his letters to her encourage or inspire such a thought.
I find myself looking forward to the letters of Thutmose, too; he is not so stony a man as I had thought! he is sweet, and… and I think he would be a good man to rule alongside, though he has much to learn of our ways, but the thought made her smile. she could see him coming to love their ways as he could come to love her. open, willing. that he could protect her, too, had its appeal! 
and Senmut… he… he knows me, my heart. and Akashingo. he has seen it all, truly, and been a constant. I do not think he would seek to undo what I have done. he has always encouraged me, here Toula’s voice grew warm, though dipped into the tone of sadness as she said, but he has never… looked at me, in the ways the stories speak of. and I do not know that he would ever wish to look upon me in such a way. Senmut has given me much… but I fear I would be asking much too much of him, she admitted the fear openly. Tuna must know it all, to answer well!