Luneshale Pass I'd never go, I just want to be invited

While the palace was thrown into turmoil, it was not politics or the throne of Akashingo that occupied Melody's mind, but the princess; @Ashikaga.

On this day she brought her a gift: the fine white skull of a vulture, largely intact, with the broken halves of a desert geode tucked into the empty spaces where the eyes had once been. She carried it carefully so as not to dislodge them, seeking the Amiirad with single-minded purpose. It was not often that she parted from her side.

When she found her, she bowed as she laid the gift at her paws. A gift for you, Melody's voice was hushed, breath bated. Would she like it? Would her gift bring a sparkle to those beautiful blue eyes? She thought then of Makono and her heart ached, if only because she knew that if Pharaoh had never left then she would never have been forsaken by Senmut, by the Queen.

But it didn't matter now. The Gods had led her to Ashikaga for a reason. Melody would not turn away from her, even as she became a pariah among her own pack.