Lion Head Mesa the queens favorites

hoping for @Tuna but open!

she lay neatly upon her side near an open cavern that’s mouth offered the view of Akashingo’s sprawling beauty. her muscles and furs were being massaged gently in sweet, warm scents as she prepared to sleep.
Toula had summoned the fellahin to her rooms that would deliver the message back to Rashepses and to Thutmose. they were on their way when a warm breeze darted into the rooms they then occupied. 
her gaze turned to the moon. she felt then in her heart that Rashepses must be looking at it too, that she felt so compelled to keep looking! I think most of Thutmose and Rashepses, she revealed to Tuna, I do not know that Senmut wishes to be my husband at all except to do his duty, which, truthfully, I do not begrudge him. but… before he left… Tuna had been there, she might remember. she looked to her and said, I think of him, too, of what his love might look like, when realized.

eee!! <333

tuna works quietly as she listens to what the young queen says, bat ears flicking here and there to show her attention remained despite her work. "yew have'a lotta thinking t'ah do, miz toula," she comes to say softly as she works by the crown and ears of the radiant jewel before her, "ah know yer people put duty b'fore any'thin', but love?" a gentle brush of her paw against her cheek as a mother would to brush a stray hair out of her daughter's face, "tha's somethin' special, an only our hearts know 'tha answers."

"what makes yew think of 'em, all 3'o'em? looks? sweetness? dee-vine-ness? maybe we can narrow 't dow'n'a lil' fer yew." in the end, toula would have to be the one as the bride accepting what it is these suitors have to offer.

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!

well, there certainly comes a lot of thinking for these things, no doubt! tuna looks over the bracelet the adorns the leg of the queen, oohing and ahhing as the band glistens in moonlight. certainly, any girl could probably be bought with jewelry! but perhaps not toula, as the young queen proves that there is more that meets the eye in her young body. what remains neatly tucked inside is a thoughtful monarch, one who seeks to look beyond suck trivial flattery.

"if yew're meant tah rule tah'gether, then whoever this'ere pharaoh's gonna be needs tah grow wit'cha. he needs'ta be flex'ble and res'pect yew an yer wishes." toula did not carry a reckless spirit, but tuna did know that the queen would not prefer to be hitched with a control freak.

"yew've gewd reason tah'be concerned wit'all three awf'em." this meant the queen remained cautious, though excited. "yer sphinx needs tah not overstep, yer thutmouse needs tah learn, and yer senmut needs tah show interest." things would be easier if just one of them was perfect!

to be wed to a traditionalist may bring the clash of power, as a pharaoh is meant to be a divine ruler and his queen is nothing more than a child bearer. and tuna would know that such a demoted title did not sit right upon the shoulders of toula. to marry an outsider would require patience and overcoming his own traditions that may limit his growth in new territory. toula did not have time to waste on such things. and while senmut nearly provides all things that seem right, there is a lack of knowing if his heart remains in place. and certainly, confusion can become such a roadblock.

"tha biggest thing'tah remember, miz toula," tuna says to her as she dips her paws back into the coconut oil before coming to work onto her shoulders and back, "is tah never forget yer value. yer tha queen, an' its yer choice. be'cause these're men are here tah please yew, not tha other way'round." but perhaps toula's strong will can prevail and keep her in line with seeing more of what these men can offer.