Rattleskin Redoubt orno

the shadows grew across the redoubt and still @Cornelius had not returned.

germanicus did not see the woman or her follower upon his rote patrol. the sun descended.

a rattlesnake flickered in curved path and the imperator stepped away from it.

he summoned his son with an ordering howl.

I won't be long, the Sphinx promised @Toula and the fellhain after hearing Germanicus's howl. He bowed until his chest brushed the ground, straightened after a pause, turned on his heel, and exited the palace. He walked at a hurried clip, nearly running, as the sun descended below the horizon.

Father, he called at last, seeing his father not too far in the distance, and he closed the gap that separated them. It was hard for him to think of his father and what he'd done, but his love didn't lessen; the situation was complicated and full of nuance he hadn't fully processed. Once still, he bobbed his head in greeting, the movement a short, jabbing motion.

before cornelius had approached a half-dozen steps, the scent of the palace wreathed toward germanicus.

his eyes grew hard.

"what have you done?"

had the boy not been listening?

I went on a walk to clear my mind and came across Akashingo’s Hemet-nekheb, Toula. There were the finer details he would withhold for now, keeping them close to his chest. We talked, and she made me a Sphinx—a prince of her kingdom, his eyes shone like the fireworks over a lake; how it thrilled him to say that out loud!

I accepted. She wishes to make change within her land for her people—to usher in an era of peace and prosperity. He fell silent then, watching his father with curious eyes.

"you have no standing. you have nothing to offer her, let alone akashingo."

a prince! the old bias rose, and sharply. germanicus held only respect for the queen, but she was a child. and she was an egyptian child, at that.

he wanted to be shut of the palace, forever! how could cornelius seek not only the royals but a rank among them after listening to how they had dealt. how he had dealt.

harsh, a centurion dressing down a soldier before the somber eyes of his fellows inside the barracks.

but there were no other eyes here.

the imperator was harsh for he worried. he had seen the lavishness and languidness himself, firsthand, had he not? an entire life lived in akashingo, one cornelius could never comprehend. "akashingo rules on falsehood and beauty. as a prince, you are a pawn now. you do her bidding. you marry whom she chooses. you surrender your children to royalty. you do not know what you have done."

germanicus began a straight-backed walk in the direction his son had come. "i know this queen. we will speak with her again, and you will renounce this fanciful aim."

”You have no standing. You have nothing to offer her, let alone Akashingo.” Germanicus said, his words cutting deep. Cornelius was wounded by what’d been said, but he stood tall despite his bleeding heart.

That is not what I witnessed when I was at their palace, he replied, voice level but threatening to hitch at a moment’s notice. He swallowed hard, trying to compose himself. Toula was a kind and gracious leader from what he’d seen and was well-loved by her people.

His father tried to dictate what would happen next, but he shook his head.

No, he said, his face devoid of emotion. I am going to go back to Akashingo, and see for myself what it’s about. If there is hope that I can bring positive change, I will try and help. Cornelius had never disobeyed Germanicus before; this was a life-defining moment.

he could rail.

the eagle could shout..he could form another impotent order.

cornelius refused and from him germanicus could easily rip the name of caeso-redsand.

a horrid thought.

the eagle drew a long breath. 

"this is a bad decision, cornelius."

and germanicus went on, not intending to return to the redoubt until he had spoken with the queen himself.

"This is a bad decision, Cornelius," Germanicus said before he made his leave.

The seed of doubt had been planted, and its roots began to unfurl in the garden of Cornelius's mind. He watched, only moving again once his father had disappeared, not realizing they were heading in the same direction.