Lion Head Mesa djed

ramesses summoned @Charles and @Lilitu to him this day. he was in his open-air throne room, the large plinth of stone where he looked out over the great-hewn steps which led out to the red land.
there was room enough for the pair of them to sit, across from each other, pharaoh supposed, and blinking.
charles had agreed to this. lilitu had not. ramesses had long been wearied by the entire thing, but having two intendeds in the same room was a massive progress.
there were berries piled upon a clean white fur at the foot of the throne.
he waited.

Charles was enjoying his life of luxury. He didn't really need it to change, and honestly, he hoped that this woman that he would be married to would move back to wherever she came from after the marriage. He had no need for some woman in his life, honestly, but Charles knew that he was dependent on Ramesses' whims when it came to this. If the man wanted him to marry, or worse, then the coywolf would need to subjugate himself to that. Otherwise it was back to life as a scavenger. A life without the luxury he'd grown so attached to.

A life without berries.

He looked a little better from being cleaned and groomed properly before this meeting by the wolves of Akashingo who tended to his every whim, but it was hard to look less patchy with his thin fur and the scars that broke up his fur every here and there. If only they could see me now, he thought to himself, with thoughts of his brothers and mother burning in his mind as he stepped into the lavish open-air throne room with an air of importance, carrying himself as though he was the coolest guy around. It was easier to gain such confidence in the light of being treated like royalty.

Yet as his eyes fell onto the Pharaoh he licked his lips and his shoulders sunk somewhat in an automatic response of submission. His eyes fell on the berries, then back on Ramesses, and then he waited until his bride to be would arrive, too.

He hoped she was nothing like Nyra.

sneaks in very late....sorry...

Lilitu was enjoying the life of luxury, too. Not that her time with Brecheliant had lacked that, per se, but the opulence of Pharaoh's court was unlike anything she had ever seen before. She would have known the same of the Reneian Empire had it not collapsed before she came of age, so this was novel.

She answered the call and moved to the throne room, skin prickling with both excitement and nerves. Every time Ramesses had summoned her, something had changed.

Now, there were two of them.

Pharaoh, Lilitu said, bowing her head in deference. She turned her head to give the other a sidelong glance. Was this the prince? He didn't look like much of one, scrawny and scrappy, his pelt a dull brown. Still, she would withhold judgment for now.

It was all to see Arielle. A means to an end. She just had to persevere.

<3

they bowed. pharaoh smiled and gestured to the berries. "please sit. partake." he wanted them to look at one another. the royal man stretched lightly and began their introductions. "charles, this is lilitu of our ally brecheliant." observe how beautiful her lines, the brightness of her eyes.
"lilitu, this is charles, now of akashingo." their union would promise him expansion and place the fenwolves under his control.
or so he hoped. he joined the pair and took a mouthful of berries, reclining with a sigh. "i think it would be prudent to put in a garden. have you ever grown fruit, lady lilitu?"

Charles licked his lips and waited impatiently for the arrival of his bride-to-be, shifting weight from left to right, paw to paw. He glanced at her when she arrived. She was alright, he supposed. A bit plain, and not really his type (mostly because she was, well, a woman) but she didn't look as rugged or aggressive as Nyra. If anything, she looked a little nervous as well, just like him. She bowed her head after greeting Ramesses with respect.

Then, finally, Ramesses said that they could feast on the berries. He presumed, at least, that 'partake' meant that he could eat. Charles sat down as instructed, and then quickly leaned down to the berries to eat some, eager for the pleasant haze that they provided. He vaguely noted that Ramesses introduced the woman as 'Lilitu', and he paused to nod at her in silent greeting. After that he was introduced, too, and then Ramesses asked about some things Charles didn't understand. 'Prudent'? 'Garden'? He'd never heard of these things.

Thankfully Ramesses asked his question to Lilitu and not him, and so Charles ate a few more berries as he watched Lilitu and Ramesses in stunned silence, hoping he could figure out what the words meant from context.

It was apparently up to Lilitu to speak, mostly because A) Charles remained silent and B) Ramesses addressed her directly. She refrained from stuffing her face (for now), merely smiling and shaking her head.

I've never grown anything, she admitted. I know others do, though.

She then took a berry, chewing thoughtfully. How long have you been with Akashingo, Charles? she asked, once she'd swallowed. The pit stuck, and she hid a small cough, ducking her muzzle close to her chest. Do you like it here so far?

Lilitu gave Pharaoh a pleasant look, one that clearly read she had enjoyed his hospitality—but now was ready for what was next.

charles did not speak but busied himself with the fermented berries. ramesses watched him for a moment and then looked toward lilitu, finding her beauty refreshing despite the fact he still burned with desire for the coywolf. she was polite, and he found this a credit despite whatever inferior breeding had spawned her.
a jewel remained a jewel.
"these berries were grown not far from the palace. each seed was chosen with care. it is an artform," pharaoh purred, white teeth glowing in a gentle smile. enough pleasantries.
"princess lilitu. your marriage to prince charles would be a benefit to brecheliant." his lapis eyes sought to hold her own. charles need not be shocked himself; he had known what this was. "it is a marriage of politics and its — consummation is of no account to me. you may even return to your people once the ceremony has been completed."
a pause. he gazed at them both.
"but if your union were to bear fruit, then i would see them set in a high position. the world is large. i wish to have another outpost. a pair of newly married royals might understand the necessity of such a project."
his smile was sugared. ramesses waited expectantly.

The whole conversation about the 'garden' and 'growing things' went over Charles' head. He wasn't too sure what to make of it all and honestly did not understand what it was all about. Thankfully, nobody asked him about it either. Lilitu asked him if he'd been in Akashingo for long, and Charles shook his head. He quickly swallowed the berries he'd been eating and said, Just a few months. Then Lilitu seemed to struggle with the berries. As she coughed Charles said, Yes, they take some get used to. He smiled, torn somewhere between looking playful and a little mocking, before he answered her other question. It is very nice here. It... He hesitated, looking as though he was perhaps not sure how to phrase the next bit. .. Is very nice to be taken care of. The luxury was definitely a selling point of Akashingo.

Then Ramesses went to business, of course. Charles thought again of how Ramesses wanted him to leave even though he had just arrived. It stung to think about. It sounded as if there was some chance they would not have to. The way that Ramesses told the story, it sounded as if they could totally choose what they wanted in the end. Charles did not understand all that Ramesses said because his eloquence meant that there were many words Charles didn't understand altogether too well. 'Consummation' or 'bearing fruit' all meant little to Charles, but he understood that there was a chance to stay here. He was not too confident he would be able to arrange and rule a place such as Akashingo himself, so unless Lilitu was a much.. stronger ruler, the coywolf saw too many risks in that plan.

So he said instead, That sounds good. Do you want us to move, or is it also, ah... He tried to find a way to ask if it would be beneficial, remembering Ramesses use the word but not knowing exactly what the word was in the moment anymore, or how to use it in a sentence, of use for Akashingo if we stay here? He glanced at Lilitu, also to see how she'd respond to the suggestion that she may return to Brecheliant, which was presumably her own pack.

The idea of returning home was intoxicating, and, yet, Lilitu clung to the thing that brought her here in the first place. She gave Charles a polite gesture at his answer, then turned to Ramesses, ears rotating only slightly to catch her supposed-betrothed's words.

I want an escort to my sister, she reminded Pharaoh, bright green-gold eyes gimlet upon his face. Arielle, of Ursus. I need to find her. After that, I can do as you wish.

Children. She glanced at the young man beside her. She hadn't felt any stirrings as of yet, but wondered if they would, indeed, make a good match. With some trepidation, she took another berry, gulping it down and trying not to choke again.

charles was retiring. he did not wish to leave akashingo. but his wishes did not matter to the pharaoh. the only reason that ramesses had ever brought these two together was for his own purposes, the furthering of his own aims. had either of these wolves been versed in politics they might have known this.
but on the heels of that thought lilitu surprised him, her brilliant gemstone eyes gone flinty with the force of her bartering. dear devilish little pretend royal, she had a heavy hand. 
but she would learn.
"and i want a formal agreement and an announcement before my court first. it is not truly binding, princess. you may choose up to the day of the wedding not to marry the prince, such are our laws." and be escorted from the mesa in shame and back home, where ramesses would apply his affront in interactions with brecheliant until the leadership was forced to bargain at his throne.
he felt he had manuevered her harshly but with an elegance she would not deny.
all this, a dangerous diversion for the divine man.
"the planning of an outpost takes much time and does not remove you from akashingo. i desire a territory that abuts directly against the mesa. and you may hand leadership to whomever you choose. i want only to see it begun."
ramesses moved pieces upon his mental senet board.

Honestly, Charles had heavy doubts that he could make the place that Ramesses wanted of him. How would he ever manage this?! He felt nerves creep up, but Charles was quick to wash them away with more berries; a greedy chomp in which he took many of them in his mouth while Ramesses and Lilitu spoke of terms. She wanted an escort to her sister? That was the price for her? Charles was a little hurt that she only wanted to marry him because there was something in return for it, but he tried to hide it while he intoxicated himself further with the berries. Seemed like something between them.

Okay, Charles said in return to Ramesses' words; seeming to be either content with them or dejected. It was hard to tell, really. Charles looked at Lilitu, awaiting her reply. Would she say yes..? Did he really want to say yes? But then again, what better way to prove his masculinity than to marry a woman?

Her ears folded back. Did he think she was going to renege on the deal? She'd stayed here for so long already; it would be a total waste of time if she didn't go through with this.

Of course I agree, Lilitu said with some pique. I'm willing to do whatever it takes.

Arielle was the end goal. After that, she could figure out her next move.

quelled. kept. commanded.
ramesses smiled gently to see lilitu settled and charles as well.
"then i will announce it. the soldiers from mereo in the sunspire, they fought alongside ursus. their leader visits us. speak to him when he arrives."
"now. the two of you walk together down those steps," he said, indicating the wide, rough-hewn stones that led down into the open land. "get to know one another."
he stood. it was an edict, and his lazuli eyes would see them obey.

It sounded like it was all part of some weird deal for Lilitu. In a way, it was the same for Charles, except his deal was that he was fed properly and bathed and treated with all the love that he had missed for his entire life.

After Ramesses and Lilitu finished speaking about whatever deal they had, the Pharaoh instructed the pair of them to walk down the stairs to get to know each other. Charles agreed with a nod and glanced at Lilitu. Wordlessly he invited her and started to walk down the stairs, only to plunge into a short and awkward conversation that certainly didn't bring them very much closer together.