Lion Head Mesa to have peace, there must be strife

Eager to meet @Senmut!

The halls of the mesa had been quiet, calm. Thutmose walked them frequently, curious to know if things would change. But alas, it remained the same — tranquil, which he did not spite.

Coat blemished, he moved with anything but a confident composure. Back home, it was common for a soldier to be doused with soil and blood. Yet here, he couldn't help but feel a sense of disgrace. For this was a royal court! Compared to the rest, he seemed to out of place. Less than royal. Even more-so less than fitting to wed one. 

How befitting... (not).

!!! <3

menkhperre thutmose of aksounu was a title of impressive merit in those three names alone, and settled the part of senmut most prejudiced against those foreignborn who answered the herald of the queen.

he had the prince invited to the top of the mesa as the evening cooled the day into a more pleasant temperature. he had entertained taltos and swan here, upon a couch of fine skins with an eating mat where fellahin were currently setting out a fine meal.

"i am told you did not initially bow to our queen," the prince would say, turning to regard thutmose.

You must forgive my rudeness in such regard— I meant no ill by it, Words spoken of true sincerity. Customs for Akashingo are different from that of Akhsounu. Kings did not bow to their equivalent, but only to who held title as Pharaoh. While I am not yet King, the time will soon come. He said this grievingly, not eagerly. The commander's course would soom come to its end, and Thutmose knew it all too well.

senmut held his paws apart. "it is forgotten. our queen has a forgiving heart, and you are closer to her lineage by way of your own." homes nor customs need not be the same. 

the infamous berrywine was brought, and the servants filtered away, leaving wood platters of prairie hen and rabbit haunch bedded on wildflowers.

"you are a commander?" senmut asked, an opportunity for thutmose to expand while he himself surreptitiously tasted the food and drink with a more casual air to veil his intention.

A forgiving heart indeed. Something he would remember. She does seem it. Young, yet already so graceful and knowledgeable in the ways of a Queen. Her and I share similarities in that sense. I was taught from a very young age to be soldier, then later as leader and diplomat. It is... difficult to grow in this way, but beneficial in the grand scheme of things. 

A commander, not yet. I will not take this title until my father joins my mother beneath the great sands, Thutmose answers, eyes wandering the many things placed before them by the servants. Ones they called fellahin. He has lived a long life, and has always been respected by our kindred people. I only hope that I can amount to the man he is .. as commander, husband, and father.

a mother passed on to the Land of Reeds. a father alone, handing down the role of commander to a stoic son.

was it any wonder he thought of germanicus then?

"she was born to it," he said of the queen. "her father a pharaoh, her sister a pharaoh, and now she is the last to hold divinity within her veins."

the praise of the young ruler. the mention of being a husband. senmut took a bite of sweet meat. as akashingo sought to expand, the necessity of soldiers was clear. but could a man of arms be a husband upon the throne?

"you would wish to remain commander as well as pharaoh?" the prince pressed, lightly.

A long, steady bloodline of royalty. This she had come from, among those before her.

The sweet scent of wine and long-lasting craving of warm meat gnawed at his tongue and belly, but he did his best to ignore. Talks of such importance were no time to feast, nor ponder on a tainted soul.

A query soon distracts him — one that replaces the fight against his cravings. Studying the erpa-ha closely, Thutmose wonders of the prince's intentions. Were they to understand better, or to gain insight to use as pieces to play against what Thutmose desires? 

If a title such as pharaoh were to fall upon me, arrangements would be made. I would still be commander of Akhsounu, but another would be prepared to take charge in my absence. Our faction's purpose would not be left disregarded. Often would I visit home, of course, but my priorities would always be to my wife and children, when and if that time may come.

why did the man hold back? "surely you hunger," senmut pressed. "eat. or you will insult the work of the fellahin." a tease, to be sure, but one gladly used if necessary. the prince himself took another deep drink of wine.

"i do not think it is possible to be both pharaoh of akashingo and commander of akhsounu," he said with his priest's directness. "but i am not you, nor am i the queen. she will ask what i will, of course, and that is what benefit akhsounu would bring to akashingo."

senmut had become used to such discussions, at a cost.

I wish not to give that impression of myself so soon, Thutmose chuckles at his comment, slowly eyeing the assembly of food again.

If I were to be pharaoh, then my title as commander would be that alone — a title of inheritance and distinguishment, but nothing more. As I said ... my focus would remain here. Hesitantly, he reaches to taste the wine. The flavor captures him, distracting him for only a moment. But as for what can be offered ... the faction is one of strength. Protection can be provided to the mesa, when needed. Tutors, also, for those who mean to be soldiers here. I imagine there are other riches undiscovered in our land also— 

Taking to the wine once more, he relishes the taste, entranced by its sweetness. He had never enjoyed such a delectable substance, and was now far too eager to shy away. Your fellahin certainly have talent. It has been many moons since Akhsounu has had such delicious a drink.

there was approval in the green eyes when thutmose at last tasted the bounty of akashingo, which perhaps might one day fall to him to maintain.

commander in name only. senmut understood that the man did not wish to simply surrender what he had built, and approved. a firm foothold in a foreign land would only benefit toula.

senmut took more food, watching as the other drank more deeply of the wine. "it is their specialty. since the dynasty of ramesses." that this had not lasted long at all mattered little to the prince; he meant only to impress that akashingo was settled.

a wave of paw; a servant came with more, and the cups were refilled.

"the queen was born here. she has only known devotion and affectionate care." senmut looked at thutmose. "i believe you are a skilled commander. but can you be a husband?"

But can you be husband?

The question rang in his ears. It was one he had considered many times over since it had been first suggested by his father. But now, someone truly expected an answer.

My sister... she was the closest individual to me growing up. Even closer than my father. She lived among a man's world. Our father disregarded her presence often, and I took his place when it came to her care. He constantly insisted sending her away, perhaps to be married into the pharaoh's court. I refused to let him. We argued often, but I always won in the end. For a short moment, he paused, taking a quick breath. She died less than a year ago... taken from me by an unknown sickness... A story he despised, but he felt it necessary in this moment. 

I have never known what it means to love a wife, nor to be father. But I held deep love and affection for my sister always. Whenever she needed me, I was there without hesitation. There are differences between being husband and brother — this I know... but I can promise that, whoever my wife may be when the day comes, I will give her my all, just as I did for my sister. If this means walking away from my home, then I will do it. Regardless of where I go, the valley will always be mine to command. May it be the Queen Toula that I marry, the valley would then become hers, along with every soldier inhabiting it.

Mouth now dry from the many spoken words, he took a moment to enjoy the additional wine offered, waiting to hear how the Prince of Akashingo may respond.

"you certainly bring an impressive wedding gift," senmut commented.

the pharaoh makono had trained beneath soldiers, had indeed molded herself into a leader who would approach one. but she had been young, not an experienced commander with his own barracks in a foreign land.

senmut was not convinced thutmose would appeal to toula's innate sense of beauty and romance. but loveliness and affection were not the only basis for a marriage; a cunning tongue with no courtly skill would be a detriment to her as well. she would be queen. she needed a strong pharaoh.

"i am sorry to hear of your sister," the prince said with genuine feeling. "you may find it comforting to know that lovers in aswan often refer to each other as sister and as brother, to suggest the level of investment they have in one another."

Senmut speaks of Aswan, of lovers and how they call one another.

It seems poetic, really. A light chuckle escapes him.

Thutmose picks his way through the provided meal, nibbling on a bit of rabbit. 

After swallowing, he speaks again. Tell me more of Akashingo... of it's history and how it came to be.

"akashingo was founded by ramesses the second and nekubi satsu. she gave to him three children. two daughters, ashikaga and makono, and the crown prince siptah. ramesses won a victory with the saints, and held akashingo, expanding the expectations of their claim to serpent and steppes. but his queen was poisoned, and with her burial we have lost the truth of her death. after our mourning, ramesses remarried again, to treva, who had given him the prince sethnakht and the princess toula, who you now know as our queen."

"ramesses died an abrupt death and makono took his throne, honed for it. her brothers rejected her rule but akashingo was in her hand. treva was driven out, and when pharaoh stepped down to study in that long-ago land of her forefathers, her sister toula became queen, and has ruled ever since."

"but the blood must go on. the dynasty restored." with a foreigner! senmut thought in distaste.

The erpa–ha spoke. Thutmose listened attentively, posture firm and soldier–like while trapped in a curious trance.

When the voice faded, the sphinx finally shifted his posture. Much success, while also much sorrow. The young Queen has endured a great deal in her life. Even for how short it had been thus far.

To know this history, I take it you have been here for many moons? If to presume correctly, he would go on to inquire further, pressing into the thoughts of the erpa–ha. What is your take on all of this... ? The Queen being wed in this way? To a foreigner of their land, he meant. Should it even be one of the sphinx's she chose. For he knew not if her eyes had fallen upon another that had walked this land far longer.

"long enough," senmut said, guarded with a grin. "this is the way of things. she has no brother, so she must seek outside the palace."

it was not ideal for a line yet untarnished, but her divinity would cover this in the histories told thereafter. she needed only a good and perhaps more subservient man at her side, one happy to throw himself into pleasure, leaving politics to his poised queen.

"join me for a wash in the wellspring. we will meet the queen thereafter."

It was all simply the way of things. And yet, Thutmose was surprised to hear no true opinion from the erpa–ha. There was only truth, no feeling. 

The sphinx did not dwell. If Senmut wished not to speak of it, so be it.

When then invited to join for a trip to the wellspring, he nodded, silently following after as he led the way.