“I suppose— it is complicated,” her lips twitch.
Nothing in the courts was simple. Each life was a piece upon a greater board, maneuvering, contending, competing for the light of Pharaoh’s favor. And yet, the queen knew no other life. She had been reared upon just such a tableau and felt its allure still; the councils and embassies, the names of lords and ladies, the careful parry of power and the eye of gods who leaned close to watch.
Such a life was not for everyone— and part of her strove to imagine the quieter ways beyond its reach.
“I too am not from here. My natal kingdom fell to ruin.” It strikes her just how seamlessly she can speak of Akashingo— as if its impact was left in the past when truly she felt the pain of loss each day.
A paw christens the creek’s surface.
“How long has it been? Since you’ve been— alone?”
Nothing in the courts was simple. Each life was a piece upon a greater board, maneuvering, contending, competing for the light of Pharaoh’s favor. And yet, the queen knew no other life. She had been reared upon just such a tableau and felt its allure still; the councils and embassies, the names of lords and ladies, the careful parry of power and the eye of gods who leaned close to watch.
Such a life was not for everyone— and part of her strove to imagine the quieter ways beyond its reach.
“I too am not from here. My natal kingdom fell to ruin.” It strikes her just how seamlessly she can speak of Akashingo— as if its impact was left in the past when truly she felt the pain of loss each day.
A paw christens the creek’s surface.
“How long has it been? Since you’ve been— alone?”