Chapter 5: Music That Reaches the Heavens
In which the king gets angry.
The last few days were really unpleasant to Gilgamesh. After he finally dealt with the things Siduri forced him to do, and had time for a short nap, weird dreams hit him with unprecedented power.
Prophetic visions, often meaningless at first sight, were nothing new to the king. This time, however, they seemed extremely confusing, somewhat alien, so much that Gilgamesh would not dare to ask his mother for help in interpreting them anymore.
No matter, another adventure or a nice feast in the company of a friend would surely help him to wipe out the disgust he felt for the last days.
On the way to his private chambers Gilgamesh heard... music.
The sounds weren't annoying, rather unexpected. The court musicians were not allowed to enter this part of the palace and the king did not suspect Enkidu of developing and mastering a passion for music in just few days. Who could it be then?
When the king finally reached the source of mysterious melody, his mood dropped dramatically.
This thing again? Gilgamesh almost forgot about its existence.
"Who let you touch the silver lyre of Ur?"
Arjuna stood up, slightly bowing his head in a respectful greeting, but remained silent. It was Siduri's idea to bring the lyre to this chamber, so the instrument 'would not just gather dust in the corner of the old treasury'. But saying something like that could be interpreted as cowardice or insolence... or anything else Gilgamesh would like it to be. Not to mention potential troubles it could cause Siduri - and that was not acceptable for Rider.
He was about to plead guilty to a not committed crime, when Enkidu entered the room, as if it was the most ordinary thing for them to do.
"What was that nice vibration? Oh, it's you, Arjuna... Why did you stop?"
Gilgamesh glanced at his friend, not sure what enraged him the most - the fact, that this thing was in his palace, used his treasure without permission, wasn't afraid of him or... that Enkidu was talking to it so casually, using its name!
But he did not give in to anger yet. Seeing that Enkidu was truly enjoying the music, Gilgamesh let it go for now.
"Whatever. Treasures or not, these are just tools. They're meant to be used by those with proper skills."
The king left the room before Rider managed to even blink in surprise. Was it a praise? Or he was imagining things?
He hoped to get an answer from Enkidu, but they just innocently smiled to him and threw themselves on the pillows.
"Play for me, Arjuna."
The sounds of the silver lyre ringed again in the palace, reaching not only the ziggurat, but also the cloudless sky far above it. Even though he would never openly admit it, Gilgamesh found himself listening to Rider's music as well, from the terrace of his throne room, where he was observing the city sleeping at his feet.
It wasn't just a simple melody, he realized, rather a... confession, maybe? Or a lament of one's hearth. Longing mixed with acceptance, memories with hope. Such contradictory emotions, yet they just seemed right, when bound together. A kind of unique wisdom and beauty that could only be found in sadness.
It was... interesting, at the very least. But Gilgamesh felt no desire to know or understand that ghost's soul. He had enough problems with his own.
"You fell asleep in that thing's room?! And why does it have a room in the first place?!"
"Have you forgotten that I'm a 'thing' as well?"
"You should not ever compare yourself to that thing, fool!"
"You're right. Because he's more like you than me."
"What did you say?!"
The guards endured the sounds of things flying around the chamber and shattering on the walls with admirable stoicism. It wasn't anything unusual since Enkidu had moved into the palace.
"I'm made of clay, remember?" It sounded a bit too wickedly than needed. "And he's a demigod like you."
"No one is like me. And no one ever will be."
Enkidu just sighed at his friend's petty attempts to avoid the point.
"Oh, you know exactly, what I mean, you can feel it just fine - essences of a human and the divine, mixed together... But this Servant is not simply a weapon, rather a person, who became a hero at some point."
And his soul, unlike mine, is able to evolve and grow even now, Enkidu thought, but did not dare to say it.
"I do not care about this thing, Enkidu. It's a mere ghost. A materialized concept. You call it a person and a hero? Don't make me laugh."
"What are you so afraid of, Gil? To admit that there are other paths than the one you've chosen to take? Or that you were not the first to face such problems?"
"Me - afraid?" Now there was a dangerous coldness in the king's voice, when he left the room and yelled from the corridor: "This foolishness must end! I will take care of it personally!"
"Why are you angry, if you claim you don't care?"
"Only a fool like you would not understand for what I care and what I'm angry at!"
Enkidu understood. He knew unpleasant feelings, like jealously and possessiveness, just too well, and never felt ashamed of them. For Gilgamesh, however, it was something new he could not yet recognize.
Why did he insist on carrying every single burden alone? Wouldn't a company of another demigod ease his worries, just a little? Wouldn't it be helpful to know, how someone similar dealt with this kind of uniqueness in the past?
Maybe it would, but so far Gilgamesh could not stand this particular Servant. Enkidu had already guessed the reason - it was that outright submission, especially in the presence of the divine, Gil could not accept.
Nevertheless, they needed to resolve their differences somehow. And Enkidu intended to watch this process... from a safe distance.