Chapter 7: Tandava

In which the soul is raging.

"That won't do." Siduri eyed Arjuna thoughtfully, shaking her head. "The king told you to dress nicely, so he won't be satisfied with something everyone here wears. You should try on this instead."

Rider could only nod, impressed by this precious woman. It seemed that Gilgamesh was speaking in some unique, foreign language only Siduri fully understood. To avoid further mistakes, he decided to learn from her as much as possible.

Still, the orange dress she wanted him to wear seemed way too revealing to his liking... But it was also loose enough to not constrict his movements in case a fight would break out.

Arjuna chuckled grimly to his own, silly thoughts. He really expected a fight during supper? Well, it seemed that, at least for him, Gilgamesh was at this level of unpredictable.

Siduri must have interpreted his reaction differently, because she said in a compassionate voice:

"Do not worry, the king will see your worth, sooner or later."

"My... worth?" Rider blinked. He really acted like someone in desperate need of recognition? And that of Gilgamesh, of all people? "I hardly did anything..."

"Arjuna." Siduri smiled to his reflection in the mirror; she glanced meaningfully at the flawed jewel in his pendant. "Haven't you noticed yet? People of this city love you. Since you're much more approachable than our king, it's only natural for them to come to you, when they need help."

Indeed, while Gilgamesh and Enkidu kept wandering off, seeking adventures and new treasures to their collection, Arjuna helped the locals, expecting no reward. Even before that escapade into the wild, he assisted the citizens with various tasks, like sheep shearing, brick production or digging channels. He wasn't doing it for fame or gratitude, though, rather because he hated wasted potential. Such immense power would have lost all its worth, if he'd just kept lazing around.

At least this is what he thought, before Siduri mentioned the desire of proving his abilities to the king. She wouldn't have said that, if Arjuna hadn't been acting at least a bit salty, like if his ego was constantly hurt, right?

"I'm honestly impressed how well you endure this nasty gender prank," Siduri spoke again, breaking the chain of Rider's thoughts.

"Gender, huh? I've been both and neither. It's such a trivial matter, which has nothing to do with who we truly are." He helped with the bracelets she insisted he should wear. "Besides, I've been through much worse."

"Oh, dear... I won't be pretending I understand. But at least I'll try to empathize."

Rider laughed. Siduri was simply precious, yet she faithfully stayed by Gilgamesh's side. Such innocently wild soul like Enkidu also decided to defy the gods and assist the king. Maybe there was something more about this man Arjuna failed to comprehend yet?

"Now, for the last thing... turn around," Siduri ordered, reaching for makeup accessories.

"Wouldn't that be too much?" Rider hesitated. Not that he'd never tried it before, but... People of this land were too fond of garish makeup, in his opinion.

Siduri firmly shook her head.

"The king won't be pleased with your half-hearted approach."

"I never said I want to please him."

"Arjuna... You wouldn't go into battle unprepared, right? To face a mighty opponent, you would choose the best armor at your disposal."

So it was a battle then? An armor, a costume, a role... this was easier to accept for a warrior and perfectionist like him. Just like in any archery competition - prepare, focus and achieve victory.

"You're truly an artist, Siduri," Rider admitted in shock, barely recognizing himself in the mirror, after everything'd been done and ready. The dress, jewelry and eyeshadows... all of it matched perfectly, in shades of orange, gold and red. He looked now like some kind of a fire goddess, nothing less. "How will I ever repay you?"

Siduri smiled, gentle as usual, yet visibly pleased by the praise.

"You're helping enough already. It's me, who's repaying the kindness here."

On their way to the king's chambers, Siduri instructed Arjuna on his duties and proper behavior at the table. He listened attentively, a bit tense, but determined to fulfill his task without fail.

Gilgamesh seemed impressed by the effects of Siduri's hard work; his gaze crawled over the body of the Servant, examining little details, as he used to do with every new toy. But he said nothing, absorbed in his meal, wine, and casual conversation with Enkidu. Rider stood at the head of the king's couch, watching how Gilgamesh and his friend, stretched out in relaxed poses, shared the best bites of food, and almost smiled to himself. It brought back some nice memories.

Later, when the king was satisfied with many pleasures at last, he turned to his Servant, visibly disappointed that there was nothing he could make fun of. Rider performed all tasks perfectly so far and his flawless manners annoyed Gilgamesh greatly.

"Why don't you entertain us with some exotic melody, mogrel?" - the king said at last, not caring for excuses anymore.

"These instruments are still new for me, my king," Arjuna replied politely. "Besides, it would be extremely rude to deprive your musicians of an honor to serve you tonight."

"Maybe a dance then?" Enkidu smiled innocently; even though it helped Gilgamesh in his nefarious schemes, they probably weren't aware of that. "Can you dance, Arjuna?"

"I..." The Servant hesitated, thinking that the troubles were coming at him at full speed. "Yes, this is something I can do, if my king wishes me so."

Gilgamesh looked at Rider with a haughty, mocking expression that stayed on his face since Arjuna had entered the chamber.

"Dance then," he said in a nonchalant tone, like if he wasn't expecting much from this familiar. "Be sure you don't bore me, mongrel."

Insolently turning his back to the spectactors, Arjuna tied up his hair and got rid of his boots in a swift, maybe a bit too agressive movement. This alone brought a smirk to the king's face. It seemed that this 'new' form of Rider was steaming with passion and boldness.

"Considering all... circumstances, I will perform a dance to praise Lord Shiva."

He instructed the musicians in the matters of rhythm and basic melody, then bowed deeply before Gilgamesh and his friend. After a short moment of preparations, everything was ready to begin the show.

Arjuna's performance started from a static, yet splendid pose - he stood perfectly straightened on the right leg, with the palms clasped high above the head and the left leg arched back, so much that the heel almost reached the back of his head. The king thought that Rider liked showing off, when he remained in that position for so long, that the muscles of all spectators ached just from watching it. Such mastery of will over one's body required not only iron discipline but also lots of stamina.

Following the music, Arjuna proceeded with gentle, smooth movements, mostly of his hands. Gilgamesh guessed that every gesture had hidden meaning, they were too detailed for something random.

Two series of incredibly fast rotations, one in the upright posture and one on bent knees, almost at floor level, began the second part of the dance. Jumps joined them soon after, with passages so soft and graceful, Arjuna looked like floating in the air... Maybe he was, a Servant's body had some abilities unavailable for mortals, after all.

And suddenly it became something else entirely, not even a frantic dance anymore, but a depiction of a fight. Gilgamesh thought that more than half of those perfect stances could be effectively used in combat.

Now Rider's wild movements were not meant to please the eye, but to show raw, unstoppable power. For Gilgamesh, however, it looked more like a promise. A promise of pleasure, either in bed or battle. And if neither of them turns out be satisfying, he at least will get his revenge.

Although it seemed impossible, Arjuna still could go faster and stronger, like if his power had no restraints at all. His hair freed itself at some point and now was raging behind him, emphasizing emotions in his every movement. And one of them was shining particularly strong.

"Oh-ho? What are you so angry at?"

Seeing his friend's focused gaze, Enkidu smiled. From their point of view, what Gilgamesh had done today was a model example of 'falling victim to one's own plotting'. Although it would most likely end with something violent, for now was fun to watch, especially accompanied by delicious wine.

When even the musicians reached their limits, Rider ended the show just like he started it - with another impossibly stretched, perfectly still figure. His last pose was that of a warrior after a battle, with corpses of slain enemies at his feet.

For a moment only Arjuna's sharp breaths filled the room. Enkidu, although already drunk, was first to loudly applaud the enjoyable performance - it was something never to be seen in Uruk before and they appreciated if not its artistic value, then dedication of the dancer. Siduri was looking at Arjuna for a while with a worried expression, then joined the applause.

"With your permission, my Lord," she said with a slight bow. "It's already late, the two of us should return to the women's quarters."

"The mongrel stays. It has duties to perform," Gilgamesh said, meaningfully raising an empty cup. Having no other choice, Arjuna came closer to fill it with wine.

"But Lord Enkidu seems to have enough already..."

"Then assist Enkidu to his chambers, Siduri."

The tone of Gilgamesh's voice had changed. Siduri knew there was no place for discussions anymore, so she withdrew quickly.

"As you wish."

When the musicians and the rest of servants were dismissed as well, Arjuna understood he had overperformed and got himself into serious troubles.

This story has two different endings - the true ending and the weird 'singularity/lostbelt' one. Would be nice to know, which one You want to read first - and to know what You think in general! Thanks for reading (I'm honestly impressed that You are interested in such unpopular kind of story - thank You very much!).