Gilgamesh hated this time of year.
It was dinner time. Usually he would take his meal in the gardens so he could enjoy a peaceful evening with one of his many treasures. Instead of enjoying his gardens, he was inside, in the dining hall that he only used for special occasions. He sat at one of the long tables, the seat next to him empty. That would be where his Queen would sit, if he had one. Various ambassadors from other kingdoms were sitting at the other tables. Over dinner they spoke about various matters involving trade and whatnot in relation to Uruk.
Whenever any one of them spoke, the slave standing behind Gilgamesh would lean forward and whisper the name of the Kingdom the ambassador was from. It was not like Gilgamesh had a bad memory for this kind of thing; it was just that he did not care. What was the point of this? It was the same thing every year. Trade routes were fine, no one was going to war with each other. This was just a stupid dance that was performed every year.
He smirked. She would probably refer to it like that. Or make it seem more magical than it actually was or make it seem like it actually mattered. Maybe he should find her later and ask her opinion on it. It would be more entertaining to what was going on here, that was for sure.
"My King, have I said something funny?"
Gilgamesh focused on the man who had spoken. He was one of those that traveled here every year from what the King could remember. His name began with an "N" right?
"Nanam from Nippur," murmured the slave into his ear.
Ah, alright. He got it. A couple of years ago there had been some boundary issues with Nippur. There had been a chance that the two kingdoms were going to go to war but it never did come to that.
"Of course not," said Gilgamesh. He glanced over at the slave.
"He was asking about what is to be done with keeping the trade route open," murmured the slave.
"I will get my head of guard to post more guards along the trade route," replied Gilgamesh. "Also, ask your King to post guards as well. The trade route will stay open."
Nanam lowered his head slightly. "Thank you my lord. My King will be pleased to know this."
Gilgamesh waved his hand to show he was acknowledging Nanam. Out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw an odd expression on the man's face but another ambassador had stood to speak and the King was forced to pay attention to what this one was saying.
After the end of dinner and all the plates cleared away, it was finally over. Gilgamesh got up and all the ambassadors stood. "We will continue this tomorrow," said the King before he left the room. His personal guard was close behind him. Once he was past the doors of the dining hall, he turned to his guards. "Leave me."
Leaving his guards behind, he entered one of his gardens. A couple of slaves were working late and they scurried away when their eyes fell on the King. Of course she was not one of them. He smirked. What the heck was he thinking? Why did it matter if she was here?
Not really wanting to stay here any longer, Gilgamesh turned away and left the gardens and headed for his chambers. On his way there he saw Nanam waiting outside of one of the guest rooms. He seemed to be searching for something. When the man saw Gilgamesh, he bowed his head low.
"I did not expect to see my lord out here."
"I was taking a walk around my palace," replied Gilgamesh. "Is there a purpose for you to be out here?"
Was that annoyance Gilgamesh saw in Nanam's eyes? The man just smiled. "I am not tired enough to retire for the night. I was thinking I would take a short walk to clear my head."
"The gardens are good for that," replied Gilgamesh. "You were assigned a slave for your time here correct?"
"Unfortunately I have not seen my slave," said Nanam.
What was this? Puabi would not have messed this up. That woman was meticulous. What had happened? He inwardly growled. What a bother. The King saw a slave scurry by and Gilgamesh grasped the girl's arm. She yelped in surprise but she fell silent when she saw who it was.
"Help this man with whatever he needs," growled Gilgamesh.
The girl's eyes widen and they shifted over to Nanam. She opened her mouth to speak and then shut it again. "Y…Yes my King."
Gilgamesh released the girl. "There," he said to Nanam. He began to walk away. He did not know why, but he turned back and saw Nanam put an arm around the girl and lead her into the guest room. His eyes narrowed but the King turned and walked away.
Hakuno sighed as she walked down the hallway. The ambassadors have been here for about a week now. She was surprised to find out that this was actually a major event as it reconnected the King of Uruk with the other neighboring kingdoms. She had kept her promise to Shub and stayed away from Nanam as much as possible. She had no idea what the problem with that man was despite his shifty look. It seemed like anyone she asked was too scared of something to reply to her questions about it. So, she just was even more careful to stay out of Nanam's sight.
"Just one more day to go," she murmured under her breath. She had been able to pull out of Ekur how long these events lasted. As soon as that man was gone she could relax. "Funny how I am getting used to living here in the palace…"
She fell silent as she heard some noise beyond the corner. It sounded like whimpering and a rough male voice. Frowning, she slowed her pace and peeked beyond the corner. Her eyes widen slightly. It was Nanam. Within his grasp was a young female slave. Hakuno could not remember her name exactly. Hera? Hebu? Something like that. It was not like it mattered at the moment. Nanam was handling her roughly, dragging her away. She was half-struggling against him. A slave trying to fight back but feared the retribution that would fall on her as a result. It did not take much for Hakuno to realize what was going on. Her hands tightened into fists. She could not let this poor girl get pulled into something like this!
This was probably one of the stupidest things she was about to do. It was probably worse than kicking a King in his most private area (although in her defense, she did not know he was the King). However she knew there was no way she could walk away at this very moment. Plus who would believe her? She was a slave, the lowest position in this palace. However, she did have something that most slaves did not. More freedom to do whatever she wanted. And for that reason, she would use it.
"Wait a moment!" snapped Hakuno as she rounded the corner.
Nanam's eyes settled on her. Hakuno inwardly shivered. His eyes were leery and dark. She felt dirty by the way he was staring at her. She dug her fingernails into her palms. No backing out now. She needed to commit to what she was going to do.
"Where are you from girl?" he asked. "You look foreign." He licked his lips. "Are you from a land far away?"
She suppressed the shiver that wanted to travel up her spine. Asaruludu protect me, she prayed before she walked over to the man.
The girl stared at her with wide eyes. It was like she was asking what Hakuno was doing. Doing something crazy, she silently replied. She focused her attention back on the man and without warning, her knee shot up and she connected it with the apex of his thighs.
He went down faster than the King did. Curses spewed out of his mouth as he glared up at her.
"Run!" She yelled at the girl before she took off herself. The girl scampered away with Hakuno right behind her. Silently she cursed the shackles. Because of those things she was forced to keep her pace at a brisk walk. She just hoped she would get enough of a head start before he would recover.
The girl yelped and Hakuno turned her head slightly to see that he was on his feet and now chasing after them.
"Run ahead," Hakuno instructed the girl when she realized the girl had slowed down just for Hakuno's sake. "Do not worry for my sake, go."
"But…"
Hearing the sounds of Naram behind them, the girl nodded and took off, leaving Hakuno behind. Good. At least the girl would be safe. Now to make sure she was alright. She was afraid to look back but she heard him get closer and closer to her. No way. She was going to get caught? What made matters worse was that they were in a deserted part of the palace so there were no other witnesses around.
Something clamped tightly against her arm and she was yanked backwards against Nanam's chest.
"You are quite a frisky one," he growled.
Hakuno looked up to glare at him. He was staring down at her with a twisted expression. He did not fear her, she realized. He did not fear the repercussions of taking the slaves in the palace. This lack of fear was what made him truly dangerous.
Before she could scream, he clamped a hand over her mouth while his other was tightly clamped against her waist. She struggled as much as she could but he was much too strong. Her panic got stronger as he began dragging her out of the hallway. Her movements became frantic and she screamed into his hand. She just needed to get away! If only she could get an arm free! He twisted his body and took her with it.
She did not see the pillar until it was too late.
Shub sighed, sat up and took in her handiwork. She had finally finished the section of the garden she was working on for the past week. She had no idea what the red flowers on the bushes were but whatever it was, it grew like crazy. There were also thorns along the stems and she had to be careful not to prick herself as she was removing the extraneous branches.
Hearing the sound of someone approaching, she checked behind her in case it was an ambassador, a noble or the King himself. With so many ambassadors in the palace right now, she never felt like she could do her work without being interrupted at least four times in a short time span.
"Hebu?" What was she doing here? She was one of the slaves that worked in the kitchens.
The girl slowed to a stop when she spotted Shub. Her breath was heavy and she was covered with sweat. Her eyes were wide like she had seen a phantom of some sort. "Shub…it is bad. Things wrong. Nanam there…he…she…in…trouble…"
Shub got to her feet and walked over to the girl. "You are not making any sense Hebu. Say it again and slower?" She put an arm around the shaken girl in an attempt to calm her down.
"The girl you always hang around with, the foreign looking one..."
"Hakuno? What about her?"
Hebu's lip quivered. "She…she saved me. From Nanam."
Shub was not a smart girl. It took her a while to understand concepts and she was having so much trouble learning how to read and write. However, even she understood the implication behind Hebu's words. "Where was this?"
"I was in the far west wing," whispered Hebu. "I was using it as a shortcut to get back to the kitchen-Shub, where are you going?"
Shub turned to look back at Hebu. "You return to the kitchens, I will take care of this."
"How?" whispered Hebu. "Nanam is an ambassador and a scary man. You cannot do anything to stop him."
"I may not be able to but I know someone who might be willing enough to do so."
"Ekur? But he is an old man. What can he do?"
Shub shook her head. Ekur might have been a good choice but that baru could be anywhere. There was another person that she had in mind and she knew exactly where he would be at this time. It might get her killed for it or even worse but that did not matter now. Hakuno was her dear friend that wasted time trying to teach simple-minded Shub how to read and write. She did not deserve this! She was not like the rest of the slaves!
"I will speak to you later!" Shub ran from the gardens as fast as her legs would take her. She ran past the many rooms, taking the twists and turns of the palace as fast as she could go without slamming into any of the walls. She took the many shortcuts that only the slaves knew about.
She reached the audience chamber and put her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Note to self, there needed to be a faster way invented to get from the far west gardens to the audience chambers.
The guards outside the chamber stared at her in confusion. "Are you alright?" asked Shulgi.
"I am fine," replied Shub. She stood up. "I need to get in the chambers."
"The King is currently in conference with the Assur ambassador. It is a delicate matter. No one may enter."
"Please Shulgi. This is important. The King would want to hear what I need to tell him. It is very time sensitive. I need to go in there now."
Shulgi shook his head. "I am sorry Shub. I cannot do that."
"Please Shulgi!" begged Shub. She pictured Hakuno's smiling face. She may have been brave at being forced to work in the palace but something like this might be too much for even her. "Shulgi. I am begging you." She pointed to the lances held by both guards. "I will vow on the gods themselves, any god you wish. I will swear it that what I will say is important."
Shulgi and the other guard exchanged looks. "Alright," relented Shulgi. "But I cannot promise your safety."
The guards stepped to the side and Shub pushed open the huge doors and entered the audience chambers. Her eyes widen as she took the huge space in. It was much grander than what the other slaves have described it as. Wow. It was so beautiful in here. She would love to spend a day in here examining the statues and the carvings on the walls.
"What is the meaning of this!?" roared a man who was sitting at a table across from the King. On the table, there was a bunch of clay cards. They were playing a game of some kind.
The King's red eyes locked onto Shub. "Why did the guards let you in?" His voice was low and the threat in it was clear.
Shub swallowed. She needed to stay calm. This was not for her sake. "H…Hakuno."
The King perked up at the mention of her name. "What about her?"
"She…she is in trouble." Shub could not stop the yelp of surprise from her mouth as the King jumped to his feet. Some of the cards on the table scattered in his wake as he walked from the table towards Shub.
"Explain," he growled. "How is she in trouble?"
Behind him the ambassador was protesting against this breach of protocol but the King did not seem fazed by it. His attention was focused on Shub.
"She….she was helping a fellow slave from Nanam but…it looked like she was unable to get away from him in time. He…he is going to…" She lost her voice. The King's expression terrified her. He looked like he was going to sentence everyone to death. It was like she could not breathe in his presence. She had never seen him this angry before.
"Do you know where he is?" His voice was chilled and devoid of all emotions.
"The old abandoned west wing was where he was," Shub managed to get out.
As soon as those words left her mouth, he stormed around her and left the audience chamber without another word. No longer in his presence, Shub's legs gave away and she fell to the ground. Thankfully she had managed to keep in control of her bladder.
"Are you alright?" Shulgi crouched next to her. His partner was talking to the ambassador, trying to calm the man down. "I have never seen the King that angry before. What news did you tell him?"
"Hakuno is in danger."