Hakuno's head pounded like a blacksmith was striking a hammer into it over and over. She tried to lift a hand to rub it but found that she could move them. In a panic she tried to speak but found that she was gagged as well.

Oh, Asaruludu, she was tied up! She forced the panic down as she tried to take in her surroundings. It was a dark room with random objects lying around everywhere. Only a single oil lamp from the ceiling shed a bit of light. It was probably one of the old storage sheds from the unused part of the west wing. There were a lot of random things in those.

Hearing a noise, she turned and saw Nanam on the other end of the room. He had his back to her and he seemed to be doing something. She could feel her breath coming out quicker but she forced it to return to normal. She needed to remain calm. For her own sake, she needed to stay calm!

That mantra disappeared from her mind as he turned to look at her with those dead, cruel eyes. "I always loved coming to this kingdom. The King always keeps very interesting slaves around. Although I have never seen anything like you before." He was by her side and he ran his fingers through her hair. She tried to move away from his touch but he tightened his grip and she was forced to move towards his hand to stop the pain of him pulling her hair.

"I really would like to know where he found someone like you," murmured Nanam as he stroked her hair with one hand. His other was lightly caressing her body.

Tears sprung to Hakuno's eyes but she blinked them away as much as she could. Did she not expect something like this to happen after she had been forced to live in this palace? How was this any different from what could have happened a month ago? Was she too complacent in the life she had here? She tried to move her legs but she found she could not move them at all. He had tied those to something. There was no way she could break free from these bonds. She needed to retreat into her herself. To get away from where his wandering hands were going, she needed to not feel it anymore. All she needed to do was retreat in her mind; put her soul in the hands of the gods…

Nanam gave a startled cry and Hakuno opened her eyes in surprise. Nanam was thrown off of her with extreme force. She saw a flash of gold as the King slammed Nanam's head into the floor a couple of times. The sound was painful and made her wince. The man lay on the ground unmoving and for a few brief seconds she thought he was dead but then she noticed the faint moving of his body from his breath.

The King glared down at the man and it looked like he was going to kick him but he turned his attention to Hakuno and rushed to her side. "Do not worry," he murmured. "I will get you free." He removed the gag from her mouth and then got to work on freeing her hands.

"How?" she whispered. "How are you here?"

"That slave girl you are friends with came to see me," he said. "She told me what happened."

"Shub?" Did she run into Hebu and then ran to tell the King about this?

"Maybe that is her name, I do not care to know." He freed her and gave her a look over as if he was searching for something. "Did he?"

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself. "No," she whispered. "Just…touched."

He gritted his teeth and turned his attention to the unconscious man. "I shall him executed for this."

"Would this not cause problems with Nippur?"

"It might but that does not matter. No one touches what is mine," he growled.

Hakuno just stared at him. The amount of hatred that he was sending this man through his eyes was astounding. She had never seen him this angry before about anything. "Please, I just want to get out of here," she whispered.

Before she could get to her own feet, the King had put one arm against her back and another under her knees before he lifted her off of the ground. "You are much lighter than you look like," he commented in surprise.

"Wh…what are you doing?" she exclaimed. "I…I can walk." Then she thought of what he just said. "Hey, wait a moment. Were you making fun of my weight!?"

The King ignored her protests as he carried her out of the room. She blinked as the bright light of the sun hit her eyes. His personal guards seemed to have just caught up to their King. "Take the man inside to the prison. Have him executed first thing in the morning."

Hakuno did not get to see if they obeyed as the King was already walking away from the scene.

Both were silent. After Nanam's creepy and disgusting touch, the King's arms against her back and knees felt warm and comforting. Against his chest she felt something she did not expect to feel. Safe. He had rushed over here to save her. That had to mean something right? However what did it mean? She was unsure.

After a while, they reached the more populated parts of the palace. She could feel the eyes of everyone on them. Of course. It was not every day that the King carried a shackled girl in his arms. Unlike her, he did not seem fazed by the stares and continued to walk.

They turned another corner and a set of guards and Hakuno realized where the King was going. His chambers.

She stiffened as they reached the doorway. What was he planning on doing? His chambers were, of course, fitting for his status. It was furnished with gold-plated furniture inlaid with various jewels. A huge bed took up the back, with expensive linens and the furs of lions. He carefully set her down on the edge of the bed.

Did he really save her from something like that to instigate something himself? She scoffed to herself. Of course he would. As the King, he got whatever he wanted whenever he did.

"You have a bump on the back of your head." Her spine stiffened as she felt his gentle touch. "Looks pretty bad. I will send for an azu to take care of it." The King turned away from her. "Make yourself comfortable, I will return soon." A small grin played on his lips. "Do not steal anything while I am gone now." He walked out of the room but stopped for a few brief seconds. "The guards will not allow anyone to enter this room but me."

What was he up to? Hakuno looked down at her shackled feet and wrapped her arms around herself. A small sob escaped her mouth and she clamped her hand over her mouth to try to stop another one from leaving her mouth. However, the more she fought against it, the harder it tried to get out. She fell back on the bed and curled into a fetal position and cried.

What in the name of the underworld was he doing?

Gilgamesh stormed down another corridor. Where in the world was the azu or even a slave for that matter? This place seemed deserted now! He made a mental note to buy a few more slaves to put into the palace. What was the point in having them if they were not around when he needed them!? Yes, he could have asked one of the guards posted outside his door but he did not want any less security for her.

He turned a corner and almost ran into Ekur.

"Oh, there you are my King!" The old man took a step back and straightened out his robes.

Thank the gods, he ran into Ekur of all people.

"What happened my King? The palace is buzzing about how you stormed out of a meeting with an ambassador. I know you dislike those meetings but still, you have never left one before. You have also sentenced Nanam to death on top of everything else. What is going on?"

Gilgamesh ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to figure out the best way to explain this. "Ekur, first, can you find an azu quickly and have him come to my chambers?"

"Yes, but why my King?" Ekur squinted and stared.

He gritted his teeth. Of course Ekur would want an explanation. "Nanam decided to lay a hand on Hakuno."

Ekur stiffened. Like Gilgamesh, he knew about Nanam's relation with the slaves. It was not uncommon for behavior like this to happen. Usually one would turn a blind eye if it was kept discreet. Gilgamesh would admit that he had this sort of relation with slaves in the neighboring kingdoms as well.

Ekur swallowed before he asked, "Is she alright?"

"Nothing happened. I got there before it did."

Ekur relaxed. "Thank the gods. However, my King, you sentenced him to death for it?"

Of course Ekur would focus on that. Gilgamesh looked away. Just thinking about it made him uncomfortable. It made no sense no matter how much he looked at it. "When I saw her there…I just reacted. I was not thinking of anything really."

"You know this is going to cause problems with Nippur as a result correct?"

He knew where Ekur was going with this. That stupid divination of his was coming true. How annoying. "It is just a coincidence. I just wanted to protect what is mine."

"And yet you left in the middle of a discussion for the sake of saving her."

"I have no idea alright," Gilgamesh snapped. To himself though, he had some inkling. When he had heard that slave-girl mention Nanam had grabbed her, all Gilgamesh could think of was her eyes and that spark within them. If that encounter had gone through, she would no longer have that spark anymore, he knew that was true, deep in his gut. He could not let that spark vanish.

"Of course not," chuckled Ekur. He shook his head. "Oh my King."

"What?" he growled.

"I will go get the azu and send him to your room. You should return to her. She should not be alone right now." He hesitated for a brief second and then continued. "However, I will be careful around her my King. She is probably in a very fragile state right now. Be kind to her."

Kind to her? He was a King! He got whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it! However he did nod to placate Ekur before he turned and walked back to his room.

The guards stepped aside as Gilgamesh passed them and entered his chambers. She was sitting on his bed, her bare, shackled feet on the ground. Her head was bowed low with her hair forward to cover her face.

"The azu will be here shortly."

She did not move. Gilgamesh walked over to the bed and stood over her. Still she did not look up at him. "Come on," he snapped. "Say something."

"What do you want me to say?" she murmured in a low voice. "You actually want me to say something? Not do something? Lie on this bed perhaps? Spread eagle maybe? Or on my stomach if that's your preference?"

What in the world was she talking about? "You make no sense woman." This was what he got for saving her?

Still she would not lift her head. Annoyed, Gilgamesh put his hand under her chin and forced her to look up at him. He froze when he noticed her eyes. Yes, they were the same defiant eyes he knew but they were overshadowed by how red and puffy they were. She had been crying?

"Why…why are you crying?" he asked dumbstruck.

She pulled away from him and lowered her head so her hair covered her eyes again. No response.

What was he supposed to do? He was not the sentimental type at all. A King did not comfort an upset person. However, seeing her face like that bothered him more than it should and it annoyed him that he did not understand why. He sat down on the bed next to her. "Why are you upset?" he asked again. "Nothing happened. I got there before it did. Why are you upset?"

A sound escaped her mouth. "Of course a King would not understand it," she whispered. She lifted her head proudly and turned those eyes of her on him. "I was unable to do anything. It is the fear that I am focused on. Being trapped there, unable to do anything and knowing what was to come." She shook her head. "You probably have no idea what that feels like…and what could happen next…" She turned away and wrapped her arms around herself. The tears in her eyes starting to flow again.

Damn it. Damn it all. What in the world was he supposed to do? Where was the azu!?

He could not just leave her here crying though right? Although it felt really odd, he reached out and put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her towards him. She was like a statue in his arms for a few moments. A sob escaped her throat and her fingers tightly grasped the sash he had over his right shoulder as she finally released her tears against his chest.

A couple of months ago, if she had been informed that she would end up crying in the arms of a King she would not have believed the messenger. However, here she was, in the arms of a king, getting snot and tears onto his robe.

When her eyes were cried out and her head pounding, she pulled away from him. "Sorry," she murmured. She rubbed her eyes. She probably looked like a mess now. She leaned her head forward to have her hair cover her eyes.

"Stop." The King put a hand under her chin and made her look up at him. He seemed to be searching for something in her eyes. "This has affected you so much…" Like when she had mentioned it before, there was genuine confusion in her eyes. Did he truly not understand? Of course not. He was a King. He was above everyone else.

"Do not worry about it," she murmured. She pulled away from his grasp and ran her fingers through her hair. She shivered as she thought of Nanam's fingers on her. It was not the first time that a man had put his grubby fingers on her, it was one of the many things she had to deal with while living in the traveling caravan. However she was always able to get away in time with a swift kick and her speed in running away. It just seemed that when she stepped into the palace that ability of hers had become useless.

She was broken out of her thoughts as the King touched the shackles on her ankles. "Would you have been able to get away if it was not for these?"

What was up with him? He was acting so strangely.

"Answer the question," he snapped.

She should have not been surprised. He was the same King after all. "Yes," she said simply. She rubbed her eyes again. She wanted to move her legs under her so the shackles would not be seen but he was holding the chain tightly in his hands.

"Then it was because you were put in these that cause that to happen you."

Did he actually sound remorseful about it? Was the King actually regretting something? If it was not for the fact that a part of her mind kept going back to what had happened to her, she might have been genuinely fascinated about it.

"I was being too reckless. I just have calculated how these chains would affect my movement wrong, that is all. You need not worry about it…my King."

"Gilgamesh."

She looked up at him in surprise. "What?"

"Gilgamesh. That is my name."

What was this? He had given her his name? A name that held power over this kingdom of Uruk. And yet, he had willingly given it up to a foreign woman like her? "That...that is not wise to give up your name like that. Your name holds so much power. One could personally curse you with the knowledge of knowing your name."

"And are you going to go tell people who wish to curse me?"

She closed her mouth tight and shook her head. Despite everything he had put her through, forcing her to live in the palace and whatnot, he had saved her, even if he did not understand it very well. She would not give up his name to anyone else.

"Well there is no problem then, is there?" chuckled the King. No. Gilgamesh. His name was Gilgamesh.

However she knew she could not just call him that. What if someone overheard? The walls did have ears. Any moment she could slip and someone who was not to hear would overhear her calling him by his real name. "How about I call you 'Gil'?" she suggested. "It will keep your name safe from those trying to harm you."

He let out a long sigh and shook his head like one would do to a child. "If you would like to refer to me as that, I do not mind." He gently began running his fingers through her hair. "Hakuno…" he began."Would you…"

"Come on, hurry up! If my old legs can move this fast then you can move faster than this!" Ekur's loud voice echoed from the hallway.

Gilgamesh made an annoyed sound with his tongue before he detangled his fingers from her hair and stood. She had to crack a smile at the annoyed look on his face. He could be such a child.

"Move you silly guards! I am allowed in here! I am Ekur, the baru!"

"Let him in as well as the azu," ordered Gilgamesh.

In a few mere seconds, Ekur was in the room along with a young azu. "Hakuno, are you alright?" asked Ekur. He walked over to her side and gave her a quick look over.

"I…I'm alright." Her attention flickered to the young azu. He had kneeled behind her. He had reached up to touch her but stopped when he noticed the wide-eyed expression on her face.

"I just need to check the back of your head," said the azu. "Is…that alright?"

Hakuno bit her lip and nodded. She turned around so the azu could get a full view of the back of her head. She was painfully aware of the young man's location behind her.

"No funny business now," growled Gilgamesh. "If your hands stray too far, you are going to lose it."

In that moment, Hakuno felt sorry for the azu. She could not see his face but she could imagine how nervous he was now. "Just go ahead," she murmured.

"Ekur," said Gilgamesh. "Does it matter if she is a slave under you or not?"

"No, it does not matter much to me."

What in the world was going on here? What was Gilgamesh talking about? The azu had found the bump on the back of her head and she winced.

"I can say a prayer to Gula for you," offered the azu. "Otherwise, it will heal up on its own."

"That is fine. Do not worry about it." She turned back to the conversation between Gilgamesh and Ekur.

Then it is settled." Gilgamesh turned to her. "You do not have a place to return to correct? This palace is your home at this time."

"You are correct," she replied. Her home was gone for months. They may come back in the next year but more than likely not. Without this palace, there was nowhere else for her to go.

"I need to smooth over matters with Assur ambassador. Ekur, can you take her to the blacksmith?"

"My King?" Ekur asked in surprise.

Hakuno was thinking the same thing.

Gilgamesh glanced over at Hakuno and down at her feet. "Take her back to the blacksmith and get the shackles removed from her feet."

"G…My King," Hakuno quickly corrected herself. "Why?"

"I do not wish for a repeat incident of this," replied Gilgamesh. He crossed his arms and looked away from her. "You will be working in the palace with actual wages from this point on. That is…if you accept this position. You are…not being forced to do this."

Ekur hid his face with his sleeve but his twinkling, amused eyes were clearly visible. "Oh my King," he chuckled under his breath.

Hakuno was struggling to keep her own smile off of her face. His childlike quality was on full display here. The poor azu was finished and he was keeping quiet so he was able to watch the King act in a way that one would never get to see normally.

She crossed her legs and rested her hands in her lap. "Well, I can probably get in contact with someone in the city. The merchants here tend to know one another and I am known in the caravan enough that they do notice when my presence is missing. They might even be looking for me at this very moment."

"But you said," began Gilgamesh.

She could not control the laugh that escaped her mouth at that moment. "I am kidding my King." Although there were many people she could talk to, it would take a while. Plus most of the time she would end up at dead ends and overall it would be way too much of a hassle. "I would be honored to work under a baru as great as Ekur."

"Now, I know you are after the books more than my presence." Ekur waved his pointer finger at her. "Do not lie about that one girl."

"Of course," she replied with a wide grin. "Those Ugaritic texts are not going to read themselves." She turned to Gilgamesh. "Thank you."

"It is nothing like I have said," he replied with his nose turned up. "I will send a slave to get a bedchamber ready for you in the guest quarters."

"The guest quarters?" she asked in surprised. She understood that she would no longer be considered a slave but the guest quarters? That was a huge jump in status there.

"There is no other location where you can be kept for the moment so I have decided that one of the guest quarters would be the perfect location for you. You cannot argue this point."

"Of course not my King," she replied. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at him. Such an adorable child he was.

"Now get going. Do you not have books to read or whatever?"

"Of course we do my King." Ekur gestured for Hakuno to get up. "Come. Let us go."

"You are still here?"

The azu jumped as Gilgamesh's red eyes turned on him.

"N…no. Just leaving my King."

She got to her feet, her chains clinking against each other. This was probably the last time she would hear the clinking of the chains. So odd to think about and sort of sad at the same time. However she was happy as well. Finally she could be free of these things!

"Come, let us go Hakuno."

Hakuno nodded and gave Gilgamesh one last small smile before she followed the old man out of his room.

The moon bathed everything in an eerie glow. It was a full moon. If Gilgamesh was a superstitious man, he would have thought that the night was ominous and forth telling of future events. The moonlight was playing off of the waters of the Euphrates. For the superstitious it probably meant that Sin was watching this all and was casting judgment on Gilgamesh.

Of course he was not that type of man.

He looked down at the man groveling at his feet. It was not like he had a choice in the matter. Nanam was bloody and bruised his arms and legs tied. Stones were attached to his clothes along with the ends of the rope. The man was a wreck but he still glared up at the King. "Nippur will not stand idly by if you do this," he warned. "They will fight and where will your precious kingdom be in that?"

"My kingdom will be fine," growled the King. He gave Nanam a hard push with his foot in the direction of the river. "What is it that people like you believe? A test to see if the River God finds you innocent or not?"

"I am not a witch," laughed Nanam. "What is the point of this?" He twisted his head back to look at the King. "I wish I finished with that girl when I had the chance. At least this ending would be very sweet as a result."

Gilgamesh gritted his teeth as his mind flashbacked to her crying face. This man had done that to her. He had taken those strong eyes, and the strong woman and made her cry like that. "Well then, I guess you will be going to the underworld early then." With a sharp kick he sent the man tumbling over the small bridge and he fell into the water.

He waited on the bridge, staring at the water in case the man surfaced. Nothing. Not even an air bubble. "I guess the River God did not think you were innocent after all." Gilgamesh turned away and walked over to his private guard waiting on the shoreline. None of them said a word as the King got on his horse and they rode back to his city.