Gilgamesh pushed the horse to its limit. "Come on, faster!" he snarled. His hands were curled tightly around the mane as the horse galloped for its life. It would have taken too much time to get the horse saddled up so he went out bare-backed. He gripped the beast's body so tightly with his legs that a small part of him was afraid he might end up crushing the horse's ribs as a result.
His citizens dove out of the way as Gilgamesh cleared a path to the Euphrates. The ashipu was standing near the bank of the river. His eyes widen in surprise when he saw the King.
"My King, what are you doing here?"
Gilgamesh yanked hard on the horse's mane to force it to stop before he jumped down. The animal was panting hard and covered in sweat. It would probably not be used again after today.
A quick look around told him all he needed to know. She was not on the shore but many people were still here. They were here to see the result of the river ordeal.
He spotted brown hair in the river traveling downstream. Her head rose to the surface for a few brief seconds before it disappeared under the water again.
"Move!" Gilgamesh yanked his heavy king necklace and tossed it against the ground. It would only weigh him down.
"My King!" protested the ashipu as the King dove into the water without a moment's hesitation.
The water was colder than he thought it would be. After getting over the initial shock, he began swimming with strong, powerful strokes towards her. He saw her head rise for a few brief seconds before slipping under again.
Diving underwater he searched for her. The current pulled him along but he fought against it. Where was she?
He saw movement below him. Squinting, he located her. Her eyes were half-open but they focused on Gilgamesh as he grabbed her arm and began swimming up.
She gasped and coughed as they broke the surface of the water.
"You are alright…you are fine…" He put an arm around her as he began swimming to the shore.
"Why…why are you here?" she whispered. "I…I am…"
"Do not worry about it. We will speak about it later."
When the water was shallow enough to walk, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her bridal style. "Do not complain and keep quiet," he murmured.
"My King! What are you doing!?" The ashipu was waiting on the shore. His eyes were so wide it looked like they were going to fall out of his head. "That girl…she is a witch! She needs to be judged by the river! She's a…."
"Do not finish that sentence," he growled. His people were gathered on the shore. They were giving the ashipu and Gilgamesh a wide circle.
"But my King…she is a…"
"I know what she is. And I am grateful. I am alive thanks to her and so she should not be commended as a witch. I will not have her commended as a witch."
"Gil, you need to tread lightly," murmured Hakuno. "Your position as a King might be in trouble here…"
She would be worried about him in a time like this. "Do not worry," he replied quietly. "I can handle this." He glared at the ashipu. "Like I said, I am alive because of her power. And I am not happy that you would attempt to drown her." His voice dropped to a low growl.
"Gil," hissed Hakuno.
The ashipu's eyes got even wider. The people on the shore were murmuring among themselves.
"My King…the Gods…may not be happy about this…"
Who cared about what the Gods thought!? It was because of that and the stupid fear of things unknown that Hakuno almost drowned. He opened his mouth to state his mind when another voice echoed over the people.
"The Gods have spoken!"
The people parted as Ekur walked through the crowd. The old man was wearing his most expensive robes. Silks embroidered with symbols of the gods. It gave the old man a more regal, refined look.
"A while ago I got a divination of a person that will change the land of Uruk forever." He gestured to the wet, shivering Hakuno in Gilgamesh's arms. "This girl has been blessed with Gula's gift of healing. She had to keep quiet about the ability until the time was right.
"On his way back from defeating Nippur, the King was gravely injured. He was able to make it back here but he would have passed on to the underworld. However, Hakuno stepped in, and used the power of Gula to heal our King. For that we must be grateful to her."
Ekur walked over to the ashipu and placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "I know you are frightened but Gula will forgive you for this. She understands that not everyone gets her message. I should have spoken sooner but it was not time yet for me to do so."
"I…I understand…" stammered the ashipu.
"My King." Ekur bowed low. "Please return to the palace. Hakuno will need to pray to Gula tonight for her powers to be restored so she may help the Uruk people."
A grin played across Gilgamesh's face. Oh Ekur. If only barus accepted pay raises. "Yes, I shall return back to the palace now."
Again she was back in Gilgamesh's room. She had changed out of her wet clothes and was currently drying her hair with another piece of cloth. Gilgamesh was standing by the window and he would glance over at her every now and then.
A thought crossed her mind and she let out a small laugh.
"What is it?"
Hakuno glanced over at him and shook her head. "No…I was just thinking about how I was traumatized when I was a child to hate water and now I will probably never step into a river ever again." She noticed Gilgamesh's hands were clenched. "That was a joke Gil."
"How could you joke about something like that? You almost drowned!" he snapped.
She sighed. "Please Gil. I understand why they did what they did." She looked down at her palms. "I have a power that they do not understand. Of course they will fear me and think of me as a witch…" She pressed her lips together as Gilgamesh's red eyes locked onto her. "I am guessing you also view me as a witch now too?"
He shook his head. "I do not. I find that…surprising more than anything else. Have you always been able to do that?"
She nodded. "Yes. I have always been able to. When I was a child one of the old women in the caravan advised me to hide it. It would only cause problems if people were to find out about my ability. So I kept it a secret." She rubbed her ankles. "I was using it to keep my ankles from hurting while I was wearing the shackles. I could have done more but then one would notice I was healing too fast…"
"You two are causing me so much trouble. I am losing years off of my life due to you two!" Ekur stormed into Gilgamesh's room. He was still in his impressive robes.
"Thank you Ekur," whispered Hakuno.
"Do not thank me girl. I was not lying about the divination. The King here can attest to that."
Hakuno's eyes widen and she glanced over at Gilgamesh and back at Ekur. There was a divination about her? "What…how did you get the divination? When?" Her mind was whirling. Why was there a divination about her in the first place?
"It was not a good divination…" murmured Gilgamesh.
"Not a good divination…" Hakuno trailed off. What did that mean?
"A liver reading as well as an oil reading," said Ekur. He was also not looking at her. "It suggested an ill omen was going to happen in the future. You would be the catalyst, a change for the city would come out of it. May it be good or bad, you are in the center of it."
Good or bad. An ill omen. Hakuno numbly looked down at her feet. What had she done? The Gods have decreed she would cause change. It was like they knew of her power and was warning everyone of it. "Why did you let me stay then?"
"Why do I need to heed the words apparently found in an animal liver?" snapped Gilgamesh.
She blinked in surprise at the anger in his words and then looked away. Why was she even surprised? Gilgamesh never heeded the words of the Gods. He did whatever he wanted. And it seems like what he wanted was her in the palace.
"What about the mentioning of Gula?" she asked. Gula probably would not be happy that her name was evoked in a lie.
"Your powers are not related to Gula?" Ekur asked in surprise.
She shook her head. "No. I do not believe so. It is just…something I was born with." She shrugged. Both of them looked confused. How to explain this? She looked down at her hands. "In my travels on the caravan, there were rumors in some areas of humans with inhuman powers. Some were thought of as witches or whatnot while others seemed to be considered heroes. I do not know much about it though, I never followed up on any rumors."
She thought of something and turned to Ekur. "Do not worry though. I know how to use my power and I can use it to heal others. I can use it in the name of Gula to help." She focused on Gilgamesh. "I can help the wounded soldiers from the war."
It was like there was a weight off of her shoulders. She did not need to hide her ability anymore. Since Ekur had invoked the name of Gula, her power would be seen as divine and good. Finally, she could use it to help others!
Ekur chuckled. "Why am I not surprised you found a blessing in this situation."
"We are not turning her into a slave to heal the people with," snapped Gilgamesh.
Both Ekur and Hakuno looked at Gilgamesh in surprise. Why was he so angry at the idea? She sighed and got up from the bed. Such a grumpy child.
"Gil." She wrapped her hands around his and smiled up at him. "I want to do this. I can finally use my power for good. I do not have to hide it anymore. I want to use it to help."
Gilgamesh opened his mouth but he shut it again and looked out the window. "F…fine. Do what you wish."
She suppressed a giggle and stepped back. "Are the men back yet?" she asked Ekur. "I want to get started healing them right away."
"You almost drowned today and you want to get to work right away? Will you be alright?"
Hakuno waved Ekur's concern away. "I will be fine. Plus, some of them might not make it through the night. I need to take care of them right away."
Ekur put his hands in his robes. "I will take you there." A twinkle appeared in his eyes. "You better have time to translate texts for me."
Hakuno grinned and nodded. "Of course." She turned to the King and bowed low. "Thank you. For saving my life."
Gilgamesh turned away from her. "It is fine. Leave now. Do your job."
She squinted. The sun was playing weirdly on his face but it seemed to look redder than usual. "Are you blushing?"
"Nonsense! A King does not blush!"
"If you say so…" Hakuno giggled before she hurried after Ekur.
Hakuno stumbled out of the medical building. Her head was swimming but she was happy, another day of healing the gravely wounded. She would have healed more but her life would be danger if she pushed herself too hard.
It had been a couple of days since she had taken on her new position. It was funny how people could change their view on something so fast. They viewed her as a saint now and welcomed her in the building. She had saved so many lives in there. So many families got their husbands and fathers back.
Back in her room, she collapsed on her bed. So tired. She glanced over at her desk and stared at the pile of tablets that still needed translated. She had been so busy that she did not have time to even look at them.
"I will get to work on them tomorrow," she promised. Ekur would complain her ear off if he found out that she did not make a dent in the text.
Her stomach growled and she sat up. Darn. She was hungry but too tired to go down to the kitchen to get anything to eat. She debated on whether she could take a nap first before getting something to eat. No. She was too hungry.
"This is going to be a long painful walk," she murmured as she sat up.
As she sat up, she noticed movement by her door. "Ummm, is someone there?"
"Uh, I am sorry to bother you…" Shub took a step into Hakuno's room. A tray was in her hands.
"Shub…" Hakuno sat up straight. Ever since she had revealed her power, Shub had kept her distance. "It is okay. Just come in."
"I brought you some dinner. I know that you were probably too focused to remember to eat."
"Oh, thanks Shub." Hakuno made some space on her desk. "You can put it here."
Shub nodded and put the tray down. "I will go now…"
"Wait Shub." Hakuno reached out and grasped her friend's wrist before she could run away. "Sorry." She released Shub a moment later. "I know that some people do not want to be touched by someone like me."
"N…no, that is not it…"
"Really, it is fine Shub." She gave her friend a wide smile. "I understand."
Shub shook her head stubbornly. "No, you do not understand! I am…I was…just surprised."
"Surprised?"
"One of my friends has been blessed by Gula and I did not know! What was I supposed to think?" She looked away. "I am sorry for not helping you when you revealed it. I was…shocked."
Oh Shub. Hakuno reached out and hugged her friend. "Do not worry Shub. I do not blame you for not helping me." She shrugged. "I was not expecting to come out of it alive. I cannot swim so I would not have survived the river ordeal if the King did not save me."
Shub eyes widen. She put her hand over her mouth. "Oh Hakuno…"
Maybe she should not have said that. "Please, do not look at me like that. I am fine. This is much better for me anyway. I can finally use my power for good. And I hope…we can still be friends?"
Shub was blinking fast. She rubbed her eyes. "I…I was going to ask you that…" She sniffled.
"Of course. Who else is going to help me with the texts?" She gestured to the pile of tablets. "Ekur is going to give me an earful soon."
Shub giggled. "Then we better get started?"
"Tomorrow, after I sleep…and eat!" She picked up the bowl of soup and began eating.
Gilgamesh tapped his finger against his throne. Another day of having audiences with people from his kingdom. Besides a few complaints of the people on the fringes of his domain, it was like last month had not happened.
Once the last person left for the day, Gilgamesh got to his feet. Finally. "I am returning to my room," he told the guard. "Send dinner there." After a moment's thought he added. "Find Hakuno and have her brought to me as well."
"My King, Lady Hakuno is probably in the azu's house."
The azu house? He growled softly. That was in the city! Why was she there!? If her powers were actually given by Gula, he would have cursed the Goddess for it. Because of that, he was unable to play games with her. More specifically, he had not seen her since he had saved her life. Should she not be grateful to him about it?
"Well send a slave and go get her. I want her in my room before the sun is fully set."
"But the sun is setting now…"
"Then I would hurry up in getting her," growled Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh returned to his room and began pacing. Where in the world was she? Why was this taking so long? That guard better not have gotten lost. If he did, he was not going home tonight.
Hearing a sound, he turned to see Hakuno walk into his room. "What is it?" she sighed. "The guard was scared when he found me. What did you threaten him with?"
"Do not worry about that." He sat down at his long table and pulled out one of the many clay game boards he had stacked under it. "Let us play."
"Really? You called me here so I could play a game with you?"
The way she was slowly blinking her eyes at him was really annoying him. What gave her the right to be annoyed with him like that!? "We used to do this before, remember? Before you revealed your power and all. We used to play games such as this together."
Again with the slow, annoying blinking.
"You are such a child," she said at last with a very long deep sigh.
"I am not enjoying you referring to me as a child," he growled. She just shrugged in response and sat down at the table. It annoyed him a bit that she did not seem to be affected at all by his angry-voice. The slaves and guards cowered when he used that voice! Not her though. She would just sigh and that was it!
"What are you upset about now?" She set the ivory-carved pieces on the 'start' space.
"Nothing," he huffed.
"With you, it is never just 'nothing'." She shook the dice a few times before rolling. "What is wrong? Do not make me recite the verses Ekur and I found in the back of one of the libraries. The 'Ode to Ishtar'. Very lovely text. It is filled with wonderful imagery of Ishtar and how the author pines for her. It goes like-"
"Alright, I get it, you can stop now!" This woman was just so…infuriating! Why did he want to play this game with her again anyway? Why did he want her around to begin with? What was it about this woman that made him want to spend time with her?
"Gil? It is your turn."
He took the dice from her outstretched hand and rolled. Four. "You have not been spending as much time at the palace like you used to."
"Of course not," she replied. "My power is not much use here in the palace. I go to the various azu houses to help the injured there." She looked down at the board. Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes. In the fading sunlight and the candlelight, was she blushing? "The various azu have taken to calling me Lady Hakuno and the people I have helped have referred to me as blessed by Gula's holy light. I know it is a lie and all but it still makes me happy. People want to have me around because my power can help them…
"Oh please Gil. You do not have to look at me with that look on your face."
What look? He did not know he was making any "look". Nonsense. She had to be lying. He never made "looks". He had full control of his face. He did not make a face without knowing about it!
"I can tell you are trying to deny it in your head." She let out another of her long, annoying sighs. "It is quite obvious Gil. You are missing our daily games and you wish we could go back to those days correct?"
"Nonsense!" he scoffed. He set his piece down on a card draw space. "That is not true at all. Today was a long day of audiences. I want to do something to take my mind off the boring trivialities of the common people."
"If you say so," she murmured.
"I do say so." Excellent. The card he drew would give him an advantage on his next turn.
She shook her head and took her turn. "It is not like I am never around in the palace anymore. I am still translating texts for Ekur. We are also going through one of the rooms in the west wing as well. I am usually there a couple of days in the week."
She was? He silently growled. He had visited Ekur yesterday. The baru had said Hakuno had not been around for the whole week along with telling him that she did not spend as much time in the palace anymore. That meddling baru….
"Now do not blame Ekur. I know you are doing that in your head."
She was getting sharper by the day. Or was it something else? "Do you have the ability to read minds along with those healing powers of yours?"
She giggled. "Do not be silly. Of course not. It is just simple deduction that is all." She broke out into a wide grin as her piece crossed the finish line. "I think I won."
"No you did not!" Gilgamesh checked over the cards she had picked up along the way and thought about the numbers she had gotten on the dice. Growling, he dropped her cards onto the table. "Fine. You won this round."
"'This round'?"
"Of course. Did you really think I would be satisfied with only one round?"
"Why am I not surprised?" She rubbed her eyes before she put the tokens back at the start position.
He frowned as he watched her shuffle the cards. Now that he was really looking at her, he realized that her movements were slower than usual. She was also blinking a lot more than usual. "Are you…tired?"
She looked up at him in surprise and then returned her attention to the cards. "It takes a lot of my stamina to use my power." She gave him a smile. "Do not worry though. I am awake enough to play."
This was the few times in his life that he actually felt bad for his actions. She was obviously exhausted by using her powers to help those people and yet, here she was, playing games with him because he insisted on it.
"You did not have to come if you were tired."
"If I did not come, you would have thrown a fit," she replied. She held out the dice for him to take. "You go first."
"I would not!" he scoffed. Really. He was not a child! Why must she continue to treat him like one? "
"Well you would have probably would have exiled the guard that gave you the bad news or something else along those lines. A punishment that does not equal the crime being committed."
Nonsense! He would not do something like that!
Alright, thinking about it, it might have happened once or twice but it was not his fault! The guard was incompetent! He was unable to do his job correctly. That was why he needed to be removed.
"Let me guess, you are trying to justify your actions in your head."
"Are you lying about being unable to read minds?"
She rolled her eyes. "Believe me or not. That is your choice. Now, are you going to take the dice or not?"
Gilgamesh held the dice to the lamplight. The flickering light was casting shadow on them at various angles. He looked up at her and then put the dice down on the table. "That is enough for today. We can continue this tomorrow."
"I am fine Gil. I can play another round."
"No, you are exhausted and even I can see that." Why was this woman so infuriating? "Just return to your room and sleep. You can prepare for us to play tomorrow."
"I was going to get back to translating some texts that I have lying around but I guess I can spare some time to play a bit with you."
He crossed his arms and looked away. "If you do not want to play then fine, do not come!" he snapped. If it was that much of a burden to her, then what was the point of her coming and complaining about it? It was better that she did not come at all.
She let out another long sigh. "You say that but I am sure you are going to send a guard tomorrow to tell me to come over here to play anyway. Let us both save the guard the trouble." She got up. "I will come by when the sun begins to set. Lamplight is not very good to translate texts by. The flickering lights make it difficult to concentrate."
Gilgamesh did not understand it but he nodded.
"Well, I will see you tomorrow then."
He watched her walk to his door. She bid a farewell to his guards before her presence was gone.
He scratched the back of his head as he stood. He was not tired yet but how else was he going to spend the rest of his evening? He could always get a woman to entertain him for the night but he dismissed the thought immediately.
He paused.
Why did he dismiss that thought? Actually, now he was thinking it over, he had not taken a woman to his bed for a couple of months now. Why? Was something wrong with him? Maybe it was some sort of demon plaguing him. He scoffed at the thought. He was thinking like one of those superstitious people who saw demons over their shoulder at every turn and ran to the ashipu when he stubbed his toe against a rock on his way to work. Utter nonsense that was.
He walked over to the doorway.
"My King, is there something you want?" asked one of the guards.
He opened his mouth to ask that a woman be brought to him but he paused as his thoughts flashed to Hakuno and those defiant eyes of her. He shut his mouth and turned away. "Nothing," he said. "Nothing at all."