How ironic that Hakuno was able to get back into the palace by stating she was Enkidu's slave.

Gilgamesh had them, well Enkidu, set up in one of the guest rooms. A room on the other end of the hall of the guest room Hakuno had been living in. The King had retreated to his quarters after stating food would be brought to them.

"This is a room similar to your own?" Enkidu marveled as they explored every inch of the room. She did not doubt, if the floors could be removed, they would be looking under them for buried treasure.

"Are those real pelts?" Enkidu went over to the bed and petted the fur blankets. "Oh they are! What kind of creature is this?"

"It's a lion pelt. Gil enjoys decorating the rooms with them," Hakuno replied softly. She remembered a few months ago a seller of pelts came through the city. Gilgamesh had been excited and demanded the seller to come to the palace. He then spent a good portion of the day shifting through the pelts to pick out the best ones to keep in the palace. In fact, now that she was thinking about it, the pelt on this bed was one that he had bought on that day.

"Excuse me," spoke a slave from the doorway.

Thankfully the slave did not attempt to push aside the curtain to enter the room. Hakuno did not want to know what the slave would think of Enkidu, who was currently trying to see what was under the bed.

Hakuno hurried to the doorway and pushed the curtain aside. She did not recognize the boy, probably a slave that was bought after her incident. "Thank you."

The slave looked at her with an odd expression but he recovered and lowered his head to her. "If you need anything, ring the bell I have been assigned to take care of your lord while in the palace."

She nodded back. "I will let them know. Enkidu is tired at the moment, but I will make sure they eat."

She slipped back into the room and took the tray to the nearest table. Enkidu had finished their inspection of the bed and walked over.

"What are all these things Ha-Zaibu? They smell wonderful. Oh! Is that cooked meat?"

Hakuno had to chuckle as she split the food in about half. The slave boy had included a bowl of grain and a small portion of meat for her as the "slave" but she mixed it in with everything else. She might be playing the part of one right now, but she knew Enkidu would not allow her to eat like one.

After the meal was complete, Hakuno rested her hands on top of Enkidu's. "I am sorry you had to do that. Fight Gil for me."

Enkkidu shook their head. "It is alright. The challenge was, exciting? Is that the word? Yes, it was exciting." They jerked their hands back. "Hakuno?"

"Oh sorry, I should have warned you." Hakuno gestured for Enkidu to give her their hands. "Let me heal those injuries for you. Gil hit you pretty hard."

They shook their head. "No. You need that for yourself. You are still recovering."

"I will be fine. I am not as depleted as I used to be. Like I said I feel horrible." She wished there had been another one that would not have put Enkidu in danger like that, but she knew this was the fastest way into the palace. Gilgamesh always loved a good challenge and from her observations she knew Enkidu was strong enough to be equals to her King in strength. Unique things intrigued him after all.

"I recover quickly, I will be alright after some sleep." Enkidu stifled a yawn.

"Yes, let us get some sleep. It has been a long night." She knew if she tried to find the slave palette in the room, Enkidu would not be happy, so she climbed into the bed and Enkidu did the same on the other side.

Like their time in the forest, they laid back to back. It was odd, she had to admit. Being in the place she could truly call home, and not really being home.

"We will help him," said Enkidu. "Hakuno. I do not know much about the Gods but I swear by them we will help him."

A lump sat in her throat. "Yes, we will do our best," she whispered.

"And these are my gardens!" Gilgamesh spread his arms wide, the sun shining just right that the King looked ethereal if one ignored the angry bruises on his jaw.

Or like a child that wanted to show off.

Hakuno bit the inside of her cheek and looked at the ground before her smile could betray her face.

Enkidu marveled at the gardens. They might not have the same connection to the forest and its animals, but it seemed like their love for it had not waned. They stopped before every flowering plant and took a long whiff of each one.

"Zaibu, what is this one called?" Enkidu pointed to the flowers in the pond.

"Those are lilies Enkidu." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Gilgamesh gave her an annoyed look. An inward sigh. Her husband's childish nature had not changed. She leaned close to Enkidu and whispered. "Ask Gil to answer your questions."

Enkidu nodded and stood up and focused their bright smile on Gilgamesh. "Can you please show me more of the gardens?"

Gilgamesh's face lit up, even if he was trying to hide it. "Of course. Come over here. There are some rare spice plants. Not used for food but only for decoration…"

While Enkidu and Gilgamesh walked ahead of her, she watched her King from the back. He looked so happy speaking to Enkidu. She could see the King she knew in that expression, not the one that ruled Uruk with an iron fist. All she wanted to do was to run up and hug him from behind and tell him everything was okay now, she was alive and here with him.

She knew she could not. Not now, when there was probably danger in the palace itself. She turned her eyes away from them and focused on the slaves hiding in the corners of the garden, noting if she recognized any of them or not.

The next couple of days Gilgamesh treated Enkidu by showing them around the different areas of the palace during the morning hours. Enkidu would always react in marvel and awe, always asking questions about the area they were visiting. It surprised him how much Enkidu seemed to notice. The fresh eyes showed him treasures in place he did not think there were any.

In the evening hours, the King would also stop by to play a few card or board games with Enkidu and one time they even had a light wrestling match. Gilgamesh, of course won, even if his foot was half sticking out of the ring.

The one thing that put a damper on these meetings was that slave of Enkidu's. The boy was…strange. Gilgamesh could not put his finger on what exactly was wrong with the boy. The boy looked like every other slave in the palace but something about him made the King uneasy. Enkidu had the same sense of "unnatural" but unlike the boy, it was calming. Perhaps it was the boy's eyes.

They had an intelligence to them that did not seem to fit the rest of the body it was attached to. In the few brief seconds their eyes met, Gilgamesh felt like the boy was looking through him. Like the boy understood Gilgamesh better than Gilgamesh did himself.

"I need to ask you something Enkidu."

Enkidu looked up from washing their hands in the fountain. Or were they just letting the water run over their fingers? Gilgamesh was not sure.

"What is it my King?" they asked.

Gilgamesh felt foolish. What kind of King was nervous about a slave? He glanced to the edge of the sprawling room to see the slave standing next to the back wall, the furthest he could get from Gilgamesh and Enkidu. He did not seem to be looking at anything in particular but as if feeling Gilgamesh's eyes on him, he glanced over in their direction.

Gilgamesh turned his eyes away and then wondered why he did that.

This was one of the most impressive chambers on the palace. A fountain and pool took up the center of the room, the walls painted with murals depicting various scenes from the stories of the Gods. Not something he cared to visit but the foreign guests always found it impressive. Enkidu was the first one that stuck his hands into the fountain though.

Realizing Enkidu was waiting for an answer, Gilgamesh kneeled next to them and asked in a very soft voice so it would not carry. "Must that slave of yours always be your shadow?"

"My slave?" Enkidu seemed confused for a moment but recovered quickly. "Oh! You mean Zaibu? What is wrong with Zaibu?"

That the boy was creepy and unnerved Gilgamesh? "As friends we should spend time together. Also….that slave probably gets bored with having to follow you around!" Look at him, thinking of slaves like an equal. A memory tried to push its way to surface but he pushed it down.

"I guess… I will ask Zaibu if that is okay."

"Why must you ask your slave if it is alright?"

The surprise was evident on Enkidu's face. Was Gilgamesh's words too harsh? No, why did he care? He was a King! And Kings got what they wanted!

"Zaibu is…special." Enkidu lifted their hands out of the water and let the droplets seep through their fingers. "He taught me so much about the world and I look to him for guidance. He was there when I was feeling sad and he encourages me." Enkidu smiled at Gilgamesh. "Have you had a person like that?"

A whisper of memories, like a warm breeze on the Euphrates. Flickers of her. That long brown hair, that smile, those eyes. How during the meetings with the people she would lean towards him until their shoulders touched. How those hands swiftly dealt the clay cards. How she looked, dressed in the full Queen regalia on her coronation day….

Gilgamesh stood, the weight of the memories and the emotions attached to them pressing down on him.

"My King?" Enkidu stared up at him concern.

"I…I need to attend to some matters. I must go now." He turned away and cursed the Gods for how he stumbled as he exited the room.

His guards snapped to attention and fell in step behind him.

He needed to do something. He wanted to do something. Anything to make it stop. The emotions, the memories.

He stopped and whirled around to face his guards, them almost bumping into him. "Go to the kingdom and find me the first pretty woman you see and have her come to my chambers," he ordered.

"My King you have an audience with the nobles when the sun is at its peak," said one of his guards. The guard froze as Gilgamesh's eyes locked onto him.

"Cancel the meeting for all I care," growled Gilgamesh. "Bring me the woman or your head will roll."

"What happened? Why did he leave?" Hakuno hurried over to Enkidu, who had not moved by the pond. They were staring at the doorway in confusion.

"I do not understand why he left myself." Enkidu shook out their hands, water droplets flying everywhere. "I do not think I have said anything upsetting."

"What did you say?"

"He was asking me about meeting with him alone, without you around."

Ah, she wondered how long it would take for Gilgamesh to ask that. She noticed he found her unnerving, always glancing over at her like he thought she would suddenly not be there when he looked up. It seemed like he could sense there was something "wrong" with her but could not figure out what it was.

"And then what happened?" she prompted.

"I told him I needed to ask you and that got us into a discussion of people that are special. Well, I talked about how you were special to me and then asked him about who he thought was special."

Oh.

Hakuno looked to the door. Oh Gilgamesh. She wanted to run after him and break the spell placed upon her. She resisted the urge and focused back on Enkidu. If she did that, then they would never find out what had actually happened. Enkidu was healing Gilgamesh's, heart, she could see that. If only she could do that herself…

"You did nothing wrong Enkidu." She took Enkidu's hands into her own. "He…he just does not want to think about painful memories."

"If you say so."

It felt weird not shadowing Enkidu and Gilgamesh but Hakuno loved being able to do whatever she wanted. The guards and slaves around the palace had gotten used to them as Hakuno only got a quick glance. Although they were probably staring a bit more than they usually would as it was the first day Hakuno scurried around on her own.

She had a purpose for this though. Being able to move around the palace on her own was vital for her own investigations. She needed to have access to the slave network here and to get into that, she needed to talk to Puabi.

She prayed to every God and Goddess she could think of as she headed for the kitchens, where Paubi usually was at this time of day. Even after she became Queen, the head of the slaves still made her nervous.

You just need to have a business conversation with her. You will not be under her like you were in the past, technically. She cannot dominate you with her presence…and her loud voice….and those angry eyes…

Maybe it was best for her to stop thinking about it.

She smelled the kitchen before she turned the corner to see the doorway. From the sounds coming inside and the barking orders of Puabi, they were already hard at work. Her steps slowed the closer she got to the kitchen and her mind started thinking of other ways to get what she needed.

A slave stepped out of the kitchen, a basket of scraps in hand.

Hakuno froze and focused on the girl walking away from her. It couldn't be.

Original plan forgotten, she hurried after the slave. Hearing the steps behind her, the girl turned to look at Hakuno with questions in her tired, lost eyes.

Hakuno wanted to cry.

"Can I help you?" asked Shub. Besides the fact that Shub was favoring a leg, her friend was alright. And her friend was alive.

"Shub, I need to talk to you." Hakuno looked around and spotted a storage room just down the hall. "In there. We can talk in there."

Shub stared at Hakuno like she was trying to figure out if Hakuno was joking or not and took a large step back.

Oh. Hakuno realized what made Shub so nervous. Right now she looked like a boy. A boy that just asked Shub to meet them in a storage room. Oh Enki, how stupid could she be?

"Shub, sorry, I did not mean to sound creepy with that." She looked around nervously. There were a few guards at the other end of the hall. If the two of them stood there too long, the guards would come over. "You snore in your sleep and you roll around a lot. You also hate eating anything that is long and green."

Shub stared at Hakuno in confusion and fear. "How?"

Hakuno gestured for Shub to follow her. "Please Shub. I will tell you but I cannot tell you out here."

Shub shook her head and looked like she was going to throw the food scraps at her.

For the love of Ishtar. Obviously being with Hakuno had made the slave smarter. Great in any other situation but not right now!

She could see the guards looking in their direction.

"It is me Hakuno, Shub," Hakuno whispered as loud as she dared.

"Ha….what." Shub looked at Hakuno and down. She seemed to connect what was going on as she nodded and followed Hakuno into the storage room.

As soon as they were in the back, next to a pile of crates with fabrics, Shub dropped the basket of scraps. "What is going on!?" She looked at Hakuno up and down. "You, you are not…"

"It is a spell Shub. A spell to disguise my appearance so I look like a boy." Hakuno gave Shub a quick version of what had happened after her tumble down the cliff.

"So Enkidu is a creature of the Gods in the forest…" Shub said slowly.

Hakuno nodded. "Yes, and I need to find out who was it that revealed our travel plans. Whoever it was could strike again." She shook her head. "But enough about me. What about you Shub? What happened? You are alive and I am so grateful that is the case but how?"

"The guards were able to run off the bandits that attacked. However they realized it was because they knew where you were. Most of them went after you." Shub wrapped her arms around herself. "They would not let me see the bodies but I heard them describe the scene. 'Torn apart'. 'Cannot tell who was who'. And they brought your Queen's amulets. Hakuno, I thought you were dead.

"A runner had went ahead to tell the King and by the time we got back…well you probably saw the current state of Uruk. Puabi met me at the gate and took me through the slaves entrance to work in the kitchens and I have been working out of sight of the King ever since. She thinks if the King saw me, he would think too much of you…"

In that moment Hakuno absolved all fear of Paubi. The woman might be frightening but she had gone out of her way to keep Shub safe and alive.

"What are you planning on doing Hakuno? Anything, let me help you."

"Shub…"

The girl's eyes sparkled with something that had not been there a few moments before. "Hakuno, I am going to help you whether you like it or not. And you wanted the help. That is why you told me who you were right? Oh, I have to call you Zaibu now right? That is the name you are using?"

Yes, Shub was much smarter now. Hakuno let out a long sigh. She should not have been surprised by this outcome. "I need to speak to Paubi about getting a few small jobs around the palace here and there. I need to be in places, I need to observe. I need to figure out who was here during that time we were planning the trip and who was not."

"Done, I will help with that."

"And, I do have one more question. Shub, I have not seen Ekur around the palace. He was always by Gilgamesh's side before."

"Ekur is gone from the palace and he took Urash with him. I heard a few slaves talk about a divination he did. He is visiting various temples around the kingdom."

Of all of the times….

Hakuno did wonder what the divinations said though for Ekur to do a pilgrimage. She shook her head. Another problem for another day. "You should probably get back before they wonder about you."

Shub nodded and picked up her basket of scraps. "Let me drop these off and we will talk to Paubi together."