I was woken the next morning by someone I took to be a palace servant. "Come, you must get ready," she said softly.
I immediately noticed that Nicky and Tommy were no longer in the room. "Where are my brother and my friend?" I asked a little concerned.
"They are getting bathed," the servant told me. We'd been treated well since King Gilgamesh brought us into the city, so I decided that I would trust his staff. I was taken to a fountain to bathe then she gave me a beautiful gown to wear. It was light blue and shimmery. I didn't think it was satin, but it was just as soothing to my skin. It reminded me of something a Greek goddess might wear except that when I looked in a mirror, it was so thin I could almost see right through it. I asked about undergarments, but apparently the Sumerians didn't grasp the concept. She gave me some golden sandals that were a perfect fit, braided my hair then led me to another room.
I was happy to see Tommy and Nicky waiting for me. As the servant had said, they were freshly bathed too. Both of them were in tunics that could have been made from the same material as my dress. They were also both wearing a kilt. Normally I would have given them a hard time about wearing a skirt, but since the king had been wearing one the night before and looked extremely manly in it, I decided not to say anything. Tommy came over to me and whispered, "I'm not wearing any underwear."
"Neither am I," I whispered back. "Just watch how you sit."
Just after I arrived in the room, an older woman entered. She was beautiful and regal looking. She was dressed like me. She walked straight to me and took one of my arms placing a bracelet around my bicep then repeated the act with my other arm. When she finished, I thanked her and bowed. I didn't know who she was, but I figured that since we were now dressed just alike that she must not be a servant.
"I am Ninsun," the woman now told us.
"King Gilgamesh's mom?" Tommy asked surprised.
"Yes," she replied a little surprised as well. "You are guests in my son's home. I will see to it that you get anything you need. You are now dressed in royal garments. I trust that you will carry yourselves in a royal manner," she continued with a warm smile.
"Yes ma'am," we all said in unison.
"Come, we shall nourish our bodies then attend to Enkidu's burial," she said then led us to breakfast.
We had hoped to see King Gilgamesh at breakfast, but I guess he didn't feel much like eating. I couldn't blame him any. I wouldn't have been eating if I, god forbid, were going to Nicky's funeral. This meal was a little more to my liking than dinner had been the night before. There were a lot of fruits, grapes, sliced apples, and melons, some type of bread that was a little dry but with some honey it wasn't bad. We drank milk that didn't taste like what we were used to, but it was cold. There were eggs, though somehow I doubt they were from chickens, Tommy really liked the slices of pork.
Lady Ninsun hardly ate. As thin as she was, I figured that must be normal for her. I was just cleaning my plate when the king entered the dining room. "We must see to the burial," he said then exited just as quickly as he came in. Tommy was the first to go after him. By the time Ninsun, Nicky and I caught up to them, Tommy was actually walking beside the king. Without a word between us, I guess we all had the same idea. We stayed back just a bit and let the two of them walk alone.
They led us outside of the city walls, which wasn't a big surprise. What I wasn't expecting was going to the river; at least it used to be the river. It was now empty of water, as an earth dam had been built to stop the flow. It suddenly occurred to me that this dam must have been why there wasn't much water going through to the city the day before.
"I don't understand," Nicky whispered to me, as we walked across the stones that had been placed in the mud.
"Let's just go with it," I whispered back. I was shocked when I saw there was a hole, a grave, dug in the middle of the riverbed. Several of the men from the city soon carried Enkidu out to where we stood. King Gilgamesh had the men stop and hold Enkidu to the sky.
"O mighty An," he started with his hands lifted toward the sky. "I call upon you to hear my prayer. Allow my friend, Enkidu, into the Heaven of the Gods. He is a worthy soul. Goddess Ereshkigal, keeper of Kigal, the sacred underwold, we place our fallen hero into your hands. We place your body my friend Enkidu into the keep of Tiamat and Enki. May the earth and river protect you for eternity." The king then gave a signal and Enkidu's body was lowered in the grave.
Even though we had never met Enkidu, Nicky and I were both crying. Tommy was all out sobbing. It was Lady Ninsun that put her arms around him. "Everyone must die," she said softly. "Enkidu was a brave and noble warrior. He will live on in our hearts and in our thoughts." She then took her son's hand in hers. He gave her a silent nod, and she led Tommy back to the shore. Nicky and I stood silently with King Gilgamesh with tears streaming down our faces. I noticed that the king was also crying and made no effort to try and hide it.
Once we returned to the shore, the men started filling the grave. We watched for only a few minutes then the king led us back to the palace. Along the way, the people of the city bowed to him, but it seemed more a sign of sympathy for his lost friend than anything else. As we approached the palace steps, a woman appeared before us and bowed to the king. "My king," she said then waited. I guess she needed permission to speak.
"It is done Shamhat," the king told her.
"I truly loved him my Lord," she told the king still not raising her head.
"Then leave Inanna's temple. Renounce Ishtar and live among the people of this city who also loved Enkidu as you say you do," he said. I didn't understand exactly what was going on, but Tommy had told us that Enkidu was civilized by one of Ishtar's prostitutes. I was guessing this was her.
"It will be done, my Lord," she told him then crawled out of our way and waited for us to pass. I glanced over my shoulder, as we went up the steps, and watched her stumble off into the crowd. I noticed Nicky was watching too, though I was betting it was for a different reason.
I was still worried that King Gilgamesh might try to commit suicide, so I was glad when he stayed with us after we entered the palace. He sat down and was quite for several minutes. We all decided to sit as well, being mindful of our lack of undergarments. I was starting to wonder if he was waiting for one of us to speak when he finally said something.
"You said you could help me. You have known many things that only a citizen of Uruk could, yet you are not from here. This future you spoke of, when you first appeared before me, tell me what it holds for I certainly do not know."
"We cannot tell you the future my Lord," Nicky said softly, "What it holds is not known to us exactly."
"We can tell you that you will go on another quest," Tommy continued. They were working like a well oiled machine. I was beginning to wonder if they had planned this conversation while they were bathing.
"Another quest," the king said looking like he really wasn't looking forward to that. "I cannot undertake a quest without Enkidu. He is the one that gave me the courage and strength to do…" he trailed off not finishing his thought.
"You are the mighty King Gilgamesh of Uruk. You built these walls around your great city. You have turned the fear of your people into respect. You befriended Enkidu when all others were afraid. You can do anything," I told him.
"We'll go with you," Tommy now told him excitedly. I shot him a look that said; we can't go with him. Are you crazy? That's when the king stood.
"Then we must prepare," he said, "We will leave today."
"No my son," Lady Ninsun said walking to Gilgamesh. "You have suffered a great loss. You need time to grieve. You should not leave your city, your people in their time of need."
"I cannot lead these people when I am lost myself," he told her softly. "You will be in control while I am gone."
"I beg you not to do this," she cried to him, but his mind was made up. We were going on a quest with King Gilgamesh, and I only hoped that we weren't going to screw it up for him.