I'm back and with the long-awaited next chapter! It's hard to try to keep a regular update schedule since we suffer from the horror that is writer's block, wasting hours doing research and rewriting scenes over and over. I guess FGO sidetracked me a bit too. But it's worth it if I can get my hands on archer Gil in the near future!

I want to give many thanks again to my Beta MidoriKurenaiYume! I wouldn't have done it without her.

On a side note, if anyone is planning to buy Fate Extella Link on the Switch (or if you have a Switch in general) feel free to add me:
7256-0386-3414

She felt like she was drowning, or falling, or maybe both. How did this happen? She did not remember being near any body of water or somewhere high enough… or did she?

While she let her mind wander, an immense urge to breathe and to reach out to the surface gripped her body. She wanted to yell, to scream, to cry out for help, but her body did not obey. No matter how much she tried, her voice did not come out. How long had it been since she had felt this helpless? How long had she been drifting through this strange place? Was this a dream or reality? Was she even alive? Why could she not remember anything?

Her consciousness felt like water, slipping out of her hands while she tried to grasp for any memory that could tell her how she ended up in this predicament. But she felt as if she was not in control of her thoughts nor of her body.

Despite her clouded mind, she could not help shedding tears. Not knowing where this sudden feeling of sadness came from, she allowed them to run free. A once in a lifetime occasion where she did not need to lock herself up.

With nothing to look at, her body continued to be swallowed by the darkness, until a minor shift happened.

It started as a small ray of light, something incredibly small, but beautiful to gaze upon. However, she soon realised that the light kept expanding faster and faster.

With no idea on what to do, nor any means to take action, she closed her eyes and simply allowed the light to engulf her.

When her mind finally cleared, the brilliance that almost blinded her decreased significantly. She opened her eyes and found herself in a large, unknown room. Confusion coursed through her being and even some panic that she quickly suppressed. She tried to focus on the last thing she remembered, but she merely felt more puzzled when her mind searched for the missing memories.

She was with Merlin and her brother Kay, having pulled out the sword Caliburn from its pedestal, her days as a knight would soon come to an end with her upcoming coronation and then... then... what was it?

Was there a hole in her memory? She tried to react, to get a grip on her mind and body. But she was just too confused, too shocked, too speechless. She remembered her training, her journey with Kay and Merlin and soon her final moments as Arturia Pendragon would be a memory of the past— and now she was in a room she did not recognise, for the interior was nothing like the houses in Britain. This place looked too lavish, too luxurious, too bright.

Arturia did not know what to do.

A burst of loud laughter woke her from her frantic state. She had no time to inspect her surroundings carefully as the first thing she noticed was an intimidating man, standing not far away from her. Tall, proud and with his arms crossed as he locked eyes with her. His body was covered in golden necklaces, bracelets, earrings and garbed in unusual clothing. He was emanating an air of royalty with his mere presence. His short blonde hair appeared almost golden, it stood up like raging fire, and his eyes could be mistaken for rubies. They were intense, as if capable of piercing through her soul. Arturia had to suppress a shudder and immediately deduced that she had to be careful around this man, for he was definitely not human.

"Um, Gil? What did you do?"

The voice did not belong to the man. Arturia quickly turned around to stare at another surreal presence. A woman? No, a man? She wasn't sure, but unlike the golden man, this one seemed more approachable. They stared at their companion, but not in shock or horror, rather more in curiosity. It was an expression that made it look like there wasn't anything surreal about this situation.

Arturia did not recognise the language that was spoken, but to her amazement, she was able to understand every syllable. Was it the work of sorcery? More chaos invaded her mind as she tried to discern her current situation and hopefully find a way out.

A smile crept over the golden man's face. It was a strange smile, one that showed accomplishment, pride and something else that she could not put her finger on.

"That brilliant light. I was able to not just perceive it, but I managed to bring it here ." His tone was firm but quiet.

He stepped closer to her while keeping his eyes on her form.

"While it seems that this light isn't as radiant as in my dreams, it is unmistakably the same one."

Light? Was he talking about her? What did that mean? What were his intentions? Was she here because of a dream? Perhaps an unknown prophecy about a realm in peril and she had to aid its people to salvation? Why did Merlin never tell her anything about this? No, why would it be her in the first place?

Arturia had no idea what the golden man was planning, but she did not trust it— nor him— one bit. She took a step back, but he continued his silent approach.

"Then, what are you going to do with this woman?"

The golden man halted right in front of her. His eyes narrowing as if he was memorising every inch of her body. "What else would I do with her? I'm going to make sure she is educated properly to become my queen," he finally exclaimed.

"What?! No, I refuse!" Arturia could not keep her thoughts hidden as she fiercely rebuked the man's statement. Horror coursed through her veins, along with astonishment and relief that she had been able to find her voice again.

Queen?! Her?! This man was delusional! This had to be a jest, right?! A horrible prank pulled by Merlin! It had to be, there was no other explanation! Why would this man, whom she did not even know, nor had ever met before, want to marry her?

Her reaction seemed to amuse the man, but his expression quickly turned stern. "I have not asked for your opinion, I am merely informing you of my decision. You should be honoured to have been given the privilege to be married to the great King Gilgamesh."

Gilgamesh? The name sounded foreign to her. Despite everything Merlin had taught her about Britain and the neighbouring countries, she had never heard of a King named Gilgamesh. Arturia frowned as she looked at the King.

"Honoured? Privilege? What nonsense are you spouting?! I have been whisked away from my home to some unknown lands without my knowledge or consent and you think I would agree to this depravity?!" Arturia noticed the volume in her voice rising and she hated the panic she could detect in it.

Gilgamesh did not care for her protests, but a small glint was present in his eyes while she was talking as if he had detected the panic she tried to suppress. She wasn't sure what it meant, but Arturia was certain that it was nothing good.

"You certainly have a lot of foolish bravery to talk to your king like that, but I shall forgive you."

"I don't serve any king! My duty is to serve my country!" Her horror was turning into anger as she denied the man with a glare.

Gilgamesh glared right back at her, but after a while, his glare became amused and was followed by a chuckle.

"In spite of that inexperienced face, I am rejoiced to see some fire in your eyes. Very well, try to struggle all you want. Entertain me with your fire, but my decision will not change. Enkidu!"

He turned to the beautiful person.

"Yes, what is it, Gil?"

"I want you to aid this woman in her education."

"Me?" Enkidu blinked in surprise. "Wouldn't it be better to get a private teacher? I don't know how to teach anyone."

"I do not want to leave my bride in the care of a mongrel! You are the only one worthy for this job!"

Enkidu looked at Arturia as if they were trying to discern something. "I guess, you'll be in my care then? It's nice to meet you, young lady. My name is Enkidu and my apologies for my friend's behaviour. He tends to do whatever he pleases. I doubt I can be of much help, but I'll do my best."

"Enkidu, I am not in the mood for jokes!" Gilgamesh yelled at his friend.

While the name was strange and foreign, Enkidu definitely seemed like a pleasant person to communicate with, unlike that arrogant king. Since she had no one to rely on at the moment, the young knight concluded that she should at least become acquainted with the person.

"You have nothing to apologise for, Sir Enkidu."

Enkidu gave Arturia a glance upon being addressed in an unfamiliar way. "Enkidu is just fine," He scrutinised her carefully before opening his mouth again. "And what is your name?"

A short moment of silence overcame her as the girl gathered her thoughts. Considering that this person was kind enough to introduce themselves, it would be an insult as a knight if she didn't do the same. "Arturia, my name is Arturia Pendragon. I am a knight in training for the kingdom of Britain."

There was no need to reveal anything else about herself.

"Arturia." The king repeated her name as if he was testing it, not saying much before locking eyes with her again. "I will give you the honour to be escorted by me to your temporary quarters. My subjects will make sure you're cleaned up and you will receive suitable clothes."

Unconsciously, Arturia glanced at her garments. She was wearing a white dress that just covered her knees, her armour to protect her upper body, her gauntlets and her boots. It was the knight garb she had reluctantly accepted from Merlin, woven by magic with the main function of preventing the citizens from recognising her. While not suitable for Britain's winters, there was no problem with wearing it during summer or spring.

Now that she thought about it, she was feeling quite warm. She had not noticed this before, due to the absurdity of the situation she had found herself in, but she became aware of how her clothes and bangs were beginning to stick to her body. Arturia quickly wiped her forehead. She knew it would not solve the problem and soon her clothes would be covered in sweat.

This place was definitely much warmer than in Britain. It was no surprise that the locals would also dress in such an immodest fashion, aside from it being part of their culture.

"Do not make me wait, Arturia."

The authority in Gilgamesh's tone snapped her immediately out of her reverie. He was still looking at her, his expression firm and demanding while standing next to a large door and Arturia could not help but frown at his arrogance. Was this how a king was supposed to act? This was the complete opposite of what she had learned from Merlin's lectures.

The girl wanted nothing more than flee from this place. To run, to hide, to be anywhere but near this distasteful man. But, if she did that, she would be a disgrace to her country, a disgrace to the people and a disgrace as a knight. A coward was not fit to rule a kingdom and so she swallowed her thoughts — and her pride — and reluctantly followed the golden man and his companion.

The corridors they walked through were incredible. They were large, decorated in fancy tapestries and golden objects. The walls did not seem to be made of the same elements as the houses back in Britain. Arturia could not help feeling amazed. This arrogant man clearly wanted to boast to the world about his wealth. It was one of the few things she could never understand about nobles: the undying need to surround themselves with luxury.

"I see that you're overwhelmed by the amount of wealth I possess. But this little isn't even enough to show you the vastness of my riches."

Arturia flinched, she had not expected her pace to slow down so much that she was lagging behind. The King stood in front of her, obviously amused by her reaction.

"I was just surprised to see how different this place is from my home. I have never travelled to other countries. The grounds of my homeland are the only thing I know and even back in Britain there is a lot I have not seen yet." It was slightly embarrassing to admit how much knowledge she lacked, but that was the reason why Merlin was guiding her and why she had been travelling with him and Kay: to get to know the people that would soon be under her rule, to make the best decisions to lead and protect them. That was the plan, at least, as long as she found a way to return there.

"There is enough time for you to familiarise yourself with Uruk," Gilgamesh answered.

"I would prefer to return to my home." Arturia looked at the king, her eyes locking with his, challenging him to change his mind.

"That will not happen. This is your new home," he answered with the same decisiveness.

"My home is Britain, where there are people counting on me! I cannot let them down!"

"The state of your homeland is no concern of mine. You will stay here and become my wife."

This king was definitely delusional, it was impossible to reason with him. Why was he so fixated on her? Because of that strange dream he mentioned? How did that make any sense?

While still lost in her thoughts, Arturia was led to a large door. Two guards stood there silently. Upon noticing their king they opened the door and beckoned her to enter. "These will be your temporary quarters, I will have the servants prepare a bath for you, so you can wash away the filth from your body. I will allow you to use this day to rest, but tomorrow I expect you to start your studies with Enkidu."

The bedroom was open and spacious. The first thing she noticed was the large bed, overlaid in gold and covered with linen sheets and pillows. Even Britain's nobility wouldn't have had the opportunity to enjoy such a luxury. It was big enough for at least five people to sleep in. On the other side of the room, there was a fancy desk and a set of two chairs and a brazier. On the far right there was a dresser, which she suspected didn't have anything in it... yet. The windows were small and there was an opening that led to the balcony. In the centre of the room lay a beautiful rug. This was definitely in stark contrast to her own sleeping chambers back home.

Gilgamesh called a passing servant, who nervously hurried to the room to prepare the bath. His eyes met Arturia's. "I expect this to be to your liking. If there is anything you require, my servants will tend to your every need."

The woman did not know how to answer and instead turned her attention back to the room. To be honest, she had no need for any of those luxuries. As long as she had a comfortable bed and a roof she was happy. Arturia approached the curtains, which seemed to be meant more for decoration than anything else, inspecting them carefully as her hand barely touched the fabric. She wasn't aware of what material it was made of, but she could guess it was expensive. Her gaze unconsciously shifted to the balcony.

Curiosity overtook her and Arturia shyly poked her head out, hoping to get a glimpse of the environment she found herself in. The view almost made her gasp in amazement.

Not a balcony, but a garden would have been a better definition. There were trees of unknown origin, various types of exotic flora and hidden behind all that was the amazing view of Uruk.

Its size was obviously bigger than Camelot. Instead of the pointy roofs, she knew from back home, all the roofs in Uruk were flat and neatly constructed around the palace. She could see glimpses of the market that seemed to be bustling with life. There was greenery she had never seen before, more exotic trees with large leaves poking out like hair, bushes adorning the streets, a large river separated the palace and the city and on the far end of the city she spotted... walls?!

Her eyes widened as she stared at the tall walls that surrounded the entire city. It was expected, walls were a perfect way to protect large cities. but for her, it meant that escaping and finding a way home would be even more difficult.

Arturia heard the golden man chuckle from behind her. There was no need to wonder about the reason for his behaviour. She could guess it easily.

"As you can see, trying to escape would be futile and trying to defy the King means punishment. So get the thought of escaping out of your head."

Punishment or not, she was not going to give up the hope to return to her homeland.

The servant's call caught their attention. The King guided Arturia back into the room, towards the bathing quarters. The young knight noticed that Enkidu had left to whatever duties they had to attend, but her attention was soon again taken by the new room she found herself in.

This room was used for bathing? Instead of a bathing tub that was common in Britain, the 'bath' that she was looking at was practically built into the floor, which occupied most of the room's space. Was it common here for the upper classes to have everything in abundance? Or was it just this king?

Arturia leaned over the edge, staring at the water and her reflection, it made her realise that she was indeed in need of a bath. Her hair— despite being tied in a low ponytail— was dishevelled, her bangs stuck to her forehead, and she felt her sweat slowly falling down her neck.

"My lady?" The servant nervously called out to Arturia.

The knight snapped out of her trance and looked at the woman. She was dressed in a light green robe, with a veil covering her mouth. Her skin was of a much darker tone than hers and her hair was a mix of brown and black. "Your—" she eyed Arturia's dress and armour carefully before continuing, "garments look very uncomfortable to wear. Please let me take care of them, I will bring you something more suitable."

The knight nodded and was about to reach for the straps that held her armour in place when she realised that Gilgamesh was still in the room. She halted in her ministrations and gave him an odd look, hoping he would get the message and take his leave.

However, he did not seem to understand her action. No, he simply did not care. Gilgamesh met her gaze and waited for Arturia to speak up.

"... your majesty, may I have some space?"

A smirk adjourned his features. "I believe this room is big enough for at least twenty mongrels."

He was obviously doing this on purpose.

"I mean, I would like to have some privacy while I bathe," Arturia rephrased.

The king gave the servant a look and she hastily left the room. "As you can see there is no one else in the room now."

"You are still here," she pointed out flatly.

"This is my palace and I can go wherever I decide to be," Gilgamesh rebuked her.

"I am not going to undress in front of a stranger and most definitely not in front of a man!"

"You are going to be my wife, leaving that aside I am certain your body has nothing that I have not seen before." His eyes narrowed lustfully as he looked over her body again and his smirk widened.

Her eyes narrowed as a wave of embarrassment and anger overtook her. She did not like what this man was implying. "Please leave the room, or I will not move from this spot." Arturia responded, her tone slightly louder and firmer. She knew that she would need more than just her determination and conviction to get this King to cooperate, but for now, she had no other ideas.

"Such a stubborn woman." His tone betrayed a lack of patience.

Gilgamesh walked steadily towards Arturia, giving her no opportunity to react as he lifted her over his shoulders. He held her petite body in place with one muscular arm, while taking off her boots with the other.

"Unhand me!" she yelled loudly as she tried to struggle free from his grasp. Sadly for the young knight, Gilgamesh's grip was too strong.

"If the presence of the king awes you that much to the point that you have forgotten how to undress, then I will give you the honour of doing it for you."

"Do not touch me!" Arturia protested while she was still struggling to keep the skirt of her dress in place.

The king ignored her and continued to take off her armour, the heavy metal fell to the ground with a loud 'clunk'. However, the King's movements halted when he caught sight of her scabbard and sword. "Oh, it seems like you have something interesting with you."

Panic surged through Arturia's veins, yet she quickly suppressed the emotion. "Return me my blade this instant!"

Ignoring the knight's demands, he undid the straps that held her weapon on her. Arturia couldn't help but let out a gasp. The King carefully inspected the weapon from the fancy decorated hilt to the gold on the scabbard. While still keeping a tight grip on her, he unsheathed the blade.

"I am surprised that the people from your homeland allow a little girl like you to run around with a weapon. Especially one that is not suited for combat." His hands grazed over the engravings on the blade, looking carefully over the words, despite knowing that he could not read them. "I see, so this is one of the swords of selection."

Arturia froze as she heard the man's words. Did he know about Caliburn? No, he called it one of the swords of selection. But where did he hear that from?

"How do you know about that?" she asked carefully.

"I have perceived it in a dream of mine. While it is inferior to the original which I possess, I do have to admit that it holds a certain amount of beauty. But how long will it last if it is used carelessly in combat?"

"This sword is important to me. I do not care if you take away my armour, but I refuse to be parted with my blade!"

"Does this mean you're prepared to be obedient if I allow you to keep your blade?"

From her position, she looked over her shoulder, eyeing the king who was obviously giving her a proud smirk.

"I will never relinquish my blade nor will I ever undress in front of anyone!"

Arturia expected Gilgamesh to become enraged by her defiance, but to her surprise, he was smiling. She felt his shoulders shake and was almost taken aback by the laughing sound coming from his mouth.

"Hahahahaha! Very well then, let's see how far that fierceness of yours can take you." He returned the sword but did not relinquish his hold on her. "You may keep that sword of yours as I have no desire to have it, however, you will be obedient and bathe."

Her expression froze as he resumed to undo the remaining straps of her armour. "I said, unhand me, you depraved fiend!"

Arturia felt physically and mentally exhausted, perhaps mostly mentally. While her constant struggling did save her from getting stripped naked by King Gilgamesh and getting possibly — no, certainly — ravaged by him, they did end up tripping and falling into the bath. Luckily, no one got hurt and she took that opportunity to quickly get out of the bath and out of the room as well. After a while, Gilgamesh had finally left and allowed her to bathe in peace, yet not before giving her the most amused expression she had ever seen on a person. That man was like a big child playing with a new toy.

Still, she could not help the feeling of humiliation wash through her being as she recalled the incident. Her behaviour was an insult to her pride as a knight, but she was at a loss.

Arturia wanted to go home, and fast, but there was no one to reach out to, nor did she have any clues on how to return to her homeland. She did not know where exactly Uruk was located, but from the hot temperature and the unknown culture, she concluded that she was miles away from Britain.

Arturia let out a heavy sigh and a shiver ran down her spine. After she had gotten dressed, she laid down on the bed and had fallen asleep. The stress and anguish that build up inside of her had finally caught up with her when she was alone, furthermore, she was unaccustomed to this kind of heat. As a result, she felt listless and in no mood to familiarise herself with the environment.

A soft breeze had woken her from her slumber. The girl did not know how much time had passed, but judging from the darkening sky outside, she was sure it had been a few hours.

Arturia turned around, staring blankly at the other half of the room that led to the garden. She really hoped that this was just a bad dream and that Kay or Merlin would wake her up soon.

Her gaze hovered on her hand and slowly crept down towards the gown she was given to wear. It was a light blue tunic which reached her ankles, and a cloth with various patterns was tied around the middle. Arturia had tied her hair again to prevent it from sticking to the back of her neck. She had also been given jewellery to wear, but the woman had refused. Decorating oneself in jewellery was pointless. The strange shoes, which the servant called sandals, were resting next to the bed. It felt too unfamiliar to walk in such open shoes that protected her feet only from the floor.

Arturia closed her eyes again. She did not feel like she could sleep anytime soon, but sleep was the only haven left to protect her from the madness she found herself in.

"My lady, you're being summoned for dinner."

She slightly opened her eyes when she heard the servant call for her. After a few seconds passed, she sat up; "I am not hungry."

The servant observed Arturia's appearance, from her dishevelled hair to her dress. "Forgive me my lady, but the King will not tolerate it if you don't show up for the evening feast. Let's prepare you quickly before the King becomes impatient."

Prepare? While the servant's words confused her, Arturia did not protest when the servant led her back to the bath. She knew that, if she refused, the poor servant would surely be punished. From what she had been able to observe Gilgamesh was definitely not a merciful person.

Arturia was unfamiliar with letting anyone so close to her, but she knew the consequences for the servant would be dire if the King lost his patience, so she reluctantly let the woman help her with the new bath. Afterwards, she was quickly dried, dressed and, to her chagrin, she even had to accept to wear makeup and perfume.

"Is it really necessary to change my attire?" Arturia asked as she inspected her dress. It was a deep red one this time. Hadn't she changed her clothes already a few hours before?

The servant was carefully picking out a necklace for Arturia to wear when she looked at her. "Yes, it's customary here to bathe and dress before the evening meal."

While Arturia had wanted to protest against the jewellery, in the end, she had to compromise with the more simple designs, a golden necklace with a red stone and a few bracelets.

When she was properly dressed, the servant led her towards the dining hall. Just like when Gilgamesh had led her towards her quarters, Arturia was again impressed by the layout of the corridors. She had already deduced that this was very different from the noble houses and castles back in Britain, how different was a question that would be answered in due time. After what felt like another of the many turns they had taken, they finally arrived at their destination.

The large doors opened and Arturia felt like her whole body froze on the spot as she took in the new sight.

A crowd of people sat together, various plates and bowls filled with meat, vegetables and fruits were presented in front of them. There were also musicians playing foreign songs. While the faces were unknown to Arturia, it was obvious that they were important people. At the head she spotted Gilgamesh, he was looking at her, having noticed her presence the moment she entered the room. Enkidu was sitting next to him.

A shiver of discomfort ran through her, while she had told this herself various times, she could still not believe that she was on foreign grounds. Merlin's words resurfaced as she observed her surroundings. "A king bears a heavy responsibility, you need to learn how to behave in front of the court, in front of the nobles and the citizen."

Mentally, she cursed her current prediction. Merlin wasn't there to guide her, Kay wasn't there to support her, she had to do this all by herself. Even if she was in lands unknown to her and the civilisation was foreign, she had her pride as a knight and she would rather be dead than tarnish it.

She bit her lower lip and forced the turmoil that had grown inside of her stomach to settle down. Her expression was stoic and composed as she allowed the servant to escort her towards Gilgamesh.

The man observed her, from her clothes to her slender figure, her posture, her face, everything. Arturia held her ground and eyed him back, her thoughts unreadable. A smile crept on his face. "You look lovely in red. Now come."

He gestured for her to come closer. And even though Arturia hesitated for a few seconds, in the end, she carefully took a seat next to the King while keeping some distance.

"I see that you are still acting stubborn," he sighed.

Without any warning, he grabbed her by her waist. The woman could not suppress a yelp before she was forced closer to him. His muscular arm held her possessively against him.

Unconsciously Arturia pushed against the King. Her anger flared up as she glared at him.

Gilgamesh ignored her protest and turned his attention to the crowd. He raised his goblet, the performance of the musicians interrupted as everyone's attention was on the King. "Tonight is a celebration! Your king has finally found someone worthy to be his queen!"

Arturia did not bother to pay attention, her gaze shifted everywhere around the room except the feast in front of her. She was trying to tell herself that this was just a horrible nightmare, that she would wake up in Britannia, greeted by Merlin and Kay. However, the knight knew all too well that she was just trying to deceive herself away from the truth. She caught Enkidu's stare. He was smiling, probably a gesture to make her more comfortable. Not that it helped her much, she still felt trapped in a cage.

The cheer of the crowd forced Arturia to look in front of her. The music resumed where it had left off and the people began to eat.

"You may take whatever you want."

Arturia eyed Gilgamesh from the corner of her eye. He grabbed a piece of meat and took his time to savour the taste. His gaze was not on her, but on the crowd. His other arm was still resting on her waist.

Slowly her attention went to the large feast. There were all kinds of strange substances. She identified the meat and some vegetables. As for the fruits, apples and figs were some of the few she could recognise.

While Arturia was by no means a picky eater and quite gluttonous, looking at the feast in front of her did not awaken her appetite. She kept looking at the food until she decided to at least take one bite so she would not call any more unnecessary attention to herself and grabbed an apple. A soft sweet taste filled her mouth. Yes, she definitely remembered the taste of apples, but this one seemed to have more flavour than the ones she was used to.

Despite the richness in flavour, Arturia did not feel like she could stomach much.

She continued to chew slowly, trying to discern if her stomach was playing tricks on her and with great difficulty gulped it down. Her next bite was much smaller, but again there was no difference and she had to force it down her throat with the same effort.

Her behaviour did not escape Gilgamesh. "Is the food not to your liking?" he inquired.

Arturia focused on the apple and after another long pause, she swallowed. She chose her words carefully. "I do not feel like eating at the moment."

"Really? But the food is really good! You should try some akaru, or are you not feeling well?" It was Enkidu who asked while he inspected the woman carefully.

"I am perfectly fine," Arturia reassured. She was not in the mood to explain anything, but she presumed Enkidu would just ask her again if she didn't answer. Why couldn't she go back to the room that was provided to her? "I am just not accustomed to this place."

It didn't help that being practically forced to sit so close to Gilgamesh made her feel as if the sun was burning on her skin. Arturia was sure that by the time she was able to experience Britain's summer again she would be more than thankful.

The girl shifted her attention to Enkidu. He was still looking at her, or maybe observing her? With a defeated sigh, Arturia forced herself to finish the apple. Enkidu offered her some strange round bread which she accepted.

One thing she had noticed was that her appearance wasn't common here. All the people she had seen, aside from Enkidu and Gilgamesh, had similar characteristics in their appearance: dark hair, dark eyes and tanned skin. It was no surprise that Arturia's exotic looks would attract some kind of curiosity.

Not that she liked the attention; it made her feel like an object put on display.

Unconsciously she took a bite from the weird bread and her mind froze for a second when she faintly registered the flavour. She gulped it down and took another bite, this time she was carefully paying attention to her food. It had a surprisingly sweet taste to it aside from the many different substances that she could detect. She had no idea bread could taste sweet.

"It's delicious isn't it?" Enkidu smiled as he noticed the shift in her expression. "Honey is one of its ingredients, that's where the sweetness comes from. I devoured quite a lot of those when I tried them for the first time." They grabbed a piece themselves and contently consumed it. "'Tis great!" Enkidu exclaimed with his mouth full. They were in pure bliss.

"If you keep ingesting that at such a speed, you will end up repeating the previous incident," Gilgamesh commented, his tone was clear but lax and his attention was on his drink.

"But, it's so good Gil," Enkidu responded. "And it goes so well with beer." He gulped down his bread and grabbed another one.

"Do not speak with your mouth full, it is disgusting."

Enkidu did not respond and chewed feverishly, clearly trying to savour the taste before he swallowed it with beer. "It's not like you have to watch me eat."

"Even for a feast like this, it is my duty to observe everything around me."

Gilgamesh stole a glance at Arturia. The woman had not bothered to listen to their talk, her attention was on the food presented in front of them. While she had stated not to have an appetite, her eyes clearly said something else.

The king did not comment on his observation, instead, he continued to eat and converse with Enkidu while not letting the woman out of his sight.

By the time Arturia returned to her room she felt as if an eternity had gone by. She was finally alone with no eyes piercing her, but she could not erase the tension that surged through her body.

While she did appreciate Enkidu's attempts to make her feel more at ease, they had not helped her at all. Her stomach felt like it was tied in a knot, despite how good the food was she couldn't bring herself to eat but the bare minimum and, worst of all, she had definitely felt the king's eyes on her.

Arturia did not want to think about this horrible day at all, instead, she unceremoniously dropped herself on the bed, pride, dignity or anything else be damned. She was tired, she was upset, angry, confused and for the biggest part still in denial. Too many emotions were going through her body and she didn't know how to handle them, they almost made her want to cry.

But she did not, she refused to. Crying would mean that she acknowledged today's events, that she had accepted her situation, that she lost.

Besides, Arturia did not cry. She couldn't even remember what the last time was when she had shed tears. If she showed her emotions, she would be an open book for her enemies, easy to read and to manipulate.

The woman let out a groan. After sunset, the temperature had definitely dropped, but she could still feel the sweat sticking to her body. Thus, she lay completely still in her bed, not bothering to cover herself with the blankets and simply waiting for sleep to finally take over.