It's been a while, I know. My health hasn't been that well lately. My arthritis is acting up, just typing this hurts a lot and I have homework and classes to take care off. But I wanted at least to finish one more chapter before the end of the year. I'm glad I was able to achieve that. Go me!

This was originally planned to be part of the previous chapter, but too many ideas popped up. As a result I decided to leave it for the next chapter.

Again thank you MidoriKurenaiYume for beta reading this and a lot of thanks to all you readers who followed, favoured this story and left a message of encouragement. I don't know what to do without you guy.

A heavy cloud had been hovering over Arturia's mind, even though it was temporarily lifted when she noticed Enkidu lying next to her. Everything that happened earlier was almost too hazy to recall.

However, there was one fact she was aware of: she was furious.

She had been bottling up all her frustrations, disappointments and any other emotion that had been growing inside herself until they had exploded into a fit of rage, and that feeling was still clearly boiling inside her. She wanted to unleash every bit of it, but at the same time, she felt at a loss. The only thing she could do was to throw whatever she saw at the target of her anger.

After one blink, she realised that Enkidu was holding her wrists firmly. She could not free herself, no matter how much she struggled, and in spite of her efforts, Enkidu didn't even flinch.
The next thing she realised, was that Gilgamesh had taken her lips without her consent. She hadn't even noticed that he was standing in front of her until he moved away.

They gazed at each other for a while, Arturia's face was strangely indifferent. The feeling of surprise was too weak to manifest itself properly. Slowly, she lifted her free hand and wiped her mouth. The king frowned in response at her unexpected action.

As Arturia felt Enkidu's grip on her loosen, she freed herself from their grasp. "I want to return to my chambers," she said coldly. Her attention moved to Enkidu. "I do not appreciate such uncouth behaviour."

"You will not." Gilgamesh dismissed her request. "I have decided; the food shall be brought here. You can either join me or be patient for the evening meal."

Arturia's expression turned sour, but she refused to look back at him. Her eyes scanned through the room until she spotted her sword. Without a word, she walked towards her beloved blade and after being sure that it was still in its scabbard, she headed towards the king's private garden. The looks she was getting from Gilgamesh and Enkidu were of no importance to her.

"That was... not what I expected," Enkidu commented after a while.

"Such behaviour is not unusual. Even animals act withdrawn when they find themselves in foreign territory. Whether she likes it or not, she will have to get used to our customs," Gilgamesh calmly explained, although his expression showed some mild irritation at Arturia's behaviour.

Enkidu watched their friend silently when Gilgamesh left to take his bath. In just a short time, the room had become completely silent. They glanced one more time to the direction Arturia had disappeared to and spotted Marduk loafing around in the corner. The lion let out a large yawn before rolling to the opposite side. The animal's extreme bliss was as obvious as the clear blue sky.

"Well, at least someone ended up being in a better mood," Enkidu muttered before they finally decided to join their friend.

By the time Gilgamesh and Enkidu returned, the meals had been served, but there was no sign of Arturia.

Gilgamesh took a swift glance at the food, noticing that it was untouched.

"Do you think she's still outside?" Enkidu muttered.

"If she tried to leave, she would end up lost," Gilgamesh responded. He strode through the room and headed towards the garden, where Arturia had previously disappeared to.
The sun was already shining brightly, its rays fiercely radiating on whatever they could reach. The king was unaffected by the harsh sunlight and peered around. He could not hear any sounds from the birds. It did not seem like Arturia was there. Gilgamesh turned around and finally spotted the woman sitting on the floor. Her head was resting on top of her knees and her arms were wrapped around her legs. Caliburn rested next to her.

"If you continue to stay there, you will end up burning yourself," the king warned her.

Oddly enough there was no response from her.

Gilgamesh let out a sigh. "Stubborn woman," he muttered.

"Gil, did you find her?" Enkidu's voice rang from inside. Soon after their face appeared from behind the king. They immediately noticed the unresponsive knight. "Arturia? Are you all right? It's not good if you stay outside for so long when you're not properly covered."

Gilgamesh observed Arturia one more time before answering. "It is more rational if we leave her be for now," he suddenly stated.

Enkidu gave him a surprised look before he glanced at Arturia.
There was still no response, but their hearing was able to pick up the woman's shallow breathing.

"Sure, but I think it's better if we move her or she may end up getting burned."

Enkidu picked the woman up with care and carried her inside, while Gilgamesh was silently observing their actions.

After pondering for a short while, he eventually followed them back into the room.

When Arturia opened her eyes, she found herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.
No, it was not that it was unfamiliar. She had already become accustomed to the colour of the clay bricks that this building was made of. However, it was the first time she paid attention to those details. There wasn't much to observe, it had the same colour as the walls. It was simple and nothing special at all. Despite that, she could not tear her gaze away from the ceiling. If she did, she knew she had to deal with reality again and she did not want to think about her situation.

"Have you woken up?"

The knight blinked, she sat up slowly and turned to the unfamiliar speaker.
It was a woman, her mouth was covered like all female servants in the palace, but her clothes looked far more luxurious. She wore a long green dress that covered only her right shoulder, a pair of golden earrings and a necklace. Her white veil hid most of her brown locks, but it could not suppress the woman's beauty.

"My apologies for my rudeness," the woman continued, "I was asked to look after you during the king and Enkidu's absence. My name is Siduri, I am the king's aide and a priestess of Inanna's temple."

Arturia could not bring herself to respond, her gaze was completely fixated on the priestess while she was trying to gather her thoughts. "Ah, none taken." She finally answered. "I am Arturia," she added.

"Arturia..." she mumbled. "You are far more beautiful than what I heard. I can see why the king has taken a liking to you."

There was another awkward silence before Artoria spoke. "For how long was I asleep?"

"Just a few hours," Siduri replied.

The priestess got up from her seat and carefully approached the woman. "I have heard that you have not been feeling well." Siduri continued, "Is it because you came from a cold climate? Enkidu has told me a little bit about you."

Arturia was not sure how to respond, she awkwardly looked to her side before she realised that she was still in the king's private quarters. She gritted her teeth but was still thankful that Gilgamesh was not present. "... It is much colder where I come from." She admitted, "This is the first time I had to deal with such high temperatures and it makes me uncomfortable. I cannot sleep when I want to and even if I manage to get some rest, I find myself waking up several times at night."

"I see," the woman mumbled. "And what about your appetite?"

"My appetite has diminished a lot," Arturia explained. "While there have been brief moments where I can eat normally, most of the time I can hardly taste anything nor swallow what I eat."

Siduri nodded. "Have you felt feverish lately?"

The woman shook her head. "I have not."

"What about your cycle?"

There was an awkward pause before Arturia collected her thoughts. "Excuse me?"

"Your monthly cycle," Siduri explained. "When a girl reaches womanhood her body starts to secrete blood every month."

"...I am aware of the definition," Arturia responded politely.

Merlin had explained it to her when she had to deal with her first cycle. The woman almost believed that she had sustained an unknown injury and was going to bleed to death. In Britain, most people were not aware of what it signified and they just assumed that it was an illness. She was lucky that Merlin did know. He used his magic to take care of the problem, but now that she had been separated from the mage and had no idea if she could see him ever again, she began to wonder if she would have to endure that horrible pain, nausea and exhaustion that came together with her cycle. Not to mention the possible bloodstains on the linen sheets.

"I do not feel comfortable speaking about this," she admitted. "Where I come from it is considered a taboo."

Siduri raised her eyebrows. "A taboo?" she repeated. "But it's part of nature, it's a sign that the woman is old enough to bear children."

Arturia grabbed the sheets tightly. That was of no concern to her. "In the public eye of my home country, it is considered a disease that afflicts women. While I was told the actual cause of the symptoms, many civilians and nobles in my home country are not aware of this."

Siduri inspected Arturia's face as she pondered over the information. "Understood, my apologies for making you uncomfortable, however, you cannot continue to be ashamed of this topic. Taboo or not, your silence could be a danger for your health. While I have no problem with respecting your customs, sooner or later you will have to adapt to our customs. This is also better for your wellbeing."

Siduri got up from her seat. "It was an honour to meet you," she said. "I hope Uruk will be to your liking during your stay. I will visit you again in a few days."

The priestess headed towards the door, but before she opened it, she gave one more look at Arturia. "Oh, and I want to give you my sincere apologies on behalf of our king." She bowed deeply to show her sincerity.

Arturia did not expect such a response. Why was she apologising? "There is no need for you to apologise. You are not accountable for that man's actions," the woman reassured Siduri.

"That is true, but the king will not apologise," Siduri explained. "I can't imagine how hard it must be for you. You were brought here against your will. Our king has done a lot of outrageous things, but this goes beyond what he has ever dared to do. To announce a marriage to a foreign woman without her consent. What is he thinking?"

Arturia also wanted to know what was going through his mind, although another matter plagued her consciousness, "If I may ask, how can your king announce a marriage to a foreigner without receiving protests from the nobles or governmental officials? It is one thing if it's a political marriage, but a woman from unknown origins and with no political gains?!"

Even in Britain the kings and nobles would marry for political gain. It was common sense. If a woman of unknown background where to catch the attention of a man in power, they would be made into their lover, but under no circumstances would they consider marriage. Marriages were to create alliances and connections with other influential families to secure stability and power.

Siduri kept silent for a short moment before answering. "You are very observant," she smiled. "It is true that there are some people out there who have their doubts about your union. But it was the king who made the decision and no one can interfere with it. His advisors may share their opinions on the engagement, but there is no guarantee that he will listen to them. Defying the king means death and that's why no one has openly shared their opinion. Some even believe that it is the will of the gods."

"The will of the gods?" Arturia repeated the words doubtfully. She did remember Enkidu and Gilgamesh mentioning the gods and she had seen the large temple the previous night. There was still a lot that she did not know about Uruk and its citizens. "What do you mean by 'the will of the gods'?

Siduri let out a sigh. "I am sure you are aware by now, but all the citizens of Uruk and the other city-states of Sumer have dark skin and dark hair. The king and Enkidu are exceptions because they are descendants of the gods. The golden hair and red eyes of the king are proof of his divine blood. Only the gods possess such traits."

Siduri approached Arturia again, her eyes went from the knight's pale hands to her face, "and you possess a similar hair colour to the king's. You gained a lot of popularity after the banquet. Stories of the king's beautiful foreign bride who possesses the same hair as the gods are still spreading in the city. While some are sceptical, many believe it's a sign from the gods."

Unconsciously, Arturia grabbed her blonde strands. It was true that aside from Gilgamesh and Enkidu, everyone else's hair was dark brown or black and if the people here where this faithful to their religion, it made sense why some had come to such an absurd conclusion. However, that didn't mean she had to accept it.

"And what do you believe, if I may inquire?" the woman asked. By no means did she want to pry in anyone's matters nor opinions, but she did wonder, as Siduri was the first woman whom she had an actual conversation with. The first person, if she did not count Enkidu who was clearly on Gilgamesh' side, and the only time she ventured outside was at night when the whole city was asleep. She wanted to know what was happening beyond the palace walls. To be cooped up in a place, no matter how big it was, was not something she was fond of and she had no idea what was going on around her. Enkidu did not tell her much because they spent most of the time on her education and there was so much that she was still not aware of.

"Whether the gods decree it or not, it is the king who chose you and you will have to wait if he decides to change his mind or not," Siduri answered with no hesitation.

"Where I come from, it is not uncommon to see a person with blonde hair," Arturia pointed out. She let go of her blonde tresses. "I cannot understand how they accept that their king marries someone of unknown origin."

"The king wills it, thus no one protests."

Arturia's eyes narrowed at Siduri's comment. "Your king sounds more like a tyrant than a king."

"You are surprisingly bold in your opinions, but you are not wrong to hold such a belief. He does oppress his people from time to time, but it was far worse not long ago." Despite Arturia's comment about Gilgamesh, Siduri continued to answer her politely. Her expression became pitiful as she was talking.

"Hopefully, he will come to his senses and regret his ridiculous decision," the knight muttered thoughtlessly.

A snicker escaped Siduri. It happened for a short moment, but Artoria heard her. The priestess immediately composed herself. "My apologies, but I'm afraid the king is not that easy to understand and even if he loses interest, the chance that he would send you back is slim. In all the years that I have served him, he has thrown away all woman he lost interest in."

Why did that not surprise her? She could not help but pity those poor women who had become a victim to the king's depravity and she prayed that they were able to pick up their lives again, wherever they may be.

"I have to swiftly find a way to return to my home," the knight concluded.

Despite the irritation, she knew that the little hope she had of the king losing interest in her was a shallow plan and she could only count on herself to find a way back home.

"You are an unusual woman," Siduri could not help but smile.

"Lady Siduri," Arturia suddenly addressed her directly. "Could you perhaps tell me if you have heard of Britain?"

Siduri blinked. "Ah, no I have not. Why do you ask? And please just call me Siduri. There is no need for you to address me so highly and we will see each other in the future." Being called in such an unfamiliar manner made the priestess almost falter in her words.

"Understood," Arturia replied. Her gaze went to the sheet she was grasping not long ago. "Britain is the country I come from. I assume it's very far from here since no one has heard of it and the climate and temperate are a stark contrast to Uruk. Never in my mind have I imagined that I would have trouble doing the simplest of actions because of the air and heat."

"I see," Siduri placed her hand under her chin in deep thought. "The king must have used some method to bring you here, then. Good grief, he has done it this time." The woman could not help letting out a deep sigh.
"I cannot do much for you, as I still serve the king, but if I find something, I will let you know."

Arturia could not help smiling. This was the first time someone had reached out their hand to help her. "You have my utmost gratitude," she answered.

"For now you should rest, try to eat anything easy to digest, like fruits or vegetables until your body has properly adapted to the environment, and I would dissuade you from trying any other attempts to escape. Even if by some miracle, you found a way to escape, you wouldn't last long under the heat of the sun and the cold nights. I hope you have a pleasant day."

Siduri bowed before she finally took her leave.

Arturia plopped back onto the pillow when she heard the door close. Despite the news she had received, she could not help but grin. Yes, returning home was going to be difficult and she had to give up on escaping for now, but the conversation she had just had with Siduri had given her that little bit of hope she was searching for. She found someone willing to help her, and although it was not much, it was more than enough for her.

Her day may have been terrible, but she slowly began to notice the sun shining through the dark clouds.

"There is hope after all," she mumbled to no one in particular.

Arturia turned around, her eyes immediately focused on the fruit bowl that was placed on the table not far from her. She reached out and grabbed a few grapes. It was the refreshing feeling that she got whenever she chewed on a grape that made it tolerable to eat. She focused on the popping feeling that the fruit produced while chewing on them.

Arturia knew that she needed her strength to survive and to find a way back home. Skipping meals would only make it more difficult and she had no desire to starve to death. the woman had to uphold her dignity as a knight.

With renewed resolution, Arturia got out of bed and left the room. Her destination was her chambers where she hoped to freshen up and start on her new plan. There was no need to rush... maybe there was, but a hasty decision would often lead to failure.

The moment she exited the room she encountered Iltani, the servant was about to reach for the door when she noticed Arturia in front of her.
"My lady, the priestess just told me that you were awake," she said immediately.

Arturia gave the servant a nod. "Please prepare a bath for me and I would like to know if there is an archive that I could use."

"The archives are at Inanna's temple, but I think the king does have an archive where he stores reports about the palace inventory, taxes and other matters," the servant explained. She was completely taken off guard by Arturia's sudden inquiry and directness. It was completely different from the apathetic behaviour the woman had expressed not long before.

"I see, then what about literary works? I don't need anything complicated yet."

"I will ask Enkidu about it considering they're overseeing your education."

Arturia felt urged to click her tongue. While she was grateful for Enkidu's help, she desired to study in secret. The woman had her suspicions that Enkidu would inform the king of her progress and possibly anything else that she had been up to. If she could make them believe that she was making slow progress it might buy her more time before the ceremony. Not that she had any idea when it would take place. Ignorance can be bliss and she was sure that she would get the urge to rush her plans if she knew when the ceremony took place.

"That will not be necessary," she told the servant. "I wish to do this in silence so I can work more efficiently."

Iltani nodded. "Understood, I will see what I can do."

Satisfied, Arturia parted from the servant and headed towards her room. However, Iltani soon called after her, "My lady, where are you going? Your room is the other way."

Maybe she should start with memorising the palace layout first before finding archives. It would do her no good to get lost every time she left her quarters.