The ziggurat was painted in gold as the bright and almost sentimental rays of the sun entered the Royal Hall. In the distance, down below where the citizens were beginning to gather, the sounds of people talking amongst each other sounded like bare whispers upon the throne.
Gilgamesh stood, a golden goblet of wine in his hand as he walked towards one of the ziggurat's enormous windows. As he stood by it to glance down at the people, he felt the sun's light caress his face. This is what he loved during this hour of the day: everything is golden.
The pale stone walls seem to turn to gold as the sun shines upon them. His hair has never been ever so golden until it was around this time. He took a sip of wine, and another, and another until there was nothing left in the goblet.
All of a sudden, he felt a big hand land upon his shoulder. "You shouldn't drink too much this early, son," he heard the rough yet gentle voice of his father. "The wedding hasn't even started and there is yet to be a banquet tonight."
King Lugalbanda leaned closer. "The guests are now here and the princess will soon come out," he whispered. Just in time before Gil could respond, Siduri's voice echoed through the hall, "Our dear guests, please prepare yourselves and get into your rightful places as the ceremony is about to start."
Gil turned to his father where he received a knowing glance in return. When Gilgamesh turned to look at Siduri, the High Priestess gave a small bow before making her way back to your chamber. A servant approached to assist the king but Gilgamesh merely shook his head and handed the goblet instead.
Gil then made his way towards the platform that protrudes from the Royal Hall towards the top of the ziggurat's main staircase where Enkidu awaits. The honored guests followed suit and stood by their rightful places at the entrance of the Hall.
From up here, Gilgamesh could see the vast number of people that have gathered in the capital. As he looked forward, he noticed that this massive crowd even extends up to the southern gates. They looked small, synonymous to ants, in his point of view.
The number of people gathered today even seemed more than those who witnessed his coronation. You truly are someone different to have been able to gather this many people in a short span of time. Gilgamesh is not a fool to not know that the citizens are here mainly because of you.
Within the past few days, he saw a noticeable increase in the production rate of Uruk's workers. In the upcoming days, he is expecting an economical rise if this increase in production continues. He can deny this but not the fact that such an increase in an infinitesimal amount of time only happened when you were here.
He was pulled back into reality when King Lugalbanda spoke. "Son," he called as he looked into the horizon where the sun slowly dips into. "There is never a sunset that happens twice."
For a moment, Gil groaned internally. His father has always been one to speak in riddles and of indirect speeches and most of the time, Gil couldn't care less to find out what King Lugalbanda's words meant.
Before he could ask his father to get his point across, the sound of trumpets filled the atmosphere. Soon after followed the cheers of the crowd. He turned towards the direction of the Hall just in time to see you walking out and at that moment, he felt the world slow down.
Your eyes suddenly squinted as the light momentarily stung your eyes. Soon after your vision has adjusted, you turned to look at the guests where you gave them a smile that Gil swore seemed as bright as the sun. He felt a slight tug in his heart as he kept his eyes on you.
He couldn't describe what he felt, either. He found his heart beating a bit faster than usual and it was as if a lump has formed on his throat. For a second as he stared at you, he wondered: how can a mere woman like you stir up his feelings inside of him.
Yet then again, he isn't one to accept these feelings. For one thing, he disliked it; it was bad for his ego. But for this particular moment, he wanted to indulge in whatever it is that his heart thumps about in his chest. And it was in this moment, he understood exactly what the great king has said.
You were clad in a dress as red as his eyes. You looked like a ruby—a fine gem; a treasure. You looked so strong and beautiful, Gilgamesh almost felt guilty about having you because he knows how valuable you are not just to him, but to everyone around you.
And as you approached closer and closer, he dared himself to look away but he couldn't. The same thing goes for you. As every step you take brings you closer to him, you couldn't stop yourself from looking into his garnet eyes that were like the roses, the flames, heat and passions you could burn in.
When you were standing in front of him where the rest of the people could finally see you, the whole crowd gasped in awe. Not long after, the sound of the trumpets has died down as if the crowd's earlier reaction was its cue to stop.
Gilgamesh cleared his throat to get a hold of himself. Finally, his eyes left you and looked at Siduri who was standing behind you. Siduri took it as a signal to hand him the small jar in her hands.
Upon giving it to the king, she bowed before going back to her place. Gilgamesh held the jar in one hand as his other pulled the cloth that was covering the opening of the jar. Upon removal, the strong scent of perfume exploded into the air and then everyone went silent as they watched the scenes that were to unfold.
Gil took a step forward, minimizing the gap between the two of you. He held his hand out to hold one of your cheeks. His hands that were calloused from previous battles felt rough against your soft cheek. Nevertheless, he held your face so gently that it was impossible for you to believe that he could be this humane.
As he brought the jar of perfume above your head, you slowly closed your eyes. Only then have you realized that your heart has been beating rapidly since the moment you saw Gil not long ago. No matter how much you've prepared yourself for this day, it still took you by surprise and no matter how less you liked the king, he still took your breath away.
The next thing you knew, the cold liquid from the jar graced your warm head. It streamed down your hair and face, and over Gilgamesh's hand. You kept your eyes closed as the perfume ran over your eyelids.
You felt Gilgamesh remove his hand. The perfume eventually washed over the part that was covered by Gil's hand. You took it as a signal to wipe your face but before you could do it, you felt him hold your face once more. This time, using both of his hands.
His thumbs run across your cheeks, then to your eyelids, wiping them dry. You immediately opened your eyes only to see his staring longingly at your lips. Before you could pull away, his next action had you glued to your place.
Your eyes widened when one of his thumbs brushed over your lower lip, the other doing the same to the upper one after that. His hands then slid down to rest on top of your shoulder as he gently held onto either side of your neck.
His eyes slowly followed the trail of liquid that goes from your neck to your chest where he could perfectly see the crevice between your breast. Your now wet skin gleamed under the light and it was sure to push the right buttons within Gil.
His eyes then looked into yours and you could feel your face heat up. He looked into your (e/c) orbs with such intent and you felt as if you could melt right there and then. You could see Enkidu approach from behind him.
Enkidu held his hands out. In them, he carried a bobbinet in which you assumed was a veil that perfectly matched your dress. Gilgamesh turned to take it from his friend, breaking your eye contact.
He smoothed the cloth out before placing it at the crown of your head. He carefully tucked it in the circlet that rests upon your hair, securing it into place. Once done, he pushed some of the veil's fibers away from your face.
The next thing you knew, Gilgamesh pulled you by the waist, turning you in front of the massive audience. And so he solemnly declares, "She is my wife," before the crown has erupted into deafening cheers.
~~~ Author's Note ~~~
Hello! I apologize once again for being unable to update for a week. I had some things I needed to take care of. Thank you for the continuous support and hang in there for more updates. Updates will continue to be Sunday - Wednesday (PHT).
Thank you and have a good day!