Daughter of the Gods (Gilgamesh x Reader)

Chapter Thirty-Three: Unprecedented Home

The wedding ceremony will take place during the sunset but here you are, waken up earlier than usual, by the Royal Hall, waiting for your honored guests. You were to welcome them and later on have breakfast with them. They were guests that come from beyond the capital's walls.

Being born in Al-SImr, your sister has always taught you to be hospitable. Living in an empire at the heart of the desert, you guys know the hardships of traveling and therefore always extend your helping hands to merchants and the likes. Thus, this kind of task isn't something you find difficult.

You know Gilgamesh doesn't even care and so you're the best person for this job. So far, all of your awaited guests have arrived. You ushered them into the dining hall where the other servants tend to their needs.

You were hesitant to sit at the end of the table since that spot's for Gilgamesh but there were no other seats available since all of them are already taken. Siduri approached you to inform you that the king won't be joining and thus permitting you to sit in his place, on his behalf.

And so you gracefully sat and in that place, you can see a full view of everyone at the table. It was definitely your first time meeting these people and you know nothing about them—only that they are the assigned heads of the cities out of the capital.

You remember clearly where each came from upon their first introductions. They came from Babylon, Nippur, Kutha, Ur, and Eridu—the major cities outside of the capital. As you sat there waiting for your meals to be served, you felt a little out of place as the heads talked among each other.

You quietly observed. You noticed that they were no different from the people of the capital when you first came across them. They weren't smiling.

You've already noticed this earlier upon your first meeting. When they did their introductions, they seemed so tired and restless, devoid of energy, contradicting your radiant aura.

A few moments later, servants came in the hall one after another, carrying plates of Uruk's finest delicacies. They placed each plate in front of the guests and once they're done, you thanked them before dismissing them. You were joyed to see Siduri's butter cake a part of the menu.

When one of the guests saw the glimmer in your eyes as you looked at the cake, they spoke, "You seem to have taken a liking to it, your highness." Your eyes looked at the speaker and you nod your head affirmatively.

"Yes! Isn't it the best?" You replied. "Go on, give it a try." You held your brightest smile as they complied with your wishes.

"Once again, I'd like to thank all of you for joining me for today's breakfast," you said after clearing your throat. "Please help yourselves and don't hold back. I may not know how far you've traveled but I do know you must be hungry by now."

You feel the earlier heavy atmosphere beginning to lift bit by bit as they are filling their stomachs. "Thank you. You're very kind, your highness," one of them said. You smiled and waved your hand dismissingly in return.

"Now then, if you don't mind," you continued. "Can you tell me something about your cities? You know, I haven't been outside of the capital but I really love to know about it."

"I guess I can say I'm from the city nearest Uruk: Nippur," one said. "You can probably see it from the top of the ziggurat."

"Is Nippur the city on the North?" 

"Indeed, it is. Near Nippur, we have Babylon," the head of Nippur said as he turned to Babylon's representative.

He gave a nod and continued. "Babylon is the second-largest city next to the capital although its location is a bit more dangerous."

"Why so?" You asked, curiosity getting the better of you. 

"Babylon is a river across the Northern Hill. Beyond the hill is a dark forest. Those we've sent to go check it out have never returned."

"Not even one?" You asked, worry evident in your tone. Babylon's representative shook his head. For a moment, you wondered what lies within that forest. You made a mental note to ask Enkidu later. 

"I'm from Kutha! It is the city west of Uruk, nearest to the mountain ranges," One said. He was a man fairly younger than the rest. "Ten dawns ago, I saw Vimana pass by but I had no idea it carried the future queen of this nation."

One thing you won't forget from your trip to Uruk was the mountain ranges. Those massive towering mountains you heard of seemed so small from when you were riding Vimana. Their snow-capped peaks and lush greeneries were truly captivating.

The heads continued to take turns telling you about their city. You were glad that they were starting to warm up to you and that their earlier exhaustion has washed away. You can even see their lips hesitantly curve up into small smiles.

"Ur is the second farthest city," Ur's head said. "It's located within the jungle southwest of Uruk."

"And in the heart of the jungle is Eridu," added Eridu's head. "Although Ur is nearer to the observatory."

"Observatory?" You asked. The two heads gave a nod. "It's a tall tower by the edge of the land, overlooking the Persian Gulf. Not only that, its location gives you the best view of the stars at night."

"Wow," you said, mouth hanging slightly apart from awe. "You should come to visit someday, your highness," said Ur's head.

You gave him a smile and a nod. "I will, indeed!" You said. If there is one place you'd want to visit the most, it's the said observatory. Your heartstrings get pulled just by the thought of watching the stars together with the sound of waves in the background.

The conversation continued with them telling you all about Uruk's topography. Where can you get information better than the ones who actually live outside of the capital? 

You were told that Mesopotamia is surrounded by two rivers, Tigris and Euphrates, from the Persian Gulf. Because of this, the land was able to have a good source for irrigation where they grew crops and the likes.

Mesopotamia is almost synonymous with Al-Simr. Your land flourished thanks to the annual flooding of the river Al-Nahr near your kingdom. Such a phenomenon ensured reliable and rich soil for growing crops.

You also use the said river as a trade network to reach nearby kingdoms. Merchants don't only come to Al-Simr through the desert, they also make use of the river. 

You also told them about Al-Simr when they asked about your homeplace. You were careful not to give out unnecessary details to them like how Gilgamesh threatened to destroy the peaceful kingdom of Al-Simr had you declined to be his queen. Surely, you didn't want them to be disheartened by that.

You can already feel the weight of the citizens' expectations of you. You could sense their hopes and their cries for the change you wish to bring. You want to become a great queen, one who rules out of love and not out of spite that's why you'll continue to marry Gilgamesh in order to be one worthy of ruling over such a large empire and the same time, protecting your home.