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To be pampered by the King of Knights was an honor no one else could claim. All it took was for Ereshkigal to steal his soul for a few days, and the fear of a lifetime to see the body of her beloved inanimate on his throne.
Fortunately, when Ritsuka returned, a plan was quickly found to bring him and other citizens who had suffered the same fate back. Arturia refused to leave him, preferring to be by his side when he awoke.
Gilgamesh had never before kissed her so fiercely after opening his eyes, no doubt when he saw her relieved eyes, or maybe it was her smile?
Now, they enjoy a little respite to savor a warm bath in this huge pool that served as a bathtub, and the beautiful chevalière, leaning against the wall, held the king armless, his back against her and stretched out. She massaged his hair with the soapy water, while he, his eyes closed to revel in her touch, relaxed in contact with her slender body.
"You think you can wake up Enkidu by talking to Kingu?"
"Not really... Enkidu is well and truly gone, but his body remains his body. I might at least be able to revive some carnal memories."
"Should I be jealous?"
She rarely joked, but that was probably because she was glad he was back... When she looked at him, and ever since she'd met him on her arrival in this singularity, she knew that this man in front of her would one day disappear when all was said and done. Their story was just an imaginary dream that could be forgotten. And she suspected he was aware of this.
Gilgamesh smirks. "So you knew that Enkidu and I..."
"Everyone who knows about your epic knows about the two of you... even if it's blurred between love and friendship... your relationship was sincere."
She holds him close. He turns his head to look at her. "I'd be curious to see how jealous you are."
"In that case, you may never get a chance to talk to him."
He chuckles. "What brutality." He loved it.
He turns to face her, pressing her gently against the wall and kissing her tenderly. A far-fetched idea crossed his mind, yet one that seemed so obvious. A whim, no doubt, but now that she was finally in his arms, that he and his other were in agreement on the subject, why not?
His question was visible in his eyes, as Arturia looked at him curiously.
"What's on your mind?"
"A crazy idea."
He paused to admire her beautiful face. She had the thick cheeks of a teenager, but eyes so mature you couldn't tell she was a child. Slight freckles from her homeland. Her bright green eyes filled with magic, her golden hair that almost merged with her own. She was beautiful, as detestable as she was attractive. His thumb caressed her cheek and lower lip...
“Down your blade and be my wife.”
His request was certainly direct and straightforward and he thought he'd wring a surprised expression from her, thinking he must be crazy and already imagining himself arguing about the pleasures they could share and, above all, spend as much time together as possible while they still could. But it was a different matter altogether: she felt a shock as if ice water had just been poured into their bath.
So it was Gilgamesh who was surprised by her reaction when she pulled away from him without being brutal, only to see her get up and get out of the bath.
"What's wrong with that? I'm not joking." He protested, obviously rejected in a vulgar manner.
"It's got nothing to do with it." She says dryly as she covers herself with a sheet.
But Gilgamesh wasn't content with that. "Arturia, we don't yet know how this is going to end, would it be so hard for you to be by my side?”
"We'll talk about it later."
“Arturia…”
"I said later!"
When she turned to say this, the look on her beautiful face was so familiar. Frustration, anger, rage and helplessness. That look... in that church, where she lay on the floor, cornered by her weapons that had pierced her from all sides, then suddenly the surprise of Archer's request, which had been exactly the same words Gilgamesh had spoken in that bath, as if... it wasn't he who had uttered them... She took him for a fool, full of himself, mocking her, ready to force her, threatening her with unimaginable torture...
Gilgamesh blinked and watched her go, without a word. He was at a loss to understand what had just happened. He had glimpsed a future that was not his, not directly. He had spoken without realizing it, he had felt for a moment the jubilation, the desire to subdue her...
He drops back into the tub, rubbing his face to banish these thoughts.
What a strange feeling. Today he won't do this to make her his, he has more of a desire to woo her, but...
Why did his other's perspective seem so plausible? The thought gave him a bitter smile.
"Calm down... You've simply let yourself be invaded by an echo from your distant mind..." He laughs to himself. "To think she's already had a request from me..."
He intended to do something else to make her say yes.