#inarmour

Casually standing on the balcony in a thin almost transparent silk sahri reflecting on the time that she had spent once more under the stars in the fairest of cities she had ever been to. To truly admire the view the woman had held a goblet of the finest of wine her favourite person had given to her, as a token of apprectiation for her efforts. Sipping it gently she let her shoulders relax as she heard shouting in the corridor of the palace.

Clearly the King was tense so she hoped to please him by giving him something precious to treasure. A night of relaxation for him. Siduri and her had already concocted their plan with Enkidu to ensure that he would not be disturbed or distracted by work when he would enter his quarters. She giggled lightly at the thought that maybe that was what he was arguing about but when he burst into the room her face quickly contorted with concern. “Is everything alright, my King?” she asked going to him and placing her hand on his chest to soothe him...and prevent him from leaving.

Behind him his bed was sprinkled with what looked like rose petals and if he cared to look he would see that she had made him a bath. It was before he could have a chance to respond that she put a finger to his lips. “Come, I think I have the perfect remedy for whatever is on your mind, my love.” she whispered in his ear teasingly as her hand gently glided to his. Interlocking their fingers she hoped that this would help and prove how much he needed someone like her by his side. Especially since there was mounting pressure to find a Queen and, according to Siduri, Iluviella was exactly what she had hoped. Work for the King was piling tenfold and without help it would mean the death of the King. Though whether Gilgamesh would tell her this was up to him and him alone, but that didn’t stop Enkidu from spilling secrets.

Iluviella wanted to ease her lover’s troubles and pain and wanted most of all to help the kingdom and his vision grow. Enkidu and Siduri has seen how she and Gilgamesh behaved around one another and knew that they meant more to each other than perhaps they cared to admit. The Master would always stay by his side and help with his work, she would rest with him and indulge in his life as much as possible. She wanted to be there for him and the dynamic duo were never far apart from one another almost like Gilgamesh and Enkidu. But this night was not about her or the city...

As a mixture of green and blue stared at the beautiful stars admist the night sky, Iluviella wondered why she was the one that had received countless of blessings so far in life. Everything that had happened, whether good or bad, had a lesson to be held within and was a blessing in itself for that very reason. She had survived the unthinkable and now she had someone very close to her that defied even death.

It was beginning to make her question herself though. Did she deserve any of this? Was she really worthy to receive the King of Heroes’ love? All she could do was think about what his family would think. Would they have approved?

A soft smile played on her lips as he approached her. Iluviella hadn’t realised how long she had been stood at his window. “I can’t help but think of how lucky I am to have you near, my King.” she mused thoughtfully aloud. She wouldn’t show that she had let a tear fall as she kept her back to his chest.

“I am not worthy of a mighty King like you.” she stated even as she looked at the moon now. “I’m sure your parents would agree. To them I am probably just a lowly mongrel.” her attempt at a joke was weak and her voice cracked.

Even the memories of the smiling faces of the children who got handed out flowers from her and the owners of shops that received a hand when they couldn’t do something after she had just saved the city from Tiamat was not enough to sway her mind. Truly, she became a slave to thoughts that should have never surfaced.

Yet of all the people here in this palace, she only wnated him. Not Siduri or Enkidu, not any one of her Servants at Chaldea, him. As she slowly turned around she felt more tears leave her fluttering eyelashes and she snaked her arms around his waist to hold him close. Right now, as she felt she was nothing, only he would prove otherwise.

Her elegant Sumerian dress, perfect for Urukian weather, swayed with her as she waltzed into his throne room and up to the throne where the Caster sat. She didn’t care who was in the room nor what vital matters were being discussed, instead she merely looked amused at the shock and awe of their people as she did so. Moving his tablet just slightly, she lounged on his lap and cuddled him with one arm whilst the other wrapped around his waist.

Iluviella continued to use his cheek as a headrest careful not to disturb his headpiece as she smiled so sweetly and casually. Her eyes lazily scanning over the tablet, she was bound to get a lecture about it from either his assistant or the King himself but she figured that there was a chance that Gilgamesh may be willing to wait until later to tell her off.

The King of Heroes and of Uruk may even be in a slightly more pleasant mood given her chosen attire showed off perhaps a little more than usual. Not that she intended on seducing him, for once. Merely, observe his orders and learn.

Should he choose to punish her, she would gladly accept whatever he chose. Iluviella just hoped it wouldn’t ruin her chances of becoming Queen.

Chaldea was calmer today than it had been the last few days, but she knew regardless of what was happening that one of the servants would be working away in his quarters and not stop until things had been sorted.

Slowly her fist rose as she knocked on the door in front of her. Today, Iluviella (or Iluvi as most of the other servants called her by) would see how the King was faring and if she could help at all. The young master was wanting to relieve some of the pressure from his shoulders but she also wanted to help the people from his city.

Continued from here.

Her heart sank at his first words, was that really what he thought of her? That she would want to possess him? I wouldn’t treat you like an object, I would just want you to be happy, my King. Once again, her mind betrayed her speaking to him naturally.

Hearing that he needed to return to work was frustrating but she didn’t want to invoke the ire of the King. He had avoided her questions and decided that it was better for her if she didn’t persue it.

The Master looked at him with concern, smile vanishing, but noticed the warning that his firm gaze held within. Iluviella had accepted that Gilgamesh would not back down nor lessen his schedule but she understood what being a leader meant and how hard it must be to be responsible for so many lives at once.

Welcoming the silence from her thoughts, she supposed that expecting his thanks or appreciation for her gesture was folly. “I shall continue with my work here, but because I would appreciate your company. Even if you are to remain overworking I shall see to it that you are well supplied with what you need to continue.” She had already accepted the compromise and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly. It was obvious she was merely content with this but she didn’t want to upset him.

The light faded as she looked towards the figure that stood tall in golden armour. The Master was smaller than he was by a few inches but she looked up at the brilliant being and bowed her head gently as she felt his red eyes look upon her. She knew of him and although he didn’t look anything as she had imagined she knew the golden Urukian chalice was enough to summon the King of Heroes.

Her father, the previous Arch-Mage, had summoned him before and she recalled from her memories how powerful a Servant he was. Though ultimately her father had perished in the next Grail War to follow. Nevertheless, she remembered a lot of what he taught her. Nathaniel had trained her well in his stead and succeeded in his efforts to raise her for a little over a decade. Her strategic mind and multiple specialisations made her one of the more powerful mages thanks to her father. Her mother had given her her looks and whilst she died in childbirth, Iluviella never forgot her. Evelyn had given her daughter the gift to bear the burdens of others and the pains of the world. Compassion, endurance and perseverance all came from her and Nathaniel preserved them without fault.

Iluviella also took after him in the studying of magic with knowlege of runes to enhance weaponry and infuse them with the effects of other magics. Her family’s double bladed daggers were such things. This coupled with her ability to control the elements made her an unusual mage. Healing spells were the third specialisation she had and though it made her extremely powerful, her healing spells were lacking in strength.

“I am Iluviella Cuthallian, Master of Chaldea and hopefully saviour of humanity.” she introduced herself straightening before she revealed her signature welcoming smile. Her voice was warm and soft, like a cosy blanket after it had been on a radiator in winter. “You may call me Iluvi though, everyone else does here.” she giggled and paused as her smile faded slightly. “The others are to be considered as allies so please don’t harm them, as they are a valuable asset when investigating singularities.” Iluvi paused to let this sink in before adding to it with a final and brief explanation. “We aim to protect humanity by defeating enemy Servants that appear - due to Holy Grails appearing - at certain moments in human history where they weren’t supposed to be. If we can find the Grails and retrieve them then we can stop Solomon from destroying half of humanity.” Iluviella turned towards the door before remembering... “Also....demons are involved and they are not fun and may try to bite that beautiful face off.” Laughing slightly she winked playfully and stood in the doorway, turning to face him again. “Either way, that is what we do here so please refrain from seriously maiming or killing any Servants that you encounter here.”

The moment Iluviella had summoned him, she knew she had earned a powerful ally, and she smiled for the first time in a long time during his summoning. For she had summoned her Father’s servant who, much to her surprise, answered the call to save humanity.

The golden King of Heroes remained burned into her childhood memories: his golden armour moving as he laughed at the enemy’s defeat, the way his eyes lit up whenever someone realised that they had vastly underestimated the enormity of his power as a Servant and of course his notable history of women.

When the light had faded and he had stepped forward, she bowed politely and smiled. “A pleasure to have you answer the summons, King of Heroes.” she began. “My name is Iluviella Cuthallian, daughter of the Arch-Mage Nathaniel Cuthallian and now Master of Chaldea. You can just call me Iluvi though.” She paused before flourishing a polite bow. “I just hope I can be a worthy Master to you, King Gilgamesh.”

It had been a while since that day of the summoning and still she had yet to show him her prowess on the battlefield. Today, however, was different. The King would only likely ever go up against those that were worthy opponents, thus Iluvi had waited until today to bring him along. She knew how to interact with him already since her father had done so prior, whether or not he actually remembered this was a different matter entirely, but at least she tried to stay on his good side.