It was time.

'The Lady Eliana,' the herald announced, 'Sekrutu to His Royal Highness Samsu, Prince of Babylon, Lugal of Nippur.'

Sekrutu. Her new name – meaning harem woman, it was no less a barb than karkittu. Samsu still called her by his insulting pet name in private, but Sekrutu would be her title for in public.

After two and a half months of marriage, of enduring his attentions almost every night, she was finally ready to tell him. She would announce it in public, to save the news spreading by palace gossips. She smoothed the violet silk of her gown over her hips, wincing as she brushed a new bruise – another token of Samsu's affections.

Walking slowly, with as much dignity as she could muster, she held her head high and ignored the venomous stares from Susa, in her seat next to Samsu, and Ani and the Brute as they stood off to one side of the dais. Ashan stood with them, trying to keep his face expressionless as he watched her.

She approached the throne and knelt before it, waiting for permission to speak.

'You may rise,' Samsu sounded bored. He chafed against the inactivity of governance – he preferred to be out on the battlefield, leading an army. His was a mind for strategy, not mundane matters of politics.

Eliana lifted her forehead from the ground and stood slowly, bringing her head up last. It would not do to have a dizzy spell before him if she stood up too quickly.

'I am with child,' she said, loudly and clearly. Her words had the desired effect – Samsu's eyes lit up, while Susa's face contorted as though she sucked a lemon. Ani merely scowled, her expression a perfect reflection of the Brute's.

Ashan's face remained bland, but it felt as though he had just taken a blade to the gut. He had lost her forever. She was truly Samsu's now – she carried a piece of him within her, and when she gave birth, she would forget she had ever loved Ashan; all her love would be for the child.

Samsu nodded. 'You shall be moved to bigger rooms, nearer my own, along with your maidservant and my daughters.'

'Thank you, sir.' Eliana inclined her head, and Samsu waved his hand to dismiss her. She moved to the edge of the room, standing with the other petitioners whose business was concluded.

She took a keen interest in the Nippurites as they came and went with their problems – this one disputed a piece of land with his neighbour, while that one complained that the price of bread had risen too high to feed his family, and another begged a position within the palace for his son. The queue seemed endless.

Her mind worked rapidly through the problems as she heard them, throwing out solutions and compromises, though she kept her tongue still. If Samsu wanted her advice, he would ask for it in private, well away from any who might construe it as weakness. Sometimes he would resolve a matter in exactly the way that she would have, and sometimes he would make it worse with an unfeeling and unsympathetic response. Occasionally, his decreed 'justice' made her physically bite her tongue – she must not interfere, however unfair he seemed.  She wished with all her heart that she might be able to sit up there on the throne in his place, protecting the people from him as Enlil never had.

When an unfortunate, half-starved man with wild hair and wilder eyes was dragged in behind a farmer, her heart went out to him. He had attempted to steal a goat, been tried and found guilty, and had nothing with which to pay the fine.

Samsu condemned him to death, according to his father's code of law. In doing so, he also condemned the man's family to death, for they would surely starve.

Eliana fought back tears as the judgement was pronounced and the man's heart-rending wail shattered the air. Samsu nodded to the Brute, who stepped forward and seized the man by his skeletal upper arm, and dragged him through a side door. He screamed again, the sound cut short, followed by a wet thud as the body dropped to the floor.

The Brute walked back out, shaking the blood from his dagger, and returned to his place.

Finally, as the afternoon drew on, the stream of petitioners slowed to a trickle. 'Any other business?' called a steward.

'Sir!' Ashan stepped forward. His mother looked at him quizzically. It was clear that, whatever he had to say, he had not discussed it with her first.

'What is it, Ashan?' Samsu was less than pleased, having hoped that the audience was at an end.

'Sir, we are all aware of the recent troubles in Lagash – if we do nothing to curb their vexing behaviour, they may rise up and pose a threat to other Babylonian cities in the region.'

'And what do you propose?'

'I would like to volunteer my services as emissary. Demand a tribute from them in exchange for not razing their city to the ground. Your reputation goes before you, sir. They will capitulate, and fill your coffers without the need to tax the people of Nippur.'

Eliana struggled not to gasp – that was her idea. She had suggested that a levy be extracted from another city, to save the money of struggling Nippurites, but she had never imagined that Ashan would volunteer himself.

'Very well. An excellent plan, Ashan. You do yourself credit.'

'Thank you, sir.' Ashan nodded. He and Eliana had discussed that he would put the plan forward as his own, but they had not intended to venture it so soon. He had to get away – could not trust himself around Eliana. She would be great with child when he returned in a few months – she would have other things to think about. He could take himself a wife, and their paths need no longer cross except on court business.

He felt sick to his very stomach to think about it – not to have daily sight of her lively eyes and mischievous spirit. But it must be done – to protect them both, it would be done.

'You leave immediately – I would have this matter settled as soon as possible.'

Ashan gave a curt bow and left.

'Is there any other business?' Samsu called again, his tone daring anyone else to respond.

He was answered with silence.

'Very well, you are all dismissed.' He stood to leave and took Susa's hand to lead her out as the whole court bowed as one. She shook her head, indicating that she wanted to speak to someone in the hall.

No, no, no! He can't leave! Eliana's heart pounded as she forced herself to walk calmly after Ashan. I have to tell him – he has to know.

Her exit was blocked by Susa's shrivelled form. The older woman scowled up at Eliana as she tried to pass. It took every ounce of Eliana's self-control not to shove her aside and run after her son.

'So, whore. You have finally allowed my husband's seed to take root in your belly.'

Eliana's jaw dropped – did Susa know about the contraceptive?

Reading her face, Susa laughed. 'Those herbs were procured from my own physician – you think it would not reach my ears?'

Eliana closed her mouth immediately, remembering to keep her face blank, whatever Susa said.

'Well, I hope that you are better at producing heirs than your worthless sister was. Perhaps you will bear another daughter to add to the little harem of harlots.' Susa goaded her.

She clenched her fists and took the bait. 'I shall certainly be better at producing heirs than you are. My body is a fertile field, ripe for planting. Yours... well, your womb may as well be made of clay, for all the use it is to Samsu.'

'I have borne a strong and healthy son,' Susa spat. 'As you well know. Now only one question remains about your brat – not the question of gender, but whether it will look like my son or my husband.'

Eliana's heart nearly beat out of her chest and her hands shook with the effort to control herself. Her stomach plummeted – Susa knew. 'It will look like the husband we share, of course.' She forced herself to say.

'Well, that remains to be seen. At least my son has had the sense to take himself away from this court, away from your vicious seductions and lustful ways – all to be expected from a shameless whore.'

Seeing that there was no way through Susa to chase Ashan, Eliana turned on her heel and stalked down the length of the hall to exit through the petitioners' door. She felt sick with the injustice of the last comment. As if she had asked for any of this! If she did not leave now, she would surely do Susa some serious damage. That would do her no favours with Samsu or with Ashan.

The moment she exited the audience chamber, she began to run. She had to tell him, she just had to. But she had no idea where to find him. She ran blindly, chasing Ashan as a child chases a rainbow.

After an hour of chasing up passages and down corridors, through gardens and across courtyards, she was forced to concede defeat. Ashan may already have left by now, and there was no sign of him anywhere. She went back to her apartments.

Crossing the terrace, she made for her favourite spot by the stream. The delicate singing of the water as it bubbled along always calmed her and helped her to think.

Her heart stopped as she crossed the little bridge and saw a shape waiting for her in the grass.

'Ashan!' she ran to him, throwing her arms around him as he sat up. She was so pleased to see him that she did not even register the hurt in his eyes.

'What took you so long? I have been waiting here almost an hour.'

'I was looking for you!' she cried. 'What's wrong? You look angry.'

He turned his face away from her. 'Why do you think that might be?'

'I have no idea! Ashan, I have wonderful news.'

'What?' he asked, bitterly. 'Have you decided to name the baby after Samsu?'

She clamped a hand over his mouth. 'It's yours, you great idiot!' she hissed.

Beneath the flesh of her palm, she felt a slow smile spread across his face. She removed her hand to see it better.

'Are you sure?' he whispered.

'Positive. There's no way it could be otherwise. I bled just before Kisha's death, and I had already missed my next moon blood before Samsu married me.' She grinned, 'it's a little you! A little piece of you and me.'

The smile faded from Ashan's face. He put his finger to her lips. 'Eliana, this is very serious. If this child is a boy, he will inherit the throne of Babylon.'

She tried to speak, to tell him that it would be his son who inherited the throne. He silenced her.

'You must not speak a word of this ever again. The baby is Samsu's, to all intents and purposes. If he ever finds out that the child is of my blood, all three of us will die. Make no mistake about it. He will not spare our child in its innocence, and not one of us will receive a quick or painless death.'

'But...'

'No buts!' He quieted her again. 'Samsu will claim this child, raise it as his own, pass his inheritance to it if it is a boy. If we are lucky, it will have more of your features than mine. Fortunately, Samsu and I do not look so very different. If you were having a child by Asag...'

She gave an exclamation of disgust.

'... it would be very difficult to hide the resemblance.' He finished.

There was silence between them for a moment.

'You're going away,' said Eliana, sadly.

'Yes, I can't be near you – you're like a poison to me. A sweet poison, but no less deadly for it.'

She crumpled a little, crushed by his words. His next lifted her heart again.

'I love you, Elly. I will always do my utmost to protect you and our child. Me going away is for the best – I hope you'll believe me. The most help I can give you right now is to not endanger you – even the wrong sort of look passing between us could get us both killed.'

'I know,' she said, sadly. 'But I wanted to share this experience with you.'

He took her hand. 'It's not my experience to share. It's Samsu's. We can never be an ordinary couple, not while he lives.'

'And how long will he live?'

Ashan shrugged. 'Who knows what the gods have in store? He cannot die by my hand – I swore an oath to his service. I bound myself in blood to him in an ancient rite of Marduk when we were just teenagers. The god does not hold oath-breakers in high esteem, and neither does Samsu.'

Eliana hung her head. 'I've created a bit of a mess for you then,' she said in a small voice.

'You have,' he smiled. 'But I would not change it now. The gods have their plans for us all.' He kissed her gently and stood to leave. 'You make me feel, Elly. Happy to be near you; angry that I cannot protect you without breaking my vow; conflicted between loyalty to one who is like a brother, and one who is like the other half of me; joy when I see you smile... it will kill me not to see you while I am away, but know that I only have your best interests in mind.'

'Just – before you go – can I ask you a question?'

'I think you just did.'

'Be serious – why are you so good to me? You would inherit if Samsu had no heirs.'

'I don't want power,' he spread his hands in a helpless gesture. 'I never have, though I am as much a prince as Samsu – grandson of King Simash of Elam. Growing up firstly in Elam and seeing my family decimated, then in Babylon and seeing Samsu's tear itself apart for control... it's all too ruthless for me. I am only ruthless when I have to be – it brings me no pleasure. I'm not meant to sit a throne.'

'What does bring you pleasure, then?'

'Diplomacy. Solving a problem with words, not swords. That is why I must go to Lagash and persuade them to send something to Samsu – anything to keep him from destroying another city, another populace. You are not the only one who still has nightmares about the conquest.'

'Stay safe,' she urged.

'Don't worry – I'll be back before you know I've left.' He gave a reassuring smile, and left her to her thoughts.