Though she was still wary around him, La Muerte found she was starting to warm up a but to the dark god, but she wondered if it wasn't pity because she had learned of his disease and a bit of his seemingly sorrowful past, or because she was genuinely starting to like him. Xibalba had similar feelings, she was not that bad… at least not when he caught her in a good mood. She was actually very sweet when you saw past her short-temper. As they continued with their breakfast-La Muerte was having scrambled eggs, sausages and tomato with orange juice, while Xibalba was content with pancakes accompanied by sliced banana, blueberries and raspberries as well as orange juice and some coffee- La Muerte was internally trembling.
Unfortunately, Xibalba had keen senses and it didn't go unnoticed. "Nervous?" he inquired.
"Sort of." La Muerte replied gently, fidgeting with her bacon.
"Don't worry, it's not that bad."
"You say so because you're accustomed to riding, but I'm not."
"Don't worry, Lady Epona assured me the horse is actually very gentle. She's a bit nervous, but gentle. You'll be fine."
"I hope so, I don't think my head will stand another hit like that."
Xibalba chuckled. "With how headstrong you are, I think your head could stand a thousand hits."
She blushed and continued with her meal. A few minutes later, they were making their way outside to start with the lessons. Juarez had already saddled up the horses, and they were waiting right outside. Medianoche was snorting at the white mare next to him, but she kept trying to shift away from him. Juarez gave his master a look of dismay. "My Lord, I'm starting to think it was not such a good idea to put these two in the same stall while I finish the other one."
"I can see that…" the dark god chuckled, before holding out his hand for his wife. "Milady…"
La Muerte grabbed his hand. "Milord." She allowed him to lead her to the white horse, right next to the horse's left front leg. The mare turned towards her and snorted gently, greeting her new owner. For a moment her legs trembled, but she felt her husband's gloves on her shoulders.
"Don't be afraid, nothing will happen. You should always mount from the left side, always stand next to your horse's left front leg. That way you'll reach the stirrup easily without sacrificing control of your horse." He handed her over the reins. "Hold them with your left hand, tight enough to control her if she moves away, but don't pull too hard on her mouth. Put your left foot in the stirrup."
La Muerte gulped and lifted her foot unto the stirrup, quickly grabbing unto the pommel of the saddle-still holding the reins- before she lost her balance. The white mare shifted nervously, so Juarez had to hold her in place.
Xibalba continued. "Grab unto the pommel with your right hand, but don't grab the back of the saddle, then stand on your left foot and swing your right leg over." He gently grabbed unto her waist. "Don't worry, I won't let you fall."
With a bit of effort, La Muerte did as told and climbed unto the white horse, but she stiffened when it shifted nervously. Xibalba chuckled and climbed unto his horse.
"See? It was not that bad?" he noticed she was stiff. "Try to relax, you're making your horse nervous."
"What if I fall off?"
"You won't, I'm not irresponsible enough to teach you in this terrain. I'm taking you somewhere else, it's perfect for beginners." He grinned tauntingly. "You can make the horse move, can't you?"
"I'm not that ignorant!"
Chuckling, he squeezed his horse's sides and Medianoche started to walk forward. La Muerte quickly did the same, but she caught her horse by surprise and it jumped a bit before advancing. She followed Xibalba at a walking pace across the bridge, and then through the ashy and rocky terrain. After a while, Xibalba looked back at his wife. "At this pace it would take us hours, I think I'll transport us there."
"Transport? With horses and all?"
"It's not that hard." He stopped Medianoche and took La Muerte's hand gently. "close your eyes."
"Why?"
"Trust me." His voice was comforting to some extent, and so she did as he told. She heard the sound of flapping wings, and energy cackling. A few seconds passed, and the energy subsided, the cold temperature disappeared and now she felt sunlight bathing her skin, much to her relief after weeks down in the cold and darkness. "You can open your eyes now."
When she opened her eyes, the sight before her made her heart warm up and wondered if she wasn't dreaming. The dreary and harsh landscape of the Land of the Forgotten was gone, and instead they were in a beautiful glade with plains of green grass, with trees scattered all around, but for the moment they were in a wide clearing within the glade. A crystal clear creek ran through the clearing, were a few fish could be seen swimming around. The sky was clear, and the sun was bathing the landscape beneath it generously.
"What is this place?" she couldn't help but ask.
"It's part of Lady Epona's realm." Xibalba explained, taking a look around. "Pretty, isn't it?"
"You seem to be good friends with Lady Epona."
"We've known each other for a while now. She was one of the first gods I ever met when I went to war, she is a lovely woman." He finally looked at his wife. "Well, let's do what we came here for. Keep up with me." Xibalba kicked Medianoche's sides and advanced forward; La Muerte went after him and caught up to his pace. "To keep your balance you should always keep your back and shoulders straight, a third of your feet should be in the stirrup, with your heels always pointing down."
La Muerte nodded and did as he told, but she couldn't soften her body, she felt all tensed up. Medianoche snorted at La Muerte's mare, but she ignored him.
"Say, La Muerte… Have you thought of a name for her?" Xibalba inquired, glancing at the white mare.
"I was thinking… Blanca."
"It suits her."
For a while Xibalba taught and showed La Muerte the basics of horse riding, guiding it and keeping her balance. However, he was losing his patience at how she failed to relax. Finally, he dismounted and approached her, straightening her back gently and making sure her feet were properly accommodated on the stirrups.
"Like this?" the goddess inquired, shivering at feeling Xibalba's hands touching her.
"Yes, but try not to be nervous." Xibalba replied gently with a small pinch of dryness in his voice. "You'll put Blanca nervous."
"Easy for you to say."
"The trick is showing your horse who's in charge, but don't take it too far. Let her know you trust her, and she trusts you."
"But what if she spooks again?"
Xibalba chuckled. "First of all, don't freak out, it'll make it worse. You have to pull the reins and soothe her down."
"Don't freak out? It's quite hard considering she can easily throw me off her-" suddenly a hare darted in front of Blanca, and she spooked, rearing up in her rear legs. "BAAACK!"
Xibalba reacted and caught La Muerte in his arms as she fell from her horse, but he fell backwards and landed on his back, still holding his wife in his arms; their faces were inches away from each other, and she was awkwardly resting against his chest. They blushed fiercely in embarrassment
"I-I'm sorry…" La Muerte stuttered.
"No problem…" Xibalba replied, his cheeks red and his heart drumming inside his chest as he rose to his feet and helped her up. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I think so…"
Medianoche neighed at Blanca, as if he were laughing at her, the mare looked away in annoyance. Xibalba chuckled.
"Looks like we're not the ones who need to get along…"
"I think I'll take me a while to get used to this…" La Muerte sighed, crossing her arms.
"Don't worry, it's easy when you get used to it. You can even teach her tricks once you're comfortable enough with her."
"Tricks?" La Muerte raised an eyebrow.
"Sure. Almost like a dog." Medianoche snorted at his master in annoyance with bent back ears. Xibalba snickered. "I'm not talking seriously, boy."
"Does he know any tricks?"
"I taught him some in my youth." He noticed the look she was giving him. "Would you like to see some?"
"I… I wouldn't like to bother you…"
"It wouldn't be a bother at all."
La Muerte didn't say anything else and simply watched as Xibalba mounted back unto his horse and pulled the reins, making Medianoche back away a bit. The dark god looked down at his wife with a grin. "This one's called the Spanish walk." Holding the reins tightly, he kicked Medianoche's sides, but instead of a normal walk the stallion lifted his forelegs in an exaggerated upward and forward manner as he advanced.
"That's amazing!" La Muerte couldn't help it and she clapped her hands in excitement. Even Blanca seemed to show a bit of interest, watching curiously at the dark steed doing antics.
"That's nothing. Look at this." Once more he pulled the reins and made his horse stop, but he didn't remain still, instead he started to trot in place on a collected and cadenced manner. "This is the piaffe."
After ten minutes of showing her a few more tricks (such as the half-pass, the pirouette, the levade and the passage), both gods decided to let their horses relax a bit. They led them to the creek and the two animals immediately bent down their necks to take a refreshing drink, though Blanca went a little more far and dipped her hooves in the water.
"You taught him a lot of tricks." La Muerte smiled
"Well, I had to entertain myself doing something." Xibalba replied gently, patting Medianoche's neck.
"Really, Xibalba, you're a very skilled rider."
"Is that a compliment, my dear? I never thought I'd ever hear one."
"If my father saw me now, he would have had a heart attack."
"Just because you're riding a horse? It's not such a bad thing."
"He's always been like that. Ever since…" she stopped herself as suddenly the memory stung at hear heart. She couldn't bring herself to say it; it always brought tears to her eyes. She felt her husband's gloved hand on her shoulder.
"Are you okay?"
"Y-Yes, I'm fine…"
Their attention was caught at the sound of a horn in the distance. La Muerte jumped, but she felt Xibalba grabbing her shoulders gently. "Don't worry, it's not dangerous."
"What do you mean?"
"We're going to have some company soon."
In fact, soon a group of horsemen appeared on the horizon. Most of them wore European armor, and carried lances or swords. Finally, they stopped a few meters away from the couple of gods at the command of someone on top of a beautiful palomino. The rider was a beautiful red-haired woman with fair skin, and icy blue eyes, she was wearing a white gown with trimmed white roses. La Muerte noted her horse had no saddle nor bridle, and its mane was adorned with flowers.
"Why, Xibalba!" the woman laughed in excitement, glancing down at the dark god. "Long time no see, old friend!"
Xibalba took a hand to his chest and gave the goddess a respectful bow. "Lady Epona."
La Muerte glanced up at her in surprise and felt a strange, warm feeling when she looked at her. Epona was looking down at her warmly.
"So this is your wife La Muerte?" she said gently. "She's as beautiful as you described her, My Lord."
La Muerte curtsied. "Pleased to meet you, Lady Epona."
"Well, since you're here, why don't you come and have a cup of tea. We have much to talk about, Xibalba."
"We wouldn't like to be a bother, Epona…"
"Oh, you're no bother at all! I'll be more than happy to receive you!" she led her horse rightwards. "So, shall we go?"
La Muerte turned to her husband. "I think it'll be fine, Xibalba."
Xibalba was not very fond of tea, but he didn't want to look bad with Epona, and so he let out a sigh. "Well, I guess a little cup of tea won't do bad."
"Perfect! Let's go!"
La Muerte and Xibalba mounted their horses and followed Epona and her escort, to their camp in the middle of the forest. It was a beautiful and wide medieval tent of emerald green with golden swirls on the outside, surrounded by guards and small fires, as well as horse poles and troughs for them to drink from. Dismounting their steeds, Epona led her guests inside the tent, where it was a contrasting soft white. There was a tea table already prepared for them, adorned with a white cloth, on top of it was a carefully accommodated tea set of gold edging, each piece was decorated on white porcelain with a mauve, yellow and red floral and butterfly pattern. At the center of the table was a chocolate cake, and a tray with biscuits and cookies. Epona motioned for the chairs at the sides of the table. "Please, take a seat."
Xibalba grumbled something under his breath, but he pulled the chair back for La Muerte to sit down, and then went to take a seat himself. La Muerte was curiously taking a look at her cup, the utensils and the snacks, she had heard about tea time in Europe from her dearly departed mother but she never had the chance to learn more about it. Maybe this was not such a good idea after all, she didn't want to look ignorant in front of a foreign goddess. One of the maids inside proceeded to fill the cups of tea, before placing the teapot back on the table and stepping back with a small bow.
"So, how are things going in your realm, Xibalba?" Epona inquired curiously, adding a spoonful of sugar and some cream to her tea.
"It's… quiet down there." He simply said, stirring his tea with the teaspoon.
"I guess it hasn't changed much, has it?"
"No. It's as miserable and depressing as always."
Epona glanced at La Muerte, and with one look she could tell she was not familiarized with tea time. "Would you like some cream, milady?"
La Muerte blinked, brought out of her trance. "Excuse me?"
"I asked if you would like some cream, friend?"
"I think so, gracias…" she felt like an idiot, but said nothing else as the same maid from before poured a bit of cream into her tea, before she wordlessly motioned her that it was enough.
"Where are you from, La Muerte?" Epona asked, taking a sip of her tea. "Xibalba mentioned you are of Aztec heritage, but from which realm? I'm not very familiarized with the gods of the New World."
"I'm from the Land of the Remembered." La Muerte said softly, taking a sip of her tea and, finding it a little too bitter, added two spoonful of sugar.
"I have not yet heard about it, who inhabits there?"
"Those who still live in the memory of their living families."
"Is it like Xibalba's realm?"
"You wish…" the dark god muttered, before taking a small gulp from his tea and taking a chocolate biscuit as well as a slice of chocolate cake.
La Muerte ignored the comment. "No, it's much more colorful and festive. There are endless fiestas, and people are happy, my father is always throwing epic banquets for our subjects, especially on Day of the Dead."
Epona blinked at the unfamiliar term. "Day of the Dead? Is that a celebration?"
"It's almost similar to Samhain, dear Epona." Xibalba stated. "It's a time of the year when the dead can pass between worlds, the only difference is that in Day of the Dead they must be remembered to cross over, otherwise they end up in my realm. Mortals take food and offerings to the graves of their deceased kin as a well to honor their memory." He took a bite of his cake.
"Oh…"
"Is Samhain similar to the Day of the Dead?" La Muerte inquired, her curiosity sparked.
"In a way. It's rather a festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the darker half of the year, and not only the deceased visit the mortal realm, the Aos Sí do so to. Because of this, people disguise themselves similarly to Aos Sí and go from door to door reciting verses to ask for food, in a way to disguise from the authentical spirits. Though these centuries the celebrating of Samhain has almost disappeared thanks to the Spanish Inquisition," there was a twinge of bitterness in Epona's voice. "in America it's being reborn as… Halloween, I think…"
Xibalba sighed in annoyance and continued with his tea and treats, hearing as his wife and Epona chatted casually about simple things, such as their lands, customs and families. He remained silent for a while, though deep down he had missed teatime with Epona, she always made things interesting.
"So how did you name the horse?" Epona inquired.
"Blanca." La Muerte smiled.
"It's beautiful. I'm glad you liked her. She is a very good-tempered mare, she should give you no problem, but I must tell you she spooks quite easily."
"Yeah, I've noticed."
Epona giggled and glanced at Xibalba. "And here I thought you'd never find a girlfriend, let alone a wife."
Xibalba nearly choked unto his cake, but he managed to gulp it in the last minute. La Muerte nearly giggled when she saw his bewildered expression. "So, you have known each other for a long time?"
"Yes. I offered him my castle for the first decades he spent in Europe during the wars." Epona motioned La Muerte to come closer so she could whisper into her ear. "I must tell you, he's a very wild lover."
Xibalba froze when those words left her lips, and La Muerte's arms drilled unto him like piercing daggers.
"You were her lover?!"
Xibalba sighed in exhasperation, and his wings wrapped instinctively around his body in case La Muerte tried to throw something at him. "No!" her angry gaze sent shivers down his spine. "Well, something did happen between us but it was centuries ago!"
She so wanted to lunge at him for dismissing it as easily as that. "And that's all? Did you even think about her feelings when you discarded her like a piece of trash?!"
"Please! It was nothing serious! We just-!"
"So you simply used her to satisfy your needs, right?! I don't want to imagine how many goddesses you bedded!"
Now it was Xibalba's turn to grow angry. "Whatever I did in the past is not of your business! What happened, happened! Or what, do you want me to go back in time?!"
"That's not the point!"
"Then what's the point?!"
"Have you ever wondered if Epona loved you? You could have broken her heart!"
"oh, come on! You act like it was a capital sin, we just quenched our carnal desires!"
"Is that how you see women?!" La Muerte snapped. "They're only here to satisfy men's needs?"
"In a certain way, that's correct."
What happened next was a blur for them both, in a fit of fury and indignation La Muerte's hand flew towards Xibalba's cheek but his much larger hand caught her arm in the last moment, his eyes narrowing at her and his teeth growing sharp. He pulled her against him, restraining her arms with his hands, his wings outstretching.
"Let go of me!" La Muerte tried to free herself, but it was to no avail.
"Not until I'm done speaking." Xibalba hissed, before his sharp claw ran down her cheek. "You're so beautiful, you know… so pure…"
"I'm not letting you touch me-!"
"As much as I'd like to, even I have my principles, dear La Muerte! If I wanted to, I could have already made you mine from the moment you set a foot in my castle, but I did not! Have you not noticed?"
La Muerte's struggling ceased as his words sank in, he had a good point there. He had his flaws, that was true, but up to now he had not disrespected her in any way. Xibalba released her when he was certain she had calmed down.
"Look, I know what I did wasn't… pleasant, but whether you believe me or not Epona felt the same as me. She didn't mind that we… made it, she was so lonely…"
"And so were you." La Muerte finished for him, calmly this time. "I get it. I do not approve of the way you simply used her, but I can't completely condemn you completely either. I'm just saying you should consider women's feelings too, you shouldn't treat them like sex slaves, you know." Her voice became dry and annoyed once more.
Xibalba sighed heavily and turned his back on his wife, heading towards his window with his hands behind his back. "Please, leave me alone."
"Is that how you solve things-?"
"Out."
La Muerte shook her head and walked out of her husband's chambers. Xibalba didn't turn around as she left, closing the door behind her. She must think of him as some sort of monster, or even lower than that if that was possible. While he usually didn't care what others thought of him, the idea of this particular goddess thinking the worst of him bothered him. Damn it, there was just so much in his head! A few minutes later, he left his chambers and walked down the hall towards his organ room; he closed the door behind him, he never liked to be interrupted when playing.
He saw down in the bench, in front of his beloved organ, and ran a finger over the keys delicately. While nowadays people thought pipe organs were old-fashioned and were being replaced by more modern pianos, he preferred the organ over them. It had a powerful resonance, and it reminded him of Europe, now to mention it helped him clear his mind.
Closing his eyes, he started to play a dark and haunting tune.
