The next morning, La Muerte still felt a bit guilty over how things turned out with Xibalba last night. She hadn't seen him in all morning, it was like he was avoiding her, and it bothered her. Sure, there were times when she didn't like to be in his presence, but she was growing fond of him, though she couldn't tell if he felt the same way. Still, she was worried about his way to deal with unpleasant memories, judging by the way he reacted she concluded Zipacna was right, he avoided speaking about his painful memories, or anything related to them, because he thought it was easier that way.
If only he would trust her.
La Muerte walked out of her room and looked for Xibalba to have a word with him, but she didn't find him in his chambers, or his study, or the dining hall. By the time she looked in the library, she sighed in exasperation. Really, when he didn't want to be found, he sure knew where to hide himself. She was about to give up when she encountered Regina in the just outside the library. When she took notice of the goddess's presence, the female lizard smiled up at her. "Buenos días, My Lady."
La Muerte smiled back. "Buenos días, Regina. Have you seen my husband?"
"Right now, he's in the throne room. There was a new arrival today."
"Arrival? You mean a mortal soul?"
"Yes, from San Ángel." Regina sighed sadly. "The poor thing has no one to remember him, and he was sent down here. Lord Xibalba must be receiving him right now."
La Muerte felt a spark of curiosity, she had not seen any of the inhabitants of this realm just yet, other than the lizards and Xibalba's pets. Thanking Regina for the information, La Muerte walked down the hall towards the throne room, in part because she also wanted to see how Xibalba welcomed souls to his realm. Not nicely, she assumed.
As she was getting closer to the doors that led into the throne room, she could hear some sounds coming from the inside. Chain rattling, and a snarling sound that made her jump in fright; fearing there was a monster, she sped up her pace until she was in front of the doors, and she noticed they were half-open by a little bit, enough for her to take a peek in without being noticed. Xibalba had told her not to bother him while working, so she opted to see what was happening inside from out here, without him seeing her. She didn't want to make him more mad at her than he already was. When she heard another growl and chain rattling, she took a peek from the half-opened black door.
The throne room had an elegant air to it despite its lugubrious appearance and decorations. It was a dark, spacious room that looked like a long foyer, with sable black carpets with a menacing green dragon trimmed on the center hanging from the walls, candles of green fire illuminating it, and rivers of lava at the sides of the foyer that would probably cascade down to the moat below. Various snakes carved out of stone were over the pits of lava, almost like mini bridges, all f them had menacing looks and exposed fangs. La Muerte guessed the throne room was inside one of the snake-shapes towers characteristic of this castle, judging by the fang-like carved stone at the end of the corridor, just behind the dark, menacing throne.
Xibalba stood tall and menacing just in the middle of the throne room, his face stiffened into a snarl as he looked down at a large bestial creature with black bones and spines, and glowing green ectoplasm making out its body, it swiped its sharp claws at its King, but thick chains held it by the neck, keeping it from harming the Lord of the Land of the Forgotten. This form of aggression did not intimidate Xibalba, however.
"Pathetic." The dark god's voice was cold and bitter, as he clenched his hold on his snake staff (Ponzoña's alternate form, as la Muerte learned). "Just look at you, you're nothing more than a shadow of what you once were."
La Muerte felt a shiver go down her spine at his tone of voice, and how he was looking down at the beast, like it was nothing more than an insect. At the same time, this beast was giving her chills.
"You're so pitiful no one in the Land of the Living bothers to remember you, that's the reason you're down here." Xibalba continued. He snickered when the Forgotten beast swiped its claws at him yet again, its chains rattling. "You must feel so lonely, so angry." His grin turned cruel and malicious, and he towered over the Forgotten beast. Green smog started to filter out of his mouth. "I can make it better."
La Muerte gasped in shock and horror when Xibalba grabbed the beast by the neck and lifted it from the ground with no effort and tightened his grip on it, making the beast choke in pain. His wings spread out instinctively as his teeth turned into fangs, and his pupils rotated forward. He truly looked like a demon, but the worst part began when he stared right into the beast's eyes, and the Forgotten screamed in agony and pain, all the while Xibalba had a cruel smile drawn on his face, like he was enjoying its suffering, relishing it like a meal.
That moment, La Muerte didn't know what came over her, she was overwhelmed by terror and fear, fear of him, of what he was capable of, of what he could do to her. In panic, she let out a horrified gasp as she ran away from the door, down the foyer, and her feet carried her outside, to the stables. She no longer thought, her fear had taken over her reason, a primal instinct for survival. She just wanted to get away from him. She climbed unto Blanca's saddleless back, not hearing Juarez's alarmed protests, and she galloped across the bridge. In her hurry she forgot she did not know how to gallop yet, and she clung to Blanca's neck at all times, while hanging unto her mane tightly. She didn't know where she was going when she came to mainland, but all she wanted to do now was to get away from Xibalba.
She was quick to regret what she had done, however, as soon she found herself lost in this horrible realm, surrounded by nothing more than spikes and ash, even Blanca felt uneasy in this place, nervously trying to find a way back.
That's when she started to hear the growling.
La Muerte grew alarmed and whipped her head around towards the source of the growls and snarls, fear overcoming her once more as she saw a beast similar to the one she had seen in Xibalba's throne room stalking towards her with animalistic snarls, but the terror started when even more of these beasts appeared from behind rocks.
"Run, Blanca!" La Muerte cried, and she barely managed to cling to her horse's neck as she galloped away as fast as she could in this rough terrain, the Forgotten beasts in hot pursuit like raving wolves going after her. Her hear throbbed inside her chest as she heard the animalistic snarls and growls, and they sounded louder and louder by the second. She desperately looked for a way back to the castle, finding none, instead galloping in circles just to get away from the beasts; the Goddess looked back to see how close the beasts were, and in this fraction of second she got distracted one of the monsters had gotten ahead of the group and jumped in front of Blanca to corner her. The white mare stopped abruptly and reared on her hind legs in fright, once more unwillingly throwing her rider off her back. La Muerte fell to the ground with a loud thud, met with a sharp pain on her back, but this time she didn't knock her head, as she quickly stood up and ran towards Blanca, who by then had been cornered against a rock wall by the beasts.
Acting quickly, La Muerte picked up a nearby branch and swung it at the monsters that got to close, trying to protect both herself and her horse. She swung the branch at one monster that lunged at her, and she heard its bones crunch as the branch struck its target and sent the monster flying against the ground, but there were too many, and she couldn't keep them all away. One of the Forgotten beasts rushed forward and its claws came into contact with her cheek, making her scream in pain and terror and fall to the ground, losing her grip on the tree branch. Droplets of blood trickled down her cheek as she crawled away from the Forgotten Beasts, her hear drumming and her whole body trembling in fear, even as Blanca kept rearing and stomping her hooves at the beasts, trying to protect her rider.
Just as one of the Forgotten beasts lunged at her, a blur of black flew by and sharp claws sliced at the monster, turning it into ash. La Muerte gasped in fright as Xibalba landed in front of her protectively, his wings spread out and his teeth turned to fangs, but he didn't look back at his wife. He knew that the worst thing he could do in this case was to let his guard down even for a second.
La Muerte watched in horror, pressing her hand to her stinging cheek, as her husband engaged in a vicious fight with the Forgotten beasts, giving and receiving slashes of claws in wings, and body, he even had to shake off a Forgotten beast's teeth form his neck. Xibalba shot green fire streams from his hands at the beasts, turning a few into ashes, but there were still to many for him to handle. He no longer thought, it was like he had succumbed to his animalistic side, he looked so different from the gentlemanly God she had met a few weeks ago. Xibalba roared in pain when one of the beasts dug its teeth into his leg, ripping his cloak when he grabbed it by the neck and throwing it away.
In less than five minutes the dark god had been mercilessly wounded. Feathers from his wings had been plucked, his cloak was ripped and his armor had been sliced away, exposing his chest to claw and bite marks. One of his gloves was gone, and one of his wings was broken. The pain in his stinging wounds and broken wing was excruciating, but he kept fighting. When he clawed at another beast, his body started to fail from the exhaustion and blood loss, and he knew he wouldn't bear any more damage. Firing another stream of green fire at the beasts to keep them away, he finally looked back at his wife with a berserk but agonizing face and held out his ungloved hand for her. "Get close to me!"
Although reluctant after the massacre she just witnessed, her survival instinct was stronger at the moment and she quickly jumped to her feet to grab unto his hand just as he took two fingers to his mouth and gave a long whistle. A neigh echoed in the cavern as Medianoche galloped through the pack of Forgotten beasts and jumped over the green flames. La Muerte gasped in fright once more as Xibalba wrapped his arm around her waist and with the other he grasped unto Medianoche's mane, lifting them both unto the stallion's back. La Muerte wrapped her arms around Xibalba's neck and buried her face into it in fright as he galloped his horse away, followed by the frightened Blanca. Once the beasts recovered from the firetrap, they went after them.
With the last of his energy, Xibalba charged a large green fireball in his palm and threw it at the pack of Forgotten beasts, exploding right in their way; finally, they seemed to get the message, as the few ones that weren't scorched to ashes let out roars and cries of pain as they finally turned around and ran in the opposite direction, fearing any further wrath from their King.
When they crossed the bridge and arrived at the castle gate, Xibalba dismounted and helped his wife dismount. Now that they were out of danger, he could get mad at her. La Muerte gasped in shock when he grabbed her by the shoulders and glared into her eyes.
"What in tarnation were you thinking, mujer?!" he snarled, wincing at his injuries and taking a hand to his chest to try and stop the bleeding, though his angry eyes were still on her. "You nearly got yourself killed!"
La Muerte was still very much traumatized from had just happened, but she pulled back from his grasp. "Don't touch me!"
"What? I just saved your life and this is how you thank me?"
"At what price? You hurt your own subjects!"
Xibalba groaned in disbelief (and pain). "I can't believe it! My subjects, as you call them, nearly killed you and you're worried about them?! It's yourself you should be worrying about!"
La Muerte stomped her foot. "That doesn't change the fact that they are still souls that need to find peace, not be tortured any further!"
"They need to be put back in place!"
"How can you be so cruel?!"
"How can you be so naïve-ARGH!" Xibalba could take it no longer and he collapsed unto the floor, gritting his teeth in pain and clutching his chest, before everything went black.
"XIBALBA!" Despite having being afraid and angry at him a few seconds ago, La Muerte quickly kneeled down and tried to shake her husband awake, growing alarmed when he didn't respond.
"My Lord!" Juarez was putting Blanca into her stall when he saw the dark god collapsing, and immediately ran towards them with a horrified expression.
"Juarez, help me take him inside!" La Muerte quickly ordered the lizard as she managed with great difficulty to lift Xibalba by the arm. Juarez nodded and carried his other arm, but only it would take too long for the two of them to take him to his chambers. Juarez knew the ideal person to help them out, and called out his name as soon as they crossed the threshold. "Lorenzo!"
In less than five seconds, Lorenzo turned around the corner, on all fours, and ran towards the. "Eeee…." He froze when he saw the state his master was in. "..yup?"
"Lend us a hand! We must take Lord Xibalba to his chambers, now!" Juarez snapped at him, his legs failing from all the weight.
"Eyup!" Lorenzo did a told and helped them by lifting Xibalba from underneath, by the waist. La Muerte was impressed at how it looked so easy for him, as if he were used to this. With a bit least of weight to support, they quickly carried the dark god to his chambers.
An hour later, Xibalba lay on his bed, his chest and torso wrapped in bandages, a splint on his broken wing to prevent him from moving it and injuring it any further, and a his arm hanging from a sling, turning out that it was nearly-fractured due to the way he had to climb unto Medianoche to escape from the Forgotten beasts. The bandages had a few stains of black blood, which made La Muerte shiver. Still, her compassionate side prevented her from leaving her husband alone when he was so terribly injured.
As she squeezed a hand towel on a bowl of cool water and wiped Xibalba's face with it, Regina was preparing him some tea in his fireplace, to keep it from getting cold, while Lorenzo and Juarez were just outside the door trying to calm Emilio down, with little success. In fact, the poor lizard had fainted as soon as he saw the condition his master was in (and all the blood).
"I can't believe you fainted like an old lady!" Roberto was teasing him about it.
"I don't find it any funny, Roberto! Didn't you see how Lord Xibalba was?!" Emilio shrieked.
"You're exaggerating, he's strong. He's been through worse, he'll make it." Juarez stated.
"Eyup." Lorenzo supported it.
La Muerte glanced back at the door when she heard the other lizards' voices, she would have giggled at Emilio's reaction if the circumstances were different. A question came to her mind as she glanced at Regina. "Regina, may I ask you something?"
"What is it, My Lady?" Regina replied gently, serving some tea into a cup.
"Did you know about the way Xibalba treats his subjects?"
It took Regina a while to reply. "Yes."
"Why is he so cruel to them? Has he always been like that?"
"I'm afraid that's something you'd have to ask him, although we do know how he treats the souls that come down, we are not allowed to question him about it. The way he runs his kingdom should not be our concern at all, that's what he says." The female lizard approached the goddess and gave her the cup of tea. "Here, I'll help you calm your nerves."
"Gracias." La Muerte smiled, accepting the cup.
"It shouldn't be long before he wakes up, then you can speak to him, but try not to make him angry, if he gets too stressed any of his wounds could reopen."
As Regina left the room, La Muerte remained seated in the chair just next to the bed, taking sips of the tea, managing to calm down a bit. She brought her hand up to her cheek where the Forgotten beast had injured her, Regina had already treated the gashes, but just touching them made her wince in dread at the memory, and her emotions conflicted when she lay her eyes on the injured Old God she had in front of her. She had finally seen his cruel side, but he had come to save her. She couldn't condemn him for what he did; after all it was on self-defense and on her defense.
Maybe they could sort this out talking.
When Xibalba started to stir awake, he felt his whole body aching and stinging with sharp pain. Gritting his teeth, he cracked his eyelids opened and realized he was in his chambers, all bandaged up, his broken wing splintered and his arm resting on a sling. He managed to make out a shape next to him. "La Muerte...?" he whispered, trying to sit up, but she gently pushed him back down.
"Shhh. You need to rest, you're very hurt." She said gently, pulling up his covers.
"I can see that, or rather, feel that." Even in this condition, Xibalba didn't lose his sense of humor. He noticed the claw marks on his wife's cheek, and she noticed.
"It's okay, they'll heal."
They remained silent for a few seconds, with La Muerte rubbing her arms and her gaze down, not daring to look at her husband in the eye. He took notice of this. "You think I'm a monster."
"N-No!" she said, though her voice was shaking a bit. She couldn't make him angry.
"You're a terrible liar, my dear. But don't you think you should know the whole story before you judge me?"
Despite the tension, La Muerte had to say he had a good point there. "I guess you're right."
Xibalba accommodated himself in bed, careful not to move his broken wing. "First of all, what did you do back in the Land of the Remembered with new arrivals?"
"My mother would receive them warmly and ease their sorrows and fears, while my father helped them find their families."
"Would you do that with the beasts that attacked us?"
"Well… I'd try to soothe them down first-"
"You can't soothe them down. They are so angry at being forgotten by their families in the Land of the Living that they grew insane and turned into monsters without any trace of humanity left. You can say whatever you want, they will not listen, all they want is to take out their anger on whatever, or whoever, they see."
"Are all your subjects like that?"
"No. The majority that arrive are only half-way transformed, there's a small percentage that arrives normally, but there are also those whose bitterness and desperation has already driven them mad." Xibalba sighed. "I can't do anything for those, other than soothe them down for a few hours, before they go into a rampage again. They stay like that until they turn into ash."
"Turn into ash?"
"All the souls that come here eventually cease to exist, they turn into ash after a certain amount of time, some take decades, others longer, it depends on each. The only exceptions are my servants."
La Muerte felt a pang of sadness at the fate of these poor souls, but there was nothing she could do. "You said not all turned into monsters."
"That's right. Most of the souls that arrive, mostly those who come down from your father's kingdom when they have no one left to remember them, and a few from the mortal realm, are not murderously furious. They are simply confused, frightened and slightly angry; when I receive them, I have to wipe their memories."
"You WHAT?!"
Although taken by surprise by his wife's outburst, Xibalba continued. "It's the only way I can prevent them from turning into beasts. They forget why they are angry, and they change back into normal Forgotten. They do little other than wander around the realm and wish they had done something better with their lives, or that they had someone who remembered them. In a way, I help them; I save them any more pain. If I let them keep their memories, they'd grow angrier with time, eventually turning into beasts."
La Muerte's temper cooled down at his explanation, what he said did make sense. Suddenly the fear she felt of him started to wither, and she instead felt sympathy for him. She couldn't blame him for his fate, he didn't choose it, after all, who was she to criticize his way of running his own kingdom? She didn't know what it felt like, she had never dealt with tough decisions rulers sometimes had to take. The Land of the Remembered was a happy realm, there was neither pain nor sorrow, everyone was happy, but it wasn't the same in all the realms. The Land of the Forgotten was one clear example.
"I'm sorry." She finally said.
"You don't have to be, my dear. I admit, I can get quite… scary at times without realizing it."
" I never thought the Land of the Forgotten was so…"
"Merciless? It has always been that way, there's nothing to do about it."
La Muerte shifted in her seat, and she gave her husband a thankful smile. "Thank you… for saving me."
For the first time, Xibalba smiled back at her. Not a cynical, mocking or taunting grin, a genuine smile. "You're welcome…" his eyes were still on La Muerte's cheek, and on the gashes left by the beast's claws. "La Muerte?"
"What is it?"
"Come closer."
She blinked. "Why?"
"Trust me."
Reluctantly, La Muerte pulled her chair closer to Xibalba's bed, so that she was within his reach. Xibalba reached out his healthy arm and gently touched her cheek, making her shiver in surprise. "What are you-?"
"Don't be afraid."
La Muerte felt energy emanating from his palm, and relaxed when it came into contact with her cheek, she felt a warm, ticklish sensation and the aching disappeared, this lasted for a few seconds until the energy disappeared, Xibalba removed his hand from his wife's cheek and rested his arm back on bed. La Muerte took her hand to her cheek, and much to her surprise she found the gashes were gone, her cheek looked and felt like she had never been hurt at all.
"What…?" she whispered in awe.
"You're too kind to deserve such a horrible mark on your beautiful face, my dear."
"You sure know quite a lot of healing spells, don't you?"
"Like I've told you before, when you fight in a war you must know at least a basic healing spell. It can save your life." Xibalba felt a sharp pain on his chest, and winced, gritting his teeth and taking his hand to clutch at his bandages.
"It'll hurt for some time, at least until the wounds closed. Try not to move much."
"You mean I'm stuck in bed? Again?!"
She giggled at the look on his face. "Looks like it. I guess we'll be spending some time together."
Xibalba huffed in frustration and laid his head on his pillows. Wonderful, now heaven knew how much paperwork he'd have to deal with.
