"Xibalba?"

"Hm?" Xibalba temporally lifted his gaze from his tray of French toast and coffee to glance at his wife, swallowing the mouthful in his mouth before speaking. "What is it?"

La Muerte couldn't help but shiver a bit and rub her arms. She had rehearsed the words about twenty times, and she had to grow nervous just now when she wanted to ask him. It wasn't that hard, she told herself. She could handle it, she thought. And look at her now, she couldn't bring herself to speak. "Well, I'd like… I would like to ask you something…"

"What?"

"It's important to me… See…" damn it, yet another knot formed in her stomach. "I haven't seen my sister in two months, and…"

"Just tell me you want your family to come over for a while."

La Muerte blushed deeply. "Well… sort of."

He seemed to be considering the idea as he took a sip from his coffee. "…Very well."

"Come on, don't be like-!" the goddess blinked when she processed what he had said. "What did you say?"

"You can invite them to come over, I don't really mind." Xibalba replied, taking another bite from the French toast.

"Are you serious?"

"I don't have any right to cut you off from your family, my dear. I'm not that heartless, you know." He was caught by surprise when without warning La Muerte wrapped her arms around his neck in an embrace.

"Gracias, gracias, gracias!" she was crying out happily. Soon, however, she realized what she had done and she quickly pulled back, her face all red. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…"

"Don't worry about it." Xibalba managed to reply, blushing and his heart drumming inside his chest. After a while, he managed to calm down. "Anyway, I doubt your… family will be happy to see me at all, so I think it'll be best I stay here."

"Oh, no, señor. I think you're going to have to smooth things up with my father, don't you think?"

"What for? In case you have forgotten, Sol and I are not precisely on the best of terms."

"Precisely because of that, I think you two should make peace if we're family now." La Muerte smirked. "Besides, weren't you complaining that you were sick of being stuck on bed?"

Xibalba narrowed his eyes at his wife. "You had to bring that up just now?" Still, he knew she was right, so he had no choice to let out a sigh of defeat. "Alright, if you insist. I'll try to be civilized, if he does."

"Gracias."

"Don't thank me…" the dark god stated. He didn't like the idea of meeting Sol face to face once again, but La Muerte looked so happy… he didn't want to disappoint her. Besides, how bad could it be?


"How do I look?"

Xibalba sighed in annoyance and rolled his eyes. "For the tenth time, La Muerte, you are perfect. I'd thank you if you stopped worrying so much."

"Easy for you to say!" La Muerte snapped back at him, crossing her arms. "The only thing you wear is that old armor!"

"Unlike a certain person I know, I don't let people's opinion get to me."

"I'm serious, Xibalba! I have not seen my father nor my sister for weeks, I want to be lovely for them! Is that such a crime?"

"I never said it was, all I mean to say is that in the end what really matters is what you think of yourself."

Still, Xibalba couldn't help but take a look at his wife. She looked truly beautiful tonight. She wore a beautiful red dress with black and golden trimming in the shape of swirls and hearts, as well as sparkling gems at the end of the skirt, v-neckline and marigolds sewn at the neckline as well. Her hair was loose and adorned with a flower near her ear. His frown softened as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You look beautiful, really." He smiled, brushing a hair from her face. "I can imagine the face they'll have when they see you."

La Muerte blushed. "You really think so?"

"Why would I lie to you, my dear?"

Before La Muerte could reply, Emilio rushed in. "My Lord and Lady, your guests have arrived." He bowed respectfully.

No matter how many times she told him she didn't have to do that, it seemed like old habits died hard. Or at least he deemed it was appropriate in Xibalba's presence.

"Thanks, Emilio." La Muerte smiled at the lizard.

Xibalba chuckled and held out his arm. "Milady."

La Muerte rolled her eyes with a grin, but nevertheless she grabbed unto his arm. "Milord."

Although Xibalba had healed enough to be able to walk, he still had major injuries that were in the process of healing, mostly those in his waist and chest, so underneath the armor he still had bandages wrapped around his body. His wing bone had mostly been fixed and no longer needed the splinter, though he still couldn't move it much yet until it was completely healed.

Once they crossed the doorway into the main hall, La Muerte was surprised when a pair of arms wrapped around her neck into a tight hug, but soon she found herself returning the hug.

"Big sis!" Aimé had cried out in excitement as she ran to her older sister and hugged her tightly.

"Amy! I'm so glad to see you!" La Muerte replied, happily pulling her closer.

Xibalba had released his wife's arm and stepped aside when her sister rushed forward to hug her. It was then that he felt a pair of eyes glare unto him, but he didn't need to glance at that person to know who it was. He contained the urge to snap at Sol, he promised La Muerte he would try to get along with her father (for tonight, at least). Still, he put the feeling aside when he saw La Muerte rush towards Sol and both embraced tightly.

"My daughter, I'm so glad to see you." Sol gently told his eldest child, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"I've missed you so much, Father." La Muerte was close to tears of happiness, but she contained it for the time being.

When he was certain Xibalba was not watching, Sol whispered into his daughter's ear. "We need to talk."

"I welcome you to our humble abode." Xibalba spoke, though he tried his best not to speak forcibly. "My apologies if my castle doesn't look welcoming."

"T-Thank you, My Lord…" Aimé couldn't help but tremble in fear. His presence was intimidating.

"Would you mind if I gave my sister a tour around the castle?" La Muerte asked her husband.

Xibalba didn't seem to like the idea of being left alone with his father-in-law, but he chose not to say anything. "If you wish so, my dear, it'll be a while before dinner is ready." Even Aimé seemed uneasy about leaving her father alone with him, but she didn't say anything as she followed her older sister through the halls, leaving their father and Xibalba by themselves.

When he was certain his daughters were out of earshot, Sol stomped towards Xibalba with a hate-filled expression. "If I find you lay a single finger on my daughter I'll kill you."

"Kill me? You seem to forget in whose domain you are in, Sol." Xibalba hissed.

"I don't care, if you have laid a harmful hand on my daughter I'll do anything within my power to have you executed."

The dark god chuckled darkly. "As if. You have no idea of how many gods have tried to have me executed, and yet here I am. But like I told you once, I'm no brute. These months La Muerte has proved to be quite an accommodating, kind wife. I have nothing to complain about, maybe except the fact that at times she's quite hot-headed."

"Don't you dare call my daughter like that!"

"I'm not criticizing her, Sol. The only thing I've noticed is that she was very restrained."

"What do you mean to say?"

Xibalba narrowed his eyes. "Take it as you'd like, all I will tell you is that she's a strong, confident woman that was forced into a role she never wanted to take in the first place." He turned to leave. "Now, if you'd be so kind to wait, I have a few things to take care of." As he walked away, he felt Sol's drilling glare unto him.

Meanwhile, Aimé was holding tightly unto her older sister's arms as they walked around the halls of the castle. La Muerte had already shown her the armory, the library, the courtyard, and the organ room. La Muerte wanted to show her the garden in the top of the castle, but she recalled that place was special to Xibalba, and he didn't show it to just anyone, so she opted not to in the last moment. Finally, they decided to take a break in La Muerte's chambers to talk a bit from sister-to-sister, just like before. La Muerte had so many questions about how things were going in the Land of the Remembered.

"Everyone misses you, big sis." Aimé sighed sadly. "The Sánchez, in particular, they are very worried about you. They don't know Xibalba, but they read about him in books at one time."

"I miss them very much too." La Muerte sighed, rubbing her forearms and looking down in yearning.

Aimé leaned against her sister and hugged her. "I've missed you too, Muertita."

La Muerte giggled at the loving nickname her sister had given her when she was an infant and pulled her close. "I miss you too, Amy."

"Has Xibalba treated you nice?"

"It may sound unbelievable, but he's not the monster everyone thinks he is. I admit, he's proud, irritable, bitter and has a very bad temper, but he's also a just ruler. You may not have noticed, but his servants feel affection and respect for him, he's quite the gentleman when he wants to be."

"How are you certain he's being sincere?"

"I thought about that at first, but after we've gone through these past months I've grown to see he has good in him, though he doesn't want to admit it." La Muerte giggled at this.

"I still don't like him, he's nasty. I'm still afraid that he'll hurt you, big sis."

La Muerte smiled at her little sister and planted a kiss on her temple. "Believe me, Amy. He's not like you think he is at all, he's had a difficult life…" she stopped in mid-sentence.

"What do you mean?"

"It's… nothing." The older goddess felt she had no right about Xibalba's life just like that, if he was reluctant to even tell her about his own mother she didn't want to betray his trust after working so much to gain it bit by bit, at least.

Aimé noticed this, and thankfully chose to change the topic. "He really gave you a horse as a wedding gift?"

"Yes. It was very sweet of him, though I admit, horse riding is not as easy as it seems."

"If daddy heard about what happened he'd lynch your husband."

Both sisters giggled. Just then, there was a knock at the door, and Emilio poked inside. Immediately, Aimé gave a small cry of fright at the lizard and embraced her sister for 'protection'. Emilio was equally startled and he hid behind the door. La Muerte couldn't help but giggle at what just happened.

"Don't worry, Amy, that's just Emilio. He's one of Xibalba's servants."

"You didn't mention he was a lizard, sis!" Aimé had never been fond of reptiles, snakes and lizards in particular, which explained her aversion to Xibalba, considering he was her polar opposite in that sense.

"My apologies, señorita." Emilio apologized from behind the door to avoid making her uncomfortable. "I just came to tell you that dinner is ready."

"Gracias, Emilio." La Muerte smiled at him, even though she could not see him, before glancing at her sister. "We better go down before Father and Xibalba kill each other."

Aimé nodded. "I wouldn't like to imagine it."


To say dinner was awkward would have been an understatement. Thankfully, though, it was peaceful. Xibalba noted how his wife's family was not familiarized with European cuisine, not unlike La Muerte during the first days she lived here. Technically, Sol seemed to be the only one who had an idea about the dishes, while Aimé was more interested in keeping her hands away from his servants' as they either changed the dishes, or served more wine. The smell of the food gave the gods an air of calm, especially form the roast pig and swan (he had nearly burst out laughing upon seeing Aime's face when she saw the stuffed swan on the table).

Xibalba spent most of the dinner concentrated on eating his cheese ravioli, while he heard La Muerte chatting casually with her father about what she had been doing these past months. A part of him felt warmth that she spoke quite fondly of him.

"So, he gave you a horse…" Sol said, placing his fork down and resting his chin on his hand, glancing at Xibalba with acidic eyes.

"He even taught me how to ride." La Muerte confirmed, though she chose to omit the part where they made a wager and she was knocked off the horse. It would give her father a heart attack, probably. "He even introduced me to Lady Epona."

"Epona?" Aimé gasped. "The mistress of horses?"

"Yes."

Xibalba noted there was some dread in Aimé's voice when she mentioned Epona's name, and he couldn't help but ask. "You don't seem to like the idea of meeting my dear friend face-to-face, cuñadita." He smirked internally when Sol's eyes flared up when he referred to Aimé like that.

"W-Well, I've heard from the other goddesses that she is a very amoral, lustful woman." Aimé replied nervously, fidgeting with the peas in her plate as she felt Xibalba's skull eyes bore unto her.

"That's a bunch of lies, you won't find a purest woman in the thirteen realms."

"I agree, she didn't seem bad to me." La Muerte added. "She was nice, and she invited us to have tea with her." She giggled at the memory. "She even told me about Samhain, did you know that celebration is similar to Day of the Dead?"

Immediately, Sol stabbed his cork on his meat. He had tried so much to keep his daughters from knowing about pagan celebrations and deities, but now thanks to her… husband, all his efforts had been in vain.

"Would you mind if I talked with my daughter, alone?" Sol managed to speak without growling.

Xibalba had an idea to what Sol was going to discuss with his wife. "You don't need to ask me, Sol. She's your child, after all." He simply said, wiping his sauce-smudged lips with a napkin.

La Muerte had a bad feeling about this, especially when she noticed how serious her father looked. Still, she stood up form her seat and followed her father out of the dining hall, into one of the many rooms nearby, while Aimé was left alone with Xibalba, much to her dismay. Sol closed the door shut behind him, and immediately started checking on his daughter.

"Father…?" La Muerte didn't understand what her father was doing.

"Now that we're alone you can tell me. Has that monster touched you?" Sol asked her in alarm, taking his eldest daughter by the shoulders and looking into her eyes with a worried expression.

"N-No, Father, Xibalba has not laid a finger on me."

"You don't have to cover him, my child, just tell me."

"Really, daddy, he has not touched me. I would have never allowed him to do so if he tried."

"Does he have you threatened?"

"What?!" La Muerte stepped away from her father with a look of utter of disbelief. "How can you say that?!"

"I know you are strong, La Muerte, but I know Xibalba. He probably has threatened to hurt Aimé or me to keep you from saying whatever he does to you-"

"You're wrong! He has not threatened me in any way, he has actually been very nice to me."

"Nice?" Sol couldn't believe what he was hearing. "La Muerte, it's Lord Xibalba we're talking about! He's not nice! He's cruel, lying, temperamental and self-centered, he cares for no one but himself!"

"Then you don't truly know him, Father." La Muerte frowned, crossing her arms and turning her back on her father, incensed. "He's gone through so much, but he's still strong, loyal, perseverant and a just leader! I didn't like him at first, but once I got to know him I realized he was not the person everyone thinks!"

"I see he has somehow fooled you, my child." Sol sighed sadly. "Otherwise you would have never defended him like this."

La Muerte didn't back down, nor turned to see her father. "Didn't you teach me that you shouldn't judge the book by its cover? Mother taught me that the coldest heart can be melted with love!"

Sol's eyes snapped open as he stepped back in shock and bewilderment. "You…. You say you love him?!"

"What?! N-No, but I… We're friends, that's all! He has shown me a side of him that I've come to appreciate!" Still, she couldn't do anything as her cheeks flared red, looking down at her feet while feeling her father's gaze of disbelief unto her. After what seemed like hours, she heard a sigh escaping from Sol's lips as she felt him embrace her.

"I'm sorry if I'm so insistent, hija mía, I just don't want you to get hurt. I promised your mother I'd always protect you and your sister."

La Muerte's eyes nearly swelled up with tears as she took her hand to her mother's pendant in remembrance. She was certain she would have given Xibalba a chance. A part of her wanted to tell her father the truth, what Xibalba had gone through, but again she did not want to betray her husband's trust. "Trust me, daddy. Xibalba has not hurt me, he has not laid a finger on me, he has not even touched me."

Reluctantly, Sol released his daughter. "Very well, La Muerte. If you insist he has not hurt you in any way, I believe you. But promise me that if he ever does something to you, you will tell me."

"I promise you, Father."


After her family returned to the Land of the Remembered (she nearly burst out in tears in saying goodbye to Aimé), La Muerte couldn't help but feel a bit conflicted. Unfortunately, it seemed she was not very good at dissimulating it, that or Xibalba had some sort of radar for these kind of things.

"Is something bothering you, my dear?" he inquired, sitting down next to her in bed.

"It's nothing…" La Muerte replied quickly, looking away. She grew nervous when he gently grabbed her chin with his fingers and turned her head back carefully, lifting her chin so he could gaze into her eyes. "I don't think you'll like to hear…"

"I don't need to be an expert to guess it has something to do with your father, right?"

"He was worried about me…"

"Let me guess, he thinks I threatened you or something, right?"

La Muerte felt a churn at her stomach. "How did you…?"

Xibalba sighed and crossed his arms, looking down in discomfort. "I've been disliked and feared long enough to know when people talk behind my back. That, and it's painfully obvious that your father hates my guts."

"It wouldn't have been just you, it would have been anyone I married."

"But considering the circumstances under which we married…" he was reluctant to remind her of it. La Muerte shifted in discomfort, just like he assumed she would. Panicking, he tried to think of another topic. "So… did you enjoy seeing your family?"

"You have no idea, I missed them very much. I'm glad they're doing okay, especially Amy."

She was smiling. Somehow it made his heart drum inside his chest everytime he saw her smile; he had never noticed, but she looked prettier when she smiled, and he absolutely liked her laugh… wait, what?! The dark god quickly shook his head mentally to try and get those thoughts out of his head, though it was clear it would not be so easy. Xibalba grew surprised when La Muerte leaned against his arm and rested her head against his shoulder.

"Gracias, Xibalba… Really, this meant a lot to me…" she whispered, her eyelids dreamily closed as she grabbed his hand.

Once again, Xibalba's cheeks flared red when he felt La Muerte's body against his, but she looked so happy he didn't have the heart to push her away. Instead, he smiled lightly and pulled her close with his arm, wrapping his wing around her in an almost protective way, like he did not want to share her with another.

"You're welcome."