A few hours later, La Muerte was strong enough to walk again. Xibalba thought he should make up for accidentally getting her drunk, and he did so by taking her out for a ride, to one quiet little place in Epona's realm-it turned out that his long-lasting friendship with the Mistress of Steeds gave him a few privileges, including free entry into her realm-, a beautiful clearing by a small waterfall surrounded by beautiful trees. It was the beginning of winter, so all the terrain was covered with a thin layer of snow, and most of the trees had no leaves. The two gods had lay down a blanket under a tree to sit down beneath its shade, and enjoyed the brunch they had brought over, while their horses stood a few steps away, the reins tied to a tree branch to keep them from wandering away.
There was something she had been wanting to ask Xibalba for some time now, and for once it didn't have to do with his family or his past, it at all. She had agreed to marry him in order to prevent her father from handing over the right to rule the Land of the Remembered because of a wager, but… what had been the wager about? She didn't have the chance to ask her father on his last visit, but she doubted he'd want to tell her. She just hoped Xibalba would not be so secretive about it, if she had married because of the wager then she had the right to know what it was about.
"Xibalba?"
He swallowed the mouthful of devil's food cake with vanilla icing before speaking. "What is it?"
"There's something that I'd like to ask you, don't worry, it's not personal."
"What would you like to ask?"
"I know you and my father made a wager and you won, but… what was it about?"
He froze when he was about to grab his cup of tea. Damn it, why did the woman have to ask the least opportune questions?! "Why do you want to know?"
La Muerte crossed her arms with a frown. "Well, since I married you because of that wager, I might as well have the right to know what it was about, don't you think?"
Xibalba sighed in defeat. "Alright, my dear, I guess you have made a good point there." He shifted his wings and wrapped them around his body in discomfort. "First of all, you do know the basics of a wager between gods, don't you?"
"Why wouldn't I? I've made a few bets myself." La Muerte replied, hugging her knees to protect herself from the cold.
"But wagers made by the ancient rules are different from regular bets. If you don't fulfill your part if you were to lose, you would be severely punished. I think you already know this, but I've had my eye on the Land of the Remembered for a long time…" he flinched when his wife grunted at the comment. "What?! My realm can be very boring at times, but I think you already know that."
"That still doesn't give you the right to try and steal a kingdom from its rightful ruler." La Muerte growled.
"Steal? No, no, Sol wagered the control of his realm, and I won fair and square. That's not stealing." His annoyed look softened when he went chose to get back to the main topic. "Anyway, we were one night on the outskirts of a small town…"
The sky was painted with millions of beautiful stars, and the full moon was sharing its radiant light with both creatures of the night and creatures of the day, even though humans were already going into their homes. These days, most of the towns had a curfew at about ten o' clock, and after that hour there was not a single person on the streets due to one of the old legends of that place. There was one single person on the main plaza, standing as if nothing happened. He was a fine man in about his fifties wearing a copper red suit like those worn by the hacendados, his dark hair was combed backwards without a single loose strand of hair. Amber eyes were looking across the empty, dark street only illuminated by the dim laps on the sides.
Sol felt sorry that he could not help these humans. He knew that the cries, and mournful cries of 'La Llorona' were nothing more than tricks, tapes and recordings used by pranksters just to 'have fun'. He didn't like that one of Mexico's oldest legends was being used as a ruse by humans, but gods were not allowed to interfere with human affairs. The true Llorona would not be pleased, if she ever passed around here. There was the sound of a horse's hooves clip-clopping on the stone street, getting louder from behind him. Sol was not startled on the least, however.
"I see you still come here, Sol." A voice, cold like the coldest winter spoke behind Sol.
The disguised god turned around with a stoic expression to find a cloaked figure atop a mighty and elegant Friesian steed, with both his dark gloved hands holding the reins tightly. His clothing was all black, looking almost like a bandido's, but elegant. This new figure had an imposing air of confidence, elegance and strength that would send shivers through even the bravest of humans. Sol could barely make out his face because of his cloak's hood, and the black scarf that covered his mouth and nose, concealing most of his face from view. Still, Sol didn't need to see him to know who he was.
"Lord Xibalba." He nodded respectfully. He didn't like the dark god, but he was an Ancient God, and it would be better not to make him angry.
"King Sol." Xibalba spoke through his scarf, taking his hand to his chest and nodding his head. Even his mount gave Sol a bow, though this was nothing more than a formal thing. Medianoche was such a smart horse, after all. "May I inquire to what are you doing here at these hours?"
"With all due respect, My Lord, that is none of your business."
Xibalba chuckled darkly and pulled back his hood, revealing blood red eyes and combed white hair, though it was wilder and had some loose strands. "You should watch your words, Sol." Then he pulled down his scarf, revealing his curly white moustaches and beard-even in human disguise they stayed the same. He was quite handsome in this glamour. "I'm not very patient."
"I'm well aware of that, My Lord. I was merely taking a look at the town."
"Is that so?" Xibalba raised a snow-white eyebrow and smirked, circling around him on his horse. "What a coincidence, I was taking a look around too. Things are quite boring tonight, I guess those pranksters were not in the mood to scare the heck out of the other villagers. What a pity, I was hoping I could have some fun tonight."
"There are other ways to entertain oneself without tormenting humans."
"Maybe, but my favorite pastime is to make them as miserable as possible."
"I do not understand your dislike of humankind, My Lord."
"They are corrupted, untrustworthy and despicable creatures that don't even deserve pity."
"They have their defects, that is true, but their hearts are pure and true, they are loyal with each other and their family bonds are stronger than anything else."
"Please. They backstab each other for power and wealth, that's how it's always been and it will remain like that." Xibalba chuckled. "But if you're so sure about what you say, how about we make a little wager?"
"A wager, you say?" Sol inquired, stroking his chin in thought. "What do you have in mind?"
Still smirking, Xibalba pulled the reins of his horse and turned around, motioning Sol to follow him. They advanced down the street and came to a stop in front of a great mansion, belonging to one of the hacendados of the place, and where apparently there was a party taking place. Xibalba pointed at a young man in the flower of youth just sitting outside, apparently for a hint of peace.
"See that human over there?" Xibalba said, pointing at the young man. "He's supposedly engaged to a 'lovely' young woman, the daughter of his father's associate, and they intend to have their children married to merge their haciendas together."
Sol nodded. "Sounds interesting, but what does it have to do with our wager if I may know?"
"I wager he will be unfaithful to his fiancée, and in less than forty eight hours he will be in the arms of another woman."
"I see…" Sol didn't understand why Xibalba had such a jaded view on love. "I bet he will never set his eyes on another woman, and he will happily marry to his fiancée."
"Good. If I win…" Xibalba stroked his beard, pretending to think on what he wanted if he emerged victorious. "I will rule the Land of the Remembered."
Naturally, Sol's eyes widened in shock. Soon he regained his composure and stoic expression, however, "What you ask of me is something I cannot give you."
"Come on, Sol. If you're so certain the human will remain faithful to his 'beloved' you have nothing to fear, do you?"
"My kingdom is too much previous to me to simply wager it away like that. I doubt you have something as equally valuable as that."
"Oh, Sol, I have many things I have to offer you I assure you are as much or even more valuable than your kingdom." Xibalba unsheathed his sword and held it out for Sol to see. The god recognized it.
"Your sword?"
"The Sword of Seven Sins. Judging by your reaction I can see you have heard of its reputation, haven't you?" Xibalba temporally left the reins of his steed and ran a finger down the blade of his weapon, his eyes and his voice showing nothing but pride for his sword. "I forged it, so it's customized. I can kill anything, it will never rust and there are so many other secrets in this beauty that I would never finish listing them down."
"What kind of secrets?"
"That's up to you to find out. If you win, that is."
Sol thought for a moment, he had to think this thoroughly, there was so much in risk. He did know the reputation of Xibalba's sword, it was one of the finest and most powerful weapons ever created, any god would give anything to possess it, but Xibalba would never trade it for anything in the world… but then why was he wagering it just like that? He had to admit, the idea of possessing the Sword of Seven Sins was a tempting idea, but at the same time he wouldn't be able to part with the Land of the Remembered should he lose. His daughters were born there, his wife died there, it had so many memories… But then, he had never lost a wager before, why would it be different this time?
"Do we have a deal, Sol?" Xibalba smirked, tucking his sword back into its sheath and holding out his hand for the king to shake.
"…Very well." Sol complied, stretching out his hand to take the dark god's.
"By the Ancient Rules…" Xibalba spoke with a taunting grin as they shook their hands. "The wager is set." A thunder clapped in the sky, as if reacting to the gods' bet, and soon the rain would follow suit. "We shall meet again in forty eight hours to see what the human did, if he was faithful to his supposed fiancée, or if he went to find comfort in another woman's arms."
"As you wish, My Lord. But I can assure you, the human will have eyes for no other."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Xibalba concealed his face with his scarf and pulled up his hood once more to hide his identity, grabbing the reins of his horse once again. "I have to be somewhere else, tormenting mortals." He turned his steed around and cantered away, the sound of pounding hooves echoing in the dark of the night.
La Muerte hung to her husband's every word. "You bet that the human would be unfaithful to his fiancée?" she inquired, shifting and taking a bite from a slice of cheesecake.
Xibalba nodded, taking a sip from his wine and examining the red liquid in the glass. "I know mortals, there's no such thing as true love among them. Even if they do marry, in a few years it withers away and they go their separate ways. Most of them don't marry for love these days, but for some deal made by their parents, financial, economical and so on. I had a feeling this was the case with the human, and it wouldn't be long before he went to find comfort on someone else."
"What happened next?"
"After the forty eight hours passed, we met again on top of the church where the wedding was taking place. Sol was already thinking he won, but something…" he would have chuckled, but he felt it was not right. "…happened."
Xibalba just kept staring down at the main entrance of the church, his expression stern, his grip on his staff tight. Sol didn't understand why he hadn't said anything yet. The forty eight hours had passed, and the man they had wagered on was getting married to his fiancée already, the church beautifully decorated for the occasion. Sol had claimed triumph on the wager, but Xibalba said nothing. He was starting to suspect he was up to something, usually when the dark deity lost or felt was about to lose he'd cheat in some way, but not even Xibalba could manipulate emotions.
"Lord Xibalba, I believe we had an arrangement." Sol spoke, turning to glance at the dark god. But again, Xibalba did not say anything, he simply stroked his beard and let out a small grunt. "What? Are you backing out? I had heard you were a man of your word-"
"Quiet." When Xibalba spoke, it was quick and sharp. "Something's going on in there."
"What?" Sol didn't buy it. "If you're trying to find a way out of fulfilling your end of the deal-"
"You'll see."
Sol didn't understand what he was talking about, until suddenly the doors of the church were pushed open and the groom stormed off, walking towards an appaloosa steed, adorned with flowers and a white blanket, probably for carrying his future wife after the ceremony was complete. But the ruler of the Land of the Remembered had a bad feeling when he saw the bride running after him, calling out in desperation and screaming his name, followed by both their parents, and the guests. But she could do nothing as the groom mounted his horse and trotted towards a peasant red-haired young woman in a simple, but elegant dress.
Xibalba glanced at Sol with a smirk of satisfaction as the man picked the red-head and galloped away with her in his arms, ignoring the anguished screams of his bride to be. "You were saying, Sol?"
Sol could not believe what he had just witnessed. Had he been wrong all this time? how did this happen? But what nearly did it was the realization of what this meant.
He lost.
"Well, my dear Sol, I hope you have already packed up your things." Xibalba chuckled darkly, relishing in the face of anguish the other god had. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be gloating somewhere else."
And he was gone in a ball of tar.
"And that's pretty much what happened." Xibalba concluded the tale, sighing and leaning against the bark of the tree. "I don't need to say I did not cheat this time, I won fair and square. What do you think?"
No reply.
"La Muerte?" When he glanced at La Muerte, he found she was frozen in shock and bewilderment, her eyes wide, her pupils shrunk and her hands taken to her mouth. "Are you okay?"
"It… can't be…" she whispered, her eyes swelling up with tears.
"La Muerte, what's wrong?" he was getting worried, and he grabbed her by the shoulders.
"It was my fault…"
"What?"
"Father lost because of me…"
He froze. "What are you talking about?"
La Muerte gently released herself from his grasp and hugged her knees, sobbing lightly. "That man… I didn't know you bet on him…"
"La Muerte…" Xibalba lifted her chin with a finger and gingerly turned her head towards him so he could look into her eyes. "Tell me what happened."
She was reluctant to speak, but the way he was looking at her… so worried. Eventually her lips started to move. "I… That man was going to marry his fiancée, but not for love. It was an arranged marriage to merge haciendas, but he didn't love his fiancée, she was only after his money and status. He was instead in love with a young peasant, a childhood friend, and she loved him for who he was, not his money." She shifted away from her husband. "When I saw what was happening, I couldn't… I just couldn't let it happen. He was going to be very unhappy, I didn't want that, so I helped him get together with the woman he truly loved… I didn't know you and my father had made their wager on them…!"
Xibalba's eyes widened when he heard what had happened. Had he heard what he heard? It could not be! A mixture of feelings brewed up in his chest. Shock, disbelief, and… guilt? This meant… La Muerte was afraid of how Xibalba would react, but all he did was release her shoulders and let out a sigh, crossing his arms and looking down regretfully.
"Xibalba?"
"It appears I did not win after all…" he said, disappointed. For once he had felt happy that he had genuinely won a wager without cheating, for him that was a great accomplishment. But La Muerte placed a hand on his shoulder.
"No, you did not cheat on purpose. You didn't cheat, actually. It was my recklessness that caused it, Father had warned me many times not to peek my nose into humans' affairs."
It was Xibalba's turn to gently take her hand. "But you didn't have any bad intentions, you just did what you thought was right. You can't blame yourself for wanting to help humans, it's the way you are."
"But I caused my Father to lose the wager…"
"You couldn't have known, my dear. If you ask me, what you did was a noble thing."
La Muerte blushed and fidgeted with some loose curls of her hair. "You think so?"
"I may not like humans, but I can't judge you for wanting to make them happy." He felt his stomach churning and his heartbeat accelerating. "You're very kind, that's a good thing, you don't find people like that everyday."
Somehow his words were comforting to some extent, but she still felt guilty about what had happened. She wondered what would have happened if she had not intervened in that human's love life, it seemed her father would have won. She wouldn't be married to Xibalba… she wouldn't have met this softer side of him, she wouldn't have met Emilio, Regina and the others, the human would be tied to a woman he did not love and they'd both be unhappy. In a way, she did not regret what she had done.
Xibalba seemed to be having similar thoughts as he placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. "You know…" damn it, he felt like an idiot saying this. "Don't take it bad, but… I'm glad you cheated for me." He nearly flinched nervously when she gave him a questioning look. "I mean… I know the circumstances under which we married are not… romantic, but… It's nice having a friend like you."
La Muerte's frown softened at those words, in part because she was moved that he saw her as a friend. It sounded like it meant very much to him, and like he didn't have much friends in his life, other than Epona, and the few others from other cultures Aimé had told her about. She was glad to be there for him, and she let him know by taking his hand. Xibalba blushed deeply when he felt her much smaller hand grabbing his. He wanted to feel her warmth.
La Muerte was surprised when Xibalba withdrew his hand, and panicked mildly when he stared removing his glove, revealing a skeletal, clawed hand. She was not afraid, however, she knew he would never hurt her. She trusted him that much. Xibalba was hesitant, but after thinking for a few more seconds he gently took La Muerte's hand as tenderly as he could. Just like he thought, her hand was warm and soft, it gave him a feeling of comfort and reassurance that made him feel… happy. Definitely, he was glad to have won that wager, but not because he gained of the Land of the Remembered, rather because he had won a friend. He could see how La Muerte blushed at his touch. The goddess shivered internally, his hand was cold, very cold, and it was much larger than her hand, but somehow it made her feel safe. He was blushing too, they had never been so close before.
They were so immersed in their thoughts on each other that they had not noticed their horses had broken free and wandered away.
