The clearing had to be the most beautiful she had ever seen.
It was in the middle of the forest, and there was a single willow tree in the middle whose leaves almost reached down to the grass,, and were rocked gently by the night breeze. There were patches of wild flowers growing through the grass and a large pond adorned with water lilies and watergrass. There were maybe dozens or maybe hundreds of fireflies flying around, giving the atmosphere a warm air, making her feel in something close or even better than paradise.
"Xibalba, this is beautiful." She whispered as they dismounted and Xibalba sent the horses away, probably back home.
"I don't come here often, but I see it hasn't changed much ever since the last time I was here." Xibalba sighed, looking around the place. Blushing, he took La Muerte's hand and led her under the willow tree. She was taking in the beautiful scenery, taking a hand to her chest in delight.
"Europe sure has the most beautiful landscapes."
"And you haven's seen Japan's." Xibalba commented. "Specially in Spring when cherry blossoms mature and their flowers scatter around with the wind." He and his wife sat down under the willow, leaning against its bark. "It's truly beautiful."
"You've been in Japan too?"
"Only once. Lord Izanagi had heard of my reputation and wanted to test my sword fighting skills. But during the time I stayed there I could admire the scenery."
"Is there a place you haven't visited yet?"
"Antarctica, maybe." Both laughed. "I admit, I've travelled quite a lot when I was young, but I never really enjoyed it. I only wanted to get away from my castle, it brought me too many painful thoughts."
"Reminded you of your mother?"
"Most of the time. It felt empty without her around. Eventually I had to get the crown and it kept me in the castle most of the time."
"Xibalba, may I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"How did you and Epona meet?"
"It's a long story." Xibalba chuckled. "When I first came to Europe during the wars, I had nowhere to stay, the first night I disguised as a human and went to a bar in Scotland. I met a lovely lady there who invited me to a drink. We went for a walk and she got a little too… affectionate. At that time I was young and, well…" he blushed deeply. "Well, you can imagine what happened."
La Muerte tied the knots. "That was Epona?"
"She was. I was surprised at first, but she invited me to stay over at her castle for the night. The next day we chatted, and over the next few days we grew closer. Well, you should guess the rest of the history."
La Muerte was surprisingly not annoyed by the comment, but instead giggled. She leaned against her husband's shoulder, blushing when he wrapped an arm around her. Xibalba blushed, pulling her closer to keep her somewhat warm.
She snuggled deeply against Balby's dark wings as he embraced her and pulled her close to keep her warm from the snow that fell from the sky, cuddled up under the tree in Aztlan's courtyard. "I love you being my friend, Balby."
He smiled at her and, as always, didn't utter a word, resting his chin on her head.
La Muerte subtly snapped out of the memory and came back to the real world, confused as to why she had recalled that moment with her childhood sweetheart from so many years ago.
Just then, a pair of mute swans, one black and the other white, swam by in the pond, followed by five beautiful cygnets. The birds climbed out of the water and approached the couple of gods, staring at them curiously, though the black swan-probably the cob- was wary and spread out his wings lightly, letting out hisses, warning them to stay away from his family.
"Cool it down, pal." Xibalba frowned at it. "We came here first."
"It's okay, Xibalba, they're just probably coming to rest."
One of the cygnets walked closer to La Muerte, and even went as far as to rub its head against her lap. The goddess giggled and carefully stroked its small head with a finger, careful not to provoke the cob. Soon the other cygnets approached when they found the goddess was not a threat. Even the cob and pen relaxed, lying down a few steps away and watching over their cygnets. Xibalba grumbled something under his breath as he watched La Muerte play gently with the cygnets, stroking their heads and letting them climb unto her lap.
"What do you see in those birds?" Xibalba sighed, crossing his arms.
"They're cute."
"I don't find anything cute in them."
La Muerte glanced at the pen, and the gleam in the bird's eyes seemed to have a positive reply to what she wanted to ask. She gently picked one of the cygnets in her hands and then held it out for Xibalba.
"What the-? What are you doing?" Xibalba glanced at her like she was crazy. "I'm not going to grab that animal!"
"Come on, Xibalba, it's not going to bite you!"
"It's not that, but…"
"It's just a cygnet, you're not going to kill it or anything."
Although still reluctant, Xibalba finally relented and took the cygnet from La Muerte's hands as gently as he could. The little bird was initially nervous in the dark god's less friendly expression, and trembled; Xibalba tried to calm it down a bit by stroking its head with his thumb. A few minutes later, the baby bird calmed down, and rubbed its small head against Xibalba's thumb. Xibalba couldn't help but smile a bit.
After a while, however, the cob and pen soon called out for their cygnets, and the little ones scattered towards their parents. The cygnet in Xibalba's hands chirped and honked as it flapped its tiny wings, calling out for its mother and father.
"Off you go, pequeño." Xibalba sighed, lowering his hands so the cygnet could hop off into the grass and go after its family. The two gods watched as the swans returned to the water and swam away, probably back to the nest to spend the night.
"See? It was not so bad." La Muerte said, smiling at him.
"I admit, it was a bit cute."
"So, what do you want to do now?"
"Well, there's one last place I'd like to show you." Xibalba got to his feet and helped his wife stand up as well, he pulled her close and one more his wings emerged from his glamour and wrapped around her. "Hang on tight."
La Muerte hung on tight as she felt the energy fizzling and spinning around them, and close her eyes shut when the blinding light flashed yet again. When the energy dissipated, she opened her eyes and once again she found they were on the rooftop of a house, but she noticed something was going on. All the streets were lively decorated, she heard music coming from various part in the city and people was wearing disguises and masks, large groups gathered in plazas and played games or danced. "Where are we now, Xibalba?"
"Welcome to Venice, my dear."
"V-Venice? The city of water?"
"And just in time for the carnival. It's a mortal celebration, but don't be surprised if you find some gods around here. It's famous among the European pantheons for its… location."
"Can we take a look?"
"I didn't bring you only for watching, dear La Muerte! Come along!"
With a laugh, both gods subtly teleported into an alley to emerge in their glamour once more, this time wearing masks; Xibalba a Medico della peste mask, while La Muerte had a red and elaborate colombina mask. The two strolled through the streets and bridges of the city, admiring its water canals and the celebration going on around them; Xibalba subtly glanced at his wife when he thought she was not looking, though thankfully his mask hid his face from view and she didn't see him blush when se turned to see him and he pretended his attention was somewhere else. They tasted a few pastries and snacks from one of the many food stands, and La Muerte took part in the activities gladly.
When she did, Xibalba waited for her leaning against the wall, watching as she enjoyed herself and interacted with humans willingly and gladly. She was always happy when around humans, or the deceased spirits of humans, he loved humanity as a whole. That's one thing he still couldn't understand about her, why did she love humans so much? They lied, they betrayed their comrades and blood brothers for coin, they murdered and plundered whatever they could get their hands on, and yet she thought them pure. But he didn't mind it anymore, as long as she was happy so was he. Finally, after the latest game was over, La Muerte returned to her husband's side, giggling.
"Ay, Xibalba, why do you have to be such a party pooper?" she laughed, leaning against the wall after playing ring around the rosie with some children.
"I do not like games, and I do not like children."
"Why not, Xibalba? They're cute."
"They're annoying."
"You say so because you have never had children." Xibalba shifted uncomfortably, and La Muerte knew she had said the wrong words. "Sorry."
"Don't worry about it." He decided to change the subject. "Anyway, come along, you can't leave Venice without having taking a tour through the grand canal." Taking his wife's hand, Xibalba led La Muerte away from the celebration and towards the docks near the gran canal, where a single lone gondola was. Xibalba helped La Muerte climb and sit down unto the gondola, before releasing its ties and hopping unto it to take a seat next to La Muerte, to which she grew confused. "Don't we need someone to row?"
"No need, my dear. I've got… methods." With a snap of his fingers, the gondola seemingly took life and floated back away from the docks all by itself, then it proceeded to go along the Grand Canal at a slow pace. La Muerte was marveled at the sight of the moonlight and stars reflecting on the surface of the water, the peace and quiet, but overall the romantic air, snuggling against Xibalba's embrace.
Surprisingly, he didn't feel annoyed by this, he enjoyed it. For the first time ever since Selena passed on he felt… loved, he felt he could count on someone to listen to his fears and put them to rest. He was tempted to kiss her, but he fought against the urge, he did not want his tarry lips to leave a mark on her beautiful, sugary skin, and yet he was curious about it. After a long while, he mentally led the gondola into a nearby dock, and once more helped his wife to her feet.
"Come along, there's one last place I'd like to show you."
"Another city?"
"No, it's actually a place here." He grinned and gave La Muerte a playful look. "Can you keep up with me?" with this he turned into a ball of tar and zipped away through the rooves.
La Muerte took it as a challenge and grinned as she lifted her skirts. "You're on!"
She turned into a blur of flower petals and darted after him, they zigzagged through the water canals and rooves of Venice, laughing all the while, unseen and unheard by the unaware humans. They came to the beautiful and enormous building just next to one of the canals and with a plaza right in front of it. There was a very numerous crowd of people down there, a sea of colors and costumes as well as music playing as they continued with the celebration. The two gods landed in the rooftop of the cathedral, now in their godly forms.
"Where is this, Xibalba?" La Muerte couldn't help but ask, watching down at the parading people.
"Judging by the angel statues and the Saint monument, I'd guess we're right on top of St. Mark's basilica." Xibalba concluded, staring at the angels in disgust. "A bit ironic, if you think about it, considering we're pagan gods."
"Just because Most humans have shifted their belief to a new religion doesn't mean they have forgotten about us, you know."
"Not about you, my dear. I, on the other hand, don't even have a formal name. Heck, I don't even exist for humans! Speaking about the King of the Forgotten, I think that title does fit me…"
La Muerte tried to change the subject, but before she could say something the music from below changed from a lively tune to a solemn, elegant waltz, and immediately a great part of the sea parted, except for the couples who started to dance to in time with the rhythm of the music.
"About time, that music was starting to give me a headache." Xibalba sighed in relief, rubbing his temples, before glancing at La Muerte and once again seeing that spark in her eyes that he loved so much. He didn't know if it was the right thing to do, but something told him it was. With a flirty smile, he held out a hand for his wife. "Would you grant me this piece, milady?"
Although she couldn't help but blush deeply at the request, La Muerte smiled as she accepted his invitation. "I'd be honored, milord."
He led her to the center of the rooftop, where there were no statues (thank heaven) so they could dance freely. Carefully, he pulled his wife close by the waist and held her hand with the other while she placed her free hand on his shoulder. When they started to waltz in time with the music from below, they gazed into each other's eyes, both with serene and tender expressions, their lips gently curved up into a small smile.
That moment it was like time stopped for the couple. It was just the two of them upon that place, dancing in rhythm with the solemn waltz, Xibalba twirling his wife around when he heard the music indirectly signal him to do so, and she giggled everytime, it always made his heart flutter. La Muerte had never felt so loved this way, she had danced with some gods during her youth, but none of them had made her feel this way. They were lost into each other's eyes, wishing this moment could last forever. She was so happy she couldn't help but rest her head against Xibalba's chest, closing her eyes and relaxing, then her hands instinctively sliding from his hold and shoulder to rest upon his chest as well. Xibalba didn't know how, but he knew he was supposed to hold her close, and he did. The fuzzy feeling in his chest arose yet again as he felt her breathing against him, and he smiled in delight at it.
"Oh La Muerte…" he thought, his gaze not leaving his wife. "Ever since you came into my life I don't feel alone anymore… You've come to enlighten my heart… I feel a warmth in my chest… I had never felt before…" His cheeks turned red as he gently led his gloved fingers to La Muerte's chin and lifted her gaze to meet his. Those eyes, those beautiful golden orbs that reflected a purity and sweetness that captivated him.
La Muerte was thinking similarly, staring into those skull-shaped red irises that, despite looking menacing, showed tenderness and love she never thought she'd see. Again, both gods felt the spark from before.
"La Muerte…" the dark god whispered, bringing a hand to her cheek and stroking it with her thumb.
"Xibalba…" the sugar goddess brought her hand up to his chest, where she could feel his heart beating like mad.
They didn't know what came over them, or what happened, but they what happened next marked them both forever.
Both gods leaned their faces closer, closing their eyes as their lips touched.
Just then, a fireworks were shot into the sky and exploded into a colorful display, but they didn't mind. All they were thinking about was their lips touching, tasting each other. La Muerte felt the taste of her husband's tarry lips, but she didn't mind it, she was enjoying it. Xibalba, on the other hand, felt ecstasy on the taste of cherry of the sugar goddess's lips, enjoying every second of it. Their cheeks were red, and felt warm at touch.
To them it felt like an eternity, but a few minutes later they had to pull back to take some air. When they did, they were blushing, and didn't know what to say, they pulled back momentarily, feeling rather awkward.
"I guess it's your first kiss, isn't it?" Xibalba inquired, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.
"It is." She said with a flaring blush.
"So…" he couldn't believe he was asking this. "Was it like you imagined it would be?"
La Muerte thought. She always imagined her first kiss to be… magical, to feel the love of her pair with only one touch, to feel his warmth as he embraced her. And Xibalba had done just that; sure, they didn't meet or marry in the best of circumstances, but he was making up for it in the most tender ways.
"No." she said, and caught the look of hurt in her husband's gaze, before she smiled and once more rested her head against his chest. "It was much better."
Xibalba felt a great weight being lifted off his chest when she said those words. It mean she had liked it, and frankly he liked it as much or even more. He looked up at the sky and realized it was past midnight. "It's getting late. We should head back."
"You're right. We should go…" La Muerte was exhausted, so much she didn't protest when Xibalba picked her up bridal style. She recalled he had held her like this once, when she temporally lost her mind on the wine tasting, and he took her to her room. Wrapping his wings around her, the dark god teleported back to the main hall of his castle, and then headed towards his wife's room, careful not to move her much. By the time he had entered her chambers, she was falling asleep. Carefully, Xibalba lay La Muerte down on her bed, and pulled her covers over her. As he was about to leave her to rest, she opened her eyes lightly. "Xibalba?"
"What is it?" he asked her gently. "Do you need anything else?"
La Muerte shook her head, and smiled drowsily. "Thanks for everything."
He returned the smile. "You're welcome, my dear."
With that, La Muerte allowed her exhaustion to take over and she fell into a deep slumber, snuggling against her pillows and covers. Smiling, Xibalba quietly made his way out of the room, and silently closed the doors shut to let her rest. When he was out, he couldn't contain his excitement and happiness any longer.
"SÍ!" He laughed, flying around the halls of his castle happily and in ecstasy. "Si, si, si, si!" He kissed her! He had kissed her! He had never been so happy!
"My Lord?" Emilio rushed out of the armory where he had been polishing his master's old weapons when he heard him yelling, but yelped in surprise when out of sudden Xibalba picked him up by the waist. He was further freaked out when he saw his master's bright expression.
"I kissed her, Emilio! I kissed her!" Xibalba was laughing, twirling the lizard around in the air before placing him back on the ground and flying away to his chambers, laughing all the way. Emilio was frozen in utter confusion and shock, Xibalba had never acted in such a way. It seemed things had gone quite well in their date.
Xibalba flew into his chambers, startling Ponzoña awake and making the snake slip from its hat stand. The dark god undressed with a snap of his finger, partly relieved to have finally removed that suit, and plopped unto his bed, still grinning goofily. Ponzoña's heads glanced at each other in confusion, wondering what was wrong with his master.
Yet, if he was happy, it must be for a reason.
