The following days after the party, Sol made sure his daughter's every need was tended to, and started making the preparations for the nursery as soon as possible. He was delighted at the idea that he was going to be a grandfather, he didn't care if the father was Xibalba, it was La Muerte's baby. Aimé would stay with her big sister the whole day, they'd chat about diets and exercises for the baby, names, and they'd often go to the marketplace to look for little clothing and toys. The merchants were delighted at the idea of their wares serving their beloved princess's child, and so they showed her their best toys, the most beautiful and intricate baby clothing, booties, decorations for the nursery, among other things.
Like in all matters among the gods, this didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the pantheon. Soon the word spread out that La Muerte was carrying a child, Xibalba's child, but they did not blame her for it. Xibalba had tricked her, they said, oblivious to the truth of what had happened. Most of her potential suitor ceased their courting out of respect, and because none of them wished to raise Xibalba's child as their own, which only served as a proof to La Muerte that they were only after her good looks. Still, she decided not to let it bother her, one thing less to worry about.
Her meeting with Xibalba was still in her mind, though. No matter what she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about that kiss he stole from her before departing, those sweet words he had told her, that pleading look he had given her as he begged for her forgiveness. She didn't know what to believe anymore, if he was just trying to lure her back so he could hurt her again, or if he was being sincere and wanted her to return to him. Right now, all what mattered to her was this little life she was carrying inside her womb.
La Muerte giggled as she placed a tiny pink baby suit with hearts and flowers on her belly, imagining her little one fitting in it. Aimé was accommodating little sets of gloves, hats and booties for her nephew or niece, along with a few toys. "These are beautiful, big sis."
"I can't believe this is happening…" La Muerte was smiling, stroking her belly, already starting to grow a bit, though it wouldn't be noticeable until months later.
"I bet mamá would be very happy for you."
"I guess…" La Muerte took her hand to her locket. "It would have been nice if she could have met her grandchild…"
"Oh, by the way, what did you and the Count talk about when you disappeared?"
"Well… we played a bit of hide and seek in the maze… and he…" La Muerte closed the door with a wave of her hand. "Amy, I have to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"You knew Osvaldo was Xibalba all along, didn't you?"
"W-Well…" Aimé was blushing. "Sort of."
"How did you figure it out?"
"His attire. It was European, and he wore all black. And I noticed the way he was looking at you." She realized her sister had stiffened a bit. "What happened between you?"
"He said that those things he told me… he said that he lied." La Muerte sighed. "He said he did it because he wanted me to be happy, even if it was with someone else. But he regretted it, and wants me back."
"What did you think?"
"I don't know Amy…" La Muerte sighed. "My head tells me not to fall into his trickery again, but my heart tells me that he is being sincere… I just don't know what to believe anymore…" She was staring at the blue rose he had given her, placed on an intricate light blue vase. It didn't show any signs of withering yet, and a week had already passed. Aimé was captivated by the flower's color.
"I wonder where he could have obtained such roses…"
"In his garden. They were his mother's favorites, they mean very much to him… I was surprised that he gave me one, when he asked me not to pluck any…"
"La Muerte, I don't mean to take his side, but maybe he was telling the truth. I mean, if he took the risk of coming to your birthday party just to tell you that, and part with something so important to him, it must be for a reason."
"I know that, but… Everytime I see him I remember…"
"I understand, big sis." Aimé smiled and grabbed her sister's hand. "But remember what you said mamá used to say? The first to ask for forgiveness, is the bravest and the first to forgive…"
"…Is the strongest." La Muerte finished, sighing. Just then, there was a knock on the door, and a maid peeked her head in.
"My apologies, princess, but your father requests your presence in the throne room. You have a visitor."
"A visitor?" Who could want to see her? Thankfully it wasn't one of those suitors from before. After another reassuring glance with Aimé, La Muerte stood up from bed and left her room, walking down the hallway and downstairs until she came to the throne room. In fact, Sol was there, and with him was…
Oh, great.
Osvaldo smiled and bowed politely. "Good morning, milady."
La Muerte had to admit, he was stubborn. But right now she did her best to smile and curtsy in return. "What a surprise, your excellency."
"I heard about what happened, milady…"
"It's okay…"
"Anyway, mija, I was speaking to the Count here, and it turns out he has wished for a child of his own for a while." Sol smiled, glancing at the count. "And he has been asking about you and the baby."
"I was telling your father my best wishes for your baby." Osvaldo told her, glancing at her abdomen.
"Thank you, your Excellency." La Muerte couldn't help but shiver internally. The way he looked at her still captivated her; even though she didn't want t admit it.
"Anyway, I've brought you a present, if you don't mind my daring…" warily in the eyes of Sol, Osvaldo took a few steps towards the goddess lifting his hands, and out of thin air conjured a blue rose out of thin air; just like the one from a week ago. Smiling, he held it out to La Muerte, who blushed as she accepted the flower.
"G-Gracias, Osvaldo…" she stuttered lightly, cursing herself for showing weakness. It would give Xibalba a clue.
"I'm glad you liked it, milady."
"I must ask, your Excellency, where do you obtain such beautiful roses?" Sol asked, glancing at the blue rose curiously.
"Family heritage. They grow in my garden from years back."
"By the way, Excellency, I hope you don't mind I invited Itzlacol to accompany us as well for tea time."
Both La Muerte and Osvaldo shivered in discomfort. "Of course I do not mind, Majesty. It is your castle, you may invite whoever you wish."
"If you will excuse me, Count, I'll see if the table is ready. I think you and my daughter may want to talk a little." King Sol winked at La Muerte as he discretely walked away. As soon as she was certain her father was out of earshot, she frowned.
"Xibalba, are you nuts?!" she hissed, glancing at the door her father had just left through. "If my father finds out, you're dead!"
"I'm willing to take the risk for you, mi amor." He said, momentarily growing serious, but his eyes showing the same determination as always, mixed with tenderness.
"I'm not tu amor!" she snapped, turning her back on him. She felt like throwing the rose to the ground and stepping on it to hurt him, but it meant very much to him. It would crush him, and the flower was not to blame for her being angry at the one who had given it to her.
"I see you're still as hot-headed as the day I found you at the library reading Romeo and Juliet." He chuckled sadly. "Remember what I said that time?"
"Oh, yes, I do. You said that love causes nothing but pain and suffering, that it was better never to love and save yourself the pain. That it made you weak and lets others take advantage of you." She didn't turn to him. "You know what? You were right. It was the love I felt for you that blinded me to the kind of person you were, because of it I let you trick me, and I paid it dearly."
Using his own words against him. That was a severe blow. Xibalba was hurt and regretful of those words, but there was no way he could take them back now. "L-La Muerte, I…" he didn't know what to say. He remembered Epona's advice, to keep fighting for her even if it seemed impossible to win back her heart. "I know what I said. I know I spoke trash of love that time, but that was before…" he spoke from the heart. "That was before I got to know you, before I came to see you as a friend, before you won over my heart with your kindness and your sweetness despite my temper tantrums and my stubbornness… You may not believe me, but you're the only woman I've ever truly loved. I won't deny it; I've been with various women in my lifetime, but they never made me feel the way you made me feel. I never felt as loved as the night we became one, mi amor…"
La Muerte tried her best not to look back at him; she didn't want him to see her eyes swelling up with tears, but she failed to contain a sob. Xibalba noticed, and reached out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder…
"Excuse me, am I interrupting something?"
Quickly, Xibalba regained his composure and La Muerte calmed herself down when Itzlacol walked in, and did their best to look natural. "Uh, no, the count and I were just chatting." She said, turning around and hoping he wouldn't notice she was about to cry.
Itzlacol glanced at the blue rose. "I see you got ahead of me, Excellency."
"Do you bring a gift for her as well?" Osvaldo asked indifferently.
"Indeed, I have." With a snap of his fingers, one of Itzlacol's servants rushed forward holding a small box with a beautiful diamond necklace, but the diamonds were red. "I had a red diamond necklace brought from the best jeweler in Europe for you, dear La Muerte."
It took Osvaldo every ounce of self control not to give Itzlacol a well-deserved punch in the jaw for referring to his wife like that, but thankfully a servant came and informed them that tea was ready. La Muerte immediately headed forward before any of the men could offer their arm to her. She simply was not in the mood for that. As La Muerte got ahead of them, Itzlacol glanced at Osvaldo.
"Where do you get such… rare flowers, if I may ask?"
Osvaldo didn't bother to look at him. "They've grown in my family's garden for generations, They are a sort of family relic."
"Forgive my daring, Excellency, but would you be willing to part with some of those roses?"
He turned to the fire god in alarm. "What do you mean?"
"I would like to buy a few of your roses. I've been trying to obtain those kind of roses for years, but up to now I haven't found any, I'm afraid."
Osvaldo frowned at Itzlacol, subtly tightening his fists. "I'm sorry, Lord Itzlacol, but those roses are not for sale." With this, he walked towards the door, incensed, not looking back at Itzlacol.
To say tea time was awkward would have been an understatement.
La Muerte would have called it more questioning her potential suitors than anything, if she had anything to say on the matter. The castle's tearoom was spacious, the table and chairs were of maple wood with carved out flowers and sugar skulls, while the teapot and cups were ornamented with bright, warm colors. There were large windows that overlooked into the gardens, in part because Queen Esperanza had loved the sight of the gardens, which is why King Sol had picked this particular room.
Osvaldo had gotten ahead of Itzlacol and pulled back the chair for her to sit, much to Itzlacol's chagrin, though he didn't show it. La Muerte could tell her father was impressed with Osvaldo's etiquette and chivalry, something not even Itzlacol could match. She could see the glints of jealously in the fire god's eyes, though she could also see her father had sight preference over him, which didn't surprise her on the least.
"So you have participated in jousting tournaments?" Itzlacol asked his rival uninterested as he placed his cup down.
"I used to, but in one of those occasions I fell off my horse and hurt my back. I had to rest for a long while." Osvaldo sighed.
"I've never participated in one, but you make it sound like an interesting sport, your Excellency." King Sol commented. "You should give us a demonstration of your horseback skills one of these days."
"I don't mean to show off, but my instructor said I was a natural the first time I climbed unto a saddle."
"I can imagine you had the best instructors in all of Europe."
"Sort of. They were strict, but effective."
La Muerte just concentrated on drinking her tea, pouring herself more cups and adding it a bit of sugar and milk, then continuing to drink. She hoped they would forget she was present, but unfortunately, Itzlacol tried to start a conversation with her.
"So, milady, I hope you and your child are feeling alright today." He chirped.
"Gracias." She said, rather indifferently.
"I suppose Xibalba doesn't know about the baby, does he?"
Sol frowned. "He does not, and even if he eventually finds out I doubt he'd respond to my daughter for it."
La Muerte glanced subtly at Osvaldo, and noticed his grip on the tea cup was tightening, but overall he gave a confused expression. "Excuse me, but who is this… Xibalba?"
"Oh believe me, your Excellency, you don't want to hear about him."
Osvaldo contained his urge to throw the contents of his cup at Sol's face. He simply shrugged. "He doesn't sound like a nice person. I heard he's the father of La Muerte's child, isn't he?"
"He is." La Muerte said curtly.
"I'm sorry for whatever he did to you, milady."
"What matters is that she's finally seen him in his true colors, and she is back home safe and sound." King Sol sighed in relief, placing a shoulder on his daughter's shoulder.
"My, La Muerte, I haven't noticed, but that necklace does bring out the color of your eyes." Itzlacol smiled, glancing at the goddess's pendant.
"It belong to her mother, so naturally it does bring out her natural beauty.
La Muerte froze when Osvaldo made that comment. It worsened when she saw Sol turning to Osvaldo in confusion, and caught a glimpse of suspicion. Osvaldo mentally cursed himself, he had forgotten he was not Xibalba at that moment. Sol would suspect something was off.
"I don't remember having mentioned anything about the necklace belonging to my wife…" he said, glancing at the Count. Heck, even Itzlacol was glancing suspiciously at him.
Fuck. How would he get out of this one…?
"I told him at the party."
The three present gods turned to La Muerte as the sentence left her lips; she herself didn't know why she had intervened when she would have let Xibalba find a way out of this by himself.
"When we went to the maze that night, we talked a bit and I mentioned it to him casually." She finished the sentence. Thankfully for Osvaldo, Sol seemed to accept the answer.
"Anyway, let's get down to business, with all due respect." Itzlacol changed the subject, and spoke to Sol. "Majesty, I'd like for your permission to court La Muerte."
Osvaldo technically choked on his tea and contained the urge to spit it out in shock; gulping the hot liquid urgently and covering his mouth to contain his coughs.
"Is something wrong, Excellency?" Sol asked in alarm, placing his cup down.
"I'm *cough* okay, Majesty…" Osvaldo cleared his throat. "It's just that it's a coincidence, I came with the same intention."
La Muerte could not believe it.
"You wish to court my daughter as well?" Sol continued with his 'interrogation', apparently ignoring or not noticing La Muerte's incredulous expression. "Now, that's what I would call a coincidence."
"Excuse me, Count, but I believe I asked in the first place." Itzlacol frowned lightly.
Osvaldo returned the gesture. "I know that, Lord Itzlacol, but I believe La Muerte can choose who she wants to hang out with."
"Excuse me, you two!" La Muerte growled softly as she abruptly threw her napkin on the table and stood up. "Do I look like a trophy or a prize to win? I'm not an object to be bickered over!"
Osvaldo intervened before Sol could say something. "Milady, it was not my intention to offend you. I meant to say that you have every right to make your own choice according to your criteria."
She had to give him credit, Xibalba was being honest this time.
"I have a proposal, if you don't mind." King Sol lifted his hand to calm his daughter and guests before an argue broke out. "La Muerte could have a date with each of you, and she can get to know each of you better so it'll be easier for her to choose."
That was it.
"If you'll excuse me, I don't feel well right now." La Muerte hissed, only glancing at her father. "I will be in my room." She picker her blue rose and stormed away, her blood boiling and ignoring her father's calls. Realizing it was futile, Sol turned to his guests.
"My apologies, I'll talk to her, meanwhile you could wait here if you'd please." The old god ran after his daughter. "La Muerte!"
Osvaldo sighed and rubbed his temples, while Itzlacol's attention had been set on the purplish blue petals of the rose she carried away. It was… intriguing. It drew him in like a siren song, he had to obtain those roses somehow, but the Count didn't want to part with them… Maybe if he found the right price...
Meanwhile, La Muerte muttered things under her breath as she headed back to her room, cursing both Xibalba and Itzlacol for fighting over her as if she were a mere trophy. Yet, she still held the blue rose in her hand and could not bring herself to even consider throwing it to the garbage. Before she could go into her room and lock herself in, her father caught up to her, panting.
"La Muerte, wait!" he cried out, panting and leaning against the wall to recover his breath. Damn it, he was not as young as before. "Mija, what's wrong…?"
"Easier for me to choose?!" La Muerte snapped, crossing her arms. "What do you think this is?! A contest to win my affection?! I'm not a prize to be won, Father! I don't need you to play matchmaker, I can find a good man on my own account!"
"I didn't mean it like that, La Muerte. I was just suggesting you give them a chance. They're both good men, perhaps one of them would make a good father for my grandchild-"
"That's the problem! I don't need a man to look after my baby, he doesn't need a father! He has me, and that's all the baby needs!"
"I understand, but just think about it. You know how fatherless children are treated among us."
She didn't need to be reminded. She had heard of goddesses who bore children either out of wedlock, or separated from the father. In either case, the children were considered bastards for not having a father to respond for them. It made her tremble, the thought of her child being cast aside for her father not responding; Xibalba was willing to, he wanted to, in fact, but she was the one reluctant to accept him back. She wasn't certain if she wanted to expose her baby to that treatment. Perhaps going out on a date with Xibalba again wouldn't be that bad, but it was Itzlacol that was worrying her.
But then again, she didn't lose anything with giving them a chance.
If I wasn't for her, it could be for her baby.
Reluctantly, La Muerte sighed with resignation. "Very well, Father. If you ask me, I will give them both a chance. But I'll do it for my child."
King Sol smiled. "I'm glad you understand, mija. I promise you, I won't force you to make a decision, I'll leave it all to you. But I agree with Itzlacol that since he was the first to ask, he should be your first date."
La Muerte felt a small twist in her stomach at the thought. "If you insist…"
