La Muerte had a bad feeling for a while. As she readied herself for dinner, brushing her long hair and humming a small tune to the baby as she did so, she couldn't help but feel a strange sensation, like something bad was going to happen. She had always had a sharp intuition for these kind of things. La Muerte slipped into her casual red dress and put on her hat, the candles turning lit almost instantly as soon as it touched her head. The feeling didn't go away as she went out of her room, and walked downstairs carefully, the last thing she needed was to slip. However, the feeling was confirmed when she entered the dining room and found Itzlacol there talking with her father. Both had serious expressions, which sent a shiver down her spine.
"What's wrong?" La Muerte asked gently.
Itzlacol knew he'd have to give the acting of his life if he wanted to go through with his plans. He had already informed Sol about 'Osvaldo's' true identity and his tragic fate, twisting the tale to his advantage. But he knew he'd have to convince La Muerte about it, and he knew she was no fool. There was a reason she was one of the hardest prizes to get in the pantheon. He made his best worried expression as he walked towards her. "La Muerte, I have very grave news…"
"What is it?" she whispered, taking a few steps back warily.
Sol joined in with a solemn expression. "It's about Osvaldo."
She felt her heart skip a beat, stiffening. "What's wrong with him?"
"La Muerte, first of all…" Sol sighed. "You have to take things calmly, it could do harm to the baby-"
"What happened?" La Muerte demanded. Had they found out the truth…?
"Osvaldo was actually Xibalba in disguise." Itzlacol decided to go straight to the point. "He managed to fool us all. I was so incensed at his trick that I went to confront him and demand him that he leave you be. He mocked at me, stating that since you were still his wife, you were still in his possession even if you were not with him."
La Muerte had the feeling he was lying about the last part, but her stomach fell when she realized they had somehow found out. Still, she tried to look as shocked as she could. "W-What…?"
"I challenged him to a duel. If I won, he would give you the separation. But he didn't see the cliff, the Forgotten Beasts, he…" Itzlacol made a small dramatic pause to hold out one of the desired blue roses to La Muerte, letting her take it from his hand reluctantly. But he had to keep this act credible enough. "He's dead-"
Before anyone could react to the 'news', suddenly they heard a commotion coming from the throne room. A few seconds later, the doors slammed open and a streak of tar zipped at the speed of light towards Itzlacol, turning into a familiar dark entity with black wings who send the Fire God to the ground with a big punch to the jaw. La Muerte gasped in shock; Xibalba's chest plate was missing, and he was soaking wet, but still he emanated a dark aura that sent shivers down her spine; however, all his anger was solely directed at the fallen Itzlacol, and she noticed he had landed just in front of her in an almost protective way.
"YOU?!" Sol shouted in both alarm and indignation.
Xibalba ignored him and directed his shout at Itzlacol. "BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU APPROACH MY WIFE AFTER WHAT YOU TRIED TO DO?!"
"XIBALBA!" La Muerte grabbed unto his arm and pulled him away, momentarily forgetting she was supposedly mad at him for tricking her, and she should be mad at him for his 'trickery', but she had the feeling Itzlacol's story was a bluff. When Itzlacol set his jaw in place with a crunch and looked up at Xibalba, La Muerte caught a glimpse od disbelief, shock and nervousness in his eyes, proving her suspicions to be true.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" Sol shouted, though he was only looking at Xibalba.
"I… I don't get it…" Itzlacol went back on his feet, pretending to be confused, cursing his luck. "I saw him…! He was-!"
"YOU SON OF A WHORE! YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!" Xibalba released his arm from La Muerte's hold gently, attempting to hide her from view. "WHY DON'T YOU TELL THEM WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED! THAT YOU ASKED SET TO DROWN ME!"
"What the…?! What are you talking about?!"
Just then, Zipacna and Epona entered the room, followed by a crowd of servants, civilians and guards, but they were wary regarding Xibalba and his companions. The guards had sworn to give up their lives for the Royal Family, but even they knew they were no match against a God; still, they would die again if necessary.
"So you got amnesia, huh?!" Xibalba continued, narrowing his eyes in pure hatred.
"How dare you show your face here after what you've done?!" Sol quickly headed to his daughter and pulled her away from Xibalba, glaring at him.
"What I did?! You should be asking that to him!" the dark god pointed at Itzlacol, who simply shrugged and pretended not to know what he was talking about. "And I think I have the right to visit my own wife and child, don't I?! Someone has to want them about a murderer hidden right in front of them!"
"Oh, you mean about the wife you discarded and the child you rejected?" Itzlacol pointed out matter-of-factly with crossed arms, smirking internally when his rival flinched at the reminder.
"Shut it, ginger head!" Zipacna growled at him with bristled feathers.
"Thank you for the reminder! I know I made a mistake, but it doesn't mean I don't care about their lives! And if you tried to kill me, I can't see a reason why you wouldn't try to get rid of MY child, remember? All the ways you said you could get rid of him?!"
La Muerte gasped in shock and glanced at Itzlacol in fear. The Fire God knew he had to think of something to retort, but for now continued to deny it. "That's ridiculous!"
"Really?" Epona crossed her arms with a frown. "Then you won't mind if we ask Set and Lord Osiris, do you?"
"Ah, yes! We can always go ask them! Even if Set lies, Lord Osiris doesn't!" Xibalba snapped, before glancing at Sol. "This monster has to get very far away from my wife and child now!"
Sol stood his ground. "I don't have to ask a foreign God anything! And much less at her!" he glanced at Epona resentfully, to which Zipacna reacted.
"Hey, cool it down, Solly!" the croc head gnashed his teeth.
"Sol, no offense, but I think you should have your eyesight checked! Can't you see he's lying?!" Xibalba measured his words when talking to Sol. He didn't forget he was still La Muerte's father.
"The only liar here is you!" Sol growled.
"Am I?! Wasn't it Itzlacol who said that I am dead?! Yet, here I am! OR what, do you think I'm a ghost who came back to haunt you for the rest of eternity?!"
"I thought you were dead, which is different." Itzlacol defended himself. "Besides, I agree with King Sol that you're the last person anyone would take seriously by now."
Before Xibalba could go after Itzlacol again, the guards, most of them Aztec warriors or even conquistadors, tried to restrain him, but he merely flicked them aside with a flap of his wings, though careful not to actually hurt them. He knew La Muerte cared for all of her subjects, and she would never forgive him if he hurt them seriously. King Sol became worried for his daughter's emotional state, knowing it could affect the baby if she became too stressed out.
"La Muerte, it'll be best if you retire." He said, taking her hand gently. "The baby-"
"Let her stay, Solly!" Zipacna snapped at him. "She has some good things to hear about Itzlacol!"
Xibalba chuckled bitterly as he glanced at Itzlacol once again. "Why don't you tell her of your actual intentions, Itzlacol? Making her a widow to marry her and gain free leeway to the Land of the Remembered, kill our child to have her bear your own children and discard her when you're done with her."
La Muerte glanced at Itzlacol warily; she knew Xibalba would never invent something as serious as that, and she had always had the feeling Itzlacol was not who he seemed. If only she could convince her father about it…
"You have no proof of any of those claims." Itzlacol stated.
"Would you like to ask the Candlemaker?"
"Please! The Book of Life doesn't extend to other pantheons. Even if you did have your own solved issued with this Set, the Book wouldn't show anything that didn't happen within OUR pantheon."
"But it does show MY story! That's how Zipacna and Epona found I was in trouble, my snake and my horse confirmed it. And here you said I didn't have anyone who cared about me."
"Allow me to remind you you were in Egyptian territory."
Zipacna sighed in dismay. "Unfortunately, he has a point there. The Book of Life can't see what happens in other pantheons."
Itzlacol grinned. "See? You can't prove that I did what you claim. And we cannot trust the words of any of them." He glanced at Epona and Zipacna, then at Sol. "Zipacna is his brother, he might as well be covering him up. And that… lady was one of his past lovers."
The tone in which Itzlacol pronounced the word lady did it. "Why, you little-!" Zipacna was about to lunge at him when Epona stopped him, pulling him back with considerable strength. Xibalba glanced at his wife with pleading eyes, begging her to believe in him one more time. He felt a weight off his chest when she subtly gave him a reassuring look. However, as he tried to go to her, Sol got in the way, again.
"Stay away from my daughter!"
"She's my wife and the mother of my child!"
"Oh, so now you care?!"
"I have ALWAYS cared! Remember?!" Xibalba was surrounded in green flames, and a few moments later he had changed back into Osvaldo, glaring at Sol.
"Of course I do!" Sol winced at the sight, wondering how he could have fallen for it so easily. "That's how you tricked my daughter again!"
"How did I trick her? I just wanted to apologize and get on better terms with her, but I knew you wouldn't allow me to get a glimpse of her."
"With another lie?"
"It was not her that I lied to, she knew about this all along."
"What…?!"
Sol and Itzlacol glanced at La Muerte incredulously. She remained silent. She knew it was a matter of time before they found out. There was not case in hiding it, anyway. Even as her father silently pleaded her to deny her husband's claims, she closed her eyes in resignation. "It's true. I knew about his true identity all along."
"La Muerte…" Xibalba changed back into his true form and glanced at her, he could use this to their advantage. "How did Osvaldo treat you?" Thankfully, she seemingly caught on to what he was doing.
"He was very sweet, kind and romantic."
"And how did I treat you?"
"… You were also sweet, romantic and considerate."
"So then… Did you find any difference between me and Osvaldo?" Xibalba glanced at Sol.
"I didn't."
"See?"
Itzlacol panicked when Sol didn't find any words to retort. He had to keep him on his side quickly, and spoke in a dismissal tone. "Right, right. As far as we remember, you are known in many realms as a trickster, aren't you? How do we know it's not another trick to lure La Muerte back to you so you can hurt her again?
Xibalba cursed Itzlacol's insistence. La Muerte tried to say something else. "I d-don't think he's-"
"And unless my memory fails me, you're Lord Akrinok's son." Itzlacol started to pace around Xibalba, thoughtful. "Who knows what manners you got from him. If he killed his own wife, what can assure us you won't do the same?" Itzlacol knew he had hit the right spot when Xibalba stiffened, and King Sol glanced at the Fire God in shock.
"Akrinok did what…?!"
Even La Muerte was shocked at the news. "How did you….?"
"I have contacts, dear La Muerte."
Xibalba took a moment to calm himself down, letting out a sigh before speaking. "Why would you be so interested in my life, Itzlacol?"
"Like they say, like father, like son."
"And you had to make a whole research? Did you casually find the date of my birthday too? Or were you up to something?"
"I just wanted to look for the precedence of those blue roses. I must admit, your dearly-departed mother had quite unique gifts."
"And why are you so interested in my roses, if I may know?"
"I repeat, I've been trying to grow roses like that for a while and I found it suspicious 'Osvaldo' had them when there was supposedly only ONE goddess who could grow them, your mother Lady Selena.
Angry, Xibalba glanced at La Muerte subtly. "Mind if I kill him? Or could I at least give it a try?" He inquired, cracking his knuckles.
Sol decided he had enough. "Leave my castle at once! Or should I call the Kings to settle this matter!"
"My pleasure! I'm leaving for the time being." Xibalba saw a hole in Sol's barrier between him and his wife and managed to hold La Muerte's hand for a few moments. "Be careful." He whispered, letting go of her hand and glancing at Itzlacol with all the hatred he could muster, before feeling a hand on his shoulder.
"Let's go, hermanito." Zipacna whispered, glaring at Sol. "Obviously, Solly doesn't want to listen to reason!"
Xibalba didn't want to leave La Muerte and the baby alone with Itzlacol, he was afraid Itzlacol would be true to his word and do something to make her miscarry, he made her notice by glancing at her abdomen in worry, but she nodded reassuringly at him, giving him the faintest of smiles. Xibalba glanced at her with all the love in the world, receiving another in return, and then his gaze turned cold when he glanced at King Sol. "Age starts to say it's word, Sol… Am I right?"
With that, he, Zipacna and Epona disappeared, the colors around them fading into shades of gray as they appeared in one of the halls in Xibalba's castle. However, Xibalba could not contain his anger anymore; with grit teeth, he broke the closest thing to him-an old vase-into pieces. Before he could rip the curtains of the nearest window apart, Epona and Zipacna grabbed him by the shoulders to stop him.
"Xibalba, calm down!" Epona growled.
"How can I calm down?!" Xibalba snapped, getting free of their hold, shaking in anger. "That monster is still near La Muerte and the baby!"
"But you are still married! Itzlacol cannot have any further advances on her!" Zipacna reassured him, but it did little good, it merely make Xibalba let out an exasperated growl. "Don't worry, maybe we can get to an agreement!"
"How?! With them?!" Xibalba shivered at the echo of Itzlacol's threats, how he had nearly drowned in the waters of the Nile. Now he knew how La Muerte had felt when Set tried to drown her.
"Are you alright?" Epona noticed her friend was trembling almost uncontrollably, let out coughs every now and then, and he looked pale.
"I'll be fine…" Xibalba sighed, leaning against the wall. "Thank you for saving me… I don't know what would have happened if you guys hadn't arrived…"
"You'd probably be at the bottom of the Nile." Zipacna said.
Xibalba rolled his eyes. "Haha, very funny… I can't wait till you are the one who nearly dies…"
"What are you going to do now, anyway?" Epona intervened before the two started to argue. "I mean, after what happened you won't be able to see La Muerte and vice versa."
"I don't know, Epona… They will try to keep her away from me, double the guard and who knows what else…" Xibalba felt cold, and his wings started to feel heavy.
"That has never stopped you, has it?" Zipacna grinned, twitching his ear.
"It didn't… You are r-right… Right now… I can't think of anything…" Xibalba trembled, shivering, and suddenly he started to sweat. "I… I need to calm down for a moment…" He started to give raspy coughs again, and his trembling worsened.
"Xibalba, are you sure you don't want us to call Asclepius?!" Zipacna didn't like how his brother was reacting.
"I'm okay…! Just… If you can, make sure La Muerte and the baby are… both safe." Suddenly, his chest started to hurt, and he felt a burning sensation; the dark god inhaled deeply in an attempt to make the sensation disappear, but he fell on his knees.
"Xibalba?!" Zipacna kneeled down to check on his brother, and retreated his hand when he realized he was burning in fever.
"I'll call Asclepius!" Epona cried out as she ran down the hall.
Zipacna had to help Xibalba up, but even then his younger brother had difficulty standing up; Xibalba's breathing became rapid, and he started to cough again, but this time it lasted longer. "Hermanito, what's wrong?!"
"I… I c-can't…" Xibalba tried to finish his sentence, but his aching chest prevented him from doing so. Everytime he breathed he felt like his lungs were pierced by a thousand knives, and he didn't have the strength to keep himself on his feet. With a small burst of strength, he managed to speak. "… C-Can't breathe…"
"Heck! First epilepsy, and now asthma?!"
"N-No… Maybe… Maybe it's just some… water in my lungs…" the suffocating sensation worsened."
"I think this is worse than that!"
Xibalba managed to nod. "I need to get to… Bed… Lay down…"
"Okay, let's get you to bed, then!"
Xibalba grit his teeth in pain at the burning in his chest, and then a great migraine. He hoped this wouldn't trigger his epilepsy, or he'd be done for. He leaned on Zipacna all the way to his bedchambers, making things a bit difficult for his older brother, but somehow they managed to get to Xibalba's room. Zipacna quickly helped him get to bed and lay him down. The younger god didn't have his armor anymore, but it didn't help him at all by exposing him to the cold air of his realm. "Maldita sea, what's taking him so long?!" Xibalba growled, gripping his blankets in pain.
"What do I do meanwhile?!" Zipacna was losing it, especially when the coughing became louder and more frequent.
"I… Open the window…!"
Zipacna muttered as he rushed to open the balcony doors. "This is bad….!"
"This… must be something…!" Xibalba let out another cough, harder than the ones before. "A bacteria or something!"
"What?!"
"It was the… N-Nile, remember?!" Xibalba closed his eyes shut as the sweat trickled down his face. "DEMONIOS, ASCLEPIUS?! DÓNDE RAYOS ESTÁS?!"
"Right here!" Speaking of the devil, Asclepius rushed into the room followed closely by Epona, Emilio and Regina. Xibalba coughed again, Emilio swore his black skin was turning gray.
"Do something medical! He's dying!" Zipacna yelled in panic.
Asclepius was confused when he saw Zipacna present, the last time he had heard he and Xibalba weren't on exactly good terms, but now was not the moment to ask for explanations.
"First tell me what happened to him!"
Zipacna growled and pointed at his brother, who by then had turned very pale from the lack of oxygen. "I think it's pretty obvious he's suffocating! He can't breath!"
"Stand aside!" Asclepius stepped forward to the bedside and started pressing on Xibalba's chest as he continued to cough. "Come on…!" Meanwhile, Xibalba felt something coming up from his lungs and up his chest, until he started to cough water out; he felt a bit of relief as the pressure on his chest diminished.
"I…" Xibalba managed to take in some air, but he still had difficulty breathing. "What happened?" he glanced at Asclepius, worried. "What was it this time? What happened to me?" He gave another cough. "Damn it! Asclepius!" he winced when Asclepius pressed his hands on his chest even harder. "Stop it, you're making it worse!"
"Damn it, you have a bacteria!"
"A what?" Zipacna inquired. "Looks like you did hit the bull's-eye, hermanito."
"Were you underwater? If you did, did you swallow water?"
Seeing his brother couldn't speak much for the time being, Zipacna answered for him. "He did. Long story short, it was from the Nile river." Xibalba confirmed the statement with a nod.
Asclepius quickly mixed some herbs into water, which then turned into a green liquid, he picked up the glass and held it to Xibalba's lips. "Quick! Drink this!"
"What is that…?" Xibalba managed to ask before the burning sensation returned.
"It's the antibiotic to the bacteria! Drink it if you want to make it through the night!"
Xibalba had never liked to take direct medicines, but seeing there was no other way out of this, he nevertheless drank a sip of it with closed eyes. Much to his surprise, it didn't taste as bad as he imagined.
Asclepius rolled his eyes. "Drink it all at once! It should help your immune system fight the bacteria!"
"What does it taste like?" Zipacna inquired.
"Minty." Xibalba simply said, drinking the rest of the medicine in one gulp. "How long will it take until I feel better? Any side effects?"
"A week, in the least." Asclepius explained. "You might have a migraine every now and then and a mild burning sensation in your chest, but it means the antidote's taking effect."
"Please tell me I can at least move! Not that much since I can't, but still…" he took various breaths to regain the lost air, though he still had a bit of difficulty to breathe. Suddenly, the lack of oxygen and the effort to regain it took its toll on Xibalba, and he felt exhausted. Overall, the stress, the experience with Itzlacol and his worry over La Muerte were still affecting him; all his worry lay on his beloved wife, fearing for both her life and the baby's.
"You should take a nap." Asclepius finally said.
"Hopefully I won't suffocate in my sleep."
"You'll be fine."
Xibalba gave one more cough before laying his head down on his pillows, closing his eyes. "Thank you…" He tried to go to sleep; he heard Asclepius talking with Epona, Zipacna and his servants, probably about the care and medicines he'd need for the time being. He didn't mint about it for the time being, he did need some rest after what happened today. But he was still worried about La Muerte. Lots of things could happen in his absence, and with the pending threat of Itzlacol being around her, he wasn't certain if he could sleep soundly at all.
A few minutes later, his exhaustion came over him.
La Muerte waited until she was certain everyone was asleep.
She had plenty of time to think about what she was going to do, and process all she had fount out today. It wasn't that it was that hard to believe, but for some reason she never imagines Itzlacol as a murderer. Sure thing, he was arrogant, overconfident and prideful, thinking himself superior to everyone and seeing women as nothing more than tools to bear children, but she never thought he'd go as far as to murder someone. She recalled he'd say he'd do anything to obtain what he wanted, and this was just the proof to how far he was willing to go, even use underhanded methods she would never approve of.
Her father had, again, assumed Xibalba threatened her somehow, no matter how many times she repeated she hid the secret on her own account; but sice Itzlacol's revelation that Akrinok had murdered his own wife, Sol decided he wouldn't let the same fate occur to his beloved daughter. He doubled the guard to make sure Xibalba wouldn't show his face around, it bothered her. She wouldn't be surprised if he started to try and get her together with Itzlacol; she was afraid he'd go that far. She had overheard a discussion between her father and Itzlacol, and she didn't like it in the least. She had the feeling her father would do what was in his hands to annul her marriage, but she had just confirmed Itzlacol had no limits.
She couldn't stay here.
It wasn't safe for her… or the baby, as long as Itzlacol roamed around like a hungry shark.
When she was certain everyone was asleep, she left bed and got dressed silently but carefully, putting on a red dress that would make riding easier, a pair of white silk gloves and dark red boots. She had asked Aimé to take a note to the stable hands asking to saddle up Blanca secretly, she should be coming ay anytime to tell her everything was ready. La Muerte was just putting on a red cloak when there was a gentle knock on her door, which let her know it was Aimé. The younger goddess entered the room quickly, glancing back to make sure she hadn't been followed.
"Are you sure you want to do this, big sis?" Aimé asked for the fifth time that day.
"I can't stay here, Aimé. I just… I don't know what Itzlacol would be capable of, he already tried to kill Xibalba, what if he tries to kill my baby, I…"
"But to go to the Land of the Forgotten by yourself? Isn't it too risky? You could take some guards with you-"
"No, that would be endangering my subject's lives. The Land of the Forgotten is not a picnic; too many people would attract the attention of the Forgotten Beasts. I don't want to risk their lives like that, they have families, I have no right to tear them apart."
"What if something happens?"
"I'll be fine, Amy." La Muerte reassured her sister with a smile, pulling her close into a hug. "I know how to go back, and how to avoid the Forgotten Beast."
"I'll tell Father that you went to spend a few days with Xochiquétzal. She agreed to keep on with this as long as she can, but please, Hermana, be careful out there. Take care of my little sobrinita, okay?"
La Muerte smiled and kissed her forehead. "I will write to you as soon as I can, Amy."
After sharing one last hug with her little sister, La Muerte snuck out of her bedroom, and silently made her way down to the stables. The stable hands had just finished saddling Blanca, making sure the saddle was properly adjusted. La Muerte thanked them for their help and climbed unto Blanca, who scratched the ground with her hoof, excited. La Muerte patted her neck gently.
"We're going home, girl." She whispered in a low voice, before stroking her own abdomen, now directing her words to the baby. "We're going back to papi, bebé."
La Muerte gently led Blanca out of the stables, and away from the castle in a slow trot.
