La Muerte started to stir awake, and the first thing she did was to take her hands to her abdomen. Thank heaven, her child seemed to be alright, but as she shifted to accommodate herself, she felt something familiar about the surface she was on… she felt a familiar warmth over her, and as she cracked her eyes open she noted she was not in the cold landscape of the Land of the Forgotten, but in a very familiar place which she had been in numerous times. "What… Where am I…?"
"Shhh, you are safe now."
That voice… Could it be…? When her vision cleared up, she realized her 'blanket' was a pitch-black wing. La Muerte glanced to her right and round Xibalba laying down next to her with a relieved expression. Her mind was in a blurry state for the time being, and she found hard to remember what had happened. "What happened…?" she whispered, blinking a few times. "I d-don't remember anything…."
"It's normal, you were really frightened." Xibalba gently said, taking his wife's hand tenderly. "The Forgotten Beasts attacked you, I saved you before they could harm you."
Forgotten Beasts… The memories came back and joined together like a small puzzle, riding through the Land of the Forgotten, growls, Blanca's frightened neighs and….
"The baby, how's my baby?" La Muerte tried to sit up, but Xibalba gently pushed her back down. She caught a glimpse of his expression turning worried again.
"Please try to relax, you have to calm down."
"Is something wrong with the baby? Do you know anything?" When his eyes flashed with worry and anguish, she knew he knew something. Xibalba apparently noticed, for his hold on her hand tightened.
How could he tell this to her? Asclepius had ben very clear when he said no upsetting her, or it could affect the baby. But if he hid it from her she would worry further, it would be best that she learned about it at once rather than let her find out from another source. He knew she didn't like that.
"La Muerte…" he sighed, looking down sadly. "You got too stressed and frightened, so much that you fainted. If the mother is in distress for too long, it can affect the baby."
She didn't like where this was going. "What are you saying…?"
"For now you have to rest and stay as much calm as possible, you'll probably have to stay in bed for a while… or you could lose the baby."
La Muerte took her hand to her mouth in shock. "W-What…?" Her eyes swelled up with tears as her worst fears seemingly came true. She took her hands back to her belly as if wanting to protect the little life in there. "My b-baby could…?"
It took Xibalba a lot of effort to continue. "Asclepius checked on you while you were unconscious. He said part of the placenta detached from your uterus, and you lost vitamins and minerals essential for the baby, it was caused by too much stress. He said the baby is at risk of miscarriage."
The goddess gasped in horror once more at the word 'miscarriage'. Her baby could die, the baby could have died. "I'm going to…?" the tears trickled down her cheeks now. "It can't be…!"
"No, La Muerte! Don't even think about it!" Xibalba's hands quickly grabbed hers, squeezing them reassuringly. "Asclepius gave you a prescription, and recommended that you eat fruits, vegetables and a special tea." He brushed a hair away from her face. "But the most important, you have too stay calm and rest in bed as much as possible." He panicked when sobs escaped his wife.
"How could I've been so reckless…?"
"Mi amor, this is not your fault. You never wanted any of this to happen." He pulled her into a hug, wrapping both wings around her. "Everything's going to be alright, I'm here…"
La Muerte returned the embrace, accepting it and snuggling into it, burying her face into Xibalba's bare chest as she sobbed uncontrollably. She didn't say anything as she felt Xibalba stroking her head tenderly, shushing and telling her it was going to be alright. It made him recall the many times he held her like this, he wanted to let her know she was not alone anymore, that he would be there for her always.
"My baby…"
"Shhh…" Xibalba wiped some of her tears away with his thumbs. "You have nothing to fear, mi amor… You are already an excellent mother even if the baby hasn't been born yet."
"What if I…? What am I going to do if the baby…?"
"Don't even think about it. The baby is strong…" Xibalba pulled back from the hug and smiled at his wife sadly. "… just like his mother."
La Muerte couldn't help but blush as she looked up at him. "You think so…?"
"I know so." He lowered his hand to her abdomen. "You'll see. He or she is going to be a very healthy and beautiful baby. How about some of that tea for now?"
"Ok…"
Xibalba grabbed his staff, turning Ponzoña to life, and whispered into his ear. Ponzoña nodded with glee and slithered off into the dark and out of the room. Once they were alone, he turned to his wife. "La Muerte…" he grabbed her hand again. "You came back…"
La Muerte nodded, resting her head against the pillows. "I'm your wife, remember? I'm supposed to be by your side in the good and the bad."
Xibalba chuckled sadly. "I know… You could have told me, you know. I would have been able to prepare to receive you properly."
"I wanted it to be a surprise."
"You did surprise me, my dear… Not in the way we would both have wanted, but you surprised me. It was brave on your part, Sol might have caught you."
"Aimé will tell him I would spend some days with Xochiquétzal to assimilate what happened. Xochi agreed to keep the secret too."
Another chuckle. She was such a clever woman. "Smart on your part. But lying to your dear papa?" he raised an eyebrow playfully. "Are you the same La Muerte I met a year ago?"
La Muerte giggled a bit. "It was a little white lie. If I had told him I was coming to see you he would have locked my door and windows to keep me from leaving."
"Anything to keep you away from me, or in his perspective, the other way around, especially with Itzlacol still swooning all around you." Xibalba tensed up at the mention of his hated rival. "If you had heard all the things he told me he would do to you… I swear, I wanted to kill him in that moment."
"It's okay, you know I would have never allowed him to touch the baby. Or me."
Xibalba smiled and lifted a hand to caress his wife's cheek. "Are there any reasons of why I should love you even more?"
La Muerte smiled at him. "That's up to you to find out…" she narrowed her eyes playfully. "If you want us back, that is."
"Want you back?" Xibalba leaned in towards her abdomen and kissed it, it was directed towards their child. "I would do anything to have the two of you back."
Another giggle. "And you were saying you wouldn't be a good daddy."
"Maybe, it's just… I'm still a bit afraid of becoming like… him."
"You are not like him. If you were you would have left me there to be torn apart by those monsters. If you were you wouldn't have snuck into my birthday just to apologize."
Xibalba chuckled as he tightened his hold on her hand. "I promise you, mi corazón, I will never let you go again."
There was a knock on the door. Gael peeked his head in and walked in with a cup of tea in his hands. He was surprised when he found La Muerte in his master's bed, but guessed now was not the time to ask questions. He simply walked over to his master and handed the cup over to him. Xibalba accepted it and sent Gael away silently with a small wave of his hand. The lizard bowed lightly and left the room, closing the door behind him silently.
"Here you go, mi amor." He said, handing the cup over to his wife. "It'll be good for the baby."
La Muerte stared at the hot black liquid for a while before taking a small sip form it. She wrinkled her nose and scowled with disgust at the bitter taste, her stomach churning. "It tastes horrible." She said, shivering uncomfortably. Heck, even the baby seemed to dislike the taste of the tea, she faintly felt the little one squirming inside her belly.
"I don't like to take my medicine either." Xibalba chuckled as he rubbed his forearms.
La Muerte stroked her abdomen with a hand. "Poor baby. I have the feeling she will grow to hate tea."
"She?"
"I have the feeling we're having a girl."
"How can you be certain?"
"Well…" La Muerte was staring down at her unborn child with a smile. "I guess it's mother's intuition."
"A girl…" Xibalba hadn't thought about the possibility of a female heir, but he didn't really mind the gender. Boy or girl, the little one was his, theirs. He smiled as he placed his hand on La Muerte's abdomen once again. "I hope she'll take more after you."
"I'd like a little you running around here, don't you think?"
He shivered at the idea. "Oh, no. One me is enough, believe me."
La Muerte took another gulp of the bitter tea, sticking out her tongue again. There was still something that was bothering her. "I'm still worried about father…"
"What about him now? That he doesn't like me?" Xibalba sighed in dismay and rested his chin on his hand. "That's no news."
"It's not only that…"
"But?"
"He still wants me to get together with Itlzacol, and he'll eventually find out I'm here…"
"As much as he wants it, it's impossible for you two to be together. You are still my wife, and since you're carrying our child an annulment is impossible now…" But there were two ways to annul a marriage. Itzlacol had already tried the other way, and he wouldn't be surprised it wouldn't be the first time he'd try. The threats of what Itzlacol could do to his wife and child if he succeeded were still fresh in his mind. Xibalba tried to change the subject, and glanced at the cup of tea, noticing there was only a bit left. "There's still some tea left."
With one final gulp, La Muerte drank the last of the tea. Again, she and the baby shivered in disgust. "Definitely, the baby is going to hate tea."
Xibalba took a sniff of the cup when La Muerte handed it over to him, and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Yup. Definitely." He placed the cup on the bedside table and lay down on bed, next to his wife, pulling her closer with a wing. La Muerte blushed and snuggled against him, making him smile and plant a kiss on her head. "Say, how did you react when you learned you were pregnant."
"Well…" La Muerte didn't know how to properly describe it. "I was happy at the prospect of motherhood, but at the same time I was afraid… I didn't know how father would react."
"And as I could tell, he didn't take it as bad as we thought."
"He loves his grandchild, even though she's yours… He is excited at the idea."
Xibalba couldn't contain another smile as he pulled his wife closer with his wing. The idea of having a baby with the woman he loved, the expression of the feelings they shared… It warmed his head and made his chest swell up with fatherly pride. He swore his eyes were swelling up with tears again. "Mine…"
"Xibalba, are you crying?"
"Shouldn't I? I'm going to be a papi."
"I never thought I'd see you cry, that's all…"
"I think you've seen my cry a few times already, remember?"
"You know what I mean. When we first met I never thought I'd see you cry."
"I know… I must admit, I've changed quite a lot ever since you came into my life… And some new facts from my past came into light. After you left, I mean…" La Muerte shifted uncomfortably. He noticed and rubbed her shoulder in comfort. "Well, at least my father won't haunt me anymore-" Xibalba stopped abruptly when he realized he had said too much, panicking when La Muerte looked curiously at him. Maldita sea.
"Your father?" she inquired. "What do you mean?"
"Umm, well, I…" Damn it, how could she explain it to her without making her think he was nuts? Finally, he let out a sigh of defeat. "After his death, his…. Kind of ghost started to wander around here, and he often came to haunt and discourage me…" he felt like an idiot, but thankfully La Muerte didn't seem to think so. "I never thought it was even possible."
"It seems it is…"
"I mean, gods turning into ghosts…? Sometimes I wonder if I wasn't hallucinating and seeing things, but they all felt so real.."
"Who knows?" La Muerte thought for a moment. "Maybe something prevented him from resting in peace."
"Or someone…" Xibalba decided to change the subject. He didn't want to ruin the moment. "Anyway, I can't wait to see Zipacna's face when he learns you came back."
"Speaking of Zipacna, is something going between him and Epona? I noticed they were pretty close the last time I saw them."
"N-No!" Xibalba blushed. "I mean, they do seem to be growing pretty close over a short time, but they're just being friendly!"
"Are you jealous?"
"Why would I? You're the only woman I love." Before she could tease him any further, there was a gentle knock on the door. Xibalba sighed in relief, making La Muerte giggle in triumph. "Come in."
Emilio peeked his head in, and his eyes widened when his suspicions were confirmed. "My Lord… and Lady." He was pushed forward by Roberto, Lorenzo and Juarez, and they scrambled to get back on their feet.
"HA! I told you! You owe me five pesos!"
"Get your tail off me!"
"Eyup!"
"Seriously, Lorenzo?! Is that all you have to say?!"
La Muerte started to laugh while Xibalba smacked his forehead in frustration, muttering under his breath. When the four lizards managed to get back on their feet and walk closer to bed, they gave their mistress a respectful bow. La Muerte managed to calm down as she smiled kindly at them, she had missed their antics very much. "It's nice to see you guys again." She said gently.
Much to her surprise, Roberto rushed forward to give her a friendly hug, chirping. "Its good to have you back, My Lady!"
Lorenzo rolled his eyes and Juarez suppressed a laugh, while Emilio yelped in dismay and horror, glancing at his master in worry, wondering if he'd punish Roberto for that. Xibalba, however, looked more amused and annoyed. When the lizard didn't let go of his wife, however, he grew uncomfortable and let out a small cough. "I think that's enough, Roberto."
"Just, the next time could you tell us beforehand? I nearly had a heart attack when Blanca appeared out of nowhere in the stables!" Juarez stated.
"Sorry for that." Xibalba apologized. "Long story."
"How are you feeling, my lady?" Emilio inquired, reaching out to take the cup of tea from the bedside table.
La Muerte smiled at him. "I'm feeling alright, don't worry, Emilio." She noticed Regina wasn't present in the 'welcome committee'. "Where's Regina?"
"She'll be up in a few minutes, she was making something tasty." Emilio blushed. "My lady, forgive my boldness, but we missed you very much."
Roberto spoke next. "Yeah, things were a bit off without you."
Lorenzo nodded. "Eyup."
"I missed you guys too." The goddess sighed, glancing at the lizards with great affection. "You always make things interesting around here."
Xibalba gulped when his servants turned to look at him with amusing looks. "Err… Well…"
"We are making things interesting?" Juarez asked him amusingly.
" W-What? You don't have to rub it in my face all the time!"
Roberto chuckled. "Things got interesting when you destroyed half the castle after La Muerte left."
"ROBERTO!" Emilio took his hands to his head in horror. He had told him thrice not to say anything about that! He gulped when he saw the dismayed and angry expression on Xibalba's face.
La Muerte looked up at her husband amusingly. "He did?"
"More or less." Juarez chuckled.
Emilio had enough. "Okay, all of you! We have to see if Regina is done with her tasty surprise!" He had started to push the rest of the lizards out of the room, ignoring their yells and protests when the door opened again and Regina walked in with a tray of sweet-smelling rolls.
"What's going on?" she inquired.
"Nothing!" Emilio responded as he quickly pushed the other lizards out.
Regina rolled her eyes as she walked towards bed with the tray. La Muerte felt her mouth watering at the sight of those rolls, and the delicious sweet fragrance coming from them. "What are those?" she asked.
"A batch of sugar-basted rolls!" Regina explained, placing the tray on the table. "The dough was basted in a special sugar mixture before being baked, then each was filled with mixed fruit blend. Another of Lady Selena's recipes."
La Muerte grabbed one of the rolls and gave it a bite. There was an instant part of sweetness in her mouth. There was a good blend in the filling, and the bread had an exquisite texture with refined sweetness. "They're delicious!"
"I figured you'd want something sweet after having to drink that tea." Xibalba smiled at his wife. "He couldn't contain his sweet tooth and grabbed one of the sweet rolls, taking it into his mouth. Waves of memories came back as he savored the treat in his mouth, enjoying the filling and the bread's texture. "My compliments, Regina."
"Thank you, My Lord and Lady." Regina bowed, smiling.
"It's one of Selena's recipes."
"It is, though I'm afraid it's not exactly like when she made them. Her blend allowed people to taste each individual flavor of fruit in the mixture."
"I think this is fantastic." La Muerte had taken the third sweet roll into her mouth. "I wish Amy could taste this."
Regina gave the two gods a small curtsy before leaving to continue with her chores, and let the two spend some time alone. La Muerte and Xibalba enjoyed the sweet rolls, the baby happily squirming in her mother's womb. Soon the tray was empty, with only a few crumbs of the bread and a bit of the filling left. "I truly missed it here…" La Muerte sighed after a while.
Xibalba looked at his wife, glancing at her baby bump once again. "We all missed you, mi amor…"
"I missed you all too…"
"And… about the castle…" Xibalba blushed in embarrassment, his feathers shifting. "Maybe I did destroy a few rooms…" he let out a nervous chuckle.
"Roberto just mentioned it."
"It wasn't half of the castle!"
"I guess you redecorated a bit."
"Sort of. At least it was a good excuse to change some things. And now that I recall…" Xibalba rubbed the back of his head. "Well, you left most of your things in your room. You could… Well, if you w-want to stay h-here you c-could… I d-don't mind…" He was stuttering again, damn it.
La Muerte thought for a moment; he did have a point there, she didn't take her things when she left, at least she didn't have to worry about what to wear. "I guess I could stay. You said I couldn't leave bed, anyway."
"Well, you could stay in my room…" he flinched when she gave him a questioning look. "I mean, it's more comfortable and you can't leave bed, so technically I'll have to look after you while you're stuck."
La Muerte gave a sigh, glancing at the ceiling of the canopy. She recalled a funny coincidence that happened months ago. "Doesn't it remind you of something?"
"That was my intention. The first time you were attacked by Forgotten Beasts and I saved you, you took care of me." Xibalba chuckled fondly at the memory. "You could say I'm repaying the favor."
"Technically, in this occasion you have two people to look after, if you think about it."
Xibalba smiled as he stroked her abdomen again. "Did my two girls like the treat? Do you have any other cravings? Tell me and I shall get, even if I have to go to the end of the world.
"Well…" La Muerte tapped her chin with a playful smile, as if thinking. "Now that you mention it, I've been wanting one of those Romanian desserts for a while… I think they were named papanas…"
Shoot. Of all the dishes she could have picked she had to pick the one which he didn't have the recipe of. He had the feeling he'd have to go all the way to Romania to get a batch of those, but it was worth if it meant making his wife happy. "Papanas will be, then."
"You're so sweet when you want to be, you know…"
"No sweeter than you, my dear…"
Xibalba didn't know if now was a good time, but he wanted to steal a kiss from his lovely wife. He wasn't sure if she was in the mood for it, so he better do it quick, and subtly leaned his face closer in for a kiss, but La Muerte had gotten to know his movements and body language from all the time she spent there, and she wouldn't let him take her by surprise this time. Much to his surprise, La Muerte pulled him down by the beard and pressed her lips against his own. Xibalba's wings had spread out in surprise, nearly knocking off the tray from the bedside table, but soon he returned the gesture and his hands found their way to his wife's cheeks.
As they kissed, their hearts started to beat in perfect synchrony as they explored each other's mouths once more. Xibalba's mouth was bigger than hers, but his kisses were very controlled yet passionate and tender. After a while, they had to separate, panting. La Muerte smiled. "You haven't lost your touch."
"Mi amor, how I missed your kisses…" Xibalba panted, smiling as he licked his lips smeared with his wife's cherry-flavored lipstick. "Definitely there's nothing sweeter than you…" But as he leaned in for another kiss, La Muerte placed her hands on his chest and gently pushed him away.
"Be careful with the baby." She reminded him she was still delicate.
Xibalba blushed. "I'm sorry, I… I didn't mean to… I am…" he felt further embarrassed when she giggled at his stuttering.
"You're cute when you're nervous."
"I'm sorry, my love, I… I should go get your papanas before all the decent bakeries in Romania close for the day." He stood up from bed, pulling up the duvet over his wife and child gently, and went to his wardrobe put on a black long-sleeved shirt. "You just rest, okay? If you need anything, whatever it is, call for Emilio and the others. Thankfully I will be back in half-an-hour…"
La Muerte shifted in bed and smiled up at him. "Okay…"
With a smile and another kiss on her forehead, Xibalba made his way to the door and glanced one last time at his wife before going out, closing the door silently behind him. He leaned against the doors, letting out a dreamy sigh; she was had returned to his side, her rightful place. He wished he could have received her like she deserved, but what mattered was that they were both alright and safe; he would make sure she was the happiest woman in the world, he'd make up to her for everything, he would take good care of her and the baby.
Speaking of which, if he didn't hurry up the best bakeries in Romania would close.
