The one advantage about not being the King of the Land of the Forgotten was that he had plenty of free time now. More free time to spend with his wife and unborn daughter, more free time to relax and just enjoy the evenings, except when he had to explain to Zipacna how to deal with the paperwork and new arrivals. It wasn't that much different from what Zipacna was used to do with arrivals in the Land of the Cursed, but the uncontrolled souls were much less dangerous than Cursed Beasts, and not as hard to submit. Emilio and the rest of the staff still referred to Xibalba as 'My Lord' even though he insisted they didn't have to anymore.
La Muerte insisted on talking to her father, and despite he was still wary, Xibalba eventually agreed. He had told Sol he'd let him see his daughter if she wanted, anyway. He wrote him a letter telling him La Muerte wanted to see him for dinner that night, and he received the reply in less than five minutes. He would have invited Zipacna, but he had the feeling La Muerte would want to talk things with her father alone. And sadly, he would have to 'behave', as La Muerte put it.
He usually wore his armor when visitors came and didn't mind about formalities, but he thought it would be a good chance to make peace with his father-in-law, so he wore his suit. Still, he muttered under his breath as he struggled to accommodate his purple ascot tie. He always had trouble with it, mostly because he didn't use it that often.
"Here, let me help you." La Muerte headed over to him, and much to his surprise, she correctly accommodated his tie. She was wearing her red dress and hat, he still wondered how she managed to keep that thing on her head. He tried putting it on once and he had to hold it in place with his hands, much to La Muerte's amusement.
"Remember, try to behave." La Muerte told him gently.
"I will if he does." Xibalba replied, stiffening when his wife frowned.
"Xibalba, you're an adult. Try acting like it at least once with my father, and maybe he'll warm up."
"My dear, in case you forgot, he's the one who usually starts."
"In that case, prove him wrong about you."
The baby had apparently decided to take a long nap for her grandfather's visit, she hadn't moved in the least, and if she did it was just to stir inside the womb to get in a proper position to sleep. She guessed it was natural, at this stage babies would sleep for hours and only stay a few awake.
"You think Zipacna will come?" the sugar goddess inquired, finishing with the last touch on the tie.
"Judging by how he's been stressing out and complaining about ruling both the Lands of the Cursed and Forgotten, it's possible. But judging by how he and Epona have been growing… closer these days, I bet you anything he will go to her." Xibalba sounded upset at this, but drove his attention down to his scarf. "La Muerte, you have to tell me how you do that so easily when you've never worn one."
La Muerte smiled at him amusingly. "Reading books, and helping children with their ties."
There was a knock on the door. "My Lord and Lady?" it was Roberto. "King Sol and Miss Aimé are here."
La Muerte smiled, while Xibalba felt a shiver down his spine. "We'll be down in a moment." The former said.
Xibalba grabbed his staff. La Muerte asked him not to let Ponzoña loose tonight, saying Aimé was terrified of snakes, which kind of explained why she was always looking at his staff like it was going to eat her or worse. He'd have to give his buddy apology snacks later.
"Well, baby, let's say hello to your dear ol' abuelo." Xibalba placed the tips of his finger on his wife's abdomen.
La Muerte rolled her eyes, but smiled nevertheless. "Come on, they are waiting for us."
She grabbed unto Xibalba's arm, and led him out of their room. Xibalba was trying to think of something to say to his father-in-law. After all, he had not spoken against him in the Trial, he didn't help either, but frankly he had helped him more with his silence than any words he might have said. The whole pantheon knew about Sol's animosity to him, and he could imagine most of them were surprised Sol hadn't tried to convince the Kings to have him executed.
They arrived to the dining room a few moments later. Aimé and Sol were already there, of course La Muerte wouldn't have left her sister uninvited. Sol didn't appear to be criticizing everything like je usually did, rather he seemed to be calmly taking a look around. As soon as Aimé and La Muerte saw each other, they let out an excited squeal which took Xibalba by surprise, but to which Sol was so used he couldn't help but smile lightly.
Xibalba watched fondly as his wife went to hug her little sister, and then they started chattering happily, Aimé even saying hi to the baby excitedly. He felt a shiver run down his spine when he and Sol exchanged glances; he wasn't sure if he'd be able to talk with that man without remembering their past encounters had never been… friendly in the least. But he would at least try, at least for the sake of his wife's relationship with her father.
"Buenas noches." Xibalba broke the awkward silence like he usually did, taking the first step. "I do hope dinner will be of your liking."
"Gracias." Sol replied, strangely polite. He guessed he was trying to stay on his good graces, thinking he'd forbid him from coming down if he made him angry.
They proceeded to sit down, Sol and Aimé sitting on one side of the long table, and La Muerte and Xibalba on the other. Soon, Emilio and Regina came in, the former pushing a cart with covered trays of food on it.
Soon after, dinner was served. Xibalba didn't know how La Muerte did it, but she could act naturally with her father around when he couldn't even make a movement without wondering what Sol was thinking about him at that moment. He decided to break the awkward silence. "So… How are things going up there?" he asked.
"Lots of arrivals lately." Sol responded, again a bit too polite. "And how are you dealing with… your brother in your place?"
For some reason, Xibalba felt awkward everytime he was reminded he now worked for his more irresponsible brother, but at least he was still breathing. "Well, as you can see, the castle is still standing, so I guess everything's alright."
"I never thought Lord Zipacna would be put in charge of two realms."
"Just like I never thought I'd find the love of my life…" Xibalba thought, glancing at his wife as she chatted with Aimé in a cheerful way.
"Amy, how about we go take a look at the nursery?" La Muerte chirped cheerfully. "I'd like your opinion on it."
Xibalba nearly choked on his wine when La Muerte said that. She was going to leave him alone with… Sol?! He panicked when both she and Aimé left their seats, though it took a bit longer for La Muerte to get on her feet. "La Muerte, where are you going?!" he failed to contain his dismay.
"I want to show Aimé the nursery you made for the baby, Balby." La Muerte said with all the calm in the world. Sol raised a curious eyebrow at the way she had called her husband, wondering if she had come up with it.
"Well, then, we could accompany you…! I mean, I think your father too would like to see the nursery!"
La Muerte would have giggled at her husband's attempts to stay as close to her as possible, and not along with her father, but she had the feeling he genuinely wanted to hear Sol's opinion about the nursery. "You could come along."
King Sol stood up his seat, now curious. "What color did you make it?"
"Pink." Xibalba replied. "La Muerte thinks the baby will be a girl. And who am I to doubt maternal instinct?"
Sol let out a small chuckle at that comment. "Indeed. There's nothing more accurate than a mother's instinct."
La Muerte was relieved that her father was at least trying to get along with Xibalba, at least for the time being. A while later, they arrived to the nursery. Xibalba felt a bit of pride as Sol and Aimé took a look around, impressed at the sudden change of scenery he could make in such a somber place. Aimé squealed in delight at all the shades of pink, while Sol was a bit more subtle, though La Muerte could tell he was impressed.
"I have to admit, Xibalba, I never thought I'd see the day you'd decorate your castle in pink." The elder god admitted.
If the comment had come from someone else, Xibalba would have blushed in embarrassment. "I never thought I would either."
"Have you thought of a name for her yet?" Aimé inquired curiously.
"Not really." La Muerte sighed, rubbing her stomach. "We haven't discussed it, with what has been happening."
Sol went to take a look at the cradle, staring curiously at the mobile and the little plush animals hanging from it. "Who sent you that mobile, Xibalba?"
"I made it myself." Xibalba replied, not bothering to hide his pride.
"It's impressive. I didn't imagine you'd be the type to hand craft."
"I used to when I was a child, but I stopped doing it for a long time. I remembered enough to make a little gift for the baby."
La Muerte thought was now a good time to talk things out with her father. She glanced up at her husband. "Balby, how about you show Amy your armory?"
Xibalba didn't need any more indirect. "Aimé, if you'd be so kind as to follow me. Just stay close to me, it's easy to get lost here."
"Sure, My Lord…"
"My dear, you don't have to be so formal. Don't forget we're technically family…"
As he continued to chat with his sister-in-law, the both of leaving the nursery as they did so, Sol remained alone with his daughter. The both of them knew they had to talk this out, they just couldn't keep avoiding it forever.
"So what do you think of it?" La Muerte inquired, gently.
"Like I said, I never thought I'd see the day Xibalba would paint a room in his castle pink. He does have a surprisingly good eye for this, though."
"I told you he was sweet when you get to know him."
"Yes, I can see that…" Sol sighed, walking closer to his daughter. "I have to admit, dear daughter… I was wrong about him. He is not the monster we all thought. I can also see he has made you very happy."
"He has." La Muerte rubbed her stomach, sighing happily. "And he's very excited about the baby, he hasn't stopped buying toys and plushies."
Another chuckle from Sol, who now glanced at the carefully accommodated stuffed animals on one of the couches. "Who knew?" he became serious once again, sighing. "La Muerte… I know this isn't easy, but I owe you an apology. The both of you, especially your husband. I'm sorry if I ever hurt your feelings with my incredibility, I was afraid of your wellbeing. I was afraid Xibalba had gotten his father's cruelty, you saw how he used to be like, you would have thought the same…"
"Xibalba was not to blame for his father's mistakes. He suffered very much under Akrinok, he lost his mother when he was too young. He was just trying to protect himself from any further harm, though it wasn't the right way to do it…"
"I knew Akrinok was cruel, but I never thought he would have been capable of murdering his own wife…"
Realizing their topic of conversation was turning gloomy, La Muerte decided to try and change it into something more appropriate. Now was not the time to think about old regrets. "Father, you think could help us think of a name? Emilio and Regina have been giving their suggestions, so I don't think Xibalba will mind if you tell me yours."
Sol's eyes lit up. "Of course, Muertita!"
He had really missed these quality times with his beloved daughter.
Epona was in a particularly good mood. There had been no news from Itzlacol, both Xibalba and La Muerte were enjoying much more free time, and she and Zipacna were better than ever. She took another sip from her cup of tea as she read her favorite book. These moments were very enjoyable for her, and she didn't like to be interrupted, but when Zipacna stalked into the throne room, she smiled at him. "Well, look who decided to leave his den. What's wrong, did it get hot down there?"
"As hot as always." Zipacna said, chuckling.
"So, what brings you here?" she closed the book to center all her attention on him. "And just in time for tea. I know you don't like it, but this is my special recipe, you will absolutely love it. Wanna try?" she finished with another sip to her own cup of tea. She sighed in delight. "By the way, we've been a great team. After all, we made both Xibalba and La Muerte realize they were meant for each other."
"I guess so…" Zipacna said as he leaned against one of the ivory pillars, blushing lightly. "The two of us…"
"Hey, this doesn't mean we're still not friends. Remember when you fell off the horse and I had to beg you to let me disinfect those cuts? You stubborn crow."
"R-Right…"
Epona glanced at him, but Zipacna turned his gaze away, his cheeks red. Had he been staring at her? The look on his face told her everything, but she decided to ignore it for the time being. "Zipacna?"
"What is it?"
Epona stood up from her throne. "Since you're here, I can show you how effective the lava you gave me is for my farriers."
"Sure thing!"
He followed her all the way to the stables, but he couldn't help but stare at her hips whenever he could. In the stables, the centaur farriers were submerging the boiling, newly made horshoes into water, releasing a thick cloud of steam with a hiss, before lifting them off, the red hot color gone and replaced by the usual silver color. He noticed there were a few horses he hadn't seen before, he wondered if these were new. Speaking of which, he had no idea if this was a sort of horse afterlife. The farriers had just finished putting the newly-made horseshoes into their hooves, it seemed.
"Let's see how effective it is when we see them gallop." Epona walked closer to the horses and whispered something into one's ear, probably the lead mare. With a pat in the flank, the lead mare, a beautiful buckskin, galloped out, soon followed by the rest of the herd. Zipacna barely had time to move out of the way to avoid being trampled on.
"Heck…" Zipacna whispered as he went back to his feet, dusting his legs off. "What did you say to them?"
"That I wish them the best, and a happy future." Epona said, sighing. "They are comfortable with those new horseshoes. The lava melts the metal much better than normal fire, so the resulted horseshoe is not heavy. Thanks for your help in that matter."
"Your welcome. I mean, if it makes you happy there's no problem for me."
"You know what would make me even happier…?" the redhead walked closer to her visitor, placing her index finger on his chest casually and giving him a playful look.
"Err…" Zipacna blushed deeply, but suddenly Epona went back into the stables, much to his confusion. Still, he went after her like a loyal dog. "What?"
"A race, if you dare." Epona said, winking as she opened a stall door and a dark horse stepped out.
"Horse race?" he was still reluctant to get on a horse after what happened last time.
"Not exactly. Whenever I ride a horse I feel like I'm flying, I want to see how that compares to an actual flyer. I take a horse, you take your… wings or crow form."
She noticed his reluctance, and gave him a sly smile. "Unless you're afraid, of course." She decided to incite him a bit more. "We could even add stakes if you want."
Curiously, Zipacna's ears perked up at the word 'stakes'. "…Well, I'm much more lighter as a crow. What would the stakes be?"
"How about I let you decide first? Anything in mind?"
Zipacna started rubbing his chin in thought, trying to think of something. Epona wished she could read his mind, she didn't like not to know what others were thinking, she didn't know why, but it frustrated her to some extent. Finally, Zipacna smirked.
"If I win, you will go out on a date with me."
Epona stared at him in surprise. That was unexpected, did he like her that much? "Out? On a date? With me?"
He was confused as to why she acted as if it was the first time. Perhaps she was still wary about his reputation. "If you wish, you couldn't call it exactly a date-date, rather hanging out with a friend."
"Well, silly, you could have just asked for that anytime, but if that's your wish I have no problem with it." Epona said, smirking. "And if I win, you must take me for a flight."
"Sounds fair."
"Well, then, to redpine forest and back? It's a good route."
"If you say so. You know your realm better than anyone." He followed Epona out of the stables, and towards the gates of her castle. He still wondered how come she could ride that easily without a saddle and bridle, he guessed she was used to it. As she climbed unto the horse, he turned into a raven, and was momentarily intimidated by the size difference between the horse and him, though that feeling soon disappeared when Epona glanced down at him.
"So you will race in your crow form?"
"Like I just mentioned, I'm much more lighter in this form."
"And cuter." Epona giggled, and was certain Zipacna would have blushed if he weren't now covered in feathers. "Well, cutie, prepare to be beaten, or like I like to say, eat my dust."
A few seconds later, they set off, Epona through the ground and Zipacna through the air. The horse she had picked was big, but he was one of the fastest, and she knew how to bring out a horse's full potential. Zipacna flapped his wings furiously, glancing downwards every now and then to see if Epona was gaining on him, or if he was gaining on to her. But his wings started to ache after a few moments, and soon she was going ahead of him, much to his dismay.
"What's wrong, Zipacna?!" Epona called out to him from below teasingly. "Light as a feather?!"
"I'm holding back!" Zipacna defended himself.
They continued to race across the fields, and soon into a forest. Zipacna couldn't see if she was ahead of behind him, but he didn't have time for that. He continued to look ahead, flapping his wings furiously. He saw the tree on top of the hill, which was the end line, and tried to go faster. When he had flown beyond the line of trees that marked the forest's end, he looked down, but he didn't see Epona emerge. He chuckled when she tried to regain her speed, but by then he was a few feet away from the finish line. However, a few steps away from crossing it he realized he couldn't hear the hoofbeats of Epona's horse anymore. Alarmed, he turned around and found she had vanished.
"Epona?" he called out, flying down to the road to look for her, but there was no sign of her or her horse. Maybe she was playing a prank on him…? What could possible happen to her in her own realm other than running into a Kelpie? Right? "Epona! Please don't tell me the Kelpies got you!" he flew around, his wings beating everytime more frantically as he heard no reply. "EPONA!"
"I'm here:"
Zipacna reacted and flew towards the direction of her voice. She was walking out of the woods, followed by the dark horse, and there was a small amused grin on her face. However, he could see something else in her eyes, he thought for a moment they were glossy.
"I'm here, Zipacna…" she whispered. "Stop shouting or you will attract Kelpies for good this time…"
"For goodness sake, don't scare me like that!" Zipacna said, changing back.
"I'm sorry, Zipacna… My boy here got overheated and we had to stop."
"You could have told me, you know! I really had a heart attack!"
"…You care?"
"Of course I do! You're my friend! Why wouldn't I?"
"Well, you technically lost since you didn't cross the finish line. We both did, if you think about it." Epona smirked. "I'm the Queen, remember? Kelpies tremble in fear if I glare at them, they wouldn't dare to hurt me. Or anyone close to me."
When she noticed the look on Zipacna's face, she patted his shoulder. "This doesn't mean you can't ask me out. If you do it properly I might accept."
He blinked. "Oh, well then…" he gave a polite reverence, like the ones he had seen in Europe. "Lady Epona, would you grant me the honor of going out with me?"
Epona giggled "Oh, so gallant… I didn't know you had this side."
"I can be a gentleman when I want to."
"I accept your invitation, Lord Zipacna. And just so you know, I like this side of you, it fits you."
"Thank you. I don't show it that easily."
"Why not? I mean, I like the normal you, your sense of humor especially. Let's say I save it for women worth it, just like you."
She giggled again, blushing. "You know, you could use it with other Gods that don't take you seriously."
"I would, but they are not really worth discarding my sense of humor. They seriously need it, even if they won't admit it."
"You don't understand what I mean. Gods don't respect you and think you can't be serious. You should show them in one occasion that they are wrong."
"It does sound interesting. I admit I would like to see their faces."
"And Xibalba would be proud. You know he would."
"And very surprised."
"Perhaps this way Xochiquetzál would warm up to you too, I heard from Xibalba the huge crush you have on her." For some reason, that bothered her.
"About that… I don't really think it would work out." Zipacna sighed sadly. "I mean, it's pretty clear she is not interested. And I won't waste any more time on trying to call her attention."
"Why? You never give up on trying to get your girl."
"I don't think I like her that way…"
Epona blinked in surprise. "You don't." she noted the sad but resigned look on Zipacna's face, and that told her all she needed to know. "Well, she doesn't know what she is missing. Women can't appreciate a good sense of humor anymore."
"I guess… But you do. In fact, if you ask me your sense of humor is better than mine."
"Oh, would that be a joke?"
"No, I'm serious."
This time, the redhead blushed in embarrassment at the compliment. "Well, thanks."
"You know, we should exchange jokes every now and then.
"I just did, it's just you didn't pay attention. You said my sense of humor is even better than yours, and I asked you if that would be the joke."
"Ha!" Zipacna gave a hearty laugh. "See what I'm talking about!"
"I guess." Epona smiled slyly, taking a hand to her hip. She noticed he was looking at her again that way. It wasn't that she didn't like it, she just felt awkward. "Zipacna, is something wrong? Something on my hair or my face?"
Zipacna blinked and looked away awkwardly, his face turning red. "N-No…! W-Why do you ask…?"
She gave him the playful look. "Well, you're staring me down."
"S-Sorry, it's just… Well, I…" Zipacna didn't know why he was reacting like this; he thought his heart would burst out of his chest at any moment. "You look beautiful."
"Well… thanks, even though my freckles don't think the same." By then, her horse had seen a herd and was galloping off towards it.
"In my opinion, you look pretty with those freckles. I can't imagine you without them."
"Say, we will have to get back to the castle on foot since my… boy left. And well, you can fly."
Zipacna smiled. "I did promise you a flight, didn't I?"
Epona was caught off guard when Zipacna picked her up bridal style. "What are you-?!" she grabbed unto his shoulders, frightened.
"Trust me, I won't let you fall." Zipacna spread out his wings, and with some impulse lifted himself into the air. Epona was startled momentarily, and closed her eyes as they got higher and higher into the sky. Zipacna looked down at her amusingly. "I don't think you should close your eyes, you'll miss the scenery."
Reluctantly, Epona started to open her eyes, but soon the astounding view got the better of her. The lake of the Kelpies was glistening beautifully under the sunlight, and the clouds were so close she could reach out and touch them. She was certain she could see all the horse herds in the realm as tiny, moving, multi-colored spots from that high. "It's… beautiful…" she gasped in complete awe. "It looks so different from up here…" her head rested against his chest. "Thank you. You want to know what expects us back home when we arrive?" she smirked. "Lunch."
At the mention of food, Zipacna's stomach growled, much to his embarrassment. "That's good. I'm hungry. Who knows, one of these days I might let you taste one of my mother's desserts. If I can get Xibalba to lend me her recipe book, that is."
"You… cook? I don't think I heard well… Xibalba to lend you the recipe book? You can cook?"
"Why do you make it sound like it's impossible? But usually we used to make those recipes together."
"You mean you cooked with Selena?"
Zipacna's eyes showed a glint of sadness. "Yeah… she always put her heart into her desserts. To this day, we haven't been able to make them like she used to."
Epona sighed sadly too. She knew where he was coming from. "I can imagine. My dad was a good cook too, but whenever he tried to get me into the kitchen a small fire destroyed almost everything. I can't cook at all." Despite the sunlight, she felt a cold breeze against her skin due to the altitude, and unknowingly snuggled deeply into Zipacna's embrace. "He said mom's recipes were the best he ever tasted. Unfortunately I never got to try any of them…"
"What do you mean?" Zipacna inquired.
"My mom…" Epona closed her eyes shut. "…Died when I was born. My father died about ten years later… An Aunt took me in and eventually gave me her realm, the realm she ruled after my father died. She went missing a few decades ago…"
Zipacna felt terrible. He thought he and Xibalba had it hard, but Epona hadn't even gotten to know her mother for a few minutes, and she lost her father at a rather tender age. "I'm sorry…"
"It was a long time ago. It's a closed wound for me now."
"Well… mine for mom's passing hasn't healed at all. I found something horrible, or rather Xibalba did."
"I can tell. You and Xibalba are visibly very hurt about her death, and you must have your reasons."
"It turns out she was… pregnant when she died…." his eyes were swelling up in tears.
"Oh… I'm sorry for bringing this up, but I can say she raised two wonderful sons, and even more, she supported you in everything… Sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned that…"
"No, it's okay… if there's something I learned from watching Xibalba bottling things up for years, is that I shouldn't do it or I'll turn all grumpy like he was."
Epona tried to lighten up the mood a bit. "And we don't want to lose such good sense of humor and such a wonderful person." With that, she planted a kiss on his cheek. Zipacna's face turned completely red, and hot smoke flared out of his nostrils, much to her amusement. It took him a few seconds to regain his composure.
"T-Thanks…"
"No… thank you for telling me these things. It means you trust me. You're one of the first people who didn't judge me for my behavior, and that means very much to me."
Zipacna started to descend when Epona's castle came into view. "Did you really have to scare the heck out of me?" he asked, slightly annoyed.
"I wanted to see something."
"What exactly?"
"What do you think?"
"….My reaction?"
Epona bit her lower lip and nodded. "Just one small hint. You never know when I might throw a little… test. Xibalba knows."
"Ay."
"You are privileged that I let you know about my little game. Xibalba, as surprising as it is, failed."
"Oh, he did? What did he do?"
"Well, you are his brother. You can figure it out."
Zipacna chuckled at her wit. He couldn't deny that he had been feeling funny when he was with her, he wanted to be near her, to make her happy, see her smiling…
He wondered if this was the feeling people called love.
