Against All Odds
Chapter 4- Memories
After breakfast, La Muerte offered Veneno and La Noche a small tour around the most interesting parts of Aztlan, but La Noche politely declined the offer, stating she didn't want to cause her any trouble. Still, La Muerte asked Xibalba to keep her a bit of company.
"Why do I have to? Wouldn't it be better if I accompanied you and Veneno?" he complained. "That woman gives me the creeps." He whispered the last sentence into his wife's ear.
La Muerte rolled her eyes. "Come on, Xibalba, La Noche is not going to eat you. Everything will be fine."
"What if the baby decides to give one of its 'kicks'?"
"Don't worry, milord. I'll be wary in case something happens." Veneno nodded his head.
Xibalba didn't like the idea of another man other than him being so close to La Muerte, nevertheless, he didn't want to upset his wife either, and so he reluctantly nodded. "Okay, mi amor. Only because you ask me."
La Muerte smiled and cupped her husband's cheek. "That's so nice of you, Balby." She planted a kiss on his cheek, making Xibalba grin in delight. "Don't worry, everything will be fine. I'll meet you with Xochiquétzal in two hours, okay? She says our costumes are ready."
"Mmm… As you wish, mi corazón." He bent down and stroked La Muerte's abdomen tenderly. "See you later, baby-boo!" He grinned when his child kicked in reply.
Veneno was visibly uncomfortable by the show of affection between the two, but he said nothing. He just waited until La Muerte waved her husband goodbye and then she led him away from the gardens, towards another section of the castle.
Good. Now they were alone. La Noche shivered internally with delight and pleasure, but she recalled she had a goal in mind. If Veneno would probably take La Muerte to Xochiquetzal's place, she'd accompany Xibalba there and have him see his wife uncomfortably close with the serpent god.
"I see you love your wife very much." La Noche commented with a small grin.
Xibalba returned to his formal coldness, that which he showed to anyone but his wife. He glanced at La Noche with unamused eyes. "I do. She's everything to me."
"I could see that. I'm glad there are still couples who last lifelong in the universe."
"I'm glad we can still call each other that, even after what happened." Xibalba looked down with a hint of sadness.
"Excuse me? Did you and your wife have an argument? I can't imagine you bickering over something trivial."
"It's none of your business." Xibalba looked away, clutching unto his staff tightly. "It's all in the past now, she has forgiven me, that's all that matters to me."
La Noche was annoyed at his formality; he was truly an ice floe when he was not interacting with La Muerte. But she'd find his loophole, his weakness. No men could resist to her charms, nor her attractive looks. And she was experienced in the art of making men melt at her touch, her true self having being famous for it.
"Whatever happened between you and your wife, I'm glad it was solved." La Noche whispered with a subtle, almost noticeable pinch of lust in her tongue, placing a hand on Xibalba's arm. "Not everyone is fortunate enough to love someone… and be loved back."
Xibalba jerked his arm away from the pushy woman, but nevertheless he glanced at her in curiosity. "Judging by that tone of voice, I can tell you had a romantic disillusion in the past, am I right?"
La Noche looked away, and much to his surprise, a few tears formed in her eyes. "I'm sorry, it's just…. So painful to remember…"
His features softened up a bit. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
"It's okay, really… I did have a man I loved once… I adored him, he was my whole life."
"What happened to him?"
"My best friend stole him from me."
Xibalba nearly felt his heart stop. He never imagined such a beautiful, good-looking Goddess as La Noche would be turned down for another. Not that he found her too much attractive; sure, she was pretty, but his La Muerte… was his La Muerte.
"Sorry for that…" Xibalba whispered at the Goddess, placing a hand on her shoulder, the ice in his voice melting down a bit.
La Noche was relishing this moment internally, when she felt his hand touch her after a very long time, but she contained the urge to hug him. It would ruin her progress. She knew the dark god, it took anyone a good while to earn his trust, let alone his friendly side.
"Don't worry…" La Noche replied, wiping her tears with her hands. "Like you said, it's all in the past now."
Still, Xibalba couldn't help but feel sorry for the Goddess. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to show her around Aztlan, at least while he and La Muerte went to Xochiquétzal's place. "Say, La Noche… has anyone shown you around Aztlan yet? If you'd like, I can give you a small… tour."
La Noche looked curiously at him. "Don't you mind? I wouldn't like to cause you trouble with your wife-"
"She told me to keep you company, anyway, so I wouldn't actually go against her petition."
La Noche nodded slowly, smiling a bit, blushing. "If you say so, my lord."
Xibalba nodded. She may be a pushy woman, but she had manners. La Noche was disappointed that he had put on his earlier mask of formality, but said nothing as she followed Xibalba out of the gardens.
"This is the ballroom?" Veneno looked around, examining the large room with ivory pillars and marble floor tiles of creamy and golden colors swirling with each other. Like the rest of the castle, there wasn't a single stain of dirtiness anywhere. Right now, the servants were decorating the ballroom for the upcoming ball.
"Yes. It's especially beautiful when there's a masquerade." La Muerte smiled when she remembered the countless parties and balls she had come to with her husband, and in thinking all the parties they would bring their child to.
"I wouldn't like to be intrusive in your personal life, milady, but… I could tell your husband didn't like the idea of me spending time with you."
"Don't worry about Xibalba, he's always been like that. But I still love him. He's very tender and loving, he has always been like that with me."
"You know him pretty well, it seems."
"We've known each other since childhood. He was my best friend, he still is, even though he does get on my nerves sometimes." La Muerte sighed. "But other than that, we're very happy together."
Veneno glanced down at her abdomen, and noticed she had placed her arms upon the bump. "Looks like you're very excited about your baby."
La Muerte smiled tenderly as she looked down at her tummy, and stroked it gently, as if it was the most cherished treasure in the whole universe. "Yes. I can't wait until our little one is born, we've tried for so many millennia…"
"And yet this is your firstborn? I might have assumed you would have had children already."
He noted a mood change in his beloved. La Muerte grew silent, and her smile disappeared; her eyes were tearing up. Oh, no, had he touched a sensitive topic? He had to fix this. "I'm sorry, lo siento mucho, I didn't mean to-"
"N-No, don't worry, it's just…" La Muerte took a hand to her lips as her eyes teared up. "This is not my first… pregnancy…"
"What do you mean?" Veneno inquired in confusion, but softly.
"A few years after we married, we conceived a child…" the Goddess sobbed. "…I was eight and a half months pregnant when labor came too early… We… We were so happy… until they told us the baby… he… his heart wasn't beating …" La Muerte wept and nearly collapsed on the floor, but Veneno caught her. "Years of trying, then hope, then…" she choked.
"I'm so sorry, milady."
"I had failed… I failed him… I failed to give him…" La Muerte placed her hand on her abdomen. "I had failed to give him the children we wanted…" She could still remember that day; how Xibalba wept with her for the loss of their baby, the days, months and even years of martyrdom and pain they went through. She even recalled the other gods' whispers and doubts that she and Xibalba could ever conceive again.
"Don't say that." Veneno took her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. "You are not to blame for what happened. What matters now is that life is giving you a new chance, and you should enjoy it." Veneno glanced down at her unborn child.
"B-But I'm scared… Xibalba is afraid too, though he won't show it. What if something happens-?"
"No. Nothing is going to happen. You're going to have a beautiful, pretty little baby, and you're going to make it very happy."
La Muerte looked up at Veneno with still teary eyes. "You really think so?"
"I'm sure of it."
Veneno held La Muerte's shoulders and both stared at each other's eyes for what felt like hours, before La Muerte managed to regain her composure, and she stepped back from him, her gaze casted downwards. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't bother you with my problems."
"Don't worry, señora mía, you can count on me." Veneno gave her a reassuring smile.
La Muerte couldn't help but smile back at him; the serpentine god felt his heart soar when her eyes regained their shine.
"Shall we continue, milady?"
The two hours passed rather quickly. Veneno and La Muerte were the first to arrive, but found no trace of Xibalba just yet; the Goddess sighed and rested her back against the wall, glancing at the opposite corridor, waiting for any sign of her husband. She knew he disliked Xochiquétzal, but not this much.
"Looks you'll have to see Lady Xochiquétzal by yourself, I'm afraid." Veneno shook his head.
"Don't worry, he'll come. He' never skip a date with me, not if he doesn't want to sleep in the couch." La Muerte giggled at this.
"He is not the social type, is he?"
"Not really, he has always been the lonely type. But once you get to know him, you realize he's actually a good friend in his own way."
"Yeah. I bet." Veneno tried to hide his spite wherever her eyes lit up when she spoke about Xibalba. "Makes me wish I had a woman like you in my life."
La Muerte was both surprised and flattered by the compliment. "Are you not married?"
"I'm afraid not. I did have a woman in my life, though, but…" Veneno felt his eyes tearing up but he quickly contained it. "She fell in love with another."
La Muerte just couldn't believe someone would reject such a charming, good-hearted man. She took his hand in comfort. "Sorry."
"Don't worry, milady. I'm sure I'll find another good woman soon enough. But if I do, I wish it she were like you."
The goddess couldn't help but blush; good, it was a good start, maybe if he kept going like this, he would win her heart back in no time. However, before he could continue feeding her sweet words and indirect flirts, an annoyed cough called their attention. Veneno and La Muerte glanced at the direction of the cough to see who had arrived; the latter was glad to see him, while the former was cursing his luck.
"Am I interrupting something?" Xibalba inquired with a frown, but it was only directed at Veneno.
"I hope my brother is not causing you trouble, milady." La Noche shook her head at Veneno, but the serpentine god looked away in annoyance.
"No, not really, my friend." La Muerte couldn't help but feel bothered by how La Noche was holding unto Xibalba's arm. And he didn't seem to have anything against it. "You have a very polite brother, I must say."
Xibalba noticed his wife's eyes were slightly puffy; had she been crying? He'd have to ask her before going to bed, but for the moment he just released his arm from La Noche's grasp and took La Muerte's hand tenderly. "Well, mi amor, let's get this over with. The sooner we are done with this, the sooner we can get away from this woman."
La Muerte rolled her eyes, but nevertheless smiled. "Ay, Balby."
When they closed the door shut, La Noche approached Veneno warily, making sure there was no one around. "That was good. Xibalba didn't like the way she was holding your hand."
"How much time will this take?!" Veneno hissed in low voice. "I hate everytime my Muertita speaks wonders of that tar head!"
"It's only two days until the ball, by then Xibalba should be doubtful of his wife, that's when we'll strike."
Veneno groaned in frustration, before hearing a yell of shock, anger and surprise coming from within the room. It wasn't too obvious who it came from.
"XOCHIQUÉTZAL!"