Against All Odds
Chapter 17- Epilogue
It was sunny, which they thought was not a proper climate for a funeral.
Much to the other gods' surprise, Xibalba and La Muerte wished to give both Víbora and Aimé a proper burial, they didn't want them to turn into lost souls that would forever roam the realms. The gods were congregated in the main courtyard, where there were already two pyres, with Aimé and Víbora's bodies on top of each. Quetzalcóatl started with the rites.
"Brothers and sisters, we're reunited to say goodbye to our brethren, Aimé and Víbora. Although in life they committed many mistakes, we shall never forget their more innocent days, when we were happy to call them our friends."
La Muerte held her child closer to her chest and kept her gaze on her, stroking her cheek gingerly. Xibalba could barely walk, but he wanted to be present, and so he stood next to his wife, leaning unto a limp with his healthy arm, a wing wrapped around La Muerte protectively.
Quetzalcóatl created two fireballs and threw them towards the pyres, watching as the dry wood caught the fire and it extended to the rest of the wood, before the bodies were engulfed by the flames.
All the while, Víbora's body was still smiling, at peace in death.
Two weeks later
"Come on, mi florecita. Smile for papi."
Marigold simply stared up at her father with wide eyes, following the crow doll with a bell inside he shook above her little head. Xibalba didn't give up, however, he shook the stuffed crow above her head and tickling her feet, but she simply made gurgling sounds and opened and closed her little mouth.
"She's only two weeks old, Xibalba, she won't smile until she's a bit older." La Muerte sighed, staring a the scene from her rocking chair before glancing back down to continue knitting the little pink shoes.
"It doesn't mean I can't try." Xibalba replied simply.
Most of his wounds had healed, but he still used the splint on his wing and the sling on his arm. It had been two weeks since they returned to the Land of the Remembered, and their child was received with a huge fiesta. Things had been very peaceful, thankfully, and their baby was healthy. Marigold was on top of the bed, over her little pink blanket.
"Come on, sweetie, just a little smile." He continued, smiling down at her, but sighed when she simply stuck out her little pink tongue at him.
La Muerte smiled and placed her knitting needles on her decorative table and walked towards her bed, sitting down next to her daughter. "Give her a break, my love. You're getting her bored."
"Fine, I guess we'll have to wait a little longer."
"You don't have to be so impatient, Xibalba, she'll eventually smile."
"I'm sorry, mi amor, it's just I'm excited."
Marigold wiggled a bit when her mother picked her up from bed, but she snuggled into her embrace and gurgled small saliva bubbles. La Muerte smiled and wiped her saliva with her blanket.
"Damn it, I want to hold her so badly…." Xibalba whined, sitting down on bed too.
"You'll be able to hold her in a few more weeks, Balby, don't worry."
"But I can't stand watching other people hold her while I can't for my stupid arm-" Suddenly his arm stung harshly and he clutched it with his healthy arm. La Muerte grew alarmed.
"Are you okay, Xibalba?"
"I'm okay, mi amor… Just a scratch… That's all…" Xibalba stroked his daughter's cheek with a finger, and smiled when she cooed and grabbed his finger. "Aww… You're such a cutie, aren't you? Who's a good girl?"
"I'm glad she's okay…" La Muerte planted a kiss on her baby's forehead.
"I can't wait till she learns how to walk."
"Me neither. There so many things we could do together…"
Xibalba kissed his wife's cheek gently. "I love you, mi corazón."
"Ay, Balby…"
As the two leaned in for a kiss, Marigold squealed in protest and clapped her little hands. Much to her parents' surprise, the corners of her lips started twitching upwards, as if she were trying to…
"Come on, mi florecita, you can to it!" Xibalba laughed.
"You're almost there, mi chiquita!" La Muerte encouraged her baby to continue.
Marigold glanced up at her parents with her first, gummy smile and a gurgle that they interpreted as a giggle. Xibalba's eyes swelled up with tears.
"Xibalba, are you crying?" La Muerte giggled.
"No. It's liquid pride, it's a completely different thing, my dear." The dark god sniffled. When Marigold reached out for him, he started to gently take her form her mother's arms.
"Xibalba, what are you doing? Your arm-"
"I'm not breaking down, my love, I just want to hold my child for a little bit at least."
With a bit of effort, Xibalba managed to hold Marigold in his healthy arm without disturbing the other, and watched as she wiggled and fidgeted with his beard curiously. "Mi pequeñita…"
La Muerte leaned closer to her husband, and rested her head un his shoulder. The both of them were looking lovingly at their child as she let out a big yawn and buried her face into her father's chest to take her nap.
This new phase of their lives, full of hope, had just begun.