The Bloodless Girl

Chapter Five

The palace of the high lord was quite old; Centuries old as a matter of fact, despite many new buildings have been added to it during the timeframe. In one of the palace's older, bigger rooms, the high king K'atun Tzabcan was in the middle of having a feast with his family and studying a scrawny girl who stood trembling by the doorway. By his side, his prized successor Ocuil was muttering in his ear.

"Imagine the glory she could bring to El Tazumal. It's been years since we have a blast of a successful tepētl quester, and two hundred years since an Yucatec had the honor."

"True," Tzabcan nodded in agreement. "But this girl doesn't look like she'll break the mile. She's a thin girl, Ocuil. I've seen more muscle on an axolotl."

Ocuil held back a snicker, then smile at his teacher playfully. "You mustn't say such things. Sarach may have the look of a weakling, but she is the daughter of Tetatzin and she plans to quest to the great tepētl. For that, she deserves the honor of respect."

"Apologies," Tzabcan grinned, then glanced upon his wife for her thoughts.

"The girl may be Tetatzin's biggest disappointment," Cualtzin sneered. "But she is his daughter. If we dismiss her immediately, The Milpa family will take it as an insult to their great name. We should let her quest."

"But she's so... weak," Tzabcan protested. "We'd be sending her to the Xibalba gods."

"But she would die with honor intact, despite her status," cualtzin replied. "If she remains, what sort of person will she become to be? A teacher? A farmer? That's no life for the daughter of a great ball player. Tetatzin will thank us for this. The girl has always been an embarrassment since her birth. With our help, she can redeem herself and die for the glory of the Yucatec."

"And what if she returns in a couple months, comes back but nothing but her shame?" Tzabcan asked.

"Then she will be sacrificed. She'll soon be forgotten anyway if we let her go," cualtzin answered calmly.

Tzabcan wavered. He wasn't sure if Tetatzin would be thankful for sending one of his children to her death, despite her reputation. But if she was rejected, Sarach would be humiliated, which in many ways was unhonorable.

"Very well," Tzabcan said after a brief sigh. "Bring her forward."

After a brief hesitation, Sarach walked forward. She couldn't believe what she was about to do. This morning she had been thinking only of bullying Moctezuma. Now she stood here, facing the king, asking for permission to quest that would certainly lead to her death.

Yoltlamatqui Tlacoti walked close beside his young mistress, head bowed. He held no fear in his fear, for he had accepted his fate and would follow wherever it led him to.

Sarach stopped opposite of the presence of the king. After a brief bow of respect, she placed her trembling hands together and said, "Thank you for welcoming me into your beloved home, my lord." Her voice didn't stutter, and for that, she did a silent but grateful thank you to Itzamna, the God of wisdom.

"It's a pleasure," Tzabcan said. "Ocuil has often spoken of you, for he values you highly. When I heard that you were here, I thought you had come to ask to be his wife."

Ocuil's eyes flashed a glare. Tzabcan pretended to cough, so he could cover his mouth and hide his mouth. He knew what game his successor was playing- he cared nothing about this girl and only wanted her to die in his honor. If the event she did survived, he would make her his personal slave. By claiming he had an interest in this scrawny girl, he had taken him down a peg or two.

Sarach glanced at Ocuil. Even if she disliked the boy, the fact that he talked highly of her made her believe she had some amount of respect and honor in the royal hall. For this, her confidence soared.