Maya and The Three

Chapter One - The Quinceanera

The grounds were quiet. Still. Apart from the ever-present, ever-hidden Tecca guards not a soul was in sight. Three shadows flitted across the ground. Each movement perfectly mimicked. Each individual part of a single unit. Working, moving, acting as one. The three shadows morphed into men as they emerged into the slow-approaching sun. Dressed head to toe in ceremonial armor and the traditional markings of the Kingdom of Tecca the Jaguar brothers stood facing the palace. Lance, Daggers and Shield surveyed their surroundings. They each clasped a package but that is where the similarity ended. Each package was ambiguously shaped and wrapped in materials ranging from practical to pretty.

A rustle caught their attention. A woman carrying a large wicker basket began descending the stairs into the courtyard. A servant of the Royal family they surmised. She was humming softly. It sounded vaguely familiar. The brothers slipped softly back into the shadows, hidden from sight once again. Almost. Shield, ever the clumsy, ever the punchline of the joke, retreated quicker than his mind could comprehend. In layman's terms, he tripped over his own feet. The woman turned her head slightly in their direction and a panicked Shield dove behind the nearest cover: a potted plant. A good idea if he hadn't been double the size of the plant. Not wanting to upset the beloved princes but too amused to hide her smile, the woman turned her head back around and laughed silently to herself. The brother's sighed with relief. Mission stealth? Success.

Once inside the palace (having been seen only by the woman and a few startled chickens) the brothers found their way to the training grounds. Their father stood with his back to his sons in the centre of the training arena. He was breathing deeply, slowly releasing the tension in his body. The king was more rock and earth and mountain than man. Years of battle and narrowly avoiding it in the volatile game of politics and diplomacy had left its marks. Scars, old and new, littered his body. They puckered and bleached and mottled him. Exhaustion ran so deep his skin seemed to sag off his skeleton, as if it too could not quite muster the energy to remain in place. Muscle rippled with every fractional movement. He was still, despite it all, a handsome man. If not in the traditional sense, in the way his mouth was blanketed by creases from endless smiling. In the way his eyes could not hide his kindness, his care, his intelligence. In the way he hugged a person as if they were more precious than life itself. "Papa! We have returned!" The King turned, grin already in place as he faced his three sons. "My Jaguars! Have you brought the packages?" It was the brothers' turn to grin. "Yes papa. We are returned and we are ready." He nodded. "Then it is time."

They marched through corridors and up stairs. The King leading his Jaguar warriors to battle. Only, unlike the somberness surrounding battle, the four men were whispering excitedly and laughing like children. At last they reached the door that spelled the end of their journey. The King turned to his sons. "On the count of three." They nodded. "Uno." They gripped their packages tighter. "Dos." They breathed in deeply. "Tres!" They rammed the door open, whooping and hollering as they went. "Happy Day of Coronation Maya!" All four men half shouted, half sang as they burst into the room. Their sister, the King's daughter, the Kingdom's princesa: Maya.

"My dearest sister Maya," Lance said, stepping toward her bed, "your brother Lance dove into the cursed ocean, narrowly escaping the Sea Beast to bring you this!" He paused for dramatic effect. "The Golden Pearl!" The duvet-entangled figure shifted and sighed but did not stir. His brothers chuckled slightly. "Daggers, go!" The King ordered. "Move aside!" Daggers stepped in front of his brother, hand on chest. "It is me, your brother Daggers! I invaded the burning pirate ship to fight the nefarious Bandit Queen and stole for you her jeweled earrings!" The thing on the bed turned over. Another round of chuckles, another order barked. "Shield, go!" "Amateurs." He sauntered over to the edge of the bed. "Your most courageous brother Shield went deep into the Cursed Forest, outran the Deadly Avalanche of Doom and brought you back this majestic, turquoise bird!" A sweet gesture, however in his eagerness to showcase his gift Shield tripped over the edge of the mat. The cage and its holder both crashed to the ground. The weak lock broke apart and the now angered bird buzzed out. The mighty warriors ducked and dived, seeking cover from the tiny, little blue bird.

"You're late." The tumble of man and bird froze. A tall woman with broad shoulders and long, plaited hair stood looking down at them. Her face, arms and hands were coated in traditional Tecca patterns painted in the Tecca Kingdom's colours: pink, yellow and blue. Her white dress billowed in the breeze and her narrowed eyes were sharper than any of their many weapons. "Mi amor, we were just-" "I'm not finished. Number one, you're late. Number two," she walked toward the bed and ripped the duvet off the huddled figure. A drowsy looking panthion cub lay, mewling softly. "Maya! She has been turned into a-" Lance started. "A panthion cub by a-" Daggers continued. "A witch!" Shield finished. Everyone stopped moving, stopped speaking. Exasperated sigh. "No. Train your sons in using common sense. Your daughter has been out all night. I suspect she is at the fighting grounds as we speak." The King tugged at his hair, grunting his frustrations. "MAYA!" The bird took off once again. "She is not here. On her Day of Coronation! Esta chica, ella me volvera loco! Find her and get her back here now." The Queen crossed her arms and glared at her husband. "Cálmate mi amor, she will be here on time for the ceremony. Ciapa!" The Queens body drooped. The weight of the stress and anxiety for the upcoming events finally making themselves known. The King gently, tenderly placed a hand on her shoulder. For the time being, she let him. "She has your rebel spark, mi amor, and my brutish nature." The Queen patted his hand. "Sí, that's what worries me."

"As for you three idiotas, you smell worse than the animals' stables in the middle of summer. Go get yourselves cleaned. Vamos!" The three brothers nodded and headed for the door. A peck on the cheek as they left was their penance to their mother for not realizing Maya had gone. "Where is that cat? Ciapa!" The King called again. Finally, the panthion stalked into the bedroom. He was twice the size of the bed. He was a proud cat, as they all are I suppose, and a fierce companion. He rolled onto his back and waited for the King to give him his daily belly rub. "Ciapa, you are a warrior! Act like it." The King's face had reddened ever so slightly. The Queen suppressed a small smile. Her husband indulged the cat, more so even than his own children. Ciapa growled, without malice, and slowly dragged himself to his feet. "Maya is missing-" "She is not missing. She is at the Fights. Find her and drag her back here. I do not care if she is willing or unwilling, kicking or screaming. She is not prophesied, she is not a warrior and she does not belong in a low level, scum-infested cesspit." The Queen locked eyes with the panthion. "Now." Ciapa growled once, low and menacing, then turned and began to run. "He will bring her back." The Queen released a sigh that embodied the word tired. She felt it within her bones. "I know but he shouldn't be bringing her back from anywhere. Her role in life is that of a diplomat. A politician. Not a warrior. The sooner she gets that through that thick skull of hers, the happier she will be."