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Positioned between Chiapa and the king, Ximena found herself back at the palace. The queen scowled, while the king appeared eager. Upon their return, the queen demanded Ximena recount the entire night. Ximena complied, but thereafter, remained silent, cautious not to further upset the queen.
The queen carefully placed Maya on her bed, removing the Eagle Claw mask with exasperation. "Ay, for the gods' sake, Maya. You're fortunate Ximena prevented anything worse."
The king chuckled, reassuring, "I'm sure she'll be fine." The queen, focused on Maya's dislocated shoulder, questioned, "And what about her dislocated shoulder, hm?" The king nervously suggested waiting for the healers, but the queen, dissatisfied, groaned and promptly snapped Maya's arm back into place. Chiapa, Ximena, and the king winced at the audible pop.
Maya's eyes shot open, and she screamed, "I didn't sneak out to the fighting pits with Ximena, I swear!" The queen hugged her daughter. "Ay, Maya, we were so worried. You could have died in that ring if it weren't for Ximena." The king, eager to know the outcome, asked, "Did you both win?" His excitement faded when the queen shot him a glare, leaving him in awkward silence.
He leaned toward Ximena, raising an eyebrow. Ximena concealed a smile as she whispered, "We won." They shared a triumphant fist bump. Maya, wearing a fake smile, stammered, "Oh, Mama, I was trying—You know, I was trying to win that gold for the orphanage." The teca queen sighed. "Don't use those kids as an excuse. You were fighting for nothing more than glory."
"Nothing sweeter than glory!" the king exclaimed, causing the queen's expression to drop. Maya nodded vigorously with a grin. Ximena cleared her throat, giving the king a subtle kick to the ankle to silence him. He quickly lowered his raised arms, adding, "Which is not the right thing to think. Obviously." The queen groaned again, massaging her temples. "Mija, I've dreamt of your coronation for 15 years."
Maya declared, "I don't wanna be like you. A... A diplomat who does nothing but sit around talking while the warriors get to have epic adventures," sliding off her bed.
"Is that what you think I do?"
"Um, yeah."
The king placed his hand on the queen, advising, "Maya, respect your mother." The princess rolled her eyes, turning away. "Mama, what happened to you? You were a warrior once. You trained me to fight, even Ximena," Maya questioned. Ximena stood alongside Chiapa, her eyes widening as the family glanced in her direction, prompting her to rub the side of her neck nervously.
The queen retorted, "So you could protect yourself, not fight in the pits! Ximena was already trained, but I trained her even more because she's your personal guard, mija." Maya sighed, shrugging off her mother's arm. "It's the closest thing I'll ever get to being—a true Eagle Warrior. It's not fair that my brothers get to go on epic quests, but I have to stay cooped up in a palace because... because I'm a princess."
