Chapter 9

Altulay placed the cup on the table that separated her from the man, not failing to notice that her father would be the great sun, but diplomacy was indisputably not her forte; she knew her immeasurable power and would not fail to use it even in the slightest.

-- Who wishes my father to be the husband of my daughter Xixata,?" --said the princess calmly.

The Other narrowed his eyes. Sighing to himself.

This princess wasn't messing around either, genius and figure,--he thought, so he normally told her.

--Her sacred father, so desirous of the welfare of .........---she cut off his speech, as his words crashed against the princess's raised hand.

--The name?"-- she appealed without looking at the man, so that he could not see the cold rage that crossed her face. The great Sun was meddling in matters that were none of his absolute business. It was a take the straw off my shoulder.... Give me a chance.

--Well,"-- said the ambassador, taking a breath and looking at the expression of the princess, ---"her sacred father, because of the sacred importance of his daughter Altulay, wants Xixata to be the third wife of Tepsup, subaltern prince, governor emeritus of the Titicaca regions.

---Never;--said the princess categorically, without being able to remove the cold face of fury---- I will never give a direct descendant of the Great Sun and of the Supreme Cacique of the Chibcha Peoples to a prince without category.

--Reflect, our mother;---- the ambassador pleaded in anguish....Tepsup is rising like foam in the main court. He has filled himself with glory in the last expeditions against the Mapuches and Araucanos out there in the cold pampa and the southern desert. ---Continued the conciliatory man, while he saw that the other did not give up her attitude. The cold and dangerous arrogance characteristic of all Capacs.

---My daughter is the daughter of a king, although she will never be able to rule in this kingdom and in my father's, she is still a sacred and precious royal princess. At least she will be second wife of a king or first wife of a high priest.

--I cannot take that answer to our sacred father. He does not expect to hear this," --replied the man with a slight tone of distress.

-- I cannot insult my husband with such a barbarity,"-- replied the woman indignantly.

--You forget mother, our sister, that you are an Inca," --said the man, choking.

--Because I do not forget it and I have very present who I am, I cannot allow myself to lower my daughters to that humiliation. It is not because of the Chibchas. It is precisely because of my Incas that I cannot accept. I fail to understand how my lord father very mysteriously sometimes does not know how to differentiate between a King, a subaltern prince, a cacique and a subaltern cacique.

11

IV

Xixata had been delirious in the arms of Son of the Condor. They had loved each other wildly, being slaves and kings of each other, with a fierce delicacy that had left them exhausted, with the uncertainty that it would always be the last time and the awareness of committing a dangerous sin.

-- You drive me crazy. We pass more and more limits. You don't slow down, you don't measure dangers. Even though I take care of myself, I could get pregnant. What would we say? What would we do? How could you think of standing in front of my father in the council and ask to marry us," --said the young woman to her beloved's face.

--He did not answer.-- He just kissed that sensual mouth in front of him.

--I can't help it my love, my spirit loses its sanity when I see you. You were the object of all the comments at the council. If I'm honest, I spent a lot of time contemplating you, I don't really remember what it was all about.

---It's not what was said. It's what wasn't said," --the girl explained.

--I know,"-- looking anxiously at the girl's face, ---"it's the future of the kingdom. The marriages of the king's daughters.

---And my early death---she said, looking seriously at the young man.----- when the one to whom I am given discovers that I am not a virgin and publicly repudiates me.

--No one will touch you,"--- said the young man with conviction.

--!Oh yes!!, and what will you do, foolish warrior? ----

--We will flee to the green hell. We will seek asylum in the Yupka villages. If not, we will walk northward until one day we reach the lands of the mighty Maya lords.

--Look how lively you are," ---said the young woman with a kiss, ---"you want to make a fool of yourself to the kingdom of the Olmecs and from there to the great Aztec Empire, where the Aztec princesses are the most beautiful women in the world.

---Okay, that's fine. We will not do that, I see we have a jealous jaguar here, what we will do is to present ourselves before Saba Tamac and I will tell her that ....... I am yours.

--My father would kill you with his bare hands, then he would kill my mother and myself," --the young woman told him, instantly worried by such a crazy idea.

--- Bah! I don't think Saba Tamac would do that. I rather think she would marry us off at once.

---he won't do it,--said the young woman fatalistically, aware of her father's nebulous plans--------This is hopeless, there is no way out, what's worse, we are not taking care of ourselves.