Chapter 10

Hyalpeca was rotund for her age. She was the first wife of the worried Saba Tamac. She supposed that she could have greater rights for the future of the kingdom, in spite of so many years lived in the kingdom, she could not understand its complicated laws. Four daughters had been born, all of them in the likeness of herself, Tanda, Aixa, Thais, Mishacuat, all of them contemporary with their sisters, daughters of Altulay, older and younger by only a few months.

Hialpeca agreed with Altulay on the unfairness of the Chibcha laws that prevented the reign of her daughters; in that particular she was not selfish, for her both Xixata and Tanda had the right to sit on the throne of the Chibchas.

Moreover, she was fully aware that her daughter Tanda, additionally could go to claim rights on the throne of the Timotocuicas; therefore the situation broke the tranquility of things. The need to marry the princesses and the danger that this meant; definitely Saba Tamac liked to complicate things, they could marry Tanda with Son of the Condor and the others with anyone, what did it matter. The important thing was to get out of the engagement and that was it. The woman nibbled on toasted corn tortillas with extra hot sauce and looked at her eldest daughter, her thick, strong legs, wide hips, small waist, those huge breasts and that extremely round face, so typical of the Timotocuicas with that brown color typical of the hot lands. Tanda proclaimed that she would make a good wife and kept staring into the distance at the snow-capped mountains.

--You are not here," --said Hyalpeca to her daughter, looking at her analytically. Both continued to look into the distance and wrapping her poncho around her, she answered her mother.

--I am always here. But my heart asks the Gods parents not to punish me anymore and to remember me.

--Millions of women want to have your luck. You are the daughter of a most powerful King.

--And slave to the scorn of a man," --lamented the girl.

Hialpeca remained silent. Now she confirmed her suspicions. The demons of the flesh were biting her daughter. She too had been a victim of them, years before, when with quiet resignation she had been given to Saba Tamac, giving birth one by one to her daughters. In the end she had respected that good husband and father and was a little hurt that her daughter should suffer the same fate.

--No one can despise a princess,--said the mother-----. Let's see. Who is this wicked man? the owner of my daughter's anguish?

--A chieftain---sighed the girl, almost beginning to cry------, the most beautiful of all.

--But tell me who he is," --insisted the mother, knowing perfectly well who it was. She hugged her daughter protectively.

--Oh, mother! It's that wretch," --said the girl, hiding her face in her hands, full of shame, "--who neither looks at me, nor hears me, nor knows whether I am there or not. All the time he is behind Xixata, he breathes the air she breathes, kisses where she walks and acts like a jaguar cub when he is in front of her, without any kind of dissimulation.

-- But who is he?"-- the mother asked again, about to burst out laughing at so much nonsense.

--Ahhh!" --roared the girl, batting her eyelashes, --"it's that stupid guy, how I hate him, because he has driven me crazy and stolen my soul, it's that Son of the Condor.

Hialpeca ended up laughing.

--!!But how lucky are men!!---- said the princess mother ---that beautiful girls fight for their love.

--That is the worst thing. Xixata doesn't even know who that jerk is. The reality is that I'm ugly,"-- said the young girl fatalistically.

--But you are a princess and daughter of a king. Let me tell you that there is nothing ugly about you. You have a beautiful body, you are well educated and your face is the full moon of summer. And you can order to be married to whomever you wish. For me, Xixata is the ugly one," --the woman explained to reassure her daughter.

--But without knowing it, she is the queen of his heart,---said the other, holding on to her initial distress.

--Not for long. You'll see,"-- the mother finished.

Hours later Xixata walked through the beautiful and illuminated corridors of her pleasant palace, where the power of the chibchas emanated and saw in the middle of the aerial gardens the Deja Vu...the dimension of her sin .... and the certainty that something supernatural was certainly indicating that her love would be the cause of an indecipherable and inevitable destiny....

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 soon death---She told him, 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 immediately.

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 soon death---She told him, 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 immediately.

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

-I don't want to take care of myself. I want a son of our own," the young man said bravely.

They embraced; Xixata began to cry in the arms of the Condor's son. She cried with happiness and fear.