Tikal: A place of Voices

The chief priest dressed in the fur of a jet black jaguar rose his arms to the crowd.  The multitude of people resounded in turn, screaming and yelling.  The noise seemed to rock the very foundation of the stone temple that he stood atop.  Sitting atop his head was a tall round headdress that gave the impression that he was feet taller than he was.

Waiting for him at the top of the pyramid was a dirty man stripped of all of his clothes except a single piece of cloth that wrapped around his waist and back up between his legs.  The man was surrounded by four other men each with a headdress just slightly smaller than the chief priest.

The man that stood in the middle wrung his hands and seemed to rock back and forth.  His skin was dirty and his ribs protruded through his skin.  It was apparent to everyone there that he had not eaten much in the past couple of weeks.  He was as brave as one could expect for someone that was about to have his heart removed from his chest.

Chak Tok Ich’aak or Great Jaguar Paw, appeared in all his glory at the top of the steps of the tallest temple.  His colorful headdress weighed down on his neck and shoulders.  The bright robe that he had draped around his back and chest was covered in jade and obsidian.  Around his waist he had a obsidian knife with an ornately carved handle telling of his coming into power.

Great Jaguar Paw was the king of his glorious city.  Not only was he king, he was considered a demi-god by the ten thousand people that now sat and stood below him.   From his vantage point he could see the edges of his powerful city.  The mighty stone temples graced the land shone in red and grey.  They were proof of his city’s greatness.  Tikal was his city, so the city was also then undeniable evidence that he, Great Jaguar Paw, was, and will be the greatest in all of the land.

Great Jaguar Paw turned to the chief priest and nodded.  Then he turned to the crowd that had now gone completely silent as they awaited the words from their noble king.

“Oh people of Tikal.  Do you see this man that stands here before you?  Do you recall what it was that he attempted to do?  Do you remember how he tried and failed to overthrow your king?”

Great Jaguar Paw moved closer to the dirty man and his guards.

“Do you remember what the punishment for treason is? Yes, he must pay the ultimate price.  However, he will also become a grand gift to our most benevolent gods.”

Great Jaguar Paw took a few steps back and motioned for the chief priest to continue.  The second most powerful man in the kingdom approached the prisoner and began chanting under his breath.

Ixchel watched as her father the king stood back and took in the whole of his kingdom.  She had seen fifteen summers now and this was the first time she had seen her father personally oversee a sacrifice like this.  Great Jaguar Paw had obviously been startled by the attempt on his life.

She could still see his face the night after her father nearly escaped a knife in the chest.  He had stomped around the palace all night long.  She could recall the sound of stone being thrown against the wall.  Ixchel’s mother told her then, that Great Jaguar Paw had not been scared to die.  It was anger against those in the kingdom who had dared defy the God here on Earth.

Ixchel continued to watch as the priest began to pray and talk to the god of Sacrifice.  The chief priest was performing this offering to the Gods completely as was expected.  She had seen this many times.  They often let the blood of prisoners flow down the steep steps of the temples.

Without  a word the four men grasped the prisoner in the middle and pulled him off of his feet, and onto the ground laying him on his back.  Now the man’s bravery was beginning to weaken and he started to squirm out of the four men’s grasp.

Each of the men had arms like tree trunks and each held a limb of the writhing man.  Ixchel couldn’t hear what the prisoner was saying, but she could tell that he was desperately pleading with the men atop the temple.

The chief priest unsheathed a knife that looked much like the one that Great Jaguar Paw had strapped to his thigh.  The dark obsidian blade shimmered in the light of the sun as the priest raised it high above his head.

A strong hand come down on Ixchel’s shoulder and spun her around.  “What do you think you are doing here young lady?”

Ixchel turned and faced the man behind the hand.  He was a head taller than her and about four years older.  He was also waiting until the day that he could marry her.  Balam had been chosen when Ixchel was born to be her husband.  Balam’s parents were family friends of Ixchel’s mother and father.  They all counted the days until Ixchel’s father would give the ok, and the two love birds would be married.

Ixchel flinched as she heard the screams of the man on top of the temple.  She watched Balam’s face instead of turning around.  She already knew what was happening.  She also knew that it was an important part of their gift to the gods.

Balam closed his eyes and nodded.  He said, “they have the man’s heart out now.  The chief priest is showing it to the gods and now your father.  Now he is showing it to the crowd.”

Ixchel could hear the crowd yell and chant to the beat of the drums in the background.   Balam spoke again.  “Now it’s your father’s turn.”

Ixchel turned to see her parents take part in the ritual.  Her father stepped forward and unsheathed his knife.  Slowly he slid the blade of his weapon across the skin of his forearm. Ixchel couldn’t see the thin red running from the wound, but she saw the chief priest move to catch the falling blood with a small square of cloth.  Her mother repeated the same ritual, dripping her blood onto a separate cloth.

The chief priest placed the two squares in a small bowl full of ashes.  The squares burst into flames for the whole city to witness.  That signaled the end of the sacrifice.

Then the mass of people seemed to move on cue in the direction of the ball court.  It was tradition after a sacrifice that a ball game be played `representing the eternal fight between light and darkness, good and evil.

Sometimes the games were played as a real competition between players fighting to win the game and good graces of the ruling class.  Other times though, the games were merely an extension of the sacrifices.  There was a winner and loser, but the losers always lost more than just the game.  The captain of the losing team usually was bound into a ball, then rolled down the stone steps of a large temple.

Ixchel usually didn’t care for the games.  The sport was just a bunch of men running after a hard rubber ball. This time however, was different.  Balam took her hand and gave it a quick squeeze.

“Wish me luck.”

Ixchel squeezed right back.  “You don’t need luck, the gods are on your side.”

Balam smiled, then ran off.  It was the first time that he was permitted to play in a public game.  It was  a great honor to be allowed onto the I shaped field to play.  He wasn’t in any real danger.  He wasn’t skilled enough to be a team captain, plus his in-laws would never let his life be put into jeopardy.  He was just too valuable alive to Ixchel, and the future of the dynasty.

That didn’t keep the shiver from climbing her spine as Ixchel watched her future husband run off to the wide open area to prepare for the ball game.  They had been determined to marry since she was a baby by the best diviner in the kingdom.  She didn’t know what she would do if he was hurt, of worse.

Ixchel made her way to the royal seats to sit at watch the game.  The king’s family sat in the center of the I where they could get the best view of all of the action.  Soon Ixchel’s mother sat next to her.  Akna was younger than her husband by a decade, but just as quick witted and involved in the affairs of the kingdom as her husband.

Akna snaked her arm around her daughter’s waist and pulled her close. “So, how do you think Balam is going to do his first time in front of a crowd?”

Ixchel shrugged.  “He is a very good ball player, but it is his first time in front of this many people.  I will be proud of him if he scores a single goal.”

“Has he been working on his elbows?  I know that was his weak spot last time I saw him play.”

Ixchel smiled.  She liked it when her mother took an interest in her life.  It wasn’t very often that Akna had a free moment to spend with her daughter, but when she did Ixchel was the center of her world.  Ixchel thought, that was why her mother was such a successful woman in the community.

Ixchel’s father stood next to his sitting wife and motioned at the players that they could begin.  A trumpet sounded signaling the start of the game.  The hollowed stalk of an agave plant reverberated a low continuous note sounding almost animal.  The ball was thrown to the middle of the court and the two teams collided fighting for the ball.

Her father spoke immediately, though not to her.  She couldn’t help but overhear.

“The man that was executed today wasn’t the only traitor in our kingdom.  Before he was executed he told the guards that there was an uprising coming.  He said that the people were gathering and that the end of my rein was near.”

Akna shook her head.  “That was just the desperate mumblings of a man that was on his way to the executioner.  They mean nothing.”

Great Jaguar Paw place his hand on his wife’s.  “I wish dear.  It seems that the group that was exiled last year has been gaining support here at home.  I believe that man’ last words.  We must act quickly, I’m just not sure yet the best way to act.”

Akna squeezed her husband’s hand.  “How were you to know that those traitors would return?  By all rights they should have left here peacefully never to return.  You gave them their lives, what more could those ungrateful peasants want?”

“They want the kingdom.  They want Tikal.”

The crowd yelled and whistled.  Ixchel focused back on the game that she was supposed to be paying attention to.  Balam ran away from the goal with his hands in the air.  Apparently he had scored a goal, and the crowd had loved it.

Ixchel thought back to what her father had said about the traitors.  She remembered the day when her gentle father had spared the lives of some two-hundred settlers from the city of Teotihuacan.  They had first arrived a few years earlier and asked for a place to live and the chance to be a part of Tikal’s growing influence.

Great Jaguar Paw graciously gave them their own piece of land and included them as if they were natives to the land.  Then some of the immigrants dissented rebelling against the king.  He couldn’t have the division in his land, so he commanded them to leave.  They did, but not all took the order well.  Obviously some still held a grudge against her father.

Akna pointed at the court and Ixchel followed her mother’s finger.  Balam raced through the opposing teams players bumping the ball back and forth between his feet, elbows, and head.  He broke from the crowd, took careful aim and gave the hard ball a solid knock with his elbow.  The ball sailed in the air and through the round hoop at the opponents side of the court.  Balam had scored another goal for his team.

Ixchel blushed as Balam blew a kiss in her direction.  Her mother elbowed her in the ribs as she spoke.  “It seems my dear that he has been working on his game.”

Balam scored two more points in the game leading his team to a victory.  The losing team captain walked to the top temple dignified and without an escort.  He knew what was going to happen once he reached the top, yet he held is head high.

Ixchel and her mother left before the sacrifice had been completed.  There was much to do in preparation for the feast that was to conclude this holy day. Besides, she had seen it all before.

As the sun began to rest behind the tall trees, the lamps were lit in the royal palace.  The Triangular passages between houses seemed to glow yellow and red from the yellow torches and red paint that adorned all of the palace walls.

Large woven mats were spread in the center yard of the stone palace.  In the center was placed mountains of food for the guests.  A stack of maize tortillas and two bowls one with cooked black beans the other with green round fruit called avocado sat in the center. Some liked to mash the fruit and add chili peppers and tomatoes.  Great Jaguar Paw preferred the avocado without any extras, so his family and associates did as well.

The guests to the royal gathering began to file in, each taking thier seat by families on the woven mats.  Once all were seated the cooks began to fill the courtyard with the rest of the food.  They brought out sliced pumpkin, baskets of peppers and tomatoes.  A woman walked out with a ceramic plate heaped with steaming tamales.

Turkey and dog meat made it to every mat.  There was food from the ocean and northern areas too.  Occasionally a cactus leaf or a potato would be enjoyed as well.  They all ate filling their bellies and relaxing on their elbows letting their stomachs expand. They ate as if there was nothing in the world to worry about.  As if nothing else mattered.

When all were finished, large clay goblets were passed around.  The server then went from mat to mat filling the goblets with a steaming, bitter, beverage.  Hot chocolate was a favorite at the end of a meal.

Once the chocolate had been served Great Jaguar Paw stood on his feet and asked for the guests attention.  “If I may I would be honored to start the traditional debate after the feast.  This one I would like to direct at my beautiful daughter Ixchel.”  Great Jaguar Paw stood erect waiting for his daughter to respond.

She was schooled the art of debate, but she had never publicly participated in one and  certainly never with her father.  She knew the rules well enough, but her hand still shook as she stood.

“Yes father I am here.  What is the topic of your choosing?”

Chak Tok Ich’aak the king in his full headdress and ceremonial robes turned to his daughter of only fifteen summers.

“Daughter.  What of this life?  Why would we continue with the awful, horrible existence.  Are we not daily bombarded by the winds that cut our skin like the obsidian blades that hang on our belts?  Does the sun not burn our faces like the fire that we sweeten out meat with?”

“Do our women not endure all manner of suffering to bring our children into this awful place?  We war against our neighbors from time to time in order to keep our homes and land safe.  Only to last a short time, returning generation after generation to fight and die in the fields and forests.”

“Every day we work our fingers and hands to the bone only to have enough food to live until the next day.  We fight against the jaguar and the puma and the other great and evil things in this world so that might only suffer one more day.  Is this existence?  Is this life?  Is this all there is?”

Ixchel swallowed hard.  This was not going to be easy, but her father had been kind and had brought a common subject to debate on.

She spoke in a clear and dignified voice.  “Father, how is it possible that you have not seen the reason for our existence?  For it is all around us, in the air that we breathe to the tamales that we eat.  Is not the very existence of an earth, the sky above and the soil beneath, a reason to live.  Is there not joy in family and seeing that family grow and give respect to you?

“You say that life is fruitless.  I say that life is but a tree full of the hard braches that lead only to the flowers and fruit that we find all around us.  For there is joy and happiness after the jaguar had left.  We must toil to eat our sustenance, but what wonderful foods we have been given.”

She motioned to the little scraps of food that were left on the mats. “What of the spice of the pepper?  And the wonderful creamy flesh of the avocado and the squash?  Are these not worth living for?  Are not all of these difficulties in life to give us experience?  Will these things that we learn here in this mortal cycle not serve us in the cycles to come?”

Ixchel sat down to demonstrate that she was finished.  Whistles and shouts rang out when she was finished.  Her mother patted her arm and smiled.  Ixchel had done well.  They might be carrying on because she was the king’s daughter, but she knew from the look of her mother that she had done well.

She stole a glance at the mat next to theirs.  Balam was smiling as well, a broad grin that she could read like a book.  She had done well.

Great Jaguar Paw bowed in defeat, then dismissed the guest for the evening.  He too was beaming with pride.  His only heir and her future husband would make  fantastic replacements for him and his wife on the throne. First the victory at the games, then this.  It was all too surreal.

As the last family was leaving a man wormed his way through toward the king.  He was escorted by the royal guard.  Ixchel recognized him. He was one of the scouts that had the misfortune of keeping watch over the jungle for invading armies and intruders.

The man could hardly walk on his own.  His face was dripping in sweat.  Mud caked his bare chest and legs.  He spoke between deep inhales, desperately trying to catch his ever escaping breath.

He bowed his head as he spoke.  “Your greatness, Great Jaguar Paw.  I have come as quickly as I could.”

“Speak my faithful servant.”

“Your greatness, an army has just left Waka.  They are headed this way.  They will be here by tomorrow most certainly.  Your greatness, the army is very large.

Great Jaguar Paw stood there motionless.  To the crowd that was still in the courtyard the great king was unaffected by the news.  To his closest friends and family though, his countenance had visibly changed.

He turned to his top general who by luck was still standing there with him.  “Assemble the army, tonight.  We must be ready by sun up.”

Men and boys as messengers and couriers scrambled to the far ends of the kingdom.  They searched high and low for every able bodied man and young man to defend their homes.

Ixchel knew from her schooling and training in the palace that the problem wasn’t finding men in that short amount of time.  Tikal was a relatively compact community.  Word would spread quickly.

The difficulty came when they tried to find weapons.  It had been quite a few years since the people of Tikal had been forced to go into battle. Weapons had a shelf life.

The wood shafts in the spears, arrows and darts rotted and lost strength in the rain forest.  The leather that secured the ax heads and sharp arrow tips likewise lost their ability to hold the weapons together.

It was true that the royal guard had a constant supply of armament.  It was also true that a good portion of the population on the outskirts were hunters.  Those two groups however, were just too small to defend the whole city from an organized army.

Ixchel drifted in and out of sleep all night long.  The noise of the generals and soldiers running through the palace at all hours kept her from completely relaxing.

She didn’t worry so much about the approaching army.  Tikal had been through this before.  In the history of her city, many different groups had attempted to take control of her home.  Every single one of  those armies had been sent home with their tails between their legs.  This would be no different.  Right?

She finally gave in and pulled back the blanket.  The royal house was one of the few houses that had a stone floor, but it made the nights cooler then it would otherwise be.  She padded barefoot to her door and listen through the fabric that divided the hallway from her private room.

Other than the mumbling between her mother and father she could hear no other voices.  The feint light from the torches shone through the fabric door.  It must still be dark outside.  The court’s servants usually extinguish the torches at the first sign of the sunrise.

Ixchel left her room and followed the sound of the voices down the hall and into the largest room in the palace.  There her mother and father were discussing the possible outcome of a visit from the large army.

Ixchel listened a while before stepping out into the open.  Her mother was speaking quickly, almost frantically.  “I believe the messenger that they sent.  They come in peace.  They are an army of traders and farmers, nothing more.  They only wish to get rich from trading with our traders and farmers.”

Ixchel could hear her father clicking his tongue in response.  Finally he spoke. “I’m afraid my queen, that you are mistaken on this one.  I have heard of this man Siyah K’ak’.  He is no emissary or bureaucrat.  He is a general, and if my memory serves me, a ruthless one.”

“Then what do we do?  We cannot attack a man that says to all that he comes in peace.”

The king spoke again.  This time Ixchel could hear the defeat in his voice.  “There is nothing that we can do.  We cannot amass an army quick enough to attack him, even if that were an option.  We can only wait and pray to the gods that this general, Fire is Born, is a man of his word.”

Ixchel stepped out into the open.  Her mother saw her first and hurried to her side.  Ixchel stood there in her mother’s embrace, and began to cry.  She didn’t know why.  They had been in tough spots before when she was younger.  This was just one occasion among many that their family had been in jeopardy.

Maybe it was because she was older and able to understand the ramifications of everything that was happening.  Or maybe it was because, she knew, that if they did go to war it was expected that her father would be among his troops.  Right by his side would also be her future husband.  Balam would not miss an opportunity to prove himself to his father-in-law and his bride to be.

Akna stroked her daughter’s hair as she spoke.  “It’s ok my sweet.  All will be fine.  Your father and the strong arm of Tikal will repel these invaders.”

“Of course you are right mother.”

As a princess she quickly took control of her emotions and wiped away the tears.  Now more than ever she needed to be strong.  She was royalty.  The rest of the city and kingdom would be looking to her family as how to act.  If she didn’t control herself it could send the masses into panic.

Abruptly Chak Tok Ich’aak, the Great Jaguar Paw stood.  He motioned for everyone in the room to be silent.  His head was turned to the open doorway.

Floating in on the morning air was the long moan of a lookout’s trumpet.  Then another, making it a duet.  Then another.

Balam burst through the door, panting.  Instinctively Great Jaguar Paw’s hand went straight to the knife on his belt. He addressed the king and bowed his head.  “Your greatness, they are here.”

“Born in Fire and his army have entered the borders of the city.  The lookouts on the eastside have all sounded.”

The king bowed his head.  “They will make their way to the palace.  They will be here shortly.”  He turned to Ixchel and her mother.  “You must leave, now.”

Akna took a step toward her husband.  “I will not leave you.  I go where you go.”

“Fine.”  He turned to the still panting Balam.  “You must take Ixchel to the outskirts of the city.  There is an army outpost on the west side of the city, there you will be safe until I join you.” He pointed at the door and yelled.  “Go!”

Balam grabbed Ixchel by the arm and led her out of the great audience chamber and into the courtyard that they had eaten in the night before.  Balam hugged the wall next to the arch that led to the rest of the city.  Roughly he pulled her up against the wall too.  His grip was beginning to bruise her arm.

Balam motioned with his finger for her to keep silent. Slowly he peeked his head around the corner.  Without waiting a second more he pulled her through the arch and down the long steps that descended into the city.

Balam guided her into an alley and waited.  The people of the town had apparently heard the news of the coming army and were either hunkered down in their hunts, or fleeing the city before things got ugly.

A small family darted past them.  They were running straight for the nearest stretch of jungle.  Ixchel watched as Balam shook his head in disgust.  He motioned to the tall trees as he spoke.  “That is the most foolish thing that they could do.  The jaguars will have them for lunch.  Or they will die of thirst before they find another city.  A group that small in the forest like that is suicide.  I would take my chances here in the city with the army then out there in the forest.”

Ixchel knew the path that Balam was leading her down.  The alley would take them near the edge of the city by the forest on the south edge.  From there they could skirt the border to the western side of Tikal where the army was waiting.

They stopped at the edge of the alley and waited for a second.  Balam surveyed the woods and grabbed Ixchel’s hand.  Just as they left the safety of the alley, a single man burst from the trees.

Atop the man’s head was a helmet in the shape of a jaguar, it’s jaws open to swallow whoever dared step in this man’s path.  Leather armor covered his chest and vitals.  The armor was wrapped in the fur of a spotted jaguar.  Every inch of exposed skin was painted to match the yellow and black fur. On his left wrist, was tied a round wooden shield about the size of his forearm.

In his right hand he gripped a flat wooden sword.  Along its edge was inlaid pieces of black obsidian to make up a  blade.  Ixchel was familiar with this weapon.  The maquahuitl was a nasty, bloody weapon.  She had heard her father tell of this weapon relieving a man of his arm or leg with little effort on the part of the sword’s handler.  The wood of the maquahuitl was painted in the design of the city of Teotihuacan.  This was one of Fire is Born’s men.

Ixchel and Balam back pedaled into the alley.  Ixchel whispered into her fiancée’s ear.  “I don’t think he saw us.  Let’s find another way.”

“There is no other way.  If they have already gotten this far south, then this is the only way.”

Balam picked up a stone the size of a melon and cradled in his arms.  He waited until the soldier was turned facing the forest.  Quickly and silently Balam crossed the distance to the man.  He raised the stone in his two hands, high above him.  Without hesitating he brought the rock down on the jaguar man’s head.

There was a hollow thunk as the stone impacted with the wood helmet.  The man underneath the helmet crumpled into a heap in the dirt.

Balam turned and smiled at Ixchel.  He raised the soldier’s sword in the air triumphantly.  Ixchel smiled back.  Slowly her eyes focused on the trees and forest behind Balam.  There running out of the tree line were  dozens of Fire is Born’s men.  They had seen their compatriot get attacked, and now they were out to avenge his death.

“Watch out! Balam, they’re coming!”  Ixchel frantically pointed in the direction of the forest.  Balam shrugged indicating that he didn’t know what she was trying to tell him.

Finally he looked over his shoulder, but it was too late.  They would be on him in an instant.

Balam motioned in the direction that they had been traveling.  “Go Ixchel.  Get out of here.”  With that Balam picked up the shield in his other hand and faced the coming onslaught.

Balam swung the sword like a true warrior.  He swung the large sword effortlessly.  With a single swing he took the raised arm off of one of the attackers.  He blocked a blow that had been aimed for his head.

When he turned to ward off that attack, another came from behind.  A stone ax swung through the air and cut deep in his shoulder.

That was the beginning of the end.  Ixchel watched for as long as she dared.  As her friend and future husband was fending off fewer and fewer attacks.  She had to turn away.  She couldn’t watch them hurt him any longer.  She was already leaving when Balam finally took his last breath.

Ixchel ran as fast as her feet could take her.  There was no way that a soldier with all of his gear and armor could catch  up, but that didn’t give any comfort.

She ran the entire way to where the outpost was suppose to be.  When she got to the first tent Ixchel doubled over, her hand holding a cramp in her side.  She was so wrapped up in trying to regain her breath that took a moment to notice the stillness of the army camp.

She went from tent to tent, nothing.  They had obviously heard the trumpets and had gone to help.  She was all alone now.  There was of course still the forest.  She was on the western side of the city and there was a very small chance that the invading army could have made it to that side yet.

Balam’s voice seemed to echo in her head.  “NO.”  She shook her head.  He had been right.  There was no way that she could survive out there by herself.  She was certainly not a hunter.  She had no knowledge of the life in the forest.  As dangerous as it was in the city right now, it was even worse out there in the forest with the jaguars and snakes.

Ixchel sat on chiseled smooth stone and put her head in her hands and held back the tears. There was only one thing left to do.  She had to go back to the palace.

There was no good way to return to the palace, so Ixchel decided that it would be best if she crossed straight through the city.  She went from hut to hut, staying in the shadows and keeping out of sight of the roads.

She wasn’t sure what she would do when she finally got to the palace, but she knew that there was no way that should could live with herself if she didn’t try and help her parents.  She knew what her father would say, how he react when he saw that she had disobeyed him.  She gritted her teeth as she ran.  She would deal with him when it came to that.  First she must free her family.

Ixchel tip toed between two wood huts until a sound made her stop.  It was one of those sounds that sends a shiver from the ankle to the crown of one’s head.  It sounded to her like the constant sound of a drum beat. She stole a glance then immediately stepped back.  Uncomfortably close to where she was hidden were hundreds of warriors.  That sound she had heard came from hundreds of different feet marching in perfect cadence.

They were painted in all of the colors of the rainbow.  Some had animal skulls adorning their heads, their long black hair piled high on their heads.  They wore the Jaguar of the city of Teotihuacan on their shields.

As she stood there watching she heard an animal like roar from just out of view.  It was the royal guard coming to defend their city.  The fighting was fierce, and the royal guard fought hard and brave.  There just weren’t’ enough of them to make a difference.  The invading army slaughtered every last one of the guard that had stood up to them.

She watched as the commanding officer sent men to search the surrounding area.  He must be afraid that there are others hiding in the huts, She thought to herself.

Ixchel watched as a small group broke off from the rest.  She tried to run, but it was useless they saw her as soon as she tried to move.  It didn’t take long at all for the burly men to catch up.

The smallest of the group turned to the one next to him and spoke  “Only royalty wear as many colors as her.  And only the king’s family has as much jade and gold as she has strung around her.  I think we found the princess.”

The biggest of the soldiers approached her, his knife was sheathed and his sword strapped to his back.  He held out his hands with his palms up.  “It’s over now princess.  I’ll take you to your family.  General Siyah  K’ak’ has been looking for you.”

The soldiers treated her with respect, but it did little to comfort her.  She knew what happens to the royal family of a conquered kingdom.  They were merely a disruption that must be dealt with.  If she and her family lasted until nightfall, she would be amazed.

She caught a glimpse of the people that had stayed behind in their huts.  They peeked out from behind wall and from inside doorways.  The children would point and whisper to themselves. That was it.  It was official.  Great Jaguar Paw was no longer in control of Tikal.

The foreign army that had appeared as if from thin air now held the princess captive.  Just like they held Tikal.  She knew that now all of those faces behind walls and door were thinking about what was going to happen next.

Ixchel was led up the steps to the palace.  The dark grey stone and painted walls greeted her as she returned. The once busy halls now stood silent.  She was led into the main audience chamber.  Her mother and father were right where she had left them.  Standing next to them was a tall thin man with a tall feathered headdress.

The man in the headdress spoke first.  “Princess.  How glad I am to see you.  The whole family is now reunited.”  The man bowed ever so slightly.  “I am General Fire is Born.”

General Fire is Born smiled and Ixchel could see the jewels that had been set into his teeth.  He was the typical Teotihuacanan.  His long black hair was piled high on his head.  His head had been shaped as a baby to flatten the forehead and give a sense of an elongated skull.         He was the perfect example of noble fashion and flashy style.  His ears and nose were pierced with thin chains draped across his cheeks.  He smoothed the pelt of a black jaguar that  covered his chest and smiled at Ixchel.

“I’m afraid that you have lost your city.”

As if to punctuate his statement they heard the sound of a monument crash to the stone floor.  The invading army was erasing any evidence of former rulers that they could find, destroying all of the monuments and statues.

“We now claim Tikal for Spear Thrower Owl, the king and Lord of Teotihuacan.”

Great Jaguar Paw stood and stuck out his chest.  “You have captured the city of Tikal, but you will never have the heart of Tikal.  These people will never follow you, or any other outsider.”

Fire is Born folded his arms and paced around the king.  “You may be right, but what choice do they have.  I certainly cannot let you live.”

The king bowed his head.  “There is another option.”

“Why are you being so helpful?  You know the custom.  Tonight, I must sacrifice you to the gods.”

Great Jaguar Paw turned to his daughter as he spoke.  “If they were ruled by one of the royal family that was left to survive.  I believe the people would follow her.”

The general stroked his chin, then chuckled to himself.  “Sorry old man, but my orders were very clear, you all must spill your blood on the steps of the temple.”

Fire is Born motioned to a guard.  “Take them to the courtyard and await my arrival.  I want to be there as they ascend the steps. I have some business to attend to before then.”

Ixchel cried out.  “Wait!”  She stepped forward and bowed before the conquering general.  “Fire is Born, you have proven that you and your armies are superior.  You have shown to all of the Tikal that Teotihuacan and her people are to be respected.  Why not let my father rule as a figurehead only.  He will do as you ask and command as you wish, but you will be supreme ruler over this land.”

Fire is Born rubbed his neck and smiled.  “You know that I am not here to conquer this land for me.  I took Tikal for His Greatness, Spear Thrower Owl.  He is the supreme ruler of Teotihuacan and all of these lands.  Now he rules Tikal, not your father or I.”

Fire is Born stood there for a moment silent.  He seemed to be tracing the joints in the wall that held up the grand royal palace.  The palace that she was born in.  The palace that Ixchel and her family would die in.  Finally the general grunted at his personal guard and motioned that it was time to leave.

They sat there on the hard cold floor until their guards were told, it was time.  Trumpets were sounded and the word sent. The royal family would be executed shortly.  As Great Jaguar Paw and his family were paraded down the path to the largest temple in the city.  The people began to poke their heads out of their huts and houses.  A murmur ran through the gathering crowd as they left their huts and followed their king.

There was less than half of the crowd that had been there only the day before. Most of the people had fled.  They would return in time, but for now only some of the kingdom appeared for this change of power.

Fire is Born stood at the top of the temple with the head priest.  They stood there patiently as the prisoners were led up the long set of stairs to the top.  The General grimaced as soon as they arrived then turned to the crowd below.

He spoke with his arm theatrically raised above his head. “I am Fire is Born.  I have come with the armies of Teotihuacan to liberate you, and bring you all under the fold of Spear Thrower Owl.”

He motioned to the royal family with a hand then continued.  “I have pondered many an hour as to what I should do with these tyrants.  I have decided that I must do something a little unorthodox.”

With that last word Ixchel’s heart leaped in her chest.  Fire is Born listened to her after all. He was going to let them live.

“I am going to leave the innocent young woman to live out her days in the new Tikal so that she might see the folly of her parents.”  The general motioned to the guards.  Quickly they took hold Great Jaguar Paw and forced him to his knees.

“I will let her live so that she might see the greatness of Teotihuacan.”

To her horror, Ixchel watched as the head priest produced a heavy stone ax.  Her knees went weak and she could feel the blood draining from her face.  The guards that were holding her kept her from collapsing.

Ixchel clenched her eyes shut, unable to watch what was about to happen.  She could close her eyes, but her ears heard everything.  They heard her mother scream.  They heard ax hit the stone as it performed it’s duty.  Then it was her mother’s turn.

She couldn’t hear the ax the second time.  Her own screams drowned out all of the sounds around her.  She faintly could hear the general addressing the crowd in his booming voice, then all was silent.

Ixchel could feel consciousness escaping her body, but before it did she felt a hand stroke her dark hair and pull it back from her ear.  A deep voice hissed close to her head.  “Now you will do what I say.  You will rule this people as I tell you.  For the rest of your days you will be under my power.”

Then all went dark.