CHAPTER XXXIII.
We will turn once more to Zelmonco villa, on which sorrow has againfallen through the afflicting hand of war.
It is a beautiful evening, an hour after the night-shades have sweptaway the last gleam of day. The moon's golden-hued disc is beamingrefulgently down upon the glowing face of Anahuac. The unruffledfoliage of shrub and tree is overcast with a silvern tinge, thereflection of Luna's mellow light on Nature's inimitable green, while,like groups of twinkling stars from afar, are seen in the distance thesacred fires which light up every temple's summit, and which are neverpermitted to go out. At such an hour, in which inanimate Nature,superbly robed and serenely smiling, wholly unresponsive to the sorrowwhich saddens her animate sister, as represented in the grief-strickeninmates of the villa home, we are privileged, as visitors, to stroll inthe direction of the old oak tree, under which, in the past, the nowmourning Itlza has found her chief pleasure in idle moments. As weapproach the spot the first object to attract our attention is theflowerlike appearance of the beautiful fountain. We pause for a momentto view with delight the graceful turn and fall of its translucentwaters, which resemble in the moon's soft rays a great white lily. Inthe excitement of our admiration we are led to repeat, mentally:
"Into the moonlight, whiter than snow, Beautiful, flower-like,ceaseless thy flow. Glorious fountain----!"
What sound is that which breaks in upon our reflection, scarcely louderthan a murmur, rising in gentle undulations above the ripple of thefountain's flow as it falls into the effervescing pool below?
"My heart is sad--very, very sad, and were it not for your safe return,O Cacami, desolation would, indeed, overwhelm me."
It was Itlza's voice, low and sorrowful, addressing her lover, who hadimproved the first favorable moment, after the army became settled inTezcuco, to visit the villa, where he found Teochma prostrated withgrief, and Itlza very sad, though supported by the expectation of anearly visit from him.
"Despair not, O Laughing-eyes; Euetzin may yet find favor with thegods. He is not dead, or his body would have been found upon the battlefield."
"It were better, Cacami, if he were dead; for, oh, what a fate awaitshim, if he is a prisoner!" she replied, sorrowfully.
"Let us not think of that, but rather hope against such a fate, and fora little while rejoice that we are once more brought together."
"I do rejoice, Cacami, in your preservation, and that I have you withme again; but how can I forget, for one moment, my poor, unfortunatebrother?"
"Do not forget him, Laughing-eyes, but be cheered by the hope that heis not lost."
"I will try, and you will help me by recounting of yourself. How do yourank in this hour of our people's triumph?" she questioned, with asupreme effort at rallying from her dejection.
"I have no particular rank as yet, Laughing-eyes, more than that of oneof the prince's chief attendants. I stood with him through bothbattles, and we have come to be very good friends."
"I see that you have been decorated, but do not know the significanceof the badges you wear. Tell me about them, Cacami."
"This decoration," he said, directing her attention to a beautifullyconstructed and highly ornamental badge, "was awarded me by Hualcoyotlfor doing my duty--he called it valorous conduct in battle. I prize itabove all else, for it tells me I am no longer unworthy of your love."Looking up at her fondly.
"Who but yourself ever thought you unworthy?" she quickly answered.
"It was enough that I should think so, Laughing-eyes, withoutconsulting the thoughts of others."
"Well, I'm glad you have changed your mind, at any rate," she rejoined,in quite a happy vein. "But this other one, Cacami, what deed ofbravery brought you that?" she continued, lifting from his breast asuperbly finished medal.
"No deed of bravery brought me that, Itlza. It was won by skill; and isthe price of a man's life."
"O, why did you tell me that?" interrupted she, dropping the bloodbought bauble.
"Wait, Laughing-eyes, until you have heard the story; then you will notthink so badly of it," he replied, in answer to her repellantlyejaculated question. "It was given me by Macua, king of Tlacopan, atthe great tourney in token of his appreciation of my skill in throwingthe javelin. I was not a contestant, but, notwithstanding, had occasionto use my weapon. It happened in this wise: In a bout between lancers aTepanec warrior was bent on murdering his opponent after he had struckhim down. When I saw his purpose I sprang to the defense of the fallenman, killing the would-be assassin with my javelin before heaccomplished the foul deed. And know, O Laughing-eyes, the defeatedlancer was a Tezcucan. Can you blame me for doing what the peopleapplauded, and Macua rewarded?"
"No, Cacami, I can not blame you. I should have judged you better. Thebadge becomes you; wear it where Macua placed it, but only as his gift,forgetting it was won at such a cost."
"I felt sure you would not blame me for defending a fallen countryman,even at the cost of a foeman's life. He was a foeman, Laughing-eyes, afoeman of Tezcuco's, or why his bitter hatred for the warrior whom hehad fairly defeated?"
"Yes, it must have been hatred that lead him on to his death; but,Cacami, such scenes are best forgotten; let us talk of something else."
"Shall we talk of love, then, Laughing-eyes?"
"Better that than of scenes of blood. Yes, let us talk of love. What ofthe troth, O Cacami, which was left unpledged until you, with yoursword, should win honor and fame? Are you not a decorated warrior now?"
"Yes, Laughing-eyes, I am; but is it well to talk of pledges now? Hadwe not better wait? I am not less desirous than yourself to seal ourlove with the sacred kiss of troth; but, Itlza, your brother, the bestfriend I ever had, may yet be saved; and, should he be, I want him toknow, and Teochma, your mother, too, before our pledge is sealed. Ourlove will keep, as it has in the past. Who knows, but ourselves, thatwe are lovers? And, since this is so, who may come between us?"
Ah, Cacami! if you had only known what lay beyond, we think you wouldhardly have plead for delay, though in doing so you showed an honorabledisposition.
"Who, indeed, may come between us?" returned Itlza, in a spirit ofconcession. "It were honorable in you, Cacami, to be considerate of mymother and brother's pleasure in the matter of our troth. I should notbe the one to urge it against your reason, nor will I. No; as you say,our love will keep."
* * * * *
While Cacami and Itlza, secure in their own minds as to a final andhappy consummation of their dreams, were felicitous--though sad--ineach other's society, Hualcoyotl sat alone in his palace apartmentslaying plans, which, if successfully carried out, would bring abouttheir separation, and the frustration of their cherished hopes. Andyet, he was ignorant of the fact that two lives were to be madeunspeakably wretched by the course he was planning to pursue. He lovedItlza, but never stopped to think that she might love another; and,possibly, did not consider such a contingency of sufficient importanceto require a serious thought; for was he not soon to be made a king,whose will would be law, even in the choice of a wife? His affectionfor his lost friend, and the sympathy he felt for the bereaved motherand sister awakened in his already predisposed mind thoughts of animmediate union with the latter, and he planned accordingly.
It was the custom of the ruling princes of the Anahuac, when a queenwas to be chosen, to have the intended royal consort brought to thepalace of the prospective royal groom, to receive such instructions aswould fit her for the high position she would be called to fill. Withthis end in view, the prince decided that Itlza, with her mother as achaperon, should be transferred to his palace at once. He was not yet aking, and had no authority to issue a command. What he did at this timewas necessarily done by courtesy. When the power to command should beplaced in his hands he would be less persuasive; before, however, hisends would have to be reached by the milder methods. The mother wasaccordingly apprised of his wishes, and asked to give them herimmediate and favorable consideration.
; Teochma was not aware, as the reader knows, that matters had gone sofar with Itlza and Cacami as to reach an avowal of their attachment foreach other; although she felt they were more devoted than they shouldbe, since in her mother-heart had been fostered a hope that Itlza mightyet fill the exalted position of Queen of Tezcuco. Attributing theprince's proposal to the right motive, she saw in it the possibleconsummation of her aspirations, and would not have been human had shenot experienced a certain degree of elation at the prospect. Sheacceded to the proposition, and looked forward to her temporaryestablishment in the palace as but the entrance to her future exaltedposition of mother to the queen.
The ready acquiescence of Teochma to his wishes was very gratifying tothe prince, and preparations for receiving his intended at the palaceimmediately followed.
A Prince of Anahuac: A Histori-traditional Story Antedating the Aztec Empire Page 35
