Kings of the Sun Page #3

They live in a big place by the sea.

Their dwellings

are made of wood and stone

and are fastened to the ground.

They have built a tall mound of earth.

That mound will guide us

to where we will avenge our chief.

-How is Black Eagle?

-With me, as violent as ever.

Only lxchel can touch him.

You look tired, lxchel.

-Because of you l understand he will live.

-l will.

l will not disappoint you.

And l promise you

a much better fight than the last.

You have skill l have not known.

-Where do you come from?

-From across the great sea.

-What do you want on my land?

-To live here.

This land belongs to my people.

There have been many intruders before

and we have always driven them away.

But if your warriors

have some of your skill,

then this will be the greatest battle of all.

Balam,

practice with your sword, you will need it.

Balam.

Your woman is beauty.

Why do you call me his woman?

Because he is chief

and you are

the most beautiful woman here.

You haven't seen many of the others.

l don't have to see.

l know.

You must lie down now.

What do you give me now?

lt is from our land. lt will make you well.

Balam is a good fighter

but he is a fool.

Why do you say that?

lf you are not his woman,

then he is a fool.

And it would be good to fight for that, too.

l am a man of faith, Priest,

but you must know

l have no love for human sacrifice.

l questioned it in our land

and l question it even more here.

Why must this man

be put to death, Priest?

A sacrifice to the gods

is not a personal matter.

lt's a holy act for the good of our people.

Your feelings are of no importance.

As king you will have to do many things

you may not like.

When you do them for your people,

without hesitation,

then you will be truly king.

You will instruct him to put these on.

He will ask why.

As soon as he's properly attired,

we will answer.

BLACK EAGLE:

Such a long time you were gone.

-For you.

-For me? Why?

lt came with us across the water.

lt has great beauty.

Our people can do many things.

Your people.

Can your people jump on a buffalo

and ride it?

-What is a buffalo?

-lt is a bull as tall as this house,

its horns long as my arms,

when it runs the earth shakes.

And our babies

lead them around by their noses.

How can your babies reach so high?

You haven't seen our babies.

Why am l being given this?

-To honor you.

-Honor?

A ceremony?

l know.

Your king has decided

to let me return to my people.

lt is true.

Balam is not only brave, but wise, too.

l will carry back good words.

And when l leave,

l want you to come with me.

No one has ever been

as gentle with me as you, lxchel.

And l have come to love you.

l want you for my wife.

And someday

we will watch our babies

lead buffalo around by their noses.

lxchel.

-Speak, Priest.

-Yes.

Tell me of the ceremony.

Our religion teaches

that we may send messengers to our gods

to offer our prayers, our hopes,

to ask for good things for our people.

Black Eagle, you have been chosen

to bear our words.

The man thus chosen to look upon

our gods is honored before all other men.

He becomes himself a god.

Our people already look on you

as more than human.

They offer prayers in your name.

-Prayers?

-You'll be taken to the stone of sacrifice,

and thereafter you will live with the gods

for all eternity.

You knew.

And lxchel, she knew, too.

The time for the sacrifice

has been set for tomorrow.

Until then you may have anything

in our power to give.

A child born to you now

would have the qualities of a god.

lt would grace our people.

Any of our maidens would be blessed

if you summoned her to be your bride.

lxchel.

Send me lxchel.

lt is time to prepare

to unite Black Eagle with lxchel.

l will not permit it.

Your people trust you, Balam.

Do not betray them.

As your king,

l am required to inform you that...

That Black Eagle has summoned you.

Yes, l know.

You must be very honored.

Deeply honored.

Then go.

He might've said one word.

One single word.

He wished Black Eagle

had chosen another.

-She went without question, Priest.

-What could she question?

She might have said

that she'd wished she'd not been so...

So honored.

You did not try to stop her?

No.

You are a king, Balam.

The last time you came here

you brought me a cape of many feathers.

l held you in my arms

and asked you to be my wife.

Now you come here as my bride

but not the way l asked.

My bride,

until tomorrow,

when your priests will come to kill me.

Honor?

Slaughtered.

-Slaughtered for superstition.

-No.

But father a god for you first,

then make your crops grow with my blood

and be honored.

lt is being honored. lt's our religion.

lt is not the dying,

it is the manner of it.

You robbed me of a warrior's death.

You brought me back to life.

You allowed me to believe

l was returning to my people.

You let me love you.

Father a god!

But l don't want a son who is a god.

l only want a son

who will be brave as a child

leading buffalo around by the nose.

Then why did you ask for me?

l wanted you to feel my hate,

as l once wanted you to feel my love.

You sent her away.

l want nothing

from any of you.

-The time has come.

-AH ZOK:
He refuses to wear this.

Soon you will be a Mayan god.

lt is fitting that you dress as one.

lf the spirits in your heavens

can change me into a god,

they can change my clothes as well.

You will carry this petition

in the name of our king and of our people.

We ask only peace

and the fruits of our labor,

the blessings of the sun and the rain

and of the richness of the earth.

Blessings of the sun and the rain.

Richness of the earth.

You are fools.

Look around you, Balam.

The grass has always grown for us

and the trees spread their branches,

the rivers have flowed

and my people

have always enjoyed these blessings.

My people are the fiercest on earth.

Our land is red

with the blood of our enemies.

But never,

never have we shed one drop of blood

in sacrifice.

And never have we groveled in fear.

And l tell you this, Balam.

Never, so long as l breathe

one breath of life,

will l ever submit to this.

You will carry our message.

But not to our gods, to your people.

We asked for peace. We still ask for it.

Peace?

That choice will have to lie

with my people.

Go to them and carry my words.

l give you your freedom.

Take it.

Balam, l have tried to make you know.

You cannot bring this new life

to our people

without first giving a life.

For a thousand years

we've been bound by this law.

The gods cannot be cheated.

(CONCH SHELL SOUNDlNG)

AH HALEB:
Barbarians!

Soldiers to your posts.

Women to your houses.

-l have set him free.

-Release him.

When he rejoins his people,

their strength will be doubled.

The king has set him free. Open the gates.

There was something in what he said

that made me trust him.

Yet the man

who was closest to me on earth is dead,

and the man

who swore to destroy us lives.

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