TBA

Once upon a time, in an uncharted land, a fair and wise priest-king of Quetzalcóatl ruled over a blooming empire. He ruled out the custom of human sacrifice from his people by offering his own blood to appease the gods. His only misdeed in his fifty years of reign was a shameful night of drunkenness with a Sun maiden, who gave birth to a son. Despite having his mother’s love and his father’s example, the boy grew into a brash, whimsical and violent young man. Deeming his father feeble, he consecrated himself to Tezcatlipoca, and in his name, he razed entire villages and sacrificed the surviving prisoners.

When his father ordered him to stop the bloodshed, the young man gathered his army and marched to his own capital to fight against his own flesh and blood. He attacked on the night of the summer solstice. While his soldiers set the city aflame and slaughtered ever man, woman and child, the bloodthirsty warlord climbed to the top of the temple of Quetzalcóatl, ready to claim his father’s life. The old man didn’t resist and spread his arms open, ready to accept the punishment for bringing his people’s doom into the world. He did not receive the killing blow, however, for the boy’s mother placed herself between them. For the first time in his life, the arrogant young warrior wept in horror for what he had done.

Overcome by guilt and grief, the priest-king set himself ablaze and used his last words to curse his son. He called upon to claim the matricide’s soul and transform him into the plumed serpent he loathed so much. He would only be set free from the curse the day a Moon maiden shed her blood over a cloud of smoke. The warlord’s soldiers were also punished by becoming axolotl-like creatures, doomed to follow their monstrous commander into his demise. With their wise ruler gone and their home torn apart, the few survivors of the massacre fled the city and the empire fell into chaos. Meanwhile, the plumed serpent and his axolotl followers dwelt inside the city’s ruins, hiding from the rest of the world.

As years became decades and decades became centuries, the tragic story of the priest king and his son dissipated in the mist of hearsay. Wary travellers avoided the ruins, while those who crossed them out of ignorance or arrogance were never seen again. Everything changed when the moon skinned men arrived from the east. With their strange weapons and the aid of some locals, the foreigners quickly conquered the new lands. Ruling them, however, was not that easy. While the emperor tried to treat his new subjects fairly as equals, some colonists and conquerors, who had won unthinkable power overnight, treated the natives like inferior barbarians and forced them to work in their encomiendas.

The emperor tried to establish order by appointing faithful vassals as governors in the New World. One of them was an old veteran who had lost his wife to the fever and his son to the Italian wars. The only family he had left was his daughter, a beautiful and strong-willed maiden who did not hesitate to accompany his father across the sea. The new governor tried to build a new peaceful status quo, but he was soon confronted by the owner of the biggest encomienda in town, who did not want to lose his source of riches and influence. Their differences had to be set aside, however, when they heard that a band of native bandits were attacking innocent merchants on their way to the town.

Knowing he had no choice but to face his first real challenge head-on, the governor led his men inside the rainforest. Guided by the attacked merchants, the small but fierce army arrived at a lake deep inside the jungle. Ignoring all warnings of their local guides, who begged him not to set foot on the cursed ruins, the governor ordered his men to attack, only to find their demise. Isolation had not made the plumed serpent any less ruthless; his axolotl warriors killed the moon-skinned soldiers and captured the governor. Enraged again for the first time in centuries, the plumed serpent grabbed his prisoner and flew to the moon-skinned people’s town, where he wreaked havoc everywhere.

Terrified by the jade-scaled, red-feathered snake, the townspeople hid inside their houses, while the few who tried to fight against the monster paid it with their lives. The plumed serpent found his way to the plaza, where he showed the wounded governor and dared anyone to fight him for his prisoner’s freedom. To his surprise, the one who answered the challenge was not a mighty warrior, but the governor’s daughter. In rudimentary náhuatl, she begged for mercy for her father and her people. They would never disturb his peace again, she promised. Noticing her pale, moon-like skin, the plumed serpent the plumed serpent offered to let the governor go and leave the moon-skinned people in peace… if she stayed with him forever.

Scared but determined, the maiden accepted the deal, despite her father’s desperate pleas. The townspeople were aghast, and could not fully understand what was going on. Coming out of his hiding place, the encomendero was the most surprised of all. He had paid the merchants to lie about being attacked by bandits, hoping that wild animals and disease would get rid of his enemy. The last thing he expected was an actual monster living inside the ruins, just like the natives’ stories told. He tried to convince the governor to go after the creature and rescue his daughter, but the old man refused: if they came any closer to the ruins, the plumed serpent would kill her.

The maiden spent her first night in the cursed lake in tears. It was not until the morning after when she convinced herself crying would not help her and she came out of her room to explore the area. To her relief, she did come across her captor. His axolotl servants wandered around the temple grounds, but they shied away from her, as if unsure of how to treat her. Only one of them, who looked younger than the rest, dared to introduce himself and proceeded to enthusiastically show her around. There was only one place he didn’t take her to: the cusp of the great temple. When she asked why, the young servant slipped up and revealed that they used to be human and were victims of a curse. The bewildered maiden tried to know more, but the overwhelmed axolotl realised his mistake and begged her to keep silent.

Thanks to the young axolotl’s kindness, the maiden felt more at ease. To improve her náhuatl, she told him stories about her homeland across the sea and the people who lived there. Little by little, more axolotl servants approached her, becoming a small group that ate and played ball games together. Her closeness with the servants was a stark contrast to her relationship with the plumed serpent, based on awkward exchanges, when not on bitter arguments. His reclusiveness and secrecy often clashed with her stubbornness and curiosity. Their conflict escalated further one night, when the plumed serpent came across a group of axolotl around the fire, listening in awe at the maiden singing a foreign song.

The plumed serpent had forbidden getting closer to the girl, as she was meant to be a sacrifice soon, on the next summer solstice. How dared his servants betray him? With a whip of his tail, he put the fire out and bared his fangs at the maiden, who, to his surprise, confronted him, unfazed. “You and I had our future taken away from us”, she said. “I have decided to enjoy what the present has in store. Will you join us, or will you keep wallowing in pity?” Taken aback by her crude words, the plumed serpent slithered back to his lair. That night, the maiden was visited in her dreams by the ghost of a woman, dressed in green and gold, who told her that she would find the truth at the cusp of the temple before disappearing.

Ever since that night, two things changed: the plumed serpent behaved more politely, and the woman in green appeared every night with the same message: “Find the truth at the cusp of the pyramid”. The maiden wished she could, but no matter how close she was to the servants, none of them dared to tell her what lied at the top of the temple, let alone let her take a single step up its stairs. Her growing curiosity was fuelled even more a fortnight later, on the day of the summer solstice, when the plumed serpent appeared before her to invite her to dinner on top of the pyramid.

Her initial enthusiasm made her accept without a second thought, but soon she was lost in a sea of doubts. Why there? Why then? Would she discover the truth, like the woman in green said? Her uneasiness grew even more when a servant entered her room and left a blue linen dress embroidered with jade stones and a cup of pulque. After putting on the dress, the maiden dropped three drops of the drink to a coati which had grown closer to her; in an instant, the animal fell on a deep slumber. Her premonition was correct; something was off about that sudden invitation. However, it was her only chance to discover what was going on.

The maiden poured the cup on the floor and lay on her bed, pretending to be asleep. She did not move an inch as a group of cold, amphibian hands carried her outside, then up the pyramid, and finally placed her over a stone table. She lay still, praying in silence for a chance alone. She did not have to wait long to hear a familiar voice calling out to her. She got up to find the woman in green, as ethereal as she appeared in her dreams. With a sad smile, she told her story: she was the plumed serpent’s mother, the Sun maiden whose death set up the curse. A curse that only the blood of a Moon maiden could undo.

The maiden was appalled by the shocking truth. Her fear, rather than freezing her, spurred her into action: she ran down the temple, past the stunned servants, and fled the ruins on her trusty horse. Under the light of the summer solstice sun, the maiden kept riding for her life until she found a fast-flowing river cutting her path. Desperate to leave the accursed nightmare behind, she tried to cross it, but her horse threw her over and she was dragged away by the current. The maiden struggled to swim and cried for help over the rushing waters, to no avail. She realised there was no hope for her, but at least she would die fighting for her freedom, not by the hands of a monster. The last thing the maiden saw before passing out was a shadow of green and red, flashing through the murky waters.

When the maiden opened her eyes again, she thought she had gone to Hell, for the plumed serpent was next to her. Before she could say anything, the plumed serpent told her that not only did he save her, but that she was free to leave if she wanted. She was no longer his prisoner. All his life he had brought nothing than suffering and destruction into the world. He had ashamed his father, failed his subjects, murdered his mother and doomed his soldiers. He had waited centuries for her arrival, only to realise that her blood may bring his body back, but it would also kill his soul for good. He did not deserve hope, but she did, and he would not take it away from her, even if it meant remaining a monster for all time.

Despite his plea to forget him and leave, the maiden decided to stay. She knew that the deal she made with him was the only thing keeping the peace, and that if she went back, her father would attack the ruins. As for the axolotl servants, they did not want to become human again if that meant losing their first friend in centuries. Relieved to know she was alive and well, they resumed their games and feasts with a small difference: ever since that day, their master joined them. Little by little, the maiden and the plumed serpent spent more time together. The maiden taught him her people’s language by telling him legends from across the sea, to which he eagerly listened. Whether she made him laugh with a funny anecdote or moved him with a tragic tale, the plumed serpent felt more human, regardless of appearances.

One clear summer night, the plumed serpent invited the maiden to climb on him to show her a surprise. Having lost all fear, the maiden sat behind his head and got hold of his red, smooth feathers. Gently, the plumed serpent took off and flew over the green sea of jungle trees. The maiden gasped in awe at the breath-taking sight of the starry sky above them. The plumed serpent found the tallest tree in the rainforest, which was not too far from the ruins, and perched over the top. For a magical moment they gazed at the moonlit landscape in silence, as if nothing else mattered. Until a cacophony of voices coming from the base of the pyramid disrupted their peace.

The maiden and the plumed serpent travelled back to the ruins, and found the axolotl forming a circle around a stranger the maiden recognised as the friar who had taught her náhuatl. As soon as the man realised who the pale young woman in native clothes was, he burst into tears. Some time ago, a soldier found a rose-shaped ring inside the river. He brought it to the governor, who recognised the jewel as his late wife’s heirloom passed down to their daughter, who kept inside a locket hung over her neck. The governor knew his child would never get rid of the ring out of her own free will, and so, he presumed her dead.

Consumed by grief, the governor concealed himself inside his bedchamber, while his will to live slowly faded away. The friar was trying to reach the ruins in a desperate attempt to find out the truth when he was attacked by wild beasts. Only the young axolotl’s intervention saved him from a certain death. The maiden was distraught after hearing the news. She brought her hand to her locket to find the ring was indeed missing; she guessed it must have been lost when she almost drowned in the river. She had to clear out the misunderstanding before it was too late. She was wondering how when the plumed serpent answered for her: she had to go back to the town and show her father she was still alive.

Without a second to lose, the maiden and the friar rode at full gallop across the jungle. They reached the town at the break of dawn. The maiden asked the guards to take her to her father, but instead, she found herself before the encomendero, who was the new de facto ruler of the town. He finally got the chance he had been waiting for to grasp power, and he would not let the governor’s daughter get in the way. The encomendero ordered his loyal men to imprison her and the friar. That same afternoon, he convinced the governor to avenge her supposedly daughter. Having lost his will to live, the old veteran gave in to the encomendero, who quickly stirred up the colonists and gathered an army.

The angry host marched into the dark rainforest at the break of dawn, spurred by the desire of revenge against the monster who dwelled in the cursed ruins. Little did they know that monster had been gone for a long time. Now, the plumed serpent was reluctant to fight, even to defend himself. While his loyal axolotl servants tried to fend off the attackers, he flew over the temple, waiting for the maiden to come back. The encomendero ordered his men to throw grappling ropes at the plumed serpent’s wings, while his best harquebusiers hit the ventral scales. After a desperate struggle, the wounded plumed serpent plummeted to the cusp of the great temple, crushing the ceiling down.

There, the governor awaited, ready to slay the monster once and for all. His blade never got to touch the snake’s body, however, as one of his soldiers deflected the killing blow using his late son’s sword. Before the governor could attack again, the newcomer took off her morrion and revealed herself as the daughter he had presumed dead. The maiden asked her father to spare the plumed serpent, who in turn apologised for the pain he had caused. The awestruck governor dropped his sword, forgave his enemy and hugged his daughter while in tears. But the encomendero, who had just climbed to the top of the pyramid, would not let his plan be thwarted.

He first plunged his dagger into the governor’s side. While the maiden held her father and tended to his wound, he grabbed a harquebus and took aim at the plumed serpent, who tried to set himself free, to no avail. The maiden noticed the encomendero’s intentions and reached for the harquebus. Their brief struggle was cut short by a gunshot. The maiden staggered backwards, blood pouring out from her chest. Just like the dreadful night he doomed himself, the plumed serpent was struck by the pain of loss again. Gathering the last of his strength, he lunged forward, snapped the harquebus in half with his fangs and kicked the governor down the temple with his tail.

The plumed serpent rushed to the maiden’s side, enveloping gently with his body. None of his wounds hurt more than the realization that he could not save the woman he cared for the most. The maiden reached for his head with her bloodstained hand and caressed his feathers one last time before telling him she had fallen in love with him. The plumed serpent answered that he had fallen for her, too, but she could no longer hear him. Heartbroken, he wept over the maiden’s lifeless body, until he also succumbed to his wounds. The woman in green appeared before the hapless couple. In the end, the sacrifice had been made, and their son had learnt to love.

The woman in green blew a blue mist, which soon engulfed the cusp of the pyramid. The bodies were lifted in the air by the magical wind, their wounds slowly healing. The plumed serpent turned over himself, shedding its scales, showing smooth, tanned skin underneath. The tail parted into a pair of legs, while the wings transformed into human arms; the red feathers became strands of jet black hair. The young warlord opened his eyes; only the green irises remained the same, this time with round pupils. He had no time to contemplate his new hands, for he had to catch the maiden in his arms as they descended back into the ground.

He was ecstatic to find that she breathed again; the gunshot wound had been closed, and her cheeks showed their usual colour. When she finally woke up, she saw a familiar stranger looking at her in awe. It only took her an instant to recognise him. While the fog around them lifted, the maiden and the prince shared a sweet kiss. After a small tender moment, the maiden climbed down and approached her father. Though still alive, the stab wound was deep. The prince helped her carry the governor down the pyramid, where they found the soldiers had stopped fighting, and the axolotl servants were human too. At last, peace had prevailed.

That did not mean everything was over. The only chance for the governor to survive was to travel back to his homeland to heal his wounds. Despite the fact that she knew her place was with her sick father, the maiden did not want to abandon her newfound love. Then the prince made an unexpected offer: he would travel east with her. By the time they arrived, their story had reached the ears of the emperor, who invited them to an audience. The maiden and the prince told the emperor their story and how by love and understanding he had learnt to change. The emperor wanted to give the prince a noble title, but he refused. Instead, he only asked for a single boon: the emperor’s blessing to marry the maiden.

The prince had already converted to the moon-skinned people’s faith and the father of the bride did not object, because he had never seen his daughter so happy ever since her mother and brother passed away. The emperor not only gave his blessing, but he also offered himself as a witness, along with the former governor and the former young axolotl who first befriended the maiden in the cursed ruins. That very same afternoon, at the palace chapel, the young couple were wed. The bride gifted the groom the rose-shaped ring, while he gave her a jade necklace that belonged to his mother. After the ceremony, it was the maiden who asked the emperor a second favour.

After everything they had been through, she just wanted a peaceful, quiet life with her husband. They wished to stay hidden and put the curse behind. After putting some thought into it, the emperor came up with an idea. After the former governor healed from his wounds, the newlywed couple travelled back to the New World. There, they rebuilt the formerly cursed ruins into a small village, where they lived among the former axolotl servants. In the mainland, the emperor erased any mention of a plumed snake in all records. As time passed, most of the colonists forgot about the events, and those who didn’t learnt to respect the couple’s wishes. Only the moon maiden and the plumed serpent told the story to their descendants, who still live to this day.