We pass over the ceremonies which made Hualcoyotl a king, except to say
that the occasion was of an exceptional character, and one that could
take place only under conditions in which barbaric ideas of pomp and
splendor are brought into operation in the achievement of a climax at
once imposing and ostentatious. Many of the nobility from the
surrounding principalities were present to witness the grand pageant,
among whom was the Aztec monarch, one of the line from which sprang the
first and second Montezumas--possibly Itzcoatl, a son of the first. He
was there not only as a witness of the pageantry, but to congratulate
his young kinsman, the Prince of Tezcuco, on his accession to the
throne of his ancestors; and, also--we may further presume--to seek an
immediate alliance with him for the purpose of waging a war of
extermination against Maxtla, whose arbitrary and insolent conduct had
so wrought upon the feelings of the Mexican prince that he had
resolved, with the help of his neighbor, to destroy the power and
influence of the Tepanec dynasty forever, by its complete subversion.
Hualcoyotl could not be assured of a continued and uninterrupted reign
so long as his powerful and mortal enemy was permitted to exercise his
despotic and aggressive disposition, and readily consented to join his
royal cousin, of Tenochtitlan, in a crusade against him.
The first business of the new king, however, was the organization of
his governmental household--the selection of his chief officials who
should comprise his privy council. In filling the most exalted
positions, he remembered those who had been his personal friends when
friendship was at a premium with him. Itzalmo was made his chief
counselor, Ixtlilchoatl his chief war officer, and Euetzin his chief
officer of state. In the latter he invested unusual authority, placing
in his charge all matters of a tribal character. Cacami was not
forgotten, but, by his own expressed wish, assigned to an important
position in the army, near the person of Ixtlilchoatl.
Tezcot and Menke, who were in attendance at the ceremony of
enthronement, were pressed to unite their destiny with Tezcuco, but,
preferring a life in the mountains to one of luxury at the capital of
their newly acquired friends, declined to do so. This the appreciative
prince regretted, for he was anxious to express his gratitude, in some
substantial manner, for the friendship they had shown him when he was
an outlawed wanderer--which he could do best by making them favored
retainers in his official retinue.
Hualcoyotl was not too busy to think of carrying out his purpose of
making Itlza his queen, and now, that he was a king, sought, without
delay, an opportunity in which to communicate to her his intentions.
The extensive conservatory, connected with the palace, of which
previous mention has been made, was a favorite retreat of Itzla's,
which the prince had discovered, and here he determined to find and
acquaint her with his designs.
At a certain hour on each day, in the afternoon, it was her custom to
go into this pleasant and retired place alone. That she remained
unaccompanied while there may be doubted, however, since Cacami spent
much of his time at the palace.
On an afternoon only a few days subsequent to the crowning of the
prince, Itlza entered the conservatory with light and eager step. Her
face was brightened by a joyous gleaming which beamed from her
beautiful laughing eyes, and there was upon it an expression of
expectancy, as if some pleasurable event was anticipated and near at
hand. She hummed, in monotone, a droll little theme of native music, as
she moved about the place on pleasure bent.
Although the work of restoration had been commenced, and the erstwhile
beauty of the once enchanting resort had begun to reassert itself;
still, traces of neglect, which had been permitted to creep over and
mar a former perfection of arrangement, were present in the
conservatory to disenchant the esthetical beholder. Yet, to a person
who might have been suspected of only seeking a means whereby to gain
an end, as in Itlza's case, the imperfection was of little consequence.
Presently, and without notice to the happy dreamer, she was brought
face to face with Hualcoyotl, who had come upon her unobserved. She
greeted him courteously, yet was slightly confused and uneasy, as if a
pleasant anticipation had suddenly been broken in on.
"Will you be seated, Itlza?" said he, graciously, directing her to a
low bench a little distance away. "I have something of interest--at
least of interest to me, and which ought to be to yourself--to say to
you."
What could the surprised and disquieted maiden do but comply? A request
from Hualcoyotl was to her a command, and she permitted herself to be
conducted to the bench. When she was seated, he continued:
"Are you happy, Itlza, in this palace home of mine?"
"Your home is very enjoyable, and will be beautiful and full of
pleasantness when you are through with its improvement. I would be very
unappreciative not to enjoy it to the extent of being happy," she
replied, wondering to what the question would lead.
"Yes, my home will be beautiful; but, Itlza, it will be like the cage
of a bird, the one occupant of which is without a mate," he returned,
looking at her with an expression of fondness, which, when she raised
her eyes inquiringly to his, she did not fail to comprehend. She became
much disturbed, but thought she must say something, and spoke as
follows:
"The King of Tezcuco need not be long without a mate; for there is many
a charming _cihuatl_ (woman) who would be pleased to come into his
palace home to reign as queen. He has only to command, and the most
beautiful princesses in all the Anahuac will be his to choose from."
"Itlza, have you forgotten the hours, long ago, when a lad and little
lass played and romped over the hills of Zelmonco?" he questioned. "If
you have forgotten, I am sorry; for I have not. Blissfully ignorant
were we then," he went on, "of the sorrows and griefs of the future;
and happy in our innocent simplicity, thinking only of the joys and
pleasures of an artless childhood."
"No, I have not forgotten. Those were, indeed, happy times," she
replied, a frightened look covering her face.
"In those times, Itlza, I thought of you as my future mate, and now
that I am a man, with wisdom to choose, I would verify those boyish
dreams by making you my queen. You will fill that place in my heart, as
well as in my palace, as no other can, though she were the greatest
princess of Anahuac; for, Itlza, I love you." He paused an instant to
watch the effect of his declaration. "I would have you come to me," he
continued, "not by command, but by choice. Will you be my queen,
Itlza?"
The graveness of the situation now dawned upon her mind with a terrible
force--Hualcoyotl had chosen her to be his queen. She was dumbfounded,
and consternation was depicted on her face. She did not dare to look
up. The prince, after waiting a moment for a reply, again spoke:
"You are silent, Itlza; have you nothing to say for the honor I am
about to confer upon you?"
Recovering herself sufficiently to speak, she said, in a scared tone of
voice:
"Your proposal, O Hualcoyotl, has come upon me so suddenly that I am
confused; I was not expecting it. What says Teochma, my mother?"
"That Itlza shall be Queen of Tezcuco," he replied, piquantly, being
disappointed and displeased with her reception of his proposal.
"It is all so sudden, so startling, I am overwhelmed with confusion.
You will, I'm sure, O noblest of friends, give me time to think?" she
questioned, hoping to secure a respite, if only for a little time, that
she might become reconciled to the inevitable, if such a thing were
possible.
"Yes, I will give you time, Itlza--a few days, but I may not be
disappointed, for I have set my heart upon making you Queen of
Tezcuco--my queen."
Unobserved by the prince and Itlza, another person, a man, entered the
conservatory, hurriedly and expectantly, but, on coming near to where
they were, he heard the sound of someone talking, which caused him to
stop and listen. His position was screened from observation by foliage,
and, had he been so disposed, he might have remained an unseen listener
to what followed, but he did not. He recognized the prince's voice,
and, although he could not see her, he felt sure it was Itlza he was
speaking to. He caught the words, "for I have set my heart upon making
you Queen of Tezcuco--my queen," and they fell upon his ear like the
crack of a fearful doom. He waited to hear no more, but quickly turned
away and left the place as hurriedly as he had entered it.
Itlza gathered herself together for a final plea, and said:
"I would not seem unkind or unappreciative toward the dear friend of my
childhood, whom I esteem above all men, and look upon almost as one of
my own blood. You are like a brother to me, noble Hualcoyotl, but not
like a lover."
"You will yet learn to love me, Itlza. You shall remain in my palace,
and I will teach you," he rejoined, persuasively.
"Is there not someone else, O prince, more worthy and lovable than I,
who would be pleased to become your queen, whose love might be had for
the asking?" she pleaded, paying no attention to his persuasive tones.
Hualcoyotl was inexorable. He had resolved on a purpose, and was not to
be dissuaded from pursuing it to the end. He said decidedly:
"The King of Tezcuco may find others to love him, but not another to be
his queen. You, O Itlza, my first and only love, shall fill that place.
I am king--my word is law. I have said it. Be wise, O Itlza, in this
matter, and study to become the chief lady of the nation." As he
finished speaking he knelt on one knee, took her hand and pressed it to
his forehead--a mode of affectionate salutation, the kiss being
reserved for those who were endeared--after which action he turned
away, leaving her to the terrible realization of the hopelessness of
her love for Cacami, and the certainty of a compulsory marriage with
him, which death alone could prevent.
She was now alone, in the saddest sense, with no eye to witness the
anguish of soul with which she was stricken, and to which she now gave
away. Throwing herself prostrate upon the ground she forgot all else
but her crushed hopes, and moaned in the agony of despair. She did not
realize the quick approach and presence of the one for the love of whom
she was now caused to suffer. He stood over her for a moment,
contemplating her agony, while on his face was unmistakable evidence of
great distress of mind. Though strong in his manhood, he could not
entirely restrain his feelings, and could not have been expected to
while his breast was being torn by a tempest of conflicting emotions.
He presently kneeled at her side, and called softly:
"Itlza!" At the sound of her name on her loved one's lips she arose,
and, throwing herself into his arms, cried in accents of unutterable
woe:
"Cacami! Cacami!"
* * * * *
The lovers had arranged for a meeting in the conservatory, and Itlza,
happy in the anticipation of an hour of sweet converse with her
beloved, had come to fulfill her tryst, and, as we have seen, was met
by the prince. Just when the latter, with mind wholly absorbed in the
object which had brought him to the conservatory, was becoming
impatient and imperative in his language at the unexpected evidence of
a disinclination on the part of the former to look with favor upon his
proposal to honor her above all other women, and she, too much
frightened to think of anything save the terrible fact that her
anticipations of a happy future with him she loved were about to be
shipwrecked--forever swept away--Cacami, unheard by them, came upon the
ground in the joyful expectation of soon meeting the object of his
love. On discovering that Hualcoyotl was there ahead of him, talking
with Itlza, and learning the significance of his presence from the few
words which reached him, he was overwhelmed with amazement at the
disclosure. He could not in honor remain to hear another word, so,
quickly turning on his heel, withdrew.
The hopelessness of his suit with Itlza was at once apparent to the
astounded lover; a king stood between them, and, according to law--an
established fiat, especially favorable to rulers to protect them in
their family relations, particularly in the choice of a wife--death
would be the consequence should he marry her, or even persist in
meeting her clandestinely and be detected in it.
It would have been different had he made Itlza his affianced previous
to her coming to the palace, even without the knowledge of the mother
and brother; and possibly afterward had he anticipated the prince; but
now his chance was gone; and, O, how he regretted the delay. No one,
save themselves, knew that they were lovers, so closely had they
guarded their secret; and since no pledge of troth had been exchanged,
they must bide the result.
How could he give her up? The more he reflected on the matter, the
greater became his distress of mind. He did not for a moment think of
Itlza as a willing listener to the king's proposal to make her his
queen, and he resolved to return to the conservatory so soon as his
royal rival should depart from it, to condole with her, which he did,
only to find her in the throes of an utter hopelessness. Their
discovery of each other, so full of woebegoneness, has been noted.
The despairing maiden clung to her lover, pleadingly, as if he might
have saved her from her impending fate. He held her to his breast in a
close embrace, and if endearing words and passionate kisses--the first
he had dared to bestow--could have effected a relief to her overwrought
feelings, they must have found it in his.
"You must not be torn from me thus," he said, passionately, after she
had explained, between sobs and moans, how determined the prince was in
his purpose. "No, dear, sorrowing Laughing-eyes, death alone shall
separate us."
"What, indeed, O Cacami, but death or submission is left for both of
us," moaned the hapless maiden.
"You put it well and true, Itlza. I had not thought of death for you; I
was thinking only of myself; but, alas! the result will be the same for
both of us. I should not ask of you so great a sacrifice. No, my poor,
lorne love, I must give you up."
"You shall not give me up, Cacami! Let it be mine to choose whether I
will wear a crown, or cleave to you at the risk of death. It will be no
fault of yours, then, if I should choose to die," she answered,
determinedly.
"What can I say? If I alone were held responsible I could quickly
choose; but you, poor darling, must suffer too."
"If you can suffer for the love of me, why not I for a like reason? Is
my love less powerful than yours, that I am a woman? Cacami, you shall
not choose to cast me off, even if it be to save my life. The choice, I
pray you, shall be mine."
"Then, if you will, choose wisely, Laughing-eyes; remembering that a
crown and the love of a noble man are on one hand, while on the other
are only Cacami and death."
"Yes, I will choose between you--the good king and Cacami--but it will
not be to trample on my love--my heart. No, not for a crown at the
hands of so good a man as Hualcoyotl," she answered, earnestly.
Continuing, she said: "I would not lead you to death, O Cacami, my
love; yet, I choose to go with you, even to that end."
"Then be it so; we will stand or fall together," he returned, holding
her in a closer embrace.
An idea at this instant occurred to Itlza, and, gathering a little
courage from it, she said:
"Why may we not escape to another country, Cacami, or to the
mountains--anywhere, so we be not separated?"
"Hualcoyotl would find us though we were hidden in the fastness of the
farthest mountain. No, Laughing-eyes, there is hope only in marriage,
and the kindness of the court which shall try us; otherwise it must be
separation or death," he replied, despondingly.
"Then, let us wed. I will be your bride, though it be unto death," she
said, creeping closer to him.
"If you so decide, thus it shall be, my brave Laughing-eyes. We will
wed, and, if need be, die together."
"I vow to you, O Cacami, that naught but death shall part us, and,
since thus to you I give my pledge, I pray you bind it with the seal of
troth," she said, trustingly, putting up her carmine-tinted lips to
receive the kiss which was to seal the sacred compact. Their lips met,
and two souls were united unto death by one prolonged, loving embrace,
from which they drew calmness--the calmness which is found in the
strength of a plighted faith, made enduring by the kiss, which, to
them, was a seal, indissoluble except by death.