On The Trail We Blaze

Chapter 12 - Should I Stay?

The third day arrived, with nothing but peace and joy in the air. And, with the dawning of this new day, came the realization that the ship was almost finished. Many people had gathered to help stock the ship. With food, water, and many other necessities. And, of course, the gold.

Miguel was aboard, inspecting the boat and making sure all was well for him and his friends' trip. However, one could not miss the hesitance in his expression and tone.

"Well, it's, um, uh, nice."

"Nice?" The chief questioned.

"Yes, nice."

"But?"

"Um, but, uh, is it really fit for the Gods?"

"My lord..."

"I have been around boats, believe me, and that, um, the pointy, tall, um, the-the-the-the long up and down thing..."

"The mast?"

"The mast, yes, yes. The mast is good. Well, look at it. There's not nearly enough, uh, um, rope."

"Rope?"

"Yes, rope. Exactly my point. Vertical ascension requires a lot more, uh, rope."

The chief, who was confused and beginning to get a little annoyed by Miguel's unnecessary nitpicking, tried to calm him as he called out, "My lord..."

But the blond man did not listen. He tried to find more fault, shaking at the sides of the wooden boat. "And look at this. This doesn't look at all...secure."

Though he shook with all his might and even pounded on the side, the boat was clearly secure and crafted to perfection. It was obvious, at least to the chief - who was the only one around with the rambling blond - that something was off.

"Chief, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, but all-in-all, it is a complete do-over."

The chief watched as Miguel let out a sigh, filled with longing, as he leaned against the side of the boat, gazing out at the city. The large man stared at him for a moment before a small smile made its way onto his expression.

He walked over to lean alongside the young man, as he nonchalantly said, "You know, Lord Miguel, if you wish to stay, you only need to say so."

"You mean...forever?" He asked.

"Of course."

Though he thought about it for a moment, even staring at the city exit with some hesitation, he quickly shook his head as he stated, "Oh, no, I can't. I have to go back with Tulio and (Y/N). We're... We're partners."

"Big plans in the other world, huh?"

"Yep. Big plans."

"Well, then," The chief softly patted Miguel's back as he left, "I better go get some more rope, huh?"

Miguel turned and called out, "Oh, Chief, um, forget about the rope. Um, my mistake."

"Hey, to err is human."

The blond man was just about to get off the boat when he paused, upon realizing what the chief had just said. The two gazed at each other, with the chief smiling knowingly yet kindly at the so-called God.

And, though he knew the big secret, he made no attempt to call Miguel out on it or to do anything about it. He just smiled as Miguel slowly climbed down, being pleasantly surprised by the whole situation.

...

"Definitely not half." Tulio refused, clasping a golden plate close to his chest while Chel chuckled at his childish behaviour.

"Yeah, it's meant to be equal." (Y/N) added, flicking the Mayan man's forehead before sending a playful glare towards her friend. "That means no extra pieces for yourself, Tulio."

"Hey!"

"No, I don't want to hear it. Now get back to sorting."

The man sighed loudly but begrudgingly went back to his work - this time taking out a few golden objects from his pile. As he did, (Y/N) went over to the other end of the temple, seeing what gold was being ready to head to the ship.

And Chel, with a mischievous smile, slyly followed behind her.

As the woman examined one of the treasures, a beautiful and intricate golden necklace, Chel teasingly asked, "Do I not deserve half after helping you out so much?"

She paused, then teased back, "How about I let you come back to Spain with us, like you wanted, and I can see my way clear to throwing you, mmm, ten percent?"

"Ten percent?!"

She innocently looked up at the handsome man, placing her hand over her mouth in mock surprise, as she asked, "Is that not enough?"

"You know, maybe I won't go to Spain with you and take a third."

He grabbed the necklace from her hands, waving it in front of her face with a smug grin. And, though they were only joking around, something pained within her when she thought that he may not come with.

"Like you don't wanna go to Spain." She quickly countered, still being playful but trying her best to hide her growing concerns.

Chel turned away from her, secretly smiling as he mused, "Oh, like you don't want me to want to go to Spain."

He chuckled when (Y/N) went silent and he saw that as his victory in their little game.

But it faded as she softly said, "I do want you to come to Spain."

He turned back to face her, only to behold a sight of pure innocence and beauty. She shyly twirled a strand of her (H/L) (H/C) hair while also nervously avoiding his gaze. It was almost as if, if he asked her to repeat herself, she'd crumple to the floor right then and there.

Her anxiety was evident, but he could also see she wanted nothing more than to lay bare her feelings.

"Go on." He softly pressed.

Her gaze slowly shifted to meet his dark eyes. She thought back to her conversation with the chief and knew it was now or never. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her stance and just went for it.

"All right. Cards on the table. I want you to come to Spain with me and the guys." Her strong stance faltered, shying away slightly. "Well, mostly me... I want you to come with me."

He didn't know what to say. But he knew what his heart wanted.

He took her hand in his before delicately caressing her cheek. She leaned into his touch, unable to focus on anything else. It was a small, intimate moment between them, and she hoped his answer would reflect it.

A small smile was on his lips as he playfully whispered, "Well, if that is what you want, Goddess. Then it is what I want too."

With that, he leaned in and placed a kiss against her lips. It was soft but soon turned passionate and she couldn't help but wrap her arms around his neck, not wanting it to end. They were in love. And that fact was put on clear display in that one moment.

And Miguel was there to witness it.

He watched from outside the temple as the couple held one another close, deeply in love and ready to go back to Spain with one another. Altivo walked next to him but his jaw fell open as he watched the pair kiss.

Miguel sighed as he closed the horse's mouth before looking over to his other best friend, who was too focused on his gold to even notice anything else, including the small moment between Chel and (Y/N) - that he would have definitely lost his mind over if he saw it.

Miguel longed to stay. But it was obvious his friends did not feel the same way. They'd go on to live their lives, but he wasn't sure if he could do the same.

"Well, I guess this might as well be good-bye." He softly told himself.

With a sigh, he turned and made his way back down the stairs and towards the city. Altivo, though conflicted, decided it was best to follow the blond man, to provide company and help him come to terms that he would not return to Spain...with the two people who had always been by his side.