The Queen With The Frozen Heart - The Sacrifice

The warriors thrust the last huge boulders to their place and closed the cave door.

Kuyllur and Lusiru called their magic and sealed the mountain with it.

No jaguar men would ever be able to leave the cave and bother the humans again.

When the spell had been done and the words had been said, there was a terrible cry.

The King and his men turned around to see the horrible beast lying on the ground with Killa, the moon, standing over it.

Further away a girl was sobbing at Iluku’s arms like her heart had just been broken.

- Amarun, the King heard a woman’s voice.

It sounded so familiar, and yet he could not exactly say who it was.

- Amarun, the voice cried and lamented, what have they done to my son?

He saw a beautiful woman running down the mountain side and throwing herself on the beast.

- My son, she sobbed, my brave son! Why did you have to leave my side?

- Darling, the King uttered, is it you? But how could it be you? My Queen is at home, in her castle, with my baby son.

- Husband, the woman turned to look at him and King could really see her.

It was his beloved, but she was different.

Older, regal, and most of all, she was sad and heartbroken.

- Your son isn’t a baby anymore, Queen caressed the monster, he is a man now. A brave man like you, a true warrior. Only that he isn’t a man anymore, but this hideous thing. And he did it all to save you, to give you back to me. And now we have lost him, forever…

King ran to meet his beloved and kneeled by her side.

- What are you saying, he asked, is this monstrosity my son? And how is it possible?

- By magic, Queen cried, he has never wanted anything else but to save his father. So he sacrificed himself to bring you back, and to mend my broken heart. To melt the heart that had become frozen. And now I don’t know how to bring him back to me.

King took her hand and kissed it.

- I’m so sorry my love, he whispered, it must have been horrible for you. To have me gone and you alone with all the responsibilities, trying to be mother and father to our son. Can you ever forgive me?

The Queen felt her heart burst and her magic flew to the air like a magnificent multicolored bird.

It danced in the air, singing joyously all the time.

Until it plunged down to the prince’s still body and impaled itself to his claws.

No, Queen cried harder and harder.

She felt her magic disappearing, melting together with her heart, shaping into something very different.

Something that could feel the love and the loss, again.

She let the magic drain from her, accepting the sacrifice.

To be continued...

This is the thirty-fifth part of the story.

To read the first part of the story, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 1  

To read the second part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 2 

To read the third part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 3. 

To read the fourth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 4. 

To read the fifth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 5.

To read the fourteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 14

To read the sixth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 6

To read the seventh part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 7

 To read the eight part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 8

To read the ninth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 9

To read the tenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 10

To read the eleventh part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 11

To read the twelth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 12

To read the thirteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 13

To read the fifteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 15

To read the sixteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 16

To read the seventeenth part, go to the The Queen With The Frozen Heart 17

To read the eighteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 18

To read the nineteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 19

To read the twentieth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 20

To read the twenty first part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - The Night Of The Black Moon

To read the twenty second part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - To The Enchanted Night

To read the twenty third part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - At The Mouth Of The Cave

To read the twenty fourth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - The Visiting Star

To read the twenty fifth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - Time To Leave The Home

To read the twenty-sixth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - A Suitable Wife

To read the twenty-seventh part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - Down In The Dungeons

To read the twenty-eight part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - Savouring The Chicha

To read the twenty-ninth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - Flying With The Stars

To read the thirthieth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - The Monster Awakens 

To read the thirty-first part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - A Cup Of Chicha

To read the thirty-second part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - Riding The Storm 

To read the thirty-third part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - The Magic Arises

To read the thirty-fourth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - The Lightning In My Hand

Chili Peppers, Ají, of Ecuador

Spicy sauces, hot sauce with tropical fruits, chili pepper in desserts and ice cream.

Shades of red and green chillies, elongated, round and oval.

The Ecuadorian ají or chili pepper shatters the traditional concept of spicy.

Although relative of paprika and chili, this ancestral Amazonian plant distinguishes itself as an accompaniment to main dishes and sweet flavors.

The cultivation of chili pepper, native to Central and South America plant, dates back more than 6,000 years predating even the invention of pottery.

In Ecuador chili pepper has been used in cooking for about 6100 years according to scientific findings.

Before it was thought that the ancestors of the great civilizations of highlands and the Incas and Aztecs were responsible for most agricultural and cultural developments in the region.

Now there is evidence that we owe the cultivation of peppers to the native peoples of lowland tropics of Latin America.

Ají Lojano, Hot Sauce from Loja Province area.

Hot sauce culture

Practically every town in Ecuador has developed its own recipes and secrets for making chili sauce, or ají, the spicy accompaniment of Ecuadorian meals.

The art of Ecuadorian gastronomy is preserved in the recipes and customs passed down orally for generations.

The use of chili flavors in meals depends on the geographic location in the country and it is part of the stories of people and spices their culture with specific flavors.

The popular food and haute cuisine in Ecuador, unlike other countries, has developed sweet dishes with chili sauce incorporating authentic products such as tropical fruits and herbs in season.

The sweetness of banana for example is present and even highlighted and Coastal Andean and Amazonic food.

 Accompanied with lots of rice, plantains, yuca or potatoes with meat or sea food.

The chili is generally used for accompaniment in entrees and soups but if you mix it with pineapple, mango or passion fruit it is an innovation where the spicy hotness enhances the sweet taste of each fruit.

How hot is hot?

The strength of the Ecuadorian chili pepper sauce depends on the species used when it is prepared.

Within the 30 species that exist in the country, the smaller ones are more concentrated and provocative.

There are countless chili sauces for almost every city or province in Ecuador.

Ají de Tomade de Árbol, tree tomato hot sauce, very popular in Quito and the Northern Andean Area of Ecuador.

Tasting the chili is not a matter of courage, but of enjoyment.

The flavors and aromas are activated when crossing the palate, the taste and that nice burning sensation cause pleasure.

Ají, or hot sause, is also a trip into the traditions and history of the places visited.

Surely everyone should be given a chance.

The many ways in which the chili sauce is prepared is not to dull the original flavor of the food, it is not make the flavor disappear with the force of spicy, but to enhance it.

The Queen With The Frozen Heart - The Lightning In My Hand

Seeing that the warriors were safely away, Lusiru and Kuyllur sought the skies and called a bolt of lightning towards them.

It fell directly on the solid rock above the cave opening.

Smaller stone broke from the wall and stumbled down, towards the two brothers.

Together they called yet another bolt.

The fiery spear broke a huge rock and it tumbled down, rolling downhill, away from the cave.

- Come, the brothers called the warriors, we need to seal the entrance so that the jaguar men can never bother you again.

The warriors run towards the boulder.

Together with the two stars, using their spears and backs, they were able to move the rock to seal the cave entrance.

After that they gather all the smaller rocks and stones and to make sure that no one would be able to enter or exit the mountain ever again.

- What are you going to do, Killa asked his wife, you know you can’t change him back.

- I know I’m strong enough, Iluku answered, if only there were someone here who can. Someone strong enough, someone with enough magic to change shape when he wants to. And to who is strong enough to change other beings shape too.

- Are you saying I’m supposed to do it, Killa balked, is that why you just had to bring me here?

- Like you had anything better to do, his wife smiled at him, help him, help them all! They need you!

Smiling and shaking his head Killa moved closer to Amarun.

- Come away, girl, Iluku ordered Sisa, or he will change you into something else too.

Sisa had kept whispering to Amarun all this time.

She wanted to make sure he knew she was here and that she would not leave him, no matter what.

She could feel how much Amarun hated the old man, and feared him.

- I can’t leave him, she cried, he’s too scared. He will free himself and fly away!

- He will never be able to do that, Iluku reassured Sisa, the magic I put in the net is too strong. It will not let him leave.

- But he is so scared, Sisa whispered.

- Sometimes we need to let our loved ones suffer for a while, Iluku smiled sadly, to save them from a bigger suffering.

She looked Sisa straight to the eyes.

- Trust me, Iluku offered the girl her hand, Killa will make sure Amarun will be fine.

Sobbing softly Sisa slided from Amarun’s back.

- It will just be a moment, she touched her loved one for the last time, I promise!

To be continued...

This is the thirty-fourth part of the story.

To read the first part of the story, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 1  

To read the second part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 2 

To read the third part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 3. 

To read the fourth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 4. 

To read the fifth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 5.

To read the fourteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 14

To read the sixth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 6

To read the seventh part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 7

 To read the eight part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 8

To read the ninth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 9

To read the tenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 10

To read the eleventh part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 11

To read the twelth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 12

To read the thirteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 13

To read the fifteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 15

To read the sixteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 16

To read the seventeenth part, go to the The Queen With The Frozen Heart 17

To read the eighteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 18

To read the nineteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 19

To read the twentieth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 20

To read the twenty first part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - The Night Of The Black Moon

To read the twenty second part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - To The Enchanted Night

To read the twenty third part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - At The Mouth Of The Cave

To read the twenty fourth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - The Visiting Star

To read the twenty fifth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - Time To Leave The Home

To read the twenty-sixth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - A Suitable Wife

To read the twenty-seventh part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - Down In The Dungeons

To read the twenty-eight part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - Savouring The Chicha

To read the twenty-ninth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - Flying With The Stars

To read the thirthieth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - The Monster Awakens 

To read the thirty-first part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - A Cup Of Chicha

To read the thirty-second part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - Riding The Storm 

To read the thirty-third part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - The Magic Arises