LAY DOWN YOUR SWORD
Disclaimer – I don't own the rights, Zorro Productions Inc does - I just like to play with the characters.
Plot - Victoria is tired of waiting for Zorro and takes matters into her own hands.
Sequel to my story "You've Made Your Bed"
Chapter 1
Don Diego de la Vega ambled into the tavern feeling pleased with himself. He had just spent the morning at The Guardian office preparing the paper for the coming issue and believed that the review he had written of Thomas Pain's book "Rights of Man"would help show de Soto to a more enlightened way of leadership. Well that's what he hoped for anyway, but knowing de Soto as he did, the nuances in his writing might be a little too subtle for him. Unfortunately, it often took more a direct action to get his attention.
As he stepped further inside the tavern and looked around at the busy place, his heart pounded faster when he saw the woman he loved tending to her patrons.
Victoria and her girls were rushed off their feet with the lunchtime orders; it seemed to her as though the entire population of Los Angeles had come into the pueblo just for lunch. Not that she didn't mind the extra work, she loved being busy but she always liked to stay and chat with her patrons, to give a more personal touch but not today, it was simply too busy to gossip. As she placed Don Alfredo's meal in front of him, she turned around and saw her closest friend standing by the bar and blushed as she suddenly remembered her dream from the night before, the dream about being married to Diego.
"Your 'husband' is here." Pilar whispered as she passed by her employer, with a large grin on her face.
"Pilar...!" she started to say but the other woman had already disappeared through the curtains and into the kitchen. She shook her head as she crossed over to him. "Hola Diego." she smiled warmly.
"Hola Victoria, you're busy today." he smiled back as he took another glance around the tavern.
She nodded, "Si, we are but I don't mind the extra work. What can I get for you?" she asked.
"Well, I was wondering if you have some of that delicious albondigas soup of yours." he said hopefully.
She shook her head, "I'm sorry Diego, I'm all out. But I do have some chorizo pumpkin soup that I made earlier. Would that be okay?" she asked.
He smiled and nodded, "That would be fine, gracias."
Victoria smiled back, "Good, I'll be right back." she replied as she turned and entered the kitchen.
Before long Victoria re-appeared with Diego's bowl of soup and a plate of tamales for another patron but as she was still a little flustered from the memory of her dream, she didn't realise that she had placed the wrong meal in front of her friend.
She was about to move away when Diego's voice stopped her, "Umm Victoria, I know you are a little busy but..." he said a little hesitantly.
She looked down in surprise, "Oh no, I'm sorry Diego. I haven't mixed up orders for a long time." she replied as she felt a hot flush rise over her cheeks and placed the correct meal in front of him.
Diego chuckled, "It's okay. You do seem a little distracted today." he observed.
Behind them came a delicate snort as Pilar passed them, "Victoria is distracted by a dream Don Diego. A dream about you."
"Pilar!" Victoria blushed.
Diego smiled as he leant against the bar, "Oh really, a dream about me?" he teased.
"It's nothing Diego." she replied just as Pilar returned.
"She dreamt that she was married to you and something about a..." Pilar added with a teasing glint in her eyes.
"PILAR, stop, that's enough!" Victoria cried out, thoroughly embarrassed now, her face burned deep red. She saw Diego's eyebrows rise in surprise and he grinned, he actually grinned at her, as though he liked the idea.
"Really, married to me…mmm must have been a rather nice dream then." he teased her once more.
"No, it was a nightmare." she replied without thinking but she saw his grin drop slightly and she knew that she had hurt his feelings. "Oh Diego, I didn't mean that...I mean before...earlier in the dream. It was a bad dream...Excuse me." she whispered and quickly turned away taking the plate of tamales to Senor Martinez before she re-entered the kitchen.
Diego grinned at the thought of his lady dreaming about him, dreaming about being married to him. Perhaps it meant something. He hoped it was. He longed for the day that he could make her his in all ways, if only he could get over his fear of her rejection, he would marry her in an instant. He sighed, picked up his bowl of soup, turned and saw several empty seats by the far wall so he crossed over to the table and sat down.
Victoria came through the curtain once more and without conscious thought, her eyes drifted in Diego's direction. As she watched him raise the spoon to his mouth, her eyes were drawn to his lips and stayed there. She began to wonder what it would be liked to be kissed by him, whether his lips would be warm and soft against hers, just as they had been in her dream.
Pilar accidentally bumped into her, "Sorry." she said as she rushed passed with a tray of drinks in her hands.
Victoria snapped out of her trance and blushed furiously once more. She couldn't believe that she had been staring at her friend like that and wondering what his kiss would be like. She shook her head in disbelief, how could she be disloyal to Zorro like that? She should be dreaming about Zorro's heated kisses not Diego's imaginary ones, she cursed herself as she went about her tasks.
de Soto strode through the doors and glanced around the busy tavern, he hadn't expected the tavern to be so busy, was there something going on that he wasn't aware of, he mused to himself as he noticed Victoria coming in his direction. "Senorita, I wish to order some lunch." he stated firmly.
Victoria frowned slightly; she didn't like his attitude, "Of course Alcalde, what can I get for you?" she replied somewhat frostily.
de Soto ignored her tone, "Do you have the chile carne asada on the menu today?" he asked her.
Victoria nodded, "Si, we do Alcalde, if you take a seat, I'll bring it out to you."
This time he caught the underlying icy tone but before he could reprimand her, Victoria slipped through the curtain. He shook his head as he glanced around the tavern once more. He saw that there was a spare seat next to Don Diego and hid a sigh, he had hoped for a table to himself but with the extra crowd, he knew it was not to be.
He moved over to the table where Diego was seated, "May I join you Don Diego?" he asked politely.
Diego gave him a friendly smile, "By all means Alcalde, I'm almost finished but you are welcome to share the table."
"Gracias." he replied as he sat down beside the younger man and a moment later Victoria brought his meal over to him and placed it down on the table with a bang.
"Is there anything else I can get you?" she asked coldly.
"Some ale, if you please, Senorita." de Soto said with narrowed eyes.
Victoria stormed away and de Soto frowned as he stared after her, "What is her problem?" he grumbled.
Diego shrugged, "I don't know Alcalde." he was a little surprised himself by her behaviour; she was usually polite to the Alcalde, except when he had done something to make her angry, which was more often then not.
Victoria returned with a glass of ale and slammed it down on the table.
de Soto had enough of her rude behaviour and grabbed her arm, "I don't like your behaviour, Senorita." he growled.
She threw off his hand, "Do you grab your wife like that Alcalde?" she hissed at him.
He frowned in utter confusion, "My wife? I'm not married, Senorita, as you well know but regardless of my marital status, it's no reason for your rudeness. Perhaps a spell in the cells will cool your ill feeling." he replied angrily.
Victoria was about to retort heatedly, when she saw the stunned look on Diego's face and a wave of guilt swept over her. She was angry at de Soto, not because of his presence in her tavern but because of her dream, she couldn't shake the image of him in her bed. She couldn't believe that she had made that comment about his wife, for she knew all too well that he wasn't married, in fact they had actually planned their own wedding, when they had been under the spell of those horrible potions that Doctor Wayne had left behind.
She blushed, "I'm sorry Alcalde, I've been busy today and well..." she replied contritely.
de Soto eyed her before he nodded, "Very well." he replied coldly as he turned his attention to his food.
Victoria was about to open her mouth at this obvious dismissal but she saw the warning look on Diego's face and decided that it would be more prudent if she kept her mouth closed, she knew the Alcalde's threat of being thrown in those dirty cells was not to be taken lightly. She turned on her heel and strode away.
Diego had no idea why she had behaved so badly, it wasn't like her to explode without good reason but he couldn't altogether blame her, the Alcalde was an insufferable oaf.
de Soto glanced questioningly once more at the younger man, he was afterall, a close friend of the Senorita, perhaps he knew why she was angry at him, "What have I done?"
All Diego could do was shrug once more, "I don't know Alcalde but I did hear that she had some strange dream last night, perhaps that has put her in a strange mood." he admitted.
de Soto snorted, "I must have been some dream to put her in that kind of temper."
Diego nodded as he stood up, "Perhaps, but if you'll excuse me Alcalde, I must go, I need to speak with the Padre about the upcoming children's concert. Adios."
de Soto nodded absently, "Of course Don Diego, you mustn't keep the Padre waiting."