Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Disney Zorro nor seek to make any monetary profits. Any characterization mistake is mine alone.
"Frost"
Despite the warmth of his surroundings, his heart stays frozen.
At least, that was what everyone seemed to be thinking. He had not shed one tear for his mother. His face was inscrutable - no sign of emotion could be seen.
One day, his father finally had enough. It was well past noon, but his son was nowhere in sight.
"Has Diego come out of his room?" he asked their housekeeper.
She wrung her hands. "No, Don Alejandro."
The don clasped his hands together at the back. "But this is unacceptable! Tell him to come down at once."
The housekeeper went to do his bidding while he tapped his foot. Perhaps he should have called on the boy himself, but he was afraid he would lose his temper if he saw the uncaring state his son was in.
"You asked for me, Father?"
Alejandro looked up. He was wrong about his son's uncaring state being obvious. The boy's appearance was neat and flawless, not a hair nor an article of clothing out of place. But by closing off from the world, Diego did neglect to take care of his inner self. Alejandro did not know whether to feel relieved or more worried at the contrast.
"Yes, Diego. Sit down." He gestured at a chair facing the front of the house.
The boy obediently did his bidding. Alejandro took a seat next to him.
"I have not seen you lately," he said in a mild voice. It would not do to scold the boy just yet.
"I am at home, Father."
Such a soulless voice. And in such a stark contrast with the sentiment expressed. No child should be so emotionless. No child should suffer the way his son did. Alejandro was momentarily afraid. Afraid that he would not be able to help his beloved son.
"Yes, I know that. I mean I have not seen the real you lately."
"The real me?"
Alejandro was not a fanciful man, but he did not think he imagined a tiny bit of curiosity in his son's voice. And wasn't there a little flash of interest in the boy's eyes?
"Yes, the real you. The you who take such joy in life. The you who delight me with your wicked teasing. The you who laugh and cry so freely."
The eyes turned blank. It was like watching a candle being snuffed out.
"This is the real me," Diego replied in a flat voice. Alejandro felt chilled to the bone. He forced himself to look into his son's eyes, but could find nothing, because nothing was reflected in them.
Grasping at his chair with one hand, Alejandro put another hand to the side of his head. This had gone beyond what he knew how to deal with. If he believed letting loose a few bellows would bring his Diego back, he would have done so.
His son needed time, but he was afraid time was not something they had much in supply. He needed a plan.
Thinking fast, Alejandro stood. "It seems you are disinclined to confide in me. Very well. Ask Cresencia to give you something for lunch, then go take a walk outside of the hacienda ground. Don't come back until it is time for supper. We are having it early so it would not be completely dark yet. Now go."
The boy stood and bowed. "With your permission, Father."
Long after his son left the sala, Alejandro let out a long sigh. He was not certain whether he had made the matter worse by forcing Diego to communicate with the outside world. The boy could not be ready yet.
But no matter. He had already begun putting events in motion. Ready or not, Diego would go out there, facing the world that would not indulge his wish to be left alone.
Diego was walking in the woods when he came across three children he knew.
"Come down!" One of the girls stared up in a tall tree. "You don't want to go up there."
The boy poked his head down from the tree. "First you kicked up a fuss when I hesitated. Now you tell me to not go up. Make up your mind, if you please."
The same girl glared back. "Fine. If you want to break your fool neck, don't come back to haunt us." She turned to the other girl. "I'll buy you another one. Come."
"But, Ros..." Her hand trembling, she pointed toward the tree.
Just then, a strong gust of wind blew. Holding on as if his life depended on it, the boy in the tree shrieked.
"Oh, do be quiet!" Ros snapped.
"Says someone who has both feet firmly on the ground."
"Margarita and I are holding on to a tree, too."
"My point still stands. You are on the ground, not perched precariously up here."
Ros sighed. "Stay still. When the wind stops, I'll help you down."
Diego glanced at the cream-colored object flying away. The wind fizzled out into a gentle breeze.
"It's gone, Ros," Margarita said in a forlorn voice.
"What is gone?"
"My bonnet."
Ros blinked her eyes. "Your what?"
In contrast with his earlier complaint, the boy nimbly climbed down. "Her hat, brat. You know, the thing I was sent up to retrieve."
"Don't call me that!"
"Don't act like one, then." Squinting, he shaded his eyes. "Wait, isn't that your hat, Margarita?"
She turned in the direction he was looking. "Yes." Her eyes widened as she approached the person holding her hat. "Diego?"
Wordlessly, he handed the hat back to her and turned away.
"Please wait."
He turned back toward her, a blank expression on his face.
She indicated the bonnet she was wearing. "Thank you for returning my hat."
Still expressionless, he did not move.
Margarita bit her lip. "If you are not busy, would you like to join us?"
He glanced toward her friends, who were approaching.
She blushed. "Oh, sorry. I should have asked them first."
"That wouldn't be necessary," Ros said, walking toward them. "He's welcome to join us."
The other boy scowled at her. "Don't speak for me, Rosarita. I haven't agreed to this."
"You are a beast, Ricardo."
He shrugged. "Just call it as I see it. I don't want a frosty tome walking with us."
A spark of something appeared in Diego's eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it came.
Rosarita jabbed a finger on Ricardo's chest. "You are horrible. Isn't Diego your friend?"
"Out of insults already?"
She grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "I'm so angry with you that I can't think of insults!"
"Good. I don't want you to think. Just follow my lead and leave here."
"Without Diego? I think not."
He rolled his eyes. "Rosarita, I said I don't want his company. If you want that, you go with him and leave me alone."
She released him and gave him a hurt look. "But why not? I thought you two were friends."
"I am friends with Diego. That icicle-" Ricardo made a dismissive gesture toward the other boy "-does not resemble the Diego I know."
"Why, you...you," Rosarita sputtered. Her shaking hands curled into fists.
"Both of you, stop it!"
Surprises on their faces, Rosarita and Ricardo turned toward Margarita, who gave them a look of reproach.
"Diego can speak for himself. For all we know, he wishes to be on his way."
Ricardo snorted. "If he can speak, I sure haven't heard a word."
"We will not hear a word from him now," Margarita said in a bleak voice. "He has left."
"Margarita..." Rosarita held out her hand.
Margarita stepped back. "Don't, Ros." She glanced at Ricardo and shook her head. "I think I'll return home."
Rosarita came over to the other girl's side. "I'll go with you." She paused to glare at Ricardo. "I hope you enjoy your solitude. You've certainly earned it." Grasping Margarita's hand, Rosarita led them both away.
Ricardo looked into shadowed woods behind him. "Coward. Come out, now."
His face reflecting no emotion, Diego walked out from a copse of trees.
"Are you going to continue giving me cold-eyed treatment?" Ricardo demanded.
Diego's eyes flashed. "Are you going to continue giving me insults?" His voice held no inflection. Eyes returning to their customary blankness, he turned away and walked on the path the girls had gone.
"Yes. Until you stop being so blasted stupid!" Ricardo shouted.
Wordlessly, Diego turned back and grabbed Ricardo's hand.
"What are you doing?" Ricardo asked, although he made no effort to resist being led along.
"I'm doing what you want: stop being stupid. Or-" Diego gave his friend a grim smile "-at least I'll try."
Thanks to long strides, and perhaps Ricardo's impatience, the two boys reached the girls a few minutes later.
Margarita's face lit up when she saw the boys. "Ricardo, Diego. Thank goodness. I was afraid Ros and I were lost."
Ricardo shook his head. "Lost? We've parted like ten minutes at most."
Rosarita smiled at him. "That's the first sensible thing I hear from you today."
"This is not the way I came in," Diego said, looking around.
"I suppose you're right. This doesn't look familiar to us, either." Rosarita pursed her lip. "Can you lead us out, Diego?"
He nodded.
"You could have asked me, you know?" grumbled Ricardo.
Rosarita slapped him on the shoulder. "If you weren't such a pest before, I might."
He shrugged. "It was all for Diego's own good. He's here now, isn't he?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "You were a beast even before Diego arrived."
Margarita and Diego exchanged rueful looks.
"Shall we leave them to their disagreement?"
"While they're using me as the subject of that disagreement? I should think not," Diego said indignantly. Then he laughed.
Smiling, she nodded. "We'd better break them up, then."
A big gale swept through the woods just then. Diego took Margarita's hand and ran toward the closest tree.
"This is not normal, is it? A strong wind like this should not happen in the woods." Nevertheless, she held on to the tree for dear life.
"No, it is not normal," Diego agreed. "It is also a cold wind." He turned his head left and right, back and forth, as much as he could while holding on to the tree trunk. "Try not to panic, but I can no longer see nor hear neither Ros nor Ricardo."
"Perhaps, like us, they simply take some shelter," Margarita suggested. However, she didn't sound very convinced of her own words.
"When the wind stops, we'll go look for them."
"They could not have gone very far, could they?"
Diego didn't answer.
A lightning flashed in a distance. Rains were pelting down on the forest. Margarita's hand found Diego's and squeezed gently.
"It is all right. They will be all right."
Diego smiled. "I'm not worried about them. Ros is well able to take care of herself."
"Rosarita is fearless. I'm not sure if that is such a good thing."
He tilted his head to one side. "You don't approve, Margarita?"
She sighed. "It is not for me to approve or disapprove. Rosarita has her parents to look out for her welfare."
"So you are worried about her."
"It does sound contradictory, doesn't it? I was trying to reassure you, but in the end I am the one who is worried."
Holding on to her hand, Diego gave it a gentle squeeze. "She is not alone. Ricardo is with her."
"You're right." Margarita looked to some place faraway. "But somehow those two could get into more mischief together than apart. It might sound callous, but I'm glad I'm neither of their parents."
"You can never be callous, Margarita. But look on the bright side. While it is true that they could get into mischief, I trust our friends to be responsible and work to return to us instead."
The heavy rains chose that moment to turn into drizzles and then stopped, and the gale finally dissolved into a light breeze. Letting go of the sturdy tree, Margarita brushed droplets of water from her face and adjusted her bonnet. Diego held out his hand toward her.
"Shall we?"
Wordlessly, she accepted his hand. Together, they walked toward the direction Diego came from.
After some time, Margarita and Diego came across a lake.
"The lake is frozen!" she exclaimed in disbelief.
"But the ground is dry," Diego said, as he crouched down to touch the soil. "This and the frozen lake must be connected to that bitterly cold wind earlier."
"But no matter how strong that cold wind was, it should not be able to freeze an entire lake."
"I agree." Diego walked to the bank of the lake and knocked his fist on the ice. "Definitely frozen solid. If this is not a work of nature, I am at a loss to explain it."
Margarita's eyes lit up. "But that's just it, Diego. This is simply not a work of nature."
"You sound like you wish for that to be true." He tilted his head to the side and smiled as a blush stole over her face.
"I'm not such a dull creature that I cannot appreciate an adventure that lands right at my feet," she said primly.
"Margarita, you could never be dull even if you try."
"That is nice of you to say so." She walked to where he was and crouched down. "I am already cold even though I haven't touched the ice."
"A wise decision. I shouldn't have done that either, but I forgot."
Standing, Margarita turned a puzzled look on him. "Why not?"
"If the lake froze from some unexplained phenomenon, the ice could be dangerous to the touch." He held out his hand. "Come. We should not stand too close to the lake either, in case it's possible to inhale something odorless but harmful."
"You are wise, young senor," stated a gravelly deep voice. "The caution is not necessary, however. But for the fact that you can slip on it, there is nothing dangerous about the lake."
Diego bowed his head toward the speaker. "Senora. I trust we do not intrude on your land?"
The speaker, a gypsy by the look of loose, colorful, fancy dress with hooped skirt, waved a hand. "Not at all. I rarely ever have visitors, so you are welcome. In fact, come into my hut to get dry. You two look soaked to the bone."
"We were caught in a heavy downpour. But we were under a large tree so I didn't think we got very wet."
"Ah, I see. Well, come in anyway. It is better to be dry and warm, yes?"
Diego exchanged a glance with Margarita.
"I do feel cold." She turned toward the gypsy. "If we would not be an imposition..."
"Not at all. This way." The gypsy gestured at a hut on a small hill overlooking the lake. Both children said their thanks and followed.
It was but a short walk until the three travelers reached the gypsy's hut.
"That is a charming place," Margarita said.
The gypsy bowed. "Thank you, Senorita. I hope you like the inside, too."
"Make yourselves at home," the gypsy told the two children as they walked in. "I'll go get some dry clothes for you to change, and you may hang your wet clothes on those ropes near the fireplace."
"Gracias, Senora," chorused the children.
The gypsy waved in response and disappeared into a room at the back of the hut.
Margarita went to the fireplace and put her hands out toward the flame. "This is great. We are fortunate, Diego, to be rescued from the cold by a kind lady."
Diego frowned at the closed door. "I wonder. It was a little too convenient, the way she found us."
His companion shook her head. "Oh, Diego. You are wise, but sometimes you are too careful. The senora is kind to offer us shelter from the cold."
"Is she?" It was his turn to shake his head. "Never mind. We should ask her about Ros and Ricardo."
"Would she know anything about them?"
"There is a strong possibility that she would. As you have pointed out, they could not have gone very far."
The door opened, and the gypsy walked in with a bundle. "Sorry for the wait. Here you are." She handed the appropriate clothing to each of the children.
"This shirt..." Diego's eyes widened. Clutching the shirt, he ran into the backroom.
To his horror, Ricardo and Ros lay insensible on a long sofa. For a moment, the air felt so heavy he could not breathe. But then he saw small regular movements on the cloaks that covered their unconscious bodies and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
But his throat was clogged. He seemed to lose his ability to speak again.
"I can explain."
He turned toward the gypsy. His heart was beating in a regular rhythm, but that organ had become frozen again. Or perhaps it had never thawed at all.
"I found them lying in the woods not far from here. I was out to gather herbs to revive them when I met you and the young senorita."
"You could have explained that before you shocked us with their unconscious forms."
Diego swirled his head and met with Margarita's gentle eyes. He was grateful to her, since he was the only one shocked. And she was the one who had no suspicion of their hostess less than perfect hospitality.
"I was hoping you would not find out that there was anyone else here. It seems they must be your friends, since you apparently recognized that shirt." The gypsy pointed to the shirt Diego still clutched in his fist.
Feeling suffocated, as if the very air pushed down on his body, Diego threw Ricardo's shirt on the floor and ran out of the hut.
"Wait, young senor!"
He did not stop. Not even when he heard a thump of a fall, and then a soothing voice of Margarita trying to comfort the gypsy. He would be choked if he stayed any longer inside the small hut.
Sitting on its bank, Diego looked sightlessly beyond the frozen lake. Somehow he felt a kinship to it, despite what he told Margarita earlier about it possibly being dangerous. If the icy lake melted, perhaps the ice that clutched around his heart would be gone too.
"You look troubled, my young friend."
The voice was soft. So it was a shock to find a black apparition behind him. The man was tall, perhaps as tall as his father, in a dark-colored formal caballero clothing, complete with a dark-colored hat. A black cape covered most of his clothing, and a black masquerade mask covered most of his face, except for the eyes, the mouth, and the chin. Diego didn't see a mustache or any other facial hair.
"May I sit with you?"
Diego nodded. He did not sense any dangerous aura from the man. On the contrary, he sensed just the opposite.
The masked man nodded and sat on Diego's right side, leaving some comfortable space between them.
"You like this lake?"
Diego did not know precisely how he felt about the lake. But as his power of speech had not yet returned, he nodded in reply.
"It is beautiful, and will be more beautiful when waters of life can flow freely again."
The man talked as if a frozen lake was a regular phenomenon. Perhaps it was. Diego felt his perception of reality was skewed. He glanced at his companion. Perhaps a masked man wandering around was a regular phenomenon, too.
"You wonder at my attire, si? I was supposed to be at a costumed ball, but as it is filled with stuffy haciendados, I sneaked out." He winked at Diego. "You'll sympathize, won't you? I bet you have sneaked out of some boring affair too."
Not boring, but suffocating. Now that he was outside, in a large open space, Diego felt easier in the mind and in the body. But he still could not erase it, the image of his two friends lying so still.
They must be safe. His perception might be skewed, but his instincts were still reliable. The gypsy might not tell the truth, but she was not dangerous. Otherwise, he would never forgive himself for leaving his friends with her.
"Will you let me tell you a story?" the masked man asked.
Blinking, Diego nodded. This was such a strange gentleman. He stayed despite Diego's paying little attention to him.
"I feel a kinship to you," he said, as if in answer to Diego's unvoiced question. Or perhaps unasked would be more accurate. He probably would not ask even if he could speak.
"Strange, huh? But then, stranger things have happened all the time." The masked man smiled. That smile made Diego feel so safe and familiar, so much that he almost missed the beginning of the story. He sat up straight and tried to pay attention.
"Once upon a time, there is a bear cub that lost its mother. It has stopped being playful and has withdrawn into itself. The father is concerned. A little kid should go out and have fun with other kids, not stay cooped up in its dwelling. One day, a passing witch comes across the father bear, and she agrees to grant his wish. In return, she only wants a little of his fur, which he readily gives.
"The witch, however, turns out to be evil. She uses his fur to make a voodoo doll so that she could complete her twisted ritual to gain power. The father bear becomes ill, forcing the son to stop feeling sorry for itself. It cares for its father, day and night, until the father bear regains his full strength.
"Together they go searching for the evil witch, who confesses to hastening the mother bear's illness along. As she has done something similar to other humans, they deliver her to the human authority and return home. Both father and son have to work to build back their close relationship. The son learns it is not to be blamed for its mother's illness and her subsequent passing, and the father learns to pay more attention to his son's needs."
Diego was crying, tears flowing down his face freely. They were cleansing. His eyes blurry, he fumbled for his handkerchief, but before he could get it out, the masked man put his own handkerchief into Diego's hand. He tried to dab at his tears, but they came fast and the handkerchief was soon soaked.
The masked man reached out and pulled Diego into a hug. "Let it all out, my young friend. Don't keep it inside," he said in a soothing voice.
Snuggling close, Diego breathed in the clean smell of the woods after the rain. He did not remember most of words the man used, but he would always be grateful for the thoughts behind the man's kind action.
Diego returned to the hut a while later. The masked man had offered to accompany him, but he declined. He needed to face this by himself.
Ricardo, again in his own clothing, was sitting at a chair in the main room. He waved when he saw Diego. "Hola, Diego. Where have you been? I was bored waiting for you."
And as easily as that, his throat stopped being clogged and his voice returned. It was always Ricardo, who had some unexplained power to restore Diego's power of speech.
"You are all right?" he asked, testing his voice.
"Oh, never better." Ricardo airily waved a hand at himself. "The senora gave me some vile concoction to restore my strength." He grinned. "You'd better not make her mad, Diego. She might feed it to you in retaliation."
Diego looked around the room. "Where are the girls?"
Ricardo pulled a face. "They are closeted with the senora in the back on some girl matter. That was the reason I was sent out here."
He sounded so disgusted that Diego let out a laugh. It was so freeing, this laughter.
"Will you be quiet?" Ricardo glanced at the back of the hut, sweat running down his face. "Now you're bringing them out here." Groaning, he put a hand over his face as the door opened.
"Ah, thank god you've returned to us, young senor."
She was tall, he mused. Or would be tall if she didn't hunch her back. I wonder...
Diego shook his head to erase the fanciful image. "I am sorry for running away," he said, bowing his head.
The gypsy waved her hand. "It is fine. I am grateful that you have not met with any danger."
She sounded concerned for his welfare. Perhaps more concerned than was warranted? He mentally shook his head. Not everyone had an ulterior motive.
Then he saw how she favored her left leg. The left ankle looked swollen.
The gypsy saw the direction of his gaze. "Oh, my ankle isn't as bad as it looks. It is only a little sprained."
"But it should be treated as soon as possible."
"Thank you. The young senoritas already offered to go gather the herbs necessary, so they will probably be back momentarily."
They all sat down and waited in a companionable silence. Even Ricardo had the sense not to open his mouth to say something inappropriate.
It was a fine morning. Smoothing a finger over his mustache, Alejandro was leaving for ranch work when he heard his son's footsteps.
"Father!"
Alejandro smiled at his son. "What is it, Diego?" The boy was smiling, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Due to an inevitable event, Alejandro didn't meet his son last night, so this was the first time he saw the transformation of his son into a happy boy. And he very much liked what he saw.
Diego stopped to take a breath. He raised an uncertain gaze. "Are you busy?"
"I always have time for you, mi hijo." Alejandro put his arm around Diego. "Now what is it you want to tell me?"
"I've made a doll. Cresencia helped me with it." He bit his lip. "You don't mind that, do you?"
Even if he minded his son making a doll, which he did not because he liked Diego to have many skills, Alejandro wouldn't dream of saying anything to bring dismay to Diego's hopeful face. "That is interesting," he said in a lighthearted tone. "May I ask why you started learning the craft of doll-making?"
Diego's eyes seemed to lit up with excitement. "I met a bandit yesterday."
Alejandro grabbed Diego's shoulders in alarm. "Dios! Did he rob you? Did he hurt you?"
"No, Father." His son laughed. "He did none of those. In fact, he did the opposite." He told his father about a black-masked caballero who comforted him.
"And I wanted to thank him, so I made this doll." Diego put the doll in his father's hand. It was a black cloth doll, about the size of Alejandro's palm, and felt very light. He could see the eyes made with white buttons behind the masked face. The body seemed to be small compared to the head.
"Very admirable," Alejandro said while turning the doll around in his palm. "We should always strive to thank those who do something for us."
Diego beamed, then bit his lip. "But I don't know how to find him."
"Tell you what? I'll ask around. There could not be many masquerade parties yesterday. And I will personally deliver your gift to your masked man."
"You will do that for me?" Diego hugged his father. "Thank you, Father." He bounced back on his heels. "I'll not keep you from your work. See you later." Waving, he ran toward the house.
Alejandro chuckled as he watched his son disappear inside. Ah, to be young and carefree again. His smile then turned grim. They still needed to come to terms with their shared tragedy, but they could take little steps together toward healing.
After lunch, Alejandro went to a shack outside of town.
"Ah, Alejandro, the very man I wanted to see," greeted its lone occupant. He was sitting at the only table in the shack.
"Thank you for helping me with Diego."
The man airily waved his hand. "Think nothing of it. Can I go to your house now?"
"In a moment. I want to ask you something first."
The shack dweller pointed at Alejandro's jacket. "What is that black thing?"
"Just something my son gave me." Alejandro pushed the object further into his pocket.
Smiling, the man stood up, walked over to Alejandro and pulled out the black object.
"What do we have here? A cloth doll?" He wrinkled his nose. "Atrocious craftsmanship."
Alejandro glared. "You watch your words, Estevan de la Cruz. That is my son's work you are insulting."
"Just call it as I see it." Estevan put up a hand. "All right, all right. Your boy's heart is in the right place, but his effort leaves a lot to be desired." He handed the doll back to Alejandro.
"Only to you. I appreciate his effort. It means I've done something right by putting on that black costume."
"Of course it's the right thing to do. It was my idea after all."
"Only the costume. The rest I did myself. "
Estevan raised a brow. "Oh? What did you do? "
"I lied to my son." Alejandro's voice shook.
"I prefer to think of that as putting on necessary illusions."
Alejandro narrowed his eyes. "Just what did you do?"
Estevan gestured for Alejandro to come near. Then he whispered something in Alejandro's ear.
"Sleeping draught?!"
Estevan put a finger to Alejandro's mouth. "Not so loud. I don't have to tell you how important it is to keep this between us, do I?"
Alejandro pushed the finger away. "My son would wring Ricardo del Amo's neck first before demanding an explanation."
"Like father, like son, eh?"
"Don't push your luck. My hands are barely restrained from closing around your neck."
"Perhaps my method was a trifle unorthodox, but Diego is fine now, isn't he?"
"That is the only reason your neck is still safe."
Estevan shrugged. He pushed back his chair and sat down. "That boy, your son's friend. Ricardo, isn't it? He has a fine making of a practical joker. Perhaps I should take him on as a protege."
"Go back to Spain, Estevan," growled Alejandro.
"Not until you pay me for the gas to make rain clouds and the machine to make wind." He named a sum.
Alejandro's vein looked to be in danger of popping out. "That's highway robbery! You obtained that gas-like substance for free and you already have that wind machine."
"There are my time and labor to consider, you know."
"Bah! As if you know the meaning of the word."
"I do. My time is very valuable."
Alejandro slammed his fist on the table. "Labor! As if you know the meaning of labor!"
"I do, too. I need my concentration, which is labor-intensive, to mix the substance up to produce viable rain."
"I don't want to hear your mumbo-jumbo. Prove to me that you know how to labor and I'll pay your exorbitant fees."
Estevan pushed back his chair and stood up. "Are you trying to cheat me, Alejandro?"
Alejandro's face flushed. "What?!"
"I've already delivered the goods." Crossing his arms, Estevan leaned back against his chair. "If you don't pay, I guarantee that your precious de la Vega name wouldn't survive such a blow."
"Are you threatening me?"
"I'm telling you to do the right thing. You wouldn't dream of telling a shopkeeper that you won't pay until you put him through some stupid test, would you? Why am I any different?"
Alejandro sighed. "Estevan, you are my wife's brother, little as I like to claim the relationship. You are not a common tradesman."
Estevan drew himself up. "Of course I am not anything common. Good of you to notice." One leg of his trousers caught on a leg of his chair, so he crouched down to free it.
"What happened to your leg?" Alejandro pointed at the white bandage peeking out from Estevan's trousers.
"Oh, I fell while trying to catch a lost cub."
"Did you catch it?"
"Yes and no."
"What does that mean?"
Estevan put a hand on Alejandro's shoulder. "I had it back, but it was no longer lost."
Alejandro smiled. "All right. I'll pay your extortion. Just leave California before Diego finds you."
"My make-believe ability is good!"
"Leave anyway. My son knows a pretense when he sees one." Alejandro indicated the cloth doll in his pocket.
Estevan pouted. "Such hospitality. And after I have done you such a huge favor."
"I didn't ask for your elaborate way of helping." Alejandro grimaced. "In fact, no one would have believed me if I tell this story of you helping us."
"You could see it as a fairy-tale, complete with morals."
"So I could," Alejandro said to himself after sending his relative by marriage on the way to somewhere far away, hopefully never to return for many years. Never ask Estevan for a favor seemed to be the moral here. Otherwise, you will be many pesos poorer for it.
Firmly putting all that out of his mind, Alejandro moved to the patio. The day was warm, the frozen lake had thawed, and his son was outside playing and laughing like a child he was. Alejandro could not ask for a greater gift.
Author's Note: Thank you for reading. This chapter was inspired by a quote: "Your body is warm, but your heart is still cold." And also by a discussion I had with IcyWaters a while back.
Oh, and I'm sure there must be some confusing part, since I tend to leave things out and like readers to fill in the blank themselves. But I see this chapter (and in fact the whole series) more as fantasy than anything approaching reality, so hopefully you can forgive a few things that might not make much sense.
As always, I hope you gain at least a little enjoyment out of my story. :)
Next Chapter: "Treasure"