When Diego is sixteen, he is a tall, narrow boy. Athletic and muscular, but really a little boy, while Luis Ramon is almost the build of an adult man and even has a small birth on his chin.
Alejandro calls his son to him. Luisa is also with him at that time. She has already grown a lot and her feminine curves are already starting to develop.
"You are now the age, my son, to send you to Madrid. To the academy, where I also studied in my younger years. There you will learn chemistry, philosophy and artistic martial arts, so that you can follow me later as an alcalde ". Diego was upset for a moment. Luisa answers very angry that it is not fair to take them apart. Alejandro looks at the girl again and says it's only for six years. "In that time his son will return as a man and continue to build his life here." Alejandro leaves the two alone. Luisa and Diego say goodbye to each other, with Diego handing a special stone on a string to Luisa. "If you are ever going to miss me, think of this stone and remember that I will be reunited with you somehow". They give each other a hug and Luisa leaves home.
And so it happened. Diego was taken to the port of San Pedro by carriage. There he went to Panama on the ship. Extra food and water were added here. From there the ship sails through the Caribbean to the Atlantic Ocean.
On the ship Diego helps with all kinds of odd jobs, hangs regularly in the masts and ropes, sometimes he screens with the captain or he learns from the captain to look at the stars to know where they were.
After six weeks the ship will enter the port of Cadiz. Diëgo says goodbye to the captain and his crew, thanks him for the instructive lessons and hopes he can travel back in six years. The captain says that he finds it no problem and that by that time he should let him know when the time has come.
Diego gets on the quay, walks to the carriage of Pedro, an old soldier, of whom Diego's father Cammandant has been. He greets Diego and introduces himself. During the trip, which also lasts almost two weeks, Pedro tells about all the adventures he has experienced with Alejandro. Diego and Pedro quickly get along well. Diego is told that Pedro's wife died a few years ago and that he has been living and living alone ever since. He indicates that he doesn't really mind that either. They always spend the night at the mission posts, which are all built along the route.
Diego finally arrives at Pedro's house. It is a small house, on public land owned by the king, which Pedro can use to generate income. During dinner he asks Diego how the journey went. He chatted a hundred times what it was and what he had learned. He decides to go to bed on time to register at the academy tomorrow.
During the first few weeks at the academy he meets his teachers, who test his knowledge and skills. They soon realize that he is a smart, agile boy with a good brain. When his screen master Manuel Escalante discovered Diego's agility with the sword, he offered Diëgo to train with him every morning at seven in the morning. "If you come too late, I will immediately cancel my offer," Manuel Escalante warned him. And so it happened that Diego became an excellent fencer.
Diego also absorbs all information from chemistry and artistic martial arts. He learns to maintain his own inner peace, to know where your opponents are located, to be able to sharpen all your senses and to read the body language of an opponent. One of the most important lessons he learns is never to fight when you are angry. It is precisely then that you have already died.
Meanwhile Diego follows the lessons of philosophy with a little less interest, but also from this he takes what he thinks he will ever need.
In addition to his studies, he often has some time left and then moves into the city. One day he is eligible with a group of gypsies. Admiringly he is watching their performance. He absorbs the music, the dance, their clothing, the stunts, everything. It fascinates him. He notices that a boy, a little older than he is, is always following him with his eyes. Diego looks at him once and then walks towards him. He holds out his hand and says "Hola, I am Diego de la Vega. I notice that you are always looking at me. May I ask what interests you so much about me? "The boy looks a little surprised at the strange boy before him. He holds out his hand and makes a small bow. With his hands he tries to make it clear that he cannot speak, but can hear well. Diëgo needs to get used to the gestures, but can quickly recognize some meanings. He invites the boy to the pub. Together they walk through a few alleys and enter a pub. They take a seat at a table and Diego ordered two lemonades. He is curious about this man and asks him about his history, why he cannot talk and what his name is. The boy expresses with gestures that his Indian family was attacked when he was four years old, losing both his parents and many other tribesmen. He could talk earlier, but after this traumatic event, he never said a word again. He also writes on a note that his name is Bernardo. This is the only thing he has learned to write. He can read he portrays.
After this innovative conversation, Diego suggests meeting each other when the gypsies perform. And that's how Diego and Bernardo found each other.
Every evening they admired the Gypsies with admiration. They noticed this and suddenly they were asked if they wanted to take part in a performance. Diego was very enthusiastic about it. Bernardo was a bit more reserved and kept himself in the audience.
The fencing arts came in handy now, Diego learned to do magic, he often hung in the trapeze and so he became more and more the center of the show. He also continued his studies and screen lessons.
Inez, the head of the gypsy group, had meanwhile dropped an eye on Diego. Together they sang the opening song and the final song, did a beautifully assembled dance together, after which Diego performed the dangerous stunts, along with two more men, who were middle-aged but no less agile and agile as Diego. After the end of one of the many shows, Diego invites Bernardo to come and have a drink with him and Pedro. Later, the three of them, each with a glass of wine in their hands, sit in political affairs in and to discuss Madrid. This became a daily ritual from that moment on.
In between the study and the performances, Diego Bernardo learned screens and other usefulness and skills. A year later, these two were so attuned to each other that it seemed as if they were brothers. It felt a bit like that to them, because in no time they knew who meant what. And so a few years passed.
Diego was at the end of his studies and was already preparing for the return trip. In the meantime he had had a lot of contact with his father. In the letters Alejandro wrote that the problems in Los Angeles were getting worse. The old alcalda had to terminate his duties prematurely due to illness and a new alcalde was adopted. The new alcalde was an unauthorized man, who only wanted to be enriched more, at the expense of many others, including him and other rich landowners. A word was never written about Luisa.
Diego noticed that it had been a long time since he had received the last letter from his father. He was a little worried about it. But he was too busy finishing his studies and performing with the Gypsies that he no longer paid attention.
But then, suddenly, from scratch, during a performance in the city, Diego is approached by a young woman with long brown hair and brown eyes. "Diego, Diego, I'm so glad I found you," she exclaims. Inez is standing next to it and asks "and who is she"? "Don't you recognize me anymore," the young woman asks. And suddenly Diego sees it. "Luisa ! What are you doing here? "Diego apologizes and takes Luisa to a quieter place. Then Luisa starts telling. About all the problems in the pueblo, that his father has been imprisoned and in a bad state, that Rafael Montero is the new alcalde and that innocent people are being put to death. Diego does not believe his ears. He's all the way from the bottom up. Then he decides tomorrow to say goodbye immediately to the academy, the gypsy group and to start the return journey immediately. "But," he says, pointing to Bernardo, "my best friend Bernardo is coming." Bernardo greets Luisa and gives her a kiss on the hand.
Then Diego walks with Luisa and Bernardo back to the gypsy camp and tells his story there. Inez insists that she and the whole group go with him to California. Diego actually disagrees, but cannot convince them why they should stay here. For now he says goodbye to them, thanks them for all their good care and friendliness and says they will see you again soon.
The next morning he gets up extra early to tell his fencing master, who is very fond of him, of all the sudden changes. To great surprise, Manuel Escalante handed him a sword. Diego takes it and she takes the dough out of the sheath. He watches him attentively and then asks what he owes this to. "Remember and repeat after me," says Manuel Escalante "I only use my sword with honor, justice, respect, dignity and courage." Diego takes the sword in his hand, extends his arm into the air and repeats the words. A ray of sunshine ends up right at the tip of its epee when pronouncing these words, which provides a heavenly sparkle. Then Diego puts the dough safely back in the sheath. He gratefully embraces his master and says goodbye to him. He quickly drives back to Pedro's house.
Back in his room, Bernardo and Luisa are already packed with their suitcases, ready to walk to the cow. Diego also quickly takes his suitcase and closes the room. He thanks Pedro for his enormous hospitality and good care and also says goodbye to him. Together they load the suitcases into the carriage. Then the three of them get in and wave away, waving away.