Chapter 20

The rumour of the Mexican breakaway from Spain was no longer a rumour but a fact as the citizens of Los Angles found out one a warm, sunny day three weeks after Felipe's party.

The three de la Vega men rode into the pueblo for a lunch at the tavern with Estrella and Don Antonio, who had become something of an item over the last couple of weeks, much to the delight to those who knew her. As the three men rode under the large wooden sign, they saw a large crowd standing outside the tavern, all looking at a notice that had been nailed up on the wall. Many shouted in joy at whatever the news was, while others stood in small groups discussing it.

"I wonder what's going on father." Diego commented as his eyes automatically picked out his lady standing near the front of the crowd with Estrella and Don Antonio nearby.

"I don't know Diego but it must be good news." he replied as they urged their horses towards the gathered crowd, he had seen how happy the citizens were.

"Indeed." Diego muttered, he too saw the citizens were in good spirits.

The three men dismounted and moved towards the tavern, the crowds parting for the well respected family.

Victoria saw them coming and quickly moved to Diego's side. "What's going on Victoria?" he asked her.

"Oh Diego, it's all over. All of it." she beamed with happiness as she gazed into his blue eyes.

He frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

But before she could answer Don Alejandro called out to him. "Diego, you must come and read this." he urged his son.

Diego crossed over to where his father was reading the notice, with Victoria following close by. He saw the astonished look on his father's face and as he began to read the notice, he felt awed by the knowledge that he was in the middle of history in the making. This piece of paper and the words that were written on it, would change their lives forever.

It was headed Independence of the Mexican Empire and as Diego read the document, he doubted many of the citizens would fully understand the formal wording but what he read next stunned him beyond belief. Under the bold declaration was a small but very important information which meant more to him than the creation of the new country and government.

From this day forth, all person or persons who had engaged in acts of aggression or piracy against the Spanish oppressors will be exonerated for their past actions. However, if said person or persons continue their aggression against the Mexican Government, it will be deemed as an act of treason against said government and therefore punishable by death.

Diego couldn't believe it, he simply couldn't believe. Did it actually mean what he thought it meant? Did it mean that he was a free man? It must be, for he had first fought against Ramon and then De Soto, who were representatives of the Spanish Government. He had always been loyal to the crown and it was only because their leaders had been corrupt, self-centred, egotistical maniacs that he had to fight to bring justice to the people, he had not intentionally opposed the crown but he had. He was a wanted man with a price on his head.

He felt a warm hand slip into his and gazed down at Victoria to see tears of joy in her brown eyes. He tried to speak but he couldn't, his head was pounding as though a thousand horses were galloping within his mind. He looked over at his father but he seemed to be so far away, the he saw Felipe moving slowly towards him as though he was walking underwater. He found himself laughing at the thought of a person actually walking under water and wondered how someone could do that without drowning. He looked at Victoria and saw her speaking but he couldn't hear the words, he vaguely realised that he should be hearing her but he couldn't; she looked funny speaking without words.

"Diego, what's wrong? Diego" Victoria said worriedly as she saw him sway on his feet and gripped his arm.

"Madre de Dios Diego." Don Alejandro grabbed his son's other arm in an effort to keep him standing. He thought for a moment that his son would actually collapse but he slowly came around.

Diego shook his head. "Father...I... What happened?" he asked groggily.

Don Alejandro shook his head. "You almost collapsed. Come, let's get you inside." he gently helped his son into the tavern and thankfully there was no-one inside at the moment, it would give them the privacy he knew that they needed.

Diego sat on the bench with a very worried Felipe sitting beside him, while Victoria crossed to the kitchen to get a glass of water for him. He heard his father's voice telling the anxious crowd outside that he must have stayed out in the hot sun for too long and that was why he had almost collapsed.

Don Alejandro closed the doors. "I think they believed me." he said as he crossed over to his son. "Diego, how are you feeling now?" he asked as he sat down.

Diego gave a small smile as he took the glass of water from Victoria and had a sip. "I'm okay but what happened? One moment I was reading the notice and the next I'm sitting here."

"You almost fainted Diego." Victoria said with a relieved smile on her face.

"de la Vegas don't faint!" Diego and his father said together in a rather indignant tone.

Father and son looked at each other and laughed, Felipe grinned while Victoria just rolled her eyes; male egos was a precious thing to behold, she mused to herself as she sat across from Diego.

"Diego, what that notice said about people who had committed crimes against Spain being exonerated, does it mean...?" she couldn't say the words that she longed to say.

Diego reached out and held her hand in his. "It means that those people who have committed crimes have been given pardons. Everyone including Zorro." he added as he gazed into her hopeful eyes.

"Madre de dios, it means you're a free man son." Don Alejandro said quietly.

Felipe touched his arm to get his attention and signed.

"Yes Felipe it means that both of us are free." he confirmed to his son. He gazed around at the people he loved and gave a small sigh. "Father, Victoria, I don't think you fully realise just what this means to me. It's more than just being pardon for what I have done but it also means that there is no longer a price on my head. I and perhaps Felipe to a lesser extent, have had to live with the real fear of having a bounty on my head, that I was a wanted criminal. Every time I rode out as him, there was always the strong possibility that a bounty hunter would be hiding behind a boulder or a tree or anywhere for that matter, just waiting for an opportunity to get the reward money."

Both Don Alejandro and Victoria gasped as they finally understood the enormous risk that Diego had taken to help the people of their pueblo. They had never really thought about it, much to their shame. Perhaps they didn't want to think too hard, otherwise it would have been to terrifying to know the truth.

Diego saw the realisation on their faces and sort to re-assure them. "But because of this pardon, I will no longer have that fear of a bounty hunter coming to collect the money. I am free to live a life of my own, free to marry the woman I love." he gazed lovingly at Victoria who blushed a little at the wave of love that was coming from him.

He suddenly gripped her hand tight. "Victoria, marry me, marry me right now." he said earnestly.

"Diego!" Don Alejandro was startled by his son's eagerness.

"What, today, now?" she gaped at him.

"Yes, now. There's nothing to stop us." he said as he pressed ahead, he just wanted to be married to the woman he loved.

Don Alejandro frowned slightly. "Diego, this is most unlike you, you're not usually so rash. I know I've been asking you to marry for years but this is too soon, too fast. People will talk and wonder why Victoria is marrying you in such haste."

Victoria gazed at the man she loved, she wanted nothing more than to marry him. "Diego, I love you so much and I want to marry you but I want my brothers to be here for the wedding." she paused for a moment. "And I don't want it to be like last time. I felt so rushed, so pushed into that wedding with Juan, that I didn't know what I was doing. I don't think you know what you are doing now, I mean you've just had this totally unexpected and overwhelming news that you are a free man, that it might be clouding your judgement."

Diego sighed softly, maybe she was right, he was feeling a very strange sense of euphoria at his pardon and maybe it was affecting his judgement. "I'm sorry Victoria, I didn't mean to push you into anything you don't want."

She squeezed his hand. "It's okay Diego I understand." she paused as she gave him such a warm and loving smile that it melted his insides. "I want to marry you as soon as we can. What if I write to my brothers today and tell them to get here as soon as they can. It would take several weeks before they would get my letters and several more before they can make it here. It would give us the time we need."

Diego grinned at his lady. "I like that very much querida." he replied as he reached out his hand and gently caressed her face.

Don Alejandro cleared his throat, somewhat embarrassed by his son's open display of affection. "I guess we should open the doors before the citizens begin to wonder what's going on in here." he remarked as he crossed over to the main doors and opened them to the worried citizens. "Everything is okay, please come in, come in." he re-assured the people as a number of them came inside, including Estrella, who immediately went to Diego to confirm if he was okay.

Diego smiled at the good natured teasing of his 'fainting' spell but soon all the talk was of the future under Mexican rule.

Two months later the citizens of Los Angeles were invited to attend the wedding between Don Diego de la Vega and Senorita Victoria Escalante. It had been somewhat of a surprise to the citizens, for although they had seen the growing closeness between them, they had not been expecting a wedding so fast. Normally a couple would court for a year or so, then an engagement for another year and then they would marry. What the citizens didn't know was that Diego and Victoria had already been courting for five long years; granted it had been a very unusual courtship, but a courtship nonetheless.

But as with any wedding, things don't always go to plan.