Diego's confession had lasted until just a few minutes before 11 a.m., so the padre hurried to his chambers to change into his ceremonial attire, while the caballero went to stand by the altar, waiting for his bride. Mendoza, his family, and all their guests were already waiting in the overcrowded church and outside it, all looking their best and smiling broadly at him.
She entered at 11 sharp, as the music started playing, and all those inside stood up, marveling at how beautiful she looked and how well she fitted with Diego. As both her brothers insisted on walking her down the aisle, they finally decided to draw straws and Ramon won that privilege, while Francisco had to content himself with watching the ceremony. She took the hand Diego offered her and, despite really trying to, she didn't listen to a single word the padre said, losing herself, instead, in his blue eyes. When he said I do, she almost reached to kiss him, but was startled by the padre's question to her. Victoria looked at Padre Benitez at that moment, as if he was the one confused. "Of course, I do!" she replied, just as the good man was about to re-state it.
A few minutes later, after they exchanged their rings, and their union was blessed, they were finally allowed to kiss in public, and Diego held nothing back. After all, he had once promised to tell the world of their love and he knew of no better way to do it. Just like in her nightmare, though, they were interrupted. This time, however, it was Don Alejandro who interrupted them, since everyone had been waiting for them to finish for much more time than it was reasonable and decent, even for a married couple in love.
As Diego smiled at her, Victoria could see the love in his eyes and wondered, just like she had before De Soto made an appearance in her dream, how could she have been so lucky as to marry such an wonderful man.
Friends and family flocked around the couple to congratulate them, and they had to shake hands and embrace them all before being allowed to step outside.
They were crossing the crowded plaza, heading towards the tavern for a glass of wine, when they first heard the gunshots and the screams, just as the attack commenced. Many of the animals used in the parade were still around when the armed men started waving their guns, and the poor beasts begun running scared, trampling over the people standing in their way. The wedding guests dispersed, trying to find refuge, some in the church, some in the tavern, depending on which building was closer.
The lancers had retaken their positions after the parade had finished, but their aim was useless with so much chaos around them. Not even Zorro's smoke and crying gas bombs could help, since they still needed to fight the attackers and they would also find themselves at a disadvantage if they were not able to see them, especially given the disproportion in their numbers.
Five soldiers were positioned on the roofs of the cuartel and the tavern, but they were the first targeted the moment the bandits gave up the disguises which had allowed them to mingle with the crowd, and started firing. Two out of the five lancers fell off the garrison's roof, after being injured, and two more found themselves laying on their backs, on the tavern's roof. Just one man managed to remain unharmed, having thrown himself face-down on the roof fast enough to avoid the bullet directed at him, and, after making sure his injured friends were still alive and in no need of urgent care, he took position and aimed his musket, his first shot instantly killing one of the leaders of the attack.
As people ran scared all around them, three of the Governor's men rushed him and the Emissary, inside the church. Don Alejandro's cousins and their families, as well as many of the other guests who had barely exited the building, also turned to rush inside, just before the lancers barricaded the doors.
"Where are the others?" The Governor asked his men.
"Helping the lancers. They are vastly outnumbered." One of his men told him.
De Soto, despite the sense of dread he felt, drew his weapon and charged to help his lancers, while Mendoza hesitated. Making the sign of the cross, he decided that he first needed to help some of the people who were injured, and, while doing that, he even managed to wound two attackers whom he took by surprise.
Diego, Victoria, Don Alejandro, Felipe and the Escalante brothers, as well as many of the other wedding guests, including the doctor, together with some of the people who had participated in the procession, found refuge in the tavern. In fact, soon after the attack had started, most of the people of the pueblo managed to get away from the plaza and hide themselves, each where they could, while the lancers and the Alcalde started fighting the bandits.
After the groom accompanied everyone to safety, he went back to the plaza in order to help some of the people who had been injured when the attack had begun, leaving them to Doctor Hernandez's care. Spending a few minutes pacing the taproom like a caged animal, after realizing that the lancers stood little chance of winning the fight, soon due to be overpowered, Diego eventually decided that saving the pueblo was more important than keeping his secret.
"I need to go out there." He told his new wife and concerned father, ignoring anyone else who happened to be in their proximity.
"No, you don't!" Victoria answered. "They have guns and you are unarmed!"
"I'll find some weapons, but I have to go." He insisted.
"We can organize the defense, like we did last time the pueblo was attacked!" Don Alejandro argued.
"It's too many of them and we neither have the time, nor the weapons to take a stand. I need to help the lancers before they annihilate the garrison!"
"Diego!" Victoria begged. "Please…If you go out there…I don't want to lose you now that we are finally married!"
"If they win, the pueblo will be theirs. I need to help them, so that we might all stand a chance!" He replied with a sad look upon his face, then kissed his wife again, as if that was the last kiss he would ever give her. Asking his father and Ramon to look after her, Diego made his way towards the roof, discarding his coat and cravat as he crossed Victoria's room to exit through the window, Felipe on his heels.
In the meantime, the taverness took her pistol and ammunition from behind the counter, and gave it to Don Alejandro, who took position next to the entrance and started aiming at the bandits, even managing to severely injure one before the limited number of bullets at his disposal made him decide to save them for the time being.
After a quick look at the injuries suffered by the lancers positioned on the tavern's roof, Diego had his son take one of their muskets. Lying down, next to the other marksman, the two injured men helping them reload, Felipe started aiming at the thugs.
Having assessed the situation from atop the building, the tall caballero then asked for one of the lancers' sabers, silently thanking God for the idea of gifting them some better weapons, then headed for the stables. Armed with the sword and a whip he found there, he mounted his stallion and made his way towards the battlefield.
Meanwhile, De Soto had fought and severely wounded two bandits which, after wasting their bullets, had proven inept with the blade. Soon, however, he found himself targeted by three of the best swordsmen he had ever seen. From a hill situated some 500 feet away, Don Alcides was cursing his men for attacking the Alcalde instead of the man he thought to still be Alcalde and, after taking some time to reconsider his options, he decided to give up his initial plan and seek the tall caballero out for himself. Thus, a few minutes later, he mounted his stallion, making his way towards the pueblo.
After helping three injured men to the safety of a nearby house, Mendoza, having never been a good fighter, decided he needed to take a different approach in order to stand a chance against the thugs. He was not good with the blade, but he certainly knew his way around a kitchen. Thus, running towards the tavern's back entrance, he borrowed a couple of pans, then, together with Francisco, who had taken the chance of arming himself after returning to the tavern, they made their way towards the plaza, around the same time Diego was charging in on the disguised Tornado.
About twenty-five bandits and eight lancers were still fighting at that point, the soldiers doing their best effort to stay away from the bandits' sabers. De Soto himself was still fending off the three men, but his already faulted technique was seriously affected by his shoulder injury and it was clear to Diego that he was about to lose that fight rather soon. For the first time since Ignacio had arrived, though, the caballero allowed himself a moment of appreciation for his former colleague, considering he was still fighting, despite being faced with three superior adversaries. Two more thrusts by the bandits and the Alcalde fell on the ground, his sword lying several feet to his right. He raised a hand to defend himself from the swords directed at him, despite knowing it was pointless, and closed his eyes, readying himself to die. Seconds later he heard the unmistakable sound of a whip and opened his eyes to see the swords flying from the hands of his wannabe-assassins.
"Three against one! Hardly a fair fight!" Diego stated as De Soto turned to look puzzled towards him. The caballero, mounted on his steed, a sword in one hand and a whip in another, was looking defiantly at the three thugs. They hesitated long enough for him to get his mount to rear and kick them to the ground, leaving two unconscious and the third running away.
He then used his whip to disarm several more men, as his mount ravaged through the plaza, doing his part in disabling the thugs. Mendoza and Francisco followed in his footsteps, one expertly bumping bandits on their heads with his pans, while the other was helping the lancers who were soon to be overpowered.
De Soto remained nailed to the ground for a few minutes, baffled at the sight of the unmasked living Zorro.
Dismounting and sending Tornado away when some of the thugs started re-loading their guns, the tall caballero barely glanced towards the Alcalde, when he kicked his sword from the ground and straight into his right hand, then started giving orders to the lancers, getting them to assemble behind him.
The seven lancers still able to fight quickly did as he asked, Mendoza, Francisco, and the only remaining Governor's man following their example, as the marksmen on the tavern's roof found it easier to target the thugs, now that they no longer needed to be concerned about hitting the soldiers.
The eighteen remaining thugs hesitated, the two opposing camps temporarily locked in a standstill, as De Soto and Diego found themselves shoulder-to-shoulder, leading the defensive. A musket shot was heard and another thug fell injured, just as Don Alcides rode in the pueblo, his appearance encouraging the attackers. The battle restarted as the malicious don was riding straight towards his nemesis, only to find himself thrown off the saddle when a certain black steed came charging at the one he was riding. As soon as his rider was down, the horse followed Tornado out of the pueblo, leaving the men to fight their own battles.
In the meantime, with most of the fighting over and no more gunfire, the people shyly started making their way into the street, some coming to the help of the injured lancers and some of the others who had been wounded when the attack had started. At that point, the Governor asked two of his remaining men to go help the other lancers and, when the doors of the church were opened, the people inside also came into the plaza, eager to see how the fighting was progressing. Those in the tavern exited at almost the same time and now, the fifteen men still fighting had an audience, one relieved to see that the thugs were soon to be defeated. Another musket fire was heard from the tavern's roof and another one of the bandits fell, taking his hand to his wounded shoulder.
Equally using his whip and his blade to disarm four more of the attackers and punching two others, thus leaving them unconscious, Diego made his way towards Don Alcides, just in time for the older man to get back on his feet and viciously charge at him.
"Diego is…" Marguerita uttered at seeing her husband's cousin defeat the six bandits, and Rafael rapidly covered her mouth with his hand, before allowing her to say the one name she was not to mention a few feet away from the Governor. She nodded at him that she understood and he lowered his hand, continuing to watch like the others how the fight was progressing.
Don Alejandro used his last bullet to kill a thug who had reloaded his pistol and was pointing it at his son. At that point, the last of the bandit leaders standing, realizing they were losing and were about to be captured, decided to flee, only to be shot in the leg by the lancer positioned on Victoria's tavern.
The main battle was over and only Diego and Don Alcides were still engaged in a master-level exchanged of fencing techniques, more complicated by the minute. While the tall caballero took more than usual to assess his adversary's fighting style, as soon as he did, he started to attack, making it more and more difficult for his enemy to parry, as they made their way across the plaza and towards the tavern's terrace. A few lunges later and a second of delayed response and the last of the Corderas found himself disarmed. Taking a few steps back, he hurriedly pull out a gun from under his coat, pointing it at Diego.
"Everybody stand back!" He warned.
Victoria made a move to insert herself between her husband and the bullet due to take his life, but was held back by Don Alejandro, who had every intention of respecting the promise he had made his son to keep her safe. Everybody present stood still, many holding their breath, as the entire plaza fell prey to silence.
Felipe's heart skipped a beat as he realized he couldn't save his father from his position, so he rushed to climb down from the tavern's roof.
Don Alcides was smiling. "Everybody saw that!" he told Diego, in a rather low voice. Then, as he noticed the Governor watching the scene, just twenty feet away, he raised his tone "And now, EVERYBODY knows the truth…"