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Chapter 15

"Buenos días Diego. I came for your father. Is he well?

"He appears to be his normal self again. Believing it all to be a dream caused by a fever, he has rested and is now" turning his head to see his father has left the hacienda "off for a ride. Don't worry" he saw how Victoria wanted to interrupt him. "Felipe is going with him. We are… alone."

They had not been alone since that day in the cave. Victoria licked her lips and bite at the bottom one. For a few moments they both felt uncomfortable.

"It… it is good to hear your father is himself again. You still don't want to tell him about...?"
"I am not so sure any more to be honest. If he had known, perhaps none of this had happened. I have been thinking. It is better this is not mentioned to my father. It could be embarrassing if he got to know what he did. And it is better if people don't asked where he got the outfit." again an awkward silence was between them.

Victoria squeezing her lips. Victoria didn't totally agree he could tell. But was accepting his wishes with a tiny nod.

"I'll be of then, give him my best." Victoria turned around and walked back to her cart. Diego watched the woman he had not been able to put out of his mind for the last couple of weeks. In his pocket he felt the small box, he had been carrying for weeks started to burn.
Victoria had reached her cart and had her right foot placed on the step and a hand on the seat to pull herself up.

Diego took two steps outside. "Victoria..., can we talk?"

Victoria let herself down, spin to face him. Given a small nervous smile that was still breathtaking. "alw…" stopping herself from saying the word they had used so often to express their feelings. She was doing that, felt like a knife being stabbed in his heart. Victoria dared not even say the word. Instead, correcting herself by saying "Naturally."

He missed everything about her, her smile, her caring even her temper and anger.

Yesterday Diego finally had made peace with himself, accepting he could not stop loving her. He had already been in the garden to pick some roses when Felipe had found him to tell what happened to his father. Giving him more time to think about the matter.

Diego gestured with his arm to invite Victoria in the hacienda. Following her in and closing the door behind them.
"I must admit I was surprised by the easy excess out of the courtyard."

Victoria lifting her shoulders "Turned out the lancers and alcalde had more... urgent matters to attend to."

"Si, and you didn't have anything to do with it?"

For a second the tension was gone when Victoria gave a noddy smile. "I only suggested Mendoza to put some grained Cascara bark in the morning coffee. He likes your father and Zorro very much."

Diego busted out in laughing, understanding what must have happened to the soldiers and alcalde "I see, yes that would do the trick. I should have come up with it myself"

"I learned from the best. De Soto is probably going to blame Zorro anyway, so you can add that too Zorro's list of crimes he didn't commit."

Diego smiling warmly wanting to know one more thing about this morning. "And the gate doors…?"

"I didn't have to do a thing. The people wanted to fight for Zorro and your father." Victoria sighed. "Mendoza told me, de Soto had ordered for shooters to be on the rooftops to shoot at Zorro or your father, if he was tricked.
And with the gates closed… I tried to give you an easy way out."

"Mendoza has been very helpful for Zorro some time. Gracias for your help, Victoria."

"Anytime. I better go back to the pueblo now. I promised Mendoza to make him chilli and a flan as thanks for his help." Victoria started to move in the direction of the front door.

"Victoria…" taken her arm, so she would turn and face him again.

"Si?"

She was amazing. "Can you… I mean, will you… may I... show you something in the garden." This was not the place to talk about why he had invited Victoria back in. All he could do was stutter, for he did not know what to say to make her stay. Victoria moved her eyes between the front door, the corridor leading to the garden and Diego.
"Por favor?" Diego asked again.

Victoria just nodded and followed Diego.
Diego gesturing his arm to invite her to walk to the garden. The flowers in the garden gave a sweet smell, the small breeze and shadows made it very comfortable to be here.
Slowly Victoria seated herself on the bench standing next to a rose bush that reminded her off the roses she had found so many times on her pillow.
Diego was standing with his back to her. He rubbed his hand through his hair. Victoria knew now, it was a sign of Diego not knowing how to act or what to say.

"Victoria," he began, "I can't stop being Zorro, not now, not yet..." He turned looking at her as if he hoped she could understand that.

So she responded calmly with what she wanted to say. "I know, and I am not asking you. What I do ask, is you try to understand I am willing to do for you, what you do for everyone. Choosing someone else his life above your own. Me knowing who you are, isn't going to change that."

Diego was shaking his head like he had trouble believing what she was saying.
"It just doesn't seem fair, me asking this of you. I knew what risk I was taking when I putted on the mask for the first time."

Victoria got up from the bench and walked over to Diego "And I know what risk I am taking now, by loving you and wanting to be yours.
And since when is life fair?" frowning her forehead she continued.

"Was it fair, when my mother was shot... only because she was helping a human being in need?
Was it fair, when I needed to take over the tavern at the age of fifteen. My father and brothers joining the rebels, and leave me on my own?
Was it fair of your father, to ask you to return from Spain, before you finished university?
Is it fair Felipe still feels he needs to pretend to be deaf?"

"That is not…" Diego wanted to explain why Felipe pretended to be deaf. That it had not been his decision at that moment, but something Felipe had wanted. It had happened before Zorro even started to ride. And now it had become a lie, both had no control over.
Before he could say anything else Victoria went on.

"Felipe has explained to me how it happened, that it was his own choice. I am not judging you Diego. I am just trying to explain to you, life isn't fair. From the minute we are born, we only know one thing for sure.

That is, we all are going to die some day. The only thing we have some saying in, in the journey in between. And for my journey… I wish it to be with you, I want to grow old with you, be the mother of your children, have a life together.

If life doesn't give us that..., I meant what I said back in the cave, I want every day, it does give us."

All this time Diego was just listening to what Victoria was saying. He wanted the same, and more. His hands were trembling as he gently caressed her cheek with his hand. Victoria closing her eyes enjoying the feeling of his hand against her skin, she had missed it. When she opened her eyes she saw something she had not seen before.
Was it acceptance? She made a silence pray it was.

"I love you, Diego, don Diego, Zorro or which ever you prefer me calling you. I myself? I like Diego the most." She gave him a small shy smile. "For that is the man who has never stopped believing in us. Not like Zorro tries to do now. And not like don Diego, who never even gave us a chance. That Diego exist,"
Victoria lifted her left hand a bit. "I know he does. He lives in that journal of yours, and in here." Now gently placing a hand on his heart.

Not only his hands were trembling, his entire body was. Diego wasn't sure how much longer his legs would be able to carry him. Hearing her say this, started to make him want to be reckless. Would it really matter if Zorro was captured? Not when he had spend one more minute in her arms, feeling her lips again, hear her tell she loved him.

Victoria continued "Don't you think, when we aren't married I will not be heartbroken when something happens to you? That I wouldn't worry when I know you are riding as Zorro? That I wouldn't mourn for you, if you get killed by that one bullet that doesn't miss the next time?
If there is one thing I have learnt at a very young age, it is that life isn't fair. So do not try to convince me of anything different, because you can't."

Diego took a deep breath, a part of him as telling she was right. The other part of him was begging he wasn't about to make the biggest mistake of his life. He loved her just too much for not wanting to be with her. No matter what was to happen. He was just going to work even harder to keep her safe. "Are you sure? I mean, absolutely positive? Being married with don Diego and Zorro will not be easy. I still need to be the towns local boneless coward and fool, and I can't stop being the fox at night, not until there is no need for Zorro any more." Diego looking up, their eyes met.

"Together we can do anything. As long as we can share our love. You just be the real Diego when it is the two of us. Not lying to me only because you want to protect me."

His hand was still cupping her cheeks. Diego closed his eyes, swallowed, suddenly retracting his hand and letting her go.

Victoria looking worried. He gave her a reassuring small smile, lifting her chin and look again in the beautiful eyes that promised a long and happy future and ever lasting love.
"Wait here. I'll be back." and away he was.

Leaving Victoria alone in the garden, taking her fan out of her pocket. Waving it to feel some wind.
Her head got filled with the memory, years ago when Zorro had come to this garden and give her their first kiss. It had been when she was in the hacienda recovering from a dangerous bullet wound she had, after trying to save Zorro.
Zorro had said she should marry Diego. How she wished now, she would then have seen what she knew now. Then they would be married now. Perhaps even having one or two children?
Victoria felt tears burning, by this memory. If only she had the slightest idea back then, the men she loved were not two different but one and the same.

.

Diego entered the hacienda leaning his back against the cool stone wall. The temptation to believe her was so big. In his pocket was still burning the small box.
Against better judgement Diego wanted to believe his father. When he had asked his father, ever regretting leaving Spain. The old don had told him he remembered the happy times in California, not wanting to do anything different when possible. Even when the outcome could be, his wife not dying an early death. Because the short years lived in Los Angeles had been happier than the time in Spain.

Since that day Diego had been questioning himself, or Victoria could be safer when she was Diego's wife than as Zorro's girl. Was that true or was it just his false hope?

Diego got the small box from his pocket and opened it. On a piece of velvet now dark grey but black a long time ago was a ring, containing a large emerald and several small diamonds surrounding it. No other woman would ever wear this ring around her finger. Zorro's quest wasn't over, would it be ever?

Knowing Victoria loved him, Diego did not want to continue his quest alone any more. It had been a great feeling the last couple of months, sharing his hidden feelings. Feelings, he could not share with Felipe, with Victoria.
Diego sighed, made a promise to himself. If the day would even come, Victoria wasn't going to be sentenced to death because she was married to Zorro.
He would prevent that from happening single-handedly killing her himself if it comes to that. Closing the box Diego made a vow this being the one secret Victoria only finding out about, when it was too late to change faith.
Closing the box, if she was willing…

.

Footsteps were to be heard, coming closer again. Diego had returned. Fear was in her heart. Was he going to send her away? Victoria didn't want to see or listen, so she closed her eyes and tried to shut out all the sounds.

Diego saw her closed eyes. Was Victoria thinking about that evening long ago, when Zorro had tried to get them married? She looked just as beautiful as that time. He kneeled in front of her. "Open your eyes querida."

Slowly Victoria opened her eyes, and what she saw was Diego, holding the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.

"This ring belonged to my mother. It was her engagement ring and my grandmothers before her. You are right. I rather have you as my wife for a minute then live a hundred years without you. Victoria Maria Escalante, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

Victoria was not able to say a word. Just squeezing her lips together, trying to hold in her tears.

"Victoria, please answer me?"

It was no use. Tears started to roll over her cheeks anyway, as she laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Always… si... I will marry you. I love you, Zorro de la Vega."

Answering her embrace Diego kissed her. Tasting the saltness of her tears. He wanted to cry himself so overwhelmingly was happiness he was feeling. Victoria was where she belonged, in his arms. She was his from now on. And he was not ever letting her go again.

Releasing her a little and only long enough to place the ring around her finger, Diego took her in his arms again just to kiss her again and tell her how much he loved her.

.

Later Diego brought Victoria back to the tavern.

They had talked about how to get married the safest. Even now Zorro had broken up with Victoria there was still the risk of someone placing pieces in the right place. And so they still needed a list to get married. But first someone else needed to be told the truth.
For now the ring was safe in a small silk black purse close to her heart.

"I will come for tomorrow after siesta to dine in the hacienda. We need to tell my father we are engaged, and I want to tell him the truth. I need him to know the real reason why we marry."

Victoria smiled, she was so happy. "It is about time. I'll be happy to come. And I am glad, you finally decided on telling your father your secret."

"It won't be easy. As you know my father can be very..." Searching for the right words to describe his father

Victoria placed her hand on the wrist of the bravest man she knew. "Difficult..., stubborn..., impulsive...? He loves you Diego, and you are not alone any more in this. We will do it together from now on."

Diego placed two fingers of his free hand on her lips softly whispering. "Always?"

Always, this word had started to mean so much more, than just what it said. Kissing his fingers even a softer whisper as her eyes found his again "Always."

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