A little over a week passed, and the incident with the Baros was all but forgotten as life in Los Angeles continued its normal rhythm.
It was one of those slow days of late October, just before siesta, as people were already exchanging the wooden benches at the tavern for the comfort of their own beds, when a coach arrived from San Pedro. Its only traveler was rather tall, in his late 20s-early 30s, handsome, his hair was dark brown and longer than most caballeros wore it, and his face was adorned by a moustache and a goatee beard.
The coachman swiftly took down his luggage and asked if he should carry it to the tavern. The new arrival informed him that he had different accommodations in mind, but asked for his luggage to be taken inside, nonetheless, and be left by the door. When that was done, he gave the driver a coin which brought a big smile on the man's face. The driver thanked him a few times before returning to his bench to take the coach to the municipal stables, where the horses could rest and be fed before their strenuous journey back to the port.
The man watched him leave with a curious glance, then, his vision no longer obstructed, glanced around the plaza.
The pueblo was mostly empty, except for some lancers keeping guard at the cuartel. As he was about to turn around and enter Victoria's establishment a poster drew his attention, and, after some hesitation, he headed towards the announcement wall, stopping before an image of Zorro. At first, he looked at it in disbelief, then a smile crept through his face as he became pensive, his eyes twinkling mischievously.
Turning back towards the tavern, he entered and rapidly glanced at the patrons there, his eyes resting on the beautiful innkeeper who watched him with curiosity.
"Good afternoon, fair señorita," the man started as he neared her with a seductive smile, bowing to gallantly place a kiss on the back of her hand, and leaving her gaping at him. "Excuse me… I am looking for a dangerous criminal who lives in this pueblo. I have travelled all the way from Europe to bring him to justice for the crimes he's committed a few years ago in Europe. Perhaps you might help me with some information?"
"A criminal?" She asked, suddenly worried.
"Yes. I am here to make sure justice is done in his case."
"And who might this dangerous criminal be, Señor?" She wondered.
"He calls himself Diego de la Vega." The man answered casually.
The name arose the interest of the taverns' few patrons, including Mendoza and two of his lancers, who were just starting on their meal. The new arrival did his best to disguise a smile at seeing their reaction as well as the sudden attention everyone was granting him.
"Diego? Crimes? What crimes is he accused of?" Victoria wondered, horrified by the accusation and suddenly completely disliking the man before her.
"Well, there's a long list, Señorita. He actively planned and participated in a rebellion, he took part in brawls, and left several victims behind. He even spent time in jail while being interrogated. But, at the time there was not enough proof against him, so he was allowed to leave. A much-regretted decision, I assure you, as he took the first chance he got to escape. Frankly, I would have followed him sooner, had my own responsibilities allowed me to do so before." The stranger said as Victoria now glanced between the lancers and the foreigner, trying to decide whether to be outraged by such preposterous accusations or fearful that her friend was truly in trouble.
"No…" She said shaking her head. "You must be mistaken! Don Diego wouldn't hurt a fly!"
"Was that a confirmation that you know the man?" The stranger said, staring attentively at her. "If so, I demand you tell me where I can find him so that I might do my duty!"
"I… I have no reason to tell you anything!" Victoria stated, looking defiantly at him. "As I said, you have the wrong Diego de la Vega. I'm afraid you made the entire trip in vain!"
Sergeant Mendoza stood up. "The señorita is right, Señor." He stated. "There is a Don Diego de la Vega living here, indeed, but he cannot possibly be the man you are searching for. Don Diego is the last person one would ever suspect of committing a crime."
"Well… I say he's a wanted outlaw, but managed to disguise himself very well! And we can easily check if that is so, Sergeant, since I am quite familiar with the man I am looking for. So you must do your duty and lead me to this Diego de la Vega. Once I am face to face with him, I will have him admit to his crimes in a matter of minutes!" The stranger indicated.
Mendoza looked confused at Victoria, but, assuming the man was a lawman based both on his attitude and his words, and seeing how he was conditioned to obey those in position of authority, he complied. The Sergeant gave two of his men orders to saddle horses and accompany him and the stranger, then turned to head towards the garrison.
"Saddle a horse for me as well, if you please, Sergeant!" The stranger asked in a commanding tone.
"Si… Si, Señor!" He agreed.
The new arrival bowed before Victoria, and after asking for most of his luggage to be guarded at the tavern, only taking a pair of leather saddlebags with him, he made his way out, a sly smile on his face. Leaving Pilar to close for the siesta, just as the man was making his way across the plaza, Victoria hurriedly exited through the kitchen door. Saddling her horse, she hurried towards the De la Vega hacienda at a gallop.
ZZZ
Diego, his father and Felipe were in the library as they heard the desperate knocks on the door.
With a glance between them, Diego stood up and headed to answer, while Don Alejandro followed him.
"Victoria! This is a surprise." The tall caballero uttered with a kind smile.
"There's a man here to arrest you!" She said instead of a greeting.
"Arrest me? What for?" He wondered as he glanced puzzled towards his father.
"He says it's for some crimes you have committed in Europe. Bar fights and victims... He also mentioned rebellious activities and… and you being in prison!" Victoria hurriedly informed him with a face reflecting both puzzlement and fear. "He's coming here with the Sergeant!"
"What?" Don Alejandro wondered as he heard her, noticing the immediate change on his son's face.
Several thoughts crossed Diego's mind at the same time, most of them revolving around the identity of his accuser. Indeed, while in France a few years earlier, he had been imprisoned and interrogated, had attacked castle guards, forced a tyrant to free two prisoners, took part in two tavern brawls, and conspired to steal the ring attesting the ownership of a local castle. Part of those crimes he had committed as Diego, even if most of them were committed under the pseudonym 'Le Renard', which was just French for 'Zorro'. He, thus, wondered if someone had made the connection between Le Renard and El Zorro realizing that his presence in France at the same time as the masked outlaw was no mere coincidence. The thought came to him that it was Viscount Jussac himself, coming to have his vengeance.
His face instantly hardened, moments before they heard horse neighs from the courtyard.
Hurrying towards the window, Diego smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, even if it only lasted for a few moments as other preoccupying thoughts were brought forward by his subconscious.
"Diego?" Don Alejandro asked somewhat confused as he observed his son just as new knocks were heard from the door.
"Please open, Father!" He simply answered.
Diego, Victoria and Felipe gathered right behind the old don as he opened to the unexpected visitors.
"Sergeant…" He uttered as he opened.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Don Alejandro, but this gentleman…" as he was talking, the Sergeant just realized that, perhaps, the man was truly there to arrest his friend, and he had just guided him to him. He knew Diego had been to Europe a few years earlier, just before De Soto came to the pueblo. He also realized he knew nothing of the man, and inwardly cursed himself for not even asking who the stranger was.
"Who are you, Señor?" Don Alejandro asked the question on his mind at seeing Mendoza at a loss for words.
The newcomer answered in a serious tone. "I, Señor, am - "
"A complete scoundrel…" Diego continued as he stared at him with an icy gaze, which made the men at the door, Victoria and Felipe glance between him and the new arrival, holding their breaths, "and our guest," Diego then added as a smile crept its way on his face. "D'Artagnan! You should have told me you were coming!" He eventually uttered as he reached to embrace his friend.
The other people there exchanged confused gazes and breathed out in relief. The two men embracing each other in a friendly manner was not what they expected when the hacienda's door opened a few moments earlier, but they surely preferred it to a duel or any sort of fight.
"Father, meet Charles Henri de Batz de Castlemore D'Artagnan, the direct descendent of the illustrious Captain of King Louis the XIVth's Musketeers. D'Artagnan, this is my father, Don Alejandro de la Vega, my son, Felipe de la Vega, and Señorita Victoria Escalante, owner of the local tavern." Diego made the introductions and the young man slightly bowed his head at being introduced to the De la Vegas.
"Diego, my friend, if you would have told me you have such beauties in California, I would have made the trip much sooner!" D'Artagnan mentioned as Victoria was introduced. "Now I understand why no young lady in France managed to capture your attention!" He stated, gallantly looking into the taverness' eyes. "They all pale by comparison!"
"You… You said you wanted to arrest him!" Was all she could utter, unsure whether to feel furious about the deceit or flattered by his words and seductive gaze.
"And you hurried here to warn him. Beautiful and utterly loyal." The new arrival replied then turned towards Mendoza. "Sergeant, I hope you'll forgive my little ruse, and receive my gratitude for the escort you provided me with… and for the horse."
Mendoza was not pleased to realize that he had been used. It was rare for the good man to get angry, but being taken for a fool by some Frenchman was cause for such reaction, especially since he had also interrupted his meal.
Diego noticed his grimace just in time.
"Sergeant, where are my manners? Would you and your men like to come in for lunch or a piece of Maria's lemon pie and some wine? Or are you, perhaps, in a hurry to return to the pueblo?" He wondered.
The man's eyes sparkled, all thoughts of the trick he had fallen for chased from his mind by the image of the delicious food the De la Vega cook was renowned for. "No, we are not in a hurry, Don Diego. And you are very kind to offer us some refreshments!" He answered as he glanced at the grinning lancers next to him.
"It's the least we can do, seeing how you took the trouble to help my friend get here." The tall caballero uttered with a rehearsed smile, and welcomed everyone inside the hacienda.
"True, true, Don Diego…" Mendoza answered.
Diego asked Felipe to inform Maria that they needed her to prepare a food platter and bring pie for everyone, as well as coffee and wine.
"I should have known that you were up to something the moment you mentioned that Diego had committed crimes!" Victoria muttered with a chuckle.
"Oh, but I assure you, Señorita, that what I said was all true!" He answered seriously. "He did help me and my friends get back a castle which had been taken from us, evicting a tyrant in the process; left God-only-knows how many broken-hearted young women behind by not granting them his favors - which should most certainly be a crime; and was imprisoned and tortured by the already-mentioned tyrant, then released, a decision I am quite convinced he must still regret, especially seeing how much Diego contributed to his eviction process."
"Tortured?" Was the part of that story Victoria focused on, the blood draining from her face at the images that word, associated with Diego's name, stirred in her mind.
"Well… D'Artagnan is exaggerating. He merely ruffled me up a little…" Diego assured her with a forced smile.
"That's not Picotin's version of things." His friend contradicted him. "According to his sources, you were found unconscious and nursed back to health by a certain countess…"
"A countess?" Victoria asked with some hard-to-disguise jealousy.
"She merely hosted me for a few days, trying to extract information on behalf of Viscount Jussac – the man who had taken the castle of Beaumartin from D'Artagnan and the descendents of the Musketeers." Diego tried to assure her, but failed to realize how the young woman might understand his words.
Seeing she was getting angrier by the minute, he just smiled innocently.
D'Artagnan watched that exchange with some puzzlement, yet, besides him and the man she was staring at, only Felipe sensed the hidden reproach in Victoria's words.
Maria came with a large platter filled with an assortment of foods, placing plates before everyone, then left and returned a couple more times with the lemon cake, wine and coffee, after which she headed towards the guest quarters to prepare a room for D'Artagnan.
"Well, I guess you have forgotten to mention a few things to us about that trip of yours, Diego!" His father reproached him with some humor as he started filling the glasses of wine. "Really, Diego! You are the last person I would have expected to be involved in a plan aimed at deposing a tyrant!"
"He was more than involved, Señor. In fact, he was just as important for us getting the castle back as Monsieur Le Renard!" D'Artagnan mentioned casually.
"Monsieur Le Renard?" Don Alejandro asked with a puzzled look. He no longer had the best command of French, but he did remember what 'renard' meant and that understanding came with a whole set of questions and fearful thoughts.
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AN: Since D'Artagnan is a family name (like De la Vega), the name I used in this chapter for the character is, actually, the same as that of the real D'Artagnan, to which I only added his second name (Henri).