Chapter 17

"Felipe, you..., you spoke?"

Embarrassed, Felipe looked at his mentor. He had scared himself when the cry had escaped his throat.

"That's unbelievable! Felipe!"
For a split second, Diego forgot Victoria was waiting for him and all the misery of the past few hours.
This happening was so overwhelming.
Diego knew nothing better to do than hug Felipe to express his joy.

Felipe pushed his mentor away from him and started gesturing.

"'Do I think Victoria will recover?
I hope so.
She has no serious physical injuries, but as you and I both know, emotional scars tend to be more persistent."

Diego looked at the sad look on Felipe's face.
Felipe pointed to his mouth and then gestured, not.

"No, I don't think Victoria will lose her speech as you did." Diego lay his hands on Felipe's shoulders.
"Felipe, you were a very young child when you witnessed something awful.
It may have been the canonfire that caused you to lose your hearing.
That is traumatic for everyone, and you were six or seven years old.
You couldn't possibly comprehend what was happening."

Felipe signed again.

"You've never been deaf?" Felipe had never told him that.
"'But why didn't you…, You didn't seem to be able to talk, and you were afraid I'd leave you alone?
Felipe, why didn't you…,"
Diego started when he changed his mind.
"I think I can understand why.
You were trying to survive by all means you could think.
Come on, let's go to Victoria.|
I want to know how she's doing.
Would you be very disappointed in me when we talk about it some other time?"

Felipe opened his mouth, a soft sound came out, "No."

Strengthened because his first attempt to speak on purpose succeeded, Felipe tried again.
This time, it was not merely out of desperation. To get attention from the man who always seemed to have all the answers. The man who can comfort him in a way that no one else could. So Felipe tried again.
"I ho..., ho..., hope shh she be ffffi...ine."

Diego embraced the boy for a second time.
"This truly is wonderful.
I wish I could stay with you to hear more."

Diego hesitated.
On the one hand, he wanted nothing more than to go to Victoria to reassure himself she was doing well under the circumstances. And he also wanted to stay with Felipe now that he finally seemed to have found his voice again.

Felipe pointed in determination to his mentor and the direction of the library. "I...I sssstay, p...pra...a..ac...tise."

"Yeah, yeah, practice as long as you choose.
Try to say whatever you want.
No one will hear you except Toronado, and he knows how to keep a secret."
Diego winked, and Felipe responded by smiling shyly in the direction of the horse.
"I get why you want to try a little more yourself first.
Come and see me when you're ready.
Will you please take care of Toronado?
He deserved something extra today."

Felipe nodded.

Diego ran up the stairs as fast as he could and ended up at the entrance to the library, pulling the candleholder to open the door and rushing to the bedroom.
Still stunned by what had happened, Diego required a moment before he opened the door and walked into the room, where Victoria and his father were waiting for him.

Victoria sat on the sofa by the window and stared aimlessly as his father read from a book.
Probably his favourite, Don Quixote, judging by the cover.

"Diego," his father, put the book aside.
"Good to see you again."

Diego knelt by Victoria.
"It is done.
Never again will these men harass anyone."

Victoria asked cautiously.
"You killed them?"

"They are where they belong."

"But Zorro never kills." Uttered his father, though he understood why his son had done it.
He also knew his son believed in fair trials and justice. And that made it harder to comprehend what Diego had said.
"Zorro is not a murderer."

"No, that's why Diego inflicted the fatal attack.
I have taken revenge for my wife, and I don't regret it."

Victoria ran her fingers through his hair as Diego rested his head on her lap.
He had done this for her and her alone.
Should she even have asked him?
Throughout the day, Victoria had been worrying. She had been reminiscing about how upset Diego had appeared after the deaths of alcalde Ramon and a bandit named Saragoza. Only audible to Diego, she whispered.
"I appreciate what you have done.
Many people will thank you should they ever find out what happened."

Diego sucked in the comforting Victoria was giving him by her friendly touch and understanding.
"I brought the money they stole to Padre Benitez to distribute to the poor.
Those men must have robbed dozens of people."

"And my ring?" whispered Victoria.

"I found it.
I wasn't certain you wanted it back." He pulled the ring from one of the many pockets of his costume.

Victoria took the ring and put it back on her finger without saying a word.

For a few minutes, they just sat quietly until they heard someone knocking on the door.

Victoria looked up.

"Come on in." Diego suspected it was Felipe.

The door opened slightly, and Felipe shuffled inside.
"Victoria", the boy muttered hesitantly.

Immediately, tears appeared in the eyes of Victoria and his father. Diego himself struggled to keep his emotions in check, despite having already heard Felipe speak.
"Felipe, you can speak?" Victoria uttered full of disbelieve.

He nodded.

"He can speak?" Alejandro repeated Victoria's words in astonishment. "How is that possible?" Alejandro looked at Diego, hoping to find an answer there.

Victoria pushed Diego aside, got up and stretched out her arms to hug Felipe.
"I can't believe you can talk." She kissed Felipe on both his cheeks.
"This is amazing."
Victoria hugged him again.
"How is this possible?"

Felipe let go and shrugged.

"No, i..., idea.

Alejandro had risen from his chair and, also, crossed the short distance between himself and Felipe to express his joy.
"I don't care how it's possible.
It is unbelievable.
Felipe, I can't believe what I am hearing.
After all these years."
Alejandro looked at his son suspiciously.
"Diego", his father said, in a tone that reminded Diego of the times his father had punished him as a child because he had misbehaved.
"I hope for your sake you haven't asked Felipe never to speak because he could help Zorro that way.
For if you did. As God is my witness, I put you over my knee right now to give you such a merciless spank on your but, you will remember it for the rest of your life."

Felipe blushed, and Victoria tried to hold in a giggle.

"Of course not, father," Diego muttered.

Felipe came to his side and nodded vigorously to show the old don that he agreed with Diego.

Diego tried to put the theory as it came to mind into words.
"We can only guess what the reason is why Felipe couldn't talk.
I guess that Felipe has always been able to talk.
But due to the emotional damage that happened to him as a child, he couldn't.
Something blocked his voice.
When we took him into our care, he did everything he could think of trying to survive.
After I found him, he needed help and may have been afraid that I would abandon him if it turned out that he was less in need of help than I believed him to be.
A few minutes ago, he told me that he was never deaf at all.
What happened yesterday worried him.
What if Victoria had lost her voice?
I guess this concern was more intense than whatever was stopping him from talking.
Felipe needed my attention to ask what I was thinking. And wanted it as fast possible, and this time it was by using words instead of signing."

Victoria threw her arms around Felipe again.
"Do you think that could be it?" she asked him.

"Si," Felipe said, signing an apology.

Victoria had tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I won't say that what happened yesterday wasn't horrible.
But I'm thankful if it helped you rediscover your speech.
I love you, Felipe."

The boy blushed. And Diego, standing beside Victoria, put an arm around her and pulled her against his waist as he was saying,
"I've always known you have a big heart."

Alejandro also had to wipe some tears from his eyes.
"Well, this has certainly been an intense day.
I think we could all use some rest.
Tomorrow we will talk further."

"Yes, father, you are right."

"Come on, Felipe, we all need some rest." Alejandro led Felipe down the hall.

When both men had left the room, Diego and Victoria looked at each other.

Victoria gave a wry smile. "I can't believe I heard Felipe talking. It feels like a dream."

"Indeed. It is good to know good things can still happen."

"Why did you kill those men like yourself?" asked Victoria.

Victoria sat on the sofa, Diego sat on the floor in front of her. He stared out of the window. The only light through which Victoria could see his face came from an oil lamp.

It was the question Victoria wanted to ask before Felipe came in.

Diego swallowed, trying to get the terrible metallic taste out of his mouth. "As Zorro, I have sworn to myself to fight against injustice with as limited bloodshed as possible. I would fight for true justice and ensure that criminals obtain their due punishment in a fair trial. When those beasts did what it did to you, I didn't want justice. I only wanted revenge for what they did to you." Diego swallowed again. Victoria looks at him with her beautiful dark brown eyes. "Querida, until last night. I always thought I would never be able to kill someone in cold blood. When I found those men today, they were planning what to do with the next woman they would meet. That could have been you."

Chills ran down her spine at Victoria. She remembered every word the men had said to her. And by the way, they'd touched her and spoke to Victoria, had more than a vague idea of what Diego might have heard.

"I taught myself to always be in control. Today, I completely lost my self-control. I'm not proud of what I've done, but I couldn't let Zorro take revenge for something Diego had to do himself. You are married to me. Not to Zorro, as foolish as it may sound."

She gently trailed her fingers over his moustache. "I'm glad you did what you did. I realized too late that I should never have asked you."

"You can always ask me anything." Diego tried to sound as light-hearted as possible when he uttered, "And isn't it a lawful husband's job to protect his wife. And should he fail to do so, isn't it his obligation to demand revenge? It is what I vowed to you at the altar."

"O, Diego," Her voice was soft as a summer breeze. "You didn't fail. I was wrong of me to ask."

Diego tightened his arms around her lap. "Even if you'd insisted me on staying with you, Zorro would have gone after them. Perhaps only at a more convenient opportunity. Even had he only heard rumours that they were near Los Angeles."

Victoria glared at him questioningly,

"Those men…, They were the Estaban brothers."

Her eyes widened with shock. Victoria got goosebumps all over, and cold flushed through her body. The reputation of the men was matched only by Zorro's.

With the difference, Zorro got seen as the hero of the people. And saviour of those in need. The Estaban brothers were notorious for their cruelty. "Oh my gosh."

There was silence. Diego cleared his throat. "If they have committed even half of the crimes of which they accused, then the world is already better off. In this case, even I have my doubts whether it is wrong to act as your own lawyer, judge and executioner all the time."

Victoria put her arms tightly around his head, holding him to her as close as possible. Diego buried his face in her lap. She acknowledged he was a sensitive man who did not believe in the death penalty.

Diego could say this now, but Victoria felt full well Diego conscience could start to gnaw at him as time passed by. And also that he would keep it a secret for her sake.

"Diego, I want you to promise me something," Victoria whimpered, putting her hands around his cheeks, forcing him to look at her.

"Anything." He promptly promised her without a moment's hesitation.

"Then promise me should you need to talk about what you've done, you will. Don't try to protect me by building a wall around yourself. Those men didn't just hurt me. They hurt you too. I know you want to spare me the suffering. We will get through this together when you allow me to do the same as you do for me. Don't give what has happened a chance to stand between us. I'm your wife. I also pledged a vow to be there for you for better or worse. Diego, I love you and don't want to lose you. Not because of this."

Diego kissed her hand and sighed, "You know me way too well. You have a point. We have to be honest in our feelings about what happened. At least to each other. Si, querida, I promise I will be honest to you."

They sat longer, Victoria caressing his hair. Diego stroked her knees and legs, saying nothing, just comforting each other by touch.

After an eternity, Victoria started giggling. First not notable. Then louder and more intense.

Diego was amazed by what was happening. Was Victoria losing her mind?

"Oh, Diego, I am so sorry. I only recall your face when your father said he put you over his knee. And now, I have that image in my head." Her laugh at the end of the phrase was close to hysterical.

Diego couldn't help it. It started in his stomach, bubbling up to his throat. And before he knew, laughed widely as well. The image of him laying over his father's lap to get spanked was too funny to hold once laughter. Victoria was laughing. For a moment, both forgot why they were sitting on a sofa, feeling in despair. Victoria hick upped and cried.

It felt so good, simply laugh. Diego had been dragged from one utmost emotion to another all day long, moving from intense loathing and hatred to sincere concern and an overwhelming sense of joy.

He needed to feel her close to him, more than ever before.

Victoria's feelings mattered more.

She still was covered in painful bruises, and the sight of her horror when she'd thought in her dream that he was the one who wanted to hurt her haunted his mind. She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked Diego straight in the eye.

"We'll be fine, won't we?"

Diego rose enough to caress her cheeks with his lips and inhale the smell of her hair. "Si, querida. In time, we'll be fine."

"Diego, will you hold me."

"Victoria, I will always hold you" Tenderly, he took her in his arms, enjoying the feeling of her arms gliding around his neck.

Diego kissed her forehead, not daring to tell Victoria the truth.

He was not the one holding her. She was holding him.

.

The following morning, Diego woke up early. Victoria lay on the edge of the bed. On her stomach with her face turned to him. Her mouth was slightly open. She was asleep. Gently, he ran his fingers through her wavy hair. She was so beautiful. He loved her so very much.
Diego felt her body tighten.

Her eyes flew open. She looked around anxiously. "No," she cried out.

A moment later, Victoria became aware of her surroundings. She was with Diego, and she was safe. Victoria gazed at him and saw the pain in his eyes. She whispered, "I felt someone touch me..."

"You were scared?" Diego inquired.

Victoria nodded.

"It does not matter. You need some time. And I'll give you all the time you need."
Carefully, Diego again ran his hand through her silky hair. Diego couldn't bear the sight of fawn eyes filling with tears.

"I'm so sorry. I know, I'm safe with you. I do not know what just happened. It simply was there."

"It's not your fault. Give yourself some time," Diego said again. "It's barely been forty eight hours. You're doing so much better than I hoped."

She nodded, "That's because of you." Victoria bridged the distance and briefly pressed her lips against his, "Shall we get up? I'm tired of having to rest all the time."

When they entered the breakfast room, his father and Felipe were already there enjoying their breakfast. "You two are up early," Alejandro still wasn't used to seeing Diego before ten in the morning.

Though, he knew now that that was more Zorro's fault than his son being lazy. "Did you sleep at all?" He asked them, concerned.

"Yes, father," said Victoria. "We slept. We are anxious to hear Felipe speaking again." She took a seat at the table and poured herself and Diego a cup of coffee.

.

Later that day, Alejandro decided to allow his son and daughter-in-law some time together and persuaded Felipe to go to the pueblo.
Partly, to hear if there was any gossip.

After the don greeted some friends and inquired casually about the latest news, he felt reassured that what had happened in the tavern had gone by unnoticed.
Felipe would do the same in the many places he knew in the pueblo, where people liked to gather to exchange the latest gossip not discussed in the tavern.
Towards noon, the two men meet again for lunch.

Mendoza came waddling onto the porch and gleefully greeted the don, who often offered a kind word. Mendoza had something he wanted to ask don Alejandro and had kept him up half the night.
"Don Alejandro, can I ask you something?"

Alejandro leaned a little backwards, gestured his hands, saying. "Sure, just ask."

"It's about Zorro."

"Zorro?" Alejandro shifted his position again and leaned interested closer to Mendoza.

"I don't get it, you see, last night Zorro came to the pueblo. And he was, I don't know how else to describe, different. He seemed very angry to me."

"Why was he in the pueblo?" Alejandro inquired curiously.

"I have no idea. In any case, Zorro was in a hurry. As soon as he saw the alcalde, he knocked him unconscious. Normally, Zorro always explains his reasons and gives us the chance to fight. Not this time. And what's even crazier is…, he thanked me. Although I have no idea what for."

Alejandro mused, "That is weird. Maybe it has something to do with Diego en Victoria married. After all, your interfering prevented him from challenging Diego to a duel. Something I'm grateful for as well. I can imagine Zorro was happy afterwards. You prevented him from doing something he would later regret. Like seriously hurting Victoria or perhaps even Diego. He hasn't had a chance to speak to you in person before, has he?"

"Perhaps." Mendoza agreed, not quite, convinced this had been the reason.