January 23rd, 1821/ Day 6
The first ray of sun hit his face like a punch. Diego woke up instantly and looked to his right. Victoria wasn't there. Had it all been but a dream? It certainly did not seem like it. He could still remember feeling her presence in his bed, her hair caressing his shoulder, her scent. Probably just a dream...A beautiful dream of falling asleep with Victoria in my arms. He told himself. "It must have all been but a dream, right?" He slowly uttered as if trying to convince himself.
Slowly, he got off his bed, checked what time it was, put on one of his blue suits and a white shirt, then made his way towards the kitchen to ask Maria for his breakfast to be served in the patio. He drank his coffee and ate an omelet while reading one of the new books he had bought during his most recent visit to San Pedro. By the time his father joined him, he had already read about 100 pages, nearly a quarter of his new book, and he had already finished his meal.
"Good morning, Diego!" His father greeted, still surprised to see his son up so early in the morning, despite it being a scene that tended to repeat itself for over three weeks.
"Good morning, Father!" Diego replied. "Do you, by any chance, know if Felipe is up, yet?"
"Felipe? Yes, I saw him heading towards the library. What is it with you two and your fascination for that room, Diego? If I didn't know better, I could swear the boy is actually your son!"
"What did you just say, Father?" Diego asked, suddenly raising his head.
"I was just saying that Felipe's fascination with the library, might make one believe he was your real son." Replied Don Alejandro
"Right." Said Diego, abandoning his book and taking a concerned look. "Father, what day is today?" He asked.
"Today? Tuesday, January 23rd. Why are you asking, Diego?"
Diego stood still and gave no reply. His father, intrigued by his son's behavior, kept one eye on him and one on the fork he was using to eat his eggs.
"I think I need your help, Father," Diego realized after five minutes of silence, just as Felipe was sitting down for breakfast.
"Of course, Son! What troubles you?" Don Alejandro replied.
"Not here. After you are finished, both of you should come join me in the library!" Diego demanded as he got up from the table. "Felipe, I will need you as well." He said in passing as he was re-entering the hacienda.
He headed for the library, and sat on one of the couches next to the fireplace, trying to remember everything about the day he realized was relieving over and over again. For a little time that morning, it somehow felt again like a dream. But it was not. Some ten minutes later, his father and Felipe arrived.
"Here we are, Diego! How can we help you?" Don Alejandro inquired.
"Not here." His son answered. "Follow me!" As he said that, he made sure there was no one else around and made his way through the sliding panel of the fireplace.
Don Alejandro followed, amazed to see the secret entrance, and feeling like Aladdin entering the cave in search of the magic lamp, while Felipe was overwhelmed by inquietude as to the effects the sudden revelation would have on the old don.
As they arrived in the main room, Don Alejandro rested his eyes on the laboratory Diego had installed there and headed towards the tubes and vases wondering what in the world was his son studying. He wanted to ask when he heard a horse neighing and turned to his left to see an all-too-familiar black stallion. He focused on the horse, and made his way towards him, studying the impressive animal.
"Why is Zorro's stallion in a cave under my hacienda, Diego?" He asked, turning towards his son and noticing, in passing, Zorro's black clothes.
"Tornado is here because he is my stallion. And I am Zorro, Father." Diego replied as Don Alejandro was looking at him in disbelief.
"You are Zorro? How…? When…?Gilberto was right?" He mumbled.
"He was. I'm Zorro." He started, impatiently trying to get the explanations out of the way. He needed his father focused on the task ahead. "I created Zorro to fight against the Alcalde. I can fight. In fact, I bested Sir Kendall before leaving Madrid. I am an expert horseman, I am a good tracker, I do not get sick that often, nor do I take so many trips as I made you believe. Well...let's just say I did my best to pretend to be as different from Zorro as one can be, so that nobody would suspect me of being him. I am sure you might have many questions, and I will answer them in due time but, right now, I need your help, and I need you to stay focused."
"I...I see...Felipe..." Replied Don Alejandro suddenly realizing the young man was in the room and was by no means as surprised as he was by his son's revelation.
"Felipe has been helping me since I created Zorro. He was my test subject, you might say – I thought that if he does not recognize me with a mask, no one will. And, so far, no one has. My son has also saved my life more times than I remember." He added, gazing at Felipe with gratitude.
"Yes...of course." Uttered Don Alejandro, while shifting his gaze between his son and his adopted grandson, his face betraying a deep shock at the revelation.
"Father, I know this is a lot to take in, and I wish I could have done this a different way. Come, sit at my desk! Do you need me to get you anything? Some water, maybe? A glass of wine?"
"I thought you don't drink wine." Don Alejandro underlined.
"I don't" confirmed Diego. "Zorro needs a cool head if he is to stay ahead of the Alcalde, the lancers, the bounty hunters, and the bandits in the area. But there is some wine in the library and Felipe can bring you a glass. Felipe!" He nodded towards the young man who checked the spying hole, and hurried up the stairs, returning in less than a minute with a glass of red wine.
"How...how did he know to bring me that? You had your back at him..." Don Alejandro asked after finishing the glass in one sip.
"Felipe can hear." Diego informed him.
"I need another glass." The old don decided.
"Father, another glass will not help you help me. I need you to counsel me on what to do. It is very important, Father, and we don't have much time."
The old don stared at Diego, then at Felipe, eventually resting his eyes on the desk.
"Of course! How can I help, Son?" He asked, trying to come to terms with all the new information which had turned his world upside-down in only a few minutes. That was not what he had expected when he had entered the library.
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Diego considered. He is barely dealing with the fact that I am Zorro, and I am about to have him help with something I, myself, don't understand.
"Alright." Here we go! "Father, I seem to be reliving the same day over and over again, and I don't know how to make it through it, saving everyone."
Don Alejandro stared at him, considered his words, and begun laughing.
"I see!" He replied. "So this is your idea of a joke, Diego? Making me believe you are Zorro, and then coming up with this nonsense. Really, Son! What has gotten into you?" He added as he was standing up, ready to leave.
"I am very serious, Father!" Diego replied angrily this time. "Here! I'll prove it." He said, taking off his shirt, and letting his father see a scar on his left shoulder. Don Alejandro examined it, realizing it was the one left by a bullet he had, not long before, removed from Zorro's shoulder.*
The moment he saw the scar, the don fell back into the chair as if struck by lightning.
"You really are Zorro!" He decided.
"I am, Father. I am not lying, nor am I pretending with you anymore, and I haven't lost my mind!." Diego answered, all his previous anger dissipating. "We will have time to clarify everything later. Right now, I need you to believe everything I tell you, and I need you to help me find a solution to all of this."
"I believe you, Diego." Don Alejandro assured him. "I am here for you, Son."
"Father, for you and Felipe, this is the first time you live this day. For me, however, it is not. The day is repeating itself. I have already lived it 5 times, this is the 6th. Every time, people die. First it was Victoria, myself, Mendoza, and many other people. It was during an attack on the tavern and I could do nothing to stop it. The second time, it was Felipe and three other innocents who died, and I killed all the men responsible in an act of revenge. The third time, it was you and half of the lancers. You died right there," he indicated towards a corner of the cave "in my arms, and the doctor arrived too late to do anything. The fourth time, some of the lancers were killed, and I was mortally injured; the fifth time, it was Mendoza and some of the lancers. Every time I wake up it is the same day, the same hour in the morning. I do things differently – I managed to prevent the attack on the tavern by having Victoria closing the place down. I managed to ensure the arrest of the bandits, but they always escape and attack the hacienda. And no matter what I have done so far, this last outcome, I cannot seem to prevent. If they escape, they kill people, and they always escape. And the day always starts over."
"It is quite a story, Diego." He considered his son's words for a few minutes. If it was anybody else telling him such a story, he would have believed the man to be crazy. But this was Diego, his son, Zorro. He was not mad. He had just shared his greatest secret because he needed his father's help. So his father would help. "I can't imagine remembering how it feels like to die. I am glad I don't remember what you say..." Don Alejandro remarked, pondering over the idea of seeing his son dying, and being grateful for not having any recollection of such events. "And you believe that, if you fix whatever goes wrong, if you make sure those men stay in prison, and everyone lives through the day, it will just stop repeating itself?" Don Alejandro asked.
"I do, Father. At least, it is the only way I can see an end to all this."
"I understand." The old don agreed, his hands joined, supporting his head. "But have you considered that this might have nothing to do with us at all? What if there is something else at work here? Some other reason why this is all happening…"
"What do you mean, Father?" Diego wondered.
"I don't know... Perhaps nothing... You are probably right. We should start working on a plan to prevent the attacks and make sure there are no victims. And if we fail, I guess you will remember just why we failed, tomorrow. Diego!" He suddenly exclaimed. "If tomorrow you wake up and it's the same day, I will not remember any of this, will I?"
"No, Father. In fact this is the fifth time you came here and found out I was Zorro". Diego confirmed.
"I see. And if it was not for this strange day, would you have ever told me, Diego?"
"No, Father. At least not until it was safe. Until there was no need for Zorro to ride anymore."
"I wish I could say I'm disappointed." Don Alejandro confessed. "Some part of me wished I had known sooner so that I might have helped with your plans. I would have enjoyed that, I think. But, on the other hand, it was probably be for the best that I didn't know. I don't believe I could stand and watch while the lancers shoot at Zorro, knowing it is you under the mask. I might even betray you somehow. You certainly seem to have a much better control of yourself than I ever did. But, Diego, even if I don't remember tomorrow and you decide to never tell me again, know that I am very proud of you, my boy, and I am very sorry for all the mean things I have said to you since you've returned home. You're certainly no coward, my son, and I am very sorry for ever stating that… and a few other things."
"You need not apologize, Father. Your remarks may have hurt sometimes, but I always knew that you would not feel that way if I had decided to tell you the truth. I brought it on myself, if I am to be honest." Diego replied, smiling as he saw his father's eyes filled with pride.
The rest of the morning they spent planning on how to tackle the attacks. As during the previous days, Zorro asked Victoria to close the tavern and head for the hacienda. He also made sure that the bandits were in jail by the time of the siesta, and the Alcalde was informed about the attempted escape and about the number of accomplices planning to break them out of prison. He was also informed about the reward for the bandits, since Zorro felt he needed to give De Soto and his men an extra incentive.
In the afternoon, the De la Vegas insisted on returning to town with Victoria, and took rooms at the tavern for the night. They also made sure to share their dinner with Mendoza and some of the lancers, and to inform them that they were staying in town overnight, in order to keep an eye on Victoria. Obeying a note left by Zorro on her pillow, Victoria closed the tavern at 10 pm and hurried to lock herself in her room, after she made sure to also inform her friends about the warning, asking them to follow her example. Creeping out of his room, Zorro, followed by Felipe and carrying some loaded muskets and his crossbow, made his way to the roof of the tavern.
Once there, they watched how the dark figures of four men climbed the roof of the cuartel and split up. Unwilling to take any chances, Zorro shot an arrow and injured the man entering the Alcalde's office through the roof window, his screams alerting the lancers inside to his presence.
A few moments later, Felipe shot at one of the men attempting to kill the prison guards, while Zorro fired an explosive-charged arrow to the back of the jail, thus attracting some more lancers that way. Finally, Felipe fired once more at the man on the roof of the armory, drawing enough attention as to lead to the final capture of all the gang members.
As soon as he was sure the thugs had been captured, and there was no chance for the prisoners to escape, they left the muskets and the crossbow on the roof and hurried towards their rooms in the tavern. There, they rapidly changed into their nightshirts, hiding the black clothes and Zorro's weapons in the kitchen's higher passage.
The moment Diego got down after hiding them and hurried to put back on his blue robe, the tavern's door was forced open by De Soto, who came in with the lancers in search of Zorro. Victoria and Don Alejandro came out of their rooms at the same time when hearing the commotion, while Diego came out of the kitchen, innocently carrying a glass of water, and pretending to be shocked by the intrusion.
"Search everywhere! Leave no stone unturned!" De Soto ordered. "He must be here, somewhere!"
"Who are you looking for, Alcalde?" Diego asked at watching with some well-hidden amusement as the men ran around the tavern, looking for Zorro under the benches.
"Where is Zorro, Senorita Escalante?" De Soto ignored Diego, addressing the young woman instead. "I know he is hiding here somewhere! Men, check senorita's room! Thoroughly."
"He is not here, Alcalde! I have not seen him this evening!" Victoria protested, closely following the lancers who were invading her room.
"What was with the gunfire and the explosions, Ignacio? What's going on?" Diego wondered.
"Zorro, again! He almost blew up the armory." De Soto replied.
"Really? Perhaps coming to town has not been the best idea, after all, Father!" He commented as Don Alejandro was fighting a heroic battle to contain a smile threatening to disturb his uncharacteristically calm face.
"I do believe you might be right, Son! But it is the middle of the night and, since it didn't blow up, I don't believe we are in any more danger, are we, Alcalde?" He replied, surprising himself at discovering a hidden acting talent he was previously unaware of possessing.
"Well, since I doubt I will sleep after all this commotion, how about I make some tea for everyone while the Alcalde and his men search the tavern?" Diego suggested, returning with his now empty glass to the kitchen.
Felipe faked sleeping on his feet while going down to the main hall as the lancers were searching his room.
"Diego is making tea, Victoria! Would you like some?" Don Alejandro inquired as she was angrily following the lancers, still protesting about the search.
"Diego is making tea? Ay Dios! Considering how prone to accidents he is, he will burn himself! I will make tea, Don Alejandro!" She declared, and she rushed towards the kitchen, dressed in her nightgown and covered with a red velvet robe Zorro had once given her. "Diego, get out of my kitchen, and just wait for the tea! I will bring it!" She ordered once there.
"Alright, Victoria! I apologize! I did not mean to upset you!" He replied, lovingly watching how beautiful she looked when she was angry.
She calmed down as she saw his innocent smile and assured him he'd done no wrong and that she'll soon be bringing their cups of tea to the taproom.
After making sure to firmly close the entrance again as soon as the intruders had left empty-handed, the tall caballero joined his father and Felipe, who were already sitting at one of the tables.
Don Alejandro could not help but laugh silently at realizing how easily Diego had managed to fool the Alcalde, and he could hardly utter a word for some five long minutes while Diego was watching him with some amusement.
"That was close, Son!" He finally managed to say. "I don't know how you managed to pull that off for nine years, Diego! But I must say… the expression on De Soto's face: priceless!"
"What?" Victoria asked in a shocked voice at hearing the old don, as her gaze rapidly moved between Diego and his father.
"Almost a day! Congratulations, Father! Are you going to wait till tomorrow to tell the Alcalde, or should I just give myself in tonight?" The De la Vega heir asked with some indignation in his voice as Don Alejandro's smile faded, realizing his son had been right in keeping his secret.
"You are...Zorro, Diego?" Victoria asked, her hands shaking.
Diego, realizing the effect the news had on her, stepped forward to help with the tea, just in time to prevent the integrity of her soft skin being threatened by the hot water in the cups she was carrying. He took away the tray and placed it on the table, then returned to Victoria and put his arms on her shoulders.
"Are you alright, Victoria?" He asked her.
"Are you Zorro?" She inquired back, staring at him.
"Yes, Victoria! I am Zorro." He answered and, realizing she was not completely convinced, he added "It is me you have accepted to marry the day I took you to the cave and gave you my mother's ring."
Victoria's eyes grew bigger and filled with tears.
"You? I am engaged to you, Diego?" She tried to confirm if she had heard right.
He just nodded and looked into her eyes. After the initial shock passed, Victoria started to smile, cheerfully gazing into his eyes.
"You!" She said eventually. "Of course, you! Whom else would I marry?"
Diego just smiled back and led her to the table.
When they went to sleep, Diego walked her to her door and kissed her hand before she shyly entered her room. He returned to his bed with a big grin on his face, and fell asleep dreaming of the woman he would soon call his wife.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
* This is a reference to my story A Close Call in which Zorro takes a bullet destined for his father, and Don Alejandro helps him by taking out the bullet and stopping the bleeding.
Author's note: This is not the end to the story (although it may seem like it to some). Fun days ahead! Again, let me know if you are enjoying it!