-Z-

The following days everybody never stopped talking about the masked ball and Diego kept his ears open to find out if the alcalde was planning some booby traps, but nothing unusual happened or was even said. Life just went on and everybody was extremely busy getting the attire ready for the festival. Victoria had some great help with decorating the taberna as ordered and followed other instructions given by Mendoza. And business at the De la Vega hacienda formed no exception. It was a few days later when Diego sat in the library pondering again how he would dress himself for the ball, while he watched the tailor making a nice suit for Felipe, who would be a pirate. Diego thought the young man looked good in the coloured clothes. Admirably, he stared at the happy young man, and suddenly he wondered how Victoria would come to the party. Or would she just serve as she always does at parties?
No, she was too excited to not get dressed up. A pleasant smile crossed his handsome face. Whatever she wears, she will always be a sight for sore eyes.
He imagined her wearing a rich wide dress with gold-thread spun in nice patterns on the fine and expensive material.

Then Felipe got him out of his revery as he asked Diego's opinion on his outfit.
"It really looks good on you, Felipe," Diego told him honestly.
Felipe smiled proudly, then his features collapsed into a serious one, *What will you wear?*
Thoughtful, Diego sighed deeply and shrugged his shoulders, "I honestly don't know."
Felipe's tailor looked up from his work. While Felipe stared at Diego to come up with an idea, the tailor studied don Diego.
"Señor, pardon me, but may I give a suggestion?" he asked humbly after a few seconds.
Diego looked surprised, but his face showed that he was open for his advice. "Of course you may, señor."
"Well, it might sound odd, but I was told you like myths, legends, and fairytales, don't you señor De la Vega?"
Diego simply nodded, wondering what the tiny man had in mind for him.
"Well, I thought I could make you Hercules or Zeus since you are a good man, some heroic expression would suit you, señor. But how about something more evil and dangerous?" he shared his thoughts mysteriously.
"Go on," Diego encouraged out of curiosity.
"Why not be a vampire?" he asked enthusiastically.
"A vampire?" Diego raised his eyebrows.
"Sí, señor, I think that will suit you well. I doubt anyone would recognize you, even if you don't wear a mask." The tailor continued, very excited about his idea.
"How come?" Diego asked, wondering how he wouldn't be recognized.
"With the right make up," the man replied soberly. "A very pale skin, red lips and dark eyelids, you will look like a different person."
Diego thought about it for a moment. This sounded like the solution. "And what about the costume? What do you have in mind for that?"
The tailor stepped on one foot, held one arm in front of his chest and put his elbow of his right arm in his left hand. With the fingers of his right hand he played with the ends of his moustache, "how about a black cape? And black clothes?"
"I would look like Zorro then!" Diego replied dryly with a displeased undertone.
"Or do you want to have it purple?"
Don Diego didn't like that idea either.
"I have got it!" the tailor cried out, "I will make you a black trousers and a black shirt, but that shirt will be more like a gown, by length; maybe I will make a gown of it after all. The cape will have a high collar in your neck. This cape should touch the ground or it should trail over the ground. The inner side of the cape will be red and at the edges I will sew red figures."
Now Diego nodded approvingly. This sounded much better.
"If you wish I could sew some figures on your shirt too. How about large sleeves like those of wizards?" the tailor proposed while his fantasy carried him away.
"Why not," Diego accepted with a warm smile.
Felipe smiled broadly. He liked the idea of Diego being a wicked person for just three days.
"I won't act like an evil person," Diego said, trying to take Felipe's pleasure away.
Felipe looked mischievously at his master. However, Diego decided to be silent.
Even the tailor didn't say a word. He knew the caballero was good at heart and would never ever dare to hurt anyone. How could he? He only cared for music, books, and art. This weak-willed man could not kill a fly, let alone insult a lady or play Dracula. Didn't the alcalde once say that Diego was Jesus in a play? Here is the proof of his good, kind, and soft nature.
"Well, don Diego, I think I should go back to my store to start making your clothes."
He turned back to Felipe, "I think your costume is ready, don't you think?"
Felipe moved over to the mirror again to see himself in it for s second glance, then he faced the tailor with a smile and bright eyes. He nodded, but he gestured a sabre was missing.
Diego interfered, "I have a solution for that. I have that one I used for drama class in Madrid."
Felipe smiled excitedly, eager to see it, but knew his manners and thanked the taillor again for his services. The taillor was done now and packed his things. Whereafter Diego walked the man to the door, while making a new appointment..
"Don Diego, I will try to have your suit ready in three days; it's very busy now, you see."
"I will understand," Diego replied understandingly.
"Graciás, señor. Adiós," the tailor said humbly.

-Z-

I need to tell you
How you light up every second of the day
That in the moonlight
You just shine like a beacon on the bay

One week later after the announcement, everybody was thrilled about the event, which would be taking place this very evening. The mood was spiritual, good humoured, but mysterious as well. Many citizens had gathered in the taberna to find out how everybody would show up this night. Unfortunately, though perhaps it was for the best, not one living soul dared to reveal his costume, except for one.

"Don Diego, how will you go to the masked ball?" sergeant Mendoza asked him curiously.
"That sergeant," Diego replied earnestly, "is my secret."
"But don Diego, you know you can tell me. I won't tell anyone."
"What are those few hours waiting compared to a week?" Diego asked pointely. "If we were talking of food, I would understand. This is a masked ball, sergeant; you will see then."
Diego laid a hand on the shorter man's shoulder, "Do you wish to reveal who you will be, sergeant?"
"I will certainly not go as Zorro," Mendoza stated very confidently.
"Why not?" Diego inquired interestedly.
Mendoza closed the distance between himself and his friend, "the alcalde will try to unmask Zorro."
"He is always planning to do that," Diego replied as a matter of factly.
"Sí, but this time, he will recognize him without his black clothes. The alcalde said it won't matter if Zorro has decided he will show up as himself, you know who he is when he is not wearing the mask," the sergeant explained secretively, trusting and knowing that his friend would not tell another person.
"Everybody could be Zorro then" Diego filled in.
"True," Mendoza responded, and decided to explain himself, "It is a masked ball, so everybody will show up with a mask, no."
Diego nodded understandingly at that, making Mendoza to continue his secret. "The alcalde is sure Zorro will show up at the party, he always mentions something about parties when he shows up. Because Zorro always wears a mask, he has to now. The alcalde says we will have him and he won't even be armed."
Diego was glad, now, for deciding not to wear a mask at the ball. "And how will you go, then?'
"As Dionysus, of course. The alcalde suggested it. He was a Greek god of wine."
Diego knew that, but he pretended never ever having heard of this god.
"A wine god, really Mendoza, it really sounds perfect for you."
"Ah, sí, Don Diego, but Dionysus wasn't only the god of wine," Mendoza corrected.
"Really, sergeant, what else?" Diego asked interested with a smile.
"He was the god of the harvest," Mendoza said, proud of his knowledge.
"Is that so, sergeant? Then it really suits you," he responded, tickling Mendoza's ego.

"Señorita Escalante," the alcalde called out loud, making everybody stop his or her activities.
"What it is now, alcalde?" Victoria asked, agitated, with her voice raised too.
"I, hereby, confiscate your property," the alcalde exclaimed calmly.
"You can't do that!" she protested with her hands on her hips.
"I thought you wanted the taberna to be the location for the masked ball," Diego remarked, standing up for Victoria.
"All the preparations have been made, too," Victoria added.
"Sí Diego and it will still be," De Soto grinned his famous ironic smile. "And señorita," he turned back to Victoria, "you may still live in your taberna, but I will be in charge."
"But alcalde, …."
"Hush, señorita," the alcalde warned, "I guess you don't want to miss the masquerade, do you?"
"Really Ignacio," Diego stood in front of his best friend, "you can't do this!"
"Watch me de la Vega," De Soto was pleased to tease them, "or do you wish to spend a few nights in my jail too?"
Diego shrinked back to keep his senses.
"Men, you know what to do!"
"Ohhh," Victoria snored between her teeth and walked way to her room with Diego on her heels. Arrived at her room, Victoria slammed the door close into Diego's face.

"Victoria?" Diego knocked on her door for a second time. She finally opened with an agitated expression on her face.
"What is it, Diego?" Victoria asked a little impatient.
"What are you going to do?" Diego inquired worried.
"Leaving, Diego. I can't live with HIM under the same roof!" she shouted at him.
"Of course, I understand," Diego replied calm with a soft voice. "Why don't you stay with us? Father wouldn't mind."

Victoria smiled and briefly let a hand rest on her friend's upper arm, "you're too kind, but I know a place to stay."
"But where?" he asked alarmed.
"Oh, I have a friend, she will love me having as her houseguest," she answered, "but Diego, if I need help, you will be the first to know." She laid both hands on his upper arms in assurance.
"Are you sure?" Diego didn't like her being somewhere else.
"Don't be silly, of course I am," she laughed at his concerned face, "I will be fine, I assure you."
"Remember, you will always be welcome in our family, Victoria," he told her with piercing eyes, attempting to change her mind at last.
"Now if you please, I would like to pack my things and be gone." She sounded a bit demanding, though she didn't mean it to be like that.
"Take care, mí amiga," Diego said, regretting that he couldn't persuade her to come with him to the hacienda.

-Z-

"Is that you, father?" Diego asked, astonished, staring at the disguise his father was wearing.
"Sí, son," Don Alejandro replied haughtily. "Well, what do you think Diego?"
"Nice."
Felipe too was surprised by seeing this sultan in rich coloured clothes and a nice purple cape.
"Diego, look at you! You look like a demon," Don Alejandro remarked, looking at a very pale face, blood red lips, and red colour around his eyes, except for the eyelids which were totally black.
"A vampire, father," Diego corrected dryly, "allow me to introduce myself; I am Dracula." His introduction sounded more like the way he once introduced himself as Zorro.
Don Alejandro looked doubtfully at his son. "No woman will want to marry you by this appearance."
The older man sighed deeply, but a smile appeared when he faced Felipe.
Felipe grinned wickedly, got his sabre and pointed it at Don Alejandro.
"At least some young men know how to handle a sword," Don Alejandro remarked displeasingly toward Diego. Diego just shrugged at his father and had a mind of his own.

The three of them left the hacienda by horseback. No one would recognize them immediately, since they were using three of their new horse. On the way to the pueblo they even decided to enter the pueblo separately from several directions as another distraction to their identity. Many people were arriving at the taberna, when Diego got there. Immediately he started looking for Victoria, but he only saw some women who didn't look like her at all. Then he thought he saw her at the other side of the plaza walking to the taberna.
Unfortunately, after a second look it was obvious that it was not her either, since this woman appeared to have brown hair and was somewhat shorter. He then crossed his father's path and followed his him into the taberna, hoping to see her in there. Felipe had already entered the establishment.
The taberna was crowded with people. Some peasants looked like caballeros, others happened to be animals or villains.
Everybody seemed to have a hard time in recognizing each other, so even friends were talking with their enemy. Some soldiers weren't difficult to unmask, since they had to serve delicious food and nice drinks. De Soto picked the right time to throw out Victoria, all preparations were ready when he showed up. Good thinking, I give him that. Diego thought wryly as tasted on of the tapas which were just offered to him by one of the temporaly servers.
Diego felt really at ease, since he was now able to put his other masquerade aside and be his true self. Only his father may notice this change of behaviour tonight, but he may interpret it as a part of the masquerade. Besides, his father was too occupied with a widow to observe Diego's performance.
Diego doubted his father would betray his disguise. On their way to the pueblo they all agreed upon keeping their identity a secret. His father truly loved the idea, so they agreed to not hang around with each other, as well.

Relaxed, Diego was observing all the people's appearances. Nearly everyone was wearing a mask which hides their faces entirely. He loved the sight of the rich coloured mass and happy faces, shown by the bright eyes and happy looking lips from whom the mask wasn't hiding it very well. He didn't even mind recognizing the alcalde as Satan at first.
"How fitting," Diego muttered sarcastically under his breath between some sips of his wine, when he found out the identity beneath the mask. "Better the devil you know, …."
The alcalde wore a red costume. On his forehead he had two little horns and on his back he had a tail which ended up in the shape of an arrow. Just his white beard didn't fit this disguise.

Then suddenly Diego's heart stopped when he watched into another direction. He couldn't believe his own eyes. This was too much to be true. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his entire life was descending the stairs so elegantly. He never thought it possible to find such grace here in the colonies. The woman's dress was totally red with some gold or yellow thread spun in patterns on the body on the front of the dress. Her sleeves were wide hanging around her hands, and ended with white lace or a look-a-like material. He couldn't tell, since the distance between this Bella and himself was too large.
He had to remind himself to breathe in and out, while he admired her beautiful appearance. He could tell by her skin, which hasn't been covered by her black mask and red dress, she was in her prime of life. Yes her appreance had really captured his attention, like many other men who had noticed her joining the festival and wondered about her whereabouts. The alcalde was so good to let the overnight guests stay in the taberna, under the condition that they joint the festival dressed appropiately or stayed in their room all night. Diego couldn't focus on anything or anyone but the Lady in Red. She was like an angel to him, a dream or worse, … her beauty was like a nightmare. He promised to marry Victoria by asking her the famous question. He didn't do that as the hero, oh, in some ways yes, but he asked her to marry the man beneath the mask.
Suddenly, he felt terribly guilty and looked away from her, when her eyes met his. He swallowed hard while he convinced himself that he was doing nothing wrong by just looking at this señorita, or even if they were having dance together hopefully later tonight.
"This is all a game," Diego told himself and wondered how Victoria would react, if she was standing in his shoes.
"Small," he thought ironically, when he took it literally, dreaming of her delicate small feet.

-Z-