Chapter 26: Clarifications
"Tell me, Sergeant, you are quite silent." Diego remarked while they arrived on the balcony leading to his bedroom.
"That... To be frank, Don Diego, the child's words keep me puzzled."
The child's... Oh... Diego realized.
"You know, Sergeant, children have a wild imagination."
"That's for sure."
"But what would you do if it proved that he was right?" The young don dared asking with seriousness.
"I will fulfill my soldier role... I think... Only, I will be very bothered to have to arrest a good friend, you see. Not only you, Don Diego, but Zorro also... What's more, I believe that all will avoid me then." He explained while they arrived in front of the bedroom's door.
It opened before Diego could put his hand on its handle. Bernardo had beaten him to it. Surprised to find Diego in the sergeant's arms, the manservant opened wide his eyes and moved backward to better mock silently.
"Thank you for your help and your sincerity, I appreciate it." Diego said while the sergeant laid him on the bed. "Furthermore, don't be obsessed with what the child said. You will get tired for nothing."
"You're right, Don Diego."
"Now that I think about it, we organized a dinner tomorrow evening. You are welcome to it."
"Gracias, Don Diego."
"Besides, could you transmit the invitation to Padre Felipe and also to Capitán Toledano and his wife, por favor?"
"Si, Don Diego."
"Sergeant." The viceroy, on the doorstep, called him.
Garcia turned round and saluted him expressly.
"Could you leave us alone for a moment?"
"Si, your Excellency. Rest well, Don Diego."
"Si... Again, thank you for all." The young don said.
Garcia saluted him with a nod and, going out of the bedroom, closed the door behind him before going down in the patio.
"How are you feeling, Diego?"
"Tired."
"Did you think about what we've spoken of?"
"Not really. Knowing Don Sebastián was free and not being able to do anything didn't help me. I should be able to think about that matter more seriously now."
"For him, you're dead, aren't you?"
"Yes... What's more, I was for all."
"Indeed, even I believed that... How is this possible?"
"I owe my life to a medallion... A cameo that my mother offered me years ago as a lucky charm." Diego explained by taking out the jewel from his pocket.
Don Esteban took it in hand and noticed the bullet still there; fortunately on the back of the jewel, which didn't damage the engraving. However, he noticed a slight shard above this one.
"This is the second time that this medallion saved my life." Diego explained as he noticed that Don Esteban had seen the shard. "To come back to Don Sebastián, I don't think that Capitán Toledano will tell him about my resurrection."
"I don't think too. Besides, the capitán must have some doubt about your double identity. We haven't spoken about it, but..."
"I think that his suspicions were confirmed by little Diego." The young don smiled.
"What do you mean?"
"He called me Uncle Zorro."
"He is perspicacious, this little one." Don Esteban said by giving back the jewel to Diego.
"I couldn't have put it better myself... But you should have seen everyone's faces... Poor sergeant risks to badly accepting reality."
"Diego... Whatever you decide later, know already that the wanted posters have been replaced by pardons and amnesty. Zorro is a free man from now on, and this, without any particular conditions. I transmitted a letter to the capitán. He will discover it when he'll go in his quarters."
"Gracias, Don Esteban." Diego said, trying to bow.
Bernardo suddenly came closer, incredulous.
"I will let you rest... If Doctor Avila finds me next to you, he would well be able to give me a roasting, viceroy or not." Esteban said, making briefly laugh Diego.
This latter raised his hand to his painful chest.
"I presume that you will be there tomorrow evening for dinner?"
"Yes. Constancia will be there too. By the way, she is downstairs and she is waiting for news about you."
"Could you say hello to her?"
"Certainly." Esteban asserted before going out.
Diego put then the medallion on the bedside table and sighed.
When the viceroy arrived in the patio, he noticed Doctor Avila going out of what should be Don Alejandro's bedroom, and heading to the one of Diego with an alert pace.
"Sergeant, be prepared to escort us. I will go and see Don Alejandro and I will go away soon with my daughter."
"On your commands, you Excellency."
Doctor Avila knocked to Diego's door and soon came in.
"How is my father?" Diego hastened asking.
"Better. You were very lucky, Diego. In the contrary case, I don't think that your father would have survived."
Diego became white again.
"Now, tell me everything. I saw you wincing during the fight... I know that the wound is in a very bad place, but I have the feeling that there is something else."
"Indeed." He said thoughtfully. "Apart from the pain I could feel by squeezing my hand on my weapon's pommel, I felt another sensation... as if... as if lightning had struck me from the shoulder to the hand."
"Lightning? Were you already struck by lightning?"
"No, I wouldn't be here to talk about... But lightning struck not far from where I was and my hairs stood on end and there were tingles in my whole body... On the matter we're talking about, the tingles were increased greatly... That's why I made the connection."
Avila looked at him gravely and then he handed him his left hand.
"Squeeze my hand, Diego." He ordered him.
Although surprised by this demand, Diego obeyed.
"Stronger."
Diego winced by intensifying the pressure.
"I said stronger."
"But I am at maximum." Diego explained, dripping with sweat and worried.
Avila winced, preoccupied.
"Good, now do the same with your left hand."
The young don obeyed.
"That will be enough." Avila asserted when Diego squeezed his hand, nearly crushing it.
The doctor shook off his hand vividly.
"I'm sorry." Diego smiled sheepish.
"It is again too soon to make a prognosis, but you should go on with the idea of not being able to use your right arm like before... Don Sebastián must have hit you in what is named your nervous system and your arm came out of it weakened."
"…"
"It could be temporary, but it could also be definitive... Only time will tell. Now lay down so that I can take care of the gash on your chest... You will have one little scar more."
"What is one more? Diego said ironical trying to cheer up the doctor.
"Diego, your carefree attitude risks playing tricks to you... Think about your father, think about Doña Salena. You quieted down these last eight months concerning your time of convalescence... Don't go back to extremes."
"Si." The young don affirmed, embarrassed.
Visibly, the joke wasn't at the day's taste. Once the doctor was over, he gave three sc rolls of parchment filled with remedies to Bernardo while explaining Diego the content of these. Then with a firm and somehow paternal tone, he ordered him to a week of total rest with the authorization to stand up just for the real big occasions, like the dinner on tomorrow evening for example.
Diego approved knowing that the doctor was able to make him swallow a potion which would make him sleep a long time on the contrary case.
"One last thing, Don Diego..."
"Yes?"
"No, nothing... Rest yourself." He finally said.
It was not up to him to tell the jewel's story even if his father was its creator. And in spite of the visible interrogation on the young don's face, he remained enigmatic.
...
After the doctor's departure, Bernardo had his hands full. Don Alejandro wanted at all costs to see his son who he couldn't approach since the incident. The doctor was only vague on the matter, giving as a pretext that the powder's weapon would have taken humidity or be of lesser quality. However, Alejandro wasn't duped, he had seen his son receiving full on the bullet and his pain wasn't overrated.
The old De la Vega took benefit of Bernardo's absence to sneak in his son's room, without leaving a trace...mind you... Monastario had been charged by Avila to watch over everybody also. Surprised by the doctor's request, he nonetheless accepted for his niece was one of the convalescents. He had well seen Don Alejandro leaving his bedroom, but, understanding the state in which he should be, acted as if he didn't see anything and looked at him moving forwards with an absent mind.
When Alejandro came in Diego's room, he found his son peacefully sleeping. His look landed on the jewel which was on the bedside table. He went closer and took it in a trembling hand. For how long hadn't he seen this cameo? Months, years... Eternity. A tear ran on his cheek without him being able to stop it.
"My God." He whispered by discovering the bullet... "Thank you, my dear Isabella Chiquita." He said then by putting down the jewel at the moment when Diego opened his eyes.
"Father?" He whispered.
"Diego."
Both men remained silent, then Diego observed his father taking back the cameo.
"Diego, do you know the story of this medallion?" He interrogated with a voice full of memories.
"When mother gave it to me, she simply said that it was a lucky charm."
"Indeed." Alejandro smiled. "Without it... Without it your mother would be dead two months before our wedding."
Avila's words echoed in Diego's mind. You are as lucky as your late mother.
In front of the pale face of his son, Alejandro smiled again, remembering what it was about.
" When Alejandro was courting his future wife to be, he went asking advice concerning jewelers from Avila. This demand half surprised him: after all, Avila' s father was himself the best goldsmith of Spain and was supplying the royal court. And one morning, Avila arrived at Don Alejandro's with a bag full of precious stones. It ensued a talk a tiny bit vivid during which De la Vega made him understand he hadn't acted carefully. At that juncture, Señorita Isabella Chiquita De la Cruz had arrived at her turn. She quickly noticed the stones, but her eyes didn't glitter on these, to the greatest general surprise. What took quite a shine to her was nothing else than a cameo bearing the effigy of Virgin Mary. A medallion without great market value, which Avila's father badly wanted to get rid of. When Avila noticed it, he wondered what the medallion could do with the other stones and soon put all away. However, the cameo fell on the floor without being seen, and then he left with the set of stones.
"In front of the insistence of Isabella, Alejandro left after him for more security. De la Vega was a far better fencer than him if needed and in these troubled times, it was necessary… And a tiny bit of time after Alejandro's departure, Isabella remarked the cameo on the floor. She picked it up and hung it to her clothes to judge how it looked. She then realized that if her friend didn't bring it home, he risked troubles with his father and so she left as soon, letting the cameo hang on her dress.
"Avila and Alejandro had arrived without mishap in front of the workshop when things got more complicated... Bandits came out from nowhere to try kidnapping Avila. The goldsmith's son must undoubtedly have gold fingers like his father. But Alejandro didn't let them and a fight ensued. When Isabella arrived, she remained petrified in a corner, without daring to approach. Then Alejandro's opponent took out a pistol and in the struggle the shot went off.
"A feminine cry, followed by the arrival of royal guards, ended the fight. Alejandro would have recognized this cry among a thousand and hurried next to Isabella who was lying on the ground, unconscious. Alejandro had cried out his rage and was restrained when he wanted to stand up for killing the bandit himself. Seeing that Isabella was alive, he let himself get carried away and kissed her with a first and tender kiss... A first kiss which was nonetheless interrupted by the arrival of Avila's father who heard the tumult.
" Ill at ease , Alejandro moved backwards to make place to the goldsmith, whom had some medical notions. The latter noticed at first sight the cameo and Isabella explained to him what it was about. Although angry with his son, the goldsmith smiled and explained of having manufactured the jewel for his late wife. In spite of the emotion he was feeling, he offered the lucky-charm jewel to the señorita, surprising then his son and Alejandro. Isabella tried to understand, but the only explanation given was that the jewel chose her, and that if he had had a daughter like her, his wife would have certainly given it to her."
"I better understand why Avila seemed so troubled by the jewel's sight."
And I better understand what he wanted to say when he told me that I was as lucky as my late mother. He kept for himself.
"Your mother had well returned this gesture to Avila's father. She sketched jewels she would have like finding."
"And the goldsmith reproduced these?"
"Yes... One of these is none other than her wedding ring. She didn't want that the goldsmith offered her a new jewel. This would have been very inappropriate... Without talking to her, I discreetly bought the ring... Of course, Avila's father wanted making me a price, but I politely refused. Your mother's eyes glittered when she discovered the ring." The old hidalgo smiled. "Well, I will let you rest before Bernardo does come back. He already prevented me a lot of times to come and see you..."
Diego began laughing but stopped quickly.
"Father, please… Don't make me laugh." He coughed.
"I'm sorry, Son." He said by standing up. "Rest now." He said then.
"You also, Father. Rest yourself." Diego said while his father arrived at the doorstep.
Both men exchanged a glance and then Don Alejandro finally went out of the bedroom. From the balcony, he noticed Monastario in the patio and Doña Angela approaching this one.
