My thanks to PamZ. Her transcripts contribute significantly to the creation of this story.

Please read!
I discovered I made a mistake in counting. The story will contain two more chapters than planned. So it will not be finished by the end of this week, but at the beginning of next week.
And I should have mentioned earlier that every word you recognize from the series isn't mine.

The following chapters are inspired by the remaining parts of the episodes, 'The legend begins' S1E8-22.

Chapter 26

Victoria sat alone at the impressive dining table in the hacienda, absent-mindedly picking at her food. It felt as though the weight of the situation had taken away her appetite. She knew why she couldn't tell Diego about her pregnancy yet, but the heaviness of the secret weighed heavily on her.

That morning, don Alejandro had returned from Los Angeles in a rage. Everyone knew he had once again quarrelled with alcalde Ramon. And this time, was it more than justified. Ramon forced people who couldn't pay taxes as labourers on Ramon Road. Victoria felt anger and nauseous welling up inside her.

"He works them like slaves!" Don Alejandro had angrily exclaimed. "He squeezes the poor peons and farmers dry. The other dons agree this is outrageous. Don Sebastian and I will leave for Monterey today. The governor must hear of this. He is the only one with the power to end this cruelty. And once he does, Ramon will be singing a different tune."

Victoria had wanted to go to the pueblo immediately to voice her opinion about his despicable order to the alcalde, but don Alejandro had stopped her. He said she shouldn't give Ramon a reason to become even crueller by arresting her.

Less than an hour later, she bid farewell to don Alejandro, along with Diego and Felipe. Since then, she hadn't seen Diego. He hadn't returned home from wherever he had gone. And he hadn't shown up for dinner either. Victoria suspected he had gone to the padre to discuss how they could best help and protect the people suffering most from this latest law. It seemed that this discussion was taking longer than expected.

Even Felipe seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth. Victoria had seen him briefly in the garden before noon, but when she called out for him not long after, she only found the rake Felipe had used. He must have left in a hurry.

His Pinto had been in the stable, so Felipe couldn't have gone far. Perhaps he had left on foot for some reason. Or maybe he had gone with Diego to who knows where.

Victoria felt lonely and lost. She had no appetite whatsoever. And certainly, no desire to wait any longer in the grand dining hall for her husband's return. With a sigh, she climbed onto the wide windowsill, took the book Diego had recommended, and leaned her forehead against the cool glass.

She didn't want to succumb to self-pity, knowing she had no right to complain. Two miles down the road, people suffered a crueller faith than her. But still, she felt that way. Her marriage to Diego was not what she had envisioned. She felt his love, but the fairy tale she had invisioned seemed distant. She had hoped things between her and Diego to become better over time. Instead, it only got worse.

Even when she lived in the tavern, often filled with people, she had often felt lonely. The loneliness she felt now was much more painful.

.

Victoria was startled awake by a loud noise. Her neck and back were sore from sitting for so long. She realized she was still on the windowsill. The reason why she awoke was probably the book had fallen to the floor. The moon illuminated the dark library, allowing her to see that it must be between two and three o'clock in the morning.

Was Diego still not home? Or was it possible that he had gone straight to his room without knowing she had fallen asleep in the library? Victoria stood up, her muscles painfully stiff from the prolonged sitting. She put on her shoes, stood, and stretched, now fully awake.

Maybe it would be better to go to bed. Diego and Felipe probably got home hours ago. She should try to get some more sleep. Victoria picked up the nearly extinguished candle and walked down the long hallway to her bedroom. But something kept gnawing at her. Where had Diego gone, and had Felipe come home?

She hesitated in front of Diego's bedroom door. He had to be home, right? Of course, he was home. Where else would he be at three o'clock in the morning? She walked to the next door, her bedroom, and began to change into her nightgown. But an uneasy feeling lingered. She knew Diego often slipped away at night. But he had always been home in the evenings. Victoria stared at the connecting door separating her room from Diego's and hesitated a bit. There was a very simple way to find out. She just had to open the connecting door.

It felt like she was doing something forbidden. But she just wanted to know if her husband had arrived home safely. That wasn't weird. She lingered at the door for a moment. Perhaps it would be better to wait until morning and see him at breakfast. Victoria pressed her ear against the door, hoping to hear a sound. Either the door was too thick, or Diego didn't snore... or he simply wasn't there.

Curiosity got the better of her. Carefully and trying not to make the slightest sound, Victoria pushed down the doorknob, and the door yielded. It opened slowly. She tried to peer through the crack to see if someone was in the bed. To get a better view, Victoria had to open the door further and step over the threshold.

A faint sense of disappointment washed over her. The large oak bed was empty and neatly made, just like hers. Victoria closed the door again. Wherever Diego was, he wasn't sleeping at home tonight.

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In the morning, Victoria rose early. She hadn't slept a wink. Throughout the night, she had listened intently. Hoping to catch the sound of Diego's return. Eventually, she couldn't bear the tension any longer and found herself up before five, unsure what to do.

Should she alert people and organize a search party?

Victoria walked into the kitchen, wandering aimlessly.

Around half past six, Maria entered.

"Doña Victoria, buanos dias. Is something the matter?" the housekeeper asked, slightly surprised to find her in the kitchen so early.

"Hola, Maria. Diego and Felipe are both missing. The beds are untouched, and I worried something has happened to them."

Maria thought about it before suggesting, "Didn't don Diego go to the pueblo yesterday to see what he could do to help the padre? Maybe it got late, and he decided it was better to spend the night at the tavern."

That sounded plausible. Victoria hesitated and thought aloud, "Or he has been arrested and is in jail. I wouldn't put it past Ramon."

At least it was a start. Victoria kissed the older woman on her cheek. "Thank you, Maria. I'm going to the pueblo right away."

"You do no such thing." Maria firmly grabbed Victoria's arm. "I bet you've hardly slept and haven't eaten anything yet. Sit down and have a meal first." With a decisive gesture, Maria pushed Victoria into a chair.

Maria started pumping water for coffee as she grumbled, "You young people are all the same. Impulsive and never thinking calmly first. You can only care for others after taking good care of yourself."

Maria made sure Victoria ate a piece of bread with cheese and drank a glass of milk. By now, it was after seven o'clock.

Maria was less worried about what might have happened. "You'll see doña Victoria, nothing's wrong, I'm sure. Those two are probably still at the tavern, sleeping off a hangover."

"Diego never drinks," Victoria reminded the housekeeper.

Maria chuckled ."Well, I've never met a man who doesn't occasionally have one too many." Seeing how the other woman was genuinely concerned, Maria said reassuringly. "If something serious had happened, we would have heard about it from Pedro or Juan." Both men worked at the ranch and lived in the pueblo.

Victoria felt obliged to say. "Yeah, your probably right."

Victoria decided to go to the pueblo just to be sure. She wanted to make sure that Diego and Felipe were indeed there and find out if anything had happened since yesterday afternoon that she needed to know about.

.

Diego hadn't been to the pueblo. And the same went for Felipe. No one had seen them, at least not in the pueblo. And Pilar had told her Diego hadn't stayed in the tavern.

Things in the pueblo were worse than Victoria had expected. When she arrived, she saw lancers busy erecting the gallows. There were rumours that Ramon had ordered that any debtor who refused to cooperate with the Ramon highway project would be hanged.

Victoria hoped that Zorro would hear about it soon and put a stop to it. She went to see the padre to discuss what they could do, but the man couldn't come up with any other solution than to pray for divine help and the return of don Alejandro and don Sebastian.

In the end, Victoria decided not to confront Ramon directly. As long as she didn't end up in jail, she could at least try to help people. Her tavern was filled with guests who couldn't pay. And with everything going on, it would only get worse. Victoria gave Pilar instructions on continuing to give free shelter to anyone evicted from their home. It was not like there would be any paying guests. Anyone passing who had planned to stay overnight in Los Angeles would be wise to leave immediately.

Finally, Victoria returned home. Due to her concerns about the situation in Los Angeles and assuming they had returned hours ago, she had forgotten that Diego and Felipe were still missing.

"Doctor Hernandez, what brings you here?" Victoria asked, surprised to find the doctor in the library.

"Doña Victoria, Felipe called upon me. I examined your husband after he fell from the horse," the doctor explained his presence.

"Diego fell?" Her worried gaze shifted between the doctor and Felipe, who was nervously shuffling his feet over the floor.

"Doña Victoria, I hope he will recover soon. Don Diego likely has a few bruised ribs and is covered in bruises. It is up to time for those to heal. However, his complaints of dizziness concern me the most. From experience, I know it's important for you to wake don Diego every two hours in the coming days and ask him simple questions like the day and his name.

Let me know when he gives any strange answers. He may suffer brain damage, and we must be alert to any odd behaviour. In such cases, bloodletting has been known to alleviate certain symptoms.

If his condition worsens or when we notice signs of increased pressure on the brain, I may consider bloodletting as a necessary measure. I'll pray it is not as severe as I fear. As you know, he has a weak constitution. Later, I'll send someone with a pain-relieving remedy that he can take three times a day to alleviate the headache by dissolving a teaspoon of it in boiling water. I'll come by again tomorrow to see how he's doing."

Victoria wanted to know. "What do you mean. How bad is this brain damage?"

"I honestly don't know. I have heard stories about men having brain damage showing strange and even dangerous behaviour."

Victoria gasped for air. "You mean to tell Diego has gone loco?"

The doctor avoided her gaze. "Let's not assume the worst. To me, he made a reasonable impression at the moment. But it can develop at a later stadium. It is one of the possibilities we have to take in account."

"Can I go see him?" Victoria asked hurriedly.

"Of course. Don Diego was awake when I left him. Most likely, your husband will sleep a lot in the coming days. One more thing, it is crucial that Diego refrains from any excessive exertion. Even reading a book could be too taxing on his weakened condition. Rest and minimal mental strain are vital for his recovery at this stage."

"I'll see to that." Victoria assured the docter.

Well, I must be going now. I'll come by tomorrow to check on him again. Remember, let me know immediately when don Diego starts saying or doing things out of the ordinary."

"Si, I will. Thank you, doctor."

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Victoria entered the bedroom. Diego lay on his back with his eyes closed. His skin looked pale and grey, and he had a bandage around his head.

The curtains were partially closed, casting a dim twilight atmosphere in the room. Victoria couldn't bear the idea that Diego might succumb to madness as a result of his fall. He was such an intelligent man. She had heard unsettling tales about the madhouses, whispered to be even more dreadful than a stint in prison. Amidst her concern for his mental well-being, a pang of remorse pierced her thoughts. Why had she kept the news of her pregnancy hidden from him? How could she ever forgive herself when Diego lost his sanity and never had the chance to find out he was going to be a father? Victoria's eyes gazed upon Diego's still form, her love and fear intertwined. She silently vowed to be by his side no matter what. Hoping he would emerge from this ordeal with his mind intact.

She had thought he was sleeping, but then Diego opened his eyes.

"Diego." Victoria walked over to his bed. "The doctor told me you fell from your horse."

"Yes, it startled at something," he weakly replied.

Something struck Victoria. When she was in the stable yesterday, Esperanza was there as usual. "Which horse was it? Esperanza was in her stall."

Diego's complexion grew even paler. "Uh, the old mare."

"The old mare?!" Victoria furrowed her brow. That horse was as gentle as can be.

"It seems she still has some spirit. She must have mistaken a piece of wood for a snake or something." Diego avoided Victoria's penetrating gaze.

Diego felt guilty. He was lying through his teeth. It wasn't Diego who had fallen off his horse but Zorro. Zorro had ridden out to ensure safe passage for his father and Don Sebastian to Monterey without being intercepted by the lancers. The lancers had spotted Zorro and, as expected, started to pursue him. Toronado had been startled by a gunshot and thrown Zorro off near a ravine. He had fallen, at least ten yards down and thanked God he had survived the fall without breaking all his bones.

Toronado had gone to fetch Felipe. The lancers had also found Zorro, but his salvation was that he was lying in the ravine and was unable to reach him without equipment. Later, Toronado found a way to the bottom of the ravine, making it possible to return home. It would have been impossible without the faithful stallion and Felipe. Diego groaned softly and winced in pain. The dizziness he had been experiencing since the fall still came in waves. Doctor Hernandez had mentioned the possibility of brain damage. Only time would tell if the dizziness would gradually subside or if he would be plagued by it for the rest of his life. For the time being, Zorro would be unable to ride.

"Felipe knew I had taken her for a ride and saw her return without a rider. That's why he went to look for me." Diego continued the lie.

"On foot? Without alerting anyone?" Victoria remained by the bed, studying him intently. She found the story highly unlikely. Felipe stood on the other side of the bed, nodding so vigorously that it was almost convincing.

Diego understood Victoria's scepticism about him falling from the old mare.

"Can I get you something to eat or drink?" she asked, suspecting that he hadn't eaten anything since yesterday afternoon.

"Yes, please."

"What would you like?"

"Anything will be fine."

Victoria left the room, and Felipe moved closer to the bed. "It will be fine," Diego tried to reassure the boy. "Doctor Hernandez mainly prescribed rest. Make sure our story remains consistent."

.

Throughout the day, Victoria and Felipe took turns to ensure that Diego was awakened every two hours. Victoria suggested sleeping on the sofa in the bedroom. But Diego insisted that she sleep in her own bed, not wanting to inconvenience her. They eventually agreed to keep the adjoining door open, so Diego could call her if he needed anything. He felt relieved because although the dizziness persisted, it was less frequent and intense than immediately after the fall.

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*I have attempted to research the understanding of a concussion around 1820. Like many other things, it was known that a hard blow to the head was not beneficial. But the exact nature of the condition was not fully understood, and it did not yet have a name.

Rest and avoiding exertion were advised. They also knew that bright light could be experienced as unpleasantly. And, of course, bloodletting was an accepted medical treatment during that time. It was believed to help with everything, from a common cold to mental disorders, bloodletting must have a beneficial effect in balancing the body. I even found a story of someone badly wounded and suffering from bloodloss. Bloodletting was what the doctor adviced the poor fellow.

After having a sore throat George Washington died because of bloodletting after his doctors got a bit to excited about how much blood to extract.

The more the better right?

Back then, you were often better off not to seek medical help.