Una Muy Feliz Navidad by JuliaBC
Diego woke when something pecked at his chest.
His vision was blurred and he couldn't tell what was happening, so he painfully lifted his head.
There, sitting next to him, was a turkey vulture. As ridiculous as it sounded, it was a rather handsome turkey vulture.
Diego just blinked, wondered where it had come from, and then his vision cleared again and the turkey vulture was gone.
In its place was Cresencia. "Don Diego, are you alright?" She asked anxiously.
"I think so," Diego said.
"You fell so far," she moaned. "Buena! Hurry up!"
Diego heard light footsteps, and saw Buena when she knelt down next to him. She handed a cloth to Cresencia, and Cresencia pushed the cool towel against the back of Diego's head.
"You fell straight backwards," Cresencia fretted. "You only just missed the table, gracias a Dios."
"That would have been worse, wouldn't it?" Diego said. "I hurt enough as it is."
"I'm sorry, Don Diego," Cresencia said. "Buena, you hold this."
Buena moved forward to replace Cresencia in holding the towel under Diego's head.
Cresencia was standing up, literally wringing her hands. "I am so sorry, I shouldn't have been asking you to do this."
"It's alright, Cresencia. Besides, it was my fault," Diego said. "I shouldn't have been so careless."
More footsteps sounded, but from his position on the floor, Diego couldn't tell who it was who'd just walked in. "What has happened to him?"
It was the Capitan's voice. Diego closed his eyes in annoyance. Please, not the Capitan. Oh no.
"He fell, Capitan Arrellanos," Cresencia said, and behind the Capitan more footsteps sounded.
In a moment, Alejandro and Leonar were at his side. "What has happened, Cresencia?" Alejandro demanded. "I heard a crash, and now I come in to find Diego flat on the floor."
"He fell off the ladder, Don Alejandro," Cresencia began, and then couldn't hold her emotions in any longer and started to cry. "I'm sorry!"
Buena gave the cloth to Leonar, so she could stand up and comfort her superior. "It was not Senora Cresencia's fault, Don Alejandro, really it was not!" She insisted, putting her arms around the woman.
"I didn't say it was," Alejandro said guiltily, and he too stood up to comfort Cresencia.
Beside him remained only Leonar, whose smile remained in tact. "I have no doubt it was your fault, Diego de la Vega!" She whispered, her eyes sparkling.
"It was," Diego admitted. "Could you move the cloth a little?"
"Of course," she said, shifting it accordingly. Above them, Arrellanos cleared his throat, loudly.
"Nothing of import has happened," he said. "Please, clear the dining room as I'd like to have breakfast in peace."
For a moment, Diego was truly afraid that his father was going to take a swing at the Capitan, but instead, he reached down to help Diego to his feet.
"Capitan," Leonar began, a testy look on her face, but Alejandro motioned for help.
"Come on," Alejandro said, and he and Leonar helped Diego up while the Capitan looked on coldly.
"Let's go," Leonar said, glaring the the Capitan. "Maybe we can find better company elsewhere."
Arrellanos glared after them, and Cresencia and Buena hurried behind them, leaving the Capitan to fend for himself.
That night, no one went into Los Angeles. Alejandro was worried about Diego, and didn't want him going out when he had a head injury.
Leonar remained close to her father, reading and quietly singing carols with him. It seemed that Riu Chiu was his favorite, and, from his post in the library, Diego could hear Leonar singing the first lyrics in the sala.
Ríu, ríu, chíu, la guarda ribera,
Dios guardó el lobo de nuestra cordera.
He could remember the same lyrics sung in his mother's voice, and sighed, leaning against the window sill and watching the outside.
Zorro would not ride tonight, he didn't have to. So why did Diego feel so uneasy?
He turned from the window sill and walked back out to the sala. Leonar was sitting on the arm of her father's chair, still singing.
El lobo rabioso la quiso morder
Mas Dios Poderoso la supo defender
Quíso la hacer que no pudiese pecar
Ni aun original esta virgen no tuviera.
Realizing the privacy of the moment, he walked quietly out, keeping an eye on the senorita. Leonar was a wonderful woman; daughter, sister...sweetheart?
Diego quickly turned, to shake the thoughts from his head. He had no business entertaining such thoughts of her when he was already married to Zorro. Or so it seemed, so he might as well have been.
He walked onto the patio, under the tree, unable to stop himself from pausing to listen to Leonar. She had a husky singing voice, and Diego appreciated the earnestness of her voice.
Éste que es nacido es el Gran Monarca
Cristo Patriarca de carne vestido
Ha nos redimido con se hacer chiquito
Aunque era infinito finito se hiciera.
She really believed in what she was singing. He envied her that fervent faith. Face turned to the ground, he gradually realized that he could hear other voices also, and stayed beneath the tree, puzzled as to where they were coming from, and who.
"Capitan...no...the way is too..." The words that he could make out were troubling, especially when he realized that Sergeant Garcia was saying them, and he instinctively moved closer to the tree, behind it, as the gate opened and Arrellanos, Garcia and Reyes strode in.
"That's enough argument, Sergeant," Arrellanos snapped. "I want you and the Corporal to ride out to the mountain and pick some holly for decorations. The governor will need some extra cheer. He was supposed to be home with his family this Christmas, and that is why we were hurrying so and got into the accident."
"But the mountain pass is impassable this time of year!" Garcia said. "It is too dangerous!"
"I thought you were a loyal soldier to the King, and all of his representatives! Is your safety more important to you than the governor's happiness?"
There was silence as Garcia and Reyes struggled to find a suitable response. Diego wanted to break in, but thought he'd better stay hidden to figure out what Arrellanos' plan was.
"We will leave right away," Garcia sighed. "By the way, when are you planning on speaking with your visitor? He's been waiting in the stable this past hour, I'd expect."
"As a matter of fact, I'm going to see him right now," Arrellanos snapped. "Now get going!"
The soldiers left, and Diego took advantage of Arrellanos' preoccupation to dart back into the sala. Leonar was just finishing.
Yo vi mil Garzones que andavan cantando
Por aqui volando haciendo mil sones
Diciendo a gascones Gloria sea en el Cielo
Y paz en el suelo pues Jesús nasciera.
He stationed himself, and waited tensely, until the Capitan strode in, looking behind him.
Out went Diego's foot, and Arrellanos fell flat on his face. Diego escaped again, out to the patio and taking the stairs to his room two at a time.
Bernardo was there, at the foot of the bed, and he hastily hid something.
"I think Zorro will ride tonight after all!"
He honestly hadn't thought Arrellanos' corruption had so extended in his life that he'd try to commit such a heinous act on the night the Savior was born.
A/N: I urge you to check out the Monkees' version of Riu Chiu. As one commenter says, it is reason #500 why Micky's vocals are very underrated.