Chapter 5

Because of Pilar's smirking laugh and the astonished expression on Victoria's face, Alicia explained why she thought Don Diego was cunning. "Remember when Don Diego came up with that plan to make the alcalde believe Jose Rivas got executed while he was sick?"

"A plan that failed miserably. In the end, Zorro en don Alejandro saved Jose," Pilar reminded Alicia.

"How about all he does for the Guardian?"

Pilar started to chuckle. "You must mean last month when de Soto asked him to support him in the elections. And don Diego expressed in the newspaper his support for de Soto to become alcalde in San Diego. That was fun. The expression on de Soto's face when he saw the paper. But to call it cunning or courageous?"

"What if the alcalde had gone nuts and had Diego arrested for this? De Soto has placed people in the pillory for less."

"Yes, when you put it that way, Don Diego seems less passive than everyone thinks." Pilar reluctantly admitted.

Alicia continued by saying. "But there are more occasions. Like that time with those pirates."

That remark reminded Victoria of when she and some others got kidnapped by pirates. Among them was also Felipe. Risking his own life, Diego had tried to help. Unfortunately, he got caught himself. But Diego managed to help Felipe escape. The boy had warned the lancers and told them which way the pirates had gone.
Victoria stood numbly with a dish towel in her hands, listening to the situations Alicia listed. Listening to all this, it was as if don Diego was much less passive and hesitant than he seemed at first glance. The downside for Diego was that he handled those situations awkwardly, making it seem, in retrospect, that it had been pure luck and clumsiness. And there was no denying it. Often, it was thanks to Zorro it had ended well.

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Quiet waters run deep. That was something that certainly could be said about don Diego. The man seemed an open book, but those who knew him better also knew he could be a bit mysterious.
At bedtime, Victoria silently cursed Alicia. Thanks to her helper, forgotten memories kept surfacing. Victoria knew she was in for a restless night. There was a reason she had tried to forget some of them.
Victoria sighed and pulled on a thick pair of socks that had belonged to her father before crawling under the blankets.

There was the day Diego returned from Spain. He had defended her against a corporal.
Diego had also offered to take the dangerous journey south, hoping to help free her father from the devil's fortress.
Of course, thanks to a poor sense of direction, Diego got hopelessly lost and returned, never even getting close to the fort. It did not take away the fact that travelling along the main road south was a dangerous thing to do, and something not many men dared to do. Danger lurked everywhere.

And then there was that time..., Victoria buried her head in the pillow as she felt her cheeks turning fiery red. Diego had defended his professor's good name. What she remembered most was how handsome and masculine Diego had seemed. And how attractive he had looked standing in front of the church with his abdomen bared.

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Diego buckled his sword around his waist. Then automatically checked that the knot in the mask was tight enough and said. "De Soto has had dozens of people arrested merely for expressing their opinions. About time, Zorro the alcalde let his opinion be known."

Felipe was busy saddling Toronado. As soon as he finished doing this, Zorro mounted the burly stallion. Toronado whinnied as if to say he was looking forward to some action.

Zorro tapped the brim of his hat. "It's late, don't wait up for me. I'll talk to you in the morning." He knew full well that this was in vain. Felipe always worried when he was out riding like Zorro. The boy would probably find a comfortable spot on a hay bale in the back of the cave and wait for his return.

After arriving in the pueblo, Zorro first overpowered the two lancers standing guard. He then slipped into the office and searched for the reports that Mendoza had written, containing the names of those arrested for voicing their discontent. Zorro knew that, in the desk that had been Ramon's, were some hidden compartments. On the second try, he had caught the right drawer. Zorro removed the stack of paper from the drawer, rolled it up and tucked it under his shirt. Then he grabbed the ivory letter opener from the desk and went through the door behind which the two cells were. About fifteen men were locked in each. Some were sitting on the floor, trying to get some sleep. Only four were awake and busy playing a card game. "Zorro!" One shouted enthusiastically at the sight of the local hero. Zorro pressed his finger to his mouth and took the key from the nail.

Deftly, he turned both cells of the lock. "Go home, mi amigos. Take your comrades with you. I will distract the lancers." The four men began waking up their fellow prisoners.
Meanwhile, Zorro got a piece of crumpled paper from his pocket and stuck it to a post with the letter opener.
In a long line, the men left the cuartel one by one. Zorro made sure all were on their way home before he went back into the building.
Without making a sound, he drew his sword from its sheath and opened the door of de Soto's bedroom.

De Soto was asleep. He was lying on his left side. His knees were against his chest. He was wearing a white sleeping cap. Zorro frowned when he noticed de Soto slept with his thumb in his mouth and snoring.
With the tip of his sword, Zorro pulled the blankets off the Soto in one fluid motion.

De Soto was startled awake and flew upright. "Zorro."

"Hush Alcalde, your lancers are sleeping nearby. They deserve their rest."

De Soto opened his mouth to shout for his men, but he closed it again immediately when he felt the tip of a sword pressing against his throat.
"What is it you want?"

"I think you know very well why I am stopping by. You have innocent men arrested and imprisoned only because they express their discontent against your cruelty. I took the liberty of sending them home."

"You have no business interfering in my affairs."

In a sharp voice, Zorro uttered. "The people of Los Angeles are my business. I warned you long ago that you should treat people fairly. You know as well as I do that should a real rebellion break out in Los Angeles, the lancers won't stand a chance. The free will of Los Angelinos is stronger than you ever be. Listen to the people, treat them respectfully, and it will make both our lives easier."

"I am the alcalde. I have the legal right to...," De Soto silenced as the tip pressed harder against his throat.

"Indeed, you have that right. And with it also comes great responsibility. Prove your good intentions to the people whose care has been entrusted to you by the king. You, too, know that there are more and more places in the colonies where the Spanish regime is losing power. Take a piece of advice from me."

De Soto interrupted Zorro. "I will never...,"

Without showing any attention to what de Soto tried to say, Zorro continued speaking. "Be wise and make sure that when the revolution starts, you have the loyalty of those you now despise. Otherwise, chances are you will regret it." He made a Z in the blanket.
Zorro saluted and left the bedroom through the open window. He whistled, and Toronado appeared.

De Soto jumped out of bed and was just in time to see Zorro gallop out of the pueblo.
"That lunatic!" He grumbled angrily and pulled the sleeping cap off his head. If he ever got hold of Zorro, he would, he would ...,
However, de Soto also knew that Zorro was right at some point. Almost weekly, stories reached Los Angeles that emotions were rising in the South. More and more people opposed Spanish rule and agreed with the revolutionaries. Especially in Mexico, the question was not whether it would declare its independence, but when. It was obvious to most, encouraged by the success, more territories would follow.

In his night clothes, de Soto walked towards the cells and found them empty. He saw a piece of paper nailed to a post with his ivory letter opener. De Soto pulled out the opener, unfolded the paper and began to read. It turned out to be a few weeks old pamphlet about Mexican revolutionaries calling people to rebel. How did Zorro get this? It was proof that the revolution was getting closer every day. And that Zorro supported these dangerous people.

What Zorro had done didn't matter. So he helped some fools escape. On his orders, Mendoza had written reports naming and charging each of them. These he had stored safely in a hidden drawer of his desk. De Soto walked into the office to put the letter opener back in its place. He saw right away that someone had been rummaging through his belongings. Furious, de Soto pressed against a woodcut on the left side of his desk, and the hidden drawer opened. The stack of papers containing all the evidence was gone. Zorro! De Soto growled. That nemesis!
"Mendoza!" De Soto shouted loud enough to wake up every lancer in the cuartel.

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Back in the cave, Zorro changed his clothes and took the reports from his shirt.
He flicked through them quickly and read that all the charges involved things like throwing rotten tomatoes and eggs at de Soto and the lancers.
As he had expected, Felipe had waited for his return and offered to take care of Toronado. Diego lit a candle and held the reports by a flame. When the paper began to burn, he placed them in a stone bowl.
"Without proof, de Soto has nothing. I hope one day, he will realise that he needs the people as much as they need him. And not just for taxes."

Felipe gestured with his hands.

"Yes, dangerous times are coming. Throughout the colonies, more and more people are rebelling against the Spanish regime. Felipe, thank you for your help. I really want you to go to sleep. Otherwise, there will be two tomorrow that my father can swear because they are in bed until noon. I'll see you in the morning."

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Diego stared at the ceiling of his bedroom for hours.
The conversation with his father, the meeting with Zafira and her letter which had come with the stagecoach today, all these things were already doing a lot to his conscience individually. That they now seemed to be piling up, he felt a kind of despair.
He was fully aware that had he asked Zafira to stay, she would have done so, and he would have done her a great injustice.

What was tearing him apart the most was the death of Joaquin Correna. Him being Zorro meant he ran the daily risk of meeting his maker prematurely.
Diego had accepted this fact as a possibility long ago, knowing he could also die by accident or illness. As Zorro, he only ran a little more risk, or that was what he had been telling himself for years. And till now, he had always been lucky. Sometimes Zorro had crawled through the eye of the needle. But he was still alive.
Today, for the first time, he had felt a kind of panic. Diego did not know which thought he found more terrifying at the moment.
The fear that Victoria would reject him if she ever found out who was behind the mask.
Or the idea that he would die. To be never able to tell Victoria how much he loved her. To never find out how she felt about him. Dying without kissing her, even if only once, as plain Diego.

His father now knew about the feelings he had for her.
This afternoon, they had their first actual conversation since his return.
And it had felt nice. For a moment, it had felt like there were no secrets between his father and him.

After Diego had told everything about how the engagement to Zafira had gone, his father had confessed that Victoria had told him even more and what he had said to her.

At first, his father had told him he was doubtful to bring it up. Eventually, the don's curiosity prevailed. And probably, the desire to see his only son married played a part.
Cautiously, his father had said. "Victoria also told me there is a woman walking around in Los Angeles who does catch your attention."

Diego finally relented and nodded.

"And is it also true that you told Victoria this woman is in love with another man?"
The tone in which his father spoke left no room for misunderstanding. He would not settle for a vague, half-hearted answer.

All Diego was able to utter was, "Si."

"Ah. And am I correct when I say I also know that woman and see her almost daily?"

"Yes, father, you are right. I am in love with Victoria." So the hard word was out. To Diego's surprise, he experienced a sigh of relief when he finally told his father a part of the truth.

His father waited a moment before saying. "That can't be easy. Victoria leaves no doubt which man she dreams of."
Weighing his words carefully, Alejandro continued. "I would tell her if I were you. I believe Victoria has a right to know she has a choice."

"Father, please. I don't think it will make any difference whether I keep it to myself or not. Victoria loves Zorro, and I don't believe she even notices me or any man."

"You don't know that. No man has ever been able to unravel a woman's deepest thoughts. Diego, why do you give up on the woman you say you love so easily? Don't you know you and Zorro have one thing in common?"

Diego raised his eyebrows. He was wondering what on earth his father could mean, since he had been trying his best for years to make the two men as different as possible.

Alejandro bent forward a little, leaning his elbows on his knees and rocking his toes and heels. "I am telling you. The moment Zorro removes his mask, he is as much a man as you are. Without that mask, you are equal. And you even have a bigger advantage over Zorro."

Even more surprised than a moment earlier, Diego had glanced at his father while he wondered whether the man had lost his mind. What advantage could Diego possibly have over Zorro?

"Diego, Zorro is not real. He is a mere illusion. No one knows his identity, and that is good. It is partly his protection. Partly, it also makes him non-existent. Yes, I know as well as you that Zorro exists." Said Alejandro quickly when he saw his son trying to say something. "However, he is not real. You are. You are a flesh-and-blood man and already have her friendship. Victoria hardly knows Zorro. She only knows the illusion, not the man."

Diego looked at his father. He had a pained expression on his face. "And what if I tell her and lose her friendship because of it."

Alejandro looked at his son with pity. He felt sorry for Diego. Falling in love was complicated enough in a favourable case. Let alone when you didn't know to what extent your feelings were mutual.

"Then, at least, you know where you stand. Diego, you know that your mother's social status before her marriage was many times higher than mine. Although my father was respected by many, he was not of nobility like your mother's family. Your mother, had she wanted, could have married a duke or an earl. Yet she preferred me. For the simple reason that I was the one who...," The don thought about how to phrase his following words. "Loved her, and she loved me."

"Exactly," Diego agreed with his father. "Mother chose you because you loved each other. You forget that Victoria loves Zorro and sees me as a friend."

"Diego, let me give you the same advice my father gave me when I hesitated to propose to your mother. He told me it is easier to apologize for something you did. Then to regret the rest of your life something you didn't do. Ask yourself this, which one is worse in the long run."
After saying that, his father ended the conversation and decided it was time to leave his son alone with his thoughts.

Those words ran through Diego's head ever since.

To the east, it was beginning to dawn before Diego restlessly fell asleep.

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Since delving into the series a bit more, I find it strange how easily prisoners are released.
You get arrested, Zorro liberates you, and then you're as free as you can be.
On several occasions, Victoria could just reopen the tavern the next day without fear of being arrested again. And no one cared or seemed to remember.
Until, of course, the next time, the alcalde thinks you should be arrested.
So I tried to make it all seem a bit more reasonable with the idea that as long as there are no charges, there is no prosecution.
The alcalde was far from the only one suffering from this kind of amnesia.