My thanks to PamZ. Her transcripts contribute significantly to the creation of this story.
Every word you recognize from the series isn't mine.The following chapters are inspired by the episode 'The Sure Thing', S1E6.
Chapter 14
Don Alejandro approaches to open the gate. He saw a cart approching the hacienda. And when he realizes who it is, he greets the man warmly.
"Ah, Macias! How are you?"
The man jumps off the driver's seat. "Don Alejandro, I've brought some fresh beans for you."
Don Alejandro climbs onto the cart to look at the beans and says, "What beautiful beans! I want to buy them all from you."
"No, no, they're not for sale. The beans are a gift as a token of gratitude for your patience. At the very least I should have paid the interest, but I wanted to do something extra." Macias is resolute in his words.
As don Alejandro waves his hand, he says, "Oh, the alcalde's taxes are already absurd enough. Friends shouldn't charge each other interest."
Diego has also notices that his father has a guest and comes to see who it is. "Macias! What brings you here today?"
"Hola, don Diego. I was just telling your father that it won't be long before I repay my loan..."
Don Alejandro interrupts him, saying, "And I just told him he didn't have to worry."
Macias continues, "...because I've discovered something amazing that will allow me to earn enough money to repay my debts tenfold."
Curiosity is piqued in don Alejandro. Ten times what he lent to Macias would be a fortune for a man with Macias' income. "Tenfold, you say? That would be a lot of beans!"
Macias laughs and replies, "Oh no, not beans, amigos. I'm talking about Zeus."
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It takes little effort for don Alejandro and don Diego to convince Macias to tell them who Zeus is. The man has been looking forward to finally sharing his secret with the world. They have driven with Macias to his farm to see the horse he spoke so highly of.
Don Alejandro gasps as he finds a silver-grey stallion in the dilapidated stable that can rival his best horses.
Macias beams with pride. "Look at him. He's magnificent, isn't he?"
Don Alejandro walks further into the stable and strokes the horse while asking, "What is he doing here?"
Macias explains, "When the harvest failed a couple years ago, I worked two winters for don Esteban. I helped when one of his mares couldn't deliver the foal."
Diego remarks, "Don Esteban's foals fetch a good price, don't they?"
Macias confirms, "Indeed if they're healthy. But as I said, the birth of this foal was difficult. His frontleg was broken." He strokes Zeus's neck and continues, "Don Esteban gave me a pistol and returned to the hacienda. I knew what he expected of me. But when I looked at this magnificent creature, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I asked don Esteban if I could buy the foal. He gave it to me."
Don Alejandro is surprised and asks, "So you've kept him all this time?"
Macias nods and tells him, "Yes, that's right. I worked hard on his leg and nursed him until he was healthy again. When he could stand, I taught him to walk. And when he could walk, I taught him to run."
Diego asks curiously, "Why have we never seen him before?"
Macias explains, "We always train at night. It was my secret project. Zeus is going to make me rich, don Alejandro."
Don Alejandro is interested in the creature and asks, "And how much do you ask for him?"
Macias firmly replies, "He's not for sale, don Alejandro. But I heard a caballero from Monterey in the pueblo, a man looking for a challenge for his horse. I'm putting everything I have on Zeus in a race against him."
In San Pedro, Diego has heard of such a man. His suspicion gets aroused. "Ah, that caballero from Monterey... yes, is his name señor Herrera by any chance?"
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In the tavern, Victoria carries some plates along the bar. The place was crowded with customers. Señor Herrera sits at one of the tables. He arrived yesterday and paid in advance for two nights. She thinks he is quite an annoying braggart. The man keeps boasting about the accomplishments of his wonder horse. It's even worse than listening to Mendoza, who keeps telling how Zorro narrowly escaped him and his men.
"You see, it's too dry in this area to breed a decent horse." Señor Herrera takes a sip from his glass as Victoria rolls her eyes behind him.
Victoria picks up more empty glasses and says, thinking of a man who always rides a magnificent black horse, "Some people might disagree with that."
Herrera replies, "Señorita, please. Nothing can compare to my Arabian."
Victoria has seen the animal. It is indeed a beautiful stallion. It would surely be fast, but Victoria can name at least one creature in the territory that would put señor Herrera's horse to shame.
Meanwhile, don Diego and don Alejandro entered the tavern and heard what señor Herrera said. Don Alejandro responds to Herrera by saying, "You are entitled to your own opinion, of course."
Diego, who has heard in San Pedro rumors that Herrera is not the man you want to make a fair bet with, looks at him intently and says, "Señor Herrera, I presume. Diego de la Vega. This is my father, Alejandro de la Vega."
Herrera looks surprised at Diego and asks, "De la Vega, you say. Ah, do I smell a challenge here?"
Don Alejandro has taken a seat at another table. With a gesture to Victoria, he orders two cups of coffee. "Oh, what would be the point? Everyone knows our horses are the finest in all of California. And my son is an excellent rider."
Diego tries to downplay his father's words. Nowadays, he prefers to be known as clumsy. "Please, father. Stop exaggerating."
"Nonsense." Alejandro raises his voice and proudly proclaims, "Ever since he was a child Diego had a special gift with horses. He rode even the wildest stallion I've ever known. You remember him, Diego, Babieca? A magnificent creature, I tell you. He had a strong will of his own. About 15 hands high. My father named him Babieca because he was just as headstrong as his namesake, the horse of the legendary knight El Cid. The stable helpers wouldn't even dare to approach him. Only my father could get near him. And he was considering whether it would be better to set the animal free in the wild. When Diego was about this tall..." Don Alejandro holds his hand about three feet off the ground.
"I think he was just four years old at the time. One day he managed to escape the attention of his nanny. We found him right in the corral where Babieca was. Everyone, including my father, was terrified. Diego had casually walked up to Babieca. Babieca sniffed at Diego and snorted twice. We all thought Babieca would trample Diego. But you won't believe what happened next." Alejandro paused for a moment to build suspense. "Nothing! I swear. Absolutely nothing!" On the second time Don Alejandro said the word "nothing," he slapped the table with a flat hand so hard that the coffee cups jingled.
"After that, Diego walked up to my father and asked, pointing at Babieca, if he could ride that horsey. Naturally, my father refused. Babieca tolerated no one near him, let alone on his back."
Diego vividly remembered Babieca, a horse of equal calibre to Toronado. He had wondered if Babieca and Toronado were related. It wouldn't surprise him. Eventually, the stallion passed away from old age when Diego was seventeen. Dulcinea, the mare his father loved to ride, was the last daughter of this majestic stallion.|As Diego observed the people in the tavern, he silently wished that they would value his father's words as much as they did the drunken ramblings of Don Carlos. At the moment, his father wasn't helping by reminding people that before his departure to Spain, he, indeed, was regarded as one of the best riders in the area.
Unfortunatly, his father still wasn't finished with his story and continued speaking. "From that day on, you couldn't leave Diego alone for two seconds. During his afternoon nap, he even climbed out of his bedroom window. To see horsey, he said. Eventually, my father and I saw no other option but to set Babieca free. The risk of something happening to Diego was just too great. And what do you think happened next? A week later, Babieca was back at the gate!" As the anecdote reached its climax, don Alejandro began to beam with pride. "Since then, Babieca returned to the hacienda every so often. He gradually became more manageable, and my father and I dared to breed him. His offspring are among the best in our stables. However, the only rider Babieca ever tolerated on his back was Diego."
Herrera grinned and uttered, "That's an endearing story, but it has nothing to do with my question. What do you think, don Diego? Shall we measure your riding skills against mine? Just for fun."
"Señor, I see no need for that. My father just explained that our animals are among the best," Diego replied.
Herrera grinned challengingly, leaned forward over his table in the direction of don Diego, and whispered, "So why don't you prove it."
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Diego riding his blond mare, raced at full speed toward the pueblo gate, closely pursued by Herrera. Diego had to admit that Herrera's horse had outstanding qualities. He almost regretted that Herrera didn't give his horse free rein. A horse like Abdullah should be able to beat Esperanza over a short distance. Herrera deliberately let him win. Diego was certain of it as he had tried to let Herrera win.
Mendoza stood at the finish line, waving a red handkerchief excitedly.
Out of the corner of his eye, Diego saw Victoria cheering him on with great enthusiasm. She jumped for joy when he crossed the finish line first. Her face beamed with happiness and admiration for his victory in the race.
Don Alejandro stood beside her, watching his son's triumph with pride. "Look at Diego. He makes it look so easy!"
Diego rode to the stable next to the tavern. Don Alejandro approached him as Diego dismounted. While patting Diego's shoulder, he said, "Well done, son."
Diego glanced at Herrera and wondered about the man's motives for letting him win. "Thank you, father, but..."
Herrera rode over to them and greeted them. "Don Diego, congratulations on your victory. I believe Abdullah is still a bit tired from our journey."
The best defence is usually a direct attack, Diego thought. So, he asked directly, "Is that why you held back so that I would have to win?"
Herrera dismounted and walked toward Diego. "I certainly didn't hold back on purpose," he assured loudly so everyone in the gathered crowd could hear him. "Perhaps you'd like to reinforce your insult with a more serious wager, hmm?"
Ah, there it was. Diego felt no desire to take up the challenge.
Don Alejandro is a excellelent horse expert and willing to believe his son's word. Diego has always had a good understanding of animals. Besides, it is unwise to race a horse shortly after it has completed a long journey. His disapproval is evident in his voice. "Let alone multiple times.''
He turns around and heads back into the tavern. The excitement of the race has made him thirsty. And he wants to celebrate his son's victory, whether deserved or not.
Inside the tavern, it turns out that señor Herrera has not given up on his plan to race. He approaches the de la Vegas once again and makes Diego another offer.
"Let's have a serious race, Don Diego. Tomorrow. Over a longer distance. A real test for horses and riders. You can set the course."
"Thank you for the offer, but gambling is for fools."
Herrera realizes that his attempts to challenge don Alejandro will lead to nothing. That's a shame. The qualities of the de la Vega horses are renowned even in Monterey. It's the main reason he came to Los Angeles. He would have liked to acquire one of those animals. To make his journey somewhat worthwhile he will have to change his approach. There must be an overconfident caballero who owns a horse bred by the de la Vegas. He will find them and issue a challenge.
"Is there no one who enjoys a sporting challenge? Are there no challengers for my noble steed?"
Macias stands up and says, "Si, I am."
Victoria has been observing the whole affair from a distance. She dislikes gambling. And she is glad Diego seems to share her opinion on the matter. It is a favourable quality in her eyes. Whether it's horses, cards, or anything else, it often ends the same. Arguments arise because the losing party cannot fulfil their obligations, or one of the parties accuses the other of cheating. Gambling is one of the things prohibited in the tavern, along with spitting. She finds the act of spitting out those brown tobacco phlegms to be a disgusting habit.
.
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Ah, Diego, most of us know that feeling. Those moments when a parent tells a childhood story you'd rather had they didn't. It continues throughout your life until the day comes when you realize you'll never hear the story again. At least not told by your father or mother. And every day you wish they could still tell it.
I have one reassurance for Diego. In the final chapter, a story will get told about don Alejandro that he would rather not get reminded of.
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Babieca is the legendary horse that appears in the book "El Cid," based on the life of the Spanish hero Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar. This impressive animal plays a significant role in the story. Babieca is often described as a powerful and majestic horse with a beautiful coat and imposing stature.
What sets Babieca apart from other horses is his initial unruliness. In some versions of the legend, he is described as wild and difficult to ride. According to the story, no one was able to tame him except El Cid himself. Thanks to El Cid's extraordinary skills and unique bond with the horse, he managed to tame Babieca. And transform him into an obedient and loyal warhorse.
