Chapter 4
When don Alejandro entered the library later that afternoon, he again felt a hint of disappointment since his son's return. Diego, more often than not, held a glass of wine in his hand, and it was clear that it wasn't his first of the day.
Alejandro cleared his throat. "Diego, we need to talk. I was at the tavern today and spoke with señorita Escalante."
Diego shrugged nonchalantly. "So, should I care about that?"
"Of course not," Alejandro quickly reassured. "But she told me you behaved quite improperly."
Alejandro noticed Diego barely listening. So, he continued in a more compelling tone. "Diego, as caballeros, we have a role to play as examples. I expect you to behave properly, courteously, and like a gentleman. Sophia has already resigned, and according to señorita, your behaviour towards Alicia was unacceptable."
Diego sneered. "That tavern wench got what she deserved."
Alejandro was shocked by his son's rudeness. "Diego!"
Diego stood up and snapped at his father. "Mind your own business, man."
Despite feeling his blood boil, Alejandro forced himself to remain calm. "As an employee in this house, Sophia is my concern, just like you are as my son. It is my right, no, my duty to interfere when needed. You need to behave yourself decently in the pueblo and the hacienda. Drinking less would be a good start."
Without paying attention to his father, Diego walked toward the front door.
Alejandro demanded an explanation. "Where are you going?"
"That's none of your business. But if you must know, father," his son sneered, "I'm going to play cards."
"Cards? Gambling, you mean. You know señorita Escalante doesn't tolerate that."
"Lucky for me, there are better places for some fun in that rotten pueblo."
After those words, Diego slammed the door behind him, leaving Alejandro bewildered. He rushed to the door and opened it again. The only place in Los Angeles where gambling continued was in the cartel. Victoria personally threw out anyone caught gambling in her tavern.
"Diego! Come back. I'm not done yet. You stay here."
His son must have heard him; his voice was loud enough, and the distance was short. Without sparing his father a glance, Diego mounted the horse he had claimed upon his return and spurred the animal in the direction of Los Angeles.
Alejandro, now overwhelmed by frustration, called after his son loudly. "You can't keep running away from your responsibilities, Diego! You need to change your behaviour!"
Resignedly, Alejandro returned inside and sank into the nearest chair. For four years, he had lived in constant fear of losing his son. His son was thousands of miles away. The journey from California to Spain was perilous. Storms, pirates, and diseases constantly lurking. It had taken almost a year before he received word that Diego had safely arrived in Spain. Alejandro also knew that Madrid and Europe had much to offer a man with Diego's intelligence and interest in history, art, and science. Without admitting it, Alejandro had always feared that his son might choose to settle permanently in Spain. His joy was indescribable when the news came that his son would return. Now, despite his son's safe return, it seemed more and more like he had lost him.
It appeared increasingly that his son wasn't the kind of man he had hoped for.
.
Unbeknownst to don Alejandro, less than 10 feet away from him, someone else let out a frustrated cry. A fist struck forcefully against the wall at the back of the richly decorated marble hearth that formed the centre of the de la Vega hacienda.
"How is this possible?" The real Diego de la Vega turned his gaze to Felipe. "You were right. Even I would believe that man was me if I didn't know better. No wonder my father can't see the difference."
Felipe had been right to be suspicious of the man who had returned from Spain a few weeks earlier, posing as the lost son.
The real Diego de la Vega was now in the cave his grandfather had built behind the house as a refuge for potential attacks from wrongdoers.
The journey from Madrid through Cadiz to Veracruz before heading to Los Angeles had been difficult and taken longer than he could have imagined. Over the past year, things had happened that would haunt him in his nightmares for years to come. Felipe had inquired about them once he realized who had saved his life. Diego had given a brief summary of the events, not yet able to provide a full account of the facts. Additionally, he considered the boy too young to know about the atrocities one human could inflict upon another.
After a long journey, of which the first half was filled with events Diego wished he could forget, he was finally almost home. About fifteen miles earlier, he had noticed the surroundings becoming more familiar. He was approaching Los Angeles. His attention was drawn to two men seemingly robbing someone. Without hesitation, Diego dismounted his horse, drew his sword—a gift from one of his professors and a man he admired and was grateful to for saving his life—and leapt into action between the bandits and the young man. The fight lasted only a few minutes. Once the men lay dazed on the ground, Diego focused on the young man, who turned out to be a child. The boy had stared at him with wide eyes, and Diego kindly asked him to retrieve the rope from his saddlebags. The boy didn't react. Suddenly, Diego recognized the boy. As a precaution, he had blocked the nerves of the men to render them unconscious and walked to his saddlebags to get the rope. After making sure the men couldn't escape, Diego turned his attention back to the boy, who had stood up, looking at him in amazement.
Diego touched his cheek with his index finger and made a turning motion. It was a gesture he hadn't used in years. But if his suspicions were correct, which was usually the case, the boy would understand the meaning of the gesture.
The boy's mouth dropped open, tears filling his eyes. Immediately after, Diego had to step backwards to maintain his balance, as the boy had hugged him tightly around the neck.
"Felipe." Diego patted the boy on the back, feeling glad he had arrived home and was holding someone he loved. Then he let go to get a better look at him. "I thought it was you. Good to see you again, boy."
Felipe immediately began gesturing. It had been four years since Diego and Felipe had last seen each other. Within seconds, it felt to Diego as if he had never been away. Felipe gestured, and Diego instinctively understood what the deaf-mute boy was trying to convey.
"Am I really Diego? Of course, who else were you expecting?"
Felipe gestured, and Diego translated the movements. "There's a man in the hacienda claiming to be me. You say he looks exactly like me. Even my father is convinced it's me."
Next to them, one of the bandits began to groan. Diego looked at the men on the ground. "First, we need to deal with these here."
Diego began to walk around, carefully examining the ground. Soon, he spotted a footprint that he followed. He disappeared behind a rocky formation and returned a few minutes later with two horses. "Look what I found." He gestured with his hand. "Come and help me."
Together, Felipe and Diego lifted each bandit onto a horse. Diego tied their feet together. Then, he slapped the horses on their hindquarters, and at a steady pace, the animals began to head towards Los Angeles.
"They will end up in the pueblo," Diego stated.
Felipe walked to the most majestic stallion he had ever seen. It was an Andalusian, almost sixteen hands high at the withers. It was as black as the night and exuded strength. Diego laughed at the awe in Felipe's eyes. "Beautiful animal, huh? His name is Toronado. A good friend of mine bought him from a blacksmith who had been ordered to kill him."
Felipe's eyes widened. Why would anyone want to kill such a magnificent creature?
"What I understood was that his former owner thought he could tame him. When that didn't work, he wanted to get rid of the animal."
Diego came alongside Felipe and stroked the stallion's nose. "A creature with Toronado's character is untamable. You can try to earn his respect by treating him well, but he will never submit to your will."
Felipe pointed to Toronado and then to Diego.
"Yes, Toronado and I get along well, and he allows me to ride him. Where is my friend now?" Diego translated the gestures Felipe was making.
Diego had to swallow hard now. Sir Edward Kendall had initially been his fencing master at the university. All his knowledge of handling that weapon came from this man. They had built a strong bond with each other.
When Diego's life had reached a point where he was convinced he would be better off dead, their paths had crossed again, something Diego would remain grateful to providence for until his death. After Sir Kendall had learned what had happened to one of his pupils, he had saved Diego and proposed to travel overland to Los Angeles together.
So they did. They went to the local blacksmith to buy two horses. That's where Toronado stood in a fenced area, his front legs tied together. Anyone with the slightest knowledge of horses could see that the black stallion had once been an exceptional specimen. Sir Kendall and Diego were surprised when the blacksmith told them that he had been ordered to kill the animal. Diego took a closer look at the horse and was struck by the dull look in its eyes. There was something in the eyes of the animal that made him feel connected, a recognition of similar suffering. He let the horse smell him and examined it more closely. He could barely suppress his horror. The horse was thin, and it was visible that it had suffered heavily under the brutal hands of a man who thought that using violence could impose his will on an animal.
Sir Kendall had come alongside Diego and reported that the blacksmith had two reliable mares for sale. Diego had asked the blacksmith whether he could buy the stallion.
"That animal is vicious and life-threatening, señor. It nearly killed its current owner."
This didn't deter Diego. It made him even more determined. He had to be very persuasive. But eventually, the blacksmith had agreed and sold him the stallion using the words. "It is your life. Don't come to me complaining when it kills you," the man had muttered. The deal was made, and Sir Kendall handed him the agreed amount for the mare and the stallion, declaring Diego insane.
As Diego also needed to regain lost strength at that moment, he and Sir Kendall set up camp about an hour's walk from Veracruz.
"What do you want with that animal? To me, it's clear the blacksmith was right. A stallion like this can't be trusted. You heard what the man said. It nearly killed its previous owner."
Diego had been busy at that moment, tending to the wounds covering the animal. "Then I suggest you take a closer look. As far as I can see, this animal only defended itself and was the one almost killed by a man who thought he could control this animal if he used his whip often enough. I want to give him a name. What do you suggest?"
"From what I understood, he's as wild as a hurricane in the middle of the ocean."
"Hmm." Diego mused. "And wants to be as free as the wind."
Diego made soothing sounds. The position of his ears showed that the stallion was nervous and alert to even the slightest threat.
Sir Kendall remarked half-jokingly, "More like a wind that wants to destroy everything in its path."
"Like a Toronado, you mean. Toronado. What do you think of Toronado?"
The way Diego came up with this name didn't appeal to him, but the name itself did. The horse was as untamable as the wind.
Sighing, Sir Kendall said, "You do as you please. Diego, I've lent you the money for him, but mark my words, you'll regret this."
However, Sir Kendall had been wrong. With proper care, sufficient nourishment, and endless patience, Diego quickly gained the trust of the stallion. Within two weeks, the horse was only recognizable by its imposing height. It allowed Diego to ride it without a saddle. As Diego had strengthened, the men decided to make the final necessary purchases before heading to their destination.
Los Angeles.
.
.
Some had already guessed that it wasn't Diego whom don Alejandro greeted as his son.
The idea for this story came to me after reading the first chapters of "The Count of Dragonera" by Cris Martin. I hadn't figured out which story inspired her, and I wondered if "The Man in the Iron Mask" could be her inspiration.
The idea was to write a story inspired by that story. It gave me the inspiration for this tale. Now that I'm working on it, I think it might have more similarities with "White Sheep of the Family," S2E10.
Just as the twin brother of the alcalde looked exactly like him, in this story, Gilberto resembles Diego.
The Diego who returned from Spain in the series was his son and different than he remembered. He never figured it out what caused his son to act so diffrently. So how long will it take to figure out it isn't the son the sent to Spain.