Chapter Text
Eight weeks had passed since Ignacio de Soto had killed the King's Emissary, Gilberto Risendo, unknowingly saving the life of the man behind Zorro's mask.
Eight weeks, or even more, really, since the Alcalde had last invented any new tax, arrested any innocent or perpetrated any other misdeed.
Eight weeks since Victoria Escalante and anyone else in the pueblo, for that matter, had last seen Zorro.
Eight weeks since Diego had found a new excuse to hide the truth about himself from his father, after changing his mind about confessing it to both him and the woman he loved.
Eight weeks since the De la Vegas announced to the entire pueblo that Felipe would officially join the family.
Except for about twenty days Diego had spent in Monterey and Santa Barbara for the adoption process, and to visit his uncle and cousins, he remained mostly at the hacienda, playing music, painting, riding and trying to decide what he should do next.
Coming so close to death, twice in only one day, losing a brother he never knew existed, perpetuating the lie he had been telling about himself to everyone he cared about, even his hasty decision to finally adopt his ward, the weight of all that was becoming too much for his shoulders, and he was no longer certain of anything.
He had not wished for Gilberto to die, despite his actions. He certainly didn't want his father to suffer, as he had been, for a son he never truly met. As for Felipe, he was questioning his hasty decision to adopt the young man who had been his apprentice, helper and co-conspirator for the last eight years, not because he didn't feel he was like a true son to him, but because he feared for him. After having come so close to being discovered twice already, Diego couldn't but wonder what would happen if another enemy might learn the truth about him. Will Providence intervene once more to save him, or would the time finally come for him to pay the price for being Zorro? And, if so, who else would also pay it and how?
At thinking about that, his mind usually slipped also to Victoria. He had always thought of her as his best friend, not only the woman he loved. But, considering all the mixed signals she had given him since his return from Madrid, he questioned whether she would feel the same about him when he finally told her the truth. Furthermore, because he knew Victoria better than anyone, he feared her reaction at finding out about his deception. The mere possibility of losing both her friendship and her love once the mask would come off, however that might come to pass, frightened him more than the perspective of a noose around his neck ever did.
On that beautiful Sunday morning of December 24th 1820, Diego was playing the piano in the hacienda's sitting room, pondering all the things weighing on him and wondering if it wouldn't be a better choice to just let Zorro fade into oblivion and never tell anyone the truth, just as his father decided he'd no longer stand for his son's melancholic state.
"Diego!" He interrupted the beautiful sonata the younger man was playing. Felipe, who was reading in the library also raised his head. "You haven't been in the pueblo for over a week now. I'd appreciate if you'd accompany me to see if there's any way to help Victoria with tonight's fiesta. You know how she loves Christmas, Son. And I don't even want to hear about you not participating later!"
The young caballero smiled and closed the piano's fallboard, turning towards his father.
"An excellent idea!" He decided, smiling at the thought of seeing Victoria, and wondering if she had missed him.
"Well… I was prepared to insist a little more before you'd given in, but I guess you are full of surprises lately, Diego!" Don Alejandro admitted. "Felipe are you coming to Victoria's tavern?" He then asked his recently-adopted grandson and he agreed with a nod. "I'll go tell Maria not to expect us for lunch and give her the afternoon off to celebrate with her family." Don Alejandro stated as the younger men headed for their quarters to change.
About half an hour later, around noon, they were riding into Los Angeles, waving at the people they met on the way to the tavern.
"Buenas tardes, Señores!" Victoria greeted with a smile as they entered the taproom, glad to see them.
"Hola, Victoria!" Diego uttered as all the three men grinned and nodded.
"Are you here for lunch?" She wondered.
"We are… but it seems quite full already." Don Alejandro realized at searching and failing to spot a free table.
"I'd be happy to offer you a drink, on the house, until you find a place to sit. I'm sure a table will become available shortly." She replied.
"Very well, my dear, however, in the meanwhile, we were also wondering if there was anything we could help you with for tonight's fiesta" Don Alejandro told her.
"Gracias, but, as you see, everything is ready." She replied, pointing towards the decorations all around the taproom. "The Alcalde asked some of the lancers to help, and they did everything this morning."
Don Alejandro put an incredulous look, the same one he wore every time De Soto behaved better than he expected him to, and glanced around the tavern, spotting the very man they were talking about. Diego's former schoolmate was sharing a table with Mendoza at the time, and, as soon as he saw the De la Vegas, signaled for them to join him and the Sergeant. He had recently started to actually appreciate their friendship and fairness, after the two of them helped him settle the issue with the Emissary's death without any negative consequences for him, so he even started liking their company.
The three men smiled at Victoria, ordered empanadas and orange juice to drink, then went to sit with the Alcalde and his faithful Sergeant.
Diego barely paid attention to the conversation after he was certain the white-haired man was not planning any misdeed, and was soon, once again, lost in his own thoughts.
"What do you think, Don Diego?" Mendoza asked, taking him out of his reverie.
"Think about what, Sergeant? I'm sorry, I…" He tried to excuse himself.
"Again lost in thought, Diego? Sometimes you have me worried, Son!" Don Alejandro uttered.
"He's probably not interested in Zorro and his fate." De Soto said, earning an interested glance from Diego.
"What about Zorro?" The caballero asked.
"We were just wondering if he is still alive, Don Diego. There is talk of a big explosion at the canyon and the last time he was seen, was that day your… Ah… the Emissary offered him a truce and some of the farmers saw him heading north, towards El Cañón del Diablo." Mendoza clarified.
"You can say 'brother', Sergeant. That's what Gilberto was - or should have been - to me." Diego answered sadly.
Victoria had approached the table as they were talking, and Diego noticed tears glittering in her eyes as she placed a new pitcher of freshly-squeezed orange juice on the table for them to share.
"Thank you, my dear!" Don Alejandro uttered, and she forced herself to smile, only Diego noticing her troubled face.
"Excuse me!" The caballero said as he wiped his mouth on the napkin the taverness had provided, and got up from the table to follow her. Don Alejandro stared at his back until the curtains separating the taproom from the kitchen fell behind him and shook his head with a sigh.
"Are you alright, Victoria?" The tall caballero asked.
She startled at hearing his voice, and turned towards him, wiping a few tears from her eyes.
"May I do something for you, Don Diego?" She wondered.
"I was wondering the same thing. You are the one crying…" He noted.
"Oh, it's nothing. Nothing for you to worry about."
"You can talk to me, Victoria. We are friends, are we not?" Diego encouraged her.
"Of course, we are." She assured him. "But this is not something I wish to bother you with."
"Perhaps I might help…" He offered.
"I doubt that." Victoria stated rather bluntly. "It's not like you know much about the affairs of the heart, do you?"
"I do believe you underestimate me!" He replied with a sly smile.
"Diego, please! In the eight years since you've returned from Spain, I have never seen you with a woman. Had it not been for Zafira, with whom I know you had some kind of romance in Madrid, I would have been completely convinced that you are against any kind of romance. Actually, I still am, considering that, when that woman practically threw herself at you, you invented that story about loving someone else. And, by now, we both know you made that up, since you've never courted anybody!" She stated, trying to suppress her own pain by attacking her friend.
"Just because I don't go around chasing after every woman in the pueblo, it doesn't mean I am indifferent to…"
He was interrupted by Victoria's chuckle. "I can't even imagine you courting a woman." She said. "What was it Dona Maria said? Yes! That you don't have a romantic bone in your body! Oh Diego, you are a good and dear friend, but the last person I would go to for advice when it comes to love!"
Diego frowned. "I see…"He said offended, then turned to leave.
"Do you also think he's dead?" She suddenly asked as he was reaching for the curtains.
"Who? Zorro?" Diego wondered.
"Yes! Of course, Zorro!"
"No. I don't think he is." He replied, and Victoria came to embrace him, leaning her head against his chest and sobbing softly. "Victoria… There's something I need to tell you…" Diego decided, unable to see her just as tormented as he was, and hoping that, should she know the truth, there would be a future for them, and that together they might find a way to finally be together.
She took in a deep breath, then raised her eyes to look straight into his, but got frightened by the love she found there. "Whatever it is, this is not the right time." Victoria replied, as she suddenly let go of Diego and returned to her worktable to slice some oranges. "We'll talk another day."
With that, he realized it was not the right moment for him to tell her he was Zorro. He also understood that he was no longer welcomed in her kitchen. So, head bowed and even more troubled then some ten minutes earlier, he headed back to his table.
"Let me guess! She's worried about Zorro." De Soto uttered as he sat down. Diego didn't get to answer, as his former schoolmate continued. "I certainly wouldn't mind if he was truly gone. He's made my life here a living nightmare!"
"Zorro saved your life, Alcalde!" Don Alejandro reminded him.
"Had he not caused the problems he did, he wouldn't have needed to, considering I would have long since been promoted out of this pueblo!" Ignacio answered. "In fact, had the masked menace never existed, I am quite certain life would have been better for every one of us! Don't you agree, Sergeant?"
The man hesitated to answer, but was aware of his commander's expectations. "Well… If there was no Zorro… I wouldn't have had to learn to sew as well as I did." He muttered, and, seeing De Soto's frown, he added: "And I wouldn't have been almost hanged by Palomarez… maybe… I would have become a Lieutenant by now?"
"I'm sure you would have, Sergeant." De Soto agreed.
"I can't believe you, Mendoza! Fine, he has ruined some uniforms, but he was always there for you. How many times did he save your life already?" Don Alejandro again remarked as Diego, already annoyed both by the conversation and by Victoria's attitude, left invoking an urgent need to see about the supplies for The Guardian. Felipe silently followed him.
The old don watched them leave and drank some of his juice. "If there's one reason some part of me wishes for Zorro to have never existed, it's because he set the standards too high!" He remarked out of nowhere. "What man can compete with a Legend? I doubt there is any woman in this pueblo who doesn't look at his romance with Victoria and expect her man to act the same. But not all men are made to be as brave and romantic as he is."
"That is quite true, Don Alejandro," Mendoza agreed pensively.
"God knows Diego is brave when he wants to be." The old don went on. "He didn't even flinch when Gilberto pulled out that gun on him. But romantic, my son is not… Even so, there was a time, just after he returned from Spain, when I hoped he might be interested in Victoria, perhaps decide to court her. But then Zorro appeared, and I had to put those hopes to their permanent rest."
"He almost challenged my Corporal for her, didn't he Don Alejandro?" Mendoza wondered, unsure his memory served him right. "And remember how he stood up to Alcalde Luis Ramone?
"Diego?" De Soto wondered with a dismissive chuckle.
"Si… Don Diego seemed very brave when he first came back." Mendoza stated. "But, I guess he realized there was nothing he could do… perhaps he feared reprisals from the Alcalde. Then Zorro appeared to free Don Alejandro and the Señorita from prison."
"Well… when we got home that night and told Diego everything about our escape, he tried to convince us Zorro must have been just some brigand." Don Alejandro confessed.
"He was right about that!" De Soto muttered.
"Victoria got quite resolute in her defense of the man, at that point." Don Alejandro continued his incursion down memory lane, ignoring the Alcalde. "I think my son already realized she was falling in love. After he also saved my life when Luis Ramone tried to hang me, I think Diego also considered himself indebted to Zorro, which might explain why he never even tried courting her. For a long time, I had thought he only saw Victoria as a sister, yet, for a while now, I've been wondering if maybe she's the reason why he's not married yet. Perhaps, without Zorro, the two of them might be together… Or, at least, he might have found someone else to marry."
"I doubt that!" De Soto dismissed the idea with a rather subtle chuckle. "But, however things might have played out, why don't we all just agree our lives would be much better had Zorro never existed?" De Soto declared, just as Victoria was exiting the kitchen, her eyes still a bit puffy, heading for their table.
"Perhaps they would be!" She confirmed to everyone's surprise as she sat down on the bench Diego had just vacated. She looked at them and saw their surprised faces. "What? I… I've been thinking recently! If he had never put on the mask, I would now probably be married to the man, with a house full of children, as I have always wanted! That would have certainly been much better than sitting here, wondering if the one I love is still alive."
"Exactly, Señorita!" De Soto said with a bit more enthusiasm than usually expected from him, unless a trap for Zorro was involved. "Had that man, whoever he is, never put on the mask, I would have already been promoted out of this pueblo, Mendoza could have been a Lieutenant by now and would have never had to become so proficient with the needle, Don Diego might have already given Don Alejandro those grandbabies he goes on about, and you, Señorita, would be a respectable Señora, happily spending your days looking after your children."
Victoria hid a smile at the idea of Diego giving Don Alejandro his grandbabies, before doing what the others did and nod pensively at that summary.
The sound of jingle bells ringing took them out of their melancholic daydreaming. It was only then that they noticed that the taproom was completely empty, except for the four of them. They each looked around in surprise at the tables from which the people seemed to have suddenly vanished together with all the noise.
"Do you really think your lives would be better had Zorro never existed?" A balding, gray-haired man wondered as he neared their table from the direction of the kitchen.
"Excuse me?" De Soto asked him, smiling at his choice of shoes, which certainly did not match the rest of his outfit.
"I asked if you really believe your lives would be better had Zorro never existed." The man repeated his question.
"I am very certain of that, Señor…" De Soto uttered.
"Fernando. My name is Fernando." He replied with a kind smile. "So… you think that, were it not for Zorro, you would be married and already a mother" he asked Victoria, "you two would have been promoted by now" he asked De Soto and Mendoza , "and you believe you'd have a daughter-in-law and grandchildren running around the hacienda." He addressed Don Alejandro.
Victoria chuckled dismissively at that last statement.
"I doubt Zorro's existence affected in any way Diego's decision to remain a bachelor." She stated.
"Do you? Well… Perhaps you all need the chance to find out exactly how your lives would have turned out without him." Don Fernando uttered. "But, since I usually only do this one person at the time, and let that person live in his or her alternative present, my normal method is rather impossible in your case… So I'll have to do this a little differently. Not that I do this often, mind you! Only under special circumstances. But I believe these qualify as such." He continued to their increasing puzzlement. "So, you will not get to live in the world I'll show you, but only witness how your lives and, in your case, Don Alejandro, the lives of your son and grandson would have turned out had the man never put on the mask."
"I'm sorry? You will what?" Don Alejandro asked.
"I will show you what you wanted. A world without Zorro. The moment you walk out those doors" he said, pointing at the tavern's main entrance, "you will understand exactly what I mean."
They glanced at each other again as he said that, and, in that split second, the strange white-haired man disappeared.
"Who was that?" Mendoza asked.
"I already replied to that question!" A voice answered out of nowhere.
They once more glanced at each other in disbelief and, one-by-one, the four of them stood up and headed for the plaza.
ZZZ
The first thing they noticed was that Los Angeles was smaller than they knew it to be. Most of the houses built in the outskirts of the pueblo during the last decade were not there, and some of those which were seemed abandoned. Only a few people were in the streets, heads bowed and clothes badly worn-out.
De Soto and Mendoza exchanged a puzzled glance when they saw two well-bred young women they knew openly flirting with some newcomers just as three lancers passed right through them, as if they were nothing but ghosts. The four unusual companions looked at each other in shock.
"What is happening?" Victoria wondered touching her face to see if she was real or not.
"As I said, you are to see how things would have turned out had Zorro never existed." Don Fernando explained. They looked around and found him standing right in front of the entrance to the tavern.
"Are we dead?" Mendoza inquired.
"Not dead, but you are ghosts here; invisible to everyone but each other." The same mysterious man replied. "All you need to do is watch." As he said that, he, once again, vanished.
"Damn horse thieves! Go get De la Vega, Sergeant!" They heard, then saw another De Soto addressing Sepulveda as they were both exiting his office. "We need him if we are to get to the bottom of this! Oh… And make sure to be polite. You know how he gets when he's in a bad mood…"
"Interesting!" The ghostly Don Alejandro uttered. "I am pleasantly surprised to see this Alcalde knows when to ask for my help!"
"Sepulveda is Sergeant?" The ghostly De Soto wondered after shortly frowning at Don Alejandro's remark. "I guess I was right! You really were promoted. When is this, anyway?" They followed the other Alcalde to his office and noticed the date on his calendar. "Three months ago? But what am I doing still here if there's no Zorro in this world?"
Suddenly, everything started moving in fast motion, which seemed funny to Victoria, who chuckled at seeing De Soto moving like that. It was, even he admitted, quite comical.
Time slowed down again as Diego entered the office. He looked just as they knew him, yet there was something in his bearing that made him seem like a rather different person.
The invisible people exchanged a puzzled glance since they all expected Don Alejandro, not his son.
"Sepulveda said you needed my help." Diego said sharply, not even greeting De Soto.
"Si, we really do, or I wouldn't have bothered you." The Alcalde looked quite apologetic, and the unseen spectators took a moment to wonder at his attitude. "I was wondering if you might spare some time to help us track the horse thieves plaguing us lately. Turns out I arrested the wrong man yesterday."
"Anyone could have told you that. In fact, I do believe several people did. Me included." The caballero replied, folding his hands across his chest, and looking at the man before him with some ire.
"Yes… Yes… No use diving into one of your 'I told you so' speeches, Don Diego. I've actually called you because my men went by Señor Macias' house, and found a note from the real bandits, claiming to have abducted his wife and children," De Soto informed the caballero, handing him a piece of paper. "They want him to steal again the horses we found in his corral or they will kill his family."
"I can spare a few hours." Diego uttered after reading the note.
"With your tracking skills, that should be enough!" The white-haired man agreed relieved.
"His tracking skills? Without Zorro, Diego seems to have become a much better version of himself!" Ghostly Don Alejandro remarked with a big grin.
The scenery changed a few moments later and the four ghostly people found themselves on a hilltop. Next to them, Diego, De Soto and his lancers were carefully looking at three men dragging some eight horses behind them through a small canyon.
"What are we supposed to do with these ones, Jefe*?" One of the bandits asked their leader, forcing Señora Macias and her crying children to follow him.
"Get rid of them, Arturo! Her husband is in jail, so I doubt he'll be of much use." Their leader replied.
"Take your hands off of the Señora!" De Soto stood up, a pistol in his hand, directed at the bandits.
Most of his lancers followed suit and stood up, their muskets targeting the men. Diego cursed De Soto's impatience silently, then did the same, and the four spectators noticed he was also holding a pistol. At that point, one of the thugs pulled Julieta Macias towards him, and put his gun to her head.
"I suggest you stand down if you want this woman to live!" He uttered as his cohorts chuckled mischievously.
Just then, a rock falling some thirty feet away distracted the thugs. Moments later they all heard Diego pull the trigger. The man holding his gun to the young woman's head screamed in pain as his hand had been traversed by a bullet. The gun he was holding fell without discharging, and the young woman took a few steps away from him and towards her children, before the other thugs tried to fire their guns and were shot down by the lancers. It was all over in seconds. Out of the three men, only the one Diego had injured was still alive.
"That was a perfect shot, De la Vega!" De Soto complimented as his men helped Julieta Macias and her children. "Are you still certain there's nothing I can say to convince you to train my lancers?"
Diego looked at him with ire. "You may be a bit better than your predecessor, Ignacio, but you, too, have proved greedy and foolish. Two innocent men have already died because of your stupidity. I will help prevent any further casualties, but don't count on me to do more for you. Certainly don't believe for even one second that I have any interest in helping your men perform their oppressive duties any better!" He replied and left, mounting his horse.
"How does this me allow him to speak to me…him like that?" The ghostly De Soto asked in anger, at a loss to decide how to refer to his own double. "Who does he think he is?"
"He's still Don Diego, Alcalde, only a rather angry… and scary version of him!" Ghostly Mendoza replied.
"Who can track and has perfect aim! A much better version of him, I would say." Don Alejandro uttered with pride.
De Soto looked suspiciously at the young don riding away. Moments later, they all found themselves, once again, in the plaza.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZ
*For those who are not Spanish speakers, I just wanted to mention that 'jefe' – a word I use in many of my stories – is not a name, but means 'boss' in the mentioned language. I capitalize whenever the person addressing someone uses a title (like señor, jefe, caballero) instead of the person's name.