Chapter Text
To face away from disillusionment,
to swallow venom like liqueur, and quell
all thoughts of gain, embracing discontent;
to believe a heaven lies within a hell,
to give your soul to disillusionment;
that’s love, as all who’ve tasted know too well.
Lope De Vega. Various Effects of Love
(Translated by David Rosenthal)
El Zorro drove closer to the bedroom window of the arrested Captain Monastario. The Captain was smoking and, in order not to be noticed, the Fox did not risk approaching him, no matter how much he wanted to.
Why does he, Zo... Diego, feel strange regret? He should be happy, right? What is he even doing here?
***
Enrique was sitting in his bedroom, his back facing a window from which air came out and brushed gently his hair and clothes. He liked to sit that way. The reason is, he felt as if right behind him there were no walls, and if he closed his eyes he could even feel free again...
Freedom…
Who would have thought things would end up this way? If it weren't for that damned Zorro. But at least he could say they were enemies, not like all those hypocrites who act friendly to get something out of you and when you’ve lost all your power they betray you.
He was so close to his goal, he sulked as the smoke took over the room and his thoughts when he heard a cough right behind him. Surprised, he turned to the window and caught something leaving quickly, something black.
***
There were no bars on the window, so Monastario had to be guarded by a sentry. But the former Comandante was right to have a low opinion of his subordinates: the soldier slept nearby, snoring in his sleep. But the window was high, and if Monastario had decided to jump from it, he would have risked injuring his leg. Or he would make a fuss. Moreover, without a horse, on foot, it was not possible to escape. In addition, Zorro was sure that the Captain was wearing a uniform, and running away without a weapon, in white breeches and cavalry boots, was a bad idea.
The Fox again approached the window and, standing up in his stirrups, looked inside the bedroom. He finally understood why he was here, but he couldn’t decide what he wanted more: to act like a gambling boy or to act like... like El Zorro?
“Buenas noches, Comandante”, he called quietly to the prisoner.
***
When he fixed his gaze on the window, he saw it was no other than El Zorro himself, like he had somehow invoked him. Hadn’t he been humiliated enough? What could he possibly want?
“Buenas noches, Comandante,” he greeted through the window.
Although Zorro's figure stopped the breeze, Monastario felt a rush and the adrenaline that could only be matched in a sword fight... Was that it? Was El Zorro here to kill him? Well, he wouldn't allow it, if he made some noise and woke the sentry up, he knew his archnemesis would be gone in an instant. But it made him feel so weak to be unarmed, unable to defend himself that after he opened his mouth to shout at him he shut it again. He wasn't a coward, for goodness sake! If today was his last day, if he were to die that night from El Zorro, he would fight back like a man, and in the given case, assume the inevitable destiny. So he calmed down, sighed and looked into his hazel eyes.
“To what do I owe this visit?” he asked in a hushed voice, full of venom.
***
“How impolite you are, señor,” Zorro grinned, but immediately became serious.
He realized that he wanted to pull off the mask from his face and, having enjoyed Monastario’s emotions, gallop away. Zorro did not risk anything—if Monastario told that the face of Diego de la Vega was hidden behind the mask, the Captain would be considered crazy. Also, no one will believe that El Zorro paid his enemy a visit only to reveal the secret of his identity.
Taking a short breath, Zorro decided not to act like a boy, and asked, “Tell me, Señor Captain... Why do you think Licenciado Piña spoke about your abuse of power as the Comandante of the Pueblo?”
Zorro was sure that Monastario would not tell him the truth, but he urgently needed to come up with a reason why he was here. The real reason was regret that Monastario was a scoundrel. Yes, of course, Diego returned to Los Ángeles, already knowing that the new Comandante was disgusting. But to be fair, Monastario could be a charming person. He was an enemy you wanted to impress. Monastario was also a skilled swordsman, and deep down Diego regretted that the Viceroy's visit put an end to their fight. The story of Enrique Sánchez Monastario and Diego de la Vega ended somehow wrong.
Perhaps this is selfishness? After all, everything is for the better for California. However, for some reason Sergeant García did not like the arrest of the former Comandante.
“You won't tell anyone, Don Diego?” Garcia asked.
It seemed to Diego that Sergeant García was about to blurt out something important, and he became curious about what it was. It was worth waiting for the Governor to decide the fate of Captain Monastario, but all foxes are very curious.
***
While sitting on the ledge of the room’s window, his uninvited guest replied as sly as ever.
“How impolite you are, señor.”
That Zorro was mocking him! That was his deal. Monastario was not going to stand it. And look at his stupid smirk! He better wipe it off or he wouldn’t resist doing so himself and… He did, he suddenly turned serious. What was it, then? El Zorro finally achieved what he wanted after Monastario had been imprisoned, right? But just perhaps this game wasn’t over.
Despite his paranoia, he composed himself. Just because he was in prison didn’t mean he had no dignity. El Zorro had the ability to drive him nuts, yes, but he had to control his emotions if he didn’t want to repeat the events of their last encounter.
“Tell me, Señor Captain... Why do you think Licenciado Piña spoke about your abuse of power as the Comandante of the Pueblo?” his companion asked shamelessly.
Of course, always sticking his nose in affairs that didn’t concern him. Monastario wasn’t going to tell him, but he was intrigued. Had Zorro come all the way just to ask him this? He surely had reliable sources of information, after all the plans the Captain had secretly executed and somehow he always found out about, there was no way he didn’t. No, it was something else, he would play his cards right and find out what it was.
“I see you are well informed, Señor Zorro.”
Monastario decided to be evasive and leave room for the Fox to speak further.
***
Zorro really wanted to sarcastically note that Monastario made a mistake in choosing a profession, and he should have chosen the profession of a politician or a priest, and not a military man.
But de la Vega, of course, restrained himself and instead answered briefly, “Captain, I give you my word that I shall not harm you, but we should leave here as quickly as possible. My stallion is waiting for us under the window, I shall sit in the saddle and I shall help you. We shall have frank conversations in another place, the sentry may wake up. And I really am Diego de la Vega, so you can trust my word, I am a caballero.”
Diego, that is, Zorro, was led by emotions. Even when he met Monastario, he realized that if Comandante had not been immoral one, he would have attracted Diego as a man. In Madrid, Don Alejandro’s heir realized that attraction to the stronger sex was no longer considered a sin, but Diego acquired very little experience of this kind.
Be that as it may, Zorro wanted to kidnap the unarmed Monastario. Kidnap him and talk to him for hours. It was intoxicating. Why should Di... Zorro deny himself pleasure? If Captain Monastario is guilty, Zorro will return him to the authorities. If not... but this is unlikely. Unfortunately.
Quickly pulling off the mask, Zorro, that is, Diego, flashed his eyes mischievously and returned it to its place. Perhaps even his father’s approval would not have pleased him more.