NOTE BY THE ACCOUNT HOLDER: THIS STORY IS NOT MINE!

WRITTEN BY KARLA GREGORY

This Story is a repost of a fic written by Karla Gregory! It was posted online around the year 2000 and is done in the typical style of this series. :D The story is a sweet little adventure that wouldn't be amiss in one of the episodes. For more information on this author and other stories written by them check the profile page.

This story takes place somewhere at the beginning of the series when Monastario was still Commandanté

Xtra Account Holder's Note: I think this is the perfect time of the year to post this particular story!

Prologue

Everyone knew of Padre Felipe's arrest and it cast a long shadow over the coming Christmas festivities. The long faces of the children mirrored their unhappiness. The peons and vaqueros went about their daily tasks in a somber mood. Those who had occasion to pass by the cuartel gates could look in and see the imprisoned padre who stood gazing up into the heavens through the cell bars as if in continual prayer. They could only shake their heads, for what else could they do? They sorrowed for the padre and for themselves. Without Padre Felipe, the midnight mass after Noche Buena could not be held. Some looked for Zorro to come and put things right again, but so far, their black angel had not appeared.

The charges leveled against the priest were false of course, but Capitán Monastario had seized upon an opportunity to frame Padre Felipe for treason as revenge for his part in aiding the escape of Nacho Torres during the fall of the year. Along with Don Alejandro de la Vega and Zorro, Monastario blamed the Padre for denying him the chance to eliminate Torres and thus quash the growing opposition to his rule. Torres and the elder de la Vega were untouchables since the fiasco of a trial involving Judge Vasca. They had been judged innocent and released. And Zorro? He was untouchable also in that he had eluded capture on every occasion. Since Monastario could not vent his anger and frustration openly against those three adversaries, he found someone else that he could prosecute.

Padre Felipe had been found walking down the road toward Los Angeles with a large sum of money in his possession. He maintained that he had been given the money by an unknown señorita as he walked along his way back to San Gabriel from the mission at Santa Barbara. But he did not know the name of the señorita and claimed he had never seen her before. Capitán Monastario declared that Padre Felipe had possession of money that rightfully belonged to the King of Spain. Taxes were due from the peons and he accused Padre Felipe of trying to hide the money so that the peons could truthfully say that they had no money. Monastario confiscated the money and threw the priest in his jail with a double guard for he knew that Zorro would try and rescue him.

He was right.

Part One

However, Capitán Monastario did not know what form Zorro would assume when he came to visit the Padre the next day and so let Don Diego de la Vega into the cuartel to visit the priest. Diego was angry that his friend and mentor was jailed in this manner though he understood well the real reason behind the charges against the padre. He was certain that Padre Felipe was innocent and he would just have to prove it. He schooled himself to master his emotions before he reached the priest who was standing at the bars of his cell waiting for him.

"Padre Felipe," said Diego placing his hand on the cold, unyielding bars of the cell. "How are you? Do you need anything?"

"Oh, Diego, it is good to see you," Padre Felipe said warmly. "I would invite you in for a visit, but as you can see I am not at liberty to do so." He said this sweeping his arm around his little cell. His gentle smile belied the passion behind his eyes.

"I am afraid I have some bad news, Padre," said Diego trying to be gentle. "I overheard Monastario talking to Licenciado Pena, the lawyer, and your trial is fixed for twenty-third day of this month, the day before Noche Buena. If you are convicted, you will not be allowed to conduct the mass of Noche Buena and you will possibly be scheduled for execution before Los Santos Innocentes.

Padre, we have to find a way to get you out of here," Diego said earnestly. "Tell me just what happened when you were arrested. Perhaps we can find something to help you."

Padre Felipe wasn't sure just what help Diego could offer him, but he also knew that Diego had been a true friend to Nacho Torres all during his troubles and had never abandoned the don. Who knew? Perhaps the young man could find a way to help. He drew a deep breath and began. "I was returning from the mission at Santa Barbara where I had gone to visit Padre Vicente who had been taken ill. You know Padre Vicente, do you not?" Diego nodded. Padre Felipe continued, "I was glad to find that he was much recovered. I was returning along the road toward Los Angeles when I came upon the little shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, which is, as you know, about ten miles south of the Santa Barbara mission. I saw a young señorita in a red dress kneeling there. Seeing that she was in earnest prayer, I knelt beside her to pray also.

When I arose, I found her seated on a rock waiting for me, a quiet smile on her face. I introduced myself and she said, 'Oh, Padre Felipe! Padre, you are an answer to my prayers.'

'I am?' I replied quite surprised.

'Oh, yes,' she said. 'Here, Padre, take this.' That is when she gave me an embroidered pouch that was heavy with money. I was astonished to say the least."

"Did she say why she wanted to give you the money?" asked Diego.

"She told me that I should use the money for the poor and orphaned children of the pueblo, to help them to celebrate Christmas, to buy warm blankets and food for them. When I asked her if she was sure that she wanted to give up so much money, she said that it was something that she had to do. That this was the answer to her prayers and I was God's messenger, sent to bring the money to the children. I did not know what else to say and accepted the money on behalf of the children."

"Did you question her to find out where she came from? Did you ask her name?"

Padre Felipe shrugged helplessly. "I tried to, Diego, but she would not tell me. She put her fingers to my lips and told me not to question her further. She had done what she had come to do and told me to go my way and she would go hers. Bowing to her wishes, I blessed her and continued on my way. When I reached the top of the hill, I looked back and she was gone, Diego. Just like that. I went back to the shrine and could find no trace of her. I prayed again at the shrine to thank God for her generosity and to wish her God's protection. I had no idea at the time, that I should be praying for my own protection. I had continued another hour on my journey when Capitán Monastario and a lancer patrol rode up and stopped me." Here Padre Felipe's eyes flashed.

"He saw the pouch in my hand and demanded to see what was in it. When he saw so much money, he accused me of accepting the money from the peons in order to hide it from the lawful collection of the King's taxes. He would not listen to anything I had to say. I was brought here and put into prison. Diego, what am I going to do?" Padre Felipe held up his hands. "There is no one else to perform the mass on Noche Buena for the pueblo. All the other priests are committed to their own churches that night and it would be a tragedy for the people of this pueblo to be denied one of their most sacred and happy services."

Diego too was torn. As he looked around the cuartel, he could see that almost every lancer was on duty guarding the garrison and its prisoner. It would be hopeless to try and climb into the cuartel to free the Padre tonight. And even if he did, what then? Padre Felipe would be a fugitive and would still be unable to hold the services on Noche Buena or any other day. No, he had to find another way.

"Padre, can you describe this señorita in more detail?" he asked. "Perhaps if we can find her we can get her to testify at the trial and tell the court how you acquired the pouch full of money."

Padre Felipe thought carefully. "I would say that she was about twenty years old and she had dark brown hair. Her eyes were brown also." He thought some more. "Really, Diego, other than her bright red dress, she has no features that stand out."

"Tell me about the dress, Padre. Was there anything unusual about it?"

"No . . .," said the Padre slowly. But then he brightened and said, "Yes, there was one thing. I remember it because it was embroidered on the money pouch also."

"What was that?" Diego wanted to know.

"She wore a little brooch with the initial of a 'Z' worked into its design."

Diego started and looked closely at the Padre. "A 'Z'?" he repeated not quite believing what he had heard.

Padre Felipe laughed a bit. "Funny, isn't it?" he said. "A 'Z'. The same initial that our own mysterious black fox carved into the wall of this cell." The padre pointed to the cell wall, and there was the 'Z' that had been carved there the first night El Zorro had come to rescue Don Nacho from Monastario's clutches.

Diego stared at it a long time. Then he pulled himself back to the present. "And you say this same initial was embroidered on the money pouch?"

"Yes, it was," replied the Padre.

Diego reached through the bars of the prison and put his hand on Padre Felipe's shoulder. It was little enough he could do now to comfort the man. But he had an idea that he needed to put into motion as soon as he could. "Padre, do not give up hope. I promise, we will find this señorita and she will exonerate you at your trial. We will begin searching right away."

"We?" questioned Padre Felipe, but he was talking to Diego's back as he had already walked away toward the cuartel gate. "God go with you," he whispered looking after the young man.

As Diego left the cuartel, he noticed a group of six or seven children gathered in the plaza. That they were the poorest of the poor was evident by the ragged state of their clothing and their dirt smudged faces. These were the orphans of the pueblo, the peon children that no one else wanted or cared about. Diego knew that Padre Felipe did what he could for these children to see that they were fed and had shelter. They had come here to watch for the Padre, their only protector. Their concern for him was written on their faces as they looked toward the cuartel gates trying to catch a glimpse of the priest. The girls had been crying and even the oldest boy, who was no more than ten, had streaks in the dirt on his face to show that he too had shed tears for the kindly padre. The very youngest child, a precious little girl of about three or four years old did not seem to know what the crying was all about, but her large, dark eyes reflected the sadness that all the children felt. She clung to the hand of one of the older girls with the fingers of her other hand in her mouth.

Diego had to pass by the children to reach his horse, but he felt that he could not just walk by and ignore them as so many others were doing. So he stopped and got down on one knee so as to be more their height. "Children, you are waiting for Padre Felipe?" he asked looking at them all. There were nods all around. "I am sorry, but he cannot come to you now. I want you to know that he is well and I am sure he is still keeping you in his prayers." There were more solemn nods from the children. "I don't want you to worry," he said. "I am sure that soon Padre Felipe will be released and you will be able to see him again. Tell me, have you anything to eat?" The oldest boy shook his head no. Diego felt something on his knee and looked down to see the youngest little girl with one hand on his knee and holding the other hand up to him. He picked her up and propped her on his knee.

"Rosa!" hissed the boy. "You get down from there. Do not bother the Patron!"

"It's all right," said Diego smiling at Rosa and the rest of the children. He reached into his vest and pulled out a coin which he held out to Rosa. She grinned and took it in her tiny hand. Then she leaned forward and wrapped both arms around Diego's neck, hugging him tightly. Diego laughed and hugged her back. Then it came to him that someday he would like to feel the arms of his own children around his neck. But he knew all of that had to wait while he tried to deal with Monastario's tyranny.

He could not think of that part of his future right now. He helped Rosa back on the ground. "Take that coin and buy food for all of you," he said to the oldest boy. "And do not worry about Padre Felipe, eh? He will be free in time for the services on Noche Buena. I promise."

The oldest boy said "Graciás, Patron." and took Rosa by the hand. Then he and all the children ran off to purchase some food from one of the vendors in the market. Diego stood and watched them go. He had just promised both the padre and the children that he would do the impossible. Since that was so, he had better get started. Time was of the essence. He walked briskly over to where his palomino was tied and mounted quickly. He was soon on his way home.

Across the plaza, Rosa munched on her tortilla and watched him go, her large, dark eyes following Diego as long as he was in sight.