*I got interested in an anime based on Zorro called Kaikestu Zorro and I am hooked. This is my version of it.
*The Main Character is Aniceta de la Vega, the English, Spanish, and native Californian daughter of Alejandro de le Vega. She and her English mother, Elizabeth, were separated from Alejandro when Aniceta was very young, so they lived in England. Then when she was old enough she went to the university in Spain. And now she's back in time for the action!
*This is my version of the anime. I hope you enjoy it!
The Legend of Zorro!
Narration:
In the beginning of the nineteenth century, California was a nation controlled by the Spanish empire. However the army that was stationed there was a symbol of tyranny and injustice. They taxed the poor people penniless and take whatever they want without remorse. The people of California are in constant fear of the army and none can stand up to them. However, on a ship arriving from Spain to the small city of San Tasco, a hero will arrive to stand up to injustice and defense the weak.
On the Road to the Port:
It appeared to be a peaceful day in the country, but the ground started to rumble as a carriage was dashing along the road as it was chased by several men on horseback. A young girl of long light blonde hair was driving the carriage very recklessly fast with a young boy with brown hair. Among the soldiers chasing them, was a very large and plump man.
"Lolita! Pull over this carriage, immediately!" the man ordered, "I know you got Shichita in there!" "There's no one in there, it's just Bernard and me!" Lolita exclaimed, covering for the man, his wife, and infant son. "It's no use lying to me!" the man exclaimed. "There's someone I need to pick up at the port in a hurry and I have no time to waste with you." Lolita exclaimed as she flicked the reins to make the horses go faster.
The carriage pulled up ahead, but the soldiers were still giving chase. "Leave this to me, Lolita!" the boy, Bernard, said. "Alright, be careful!" Lolita said. Bernard climbed up to the roof and flung a rope to a nearby rock, jumped off, and tied the other end on a stone right across from the other, making the rope go in a straight, tight line. Some of the horses tripped over the rope, sending the group into chaos. Therefore, giving Lolita more time to get Shichita and his family to safety.
On a Ship Heading to the Port:
Nearing the port, a young female passenger of dark blond hair that cropped off at the chin held back by a black headband, dark blue eyes, about eighteen years old. She was tall as a man her age and had an athletic built under her white blouse, and dark purple skirt. She was reading an old newspaper clipping from Spain, about all the trouble in California. She looked up to the coast of the upcoming shore and pondered if the family she left behind was alright.
At the Port:
As the passengers were getting off the ship, Lolita and the family snuck aboard. Back on deck, the girl took a deep breath and let out a breath of relief. "After so many years, I'm finally home!" she exclaimed. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lolita talking frantically to the captain of the ship and the family being guided somewhere. "What's going on over there?" she asked herself.
Then, soon after the captain return on deck, soldiers swarmed the ship, scaring the crew and passengers. In the chaos, the girl approached the captain. "What's going on Captain? Who were those people earlier?" she asked. "That man earlier was Shichita, he was teaching the people of his village about justice and equality. But because that, the army has branded him as a traitor." the captain explained in a hushed voice, "If they find him, they'll excuse him! The girl earlier was hoping to sneak them on this ship and get them to Spain. But I'm not sure that I can with all these solders." "Maybe I can…" the girl said as she sneaked off.
Keeping out of sight of the soldiers, she found the Shichita family, whispered something to the parents, and took their son. Then out of the girl's bag, something black dashed and zipped all around the soldiers, distracting them from their mission and led them away from the family to allow them to sneak off the boat. "They're not here! They must be here in the port somewhere, let's find them!" the man with blonde hair and dark skin commanded and the other soldiers got off the ship, which perplexed Lolita.
Then she saw a random girl holding Shichita's baby. "Hey!" she exclaimed rashful-ly, "What are you doing with that baby?! It's not yo…" Before she can finished that sentence and got a soldier's attention, the girl put an apple in her mouth. "I'm just showing my baby the beautiful ocean, Senorita, no need to worry, I'll be careful." the girl reassured. The soldier just shrugged and left.
The girl then sighed full of relief, and faced Lolita. "I know what this might seem, but I wasn't stealing the baby." she began explaining, "I told the parents that a ship would be too obvious to hide on and especially with a little baby. I told them to hide somewhere else until the coast is clear and I'm holding on to the baby until I'm able to meet up with them." "Okay, I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions, but where are we going to keep the baby until then?" Lolita asked after removing the apple from her mouth. "Actually, I was going somewhere, so we can stay there for now." the girl answered.
At the de le Vega Estate:
As they approached the Estate, something caught up to the carriage and jumped beside Bernard, startling him. "Whoa! What is this?" he asked. "Is that a black fox?" Lolita asked, in awe. "Yep, that's the reason the army was in disarray for a while." the girl answered, "This my little friend, Zippy. And I'm Aniceta, by the way, but my friends call me, Ani." "It's very nice to meet you, Ani. I'm Lolita." she introduced. "And I'm Bernard." he said.
Then Lolita noticed where they were headed. "Hey! Aren't we heading for the de le Vega Estate?" she asked "Is this the place you were talking about?" "Sure is." Ani said, "I spend my early years here, but I haven't been here in about ten years." That statement perplexed Lolita.
When they put up the carriage, a large plump woman came out. "Ah Bernard, Senorita Lolita, welcome! If you're looking for Senor Vega, he's out in the field." the woman greeted cheerfully, then she noticed Ani, "Who is this young lady?" "Maria! You haven't changed a bit!" Ani exclaimed.
The woman called Maria took a good long look at Ani and gasped. "Ani? Is that really you?" Maria asked flabbergasted, and then suddenly embraced her "OH! WHAT A MIRACLE! MY LITTLE ANI HAS RETURNED!" "You know her?" Lolita asked. "Oh course, this is Aniceta de le Vega, Senor Don Alessandro de le Vega's only daughter! I thought we lost her, but she's here! ALIVE!" Maria exclaimed. "What?!" Lolita and Bernard exclaimed.
Inside, Aniceta explained everything, about what has happened over the last ten years. When she and her mother Elizabeth, went on a ship to England to visit a friend, the ship sank in a terrible storm. They survived, but they were unable to return to California and had to stay in Spain for the time being. They worked hard to get money to return home and Aniceta even went to a prestigious university in Barcelona on a scholarship. But in her senior year, Elizabeth got sick and passed away. When Ani heard about the trouble in California, she became more determined to return and got aboard the ship as a crew member for the voyage to return home.
"Wow! You sure went through a lot!" Bernard exclaimed. "It's too bad, the Donna wasn't able to come home, but at least we still have you back!" Maria exclaimed in tears of joy in her eyes. "Yes, Don Vega will be thrilled when he returns." Lolita stated.
Then, the baby started crying and Bernard took action. He made a variety of silly faces, but the baby still cried. Lolita tried to comfort him to fill the void of his parents, but still he cried. "I'm sure he's not upset, I think he's actually hungry." Ani stated as she prepared some milk for him. As soon as the bottle reached his mouth, he quieted down and started drinking.
"You're quite good with kids, Ani!" Bernard exclaimed, impressed. "She is, but this is only a temporary solution. He needs more than just milk to drink! What he needs is to see his parents again. I just hope they make it." Lolita stated, concerned for the tiny infant. Ani contemplated about what she say and then there was a sound of horses outside. They went outside to join the workers who have stopped working and saw the plump man from before with other men.
"I have a message from Commander Raymond, we have captured the rebel, Shichita, and he shall be executed in the canyon!" the chubby man announced, which made everyone gasp. "Oh no! They didn't make it!" Lolita exclaimed. "Commander Raymond orders everyone to attend the execution!" he added.
"And why must we see this poor excuse of civil service to the people, Sergeant Gonzales?" Lolita demanded to know. "Well, it's possible…" he started to say. "It's possible what?" Maria interrogated. "Well, it's possible that Commander Raymond hopes that by witnessing the execution, people will think twice before disobeying the army…" Gonzales said before he covered his mouth from saying anything further, "Never mind that, just show up, alright. With that, he and the men with him rode off, the people were distraught about the order.
"Well, I guess we go have a choice, we better get going." Lolita said in defeat. Then suddenly, Ani swayed and fell to the ground on her knees. "What's wrong, Ani?" Bernard asked. "I don't feel too well! I must be extremely exhausted from my long journey. Would it be okay if I rest?" Ani asked. "Of course dear, the Sergeant may have said everyone, but I'm sure they wouldn't miss you, since you just got here." Maria said, leading her to a quest room.
Ani laid in the bed, until she was sure that everyone has gone. She then went to the window to see if the coast was clear. "Looks like my debut will be sooner than I thought." she thought to herself as she left the window to get down to business.
In a Nearby Canyon:
A storm was beginning to rage as Shichita was tied to a tree and the army was waiting the crowd with Shichita's wife tied up next to the commander. "The execution about to begin, where are those filthy peasants?" Commander Raymond asked. "Sir! I sent Sergeant Gonzales to round them up!" Lieutenant Gabriel answered. "This execution is nothing unless they see this first hand." Commander Raymond stated, "This will show everyone what will happen to anyone that would dare to deny us!"
After a while, crowds came to the canyon, although they rather be doing anything other than watch an innocent life being taken. "I'm glad you decided to come." Commander Raymond said. With that, he started the execution.
"This man is seed of corruption by pretending to be the people's friend. He is evil and must be eliminated." Commander Raymond exclaimed. "PLEASE DON'T!" Shichita's wife pleaded, but they fell on deaf ears. The audience could do nothing, but watch. Meanwhile, a figure was approaching the canyon on horseback.
"READY MEN! TAKE AIM!" Lieutenant Gabriel commanded. The soldiers took their rifles and aimed them at Shichita. "NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!" his wife yelled in despair. "I can't watch!" Lolita exclaimed as she lowered her head and covered her eyes. "FIRE!" Gabriel ordered the killing shots. Shots were fired, but it was aimed at the rifles, knocking them out of the soldier's hands.
"WHO DID THAT?!" demanded Commander Raymond as he and everyone else looked up to the top of the cliff to see the source of the gunshots. There, on a pure white stallion rearing its strong body was a young man wearing a black cape, hat, pants, and boots with a white shirt with black vest, covering his face and most of his hair, which was pulled into a small dark blonde ponytail, was a black bandana mask. "WHO THE DEVIL ARE YOU?!" Gabriel demanded.
"COMMANDER RAYMOND! YOU AND YOUR SOLDIERS HAVE TORTURED THE PEOPLE HERE TOO LONG, CLAIMING IT WAS FOR THE GOOD OF THE PEOPLE, BUT IN REALITY, IT WAS TO MERELY QUENCH YOUR GREEDY AMBITIONS AND LUST FOR POWER! IF YOU WILL NOT SUBMIT TO YOUR SINS, I WILL DELIVER YOUR PUNISHMENTS MYSELF FOR THE SAKE OF ALL THAT IS TRULY GOOD!" the mysterious man exclaimed dramatically. Then he and his horse jumped from the cliff and free Shichita with a single slash from his saber sword. "Who is that?" Lolita exclaimed fill of awe at the dashing stranger. "I am Zorro at your humble service!" he introduced himself as he took his hat off and bowed to the audience.
"Zorro!" Lolita exclaimed. "So he's Zorro!" Bernard exclaimed in admiration. "Zorro?" Gonzales stated flabbergasted. "WHAT ARE YOU STANDING AROUND FOR YOU FOOLS?! GET HIM!" Gabriel ordered. With that, the soldiers charged at him, swords and all.
No matter how hard they tried, Zorro would counter their every move. Never before, has anyone in San Tasco seen one with such superb swordsmanship, he was undefeatable. At one point, he made the solders fall over like dominoes. And for every one of the soldiers he defeated, he would leave a Z mark on them, Z for Zorro.
"NOW YOU FACE ME, ZORRO!" Gonzales exclaimed, but he startle his horse and he fell off, earning him a good laugh from the people. "Stupid animal!" he scolded the poor horse. Then Zorro jumped from his horse and confronted Gonzales. For a while, Gonzales clumsily blocked his offensive strikes, but eventually Zorro made another Z sign, making Gonzales' pant falling down, along with his body.
Soon it was only Lieutenant Gabriel left, and unlike the other soldiers, he meant business. He was more evenly matched for Zorro, but Zorro was still the better swordsman. When Zorro had the upper hand, he whistled and his horse along with one other brown one came galloping up. Shichita and his wife took the brown one and Zorro dramatically jumped onto his trusty steed. "VAMOS VIENTO!" Zorro exclaimed as he and Shichita scaled up the cliff.
"AS LONG AS THERE IS EVIL, I ZORRO WILL ALWAYS BE THERE TO STAND UP AGAINST IT!" Zorro promised as he reared his horse to leave, "ADIOS!" The soldiers were firing at him, but to no avail. While the army was wallowing in their first humiliating defeat by a rebel in ages, the townsfolk were filled to the brim with hope. Finally, there was someone who can openly stand up to the so called army.
Back at the de la Vega Manor:
"ANI!" Lolita exclaimed as she and Bernard ran to the guest room, where Ani was resting. "What?" Ani asked, feeling groggy from still being half asleep. "Where's Shichita's baby? Maria left him, in another guest room, but now we can't find him?" Lolita asked. "I don't know." Ani said as she let out a great big yawn.
"What do you mean?!" Bernard exclaimed. "He has to be here somewhere?" Lolita stated while franticly searching the room. "Maybe that wasn't a dream." Ani said to herself. "What?" Lolita asked. "I dreamt that Shichita and his wife came here and took their son, saying that someone named Zorro was going to hide them and help them escape early tomorrow morning." Ani said, collecting her marbles, "But that can't be right, because Shichita was supposed to be shot by now." Lolita and Bernard stood there shocked as they contemplated what Ani just said.
On a Random Ship at Port:
Fog covered the port as the army boarded the same ship from this morning. The soldiers stormed the ship, searching everywhere they can think of. They tore the guest rooms apart, they look at the employees to see if any of them were in disguise, the pierce the cargo to see if they were hiding inside, and raided the kitchen for food, well Gonzales did anyway.
Gabriel confronted the captain and his first mate, threatening to kill the crew if they did not tell them where the fugitives were. "Tell me, where is Shichita?" he demanded. "I would tell!" the captain stood his ground. "Sound the ship's bell." Gabriel ordered. "Why?" the captain asked. "Shichita is traveling with his baby, when the bell wakes up the baby, and the baby will cry, and that's when we'll get them." Gabriel explained. "You're wasting your time!" the captain exclaimed.
The bell was rang for about a minute, then suddenly a baby crying could be heard. The soldiers ran towards the source of the crying and barged into a guest room. There was a family with a baby there, but it was the wrong family.
Gabriel was waiting impatiently on deck when Sergeant Gonzales came up with a chicken leg in hand, but he swiftly hid it behind his back. "Lieutenant! We have searched the entire ship and there is no sign of the Shichita family!" he reported. "Blast!" Gabriel cursed under his breath. "But I do have an idea." Gonzales stated. "What that?" Gabriel asked. "Well Lieutenant, if they aren't on the ship, then that means they aren't here." he stated. "IDIOT!" Gabriel reprimanded Gonzales as he flinched.
As the Ship was Leaving:
Feeling defeated, the army let the ship go out to sea. "If they aren't on the ship, they must be somewhere nearby." Gabriel thought to himself out loud. Then he heard some fishermen shouting to each other as they sailed around the harbor in their small sailboats. Then suddenly it hit him.
At a Random Beach:
A small sailboat was hidden behind from rocks, and Shichita and his family were boarding it. Lolita and Bernard ran up to a bunch boulders on the beach and hid behind them. "Look Lolita! Shichita made it!" Bernard exclaimed, "That's great!" "Yes it is, but…" Lolita began to say. "What's the matter?" Bernard asked concerned. "Everyday more and more men like Shichita leave." Lolita explained, "Soon, there won't be anyone who will stand up to the army."
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" a familiar voice demanded. "Oh no! It's Gabriel!" Lolita exclaimed. The Shichita Family was cornered and Gabriel was approaching them with sword in hand.
Then the neigh of a horse could be heard, Gabriel looked up and saw Zorro atop his horse. Zorro jumped from the cliff and confronted Gabriel. Then in seconds, the two men crossed swords. Like before, the men were almost evenly matched, their swords clashed again and again, neither one backing down.
Zorro stumbled and fell down on the ground, but when Gabriel was just about to pierce Zorro with his saber, he rolled out of the way, tripped Gabriel, and pointed his saber in his face. "Looks like I win, Lieutenant Lucy." Zorro stated. "Lieutenant Lucy?" Gabriel stated, feeling insulted. "Well, you share the same name as the Arch Gabriel, but you have neither the character nor the looks of him I'm sure." Zorro explained with a smirk on his face, which made the lieutenant really peeved, "No, I would say you're more like the fallen angel, Lucifer, so I say Lieutenant Lucy is a perfect name for you." Lolita and Bernard tried to hold back their laughs at the statement that sounded so true.
"Anyway, might as well, give up, as long as you continue to do evil, I will always be there to fight! And as a reminder, you will bare this mark!" Zorro exclaimed as he cut a z into Gabriel or rather Lucy's jacket. The Shichitas were static they were finally free.
Back at Port:
Seeing that the lieutenant was doing the work, Gonzales decided to kick back and enjoy his chicken. "Sergeant! Look over there!" one of the soldiers said, pointing to a sailboat heading towards the open ocean. "Shichita? So that's why we couldn't find them!" Gonzales stated in surprise, then he giggled, "Little Rascals! I'm glad!"
Back at the Beach:
And so, Shichita and his family sailed to Spain for their new life, a life of freedom. And as Zorro stood on top on the cliff to watch the family sail to freedom, he was more determined than ever to defend the good people of San Tasco. No matter how hard the fight will be, Zorro will always rise up to evil to defend the good.
