-Act 1 -
-Scene 1 -
"Is that Sombra?" one of the town's people asked.
"No, it can't be. He has a mustache," another responded.
"I am a friend of the people, El Zorro," a man dressed in black with a mask spoke on horseback with his sword drawn, and caved a "z" in the wall of the cuartel.
"Zorro!" yelled the town Capitan. "I've heard of you! Outlaw! We need no more!"
Zorro looked confused under his mask, until he heard the Capitan's next words.
"Arrest him! Lancers! After him!"
Zorro put his sword away and rode off.
Diego pulled his mask down and said, "Bernardo? The Capitan did not respond happily that I was there."
Bernardo looked at him like he was stupid then made a "z" with his index finger.
"Yes, yes, I know. I'm Zorro. But he said that they need no more outlaws. Meaning there is another outlaw in this town."
Bernardo looked confused. Diego looked equal with confusion.
A woman had been watching the fox known as Zorro as he left the cuartel. Her bright red lips curved into a smile. She, as a hooded figure, walked out of the town. She walked on, to a horse that was black, except for its mane. "Blanco, hello, ol' boy," she spoke softly. She put her hood down and revealed a black mask and her hair wrapped up in a black bandana. She mounted Blanco and rode down to a valley. She dismounted and looked around to see that she wasn't followed. She walked straight into the bushes, pulling the reins of Blanco with her. She entered a cave. She pulled the saddle off Blanco and took his reins off, setting them on the table next to the saddle.
"Blanco, stay here my friend. Drink up," she said as she poured a bucket full of cool water into the trough. She took off one of her black gloves and dipped her hand in the water. She pulled back her bandana with her dry hand and put her damp hand on her forehead. "Blanco, we are making too much of a fuss going into town."
Blanco raised his head and then lowered, blowing air out of his nostrils.
She smirked at him. "Why us, huh?" she asked as she took off her mask and cape. She wiped her bright red lipstick off on a cloth then washed the cloth.
"Because you have the skills and the cunning to do it, Princess," came another female into the small cave.
"Elena, please, I asked you not to call me that or your majesty or any of that," the woman in black spoke.
"Miss Anna, then?" Elena asked.
"No, just Anna," said the woman in black, Anna.
"But you are the King's daughter, Anna, and I? I am a peasant whom you wished to help you."
"Don't think of yourself that way! I love you like you are my own sister."
Elena smiled.
"Bernardo?" Diego said as his manservant came rushing in to his room. "What is it?"
Bernardo motioned that Zorro had a job to do by drawing a "z" in the air.
"I see," Diego said. "Let's go," he said as he headed to the cave where Tornado was kept.
Bernardo smiled as he followed Diego.
"Miss! I mean, Anna! Trouble brews!"
Anna's eyes widened. "So soon?" she asked as she got on her cape and her bandana on.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Anna put on her mask and grabbed a tube of bright red lipstick. "Now, we have fun Señor Zorro, much."
"You think he will be there?"
"He said he was a friend of the people. He will be there."
Elena smiled after Anna left.
Zorro rode in silently, dismounted, and hid in the shadows.
Sombra stood already in the town, her hat and mask acting like camouflage. She stood in one of the shadows. Zorro didn't even notice her as he knelt right next to her hiding in the darkness. She smirked when he smiled that no one was around. He stood and left the spot. Just as he was leaving, he heard a snicker trying to be held in. He turned back and found that there was a woman in the shadows he was just standing next to.
"Señorita? What are you doing here? There is danger; I must ask you to leave," he said.
"Oh God, Zorro. Don't give me the bravado act. I am the outlaw in this town and in a few others." She stood.
"You? A mere lady? Forgive me," he laughed. "But I do not think you would have the skills to do this job." He folded his arms over his chest.
"And you? Who do you think you are to be coming into this town and be Señor Hero?" Glaring at him, she also folded her arms over her chest and frowned. A few seconds later, she dropped her hand to her hilt and pulled her sword halfway out of its sheath. "I want to test this Zorro for all he's worth," she said and smirked and she shrank down ready for anything.
Zorro smirked as well. He drew his sword. "I will go easy on you… miss?"
"The name is Sombra. And don't." She drew fast and brought it down at him. He just pulled his sword in time to stop from getting hurt. He had knelt to the ground and leaned back from the force of her attack. She laughed at his shocked face.
"My God, Woman!" he yelled.
She stepped back as he stood and regained his footing. "Shall we continue?" she shrugged.
Zorro nodded. He stood in his fighting stance as she laughed again.
She struck and the steel clanged – over and over again. Sombra was very good with a blade. She made him fear that he would not be able to beat her. She was advancing. He was using his full force on her. She almost beat him but he got her sword away from her. It was like she dropped it on purpose. Her hands grabbed his wrists. He couldn't get his hands out of hers. He grit his teeth trying to add more pressure in getting his hands back from her, he turned his hand and his sword cut her cheek along with some of her mask, but it was not enough to make it fall or reveal her face more than she wanted. He gasped and dropped his sword. She let go of one of his wrists and felt her cheek and looked at her hand. She frowned as she saw liquid on her black gloves. Zorro took this opportunity to grab her wrist that still held his and his other hand grabbed hers and he brought them together.
"You are a dangerous woman. Any man would be lucky to have you and your fire," he complimented as he tied her wrists together.
"Are you proposing?" She smirked, her red lips luring him for a kiss.
He chuckled. "If I was, would you say yes?"
"I'm not into the hero act," she spoke and grabbed his bandas. And with her other hand, a dagger just lower than his bandas. She chucked this time when she saw his eyes widen in terror. "Now, who are you?"
He tried to talk but no words would come out.
She pushed on the dagger a little to prove her point. "If we are to be wed then we should know who the other is," she joked and a smile tugged on her red lips.
He opened his mouth again. But the same thing happened – he couldn't speak.
"Don't make me change your gender."
He looked at her bright red lips and then down at her tied hands still holding his bandas.
She laughed. "Come here. I need to tell you something."
He leaned his head in.
"A little more," she smiled.
He did as he was told, and she kissed him – deep and full. It made a tingle on his lips as well as hers. She pulled her head back slowly and smirked. Her smirk faded. She saw a look of genuine fear on his face. He looked right into her forest green eyes, not pulling away. Her face filled with worry. "Zorro? Are you alright?" she asked.
"You scared me. Once in my life, so far, I was truly scared. By the most beautiful woman."
She smiled. She dropped the dagger and pulled on his bandas to make him come towards her, and she kissed him again. "How can you tell if I'm beautiful? I could be an ugly old hag under this."
He smiled. "It's in your eyes."
She blushed a shade of cherry. Then she looked at him seriously, and spoke, "Please, tell me who you are."
"That I cannot tell you. But please let me help with the wound I made on your cheek," he said. She had forgotten about it. It was bleeding down her cheek like bloody tears.
"Alright, then you can tell me. Or I'll get it out of you," she smiled.
He smirked. "It would help if you let go of my bandas."
"Aw, my hands are comfy here," she joked and went lower than his bandas and her hand followed his thigh. His eyes widened, and he gulped. Then she came back up and pulled her hands back, smirking.
He knelt down and picked up the dagger. Suddenly, Sombra felt defensive. He cut her free from the ropes he tied her with. He grabbed her upper arm. She planted her feet. "Where are you taking me?"
"I do not have the means to treat your cut," he spoke.
"Pick up your sword, baboso," she laughed and went over to hers. He picked up his. She used her feet to flip it up to her hand and put it in its sheath. When she walked back over to him, she stomped her foot to the ground, on the blade of her dagger, and it came up to her. He looked impressed.
"Tell me, Señor Zorro, where is your horse?"
He whistled and pointed his index finger back, indicating behind him and a black horse came out. "Right there. And yours?"
She chuckled. "Your whistle is so loud." She whistled but he did not hear anything come past her lips. He heard a clop behind him. "Mine is right behind you." Then she bit her lip, and Blanco nipped at Zorro's hat. Sombra giggled.
Zorro looked a little annoyed, but he laughed in the end. "Shall we?" he asked as he held out his hand and helped her up on her horse.
"We shall," she said and rode off before he mounted his black horse.
"Oh goody, a chase," he said and laughed. He mounted Tornado and rode out after her.
He caught up to her and yelled, "Follow me," as he rode ahead. Sombra raised a brow.
She rode along side him and shouted, "How did this start in a fight and end in 'oh-let-me-help-you'?" she smiled.
He laughed. "I'll tell you. But you must trust me."
"Trust you? I don't even know…" she realized what he said, and she stopped talking.
He laughed again at her expression.
She looked at him. "Alright. I trust you."
He looked at her shocked. 'She trusts me. Or she wants to know who I am.'
-Scene 2 -
Zorro slowed down and pulled off near trees and went through them. Sombra followed. When she got in she saw he had already dismounted and walked over to a near table were there was a cloth, and he wet it. She dismounted Blanco and as she turned around, Zorro was right in front of her. "You are going to have to take off the mask."
"First you show me who you are. We can be allies," she said and smiled. Inside she was nervous about how the Señor would react to her being the Daughter of the King of Spain.
Zorro regretting pulled his mask down. "My name is Don Diego de la Vega."
Sombra was shocked. "Diego? As in the son of Don Alejandro de la Vega?"
"Si. You know my father?"
She was about to answer when both of them heard footsteps. Both looked over to the hallway in the cave. "Don't worry. That'll be…" He looked at who came out.
"Elena?" Sombra questioned with her voice as well as her eyes.
"Bernardo?"
"Miss! You're hurt!" Elena shouted and ran to Sombra.
"Yeah, you're suppose to help me with that, Diego," she said and smirked as her blood dripped to the floor from her chin.
"Oh, yes," he said. "You need to take off your mask, Señorita."
Sombra looked nervously at Elena. She sighed and reached for her mask. Diego stopped her. "Why do you look so nervous?"
"Because I am Anna," she sighed again as she pulled down her mask, "The Daughter of the King of Spain."
Diego's eyes grew to enormous proportions. He blinked a few times. "Anna?" he asked, and she nodded. "I cut the beautiful Anna's face?"
"It wasn't your fault," she said.
"Yes, Señorita, it was," he said.
"No, it wasn't, and stop it!" Anna yelled. "I hate it when people say it was their fault even though it was my own. And I was the one who challenged you."
Diego looked at her and saw the blood on her cheek. He used his left hand to cup her right cheek and dabbed her wound. "My apologies."
She winced.
Elena looked at Diego's face and saw his lips looked reddened. She smiled and walked over to Bernardo. "It worked."
"What worked?" Anna turned her head to look at Elena. Then she looked at both Elena and Bernardo and knew what happened. "You two set us up, didn't you? That's why no one was there."
Diego looked at Bernardo. Both of them looked guilty.
"Well, you two kissed," Elena said and bowed her head in apology.
Diego and Anna looked at each other and both blushed a little. Diego continued to clean her cheek and found it was only a little cut. It had stopped bleeding. He walked over to a bowl of water and cleaned the cloth. Anna licked her lips and rubbed them together. Then she walked over to Diego and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He dropped the cloth in the bowl and looked back and her as she went and sat next to Blanco. She untied her mask and leaned her hat into her face and snickered.
Elena looked at Bernardo, then motioned to go back into the house by cocking her head to the side, and they left.
"Why are you laughing?" he asked.
She broke out into laughter and her hat fell into her lap. She dug into her bandas and found a mirror. She stood and went over to him and showed him the mirror. He looked in the mirror and on his cheek was a red kiss mark. He laughed.
"So tell me. Are you really a boring poet and song writer?" she giggled.
"I see you've heard of me," Diego said and then realized what exactly she said. He took his hat and bandana off. He turned around to look at her. "Boring?"
She laughed. "From what I hear from your father. He seems so disappointed in you. So, I'm guessing that he doesn't know."
"He was disappointed in me and he did not know. Until he basically dragged it out of me. He put a sword to my chin."
"I see," she discarded her bandana and her straight light brown hair was up so it did not get in her way. She took off her cape. And unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt. "Why is it that you were the only one who made me work up a sweat when I fought you?" she laughed.
He smiled. He took of his cape and took his sword out of his bandas. And washed the kiss mark off his cheek.
"Aw, I thought you would keep that there," Anna cutely pouted.
Diego chuckled, "Then it would be harder to wash off."
"Exactly," she laughed.
He walked over to her, and when he did she pulled on his bandas again and kissed him. He pulled away from her kiss. "Is that what you always do when you kiss someone? By pulling on their bandas?"
"Nope. Just for you," she said and pulled on his bandas again and with her other hand pulled his head toward her and their lips made contact again.
"You know what I remember?" Diego said after they ended the kiss.
"What's that?"
"You called me a baboso."
Anna laughed. "Sadly, I must go."
"No, please stay a while longer," he plead.
"I mustn't," she said and put her cape, bandana, and mask on.
Diego picked up her hat. "At least let me escort you."
She laughed, "I do not need an escort." She took her hat from his hands. She winced a little, turning as she did to not let Diego see. She put on her hat.
"But would like to," he insisted.
"Zorro, do you think that I can take care of myself?" she said as she mounted Blanco.
"You know I do."
"Then stop trying to do it for me," she said and laughed. She rode out of the cave a painful expression on her face.
Diego sighed. "She's right." He went over to the bowl with the cloth halfway in it and cleaned it and the bowl. He was thinking about her expression when she left the cave. It looked hurt and pained. Right after she made another joke. 'She worries me.' He headed for Tornado then stopped. 'She doesn't need my help. She'll be fine.' Just as he convinced himself and walked over to hall out of the cave, he heard clopping behind him and Blanco was nibbling at his sleeve.
"What is it, boy?"
Blanco trotted over to the entrance and went back to Diego and then to the entrance again.
He put on his mask and hat. "Show me where she is," he said and mounted Blanco. Blanco rode out of the cave fast. Zorro could barely hang on. He grabbed the reins to try and slow Blanco down the horse did not comply. In fact, he went faster. Zorro rode Blanco when he got the rhythm. The ride didn't take long at the speed they were going. Blanco slowed down to a stop. Zorro dismounted. "Well?" Blanco walked forward to the bush that was right in front of them. It was overly shadowed. Blanco nipped at the bush and looked at Zorro. "You brought me here so I could see what you are eating?" Blanco nipped at the bush and then grabbed a big branch of it and pulled illuminating Sombra on the ground unconscious. "My god," he spoke and ran over to her. "So this is why you brought me here." He looked at her left hip – it was damp and tainted red. He picked her up bridal style and walked over to Blanco.
"Bernardo!" Zorro yelled up the cave hallway. He stopped and took off Sombra's cape to make her easier to carry up the stairs. Then he carried her into the hall and up the stairs. Bernardo opened the secret passage to Diego's room. Zorro walked through and placed Sombra gently on his bed.
"Where is Elena?" Zorro asked.
Bernardo looked at him, acted like he was riding a horse. Then he put his fingertips together in a ninety-degree angle.
"She rode home?" Zorro computed. He took off Sombra's hat and mask.
Bernardo nodded.
"Go get me some medical supplies," Zorro said as he undone her bandas. When Zorro looked at it more closely he saw some holes in it. He set down the bandas and pulled her shirt out of her pants and slowly pushed it up to see her stomach. Under the waistband, on her left hip was a welt and a gash that was bleeding. Bernardo set the supplies next to Zorro and Zorro started cleaning her terrible wound. She straightened as he touched the wound and her eyebrows came together showing excruciating pain. He looked apologetic but he had to treat it incase of infection.
He wrapped bandages around her hip, being careful as he did so, he did not reveal anything she did not want to be seen. When he finished, he found another black bandas and wrapped it around her, throwing the other in the fire. He took off her boots and gently placed her under the covers of his bed. He sat on the other side of the bed. He felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw she was awake. She tried to sit up but Zorro pushed her chest back down, "You do not want to aggravate the wound, do you?"
"So, you found out about that," she said. "Wait a minute, where am I?"
Zorro chuckled. "I had to clean your wound. And you are in Diego's room." Zorro smiled at her softly.
"You did? Why, you do too much for me, Señor Zorro," she smiled.
"I can not do much for you any longer. I need to go back to Los Angeles. My father sent for me," Zorro said to her he took his hat off and set it on the bed.
"Aw, that's a shame. I thought we would have fun and make more trouble if we worked together."
He smiled as he untied his mask and put it on top of his hat. "That would have been fun, but my father said that they need Zorro back. A new Commandante has been appointed and–"
"Zorro must ride," Anna finished.
"You would be welcome to come with," he said.
Her eyes drooped and blinked closed.
"Good, you need the sleep," Diego said. "Bernardo will stay with you to see no one comes in and you get what you need."
"Gracias, Zorro," she said and then her breathing slowed and she was peacefully sleeping.
Diego changed into his outfit for the day. He turned to Bernardo and whispered, "Bernardo, would you please get some wine?"
He nodded and left the room.
Diego sat on the bed and then laid his head down at the foot of the bed. He was tired after staying up the entire night. He fell asleep in seconds.
Anna woke, and slowly sat up. She smiled when she saw Diego sleeping. She softly caressed his hair with the back of her hand. Looking at the floor, she saw her mask in her hat and picked them up. She put them both on and became Sombra again. She uncovered herself and got out of the bed placing the sheets back neatly. She put her boots on. Upon hearing footsteps coming closer, Sombra ran to the balcony and jumped down and hid in the bushes.
After she saw Diego look out on the balcony, she ran till she felt she was enough from away and out of sight of Diego's room. She whistled and no noise came past her lips but Blanco came running to her. She mounted her black horse and started to ride back to her hide away.
Bernardo walked into the room with a wine bottle in his hand and looked at Diego who was asleep on the bed. Bernardo was in silent laughter. He put the wine bottle on the table. As soon as he waked over, he tapped Diego and noticed Sombra was not in the bed and his laughter stopped replacing it with worry. Diego stirred and woke.
"Sorry, Bernardo. I guess I…" Diego stopped as he looked at Bernardo's face. "What's wrong?"
Bernardo made curves with his hands in the air then put his index and middle fingers on his eyes like he was wearing a mask.
"Sombra?"
Bernardo nodded and pointed to the bed that was made.
Diego looked and he stood up and walked over to the secret passage and saw that the lantern was still on the table so she mustn't have gone that way and then he ran to the balcony and looked out, but he did not see her then he looked down to the bushes. He could not see her.
"Elena," Sombra said. "What are you doing in here?"
"ANNA! I was so worried!" Elena said groggy. She woke up as Anna trotted into the cave and spoke. "Are you alright?"
"I am now, thanks to Diego," Sombra said and dismounted, taking off her hat mask and bandana.
"Thank god," Elena hugged Anna.
"Diego's going back to Los Angeles," Anna stated.
"So no more Zorro?"
"No more Zorro."
"That's sad," Elena said.
"It is going to be a lot to ask but I want to go with him. Will you stay here? And mail or send someone to the de la Vega hacienda?" Anna looked hopeful.
Elena nodded and looked really happy then she had a sly look on her face.
"What?" Anna asked kind of scared to know.
"It worked, didn't it?" Elena said smiling her sly smile.
"I guess it did, you, devious devil, you," Anna joked.
Elena cheerfully said, "I know. Sometimes I'm surprised by my cunning."
Both laughed.
