Disclaimer: Zorro belongs to ZPI and "Symbol of Hope" was written by Carlton Hollander. Anything you recognize from the episode isn't mine. Also thanks to pamz for her fantastic Zorro transcripts which make things so much easier for fanfiction writers.
Summary: A sick boy calls for Diego's brains and Zorro's boldness.
Author's Notes: I started working on this while the Reward was stalled, so there's the possibility of some inconsistencies with the previous story, but I tried. Also Ghetto Outlaw was deployed again (and being worked very, very hard) for much of the writing of this and thus wasn't available for his usual wonderful beta work until it was mostly done, and that's part of the reason I was stalled as I couldn't do my usual brainstorming with him, but he was finally able to help smooth things out with several scenes and the ending, and I hope that somehow this story is not too bad. I'm sorry for the delay.
Hope Springs Eternal
(Symbol of Hope)
As she had been for the past several days, Victoria was in a sick room at the mission trying to coax food into Sergio, one of the orphans under Padre Benites's care.
"Come on, my angel," she prompted gently, holding the spoon to the boy's lips.
Padre Benites sat near the bed. "I've sent a messenger, but it will be at least a week before Doctor Hernandez returns from Monterey."
"And he's getting weaker by the hour," Victoria said. "I wish Diego were home. He would have some idea of what to do."
Padre Benites took the bowl and spoon and tried to coax the boy to eat. "Come, Sergio," he said. "Now you must not offend Señora de la Vega by refusing her renowned albondigas soup."
Victoria added her pleas to the padre's, as she took back the soup. "Come on, Sergio. You must eat. Come on. Just a little." She managed to get a small spoonful inside. "That's a boy."
"Señora, you have such a way with children," Padre Benites said.
"Well, how can I not? Especially with children who never had a mother nor a father," Victoria said. She herself had been effectively orphaned from the time of her mother's execution and her father's disappearance. She knew what it was like to feel alone in the world.
"You will be a very good mother to your own little ones," the father said.
"I am certainly looking forward to the chance," Victoria said, looking down. "Whenever it may be." She'd been recently disappointed to find out she wasn't expecting yet, a small disappointment to be true but still there. In a whisper, she added, "It's not for want of trying." Then blushed as she realized the padre had heard her. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
Padre Benites smiled. "No reason to be embarrassed. It's perfectly natural, especially as newly wed as you two are. When does Don Diego return?"
"This afternoon, I hope," Victoria said with a sigh. "This is the longest we've been apart since we've been married. And Diego does know a lot about medicine. He might be able to help."
"I can only pray for his swift return then," Padre Benites said.
Before Victoria could reply, they were interrupted by the sounds of gunshots outside.
"That was close," Padre Benites said, as he stood up.
Victoria went to the window, as more shots were heard. Somehow though it seemed improbable that Diego could have managed to get home and find trouble so quickly, Victoria was not surprised to see a familiar figure in black riding up in pursuit of three bandits who had run into the pueblo.
"It's Zorro," she said to the padre.
Zorro was busily using his whip to disarm the bandits, when Sergio made his way to the window. Victoria was shocked that he had managed to rise from his bed and put an arm around the boy to keep him steady.
With more animation than he had shown in some time, Sergio called out to Zorro saying he knew he would come. Zorro looked at the window for a moment before his attention got called back to the lancers who were finally running out of the cuartel. However, he was almost clear of the pueblo, while they were still fumbling with their muskets.
Sergio stared after him in a daze, saying, "It's all right. He will come back. And I will ride with him." His renewed strength didn't last much past his words, and Victoria and Padre Benites helped him back to his bed, where he lapsed into an uneasy sleep.
"Amazing," the padre said. "I would not have expected him to be able to get up much less speak."
"Yes," Victoria said, now wondering when she could expect to see Diego and wishing she could rush home to ask for his help, though she knew she could not. "It is the first sign of hope I've seen with him."
"I wonder if a personal visit from Zorro would do more," Padre Benites said. "Sometimes a bit of hope can do more than all the medicines in the world."
"It is unfortunate that Zorro isn't so easy to find nowadays," Victoria said vaguely, not wanting to give away too much. "Only when trouble like that is about, and we can't wish for more of that, can we?"
"No, but perhaps if word gets around the pueblo about Sergio, then he might make a special appearance for the boy."
"Yes, of course," Victoria said. "Though it would have to be done carefully, as I don't think our alcalde would look kindly on Zorro's appearance even for such a good deed."
"True, unfortunately, but Zorro is quite the master of the stealthy entrance, so perhaps it could be managed."
"We can only hope," Victoria said, knowing that it would both be very easy and very difficult at the same time.
~Z~Z~Z~
With Sergio sleeping it seemed best for her to return to the tavern to wait for either evening or Diego's return. Señor Calvillo was busy handling the bar while she went back to cooking, but not before she told him the story of Sergio and Zorro and asked him to spread it carefully, with a nod in the direction of the alcalde's office. She still wasn't sure this was a good idea as there was no way to control the story once it started to spread, but it was still better to muddy the waters of where Zorro could have learned about Sergio and his plight.
Victoria tried to concentrate on her cooking as she waited, though it was not the quality that she was used to; at least Alicia and Pilar were there to see that the orders got out to the right customers. She had just finished sending out some albondigas soup and was preparing to go out to the herb garden when Diego suddenly appeared.
Throwing her arms around him, she gave him a passionate kiss which he returned, lifting her off her feet.
"Oh, I am so glad you're home," she said, when he finally put her down.
"As am I," Diego replied. He looked her in the eyes. "Now tell me what's bothering you. Señor Calvillo mentioned something about a sick boy at the mission and Zorro, but I was in too much of a hurry to see you again to pay attention."
He knew her too well. "Oh, Diego, Sergio's so ill with fever that he cannot eat. And the little that he does eat, he sustains no energy, no nourishment," she said. "And Dr. Hernandez is away. Do you think you could help?"
"I can certainly try," Diego said. "But what did this have to do with Zorro?"
"Oh, that," she said. "This morning outside the mission, when he saw Zorro, he arose out of bed and spoke for the first time in two days. He thought that Zorro had come to take him for a ride."
Diego looked confused. "Why would he think that?"
"He's a young boy. They have their fantasies," she said, keeping herself from saying that they weren't different from girls except possibly in the details.
"Does Sergio still believe that Zorro will come?" Diego asked.
"That he seems determined about, though he is so ill," Victoria said.
"Well, then I'm sure he will get his wish, though first we should see about getting him better," Diego said. "Since I actually brought the carriage to town, perhaps we might see if he's well enough to travel to the hacienda. I have my books and medicines there, and it's quieter than the pueblo."
"And if a certain masked man might determine to make an appearance, it would certainly be a more secure environment for it."
"True, though I suspect we might need to keep a look out our windows for lancers for the next few days."
"Unfortunately," Victoria agreed.
"Nevertheless, that's more Zorro's worry than ours if it comes down to it," Diego said. "Now let's go talk to Padre Benites and see what we can do for Sergio."
~Z~Z~Z~
Thus it was not more than two hours later that Sergio was ensconced in a guest room at the hacienda, after they carried him carefully out the back of the chapel and into the carriage. After all, no need to let De Soto in on their movements, if he was interested in Zorro's possible interest in the matter. Victoria and Felipe watched over the boy while Diego went to pull out his copy of Lettres de Toxicologie by the French physician Orfila, a collection of the latest scientific knowledge and the cures of certain illnesses, fevers, and maladies.
Now, Victoria said the boy had a fever, but more importantly she also said he was unable to retain nourishment, so he searched for information on the combination of those symptoms. It took some time, but he finally found what he was looking for, and he had enough ingredients for medicine that could help, though it would have to be administered very regularly for it to be effective. It was fortunate then that it would be easy enough for them to take turns watching over him, so that no one would bear the brunt of the care. However, it was unfortunate that Sergio hardly seemed to have the strength to swallow.
"Perhaps if..." Victoria made a sign of a Z. "... it might help him."
"Possibly, and now is probably the best time for it," Diego said softly. Felipe sat by the bed, while Victoria and Diego left the room. She headed for the kitchen to make more broth to hopefully ease the passage of the medicine.
Just as Diego was about to open the entrance to the cave, the front door opened, and his father walked in.
"How did you leave things in the pueblo?" he asked.
"Well, enough, especially if you're thinking that Zorro might pay the child a visit this evening, as it looks like our esteemed alcalde is setting up watch around the chapel tonight under the assumption that Zorro might show up there. At least that's what I gathered from a hint dropped by Sgt. Mendoza as well as what I observed myself before I left."
"While I doubt it would do as much good as actually entering the mission, a night's vigil might prove good for our alcalde's soul."
"I would prefer it if it turned out he caught whatever illness is passing about. A little suffering might do him a world of good."
"In any event, I am glad he is staying in the pueblo as it will certainly make things easier tonight, which is the most important thing." And with that Diego opened the fireplace and disappeared through the entrance.
~Z~Z~Z~
The library was empty when Zorro slipped back through it a short time later. Felipe was sitting in a chair beside the bed. Silently, Zorro signed for him to move to a chair in the corner of the room and pretend to sleep. Felipe nodded his head as he complied.
Sitting by the boy's bedside, Zorro brought some medicine up to the boy's lips. Sergio's eyes opened, and he stared up wonderingly at the masked man.
"Zorro, you've come," Sergio choked out weakly. "I knew you would. Have you come to take me on a ride?."
"Not yet," Zorro said, quietly, "but once you're well, I promise we will. And that's why I'm here."
"Is it?"
"Yes, for you to get well you need to take the medicines Doña Victoria and Don Diego give you. They both want you to get well too."
"I will try," Sergio whispered.
"Then you will get better, and we will take that ride. I know Toronado is looking forward to it."
This time Zorro slipped out of the window, since Sergio was watching, and he didn't want him to wonder why he was walking through the hacienda. He went over the roof to get back into the library and back to the cave.
~Z~Z~Z~
It was a long night. Sergio had rallied somewhat, which was a relief. Victoria was all for putting it down to Zorro's appearance, while Diego had an equal amount of faith in the medicines he was swallowing. But all told he was exhausted by morning when he turned Sergio's care back over to Victoria. He was walking to their room when he heard a loud banging on the front door.
In no fit state for company, nevertheless he went to see who was at the door, yanking it open impatiently. De Soto nearly fell inside but caught himself.
"To what do we owe the pleasure, Alcalde?" Diego bit out.
De Soto looked taken aback for the moment. "I've come about the boy from the mission."
Ignacio De Soto showing concern for a sick child. That is too good to be true. "He's had a rough night, but we're hopeful about his recovery." Diego stood back from the door and let De Soto inside.
De Soto looked around the room suspiciously before saying, "That's not why I'm here. Has Zorro been here?"
Of course, what was I thinking? "I certainly haven't seen him," Diego responded truthfully. "And I'd be hard-pressed to say that there could have been an opportunity. All our attention has been on Sergio. Now, unless there's something else, Ignacio, I've had a long night and would like to get some sleep before it's time for me to watch over Sergio again."
"I intend to station men around the hacienda in case that bandit appears."
"Are you telling me that you intend to exploit Zorro's compassion in order to try to capture him?"
"Of course. It's best to exploit his weakness. How else am I supposed to get a chance? He's hardly been appearing of late."
Diego glared at him. "I see. And instead of focusing on doing your duties or caring about the people under your purview, you would rather hover like an angel of death over a sick child, thinking only of your own ambitions. What is wrong with you, man?" he asked, exhaustion making him finally ask the questions that had been bothering him since the moment De Soto had shown he cared nothing for the people he was going to serve and only his own ambitions. "What happened to the man I met in Madrid? You were an exceptional student, and I remember how you looked after some of the weaker students. There was one... the one they called your little shadow... what was his name?"
"Silvio," De Soto bit out through a nasty glare.
Oh, yes, Diego recalled a bit better now. He had been put through the university by an anonymous patron who was helping him into a career in the military, though everyone figured it was the man's unknown but most likely aristocratic father, salving his conscience by giving him that much assistance, though not the connections or even a name of known to truly get him ahead. Other students, more prestigious students, had not been kind, but Diego had been impressed with how De Soto had protected him, though he had his own struggles for acceptance.
"What happened to him?" Diego asked.
"He died," De Soto said, his voice strangely even, though his glare was even angrier if possible.
"What happened?" Diego asked again in a much gentler tone.
De Soto glare burned into him for a long moment before he finally said, "He showed compassion at the wrong moment and died for it." He turned to the side pacing into the salon. "He should have been a priest not a soldier and especially not an officer. But it wasn't as if he had been given a choice in the matter. His father, whoever he might have been, insisted on that career. Always the men in power doing what they will and the rest of us struggling to deal with the consequences."
"I'm sure you did your best for him," Diego said.
"It wasn't enough!" De Soto snapped. "I was his sergeant, but there's only so much I could do in the heat of battle." He went quiet for a moment and then shrugged as if it didn't matter. "He died; I avenged him. For that I got a field promotion and learned a valuable lesson about ruthlessness."
"I hardly think that was the only lesson," Diego said. "But I imagine it was painful to contemplate the others. However, that does not mean you had to embrace ruthlessness and self interest to the exclusion of your better nature."
"What better nature?" De Soto grumbled. "De la Vega, I have no time for your foolishness."
Diego smiled without humor. "I think you have a good deal of time. More than you like, if you are grasping at straws this way. After all, if your goal is to truly return to Madrid, there are other ways than by capturing Zorro. My father as well as some of the other caballeros do still have connections of importance in Spain, and if they felt you were carrying out your duties with fairness and compassion, they might help you achieve your ends."
De Soto looked at Diego suspiciously. "What is it you're saying, de la Vega?"
"You know what I'm saying," Diego said. "There's a sick boy who for some reason looks to Zorro as his hero, enough to give him strength during a dire illness. Regardless of what you or I may think of it, should you not err on the side of compassion here? If Zorro can help the boy recover, let him. You can always chase him again when he's actually doing something worthy of being chased."
Cocking an eyebrow at him, De Soto said, "Regardless of what we think? It sounds as if you have some difficulty with Zorro."
Diego sighed and spoke carefully. "Not with Zorro, per se, but I'm puzzled at why anybody would want to be him. Alone, hunted, no friends, no family, unable to be part of a community, unable to ever unmask. It's hardly glamorous."
De Soto cracked a slight smile. "No, but a boy would only see a man with a sword and a magnificent horse able to ride where he wills and fight bandits or injustice or whatever it is that simple people think that Zorro does. Even hating him as I do, I can understand that. You really are too peace-loving for words," De Soto said, but there was no heat left in his words.
"Perhaps I am," Diego said. "But I don't think it's that bad of a thing."
"You wouldn't," De Soto said, then straightened his shoulders. "You say that your father might be willing to help me to a promotion."
Diego hadn't exactly said that, but he had certainly implied something along those lines. "He might. He has friends in Monterey and in Madrid; there's always someone who knows someone who needs help filling a position of trust. But my father has a very firm sense of justice, and he would need to feel that he is recommending the right man for the right position, and right now, he doesn't particular trust you to live up to your potential."
De Soto's eyes narrowed. "I see." He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. "I'm going to leave a couple of men here in case someone might think to use the boy against Zorro. After all, I'm not the only one who heard the story, and as long as Zorro doesn't cause any trouble, I won't prevent him from helping the boy. Just warn him, if you see him, to not take advantage of my generosity."
Taken aback, though he had been trying to lead De Soto in that direction and not entirely sure what had inspired De Soto nor if he could actually trust his words, Diego replied, "I would not think of it. Thank you, Ignacio."
"Don't mention it," De Soto said clearly meaning it. "Now I need to return to my duties. The pueblo will not run itself."
"No, it certainly will not," Diego said, opening the door for De Soto to leave.
For several long moments after the door closed behind the alcalde, Diego stood there perfectly bemused, wondering if he had dreamed this encounter with De Soto. Exhaustion could do strange things to a man, but he hoped not that strange. Though what he really wanted to do was crawl into bed, he knew he needed to tell Victoria, who was the one currently sitting with Sergio what had happened and let her tell his father when he got up.
Victoria listened in silence as Diego told of De Soto's visit. "Do you believe him?" she asked, skepticism ripe in her voice.
"I would like to," Diego said, "but..."
"Exactly," she said. "We've been burned before." Then she shrugged. "It won't matter for today anyway; I'm sure Zorro won't be visiting until Sergio's well enough for a ride. You should get some sleep now."
Too tired to do more, Diego kissed Victoria's cheek before leaving the room to go crawl into his own bed for a few hours sleep.
~Z~Z~Z~
Sergio's health continued to improve during the day thanks to the medicine and possibly Don Alejandro's stories of Zorro that he told during lunch time when Sergio was most wakeful. Diego tried not to feel embarrassed as he brought in the boy's medicine at the tail end of Don Alejandro's telling the story of Dr. Henry Wayne and the traps he'd made for the alcalde and how Zorro had thwarted them.
Once Sergio was asleep again, the de la Vegas gathered to discuss De Soto's visit and his apparent backing down over the notion of using a sick child as bait.
"What do you think of that?" Victoria asked Don Alejandro.
"Not much more than either of you. Can we trust him? Does it even matter if we do?"
"In one sense it does," Diego said, "as Zorro has promised to give Sergio a ride on Toronado once he's well enough, and I know the Fox would not want to endanger the boy unnecessarily."
"Perhaps then he should visit this evening," Don Alejandro said. "See what happens. Sergio's out of immediate danger. He doesn't need constant watching. I can check on him through the night. And I trust that Zorro can outfight and outrun any pursuit, if the worst happens."
Diego said nothing for the moment but looked at Victoria who said, "Sergio has asked for Zorro. I think it might be a good idea for him to visit and encourage him."
"You both have a good point," Diego said. "Now it all depends on what happens, though I imagine that Zorro will not be going out of his way to be seen until after his visit."
"No need to make it easy for anyone," Victoria said.
"Precisely," Don Alejandro said, "and it never is."
Indefinably uncomfortable, Diego gave a nod and went back to preparing Sergio's next dose of medicine. This was one that would not make him sleepy, so he would be likely still be awake in an hour's time.
~Z~Z~Z~
Considering the possible interested parties outside of the hacienda, Diego decided it was best to take out Toronado and ride around the long way to get to the hacienda. Hopefully all would go well and he'd be able to visit Sergio and leave without detection, but if not he would be giving the lancers a target to chase that would lead away from the hacienda and the cave.
Toronado seemed to relish the night run. There was a freedom even if there was a danger in the dark. Nevertheless things did actually go to plan and soon Zorro was climbing into the window of Sergio's room, where the boy was currently alone
"Zorro!" he exclaimed. "You've returned."
"Yes, my young friend. I had heard that you were doing better and came to see for myself."
Sergio struggled to sit up.
"Zorro, will you take me with you?" Sergio asked. "I don't take much room, and I'm a hard worker..." He coughed violently. "When I'm well that is. I'd be the best helper."
Zorro took a deep breath and tried to find the right (gentle) words. "Mine is a very solitary life. All I have is a cave to call home and a mask to hide behind. And someone with your courage and bravery should not have to hide as I do."
Sergio looked puzzled. "But you're the bravest man in the world," he exclaimed.
Zorro smiled a little sadly. "If I was I wouldn't need a mask. There are many forms of courage. The courage to persevere under difficulties, to protect the weak, to do what is right especially when it is difficult."
"How can I be brave?"
"You already are," he said. "You fight against your illness; you want to stand and fight against oppression. You can be a source of strength at the orphanage, to help the other children when they are struggling. Protect them as best you can when you can."
"That's not much."
"It's more than you think. I ride in, save the day, and then disappear back into my cave. You get to be there for the people you care about all the time. Sometimes, that is enough."
Sergio looked thoughtful for a moment. He didn't look totally convinced but swallowed hard, straightened himself as best he could, and put on a determined expression. "I'll be brave. I promise."
Zorro smiled warmly, heartened by the boy's words. "And I'll hold you to it. And when you're finally well enough, I'll keep my promise."
Sergio's face seemed to light up at the assurance that he would get his ride with Zorro. "I'll be ready soon. I'm getting better every day."
"Well, you're in very good care."
Zorro stayed by Sergio's side as he settled back into bed. It was not long before the boy was asleep and Zorro was silently making his way back to the window. Before he vanished into the dark, he took one last look back. Being Zorro had been costly, and he had spent so much time questioning if it was all worth it but seeing Sergio recover buoyed his confidence and made him wonder who was actually giving hope to the other.
Now outside, Zorro could give some consideration to De Soto's lancers, who had caused no disturbances and whose presence he could have missed entirely if he were a more careless type. Curiosity made him seek them out, and it took barely a moment to spot Corporal Sepulveda and Private Sanchez, leaning against the outside wall of the hacienda, talking casually.
"Sepulveda, what are we really doing here?" Sanchez was asking as Zorro got into hearing range.
"I don't know," Sepulveda said. "First we're looking for Zorro. Now we're looking for trouble that's not Zorro."
"Maybe the alcalde is punishing us again."
"But for what? He didn't say we were being punished. He's usually very clear about that."
"You haven't taken any more blackberries again, have you?"
"No," Sepulveda said. "There haven't been any, and you know it."
There was silence for a long moment, then Sanchez said, "Maybe he's feeling guilty or maybe Don Alejandro intimidated him. You know he doesn't like looking weak."
"And he doesn't apologize— or share," Sepulveda said. "So we get stuck here because he's pretending that this was his idea all along, hmm?"
"Sounds right," Sanchez said. "But that means no one is going to care if we take turns sleeping."
"True," Sepulveda said, "and since I'm the ranking officer, I get to sleep first. Wake me if anything happens."
Sanchez grumbled, but Zorro was moving away at that point, and it no longer mattered.
So De Soto was apparently sincere in his declaration about leaving Zorro alone when it came to visiting Sergio. Curious. He never ceased to astonish, for good or for ill. Perhaps, just perhaps, there was hope for the man yet.
~Z~Z~Z~
Diego did a final check on Sergio before retiring to his and Victoria's room. Though it was still early, Victoria was already asleep, not that he was surprised as she had spent much of the day looking after their charge, and she had not had much sleep the day before either. But as he settled into the bed she opened her eyes and spoke sleepily.
"Is everything well?" she asked.
"As well as can be expected," Diego said. "Zorro paid a brief visit undisturbed by any lancers, though Sepulveda and Sanchez were at the wall, watching for whatever they were watching for."
"You mean, they weren't after Zorro?"
"Apparently not, though I don't think they even knew what they were supposed to be doing there."
"I certainly don't," Victoria said. "Our alcalde makes no sense."
"I'm sure he would agree with you if he ever managed to try to understand himself," Diego said. "Suffice it to say, I think we can have an easy night's sleep provided Sergio's health continues to improve."
"When do you think he will be well enough to... re— ride with Zorro?" Victoria asked.
"I think in a couple of days," Diego said. "Zorro could give him a short ride once he's out of bed." He didn't let on that he suspected she had started to ask about Sergio returning to the orphanage. He knew that she was reluctant to let him go back, and he understood why, yet theirs was a house full of secrets, secrets they did not need yet another person privy to. And deep down, Sergio's hero worship of Zorro made him feel ill at ease. The boy seemed to see him as more than human, and however selfish it made him, that was an added pressure he did not want.
No, it would not be possible to take Sergio into their home, but perhaps to make Victoria happy, it might behoove them to look for a family that could give Sergio a proper home, one without the complexities of the De la Vega hacienda, one where he'd be appreciated. Still, Diego hoped rather than believed they could make that happen. It was difficult enough for all the children in the orphanage to find homes. In the end, he knew that all the children were cared for as best they could be and were not in danger of the abuses he had heard of in other orphanages.
"That would do wonders to encourage his recovery," Victoria said, before adding with a certain amount of forced cheerfulness, "and something to tell his friends when he goes home."
"I suppose so," Diego said.
Victoria's eyes opened a bit and she rolled over so that she could look at him. "Why do you say that?" she asked. "Zorro has always been a hero. It can't really surprise you."
Diego sighed. Sometimes his wife saw too much. "I don't know, to be honest. Maybe it wouldn't have really bothered me in the beginning. It was all a bit of a game then. Not that I didn't take it seriously, but..."
"You weren't too worried about the long term consequences," Victoria finished for him.
"I never imagined there would be a long term. And the wear of having to hide so much from the people I loved, to make you think less of me." Diego was quiet for a moment. "Well, it was a little amusing, the secret, but then there would be times when I would feel the full burden of the disguise, and it wasn't so funny." He rested his hand lovingly against the side of her face. "When you found out that took away a tremendous weight and yet..."
"Added another. It's never going to be easy, even sharing the burden, but we will carry it together."
"I know," Diego said. "It's just that now I mostly see the frustrations of being Zorro, not whatever those who admire him think he is or represents."
"Oh, Diego, I think you know well enough; it's just that to you it has become such a small part of Zorro that you don't want to think about it any more." She was quiet for a moment and then smiled slightly. "Or perhaps you don't want to think about it when you're not wearing the mask."
"What do you mean?" Diego asked startled.
"Oh, I think you know what I mean. When you're Zorro, you have excitement, danger, action. You're free to behave in a way you would never act without the mask. That's not something you can really hate. Not really, or Zorro would never have been quite the... dashing and disarming figure he appears to be."
Diego smiled back at her. "You have a point," he said. "I can't say that I've hated being Zorro over the years." He caressed her face. "Though being your husband certainly is more enjoyable."
"Yes," Victoria said, leaning in to give him a light kiss. "If only we could do something about it."
Diego sighed. While it was unlikely, they might be disturbed at any moment, and he really didn't want to risk that unsatisfying eventuality. Besides, he knew that Victoria was tired and needed her rest.
"Soon," he said, with a soft kiss to her forehead. "Until then I suggest we try getting some sleep. There will be time for more pleasant things later."
~Z~Z~Z~
By the next day, Sergio was wanting to leave his bed, and while he was not allowed to go far, he was clearly feeling much better. And after seeing how well he was doing, in the evening they decided that they'd wait just one more day and then it would be time for Zorro to give him his ride.
Also, after being fed breakfast by Maria, the two lancers who'd spent their time outside the gate returned to the pueblo and were not replaced by any other watchers. Don Alejandro suspected that De Soto had done just enough to try to save face without really fooling anybody, while Diego was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, he had been the one to speak with the alcalde, and he was sure that De Soto had not meant to say as much as he had said.
On the day that Sergio was going outside, Diego contrived an excuse to be away, not that Sergio seemed overly interested, especially with Victoria mothering him. She and Don Alejandro had brought Sergio into the garden when Zorro came riding up on Toronado.
"Good morning," Zorro said, dismounting. "I heard that you were doing better and thought today would be a good day for a visit."
"Do I get a chance to ride with you?" Sergio asked
"Of course, I always keep my promises," Zorro replied, helping the boy onto Toronado. "Now what do you say that we go explore the countryside a little?"
Sergio agreed enthusiastically. He was excited to be riding Zorro's famous horse with him.
"Is it true that you're the greatest tracker in the world?" Sergio asked.
"I wouldn't say that," Zorro replied. "I've met at least one better. And where there's one, well..." Zorro shook his head a bit, and then said, "How about I show you some of the basics and perhaps you too will become a better tracker." He had no intentions of keeping Sergio out too long, and this would be a rather mild exercise.
So Zorro took the opportunity to show him some rudimentary tracking signs, things to look for. They'd ridden out to a more isolated area, and thus Zorro was surprised when he spotted the signs of a number of horses having passed by on the rather dry track of road.
As he was looking at the ground, Sergio pointed out a thin plume of smoke in the distance. "What kind of fire is that?" he asked.
Zorro stared at it. "I'd say campfire," he said. "Definitely controlled. But it is rather off the beaten track." He was curious. It could just be some travelers or possibly vaqueros (sometimes they had to go further afield to track down errant cattle). Curiosity made him want to check it out but with Sergio with him it seemed too much of a risk just for curiosity.
But there was now something more than curiosity suddenly edging up his spine. He wasn't sure what it was. Looking around with apparent casualness, he caught sight of a flash of light off glass at the top of a slope to the front and side of where the plume of smoke was rising. A good lookout position. Not necessarily too suspicious, but there was something else. What was it?
Oh, yes. The bird calls. He had heard two and now a third, and they weren't right. From different directions. Definitely signals of some kind, and this area would be a good place for an ambush. Plenty of places for men to hide along with horses. Could De Soto be laying a trap?
No, that made no sense. He could have no idea what direction Zorro would be taking this morning or even that he would be riding out at all, and the bird signals weren't really something De Soto was known for. So who was out here, and what or who were they looking for?
It was then he heard the horses coming from the opposite direction, quite a number from the sound of it, faint though it was. Perhaps this was the answer to the question. Helping Sergio back onto Toronado, he turned back in the direction that they'd come from. He could hear bird calls from them, but no action as he walked Toronado out of sight of the one lookout he had spotted.
Once cleared, he put one arm firmly around Sergio and urged Toronado forward in order to check on the on coming horses. Something wasn't right, and he still had his passenger to worry about. He worked his way up another hill, one with a few trees to give him a bit of cover, and looked out to see De Soto and a number of lancers riding in a hurry in the direction of the plume of smoke.
Something was most definitely wrong, and despite his earlier reservations, Zorro felt he had to investigate what was going on. De Soto usually didn't head out with his men unless he felt there was something important, and Zorro needed to be sure that no innocents were in danger.
He didn't like that he needed to take Sergio with him, but he couldn't be sure if there was anything to be concerned about, and he needed to be sure that Sergio was close at hand if they needed to flee.
"What's going on?" Sergio asked.
"I'm not sure," he replied. "But I think we'd better see what is going on. However, I am going to need you to keep quiet and do exactly what I tell you."
"Of course," the boy said. "Whatever you say."
Maneuvering himself to a position close enough to speak but far enough to escape if necessary, Zorro called out to the approaching group, "Alcalde, what brings you out this fine morning?"
Startled, De Soto brought his horse to an abrupt stop before signaling his men as well. He took a moment to notice Zorro's passenger. "Zorro," he called back, "I have more important things to do than deal with your foolishness today. I suggest you take that boy back to wherever you took him from. There are criminals in these hills, and I'm going to capture them."
"Alcalde, I think whoever you're after, they're well aware that you're coming, or at the very least on the lookout for you."
"I think my men are well equipped to deal with a few bandits," De Soto said. "Now just go. As well trained as my men are, this could turn ugly, and battle is no place for a boy. Get him out of here before I arrest you for endangering him."
As well trained as your men are, battle is no place for them either, Zorro thought, but he knew that arguing with De Soto generally was a fruitless effort. He gave a cheeky salute and turned around and headed away.
"You're not running away, are you, Zorro?" Sergio asked.
"No," Zorro said. "But I'm going to have to find another way to be sure nothing goes wrong here."
Zorro headed Toronado in the direction of the smoke, not feeling that this was ideal but the best he could do under the circumstances. It was slower going than usual, but he was ahead of the lancers, and he soon found a spot that he felt he could leave Sergio safely out of sight for the moment.
"Stay here," he said. "If worse comes to worst, follow that path down the hill and keep going straight. You should reach the de la Vegas' quickly enough to summon some more help if needed." Actually, he knew it would take too long, but it would get Sergio away from the trouble, or at least he hoped it would. Of all his current options this seemed the best.
"I don't want to leave you," Sergio said.
"Sometimes the brave thing is knowing when to follow orders," Zorro said. "And this may be nothing to worry about, but I'm not taking any chances, and I need you to be ready to do what I say. All right?"
"All right," Sergio replied with a frown, as he reluctantly sat down in the shelter of the small outcropping.
Even with his insistence, Zorro was not certain that Sergio would stay, but for now he would have to have faith that the boy would do what he was told because it was Zorro who told him to.
Now the next question was what to do. He suspected an ambush laid for the lancers, who would be there soon, and if so he needed to disrupt that and quickly. This called for a distraction. Now what had he packed on Toronado? He hadn't expected much of an adventure with Sergio, just a ride with perhaps a stop for tracking, but wait, he had packed some small fireworks and a smoke bomb that they could set off before they turned back for home. Something fun and relatively harmless to end their time together, just a little light, a little noise and some smoke. Now if only he could cause it to make a bit more noise and in the right place to draw some attention to the wrong direction, and it would have to be fast.
He urged Toronado on around to a place out of sight of the watcher on the hill and brought out the fireworks which had a long fuse. Lighting it, he leapt back onto Toronado, keeping the smoke bomb in hand and as if being chased, started charging down the center of the path leading back towards the plume of smoke ahead, tossing the smoke bomb to the side as he reached what he thought was probably the most perilous part of the road.
He immediately veered away from the path, to make himself less of a target. He could hear a shot behind him, followed by a yell. Good. So much for an ambush. The lancers should be able to hear them and react, hopefully a little better than they usually did. But he couldn't rely on that. Pulling out his whip, he swerved over in the direction of the yelling.
Several men were up and running down the hill towards some horses. Zorro sped past them, managing to get there before them and scatter the horses before turning back and using his whip against the men approaching him, fighting the strong sense of familiarity as he had done nearly the same thing only days past.
As he fought the men in front of him, Zorro could hear the sound of horses rushing closer and more pistol shots. The lancers must have arrived. The last man in front of him went down, and Zorro worked his way back around to see what was happening.
He nearly groaned in frustration when he saw that the lancers were in the worst possible position in relation to the bandits that were firing down on them. What was wrong with De Soto? Would the man never listen to him? At least they were being partially protected by the smoke though it was blinding them as well.
He made his way behind the largest group of bandits who were just a bit too close together in order to take advantage of the cover of one of the larger rocks. He leapt down into them just as a couple were trying to reload their pistols. With some well placed, perfectly timed punches and kicks, he quickly subdued the men before looking to see where else he was needed. There couldn't be too many left now.
He saw three more men taking cover behind a tree and another rock further down. His whip whirled out and caught one man by the leg. He yanked him back, knocking him into the man next to him. The third man turned but not before Zorro was close enough to punch him.
He could hear De Soto urging his men to attack now that the shots had stopped, but they seemed determined to stay under cover for the moment. Zorro finished subduing the men before ducking around to get a better view of what was happening. Now he could see De Soto as he hesitantly stood, sword in one hand and pistol in the other.
Zorro let his gaze dart around in order to look for other threats. Movement on the hill opposite caught his eye. For a split second, he thought it might be Sergio, as it was near where he had been left behind, but then he saw the flash of a gun, pointed at De Soto's back.
"Alcalde! Duck!" he shouted.
De Soto's head whipped around, but he was moving too slowly, especially for a man who tended to have an exaggerated sense of self-preservation, and Zorro was too far away to do anything.
Time seemed both to simultaneously slow and speed up as Zorro saw the pistol jerk upward as the man started to pitch forward, tumbling down the hillside. Confused, Zorro stared at the spot where the man had been and finally saw Sergio standing up a large stick in his hand.
Zorro made his way in the direction of De Soto. The alcalde had seen and heard him, there was no point in being stealthy now and it was the fastest, most direct way back to Sergio. He stopped a few feet away from De Soto, who still had his sword and pistol drawn. For what seemed like a long time, both were quiet, exchanging intent stares.
"I distinctly remember telling you to get the boy away from here," De Soto said flatly.
"It would seem that it is to your good fortune alcalde that I didn't," Zorro replied, looking in the direction of the hill where Sergio still stood.
De Soto cast a glance toward the boy. "So it would seem." He eased his pistol into its holster but kept his sword at the ready.
"Yes, so it would," Zorro replied, hoping the situation was becoming defused.
"Now, if you don't mind, my men and I need to get to taking in these bandits."
"So... you're not going to arrest me?" Zorro asked with wry smile.
"It's not too late!" De Soto snapped. "But as it is, I need you to see to getting the young hero back where he belongs."
"Well, if you're quite certain you don't need any help..."
"Just go!" De Soto growled, jerking his head in Sergio's direction.
"Very well," Zorro said, putting his hands up in mock surrender. He let out a loud whistle and in a matter of moments, Toronado was at his side. "In the meantime, I'll be looking forward to our next meeting."
"You shouldn't, and I won't," De Soto growled.
Zorro mounted Toronado, tipped his hat at De Soto, and took off to collect Sergio and hasten him back to the hacienda. Zorro suspected their next meeting was going to be very soon, and if Sergio wasn't back where he belonged, then it was going to be every bit as unpleasant as De Soto was suggesting.
~Z~Z~Z~
Diego made his return to the house as swiftly as possible once Sergio was taken inside. He met Victoria as she was coming out of Sergio's room. "How is he?" he asked.
"Tired but very excited," she said. "I've heard all about what happened from him." She frowned.
Diego didn't have to ask to know why. "Zorro told him to stay hidden, but apparently his inner heroism is far more powerful than his obedience to orders. And he did save the alcalde's life. And the alcalde scolded Zorro for putting him in harm's way."
"He did?" Victoria sounded taken aback and unhappy that she and De Soto could have anything in common. She looked at the papers Diego was holding in his hand. "What are those?"
He smiled at the change of topic. "It's what I've been working on in between... everything," he said, spreading the papers open on top of the piano.
Victoria looked down at the sketches. "Is that a... bed?" she asked, apparently a little puzzled by what she saw.
"Yes, for a specific purpose," he said. "With all the injuries and sicknesses we've had in the family as well as the community," he pointed in the direction of Sergio's room, "I've gotten to think it might be useful to design a bed that is a bit more invalid friendly. I remembered once seeing some designs for a bed with an adjustable head piece and thought that it might be useful, more useful than stacking pillows to help a patient sit up. Though I haven't quite worked out how to make it work. Perhaps a ratcheting system. And perhaps some kind of wedge or pulley system for dealing with injured legs. I'm not sure yet. I'd hope to make it easily portable as well so it could be set up quickly when required and stored away when not. However, this is all very preliminary. I'll need time to determine the best way to handle it."
"I'm sure you'll find the right way," Victoria said. "You always manage to. And I know that this would be very useful."
"I hope so," Diego said. "Once the prototype is done, it should be easier to determine how to improve it. I think that if I..." He was interrupted by an abrupt but all too familiar banging on the door.
Victoria gave him a knowing look. "I'll go prepare something for Sergio to eat," she said with a sigh.
"And I'll go see what De Soto wants." He kissed her and reluctantly made his way to the front of the hacienda. He put a hand on the door handle and took a deep breath before swinging it open. "Alcalde," he said, barely trying to feign surprise. Without a word, De Soto strode in. "Yes," Diego muttered, "please... please do come in."
"Where is the boy?" De Soto asked, dispensing with anything that could be mistaken for a social nicety.
"You mean Sergio?"
"Do you have another one here?" De Soto quipped with more than a hint of irritation in his voice.
The uncharacteristically quick retort caught Diego off guard. "Oh, uh, yes, of course, how silly of me," Diego replied. "He's in bed. Why? Is anything wrong?"
"There most certainly is. My lancers and I just caught a gang of dangerous bandits, and while hunting them down, who should I run into? Zorro! Not that that surprises me. No, what surprises me is that Sergio, an orphan of the pueblo entrusted to your care, was with him." De Soto pointed an accusatory finger at Diego. "Would you care to explain how that happened?"
"There is nothing to explain," Diego answered coolly (he hoped). "After all, Zorro did promise the boy a ride once he was better. I don't understand why you're excited about it. Sergio was feeling up to going out and..."
"And you let him! You just let him ride off into who knows what and who knows where, clearly with no thought of what could happen."
"My thought was that the promise of that ride was keeping Sergio on the way to getting well. He was feeling up to it, so, yes, I let him. And may I remind you that you said you wouldn't interfere as long as Zorro was helping him?"
"Riding him into a nest of cutthroats and thieves is hardly helping! But that's just about the sort of short-sighted, insane thing that a hardened criminal like Zorro would do."
"Not everyone shares your view of Zorro as a 'hardened' criminal."
"No. I wouldn't expect you to. No, you're just like all the other caballeros. You have the luxury of romanticizing his criminal exploits because you're separated from them. Your wealth and position shields you. You don't have to deal with them like I do. But whatever your feelings, not even you can deny that Zorro has a way of attracting trouble or finding himself squarely in the middle of it, and no boy, much less a sick one, has any business being near that."
Diego had long since grown accustomed to De Soto's seemingly perpetual, self-absorbed sense of indignation. The man had a talent for making everything about himself but this was something different, a side of De Soto he had not seen. By all appearances, he was acting as if he genuinely cared about Sergio's welfare, and that was something for which Diego was completely unprepared. "Well," Diego smiled warmly, "I'm gratified to see your concern."
De Soto drew himself up straight, adjusted his coat by the lapels, and looked Diego straight in the eye. "I'm the alcalde," he said flatly, "The well-being of all the people of the pueblo is my top priority."
"Of course," Diego said smoothly. He sensed he had struck a nerve, that De Soto had revealed more than he intended, and he was not about to simply let it go. "As true as that may be, you've never been one to be bothered to inquire after individual citizens. Yet, here you are, taking what appears to be a special interest in this boy. Why?"
"I have already told you," De Soto spat. "As alcalde I take my responsibility for the people of Los Angeles seriously and that includes Sil...Sergio."
It was a small slip but it told so very much. It left Diego wildly unsure about the man before him. He took a few steps forward, closing the distance between them until their faces were only inches apart. "What is this about? Tell me, Ignacio. It's just you and me here. What is this really about? Is this about Silvio? I don't know what happened, but I have no doubt he was a good soldier and..."
"No! No, he wasn't a good soldier. He was a fool. He was idealistic and naive...just like you. I don't know what you're getting at, but it would be in your best interest to let it go. As it is, the boy is safe, Zorro is nowhere to be found. Much to your good fortune, I'm not in the mood to have you jailed for associating with him." He pushed past Diego and made his way to the door. "Nor am I in the mood to continue with this discussion."
Just as De Soto reached the door, Diego turned to him. "What happened to Silvio?" he asked, knowing full well he was now treading on thin ice but also that this may be his last chance to pry some humanity out him.
For what seemed like a long time, De Soto stood there, saying nothing. At length, he said, "I told you. He showed kindness to a man who would never have done the same, and he died for it. I learned to never make that same mistake."
"I'm sorry for what happened to Silvio," Diego said softly.
De Soto replied with only a humph then jerked the door open and slammed it shut behind him.
"And," Diego sighed, "I'm sorry for what happened to you."
The End
Next Up: "My Word is My Bond"
End Notes:
The revised version of the conversation between Victoria and Padre Benites was the first part I wrote and in fact was written far, far before the rest of the story as in probably about three years ago. Yikes, I've been working on this thing since 2012. I never expected it to take this long, but we are closing in on the end game at last. Only two more stories or five more episodes left (I'm skipping "As Ye Sow" as I don't see enough changes to make it worth the time it would take to write).
The greatest difficulty with this story was trying to keep some sort of plot going since obviously there was no need for Victoria to broadcast a need for Zorro, though I kept it with Padre Benites telling the story just so that Victoria could have plausible deniability about how Zorro would have found out about Sergio. And also because initially I was still trying to work out how De Soto was going to behave as he did in the episode when so much was going to be altered.
I was working on this story at the same time as I was struggling with "The Reward", and while I had come to one decision on how I intended to handle the story, I ended up stalled so long that I forgot the fine details, and as I was trying to remember, I was hit with an entirely different notion of how to keep some kind of plot without having to have De Soto threaten a sick boy, as that level of ruthless behavior doesn't entirely suit him any more, actually I thought it was a bit much in the episode itself though not overly out of character. And after that, I still got stalled trying to work out the new revised ending (a combination of life issues and having problems with the logistics of the situation).
Anyway, for some reason, I felt compelled to give De Soto a little back story as well as a friend in order to explain a little of the reason why he behaves he does, but only a very little of that made it into the story as usual, and it was very strange to come up with something that might make De Soto even a little sympathetic much less urge him to behave compassionately, but here it is. I'm not really sure how well it works.
Sadly, I've never been overly fond of the young actors on Zorro with the obvious exception of Felipe, and it was a challenge to figure out what to do with Sergio since I cut out his reason to be brave about De Soto. And at the same time weirdly what emerged was Diego's discomfort with Sergio's hero worship of Zorro. To him it isn't exactly the glamorous life it appears to be, even if it does give him an opportunity to be someone else and indulge in derring do.
Also to everyone's good fortune, Ghetto Outlaw returned from his deployment and thus was able to work his magic on the story with several scenes, especially the end of the confrontation with the bandits and the end of the story itself which I was having great difficulty with.
Guest reviews:
To Dapet: Thank you. I'm glad you thought I tied it up well. I had wondered if it worked.
To July 13 Guest: I'm glad you liked the various talks between the characters; as they can be both fun and challenging to write. I do especially like the circumspect talks when they are having to keep secrets.
To Lady of Imladris: Thank you, 5 years and hopefully we'll be done by 6. More specific to story, I'm glad the reactions were believable as I wasn't sure. Especially Victoria's anger. After all, she's had to fight off or be rescued from pushy men quite a lot during the series (though obviously not all had lecherous intent but certainly enough did, the Magician, the false Segovia, that lancer from the Legend Begins, etc). She was very lucky in a lot of ways there. And yes, I think while she's a compassionate individual, she's been fighting against evil in her own way long enough that she recognizes that some people make their own fates and don't deserve second chances. I think I did probably make Narcisco just a bit cleverer than the episode where he just straight out challenged the poor man with no fear of the alcalde at all. But it just seemed a bit more believable to me here. And also, yeah, I'm far too uncomfortable with the subject to ever actually write about it, and my heroes and heroines will never actually suffer from that particular horror.
To Diet MJ: Thank you. My husband and I do have an interesting writing relationship that has developed organically over time. And this story has evolved in ways I never could have expected, and I'm glad you think I'm giving depth to the stories, and I hope that the final story will be able to live up to the episodes. I still have elements that I have to work out in the plot changes, though I have, I think, finally come up with a motivation for Señora Risendo's behavior that works for me (it's still crazy vengeful, but I think it makes sense in its own twisted way). And writing can be both a stress reliever and a source of stress all on its own (when the muse is being particularly troublesome and I have to keep going back and rewriting).
As always all reviews, favorites, and follows are greatly appreciated. We're getting closer than ever to the finale of this overly long series.
