AN: The idea for this little story came to me during a little chat with Rainbow8888, whom I must credit with the seed idea for this, just as I also credit her for the seed idea leading me to write 'Sacrifice'.
As usual, I would also like to thank La Cuidadora for having the patience to correct my stories.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea for the story and mean no infringement, write for the entertainment of other fans, and don't agree with this story being copied to other sites without my express consent.
Enjoy!
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"My Dear Son,
"I hope my letter finds you well. I also hope to see you again soon, on the occasion of my next visit to Mexico City. It's been already over four years since I was last able to travel south, I know, but troubles here seem without end, and I live in constant fear for my men and the hacienda I have spent my life building for you.
"As I have mentioned in my previous letters, we have a new alcalde now, after Luis Ramone's death, may his soul never find peace for all the harm he has caused to others. I also told you how hopeful we were after the man arrived here, and how greatly he disappointed our expectations. His latest deed was to condemn my friend, Alejandro, to death, for being Zorro. It was just more of his nonsense, of course, as the man is desperate to get rid of our masked defender who has, successfully so far, managed to prevent him from committing the atrocities he tried to commit."
The letter continued by recounting some of Zorro's latest interventions as the old don knew his son loved to hear about anything even remotely connected to the masked outlaw everyone in Los Angeles so admired.
"Honestly, my son," his father also mentioned, "I fear the day when Zorro might be captured or killed, should it ever come, for, without him, there will be no salvation from the Alcalde's tyranny for any of us.
"Write soon, and, when you finally decide to come home, know I await you with open arms.
"Your loving father,
"Don Fabricio de Maldonado"
The young man read the letter several times, as he usually did with all his father's letters. He barely remembered Los Angeles, having left the pueblo a decade earlier, when his mother died and his grandparents had convinced his father that he should come live with them in Mexico City where he'd have the chance to get a better education.
It wasn't long after he had left the pueblo that his father had begun mentioning the new Alcalde, Luis Ramone, and his own brand of tyranny. Then, about a year later, he started talking about the fearless defender of the people, the masked man called Zorro.
In fact, Fecundo had grown up on the stories about the black-clad man's deeds of valor, to the point where, at age 15, he took up fencing, convincing his grandparents to pay for his studies with Pedro Diamante, the best swordmaster in (at the time) New Spain's capital.
His father would visit him rarely and, when he did, he'd always make sure to tell him more stories of Zorro, even bringing him a poster once so he could see what the man looked like. Fecundo had it framed and placed in his room, as a symbol of the kind of man he aspired to become.
Concluding that time had finally arrived for him to return home, now that he was 21, Mexico had won its independence, and there was no longer the threat of being caught in the fighting along the way, he informed his grandparents of his decision, and started packing.
"Don Fecundo," he heard a servant call him a few days before he was due to leave "there's a messenger here to see you, Senor!"
He made his way to the sala in which the stranger was. The man was in his 60s, and had a bad injury in his back, received from some bandits right as he was nearing the Mexican capital. Servants were fussing over him and a doctor was called, but, to Fecundo, despite his lack of medical knowledge, it was clear he had no chance of surviving.
"Don Fecundo…" he muttered as the young man made his way to the sala. "It's me Paco Paloma, you remember me, Don Fecundo?" He asked.
"Yes, yes, of course, Paco! What happened?" The young man wondered, coming to sit on the couch on which the man was lying.
"It's your father, Don Fecundo! He was arrested together with some of the other servants, accused of supporting the revolutionaries. The Alcalde said he would sentence all those in favor of independence to death. I barely made it out of Los Angeles myself. The Alcalde had gone mad… You need to return home or he might take the hacienda, as well!"
"I'm sure Zorro will save my father and stop the Alcalde's madness. He probably already did while you were coming here." The young man stated.
"Zorro… is dead, Senor. He was killed by the Emissary Risendo, who turned out to be Gilberto de la Vega… he took over the pueblo… that was a month before your father's arrest… The other dons... are his... only... hope..." The man uttered, as he lost consciousness.
Fecundo's face drained of blood at the news. He might have already lost the father he had not seen in so many years.
He left for Los Angeles the very next morning while the servants and the doctor his family had called were doing their best to save the injured man who had, in the meantime, slipped into a coma and had not uttered another word.
The young man arrived in San Pedro about a month and a half after leaving Mexico City, having made the second half of his journey by ship. As he disembarked at dawn, seeing the post wagon leaving just as he got there, he hurried to give the driver a note addressed to his father, informing him of his arrival. Praying he was alive to receive it, he then allowed for his luggage to be checked, and, after searching the entire port, he eventually found a wagon to take him home.
On the way, he was disappointed to find out that the man he had hired to drive him to his father's hacienda was not a local but a new arrival, having gotten to San Pedro only a day earlier, and all he knew about Los Angeles, was that there was a new alcalde there, called De la Vega. The young man's face turned into a grimace remembering his servant's words: Gilberto de la Vega had killed Zorro, and taken over the pueblo. "So the man is now calling himself Alcalde," he concluded. "He must have been the one to arrest my father!"
As he arrived at the hacienda, he noticed that the place seemed deserted, not a servant or a vaquero in sight.
The door to the main house was locked, so he left his trunks in front of the house and, climbing onto the roof, he entered via a chimney, turning his clothes mostly black by the time he got inside. Searching the place, he found that his father's bedroom had not been slept in for quite some time, and it was then when the reality of the situation hit him: his father was dead. He had arrived too late. With no Zorro there, his closest family member had been taken from him by a cruel man who still ruled the pueblo.
A few tears started falling, and he wiped them away, not realizing he was smudging his face with the ash he hadn't yet washed from his hands.
Passing by a mirror, he stared at his own image. His clothes dirty, seeming almost black, his half-blackened face almost made him look like a different man. "I look like Zorro!" He exclaimed only to himself. "This must be a sign!" He then realized. "If there is no more Zorro to protect this pueblo, one shall rise in his stead. From the ashes, like a Phoenix, Zorro will be reborn, and, once again, bring hope to the people of the pueblo!"
Hurrying to get his trunks inside, he found a black pair of pants and a black shirt he normally used to attend funerals. A sash, black boots, black gloves, and a mask he made from a piece of black linen completed the costume. Finally, a rain hood he easily converted into a cape, then searched the house until he found the last piece he was looking for: a black hat. "Not exactly like Zorro's, but it will do!" he muttered as he dusted it off.
A beautiful golden-hilt sword hanging from his belt, and a whip on the other side of his waist, he admired himself in the mirror.
"All I need now is a mount." He decided, satisfied at finding he bore a remarkable resemblance to the original masked hero.
Just then, as by miracle, he heard neighing, and he exited to see a saddled dark-brown stallion in front of the hacienda.
"And here you are, my Tornado!" He said, mounting the horse and steering him towards Los Angeles, never even noticing the V brand on his back-left thigh, or the man who, at hearing someone leave with his horse, was hurrying out of a latrine, doing his best to hold onto his pants.
ZZZ
That same morning, just about the time Fecundo was on his way to the Maldonado Hacienda, Diego, his father and Felipe were heading towards Los Angeles.
"I think you have postponed this long enough, Son!" Don Alejandro said. "You need to tell Victoria the truth, and marry her as soon as possible! She already knows Zorro is alive and pardoned. De Soto is gone, and you are Alcalde now. So why have you not told her yet? Felipe, help me out here!"
The younger man just shrugged his shoulders.
"Because, Father, I need to do it right. Besides, I need to be certain she can love me, the real man, not the invincible legend I've created. Zorro never gets ill or injured, but I do… And, despite my past actions, I am a man of peace. Yes, I like adventure and the best days I've ever had were those on which I managed to save someone in some way. But there are many other ways in which I can help people, with science and medicine, not only with my sword, risking my life in the process."
"I know, Son, I know. And Victoria knows that, too. But if you want her to love the whole man, you need to give her a chance to do so! You must let her know you, the real you… the man I, myself, have only met a few months ago when you finally told me the truth." Don Alejandro stated.
"You are right, Father. But, if I am to reveal my secret to her, I need to do it my way… through some grand gesture, worthy of Zorro!" The younger man answered.
"Nonsense! You just need to tell her!"
"It's not that easy, Father. Besides, I need to make sure nobody else finds out. I'd rather the lancers not know that they are now under the command of the same man they had spent years pursuing, and who attacked and mocked them every chance he got. I doubt that would gain their trust! Not to mention how Mendoza might react!"
"Oh, don't worry, Diego! The lancers will be overjoyed at finding out their new commander is someone they can truly count on, and the Sergeant has long since considered Zorro his friend. You saw how heartbroken he was at finding out about his death in the flood, after saving Don Fabricio."
"I know, Father, but still… Have you any idea how many of his tunics I've destroyed? And I'm not sure how forgiving he'll be at finding out it was his best friend who humiliated him and the garrison each time Zorro made an appearance."
"Well, perhaps you did have a little too much fun at his expense. Just apologize and buy him lunch, and he will forgive everything, Son! You'll see!" The old don stated. "But, right now, you need to tell Victoria, and I don't want to hear any more excuses!"
Reaching the tavern, the three dismounted and headed inside.
"Victoria, my dear!" Don Alejandro smiled his greeting. "My son needs to talk to you if you have a minute."
"Of course, Don Alejandro!" She said, eyeing Diego with a smile. "What was it you wanted to tell me?"
"Ah… Perhaps this is not the right time… or place." He hesitated. "How about you come by the hacienda a while later? Dinner, perhaps?"
His father rolled his eyes.
"Sure…. I can come by… What time should I be there?" She asked somewhat preoccupied about what he needed to tell her.
"Let's go together after I finish my work at the office! " Diego suggested.
Victoria nodded with a grin and returned to serving her patrons.
"Felipe, how about you arrange a magnificent dinner for Victoria and me in the cave… and make sure nobody disturbs us? We'll be there at 6 p.m." Diego whispered his request, turning towards the younger man.
"And I'll make sure Felipe and I busy ourselves with something else while you two have your... dinner." Don Alejandro told the younger men. "But I want her to know by the end of the day, so we can start planning that wedding of yours."
"Father, aren't you being a little hasty?" Diego asked. "What if she doesn't…"
"She will! She's waited far too long already. And so have I!" Don Alejandro uttered dismissively.
Diego nodded and headed for his office, across the street, where Mendoza was waiting for him, a broad smile on his lips and a cup of coffee in his hands.
"Good morning, Sergeant!" Diego greeted joyfully.
"Good morning, Alcalde!" The man answered. "The new mail is on your desk, and I have already finished the paperwork to send with the prisoners to Santa Barbara."
"Excellent! Please make sure the prison wagon is ready and assign ten men to accompany it. I don't want anything to happen on their way there. If any accomplices try to attack, ten lancers should be enough to scare them off." Diego stated.
"Si, Don Diego!" The good man said as he exited the office.
Making sure everything was ready, and instructing his men to be careful during the perilous journey, Sergeant Mendoza returned to the Alcalde's office about an hour later.
"Everything is in order, Sergeant?" Diego wondered.
"Si, Alcalde! The prisoners can leave as soon as you give the order."
"In that case, please first see to it that both they and your men are all well fed before departing. They have a long journey ahead of them." Diego requested, and the Sergeant hurriedly obeyed him, a smile on his face and gratitude in his heart for having gotten rid of De Soto, and having his best friend in charge, instead of that awful man.
After everyone due to leave that day had a proper meal, just before midday, the prison wagon was brought to the plaza. After speaking with the prisoners in their cells to assure them they would have a fair trial, Diego asked Mendoza to escort them out, and the three men in irons were taken to the barred wagon.
Barely had the lock on it been closed when the Sergeant almost had a heart attack at seeing the black-clad figure riding at full speed towards him and his men. Crossing himself, he hurried to the Alcalde's office.
"Don Diego! Don Diego!" He called. "It's Zorro!"
The newly-elected Alcalde looked at him dumbfounded, unsure what the man was talking about.
"De la Vega!" He heard a voice calling from outside, just moments later. "Come out and face me, Alcalde!"
Diego exited, followed by Mendoza, to stare into the face of a black-clad stranger who vaguely resembled him in a mask. "What on Earth?" He wondered at seeing him as people started gathering in the plaza.
"Release those men, Alcalde!" 'Zorro' ordered, indicating the men in the barred wagon while pointing a sword in his general direction.
Diego didn't reply as he was still shocked, and couldn't understand what was happening.
"Zorro?" Victoria exclaimed from the tavern's terrace as she followed her patrons outside when people started mentioning the black rider's name. That attracted the young man's attention and, seeing her and noticing how pretty the slightly older woman was, he smiled and bowed his head admiringly. "Senorita!" He greeted. "Let me first deal with this scoundrel of an Alcalde, then I'll be right with you."
She frowned. That was certainly not her Zorro. Either that or the man had gone insane. She hoped it was the former, since she needed a husband who was not completely mad.
"She's already engaged, so stay away, Senor!" Diego warned, to Victoria's surprise.
"To you, I suppose?" The masked man said mockingly, and Diego didn't deny that statement.
Now the taverness was properly confused as she stared at her best friend, who had an apologetic look on his face as he glanced back at her. "Only I and Zorro know about the engagement…" She thought, looking at him dumbfounded, an expression the masked man took as fear.
"We'll see if she'll still be engaged once I finish with you!" The masked man replied. "Don't worry, Senorita! This man will not force you to marry him as long as I have something to say about it!"
She shook her head in surprise at hearing that, and just stared at the man she considered her best friend.
"I would never force her to marry me!" Diego said, offended, and Victoria was again surprised by his words.
"No… Not as long as you know there's someone for you to fear." The black-clad rider replied with superiority. "I will not let you inflict any more pain upon the people of this pueblo, Alcalde! Now, release those prisoners, or I won't ask a third time!" He added.
Diego was already suspecting the misguided masked man was operating under some wrongful assumptions, and he was also getting an idea about who he might be.
"It took my men three days to capture them. I will do no such thing!" He, thus, declared calmly.
"Everyone deserves a fair trial! You can't just arrest people and execute them without just cause!" The rider demanded.
"I had very good cause to arrest them, and they will most certainly get a fair trial." He told him, trying to appease him.
"Yes!" 'Zorro' said mockingly as everyone was staring at him in disbelief. "I'm sure you've arranged for one."
"I did, actually!" Diego answered before deciding that madness needed to end right then before things escalated further. "Look, Senor, I don't know who you are," he said, "nor why you've chosen to dress like Zorro –"
"I am the New Zorro! You may think you have defeated my predecessor, but, as long as Los Angeles will need a defender, Zorro will be there to protect it!" The younger man stated, and aimed for Diego's jacket, trying to mark it with a Z.
Just a little to Victoria's left, Don Alejandro let out a chuckle.
The masked man's intended target rapidly stepped away from the blade, but that didn't stop him. As the Sergeant was just staring dumbfounded and was far slower than his new commander, the New Zorro was satisfied with marking his uniform instead, with a rather poorly-made Z which bore no resemblance to the crafty ones the true Zorro used to leave behind.
"Right." Diego uttered. "Now you owe my Sergeant a new tunic. That or ten meals at the tavern. Your choice!"
"That is just a small preview of what I will do to you if you continue to impose your abusive taxes…"
"There are no more abusive taxes…" Diego replied, seemingly getting bored.
"… or if you dare try to flog or harm any innocent people…" The masked man continued.
"I most certainly won't!" Diego declared, getting irritated.
"Good. Now we understand each other." The black-clad rider continued triumphantly. "And I want all those arrested without cause to be freed at once. Then I will have a written confession of all your crimes!"
"Senor, I don't believe we do understand each other," Diego said, his patience soon to reach its end, as he neared the horse whom he, himself, had trained and knew rather well. "There are no more abusive taxes in this pueblo, no man arrested without just cause, no reason for Zorro to ride, and certainly no place for an impersonator."
"Impersonator?" The masked man asked, steering his horse towards the lancers gathered in the plaza, trying to disperse them using his whip... poorly, since he had no experience at using one.
After the very first lash scared the prison wagon's horses, thus causing the convoy to start its march rather unexpectedly, he tried again, frightening his own horse into rearing, thus throwing him off its back and running away.
Diego whistled, and the horse stopped, then returned, heading for the man who had trained it.
Confused, 'Zorro' shook his head and tried to stand up, but fell back as he stumbled into his own much-too-long cape. Trying again, he recovered the sword he had lost when falling down, and pointed it towards the Alcalde, who was about ten feet away.
"What did you do to my stallion?" He asked.
"You really shouldn't ride a horse you don't know, and who doesn't consider you its master. And, by the way, this is a mare. Her name is Penelope, and I trained her myself since she was a colt." Diego told him as he tied the animal to the post in front of his office.
Surrounded by the lancers, his horse in the hands of his enemy, the young man realized things weren't going exactly as he had imagined they would.
"Now…" Diego continued as he neared the new arrival. "How about you – "
"Fight me, you coward!" 'Zorro' challenged him. "Or do you only attack those weaker than you?"
The new Alcalde shook his head. "Senor, you really don't want to do this!" Diego said, having had it with the man.
"Don't worry, Alcalde! I'll protect you!" Mendoza misinterpreted his words, and, taking out his sword, attacked the black-clad man.
A duel started between the two as everyone else was watching. A couple of minutes later, the Sergeant was disarmed, and 'Zorro' prepared to strike him dead.
"That's enough!" Diego said in the tone of voice the real Zorro normally used to threaten De Soto or Luis Ramone before him, as he hurriedly picked up Mendoza's sword from the ground, and defended his friend. He had been patient so far, but even his patience had its limits, and the young man had just crossed a line.
"So… You accept my challenge after all!" 'Zorro' concluded.
Several lancers stepped in to protect their alcalde.
"I see… A coward, indeed... " The masked man concluded at seeing them ready to face him.
"I warned you that you don't want to do this, Senor! I will give you one more chance." Diego stated, signaling for his men to stand down. "Return to where you came from, and nobody has to know who you truly are! You can even use Penelope to ride there. She knows her way back home."
"You think I'll just surrender?" The young man asked, trying to look amused despite finding Diego intimidating.
"I am offering you the chance to get out of this with your pride intact. It is not my intention to reveal your identity to anyone, and I won't if you go away right now." Diego tried to explain to him.
"Your threats won't work on me! You don't know who the first Zorro was, and you'll never know who I am!" The young man uttered.
"I don't think you understand…" Diego contradicted him, taking a deep breath. "I already do know who you are. I've known since I realized you were riding Penelope."
The masked man laughed out loud. "If you think your lies will intimidate me, you have another thing coming. If you are so wise and… intuitive, tell me my name!"
"You really don't want me to…" Diego replied, looking around.
"You can't, can you?" The masked man laughed.
"Alright." The tall caballero answered, giving up trying to reason with him. "You are Fecundo Jacobo de Maldonado." He answered as everyone, the masked rider included stared at him dumbfounded. "Your letter informing your father of your arrival was brought to The De la Vega Hacienda this morning, just before we left for the pueblo, and I sent one of our vaqueros to your father's hacienda to wait for you. He rode off on Penelope. Furthermore, Don –"
"No doubt you sent that man to kill me, as well, as you did my father!" 'Zorro' concluded as he attacked fiercely.
Diego defended himself, parrying his first thrusts, then getting out of his way as the young man found himself cutting the air.
"Your father is not dead!" The tall caballero informed him.
"Why should I believe you?" He asked as more and more people were wondering why Don Alejandro was laughing so hard that tears were coming out of his eyes, especially since his son, who was known to be the pueblo's worst swordsman, was being attacked by a stranger.
"Stop this foolishness, and I can take you to him!" Diego answered, parrying another thrust.
"Not until I see you dead!" The younger man stated, and attacked again.
Having truly reached the end of his patience, Diego ceased parrying and started fighting in earnest, the young man soon finding himself barely able to stop his attacks.
"Another student of Pedro Diamante, I see from your style, Senor!" Diego stated as he began enjoying the fight and the true Zorro was slowly beginning to take possession of his movements and gestures. Almost a month had passed since he had stopped riding as the masked outlaw and, if he was to be sincere, he had missed fighting an unknown adversary. "Is there no other swordmaster in Mexico City than him?" He questioned as he disarmed the young man and caught his sword in his left hand.
At that point, everyone understood why Don Alejandro couldn't stop laughing. They also understood why Victoria was watching the fight, arms folded across her chest, ire in her eyes.
The masked man, finding himself defeated, fell to his knees in surrender.
"So… Engaged, am I?" The taverness asked as she neared the tall caballero. "To... You!"
Only then Diego seemed to remember they had an audience and that it was not him who was wearing a mask this time. "Victoria… " He said with a sigh. "This wasn't exactly how I wanted you to find out… I was going to tell you over dinner… Of course, if you decide to give me the ring back, I will understand –"
"Give it back?" She shouted at him. "Ten years I've been waiting for you to marry me, and now you think I'm giving the ring back? You, Senor, will go talk to Padre Benitez right away, and convince him to grant us a special marriage license! I expect to be wedded by the end of the day!"
"You want us to get married today?" Diego wondered, rather perplexed, as Victoria just nodded once and turned around, stomping into the tavern.
"Victoria, I want you two married more than anyone, but I don't believe there's enough time for me to make the proper arrangements for a wedding celebration on such short notice!" Don Alejandro told her as she passed by him, then followed her inside when she didn't stop.
"See what you did?" The tall caballero asked the black-clad man, who was staring in disbelief.
"You… You're the real Zorro, Don Diego?" Mendoza questioned as the lancers were watching their new leader, confused about how they should react.
"Diego? I was told your name was Gilberto… and how can you be Zorro if you were the one who killed him?" The masked man wondered as he slowly stood up at noticing the Alcalde had no intention of harming him.
"Gilberto… That's a long story. He was my brother, and he did try to kill me. Came quite close, to be fair. But, I admit it was I who ended up 'killing' Zorro, after Mexico took over, and I was given a pardon. That same day there was a flood, and your father was caught in it. We both almost drowned as I was trying to rescue him, and I was taken by the waters as soon as I managed to get him to safety. Everyone assumed Zorro was dead, and, after I was elected alcalde a few days later, I thought it best for no one to know the truth. Let Zorro fade into memory... But then you had to come along…"
"So… You really are Zorro?" The younger man asked, daring to take off his hat and mask, looking at the tall caballero before him with wide, sparkling eyes. "I've always wanted to meet you! I grew up with stories of your adventures! You are everything I ever wanted to be. My father always said this pueblo would be lost without you!" He uttered admiringly. "I can't believe I actually dueled Zorro!" The look he gave Diego reminded the caballero of the way Sergio looked at him when he had rescued the boy. "So, it's true, then? My father is alive?" The younger man asked.
"Alive and well, recovering at our hacienda. He had a bad case of pneumonia after that incident when the waters almost claimed us both, and I thought it better to keep him under observation. I am not a doctor, but have enough medical knowledge to help in case of emergencies." Diego told him.
"But the hacienda was abandoned when I arrived there…" Fecundo replied.
"The two servants normally taking care of the house are at the De la Vega hacienda with your father. And his vaqueros are away on a cattle drive. It's because I knew you'd find the place deserted that I sent our vaquero for you this morning." Diego told him.
"That explains why the place was empty…" The younger man answered. "Can I convince you to give me fencing lessons?" He then inquired.
Diego stared at him in surprise.
"I believe the Alcalde will be busy instructing the lancers for a while!" Mendoza said proudly.
"I fear not, Sergeant... You heard Victoria! The Alcalde will be on his honeymoon for a while." Diego contradicted him, tilting his head as he looked towards the tavern's entrance, a resigned smile on his face. "But we will start training when I return. As for you, young man, my son, who is about your age, might do with a new friend and someone to practice his swordsmanship with. I shall introduce you two!" He promised. "Now, how do you want to pay for the Sergeant's tunic? I usually invited him to lunch, but it's really up to you. And I expect you to apologize for trying to kill him, and promise to never try to kill anyone again. No young heart should bear such burden." Diego continued as the three of them headed towards the tavern.
"Have you talked to the padre yet?" Victoria asked from the terrace, arms on her waist.
"I was just heading that way, Senorita!" Diego answered with a charming smile.
Victoria's ire faded away in seconds at the look he gave her, and she followed him, linking her hand to his as they reached the white adobe building.
The end
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AN: Hope this brought a smile to your lips. You know what to do if you liked it :)