Just a stupid idea that suddenly popped up in my head. I am not yet sure if there is more in the story. For now, this is just a one-shot.
Victoria must have had some doubts over the years, right? This is about one of those moments.
I don't own the series or the characters.
This is not a fairy tale.
Cheerfully whistling, Alejandro de la Vega walked through his beloved pueblo, holding a red rose in his hand.
The alcalde had been holding up reasonably well for several weeks, which partly explained his cheerful mood. That and he had sold two mares of his yesterday for a good price.
As he regularly did, Alejandro planned to visit the grave of his beloved wife, who sadly passed away too many years ago. And as he often did, he wanted to bring her a rose, her favourite flower.
He opened the gate leading to the cemetery just outside the pueblo behind the church when he heard someone sniffing. Alejandro stopped and tried to determine from where the sound was coming.
He saw Victoria Escalante sitting behind a thick tree on a bench. A good friend of the family and the owner of the local tavern.
Alejandro was hesitating for a moment, for what to do. He decided to offer a comforting shoulder to the woman he almost thought of as a daughter.
Victoria Escalante looked up when she heard soft footsteps.
"Victoria." came a warm, comforting voice.
She tried to laugh bravely.
"What's the matter, dear. Why so much grief? Is there anything I can do?" The don looked somewhat puzzled when the young woman appeared slightly panicked for a moment and started fiddling with her apron. Almost as if he'd caught her doing something secretly.
An explanation for this curious behaviour came when she took a handkerchief out of her pocket and started to brush away the tears running over her cheeks.
"Don Alejandro, it… it's nothing." She managed to stammer in an unconvincing way.
The don sat down next to her, placed a hand gently on the clenched fist in which she was holding the piece of cotton.
"Victoria, I know you better than that. It pains me to see you so griefed. Tell this old man what is wrong. Sometimes that alone can bring relief. Is there anything I can do to help you?"
There was a deep sigh as if it came from her toes.
Alejandro de la Vega had always been good to her and was more than a friend.
He was more a surrogate father after she had to cope alone at a young age after her mother got executed by the alcalde back then for hiding a wounded rebel. And her father and brothers joined the rebel forces not much later to take revenge for the injustice done to her mother.
She had been 15 years old when she suddenly found herself completely alone. Don Alejandro, a good friend of her father, had taken her under his protection.
"Zorro." She confessed to the man from which she didn't want to keep secrets.
Suspicious and wary, the don asked thoughtfully, "What about Zorro? Did he do something to dishonour you?"
"No, no..., NO! Zorro is always a top-notch caballero. He would never do anything to damage my reputation."
Zorro was the great hero of Los Angeles.
A small pueblo in the territory of alte California, where the local authorities and especially the alcalde often bend the law in its favour. All at the expense of the safety and financial resources of the local population. Zorro was the only one who stood up for that kind of injustice, protected the innocent, and kept the alcalde somewhat in order.
He was also the one who usually tracked down dangerous bandits, murderers and highwaymen and made sure that justice prevailed.
He was also her true love, and she was secretly engaged to Zorro for over a year. Their love was genuine and mutual, but because the authorities saw Zorro as a dangerous outlaw, their love was also hopeless.
One day he would be able to take off his mask. And reveal to her his true identity. They would marry and live happily ever after in a world where there was no place for Alcaldes, who preferred extravagantly expensive boots over helping poor peasants. A man, who would lower taxes and making it possible for everyone to have a fair income.
The lancers would be well-trained and would do everything in their power to protect the local population in a way that no bandit would even venture near Los Angeles. And after many years of oppression and fear, a time of peace and joy would arrive.
Victoria looked up at the man to her left, who looked at her with such understanding. "I love him. So much, it hurts just thinking about him. But we're not a step further than we were years ago. It just feels so hopeless sometimes."
Alejandro put an arm around her shoulders and allowed Victoria to cry on his shoulder. "My dear, Zorro is a wonderful man, and everyone who sees you together understands in a blink of the eye how unique, sincere and magical your love is. But indeed, it can be easy for neither of you to feel so much for someone, but no idea when you can truly be together."
"Sometimes, sometimes…" faltered Victoria, "I want to give up, just like that." Victoria snapped her fingers. "Just say out loud that I don't want to wait any longer. Switch off my feelings and get on with my life. Marry a man who can respect me. Have children and live a normal life." For a moment, she lifted her head from the shoulder she had rested on and looked at Alejandro with tears in her eyes, heartbroken.
"My wish to be with Zorro is like a fairytale. And you would think I learned long ago that fairy tales simply don't exist. There is not any chance that Zorro's work will ever come to an end. And it will be safe for him to unmask himself and start building a life with me." Then she lowered her head back to the comforting shoulder.
The man gently stroked her hair. It felt good to be able to share her insecurities. A deep sigh escaped Alejandro's throat. "You are right, Victoria. Life is not a fairy tale. I thought I had my fairy tale when I met the sweetest, most beautiful and most wonderful woman in the world. My happiness was indescribable when she accepted my proposal, and she promised to be mine until death does us part. I thought we would have a long and happy life." Now he had to swallow some tears away. "Until the cruel truth caught up with us too, and she was snatched from my life way too soon."
Alejandro closed his eyes for a moment to process the brief, sharp stab of pain in his heart. Then he opened his eyes, lifted the head of the woman next to him from his shoulder, and looked into her watery eyes. "No, you are right. Life is not a fairy tale.
But as long as there is just a glimmer of hope. Then don't give up on the love you feel for Zorro."
Alejandro wiped a stray tear from her delicate face. "One day with your true love is worth more than eternity with a surrogate feeling. Take that from this old fool. Not long from now, justice will prevail. And you and Zorro will be together. Of that, I am convinced. Our Lord cannot allow people to love each other so much and then prevent them to spend some time together."
Victoria again blew her nose into her handkerchief and frantically wiped away the last of the tears.
"Are you right?"
Victoria nodded, "Thank you, don Alejandro. I just needed to hear that love is worth the wait."
Alejandro looked at her in understanding, "When I think back on it, I know that I am more grateful for the happiness of my short time with Felicidad than never having met her and spent a lifetime with anyone else. Here," Alejandro offered her the red rose, actually meant for his wife. "You take this one, this time."
Knowing all too well who the delicate flower was for, Victoria shook her head. "I can't accept that."
Don Alejandro rose from the bench and offered her the rose again. "Do it." His eyes wandered for a moment to where his wife's grave was. "Today, you need this gesture more than Felicidad does."
Victoria accepted the beautiful rose the don was holding out to her. "Thank you, don Alejandro."
"You're welcome, my dear. And remember, if you ever need a shoulder?" He tapped his. "You're always more than welcome."
After a short nod, the man turned and walked away towards the cemetery to visit the grave.
Victoria admired the rose that looked almost identical to the roses her fiancé sometimes brought her.
This rose had the same deep red, warm colour and had the same fresh sweet scent. From the pocket of her apron, she took the golden ring with an emerald and that was surrounded by small diamonds. Zorro had given her the ring on the day he proposed to her. It had been in her hand when Don Alejandro had startled her. Victoria was grateful that the don hadn't seen the ring, and she had managed to hide it just in time. Though Victoria trusted the don, she didn't want him to ask questions she couldn't answer.
As much as she wanted to shout from the rooftops that she and Zorro were engaged, for a long time, it was simply too dangerous.
For the umpteenth time, she wondered if she might even know her fiancé's identity. Whether there was this slight possibility, Zorro was indeed the only other man
who was able to weaken her knees and forget everything around her whenever she was allowing her mind to wander to him for more than 5 seconds.
Oh no, of course not. How could she even think such a ridiculous thing? Zorro and this man were as different as night and day.
And even in the highly unlikely event that they did…,
No, Victoria got up from the bench and started walking towards the tavern, forbidding herself to allow these kinds of fantasies in her head.
This was real-life. It was the reality she had to deal with. And life wasn't a fairy tale.
Don Alejandro looked at the figure slowly walking back toward the plaza, and shook his head. He wished her all the luck in the world and hoped that her dreams would come true. Victoria and Zorro, enjoying a happily ever after.
At the same time, he permitted himself to make a small plea that his deepest fantasy might be real. Only to dismiss it again immediately, if that preposterous fantasy of his was true, it would mean his son was her one and true love.
And it would make his son Zorro. Alejandro had given up hope for that to be a fact a long time ago.
Zorro and Victoria were meant for each other, just as much as he and his Felicidad were.
And anyone who had ever met his son knew there was no way he was Zorro. Everyone was allowed to have their dreams, as long as you remembered that they were just dreams. And the reality was something you had to learn to live with, even if you didn't like it. Taking a deep sigh, Alejandro remembered himself, after all, life never is a fairytale.
End.
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