Chapter 6:
The evening fell when Lucho and Lorenzo forced Victoria in a carriage. It was the time that she would meet her soon to be husband. The man who had paid a lot of money for her. San Pedro was quiet after a certain hour.
It was a ride that took only ten minutes. Yelling for help was no use because they gagged her with a cloth, her hands tied up behind her back. She was wearing a simple white dress and the woman had put little flowers in her hair.
Luncho and Lorenzo pushed Victoria inside the church. While two other men stood guard at the door at the side of the church. Even the main door was guarded, not only on the outside but also on the inside. To make sure that nobody could enter and nobody could leave before the deal was done.
Don Domingo was waiting with his back towards the door where Lorenzo pushed Victoria through.
"We delivered so where is the rest of our money?" Lucho said sternly. This was more then they would do for other payments but he made an exception for this rich man. He had paid a lot of money after all.
Don Domingo turned around but shushed them by holding his hand up, "A gentleman always greets his senorita first." He smirked while he walked towards Victoria. He could see the fear in her eyes but he also saw something else, hope.
He placed his knuckles against her skin, Victoria tried to fight it off but it was no use, "Oh you still hope your hero will save you don't you? Well, let me give you a little secret before you become my wife. I do know who Zorro is because I used to be his best friend. Now I am taking from him what he took from me."
Victoria looked confused now the only one she knew was his friend would be Diego, but that couldn't be possible now could it? What was it that he took from this man? Is he talking about Zafira? Many questions raced through her mind.
"You will marry me willingly or your hero isn't going to last another week." Don Domingo threatened, "because you see there is only one man who ever bested Sir Edmond Kendall. So it was easy to know if you were there with most of his training."
Victoria shook her head in disbelief, this couldn't be happening. Was this the first time that Zorro would be too late? If what he was telling is true, it was highly possible or Toronado needed to know where Diego would be at that time and how smart the stallion was that would be unlikely.
"So are you going to be a good girl and be quiet? You don't know how good of a life you can have if you only accept me as your husband." Don Domingo said.
Victoria shook her head fiercely. She would never accept another husband as Zorro, especially if what he told her is right and the man behind the mask was none other than her best friend, Diego.
"I don't think you have any say in this my sweetheart. Padre, we are ready so please start the ceremony." Don Domingo said sternly.
The padre nodded but he silently prayed that Zorro wouldn't interrupt this ceremony. He knew the reputation of the Los Angeles Fox like everyone, if he had known that this would involve his love he would never have agreed to do this but this was too late now.
Diego had once again changed himself into his black clothes he just wanted to be sure and this was the only way that he could use his toledo steel sword. He was sneaking around the church until a carriage and two guards stopped him in his tracks. This was the way the had brought Victoria into this church he was sure of it.
He surprised the two guards by jumping out of the shadow and knocked the two guards out. He slipped inside, he could hear the padre ask, "Do you Don Domingo Mariano take this woman as your wife?"
Don Domingo answered, "I do."
The padre asked the same question just to clear his own conscience but another voice answered in her place, "She doesn't."
Victoria's eyes lit up hearing Diego's deep voice, how she never had linked the two voices together was a mystery to her. Zorro threw a small candle holder towards the padre knocking him out, "Sorry padre but I don't trust you with my identity."
The guards at the front door wanted to react but Zorro's reflex was quicker his whistle echoed through the building. The big main door flew out their handles, knocking the guards out of consciousness. The two who had been guarding flying until they hit Don Domingo's feet. Toronado on his part stood proudly in the doorway. He had smashed the doors by hitting the guards outside full force by bucking against them.
None of the guards had survived the attack of the seventeen hands tall coal-black stallion.
Victoria almost didn't recognize Toronado with his simple gear and his white forelock. He knew the temper of the stallion though.
"It's only you and me Domingo," Zorro smirked playing with his sword, wielding it in a cross in front of him.
"I trained for this moment, Diego." Don Domingo smirked who had lost his eye on Victoria who had been able to untie the ropes around her wrists. Clearly, the criminals weren't very good at it. She took the cloth out of her mouth but kept quiet. She knew how well her hero could fight.
"Oh but you have trained Domingo, but I fight for my life every single day and that makes a man dangerous when he gets pissed off," Diego smirked before he countered Domingo's first attack.
"I should have fought for Zafira back then," Domingo said angrily.
"So you thought I steal the woman who held my heart since childhood as an act of revenge." Zorro responded equally angry, "I am done with playing games." With a few moves of his sword, he smashed the sword of Domingo to the ground.
Toronado was still watching the door. Nobody would go pass the stallion.
Don Domingo wasn't out of tricks either. He took a little gun out of his boot and aimed the gun at Victoria, "I hate to lose Diego you that so if I can't have her nobody can't."
"Shoot and I swear you I will make sure your death is a slow and painful one." Zorro threatened, He still couldn't kill someone so he bluffed although if Victoria would die he didn't know what he would be capable of. He had almost lost control once when the gambler had fired at him and shot Victoria in the process because she had jumped between him and the bullet.
This time it would be directly aimed at her and that made his blood boil. He nodded towards Toronado who noticed the threat and Trott forward.
"Stay still you devilish creature." He now aimed his gun towards Toronado's chest but Toronado was fierce and still walked through the aisle towards the Spanish Don in a slow and menacing way only the stallion could. Making himself as big as he possibly could.
Victoria took advantage of this and picked up a heavy candelabra and smashed Don Domingo against the head before he could shoot the horse she owed her saving too.
The Spanish Don fell against the wall. The fight ended just in time because they could hear the soldiers making themselves ready to storm the church. He signed to Toronado to hide.
"Wait here for me, querida and play along, I am going to change. When the soldiers come in to tell them what happened without risking my name but tell them Zorro did this and what had happened to you." Zorro smiled kissing her hand before leaving. He had just left the building when the soldiers stormed inside.
"Senorita what happened?" The Alcalde of San Pedro asked, clearly another sort of Alcalde then the one from Los Angeles. This one was kind and gentle.
Victoria started to sob, "This man had paid men to kidnap me and he forced me to marry him. Zorro came right in time to save me but it's always the same, people kidnap me to get to him. I think I am done with being the fox his love. I think I am going to look for a quiet life with the man I really love." Victoria sobbed.
Diego who stood around the corner swallowed did he still lose his Victoria now that she knew who he was. Like always he was going ahead of himself because what he heard next made him smile again.
"I always thought that choosing for Zorro was the easy way for my heart but it really belongs to my best friend." Victoria sobbed. She didn't need to pretend because the emotions hit her now that everything was over.
Diego had made a little detour after what he had heard and came galloping underneath the San Pedro gates. He stopped Toronado who he now named Diablo and stopped towards the church, "I heard rumors that they found a kidnapped woman in this town, my best friend disappeared from Los Angeles."
One of the soldiers pointed in the direction of the church. Diego came running inside, "Victoria!"
Victoria looked up like she just didn't see him in his black clothes, "Diego!" She stood up and ran towards him, "Diego I never thought I would ever see you again. I want to forget about Zorro and I want to start my life with you if you will have me." She cried in his chest.
Diego smiled, "Of course, I want you, so to make this official, Victoria Escalante, will give me a chance to court you?" hugging her closely, "I thought I was too late. I even took the risk of riding Diablo."
"Yes, Diego, you have the chance to court me. Please, Diego, take me out of here." Victoria said still not wanting to let him go but looking up now through her tears. "You rode Diablo for me? Diego, you could have had an accident."
"It would have been worth it, senorita. Come on let's get out of here. Let's order two rooms in the inn so you could have some rest that we could go back home tomorrow if that's alright with you Alcalde?" Diego asked curiously.
Don Domingo took that moment to wake up. He had hoped he would wait until they were out of church so Diego and Victoria both swallowed.
"Who are you, senor?" The Alcalde asked.
Don Domingo thought for a moment, "I… I don't know do you know who I am?"
Diego knew Domingo well enough that he wasn't playing games. Even the Alcalde was thinking that he wasn't faking it. Victoria had smashed his head so hard that he now couldn't remember his own name let alone who Zorro was.
"Take him to jail, let's see if he remembers tomorrow." The Alcalde said sternly before turning to Diego and Victoria, "If you ever see Zorro. Thank him for me, we were looking for these criminals for years."
"We will do that." Victoria smiled, "I need to talk to him anyway to tell him I choose Diego over him and to be sure he is going to leave Diego alone." Still in Diego's arms.
"I am sorry I didn't bring you spare clothes but you will get a new one if you want to be out of this dress," Diego whispered against her head.
"That would be great but I don't have money here," Victoria said shyly.
"Let me give it to you as a first official gift." Diego smiled. Victoria smiled but responded, "That's too much, Diego."
"You are being courted by a De La Vega now so you better get used to it." Diego smiled.
Diego and Victoria walked towards a disguised Toronado, "I am so sorry boy but tonight you will have to sleep in the stables, I will make sure though you won't be recognized." Diego said to his stallion before walking towards the inn.
They were in luck they had the last two rooms and Diego made sure nobody came even near Toronado AKA Diablo due to his temper.
Diego had paid them both dinner before going to bed early. His Zorro clothes and sword hid in Toronado's stable underneath some hay well out the way that it wouldn't hurt his stallion. He wouldn't risk doing that with another horse but Toronado was no ordinary stallion. Knowing his friend he would defend it with his life.
For one thing, he was Domingo grateful though, his life with Victoria could finally begin.
TBC
