AN – Thank you all for reading and for your kind reviews. I am sorry I had to split this chapter not in 2, but in 3 pieces, because it was growing out of hand. The problem with an over-enthusiastic Muse that strikes like that when she wants, filling up pages and pages with swordfights, pain and medical details. (Oops, not again! Sorry)

Slowly getting to the end. I'll get there, hopefully soon. In the meantime, keep reading and reviewing, thanks!

Chapter 40 – Master and pupil

"Zorro! What are you doing here?" Esteban said.

Zorro perched casually over the back wall, with his arms crossed over his chest and one of his long legs dangling loose along the brick fence. When Esteban spotted him, Zorro smiled and passed his other leg over the fence as well, effortlessly jumping inside the garden.

"Buenas tardes, Don Esteban," he said, leaning while touching the brim of his bolero hat. "I came to check on you. Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I am fine, thank you. I am flattered to see that you take some interest in my health, but please, tell me: to what do I really owe the honor of this visit?"

"You haven't given me much trouble recently, señor, so I think it is time I teach you the promised fencing lesson, if you are up to it. This evening, with my compliments," Zorro said with a flamboyant bow.

"Now?"

"Yes, now. Unless you are not feeling well enough yet, but you just said you are fine, didn't you?"

"Yes. I think so. Well, forgive me if I don't bounce up and down with joy and excitement, but this is completely unexpected for me, so out of the blue. But I really appreciate you taking a moment of your time to do this. Give me a minute and I'll get my sword," he said, heading for the house.

In the meantime, Zorro waited for him in the garden, wandering closer to the house. When Esteban returned, sword in hand, he looked troubled.

"Zorro, before we do this I have to ask you something."

"Sure. What is it?"

"You are not here looking for an excuse to hurt me, are you?"

"What do you mean? Do you think I should have reasons to hurt you?"

"Maybe. It depends of what you may have heard from the pueblo's busybodies."

Zorro had to supress a smile to maintain a serious expression. He knew perfectly well what could be troubling Esteban because he had heard the gossip, as everyone else had, but he wanted to hear the words coming from him. Some of the rejected young women had spread the rumour that the young don only had eyes for the tavern owner, and that the couple were cheating Zorro behind his back. But he knew that was a lie because Victoria would not do that, and in any case, Don Alejandro watched them like a hawk when she was around. And so did Diego.

"I know all the gossip, yes. But, if you have anything to say, say it now, please."

"Are you here because of your fiancée?"

"Maybe," Zorro said, with the corner of his lips curving up despite his efforts to keep them straight and neutral.

"Well, if that is the case, I am sorry, but it's true: I do love your fiancée. You can kill me now if you want."

"Why would I want to do that? Although, that would not be a huge problem for me," he said, pointing at Esteban with his sword, but then he lowered it again. "No, that's not what I intend to do. In a way, it is kind of flattering you are in love with Victoria, considering the amount of beautiful young women you could choose from right now. She is something else, isn't she?"

Esteban only nodded, surprised by how well Zorro was taking it. Any other man in Madrid would be at his throat by then, complaining of having his honour trashed and smeared. But not Zorro. And he admired him even more for that.

"Every man in California should be in love with her, don't you think?" Zorro said, winking.

"Yes, they should. But, fortunately for you and not so much for the rest of us, she only has eyes for you," Esteban said, unable to hide his bitterness.

"Lucky me then," Zorro said, caressing the blade of his Toledo sword with his left gloved hand. Then he stared at Esteban and his voice turned harsh, without the hint of the mockery he had showed before. "I hope it stays that way or we will have to resume this conversation someday. And, if that happens, I don't think I will be in a very good mood."

"I understand. However, if you really would like to avoid that scenario, you should put a ring on her finger and marry her as soon as possible. Otherwise she might get tired of waiting for you. She's been waiting long enough."

"I already put a ring on her finger. And our marriage is on hold at the moment thanks to the alcalde, among other things, but that is none of your business."

Zorro walked a few steps away from Esteban and then turned to face him again, adopting the on-guard position.

"Now, with this uncomfortable issue totally cleared, should we start the lesson?"

"Yes, please, but be gentle with me."

"Don't worry, I will. On guard!"

They engaged then in a friendly bout, testing each other with easy moves executed in a controlled manner to avoid accidental damage to the opponent. Zorro corrected Esteban to improve some of his moves, giving him advice on how to attack and defend himself more efficiently, covering the deficiencies in Esteban's technique and the issues he had noticed before in his previous fights. During the lesson they chatted and laughed, and it was obvious for Diego his cousin was having a good time, recovering some of his passion for life. Just as he had intended.

"Look, for this counter-attack, it is better if your riposte goes through the third first, and then back."

"What? That would never work. I'll be hit in the shoulder before I can disarm my opponent."

"You will not if you combine it with the foot work. Like this," Zorro said, demonstrating the movement.

"I see… I never thought of that," Esteban said, trying the move. "Wow. This is really bold, and unexpected."

"And really effective if you master it."

"Wow. Thanks, Zorro."

"You're welcome."

They carried on then, engaging in a faster sequence right when Don Alejandro, alarmed by the clink-clank noise of the swords, came into the garden followed by Felipe.

"Zorro, please, don't kill him!" the old don cried, stepping between them when they finished that fast exchange. "The fool fell in love with Victoria, that much is true, but nothing happened between them! I made sure of that. They never cheated on you, I swear."

Zorro lowered his sword quickly, afraid Don Alejandro would hurt himself with it, as he had got so close to the blade. He still had nightmares about Lucía hanging by her throat at the end of the sword, and he could not stand the thought of hurting his own father accidentally.

"Don't worry, Don Alejandro. I mean your nephew no harm. We covered that issue already, and we are clear on that. So please, get out of the way. I am here to give him a much-needed fencing lesson, that's all."

"Not so much-needed!" Esteban said when the old don retreated to a side with Felipe, attacking Zorro with too much enthusiasm for a friendly practice bout with real swords and no protective gear. But, stretching his torso out of the way while his sword was still lowered, Zorro avoided the blade and then beat-parried Esteban's sword from below, disarming him.

"Really? Not needed? Pick up your sword, please."

Zorro stepped back then, taking a hand to his side, wincing.

"Are you alright? I didn't touch you, did I?" Esteban said, panicking. "Sorry, I should not have done that. I could have hurt you seriously. Please, forgive me!"

"No, you didn't touch me. I think I stretched the gunshot wound at my side too much on that last move. It's not completely healed yet, I'm afraid, and it sometimes gives me trouble. But don't worry; I'll be alright. Just give me a moment. Pick up your sword while I take a little break."

Right then Don Emilio also came into the garden, escorting Victoria.

"Ah, here you all are. Victoria is…" he started casually, but he stopped mid-sentence when he spotted Zorro. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, Father. Zorro is so kind he's giving me a much-needed fencing lesson," Esteban said after that little humiliation, still genuinely worried about him. "Good evening, Victoria. How good to see you. I was afraid you would not show up today."

Victoria looked at him briefly to acknowledge his words, but her eyes flew to Zorro at once.

"I wasn't expecting you here," she said, looking quite upset by his presence in the De la Vega's back garden.

"Good evening, señorita," he said, taking her hand to plant a delicate kiss on its back. "I wasn't expecting you here either."

She blushed bright red then, pulling her hand off his.

"But it's so good to see you," he continued, copying Esteban's words. "Now, if you all move to a side, you can watch while we finish the lesson."

"Are you sure you are alright?" Esteban said.

"Yes. Five more minutes to teach you another great parry like the one I just used and we are done."

The De la Vega family and Victoria watched the rest of the lesson with interest, admiring their skills. Esteban was no match for Zorro, obviously, but he was a worthy contender nonetheless, which made the advanced lesson quite enjoyable.

"Where is Diego? He is always missing the good action," Don Alejandro said.

"He is at the Guardian's, finishing the new issue," Felipe signed quickly.

"Really? I went there before I came so he could keep me company on the way here, but he wasn't at the newspaper office," Victoria said.

Felipe shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know then. Maybe I am mistaken and he said he would be somewhere else."

"Excuse me, Zorro. Can we stop for a moment?" Esteban said suddenly, lowering his sword. "I think I should follow my cousin's advice and lie down now. It won't take long, and then we can finish the lesson. I am very sorry about this."

He threw the sword a short distance away and lay on the ground then while everybody looked at him, puzzled by this action. Diego made a move to help him when he started twitching with that particular empty expression on his face, while is mouth was still open, because Esteban forgot placing the stick between his teeth. However, he stopped half-way when he realized knowing what to do was a big mistake.

"What is he doing?" Zorro said, feigning surprise when Esteban started convulsing.

"Damn it! He is having another seizure," Don Alejandro said. "This is the third one today. He suffers from them since that crazy woman poisoned him. Don't worry; they only last for a couple of minutes, sometimes much less than that. He'll be alright."

Diego had to use all his control and self-restrain when he saw the blood trickling from the corner of his cousin's mouth while he foamed. It was obvious to him Esteban had bitten his tongue badly this time and he could choke with it, but dressed as Zorro he could not play doctor without looking suspicious, and nobody else did anything about it. Victoria, Don Alejandro and Don Emilio had kneeled at Esteban's side, holding him down, but they didn't touch his face. Zorro gained Felipe's attention then while the others looked down, and he pointed at his own tongue, urging him to do something. Felipe showed his palms up, and then Zorro pointed at his pocket and then again at Esteban. Felipe understood and kneeled by Esteban's side too, searching his pockets until he found the battered wooden stick. He forced Esteban's mouth open and rammed the stick in his mouth, between his teeth, before he could clasp them down on his fingers, and then he pulled from the bleeding tongue to reposition it, clearing the airway.

"Oh, gosh," Don Alejandro said when he saw all that blood, alarmed by the noises Esteban was doing while breathing through it, like chocking with the blood and foaming. "Is this why Diego always insists on using this stick?"

Felipe nodded vigorously, grabbing Esteban by the shoulders to turn him on his side. Esteban stopped convulsing shortly after, but the tongue kept bleeding from the nasty bite, pooling blood under his face. Diego felt proud of how Felipe was handling the situation, but he couldn't say so.

"Is he alright?" Zorro asked.

"Yes. But he bit his tongue badly this time," Don Alejandro said. "Where the hell is Diego? He would know what to do. Why is he never here when I need him?"

"Don Diego? I saw him this afternoon, heading to the East woods," Zorro said. "I don't know what he was up to, but I guess it will take him a while to return."

"I'll send Manuel to fetch Doctor Hernández. You stay here with him, Felipe, because you are the best one to treat him in Diego's absence."

While Don Alejandro gave the instructions to the servant, Felipe used Don Emilio's cravat to put pressure on Esteban's tongue, now that he had relaxed his muscles, while they waited for him to fully come around after the fit.

"Victoria," Zorro said taking her hands, pulling her a short distance away from the others, "don't worry about him. He is going to be fine. A bit sore, and he'll probably stay silent for a little while, but he'll be fine."

"I know. It's just… I feel so sorry for him," she said, looking back at Esteban. When she finally focused her gaze back on Zorro she lowered her eyes immediately, embarrassed. "I don't know what you may have heard, but I can tell you it's not true. I feel sorry for Don Esteban, and I like him, but I don't love him. Those women made that up because they can't stand the fact he doesn't care about them at all while he cares so much about me."

"I know."

"I was so unfair with him before, treating him like a scumbag, and I feel very bad about it."

"Everybody did. I already talked to him about this before the fencing lesson, so don't worry about it. I know you did nothing wrong."

During the last two weeks Zorro had visited Victoria at the tavern a few times, but he had kept his promise and never entered her bedroom again, staying only briefly in the kitchen for some talking and the odd stolen kiss. Actually, this had been the longer they had been together since they made love.

"Come here. Come closer."

When she did, he leaned over to kiss her, shielding the view from the others holding his hat up.

"What are you doing? Not here!"

"They can't see you. And I don't see why I can't kiss you, because you are my fiancée. I should be able to kiss my fiancée in public, just like everybody else."

"It's not proper! You don't know how Don Alejandro feels about these things!" she said while looking over the hat, only to meet the accusatory eyes of the old don and his serious expression.

Unfortunately, I do, Zorro thought, sighing. He repositioned the hat on his head and let go of Victoria.

"Another time then, preciosa," he whispered, caressing briefly her cheek, and then walked back closer to the group tending for Esteban. "If everything is under control I'll go now. It looks like the lesson is over."

"Yes. Thank you for cheering him up, Zorro. I had not seen him smiling like that for a long time," Don Emilio said.

"Good. I am glad it helped. Take care of him now. I hope either the doctor or Don Diego arrive soon. Good bye."

He whistled for Toronado, who neighed at the other side of the garden wall. Zorro climbed up over it with ease and disappeared with a flurry of black, silk cloth.

ZZZZZ