A.N – OK, I don't know if you noticed when I posted the last chapter but all that screenplay writing has seriously affected my "normal" writing… I read through that chapter and updated it many times: first, it was the constant use of the first person instead of the third (a mistake that happened the other way around before, when I switched to scripts), the lack of descriptions, with minimal use of words, and specially, the lack of inner thoughts of the characters. Oh, my… I'm in trouble. Hopefully, with a bit of practice, I will be able to switch between script-mode and novel-mode more easily. Bear with me on this. It's quite shocking for me, really. And so frustrating!

I also made a silly mistake, saying Ramón died at Devil's Fortress… Well, no, in my time line in this story, Esteban killed him, but I wrote that two years ago, in 2017, and I didn't keep it in mind… D'oh!

When I posted last May I thought I would continue with this story until I finished it, but then I was distracted (yes, once again, sorry…) writing a story for the Zorro 100th Anniversary Challenge called "Zorro 24", that due to its format, it suffered from some of the defects I just mentioned above. (Facepalming)

Well, back to this never-ending story. Again… For how long? I better don't say anything because it always turns out wrong.

Thanks for reading and for your kind reviews. Keep them coming! Keep me happy. :D

Again, some dialogues and scenes are taken from the Season 3 episode "The New Broom."

Chapter 92 – Watch your mouth

"Don Diego, what are we going to do?" Mendoza said at the library, alone with the De la Vegas. He had posted all his men outside so they could talk freely now that the guests had retired to their rooms for the night. "I had hoped with all my heart the new alcalde would be different, but this is a terrible start!"

Diego was tense, dead serious, standing close to the fireplace with his arms firmly crossed over his chest. Felipe made a "Z" sign in the air, the question in everyone's mind.

"Diego, you can't really be contemplating the idea of riding as Zorro again!" Don Alejandro said.

Victoria felt suddenly sick and had to sit down in one of the armchairs, the colour drained from her face. The men rushed to her side, with her pregnancy in mind.

"Victoria, are you alright?" Diego said, crouching in front of her, taking her hand.

"You promised!" she cried, retrieving her hand, rejecting his, with her eyes filled with anger, fear, and worry.

"I know I did, but I can't see another way," Diego said, standing, running a hand through his dark hair, stressed. "I'm sorry."

"Madre de Dios!" Mendoza cried. "I may have to shoot you again! Please, Don Diego, I beg you: don't put me in that position again. Please!"

"Only once, Sergeant, to strike some fear deep into De Soto's heart, and then we'll go to Spain. Otherwise… if Zorro doesn't make an appearance now, we could be locked in here for a long, long time, missing our ship. Is that what you want, my dear?"

Victoria didn't answer. She was too busy crying her heart out.

"I confess I would like to see the birth of my first grandchild here, in this hacienda, but you two really need to go away from this pueblo and heal your wounds," Don Alejandro said, offering Victoria a clean handkerchief, tapping her arm lovingly before he looked back at his son. "How do you want to do this?"

"Tomorrow at siesta, so Zorro has time to find out about our situation. If I go there tonight, it will be too soon, and Ignacio will suspect. Sergeant, I'll need you to keep the lancers busy, away from the alcalde's office. And I also need you to turn Toronado loose, so he can come to the cave. Can you do that?"

"Yes, I think so. I hope your plan works well, Don Diego, I really do."

"It will, don't worry," Diego said. He passed his long arm over the sergeant's shoulders then, walking him away from the others. "Jaime, I will need one more thing from you: have you got a saw?"

ZZZ

Mendoza left the house in the dark and walked to the stables. He stopped at Toronado's pen and lifted the bars.

"All right, old boy. You can go to the cave now."

Toronado step out and neighed, bobbing his head, but didn't set off. Mendoza tapped his neck gently.

"Zorro needs you. To the cave, venga! Vamos! Vamos!"

He slapped the stallion's rump. Toronado jumped forward and ran off the stable, into the darkness of the night. Mendoza shook his head and returned to the house, hoping nobody would notice the black stallion was missing. Don Diego's plan had to work without flaws, for everyone's sake.

ZZZ

Early in the morning, De Soto returned to the hacienda with a bunch of soldiers, fresh to keep guard on the De la Vegas and their guests.

"How long are you planning on holding us here, Alcalde?" Don Alejandro barked at him.

"For as long as it takes," De Soto said, "until that renegade shows up."

"What if Zorro has really left the territory, he's busy somewhere else, or he doesn't hear about this?" Diego said.

"Don't worry. I did some interesting reading last night. My predecessor believed that using señorita Escalante as bait…" De Soto cleared his throat then, and corrected himself, "I mean, your wife, Doña de la Vega… Well, that trick always worked to lure him out. By the way, Diego, do you mind to explain how come you managed to marry Zorro's girlfriend? That certainly look suspicious to me," De Soto said, with his hideous smirk again on display.

Diego clenched his jaw, unwilling to explain anything concerning the past few months since Ramón was killed.

"If your only source of information are Ramón's biased files, you are really lacking in knowledge, Alcalde," Diego said. "Anybody in the pueblo could tell you how difficult the last few months have been for us, and rely some of the unfortunate events that had led to this situation, but I'm not going to. If you are implying that I could be Zorro, only because I married this beautiful woman, you should know that it is a very stupid idea."

"Preposterous!" Don Alejandro added, trying to help.

"Fair enough, but, while I gather more information, you'll remain my main suspect. After all, you studied with Sir Edmund Kendall, didn't you? We all did at Madrid, to some degree."

The De la Vegas sent uncomfortable glances at each other. Could it be true, that this man was clever enough to find out Zorro's identity in only one day?

"You're wasting your time. And I have a ship to board," Diego said, with a calm he didn't feel.

"I wouldn't count on that," De Soto said, heading for the front door. "Corporal Sepúlveda, you are in charge. Nobody leaves this hacienda until I say so. Sergeant Mendoza, come with me. You have a lot to explain…"

"Sí, mi alcalde," Mendoza said, following him. Before he stepped out, he sent a last worried glance at Diego, gulping.

"We are in trouble, aren't we?" Victoria said. Diego could not deny it.

ZZZ

At siesta time, Zorro waited patiently behind the curtains at the alcalde's bedroom until he heard footsteps, and then the noise of a sword in its scabbard thrown carelessly on the bed. De Soto sighed, starting a self-explanatory monologue that made Zorro smile.

"In no time, I will be out of this dusty little pueblo…" De Soto said while walking around the room, straightening a picture. He took off his jacket, opened the curtained doorway to the wardrobe, and hung it there. Zorro cowered cautiously in the recess, but De Soto didn't see him.

"…and back in my beloved Madrid…"

Certain of his triumph, De Soto clapped his hands and lifted up his arms, stretching his back.

"…where the world shall be my oyster!"

De Soto turned and threw himself on the bed, on his back. Thanks to the Sergeant's handywork with the saw, the structure collapsed under his weight with a loud crash, Zorro's cue to come out of the wardrobe.

Zorro shoved aside the curtains and walked out. De Soto stared at him in disbelief, in awe of that man that had dared to sneak into his quarters like that.

"Consider the bed a welcoming gift. You must have to be the neatest man in all of Spain. I've had ample time to study your wardrobe," Zorro said playfully, turning to stroke the alcalde's colourful cravats. "Take this collection of silk cravats, for example. Most impressive."

"Don't touch them!"

"Forgive me," Zorro said, sneezing into the fabric. "I think I'm getting a cold."

Zorro used the cravat to wipe his nose. De Soto, livid, picked up his sword and stared at Zorro, who walked towards him menacingly.

"I came to tell you I always work alone. I have no accomplices. Never have, never will. So, you can free those innocent people at the De la Vega hacienda."

"Make me," De Soto said defiantly, dragging his words.

Zorro smiled as De Soto drew his sword. He was really enjoying this last chance to play Zorro. He unsheathed his sabre, saluted at his opponent, and waited for his attack. De Soto lunged furiously, but Zorro parried with ease, toying with him.

At some point during the fight, Zorro stopped to look at a painting on the wall.

"Niccolò Machiavelli... Your hero, I presume."

De Soto lunged at Zorro one more time but he moved to a side and the alcalde's sword impaled the wall.

"How appropriate since he was a despicable little man who kissed up to the rich…"

De Soto lunged again, with the same result: Zorro moved out of the way and the sword hit the wall again.

"…and failed in everything he tried to do. As you'd do if you insist on catching me."

De Soto slashed at Zorro's throat sideways but he ducked out of the way, spanking his arse with his sword. The masked man looked at the picture again and smiled. The alcalde had inadvertently cut the canvas with that last bold move.

"Ah, now you both lost your heads."

De Soto looked up at the portrait and gasped when he saw the ugly cut he had carved on it, right across Machiavelli's throat instead of Zorro's. That increased his rage tenfold.

"I find it quite confining in here, don't you?" Zorro said, waiting for the attack.

De Soto growled and charged again, but Zorro moved away from the closed door and pushed the alcalde through it when he passed him by. With his body, De Soto smashed the door to flinders, and with the impulse, he face-landed outside, losing the sword. Zorro leapt over his body as he writhed to get up.

"This is much better. Now we have more room."

De Soto finally managed to get up and ran to call the soldiers.

"Lancers!"

"All your men are either riding to or from the De la Vega hacienda. I'm afraid it's just you and me, amigo."

Zorro kicked De Soto's sword up in the air. De Soto grabbed it, flourishing the sword several times expertly, trying to impress the man in black, and attacked again, confident in his ability.

"I'm afraid you're very outclassed, Señor."

"I think not, Señor," Zorro replied, stepping up the quality of his fencing moves. As they kept duelling, Zorro took the offensive, getting De Soto in trouble. "I always try to match my style to that of my opponent. When I fence with Mendoza, I fence with simplicity. When I fence with a subtle swordsman like yourself, I employ… subtlety."

"Is that what you employed with your girlfriend, with señorita Escalante?" De Soto said, trying another approach now that it had dawned on him that man had superior fencing skills. "I mean… Doña de la Vega…"

That got Zorro by surprise. Their blades clashed together and they got closer while holding them firmly, a moment the alcalde used to throw his venomous, verbal dart.

"What kind of a man leaves his girlfriend defenceless at the hands of bandits?"

"Alcalde, watch your mouth," Zorro warned with a very low, harsh tone, breathing out only inches from his face. He had come to scare that man into inaction, not to be humiliated by him.

They pushed and disengaged their swords, pulling back. The alcalde didn't seem to get it, and carried on provoking him.

"So defenceless as to be raped and dishonoured, and to do so in front of another man, one so righteous and stupid he considered his duty to marry that whore…"

Zorro punched his mouth. The alcalde fell on his back, nearly knocked out, but the black fury jumped on him and continued delivering blows until he didn't move anymore, hardly alive, his face smashed to a pulp.

"Madre de Dios!" Mendoza said, coming out of his hiding place. "Zorro, stop! Stop!"

Zorro stepped back and let out a furious cry, kicking the inert body of his former classmate.

"Cabrón hijo de la gran puta…" he mumbled, almost growling, hardly able to control himself.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Don Diego. He shouldn't have said that, but…"

"Sergeant, for goodness sake, don't ever say my name when I'm wearing this outfit! Someone could hear you!"

"Oh, yes, sorry, Don Diego... Oops, sorry!" Mendoza said, gulping, approaching the alcalde. "Oh, my God, I think he's dead!"

"He's not dead," Zorro said quickly, dismissing that possibility.

"I can't find his pulse!"

Zorro removed his right glove and applied his fingers to De Soto's neck. He didn't look good, bleeding from his nose and split lip, but he could feel a faint pulse.

"No, he's alive. Bring me a horse. I'll take him with me."

"Zorro, I can't allow that. I really can't. I… pleeease, don't do this. Por el amor de Dios, don't…"

"Sergeant, I'm not going to hurt him anymore, I've already done that. I only want to help him, and help myself."

"All right. I'll be back in a second. Hold on."

Zorro stayed by the fallen man while the sergeant saddled a horse. He wasn't proud of what he had done, but… how dared that scumbag talk about what had happened with such disrespect? Calling his poor, fragile Victoria a… a… a whore... of all things. He could hardly believe the alcalde had said that word aloud.

While waiting for Mendoza, under that black mask Diego had to take deep breaths to calm down and not finish that vile man off for good.

ZZZZZ