My thanks to PamZ. Her transcripts contribute significantly to the creation of this story.

Every word you recognize from the series isn't mine.

The following chapters are based on the episode "The Best Man" S1E5, which is the one I have been most eagerly anticipating.

Chapter 18

Almost everything was ready for the big day. In two days, Victoria would become his wife. Diego had been thinking about a suitable wedding gift for her. The idea of painting a picture of the tavern had only occurred to him the day before yesterday, and since then, he had devoted all his scarce free time to it.
And there was even good news. Rafaël had written he wanted to attend the ceremony. Rafaël was Alejandro's youngest brother's son and four years younger than Diego. He and his fiancée could arrive any moment now.

Diego looked up as he heard footsteps approaching from the hallway. His father entered and fastened his cufflink. "Are you still working on that painting? I told you yesterday it looks fine."

Diego placed the brush on the table next to him. "Yes, I know. I wanted to add some more details. And I'm not satisfied with the planters on the balconies yet. I want to use a livelier shade of red." Diego stepped back and critically examined the painting once again. He was reasonably pleased with the result, but it felt like something small was missing to create the right atmosphere.

Felipe rushed into the room and gestured that a carriage was approaching.

"Diego, believe me, it looks beautiful. Come on. They're here. By the way, you look impeccable."

"Well, it's not every day that my cousin comes to visit all the way from Santa Barbara with his new fiancée. I can tell you that." Diego put on his jacket, which he had taken off for more freedom of movement. "I can hardly believe that Rafaël is old enough to get married."

Don Alejandro straightened his bow tie. "Oh, but he certainly is old enough. When I was his age, I had been married and a father for two years."

Diego placed his hand on don Alejandro's shoulder, and together they walked towards the front door. "Are you suggesting that you think I should have married sooner?"

"Of course not. Otherwise, you would have got married in Spain. I'm glad I can be present at your wedding. And Victoria... I couldn't wish for a better daughter-in-law."

They stepped outside, and Diego closed the front door.

Don Alejandro continued talking. "She is intelligent, kind, courageous, honest, generous..."

"Father, please, stop." Diego interrupted him. It seemed as if his father was surprised that Victoria wanted to marry him.

"A little bit, yes. Victoria is a woman full of fire and passion. You, on the other hand..., are so restrained. But then, opposites attract. You'll have your hands full of her. It wouldn't hurt to show Victoria you're worthy of her love." Diego sighed as he followed his father. "You need to show her more passion."

Diego replied calmly. "I do have passions... for science, art, economics."

Alejandro rolled his eyes in annoyance. Sometimes it seemed like Diego deliberately misunderstood his words. "Passion for love, for life! Show a little romance. Give Victoria a gift. Compliment her." Alejandro nudged his son. "You know what you should do? Go to San Fernando tomorrow. There's a good jeweller there. Buy a beautiful necklace or something that matches her ring. It's a shame I didn't think of it earlier on. It would be a perfect gift. I'm sure Victoria would appreciate that more than some daubs on a canvas."

"Daubs!" Diego reacted bewildered. He knew he wasn't a da Vinci or Goya. He thought his attempt to make a painting of the tavern was quite successful, especially considering the short amount of time he had. Besides, weeks ago, he had bought a matching necklace and earrings to give her. He also wanted to have her something unique, to make her feel welcome at the hacienda.

They reached the gate and watched as a carriage stopped near the hacienda. Diego walked towards his guests to greet them, feeling a sense of unease. He indeed wished he could give Victoria more than what he, Diego, had to offer. Ignoring the gnawing feeling in his stomach, Diego greeted his cousin with a forced smile. "Rafaël! It's great to see you."

"Diego!" The two men embraced each other warmly.

Diego asked warmly, "I trust you had a good journey?"

"Excellent." Rafaël went to Don Alejandro and embraced him. "Uncle Alejandro, what a pleasure to see you in good health. I assume you received my letter?"

Don Alejandro nodded approvingly and smiled. "Indeed, we were expecting your arrival. And we are eager to meet your bride. Come, introduce her to us."

Rafaël returned to the buggy and took the hand of the young woman as she stood up. He helped her out as she radiated excitement. "Allow me to introduce Margarita de Madera, my fiancée," Rafaël proudly said.

Don Alejandro took her hand and gallantly kissed it. While Rafaël continued talking. "This is my uncle, Alejandro de la Vega."

"Welcome, señorita Margarita. I am delighted to welcome another de la Vega bride into the family," Don Alejandro nodded approvingly. "You have chosen excellently, nephew."

Rafaël pointed to Diego and said, "And this is my cousin, don Diego."

Diego greeted her politely. "Welcome to our beautiful pueblo, señorita."

Margarita smiled charmingly and replied, "Thank you, don Diego. I have been looking forward to visiting Los Angeles for a long time."

Diego tried to hide his concern, but his gaze betrayed his inner unease as Margarita excitedly continued, "It's, of course, amazing to meet all of you, but honestly, I just can't wait to meet Zorro. I have heard so much about him, and everything sounds very thrilling and mysterious."

Diego forced a smile. He feared that Margarita's presence, as well as her fascination for Zorro, could create tensions in the days to come.

"Come, my friends, let's go inside. You must be tired, hungry, and thirsty," don Alejandro uttered. Margarita tightly held Rafaël's arm.

Rafaël turned to Diego and asked, "Diego, when will we meet your fiancée? Uncle Alejandro spoke highly of her."

"Victoria sends her apologies. She will join us during dinner. At the moment, she is busy working at the local tavern," Diego answered.

Margarita stopped and asked in surprise, "She's working at a tavern?"

"Yes, Victoria is the proud owner and manager of the tavern," Diego replied with a hint of pride. He couldn't ignore Margarita's condescending remark.

"She owns it?"

Before Diego could respond further, don Alejandro interrupted the discussion. "Victoria is a strong, independent woman. After her parents passed away, she took over the tavern. And has been doing exceptionally well."

Margarita tried to defend herself. "I didn't mean any offence. It's just unusual for a woman to be so independent," she said as she sat on the sofa. "Especially now that she will soon be married and carry the title of doña. I find it remarkable that she prefers her work over being introduced to members of her soon-to-be new family. I assume she will sell the tavern soon. It would be difficult for her to be both a doña and a working woman."

Grinding his teeth, Diego did his best to remain calm and polite. With feigned patience, he explained, "Victoria has not made a decision about that yet. She will come to live here after our wedding and continue going to the tavern daily."

Margarita gasped and covered her mouth in astonishment. "And you approve of that?"

Rafaël, shocked by such inappropriate behaviour, intervened. "Margarita, that's enough. Apologies, Diego, uncle Alejandro. Margarita is not accustomed to the social mingling between different classes that is common in Los Angeles. Diego, your fiancée sounds like an exceptional woman, and I'm sure she is if you have chosen to marry her."

Margarita sniffed disdainfully and decided to refrain from commenting after Rafaël gave her a stern look.

"It's all right. The customs here are indeed more relaxed than in the big city. It's something I highly appreciate," Alejandro made an inviting gesture towards the seating area. "I'm proud to say that I have many friends among the locals."

Diego tried to steer the conversation towards a different topic. "Rafaël, tell me, how did you and Margarita meet?"

Rafaël smiled and looked lovingly at his fiancée. "We met at a charity event in Santa Barbara organized by her mother. I was immediately impressed by her kind heart, charm, and beauty. We started talking, and the spark ignited. It felt like we had known each other for years."

Margarita blushed slightly and added, "It was love at first sight. Rafaël is such a…, thoughtful man. I can't wait to share my life with him."

Don Alejandro stood up and raised his wine glass, which had been brought to them by a servant. "To love, beauty, and friendship."

Diego also stood up and added, "And to wisdom."

They all took a sip of their wine. Then Margarita broke the silence with a question. "Can one be both romantic and wise?"

Diego charmingly smiled and replied, "One is better off being both, señorita. It is an art to follow the heart while acting wisely."

Suddenly, Felipe entered the room, drawing Diego's attention. "What is it, Felipe?"

Felipe lowered his right hand and raised it up and across his body. He repeated the gesture, this time higher above his waist.

Diego translated Felipe's gestures to confirm. "There's a problem in pueblo,... soldiers."

Don Alejandro immediately stood up and placed his glass on the coffee table. "Soldiers! Then I better go and see what's going on. Diego, will you join me? My apologies, Rafaël, Margarita. I must go."

Rafaël also stood up. "I'll go with you."

Margarita followed suit, determined. "And so will I."

Don Alejandro looked worriedly at Margarita. "The pueblo is under a state of siege, my dear. It's not a place for a sophisticated young lady."

Margarita waved away his concerns and beckoned to Diego. "Nonsense. This is the perfect opportunity to explore Los Angeles. Besides, you'll be there to protect us, won't you?"

Diego responded somewhat reluctantly. He knew that his response would enrage his father. However, Felipe had indicated someone else his presence was urgently needed. "I was planning to continue working on my painting. It's going to be a wedding gift for Victoria, so I need to finish it."

Rafaël looked surprised. "Since when do you paint? Something other than fences, I mean."

Don Alejandro quickly explained, "Madrid changes reckless young boys. Diego has his own interests nowadays, nephew."

Margarita clearly disapproved of Diego's response. "Are you just going to let your father go alone?"

Diego responded nonchalantly. "Well, these things have a way of working themselves out."

"By which you mean you expect Zorro to solve it once again," Don Alejandro grumbled at his son. "We can't rely on that man to risk his life every time while we do nothing. You can do as you please, but I will do what my honour as a don requires. Come, Rafaël, we must hurry."

With an irritated look, Margarita followed the men outside.
Felipe let out a sigh of relief and made a 'Z' gesture in the air with his finger. Diego set down his glass and hurried after Felipe to the library through the secret panel in the fireplace.

.

In the pueblo, Ramon leaned casually against a porch post while Mendoza read aloud from a document to the tied-up farmers standing in a row. Victoria stood on the side, observing everything with her arms crossed.

With a threatening tone, Mendoza addressed the farmers. "You all failed to pay taxes on your crops is an act of treason and will be punished by the death penalty." He turned around and looked at Ramon. "Death penalty?"

Ramon nodded without hesitation as Mendoza turned back to the farmers. "Can't you pay anything for the agricultural tax?"
The farmers shook their heads in despair.
Mendoza spoke suggestively. "But perhaps a small amount? If you pay only a symbolic sum, you might find mercy."

Victoria interrupted, her voice full of conviction. "Everyone knows the harvests have failed. We had a drought, remember? And our alcalde diverted the water flow. It's his fault that these poor farmers have nothing left. And it's scandalous that..."

Ramon looked at her disdainfully. He didn't like getting reminded of his failure. " One other word, señorita. And your fiancé will be a widower before the wedding ceremony takes place."

Victoria's eyes spewed fire as she clenched her jaws together.

"Mendoza, carry out the sentence."

In a high-pitched voice, Mendoza asked, "But do you really mean that we should hang them?"
Ramon nodded again as he walked away.
"Really?" Mendoza was shocked by that idea.

A carriage carrying don Alejandro, Rafaël, and Margarita, rolled into the pueblo. As soon as the carriage stops, don Alejandro stepped out, followed by Rafaël.
Don Alejandro began to shout angrily, "This new law is outrageous, alcalde!"

Ramon responded provocatively, "As I just tried to explain to your future daughter-in-law, it's none of your concern, señor de la Vega."

Rafaël, partly informed by his uncle about how things were going in the pueblo, was indignant. "Who do you think you are? You can't just hang people without a fair trial."

Ramon was furious. How dare this stranger publicly humiliate him like this? "I'll tell you who I am!" He pointed at Rafaël. "Arrest this man!"

Soldiers rushed toward Rafaël and grabbed him tightly. Rafaël struggles to get free.

A loud explosion came from Ramon's office.

"Mendoza! My office!" Ramon exclaimed in shock.

Mendoza and several other lancers ran, coughing and choking, onto the square, smoke rising from the office door.

Mendoza, coughing: "Alcalde... Your safe destroyed."

Zorro appeared on the roof of the office, his sabre and a large white bag with him. With a mischievous grin, he said, "But now you will receive your taxes."

Victoria ran to where Don Alejandro and Rafaël stood, trying to ignore the heart palpitations caused by Zorro. However, she couldn't suppress an amused smile.

Zorro gallantly bowed. "See, Alcalde? I happened to come across this bag of gold coins. A stroke of luck, you might say."

Ramon angrily pointed at Zorro. "Thief! Stay away from my money!"

Zorro shrugged casually. "Well, not anymore. I've stolen it, and on behalf of these poor farmers, I hereby pay their taxes." With a swift movement, he struck the bag with his sword, causing the coins to rain down on Ramon's head. He also threw the empty bag at him.

Ramon screamed in rage. "Shoot him!"

Mendoza, with a determind smile. "Of course, alcalde. Lancers!" Four lancers ran forward and aimed their muskets at Zorro.

Zorro, with a mocking look. "Oh, boys, have you missed me that much?" He skilfully leapt towards them as they fired. With astonishing agility, he managed to dodge their bullets. He delivered a few strong blows, causing them all to fall to the ground.

Excitedly from the carriage, Margarita exclaimed, "That's him, right? That's Zorro!"

Victoria looked at the woman with long dark hair. Given that the woman was in the de la Vega carriage, she suspected she was Diego's nephew's fiancée. The woman seemed overly enthusiastic about seeing the masked man. Staying true to her indifferent demeanour, Victoria responded tepidly, "Si, that's Zorro."

Zorro rushed towards the farmers and used his sword to cut the ropes that bound them. Then, he struck a lancer on the head with his fist. Ramon angrily pointed at him and wrapped his arm around Mendoza's throat. Ramon clenched his teeth and commanded, "Get him!"

Mendoza, struggling to breathe, replied, "I'm trying."

Zorro ran for his life, pursued by a lancer. Suddenly, he made a lightning-fast sideways movement, causing the two lancers to collide forcefully.
Margarita watched from the carriage, her face twisted with concern.
Using his sword, Zorro grabbed hold of a soldier and delivered a powerful blow to the lancer's face. Another lancer received the same treatment, while a third soldier was spun around and crashed into a wall.

Zorro noticed Victoria standing next to his father's carriage. He gave her a friendly nod. He didn't have time to feel disappointment as he saw her avert her gaze.
Two lancers approached Zorro from behind. He quickly turned around and pushed a cart towards them, causing them to stumble and fall to the ground. Zorro then ran towards Toronado, his faithful horse, patiently waiting for him. He leapt onto its back and galloped at full speed towards the cuartel, with soldiers jumping out of his way. He stopped just in front of Ramon.

Zorro warned Ramon in a menacing tone, "If you bother those poor farmers again, I will personally scrape the next taxes off your greedy hide."

Ramon, his teeth gritted, asked, "How dare you threaten me?"

Zorro, confidently grinning, replied, "Not a threat, señor, but a sincere promise." With a fluid motion, he swung his sword through the air, then turned around and rode out of the pueblo on Toronado while the crowd cheered.

Ramon looked down and saw that his arch-nemesis had once again carved a 'Z' into his vest. Frustrated, he muttered, "Damn you, Zorro!"

.

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