AN: This is the second chapter I publish today, so make sure you didn't miss the previosu one. Enjoy!

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The alcalde, accompanied by Mendoza, hurried to greet the newcomer.

"I am here on special mission from the king to bring the outlaw Zorro to justice!" The newcomer announced for all to hear as he surveyed the people gathered in the plaza and on the tavern's terrace.

"You will never catch Zorro!" A young man said from the crowd.

The colonel smiled maliciously and one of his guardsmen waited for no further instructions to hit the poor young man, leaving him unconscious on the ground.

Ramon hurried to help him. Dario followed him at a slow pace, stopping right before reaching him.

"From here on, one of the citizens of this pueblo shall die every day until Zorro is captured." The colonel announced next. "A lottery shall take place every evening in the tavern and the person whose name is drawn shall hang the following day at dawn."

"What?" The Alcalde asked. "I certainly want to be rid of Zorro. My men and I will do everything in our power to help you, Colonel, but you can't just go around killing innocent people!"

"Until Zorro is captured, I can do what I feel necessary. Defy me if you dare, Alcalde, and you will be the first one to hang, no lottery necessary."

Saying that, pleased to have left the official before him speechless, Palomares smiled and signaled his men to follow him inside the tavern. He passed by Dario, not showing any sign of recognizing him, then ordered for the entire tavern to be put at his disposal.

"You don't have the authority to ask that, Senor!" Francisco said defiantly. "This tavern is a private building, built by our parents with their very hands."

"That hardly matters. Until my mission is complete, this pueblo is under my rule, and my decision is final."

"I won't allow you to take this tavern away from us!" Francisco insisted.

"You'd dare stand in my way?" The Colonel asked, brandishing his gun and pointing it at the innkeeper.

"Francisco," Dario intervened, "I suggest you and Ramon come live with us while Colonel Palomares is here. I'm sure he will return the tavern to you as soon as he has accomplished his mission."

"Yes. Listen to your friend here!" The colonel said, then turned his attention to Dario. "Have we met you before?" He asked him. "You seem familiar to me…"

"I think you are wrong, Colonel. In fact, I assure you that you don't know me at all." The young De la Vega replied, signing for the Escalante brothers to obey him and hurry to pack their things.

"I won't leave Alicia with them." Francisco simply stated.

"Your helper has nothing to fear from my guardsmen." Palomares replied, feeling slightly insulted.

"Still… We'd rather stay. Besides, someone needs to keep track of your debt to the tavern." Ramon stated, cutting his brother off. "And, surely, you and your men will need someone to cook, clean, and take care of the running of the tavern." He added just before giving the colonel a chance to retort.

The man had to agree.

In truth, the youngest Escalante brother would much rather get a well-deserved vacation at the De la Vega hacienda, but worried too much that Francisco might do something that could bring upon his demise. He knew how impulsive his brother could be at times, and how much he had come to hate the Spanish. Even though he had once, for several years, joined the Spanish Army, the resentment he had accumulated during that period of time, as well as afterwards, could easily cloud Francisco's judgement, and Ramon had long since understood that.

"Are you sure?" Dario asked.

"Yes. Don't worry about us. We'll muddle through." The youngest Escalante said with a smile before instructing Alicia to go ask the people living in the nearby houses if any of them could host the overnight guests who were, at that very moment, being rudely kicked out of their rooms by Palomares' men.

Dario glanced resentfully towards his former commander and mentor, wondering how he could have ever admired such a man, then, mounting his horse, headed for the hacienda.

ZZZ

"He wants to do what?" Diego asked his brother that evening, as the young man finished recounting for him the events in the pueblo.

"Kill a Los Angelino every day, until Zorro surrenders himself willingly." Dario repeated. "And, trust me, he means it…"

"How can you be certain?"

"Palomares was my fencing master at the Academy. I know him rather well. For a while, I even considered him my mentor."

"I see…"

"I'm glad Father is away, at least, together with most of the vaqueros. We should send them word not to return until the threat has passed."

"Yes… Indeed. Perhaps you could go…" Diego suggested.

"Felipe should. He could take Victoria and the children with him. At least they'd be safe."

"You think the children are also in danger? What sort of man is this?"

"A very cruel one. But no, I don't think he'll try to hang children. Victoria, however, is in as much danger as we are."

Diego nodded pensively. "If what you say is true, I need to stop this monster right now, before he does any permanent damage." He concluded. "Quaro," he then called his servant, who was never far away, "prepare my coach and have ten of the men escort me to the pueblo. Make sure they are all armed with pistols and swords."

"What do you intend to do?" Dario inquired.

"Ensure he understands this is not his pueblo to do with as he pleases." Diego said, heading for his quarters. Once there, he changed his clothes, then, after a few moments' hesitation, took a paper, placed it in an inner pocket of his coat, then headed outside.

"If you plan to defy him, I'm coming with you." His brother uttered.

Diego hesitated for a few moments, then nodded.

ZZZ

It was a few minutes after 8 p.m. when Diego's couch entered the pueblo. Lieutenant Mendoza was just being escorted towards the jail, having just "won" the lottery Palomares had organized minutes earlier. At the sight of the beautifully ornate coach and the armed men accompanying it, however, everyone, including Palomares, stopped on the terrace to look towards the newcomers.

The coach stopped before the tavern, and one of the servants accompanying it hurried to open the door.

The colonel squinted his eyes as Diego de la Vega descended from it. Somewhere, at the back of his mind, the man knew that the tall man before him was someone he had seen before. But where? That he could not remember.

"Don Diego! Gracias a Dios!" Mendoza muttered just loud enough for the colonel to hear him.

The young De la Vega glanced at him, then at his brother's former sword master. "You must be Colonel Palomares." He uttered, a certain superiority in his tone of voice, and a shiver went through Dario at hearing him speak in that manner. "I am Diego de la Vega, Count de Lara."

The colonel paled. He did not expect to find a count in that far-away outpost, certainly not one with such a well-known title.

"At your orders, Your Excellency." He replied. "I am Colonel Mefisto Palomares, here on a mission from the king."

"I see. And what are your orders, Colonel?"

"Apprehend the rebel Zorro… by any means necessary."

Diego smiled. "Any means necessary." He uttered. "That is such a vague concept."

"I hardly find it vague, Your Excellency."

"Yet, I do. I feel it creates quite a bit of confusion." The young count replied. "Colonel, please be so kind as to read this document." He continued, handing him the piece of paper he took out from his jacket.

Palomares took it with some hesitation, and read it. "This is –"

"A blank check, to say so; from the king." Diego simply replied. "Now, I know you have your orders, and I know it is your duty to follow them, Colonel. But, while you have every right to pursue Zorro and try to capture him, you are not to harm any citizen of Los Angeles in doing so. You are not to cause them any unpleasantness. You are not to destroy their goods or their homes in search of Zorro; you are not to hurt them, and you are certainly not to hang innocents."

Saying that, he extended his hand for the Colonel to return to him the document he was still holding. Palomares did so reluctantly, after glancing at the men accompanying the count in a clear display of force.

"With all due respect, the king's orders supersede this piece of paper, Your Excellency." He said.

"Did the king order you to hurt his loyal subjects, Colonel?" Diego asked. "If so, be so kind as to show us all those orders."

"Well… Not as such… But he gave me –"

"The order to capture Zorro. Yes, you already mentioned that. And by virtue of my authority over every Spanish official in the New World, I order you to do so without hurting innocent people; people who have nothing to do with Zorro and, thus, with your orders." Diego interrupted him to say. "Have I made myself clear, Colonel?"

Palomares just nodded, resentment clear in his eyes.

"Very well. In that case, please have your men release the Lieutenant here."

No order came as everyone looked expectantly at the colonel.

"Now!" Diego ordered and the man again nodded his decision to obey. "Trust me, Colonel, I am doing you a great service. If you really do want to find Zorro, there could be no one as useful in your search as Mendoza here. He's been pursuing him for over five years by now. Surely his insight into the man could be essential in your search."

"My men are far better trained and more trustworthy than this small pueblo's lancers, Your Excellency. So, while I find I have no choice but to submit to your orders, if it' all the same to you, I'd rather not waste my time with incompetents."

Diego smiled slightly as the Lieutenant was being freed, then winked at him conspiratorially. "As you wish…" He uttered. "Now that this affair is settled, if you'll excuse me, there are a few words I need to exchange with my brothers-in-law." Diego continued, heading inside the tavern and stopping before Francisco while indicating Ramon to join them.

"Brothers-in-law?" Palomares muttered.

"The tavern belongs to his wife, Colonel." Dario explained.

"I see…" The official replied through gritted teeth, then looked a bit better at the man next to him. "You know, you remind me of one of my former students."

"Must be a coincidence." Dario retorted, then accompanied Diego back to the coach as soon as the young man rejoined them.

Mefisto Palomares remained watching them, then pensively returned to the tavern.

ZZZ

"You think he'll obey?" Diego asked as soon as he and Dario were in the coach, heading for the hacienda.

"For a while, he might. But he's stubborn. He'll do whatever he wants to do with or without your permission, Your Excellency." He had said it jokingly, that last part, yet, as the words left his mouth, a strange feeling lingered.

"Then I'll have some of the men follow him and his guardsmen around to make sure they don't cause any trouble." Diego stated.

"Brother," Dario decided to ask, "that paper you showed him…"

"The Count of Dragonera was kind enough to give it to me. He had received it from the king and thought it might come in handy to me at some point… It gives his bearer power over all royal officials in the colonies."

"I see…"

ZZZ

As Dario had guessed, Palomares did behave for a few days. Even the Escalante brothers were rather content with the situation. Then, his men started misbehaving. It was nothing serious in the beginning; words don't hurt physically, after all. About a week later, however, their behavior had become intolerable to most Los Angelinos. They were searching farmhouses and haciendas alike, even injuring servants and some of the owners. Diego tried to reason with him a couple more times, but, each time he went to talk to the colonel, Palomares came up with a way to excuse his men's behavior and to place the blame on either the victims or on "youth and dedication to the mission" as he defied cruelty.

Finally, seeing how Zorro had not fallen into any of the traps he had laid out for him, Palomares decided to start arresting people and threaten those who refused to tell him where Zorro was. And, since nobody knew that, as soon as he heard that the count would be away from the pueblo for a few days, he also started scheduling executions.

ZZZ

It was almost midnight, and everyone in the tavern was asleep, except for Palomares. The colonel, was in the taproom, carefully studying a map of the territory.

"I hear you've been looking for me." A voice was suddenly heard, and the Spanish official looked up to see a black-clad, masked man materializing right in front of him.

"Zorro!" He uttered.

"In the flesh!"

"If you are here to kill me, you should know that I left orders –"

"I'm not here to kill you, Senor." The masked man interrupted him to say. "I'm here to offer you a deal."

"What sort of deal?"

"As you may have already guessed, I am not fond of your abuses. I want you gone from this pueblo. You, on the other hand, want me captured. We are, thus, at an impasse, seeing how much our interests diverge. So, I thought, why not find a way to settle this one way or another? Easily… With a duel…"

"I am a master swordsman. You would not dare challenge me!"

"I would indeed, Senor.* Should I prevail, however, you will take your men and leave Los Angeles, never to return."

"And if I win, you die."

Zorro nodded.

"I promise you an agonizing death."

"Justice for the people is not without its price." Zorro uttered.

"Shall we say the plaza, at sunrise?"*

Zorro nodded and, heading for the kitchen, he vanished before the colonel followed him through the curtains.

ZZZ

"What news from the pueblo?" Diego asked Felipe the following early morning.

Officially, the count was travelling to some northern vineyards the De la Vegas had bought near Santa Paula. But that was only a cover, since the young man had already reached the conclusion that Zorro was the only one who could stop Palomares once and for all.

Felipe signed something, and Diego interpreted the signs out loud to make sure he had understood. "The guardsmen are wearing disguises, and have been stationed around the plaza?" He uttered.

Again, the young man signed.

"Yes. Indeed. He did exactly as we expected. How predictable." Diego said with a smile. "Here is the message I prepared. You know what to do." Diego then instructed the young man, who smiled and headed up the stairs, towards the library.

ZZZ

That night, Dario had been woken up by a nightmare around 3 a.m., and could not fall asleep again. After over an hour of tossing and turning in bed, thinking about Juliana, he eventually got up, determined to go for a walk, and hoping he would return tired enough to catch a few more hours of sleep.

He returned to the hacienda just in time to spot Felipe heading out, and, wondering where the young man was going at that hour, he hurriedly saddled a horse and followed him.

About five minutes into the ride, he was certain that his nephew was heading for the pueblo, so he took another road there, arriving just before Felipe. Leaving his horse behind the church, Dario followed from the shadows as the younger man, careful not to be spotted, climbed the cuartel's roof and made his way inside it.

Increasingly intrigued, after a few minutes of waiting to spot Felipe exiting the garrison, the idea came to him that he could wait in the newspaper office. Diego and Emmanuel had taken on running it in their spare time a few years back, naming it The Los Angeles Guardian. The rooms where it was situated were right by the tavern, and Dario made his way inside through the window to the one where the printing press was situated, then headed towards his brother's editorial room, whose small window faced the plaza.

Something was afoot. He could feel it in his bones. The question was what. The mystery only grew when, ten minutes after Dario broke into the office, Felipe headed that way, as well. Using his key to enter, the young man went into the printing press' room and took out a few of the floorboards, from under which he reached and grabbed three rifles. Unaware someone was watching him from the shadows of the other room, he put back the floorboards, then left with the rifles.

As soon as he was gone, Dario proceeded to check the hiding place and notice there were a few more rifles there, as well as enough ammunition to stop even a siege on the pueblo should need ever arise. Besides that, a caballero suit he recognized as one of Diego's, together with a pair of boots were also hidden under the floor.

"What on Earth?" He wondered, as he put all the items back as he had found them, making sure nobody suspected the hiding place had been disturbed.

A few minutes later, he heard Palomares' voice, and he headed for the window to see the man exiting Victoria's establishment. At about the same time, the cuartel's gates opened.

ZZZ

"We must not let him escape this time, men!" Mendoza shouted, as his men exited the garrison at a gallop.

"Where are you off to, Lieutenant?" Palomares asked from the terrace at seeing them.

"To capture Zorro, Colonel!" Mendoza replied, having remained behind his men. "We just received news that he is fighting some cattle rustlers that had been plaguing the area for over two months now. He was probably heading for the pueblo when he ran into them because they are fighting less than a mile from here. And I was told Zorro is wounded. I won't let him escape this time!"

"You might. But I certainly won't! Men, to the horses! *Bring me Zorro's head!" He shouted to his soldiers, who hurried to follow the lancers. Palomares himself mounted and was about to leave just as a rope was flung down the church's roof and Zorro descended it to land right in front of the Colonel's horse, blocking his way.

The stallion took a few steps back and Zorro took his chance to cut Palomares' reins, causing the horse to frighten and nervously spin around, throwing his rider from the saddle.

"Ah, Colonel. May I present to you the head of Zorro, firmly to attached to the body…" The masked man said mockingly as the Colonel gathered himself up and grabbed his sword while a small crowd of curious onlookers gathered there, eager to see the evil colonel humiliated.*

ZZZ

Dario watched the duel from The Guardian's small window to the plaza, as a feeling of dread started to engulf him. It was the first time, he realized, when he saw Zorro fight. Flashes of other duels came to his mind as he was watching him, flashes of his duel with the Count of Dragonea in the hacienda's garden and of the fencing competitions in Madrid. The masked man's style, his dexterity, and the fastness of his movements were not easily mistakable. How could he have not realized it all those years ago? How could his brother deceive him so much?

ZZZ

"You were a student of the Englishman!" Palomares said at one point, in a flash of realization. "Kendall!"

"What makes you think that?" Zorro asked.

"Your fencing style, Senor! The way you react to my attacks. I dueled Kendall many times. I know his moves. I can recognize them! Just as I can recognize his championship sword!" He explained, just as the masked outlaw deprived him of his sword and caused him to fall to the ground. "I saw you fight before… And you wore no mask when I saw you! I should have guessed the moment I heard your name!"

"My name?" The masked outlaw inquired, rather taken aback.

"Yes. Your name! The one you wear when you don't wear that mask." Palomares said.

His men entered the pueblo just moments later and, seeing their commander lying on the ground, they pointed their muskets at Zorro.

"Don't shoot!" Palomares ordered them as he got up. "There's no need to. I know who he is under that mask."

"You know who Zorro is?" Asked a don who had been watching from the sidelines, highly amused until that very moment, when the mood suddenly changed in the plaza.

"Yes! You may have won, Zorro! My men and I are leaving here today. But you are coming with us. Ironic, isn't it? You won, but in doing so, you lost." Palomares replied with a laugh.

A shot was heard next, and the colonel, a surprised grimace on his face, fell on his knees, then, face down in the dust, the back of his uniform smudged by a large blood stain.

Zorro neared to check on him. "He's dead," he uttered dumbfounded, looking around the plaza, wondering where the shot had come from.

The shock didn't last long, though. "Search those buildings by the tavern! The bullet must have come from there!" One of the colonel's men ordered, momentarily forgetting about Zorro, who hurriedly took the chance to make his escape.

"Don't let him get away!" The same man ordered at realizing his mistake, and five of the guardsmen mounted and followed Zorro.

ZZZ

About an hour later, after making sure he hadn't left any tracks that could lead back to his hideout, Zorro finally entered the cave.

During all that time spent in the saddle, he wondered what he would tell his son, certain it had been Felipe who had killed Palomares. He also wondered whether the young man had the time and opportunity to escape. For, if he did not, if he had been somehow caught, the colonel's death would have still been in vain. Putting two and two together under such circumstances would have been easy enough for even the guardsmen to reach the right conclusion.

He was, thus, more than a little relieved to see his son waiting for him.

"Felipe! I was worried." He uttered, as he dismounted.

"I'm sorry. I had no choice." Felipe signed to say.

"I know. I should have never put you in such a position. I should have been more careful. I should have realized he might have made the right connections, should he see me fight. Dario told me he had been his sword master, so, clearly, he must have attended at least one of those tournaments I had won against him.

"I'm sorry, Felipe! I never wanted you to take a life, least of all in order to protect me." Diego replied, taking off the mask.

"I didn't shoot Palomares." Felipe signed to say at that point.

The tall caballero shook his head. "You didn't? But I thought… You just said…"

"That is not what he's apologizing for." Dario's voice interrupted him. "And, in case you're wondering, I killed the Colonel. And I am certainly not sorry to have done it."

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AN: Marked (*) dialogue is taken from the NWZ episode "A deal with the devil". I take no credit for it.

AN 2: Yap… three chapters just to build up to a reveal. It would have been too easy had Diego just told him everything, and I don't think he should have it that easy… yet…

Happy New Year, everyone!