1820

"Papa," little Elena de la Vega asked her Papa Diego as they were leaving the Los Angeles cemetery, "do you think my mother ever thinks of me?"

"How could she not?" The young man asked.

"I miss her, too. Very much."

"We all miss her, my dear." He answered just as they passed by the abandoned graves located in the westernmost part of the cemetery.

The young man stopped and glance towards two of the graves, yet was about to continue on his way when the child tacked at his shirt. "I need to do something." She said as she headed that way.

Diego remained in place for a few moments, then followed her.

She took a twig from the ground and planted it in one of the graves there.

"Mother used to do that when she'd bring me here to visit grandma. She said that it was because of the woman buried here that my grandma was in heaven, and that she also did many bad things to our family. So the twigs are to stop her from doing us more harm from the underworld." Elena felt the need to explain.

Diego smiled sadly, doubting their efficiency.

"Did you know them, Papa?" The girl then asked, glancing at the two tombs. The cross on the one with all the twigs displayed the half-erased name of Inez Risendo. A tombstone next to it had the name "Gilberto Risendo" encrusted on it.

"I did… And your mother was right. The woman in that grave did much harm to our family, including causing the death of your grandma."

"And him? What did he do?"

"He was her sword, striking against us," Diego answered. "He was her son. They are both gone now."

The girl nodded. "But…" she uttered as they restarted towards the town's plaza, "what if my mother is gone because of her? What if the twigs didn't work?"

He didn't say anything, just glanced at her and shrugged his shoulders. There wasn't really much he could say, after all. Nothing he could say to make the girl feel better. Besides, it was almost time.

Increasing the pace, they headed towards the garrison.

ZZZ

Five years had passed since Gilberto had received his sentence. During all that time, he had the chance to get to know his father, his brother, his sister-in-law, and, perhaps most importantly, Juliana and their child.

He was also allowed out rather often, to be there for the most important events in the lives of his family members, to work the field for the farmers who became ill or injured, to help build the dam the Count of Dragonera had once promised the Los Angelinos, or, during his first years of incarceration, to help the lancers catch some of the bandits roaming the area after Zorro's sudden disappearance.

Prison for him had not been the torturous experience it had once been for his brother, but he did his best to atone for the evil he had inflicted on his family and the Los Angelinos while there. And, while his regrets remained many, the former emissary felt like a new man the moment he was finally released.

"Father!" A high-pitched shout resounded as they passed by the fountain, and Diego felt Elena letting go of his hand. Hurrying towards his brother, who knelt down, she threw herself into his arms.

Dario lifted her up and span around with her a few times, before holding her tight.

"Diego," he then greeted. "Didn't father come with you?"

"No… He's finishing the preparations for the celebration he is throwing in your honor, so he couldn't make it." The tall caballero replied with a smile, slightly studying his twin brother's face. His hair was short now. Having long since shaven his mustache the man before him hardly even reminded the young De la Vega of the vengeful soldier he had once known.

"A celebration?" Dario asked.

"Yes. Our father insists on receiving his son home properly. He and Victoria have already redecorated my old room for you, and made sure you'd have a rather wide selection of suits and shirts to wear." Diego said. "Lieutenant," he then addressed Mendoza, who had accompanied Dario to the plaza upon his release from prison, "do join us at the hacienda! There is plenty of food, and my father has invited all the eligible senoritas and widowed senoras in the territory. You'll have your pick of dance partners."

"Well, if you insist, Don Diego, I wouldn't dare say no to… ah… such a generous invitation." The man said, a glimmer in his eyes as he thought of the De la Vega food waiting for him, soon hurrying towards the garrison to get his horse.

The De la Vegas smiled at his eagerness, then got into their coach.

"Papa says you'll be staying with us from now on," Elena uttered as the driver started towards the hacienda, addressing her father.

"Yes, I will. Does that make you happy, my angel?"

"Of course, it does! You and Papa can each tell me a story before going to bed from now on."

Both men chuckled at that reply. "What story do you like most?" Dario inquired with a smile.

"I like all the stories about Zorro: Zorro and the lost baby, Zorro and the cattle rustlers, Zorro and the lost father…"

"Zorro and the lost father?" Dario asked in confusion, glancing inquisitively at Diego. "And what is that story about?"

"It's about when a young girl ran away from home to search for his father, who had been taken away by some evil men because he owed them money. She came to Los Angeles and started asking about him, but the evil men kidnapped her and tied her up in a mill. Zorro freed her, helped her find her father, and then forced the evil men to free him and pay him for the work he had done for them. Papa tells it much better."

"I see…" Gilberto said, glancing inquisitively at Diego, who just shrugged his shoulders. "This must be a new story since I never heard it before, and I believe I know most of the stories about Zorro's deeds."

"Yes…" Diego replied. "It only happened a few months ago. She's been wanting to hear it almost every night."

"Perhaps Zorro can get my mother back…" Elena replied as a way of explanation. That Zorro had helped a daughter find her father had given her the idea that he might help her get her mother back, so every time she'd hear the story, she'd look for clues on how to find the masked man and ask for his help. Since she had kept all that for herself before then, though, her words made less sense to the two adults with her than she believed they would.

A true fiesta was on the way at the hacienda by the time they arrived.

"Didn't Grandpa say that the fiesta would only start later?" Elena asked as they dismounted in front of the house to hear loud voices coming from the back terrace.

"He did." Her Papa replied as they followed the noises. Rounding a corner, they found a small crowd of people and some familiar faces in the midst of the group.

"Uncle Emmanuel! Felipe!" The girl shouted at seeing the newcomers there, and hurried to embrace them.

"Elena! Look at you!" Emmanuel said as he picked her into his arms. "You're a Senorita now! And you look just like your mother."

"You think?"

"I am quite sure." He answered, as he passed her to her cousin Felipe, who hurried to squeeze her into his arms.

She laughed and kissed him repeatedly on the cheeks, then looked around. "Who are they?" She asked, pointing at two men she had never seen before, and who were flanking her Mama at a long table filled with food.

"These are my brothers," Victoria replied. "Your uncles Ramon and Francisco. They just arrived from Ciudad de Mexico."

"My uncles? Mama told me all about you!" She said as Felipe put her down and she headed towards them, offering them her hand with a gesture worthy of an infanta. "I am Elena de la Vega. Nice to meet you."

The two brothers chuckled and, one by one, kneeled and kissed her hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, niece!" Ramon said, and Francisco confirmed the same feeling. As they glanced towards her father, though, their cheer subsided.

"This is my brother, Dario," Diego hurried to make the introductions, and they politely greeted each other with a nod as the two Escalantes stood up.

"We heard a lot about you, Señor." Francisco replied, the way he uttered those words leaving room for interpretation as to what he meant.

"Yes." Ramon confirmed. "We are still wrapping our minds around the idea that Don Diego has a twin brother none of us knew about." He said politely. "But, now that we met you, I must say, I see the resemblance…"

Diego chuckled, and patted his brother on the shoulder. "I think we should prepare to receive our guests. Dario, if you'll follow me," he uttered. "Francisco, Ramon, make yourselves at home. You must be tired after your journey and… well, all you've been through. We are happy to have you both back!" He said, smiling at his wife, then at his brothers-in-law.

ZZZ

"Are you sure you are fine with me taking this room?" Dario asked after glancing around his new quarters. He had stayed at the hacienda before, when his name was Gilberto and his heart was filled with hatred. Yet, even back then, he had not dared use Diego's room. Something inside him told him it wasn't right.

"Of course, I am. It's a shame to keep it empty. It's large; it has everything you need … And it's close to Elena's room."

"Yes, but… This was your room…"

"I haven't used it in over a decade, and it's one of the best in the hacienda. Of course, if you want another room…"

"No, it's not that… I just… don't feel right taking it."

"Why not? It would have probably been your room had you grown up here."

"But I didn't… And… I don't deserve this, Diego."

The taller man sighed. "You've already proven to us all that you have changed. You are a part of this family now. You are home. And we all want you to be happy here."

Dario nodded pensively and smiled at his brother. Then, glancing at the large bed, he saddened. "Diego," he said, "why has father invited all the unmarried and widowed women in the territory for my fiesta?"

"Well… My guess is he wants you to re-marry and hopes to give you the chance to find a good wife."

"I am already married."

"You are a widower, Dario. Juliana has been gone for over almost two years now."

"That might be so, but I haven't given up hope. Besides, Elena might have a point: maybe Zorro could help…"

Diego sighed. "I've searched for her. Since the day news reached us of the shipwreck, my men and I have been searching for survivors. We have never found any. Trust me, if I can't find her, neither can Zorro!" He replied to his brother's disappointment.

ZZZ

Several weeks had passed since the De la Vega firstborn had come home.

Dario Alfonso de la Vega was more than happy to be close to his daughter and the rest of his family, though he found it somewhat strange for Elena to call Diego Papa and Victoria her Mama. Sometimes, looking at how they behaved towards each other, and at how his daughter called Victoria and Diego's twin boys her brothers, he almost felt like he was intruding on his own family. In a way, it seemed to him that Emmanuel, who had become an unofficial De la Vega during the last five years, and Felipe, who Diego had adopted as his son, belonged in that house more than he did.

Strangely enough, he found it rather easy to befriend Victoria's brothers, both of who proudly wore the scars of five years of war and imprisonment while fighting for the freedom of Mexico, a freedom, Dario himself, felt was within reach.

Ramon, Victoria's younger brother, reminded him a lot of his brother, as if Diego's character had somehow rubbed off on him. He had gone through hardships and endured the tragedy of powerlessly watching good friends die. He had endured hunger and torture, heartbreak and loneliness, yet he was still able to smile; still able to keep his optimism intact.

Francisco, the oldest of the Escalante brothers, however, was more like him. He was home, after having been miraculously saved from execution by a count Dario believed to have been long gone, yet, in his mind, he was someplace else. In that prison where he's spent the last few months, Dario imagined, considering that, somewhere deep inside him, he was also still in jail. Not the sort he had just been freed from, but one made of sorrow and regrets.

ZZZ

The month of April was both hot and rainy in Los Angeles. Wildfires were a rare occurrence in Springtime. Yet, on the last day of the month, the alert was sounded when someone observed smoke about a mile south of the pueblo.

"It's near Juan Carlos' farmhouse!" Don Alejandro remarked looking in the direction of the fire. "We must go lend a hand!" He told his sons and Emmanuel.

"Actually, Father, I think I'd better go home and organize some of our people to come help. The more we are, the more chances we have to put off that fire before it reaches the pueblo." Diego replied.

"Good thinking, Son! Hurry!" The elderly don said before he, Dario, and Emmanuel headed south.

As they neared the farmhouse, they realized that the situation was far worse than they had imagined. A whole acre of forest was on fire, making it almost impossible for them to follow the main road. Instead, they had to go about a mile back before finding a way to go around the burning trees.

They were just reaching an alternative road when Zorro cut their way, galloping like the wind in the same direction they were heading.

They just stopped and stared for a few moments as the black-clad rider appeared and disappeared from sight, then hurried after him.

"Those flames are not from the forest!" Don Alejandro remarked as they neared the farmhouse.

Indeed, as they arrived there, they clearly saw that part of the house and the entire roof was burning. Zorro's horse was some twenty feet from the entrance, nervously staring at the flames, while the farmer held his wife, who was screaming, trying to get inside.

"Juanito!" Don Alejandro called as he hurried to dismount and near the poor farmer, "What happened?"

"Our girls are inside, and cannot get out!" The man said in a panic. "Zorro went for them but it's already been too long…"

Just as he said that the masked man exited the house, two small girls in his arms, both clinging to him for dear life.

"Oh, thank God!" The woman said and hurried to embrace her daughters, just as the roof came crashing in.

Zorro turned around to glance at the house now fully engulfed by the flames. "They were tied up inside." He said as the other men neared him. "Someone did this!" He added, glancing at the girls' father.

"It was three men." The older girl, who was eight, said. "They said they were daddy's old friends but were not very nice. They set fire to the tree behind our house and left."

Juan Carlos paled at the news, yet didn't say a thing.

"What is she talking about? Who were those men?" His wife asked.

"I… I don't know, Alicia. I don't know…"

Zorro and Emmanuel shared a glance at hearing that, a look only Dario noticed. Then, mounting his horse at hearing the lancers nearing, the masked man saluted and hurried to leave.

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AN: This chapter was almost finished for a while now, but needed some corrections. It probably still does, but I did promise to publish by Christmas and it is Christmas, so I hope you won't mind them. The rest of the story I hope to finish during the next few days, since I have some time on my hands, and I will post it as soon as possible, hopefully by the end of the year (but no promises, sorry… life… :P)