The sun was setting behind the vast ocean of water as four pairs of eyes gazed out over the blue/green waves. The waning light cast a eerie glow upon the waves splashing against the shore. The wind blew their clothing about them causing her to shiver in the unaccustomed breeze.
"The wind is usually strongest along the shoreline," Zorro smiled as he wrapped his cape around her shoulders and rubbed them, removing the chill.
She leaned into his embrace and snuggled into his arms as he wrapped them around her, warming her body further.
He pressed a kiss to her head and then to her nose when she lifted her head to meet his gaze.
"The food was wonderful," He smiled as he shot a quick glance at the empty bottles and plates they had cleaned off earlier in the evening. "You are the best cook in the territories."
"I love to cook for you." She smiled at him. "I wish you gave me more of an opportunity."
Her lips were inviting as he stared down at her open and honest face, and decided to resist the urge for the moment.
"Oh you do every day," He smiled and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth when she shot him a confused look.
"Ah, " she nodded, her eyes narrowing, "is that a hint as to your identity?"
He smiled and decided it best to change the subject before they began to discuss his identity in depth. Something that even he had to admit, made him a little nervous.
He could express himself in so many ways to her with the mask covering his identity. He just hoped that when it finally came time to reveal himself that she would not be upset or angry with his deception. Her rejection would kill him quicker than Toledo steel through the heart.
He pressed a gentle kiss to her open lips and the question died on her lips as she turned and wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss.
He inhaled deeply as his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, taking in the beautiful fruity smell of her skin, the taste of the wine still resident on her lips.
His body reacted to her more than it ever had and he longed to take her into his arms and make her his forever. Overlooking the beautiful ocean, with only their love and the sound of the waves crashing against the beach to comfort them.
He leaned her back against the blanket that they sat on, his body shielding her from the winds that whipped over the small hill .
Her small body barely touched his as their lips continued their journey of exploration and discovery.
Her hands rested lightly against his chest as his tangled in her hair, pulling her lips closer to his own.
He finally broke the kiss struggling to calm the rapid beating of his heart and his erratic breathing.
Victoria did the same and rested her head against his chest, feeling his heart threaten to beat through his chest and wondering if he could feel the same with her.
She took a deep breath and pressed her lips to the bare skin at the base of his neck that his shirt did not cover.
She could feel him shiver and that excited as well as unnerved her. She could feel the heightened attraction their closeness caused and she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to loose herself in his arms for the remainder of the night.
She banished the thought from her head as he spoke. She knew he was struggling with a way out of the position they had found themselves in and did not envy him the task .
"The stars are especially bright tonight," he smoothed her hair and turned slightly so that she could look up at the stars with him.
She rested her head on his chest and smiled, wrapping his cape around her shoulders to keep the wind from chilling her.
"Yes they are. " She agreed. She never cared what they did when they were together only that they were able to spend more time in one another's company.
She had fallen so completely in love with a man that she only saw rarely and whose identity she didn't even know. But she knew, somehow, that he was the correct choice for her, no matter how long she had to wait to be with him. She had realized that, with absolute certainty, on the day that she had almost married Juan Ortiz.
The man would have been an excellent husband and could have provided well for Victoria. But when the time came for her to swear her eternal devotion and love for the man for life, she found that she could not admit to something that she knew she would end up regretting.
And she had not regretted that decision in the years that had followed. She longed with all her heart and soul to be with the man she loved, but she also realized that his crusade against injustice in the pueblo was not over and until it was, they would have to live lives separate from one another.
He constantly repeated his promise to her and she was comforted by his words.
He could sense that she was deep in thought and decided not to say more.
He simply wrapped his arms securely around the young woman and as he stared at the stars, became lost in his own thoughts.
Very soon, they were both fast asleep in one another's arms.
The sound of hoof beats startled the masked man out of his slumber and he sat up quickly, fighting to get his bearings.
He had fallen asleep on the cliff with Victoria! Out in the open where anyone could have seen them! He cursed his carelessness and stood quickly. Victoria was awake now, shaking the sleep out of her head, as he attempted to lift her onto Tornado's back.
Soldiers raced over the ridge and rushed the masked man before he could climb into the saddle behind Victoria.
Gunshots echoed around them, startling the stallion and he reared, nearly throwing Victoria to the ground. Hoofs came crashing down as a lancer neared, throwing the man off balance and to the ground with a hard thud.
Shots bounced at the masked man's feet as he carefully avoided being hit. What he didn't realize, was how close the edge of the cliff was as he backed away from the lancers. As he noticed the last lancer discharge his rifle, Zorro steeled himself to charge at the men. He stopped in his tracks as DeSoto and Mendoza came over the ridge , DeSoto pointing the pistol directly at the man in black.
Fortunately the lancers were terrible shots, but the alcalde was a different matter. He was fairly good with a rifle and even better with a pistol.
A strong left hook flattened the nearest lancer to the ground and Zorro turned toward the rapidly advancing alcalde.
Zorro barely had time to react before the pistol discharged. He grasped at his leg as the bullet struck him causing him to loose his already precarious balance on the edge of the cliff.
Dirt and rock tumbled down the hillside and into the crashing waves. The dirt beneath Zorro's feet suddenly gave way and he dropped his blade to reach for anything along the edge of the cliff that would slow his fall.
Tornado whickered and shook his head, careful to not throw the rider off his back.
"No!" Victoria cried as she saw her masked love slide down the cliff wall with nothing to prevent him from falling.
"Tornado, run!" Was the last thing Victoria heard as the masked man disappeared over the edge of the cliff.
The stallion raced off with it's rider clutching the reins and the horn tightly, her knuckles white with fear. She protested but could do nothing to pull the strong stallion off course.
Tears streaked her face, blown by the wind, as the stallion galloped off towards the only safe haven he knew of....the de la Vega hacienda.
Zorro grasped at the falling rocks and debris as he slid down the cliff. There was nothing to hold, nothing to grasp as he slid closer and closer to the rocks below.
There was nothing he could do as the sharp cliff side rocks cut and scraped his skin. His leg was numb and he realized, with a small chuckle, that the rest of him would be too when he hit the jagged rocks below.
A bruised and bleeding hand finally caught the tip of a jutting rock abruptly topping his descent. His weight on the rock caused it to shift and the dirt slid into the water causing it to bubble.
He breathed deeply, willing the pain in his leg and extremities away so that he could think. He was only able to gather a few thoughts before the rock gave way and he tumbled into the water below.
"Diós," Mendoza crawled to the cliff edge searching the darkness for any sign of life below.
"Finally," DeSoto grinned in satisfaction, "we are rid of him."
"I don't see any movement," Mendoza offered.
DeSoto snapped his head toward the Sergeant," and we would not render help if you did see any."
"But alcalde...."
"Enough!" the immensely satisfied man raised his fist to silence Mendoza. He turned to the lancers gathered around to see if Zorro still lived and ordered, "Mount up. I want that stallion!"
As DeSoto mounted Mariposa, he chuckled. "We'll return tomorrow to look for any signs of life."
Victoria barely recognized the de la Vega hacienda through the haze of tears that covered her face.
The stallion brought her up to the front door and whickered, shaking his head.
Victoria leaned forward to hang onto the stallions neck as the door opened to reveal a very startled Felipe. Alejandro followed the boy to the door, holding back his surprise by his immediate concern for Victoria's safety
As Felipe grasped the reins of the obviously upset stallion, Alejandro grasped his arm. "Be careful. He is a wild...."
Felipe pulled his arm away and Alejandro was amazed the stallion did not rear when Felipe grasped his reins and held him tight.
Alejandro quickly pulled Victoria from the saddle and escorted her into the hacienda where she immediately regained her demeanor and stared wildly at the elder de la Vega.
"Zorro, he....!"
"Calm down, Victoria. Sit and tell me what happened." Alejandro pulled her to sit with him on the sofa as Maria brought a cool glass of orange juice for her to drink.
Before she could tell the man, he grasped her hands in his own, rubbing them. "You're shaking."
"Zorro fell off the cliff by mesa verde, we were having a nice dinner when the lancers came and..." She stopped to catch her breath, "Oh, Alejandro, we must do something. He could be hurt or....."
She stopped to wipe the tears that refused to stop spilling over her big, brown eyes.
Alejandro looked up and out the window. he knew it was dark and that they probably would not be able to find anything.
"It's dark, my dear. We would not be able to see anything." Alejandro embraced the shaking woman and allowed her to cry until she fell into a fitful slumber.
Alejandro closed his eyes as a single tear rolled down his cheek. He whispered, "God help us all. Please don't let him be dead." He rocked her like a sick child murmuring words of comfort into her ear.
He rode the ocean waves as they splashed against the rocks until he could no longer keep his head above water.
A million thoughts rushed through his mind as he knew he was going to die.
One thought stood out and he wished he had been able to reveal his identity to Victoria. Been able to express his true feelings as himself rather than behind a mask.
He hadn't the strength to swim against the current and the ledge was too steep to crawl out of as the water slammed his body against it.
The pain that slammed into him every few seconds inched him closer to unconsciousness and he thrust his head out of the water one last time with one last cry.
"Victoria, I love you!"
No one was around to hear the cry or see the man's body slam against the slick rocks one last time before sliding beneath the water.
When the first light filtered through the hacienda windows, Victoria was awake instantly and ready to ride out to the playa to look for her masked love.
"Take it easy. I don't think..." Alejandro knew better than to try and stop the determined woman. So he followed her out to his stables where she promptly took a bridle and attempted to take care of Diego's horse herself.
"Victoria let me do that?" Alejandro took the bridle from her trembling hands and slid it onto the andalucian's neck.
When Felipe walked into the stables, Alejandro called to him." Felipe, make sure Diego knows where we have gone. Victoria wants to leave now and I need to go with her. Please wake Diego and have him meet us at mesa verde."
He didn't notice that Felipe didn't nod. Didn't notice the still frightened look in the boy's eyes.
Alejandro didn't know that Felipe had gotten no sleep the night prior as he had searched for his friend the entire night. Felipe had sat up crying for the remainder of the night. He took Tornado back to his stable, brushed and cleaned him and sat wondering how he was going to tell Alejandro that his son would not be waking up this morning or any morning in the future.
He waited for a few hours, saddled his pinto and rode out to the mesa in search of Alejandro and Victoria.
Felipe found them sitting on the ledge overlooking the beautiful pacific ocean. Victoria had broken dishes, plates and silverware gathered in a cloth around her. She had cleaned what the lancers, in their haste to capture Zorro, had broken and destroyed what was left of the beautiful dinner Zorro and Victoria had shared.
Alejandro looked up as Felipe approached and his eyes narrowed. "Where's Diego?"
Felipe didn't answer and he dismounted quickly walking over to his benefactor and signing slowly so that the man could understand. He was not as good at reading hand signals as Diego was and therefore had to remember to sign so that Alejandro would understand him.
"Felipe, what is going on?" Alejandro demanded when the signals he was getting from Felipe were not what he wanted to hear.
They were interrupted by the sound of hoof beats coming over the ridge.
Victoria stared at the approaching lancers with contempt and hatred in her eyes. Those men had been the cause of Zorro's death and her eyes shot knives at DeSoto's chest as he appeared over the ridge before his lancers.
"This area is under our jurisdiction and you are obligated to divulge any information on the whereabouts of Zorro," DeSoto dismounted his horse and Victoria stood and launched herself at him.
Only Alejandro's intervention prevented her from striking the man across the face.
"That would have been a mistake, Señorita," DeSoto held up a warning finger, "After all, there is no longer a Zorro to free you from my jail should I choose to put you back there."
"What do you want, Alcalde?" Alejandro ignored the too-smug-for-his-own-good look the alcalde shot at Victoria and grumbled the question.
"I want to know what Señorita Escalante did with that black stallion she rode out of here last night." he turned his head to her and she frowned.
"I rode him to the de la Vega hacienda and then left him there." She stood her ground. Not allowing the irritating alcalde to intimidate her.
"Ah," the alcalde clasped his hands together. "If my men find that stallion in your corral, you will be under arrest." DeSoto smiled.
The water sloshed over the man, the coldness waking him from his forced slumber. He moaned and clutched at his head hoping the dizziness would pass in a few moments. He rolled over onto his back and looked around the small cavern. It was dark but there was a streak of light filtering through rock and into the cave.
He tried to sit but the pain in his side and arms, prevented much movement.
"Ah, what happened?" the masked man moaned, shaking his head. Pain shot through his head as he tried to lift it and he decided to just rest where he was. The water sloshed at his neck, threatening to cover him. He pulled himself up the embankment a little further and collapsed, exhausted and in great pain.
A few minutes later he braved the pain in his head and sat up. His leg throbbed as he slowly regained the memory of what had happened the night before.
As he had lost consciousness , the waves carried him into a cavern that didn't fill with water. It had deposited him and then receded. The waves that sloshed over him now were lower than those which had brought him in and he deduced that he must have been deposited in this location by the high tide.
That was good because that meant that the water would get no deeper than that which brought him here.
He tore his shirt and wiped his leg the best he could. The ball had just barely caught his leg so there was not much damage. But he wrapped it tightly to keep it from bleeding.
He removed his shirt and tore it into strips. He needed to find a way to bandage all of his injuries and this was the best he could come up with.
He wrapped his arm with one, groaning in pain as he did so. He deduced that it must be broken because the pain was so great.
With the rest he wrapped his ribs. He knew several were broken and they needed to be bandaged as quickly as possible to prevent permanent damage.
After cringing in pain for several minutes he finally lifted himself onto his good leg and hobbled around the large cavern searching for a way out.
The light filtering though was above him but the walls were too steep and slick with moss to even begin to climb.
In the darkness he stumbled over a large object that would not budge. He knelt beside it and felt around the large wooden chest.
His hands brushed across the lock that was still hooked and he reached into his boot and freed the knife that rested snugly against his leg.
After a few minutes of searching the innards of the strangely designed lock, it finally snapped open and the masked man pulled the lock from it's hinges.
Cutlasses and clothing were packed into the chest as Zorro searched through the chest for anything that he might be able to use.
Inside there was a much smaller palm held chest that was locked as well. Zorro's knife was too big to pick that lock and he searched for a piece of wire or something small enough to open the lock with.
He shivered in the cavern and realized that he had better get out of his wet clothes before he froze to death. The clothes that he had taken out of the chest were remarkably dry and he covered his disgust at having to wear clothes that had been buried in the sand for all he knew for hundreds years.
He draped his torn black clothing, or rather, what was left of it, on a wall far away from the sloshing of the water.
He suddenly collapsed against the wall weakly, his limbs giving out under the intense strain they had been under.
He lay with his head against the closed chest and fell into a deep, but restful sleep.
As the alcalde and the lancers rode away, Alejandro turned to Felipe, "Now you were just about to tell me why Diego did not accompany you out here."
Felipe sighed and signed slowly that he would explain everything once they got back to the hacienda.
Victoria was lost in her own thoughts but Alejandro's eyes narrowed.
Before he could make a comment, Felipe was on his pinto and motioning for them to follow.
They took the remnants of the meal Victoria and Zorro had shared the previous night and put them into Alejandro's saddlebags.
As they neared the hacienda, Felipe called one of the ranch hands over to take care of the horses. Alejandro found Felipe's behavior odd, as he was always the one who took care of the horses, but followed the young man when he motioned for them to follow him.
In the light of the hacienda, Alejandro could see the worry and the lines etched into the young man's features, and was suddenly concerned.
Felipe signed slowly and Alejandro translated for Victoria, "You're sorry. For what , Felipe?"
Alejandro shook his head, not understanding what the young man was saying, "You're sorry that you couldn't protect him. Keep him out of harms way?"
Alejandro took the boy by the shoulders and stared at him, "Felipe, what does this have to do with Diego not following you out the mesa today to help in the search for Zorro?"
Felipe brought his hand to his heart, covered his eyes like a mask and pointed at Alejandro.
Alejandro chuckled and turned to a wide eyed Victoria, who had understood Felipe's meaning a second prior.
"Because," Alejandro was almost afraid to translate aloud what Felipe had just said, "Diego is Zorro?"
Alejandro chuckled again and shook his head. " That is not possible. Felipe what is going...."
Alejandro stopped short when Felipe turned around and depressed the lever hidden in the fireplace.
Victoria gasped and Alejandro snapped his mouth shut as Felipe stepped through the doorway and motioned for them to follow.
Alejandro's heart sunk as he saw all of the things, that would link his son to Zorro, displayed in the small room.
Experiments, untouched , littered the table. A journal, on the desk, written in Diego's hand. The final straw was the clothing draped across the stand. Diego's clothing. Clothing that he had been wearing the afternoon before.
"God in heaven," Alejandro sunk against the desk, his heart beating rapidly he thought it was going to beat through his chest.
Victoria took the news much more calmly. She strode over to the experiments bubbling on the counter and touched one she recognized. A smoke bomb that Zorro was fond of using against the lancers.
She moved to the desk next, her slim fingers brushing over the soft leather cover of the journal Diego had kept. She opened the first page and was not surprised to find no name. The next page began the tale of how his deception and masquerade as Zorro had begun.
Victoria picked up the journal and held it to her chest as she roamed around the room.
She stopped at the clothing rack and lifted the richly colored caballero's jacket off the hook. Tears slipped from her eyes as she realized that she had not only lost the man she loved when Zorro had fallen over the cliff , but a friend as dear to her as a brother and, she realized with a start, as close to her as a lover.
Felipe slid down a wall and cradled his head in his hands. When Alejandro knelt beside the boy, he noticed that he was crying, the tears sliding down his cheeks as he cried for his dead friend.
"Diós," Alejandro wiped away a tear only to have it followed by a deluge of others, "how did he..."
Alejandro turned his head when he heard movement. He saw Victoria sink into the chair at the desk, his sons jacked wrapped snugly around her shoulders. She opened Diego's journal and began to read........
The words brought to life the memories and the feelings that she had experienced when the events chronicled in the journal had taken place.
She realized that the text was written from Diego's point of view and she began to learn that her friend had a much deeper personality and much deeper feeling s than she had ever realized.
She, of all people, should have known. She should have seen the similarities between the two men. But she hadn't and now it was too late to show him how much she respected him for what he had done. The sacrifices he had made for his own, and ultimately, her, happiness.
She read the words written in his own hand......
She was more radiant than I had ever imagined. After four years in Spain, I had seen the finely dressed woman at Court in their best but none compared to Victoria's graceful beauty. She had a strength and a countenance none could compare too and I had to resist the urge to ask for her hand the minute I walked in the door.
The alcalde was clearly out of his mind in his corruption of the people and I couldn't stand idly by and let him destroy what my ancestors struggled so hard to build. I had to find a way that I could combat the alcalde's actions without putting those I cared for in danger of persecution.
With Felipe's help, I created an alternate persona. One where I could come and go as I pleased and the alcalde would know no better.
The one thing I had not foreseen was falling so deeply in love with a woman I could never have. Well, at least not until the corruption and the tyranny were abated from this pueblo.
So I had to love her as Diego de la Vega in secret and as El Zorro in public. The more time we spent together, the more I loved about her. Her fire and determination to do good for this pueblo in the face of such insurmountable odds was an aphrodisiac that no man in his right mind could ignore.
The more time I spent with her the more careful I had to be. For she spent the most time with Zorro and Diego and she, if anyone, would be the first to see any similarities if I were to let any arise.
So I had to play the fool, take the brunt of the teasing and accusations, to protect this secret identity. I lost the respect that a true caballero would gain and I lost the woman I loved most in this world to an image I had created.
I soon found that I was at odds with myself, with my own emotions, with my own feelings.
Chronicled in this journal you will find every adventure Zorro rode on. Something I wish to leave for future generations and hopefully, my children.
Victoria sobbed and slammed the book shut. Now he would not get the chance to show his achievements and his acts of courage to his children. Children that she would never be given the opportunity to bear for him. If the world never learned about Diego de la Vega's secret identity, she would make sure any future generations of her family as well as Alejandro's own, would know what risks this magnificently brave caballero went to protect his people from tyranny and corruption.
It was a few hours later that Zorro awoke again, each time he awoke with a little more energy. The curiosity got the better of him, though, and he removed a heavy cutlass from the large chest and set the small chest on top of the closed lid of the larger one.
With a quick, hard, flick of his wrist, he brought the hard steel blade down on the lock of the small chest, splitting it in two instantly. The clang of metal on metal reverberated throughout the cavern and Zorro winced.
Setting the cutlass in the sand, Zorro knelt beside the smaller chest and slowly opened it. He had an idea what was inside but, he had to see for himself.
When he saw what was inside his blue eyes widened. He had been wrong. There was no gems or precious stones in the small chest like he had thought. Instead, there were dozens of small gold coins. In the dull light he could not tell if these were Spanish minted or not.
The gold glittered in the dim light of the cavern and Zorro smiled. What good these would do for the people of the pueblo. He could easily pay the pueblos taxes with these gold coins and set aside the alcalde's harshness with the people for at least one more year.
He set aside the chest and searched the chest for some indication of where these coin had come from.
Hidden in a secret compartment beneath the gold coins there was a dried parchment barely readable but with an easily recognizable seal at the bottom.
It was a document from the king dated before he was born and addressed to a man named Serra. Zorro could not read the text on the paper as it had been smudged over the years but he knew of the history of Alta California and of the man Junipero Serra who had come to California to teach religion to the Indians. The churches and presidios along the Alta California coast all bore his name in some form or another He had done a great deal of good in converting the Indians before he died in 1784.
From what Zorro could tell the coins had been sent from the King of Spain to one of the missions Father Serra had been presiding over but was lost or stolen by sea pirates.
When he could get back to his cave and look at the old letter in more light with his microscope, perhaps he could recreate the text and be able to read exactly what it said.
Zorro put the letter back into the secret compartment he had found it in and began to walk along the walls of the cavern. There was no way to climb the walls, no way he could find to get out of this cavern.
After a few minutes he was fatigued and in pain from his various injuries and he sat down with his back against the wall staring at the water. The tide must be out because the waterline was much farther away than the marks on the sand and rock indicated it could go.
As his eyes closed in exhaustion, he noticed that the water was darker in one place than it was in the others. His curiosity piqued and he moved toward the water. Shedding what clothing he wore, he stepped into the cool water and walked as far as he could before the water covered his head. It was very light in the cavern now and he only assumed that the sun was setting and casting it's glow into the cavern through the water.
Deciding it was better that he rest before he attempted to swim beneath the water, Diego emerged from the water and donned the dry clothes. Laying with his head propped on his arms, he fell into a restless sleep.
Victoria had refused to leave the cave or put the journal down until she had finished reading it. Felipe and Alejandro brought her food and water but it had not been touched after hours of reading.
Alejandro slid over a chair and sat next to her, resting a heavy hand on her slim shoulder.
"Please Victoria, eat something. The journal will be here once you have finished." Alejandro had become accustomed to having his son gone for long periods of time but getting used to his only son being gone from his life permanently was something that would take longer to get used to.
He knew that Victoria had been having to make the same kinds of adjustments and was doing the best she could to come to grips with the information they had learned mere hours ago.
She looked up at Alejandro, eyes wet with fresh tears. "I remember everything written in this journal so clearly." She sobbed. "Everything he said to me when we were alone, every action, every expression."
She held the open book to her chest and could not stop the tears from flowing . They wet the page and she quickly reached for a rag to try the wet parchment.
Alejandro nodded and fought back the tears. He needed to be strong for Victoria's sake. She had taken the news harder than he had and he was determined to be there for her for as long as she needed. For if his son had not been killed, eventually, he firmly believed, Victoria would have married into his family and become his daughter.
Alejandro loved her like a daughter already and would treat her as such from now on.
They both turned when Felipe entered through the secret fireplace and reached for an old textbook on a shelf nearby. He opened the book and took the piece of parchment nestled between two pages of poems and gave them both to Alejandro.
The older man looked at the poetry before removing the letter. Victoria leaned over his shoulder and sobbed when she read the first line.
"He quoted that to me when we were stuck in the rainstorm and had to spend the night in the windmill outside of the pueblo." She sobbed, running her fingers over the words as the night replayed in her mind.
And only your cool sweet lips will quench my burning desire.
Your smile almost quenches my burning desire.
She shook her head. She should have known right there! He had given her the hint and because of the differences between the two men, she had dismissed the first thought that came to her mind.
"Ah I remember that night. I had expected Diego to return that night with news but then it started to storm and I thought you would have stayed the night in Santa Paula." Alejandro smiled. "It took a lot to get out of my son what happened in that windmill."
"I think he would have kissed me had I not looked away." She said absently. Images flashed through her mind of that night , the reactions, the closeness. She had come to look at Diego in a different light when he had stood up to the king's emissary and yet she could not put two and two together.
Even speaking and arguing with the emissary showed that he was determined to help the people of the pueblo in whatever manner he could -- without, she now realized, compromising his identity.
She thought back to the many other times that he had provided hints as to his identity and they had gone right over her head.
"You should have a husband."
A hesitation.
"Someone like Diego perhaps."
Had he been testing her? To see if there was any feelings toward Diego at all. If that was the case, she surely failed that test with her next comment.
Diego? as she looked back on that one word and how she said it. If she had been Zorro, she would have misunderstood the tone as being one of disgust.
She shook her head. So many clues and she had never caught on. She realized that she had cared for Diego as a brother but could have easily fallen in love with him had Zorro not entered the picture.
"And I never told him that I loved him." She sobbed.
Alejandro's heart broke at her pain. He didn't know how to comfort her because he didn't know how to comfort himself with the loss.
"I'm sure he knew how you felt." Alejandro didn't know what else to say.
"Zorro knew that I loved him, Diego."
"Victoria please eat something. You haven't eaten all day," Alejandro reached for the bowl of soup untouched on the desk and held it out to her.
She shook her head and lifted the book to read where she had left off.
Alejandro sighed and set the bowl down and opened the letter that had been inserted between the pages of poetry .
It was from Diego. As he read further down the page he suppressed a sob and Victoria tore her eyes from the text she was reading to see the tears flow down Alejandro's cheeks.
"It's a will." Alejandro sobbed, wiping the tears away only to be replaced by others that he couldn't stop.
When Zorro awoke, he was stiff and he had trouble getting to his feet. He knew he had to get out of the cavern and get his wounds properly treated or he was going to be permanently injured.
He changed back into his black pants, dropped the other clothes into the chest, and dived into the cold water before his aches and pains changed his mind for him.
After a few minutes of searching he found where the water was light and then dark again. Indicating the depth and hopefully the exit into the warm California sunlight.
"There is no sign of him, mí alcalde," Mendoza breathed. He had been searching up and down the cliff side for Zorro's remains but there had been no sign of a body.
"The body must have washed out to sea," DeSoto pulled at his beard, grinning widely, "he probably made a great evening meal for the sharks."
DeSoto glanced at the cape he held in his hand. "This will have to do."
"Back to town," DeSoto waved to the lancers still half-heartedly searching , and mounted Mariposa.
"Sí alcalde," Mendoza turned to the lancers and repeated, "Vamanos muchachos."
As they turned and mounted their horses, none of them noticed a small speck appear in the water.
Zorro struggled to stay above the water as the waves splashed against him and pushed him towards the sharp rocks. He fought the waves as he treaded water until he was able to grasp a rock and pull himself mostly out of the water. he collapsed against the rock in complete exhaustion. After fighting the current in his weakened state, he would need to rest before trying to figure out a way back up the steep hillside he had slid down the night before.
Darkness was settling behind the vast ocean and he moved behind the rock so that the strongest of the breezes would not hit him. He didn't want to sit there for the rest of the night, but he needed to gain more strength so that he could climb out of his predicament and get back home.
Home. He couldn't even think about the explanation he was going to give his father for him being gone so long and coming back with so many bruises and broken bones.
He knew Felipe would tell him a story but Diego would need to come up with another believable reason for his injuries.
He laid his head against the rock and fell asleep. He would only rest for a few short hours.
Victoria embraced Alejandro and soothed him as she would have a sobbing child. This was the first time since they had learned this secret that she had seen Alejandro cry. She knew he needed to let it out and she held him as he did so.
"He knew that it would happen someday," Alejandro broke from her tender embrace and stared at the young woman with eyes filled with tears. "This is a will dividing his possessions between Felipe and you, Victoria."
Felipe and Victoria exchanged mournful looks and nodded.
Alejandro finished reading the paper and gave it to Victoria as he sat weakly into the chair she had just vacated.
She read over the paper and couldn't help but hate herself for the way she had treated Diego in the past. She had always treated him with respect, but she had never realized, until now, the depth his feelings and emotions ran. Not just with respect to her, but in regards to everyone in the pueblo, young and old alike.
"I need to come up with an reason for Diego's absence." Alejandro said flatly.
Victoria blinked and turned to stare at him. Felipe nodded slowly, remembering the times when he would have to come up with an excuse for Diego being gone. This time the absence was going to be permanent.
Felipe stood and indicated that they all leave the cave and get some much needed rest. They had been up at the crack of dawn to look for any signs of life and it was now well past dark. They all needed some rest.
Victoria reluctantly agreed and, holding Diego's journal close to her chest, followed Felipe out of the cave. Alejandro and Felipe watched as the young woman walked slowly toward Diego's bedroom. Neither of them tried to stop her as Alejandro followed ,shut himself in his room and cried himself to sleep.
Victoria ran her hands over the soft white sheets, the warm , thick blanket, and slipped between them, covering herself to her neck. She clutched the journal tightly to her chest and buried her head in the pillow. Soon it became a basin for her tears as they spilled down her cheeks. It was a long while before she was able to fall into a fitful sleep.
Felipe buried his head in his pillow fighting back the tears. He didn't succeed and soon his pillow was wet with the tears shed for the death of his best friend.
Sometime in the night, a black form stumbled through the cave entrance and collapsed into Tornado's hay bails. He rested there for a few minutes and then struggled up to his laboratory to boil some warm water to see if he could raise his temperature. He was freezing and could not keep his teeth from chattering as he boiled the mixture. Hopefully it would help him sleep as well.
He changed quickly out of his wet clothing and put on the clothing that was sitting on the rack. Curiously his jacket was missing but maybe Felipe had removed it to clean. He didn't give it another thought.
He drank the cactus tea and slumped into the chair at his desk.
Need to get to bed, he thought as he held the edge of the desk to maintain his balance as he stood. He noticed that his journal was missing and resolved to ask Felipe about it in the morning.
He didn't even check the spy hole before he pushed the lever to open the secret door behind the fireplace. It was the middle of the night and no one was ever up this late.
Diego held the wall as he limped toward his room. A small candle was lit and he found that strange but let it pass as the anticipated softness of his bed called to him.
The covers looked like they were pulled back and he found that interesting. He didn't care as he carefully lifted himself into the bed and pulled the covers around him. Just as his body relaxed into the softness of the mattress, the covers next to him shifted.
His breath caught in his chest as a slim form turned over in the bed and stared wide eyed at him.
Through the dim light in the room and the light evening, Diego could see jolt of disbelief cross Victoria's eyes.
"Victoria?!" He tried to stand but his injuries and weakened body screamed for peace. He grimaced in pain and slid as far away from her in the bed as he could without falling out of it.
"Diego?" Victoria was wide awake now and he stared at her. Her eyes were red as if she had been crying. She was not in a sleeping shift and she was holding his journal, the one from his laboratory!, tightly in one hand.
She noticed his gaze shift down her and stop at the journal she held. The cherished book replaced her on the bed as she stepped along the opposite side of the bed.
"I know, Diego." was all she said and he tensed. "We thought you were dead. I thought..." She sobbed and fell into his arms.
He grimaced in pain but returned her embrace. Some part of his conscious was relieved but another was worried that if Victoria knew, then his father and the whole pueblo would know as well. He worried that a price had been placed on his head and those he loved were in danger.
"Where are you hurt?" Victoria broke his embrace sooner than he would have liked and pulled the covers down his body. He grimaced as she accidentally hit his injured leg.
"I've fixed everything that can be done tonight," Diego whispered. He was exhausted and, for the first time since coming back from Spain, wanted to be left alone so he could sleep.
"Let me get Felipe and Alejandro," She started to stand when his hand gently encircled her wrist, "They will want to know..."
"Stay, please."
She smiled and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. He took a deep breath and took her head in his hands and gently pressed his lips to hers. She shivered momentarily before she allowed him to pull her into the bed beside him. His lips covered her cheek, eyelids, nose, before returning to rest on her inviting lips.
When he released her, she slid her head down to rest on his chest and relaxed. The tension that had filled her body for the day gone in an instant.
They were both sound asleep in minutes and did not wake until the startled gasp from Alejandro's lips roused them from their slumber.
Diego sat comfortably in one of the overstuff couches and smiled as he finished his narration of his actions over the last 7 years.
The incredulous looks on his father and Victoria's faces almost made him chuckle until he noticed the stern look his father gave him.
"And you couldn't trust me with this secret?"
"Father," Diego shook his head as Felipe came in the door with Dr. Hernandez.
Diego's eyes narrowed and he began to protest but was silenced by a wave of his father's hand. "Don't even try to protest, Diego."
Alejandro turned to the doctor and began to explain, "I'm sure you have heard the rumors that the alcalde's men killed Zorro last night." He paused while the doctor nodded.
"My son was injured badly last night as well," Alejandro did not directly say the two incidents were related but the tone of his voice implied that they were, "and I need your treatment of him to be completely anonymous."
Dr. Hernandez exchanged looks with Diego and then shot a look at Victoria, who sat as close to Diego as possible without sitting on top of him.
"I......" The doctor began. Complete understanding was beginning to sink into his head and he was speechless with shock. "believe I understand."
"He took a tumble off of one of our new Andalucians that he was training yesterday morning and has been in bed recovering ever since," Alejandro explained.
The doctor nodded and stared at Diego as he stood.
"Shall I examine you in your room?" Hernandez asked.
Diego nodded and led the doctor toward his room. Victoria, Alejandro and Felipe following.
A little while later, Diego was laying in bed with the covers tucked tightly around him.
"You need to stay in bed and rest. You are lucky that fall didn't kill you." Hernandez reprimanded, and a little quieter added, "and you are lucky you didn't drown when you hit the water."
Diego nodded. "Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate your help."
"This pueblo needs you, Diego," Hernandez smiled and turned to Alejandro, "Make sure this stubborn son of yours follows my instructions or I am going to break his other leg so he cannot walk at all."
Victoria chuckled and Felipe turned away to hide the smile that crept over his face.
"Be certain that I will make sure he follows your instructions." Alejandro stared hard at his son and smiled.
After two days, Diego was getting restless. Sitting and doing nothing was starting to get on his nerves. He was used to doing something not just sitting in one place.
Although what he had been doing would not, under normal circumstances, be considered nothing. Diego was more used to a vigorous exercise routine.
He had spent the better part of two days talking with Victoria. Revealing everything to her that he had held back in his heart.
After telling Felipe, Victoria and his father about the cave, they wanted to go back and investigate.
Diego learned from his father that those gold coins that he had found in that chest were indeed bound for the California Coast and for Junipero Serra. They were specially minted coins that were to be given to each presidio along the coast, indicating their affiliation with the Spanish Crown and the religion of that country.
The coins were minted with the image of the king of Spain on one side and the image of the church on the other.
"I think maybe we should just leave them there," Diego commented, his leg resting horizontally on a pillow Victoria had placed under it to make him more comfortable.
"Whatever for, Diego?" Victoria asked, turning from where she had just set some hot tea next to him on the table, to shoot him a bewildered look.
"The alcalde would just impound it and use it for his own means." Diego began. "That , and we would have to explain how we found it. That is just something I wish to avoid."
"But if they are the gold coins that Alejandro mentioned were sent directly from the King of Spain, perhaps he would reward you, a new alcalde would be nice," she chuckled, "for returning the lost coins to him."
"Victoria, the King of Spain is not in need of a few coins minted decades ago." Diego shook his head. "It just needs to stay buried."
Victoria huffed, kissed him on the nose, and turned on her heal, muttering, " I think it's time to pay a visit to mesa verde."
Diego's eyes widened at the stubborn woman's back as she strode out the front door, determined to get a look at this treasure Diego had found three nights before.
"Ahhhhh," DeSoto leaned back in his chair, resting his feet casually on his desk, as Mendoza served him his mid-day meal. "It feels so good to know that Zorro will not be peeking around the corner any longer at my activities in this god forsaken backwater."
Mendoza didn't say a word. He had been sorry to see Zorro fall to his head at mesa verde and, quite honestly, had wished the man had not died. He had been the only one keeping the alcalde from terrorizing the people even moreso than he already did.
DeSoto noticed Mendoza's strange reaction but let it pass. He was no fool. He knew the incompetent Sergeant had admired and respected Zorro.
As DeSoto took a bite of a moist tamale, an idea hit him. It was time the farmers and the landowners paid up on their overdue taxes. He had put off arresting all delinquents, but now, with Zorro gone, he could do so without fear of that masked nuisance interrupting his plans.
"Post a notice in the tavern and in all public places that if all taxes are not paid by noon tomorrow, I will confiscate all property to pay off overdue taxes," DeSoto instructed Mendoza.
"But alcalde....."
"Do not question my authority Sergeant," DeSoto glared. "Maybe you should write this down. I don't want you to forget anything."
Mendoza searched for a quill and some paper and began to scribble the alcalde's instructions.
"And those whose property will not pay off the debts will find themselves hanging at the end of a noose."
Mendoza took a deep breath and prayed for some salvation for the poor farmers.
"Well," DeSoto raised his voice as the Sergeant stood there staring at the parchment, "what are you waiting for. Go post it!"
Mendoza jumped to follow his alcalde's orders and rushed to post the notice.
"Victoria!" Diego called as he mounted his stallion and took off after Victoria.
Victoria laughed as she raced her mare across the plains. She felt free racing with the wind in her hair, blowing her clothing away from her body.
She didn't have much of an advantage on Diego and would have even less of one as soon as he was able to saddle one of the famous de la Vega stallions and chase after her.
But she wasn't worried. He would have a hard time riding with his injuries so she didn't expect him to chase her all the way to mesa verde. he had to know that she could take care of herself.
She felt bad leaving him to worry about her. But it was low tide now and she was certain she could find her way to this cavern.
"What is it about curiosity and woman!" Diego muttered in between wincing and groaning as the stallion's gate jarred his already bruised muscles.
He was determined to keep pace because he needed to catch her before she decided to try and find the cavern on her own.
Alejandro's eyes widened as he tore the parchment off the tavern door. He mounted his stallion and galloped towards home before anyone could stop him. Though none tried, several wondered where he was going in such a hurry with the alcalde's declaration.
"Probably to gather the caballeros," One of the tavern's patrons suggested. "They won't let the alcalde do this. Even if Zorro is dead."
Diego sighed when he arrived on the mesa and saw Victoria's mare tied to a loose branch, calmly munching away at some crispy, green leaves.
He looked around and Victoria was no where to be found and his heart sank. He didn't want her climbing down to the ocean by herself and he certainly didn't want her in swimming the strong undercurrents of the water either.
He grasped a rope, hook and found a path that would take him close to the water where he remembered the cave entrance to be.
She was just about to dive into the water when he saw her.
She looked lovely in her swimming wear and he had to remind himself that this was not a pleasure excursion. He needed to make sure that she got away from the large waves crashing dangerously close to the rock she was standing on.
He slid down until he was almost behind her and called her name over the roaring ocean waves.
She turned suddenly, her first mistake, and stared at him, her mouth open in shock. She, however, lost her balance on the slippery rock when a huge wave, the tide was rising again, slammed against the rocks she was standing on and swept her off her feet.
"Victoria! No!" He screamed as he watched her body being swept away by the waves. Without thinking , and without concern for his own healing injuries, he leapt into the water and struggled to catch up to her unconscious form.
He struggled against the waves for a long time before he was able to grasp her arm. She was semi-conscious and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he kicked and struggled to get them closer to land. The tide had been rising steadily and he wasn't sure he could get back to the area he had climbed down from.
Suddenly he noticed the cavern that Victoria had been so desperately trying to return to and decided that he would head for it. Better that than let the waves pummel their bodies until they could no longer struggle against them.
Explaining to Victoria that she needed to hold her breath momentarily, he pulled them both under water and searched visually for the entrance. He found it easily, as the water had not gotten too deep yet, and they emerged seconds later into the mouth of the cavern.
Pulling her up to where the water could not reach even at it's highest depth, he held her tightly, muttering words of love and affection in her ear.
She whispered "I'm sorry" into his ear before falling into an exhausted sleep.
He held her tightly and rested his bruised bones for a few hours until she awoke.
Alejandro slammed the door and called for his son or Victoria. When neither of them answered, Felipe came around the corner and signed that Diego had gone to stop Victoria from visiting the cave
Diego had told them he had found when he had slid down the cliff.
Alejandro sighed and told Felipe what was happening. They would wait for a little while before going after Diego and Victoria but something would have to be done about these hangings that would be taking place at sunset for those who could not pay their back taxes.
"Yes, Felipe. All taxes are due at noon and those who do not pay will be rounded up and hanged at sunset."
Alejandro slumped into a plush chair. "Now is not the time for Diego to be out gallivanting with Victoria. Zorro is needed and . . . "Alejandro suddenly remembered his son's injuries and questioned Felipe about it.
Alejandro sighed and decided to stay out of his hard-headed son's decisions. If he came back in more pain than when he had left, well then that was Diego's fault.
However, he couldn't help the concern for his only son's well being from creeping into his thoughts.
"Felipe, wait about an hour and then go get them. Explain to them what happened. When you leave, I will go back to the plaza."
Felipe nodded .
Several hours later, Victoria awoke and clutched tightly to Diego's bare chest.
He had removed his shirt so that he wouldn't catch a chill in the damp, cold cavern.
He tightened his arms around her and whispered, "Does it hurt? Tell me if you feel any pain."
"Only to my pride," She chuckled and he sighed.
"Victoria this was a foolish thing to do."
She pulled away from him quickly, her pride was returning, and glared. "Well I did make it into this cave whether it was the way I intended or not." She looked around and smiled.
He had to admire her courage. Not many women would have come here and not been frightened out of their wits at the situation they were now faced with. "There it is!" Victoria pointed at the chest and crawled over to it. She wasn't sure her legs could hold her weight and she decided not to take the chance.
Diego stood and took the few steps over to the chest as Victoria opened it and began searching through the contents. She took one of the small gold coins and turned it over in her hand. The dim light in the cavern made it hard to make out the images but she could see what Diego had described etched onto the surface of the coin. "It's beautiful."
"But not worth dying for, Victoria." Diego said softly and she turned around to face him, her eyes suddenly soft.
"No," She reached up to cup his cheek, "You're right. Not worth dying for." "But," her eyes brightened, "if you had not distracted me by calling my name then I would not have slipped off that rock and I would have found this cavern all by myself."
"You don't know that," Diego argued, "You could have still lost your balance and fallen." He embraced her tightly, "and then I would have lost the one and only thing in this world worth living for."
She sobbed at hearing him speak this way and pulled away slightly so that she could stare into his eyes. The tenderness and love she found there overwhelmed her and she fought back the tears. He pressed his lips against hers as if to remind himself they were still alive and he hadn't lost her. As she deepened the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck, he leaned back against the chest, pulling her slim soaking wet body with him. His lips and mouth, combined with the water-logged clothing clinging to her chest like a second skin, began to have an effect on her and she pressed herself into him in hopes that he would not notice. He felt the hardening against his bare chest and resisted the urge to chuckle. Their closeness was beginning to have an effect on him as well and he decided to break the kiss before they went any farther.
He stood quickly and looked at the water. "We may be stuck here until low tide."
She caught her breath and asked, "How long will that be."
"Maybe morning. Or at the very latest, sunset." He took several deep breaths and turned back to her when he was satisfied she would not notice the effect she had on him.
Felipe looked around nervously. Victoria and Diego's horses were calmly munching on some green leaves but their riders were nowhere to be found.
He leaned over the side of the hill, looking down the steep incline for any sign of his friends. He didn't see them and he became worried.
He gripped a rope and began to slide down the side of the hill, hoping that the closer he got to the water and the cavern, the more chances he would have to see them.
When he didn't see anything he searched for the entrance to the cave. It would be hard to see right now because of the tide, but he wanted to at least find the entrance.
After an hour of searching he gave up and sat down, exhausted from struggling against the strong current. The sun would be setting soon and those arrested by the alcalde would be hung if there was no one to stop him.
Felipe hoped that Diego and Victoria were inside the cave and simply waiting for the tide to lower so they could get out of the cave much easier and with less danger.
He sat and waited.
"Sergeant, why have you not arrested those who have not paid their taxes!?" DeSoto demanded.
"Mí alcalde, the people are poor from the bad harvest. They have no money to pay their taxes," Mendoza answered truthfully.
"Then they need to find other ways to pay their taxes. "DeSoto muttered and added, "I want you to arrest the people on this list and I want them here immediately!"
"What would you have them do, alcalde" Alejandro grumbled, "resort to illegal means to pay your unfair taxes?"
DeSoto glared at Alejandro. That man was too much of a troublemaker and he needed to find a way to rid himself of de la Vega's presence.
"If you incite these people to riot, I will string you up for treason."
"I will not incite these people to do anything. They are capable of making their own decisions." Alejandro stood straight and prayed silently that Felipe would find Diego and get him back here in time.
"Take a deep breath and hang on tight," Diego instructed. " I'll need to you kick your feet so that we can gain momentum to make it to the surface."
Victoria nodded and refused to admit she was a little scared. She couldn't remember much of how they had gotten into the cavern and she was certain she probably didn't want to remember.
"We'll come back for the ...." She became silent when he snapped his head towards her and gave her a stern look.
"Ok, ok," She chuckled, trying to lighten the mood, "You're right. It should remain buried in honor of those who died to bring it to these shores."
Diego nodded, took a deep breath and leapt into the water.
Felipe released a deep breath when he noticed tow heads pop out from the water below him. He stared at the darkening sky and sighed. If they didn't hurry, by the time they got back to the pueblo, all that would be left of the poor farmers would be their bodies swinging at the end of a rope.
"Felipe?" Diego helped Victoria out of the water and quickly moved out of the path of the crashing waves. "What are you doing here?"
Diego looked at himself, Victoria and the darkening sky and chuckled, "I guess you got worried when we didn't come back hours ago, hmm?"
Felipe nodded and began to sign rapidly. He explained everything and Diego translated for Victoria.
"Looks like it's time for Zorro to make his miraculous reappearance."
They mounted their horses and galloped off across the mesa, rushing home in an attempt to foil the alcalde's plans.
"Alejandro, get out of the way!" DeSoto ordered as he unsheathed his saber and advanced on the caballeros.
"We can't let you do this, alcalde," Alejandro unsheathed his own weapon and stood in a defensive position, ready should the alcalde attack.
"You will be placed under arrest for obstruction of justice and sent back to Spain for treason" DeSoto seethed," how dare you interfere."
"We should have interfered long ago before Zorro ever arrived. This pueblo belongs to the people not to you, Spain or any other ruling body. The people of this pueblo have bled and died for their land and you have no authority to take that land away from them." Alejandro took a breath and continued. He was hoping he was buying enough time to allow Zorro to arrive.
"The people of Spain are not taxed nearly as much as this small outpost in the Spanish Empire is. You cannot fund the entire Spanish army with one small pueblo and that, it appears, is what you are trying to do. However, I wonder, how much of these taxes actually make it back to Spain and how much make it into your very deep pockets."
DeSoto's nostrils flared. He was not going to let this insignificant caballero speak to him in this way.
"Lancers, place Alejandro, and anyone else who interferes with these proceedings, under arrest," DeSoto ordered and lancers began to file toward caballero.
Alejandro backed away and exchanged looks with his fellow caballeros. They all, in one fluid motion, drew their blades and stood in defense, ready to stop the procession of lancers from arresting their friend.
DeSoto's eyes widened, "You are all under arrest for treason!" He turned to his lancers and ordered," use force if necessary but I want all who resist in my jail now!"
The lancers raised their rifles and aimed. Just as they began to depress the trigger, the familiar sound of a crackling whip startled them and made their shots fly high over their targets heads.
The people murmured Zorro's name. Incredulous that he was alive after the alcalde had provided a torn cape and hat as proof of his death.
"Hello good people!" Zorro smiled from where he stood a few feet away from the startled lancers. With arms outstretched, he shouted. "The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated!"
"Kill him!" DeSoto shouted.
Victoria and Felipe rounded the corner in time to see a spectacular light show erupt from some home made smoke bombs Zorro had deposited at the lancers feet.
The men scattered, leaving the alcalde to carry out his own orders alone.
The alcalde advanced on the smiling masked man and lunged. A good, correct lunge but a little slow and the masked man dodged it with ease.
DeSoto continued to thrust and lunge low at the masked man legs and lower body. Zorro easily parried these, riposting quickly and easily, knocking the alcalde's blade out of line time and time again.
"Know, alcalde, that if I wanted to kill you," He parried a high cut and parried low, causing the alcalde to loose his balance in an effort to retreat quickly, "you would already be dead."
"Then why don't you!" An exasperated alcalde cut low and to the side , trying to catch the masked man in the middle of a swing. His attempt failed however and it resulted in Zorro parrying the blade off to the side and quickly reposting with such force that he was able to disarm the man.
"Because I am not fond of killing and I believe there is good in every man, no matter how deeply buried," Zorro held the blade to the alcalde's throat, "Now trouble these poor farmers again and I may just be tempted to carve a few holes into your flesh to see if I can find that good buried inside of you."
"Better yet," Victoria slid up next to the masked man, "just leave and let another alcalde take your place! You're not happy here and neither are we!"
"Oh no, my pretty," DeSoto took a step forward but was held back by Zorro's blade still resting close to his throat, "I plan to stay here until I put this man's," He indicated Zorro with a stern look, "neck in a noose and string him up for all to see.."
Victoria huffed and Zorro smiled, "The cat and mouse game will not go on forever, alcalde." He took a quick glance at Victoria, "I have other plans for my life and you are not anywhere in them."
DeSoto laughed as his lancers stood by watching the scene.
"One last warning, alcalde," Zorro raised his voice so all gathered could hear , "mend your ways or the next time you trouble the residents of this pueblo, you will find yourself sailing back to Spain in a pine box!" With a quick flick of his wrist, he carved a Z in the alcalde's pristine uniform and struck him with a backhand that left him unconscious on the ground.
Turning to Victoria , his eyes locked with hers and his lips descended upon hers for a deep, penetrating kiss.
"Very soon, mí presciosa," He smiled, his eyes twinkling in the moonlight, "we will be together for always."
"We already are, my love," Victoria whispered as her masked savior whistled for his steed.
The crowd cheered him as he mounted the stallion, pressed a gloved hand to his lips in salute and raced out of the pueblo.
The lancers struggled to help the alcalde rather than chase the masked man and his scolding voice could be heard through the plaza gates as Zorro raced away into the moonlight.