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6 to 10 - Scenes 16 to 20 - Sequel homepage
WARNING: Some scenes contain explicit sexual content and are not
appropriate for children.
As they walked towards the main house under a sky lit by pale moonlight and silver clouds, Elena suddenly turned to her companion and said, "Let's stroll in the garden for a while, Tiger, it is such a warm night and I need to be distracted."
Tiger hesitated, ever mindful of the attack on the hacienda and the great responsibility to which Alejandro had entrusted him. "It's late Dona Elena, maybe..."
"Nonsense," Elena said lightly. I know what you are thinking but we are well within the walls and there are extra guards on the gates. We are perfectly safe. Besides, I never have the opportunity to talk to you alone and there is much I wish to say." Elena determinedly led the reluctant man in the direction of the rose garden which was easy to find despite the dim light because of the heady perfume hanging in the humid air.
They walked side by side after Elena slowed her pace to wait for him to come alongside. "You have been so very good for Alejandro, Tiger." She smiled.
The young man started in surprise. "It is Don Alejandro who has been good for me, Senora."
"Well, then it is mutual. He was quite lost after his brother died. There was a great hole in his life that I, his wife, couldn't fill, nor even his children. He hungered for the kind of companionship that only a brother could bring him. Alas, he had no family other than Joaquin and when my father died in our arms, neither did I. You have become like his brother, Tiger -- the little brother he never had. He adores you."
Tiger looked toward the sky to stop the tears which quickly formed in his eyes from flowing. Words couldn't pass the heavy lump in his throat.
"And I feel that you are like my brother too." Elena stopped suddenly and turned towards Tiger taking his arms in her hands and turning him to face her. "I am so sorry if I caused you pain tonight when I raised the issue of stolen children in your presence. Alejandro asked me never to speak of it, but given present circumstances I am very curious about some things. Do you feel comfortable enough to tell me what you have confided in my husband?"
Tiger hesitated. "Not long ago I could not bear to think of it at all. I often think that my life began only when Alejandro brought me here."
"Tell me, if you will, about your early life and how you came to be with us. The information will go no further than my ears."
Tiger straightened his shoulders and took a deep breath to bolster his courage. When he spoke his matter-of-fact tone disguised the anguish he felt in his heart. "I remember very little of my family because I was so young when I was taken. I have dim images of parents who loved me, of my brothers and sisters, and of much love and warmth, songs and good cooking smells.
"But my memories of the night that changed all of that are as clear and sharp as cut glass. I was four or five and I slept in the main living area of a small house with my brothers. My parents had one bedroom and my sisters the other. There was a loud banging on the door well after everyone was asleep and my father got out of bed and opened it. He was shoved roughly by a huge man who knocked my papa to the floor and placed a foot on his chest to hold him down. There were two or three other men as well. I was so frightened that I slipped to the floor and crawled under the bed hiding behind my brothers' legs. I saw and heard everything that happened, though.
"One man put a gun to my father's head and demanded, 'Where's the brat with the strange eyes?' My father kept repeating that he didn't know what they were talking about and my oldest brother pushed me further under the bed. My mother was in my sisters' room hushing them and I realized, much later, that she must have thought the men came to rape them. But it was me they wanted."
Elena linked her arm through his to offer support and encouragement. They walked among the gentle blooms as Tiger continued his story.
"The men began to ransack the little house. When they overturned the bed they found me and pulled me up by the hair in triumph. 'Look at those eyes,' one said. 'This one'll bring a fortune.' After that nothing is very clear.
"I believe that my abductors deliberately set the fire to punish my father and it spread so quickly through the little house. I was flung over the back of one of the men and by the time we reached the door the house was engulfed. I saw my father burning. I heard my mother and sisters screaming. I smelled the smoke and heard the roar and felt the heat. I must have passed out after that."
Tiger's eyes were glassy and his body stony but Elena knew he could shatter in an instant.
Tiger continued in a monotone voice. "I woke up in what I know now to be the hold of a ship. All I knew then was that it was pitch black and stinky and cold and that there were other children with me because I heard them cry out for their mamas. We were there for a very long time and the wailing never stopped.
"Well, my time on the ship was hell but you don't need to know the details about that. I knew that I was alone in the world -- that my family was dead -- and I didn't care what happened to me. I had no mama to cry for." Tiger stared straight ahead but Elena knew that his eyes did not see the garden.
"We landed in Spain and I was hauled out with the other children and the filth and excrement was scrubbed from us. We were given fresh milk -- the first we had had in weeks -- and clean clothes. Nothing fancy, the clothes simply covered our bodies and we all looked alike, even the girls.
"That very evening, right on the docks, we were sold at auction to the highest bidder. I was purchased by a man who bought two other boys as well. He bought us to work in the fields. I imagine that's what most boys where sold for -- field slaves. I can't imagine what happened to the girls.
"I was simply a possession like a cow or goat. I had to be fed to be kept alive but that was it. I was never taught to read or write. The only songs I knew were the ones my mother had taught me and I sang them in my head over and over. I worked in the fields for years, until I was about twelve, I think.
"My owner came to the fields one day. It was the first time I had seen him since he bought me. He watched me work for a long while then said something to the foreman. The next thing I knew I was on my way to the hacienda.
Tiger looked at Elena and smiled for the first time. "This story is getting very long, Seniora. I think I will just tell you that the master had decided to train me to work with weapons. He must have recognized a talent in me because I quickly became an expert with the sword."
Now it was Elena's turn to smile. "You must be a marvelous student, Tiger. Alejandro says you are the best that he has ever seen."
"I will never be his equal, Seniora, never, although, my skill has increased greatly since I met him. I was proud of my skill with the sword but I did not know at the time that my master was training me to be a mercenary or that he intended to sell me again.
"After years of hard training where I was injured many times my master took me and a few others to America with him. I panicked when I saw the ship but this time I shared a small room with many other men and I was not locked in the hold. We continued to practice on the ship's deck every day and we were fed well to keep up our strength.
"We landed in the Carolinas where I was sold again -- much to my shock -- to an American sea captain who paid a large sum for me after a demonstration of my skills. This captain plundered all up and down the east coast of the continent. Maybe you could say we were pirates. We robbed and kidnapped... and murdered."
Tiger hung his head for a moment collecting his emotions and his thoughts.
"After one particularly nasty incident -- I will spare you the details -- we sailed for California. I did not know where we were going until we reached the west coast and I found myself in a country that looked vaguely familiar and among people who looked like me. I had forgotten it all until I saw it again. I realized that this was the land where I was born and that the people I saw were my people."
Elena asked, "Did you try to run away, Tiger, to join your people again?"
"No, Dona Elena, I didn't. I knew that my family was dead and that I had no one to go to. Also, Captain Halligan -- that was his name -- was a particularly brutal man and he would have hunted me down and killed me after he finished torturing me. No, I did not try to leave. We continued our ways in California. We did terrible things... terrible."
To ease the tension Elena asked, "How did you meet Alejandro, Tiger?"
"Ah... ," he brightened. "Don Alejandro was at the docks one day on business and he saw me in a tavern there. I was pretty badly cut up and was drinking heavily to ease my pain. He must have found me curious because he followed me when I staggered back to the ship. He knew I was a mercenary, but he also saw that I was Indian and did not fit with the American sailors. He approached Captain Halligan and purchased me -- for a huge sum, I might add -- and I thought that I had a new master. Instead, Don Alejandro gave me my freedom. He gave me food and money and encouraged me to find family and start a new life. Then he left me.
"I didn't know what to do because I did not know what freedom was. I was afraid to leave the area of the docks so I just stayed out of sight of Halligan and his men and continued to drink heavily and sleep on the street. I must have had an angel watching over me because Don Alejandro found me again and realized that I was a lost soul. This time, after he cleaned me up and fed me, he offered me a job at his hacienda. He was the only person since I lost my family to show me kindness and so I accepted. I guess you know the rest."
Elena smiled. "I certainly do. He was astonished when he discovered your skill with the sword and realized that you would be very useful to Zorro."
Tiger finally laughed. "And I didn't even know what Zorro was. The first time I saw him in that outfit I thought he was loco!"
Elena joined his laughter. "The first time I saw him in that outfit I thought he was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen even though half his face was covered!"
She continued, smiling. "Thank you, Tiger, for confiding in me. You are a very brave man and a most welcome addition to our extended family." Elena paused then said slowly, "I have a request, Tiger. Would you do something for me?"
"Anything. I will do anything for you, Dona Elena. I would kill a thousand men if I thought it would please you."
"Good heavens, nothing like that," Elena replied in mock horror. "I simply feel the need to stretch my muscles a bit... and take up the sword again. Purely for sport, you understand." she added this quickly when she saw the look on Tiger's face.
He stared at her in shock then looked at his feet. "I know I just said I would do anything for you, Dona Elena, but please don't ask me to do that. If you so much as suffered a scratch from a sword Don Alejandro would...."
Elena attempted to keep the mood light. "Has Alejandro not told you that I fought him with a sword in the stable the first time I ever saw him as Zorro?"
"Yes... he told me."
"And did he tell you that I almost defeated him? That I was able to take the sword right out of his hand?"
A slow smile spread over Tiger's face, his white teeth flashing in the dim light. "He said it was only because you were so very distracting, Senora." Tiger continued, laughing now. "He said that you were almost falling out of your cors..." He stopped abruptly as he realized what he was saying and stood staring at Elena, his mouth agape.
She slowly reached out one finger. Placing it under his chin she closed his jaw with a snap. Elena quirked a shapely eyebrow at him. "It is as I suspected. You two ARE like brothers.... What else does he tell you?"
"Nothing Senora, really -- nothing."
"Hmmmm," said Elena doubtfully. She now had Tiger exactly where she wanted him. "Well, I won't take my husband to task for telling you of our private affairs if you will do me the favor I ask."
"But, others will see and they will tell him."
"Not if we practice in the fox's lair, Tiger. I will meet you there at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning as long as Alejandro has not returned before then. If he has, we will keep our date at another time." Her mission accomplished, Elena turned to retrace her steps to the house and her sleeping children. "Rest well, Tiger. You will need it," she called over her shoulder.
As Elena reached the house and climbed the stairs to the bedroom she
shared with Alejandro her mood darkened as she knew her man would not be
there waiting for her.
Despite the slight chill in the air and the cloud-covered moon that brought enveloping darkness to everything beyond the walls of the hacienda, Elena could not tear herself away from the balcony outside the bedroom she shared with her beloved husband. The hours since Alejandro's departure had stretched Elena's firm resolve that Zorro must reappear to its limits. To pass the time she had read bedtime stories to Joaquin. But tonight of all nights he'd fallen asleep almost instantly and the lonely night loomed before her. Her mind was filled with conflicting emotions.
Elena's pride in Alejandro was limitless, and she knew if anyone could solve the mystery of the missing children and return them safely to the loving arms of their parents, it was Zorro. But she feared for him. Or, she wondered, her forehead crinkling in deep thought, did she fear more for herself? She had never known she could love someone so completely. The depth of Elena's passion for Alejandro scared her at times. What would her life be if something were to happen to him? Yes, she would survive and go on, the love
for her children sustaining her. But there would be an emptiness in her heart and soul that Elena knew no other but Alejandro could ever fill. To never feel his powerful arms enfold her, to hear his laughter when playing with their children, to never again experience the soaring heights of passion only he could take her to when he entered her willing body.
Elena closed her eyes and remembered back to the day she had wed Alejandro. The most beautiful moment of her life, with half the territory looking on as she walked down the aisle toward the handsome hidalgo awaiting her next to the priest, the church filled with the fragrant scent of romania. But then he grinned at her with that half smile and those dark, sensuous eyes and suddenly there was her bandit. She had laughed in spite of herself and heard his answering chuckle as she came abreast of him at the altar.
Elena's reverie was cut short as a salty wind from the distant sea wafted across her face. She pulled the yellow shawl that had once belonged to her mother tighter around her shoulders and involuntarily shuttered. The silent tears dried on her cheeks. So deep were her thoughts she almost didn't hear the soft knock on her door.
Morning Dove entered the room with a small tray on which lay a delicate china cup. "Senora, come away from the window and drink your tea," Morning Dove said in her soft, lilting voice. "Standing guard will not return the don to those who love him any sooner and you must take care not to catch a chill in your condition," giving subtle acknowledgment to the secret she knew Elena kept within herself.
Elena sighed deeply as she turned from the dark night. She could not help but give a small smile to Morning Dove when she saw the tray set on the table next to her favorite chair in front of the roaring fire. How many hours had she and Alejandro spent by this fire, his head resting on her lap, her fingers gently smoothing his wild curls as they talked of their dreams and hopes for their family. These precious interludes invariably ended with Elena sprawled naked on the rug in front of the fire with Alejandro poised above her. A small but sad smile settled on her beautiful face as she melted into the deep chair.
Elena gave an involuntary cry as Morning Dove's hand gently touched her shoulder. "Oh, Morning Dove," she quietly said as her own hand reached up to cover that of her beloved nanny, "My fear for his safety does battle with what I know is the right thing, and it makes me angry that I tremble at the thought of the danger he is in. He is strong and a better swordsman there has never been except perhaps for my father. But how I wish I were out there riding at his side instead of sitting home obediently awaiting his return." She stomped her tiny foot hard against the glowing hearth, sending tiny daggers of flame up from the blaze like hundreds of alighting fireflies.
Morning Dove quietly withdrew her hand from Elena's shoulder and boldly sat in the chair opposite the woman she considered to be as dear to her as her own daughter.
"Senora," Morning Dove said with uncharacteristic determination, almost as though she was scolding one of the children, "the tiny nina with lungs as powerful as the horse that gallops beneath Zorro tonight is the same as the strong, beautiful and wilful woman sitting before me now. That strength is no small part of what Don Alejandro was drawn to when he first met you. His love for you is equal only to yours for him. Any fool can see that when you are together. Knowing you are here watching over his children gives him added strength to follow his destiny. Your love and is what sustains him, your children and all of us fortunate enough to be loved and cared for by you. That is nothing to stomp your foot about like a spoiled child. If a hundred armed men stood between Zorro and the way home to you, those men would fall like the fading romania blossoms in your garden. You are the center of his world. A weak woman would crumble under these responsibilities. So stop your fearful thoughts and drink your tea before it grows cold!" Morning Dove almost gasped at the bluntness of the words she had just spoken to her mistress. She waited fearfully for the rebuke she was sure was on Elena's lips.
Elena stared in awe at the small native woman across from her whom she had come to love like the mother she barely remembered. As Morning Dove's fearful eyes rose to meet hers, Elena slowly stood and held her arms out to the aging servant. Morning Dove collapsed into her mistress's arms crying, "Forgive me, Dona Elena, for speaking so rudely, I..."
"Morning Dove, stop your crying as you so instructed me. Madre de mi corazon, you make me ashamed for the self pity I have allowed myself to dwell on this night. I could never be angry with you." Pausing for a moment, Elena conspiratorially asked, "Have you completed the task I put you to?"
"Oh si, Senora," said Morning Dove excitedly, the awkward exchange already forgotten. "I hid it here in your dresser under your camisoles so Don Alejandro would not discover it."
Elena chuckled to herself as the faithful servant hurried over to the oak armoire. Considering her passionate husband, Elena was not too sure it had been the safest hiding place!
Morning Dove proudly drew the black costume out of the drawer. "It is just as you requested, Senora."
Elena did not try to hide the smile as it slowly spread across her face
as she gazed upon Morning Dove's creation. "Oh Morning Dove, it is
perfect!"
Tiger was awake well before sunup praying for Alejandro's return. He was anxious to know that Zorro was safe and to avoid his fencing date with Dona Elena. Even an early morning ride had not eased his restlessness. He looked helplessly at the clock then sighed and reached for his sword. His plan was to tire out the lady quickly and maybe to frighten her a little by slashing her petticoats so that she would understand that the fine art of fencing was best left to the men.
He descended the hidden stairway leading from the stable to the fox's lair, knowing that Elena would probably use the one connected to the main house. He was surprised to see the torches already lit and glowing brightly, casting long, flickering shadows on the stone walls. One of those shadows had a human form and his eyes followed it to the still figure dressed entirely in black standing as still as a rock in the center of the spacious cavern. Tiger halted in mid-stride, one leg raised as he balanced like an ostrich and stared in amazement.
Elena smiled to herself but the emotion did not reach her face which she kept carefully placid.
"En guard, Tiger."
He shook his head, then looked again, but the dark figure hadn't changed. He was looking at another Zorro, this one slightly smaller and far more curvaceous that the other, but Zorro none the less -- from the snug black pants and high leather boots to the wide belt, loose silk shirt, mask covering half of the face and the ornate wide-brimmed hat. And, of course, the deadly weapon balanced lightly in the gloved hand.
The figure finally moved to a more relaxed position, the lovely red lips curving in a smile. "Well... what do you think?" Elena turned in a slow circle so Tiger could see her from all angles.
"I ..., I...," stuttered the astonished man.
Elena laughed, the wonderful musical sound ringing in the cavern.
"Where did you get an outfit like that? It fits you so, ah..., well that it can't be one of Don Alejandro's."
"No, it's not Zorro's. My husband would notice instantly if even one small article of Zorro's clothing went missing. I had this one made especially for me. It is very good isn't it?" she asked, twirling around again, arms spread, like a little girl showing off a new dress.
Tiger nodded mutely and wondered how he was ever going to keep his eyes off the shapely, slim behind of his best friend's wife, so clearly displayed in the snug black pants. He walked towards her, his eyes on hers.
"Come on, Tiger, let's get started. I can hardly wait! I love fencing and I had forgotten how much I used to enjoy this. I was very good, Tiger. Very good. And I need... want to be very good again. No -- better than very good. I want to be as good as you are."
Tiger contemplated her for a moment then spoke very quietly. "I will protect him, Dona Elena."
Elena sighed. "I know you will, Tiger. I know that you would give your life for his in an instant. But he is my husband, my lover, my soul, the father of my children. Do you not understand that I must be prepared to help and defend him if the need arises? Tiger? If he dies, I will die. Do you understand? I must do this."
Tiger did understand. He had always had tremendous respect for the wife of his treasured friend but now his admiration knew no bounds. He assumed the stance. "En guard, Dona Elena."
A brief smile flashed across Elena's lovely lips as she realized that
Tiger did, indeed understand. She lunged forward and the sound of steel
on steel rung off the walls of the fox's lair.
Like a dark ghost reflecting no light, Zorro slid by the ship's sentries to the water's edge. No choice but to get wet, he thought. Dropping his cape, he sunk into the water, grimacing as the cold reached his trunk. Aiee! The trials of Zorro! I hope the cold does not diminish my vigor... Elena would be so disappointed.
Zorro scaled the ship's hull. His fingertips appeared first, gripping the side. Next came his wide-brimmed hat, followed by a pair of eyes blazing from within the black mask of Zorro. Hoisting his frame onto the deck, he stood dripping. His first step squeaked loudly, freezing him in his tracks -- wet boot leather. So much for my lovely boots, he thought. Shrugging, he shed the boots, setting each down with a squish. Now to find the babies.
He thought he heard a woman's voice a split second before the blinding pain. A crushing blow to the back of the masked head, then another blow across his jaw reduced the man to a pile of arms and legs. A kick to his ribs took his breath away and he blacked out.
"Well done," she said aloud to the two sailors standing over the body. One of you may have his boots. He won't need them for awhile. Now move him below decks to my cabin. And don't you dare remove his mask. I want that pleasure all to myself."
Carmen sat down gently on her bed next to the man who had so often occupied her fantasies. Still wet, his clothes clung to his body. His chest hair curled with the damp. She took her small knife, and in a flash of steel, slit his shirt from waist to neck, revealing the flesh of her dreams. Her fingers spread wide, she rested her palms over his heart, feeling it rise and fall, his heart beating with hers. She stroked from his flat stomach to the muscles of his shoulders. The man in black groaned, tensing under her touch, still unconscious. "Such a passionate man you are, Zorro. You respond to a woman's touch even when you are half-dead."
Semi-conscious and completely confused, Alejandro smelled roses. He felt a hot breath on his face as he struggled to sort through his dazed thoughts. What had happened to him? His eyes opened as slits and he saw the shape of a woman's face. In his confusion, Dona Carmen's face was transformed into Elena's. "Elena, mi vida," he murmured. His arms encircled the woman he thought was his wife, and he became lost again in the black forest of pain and delusion.
Just as we suspected, Carmen thought. Alejandro IS Zorro. And the great Zorro is unmasked by his passion for a woman. And not much of a woman at that. Just your precious, soon-to-be-dead Elena. Dona Carmen spat Elena's name onto the floor.
Men are such fools, Carmen thought, her head resting on his chest with a sigh. "Especially you, Alejandro," she said aloud. "It took so little to lure you to my cabin. You have such a soft spot for the ninos. All I had to do was make you think the babies were here. A thousand apologies for the little trick, but there are no babies here...not yet."
She decided to leave the mask as it was. It excited her, warmed her blood to think of taking the man in the mask. She left him untied, adding to the danger, adding to her passion. Carmen's hands worked frantically to open the buckle of the black pants. "Forgive me, my beautiful Alejandro, for taking advantage of your present condition, but a woman in my situation must make the most of every opportunity. It is not healthy for a woman of my disposition to keep her passion locked away. I know you would agree if you could only find the words," she smirked. She spoke to a man whose feverish mind had wandered off to try and heal his wounds, but whose body was still vital.
Dona Carmen removed the tight black pants, struggling with the wet clothing. His white silk drawers clung to the outline of his beautiful polla. She grabbed him roughly and his body responded. She peeled back the thin layer of fabric, flipped up her skirts, and mounted him with astonishing speed. She took his hands and held them to her breasts. Alejandro moved his hips up and climaxed in one thrust. "No!!" She screamed in frustration and beat his chest with her fists. "Not yet!!" He lay unmoving and limp beneath her. His heartbeat slowed, and slowed again. His breath was so shallow it didn't look like he was breathing at all. Inside his head, he still held Elena to his chest, his response to her touch the reason for his climax. He drifted, dreaming of Elena's skin, creamy and cool, her voice calling to him, "Come back to me, Alejandro. Don't go, not yet!"
Dona Carmen stood beside Alejandro's body. She'd felt for a pulse at his throat twice now and felt nothing. She was surprisingly calm. She thought she would feel more at this man's death. Ah, well. There are so many more men in the world, and all of them fools. Such a waste, and such a mess! Her hands moved to the edge of the mask on his face, deciding to remove it, just to see Alejandro's face before they threw him over the side to disappear into the mud.
"Too bold a move, as always, Dona Carmen," said Zorro as his hands grabbed hers to prevent the removal of his mask. She gasped as he rolled over the side of the bed and got shakily to his feet. She made a move for the door. In a flash, Zorro's hand covered her mouth, his sword at her throat. "No, no, no. Let's keep this little meeting private, shall we? I wouldn't want to be responsible for damaging your reputation. Even for a widow, this would be hard to explain, no? He pointed to his torn shirt hanging open. He looked down, realizing only then he was naked below the waist. He looked back at her, his mind still foggy, unsure what had happened. Dona Carmen lifted an eyebrow, full of innuendo.
Her hand behind her back, she slid her dagger from the back of her belt and swiped viciously at the arm holding her mouth, forcing Zorro to drop his hand in pain.
"No explanation will be necessary, Senor Zorro, or should I say, Alejandro. It will be quite clear that you raped me, and that I killed you defending my honor." She used the knife again, stabbing his sword arm. The sword thudded harmlessly to the floor. Zorro stood momentarily stunned by the blood dripping from his hands.
"Having you, however briefly, was a pleasure I will never forget, Alejandro. Too bad you didn't live up to your reputation as a lover! I would have liked to have known you longer, but alas, you were a little bit of a disappointment." She snapped her fingers as an insult to his vigor.
His previous injuries had dulled his thinking and slowed his responses. The meaning of her words combined with his lack of clothing. The reality of what must have happened struck him with great force. He had obviously betrayed Elena, though he didn't remember a moment of it. How had this happened?! She would never forgive him. Never. And he would never forgive himself.
"I should kill you for what you have done to me," growled the injured man in the mask. He lunged for her, death in his eyes.
Zorro failed to hear the click of the door as it opened behind him. The ship's captain smashed the butt of his pistol across Zorro's skull, knocking him out again. He never knew who struck him.
Dona Carmen straightened her clothes with a tight smile. "Thank you, Captain. Your timing is perfect."
"So I'm told," he leered. "Did you enjoy your little tryst, my dear? Was it all that you hoped it would be? It must be over now, you understand. We must make sure that he does not return home to his family. He'll drown quickly, not to worry."
"Of course. It no longer concerns me. Take care of this, please." Dona Carmen left the room without looking back at the mess she had made.
In the dark gray light of the early dawn, Zorro's body slid over the side of the ship facing away from shore. It make the slightest splash, sinking below the water's surface, then bobbing up again, turning face down to float slowly away.
Morning Dove burst through the door of the bedroom and ran to the screaming woman writhing on the bed. "Elena, Elena, wake up! Wake up! It is just a dream!"
Elena awoke with a start, her wild unseeing eyes searching the waves for her husband. She must save him. She had to save him." Gradually she focused on Morning Dove's frightened face and wondered what the elderly woman was doing on the shore of the water.
"It was a dream, Elena, just a dream. You are all right. Everything is all right. The children are safe." She stroked Elena's hair and wet face as she repeated her chant until she saw that the young woman was fully awake and aware of her surroundings.
"Oh, Morning Dove." Elena sat up and threw her arms around her old nanny, burying her face in Morning Dove's neck and the older woman rocked her as she had when Elena was a baby.
"I had a terrible dream. Terrible. I dreamed that Alejandro -- Zorro -- was hurt and he needed me and I couldn't get to him."
"Tell me about it, mi alma."
"It was on a ship."
"A ship? Zorro went to town."
"I know he did. I don't know why I dreamed of a ship. Maybe it is because Alejandro and Tiger mentioned a ship yesterday when we were talking about the stolen babies."
"Tell me what happened on the ship."
"Carmen was there. Zorro was hit over the head and knocked unconscious then taken to Carmen's cabin. Carmen molested him, Morning Dove, she did things to him while he was hurt..."
"Shhhhh. You know that your husband has no interest in that woman. He has eyes only for you."
"Yes, I know that. But I also know how much Carmen wants him. I guess I am worried that she will go to any lengths to have him. But the odd thing was that, after she did, she had him murdered -- they threw him in the water to drown."
"Why would she do that to Alejandro if she loved him so much?"
Elena sniffled then laughed once, harshly. "Maybe I did get a bit of revenge, even if only in my dream. Carmen found him a disappointment." Elena laughed in earnest now. "Can you imagine? I should have known right then that it was only a dream."
Elena sat up and looked at her nanny. She laughed despite the tears streaming down both their faces. "Maybe that will teach me to nap after so much exercise."
"Are you sure you should be doing something so strenuous...?"
"I'm fine. It was probably just that I was tired and worried at the same time and that produced the nightmare. Look at me. I am still wearing my black costume. It is a good thing it was you who came to my rescue."
Morning Dove smiled sweetly at the woman she adored. "I'll draw a hot bath for you. You need to relax. Your man will be home soon and he will be just fine. You will see. He is Zorro, after all."
"Yes, I know. But Zorro is only a man. I have already lost one Zorro. I will not lose another."