Half Indian, half Irish. Young, in his 20s, but has experienced too much horror and pain to reflect anything but a maturity beyond his years. His background is a mystery to all but Alejandro. Elena knows some of it, but only Alejandro knows in detail what causes Tiger's night terrors. It is only Tiger's belief in Alejandro and his fight for justice that keep him sane. During his waking hours he blocks out the memories of the past, but during the night they come creeping into his dreams in flashbacks. Tiger's entire family, mother, father, sisters and brothers were killed by the American sea captain's men. There was a horrible fire and some were burned alive; he still bears a scar across the top of one foot. He was not permanently damaged physically, but mentally he never recovered. Fire can sometimes bring back a reliving of the horrors he saw. Tiger also has many scars from numerous sword and knife fights; since the life he led until he met Alejandro was a violent one. He would gladly give his life to protect Alejandro and his family.
Tiger serves as someone Alejandro can trust to protect his family while he is away. He gives Alejandro security but also brings turmoil, for Alejandro knows that if anything happens to him, Tiger could possibly loose his tenuous grip on sanity and start killing, perhaps blindly.
A woman of beauty, intelligence and wealth. She had it all. A husband, child and wonderful home. Her family was taken from her suddenly and tragically, leaving only the wealth and responsibilities of running a large hacienda. A woman capable of great love; she is now filled with a terrible hunger for the love that had been hers. Feeling as if she has been cheated by life, she is now determined to take destiny into her own hands and seek out what she desires most.....that which Dona Elena possesses in abundance....the love of a husband and children. Determined to have Alejandro and take his children as her own, she will stop at nothing to achieve her goal. In Dona Carmen's eyes the end justifies the means.
As we know, at this time in California the best land was owned by the Spanish dons, so Americans who were starting to pour into this territory were unable to put down roots unless they converted to Catholicism and managed to marry a wealthy young Spanish woman. This unnamed handsome American sea captain has power on his ship but he can't have land and with land goes power in California.
I see the captain as being the main villain in the story along with Dona Carmen. But, Zorro needs someone to fight and he can't very well threaten Dona Carmen with a sword -- the sea captain would be perfect.
The captain also has a lot of men who are accustomed to obeying him, causing more problems for Zorro.
Somehow the captain is behind the troubles at Carmen's estate, probably with Carmen's co-operation.
This is from Sandie:
As Carmen is a widow, there may be question of inheritance going to a male
relative of her husband. She may well be a spy for Americans. Her motivation
to join them would be a promise that she, rather than male relative, will
inherit the property under the future American-based government. Of course,
I would suspect that the Americans are lying, which she'll discover (too
late?).
I see the captain as being good looking and about Alejandro's age so he is almost his equal physically. He is a trader and has a fair amount of money. It is power and control that he is after as well as wealth.
A ship also offers all kinds of possibilities as a great location for a showdown -- the ship's rigging, barrels, ropes, water. The agile Zorro can swing from mast to mast, ship to ship. Maybe Alejandro/Zorro winds up imprisoned in the hold at one point. Would his rescuers ever think to look for him there?
Pete presents himself as a peddler but he could be something much more. I think he is one of the captain's men (a sailer) who arrives at Alejandro's estate on fiesta day to make contact with Carmen, gain information about the dons, and generally cause problems.
Pete and the captain don't know yet that Alejandro is Zorro but they do know that he is one of the most powerful dons which makes him a target.
Although Pete likes Alejandro he does catch him referring to the dons as if he is not one of them and this raises his suspicions.
When I wrote Don Eusebio I had intended for his character to be gay. He's a man who likes the finer things in life, but at heart he is strong and a loyal friend. Eusebio is intelligent and full of fun; he could be a great asset to Zorro. That's why Alejandro likes him. Eusebio's appearance is deceiving and many underestimate him. I think he would LOVE to take Alejandro to bed, but he knows Alejandro isn't interested and contents himself with friendship, which he values. I would bet he flirts with Tiger, though! LOL Tiger is a sweet kid, like Alejandro, and doesn't get angry over such things. There could be some amusing scenes done in a light and funny way, just a little sexy.
(a very minor, but could be pivotal character)-- I see this character as an older man, he lives on Alejandro's Hacienda and stays pretty much to himself. He goes to the cantina in the town often and gets blotto and talks "nonsense" about there being no more Zorro and that the man everyone believes is Zorro is really an imposter. He babbles on about some thief named Murrieta, who is responsible for corrupting and getting someone that Jose loved killed. Most of the towns people are used to José and his drunken rantings and just ignore him and no one ever really listens to him. That is until a sea captain happens into the bar one day. The captain finds what the old man has to say interesting and pumps the old guy for more information..... Since he lives on the hacienda and is in a position to be the eyes and ears for Carmen and Halligan, I think they might just use him for their own gain.