La Reina y Los Amigo

Disclaimers: The characters from the Queen of Swords are copyright to Fireworks Productions and Paramount. No copyright infringement is intended or revenue expected from their use. The story plot and other characters are copyright to the author, James Guy.

Characters: Q Mention of G H

Synopsis: The Queen meets an old friend.

It had been a long two days in the saddle for La Reina des Espades. She had been following the horses’ tracks all the way from Santa Helena. The tracks belonged to a suspicious stranger who had been passing through the Pueblo. Passing through and asking a lot of questions. Questions not directed to the Commandante or the Captain of the guards, but directed to the people of the Pueblo.

He was a foreigner, an Americano who was searching for two men. One was a former American soldier wanted for murder in the United States and the other was a supposed deserter from the British Army. He found them both in Santa Helena. The Queen of Swords did not know who the man was looking for or why but she knew it couldn’t be good.

The man had supposedly found what he was looking for and then left. But two men were now looking over their shoulders. The man never said why he was searching. He too was an Americano, of Hispanic descent but actually looked like one of those "Mountain Men" the Queen had heard of. He dressed like one but had the bearing of a soldier. California was getting more and more foreigners and news was trickling in that Spain and Mexico were at odds. Many in Mexico wanted independence from Spain and the Anglos from the East were moving west.

The Queen of Swords knew that her travels would take her towards El Pueblo de Los Angeles. She had been there once before when she was a little girl. Her father had taken her there many years ago. However, she had not been there as an adult. Since she was in a new territory, she had to be careful. The Queen of Swords was not known here and she could not afford to ride as Tessa Alvarado. Young Spanish aristocrats did not travel alone. Already she had skirted several haciendas.

Up ahead she could see a cloud of dust heading her way. Finding a hill where she could see but not be seen, she pulled out her telescope and surveyed the area.

Twenty soldiers were chasing one man in black. They were close, not more than a mile or two away when the man turned his horse toward her hiding place.

At the foot of the hill, the man’s horse stumbled on the loose rocky ground and the man went sprawling. He was dressed in black and wore a cape. His hat fell to his back staying there by the string attached. He wore a mask. He backed into an area where his back would have protection. He pulled his rapier and waited.

Unable to proceed on horseback, the soldiers dismounted and pulled their swords. None were carrying rifles. The first three soldiers were met with a sword and fell quickly. The man was an excellent swordsman but the Queen knew that twenty to one were not good odds and the man would soon be overtaken.

The Queen of Swords mounted Chico and rode him to where she could approach the soldiers from behind, unseen. The sounds of sword fighting and the soldiers yelling was almost deafening due to the echo effect in the canyon.

Unseen by the soldiers, the Queen came up behind two soldiers and knocked them out with the hilt of her sword.

"Senor, could you use some help?" a female voice echoed through the canyon and over the clanging of swords. The soldiers and the man stopped for an instance and looked to see who this intruder was. A vision of vengeance in black, with a red sash and a lace mask armed and a sword ready for a fight..

"Si, Senorita, if you wish. This is not a private fight," the man said as the fighting resumed. There were now only twelve soldiers standing and five turned on the Queen.

As blades flashed and met, the two black figures eliminated eight more soldiers. The four remaining knew that they could not retreat as the path was blocked with an angry woman with a sword. They could not press forward, so they did the only thing they could. As one they threw down their swords and surrendered.

"Pick up your wounded and leave unless you want to die." Said the Queen. Of the twenty soldiers, sixteen would survive. The Queen had killed one while the masked man had killed three.

"Gracias, Senorita for your timely intervention. You are an excellent swordswoman."

"Gracias, Senor, a good teacher and necessity has made it possible. You also are an excellent swordsman. From your style I would guess that you were taught by Maestro Torres."

The masked man laughed heartily as he sheathed his sword. " I have not heard that name in quite a while and I would never have expected it from a woman. Did he know you were a woman?"

"I studied privately, and he didn’t know in the beginning." She stood straight as a board. "I am the only woman he has trained." She said proudly with a strong inflection on only.

"I have only met a couple of men who were better in my lifetime and they are both dead in the war. I defeated both of them in the final test given by Maestro Torres. That make the two of us the best and I for one have no inclination to test you."

"My name is Zorro, what is yours, oh lovely creature behind the mask?"

"The Fox? Madre Dios, I have heard many storied about you. I am know as the Queen of Swords."

"Oh, Queen of Swords, how is it that you chanced upon this encounter? Surely the Angels sent you. I have never heard of a lady swordfighter in this land." I fight the injustice around El Pueblo de Los Angeles."

The Queen of Swords studied this man for a moment, checking him out from head to foot. She liked what she saw.

"I was following a man from Santa Helena."

"He wouldn’t have been Americano, would he?’

"Si, he was asking some unusual questions and making people nervous. I wanted to know why, so I followed him but haven’t caught up to him yet."

"Senorita Reina, I found him this morning, shot through the back. He ran into some soldiers and they killed him. I found him just before he died. He gave me some papers but the soldiers came back before I had a chance to read them."

"Maybe we could read them together, as long as you are not a bandito."

Zorro laughed. "I could say the same about you, lovely lady, but since both of us seem to have been taught by the same sword master, I would say neither of us is a bandito. Let’s leave this place in case the soldiers return with friends. I need to see to my horse."

"Horse?"

"Horse, Equus, four legs, big head and a tail."

"I know what a horse is, seems to me a friend of mine said that very thing not long ago. You don’t know any English doctors, do you?"

"I did meet one once. Kind of shabbily dressed, military bearing, and an attitude. Came though El Pueblo de Los Angeles sometime back. Why?

"Never mind," she said shaking her head. "Your horse is with mine. He is fine although he was a little shaken from the fall."

The two black dressed figures retrieved their horses, mounted and rode with Zorro leading the way. They eventually came to a cave.

"Normally I would not show you this but I trust you, seeing that you came to my rescue. What’s this world coming to when a lady with a sword saves a man?"

"A better place?"

"Touche."

The cave was large with a corral and a large area that could be used for sword practice.

Zorro took the Queen’s hands. "I trust you in a way I have only trusted one other person and that is Bernardo. I trust you with my very life. We are simpatico, a kindred of spirits," he said as he removed his mask.

The Queen looked into the face of a very handsome young man, a little older than herself. Her heart began to race, as she knew this face very well.

"I remember you from Madrid. I used to see you around the city and wanted to meet you but you were always surrounded by beautiful young women." She removed her own mask.

"Maria Teresa Alvarado, Tessa, the Queen of Swords."

"Don Diego Alejandro, Zorro, the Fox."

"Tessa, I remember you also. I tried several times to catch your eye but your guardian watch dog of a Gitano was always hovering around you."

"Marta has been my guardian, friend, teacher and confidant and she hasn’t changed. Marta is the woman behind the Queen of Swords and my conscience"

"Much as my good friend Bernardo. He played a deaf mute and showed his courage when the Commandant put two pistols by his ears and fired. The concussion blew both of his eardrums. He is truly a deaf mute now."

Don Diego led her through a tunnel and up the stairs through a hidden passage to the hacienda. "I am sure that we have some clothes that you can wear as your outfit would cause some questions. My mother was about your size." He said as he ushered her into his mother’s bedroom and closed the door behind her.

"I wonder what might have been had we met in Madrid?" thought Tessa as her faced flushed.

"I wonder what might have been had we met in Madrid?" thought Don Diego as he walked down the hallway.

A while later, Tessa made her appearance at the top of the stairs wearing a white skirt and a yellow blouse similar to what she normally wore. A red sash was around her waist. She could hear voices coming from downstairs.

"Don Diego, Senor, Colonel Monastario asked me to have you come to his office. Once again there is a rumor that you are Zorro." Said the rather rotund Sergeant. "My men were attacked when they challenged Zorro. He defeated fifty of my men and killed half of them until he disappeared."

"How unfortunate for your brave soldiers, Sergeant." Said Tessa as she stood half way up the staircase, looking radiant and confidant as if she was the Dona of this hacienda.

Sergeant Garcia’s mouth dropped open as this vision of loveliness.

"Surly your Colonel can’t be serious to believe that my dear dear friend Don Diego is this Zorro. Please tell him my love that this cannot be so."

"Sergeant Garcia, may I introduce to you my friend Senorita Maria Teresa Alvarado. We knew each other in Madrid and she came to visit me from Santa Helena."

Sergeant Garcia bowed low and seemed flustered. "Many pardons, Senorita. It is just that my Commandant sent me here. This Zorro is a master swordsman."

Tessa started an almost uncontrolled laughter. "Don Diego? Sergeant has your Commandant lost his mind. Have you ever seen Don Diego with a sword. I am sorry my dear but you don’t know which end of a sword to pick up, let alone use. Sergeant, he wouldn’t know how to use a sword anymore than I, lowly woman would. In Spain he spent his time reading poetry to the ladies. Isn’t that right, my love?" Tessa cooed as she took his hand and looked up to his eyes.

Don Diego gazed at Tessa. For a moment they were transfixed and almost forgot the Sergeant standing there who was feeling like a third wheel.

"I can see there is more to Don Diego than we knew. He always seems to have young ladies around him. And what about Senorita Anna Maria Verdugo?" He stopped and gulped <I didn’t mean to say that> he thought.

Tessa, who had faced the sergeant wheeled upon Don Diego. "Don Diego," she said indignantly "You promised that I was your one and only love. Have you been betraying me?"

Before Don Diego could reply, the Sergeant made a quick apology and fled.

"Now that will give them something else to think about, Tessa. Thank you. You played that beautifully and with such conviction"

"You’re welcome and I am glad I could help. Who said it was all an act. How dare you have other women besides me?" She gave him an icy stare and then started laughing.

"This actually is a blessing. We have established that we knew each other which gives me a reason to be away from Santa Helena and the good Sergeant gave me a reason for leaving since you betrayed me, you dastardly person you. I really do have to leave, poor Marta will be worried I must return tomorrow but the next time I come, maybe I will bring Marta. Isn’t Bernardo gitano also?"

"Why yes he is and I would not be a bit surprised if they knew each other."

The Commandant was furious at Sergeant Garcia. "You fool, I sent you to bring Don Diego to me and you end up embarrassing a Don and setting up a feud between him and his paramour. Know I never will get to win his trust. I know he doesn’t know one of a sword from another and if the Senorita is as beautiful as you say she is, Don Diego would never leave her to become Zorro. No, someone else obviously is Zorro and now poor Don Diego has two beautiful ladies to hold his attention. Why couldn’t I be as lucky?"

The Queen of Swords and Zorro gathered in the cave to read the papers from the mysterious man.

"These are in Ingeles, Tessa. Do read read it? I am afraid that Italian and French are my cup of tea."

"Yes, an English friend has been teaching me. Let’s see. His name was Tomas Sanchez and he was from Florida, a descendent of the Conquistadors. He was a Captain in the American Army and he was on a mission. He was to locate former American soldiers living in California." She stopped.

She sat down with a concerned look on her face. "Diego, the Americans think that Mexico will declare independence from Spain within a couple of years. Then the Americans will invade California. Oh, Diego is this possible?"

"They are very astute, these Americans. Yes Tessa, I have been hearing this also. I am afraid it will be inevitable. Now what else is in the papers?"

"Well there is a list of fifty name and there are marks by the names. It doesn’t say what the marks mean. There is also a list of five Englishmen also. Madre Dios, Diego I know two of the names, one American and one English. The soldier has a check mark and the Englishman a cross. I wonder what they mean? Now the dispatch ends and seems to be incomplete. There are still five more name without any marks. But there are instructions. This must be the recognition code.

"Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres." And the response is

"Veni, Vidi, Vici."

Fini