FAN FICTION

les-fices-TL

internatbg30

This story happens in the Valley, where for generations, Birds and Butterflies are at war, a story of rivalry.

Romeo was flying as usually with Rosaline through the wood. He perceived a caterpillar on a branch, and decided to taste her. When he settled on the branch, he made the mistake to look into the eyes of his prey, she was delightful. Really delightful. He couldn't made up his mind to eat her, and even less to remove his eyes from her. He stayed in this position during long hours, totally charmed by her, and she was doing the same. When the day came, he returned to his own kind, the Birds, where Mercutio was firmly waiting for him.

"Where were you ?"

"I was meeting with the sun ..." Romeo answered looking like he was away.

"Have you lost your mind my friend ! What are you talking about ?"

"Oh Mercutio, Mercutio... She was so... Marvellous"

"Rosaline never had this effect upon you my dear Romeo, I thus understand it isn't her you are speaking of. But then, which birdie is it so ?"

"Not a birdie Mercutio, no, much better, she was there, so pretty, her word was made by the eyes and I knew my heart, never shall belong to anyone else."

"But if it is not a birdie, be clear ! Tell me the name of this stranger my friend !"

"I only know the species which she belongs to..."

"Finally stop making me wait, the chlorophyll gets into my nose !"

"It is a caterpillar Mercutio, the most gorgeous there is... ah..." said Romeo, dreaming.

"A CATERPILLAR ?! You know well that a bird, especially you, son of our Leader, cannot frequent of caterpillars ! Don't you think of your family who was killed after their invasion ?!"

"Don't be a fool Mercutio, this legend dates from before your grand-mother was even in her egg. That one isn't our prey, I am sure of it , and I oppose that one of us is his predator."

"You are mad, I can see it. Go to your nest, rest you must have hit a branch."

Romeo took off, settled in his nest, waited. The night was dark, as every autumn, but still it seemed different to Romeo. He wasn't the same. An idea went through his head, crazy, maybe, but his heart yelled him to implement. He didn't hesitated any longer.

He arrived at the butterflies' landmark, a clearing that has always belonged to them, and these were dancing unceremoniously around the moonbeams which were crossing the leaves. Romeo saw her, with the caterpillars, she also had an empty stare... this stare which says it all. She moved away discreetly from the group, and Romeo got closer silently. She was whispering.

"She is speaking... But what is she saying ? Doesn't matter, her eyes are eloquent, I wish to answer them... I am too bold. It is not me she is talking to." Nevertheless, Romeo listened, and what he heard made his heart jump.

"O beautiful Bird, beautiful Bird ! Why are you a Bird !

Deny your father and refuse your species

Or, if you will not, swear me your love only and I'll no longer be a Butterfly."

"Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this ?"

"It is your species my enemy. But you are you, you are not a Bird.

O, be some other species.

What is a Bird ? Nor the feather, nor the wing, nor the foot, nor any other part belonging to a Bird.

What is in a species ?

That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet?

So Bird would, were he not Bird called, retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title.

Romeo doff your name, and for your name, which is no part of you, take all myself."

"I take you at your word ?

Call me but "love", and it'll be a new flight.

Henceforth I never will be Romeo."

"What man are you, that, thus hidden in the night, stumble on my secret thoughts ?"

"By a name I know not how to tell you who I am.

My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself,

Because it is a predator to you."

"My ears have not yet drunk a hundred of your singing, yet I know the sound. Are you not this stranger, this Bird of earlier?"

"Neither, fair maid, if either you dislike."

"How have you come, speak, and why ? The leaves of this orchard are so high, so hard to go through, and this place, would be your death, being who you are, if one of my closest discovered you."

"With love's light wings, I flew over these woods,

because these stony fences would not know how to stop it.

And what love can do, that dares love attempt

therefore your closest are no let to me."

All night long, they talked, and the day rose too quickly for them. The caterpillar was named Juliet. She was expected by the others for a leaves tasting. So, Romeo had to leave. On his way, the heart lost in its emotions, he heard suddenly a Bird squawk. He knew that scream. Mercutio.

Terrified, he rush towards the cries came from. When he discovered the scene, he froze.

A Butterfly with huge wings and smelling poison, was facing his friend, ready to attack him, Romeo charged, and righted too late, instead of shutting his claws on the Butterfly, he lacerated Mercutio's chest. Furious, he turned to Tybalt and pierced with his beak the wings of this last one, who fell without being able to do something. Desperate, Romeo wanted to help Mercutio, but a voice behind him, tell soflty :

" mon pauvre Romeo, voilà de bien trop graves blessures, que mes talents ne guerisseur n'effaceront pas.

The Bird turned himself, helpless, to discover Spider Laurent, healer of the Valley. His words were wise and Romeo knew at this instant Mercutio, who fainted, won't go further. He cried during a long time, and finally asked to the Spider:

«What to do to erase so much wrongs? I kill my brother by my own claws, I can't remain in this places any more... »

"You are loyal Romeo, but this won't be enough to explain your actions to your owns, even less to your enemy, the Butterflies Leader, from whom you took apart the nephew."

"Is that my fate, leave this places, and lose, besides of my life, the reason of it."

"To my knowledge nothing is fairer."

"Then marry me to my sweet, the beautiful Juliet, before I go, as a sign of my love."

"From this night I'll marry you. Know that you friend was searching after you when he crossed Tybalt's road, he wasn't in favour of this union."

"My heart would not know how to live differently."

"I'll tell her so."

Spider Laurent went to Juliet, but when he arrived at her tree, he heard a family quarrel in the Butterflies Leader' family.

"You'll marry Pâris, that is all, it is so planned since you hatched. When you'll done your cocoon you will marry him."

"Never, never I could offer my heart whereas it is already took."

And the little caterpillar crawled to her branch, annoyed, in tears. The Spider Laurent joined her and helplessly, she looked at him and then asked :

"What can be done, I cannot break my marriage with Romeo, and I don't want to. But my parents seem so sure of their decision, et Romeo is leaving, and Pâris repels me... What can be done ?"

"Do your cocoon and get off the ground my sweet, this is all you've got left , your parents will believe you're dead, and you'll fly by Romeo's side."

"So mote it be."

And she weaved, weaved, weaved, she wrapped herself in the threads. Romeo, he, looked at his nest one last time. He was broken, but the hope he had to see Juliet again one last time, pushed him to settle off. When he arrived, he saw the cocoon on the branch, he thought it was a coffin. He couldn't bear it. He couldn't hold on. Lose Mercutio, lose his clan, and lose his reason of living, was that really what life's about ? He perceived black berries. The ones he was forbidden to touch because they are toxic. He took three of them and went back to the cocoon. He whispered :

"To you my love, that my heart failed to keep alive."

and he swallowed the black, toxic berries. Soon, his sight got darker. There was soon nothing left but a dead Bird' body. And the cocoon opened, upon a radiant Butterfly. Juliet transformed. But this ravishing show ceased quickly, when she discovered Romeo, lying before what was few seconds before, her cocoon.

"Serendipitous claws, find in me a sheath." She stuck so, Romeo's claws in her frail body and perished against her lover. The Spider arrived, the massacre scene horrified him. He decided to pay tribute to the lovers, to spin a web of them in the scrub land. From that day, the Birds and the Butterflies made peace, united by the grief of the loss of their children, and Spider Laurent's web is still in the scrub land, inescapable if during your migrations, you stop over at Roneveria's valley.