I do not own "Romeo x Juliet" or any of the characters in this story.
"Till The End Of Eternity"
"Romeo..."
Hearing his name whispered from Juliet's sweet lips sent his heart racing. The last thing he remembered was the horrible pain in his side as he slowly bled to death before his precious love. As he leaned in close to kiss her, he savered the last few moments he had to even so much as breath her name.
A thought struck him as he stood before her now. Was he a ghost? If so, he hoped that he wasn't scaring her. Or... was it possible that they did in fact survive? Could it really be that they were still intact? He reached out to her, testing the waters of his existance as he caressed her cheek. She felt so soft and delicate, like the comforting silk of his undershirt against his bare skin.
Her eyes began to tear up as she placed a hand overtop of his. "Romeo... Oh, darling, you are really here."
"Juliet..." Saying her name again was like a dream come true. But how was he able to stand before her right now? This didn't make any sence. After all, he was supposed to be dead.
Then there was a breeze, and Juliet's beautiful red hair flowed gracefully, like long silky red ribbons bouncing around in the wind. "My sweet love. I'm so happy to see that you are well again."
"Jul... Juliet, my love..." Romeo smiled brightly, realizing that it had all been a dream. "Escalus didn't take you!" He threw his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace as he pressed his lips down over hers. As she wrapped her arms up around his neck, it felt just like their blissful moment in the church when they were brought together again for that short while. But this time it would be their happy forever. When the kiss eneded, he pulled his face a short distance away from hers, but still remained so close that their noses were almost touching.
Juliet was staring up at him with the same starry eyed look of love in her eyes, a look that must have also lingered in his own.
"Juliet," he whispered softly. " I kept my promise. We now have a world where we can be together."
"Yes," she whispered back. "And I have kept my promise as well." She surprised him by looked away to the right, staring up at something.
Romeo, partly hurt that she should want to look at something else more interesting than him at a time like this, curiously followed her gaze.
The many layers of bark entwined together as they rose up toward the sky, creating the base of a large, stable tree. Lush green leaves grew on the many pranches at the top, while a lot of them had been blown off by the wind and were flying through the sunny blue sky. Hundreds of roses and irises grew all around the base of the tree and, for the first time, Romeo realized that they were standing under a small white wedding gazibo before that stood right before the massively beautiful sight.
Romeo inhaled a shocked gasp. "What is this?"
"Escalus."
"What? Escalus? But I thought that--" His eyes widened in horror as he jerked his gaze back to her. "Juliet, no... My eyes must be decieving me right now."
"Your eyes see the truth," she confirmed, sounding a little sad and looking somewhat guilty.
"No... This tree must be an illusion brought on by my fear of loosing you. You couldn't possibly have given your life after everything we all went through to protect you. You didn't really--"
"I did, Romeo."
He caught his breath and froze, seeing in her expression that she was indeed telling the truth. Then he remembered the fatel stab wound that Ophelie had afflicted upon him which ultimately caused his premature demise. He reached under his shirt and felt around. There was no blood, no gaping wound, only solid flesh. "Juliet... why? Why did you--"
"Together we shall be, hence forth 'till the end of the eternity." She shifted her eyes away from him as she repeated their vow. "I was not about to break that promise to you."
His face became stern. "There was no reason for this," he chided her. "You should have escaped with the others--left Neo Verona to perish and make a new life on the land that rises up from the sea below us. And by our vows, you know that even in death, I would have still been with you."
"I know that. But Romeo..." She returned her gaze to him, her eyes glistening with tears. " in that moment when you were killed, it still felt like I was without you." She reached up and clutched the portion of her dress that once covered the spot on her skin where the mark of Escalus once was. "Watching you die in my arms was even more painful than when Escalus' seed pulsated from within my breast as the land began to perish. I cannot even begin to put that dreadful feeling into words, nor do I ever want to remember it."
He began to whimper, and as he blinked, a few small tears slid down his cheeks. "Juliet..." Then he checked himself and wiped away his tears, swallowing hard as he stood up straight and squared his shoulders. "What of our comrads?" he asked, his voice steady now. "Fransisco, Curio, Tybalt--What happened to them?"
"They escaped unharmed. I know because I watched them fly away on their Dragon Steeds before..." She looked at the tree again. "... before it happened."
Romeo sighed, suddenly feeling very defeated. "I'm so sorry. I have failed you."
"You have done nothing of the kind," she reassured him. "In the end, it was my choice to become Escalus... And it has always been my heart's choice to be with you."
He still looked sad. "Are you sure?"
"I am more than sure. I regret nothing." Then she repeated her last words to him from when she held his lifeless body close to hers. "I love you, Romeo. We will be together forever."
Romeo smiled as the sadness lifted from his soul. "Alright, I believe you... I love you, Juliet." He turned to face the Escalus tree again, this time with a contented and peaceful smile.
Juliet also turned to look up at the tree, staring in awe at its splendor. "It's so beautiful," she breathed.
"Only because you made it beautiful," Romeo pointed out. "For you, my love, are more beautiful than any leaf or blossom this tree's fruit may bare."
She blushed.
Then they brought their hands together as they stood beside each other, curling their fingers around each other's palms.
"Together we shall be," Juliet said.
Romeo finished for her. "Hence forth 'till the end of eternity."
oOo
Strife, hatred, sorrow, pain.
What is that brings these things to final end?
'Tis ultimately love that wins the day.
For love, indeed, doth old wounds warmly tend.
And so dear friends, with that, we close our play...
Fine.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just finished watching all twenty-four episodes yesterday, and the scene that played after the ending credits of the last episode made me so happy. To me, it was like they never really parted from each other, and I wondered what they would say and do after appearing in front of Escalus, which is what inspired me to write this fanfic. I admit that it might not be perfect, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Feel free to post a review!