A/N: hi! the name's Mimi :) nice to meet you! I would just like to take a moment and thank all that who are reading this. This is my first Gnomeo and Juliet fanfic and I still don't know if I like this chapter all to much, but it needs a starting point! Anyways, I do hope you enjoy my fic so far :) Reviews welcome only if they're constructive criticsm. Thank you and please continue on before I bore you with more babble.
Disclaimer: I do not own Gnomeo and Juliet, nor do I own the plot of the original (Romeo and Juliet), but I do own Azalea, my own plot to the story line, and any other additional characters I may add throughout the story.
Azalea
The Red and Blue garden was illuminated by the early morning's sunrise, the gnomes that inhabited the vast garden were waking gingerly from their sleeping poses, gingerly wringing out any knots they may have acquired throughout the night. They had no fear of neither of the Capulets walking out on them; they were gone for the weekend.
"Ah, good morning, Lord Redbrick!" Lady Blueberry chimed merrily as she rose from her small pedestal near the pond, smoothing her hands on her blue skirts to flick off any dust. Across from the small body of water was the waking red gnome. He yawned and gave her a tired smile.
"Morning to you as well, Lady Blueberry," He stretched and stood up, cracking his neck rather loudly, "How is it you're so chipper in the morning?"
Lady Blueberry chuckled and walked down from the pedestal and along the path that mirrored the shape of the pond, "I don't party until the wee hours of the morning, unlike some gnomes I know."
"You surely aren't blaming the party last night on me!" Lord Redbrick looked hurt, placing a hand over his chest where his heart was, but a smile clearly on his features.
"Oh, I don't blame you starting it," Lady Blueberry got a mischevious glint in her eye as she turned to look at him at the entrance to the rest of the garden, "But I am blaming you for not trying to stop it!"
"Hey!" Lord Redbrick called out to the retreating figure of Lady Blueberry as she stepped into the already bustling garden. There were tall bushes surrounded the pond where he and Lady Blueberry slept and it made the small body of water look like it was in an enclave, shading it darkly and providing lots of shelter from the weather. Lord Redbrick looked up at the tall tower that was placed on the west end of the small pool of water and grabbed his cane, walking slowly up to the base of it, "Juliet! Time to wake up!"
"I'm already awake!" Juliet called back to her father, poking her head between one of the gaps on top of the tower, smiling at him, "Just enjoying the sunrise."
"Well, hurry along. Everyone in the garden is already at work!" Her father called as he made his way out of the small haven. Juliet rolled her eyes and lied back down, snuggling closer to the gnome who was already lying there. Gnomeo chuckled and wrapped his arm around her waist and Juliet settled her head on his chest.
"Father can be such a nuisance sometimes!" She complained gently. Gnomeo felt his mouth tug into a smile and hugged her closer still.
"But you love him, anyways," Juliet looked up at the gnome holding her, finding that he was already staring down at her. She gave him a warm smile and kissed him gently before standing up and stretching.
"Might as well get a move on, huh?" She smiled down at Gnomeo, who had a slightly dazed look in his eye, and she began her descent down the stone steps that wound around her tower. Ever since the huge battle between the Red garden and the Blue garden, Mr. Capulet had prompted to buy another tower seeing as the previous one had been reduced to a pile of rubble. This one was taller and slimmer, a darker stone that had a cobblestone effect rather a brick-like look. Steps wound all the way around twice before widening to a large patio that extended over part of the pond. Gnomeo chuckled and hopped to his feet, darting after her. He had caught up to her halfway down the pathway and grabbed her hand, linking their fingers together. Juliet gave a soft smile as they exited the alcove.
"Hey, Gnomeo!" They turned to see Benny bounding up, a few of the bunnies hopping along behind him.
"Hey, Benny. Is there something wrong?" Gnomeo's eyebrow quirked. He usually didn't see his mother's bunnies with Benny unless something was going on. Benny had a mischevious glint in his eyes but said nothing, his hands wringing almost diabolically as he glanced left and right.
"You know the Capulet's house?" Benny said lowly, Gnomeo nodding gingerly. Since the war between the two garden's had destroyed the one thing both Mr. Capulet and Miss Montague both loved, they had worked together to rebuild it together. Along the way, though, Mr. Capulet had confessed his love to Miss Montague and this month will mark their year anniversary of their marriage. Actually, tomorrow will be the exact day, "Well, me and a few other gnomes are thinking about sneaking in and decorating it for their arrival home!"
Juliet's eyes widened as she glanced fearfully at Gnomeo.
"You can't be serious!" She tried reasoning but then saw the same glint Benny had in his eye in Gnomeo's. She tugged on his hand and forced him to look at her, "But what if they come home early? What if they catch you?"
"They won't be home 'till tomorrow. We should do something nice for them since it's their anniversary! Come on, Juliet. Don't you want to do something nice for them?" Gnomeo looked into the red gnome's eyes that he adored to stare at. Sighing, Juliet stared at the ground for a second and then flicked her eyes back up, meeting with Gnomeo's and nodding slightly with a small smile.
"I suppose... But! Just this once!" She said, holding up one finger to him and Benny. Both Gnomeo and Benny cheered, high-fiving one another. The bunnies behind Benny all cheered as well and Juliet couldn't help but chuckle at their antics. Gnomeo turned to her, a wide smile on his face, "Just... Be careful? Please?"
"I promise, we will," His smile grew soft and then kissed her on the cheek.
"Come on, Gnomeo!" Gnomeo turned to Benny, who was already scampering away. He looked back at Juliet once more with a smile on his face before jogging after them. Juliet sighed and smiled, shaking her head while she walked over to the fountain in the middle of the large garden, her dear friend, Nanette, sitting on the lowest level.
"Juliet!" Nanette exclaimed, smling when she saw her friend, and slid off of her perch. She wrapped Juliet in a bone-crushing hug.
"Nanette... Can't... breathe!" Juliet managed to gasp before Nanette completely released her.
"Oops! Sorry, honey!" Nanette said quickly, brushing and smushing Juliet's face this way and that, "You okay, honey? Did I hurt you? Where does it hurt?"
Nanette continued to babble on about something about medicines and rashes as Juliet wrestled out of her grip.
"Nanette!" She exclaimed, effectively shutting the frog up. Juliet laughed, almost breathlessly, at her blushing friend.
"Sorry, Juliet," Nanette muttered and Juliet waved her off, walking up to her friend and taking her by the arm.
"Come on, let's go on a walk!" Juliet said happily. Nanette nodded and walked along side her, a small hop in her step.
"So... you wanted to talk?" Nanette asked after a moment, breaking their comfortable silence.
"Yeah... Gnomeo and a few others are decorating the Capulet's house before they return tomorrow... I guess I'm..."
"Nervous they'll be caught?" Nanette finished, chuckling softly, "Don't worry, they'll be fine."
"I hope so..." Juliet said, looking around the garden and watching the gnomes hustle and bustle about. Nanette tugged on her friends arm softly and led her up to one of the gardens, a new one that held all sorts of flowers with colors other than reds and blues. Some of them she knew vaguely and others were definitely one's she never heard of, let alone seen before. One in particular was odd to her. It was a tulip, much like the plastic one she held whenever the Capulets came out, but this one had an odd coloring. It was cream colored, somewhere between a mocha and a milky color, a soft beige. She thumbed the petal softly before looking up at Nanette, "I mean, what if... What if something goes wrong? Terribly, terribly wrong? What if-?"
"Juliet!" Nanette interrupted, the red gnome jumping at the sudden loud voice. Juliet looked up sheepishly to her towering friend, who had her hands on her hips, "Stop bein' such a worry wart! Gnomeo'll be fine. You don't think he hasn't done things like this before?"
"Yeah but..."
"But nothin'!" Nanette smiled softly down at her friend, "Gnomeo has his friends there and I heard theres lookouts in the front lawn, there's no need to be so scared."
"I... guess you're right," Juliet sighed but then smiled widely, her entire demeanor brightening immensely.
"Good! Now, onto more important matters," Nanette smiled, sitting down next to the gnome, "Tell me about you and Gnomeo's relationship!"
Juliet blushed prettily before timidly telling Nanette certain details. She didn't want her friend to go all bonkers and set up something wild and crazy.
"Yuck, mushy girl talk," A sour voice cut into Juliet's ears mid-sentence and she looked over at the gnome who had just spoken. Between his crossed arms and his narrowed eyes, she could just tell Tybalt was in a sour mood.
"If you don't like it so much, why are you bothering to listen to us?" Nanette snapped, narrowing her own eyes at Tybalt. Just because the two gardens were no longer enemies didn't everyone had to get along. Nanette didn't get along with Tybalt even before the two gardens merged.
"I have nothing else better to do," Tybalt just shrugged, flicking an invisible speck of dust off of his arm.
"How about you fall to pieces and put yourself back together again? That'll surely entertain you, huh?" Nanette retorted. Juliet placed a hand on her arm just in time to see the flash of anger pass through his eyes before his face hardened once more. He 'humph'ed' once and turned on his heel, stalking off to his friend Fawn and a few of the small gnomes.
"Nanette!" Juliet scolded softly.
"What? !" Nanette looked at her sharply, "The gnome does nothing but create misery for everyone!"
"Did you ever figure that he's miserable himself?" Juliet, being the understanding one that she is, reasoned with the fuming frog, "Did you ever figure that he's lonely? Or perhaps that he's just angry at everything because he's sad? No one likes being broken and Tybalt has to walk around worrying that he could fall to pieces at any moment. He might be scared so this is how he responds to it. Did you ever think about that?"
"No, but..." Nanette wracked her jumbled mind to try to create a retort. Something, anything, to defend herself in this kind of case.
She got nothing.
"See? I just think he's a lonely gnome who needs a friend besides Fawn," Juliet said, looking over where Tybalt sat grumpily, glaring at the card game Fawn and the smallest red gnomes were playing. She didn't like seeing any of her friends, even those who didn't consider her a friend, in pain or lonely.
"Well, let's not think about it!" Nanette said suddenly, beaming at her friend, "Let's go do something fun!"
Juliet couldn't help but laugh at her friend's sudden change in attitude as Nanette pulled her up from her sitting position to scour the large garden for something to do.
"Well, isn't she lovely?" Mr. Capulet admired the gnome in the glass case. The gnome was about the height of Juliet, one of his favorite gnomes in the entire garden, and had similar features. She had a petite nose and full, rosy lips and cheeks. Her eyes were a dazzling green and were wide, making her face look doll-like. Her skin was pale, creamy, and smooth compared to her deep mahogany ringlets that flowed down to her mid-back. On top of her head was a pretty royal purple hat that matched in color to her dress, which hugged her torso and then fanned out, almost ballerina-like, around her waist. In her petite hand, she held a single, plastic yellow daffodil. The yellow of the flower stood out starkly against her dark clothing and pale complexion yet mingled perfectly. She cradled the flower gently to her torso diagonally and gazed upwards, a dreamy look on her face.
Mr. Capulet thought she would be the perfect anniversary gift. He walked up to the man up at the counter and asked for her. The man there nodded and walked to the case, gingerly picking the gnome up and bringing her back to the desk. The clerk eyed Mr. Capulet as he sat down.
"Getting her for someone special?" He asked as he wrapped the gnome carefully in tissue paper. Mr. Capulet nodded, looking over his shoulder to make sure his wife didn't suddenly walk in to see her surprise anniversary gift, "Someone you love?"
"Yes, why?" Mr. Capulet gave the clerk a questioning gaze just as he slid the pretty gnome into a plain-looking bag and took the money Mr. Capulet offered him.
"Because the flower she holds, the daffodil, is a symbol of unrequited love. If you give a woman a daffodil, you're saying she's the only one for you, that she's the only one you see," The clerk said, retrieving his change, "Her name is Azalea. It means temperance, passion, and you give it to someone to say 'Take Care'. She loves to tend to the flowers in any garden. Make sure you take care of her and your love will bloom."
Mr. Capulet didn't know whether or not the clerk behind the counter was mad or just old, saying things as if the gnome could come alive, but he nodded anyways, taking the bag with him and out the door. It was still early in the morning and he would give his lovely wife the gnome as soon as they arrived home.
"Hey! I can't see!" Benny complained quietly, hopping up and down on the ledge where he and Gnomeo were perched. The Capulets would be home today and they wanted to see their reaction to the decorated house. Somehow, he and Gnomeo had managed to throw red and blue streamers from one wall to the next and had several streamers hanging down from the cieling. The gnomes on the ground were responsible for putting rose petals from the front door to the kitchen where a beautiful bouquet of their finest flowers stood proudly. They were fresh picked and were the most fragrant. Gnomeo didn't know what some of the flowers meant, but he did know that the red roses meant love, so he had the gnomes make most of the bouquet of roses.
"Gnomeo, come down from there!" Gnomeo looked over his shoulder to see his mother on the grass, looking worriedly up at him.
"Don't worry, mum, I'm fine!" He said with an encouraging smile. His mother shook her head, glancing from him to Juliet, who had just walked up to comfort the worried gnome. Benny tapped on his elbow and Gnomeo returned his attention to the window, waving to the gnomes in the garden. The gnomes on the grounds began to scramble around, getting to their perches but watching Gnomeo and Benny intently. The Capulets entered the house, all smiles, and placed their luggage by the door. Gnomeo ducked down so that only his eyes and hat were visible. Mrs. Capulet looked down at the ground and smiled wider.
"Oh! What's this?" Gnomeo could hear Mrs. Capulet say, the window he was perched at cracked slightly. Mr. Capulet looked just as baffled as they followed the trail of pink and red rose petals. They were surely shocked when they saw the streamers, Mrs. Capulet smiling lightly when she touched one, "Who could've done this?"
"Honey?" Mr. Capulet was next to the bouquet of flowers that were on the table next to the back door. Gnomeo's eyes widened as he grabbed Benny and they both hopped off their perch, landing in a bush before darting, carefully, back to their perches and freezing. Gnomeo's eyes flicked to the side, straining to see Mr. Capulet, who had brought in a plain bag from what he could see. His eyes shot forward as Mr. Capulet opened the door and then flicking back once he had his back turned, the bag behind his back. His eyes then flicked over to Benny, who looked just as confused as he did. Mr. Capulet held out his hand for Mrs. Capulet to take and they began to walk around their large garden, smiling at their gnomes. They walked into the small alcove where his mother, Juliet, and Lord Redbrick were and they stopped. Gnomeo didn't hear much but then he heard rustling and then Mrs. Capulet gasped.
"Oh, darling! She's beautiful!" Gnomeo blinked. Who could they be talking about? Mrs. Capulet had her favorites, like Mr. Capulet did, but her's was Nanette and Dolly. Mr. Capulet was the one who favored Juliet. Surely she wasn't talking about Juliet, was she?
Mr. Capulet had just given Mrs. Capulet Azalea. Mrs. Capulet handled her with great care, cradling her with one wrinkled hand and then running a slender finger down her porcelain-like cheek. Mrs. Capulet looked up at her husband and smiled widely.
"She's lovely," She said softly. She then turned to the tower and saw that there was a small ledge halfway up. Bending slightly, she placed the new gnome on her perch, the sun glittering prettily off of her skin. The gnome gazed prettily up at the clouds and Mrs. Capulet stepped back, nodding. Mr. Capulet took her hand and looked at the tower.
"The tower of the flower girls," He mused softly, his favorite gnome atop of the tower and his wife's new favorite perched a little below her. He then turned to his wife and pushed her towards the house, "Come, let's rest."
"Alright," Mrs. Capulet smiled as she looked once more at her lovely new gnome and then turned, allowing her husband to lead her inside. Once the door clicked closed, the entire garden leapt to life. Juliet put her tulip down and looked over the ledge, only being able to see the purple of the new arrival's hat and dress skirt. Turning on her heel, Juliet practically ran around the tower once before stepping quietly to the tower's ledge, placing a hand on the gnome's shoulder. The new gnome jumped and turned, blinking her doe-eyes once at Juliet.
"Hello," Juliet smiled warmly, holding her hand out, "My name is Juliet. Welcome to the Capulet garden!"
"Hello," The girl said softly, her voice very soothing, Juliet noticed. The girl unclasped one of her dainty hands from the stem of the plastic flower and gripped Juliet's, the former's hand much smaller than the latter's, "I'm Azalea..."
"Azalea?" Juliet asked politely, shaking the gnome's hand before letting her's slip from the other's grasp. The girl, Azalea, giggled prettily, her giggle sounding a lot like a wind chime or pretty bells.
"It's a flower. It means temperance and passion," Azalea smiled once more, "But you can call me Lea."
"Lea? I like that," Juliet smiled warmly at the girl and grasped her small wrist, tugging her down the steps that wound around the tower and onto the platform where her father, Lady Blueberry, and Gnomeo all stood. Azalea suddenly became extremely shy, noticing that there were a lot more gnomes in the small area than just the four standing in front of her, and ducking slightly behind Juliet. She kept her face down while Juliet gently brought her forward.
"Dad, Lady Blueberry, Gnomeo, this is Azalea," She gestured to the bashful girl next to her. Azalea lifted her face for a moment to look the three over with a small smile.
"Well, don't be shy!" Lady Blueberry chuckled, clasping both of the gnome's tiny hands in hers, "Welcome to the garden, honey."
"Thank you," Azalea said softly, nodding and then standing up straighter, her skirt brushing Lady Blueberry's gently.
"I am Lady Blueberry," The gnome smiled and then pointed to the younger looking gnome beside her, "That is my son, Gnomeo. And that is Lord Redbrick."
"Hello," Azalea said timidly to the two next to Lady Blueberry.
"Hello, my dear," The stout gnome in red smiled broadly, a cane in one hand, and clapped her on the shoulder, "Speak up, we tend to have the loud gnomes here!"
"I will keep that in mind," Azalea smiled, a little more confident. The gnome in blue next to him smiled at her as well.
"Welcome to the garden," He said. Azalea nodded with a grateful smile and couldn't help but notice the scar on his eyebrow, but left it be. She looked out at the sea of gnomes staring up at them, chattering away lightly. She began to wring her hands nervously once more. Lady Blueberry came up and put a hand on her arm and looked out at the crowd.
"Everyone! We have a new arrival! Her name is Azalea. We will welcome her with open arms! Now, off with you all!" Lady Blueberry waved her hand at the excited crowd. After a moment, they all fanned out and returned to their regular routines. Juliet came up on Azalea's opposite side and smiled at her.
"Lea? Would you like me to show you around?" Azalea smiled and nodded tentatively, Juliet's hand wrapping around her wrist and pulling her along the side of the platform before they hopped the small distance onto the walkway along the pond. Juliet released the gnome's wrist and smiled widely at her, leading her out of the small alcove and into the large and bustling garden.
A/N: well, there you have it :) again, constructive criticsm is welcomed. It's actually encouraged. I would like to know what you guys want to read and see, I wanna know how you guys like the story so far, I wanna know everything you have to say about it, really!
Review please :D