I am Lady Lucero Di Corrado, daughter of Achille and Cosmia Di Corrado. The leader's of the Di Corrado house and the best sword makers in Verona. I am the only daughter and future heir to the most famous sword makers house. My dear lady could not conceive anymore children after I was born, my lord who loves her with his entire soul did not punish her. Instead he rejoiced in my birth (he always wanted a girl) and was kind enough to bestow my title, that would never usually be given to a woman. He also promised my lady that he would never force me to marry, to claim my rights and trained me in the way of sword making and fighting.
When you are friends with the house of Capulet, you need to know the ways of a sword. Juliet and Tybalt were two of my closet companions and we had grown up together, I had learn my lessons as a lady alongside Juliet and trained with swords and in the art of combat with Tybalt. I loved them both, but the constant battle between their house and the house of Montagues was growing heavy on my heart. The breakout of fights, the spilling of innocent blood, the weight it was adding my lord's pockets, it disgusted me all.
"What troubles you my Lady," Abra, a handsome Hispanic man with a trimmed bread, who was Juliet's one of cousins asked me. He looked down at me as he fuel our carriage, through his shades. I peer at him over my thin black shades and shook my head, shaking my puffs with it.
"No trouble my dear friend, though this heat may cause my death," I say. Petruchio, next to me, starts to fan me dramatically with his hand.
"Do you feel faint my Lady, shall we call on our kinsmen need you fall upon him," he joked. I swatted his chest, but my attention was brought to a carriage full of nuns screaming as they pulled off…..oh no. I tried to pull my companions attention away, but they had already laid their eyes upon them, the Montagues. Two of them yelling and dancing around, until Abra steps up.
Now I had no quarrels with the Capulet's, my lord and lady both had made it very clear that even though we were great friends with the Capulet's and owed them much love. Our house was to remain neutral in the battle between the warring houses, the feud had gone on so long they did not even know why they despised each other. Sadly, on days where I was to visit the Capulet house and my companions would collect me, I could not avoid the possibility of a face off.
Abra steps forward, the Montagues men speak amongst each other and show their family crest and Abra shows his. Petruchio moves himself in front of me, trying to protect me if needed. The Montagues jump as Abra hisses at them and both him and Petruchio burst out in laughter as he makes his way back into the carriage. I rolled my eyes, they were all fools but at least no quarrel had broken out. Abra turns the mirror and I see the Montagues are even bigger fools and biting their thumb at us. I gasp and look forward to see Abra growling and already forcing our carriage to move, so it would block theirs in. He and Petruchio get out the carriage to make their stand, I reach out to stop him.
"Peace Abra," I plead. He pushes my hand away.
"Be still Lucero," he says as he gets out. "Do you bite your thumb at us, sir"?
Please say no.
"I do bite my thumb, sir," the Montague answered. The answer of an ass. Abra knows it too.
"Do you bite your thumb at us," he yells out and them clammy says "sir"? I see the Montagues look at each other and speak, before the pink haired one turns back to us.
"No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir, but I bite my thumb, sir," he yelled. He might as well admit his guilt.
"Do you quarrel, sir," the bald one asked from the safety of his carriage. It sounded like they wanted one. I get out the carriage and make my way next to Abra and place a calming arm on his, but his pushes me behind him.
"Quarrel sir! no, sir," he yells.
"If you do, sir, I am for you: I serve as good a man as you," the pink haired one yells and wags his sword in its sheath. Has he gone mad? I see Abra put an arm around my waist, placing me even more behind him as he kept his eyes on the Montagues.
"No better," he asked. The pink haired Montague heitated and I saw the bald one look in a corner.
"Say better, here comes one of my master's kinsmen," he said, urging his kinsmen on. The pink one starts moving around the car and yells out
"Yes, better, sir"! Abra is moving us to avoid him and yells out
"You lie"! I hear the swords leaving their sheaths and reach into my blazer to grab my silver and gold plated 9mm handguns. They had designs of vines and marigolds, the marigold's the gold of my gun. On the grip it had a picture of a cross and an angel on the other. I took them both out and pointed at the bald Montague in the car and the Montague coming out, it was Benvolio, a handsome gentlemen with pale skin and fiery orange hair and he was prepared. Sword drawn and taking a stance.
"Part, fools! Put up your swords; you know not what you do," he yells, pointing his gun, but stopping once he got to me. "Lady Lucero". Our attention is turned to his pink kinsmen getting hit with a satchel, until he aims his sword at the owner. Benvolio sighs and looks back at me.
"Take your men and go Benvolio, let there be peace this day," I begged. Benvolio was the only Montague that could be reasoned with, it would not be our first time we had helped each other to keep the streets clean. The bald Montague scoffs and sneers at me.
"What would a woman know of the ways of peace and war," he asked. I peered at him over my shades and rolled an eye.
"You would dare insult the woman who made the steel you bare," I asked nodding towards his sword. "Foolish nave, thou know not to who or what you speak".
We all slowly turned to the noise of a door opening and footsteps, I was hoping they would've fled before he returned but no such luck. My dearest friend Tybalt, a Hispanic man with many charms and a handsome face and style, enters the stage, lighting his black cigarette and dropping the flame that lit it. Benvolio knows that a fight will be unavoidable now, I knew it Tybalt hates the Montagues and jumped at the chance to beat down a few. Benvolio looks over at me with pleading eyes, but I know I can do nothing.
"What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds," Tybalt asked and then tsk. "Turn thee, Benvolio, look upon thy death". Tybalt opens his coat and shows the swords I made specially for him, shining brightly in the sun.
"I do but keep the peace, put up thy sword," Benvolio said and was slowly putting his sword away, but not fully:smart. "Or manage it to part these men with me, Lady Lucero please make him see reason".
"Hold your tongue when you speak to an ally to the Capulet's," Tybalt yelled, making Benvolio look from me to him. I had made it known that I had no quarrels with the Montagues, but that meant nothing to Tybalt. "Peace? Peace? I hate the word,
as I hate hell, all Montagues". Tybalt makes an extra point by stepping out the flame as he pierced Benvolio with his gaze. "And thee".
"Bang bang, bang bang," a child yells out. Tybalt draws his sword and points it at the child, shocking it and its mother.
"Tybalt no," I yell out. He doesn't strike down the child as the mother screams and he yells out
"Bang". The mother grabs the child and flees. Tybalt sheaths one sword and turns and swings with another at Benvolio and disarms him and makes him fall. Tybalt spins on his feet and swings at the other Montagues. Petruchio rolls to the floor and aims his sword at who knows what. The pink haired Montague is screaming like a mad man and shooting at everything in ever direction, Abra ducks me down and starts guiding us behind our carriage. "Abra protect Lucero," Tybalt yells as he soars through the air and shoots, landing behind another carriage..
"With my life," Abra yells back. I rolled my eyes and aim my sword, ready to strike. I see two of the Montagues leap into their carriage, trying to leave Benvolio behind. Petruchio is leaping into our carriage and Abra is guiding me to the carriage.
"I will not leave Tybalt," I yelled over the comotion.
"We will not leave thee to danger," Abra says. I show the two swords in my hands and waved them around us.
"Thou and thy kinsmen's foes have already brought the danger, go and assist Petruchio," I yell before leaving his side. I hear I strike ring out and hear a yell as our carriage races after the Montagues. Flames are suddenly surrounding us and I see Benvolio rise with his sword and swing it as Tybalt runs after him.
"Flee flee, flee for your lives," I yell to citizens, standing there, shocked by the chaos. Before the flames can engulf me, I follow the sounds of the ongoing battle and search for my friend. Already a path of violence and smoke are following them and bringing the world with it. "Tybalt I beg you, stop thy hand before the Prince is informed! Before thy lord uncle is called upon"!
He did not hear me though, the heat of the battle and the blood rushing through him deafening me out. I could already see the Prince's men trying to stop the violence and bring back order, I looked to the sky and could hear the Prince coming this way. All Tybalt and Benvolio could pay attention to was climbing over carriages and throwing strikes at each other.
"Peace you fools, can you not hear the Prince on his way," I yelled, only to not be heard. I rolled my eyes and placed sat myself on the hood of a carriage, crossing my leg over another and lit a cigarette from my pocket. I blew the smoke out my nose as I watched them strike at each other and miss. I felt the wind blow up around me and looked up to see the Prince, ready to rain down his judgement. Benvolio and Tybalt just happen to move their battle in front of me and stood before me, yelling out a battle cry and stood against each other, ready to give the last blow. I just blew out another puff of smoke.
"Enemies to peace, throw your mistempered weapons to the ground," the Prince yelled out, making the men stop. They could see sword's trained on them and I blew out another cloud of smoke.
"Thou should take his council into consideration," I piped in, getting a look from Tybalt. They raised their hands slowly, their swords useless now. I knew trouble was to come from all of this.
"On pain of torture, from those bloody hands ,throw your mistempered weapons to the ground," the Prince yelled out and their swords were finally thrown to the ground. I rolled my eyes as his men took Benvolio and Tybalt into custody, the Prince leaving his carriage and making his way to me.
"My Lady, I hope thee well and have not been injured," he said. I curtsey to him, keeping my head low to show respect, the Prince and his soldiers were great customers to my family.
"I thank thee my Lord, I fair well and am only a bit shaken," I answered. The Prince places a finger under my chin and raises my face, so I am looking into his dark brown eyes.
"What happened here my lady, this is the third brawl to break in the streets of Verona and the second you've been put in the middle of," he asked. The Prince was a good ally of my father and it would not be the first or last time he would voice his concern with my relationship with the Capulet's. He said he would have to make me a mediator if these events kept on how they were. I look to Tybalt, who is looking over in concern and feel this is not the end of all this, before I turn back to the Prince.
"A brawl of words turned to swords, my lord," I answered. "I start to believe neither side can contain themselves when in the others presence, like a reaction my Prince".
The brown skinned man nodded to me and looked over at the two men.
"A sickness that must be cured, I will not see thee thrown into these civil brawls no longer," he says, before looking back at me and giving me a light smile. "Go you to the house of Capulet"?
"Yes, my lord I was on my way for a visit," I said. He took his coat off his shoulders and wrapped it around mine. I hadn't even noticed that my midnight blue mugler suit was covered in ash and dirt, I would need to wash. "Thank you my lord.
"Thank me not, come let my men escort you to the house of your destination," he said, putting an arm around my shoulder and waving two men over. "Knowing you are safe as I….converse with your companion and his kinsmen, will bring me ease".
"May I have some words before you continue your business," I asked nodding towards Tybalt. He thought for a moment and nodded. I quickly curtsy again and run to Tybalt, his hands are tied behind his back. I wrap my arms around his neck and feel him nuzzle his face into my neck. "You are a fool, all thee had to do was walk away".
"And let such men with no honor insult you and my kinsmen, never I'd die," he whispered back to me. I pulled back from him and held his face in my hands.
"A day will come when thy actions will lead thee to an early grave and leave kinsmen to spill more Montague blood and vise versa," I said looking deep into his eyes, trying to get through his stubborn way of thinking.
"Go you to my house, take refuge there," he said.
"I go there now," I said.
"Good, a lovely face to welcome my return will make this days trials vanish from my thoughts," he said smirking, I roll my eyes and lay a kiss on his hand, on his family's ring.
"You will be lucky if your welcome is not a strike to the face, I expect you at dinner my lord and bid thee good afternoon," I said and walked over to the carriage where the Prince had his men waiting for me. They opened the door and I slid inside, looking at the two men who had been fighting. Benvolio mouths an apology and I just sigh, it was not his fault. The Montagues and the Capulet's have always fought.
Di Corrado-Courageous person/one who can take decisions in crisis