Romeo and Juliet- what if?:
What if Romeo had gotten Friar Lawrence's letter? [My english homework that my teacher never even looked at -_- I worked hard on this, even though it's really bad. She said to make it realistic and Shakespeare-like...whatever.]
Balthasar came running up to Romeo, panting and frantic. "Ah, Balthasar, how is fair Verona? As a matter of fact, how's Juliet? Everything is okay if she's okay," Romeo smiled, patting his servant on the back while he caught his breath.
"She...she's dead, Romeo. Death came and stole her away last night," Balthasar confessed. Romeo stared blankly at him letting the information sink in before dropping to his knees.
"How dare you, cruel stars, steal the best thing from my life from me!" Romeo sobbed. Neither Romeo nor Balthasar saw the elderly man walk up to them until he spoke.
"Are you Romeo?" He asked, looking at the broken boy on the ground.
"As much as I wish it wasn't so," he sobbed some more.
"I have an urgent letter from your Friar, I advise you read it quickly," he explained. He handed Romeo the envelope before walking away hurridly.
"Take this, Balthasar, I can't bear to hear anymore," Romeo shoved the letter at him. Balthasar fumbled and ripped the paper while trying to open it, but luckily he was still able to read it. His eyes jumped over the page while a smile broke out on his face.
"Romeo, I really think you should read this," Balthasar tried to push the letter back into his master's hands, but Romeo simply shook his head. "She's alive, Romeo, Juliet's alive!" His hands waved around frantically while he told the story, "she was set to marry Count Paris, so Friar Lawrence gave her a potion that would make her appear dead on her wedding day, but she's really just sleeping-here, the letter explains it all!" Romeo's eyes widened and he snatched the letter. Soon, he was crying tears on joy.
"Oh, Balthasar, I've got to get to Verona to be there when my lady wakes!" Romeo exclaimed, pulling Balthasar in for a quick hug. "I must go now, thank you so much Balthasar," Romeo smiled at his servant.
"It's been my pleasure, master. Go, go to Juliet."
Romeo looked around cautiously as he came closer to the Capulet tomb. He was still banished, after all, and if he was caught, the Prince would have his head. He didn't hear or see anyone, so he entered. He quickly found Juliet's tomb and started to open her casket.
"Stop, criminal!" Paris jumped out from the shadows, and Romeo froze.
"Th-This isn't what it looks like," Romeo stuttered.
"First you kill Tybalt, and now you come to make a mockery of the family? You should be ashamed of yourself, trying to disrupt my lady's chamber."
Hearing Paris refer to Juliet as "His lady" made Romeo's blood boil. "She wasn't yours," he spoke through a clenched jaw.
Paris laughed, and Romeo started shaking with rage. "She might as well be, she was already paid for. And as for you, I'll call the Prince and have you arrested and killed," Paris threatened. Romeo, however, had already drawn his sword. Paris soon did the same, and it didn't take long until Paris was on his knees in front of Romeo, clutching the bleeding hole on the side of his torso.
Romeo paid no attention to the man bleeding to death on the floor at his feet and instead on opening Juliet's casket. Within minutes, she was awake.
"Romeo?" she called softly, her eyes fluttering open. When her gaze landed on Romeo's smiling face, she broke out into a grin of her own. She threw her arms around him and he helped her out of the uncomfortable casket. The two kissed, but the romantic moment was short lived. Both teens paled in color when they heard footsteps headed their way, and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that it was only Friar.
"What happened in here?" He asked, eyeing the dead Paris on the floor. Romeo looked away guiltily. "Ah, okay, no time to explain, you guys have to get out of here,' he pushed the couple towards the door.
"Friar, I don't know how you thank you-"
"Just go, live your lives and be happy. That's all the thanks I need," the older man smiled. Hand in hand, Romeo and Juliet fled the scene.
"Are you sure that's what happened?" The Prince looked at the Friar warily.
"Yes, I already told you. Romeo has heard about Juliet's death and, out of respect to the Capulet's, came back to say a simple prayer. He found an empty tomb and a bragging Paris. Romeo-oh, what an impulsive boy he is-he was angry and Paris for disrespecting the dead, and so he killed Paris."
"And he just fled, without informing anyone?"
"Well, is he not banished?" Friar laughed drying. "The boy didn't want to get in even more trouble."
"But you know about all this. You didn't try to stop him?"
"Prince, he's a teenage boy, and I'm a 50 year old man. There wasn't much I could do," he explained, making a show of hunching his shoulders and leaning on the wall, to show just how old and frail he really is. The Prince sighed.
"I'll think of some way to handle this in the morning. For now, I order this tomb to be blocked off; it is now part of an investigation. Everyone, goodnight."
Friar Lawrence watched everyone go, and he smiled to himself. His plan had worked. Romeo and Juliet were going to be okay.
"Romeo, where are we going to do?" Juliet asked. They were in Mantua, hiding with the same people that had his Romeo in the previous days during his banishment.
"We can go wherever we want to go, there's nothing holding us back," he smiled at her.
"But how will we get a home? We don't have any money," she pointed out.
"My home is wherever you are."
She smiled at his cheesy line and kissed the tip of his nose. "I love you," she said softly.
"I love you too," he kissed her, and she knew that whatever happened, they were going to be okay.
END :D Cheesy ending scene, but whatever, I like happy endings :3
P.S. Am I the only one who thinks Balthasar's name sounds like a pokemon? *random thought.* This is so terrible, but whatever. Thoughts?