I honestly had to write this after spending a whole week in a slump, bawling over the end of this anime. I'm a sap, and I cry easily during love plays, and this honestly knocked me outta the park, but I wasn't satisfied. I wanted to write something to be honestly sure that Romeo and Juliet stayed on in eternity. I also wanted to come up with a "conclusion" for those who had died and as a means to come to terms with their own lives. There will be a happily ever after in this story, because there is no end in heaven. And without any further mental spill-age, Enjoy.
Epilogue :: CHORAGOS ~ Our toil shall strive to mend- in life and death proceeding.
The stage was set, the footlights, simple candles lit along their cupped screen dancing, allowing the pure, virginal light from the moon to shine down on the stage, white washing the already pale faces of the men and women as they filed onto the platform. Emotionlessly, they moved like one body, a serpent of human forms settling into a predetermined formation with the men standing straight, jaws set and the women with heads cast skyward.
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
Like a singular voice, they proceeded to begin the words akin to the beginning of this story's sad precursor, swaying as each voice remained monotone, though in their owner's own key. Baritone and Tenor men melded with Alto and Soprano women, tones shrill and guttural forming together like the voice of the one mystery. The foot lights, one by one, flickered low, depleting the shadows under the chorus' faces, making man and woman androgynous to say the least. Eyes filled out in black, the cloaked figures resembled reapers, thin fingers reaching, the collected bunch floating about the circular stage.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whole misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
One of the figures lowered his cloak, male face round with youth. His eyes smoldered longingly as he stood center stage, fists clenches tightly. He grit his teeth as if suffering some severe agony before parting his taut lips. "Though of course, strife lasts in blood as long as in house. Montague a half-man, Capulet family rent asunder by Montague's hate." He stepped back, drawing his hood in such a way that within moments, he was one of the group again, anonymous faces moving in a ritualistic trudge.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
Another figure spun from the torrent of bodies, who now danced about in a quickening frenzy. The obviously female figure let out a death peal and threw her leg over her head, whooping like the world had gone mad. She appeared to ready herself to leap from the stage, securing herself to the edge as she leaned over, her hood thrown back to reveal a grinning figure, eyes bright. "Escalus." She hissed, ducking so her cloak would fall over her face again without the need to pull it up. The chorus sucked in a collective gasp, freezing in place as their hushed voices murmured in hushed tones:
"Escalus-"
"Capulet-"
"Escalus-"
"Montague-"
"Neo-Verona."
"Escalus-"
"Juliet!"
"Escalus?"
"Romeo?"
"Escalus!"
The voices broke from the cut short phrases, still frozen except for the woman who continued to shriek and whoop as words were now shouted, leaping to the center just as the chorus resumed movement, racing to the outer edge of the stage. As she landed, a blinding light erupting for her as she stood, a form of golden light with arms outreached to the sky. One of the cloaked chorus members arched his back, letting out a choke and gurgle, coming to rest at the woman's feet like a faithful dog, the remainder of those who lined the stage keening in loss.
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
And with life a waste of time, lest fleeting,
Now this thy death in time proceeding…
[Exeunt] :: CHORAGOS ~