A/N: I don't own anything PRS or RomeoxJuliet related. I only own my ideas and my own characters
Oh yes- everyone is HUMAN in this story, there are no machines. And there really isn't a "good guy" and a "bad guy". It's set in Shakespearean times, with a PRS twist. Just keep an open mind. :)
Emily: Juliet Cody: Antonio
Dahlia/Dayu: Cordelia Daisuke (this is the old guy at the Tengan Gate): Conrad
Xandred: Capulet Serena: no RxJ character
ACT 1:
Destruction: An Avoidable Conflict
The long halls of the palace of House Xandred were unusually quiet. Normally, there would be many people bustling through the hallways, either cleaning the house, preparing for a party, or going to training. Tonight there was no one to be seen. It was a bit unsettling to Dahlia, who was escorting her charge through the hallways.
"Where is Serena?" The little girl asked Dahlia. In reality, it sounded more like "Whewe ith Thwena?" because of the little one's lisp.
"You know Serena is sick. Your mother and father sent her to away to get well Emily." Ten-year-old Dahlia replied.
"Oh." Three-year-old Emily was silent for a moment. "Whewe ith Mummy and Dattie?
"I don't know Emily." Dahlia peered into the rooms they were passing. "I don't know where anyone is."
Suddenly a huge crash echoed through the halls. Screams soon followed. Dahlia felt her blood turn cold. A man appeared in the hallway. "We're under attack! It's House Shiba!"
House Shiba. The ruthless, bloodthirsty enemy of House Xandred. The two houses had been at war for as long as anyone could remember. No one could recall what had started the feud, and no one knew if it would ever end. The people of Verona had grown accustomed to their ruler switching between a Xandred and a Shiba. Whichever House could overthrow the other saw one of their own on the throne.
"We must run! Shiba is determined this time to wipe out all Xandri! They've nearly reached the inner gate!" The man urged.
"Dawhlia?" Emily looked frightened.
Dahlia took her small hand. "Come now Emily dear. We must listen to the man. We need to go." Dahlia was terrified. House Shiba had never directly attacked the members of House Xandred. Usually both sides only went after the opposite side's rulers and their court. Even in times of great trouble, the palace had always been safe. Now, everything had changed.
Dahlia and Emily ran after the man down the corridor to the main staircase. As Dahlia sprinted down the stairs, she noticed the Moogers, the warriors of House Xandred, gathered by the door. Master Xandred himself was at their head, shouting out instructions. He broke off when he saw Dahlia and Emily. He said something quietly to the man next to him and then hurried over to meet the girls.
Master Xandred was a big man. He sometimes scared Dahlia, for he towered over everyone. His black hair and piercing amber eyes made him seem threatening. But only concern shone in his eyes now as he bent down to look Dahlia and Emily in the eyes.
"Are you girls alright?"
Dahlia nodded mutely. She could hear the shouts of the attackers growing louder as they broke down the defenses surrounding the palace. Emily's little hand clenched hers tightly.
Master Xandred forced a smile. "Everything is going to be fine. But we need to protect Emily. If Serena doesn't get better, she is our only hope." He motioned to an elderly soldier to come over. "Daisuke will take you two to safety. He and others loyal to our House have been planning for something like this for years. I now see that they were very wise to do so." He paused for a moment. "You will be in good hands."
At that moment the doors crashed open and the Shibai warriors poured in. Dahlia screamed. Swords sliced through the air, yells and shouts shook the walls. "Come! We must go!" Daisuke shouted over the chaos.
Dahlia took a step forward and felt Emily's hand slip from her grasp. "Emily! Emily! Where are you?" She screamed. She whirled around, frantically trying to locate the little girl. Someone grabbed her arm. Dahlia tore her arm from the grasp and tried to escape the mass of people. It seemed like there was no way out of the nightmare that had descended among them. Dahlia was about to sink to the floor in defeat when a little brown-haired boy appeared at her side.
"Come on Miss! We must go!" The boy told her.
"Where is Emily?" Dahlia asked him.
"We have her. Don't worry." The boy grabbed her arm and pulled her. Dahlia let herself be led away from the fight. As she glanced back at the horrible scene she swore to herself the she would not let House Shiba be victorious. House Xandred would return.
13 Years Later…
"Let me go! I have done nothing wrong!"
"Shut your mouth! You know what you did!"
"Please, please! I am innocent!"
"Conspiracy against House Shiba is punishable by death!"
The citizens of Verona were watching what had now become a common scene. For thirteen years now, their lives had been disrupted by the Shibai guards searching for any who were loyal to House Xandred. Someone must have done something terrible to anger House Shiba because for thirteen years, they had expended a considerable amount of energy- and tax money- to track down anyone who still sympathized with House Xandred.
"I'm telling you, I did nothing against House Shiba! Please, I have a family that I need to support…"
"That's what they all say" The guard sneered, grabbing the man by the collar roughly. "Now confess your crime or I'll-"
"Stop right there!" A new voice broke in. "Let that innocent man go!" Two boys dropped into the center of the crowd. Both were wearing black tunics and pants. The taller of the two boys wore a yellow mask and had a yellow stripe at the cuffs of his shirt and pants. The younger boy had light brown hair and a grin on his face, despite the danger he was in. He seemed eager and excited by the scene.
"Let this man go!" The taller boy spoke again. He had a hand on the hilt of his sword and stared at the guard menacingly.
"It's the yellow terra!" The whisper swept through the crowd.
"Well, look who we have here. Trouble and his little sidekick. We heard about you two boys. Trying to make our jobs harder, ehh?" The guard laughed.
"Your job is to protect the citizens." The youth shot back. "You can't do this at the expense of their wellbeing."
The guard stopped laughing. "Oh, we have a smart one, do we? You know what I do to boys like you? I teach them a lesson." With this he pulled out his sword. The two boys quickly pulled out their swords.
"Run!" The younger boy said to the citizen the guard had been harassing. The man took off into the crowd. The older boy had already started fighting with the head guard. Two more ran up to help their captain. As steel clashed against steel, the crowd watched with baited breath. The two young boys were holding their own against the guards, but there were more guards approaching the fight. The older boy seemed to sense this. He hit the captain's sword with surprising force.
"Let's go!" He shouted to the other boy. The two took off running down the street. They dodged through the crowd, trying to get away from the scene.
"After them!" The captain screamed. The Shibai guards raced off after the two boys.
The boys turned and twisted through the streets. They ran through the downtown market. Without stopping, the older one grabbed the arm of one of the women chatting with a street vendor.
"Time to go Dayu!" The boy told her as he dragged her along. The woman nearly tripped as she was pulled down the street.
"Edmund!" she cried in protest. "What did you do now?"
"I'll explain later." Edmund shot back, looking over his shoulder to see who was behind him. "Right now, we've got to get away from these guards."
The three continued running until they reached a stone staircase in front of a chapel. They darted up the winding stairs and dashed across the rooftops until they were a good five blocks away from the chapel. They stopped to catch their breaths.
"I- I think we lost them." The younger boy said.
"Would you two mind telling me who we lost and why?" Dayu interrupted. She made her way over to a door and opened it, revealing another set of stairs. She descended them, quickly followed by the boys. It would take a few minutes to get back home, since they had to take a few precautions to get there. As they traveled over the rooftops, the two boys took turns telling her about what had occurred.
"You should have seen it, Dayu! Those Shibai guards were being completely unfair to that man!" The younger boy, Cody, exclaimed. "If it hadn't been for Edmund, he would have been taken to jail, or worse!"
"Be careful you two! You could get taken to jail yourself, if they had caught you!" Dayu scolded.
Edmund ducked his head. "I was just trying to help."
Dayu's expression softened. "I know you were. But you really have to be more careful." By this time they had reached the door of their residence. They entered slowly, not really sure what to expect. They lived behind a theater, so any number of people could be coming or going on any given day. Today there did not seem like there were any outsiders around. As they walked through the backstage area, a door flung open and a young woman stalked out, in the middle of a tantrum. She didn't seem to notice the newcomers as she headed in the opposite direction.
"Well, she's certainly in a mood." The owner of the theater came out of the room the actress had stormed out of. He glanced over at the trio. "Dayu, Cody, Edmund. You are all looking well."
"Good afternoon, William." Dayu nodded at the man. The two boys gave a greeting before the headed upstairs. In addition to Dayu, three others regularly lived in this corner of the house-theater, and another occasionally dropped in.
"Daisuke! We're home!" Dayu called out. She walked into the kitchen and set down the basket of produce she had managed to keep a hold onto despite the frenzied journey home. Daisuke appeared at the door to the kitchen.
"How was the market today?" He asked.
Cody jumped up from his seat. "You will never guess what happened to me and Edmund!"
"Edmund and me" Dayu corrected.
"There were these guards and-"
Dayu sighed as Cody retold the story, although this version sounded slightly different from the last one. Cody got excited over the littlest things. He and Edmund were always involved in some kind of adventure. Speaking of which, she wondered where Edmund had disappeared to.
A/N: So, what do you think? Anything you're confused on? Review or PM me! I LOVE reviews and they help me update sooner. Thanks for reading!