Chapter Two:

"Lord Mercutio!" A young boy ran up to Mercutio and Benvollo.

"How now young one? Why in such a rush?" Mercutio patted the boy's shoulder.

"A message." The young lad stopped a moment to catch his breathe.

"Come now, sit down." Benvollo helped the boy sit down next to the fountain, Mercutio gave him some water from the well.

"It's Lord Tybalt, he seeks Romeo." The fellow gulped the water all at once.

"Tybalt Capulet? What business does he have with our Romeo?" Mercutio asked.

"Well-"

"Benvollo! Mercutio! I have terrible news!" Romeo walked up to the group.

"So do we."

"Huh?" Romeo asked, glancing at the boy and then at his friends.

"Tybalt wants to duel you." Mercutio hissed.

"What news do you have?" Benvollo turned to Romeo.

"Rosalie is officially a nun." Romeo sighed, he sat next to the boy.

"Never mind that Lord, you must watch out for Lord Tybalt, he is mighty mad."

"Could you tell him I don't feel like fencing?" Romeo asked the lad, he gave him a few silver pieces and sent him off his way.

"What is Tybalt so mad about anyway?" Romeo rose to his feet.

"What indeed. He must have caught us last night." Benvollo guessed.

"Then why terry, scared?" Mercutio smiled.

"Does it matter why? Tybalt is known for being a hothead, Romeo you have to be careful." Benvollo, "Besides, it's not like they can duel, the Prince said he would banish the next time there was a fight."

"Like Tybalt would shy away with a warning, right Romeo? Romeo?" Mercutio tried to catch Romeo's attention but Romeo was long since gone by then, at the moment, the only thoughts in his head were nothing but misery.

"I'll die alone, my dear friends." Romeo sighed, he swished his hand in the water fountain.

"MONTAGUE!" A shout scared all of them but Romeo. Tybalt and a group of other men walked up to the three. All of the sudden, some of Montague's men appeared as well to back up Romeo.

"Why do you reject my request?" Tybalt roared.

"Tybalt, please, I don't feel like dealing with you right now." Romeo sighed. Tybalt turned red.

"What! Don't feel like being punished!"

"If it's a fight you want, then I'll give it to you." Mercutio puffed up his chest.

"This is no concern of yours, my business lies with Romeo!" Tybalt reached for his sword.

"I will not battle with you Tybalt, I see no point in wasting my time on you." Romeo starred Tybalt down, then he turned his back on Tybalt, ready to leave for home.

"I see! You know you can't win, after all you wasted all your time on romantics other than the ways of real men!"

"That's it!" Mercutio reached for his sword, so did Tybalt. But another hand rested upon Tybalt's weapon.

"What? I thought you were ill?" Tybalt asked in shock. Juliet shook her head.

"What are you doing Tybalt?" She asked. The men on Mercutio's side were shocked in silence, there stood in front of them, a woman with short hair and pants. A sword rested on her hip.

"But they broke into Lord Capulet's home!"

"I see. But Tybalt, you are red with angry. I fear that if you fence here it will turn into a bloody mess." Juliet seemed so calm, as if holding Tybalt back was so easy.

"Then what do you suggest Milady?" Tybalt hissed. Juliet sighed.

"I guess it can't be helped, I will fight in your stead." She let go of Tybalt's weapon and pulled out her own.

"But I refuse to cross swords with a woman." Mercutio stepped back.

"Is this the one you quarrel with?"

"No."

"Then I won't duel you but the one who offends Tybalt." Juliet's words were a shock to all. All except Tybalt, after all, he was the one who taught her how to use a sword.

Romeo's back was still to Juliet and Tybalt. He silently listened to the conversation in awe. It made him curios, although Romeo never thought he could ever be curios again. And he found himself wanting to see what it was like, fighting a woman.

"Can't be helped then." Romeo pushed past Benvollo and Mercutio, he held his blade up, then finally held his eyes up too. In that second, Romeo couldn't remember Rosalie's name. He couldn't remember half the girls he ever courted. In fact, he couldn't remember ever falling in love with anyone but Juliet's deep blue eyes. Juliet couldn't help but stare back. They both spent time just looking at each other. Romeo memorized Juliet's face and Juliet felt an urge to touch Romeo's silky black hair.

"Romeo?" Mercutio nugged Romeo. "What's gotten into you?"

"Huh?" Romeo couldn't take his eyes off of Juliet. They were completely memorized by each other. Juliet felt something thumping hard within her chest. Was this love? Tybalt took out his sword and clanked it with Juliet's and Romeo's weapons. The sound sent them back down to Earth, then they realized. This wasn't a love match, this was battle, they were supposed to fight each other. Juliet shook off the light headed feeling and Romeo took a deep breathe. They took their stances, ready for action. Tybalt raised his eyebrows, Juliet's sudden frown unsettled him a bit. She seemed distracted.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

"Ye-yeah." Romeo shuddered a bit, Benvollo held his breathe.

"GO!" Tybalt stepped back and the whole group followed.

"So tell me, what is a Lady like you doing with a sharp object?" Romeo smiled, it made Juliet's heart melt. But her act was up and Juliet swinged her sword at his face.

"Be serious."

"We're only fencing." Romeo's sword pushed against Juliet's blade, she went back. In order to gain her balance, a few Capulets helped her up. "Something wrong?" Romeo felt playful, his head was in the clouds. Juliet giggled a little, it made Romeo's heart skip a beat.

"That's right, I must have forgotten party crasher." Juliet swinged again and Romeo blocked it.

"Yes well, I just couldn't resist the music. It just spoke to me, you know?" The more they fought, the more everybody around them thought it was too playful, even for fencing. Tybalt bit his lip, he wondered if Juliet was even trying to win. Mercutio and Benvollo wondered the same thing. Juliet lost concentration and began to fall backwards into the fountain. Romeo caught her in time and brought her back to her feet. Their hands clenched together. Their smiles were extra wide.

"Careful Milady, it's a cold trip." Romeo teased.

"Oh I know." Juliet pushed against Romeo and held up her sword again. Romeo looked down at his hands, Juliet had seized it from him. All the Capulet's laughed.

"Very funny, now let us have our shield back."

"But it's a sword."

"Well I use it to protect myself from your reckless swings."

"Reckless?"

"Yes reckless, are you even trying?" Romeo raised an eyebrow. Juliet felt a bit annoyed. She threw his sword at Romeo. He caught it just in time to defend himself from an attack of Juliet's.

"Serious enough?" She asked, their swords scratched against each other. From then, their battle became more real. Each side cheered for their champions, Tybalt just kept biting his lip, and Benvollo and Mercutio just wondered what in the world was happening to Romeo. Romeo felt happy inside, and as they fought, Juliet felt alive. She just recently recovered from a fever and she long awaited for a real battle. The swings became more ferocious and every cheer became louder. Some where in the battle, the swords slipped and blood fell onto the cobble stones. It was the strangest moment, Juliet's blade met Mercutio's flesh, and Romeo's weapon did the same to Tybalt. The group fell silent, the swords backed away from the bodies. Juliet and Romeo stared wide eyed at the limp bodies, then they looked at each other with new eyes.

"What in the world is going on here!" Both Lord Capulet and Lord Montague appeared on the scene. Juliet's mother, Lady Capulet ran up to embrace her.

"Juliet! What did you leave your chambers for?" She asked crying. Romeo's mother did the same thing. But both of them just starred at each other.

"You're a Capulet?" Romeo asked. Juliet thought the same thing about him.

"What have you done?" Lord Capulet knelt beside Tybalt, who was holding his wound, Benvollo tried to aid Mercutio in standing.

"It's nothing but a scratch my Lord." Tybalt whispered in pain.

"This your fault!" Lord Capulet turned to Romeo.

"Capulet! It was Tybalt's own fault for letting a woman it fight! Besides that, look what she did to Mercuito!" Lord Montague stood in Capulet's way. The two began to argue again. Then the two groups started to argue, Juliet started to cry.

"SILENCE!" The group fell into a still quite. The Prince and his embassy came into the middle, he looked at the scene, spotting the bloody blades and the wounded men. He turned to the young man from before. "You, tell me what happened here."

"This Montague stabbed my kinsman! I demand retribution!" Lord Capulet cried.

"Well Lord Capulet's daughter hurt my son's dear friend Mercutio, I demand a punishment!" Both of the mothers pleaded with the Prince to spare their child's lives. Romeo felt numb inside, he could stop glancing between Juliet, Mercutio, and Tybalt. Juliet felt ill again, starring into the blood stained sword in her hand. The Prince motioned for silence.

"You were all warned, if there was another dispute then the guilty party would be banished." The Prince glanced at Romeo and Juliet, he sighed. "It seems that the guilty party is the airs to both houses, quite a shame."

"No! You can't banish my little girl with this murder!" Lady Capulet cried.

"It was an accident!" Juliet defended. Everybody turned to her, all surprised.

"Yes, that's all it was!" Romeo added.

"Well I'm afraid that that's not how your parents feel. I put out a law, you both knew it, you broke it, so now you must pay the price. Giovanni!"

"Yes My Prince?"

"Set arrangements for these two to leave for Mantua, the sooner the better.'

"Yes My Prince."