RichardIII1955 - Yes! She has a darker side that no one has suspected yet! They all just think she's Gabe's cougar!
Angelo's suspended! But is he really guilty? We'll find out later.
Meanwhile, Mercutio greets some very important guests, and things go...just a little...wrong. By the way, these characters are from Shakespeare's so-called 'history' plays. They're not actually very historical. Richard III did NOT have a hunchback, and he was, in fact, quite a nice guy.
In the wake of Angelo's suspension, Escalus found himself having to rely on others he wouldn't have used to do so. There was absolutely no time to dwell on Angelo's supposed actions. Ralph took over leadership of Angelo's party, with Amparo assisting him. Escalus had known Ralph for ages, and trusted him. He was also vaguely impressed with Amparo, and sensed in her the potential for something great.
Out of his three nephews, Paris was the first to get married. Mercutio had been with Allegra for a while now, and she had given birth to their already mischievous baby boy, but they still hadn't tied the knot. Escalus wondered what sort of wedding they would have. Knowing Mercutio, they would dance down the aisle, and sing their vows whilst he played his ukulele.
As for Paris, Escalus found himself looking forward to the ceremony, and seeing some of the guests. He was especially looking forward to seeing his little princess, Sofia. Escalus had precious little time to see his daughter, due to his role and separation from his ex wife. He did his best, he sent her presents, he spoke to her on the phone whenever he could, but nothing compared to seeing her in person. Perhaps when she was older, and he summoned her to court to teach her how to rule Verona, they would spend more time together.
As well as this, he was largely pleased, and also largely surprised, with Mercutio's growing responsibility and involvement with royal duties. As Escalus busied himself with welcoming King Claudius, Queen Gertrude, and young Prince Hamlet (who was even more angsty and depressed than the last time he had seen him) to Verona, he found himself trusting Mercutio to welcome the English royal family. Or families, depending on how you viewed it.
He knew he could trust him. Mercutio would be fine, he told himself. He knew that Mercutio had Benvolio there to make sure he stayed in check. With sensible people like Benvolio around, of course Escalus could trust his youngest nephew. Of course he could.
Another hot day was beginning.
And Hermia, Juliet, Allegra and the two little ones were escaping the heat by basking in the shade of a balcony on the front side of the palace. A little paddling pool was set up, and Micro and Eliseo were amusing themselves by splashing each other like crazy. Eliseo squealed as Micro sent a small tsunami at him, and then Micro shrieked as Eliseo returned a tidal wave.
Hermia was leaning on the wall, watching the cars pull into the palace. Usually, she'd spot some familiar government official who was not of interest, but currently she was watching a long white limousine as it drew closer to the palace.
"What are the boys up to today?" asked Juliet, stopping Eliseo from throwing a bucket of water at Micro. As funny as it was to watch them splash each other, Micro was only six months old and too much water would hurt him.
"Wooshy-wo says he's greeting guests today," replied Allegra, stopping Micro from pressing on the sides of the paddling pool and letting the water flood the balcony.
"Oh dear," Hermia grinned, "I actually want to see that."
"I know, he's going to be so naughty," Allegra snickered, "He's been trying to stay under the radar lately, so we can get away with the pantomime, but it's difficult, especially when Merc's so fond of craziness."
"I imagine he's been bouncing off the walls of your room with frustration," Juliet said.
"That's about right," said Allegra.
"Hey, look!" Hermia exclaimed.
"What is it?"
"The white limousine! Over there! More guests!"
The girls clamoured up, and peered over the edge of the balcony. A servant held open the door of the limousine as it slowed to a halt, and out stepped a tall, handsome man, with golden hair and a winning smile. He looked around, taking in the sight. Upon spotting the three girls, he smiled and nodded, gesturing towards them politely.
"That's King Edward!" Juliet cried, "The Yorkist king of England!"
A very pregnant woman with silvery blonde hair clamoured out, with three pretty little girls following.
"That's his queen, Elizabeth, and their daughters, Princess Elizabeth, Princess Mary, and Princess Cecily."
A short, dark-haired man of around the same age as the Capulet girls climbed out.
"Who is that?" asked Allegra.
"He doesn't look like any of them. Is he their PA or something?" asked Hermia.
"No, sillies, that's Edward's brother! Richard, the Duke of Gloucester!" Juliet corrected.
"Him?" Hermia craned her head. She turned to Juliet, "We look much more alike than they do and we're half-sisters!"
"Do you not remember any of them?" asked Juliet.
"No," Hermia shrugged.
"Me neither. When would we have met them?" asked Allegra.
"I think we once went to a Christmas court and they were there...it must have been ages ago then," Juliet watched as some more Yorkists clamoured out.
"Oh, look, there's a red limousine!" Allegra pointed.
"Uh oh, here comes trouble," stated Juliet.
"Trouble?" asked Allegra.
"Yes. There's only the English guests arriving today, and if that white limousine was the Yorkist ones, then in that red limousine are the Lancasters."
"Oh, boy," Hermia grinned, "And Mercutio is greeting them?"
"Benvolio is with him," Juliet interrupted, "He won't let-"
"Benvolio won't be able to stop anything Merc does. He never ha,s" replied Hermia.
The red limousine pulled up beside the white one. Out clamoured a haughty looking young man with dark red hair, and deep set eyes. He was dressed in the best clothes a seventeen year old prince could buy, and his pink pouty lips were turned down in a scowl.
"That's Prince Edward of Lancaster, also called Edouard by his mother," said Juliet, "He's the Lancaster heir."
"He looks like a brat," stated Hermia, "Can I chuck a bucket of water at him?"
"No!"
A hapless looking man climbed out. He glanced around with gentle but faraway eyes.
"That's King Henry, also called Harry, the Lancastrian king," said Juliet.
"He doesn't look like a king," said Hermia, "Do you ever see Escalus looking like he's just finished sniffing glue?"
"Hermia!" Juliet shoved her "That's really insensitive! He has mental problems."
"Lucky him."
"Look at her!" gasped Allegra, pointing.
A petite woman stepped out. Her hair matched the prince's, and her eyes were dark and fierce. She was dressed in a crimson suit, and she wore a haughty expression on her face.
"Now that's Margaret of Anjou, Henry's queen," said Juliet, "They call her a she-wolf."
"Ciao!" Hermia called, her hands around her mouth.
"Hermia!" Juliet batted her sister's hands away. Margaret ignored her, and another girl climbed out of the limousine. This girl was barely older than Allegra, and the three of them had never seen anyone look so unhappy. She stood by the prince's side, although he ignored her.
"Who is that?" asked Allegra.
"That must be Edouard's wife. Anne Neville."
"Poor thing. Married to him," Hermia wrinkled her nose, "Bless her."
A boy of about twelve years old climbed out.
"That's Henry Tudor, Edouard's cousin," Juliet pointed.
"He doesn't look happy either," stated Allegra.
"Would you be happy if Edouard was your cousin?" asked Hermia.
"Tybalt's our cousin and neither of us look that miserable!"
Some more guests clamoured out. They assembled into several lines, with their respective king leading them. The dark-haired brother of King Edward looked over with soft eyes at Edouard's unhappy princess, and she returned the look.
"They like each other," stated Juliet.
"How do you know?" asked Hermia.
"Would you just look at the cow eyes they're giving each other?"
"You are such a romantic," Hermia rolled her eyes.
"Hey, look at that blond guy!" Allegra pointed again, "He looks like King Edward!"
"That's his brother, George, the Duke of Clarence. Or Georgie-porgie, as I heard Gloucester likes to call him," replied Juliet.
"Well, what's he doing with the Lancaster's if he's Edward's brother?" frowned Hermia.
"He betrayed him," said Juliet dramatically.
"What a great little brother," stated Hermia, "Apparently he's also an alcoholic."
"And he's come to a country full of wine!" snickered Allegra.
The families started to head into the palace.
"Well, that's that," said Allegra, "Unless, of course, we want to go and see the carnage?"
The girls grinned, "Come on!"
Hermia scooped up Eliseo, and wrapped him in a towel. Allegra grabbed Micro, and wrapped him in a towel as well. They carried the babies through the hallway, passing the decorative suits of armour, which turned out to be very decorative indeed as Mercutio (there was no one else other than Mercutio who would have done it) had wrapped feather boas around them and put cowboy hats on their heads.
They stopped at the bottom of a stair case as the guests filled past, and then followed. The guards flung open the door.
"Your highnesses," announced one of the guards, "I present to you, his royal highness, Prince Mercutio Vincentino."
The royal party walked in, and bowed, and then looked up at Mercutio, sitting on Escalus' throne.
In an ideal world, a handsome regal youth would have been sitting on the throne, proud to represent his prince uncle. He would have worn appropriate clothing, with his hair brushed neatly and parted. He would have greeted them politely, using their native tongue, but...
This was Mercutio we're talking about.
His dark hair was wild and stuck up in the air like he had put in his finger in a plug socket and received an electric shock. His green eyes were wide and googly, and sparkled with mischief. His wide mouth looked as though he spent most of his time grinning. He was wearing a lopsided crown that obviously did not belong to him, and a long royal ceremonial robe drapped precariously over his shoulders, that also looked as if it did not belong to him. Under this, he was wearing pink trousers, a green shirt, and a pink waistcoat. At his feet, sat a slobbery black labrodor dog, panting.
"Oooh, look, Benvolio!" he exclaimed, whilst scratching behind the dog's ears, "They just bowed to me!"
"Then you should bow back!" hissed the boy addressed as Benvolio. This boy looked somewhat tamer, wearing a smart shirt and tie, but his hair was also scruffy and he was wearing glasses. He looked as though he spent his life despairing over something or another.
"Oh, right!" grinned Mercutio. He stood up, "So which one of you is the king?"
"Mercutio asks which one of you is the king," a translator repeated.
"I am!" declared King Edward.
"No, he is!" Edouard shoved forwards poor King Harry.
The translator quickly repeated their words in Italian to Mercutio.
"Well, there can't be two of you," Mercutio frowned, "I'm not bowing twice, I've already got back ache from bowing to all those bloody dukes just now!"
"Mercutio, that's insensitive!" hissed Benvolio, hushing the translator, "One of them has scoliosis, and there's a civil war, that's why there's two kings!"
"Well, anyway, hi guys, welcome to Verona, I'm Lord Sexybeast, this is my dog, Monty, and this is my friend, Sir Ben Dover. I'm taking charge of your entertainment whilst you're here, so hopefully your stay will be fun, fun, FUN!"
"Is this a joke?" whispered Edward's wife, Elizabeth, after they heard the translation.
"I don't know. Just smile and nod!" Edward whispered back.
"Who wants to go on the bouncy castle?" asked Mercutio, "I rented one and put it up in the courtyard. I asked Prince Hamlet, and he cried and said he was too depressed. I asked King Duncan, but he said he didn't want his kilt flapping up and down. Which is a shame, because I really want to know what he wears underneath it."
Upon hearing the translation, the party was silent.
"Perhaps...we could see our rooms," said the Duke of Gloucester.
"Oh, they're out there," Mercutio pointed out the window. At the stables.
"This is ridiculous!" snarled Edouard, "This is a complete joke. This palace is so unbelievably low-rent. What kind of pikeys live here? Where the hell is this Prince Escalus?"
"Edouard, mind your manners..." said Harry softly, but he was ignored.
"Not here, obviously," King Edward rolled his eyes.
"You!" spat Edouard, as if he'd only just remembered that the Yorkists had also been invited, "You! How dare you arrive here and call yourself the king!"
"Go home, Edouard, no one wants you here," King Edward rolled his eyes.
"Hey! Lo ti conosco! Tu sei quel viziato piccolo principe che un pugno Gabriel Fulgencio in faccia!" exclaimed Mercutio in Italian.
"What?" Edouard frowned.
A translator repeated it.
"Who the hell is Gabriel?" Edouard frowned again.
"Figlio di Angelo! Lei lo colpi quando eravamo bambini!" Mercutio raised his eyebrows.
"Whatever, weirdo," Edouard rolled his eyes and turned away.
"Bastardo di Somerset!"
Edouard froze. He turned around slowly to face Mercutio. A look of terror froze on Benvolio's face.
"What. Did. You. Say?"
"The truth. What did you think he said?" asked King Edward.
Edouard burnt red, then purple.
"I...how...how dare...MAMA!" he wailed loudly, "The mean Italian prince is calling me mean names!"
Amparo stepped into the hall. Of course Mercutio wasn't to be trusted.
Her plan to shame Angelo in the press and media hadn't worked out the way she had wanted, as Escalus insisted on keeping it confidential. And she hadn't been handed temporary leadership of the party. She was merely assisting Ralph. But there was time to deal with that later. Now, however, Angelo was away. Now was the time to prove herself.
She caught a servant, "Fetch his grace Prince Escalus immediately. Tell him Mercutio is misbehaving and insulting the English guests and tell him he must come at once."
"Yes, Signorina Duarte," the servant broke into a run. Anyone who was part of the government or worked at the palace knew that when Mercutio was misbehaving, fetching Escalus was urgent.
Now, Amparo was on her own. Her English wasn't particularly good. She spoke both Spanish and Italian, and so her best bet would be that the translator would pay attention to her.
"Your highnesses," she curtsied, which she had practised repeatedly before the impending visits, "I am Signorina Amparo Duarte, temporary leader of the government, and MP for Veronella. I will show you to your rooms, and arrange for someone to bring your luggage to you."
Her words were translated. Her bet had been correct. The families looked relieved, and followed her. Mercutio sulked, disappointed of his chance to cause chaos.
"Who's idea was it to have the Yorkists and the Lancasters arrive on the same day!" roared Escalus.
The politicians remained silent.
"Your grace," Amparo eventually spoke up, "It was Angelo's idea."
"Angelo's?" frowned Escalus.
"Yes, your grace," said Amparo, "He said it would be easier. He said it would be more cost effective as we would only need the translator in the hall with us for one session."
Escalus pressed his hand to his forehead, "That idiot! For goodness sake! And to leave Mercutio in charge of greeting them all!"
"That was your idea, your grace," Ralph added quickly, "You said he could be trusted."
"Why wasn't one of you with him?" seethed Escalus.
"We were covering for Angelo, since he is absent," replied Amparo, "Fortunately, I was on my lunch break, and I happened to walk past the room, and intervene."
"Thank you, Amparo, this won't be forgotten," said Escalus, "Now, I must attend the meeting with the other Italian lords and dukes. We need to discuss our alliance and our neutrality in the English civil war."
"Now the Plantagenets are here, I have to warn you once again," said Escalus, "They will be trying to create alliances and gather aid. We must remain neutral."
"Yes, Escalus," said Duke Gonzaga, who ruled Mantua, "We've been very careful. One of the Yorkists, the Duke of Gloucester, to be precise, has already approached me. I told him no, and to prevent any quarrels, or friction, I told him I had also declined the Lancasters."
"Good. Keep to your resolves."
"If I may say so," said the Duke of Venice, "But the civil war is causing serious trouble with the trading industry. We're already in recession, and my city can't afford to lose anymore growth. I know this contradicts everything the city states of Italy have been aiming to achieve, but wouldn't it be prudent to back one family, and I'm not saying who, but back the family who is most likely to succeed, in order to end the civil war quickly, and bring back safe trading routes and allow many Italians to be able to reunite with their loved ones trapped in England by the lack of safe travel?"
"I understand where you are coming from," nodded Escalus, "But it's too risky. Who is, just out of curiosity, the winning side at present?"
"The Lancasters. They have allied themselves to the so-called King-maker, and the King of France," replied the Duke of Padua.
"Then perhaps," said the Duke of Venice, "It might be within our best interests to aid the Lancasters, speed up the end of the war, and rebuild our trading relationships?"
"No," said Amparo.
The whole table turned and looked at her.
"No?" repeated the Duke of Venice incredulously.
"No," said Amparo firmly.
"Why not?" the Duke of Venice shook his head, "And, if you don't mind my asking, but where is Angelo?"
"He's been suspended," replied Escalus.
"For what?" gaped Duke Gonzaga.
"That's between Angelo and myself," said Escalus, quietly and firmly, "Signorina Duarte, Amparo, here, is filling in for him at this meeting. Ralph is attending to the some more important guests as they arrive."
"So if you don't mind my asking, Signorina Duarte, but why do you oppose us aiding the Lancasters?"
"Several reasons," Amparo placed her hands on the desk, "Firstly, we have all vowed to remain neutral. It would be hypocritical to change our minds at this stage in the game. However, if we were to disregard that, secondly, we are a collection of city states. We have limited resources at our disposal, so we must all collectively join together to be effective. Not only that, but we all have different interests, so what if we cannot agree on which side to support? The turmoil could affect our alliance. Thirdly, if we supported the wrong side, we would have to deal with some serious repercussions. If there is divide between us, then I fear that either side may try to use that to their advantage to create turmoil in revenge, which would then result in a reduction of quality of life for people not involved in the conflict. Maybe even death. And finally, I think we ought to look at the qualities of each family, and each so-called king, before we decide which would be best."
"Are you suggesting we become king-makers as well?" retorted the Duke of Padua.
"No," said Amparo.
"She is right though," added Duke Gonzaga, "How long have you been in politics?"
"When have I not been in politics, that's the question," Amparo cleared her throat, "I am starting to favour towards aiding one side, as the effect of the civil war is starting to tear a hole in Europe, but I think we need to be careful. The long-term repercussions of this decline in trade is leading to job losses, something we cannot afford, especially as we have so many young people leaving school and entering the job market, and so it is important that the conflict is resolved quickly, and neatly. However, if we favour the side most likely to win, then that could also have some bad repercussions. Such as, in the long-term, if they are not adequate to rule successfully and restore the kingdom to success, then more economic chaos could be in store, which could place us in a worse position than we were in before. Give me time, and I will be able to assess each side, and then I will tell you who I think deserves our support"
"And how will you do that? We don't have much time! The guests won't be here for very long, and we can't cause more trouble and disruption," cried the Duke of Venice.
"This isn't how Angelo would do it!" protested Escalus, "Angelo would look for which side would give us the most support or rewards in return for aid."
"Never mind Angelo. He has proved himself to be incompetent and untrustworthy," said Amparo, "I will do this my way. And my first step, will be to speak to Queen Elizabeth, Queen Margaret, and Lady Anne Neville."