RichardIII1955 - They have indeed! Mercutio really knows how to cause trouble! Naughty boy!
It's the wedding! So, what is everyone wearing? And what antics will Mercutio get up too? After all, it's IMPOSSIBLE for him to sit still! Plus, we meet some more of the Fulgencios, and a surprise guest arrives...
"I hate wearing dresses," said Amparo, as Gabriel zipped her up.
"I know you do, but it's all good for publicity. And you look splendid. They'll be singing your praises in the fashion magazines."
"I want them to sing praises for my political achievements, not how well I look in a dress," said Amparo crossly. At least, she told herself, it was a grey dress. As close to black as she could get.
As for Gabriel himself, Amparo had made sure he hadn't also worn a dress. He was wearing a charcoal grey suit, his platinum blond locks were loose and cascaded down his shoulders freely. He wore simple diamond earrings, a silver locket necklace with a picture of Alexei inside under his clothes, and a simple silver bangle. The chauffeur arrived to drive them to the church, along with some of the other politicians, which was another point in Amparo's favour. It meant that Gabriel couldn't offer to drive and then speed and swerve all over the place, as he usually did.
There were crowds of Veronese outside of the church. The traffic grew slow as the car approached. The car stopped, and then the chauffeur stood up and let her and Gabriel out. Alexei was with them too, wrapped in a white lace blanket. The crowds cheered at the sight of the politician, who seemed to be the light of the future of Angelo's crumbling party. Amparo turned to wave at the crowds, smiling gently. Gabriel waved too, and then waved Alexei's tiny little fist. The crowd awwed as the chauffeur drove away.
Once inside, they took the chance to have a good look at everyone. The church was going to be packed. It was a large church, but nowhere near as large as a cathedral, and would therefore be a problem in fitting everyone in. However, it was Verona's oldest and most famous. Traditionally, anyone of any kind of importance was married here. There were seats placed at the back of the hall behind the pews to squeeze in extra guests, and even though only a few groups of the guests had arrived so far, it was already far fuller than during a regular Sunday service. The Scottish were wearing traditional kilts, and it seemed Macbeth had reclaimed his kilt from Hamlet, who sat wearing all black with the Danish court. It was a shame Hamlet looked so miserable. King Claudius and Queen Gertrude were both smiling and greeting acquaintances, as if nothing were wrong.
The Yorkists had also arrived, sitting in seats deliberating on the other side of the church to the Lancasters. The Yorkist brothers all looked very handsome in their regal clothes, and Richard's white boar pin gleamed in the light. Meanwhile, Edward and Elizabeth's daughters looked sweet in frilly girly frocks of blue, pink, and lilac.
As for the Italian noble families, it seemed as though a show was taking place. They were all wearing their house colours. The Capulets set the church on fire in hues of red, orange and yellow. Rosaline, however, bucked the trend. She was wearing a satin ice blue dress, which brought out the ice blue of her eyes, with diamond earrings, a diamond bracelet, and a silver necklace with the emblem of the extinct Oftmoro family. The Oftmoros had lost their money, their ancestral home, their reputation when Rosaline was barely a toddler. After the death of her grandfather, they were extinct in the male line. The two remaining daughters, Camilla and Cordelia, had married themselves off and left their family behind. Why Rosaline was now wearing the ancestral necklace and jewellery mystified Amparo. But it was good. She was assuming her own identity, rather than taking on the Capulets.
As they waited for the rest of the guests to arrive, Regina clucked and fussed over Tybalt, smoothing his hair and adjusting his tie. Tybalt looked unimpressed. The other Capulets boys sniggered. Tybalt glared at them, and they were silenced.
The Montagues were sitting nearby. Romeo, Benvolio and Hermia were leaning over and chatting to Juliet. Hermia wore neither the colours of the Montague or Capulet family. She surprised Amparo by wearing a dusky nude pink dress, as Hermia was known to dislike pink. Most of the Montague men wore black suits, and ties which conformed to their house colours of green, blue and purple. Even little Eliseo was wearing a similar toddler sized suit. As usual, he was up to mischief, poking and prodding his Great-Uncle Claudio until he turned around and pulled a face at him. Unlike her family, Beatrix wore a bright pink dress embedded with sequins, and looked absolutely horrible, but that didn't surprise Amparo.
The royal family and Helena's family had yet to arrive. Amparo led Gabriel to the seats they had been designated, which were occupied by several important, but non-noble, members of Verona. Angelo was already sitting there. He actually looked quite good, in spite of the recent stresses in his life. He wore a navy suit, with a light blue tie, showing off his recent weight loss. His dark brown hair was parted and slicked back neatly. But, nothing could detract from his pale skin and purple bags under his dark eyes.
Amparo made sure Gabriel sat well away from his father. They often quarrelled about religion, and so to sit them together in church was a bad idea. Angelo hated Gabriel's Wiccan beliefs, and Gabriel hated Angelo's lack-lustre self-hating Catholicism. Gabriel sat down well away from Angelo, and perched Alexei on his lap. Alexei looked like a little doll. His blue eyes were open, and he sucked delicately on his dummy. Amparo noticed Angelo peering over at his grandson, and reclined back so that she blocked the view. Angelo was a bad father, anyway, so why should he get to see his grandson?
"Gabriel!" called a voice.
Amparo and Gabriel turned around. A man who looked a little like Angelo, but with shorter black hair and sharper facial features, was leaning over the pews and smiling at them.
"Uncle Iago!" cried Gabriel.
"I haven't seen you in years. What are you doing over there? Come and sit next to us."
"Come on, Amparo. I don't think I've introduced you to my uncle. Uncle Iago, this is my girlfriend, Amparo Duarte, and Amparo, this is my Uncle, Iago. He's Angelo's older brother."
"Oh! I didn't know he had a brother," remarked Amparo.
Iago smiled, "Here I am. And if I'm right in thinking, I believe I have a great-nephew?"
"Here he is," said Gabriel proudly, "Alexei."
Iago peered over, "He looks just like you did. Why are we leaning over seats to talk to each other? Come. Come and sit by us."
Gabriel stood up, and sat down next to Iago. Amparo had no choice but to follow, mentally cursing. Now was not the time for Gabriel and Angelo to have one of their spats...
On the other hand, now was the chance to learn some more about Angelo. Amparo had to give it to him, he was very good at concealing his personal life. But, as she knew only too well, siblings knew each other's personal lives very well.
"It's been years since we've all been together," said a blonde lady, sitting beside Iago. Gabriel briefly interrupted, and introduced her as Emilia, Angelo's wife.
"I know, it's just travel is a pain between here and Venice," said Angelo.
"It's two hours," said Iago.
"Well, that's four hours in total spent travelling for one visit. You know how busy I am."
"Yes, I do know how busy you are, Angelo. Ready to win the next election?"
"Gabriel, if I'd known you were in Venice last summer, we'd have invited you to stay at once," said Emilia, "You wouldn't have had to suffer all that drama."
"Oh, it's all right," said Gabriel, "I hadn't even known I was going to be in Venice last summer until the day I left Milan. But I'd love to come again. Perhaps after season has finished, before we start rehearsals for Giselle, then Amparo and I could come and visit, and you could spend some time with Alexei?"
"He's so sweet, Gabriel, he looks just like you."
"Thank you," Gabriel smiled.
"Of course I am" lied Angelo to Iago.
"I don't think so," Amparo replied honestly.
"I'm sorry?" said Iago.
"I work in the same party as Angelo. In fact, I was temporarily in charge after Angelo...had to take some time off and Ralph fell down the stairs. I don't feel we're ready to win the election, I think we need to be doing more for our campaign."
"You know, I actually agree," said Iago. Angelo frowned, "Angelo, as your older brother, I'm going to be honest. But I haven't heard anything on the news about what your party have been up to, compared to what was going on five years ago."
"That's because you live in Venice," retorted Angelo, trying to keep the contempt out of his voice.
"I lived in Venice five years ago," said Iago.
"I thought you were posted somewhere else."
"No, I've been in Venice for five years," said Iago, "I think I'd know where my own house was."
Gabriel giggled, and then turned to a young man who looked a little like Iago.
"What about you, Narcisso? How have you been? Have I introduced you to Narcisso?"
"I don't think so."
"Narcisso, this is Amparo, my girlfriend, and Amparo, this is my cousin, Narcisso. He's an actor, he plays Anselmo Bolcato in The Tuzzianos."
"Nice to meet you," said Amparo. After making some small talk, she turned back around to witness the church filling up even more. The Lancasters were finally entering, and settling down in their seats. Amparo noticed Richard stare after Anne longingly. She did look lovely. The deep red of her dress complimented her soft English rose complexion. Edouard and his mother looked haughtier than ever, glancing around disdainfully. Twelve year old Henry Tudor sat down, only to have Edouard snap at him. Henry looked upset, and moved away. Anne looked on at him sympathetically. Amparo sighed, feeling sorry for the girl. Some people were just not made for politics.
'But you are,' she thought.
The church was finally full as the royal family arrived. They all wore their regal robes, and Escalus wore his crown. The crowd cheered him. But, someone was missing...
It was Mercutio of course.
An even louder cheer was heard outside. In strolled Mercutio, with Allegra on his arm, and Micro in her arms, as if nothing were wrong.
Something was very wrong, of course.
He was wearing a rainbow striped suit.
The whole church gaped. Mercutio waved and laughed. Allegra smiled too. She seemed somewhat...proud, of Mercutio. Micro giggled and laughed. Paris' parents looked furious. Adelaide and Escalus looked like they were despairing. Valentine shook his head and sank backwards onto the pews. Grinning, Mercutio ignored his family and sat down next to the Montagues. That way, he got to sit with his friends, and avoid a lecture.
"Mercutio! You look super sexy today!" giggled Hermia.
"I know! I'm hot stuff!"
"Mercutio just looks so dull when he wears normal clothes," explained Allegra, as she readjusted her own lilac dress, "It's better when he's true to himself. Right Wooshy-wo?"
"Right, Wally-wegra!"
Paris arrived with his best man. He took one look at Mercutio, and looked like he was about to cry.
"Someone get a picture of his face!" snorted Gabriel.
"Ssh," said Amparo. With the church full, the only thing they had to wait for now was the bride herself. Helena's mother and uncles and aunts and cousins were sitting in places of honour across from the royal family. They wore the sky blue, cream, and gold of their family colours.
The church fell silent, and stood up as a mark of respect. Amparo strained her eyes, and saw the girl entering the church. Unlike most of the offspring of the royal family, and the Capulets and the Montagues, Helena was quiet and well-behaved, which meant that Amparo did not know her very well. She had definitely seen her, of course. She was very tall, but had a face like a Greek goddess. Her hair was light golden blonde and curled and her eyes were like little bluebells. If she had the confidence and bravery, she could have easily stood up to Rosaline as a rival beauty queen. Amparo glanced over, and saw how Gabriel's sister had clammed up at the so-called threat. She snorted. Women could be so stupid.
The dress itself, which had been a topic of debate for the past several weeks, was loose, but clung to Helena's tall frame in the right places, before reaching out in a long train. It was white, of course, and made of frothy light silk. It seemed to Amparo that it was floating, by the way Helena walked and it billowed around her. Several of the boys had done a double-take, shocked at the sudden transformation of this usually gawky girl.
Princess Sofia scampered along behind her, dropping little petals from her basket. She wore a similar floaty dress, but of pale gold, to conform to both Helena and Paris' family colours. Escalus smiled proudly at his little princess, and when her role was done, she rushed to the pew where he sat, and climbed up on his lap.
Everything was perfect. Everything was calm. Amparo decided to let her guard down. Angelo and Gabriel were behaving themselves. The Capulets and Montagues were abiding to their truce. The Yorkist and the Lancasters were too busy watching the proceedings to start rowing over who had the right to wear the crown, as it perched proudly on Edward's head. Henry gazed upon the altar, looking peaceful in the home of God.
Mercutio had other ideas.
He pulled out a deflated pool toy, and began to blow into it. Before long, an inflatable shark sat on the pew next to him. He stood up.
"Who shall I throw it at?" he whispered to Benvolio.
"No one! Put it down!" hissed Benvolio.
"The Capulets! The Capulets!" giggled Romeo, "Chuck it at your dear old father-in-law!"
"Do it! Do it!" urged Allegra eagerly, "Drive him mad!"
"He's not my father-in-law yet," replied Mercutio. But none the less, he picked up the shark and aimed it at Tancredo Capulet. It missed, in fact, it missed the Capulets entirely, and landed in the middle of the group of seats where Amparo sat. The Fulgencios all gasped, and ducked. Alexei was startled, and began to cry. Gabriel rocked him, but the whole church turned around to glare at them.
"Stop giving me evils, it was Mercutio who set him off by throwing a goddamn inflatable shark," snapped Gabriel, when the stares began too much.
"Gabriel, stop blaspheming in a church!" Angelo instructed.
The bride and groom looked horrified. Escalus was slowly turning red with anger. Mercutio got up, fetched the shark, and went to sit back down. Helena looked somewhat upset. Hermia sensed this, and scolded Mercutio. Amparo heard her furious whisper.
"...she's been through enough, let her have this one happy day...even if it is Paris she's getting hitched too..."
Alexei quietened down too, and snuggled against Gabriel. Gabriel ran his hand through his son's platinum blond hair, gently feeling how soft it was. Alexei's hair was a little darker than Gabriel's. It had more of a golden tint to it, so that he looked like his aunt, Rosaline.
Calm resonated over the church again. Friar Lawrence droned on, and on. It was very hot that day. Amparo's skin prickled uncomfortably. A warm lull fell upon the church. Finally, Friar Lawrence turned to the audience.
"If any person can show just cause why they should not be joined together, speak now or forever hold your peace."
There was a pause, as always, whilst he waited for someone to speak up.
And silence, as expected. No one was going to speak up. Who would? Friar Lawrence opened his mouth to begin the rest of the ceremony, when...
It broke.
"I object!" cackled a voice.
The congregation turned around. Standing in the doorway of the church, was none other than the man who had forced Hermia Capulet to the ground and taken her like the animal he was, had tried to steal away little Eliseo Montage and claim him for his own before the child was even born, who had broken Helena's heart, who had brutally attacked Gabriel Fulgencio's dance partner, Lavinia Andronicus, killed Bassianus in a street fight, and committed many, many more crimes that he had gone unpunished for.
It was Demetrius Menelaus.