Book 1: Romeo & Juliet

The Real Story of Romeo and Juliet, 600 Years Ago

Song: Sacrifice By: T.A.T.U.

"Can you tell me, softly
How you'll always haunt me
Can you help me
Hold me
Come to me now, slowly
You caress me, smoothly
Calm my fears and soothe me
Move your hands across me
Take my worries from me

/

I will sacrifice
I will sacrifice
All I have in life
To clear my conscience
I will sacrifice
I will sacrifice
All I have in life
Sacrifice, sacrifice"

First I'll give you just a little background. Yes, I am Aphrodite the Greek Goddess of Love. Juliet was a beautiful girl with brown hair and brown eyes who lived about 600 years ago. As she grew I knew that Juliet would have an epic love, even if Lady Artemis continued to plague her with clumsiness for being a favorite of mine. (Lady Artemis is the Greek Goddess of the Hunt and Chastity therefore Artemis and a certain Goddess of love do not get along well.) But enough about that:

I take you back to the day Romeo met Juliet.

It was a beautiful masquerade ball held at the Capulet Home in Verona. People of all ages dancing happily, in masks and costumes. Romeo, coming to attempt to get the attentions of Rosaline and Juliet, in search of Paris who wishes to marry her.

Juliet POV:

I was walking across the room when of course I tripped. Suddenly I was engulfed in the arms of a handsome man with raven black hair and ice blue eyes.

"Are you alright Miss-?"

"Juliet"

"Romeo." Romeo, what a nice name.

"Thank You, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." –Juliet

I started to walk away when he grabbed my hand and pulled me back. I felt an electric shock course through my veins and when I looked up I knew he felt it too.

"Would you be so kind as to do me the honor of dancing with me?" –Romeo

"Of course. Though you should know that I'm not the best dancer." I said with a little giggle. I absently thought about how I loved looking into his eyes and the feel of him holding me in his arms. Wait, love? Where did that thought come from?

After the dance I saw my parents talking to a young man, it must be Paris. I excused myself to go over to my parents. Just as Romeo's friend started to drag him off.

"Wait, when will I see you again?" –Romeo

"I'm not sure, but we'll find a way I promise." –Juliet

It was a while later when a small fight broke out and that was when we both discovered the horrible truth. Romeo, my Romeo is a Montague. The very enemy of my family, the Capulet's. We shared a long, heated glance at each other before his friends dragged him off and I excused myself from the party and ran to my room.

I stepped out onto my balcony and started talking, more to myself then anyone else.

"O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love
And I'll no longer be a Capulet." (actual quote)

(Lady Aphrodite: Yes, I admit it, I was the one to tell Shakespeare of their love story, You didn't think he came up with that one all on his own did you? Of course he did put his own spin on the story.)

"Juliet?"

"Romeo?"

I woke up the next morning, happy. It was last night after he climbed up to my balcony that I had my first kiss. It was last night I truly gave my heart away. It was last night that regardless to the wishes of either of our families we pledged to be with the other. It was last night that I found out that LOVE at first sight is real. And it's today that I will marry him.

It was only hours after the wedding that everything changed.

"Juliet, A terrible fight has happened between your two houses, Romeo has killed your dear cousin Tybalt after he killed Romeo's cousin Mercutio. The Prince of Verona has banished Romeo and your father seeks to have you wed Paris, for he doesn't know you are already married." -Nurse

That night Romeo and I were together for our wedding night, but the next morning he had to flee Verona. We followed the Friar Lawrence's plan with a few changes. I took the poison that would have me appear dead for 42 hours and fell into a deep sleep.

Aphrodite: What she didn't know was that the news of her 'death' reached Romeo before the Friar's plan did. He found her in the Capulet tomb thinking she was dead.

"O my love, my wife!
Death, that hath suck'd the honey of thy breath
Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty." – Romeo (actual quote)

It was then Romeo took the poison only to have Juliet awake from her slumber and find her love dead.

"Yea, noise? Then I'll be brief. O

happy dagger! This is thy sheath;

there rust, and let me die." – Juliet (actual quote)

And there one of the greatest loves died to be found by their warring families. Two star- crossed lovers, who both made the ultimate sacrifice for each other.

"A glooming peace this morning

with it brings; The sun, for

sorrow, will not show his head:

Go hence, to have more talk of

these sad things; Some shall be

pardon'd, and some punished:

For never was a story of more woe

Than this of Juliet and her Romeo." – The Prince of Verona (actual quote)

That day, their sacrifice touched me. I pledged to them that day I would not let their love end like that. I would not let death take this amazing love. And so I made it so that their love should have another chance. I did a 'spell' of sorts, their souls will continue to live on. So that they can find each other again, so that their love can live on. And when that time comes all will be remembered, all will be revealed. Little did I know the effect that this one blessing would have on the lives of so many.

And so the story continues…