"Mercutio! Mercutio, what are you doing here?"
Mercutio approached them on the street where Allegra lived. He had been coming to see Allegra, not them, and Abram had been following him.
"'Tis not a night for shouting in the streets, gents," Mercutio said. "Allegra may still be asleep. I must go see if she is, or else I shall probably die. Pardon me."
"Nay, nay!" the men all warned him. Mercutio tried to step toward Allegra's home, but his friends stepped in front of him, blocking his way wherever he turned.
"What ails all of you?" Mercutio asked, crossing his arms. "One would swear the plague had hit this house."
"If only," one Montague muttered.
"Say not that, Allegra liveth there!" said another.
Abram was annoyed. "Mercutio, what have I been trying to tell thee since thou left thy house? You cannot go to Allegra's home to-night! There is a dangerous meeting therein!"
"What about?" Mercutio asked all his friends.
They were no longer paying attention to him, though, for out of Allegra's door, Tybalt and a dozen other Capulets were coming, all of them armed and fuming. The Montagues (all but Benvolio) drew their swords, and glanced at Mercutio with wide eyes, as if begging him to lend them a hand. He had no sword.
"Why, shall you fight Tybalt, Mercutio?" asked one of them, and the others shouted "Yea" in encouragement.
Mercutio had been in lost in his own daydream for a moment. He snapped back to Earth and blinked. "Wha? Nay, nay. I've no interest in Tibby. 'Tis his cousin I want."
Benvolio actually shouted, "What? You must!" and so did a few others.
"Why, Ben!" Mercutio said, his eyes widening. "I did not think there would be a day when you encouraged me to fight."
"You are the only man here who can ward off Tybalt," Benvolio said, putting a hand on Mercutio's shoulder. "Come now, Mercutio, he is an angry man, and will show no mercy; we came here seeking a peaceful meeting!"
"Ben!" Mercutio said, growing impatient. "I must find Allegra or I shall explode! You are the Montagues here! I shall not bother Tibby to-night! He has not challenged me, and I need not challenge him." He jerked Benvolio's hands off of his sleeve and took off toward Allegra's window. When he reached it, Allegra was not there, which bothered him. He wondered what her role in this meeting was, and what it was about. She had told him nothing of a meeting through the notes she had been sending him for the past five long days. He picked up a stone and threw it at her window. No answer. He heard his friends calling his name, and saw Tybalt stalking toward him out of the corner of his eye. He said nothing to greet them and picked up another stone.
"Darest thou tread on Capulet soil, mongrel?"
Mercutio knew Tybalt was bound to challenge him, but did not look at him as he came near to him. "I am no Montague, Tibby." Mercutio saw everyone else coming.
Tybalt was near enough to shove Mercutio and roughly did so. "Thou art no better. Off my land, street dog!"
Mercutio collected himself. "Pardon me, good Tibby, King of Cats?" he said, cupping a hand around his ear. "Thou speak'st, but all I hear is 'MEOW MEOW MEOW!'"
Tybalt did not have the faintest idea what Mercutio meant, but knew it was an insult and was therefore mad. The Montagues, having crowded around Mercutio, all cheered for their friend. The Capulets cheered for their cousin and leader. Tybalt's sword was already drawn. Judging by the look on his face, he had not forgotten Mercutio's defeating him.
"Have at thee," Tybalt demanded.
"Ehh," Mercutio said, throwing another rock at Allegra's window. "I think I shall ignore thee."
The Montagues groaned and kicked the ground.
"Ha! Thou hast denied me a fight!" Tybalt cried, prompting another round of cheers from his cousins. "Why, brave Mercutio, thou dost disappoint -"
"Meow," Mercutio said, still not paying attention.
Tybalt had something to say he thought was clever and did not give up. "I -"
"Me-ow," Mercutio said in sing-song, throwing another rock.
"I -" Tybalt began again.
"-meow-"
"-did-"
"-meow-"
"-not-"
"-meow-"
"-think-"
"-meow-"
" -thee-"
"-meow- "
"- oh, enough!" Tybalt exploded.
"Meow. Hiss," Mercutio said flatly, hoping for an end to their conversation.
The Montagues were all laughing and quite proud of Mercutio. The Capulets looked as furious as Tybalt.
"I say, have at thee!" Tybalt said.
"I say, 'good evening'," Mercutio said.
"Thou art afraid!" called Theobald from the crowd.
"Ay, no better than a Montague is the coward Mercutio!" chuckled Ricardo.
That word set off an explosion in Mercutio, but these were Allegra's brothers. He did not want to pick a fight with them, at least not now. He just wanted to see her.
When Mercutio made no slick comeback, his friends stepped in for him. Their desperate insults consisted mostly of 'thy mother's and thumb-biting, and only when Abram stepped up and spoke alone did the Montagues sound threatening.
"My master's kinsmen fear thy family not, Ricardo, thou cretin!"
Ricardo scoffed, very unafraid. His carelessness offended Abram, and he kicked dirt at Ricardo. It landed in Ricardo's eyes, and after Ricardo wiped them, they were red.
"Step back, beggar!" Tybalt shouted, sliding in front of his cousin. The Montagues and the Capulets all barked insults at each other at once.
Mercutio turned his attention away from the window.
"'Beggar', Tybalt?" he called, and Tybalt crossed his arms. "Canst thou not tell a petty beggar from a servant of the great Montagues?"
Tybalt did reply, but Mercutio did not notice, for the window opened, and there Allegra was. She ducked under, probably hoping not to be seen by Tybalt. Mercutio's blooded heated up.
"The Montagues are as great as thou art, idiot Mercutio!" Tybalt was saying.
"Ay," Mercutio said, feeling confidence swell up inside him, "and as thou knowest, I am very great."
Tybalt cracked his knuckles. "Very foolish."
'With a family like yours, sir, I am sure you know foolishness well."
"Mind thy tongue!" Tybalt warned.
The Montagues all looked pleased at this. "Lick him! Lick him!"
Mercutio fluffed out his unruly hair and licked his finger. "Gladly," he said in a breathy voice. He ran his wet finger down Tybalt's front, and Tybalt's shout of rage was only not heard because of the Montagues' shouts of joy and praise.
"Thou rat Mercutio!" Theobald yelled.
"Thou rat of rats!" Tybalt added.
Mercutio took the sword of a friend and waved it in Tybalt's face so the light it created was nauseating. "Why, if I am a rat, King of Cats…come catch me!"
Tybalt tried his hardest, and Mercutio tried his hardest to impress. He caught a few glimpses of Allegra, whom no one else appeared to notice. Her smile was airy and light, and he wanted nothing more than to see it up close rather than from far below.
Unfortunately, he dwelled on this thought for too long. Allegra's gasp was the last thing he heard before a terrible, icy pain entered his sword wrist, which Tybalt had twsited in horrifying power while he had been looking away. He found himself actually crying out, and he closed his eyes and fell back into the arms of his friends. He noticed the Capulets praising Tybalt and jumping with glee, and gritted his teeth.
He would not lose in front of her.
He swore and charged Tybalt. He fought right-handed, which was not so easy for him, but to even try to move his left wrist made him shudder. The cheers from each family doubled in sound as he pranced around and blocked every thrust from Tybalt. When he got the chance to push his opponent down, he took advantage of it, and Tybalt looked up at him with such extreme hate that he felt quite proud of himself.
Then, though, Tybalt kicked him. His foot (which was nearly as big as Mercutio's face) struck Mercutio's left arm and knocked his sword to the ground. Mercutio rushed to pick it up, first with his left hand, which he regretted very much, and then with his right hand. Tybalt stood up and pushed Mercutio down.
"Farewell, rat," Tybalt said, taking Mercutio's sword and raising it. Mercutio had accidentally put the weight on his left hand. He was paralyzed. He could not get up. The thought the last thing he would feel was the shame of losing to Allegra's cousin -
"OW! What in the world -?"
Mercutio opened one eye. Allegra was at her window, eyebrows high, and Tybalt was rubbing at the back of his head. The Montagues all waved up at her, and her family all had their fists clenched to purpleness.
"Allie!" Ricardo yelled. "Why?"
Allegra pulled a dunce face. "What, Ricardo? I have but dropped this stone."
"And lost the Capulets their victory, thou little demon!" Tybalt snarled.
"Oi!" said Mercutio, but Benvolio kicked him and he knew he should be quiet. He had no problem with this; as it occurred to him what Allegra had just done, he did not wish to defend her.
"Thou shouldst not fight now, anyway," Allegra said. "The Montagues are guests to-night!"
Just then, a man's voice sounded from the house.
"Thirty minutes hath run out," Theobald muttered.
Tybalt was pulled away by his cousins, but he did not tear his eyes away from Mercutio. Once the Capulets were gone, Mercutio was helped up by the Montagues.
"I am fine, I am fine!" Mercutio cried, brushing his friends away with his unharmed wrist. "Go to your meeting, boys. Tibby waits for thee."
The Montagues always found joy in the name 'Tibby'. They bid Mercutio farewell, all except Benvolio, who opened his mouth, ready to say more.
"To-morrow, Benvolio," Mercutio said.
Benvolio nodded and followed his cousins away.
Mercutio looked up. Allegra had gone from her window again, and he was glad. His pride had been trampled in front of her, and it was all because of her 'rescuing' him. He was going to go home and have Bruna tend to his wrist, but then -