Ho man.
Hooooo man, you guys.
Hadestown.
I'm basically just rewriting R&J at this point.
Enjoy.
♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤
~ Friar Laurence's PoV ~
It had been five days, and the young Capulet's illness had yet to disappear. She'd been here at my cottage for the last three due to the intensity of her symptoms. I worried for the health of others in her home if she stayed there.
"F-Friar?" I heard a faint call from the room I'd designated as hers.
"Yes, my child?"
"I'm cold..."
Juliet's favorite activity as of late was to be wrapped in a bundle of blankets next to the fire on a summer day, but her fever was through the roof.
"I know, my dear, but I can't let your temperature grow any higher, or you may die. I am truly sorry," I explained, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Is there any word when Romeo will be back?" she asked. Again.
"Not yet."
~ Time skip brought to you by Chant ~
"Juliet?"
"Come in."
It concerned me how weak her voice had become. Each word seemed to strain her throat and tongue so much that I feared they'd crack.
"I need to tell you something, my child..."
The sick girl turned towards me, revealing her hallowed cheeks and unhealthily pale skin. She had dark bags under her eyes due to her insomnia and constant temperature changes. She was shivering even now, in the blaring heat of a Verona summer.
"I'm ready, Friar. I believe I know what you're going to tell me and I wish for you to say it," she deadpanned.
"Are you certain you want to hear it?"
"Yes."
I took a deep, shaky breath.
"Very well... Miss Capulet, you don't have much time left. I give you ten days at best."
Juliet nodded sullenly. She didn't cry. She didn't scream. She hardly looked afraid.
That worried me more than anything else.
~ Time skip brought to you by Hey Little Songbird ~
Two days later, Juliet was distraught.
Four days later, Juliet was worried.
Six days later, Juliet was stressed.
Nine days later, Juliet was panicking.
The one thing she said she needed to do before she went was to see her lover's face again. Her family had all said their goodbyes (some more tearfully than others), and Tybalt had offered to stay with her, but she refused. I was unsure whether that was because she didn't want him to get sick or because she wanted Romeo to be the last face she saw.
Of course, that was the one thing I couldn't guarantee.
Romeo left several months before her illness had begun, and no one quite knew why. There were only rumors. Some believed, optimistically, that he'd left to find his fortune somewhere so he and Juliet could live a comfortable life on their own terms. Others considered the possibility that he had found another woman and forgotten about Juliet. As much as I tried to convince myself this was not the case, I had no proof.
Neither did Juliet as she went.
She called his name weakly before she silenced. Maybe she thought she saw him there. Maybe she was simply calling. I shall never know, because her lips have been sealed by the coffin and ground she lays in.
Romeo, wherever he was, was too late.
~ Romeo's PoV and time skip ~
If it weren't for the familiarity of the buildings and streets, I wouldn't have known I was in Verona. There were no people outside. The silence was deafening. All I could remember on these streets was the bustle and noise of summer, but now there was no one here but me and the silence.
The quiet was not so much a lack of sound as a presence of something else, dulling the beauty and suffocating the vibrant life that used to fill the town. As I approached the fountain in the square, I was baffled and terrified by the man sitting there.
It took me a moment to register him by his name. Despite his anger he always used to seem full of energy, but now he seemed nothing more than a corpse.
"Tybalt?"
His head shot up. He glowered at me, a shard of steel flying from his eyes into mine.
I had never seen Tybalt Capulet this furious.
"SHE NEEDED YOU!" He shouted, standing up.
"What?"
"You heard me, you bitch. Don't pretend like you don't know."
I took a step back in confusion and slight fear for my life. If Tybalt had a sword on him, I was positive I'd be dead.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but I'd like to see my fiance. Where is she?" I asked, taking a cheery tone despite my better judgement. The thought of Juliet often refused to let me feel anything other than pure joy.
"What do you care? You'll find another girl somewhere," Tybalt snarled.
"Where is she?" I asked again. The abundance of venom and lack of fire in his tone of voice was unsettling, and I was getting apprehensive.
"I suppose you need to know..."
I grabbed Tybalt by the shoulders (something I never thought I'd do) and turned him to face me.
"Wherever she is is where I'll go. Tell me."
(A/N: if you haven't played the song in the media yet, you probably want to do that. The rest of this interaction kinda depends on the lyrics.)
"What if I said she's down below?"
I froze. "... down below?"
"Down below. Six feet under the ground below," he nodded. Tybalt pulled away from me and began walking out of the square.
"She called your name before she went." He looked over his shoulder at me, sneering. "But I guess you weren't listening."
With that, he was gone. That left me, the silence, and my overwhelming grief.
I knew for a long time that people doubted my loyalty to Juliet. The more I thought about it, the more I worried she believed the same thing. Now I'd never know.
All I did know was how far I'd go for her. To the end of time. To the end of the Earth.
The walk to the cemetary was uneventful. People glared at me from their windows, but I ignored it. They weren't important. My mind had detached, performing functions on autopilot so the rest of it could float up into the clouds and drown in the cold mist.
I only pulled it back down when I saw her name. It was in giant silver letters in black slate, beautiful and terrifying just like her. I dashed toward the stone, dropping to my knees in tears when I reached it.
My mind reeled for a moment to find something to say to her. I'm sorry? I never should've left? I love you?
"Wait for me, I'm coming! Wait, I'm coming with you! Wait for me, I'm coming too! I'm coming too..."
Attempt number one was a snakebite. A traveller from another city found him lying paralyzed in the forest, claiming to have heard eerie singing from that direction.
Attempt number two was poison. Benvolio heard singing from his home in time and brought him to Friar Laurence, who used an herbal solution to pull the deadly contents from his stomach.
Attempt number three was beginning in a forest an hour's journey from the city.
Romeo Montague sat on the highest branch of the tallest tree he knew. His thoughts swirled around him, nearly tangible in the crisp night air, shouting and pushing and expanding until they threatened to completely envelop him in their chaotic embrace.
You're broken, they said. You're damaged. You're cracked and shattered and melted and bruised. You can't stay here.
And Romeo agreed.
Willing himself to move, he stood up, planting a trembling hand on the tree trunk next to him. He felt the wind whip up as he raised his face to the sky.
The moon was shining down at him. It was surreal and enchanting, the same as it had been when he first met her...
Her.
That's what this was about. "Her" is the reason he's here, and anyone could guess it. But this time was going to be different. This time it was going to work.
As Romeo closed his eyes, he found himself singing the ever-familiar notes, albeit more rushed than they had been in the past.
"Wait for me, I'm coming! Wait, I'm coming with you! Wait for me, I'm coming too! I'm coming t-"
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Hahahaha.
I'm not sorry.
Adieu, faeries. May you never look back.