Is the Law of Our Side?: Part Three

"When valour preys on reason, it eats the sword it fights with."

November 12th

The validity of Contessa Capulet's will was expected to dominate the second day of the trial. Goneril had concluded the first day with a cautious switch of tactics, and she had begun the second convinced that the will was invalid and thus could not be contested or consulted. She believed a favorable resolution would come more quickly if her mother's will was set aside. Afterward, Goneril would be generous enough to return her portion of the profits, that the estate might be divided up legally (which, in her view, would be just as it had been) by the Court. She had no concerns there, not when all that was due Lady Capulet would finally be hers. 

Naturally, the opposing side was against invalidating the will. Though she believed a fair hearing from Lady Iden was possible, Juliette was not so green as to not see how the court's discretion could be bent to serve other considerations. Fitzwilliam expressed all the indignation of a scholar, packed to bursting as he was with information he believed must contradict such an abuse of law. Of course, there would have been no call for indignation if he did not know that facts could be overcome. Facts were the cornerstones of their argument. If facts were overlooked in this trial, Juliette's cause was doomed.

Fair Sun

Author's note: The images in this chapter are not necessarily literal illustrations of the text.

"A heaven on earth I have won by wooing thee." 

October 1st

Verona had extinguished the last embers of summer. Each day, sun and warmth grew more scarce. Frost would soon blanket the northernmost regions. It would not take long for the cold air and cool light to sweep south and stake winter's claim. Paulina and Mercutio, however, were still living in the warmth of summer. A skeptic could have pointed to the cozy chamber and overlarge fireplace with which they were spending this night, just as they had for most of their short marriage. The poet would have looked to the couple. And, as it so happened, they were very fond of poetry.

By This Dear Encounter

"He is the half part of a blessed man, left to be finished by such as she."

December 20th

"M'lady," the servant pleaded, "Lord Mercutio doesn't like to be disturbed here."

"Then it's very good that I am a visitor and not a disruption, isn't it?"

"If m'lady would agree to wait while I see-"

"She will not," the lady snapped.

"But this is the family wing, part of Lord Mercutio and Lord Romeo's private quarters!"

"So I gathered from your previous hysterics!" No indignant serving man would stop her. Mercutio Montague was reputed as a clever young man. She wanted to know how much of that was owed to preparation. Ignoring every instruction on manners she had ever heard, she slammed the door shut between herself and the servant.

Swear Not by the Moon: Part Two

August 19th

"Such is my love, to thee I so belong, that for thy right myself will bear all wrong."

"What in the world?"

Flowers. Everywhere, flowers. Surely, some poor garden somewhere had been denuded for this as the flowers were fresh. It was absolutely lovely, but she couldn't understand it. Paulina noticed a touch of soil in the heavy floral scent. Lady Montague and Lady Bianca kept a very tidy house. If either of them knew their furnishings had been covered with uprooted flowers, they would be very angry. And who would ever think of such a silly thing? Beatrice was meant to be the only one at home, and while she was prone to an odd display on occasion, this...

This was not Beatrice at all.

Swear Not by the Moon: Part One

August 12th
   

"O God, that man should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains!"

"Merc," Romeo said, "you're coming out with us. Get up."

The Traffic of Our Stage

"Exit, pursued by a bear."

July 5th

The experience of months of rehearsals and a premiere performance seemed all for naught. The cast and crew of Who is The Gatekeeper? were in upheaval. The costumers were so far backed up that the stagehands had been called in to fix buttons and hems and hair. Finding things not been carefully reset after last night, Ann was re-organizing the sets and props herself. The few stagehands left to her mostly stood around her, insisting they had not made this mess. Morgaine was ambassador to the various provinces of this kingdom of insanity. As she ran to and fro, she shouted out warnings and reminders to anyone who had ears.

After learning a lesson last night, when she barely finished being dressed before the curtain went up, Belle Norman had arrived very early. She was among the first to be ready tonight. However, this had created a problem of a different sort: Belle had more time than she knew what to do with and no-one to spend it with.

A Stranger in the World

"Thou know’st the first time that we smell the air we wawl and cry."

June 15th

Sitting in the Governors' Chamber for the first time gave Mercutio all the feelings he had expected: anticipation, satisfaction, nausea. Of course, his nausea was nothing to the gut-emptying plague his uncle was currently enjoying. Mercutio felt no remorse. If Antonio didn't drink to the point of hallucinating most nights, slipping in a soured batch wouldn't have been so easy. If he had spent less time reveling in his newly found majesty, Antonio would have had the time to decide on a loyal proxy rather than be forced by sheer necessity to send Mercutio in his place to today's session.

Till We Can Clear These Ambiguities

"When clouds appear, wise men put on their cloaks."

January 4, 1519

For some of the Montague family, life had taken a turn for the better. Benedick was relieved to know he was going to the Académie. Quite enjoying his new status, Antonio was never seen without a puffed up chest. Beatrice's attitude had improved dramatically once she heard a certain odious wedding would no longer eclipse her birthday. It had even prompted her to vow to never mention the matter again, and she was finding life was much more pleasant this way. She was the star of the birthday celebration she was sharing with her twin.

An Old Accustomed Feast: Part Three

"Nothing emboldens sin so much as mercy."

December 25th

Fitzwilliam was relieved to sit down to supper. Supper meant Juliette was halfway to taking her first breath of the evening. No logic or inconsistency, down to the clothes on his back, affected her fright. To his last argument, she said the light fabric would make him easier to find - there ended the matter. Georgiana also looked in need of a deep breath after a sudden mood shift. If they weren't spending the night at the Manor, he would have been looking for an early end to the night.

The Night Before Christmas

December 24th

'Twas the night before Christmas when all through a duchy,

Known for its people who were often quite touchy,

Every pillow hid coins that glistened and gleamed,

A trick to help sleepers control what they dreamed

Now is the Mad Blood Stirring

"Delays have dangerous ends."

June 27th

On another day, watching Romeo spar with Benedick might have been amusing. Romeo was slim and fast, with an almost supernatural ability to lean and thrust at odd angles. He was a challenging opponent for his brother when Romeo could be bothered to practice. Benedick's form was also heavily reliant on leaning - as a means of survival. At sixteen, he fought like a novice, swinging his sword like a baby with a toy. Once or twice, by pure luck, he had beat Romeo back. He had spent the rest of the exercise avoiding a friendly flaying.

This Bud of Love: Part Three

"Only my blood speaks to you"

May 4th
Continued from Part Two

If he had noticed the lonely book in the grass, Tybalt would have chosen another tree. He had wanted a place to sort his thoughts. Instead, he was stuck with a view that only scrambled them further.

This Bud of Love: Part Two

"You have bereft me of all words"

May 4th
Continued from Part One.

Romeo wasn't a nature lover, but where Rosaline went, he followed.

Unfortunately for Romeo, the lady neither wished for nor welcomed his presence. Rosaline had pledged to enter a convent once her sickly mother passed, having felt a calling to serve God from a young age. To Romeo, this seemed like a grievous waste of youth and good looks, and he was determined to convince the great love of his life to choose him instead. Two weeks into this non-relationship, Romeo had made no positive progress.

A Visor for a Visor

“Reputation is an idle and most false imposition."

April 26th

The library was unusually empty for such a late date in the term. Several days of rain had finally let up, and most of the students were anxious to get out of the dormitories, exams be damned. Tybalt had as much pent-up energy as the rest, but he was determined to swallow it. He had just over a week left in his studies, and he had been excruciatingly well-behaved for too many months to risk a night out.