Status: Finished.
Unlawful
Act II, Scene V.
"Gerard," Gabriella whisked down the dimly lit, mangy hallway, peeking through all the bars, looking for her beloved. "Gerard." Guys hollered and some spat at her, but it didn't deter her, and when she finally came to the very last cell, she saw him, dirtied and huddled up in the corner. It was more than obvious he'd been beat before being tossed in there for the night.
"Gabriella," he murmured, pulling himself up and stumbling over to the gate where she was standing, in all her perfect glory. He sobbed softly and reached tentative fingers through the bars to touch her cheek, her own tears wetting his fingers. "I need to get out," he whispered raspily. "They're going to kill me."
She leaned into his touch slightly. "I know, Gerard, I know. I'm here to get you out." Gabriella looked around, to find the key hanging on a hook on the wall, close enough to the cells themselves to taunt the prisoners, but far enough away that they'd never get it, even in their dizziest daydreams. She snatched it from the hook and shoved the key into the half-rusted lock, twisting it quickly, eyeing the door.
"What 'bout us, love?" one of the other prisoners, a few cells down, called out to her, pressing his cheek against the bar. Gabriella paid no mind and turned the key the other way, to which the gate came from its locked position and popped out a few inches.
"What if we're caught?" Gerard asked frantically, taking the key and putting it back onto the hook. "I'll be killed. You'll be killed. Please don't sacrifice yourself for me." The last bit was strained and quiet, but Gabriella still heard, turning to Gerard to press a soft kiss to his tear-wet lips.
"We'll always be together," she assured him, backing up the stairs slowly, holding onto his hand as she did, bringing him with her. "Even if it's in death, my love." She smiled at him shakily and turned around, making sure the coast was clear as she opened the door, revealing the back end of the city, the sun just beginning to peak over the mountains on the horizon.
They had to make their break for the woods on the west end quick.
Using the last remnants of night, they snuck through the shadows quietly, carefully avoiding the well-trained eyes of the farmers who'd gotten up early to make sure no fox had come in the night to feast on their animals, and the vegetable pickers, who didn't want to wait until the middle of the day when it would be the hottest, to do their jobs.
They'd just touched to the sandstone west end wall when the sun had fully peaked over the mountains and they knew they were out of time. It was now or never. "Gerard," Gabriella said softly. "I love you."
"I love you too," he whispered, stealing a quick kiss, dropping down onto his knees, so he could crawl though the rain-water drainpipe that went through the bottom of the wall, as it obviously had ample space to let him crawl through easily. Perhaps even the both of them at the same time, could.
But he wasn't able to go any further, as he was grabbed and hauled to his feet, and definitely not by Gabriella. He was in a daze as he was turned around by a soldier, Gabriella getting the same treatment just beside him, but evidently struggling more. "Get off me!" She thrashed wildly, and a second soldier came to the aid of the one already holding her tightly, her arms behind her back. "Do you know who I am?!"
"You're a disgrace." Gerard looked away from his unlikely love to the direction where the feminine monotone came from, to see the queen standing there, looking nothing less than livid. But it didn't show in her voice.
She took two brisk steps toward her daughter and smacked her hard across the face, before simply turning and walking away, until she was about ten paces away, where she faltered and turned around, looking at both Gerard and Gabriella, not with remorse, but a wicked satisfaction.
"Kill them both."
"Gabriella," he murmured, pulling himself up and stumbling over to the gate where she was standing, in all her perfect glory. He sobbed softly and reached tentative fingers through the bars to touch her cheek, her own tears wetting his fingers. "I need to get out," he whispered raspily. "They're going to kill me."
She leaned into his touch slightly. "I know, Gerard, I know. I'm here to get you out." Gabriella looked around, to find the key hanging on a hook on the wall, close enough to the cells themselves to taunt the prisoners, but far enough away that they'd never get it, even in their dizziest daydreams. She snatched it from the hook and shoved the key into the half-rusted lock, twisting it quickly, eyeing the door.
"What 'bout us, love?" one of the other prisoners, a few cells down, called out to her, pressing his cheek against the bar. Gabriella paid no mind and turned the key the other way, to which the gate came from its locked position and popped out a few inches.
"What if we're caught?" Gerard asked frantically, taking the key and putting it back onto the hook. "I'll be killed. You'll be killed. Please don't sacrifice yourself for me." The last bit was strained and quiet, but Gabriella still heard, turning to Gerard to press a soft kiss to his tear-wet lips.
"We'll always be together," she assured him, backing up the stairs slowly, holding onto his hand as she did, bringing him with her. "Even if it's in death, my love." She smiled at him shakily and turned around, making sure the coast was clear as she opened the door, revealing the back end of the city, the sun just beginning to peak over the mountains on the horizon.
They had to make their break for the woods on the west end quick.
Using the last remnants of night, they snuck through the shadows quietly, carefully avoiding the well-trained eyes of the farmers who'd gotten up early to make sure no fox had come in the night to feast on their animals, and the vegetable pickers, who didn't want to wait until the middle of the day when it would be the hottest, to do their jobs.
They'd just touched to the sandstone west end wall when the sun had fully peaked over the mountains and they knew they were out of time. It was now or never. "Gerard," Gabriella said softly. "I love you."
"I love you too," he whispered, stealing a quick kiss, dropping down onto his knees, so he could crawl though the rain-water drainpipe that went through the bottom of the wall, as it obviously had ample space to let him crawl through easily. Perhaps even the both of them at the same time, could.
But he wasn't able to go any further, as he was grabbed and hauled to his feet, and definitely not by Gabriella. He was in a daze as he was turned around by a soldier, Gabriella getting the same treatment just beside him, but evidently struggling more. "Get off me!" She thrashed wildly, and a second soldier came to the aid of the one already holding her tightly, her arms behind her back. "Do you know who I am?!"
"You're a disgrace." Gerard looked away from his unlikely love to the direction where the feminine monotone came from, to see the queen standing there, looking nothing less than livid. But it didn't show in her voice.
She took two brisk steps toward her daughter and smacked her hard across the face, before simply turning and walking away, until she was about ten paces away, where she faltered and turned around, looking at both Gerard and Gabriella, not with remorse, but a wicked satisfaction.
"Kill them both."
♠ ♠ ♠
The end! It's so sad. But when I thought of this story, the first thing that I thought of was the ending and it wasn't going to change at any point. I'm afraid these lovers were doomed before they even started.So, this story was pretty cheesy, and they fell in love damn fast, but, when I concieved this idea, I was reading Romeo and Juliet, and they fell in love after meeting each other once, and they were married in two days, and dead in four. So I wanted something romantic like that. No, I'm not comparing myself to Shakespeare, not in a million years.