The Prince & Me

'Tis the East

Days went by, and the "Carmines" were having a great time—eating junk food, riding rollercoasters, playing video games, and whatever else they pleased. Eliza easily beat her brothers and their friends in every sport they offered—football, basketball, baseball, soccer, and everything in between. Ben was quickly becoming a video game champion, gaining the high scores on all of the games the boys owned. Helen, Aurora and Mary loved taking nature hikes and walking around without a care in the world.

One day, while helping the freshmen train, Conner got into a conversation with M'gann. "Garfield's having a little trouble with his English assignments.", she explained to him. "I was wondering if you could help me tutor him." Conner shrugged his shoulders. "Sure. Why not?"
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"Romeo & Juliet: Act Two, Scene Two. The famous balcony scene." Conner scanned the page as he got down on one knee before M'gann. "What light through yonder window breaks?", he recited, looking up at M'gann. "'Tis the east, and Juliet is the sun!" He looked at her, examining her features as he recited his next lines. "Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief, that thou, her maid, art more fair than she."

As he spoke, he felt his gaze turn lovingly, as he thought of how beautiful she was. Soon, he was really meaning every word he spoke, as if it were his lines instead of a fictional character's. "Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, having some business, do entreat her eyes to twinkle in their spheres till they return. What if her eyes were there, they in her head? The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars as daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven would through the airy region of a stream so bright that birds would sing and think it were not night. See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand! O, that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek!"

He got up on both feet and took a step closer. "She speaks; O, speak again, bright angel!" Trying and failing to hide her blush, M'gann looked at her copy of the book and recited her line. "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 will no longer be a Capulet!  'Tis only thy name that is my enemy.  That of which we call a rose, by any other name, would smell just as sweet."

Garfield and Mr. Carr were both on the ends of their seats as the aliens continued their scene. "Parting is such sweet sorrow,", M'gann said, gazing into Conner's beautiful baby blue eyes. "That I shall say good night till it be morrow." "Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast! Would I were to sleep and peace, so sweet to rest!", Conner said, gazing back into her gorgeous honey-tone orbs. "Hence I will to my ghostly father's cell, his help to crave, and my dear hap to tell."

Carr clapped his hands as loud as he could. "That was amazing!", he cried. "It was like you were actually Romeo and Juliet!" They both blushed. "Thanks." Gar sat up. "Y'know, things would've gone off better if Juliet's dad hadn't tried to marry her off to that stuck-up Count Paris." "Garfield, it was the Renaissance.", Carr told him. "Arranged marriages were very common in Europe back then. In fact, they're still common in some cultures today."

"But that's not fair!", Gar protested. "Who wants to spend the rest of their life with a person that they don't love and probably don't even like?" Conner thought back to his birthday ball, where Miles had introduced Apple, a princess who he learned was his betrothed only seconds after meeting her for the first time. He couldn't believe his parents would ask him to do such a thing. He couldn't imagine a life with a stranger as his wife. "Y'know what, Gar? I couldn't agree more."
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"Conner, what is it?" He filed all his brothers and sisters into his room before poking his head out. He looked both ways to make sure no one was there and then shut the door tight. "Conner, what is this all about?", Helen asked. "Why did you bring us in here?" "Yeah! I was on Level 47 of Super-Mega-Awesomeness 5!", Ben whined. Conner stood tall. "Guys, I've thought this over long and hard, and I've made up my mind. I've decided I'm not going to marry Apple."

Jason spit out his soda. Mary fell off the bed. Eliza jumped to her feet. "WHAT?!" Helen found herself unable to move as she gaped at Conner. "Y-You're going to DEFY our father's wishes?!" Conner sighed as he ran a hand through his thick black hair. "I just can't go through with it. I don't love Apple. I'm in love with someone else. It wouldn't be fair to me or to her if we got married."

"So, what are you going to do?" Conner let out a deep, soothing breath. "After I tell M'gann the truth, I'm going to ask her to marry me." "You're going to ask for Mom and Dad's permission and blessing first, right?", Ben asked him. Conner shook his head. "No, just for their blessing. I'll marry her either way." Jason stood on his feet, hardly able to believe this was happening. "Do you have any idea what you're going to do?!" Conner only smirked. "Someone has to do it."