It's A Love Story [Romeo]

[gabriella nicole of england]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] he's everything you want ( WORDS ) 890 ( TAGGED ) ROMEO VALENTINO OF ITALY( STATUS ) COMPLETE From the moment she crossed the threshold, anyone who happened to be observing Gabriella would easily have been able to see the tension melting from her shoulders. And, had the observer been a follower of the gossip on campus they would instantly know who she was and why she’d chosen a Saturday morning as well as this particular location to hide in. Ever since she’d been little, the Queen of England had forced all of her children into various lessons. Her daughters were going to become proper ladies, and as a result they’d taken instruction in needlepoint, penmanship, posture, etiquette and horseback riding, amongst many others. Of all of the lessons she’d been forced to take, only the horseback riding had really struck a chord within Gabriella. Ironically, her twin hadn’t shared her feelings, probably disliking it due to the dirt, smells and sweat involved with riding. It was partly because of this that the younger twin had come; she needed a break from looking over her shoulder, and her fiancée wouldn’t be bothering her here either. From the instant Dante had discovered horsepower, the living breathing creatures had taken a figurative backseat, and it was very unlikely that he would choose today to visit the barn. On her walk down the aisle, the brown haired girl handed out scratches and pats to all, occasionally pausing for an extra moment with a favourite. One such horse was an older chestnut thoroughbred gelding who had been at the school for as long as Bri could remember. He was a well-mannered beast and a particular favourite of the princesses, and though she didn’t have a clue who owned him, Bri did know his name was Sampson. She paused to present him with an apple slice, which she’d saved from breakfast. ”Poor boy. You just want some attention, don’t you?” When he nudged her hand in a search for more treats she laughed and gave him one more slice. “Well that wasn’t very gentlemanly of you! Alright, one more. But that’s the last one. We don’t want to spoil you too much, yeah?” Though her words might have seemed irritated if taken out of context, Gabriella was wearing a teasing grin and patting Sampson’s reddish shoulder affectionately. She’d been pretty tense ever since the story about Dante and her twin sister had been sprayed across the newspapers and texted to three quarters of the school, but the horses didn’t care who you were or whether your sister had been sleeping with your fiancée. They just wanted food, boundaries and love, which Gabriella was more than happy to provide. With a final stroke on Sampson’s shoulder the girl moved to the neighbouring stall, the one that housed her own Cleveland Bay mare, a kind creature by the name of Kalli. Bri had gotten her a year earlier and the two had instantly connected, their movements quickly adjusting to each other until the two had been completely in sync. This had prompted Gabriella to name the pretty mare after the oldest of the Greek Muses, the one of song, dance and eloquence. She haltered and led the almond coloured mare to the set of crossties in the aisle, rewarding her with a slice of apple and receiving a gentle bump on her arm in return. “You’re such a numpty Kalli, it’s a good thing I love you.” Her laugh filled the space inside the barn while she grabbed a currycomb and paused to give Kalli a kiss on the nose. “So, what do you think girly? Should we go for a ride? When her companion turned her head and slowly blinked her dark brown doe eyes, Bri chuckled. “I thought so.” As she curried in firm, circular strokes, the familiar action began to relax the muscles throughout her whole body, slowing and calming her mind from the frantic state it had been in for the past few weeks. The sounds and scents of the barn -combined with the warm feeling of Kalli’s body beneath the brush- began to have a very relaxing effect on the princess, soothing her whirling emotions. It was amazing how comforting the quiet presence of the horses were on Gabriella’s rattled psyche. By the time she had finished grooming the mare she paused to lean her forehead against Kalli’s warm hide, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. The curious horse turned her head and lipped at Gabriella’s sleeve, causing the girl to bite her lip and fend off the tears by briskly resuming what she’d been doing. Within another minute or two she’d slipped in and out of the tack room, carrying her dressage saddle on one arm with her bridle slung over the opposite shoulder. She murmured softly as she began securing the equipment, stopping again to let Kalli’s velvet muzzle lip another apple slice from her outstretched hand. It was then that the mare’s tawny ears pricked up alertly and focused on the sound of approaching footsteps, while Gabriella turned a little cold with dread. table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0

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[romeo valentino of italy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] OH MY JUST PLEASE TRY TO SHUT UP AND KISS ME BABY Tagged: gabriella nicole of england Outfit:here Status: complete. Horseback riding seemed to be ingrained in each of the royals, and Romeo was no different. His mother especially had forced the sport onto him at a young age, though in the beginning he’d started out on small Italian ponies. However, as he progressed, his father had specifically asked he learn to ride on the finest of horses, as his father had always been the type of man to only want the best and the most expensive. So, that’s where Paris had come in when Romeo was just the tender age of twelve. Paris was the strong, handsome Lipizzaner that Romeo had been given as both a birthday present and a “going off to Vineheart” present, and the horse had gone with him to the Academy in Montana. His mother had not been very pleased to hear to that Romeo had named his horse Paris, as she believed such a grand horse with aristocratic backgrounds should be named something better, but Romeo had done it as a joke; he figured if his mother was going to make him suffer with a name of a tragic lover, he’d make his horse suffer with him by having his name allude to the same play. Romeo had never thought he’d be one to be attached to an animal or something other than cigarettes, but it was safe to say that he really cared for Paris. The stallion was a wonderful creature, and had much of the same temperament as his rider: laid-back, calm, generally apathetic of most things in life. Romeo’s mother was horrified to learn that Romeo had no plans to show Paris, but Romeo had neither the time nor the care to make his horse do things like that; he knew the grey stallion would much rather ride the trails of Vineheart than be apart of silly competitions. Which was why Romeo tried his best to ride Paris as often as he could, designating at least two times a week to take his horse out for a few hours on the open trails of the surrounding forest. Montana seemed to be the perfect place for horseback riding, and Vineheart had well-kept, nice stables in place for the royals to keep their horses. It had been a week or two, however, since Romeo had been able to ride Paris, as he’d been swamped with royal duties in Italy before his move to Vineheart for his last year. But there was plenty on his mind that he needed to ride off, and he was sure Paris was going to be just as eager to hit the trails. So, he’d slipped on his essential riding pants and boots, pulled a grey sweater over his head, and brought a coat along just in case before heading out in the mid-autumn chill, his boots making a crunching noise against the dying grass. It was sunnier than expected, though, so he was glad at least that he’d made sure to bring his sunglasses as well, and he slipped the pair onto his face, knowing he probably looked all the more mysterious. Romeo had a tendency to look like a major bad boy, and though he pretended like he enjoyed it, in all honesty he didn’t really care; what people thought of him no longer mattered to him, not like it did when he first started out at Vineheart. As he approached the stables, it became apparent to him that he was not alone today, at least not like he usually was when he paid his horse a visit. He could hear the sounds of low murmuring, a light laugh here and there, and he was aware that it was the sound of a girl’s voice. Intrigued, Romeo leaned against the doorway and peered around the opening of the barn, catching sight of the brunette securing tack onto her horse. A second later, he was caught red-handed by the tawny horse, and the girl turned in his direction, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Instantly, he recognized her, not because of the gossip blog, but because she looked exactly like her sister, obviously since they were twins. It occurred to him that she seemed to be uneasy with the presence of another, and suddenly he knew exactly why she was here. “So this is where you’ve been hiding?” Romeo asked, a smirk twisting onto his lips. Though he had never really said more than a few words to Gabriella in the past four years, he knew how to tell her apart from Vivien, considering he’d dated Aubrey back in third year and Aubrey and Vivien came as a package deal. It was amusing to see how each girl coped with the recent gossip blast, and it amused him even further to know that he’d found the girl Dante had been looking for the past two days and had been unable to find. He considered telling Dante of his fiancé’s location, but then thought against it, realizing that if he had been in her place, he would have wanted an escape as well. created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[gabriella nicole of england]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] he's everything you want ( WORDS ) 587 ( TAGGED ) ROMEO VALENTINO OF ITALY ( STATUS ) COMPLETE With the exertion of cleaning her horse off and carrying her saddle, Gabriella’s body had heated up, leading her to remove her fall coat but keep her sweater and vest on for warmth. Her hands were also surprisingly warm, but much of that was probably because she’d had them in Kalli’s fur for the past several minutes. Upon quick examination it was obvious that the person was neither Vivien nor Dante, but she cast a subtle glance over the intruder’s shoulder to see if he was alone before even considering looking at him. Even with the sunglasses on she was able to tell who exactly the person was. It was Romeo, one of the Kings of Vineheart. His smirk gave him away, in all honesty. She wondered if he recognized her, and for an instant she thought not, but the amused expression on his face said otherwise. Mind you, he was one of Dante’s best mates so he probably would have seen her fiancée and sister together as they snuck in or out of his dorm. The thought made Gabriella’s stomach clench, and she found herself focusing on how different she and Vivien looked, as opposed to how similar they were. Despite sharing their hair and eye colour, the shape of their noses and their delicate features, Gabriella was a couple of inches taller with a slightly longer face and a more relaxed and open smile. Most people didn’t notice small things like that though because they only saw how similar the pair looked to each other. Romeo’s tone irked her more than it should have, and she wanted to deny his statement that she was hiding at all. Her words would have been blatantly transparent however, and they would only have served to embarrass her. Instead she turned her gaze to Kalli’s shoulder and said, “It’s worked for me so far.” The mare, who was curiously stretching her neck towards the boy and sniffing like the curious horse she was, whickered at him, probably having caught a whiff of Romeo’s cologne. Gabriella had snagged her girth under Kalli’s tawny belly and strapped it to the side of her saddle, tugging the leather securely into place. After a second the princess pulled down her stirrup leathers on the side where she was standing and tested their length to make sure it was correct, running her hands over the leather to make sure there weren’t any tears. The saddle was in peak condition, as was the rest of her equipment, despite their slightly worn appearance. It had taken her a long time to break it in properly, so despite her mother wanting to buy her new everything, again, Gabriella had insisted upon keeping her saddle, scuffs, dirt and all. All that was left was Kalli’s bridle, but Gabriella paused for a second to spoil the mare with a final apple slice before sealing the bag and zipping it into her vest pocket. She looked at Romeo conversationally. “Are you going riding, or are you just visiting?” Her eyes drifted left and right, trying to guess which horse belonged to the prince. table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0

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[romeo valentino of italy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] OH MY JUST PLEASE TRY TO SHUT UP AND KISS ME BABY Tagged: gabriella nicole of england Outfit:here Status: complete. Her retort resulted in a small smile creeping upon his face, and he moved into the barn, taking his sunglasses off and hooking them onto his shirt. “Well, it’s a good thing Dante doesn’t really care for horses, or you would have easily been found,” Romeo said, grinning wider. He personally wouldn’t have chosen the stables as the place to get away, but that was because he knew Vineheart like the back of his hand and knew of many great places to hide. It was how he hid from Aubrey whenever she came to bite his head off, how he hid from the administrators whenever they wanted to catch him in trouble; he even knew of great spots to go and smoke without having to hear the irritating sighs of others who acted like smoking was the bane of everyone’s existence. Normally, he didn’t care and continued on smoking in the most public of places in Vineheart, but sometimes he liked smoking alone. Sometimes, he liked being subject to his thoughts. He watched her work for a few moments, watching how quick and gentle she was in tacking her horse. However, his concentration was broken when she turned back to look at him and asked him what he was here for. As if to answer her question, a light nicker filled the stable and Romeo grinned, his gaze averting past Gabriella’s shoulder and landing on the face of his stallion. Paris’s neck was stretched over the stall, his dark eyes staring at Romeo and Romeo almost thought he saw an irritated expression. He moved past the English princess and over to his horse, reaching out to scratch the Lipizzaner behind the ears. “I planned on riding,” he finally answered, his hand stroking his horse’s neck. He opened the gate of the stall and shuffled inside, grabbing the halter and slipping it over Paris’ head. Romeo could tell that his horse was itching to get out into the open, and so he worked quickly and efficiently in brushing Paris, telling himself he’d come back later on in the day to really give his horse a good cleaning. While most of the students at Vineheart opted for stable hands to help take care of their horses, Romeo liked to work off any extra stress by brushing down his horse. It was the least he could do, after all. After a few minutes, Romeo led the stallion out of the stall and lifted the saddle onto his back, strapping and securing all of the equipment. He glanced over at Gabriella and noticed that, like his, her saddle was just as worn in. His mother had constantly insisted upon buying the newest and most expensive of saddles every year, but Romeo just didn’t feel like it, knowing his horse was better off with a saddle he was most comfortable with. Granted, he took good care of his equipment, but because he rode Paris so often, the equipment was bound to look used after a while. The silence that had filled the barn was broken when Romeo turned to the princess with a sudden idea. “If you’re looking to get away, I know of a way better spot than this,” he suggested, the side of his mouth twisting into a challenging grin. “Only if you can handle it, of course.” He didn’t know the girl very well, and why he was asking her to ride with him, he wasn’t so sure – but she seemed like she desperately needed to break out from the confines of Vineheart for a while, and who better to lead the way than the boy who knew every nick and cranny of the place? created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[gabriella nicole of england]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] he's everything you want ( WORDS ) 1088 ( TAGGED ) ROMEO VALENTINO OF ITALY( STATUS ) COMPLETE It was easy to hear Romeo’s voice over the soft sounds of the other creatures in the barn. Another reason why the princess loved the location was because though it was never silent enough to feel very alone, it was quiet enough that she didn’t feel crowded. It was hard not to feel crowded sometimes, what with all the servants, attendants and babysitters her parents had hired to look after her over the years. It had been irritating from the beginning, but they’d had their uses. For instance, Gabriella’s governesses had never thrown the fits her mother had upon seeing her destroyed designer clothes, nor had they been as persistent with wanting her to complete her lessons on how to behave like a lady. Remembering the common stance they’d all taken at one point or another -hands in the air, vigorously shaking their heads in surrender- made a small smile cross Gabriella’s face. She hadn’t meant to frustrate them, but her free spirit hadn’t been made for stone castles and designer clothes. At least, not her younger free spirit. She had long since learned the art of keeping her clothes clean and tear free, though the castle walls were still proving to be a problem. That was a reason she loved Vineheart so much; it was an ocean away from prison. As Gabriella’s brushes made their way down Kalli’s black legs, she cast one or two sideways glances at the prince. His amused tone and charming grin earned a small smile from her as well as a small nod in concession. “Once Dante discovered horsepower he didn’t have much use for horses. We’ve been friends since childhood, so we know each other pretty well.” There was an awkward pause before she added, “Or at least, we used to.” Her hand stopped mid brush stroke before she shook it off and smiled pleasantly at the prince. “Actually, I had no idea you were interested in horses at all.” It was the truth; she’d had no idea Romeo liked horses, which was unsurprising if one thought about it. Despite the fact that she’d spent a fair amount of time with the Kings as a result of her friendship and “relationship” with Dante, none of them had really exchanged more than the average pleasantries with her, so she knew little about the lot of them. After all, that was Vivien’s job, since she was the one who would be Queen of England someday and need to be friends with such people. After finishing picking the hooves on one side of her horse Gabriella paused for a minute to catch her breath, impatiently tugging a random strand of hair back behind her ear. With the sound of a loud whinny, Gabriella turned to follow the prince’s gaze, her irritation turning into admiration when she saw the face of the noisemaker. The horse was white, with large dark eyes and small, delicate ears. He was definitely a warmblood of some sort, and a pretty one at that. After an instant, she grinned. It was difficult to tell since the horse was in a stall, but Gabriella had a hunch that Kalli was several inches taller than Romeo’s horse. Depending on the horse’s breed though that could be completely normal, and Kalli’s breed was known for being large and muscular in any case. She was an easy 16.1 hands, about average for a Cleveland Bay and the mare had muscles in the places characteristic of her breed; everywhere. Though her parents had tried to encourage the princess to choose a finer Thoroughbred, or an Arabian instead, Gabriella hadn’t been looking for something so high strung or energetic. She appreciated Kalli’s honesty and levelheadedness more than she’d appreciated the finer features of the more “desirable” horses. She made short work of the hooves on Kalli’s other side, moving confidently around the mare to quickly put her equipment on. With the saddle on her horse and the bridle neatly slung over an arm, there wasn’t much left to do but watch the prince saddle his horse. She’d never really taken in how light Romeo’s dirty blonde hair was or how big his hands were until this moment when she saw him closer up. After a minute or two of attempted subtle looks, Gabriella gently unclipped and removed the mares halter, gently tugging the bridle over her head and guiding the bit into her mouth using her free hand. Thankfully Kalli was easy to bridle; Gabriella had ridden horses that would do just about anything to avoid having a bit in their mouths, but her luckily her mare didn’t have any irritating vices like that. When she gently told the tawny mare to stand and released the reins Gabriella knew Kalli would stand and wait for her to retie her hair up into its ponytail, and wait she did, albeit with a long interested look at the nearby stallion. The princess was surprised when Romeo said something else to her, but it was a pleasant sort of surprise. Hiding out was lonely work so she was maybe a little overexcited to spend time with the prince. “Don’t worry about us, Kalli and I can handle anything, so long as your stallion can behave himself.” She shot back a challenging grin of her own at him, thoroughly enjoying their bantering. In one way she’d only been half joking because some stallions became simply uncontrollable around any mares, but after seeing what appeared to be a well-mannered stallion in the barn Gabriella was doubting that it would be a concern at all. With that said, she pulled Kalli’s reins over her head and led her outside, taking care to tighten her girth again and pull both of her stirrups down before lightly bouncing aboard and gently settling herself in the saddle. The mares’ height had been a problem initially, but Gabriella had mastered a technique somewhere along the line so that she didn’t always need a mounting block. She could hear Romeo and his horse coming down the aisle towards them so she nudged Kalli forward and out of the way, circling back to warm up. The coffee coloured mare fidgeted under Gabriella’s steady hands, a good thing considering Romeo’s challenge. “Come on slow pokes, if we knew where we were going Kalli and I would be there already!” And so the pair waited for a minute with the girl laughing and stroking her horse’s neck, feeling more at peace than she had in days. table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0 I like this format much better, what do you think?

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[romeo valentino of italy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] OH MY JUST PLEASE TRY TO SHUT UP AND KISS ME BABY Tagged: gabriella nicole of england Outfit:here Status: complete. Romeo's grey-blue eyes shifted in the princess' direction when her tone changed concerning Dante, and he took in the uncomfortable and awkward aura she was putting off at the subject. It was obvious she didn't like talking about Dante after everything that had happened, and he could definitely relate with that. Or at least, somewhat. He'd actually played Dante's role back when he and Aubrey dated, not something he was proud of, but he couldn't change that now. Of course, Aubrey had taken her revenge and Romeo had spent much of his time hiding about just to achieve solitude and to escape the disapproving glares. Despite Aubrey's extreme bitchy attitude, she still seemed to have quite a bit of loyal friends, either because they admired her or feared her he wasn't sure. He definitely sympathized with Gabriella though, because he'd learned from his past mistakes; Dante hadn't. He couldn't imagine what the girl would think if she found out about all of the other girls Dante had been with, though Vivien seemed to be the only girl to last more than a few weeks. Unless of course, Gabriella already knew, in which Romeo figured that really sucked -- watching your fiancé sleep around, knowing you'd be added to the list of girls he's been with once you're married? The thought made Romeo scrunch his nose; he couldn't imagine having to be married to Aubrey. That idea was becoming more and more realistic, however, and he was less than happy about this. He shrugged, giving her a small grin. "I'm a man of many mysteries," he commented. It was the truth, if he was being honest; everyone thought they knew him, but there was more to him than they seemed to assume. Romeo actually was irresponsible, but the difference was that he knew exactly what he was doing and exactly what the consequences would be -- he was just apathetic about most things. Some things he took seriously -- like fucking up big time, aka Aubrey -- but whenever he got into trouble with teachers and administrators, he tended not to care. Horseback riding, however, was something a rare few knew he liked to do, unless they'd actually had a good conversation with him or caught sight of him at the barn. He often visited the stables in the early mornings when not many of the students were up, so that was why most never saw him ride his brilliant stallion. In Gabriella's case, it was more of the fact that the two had spoken few words to each other over the past four years, and so they rarely knew each other at all. It was certainly a fresh change, having someone who knew next to nothing about him; she definitely seemed genuinely likeable. Romeo could feel eyes watching him as he secured the equipment on Paris, and as he moved around to the other side of his horse, he slyly glanced in the English princess' direction, only to see her shift her gaze back to her horse. A smirk slid onto his lips; did he intrigue her? The thought definitely made him curious, and so he broke the brief silence with a light, teasing tone. "It's not polite to stare," he stated, casting a charming smile at the girl that exuded his playful demeanor. With a low chuckle, he grabbed onto the reins of his horse, and began gently guiding Paris along towards to the front where Gabriella and her horse stood. He took in her retort with raised eyebrows and patted Paris' neck softly. Paris snorted as they neared Gabriella's obviously larger horse, and Romeo's smirk widened. "He's a lot more well-behaved than his rider, I assure you," Romeo said in his thick Italian accent, following the girl as she led her horse out of the stables. He watched as she easily climbed aboard her horse, admiring the graceful way she seemed to do so; it was obvious she and the mare were in tune and that she was a very skilled rider. Romeo swiftly mounted Paris and wrapped the reins around his wrist, guiding Paris closer to the pair. "I don't think your horse knows that patience is a virtue," he teased, moving in front of them and leading them along the dirt trail extending directly from the stables towards the surrounding forest. There was a specific trail just for the riders, and he began that way, Paris moving along at a relaxed pace. He was in no hurry, though he doubted Gabriella's horse would be behaved for long. There was enough room on the trail for the two horses to be side-by-side, but Romeo had Paris remain a bit more in front, just so it was easier to guide them. It would be a few minutes before they made it to the first marker -- Romeo's main clue -- and so he turned his head in the girl's direction. "So tell me a little bit about yourself, Gabriella of England," he demanded, the side of his lips upturning. "You're quite a mystery yourself." created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[gabriella nicole of england]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] he's everything you want ( WORDS ) 1175 ( TAGGED ) ROMEO VALENTINO OF ITALY ( STATUS ) COMPLETE Gabriella’s hands found a tangled piece of Kalli’s mane as her eyes involuntarily travelled back to the prince’s face. Bri could already see why lots of the other girls found him swoon worthy; he had aristocratic good looks that literally turned the local female population into putty. That wasn’t what Bri found the most interesting about this particular prince though. Lots of the royals at Vineheart were good looking, the guys as well as the girls, so that wasn’t overly unusual. Not to say that the prince wasn’t attractive because he most certainly was, what with his delicious charm, intense blue-green eyes and perfect run-your-fingers-through-it . . . no. She stopped that train of thought before it went any further. His good looks were irrelevant in this case. No, it was something else about him that Bri couldn’t put her finger on just yet. She needed more time with the Italian prince to figure out what exactly it was about him that had her so curious, when she normally didn’t have much interest in the other royals, let alone one of the Kings. Maybe her parentally imposed restrictions had made her crazy, but the fact that he was in the elite group alone should have had her heading in the opposite direction. Somehow though, it didn't. Upon being caught looking at Romeo, Gabriella’s eyes immediately returned to playing with the lock of Kalli’s hair she’d untangled. After a seconds silence her hands released that section of the mare’s mane and she turned to face the prince head on, her chin tilting up defensively. “I wasn’t looking at you; I was just admiring your stallion.” God, how she sounded like Vivien right now, with her disdainful tone and the way she raised her eyebrows to look the horse over again. Bri’s trained eye appraised his intelligent looking stallion, appreciatively lingering on the muscular neck and delicate face before quickly taking the opportunity to look the horses’ rider up and down, feigning indifference. Hopefully the prince wouldn’t notice, but Gabriella had never claimed subtlety among her strengths. As they started walking outside with the horses, Gabriella tossed a rare compliment over her shoulder with a smile. “He’s pretty. I’d hate to be the one having to keep him clean though.” Horses had been a bit of an obsession when she’d been younger; having been among the few fun lessons in Gabriella’s life at the time, and her knowledge of them was still pretty good. Her best guess was that the horse was either a Lipizzaner or an Andalusian, as he was too big for a Welsh pony. She patted her mare, grinning at the humor in the mental image of the tall Romeo sitting on a saucy little pony. Kalli was happy to be out in the brisk morning air, and had an abundance of energy considering it had only been a couple of days since Bri had last ridden her. The princess tried to attribute it to the fact that there was a stallion nearby, not realizing that it was mostly her own nerves the mare was picking up on. Gabriella was an experienced rider with more than enough skills to handle her horse, but if the girl didn’t want her arms to be sore tomorrow Kalli would need something to keep her mind occupied. Thankfully as the pair started moving along the trail, and Gabriella had begun unclenching her insides, her mare calmed considerably. As Romeo teased her horse, Gabriella found herself laughing a little and rubbing the mare’s neck as if to soothe the imaginary hurt feelings of the horse. “I admit she comes by that honestly. We’re not so big on some of the virtues.” Like temperance, the act of restraining oneself in thoughts or actions, for example. Being as rebellious as she was, Bri had resisted being restrained by anything or anyone with all of her being, a trait she’d had since childhood. Freedom was as important to her as breathing and when she was deprived of it her temper could blaze for days on end. Now she’d certainly improved, but despite her best efforts Gabriella’s temper still got the best of her sometimes. Riding was therefore a constructive outlet for her, as was soccer. If she hadn’t been afraid of water, swimming would have been perfect too. Her servant Will liked to go to the pool and swim laps when he got stressed sometimes, and Gabriella had watched him come back still wet but without any of the tension he’d left with. Too bad the sight of a swimming pool made her legs shaky and her hands numb. Thankfully no one knew about her incapacitating fear regarding water, because she would have died of embarrassment had anyone found out. As Romeo said how much of a mystery she was Bri was playing with her reins, running the smooth leather through her hands. Her cheeks heated involuntarily, while her eyes focused fixedly on the piece of trail she could see from between Kalli’s ears. She was being careful not to look at the prince, whose eyes were far more piercing than they should have been, just in case he happened to look back. Why he wanted to know about her was anyone’s guess, but Bri’s only thought was that he was as curious about her as she was about him. Her brown eyes felt drawn to her companion, no matter how much she wished they weren’t and for a second the girl was able to admire how well the prince sat on his horse, moving in time with the animal. Then the soft gaze turned piercing, as if she could focus hard enough to discern Romeo’s ulterior motives just by looking at him. Bri found herself enjoying their game however and felt a broad smile spreading across her face. The Italian prince wasn’t exactly the textbook model of a King, and Bri felt drawn to that aspect of him because she didn’t exactly keep to the expectations of a princess either. Maybe there was something valuable underneath all of the charm and playfulness he excluded. She was curious to peel back the layers of Prince Romeo, but since he’d asked her first . . . “Well that depends on what you want to know.” In keeping with their game she smiled at her companion. She wasn’t sure where he was going with this, because if he and Dante were as close as they seemed he would know the same things as the general public. What else could he possibly be interested in knowing about her? Mentally shrugging Gabriella decided to stop hedging. “I’m not giving you the code to the safe holding the crown jewels, if that’s what you’re getting at, but I guess I can tell you less classified things.” She tried to feign seriousness, but it only lasted a couple of seconds before the princess’s dark brown eyes started sparkling and she cracked a smile. Kalli’s ears flickered back to listen to Gabriella’s voice, relaxing with a snort when she laughed. BAM! table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0

[romeo valentino of italy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] OH MY JUST PLEASE TRY TO SHUT UP AND KISS ME BABY Tagged: gabriella nicole of england Outfit:here Status: complete. The Italian prince was a bit surprised, but nonetheless amused, by the girl's reaction when he called her out, and a devilish smirk tugged his lips upwards. She seemed to have a bit of fire in her that was very familiar, only because it reminded him of himself. She was intriguing, to say the least, and he stared at her unashamedly as she studied his horse. He liked girls with passion, though he'd be lying if he said those girls never caused him any trouble; dating Aubrey had certainly been a hassle in the long run, even if it was his fault. Romeo wondered idly whether Vivien and her sister were anything alike -- Vivien certainly seemed a bit more on the spoiled side the girl in front of him, but he didn't doubt that they both shared a very independent personality. It was probably what attracted Dante to Vivien in the first place, and what got the two of them in trouble. Independence was both a blessing and curse, Romeo had learned, since he was much the same; he refused to be held down, and this caused many problems with his parents. However, this drive was the reason he was not going to be forced into a marriage with a girl he did not love, let alone like. He grinned at her compliment and gave a roll of his shoulders. "He's a right pain in the ass, truthfully. Huh, ragazzo?" He said, turning towards his stallion and scratching the horse's favorite spot: behind the ear. As they began taking the path, Romeo found himself relaxing into the saddle, a familiar calm coming over him. When he wasn't playing golf and soccer, horseback riding was the best therapy. Soccer season was fast approaching, however, and once the season started he doubted he'd have much time to visit Paris, which was always a sad thing for him. He'd definitely do his best, but he knew he'd probably have to ask his servant to ride and clean Paris for a bit. Given that his servant wasn't off shacked up with Aubrey, of course. The whole deal with the boy had certainly pissed Romeo off, mostly because he didn't like being lied to -- and his servant had lied big time, both to him and Aubrey -- but it had been quite a few months since everything had come to light and Romeo was over it. Sometimes he still felt like the boy was a little untrustworthy, simply because he didn't know whether he would take his or Aubrey's side, but when it came to his horse, he knew his servant would treat Paris right, which was why he had no qualms in letting him exercise the stallion when Romeo could not. Paris, while stubborn, proud, and overdramatic as times, was generally fine with anyone riding him, even being a bit more well-mannered with a female rider (this always made Romeo laugh). He knew it must look odd for such a tall boy to ride a horse on the smaller side, but he wouldn't have it any other way. Gabriella returned his inquiry with a broad smile. She had a pretty, infectious smile, he noted; it lit up her face and almost had a playful look to it. Romeo knew his question was a bit vague, but that was because he was curious as to just how she would answer it; would she go into detail or play coy? Ultimately she chose the latter, and this pleased him, as he always loved a challenge. "Good, I don't want you to make it easy for me," he responded with a small smirk, his eyes twinkling. He tightened his grip on the reins and leaned back in the saddle a little so he get a better view of her instead of craning his neck to continue talking to her. Romeo tapped his chin as he thought for a moment. What did he want to know about her? He knew he wanted to know more, but for now at least he wanted to know the general things about her, at least more than what he already knew. "Well, I suppose I only know the obvious: you're a twin, you're engaged -- albeit to someone I'm sure you'd rather not be engaged to -- and you enjoy horseback riding," Romeo said with a raise of his eyebrows. That was, truthfully, all he knew. Dante didn't often talk about Gabriella when they were together, unless it was something interesting that happened when they were together, and really the only other thing Romeo knew was that Gabriella used to be a bit of a wild child. However, that was told to him in confidence, since he wasn't sure whether Bri wanted everyone knowing more than the obvious about her, and so to keep Dante's hide clean, Romeo stayed mum about that. There were different ways of finding out about the good old days, after all, and Romeo truly was curious about that. A grin slid onto his lips and he cast her a devious look as he ran a hand through his hair. "What's the craziest thing you've ever done?" He supposed it wasn't the most outrageous of questions, but depending on her answer, he could find out a lot about her. Romeo was adept at reading into not only body language, but the things people said; after years of being with the Kings, reading between the lines was one's greatest weapon. created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[gabriella nicole of england]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] he's everything you want ( WORDS ) 1644 ( TAGGED ) ROMEO VALENTINO OF ITALY ( STATUS ) COMPLETE The soft footfalls of their horses’ hooves were interrupted only by the occasional dry crackling of dead leaves and their riders conversation. It had warmed slightly in the time they’d spent tacking up, so the air was neither warm nor cold, providing them with a lovely autumn day. Gabriella inhaled several deep breaths of air, the addicting scents of pine, leather and horse filling her up with a feeling that could only be described as inner peace. From the minute she settled into the saddle it was as though all of her problems melted away, and Bri found the euphoric feeling almost addicting. Riding always made her feel this way, and upon seeing Romeo’s guileless smile she knew he understood. It was one of those things only someone who loved horses could understand. Bri laughed at the Prince’s blatantly honest assessment of his own horse, highly entertained by the affectionate insult directed at the white stallion. Her interest increased as the unknown word rolled off the Prince’s lips, and Bri cursed the fact that she’d been forced to take Spanish instead of Italian. Logistically, taking classes on the first language of the country she was supposed to rule in the future made sense, but that didn’t help her much at the moment. For a second Bri internally debated whether the term was the horse’s actual name or simply a term of endearment, but as Romeo began scratching his horse behind the ear the princess’s curiousity got the better of her. ”Is that his name? Ragazzo?” Pleased by her own ability to imitate Romeo’s accent, she proudly turned her attention back to her own horse. Kalli was a lot like her rider; lively and more than a little stubborn, but she was gentle and almost too intelligent for her own good sometimes. Gabriella had witnessed a stable hand back home riding the mare with a much heavier hand, and from the instant the guy had started manhandling her Kalli became sullenly stubborn, not lashing out but simply refusing to do what she was told. Luckily for the rider Cleveland Bay’s weren’t known for being hot tempered, so Kalli didn’t throw him as another horse might, but since that particular incident Gabriella hadn’t allowed anyone else to ride her horse. The large time commitment involved meant that she couldn’t have a set training schedule, which Bri disliked, but it also meant that oftentimes when she was exercising the mare they had the arena all to themselves and the privacy to work on tougher maneuvers without people watching. As trees of all sorts slowly passed by the pair bantered back and forth, Gabriella laughing quietly to herself as Romeo adjusted to have a better view of her. As trees of all sorts slowly passed by the pair bantered back and forth, and Gabriella laughed quietly, having a better time than she’d had in ages, even before the scandal had broken the news. His joke was funnier to her than it should have been because in truth there was absolutely nothing easy about her. Bri wasn’t sure if Romeo had intentionally laced his words with double meanings or not, but his statement brought some heat to her cheeks as her thoughts turned momentarily to places it shouldn’t have. In an attempt to rein in and conceal her misbehaving mind she lengthened Kalli’s strides a fraction until the Prince was in line with the large mare’s shoulder, resuming their previous pace just inside an arms-length away from their companions. With a clearer view of his face, she could now clearly see Romeo’s teasing expression. His trademark smirk got her wondering what exactly he was thinking, because Bri was fairly certain that Romeo was almost always up to something, whether he made it obvious to others or not. The Kings were infamously known for their pranks, troublemaking schemes and wild parties, which Romeo had probably gotten in trouble for countless times, but probably charmed his way out of even more often. With these thoughts in mind Gabriella realized that this was probably normal behaviour for the Italian prince. Yes, the English princess had heard all about Romeo's biggest escapade months ago. Aubrey had seen to it that everyone in the entire school was aware of just what sort of boy this particular Prince was, throwing more than one public tantrum over the issue. If one thing was certain, it was that Gabriella didn't envy Romeo's positition. When it came to something not going as planned, or having an injustice done to her, Aubrey didn't have a forgiving bone in her body. Bri was all too aware of the cruelty the Head Queen was capable of, having been forced to tolerate Aubrey as a result of her friendship with Vivien. While Bri had been lucky enough to escape Aubrey's attention for the most part, she had witnessed how badly the blonde could treat others on several occassions. And to some extent she could understand Aubrey's anger, but Bri couldn't have disagreed more with her methods when it came to dealing with what had happened. Seeing as Gabriella hadn't exactly been handling her own situation perfectly either though, she didn't really feel she had the right to give Aubrey, or anyone else pointers. It was also common knowledge that Aubrey was now sleeping with Romeo's servant, despite the fact that the two of them were still engaged, which struck Gabriella as unfair. He was expected to remain faithful while she slept with whomever she fancied? The parallels between Romeo’s situation and her own were stunningly obvious now that she’d had a reason to think about it. Bri let Romeo admit the few things he knew about her as she tried, and failed, not to react. Her eyebrows arched slightly as she gave him a sideways "oh really?" sort of look. For once the princess wasn't tempted to unleash a bitingly sarcastic comment; perhaps because she found herself surprisingly charmed by her dirty blonde haired companion, despite the fact that she didn't want to be. There was no love between Aubrey and Gabriella, so she wasn't holding anything he may or may not have done against him. But even though he was right about her reluctance to marry Dante, that didn't mean she was alright with him saying so. ”Says he who's engaged to the Ice Queen,” she said with a smug smile before sobering her expression with the realization that, out of everyone in the school, it was Romeo who might best understand what she was feeling right now. As the sobering reality of what was before her settled in, Gabriella gave him the only defence she had; the one her parents had been relying on for the past year. ”It's what's best for my country. Even if you're right, there's nothing I can do about it.” God, Bri hated the way her own voice went flat and emotionless when she had to talk about it. Better than exploding all over the place or drinking myself into oblivion, I guess. Whatever. He was in no place to judge her for what she was going to do, since he was going to do exactly the same thing with Aubrey. She tried to keep her expression as neutral as possible while she reined in her temper. Feeling her tension through the reins, Kalli tossed her head a couple of times in irritation. It was impossible for Bri to even look in his direction for a minute until Romeo spoke to her again. Gabriella considered his question, cocking her head to the side while she considered the best way to answer his question. There were so many times it was impossible to choose a top crazy thing, but there were certainly a few that stood out in the princess's mind. ”Alright, but I've got to warn you I definitely wasn't the well behaved one in the family.” Hopefully he wouldn't hear the small amount of smugness in her voice. Was it wrong for her to be just a teensy bit proud of that particular difference between herself and her sister? But how much should she tell Romeo? Could he handle the craziness, or would that scare him away? Gabriella didn't want to scare him away. There was so much she still didn't know about him, but she wanted to. After a minute of thinking and sorting through her various options, Bri settled upon a couple of her favourites with a laugh. "Okay well when we were about ten or eleven, my parents were hosting a gala and all sorts of important people were invited.” Barely able to contain a smile, she tried to get through the next part without laughing. ”The Chinese royal family arrived, and Dante and I had been preparing a special welcome for their kids. We uh, didn't get along so well with them. They didn't like having fun with us.” Her hand slowly stroked Kalli's neck, as a small smile turned up the corners of her mouth. ”When they came up the stairs we dropped a tub full of water balloons on them from the balcony up above.” She shrugged with a completely unapologetic grin. ”We needed to see if they were robots or not.” Remembering how completely livid her parents had been, Bri hadn't been ashamed in the least at the time, nor was she now. Her eyes turned back to her companion, tracing the strong lines of his cheekbones down to his chin before returning to his overwhelmingly piercing eyes, all while they continued towards a destination unknown to Gabriella. I love them <3 Hope it's okay! table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0

[romeo valentino of italy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] OH MY JUST PLEASE TRY TO SHUT UP AND KISS ME BABY Tagged: gabriella nicole of england Outfit:here Status: complete. The cool air and warm sun felt good against his skin as they meandered along, the effect calming him as the minutes ticked by. He didn't remember the path to his secret area being this long, but then again, the times he'd traveled to it, he'd gone a lot faster. This time, however, the pace was slow because he had company and wanted to have a conversation with her. He held back a laugh as he saw the curiosity in her face, but he was pleased that she seemed to pick up on the accent well in the word. "No, ragazzo means boy," he explained, his lips upturning into a teasing smile. Well, it wasn't really her fault that she didn't know what the Italian word meant, but it was still amusing. "His name is Paris." Romeo wasn't sure whether he wanted to explain the meaning behind his stallion's name, though he enjoyed the little joke he got to have every time he said the name. Surprisingly, the stallion was not living up this namesake and being jittery around Bri's mare, and he gave Paris a little affectionate pat, glad that his horse was not causing him any trouble at all. The Lipizzaner was not hard to handle, in general, but Romeo didn't often ride him in the company of others. Instead, he preferred to ride alone, though he had to admit that riding with the English princess was quite intriguing so far. There was something different about her that he couldn't figure out just yet, but he'd be determined to do so. He wasn't very close with Vivien, but having spent enough time with her when he was dating Aubrey, he could tell Gabriella was not a lot like her sister, and this interested him. He always liked getting to know new people, and Romeo wondered why he hadn't taken the time to speak with the girl more often. He liked the sarcasm and wit she seemed to posses, even if he hadn't been speaking with her very long -- he could tell she had a sense of humor that others didn't often get to see. Whether it was because she was shy -- which he doubted -- or just not willing to open up to others, she didn't seem like the type that opened up very easily. He could deal with that, though; walls were a challenge he often took on. After everything with Aubrey, he wondered why Gabriella was not more accusing of him. Not a week went by that at least one girl at Vineheart made some kind of joke or tease to the incident two years ago, and though most times it was in good humor, other times it was biting and scolding. He would always be guilty for what he done, not only because he had hurt the Belgian princess, but because he wished he could remember what had happened. He'd been so piss drunk that night that he had very little detail, the last thing he remembered was chatting up the cute dirty blonde-haired girl and the next thing he knew, he was waking up to her in her bed, with the sound of Aubrey's enraged scream piercing his ears. It wasn't an excuse, being drunk, but it would have made matters different if he remembered doing what he did and why. He did remember that the day of, he'd had quite the fight with Aubrey, and they'd been a bit rocky for a week or two. Her ambition and bitchy attitude had been growing, and he'd been less than pleased with the arrogant way she'd been treating others. Her fiery attitude had intrigued him before, but in the weeks leading up to his cheating scandal, she had begun to get ridiculous. Perhaps cheating had been his retaliation, unknowingly, but he knew that if he hadn't gotten so drunk, he would have had enough sense to not do it. Which, incidentally, was why he refused to get that drunk again, at least alone. That night he had not been with the rest of the Kings, who usually held him back and knocked some sense into his brain, for his irresponsibility always got the best of him. Romeo let a dark look pass his features when Bri teased him. "The last thing I'll ever do on this Earth is marry Aubrey," he said in a serious, determined voice, silent for a moment as he looked ahead at the path before them. He wasn't going to let his parents decide his life, most of all who he was going to spend the rest of his life with. He'd fight tooth and nail until his wedding day, and if it came to it, he would run away and go into hiding, anything to not be resigned to his unfortunate engagement. If he had to live as someone else for the rest of his life, so be it, he was willing to take that chance. Her reply, however, threw him off slightly and his gaze locked on her face for a very long minute, trying to read her expression. He could see that she was only willing to do it because it was her "duty", and he watched her carefully for any signs of doubt. It seemed like she'd spent the last few years resigning to her fate, and yet, he knew there was fire underneath the stony face. "We always have a choice," he said bluntly, tilting his head slightly as he studied her. It almost looked like she'd been beaten down into submission, and the look of defeat was not something he could say he liked to see on her, even if he'd only known her for barely over an hour. The fire in her eyes suited her much better. The serious moment past and she told him her craziest escapade, earning a loud, genuine laugh from Romeo. His eyes crinkled as he laughed to himself, and Paris was slightly jittery beneath him. "Brilliant," he praised, still laughing. "I can't say I've ever been much of a fan of the Chinese royals, so bravo," Romeo said. He and the eldest Chinese royal had never gotten along ever since first year, and he and the Kings had done their fair share of messing with the lot of them. However, Dante had never told him this story, and the fact that Bri was susceptible to trouble made her even more attractive than he already thought she was. He was about to say more when his vision caught sight of the familiar gnarled tree that marked the entrance to his hideout, and he quickened the Paris' pace, eager to show his companion his favorite place to escape. When they past the tree, they came upon a clearing, and Romeo slowed his horse to a stop. "Here we are," he announced, flourishing his hands about the surroundings. To the right was a wide stream, trickling noisily, and next to the stream was a gigantic fallen tree, the width of the trunk large enough for them to sit upon. Romeo slid out of the saddle and easily landed on the ground, grabbing hold on Paris' reigns and leading the stallion over to one of the trees near the fallen trunk. created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[gabriella nicole of england]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] he's everything you want ( WORDS ) 954 ( TAGGED ) ROMEO VALENTINO OF ITALY ( STATUS ) COMPLETE The horses had settled into a rhythm and Kalli was content to relax now that she knew they were going somewhere. Romeo's stallion didn't seem like he was bothering Gabriella's mare at all, even after they moved closer. If anything, the mare was being more attentive than usual to Bri's physical signals. And that's when it occurred to Bri: Show off. It was a perfectly plausible explanation that the mare was doing just that, which would explain why her neck was arched so prettily and her steps were so light. Normally Gabriella had to work hard to get this sort of up and down action from her horse. Cleveland Bays were more prone to smooth and floaty strides than higher, prancing movement. But here she was on an almost prancing Cleveland Bay. It almost seemed like Romeo was going to laugh at her, but for some reason he didn't; instead taking the time to explain what the word in question actually meant. She was a little embarrassed to learn that it wasn't the horses' name at all, but then again Bri didn't speak Italian so she'd really had no idea. Thankfully, Romeo did tell her the white stallion's real name, which immediately struck her as an odd one. Why on earth would he name his horse after the city in France? But after less than twenty seconds the joke was suddenly obvious to Gabriella -who had a secret love of all things Shakespeare and Jane Austen- and she started laughing. "What an unfortunate choice, poor fellow. Benvolio would have been more of a mouthful, but at least his character lived to the end of the play!" Paris had been the dominating, assuming male character in the play that Gabriella had taken great pleasure from hating. The horse Paris on the other hand, she took great pleasure in admiring. "This is Kalli, by the way." She ran her hand over the mare's neck, giving her shoulder a caring scratch as well. When Romeo's voice rang out confidently, Gabriella's dark eyes turned back from their horses to his face. There was something -damn him!- attractive about how decided he seemed to be that he wouldn't marry the girl he was forcibly engaged to. She wished that she was able to have the same attitude as he, but this was the one issue she hadn't been able to beg, plead, argue, demand or reason her way out of. That being said, her only alternative was to run away and leave her country in an awkward situation, not to mention the fact that she was scared out of her mind by the thought of being on her own like that. Being independent was one thing, but being cut off from everything she'd ever known was quite another. Romeo sure seemed sure of himself though; she'd never seen him wear an expression like that before. His probing look made Gabriella want to squirm and she was sure he saw more than she wanted him to. During the very long moment it was impossible to turn away, which didn't make enduring his searching eyes any easier. She was so shamed by his blatantly honest statement -a statement Bri had used to believe in herself not so long ago- that she looked away, embarrassed by the fact that at some point along the way she'd stopped believing it. Maybe it had been the six weeks of having it beaten into her that a good wife was nothing but supportive and meek, or the expression on her fathers face when he told her that he was sorry but it was how things had to be. Romeo's never-give-in attitude was a breath of fresh air in Gabriella's stale state of mind where arranged marriages were concerned. She was pleased when Romeo's dark countenance faded, and even more pleased at his laughter. It wasn't difficult to like this charming side of the prince, but his more serious side had Gabriella curious. Letting it go for now she laughed along with him at the misfortune of the Chinese royal children and gave a small acknowledging nod of her companion's praise. When her parents had demanded an explanation for their actions, Bri and Dante had both felt completely justified and explained their side of the story as such while the Chinese children had stood in sopping wet traditional clothes. In the end Bri and Dante had end up being confined to Bri and Vivien's quarters, which wasn't really a punishment at all. In fact, they'd spent almost an hour relating their hilarious prank to Vivien, complete with the expressions of their victims and scandalized bystanders. Reminiscing as she was, it took Gabriella a second to notice that Romeo had picked up the pace, and another to urge Kalli to follow at a working trot. Just as she was about to sarcastically call out about him cheating at their race by not saying 'go', the prince proclaimed that they were finally at their destination. Bri slowed Kalli, taking in the pretty scenery, complete with a stream of running water and everything. "Wow. This is some hideout Romeo." She remained on her horse for a minute longer, slowly turning the mare in a circle to get a 360 degree view of the clearing. Then she loosened her hold on the reins slightly and kicked her feet out of her stirrups, sliding down the mare, patting her neck affectionately and telling her how good a girl she was. Leaving enough space so the pair couldn't cause any trouble, Gabriella tied the bay mare to a tree a safe distance away from the white stallion. Bleck, not my best but I'm tired. Let me know if you want me to change anything! table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0

[romeo valentino of italy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] OH MY JUST PLEASE TRY TO SHUT UP AND KISS ME BABY Tagged: gabriella nicole of england Outfit:here Status: complete. Romeo laughed, but then let a thoughtful look across his face. "The name fits him, even if I gave it to him to make fun," he responded. "As conceited and irritating as Paris is, I think he truly cares for Juliet. The same goes with my boy here." He gave her a small smile, overly pleased that she'd gotten the joke without him even having to make a remark. He wasn't a huge fan of Shakespeare, but he appreciated the author's work, and so had previously read most of his plays. The fact that she was well read when the rest of the students at the school refused to touch anything Shakespeare for leisure, was ultimately more intriguing than he'd expected. He'd never pegged her as the overly romantic type, but he could see how she might be -- a girl locked in an arranged marriage since birth, wishing to be set free and only wanting true and pure happiness in the form of freedom of will. It was a beautiful thing, really, and he found that he liked that. There was definitely more to her than met the eye, and unlike many of the girls here that jumped at the chance of true love, she seemed far less of the "damsel in distress" type. Save for, of course, her inability to take hold of her own life, a factor he had blatantly thrown in her face. He did regret being so harsh about it, for she seemed rather embarrassed in the way her expression seemed to change. But Romeo had never been one to beat around the bush or lay things on as sweet as sugar, and because he was in the same boat as Bri, it was rather fitting for him to be the one to make her see things differently. He could understood why she was scared to go against her family's wishes -- family was important above all else -- but one's own happiness didn't have to be thrown away in order to achieve that. Besides, it wasn't just her he was looking out for; he was looking out for Dante as well. Dante was one of the closest friends he could ask for, and from the way he'd been acting all week, the prince felt trapped as well. It was clear where -- or rather, to whom -- Dante's feeling resided, and Romeo only wanted the best for his friends. And now that he could clearly see how it affected Gabriella, he felt a strong desire to help her too. She said nothing, however, and so he let it drop for the time being, making a mental note to bring it up again later on. He was nothing if not persistent, and he'd make it his personal mission to give her a helping hand, even if she didn't want it. When they made it to the site, however, Romeo had the urge to do what he did best: smoke. All of this serious talk really got to his head, and since he was a playful and light person by nature, he needed his crutch to help him out a bit. So, after dropping hold of Paris' reigns -- he trusted the stallion enough to not only know the area but to remain there -- Romeo strolled over to the fallen tree and took a seat. He looked back to cast Bri a smile. "You can imagine how happy I was when I found it two years ago," he said with a snort. "It provided me many hours of escape from our dearest princess." When everything had been happening with Aubrey, Romeo had begged to find somewhere to go that others could not find him and give him dirty looks. After hours of riding Paris as far away as he could, he'd found this grand place, and for the next few weeks had spent nearly every afternoon there. To make sure he never forgot where it was, he'd inscribed an "R" into the tree directly to the left of the path that served as the first marker down the complicated way to the hideout. The gnarled tree only provided means of knowing he had arrived. Romeo shifted and pulled a pack of cigarettes out of one pocket and a lighter out of the other. He always kept them with him as he most certainly smoked too much. His mother continuously got onto him about it, saying he'd surely die young and shrivel up, but Romeo always rolled his eyes. Smoking was his way to release all of his pent up thoughts, just like many of the other royals turned to drinking to do the trick. After the whole scandal with Aubrey, drinking had become less and less important and smoking had taken its place. Right as he was steadying the lighter to the tip, however, he paused, his gaze turning to the princess. "You don't mind, do you?" Normally, he didn't care whether it bothered anyone else, but considering he'd dragged her here and she didn't really know the way back, he wasn't about to trap her in an air of smoke if she didn't wish to be. He could be generous and thoughtful of others, after all. created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[gabriella nicole of england]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] he's everything you want ( WORDS ) 954 ( TAGGED ) ROMEO VALENTINO OF ITALY ( STATUS ) COMPLETE They had turned off the main trail at some marker known only to Romeo. Gabriella hesitated for a second before nudging Kalli to follow the near invisible path, hoping the prince knew where he was going. The long legged mare didn’t have a problem stepping over fallen branches, and there thankfully wasn’t any mud to bog them down or get them dirty. When Bri had told Romeo earlier that she didn’t envy him for having to clean an almost white horse, she’d meant it. Greys were notorious for being really hard to clean, and any grass stains or mud was blatantly obvious to the eye. Grey polo ponies were the new fashion in higher English circles but to be honest Bri thought they were really taking shallowness to a whole new level when they turned down good horses simply because they didn’t “match” the rest of the team. She was amused by the expression of surprise on Romeo’s face, though it seemed like he tried to cover it with a laugh. It was true; Gabriella Elizabeth enjoyed reading Shakespeare sometimes, when the mood struck her. And as Romeo and Juliet was one of her favourites of his she knew the ins and outs of the play intimately. Being as opinionated as she was meant that her views of most of the characters were curiously polarized; she either liked them or she hated them. Paris was one of the character’s she’d hated, largely due to the fact that he’d been the one to slay Mecurtio. The only other reason was because of how Paris had behaved towards Juliet when her father gave permission for them to marry. Where Romeo was everything sweet, romantic and allowed Juliet to make her own decisions, Paris had begun behaving as if she were his wife already, becoming demanding, controlling and acting as though he owned her or something. Had Gabriella been in Juliet’s place Paris undoubtedly would have received a punch in the face for behaving as though she were a piece of property. At least Dante treated her like a person, as opposed to the alliance she represented. Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, Bri tried –and failed- to bite her own tongue. “I always thought that Paris was too arrogant for his own good. It seemed like he treated Juliet more like property than a person.” She shrugged and continued before looking away. “I understand why she did what she did. I couldn’t live like that either.” The tragedy’s main female character had recently become one Gabriella could relate with, at least in the arranged marriage aspect of the story. There was also the question of whether Juliet and Romeo’s love had been real, or whether it had just been Juliet’s way of rebelling against the wishes of her parents. Bri liked to think it was the former, but in all reality the entire story had taken place within the course of a week, and she was still undecided about the whole ‘love at first sight’ idea. Maybe there was ‘attraction at first sight’ though, as she looked over at Romeo to gauge his reaction. Way deep down she was probably a romantic, but outwardly was a different story. Bri was known to be cynical and sarcastic when it came to anything to do with love, and despite secretly enjoying classic romances like Titanic, Romeo and Juliet, and Pride and Prejudice, it wasn’t something she would willingly admit to anyone besides herself. Nada only knew of her fascination with classic novels in general because the Serbian princess was one of the few who also enjoyed them. After gracefully sliding down Kalli’s side and dismounting Gabriella gave the mare a pat and gently lifted the reins over her head. The bay mare had glanced around curiously and hungrily tugged up a mouthful of grass, but followed willingly when Bri led her over to the fallen tree where Romeo was now sitting. Ordinarily she would have tied her horse up, but with Paris walking around loosely Bri wanted to be safe -just in case. Kalli didn’t seem to mind anyways, so long as she left the reins loose enough for her to graze when she took a seat on the tree next to Romeo. ”It’s beautiful. I can see why you were keeping it all to yourself.” Even as the grass was beginning to wither the leaves on the trees had started changing, and the rioting colours were a nice backdrop for the whole clearing. The laughing stream that wound out of sight around the edge of the open space provided a soothing soundtrack that complimented the sounds of their horses’ snorts, chewing and hoof falls. It wasn’t something she would have expected from the Italian prince before, but now that she had a better understanding of his feelings towards Aubrey she could certainly see its appeal. Kalli had stretched away in order to reach a tempting patch of grass, but at the sound of the plastic bag rustling in Gabriella’s pocket her head came up, ears pricked forward. While Bri wasn’t a big fan of smoking in general there wasn’t a chance she was going to tell the prince he couldn’t. So she pulled out the plastic baggie of carrots with a shrug. ”Not at all. Be my guest.” By this point the mare had moved until her nose was practically in Bri’s lap, snuffling at the bag with excited breaths. She pushed her hair off her face, murmuring softly to her horse while she opened the bag and pushing the brown nose out of the way so she could see. ”This is Kalli by the way. She’s a little barmy sometimes but I think that’s part of what makes us so good together.” Offering a carrot on the palm of her hand, she let the mare’s velvety muzzle lip the treat off before reaching into the bag and pulling out one for herself, thankful she’d brought easy-to-eat baby carrots. The pair of them crunched away for a minute while Romeo lit up his cigarette, all of them enjoying the nice day and the nice view. table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0

[romeo valentino of italy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] OH MY JUST PLEASE TRY TO SHUT UP AND KISS ME BABY Tagged: gabriella nicole of england Outfit:here Status: complete. His gaze moved to hers as she made her counterargument in her opinions about Paris, and he watched her, looking for any change in expression or tone of voice. So she wouldn't want to live like Juliet, wrapped up in an arranged marriage she didn't want to be in? And yet, here she was, refusing to do anything about it because it was her duty to her country. Well, that just seemed a tad bit hypocritical, and Romeo's eyes narrowed. "You don't think she should have gone through with the marriage, as a duty to her family?" he said pointedly, one eyebrow raised. If he was going to give her hell for it, he wasn't going to lay it down nicely. Granted, he hadn't known her forever, and this was honestly the first time they'd ever had a real conversation -- did he have any say or judgment in her life? She wasn't judging him about Aubrey, after all, at least not vocally; though, if she did, he wouldn't blame her. What he had done to Aubrey had been horrible, and he deserved whatever judgment he got, though it did get annoying after two years of snide comments. Perhaps an outsider's opinion, one who was currently going through the same thing, was what she needed, and Romeo had never been one to keep all of his opinions to himself. He was pensive, but he was not quiet. It truly was an extraordinary place to relax, and Romeo stretched out to relieve his muscles from the ride, a light sigh escaping him. Beautiful days like these were what made attending Vineheart so worthwhile, and made him realize that the school wasn't all just gossip and scandal -- it had been his second home for five years, and he was going to miss this place even if he said he wouldn't. This hideout, though, he would certainly miss; he had never shown anyone this spot before, except now for Bri. Perhaps that made her special? Perhaps he just thought she needed a breather, and a place like this was definitely a breath of fresh air. Romeo made a mental note to show the rest of the Kings this place before graduation. He could see it now -- the five of them getting drunk or having a smoke in the middle of the woods, with no care in the world. It was something that had always defined the five best friends. He smiled appreciatively in her direction, finally lighting the cigarette and taking a drag, instant relaxation coursing through him. His addiction to smoking had definitely replaced his desire to drink after the scandal with Aubrey, and though it was a slightly stinkier habit, he thought it had less consequences than getting wasted, even with the potential lung cancer and all that jazz. He was pretty sure Fred was grateful that the rooms in the suites were separate, for if they actually shared one room, the Swiss prince would never survive with two boys who smoked heavily. Fred thought no one knew, but Romeo thought it was rather obvious that the prince was a bit of a neat freak. It was nothing to be ashamed of, though Fred seemed to think he had to be more masculine than that. As he smoked, he found himself watching Gabriella speak to her horse, intrigued by the soft manner in which she treated the creature. Not to say that he was horrible to Paris, because that wasn't so -- he and Paris were just less...feminine? If that was the right way to put it. Paris didn't need a constant amount of nurture, and Romeo was glad for it. "Hello there, Kalli," he greeted the mare, a smile forming on his lips. Romeo laid his palm flat next to the bag of carrots and turned to Bri. "May I?" created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[gabriella nicole of england]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] he's everything you want ( WORDS ) 978 ( TAGGED ) ROMEO VALENTINO OF ITALY ( STATUS ) COMPLETE The fact that Romeo was unimpressed with her argument was obvious by the expression on his face, and it made Gabriella defensive. These were moments when it was best to bite her tongue, lest something slip out that she didn’t mean to say. More than one person had left after having a conversation with Bri feeling offended or having their feelings hurt. Most of the time the damage was unintentional; she wasn’t a malicious person, she just didn’t always think before giving her tongue a free rein. This wasn’t one of those times however, so she managed to remain silent for almost a minute before turning to the defensive. “Well that’s not exactly what I meant.” She thought for a second before trying to re-word her thoughts so that Romeo might understand. It was one thing to marry someone who you didn’t love, but was going to treat you right and quite another to marry someone who treated you like a business transaction. After the yelling match she and Dante had gotten into over the summer there had been an understanding of sorts between them, though Bri now realized that he’d been seeing Vivien, even then. Now here she was, stuck in that awkward place, reluctant to make up with Dante but unwilling to write off their friendship thanks to their entwined futures. As she thought more about Romeo’s very pointed counter argument, Gabriella’s mouth set into an annoyed line. “There’s lots of differences between Juliet’s situation and mine. My fiancée doesn’t act like he owns me.” On the contrary, Dante acted like he wanted anything but to marry her. It had wounded Bri’s pride to think her best friend loathed the idea enough to rebel by running around with her sister behind her back. Did he really think it would be that bad with her as his wife? Lots of people married their best friends after all; granted, most of them were also in love with them but still. Maybe her track record when it came to boys and relationships wasn’t good, and yeah she’d had that pregnancy scare in the summer before fourth year, but who was to say that she hadn’t changed since then? Gabriella felt like a completely different person, though some of her more rebellious tenancies definitely hadn't left her, if this conversation was any indication. If Romeo's goal was to get her back up he was doing a good job of it. Why was he so concerned anyway? Sure, he was best friends with Dante, but in that case shouldn't he have been talking to his friend, as opposed to a near stranger? “Besides,” she went on, “Juliet had someone else who really loved her. Romeo gave her a reason not to marry Paris. I have no such person, and even if we put that aside, what am I supposed to do? Refuse to say ‘I do’? Run away?” She looked away, her stiffly matter-of-fact voice falling silent again for a minute. “I feel like there’s nowhere to go.” Thinking back to her last argument with her mother, Gabriella recalled threatening to run away and remembered Mieke distinctly saying that there wasn’t a country on the planet that would knowingly hide her. Bri had been considering Canada and had actually gone so far as to read extensively about how to claim refugee status there, but the thought of being on her own terrified the princess. Sure, she was pretty independent as far as royalty went, but what would she do with her life? What would happen to Will? Maybe he would go with her and they could find jobs like regular people. Will would know how to do that, Bri was sure of it. “Maybe Canada…” It came out as a murmur under her breath as she thought about it. No, this was crazy talk; it would be smarter to forget this whole conversation. For some reason she didn’t think it was going to be easy to drop the idea now that Romeo had led her to come up with it. Maybe he’d had the same thought at one point or another himself; it was a logical idea after all. The pair sat in silence for a minute while Bri and Kalli crunched on their carrots, before a wry smile crossed Gabriella’s face. “My parents would kill me you know. ” Or disown me…… It might be worth it though. She absentmindedly stroked the mare’s forelock and looked into Romeo’s eyes. Why was she being so honest with him anyway? It’s not like Gabriella had never lied to anyone before, but for some reason she really wanted Romeo to know the truth. She wanted him to understand her, because he was quite possibly the only one who could. Deciding to let things go for now, Bri’s hands kept busy stroking Kalli’s brown muzzle and forehead, until Romeo introduced himself to the mare. With a little laugh she pulled a carrot out of the bag before tucking the rest back into her pocket. “Sure, here you go.” Reins in the other hand, her fingertips gently brushed his rough palm as she placed the carrot in his hand. She noted that his skin was noticeably warmer than her own, and Gabriella had to fight the urge to use him to warm her hands up. There was a brief moment of eye contact while their hands touched, which sent a minute shiver down Bri’s spine before she pulled back again, once more fighting a blush. Jeepers she sure can talk a lot! XP table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0