Alright Lets Talk... ||Romeo

[aubrey fiona of belgium]

The dance team was working hard to finish out thier season strong and with as many victories a possible. But that required dedication and lots of hard work on Bethany and Aubrey since they were in charge. As co-captains they had to lead thier team and set an example for the other girls. So when practice finally ended Aubrey was exhausted but there was still something she had to take care of that evening. Not a word was mentioned to anyone since the last thing she wanted was more gossip about her and Romeo going around the school. Practice ended at 7:30 pm so she had 30 minutes until she was supposed to meet Romeo in the court yard. In the locker room she changed back into her jeans and slipped on her coat since it was still chilly outside. Then Aubrey was quick to make a pit stop in front of the mirror to do something with her hair and adjust her make up. A quick touch up of lipgloss, blush, and mascara. Then she quickly pulled her hair up into a messy bun, the kind that tried to look messy but were really set in the perfect manner. In reality she always cared about her appearance exspecially when meeting someone that she did not care for like Romeo.

But his text did make a valid point. They needed to meet and he needed to stop sending his servant as their little messenger for them. He had been patient with her and with Romeo though this whole process and she knew that he should not be in the middle of it. But up until now she had been unable to face Romeo. Partially out of anger towards him and also out of denial. Her father had always listened to her and gave into her demands but he refused to move from this issue. For once he told his spoiled daughter no and it made no sense to Aubrey. Why now and why this one particular issue? Was her marriage to Italy really that important? Why couldn't she just rule without a husband like Queen Elizabeth had? Of course like all girls she wanted some knight in shinning armor to sweep her off of her feet and she hoped to have that with her current boyfriend. Romeo was not her knight in shinning armor.

As she entered the courtyard she glanced at her cell phone and watched at the digital numbers changed over to 8:00 PM. Then she tucked her cell phone away into her jacket pocket before dropping her heavy dance back off of the shoulder it had been slung up on and down by the stone bench. Her arms folded across her chest as she glanced around for him. Like normal Aubrey looked calm and collected but on the inside she was fighting a rising level of anxiety. She was anxious to find a solutition to thier situation and to see her ex boyfriend without ripping his head off. But she knew that this matter required her to be calm and civil with him since more fighting would lead to no solution and then to a marriage.

Still she wanted this over and dealt with so she could go back to her own life and focus on her boyfriend. He had been so great to her and she felt awful that he just had to watch as she stood next to Romeo. Finally she took a seat on the stone bench and crossed one leg over the together as she continued to wait.

[romeo valentino of italy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] AND I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT MY BAD REPUTATION Tagged: aubrey giselle of belgium Outfit:here Status: complete. Finally, after months of failed attempts, Romeo had been able to get Aubrey's attention. The entire year neither of them had wanted to be in each other's presence, but Romeo knew they had get something done about this whole ordeal. Aubrey, though, had not wanted anything to do with him -- and she hadn't for years. Since third year, it was correct to say that the Belgian princess had largely ignored his existence unless it meant souring his reputation on her part. He knew he deserved the backlash, but two years seemed far long enough for both of them to have grown up and moved on. Romeo didn't believe in full transformations, but he'd definitely changed from that uncaring, egotistical sixteen year old that he'd previously been. Granted, he was still largely regarded as irresponsible and apathetic, but he was not a monster, at least not the monster Aubrey had attempted to paint him to be following his cheating scandal. While that tactic had worked, after a while many had not been able to resist Romeo's easygoing charm and he was drawn back into the circle, something he was sure Aubrey was not pleased about. After that, she hadn't breathed a word to him, at least not until they'd both been informed of their arranged marriage back in March. Of course there had been outrage, and both wanted out, but with Aubrey ignoring him, how could they stand together? For months he'd tried to get her to listen to him, but the blonde princess was a master at avoidance. But Romeo was relentless, and now he'd finally won. Meeting her in the courtyard seemed the best idea, despite the fact that it was still chilly outside. But considering it wouldn't be a warm and fuzzy talk to begin with, the cold would have little effect on them. Romeo didn't really have any idea what her disposition would be with him, for he figured she probably still hated his guts. Then again, he wasn't all that thrilled with her currently, either. The fact that she was dating his trusted servant peeved him, but what irritated him more was that his servant had lied to the both of them in the first place. All was seemingly forgiven, but it had definitely strained his relationship with the guy; Romeo didn't lend out trust like money, after all. His only thought was that it probably wasn't easy for his servant to think about the fact that, in two months, his girlfriend could be walking down the aisle to his employer. Two months. Had time really flown by that quickly? Two months and his country would think their wild child prince, a society favorite, would be saying "I do" and subsequently become the future King of Belgium. The ring had been picked -- Aubrey's parents had taken care of that tidbit, as they knew what their daughter liked -- and the wedding dress had apparently been designed, as Romeo had heard; it really seemed like this thing was happening. But come hell or high water, Romeo was not going to marry the Belgian princess. He was not handing his life away to his parents and their political ideals like a pawn. He had multiple back-up plans for escape, but Romeo didn't like to back down. He didn't want to have to resort to running away. No, he had a better plan. But it involved his fiancé, someone who was practically impossible to cooperate with...at least until now. At two minutes past eight o' clock, Romeo stepped out of the shadows of the stone walls of Vineheart and enter the dim lighting of the courtyard. He had remained hidden, making sure the princess had indeed shown up, and when she had, he'd watched her for a moment, observing her body language. Still as a statue, rigid as a doll. All signs that she was hiding every emotion possible -- two could play at that game, especially the Italian prince. Surprisingly, there was no cigarette lit between his fingers; Romeo had actually begun to cut back on smoking. There was no clear reason for this, though if he really looked inside of himself, he knew it was because he now had other ways to relieve his stress: talking to Gabriella, the English princess that had him wrapped around her pretty finger. Smoking seemed irrelevant next to her. As Romeo approached Aubrey, he cleared his throat so as not to scare her with his sudden arrival, and he took a seat on the stone bench next to her, far enough away to give her space. "Hey," was all he said in greeting, his piercing blue grey eyes flickering in her direction. created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[aubrey fiona of belgium]

Did she wear the engagement ring that she had been given? Absolutely not infact she hid that piece of jewerely away from everyone's eyes. Althought it had been pretty and just what she imaged herself wearing it had been given to her by the wrong person. Romeo was the wrong person and she knew it. They both knew it but her mother still commissioned the most lovely wedding dress that Aubrey had ever seen. It was perfect for her and it was perfect for a future queen who would be assuming the throne after her marriage and after some time away at college. At least she would get a few years at college before taking over her full responsibilities. However before she could even being to think about relaxing at college she needed out of this marriage. For a moment she thought of her boyfriend and how he must feel during this entire process. He must have secretly wished to take Romeo's place at the alter and maybe he even offered a couple of times but the Italian government was smart enough to tell the difference between Romeo and his servant. Beside she knew her parents would never accept her marriage to someone of a lower status even if he was the most perfect person in the world for Aubrey.

While her legs were crossed Aubrey started to tap her foot to the imaginary beat that was floating through her hair. Dance team required such loud music and she missed ballet since ballet required soft and classical music. Dancing was her passion but her speciallity was ballet. She remembered a moment from back when her and Romeo were dating and things were progressing perfectly. He had taken her to an Italian ballet and she remembered how impressed she was with thier movements and the music that they danced to. That date had impressed her and she cursed him for throwing it all away. She hated him for throwing it all away on some cheap fling with some girl she couldn't remember. In her blind rage she didn't even look at who the girl was. When she caught them all she remembered was yelling at him in Italian and calling him a dirty bastard before running away in humilitation and shame.

But her new boyfriend made her feel like she was amazing and like she was more than just a princess who appeared perfect. When she showed a flaw he praised her and called her even more beautiful, which at first freaked her out but she grew to love it. Everything about him she was falling in love with and it was hard to give in when she had her heart broken in such a manner before. Her soul was his for the taking and she knew that recovery from another heart break would be devastating and damn near impossible for her. If he managed to break her heart then she would vow to live like her idol and never marry. No amount of arranged marriages could actually make her give in to one of them and he father could not force her once she got the throne.

But getting out of this one would require some help and she knew that she had a few ideas to get out but Romeo probably had some as well. Together they were crafty enough to get out of this. Then she heard the familiar voice and glanced up just in time to see him taking a seat on the same stone bench that she was at. Aubrey pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and noted the time. "Two minutes late dear." She commented while putting her cell phone back into her pocket. "So... small talk or did you want to get right into it?" She asked, allowing him to select the option. Aubrey could pretend like she was interested in his day or they could focus on getting out of thier arrangement.

[romeo valentino of italy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] AND I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT MY BAD REPUTATION Tagged: aubrey giselle of belgium Outfit:here Status: complete. Romeo grinned, forcing himself not to give her one big eye roll. "Clearly you were anxious for my arrival," he said sarcastically. Aubrey had always been one for punctuality, something Romeo had never quite been able to master. When they had dated, he'd had to set alarms and reminders for when they were supposed to meet up or go out to dinner and whatnot, just so that he would be exactly on time. To say Aubrey was high maintenance was quite the understatement; how they had ever put up with each other, he never knew. He would always remember how damn hard he'd worked just to convince her to go on a date with him in the beginning of third year, but he wished he didn't remember. They both had had a lot of growing up to do at the time -- he didn't know how much Aubrey had grown from the person she used to be, but he'd certainly become less egotistical and more considerate. Nothing would ever change Romeo from being the mysterious "rebel" he truly was, but at least he no longer walked around like he owned the place. Which, as part of the Kings, he kind of did. He sighed, leaning back and extending his long legs out so that he could relax more. This was already going to be a difficult conversation; he hardly wanted to be uncomfortable. His stormy grey eyes rested on her for a second and then he nodded. "Yeah, all right, let's get into it," he agreed, one hand lifting to run through his messy, dark blonde hair. His hair was beginning to grow out again, though it was not nearly as long as it had been third year. He preferred these days to keep it relatively short, but he'd noticed that Gabriella had a penchant for playing with his hair every once and a while, so of course he kept it longer than the classic buzz cut. "At least I finally got you to stop avoiding me," he added in a bitter tone, throwing her a very accusational look. Two years he'd been trying to apologize to her, for one, and now for the past few months he'd been doing everything he could just to get her to talk to him so that they could figure this whole deal out. She was being very difficult, and she knew it. He felt like he was courting her all over again, except this time she was more of a pain in the ass. She had every reason to dislike him, but two years was two years...shouldn't they have moved on by now? Of course he wished he had never hurt her, but what could you do? He couldn't even remember the details of that night. He just remembered that, sometime after the Winter Gala third year, they'd begun to squabble. They'd been dating for a few months, and things had been relatively fine -- but Aubrey had slowly become more obsessed with beating the Queens and becoming "HBIC" and, to a guy like Romeo, it began to get irritating. Every time he'd mentioned it, she'd get furious with him, and sometime after the Gala, they'd had a bad fight about it. That night, he'd decided to take a trip down to the Ice Box to blow off some steam, and after one too many drinks...well, the last thing he remembered was waking up to a naked brunette lying in his bed, and infuriated Aubrey screaming profanities in his ear. Apparently, she'd come to talk about their fight, only to find him sleeping next to a strange girl. Romeo couldn't even remember how he'd made it back home. Needless to say, their relationship ended as quickly as she'd slammed his bedroom door. "We need to talk about this engagement," he began, a serious look overcoming him. "More importantly, we need to end it. Unless you've forgotten that, right after graduation, we're supposed to be getting married?" created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[aubrey fiona of belgium]

"Anxious to get this over with." She snapped back at his comment. Seriously all she wanted was out of this little arrangment and the fact that he was late didn't help her mood. Ontop of her marriage she was stressed out about the dance team and maintaining her final grades and of course her boyfriend. To be honest she was surprised that Romeo didn't bring his servant since he had been at most of thier meetings before. However dealing with this in private was probably the smarter way to deal with it and Aubrey was ready to handle it. All of her lessons on being Queen and ruling a country would be utilized in this moment and it would take a strong witt and a gentle touch to get out of it.

When he suggested that they just dive right in she was thankful since they had no small talk to talk about. Oh she could pull a conversation about the weather or how his day had been out of her butt if she needed to but at least they could talk openly about this. "Good." She muttered softly and uncrossed her legs. Aubrey shifted her body to face him since they would look stupid both facing front and having a conversation. Her hands remained folded on her lap when she faced him since she wanted to give the appearance of being nice and relaxed. The tone he used was very angry and Aubrey could just hear how upset he was with her. A normal person would have felt bad but Aubrey knew that she was in the right in her anger. "I wasn't avoiding you." She replied in a tone that was just dripping with sweetiness and nice things. "I just needed some time to cool off." That was the excuse that she was going with and it was partially true.

That night that ended their relationship had been awful for Aubrey and she felt awful as if she had caused him to run to another woman. Something she had said had forced him to run away from her and into the warms of another. Aubrey felt so betrayed and she was so angry. It was so awful that she had been unable to fully allow herself to fall for her current boyfriend despite how much she wanted to. Her heart was guarded after that incident and she could not handle another break like what happened with her and Romeo.

He spoke and she could tell that he was getting down to business, which made Aubrey get a bit more serious. "Yes of course I remembered that. My mother reminds me every couple of weeks." She replied and crossed her arms across her chest. "Do you have any ideas how to get out of it. All I can think is that one of us doesn't show up to the wedding but that will be difficult considering security. Does your brother want to help up?"

[romeo valentino of italy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] AND I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT MY BAD REPUTATION Tagged: aubrey giselle of belgium Outfit:here Status: complete. Romeo's eyebrows rose and he threw Aubrey a look of disbelief, the frustration obvious in his expression. Time to cool off? Wasn't her time cooling off spent ruining his reputation within the first few weeks of their breakup? Sure, he had picked up the pieces and was back to his "old glory", per say, but that didn't mean she hadn't done any damage. Aubrey had had every right to be angry, but retaliating the way she did had further confirmed why they should have broken up in the first place. "It took you two years to cool off, Aubrey? And then all of this time ignoring me when we could have been stopping this whole mess from happening..." Romeo trailed off with a shake of his head. Contrary to popular belief, he did not hate Aubrey. He didn't think he could actually hate someone -- he didn't have the time, the care, nor the energy to feel so strongly negative about someone or something. Besides, she was still a person, beneath that cool exterior and the mean girl attitude. He could see right through her: she just wanted to be the best and please everyone, so to do so, she thought she had to step all over everyone else. But she was stronger than the classic mean girl, and he would always admire her for that; there was something to be admired about a girl who didn't let others run her life for her. No, he couldn't hate her. But he didn't appreciate her intense penchant for grudges nor her lack of cooperation. What he hated, however, was this engagement -- not his fiancée. There was no reason for this engagement, especially one that had them married days after graduation. What was the point? As far as he knew, Aubrey was not to become Queen for another few years. So why did she need to be married so early before then? The engagement was such short notice -- only a year before the marriage -- and it didn't give them much time to try and get out of it, considering Aubrey had ignored him for half of the engagement. No, Romeo knew this engagement was all about money and dowry. It always had been, always would be. Italy, though small, was still a powerful country -- but a powerful country that needed allies. Belgium was a small country, and as far as Romeo could recall, didn't have very many allies nor much holding in the political powers of the world. The marriage of Romeo and Aubrey would guarantee money and political standings for Belgium, and -- if Romeo assumed correctly -- a bit more land for Italy on the far northwestern border of Belgium, along the coast of the North Sea. Italy needed the trade, Belgium needed the money and power. It was a win-win situation, right? Yeah, except for one problem: the prince and princess had no desire to marry. Not to mention they had an awful history. Romeo laughed slightly at her suggestion, running a hand through his golden hair. Her suggestion was practically impossible. "We can't just not show up. I know for a fact they'll practically handcuff us together and force the rings on our fingers," he countered with a sigh. When it came to money, the countries didn't play around. "My brother will take the throne in September -- God knows why, I suppose my parents are tired of the job -- and he would be able to overrule the engagement. However, by then we'll already be married." The options were running thin, but Romeo had a plan. He always had a plan. "So," he began, turning to look her straight in the eye. "I've come up with something to convince our parents otherwise. But it means you'll have to play nice for a little while, with everyone," he said. That might be hard for her -- Aubrey didn't exactly like playing the sweet pumpkin with everyone else, not as "HBIC" of the school. created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[aubrey fiona of belgium]

In her mind she knew all ofthe different ways that this could work out between them. All of them were bad unless her father gave in and ended the marriage with the Italians before it took place but she assumed that he would not take on that media circus. The wedding date was announced, all of the guests had been invited, her dress was selected and altered to suit Aubrey, and it would just be such a scandal to cancel it so close to the date. Of course she felt like an idiot for not nipping this in the butt right away but she had been angry at him. She also didn't think it would get this far but she was wrong, however she would not admit that outloud. "Yes Romeo it took me two years to cool off. And the important thing is that we are dealing with it now." She replied back while trying to maintain a clear and level head. Now use getting angry or trying to assign blame to thier situation right now since that would result in another argument.

During her cooling off period she spent a great deal of time reflecting and talking with Ellie about what had happened. Specifically focusing on what she had done wrong in her relationship with Romeo that had lead him to cheat. Obviously she demanded too much of him but she had been raised with high expectations that she was able to meet with ease. Why couldn't he just meet her expectations and be a good boyfriend? She spent weeks assigning blame to him and then weeks assigning the blame to herself. Her emotions in private ranged from anger and hated to a mild depression over this whole situation. But in the end she maintained her social standing and attitude within the School so no one but Ellie knew of the pain she felt. Her current boyfriend knew of the heartache and tried to be supportive once they got back together but she was still untrusting of him in certain aspects. Their relationship was doomed to fail since he was caught between her and Romeo and his loyality needed to go both ways without getting stretched thin.

When he laughed at her suggestion she crossed her arms across her chest and gave him a more stern look since she hated when her ideas were just laughed at. Plus she was not about to relax and have a good time with her ex boyfriend. "But if one of us leaves the country in secrect then it could work. Belgium is not a hard country to get out of. You could just swim across over to England where I am sure you'd rather be." Her suggestion of swimming was obviously impractical but whatever. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Then Aubrey considered Romeo's brother for a moment and thought that at least they may have an fail safe to get out of the marriage. "But he can grant us a annulment once he is king. He would have to take a public stance on arranged marriages and the Royal community may hate Italy for it but thats the price we will have to pay if we can't get out of this now."

At least they could get out of the marriage once they were in it assuming that his older brother would agree to help them. She had never really spoken to him much but she figured that he was a nice enough guy. Then she noticed Romeo turn to her and announce that he had a plan. So she uncrossed her arms from her chest and focused on him. "I am willing to play nice to get this plan to work. Now... what is the plan?" She asked. Actually she was curious what he had come up with for them. Hopefully it would work or else she was out of ideas.

[romeo valentino of italy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] AND I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT MY BAD REPUTATION Tagged: aubrey giselle of belgium Outfit:here Status: complete. His eyes narrowed, but he said nothing, knowing her suggestion was useless anyways. The real question was: how much did she know about Gabriella? Did she know of his feelings for the English princess, and the fact that they felt they couldn't really be with each other because of both of their engagements? Aubrey was always in the know, thanks to her gossipy protégés, but this was not something anyone knew anything about. He and Gabriella remained relatively quiet about their blossoming relationship, and only Dante really knew anything about it, since they weren't about to keep it secret from Gabriella's fiancé. Romeo didn't want Aubrey knowing anything, though, because she was far too vindictive -- what if she tried to ruin it all? Then again, perhaps she realized just how much staying power Romeo had with knowing she was dating his servant; if she tried to screw with him, he had no qualms letting it slip to the press that Aubrey was with someone else whilst engaged to him. Romeo was not a bad guy, but he simply didn't want people putting their noses in his business, and he expected Aubrey understood that. Still, what did she know? There were no limits to the lengths Aubrey went to get information. He studied her face for a long moment, and then shrugged. "Doubt it. Authorities from allied countries wouldn't allow us inside their walls. Believe me, I've already thought about running away," he muttered with a sigh. He remembered talking to Gabriella about this very same thought, and the more he thought about it, the more he knew just how unlikely it was to be able to run away successfully. He could hide, certainly, but finding someone wasn't all that hard. Still, he was not going to marry Aubrey, he would make sure of that. "The Royal community wouldn't hate Italy," he countered with an eye roll. "The councils of our countries may, but not the Royal community. Arranged marriages is about politics, not friendships." The Royal people would largely understand an annulment, actually. At least the Royals they currently went to school with. None of the royals wanted to be put in an arranged marriage, not in the least bit. The only people who wanted arranged marriages were the councils, who chose based on politics, money, and benefits -- not based on love. Real marriages did happen -- were happening -- but arranged marriages were still in existence and that just felt wrong to Romeo. "That's a good enough back-up plan, though, I suppose. We don't really have any other options for a Plan B." He would rather not be married to Aubrey than have to go through an annulment -- especially since they, by law, would have to be married for a year before getting an annulment -- but if that was their last resort, then so be it. But his plan was better. Way better, and not very difficult at all, if they put their minds to it. "We create a petition," he proposed, straightening up. "List reasons on why this arranged marriage shouldn't happen -- you know, both political and personal -- and then we try to get every royal at this school to sign the petition. The reason you have to nice is because signing the petition means agreeing to become a future political ally to both countries," he said with a confident smile. Those who didn't like Aubrey would not want to sign on as an ally to Belgium, but if she played nice, maybe they would change their minds. "If allies are what our parents and councils want, then that's what they'll get." created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[aubrey fiona of belgium]

All she ever knew was rumors and what she heard in the gossip world. She always took what people told her in good faith because some girls felt that they could speak openly about their secrets with her. And let’s face it… there was a reason that Aubrey was the head of the Queens of Vineheart. That reason being that she knew everything or she could make assumptions based on what she saw with how people interacted. It was like playing chess and picking up on the opponent’s strategies by how they favored certain pieces in the game or by repeating previously used plans that are known for their success. Aubrey knew the game of chess well and she knew the game of love and arranged marriages fairly well at this point. But as far as letting certain information slip, Aubrey was against it unless the gossip was just too good to hide away in her mind. Something like Romeo’s secret girlfriend would have been great gossip to let slip around the school but there was something about him that made her hide it inside. It wasn’t that Romeo had the power over her since if news of her secret relationship got out then so would his and his relationship would ruin more reputations then just Belgium. Still there was this unspoken respect that she had for her ex-boyfriend, which meant that she would keep this information under lock and key. Then he mentioned that he had thought about running away and she nodded but she didn’t comment on it. The idea of running away seemed like the cowards way out for Aubrey and she would gladly let Romeo look like the coward to save her own image but running away would never work. A stronger plan was needed right now.

Maybe her assumptions were a far reach from reality but she liked to look at the worst case scenario since that would be the worst situation for them to end up in. Aubrey did not wish to end up in the worst case but she wanted to be prepared for it. However she did not appreciate his eye roll since it was a sign of disrespect but she let it slide to maintain their civil attitude. ”Well on some level they are about the idea of friendship since countries with allies through marriage are considered to be friends.” She corrected him with her know it all tone. Politics were her strong suit and what she secretly loved to deal with. Queen or not she would have gone into politics either way with a focus in law, but for her major at college she had selected Pre-law. But college seemed so far away and if she did have to marry Romeo then he would have to come with her to college until they could secure their annulment. Annulments were pretty rare though in the Royal community with divorce being even rarer. Most people just accepted their marriage for better or worse once it was over and Aubrey was scared of that happening to her. What if they just settled and kept affairs on the side? That would be awful since eventually she would have to give Romeo a child if they remained married. ”Yes… but let’s hope that we do not need that backup plan. I would rather avoid the marriage all together than have to go through the ordeal of getting an annulment.” They could both appreciate her statement and they could both agree with it silently.

Then she listened to his plan and watched as he seemed more serious about what he was talking about. In response she perked up and sat more formally as they finally got down to business. His idea sounded solid but she had some reservations only because she had tried to explain to her father the reasons why this marriage shouldn’t happen. But with the guarantee of having alliances even without the marriage he might see reason better. ”That could work. By promising alliances we forgo the need to create them with a marriage.” It sounded like it could actually work and she was secretly impressed by his idea. ”Are we going to do this together?” She asked. Aubrey could play nice with anyone, including Romeo. ”It might look stronger if we act as a united front when collecting these signatures.” Hopefully no one took this as an attempt to get back together since she was only suggesting it for their public image.

[romeo valentino of italy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] AND I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT MY BAD REPUTATION Tagged: aubrey giselle of belgium Outfit:here Status: complete. Romeo shrugged. "I'd hardly consider an arranged marriage to be friendly. I'd rather not pay for my friends," he said bitterly. What was ever friendly about arranged marriages other than signing the contracts, agreeing to the dowry, and saying "I do"? Perhaps friendships could possibly arise from arranged marriages -- some of their parents' arranged marriages had worked out, obviously -- but in general, it was not a friendly affair. It was purely business and purely monetary-related. And Romeo wanted no part of that. Sure, he could buy all of the friends he wanted back home in Italy -- and he didn't want to do that -- but at Vineheart everyone was as rich as he and he made genuine friendships, not just friendships with people who used him for his power and status. Of course, Romeo tended to run around with the nobles of Italy rather than common people, but that was just because he had the chance to see them more often and had grown up with them. He didn't mind spending his time with his people, though; he often played football with the young boys in the square and took pretty girls dancing at the Italian clubs. The latter wasn't going to happen anymore, what with his interests in Bri, but at least his people knew that he loved them, dearly. And he knew that if he showed his distaste for an arranged marriage, his people would probably agree with him; it was just the councils that needed convincing, and that was going to take a lot of work. With his plan, though, it seemed possible to get out of this, even probable. Sure, it was a bunch of teenagers signing a petition, but a contract was a contract. If they signed it saying they would agree to be Italy and Belgium's allies, then what more could one want? It would be the best of both worlds -- he and Aubrey wouldn't have to marry each other, and in the event of a war, he had people to turn to. Sure, they were already his friends anyways, but some friendships deteriorated over time. Some countries just went to war. Sure, it seemed a bit cheap and unfair that if you ended a friendship with someone you still had to follow the contract, but...that was life. And besides, Romeo doubted he'd lose any of the friends he made. He appreciated his friends, despite his rather apathetic persona, and he made sure they felt appreciated every once and a while. He grinned and nodded along with Aubrey's statement. "See? I'm not just a pretty face," he joke, running a hand through his dirty blonde hair. It felt slightly weird making jokes around Aubrey, considering their not-so-friendly relationship, but if they were going to be doing this together, then they at least needed to try and make light of something serious. "That was my plan," he said with a cautious look. "So...try to not want to kill me so much, yeah?" He paused for a moment, and then sighed. "Maybe you might actually give me a chance to apologize this time around, too?" It was a long shot, but he could try, right? Despite all of his issues with Aubrey, he still knew she deserved a real, genuine apology, and he wanted to explain his side of things to her. It wouldn't make what he did okay, but maybe it would make being around him easier, and let her put everything behind them. created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[aubrey fiona of belgium]

Paying for friends and alliances seemed to be standard practice for people of their status in life and Aubrey was alright with certain things being apart of that. She would rather not have to pay anyone off for thier friendship to her country since she would rather win them over with her charm. Charm and witty conversation that lead the other into the right direction was her speciality when it came to politics and truth be told she was a natural. Her father could not ask for a stronger successor but he wanted an alliance with Italy so badly. When she started to date Romeo he had been so excited that things were naturally falling into place but when he heard of his daughter's break up it felt like his perfect plan had fallen. Arranged marriage had been his answer and Aubrey's demise. "Our parents were simply doing what they thought was right and what they had been through themselves. The problem is that times are changing and they no longer see that." She commented. Her parents had been a product of an arranged marriage and they were happy with each other. They loved each other and ruled side by side but the world had changed while they weren't looking. Arranged marriage was slowly becoming a thing of the past that their parents were trying to hold onto.

Obviously in the past they were used to prevent war and to make sure that weaker countries had bigger friends to protect them in case of invasion. But Aubrey doubted that invasion would occur and the threat of war seemed to have evaportated from the air all together. The up and coming Royals would not be looking to start wars with the friend that they made in highschool. At least Aubrey didn't plan to have Belgium starting any wars in the near or distant future. But a contract would create alliances and most likely prevent any war from taking place, at least on paper. Contracts were broken all of the time so she doubted its ability to prevent war in 20 years but if it got her out of this marriage then she would try it.

His comment legitimately made her laugh. She had longed to just relax and laugh when she was around him but it felt so weird to her. He broke her heart and now he was making her laugh with a silly comment. "So far you've only had one great idea. I think we can still classify you as just a pretty face." She replied and although the comment might have sounded pretty bitchy there was a lightness to her a tone. A playfulness that she hadn't used since thier breakup. Aubrey was trying to make a funny comment as well. Then he spoke again and she was a bit stunned. He actually wanted to apologize to her. Her responce was to just sign softly and look up at the sky. It had been the one thing she had been waiting for since the incident happened and here it was about to be said. The bitch in her wanted to make him get to his knees and beg for forgiveness but that would not be the way to start off thier little adventure. Pissing him off now would only lead to thier marriage.

So she took a deep breath and slowly released it. "You can apologize to me after we get out of this marriage. Right now we need to focus on getting out of it with our reputations in tact." She replied. Aubrey didn't want to hear him apologize now. Now was not the time for such things but she would rather hear him say I'm sorry rather than I do. It would be the perfect cap to thier engagement.

[romeo valentino of italy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] AND I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT MY BAD REPUTATION Tagged: aubrey giselle of belgium Outfit:here Status: complete. He sighed, considering her point. Yes, back when their parents were young, arranged marriage was far more common -- it was still outdated then, but nonetheless common. As far as Romeo knew, the marriages had worked out -- successors were produced, anyways -- but that didn't exactly mean all of them were happy. If he was expected to have a child with Aubrey...well, that wasn't about to happen. That was the last thing either of them wanted, despite their parents' wishes. How to make them understand, though? It was so difficult trying to convince the King and Queen of Italy of his deepest desires; they threw his opinions aside simply because he was the troublemaker of the family. That didn't mean he was going to give up...in fact, he was going to work harder to gain their respect. He didn't often work hard for anything -- except maybe for Gabriella's affection -- but respect was something he thought he needed to earn from his parents. Call it growing up, but Romeo was beginning to think that being a "bad boy" had far more disadvantages than advantages. To his complete surprise, Aubrey laughed; at first, he thought he was just hearing things, and he looked around them for a split second before realizing it was her laugh, not someone else's laugh. He tossed her a puzzled look but smiled nonetheless, at least relieved that she was somewhat relaxing around him. "It was worth a shot," he said with a grin, running a hand through his ruffled hair. Did other guys have this much trouble trying to reconcile with their ex girlfriends, or did they try reconciling at all? Maybe he was crazy for attempting to be friends with the girl he hurt, but he didn't really have much of a choice. Romeo was about to relay the apology speech he'd worked on for two years, but she stopped him, and he complied with a sigh. He didn't exactly like waiting to be forgiven, but he supposed it was another point of motivation to get out of this mess. "Okay, sounds like a deal," he agreed, leaning back into the bench. "Our reputations will probably take a little damage, but not much. I don't think the people will be pleased that the "fairytale wedding" won't happen, but they'll get over it." The news would have a hayday with the cancellation of the coming wedding; after all, the ceremony was in a few short months, just after graduation. He wanted to graduate happy, not dreading putting a ring on the Belgian princess' finger. Romeo was silent for a moment, and then he turned back to Aubrey. "I know you can talk to the Queens, and I've got the Kings down. That's about a fourth of the countries, but we've got more to go. Let's get together tomorrow and start writing up the contract, since that's the first thing we need to get together before we start talking to everyone. Does that sound good?" If they were going to get out of this marriage, they needed to get to work as soon as possible. created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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