Sta.sh
Tybalt, in the main story of the tragic Romeo and Juliet, is described as Fierce and Fiery, the King of Cats, however, our story starts before theirs. When Tybalt was not fiery and not so fast to draw his sword. This is back when Tybalt had a family and one best friend.
“Tabby, Wait for me!” Tybalt calls to his older brother. “Tabby!”. He pauses to catch his breath and looks around his family’s gardens. To him they seemed to stretch for acres, closest patch were his fathers gardening patch. It was almost Tomato-picking time, being mid-summer, though he didn’t see his father much nowadays. Always in a meeting with some other family. His aunts flower patch was next. In full bloom it looked so pretty. The family household was at the foot of the garden and he was standing in the rough area for him and his brother to scuffle in.
Footsteps pound up behind him. “And I actually thought something had happened to you; and here you are staring into space!” Tybalt whirls around and sees his big brother, Tabby. Tabby was all he wanted to be, he was tall and lean; a master of the blade. Tybalt ran to his brother and hugged him tight. “Can we do teach me some more cool sword things? Can you? Can you? Please...”
“Fine. Let go of me first though.” laughed Tabby.
Tybalt released his grip and ran to fetch the practice iron rods that his father had gotten them and gave one to Tabby. They sparred until the sun went down that day.
During dinner, Tybalt sat next to Tabby and his aunt. While he ate his father spoke.
“Children. this may come as somewhat a surprise but your aunt will be leaving for Verona tomorrow to be wed to a fine family called the Capulets. After the marriage we shall travel to Verona so you can see your new extended family.” Tybalt pouted and opened his mouth to protest- “This is the final decision. Speak not. Reply not. Do not answer. We leave in two days.” After that the family ate in silence.
The next two days came and went. Tybalts aunt left for her big day and life carried on as usual as it could be without her calming influence until it was time for the rest of the family to leave. Tybalt brought all his belongings in one small backpack, his clothes, his teddy and last of all, his favorite sparring stick. He sat in the back of the carriage next to his ‘Bestest Brother in the whole wide world’ while his father drove the horses. Most of the journey was uneventful with few words between father and sons. The scenery was mostly an endless green sea of grass, mirrored by a blue sea above. Every now and again they would pass another carriage or a herd of interesting animals called ‘cows’. About a few miles from Verona, the carriage stopped. There was a man standing by the side of the road with his hand out, asking for a lift. He was fairly tall with long, concealing hair and if Tybalt’s Father had looked close enough he would have seen a ‘M’ tattooed on the back of his hand. Tybalts father opened the door and called out to the stranger “Ho. Are you to Verona?” Tybalt heard the man reply and start to approach their carriage.
Just as the stranger came into touching distance of the horses he violently slashed one of them on their behind with a hidden blade. Both stallions began to buck, flipping the carriage. Tybalts father, with his door open, fell out almost instantly and his two sons watched in horror as their father hit the floor. The stranger was on top of him in an instant, calling to others who gathered around their pinned and helpless father. when it seemed attendance was full the one other man stepped out from behind and said a short but effective speech “You see. This is the man who disagreed with the Montagues. He even went as far as to send his sister of to marry our rival, the Capulets to taunt us. But we will always have the last laugh. Every time." He singled to the first stranger who quickly finished the job. Tabby shook beside Tybalt as they saw their dad breath his last breath. Then he forced the roof, now the side, open and pushed Tybalt out in front of him. "Quiet now. We don't want the bad men to see us. Go to those bushes. I'll be with you in a second." He pierced urgently. Shocked to the core, Tybalt could do nothing but obey. He hurried to the undergrowth on the other side of the road, unseen in the cloak of the night.
Tybalt watched the 'Montagues as the laughed and chatted about how easy that was when one said "I'm cold. Can we light a fire?" The big man who seemed to be the boss nodded and said “We’ll use the carriage. no point in wasting it.” Just before their magnificent family carriage went up in flame Tabby leaped out ran to the bushes towards Tybalt. Unfortunately the first stanger saw him and alerted the boss, he started after Tabby, each step spelling the boys closer to their doom. “Come out and make this a lot easer will you? Don’t worry. You’ll be with daddy soon... he, he” he sneered drawing his sword.
“Tybalt, I’m going to hold the Montagues off- I got this out your pack for you if you need to use it.” shouted Tabby to Tybalt as he lept through the undergrowth, chucking him his sparring iron stick and drawing his own iron sabre. Tybalt caught his training rod and clutched it tightly in his grip as he peered through the bushes. Tabby fought bravely, taking down 1 Montague with a slice through the stomach, 2 Montague by knocking them on the head with the hilt, 3 with a lucky stab in the throat but then as he turned in a circle, shouting “Come at me, you spawn of the devil; you-”. He never finished the curse because a montague had crept behind him and stabbed him in the small of his back. Tabby looked down and saw the point, glistening bloody and red, poking out his abdomen and looked up in the vague direction of his brother. “I love you Tybalt. Live, and be prosperous. Be strong and train hard to protect what you love most.” as he called, his voice failed him. He dropped to his knees and with his last breath he whispered “Farewell, brother.”. Tybalt looked at his brother’s corpse in shock. He was gone. His idol for the future, gone. His bestest brother in the whole wide world, gone. Tabby was dead.
After that, time seemed to move at lightspeed but at the same time seemed to stop all together. After hearing about the raid the rest of the Capulets rushed to the scene of the overturned carriage and carnage. They quickly overwhelmed the Montagues. It was a bloody night for both families and at the end the montagues disappeared into the night, their tails between their legs. Tybalt’s aunt found him trembling in a bush gripping an iron rod so tight that his knuckles had turned white. She tried to pick him up but he screamed and pushed her away before rushing to the body of his brother, tears streaming down his face. The Capulets left him there while they picked up the bodies of their family for burial and left Tabby’s body till last. When they picked it up Tybalt stood up and followed, holding Tabby’s lifeless hand.
From the front of the carriage, Tybalts aunt looked back at the weeping Tybalt sitting next to an empty seat where his brother used to sit. Tybalt’s mind was still reeling from the shock of being the lone survivor of this tragedy. He replayed the whole thing back in his mind until his beloved brother's last words. “Be Strong”. Tybalt stopped sniffing. “Train hard”. “O, I will” thought Tybalt. Suddenly there was a new purpose for his existence. no longer did he exist to become Tabby. He existed to become Tabby’s avenger. Peace? With the Montagues? Not now. Not after what they did to him. “Peace” he muttered under his breath. “I hate the word as I hate hell, all Montagues and thee."
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I don't know much about Romeo and Juliet, but this seems like a good backstory on a character!
It's original, because it shows a 'villain's' childhood, and it explains a bit on how he came to be that way.
Well done on writing this, and thanks for the note about it! ^^