"Secrets Revealed" Prologue
Written by: Erin
"Do you think your family will like me, Phoebus?" The dark-haired gypsy questioned nervously as she twirled a strand of hair around her index finger. Her stomach was tied in knots as the carriage carrying her and her fiance neared closer and closer to the house where they would be staying for the weekend, "What if when they find out I'm a gypsy, I'll get kicked out of the house? What if they don't like my outfit? What if-"
"Esmeralda, relex, sweetie!" The blond ex-captain of the guard chuckled as he loosened the strand of hair from her hair, "They'll love you just as much as Quasi and I do. You're beautiful, intelligant, you've got a kick-butt goat...What's not to love?" He shot a wink at her as she narrowed her eyes at him in a mock dirty look. Laughing, he pinched her cheek lightly and continued, "You're so cute when you get angry, you know that, Esme?"
"All right, all right," With a roll of her eyes, Esmeralda then turned serious again, "Seriously though! I want to make a good impression on your parents; we're getting married in just a few months anyways and I'm nervous about what they're going to say about me being a gypsy and all. You know what Frollo was like-"
"Esmeralda, let's not even MENTION that name, okay?" Phoebus grimaced as he laced his fingers into hers and squeezed tightly, "It only brings back bad memories, for all of us...but it has been a year and we've got to move on with our lives."
Sighing softly, Esmeralda returned the hand squeezed and looked into her beloved fiance's eyes, "I'm still worried about Quasi, though, Phoebus. He's moved on with his life, he's free and all, but I can still see that loneliness whenever we talk. He doesn't say it, but I know how much he wishes he had family..."
"We're his family, Es," Phoebus reminded her, "His mother was a gypsy, and so that makes him part gypsy himself. And you gypsies are family, am I right?"
Smiling sadly, Esmeralda nodded her head just as the carriage pulled up in front of a small, one story cottage. The place was a modest looking home, with a beautiful garden planted out front and several trails lead from the back yard into the woods. There were no other homes nearby, which gave the area a safe feeling to Esmeralda. Turning back to Phoebus, she asked, "Now what were you saying about your parents liking me or not?"
"Uncle Phoebus! Uncle Phoebus!" A high chirpy voice greeted the duo as they stepped inside of the house. Turning to his right, Phoebus laughed out loud as his nephew came hurdling towards him and nearly knocking him off his feet, "You're back!"
"That I am, Zach; that I am," Phoebus lifted the boy high up in the air before setting him down just as several members of his family came into the front hall from the kitchen.
"Hey little brother!" A beautiful looking woman who looked slightly older then Phoebus, with hair the color of fire. Watching off to the side, Esmeralda smiled as the woman hurried over to her brother and planted a large kiss on his cheek, "What took you so long to get here?"
"What are you talking about, Sasha? I'm on time, you're the one who never keeps track of the time," Phoebus winked at her before turning with smiles to his mother, who was heading towards him with open arms, "Hello, mother. It's been way too long."
"So is this the lovely lady you wanted us to meet, Phoebs?" Sasha nodded towards Esmeralda, who was still watching silently, yet nervously.
Groaning at the nickname his sister dubbed him when they were children, Phoebus finally pulled away from his mother's grasp and moved towards his fiance, "Yes, this is Esmeralda. I already told you in the letter I sent a few weeks ago that we're getting married, but I really wanted you to meet her and get to know each other before the wedding."
"It's such a pleasure to meet you, Esmeralda. I'm Maggie, Phoebus' mother," The older woman smiled and reached a hand out to shake the gypsy's hand, "And this is Sasha, my oldest daughter and her little boy Zach." Maggie nodded over to the hyper youngster who was clinging tightly to Phoebus' hand and trying to pull him away from the group to the other room.
Lifting an eyebrow slightly at his family, Phoebus asked, "Uh, mom...where's dad? And Peter? I thought they'd be here to meet Esme."
"Oh sweetie, your father had to work overtime again," Maggie sighed and rolled her eyes skyward."
"And Peter had to stay home with the baby," Sasha added, referring to their newborn child, "Andie's sick with the flu, but Peter insisted Zach and I go."
Clapping her hands together to turn everyone's attention back to her, Maggie smiled broadly and gestured towards the kitchen, "Well, let's not wait any longer; dinner's just about ready and we don't want a cold meal now, do we?" As Sasha led Esmeralda towards the kitchen with Zach in tow, Maggie all of a sudden grabbed a hold of Phoebus' arm and brought him to a halt before he could enter as well, "Phoebus, wait. Hold on a minute."
Turning with curiosity towards his mother, who's expression suddenly turned to one of nervousness, "Is something wrong, mom?" He frowned at the look in her eyes. He rarely ever saw that look before, but when he did it was never good news.
Sighing again, Maggie looked down at the floor before turning her eyes to look into her youngest son's face, "Phoebus, I was really surprised when you wanted to get together after these last few years, but belive me, I'm glad you got a hold of us. Because there's something I've been meaning to tell you for some time now..."
His eyebrows furrowing together at thos words, the ex-captain tilted his head to the side, "Oh?"
"Come talk with me immediately after dinner, darling," She concluded, "I cannot keep this inside of me any longer, especially after this past year." Still seeing his confusion and wanting to ask another question, Maggie lifted a finger to his lips to silence him, "Just come to me after we eat; I'll explain everything to you then."
To be continued...
Written by: Erin
"Do you think your family will like me, Phoebus?" The dark-haired gypsy questioned nervously as she twirled a strand of hair around her index finger. Her stomach was tied in knots as the carriage carrying her and her fiance neared closer and closer to the house where they would be staying for the weekend, "What if when they find out I'm a gypsy, I'll get kicked out of the house? What if they don't like my outfit? What if-"
"Esmeralda, relex, sweetie!" The blond ex-captain of the guard chuckled as he loosened the strand of hair from her hair, "They'll love you just as much as Quasi and I do. You're beautiful, intelligant, you've got a kick-butt goat...What's not to love?" He shot a wink at her as she narrowed her eyes at him in a mock dirty look. Laughing, he pinched her cheek lightly and continued, "You're so cute when you get angry, you know that, Esme?"
"All right, all right," With a roll of her eyes, Esmeralda then turned serious again, "Seriously though! I want to make a good impression on your parents; we're getting married in just a few months anyways and I'm nervous about what they're going to say about me being a gypsy and all. You know what Frollo was like-"
"Esmeralda, let's not even MENTION that name, okay?" Phoebus grimaced as he laced his fingers into hers and squeezed tightly, "It only brings back bad memories, for all of us...but it has been a year and we've got to move on with our lives."
Sighing softly, Esmeralda returned the hand squeezed and looked into her beloved fiance's eyes, "I'm still worried about Quasi, though, Phoebus. He's moved on with his life, he's free and all, but I can still see that loneliness whenever we talk. He doesn't say it, but I know how much he wishes he had family..."
"We're his family, Es," Phoebus reminded her, "His mother was a gypsy, and so that makes him part gypsy himself. And you gypsies are family, am I right?"
Smiling sadly, Esmeralda nodded her head just as the carriage pulled up in front of a small, one story cottage. The place was a modest looking home, with a beautiful garden planted out front and several trails lead from the back yard into the woods. There were no other homes nearby, which gave the area a safe feeling to Esmeralda. Turning back to Phoebus, she asked, "Now what were you saying about your parents liking me or not?"
"Uncle Phoebus! Uncle Phoebus!" A high chirpy voice greeted the duo as they stepped inside of the house. Turning to his right, Phoebus laughed out loud as his nephew came hurdling towards him and nearly knocking him off his feet, "You're back!"
"That I am, Zach; that I am," Phoebus lifted the boy high up in the air before setting him down just as several members of his family came into the front hall from the kitchen.
"Hey little brother!" A beautiful looking woman who looked slightly older then Phoebus, with hair the color of fire. Watching off to the side, Esmeralda smiled as the woman hurried over to her brother and planted a large kiss on his cheek, "What took you so long to get here?"
"What are you talking about, Sasha? I'm on time, you're the one who never keeps track of the time," Phoebus winked at her before turning with smiles to his mother, who was heading towards him with open arms, "Hello, mother. It's been way too long."
"So is this the lovely lady you wanted us to meet, Phoebs?" Sasha nodded towards Esmeralda, who was still watching silently, yet nervously.
Groaning at the nickname his sister dubbed him when they were children, Phoebus finally pulled away from his mother's grasp and moved towards his fiance, "Yes, this is Esmeralda. I already told you in the letter I sent a few weeks ago that we're getting married, but I really wanted you to meet her and get to know each other before the wedding."
"It's such a pleasure to meet you, Esmeralda. I'm Maggie, Phoebus' mother," The older woman smiled and reached a hand out to shake the gypsy's hand, "And this is Sasha, my oldest daughter and her little boy Zach." Maggie nodded over to the hyper youngster who was clinging tightly to Phoebus' hand and trying to pull him away from the group to the other room.
Lifting an eyebrow slightly at his family, Phoebus asked, "Uh, mom...where's dad? And Peter? I thought they'd be here to meet Esme."
"Oh sweetie, your father had to work overtime again," Maggie sighed and rolled her eyes skyward."
"And Peter had to stay home with the baby," Sasha added, referring to their newborn child, "Andie's sick with the flu, but Peter insisted Zach and I go."
Clapping her hands together to turn everyone's attention back to her, Maggie smiled broadly and gestured towards the kitchen, "Well, let's not wait any longer; dinner's just about ready and we don't want a cold meal now, do we?" As Sasha led Esmeralda towards the kitchen with Zach in tow, Maggie all of a sudden grabbed a hold of Phoebus' arm and brought him to a halt before he could enter as well, "Phoebus, wait. Hold on a minute."
Turning with curiosity towards his mother, who's expression suddenly turned to one of nervousness, "Is something wrong, mom?" He frowned at the look in her eyes. He rarely ever saw that look before, but when he did it was never good news.
Sighing again, Maggie looked down at the floor before turning her eyes to look into her youngest son's face, "Phoebus, I was really surprised when you wanted to get together after these last few years, but belive me, I'm glad you got a hold of us. Because there's something I've been meaning to tell you for some time now..."
His eyebrows furrowing together at thos words, the ex-captain tilted his head to the side, "Oh?"
"Come talk with me immediately after dinner, darling," She concluded, "I cannot keep this inside of me any longer, especially after this past year." Still seeing his confusion and wanting to ask another question, Maggie lifted a finger to his lips to silence him, "Just come to me after we eat; I'll explain everything to you then."
To be continued...