Disclaimer : No, I don´t own Hunchback of Notre Dame..so don´t try to sue me for it !
"I choose you...under one condition.."
His face lightened up into a mixed expression of utmost glee and surprise, that it was almost disfiguring his features. Then in the next moment he returned back to the old expression, if not for a added hint of arrogance.
"You´re not exactly in the position to make conditions, my dear.."
Although he seemed to consider her words.
He went nearer, stopping merely inches from her face.
"Just because I´m curious, my little witch..what are these conditions of yours ?"
Surpressing the urge with all her might to bite him once he was so near - since it wouldn´t be helpful in this very situation - she explained, letting her voice stay as calm as if they were discussing business manners - despite of great nervousity boiling under her skin.
"Set my people free. You only want me, so their death is pointless to you."
A fire started to shine in his eyes - and it certainly wasn´t the reflection of the torch in his hands.
"It´s true...I want you...yet I also would be delighted by finally finishing off this scum.."
Esmeralda held her breath, for his next words would decide over her fate.
What if he refuses to my condition ?
What if-
"But oh well...Let´s see it as a wedding gift from me to you.."
He grinned at her mischievously, his thoughts obviously circling about things concerning their wedding.
Frollo turned to the crowd.
"People of Paris ! I just received a sign from our lord, a message of god !"
He exlaimed, raising his arms in a preaching manner; the fiery shadows of the torch clouding him into a mysterical light.
"It was a sign of time. He made me understand the difficulty to escape the claws of hell once you´ve dealt with it...so I decided to give the gypsies one more week to fight their inner demon and become pure members of the church again !"
Some muttered disappointed and angry, those who had been already excited of seing the people burn. But the maiority of the crowd cheered over this literally heavenly twist of events.
Frollo turned around to Esmeralda once more, who let out the breath she´d been intentionally holding.
"Satisfied now ? This way your little friends will have some time to think about their next steps until I eventuelly let them go.."
To tell the truth she would have been even more satisfied if he´d been letting them go right now..
But knowing him and sensing light-headedness inside her coming up, she rather stayed silent, slowly realizing in amazament that her little plan seemed to have worked.
She daydreamed of running away, through the night of Paris and all its streets, until she felt as free as she´d once been - when suddenly the feeling of a knive cutting through her bonds awakened her out of her fantasy.
It seemed by accident, that her small fingers, touched bigger broader ones.
Oh, him.. she remembered herself sadly of her new future. She had almost forgotten.
"Come now." He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her with him. His grip wasn´t as firm as it had been ago in the cathedral, but still it would leave some marks.
Almost impatiently he pushed her into his carriage, as if it would fasten their arrival at the Palace of Justice, their obvious destination.
When the vehicle started to move Esmeralda looked out of the window.
What she saw wasn´t really cheering her up.
Frollo´s henchmen pulled the gypsies out of their cages, just to handcuff them once they were ´´free´´. Esmeralda received sad and regretting glances from her people, some had pity for her and her decision on their dirty faces. She also risked a sideglance to the other person in the cabin, the ´´new man at her side´´ :
Frollo had a distant look on his face, as he watched the process from out of the other window;
yet he seemed to be in his higher spirits, a smile playing around his lips.
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