All you need
Just outside of Paris, Phoebus was in the progress of giving Quasimodo another riding lesson. Phoebus disliked having another man on his beloved Achilles. He reasoned with himself as his friend sat in his saddle. The bell-ringer would only show kindness to Achilles.
Snowball and Achilles trotted along merrily down the road, side-by side. Quasimodo was the first to speak.
"Has there been any news about Durand?"
"Not much, Quasi. Only what was written in those books. He may target you. It seems like he's disliked you since you were a baby" There was a long pause. The horses continued to walk on. Quasimodo broke the silence again.
"Wonderful, Phoebus. Thanks for telling me that."
"Try not to take it personally. Shall we canter?" Asked Phoebus, spurring Snowball before he finished asking.
Snowball dug his heels into the road and tore off with Phoebus, Achilles followed, Quasimodo didn't.
Quasimodo lay in the dirt, choking and struggling to breathe. He let out a few coughs and looked up. He watched his mount's heels turning up a cloud of dust in a line away from him. He stood up and dusted himself off. It hurt, yet he'd felt much worse. Phoebus would come back. Quasimodo scanned the horizon. Phoebus should come back.
Deciding it was pointless to stand and wait, Quasimodo laid down in the grass away from the road and stared up at the clouds. Her eyes were so beautiful. Quasi blew a bug off his nose and closed his eyes.
His lifelong dream had come true, he could walk about freely in the city. Since January, he'd been out in the city many times. It was rare to have problems buying what he needed. Sometimes a merchant would turn him away, others seemed frightened and most only cared that he had money to spend. He was greeted, yet conversations were rare. No one knew what to say to him, perhaps. Fewer people looked him in the eyes. He had resigned himself to the fact that he'd always be an outcast. He had so little in common with any of them. He was still lonely.
Couples, young and old, were everywhere in the city. No young women, save his friend Esmeralda, had bothered to speak with him. Then, this black-haired girl had shown interest, or maybe curiosity, toward him. Even while she worked, she would smile whenever she saw him. He'd smile back, remembering the trip to the mill and that simple kiss. Now, he realized he wanted more.
What was it about her he liked? She had some wood-working skill and seemed able to handle horses. That she could read a few words was intriguing. Did those things matter? Not really. They spoke nothing of her personality. She seemed so quiet, yet watchful and aware. There was something else there. She kissed him. Esmeralda had also had kissed him a few times, twice publicly, yet as a friend. Carmen had meant it in a different way, hadn't she? Esmeralda pecked him on the cheek quickly and softly. Carmen had snuggled into his shoulder, placed a small kiss and remained near him. Most importantly, she'd sought him out. This was new and it was wonderful.
Quasimodo let his mind drift. Was it possible that she could want to be close to him? Dare he even think that she could grow to truly love him? The thought of feeling her hands on his face and shoulders gave him shivers. He pictured himself holding her hand and walking by the river. He imagined her liking his favourite book. He imagined riding with her across a field. It was a dream.
Quasi startled as Phoebus' boot tapped his side.
He opened his eyes to see Phoebus nearly bursting with laughter. Quasimodo stood up and drew a deep breath. He lowered his hands to his sides as he exhaled.
"Walking or riding?" Phoebus offered him Achilles' reins.
"Riding. At a walk." Quasimodo took the reins into his hand and slid them over Achilles head.
Phoebus hopped onto Snowball. Quasi lifted himself onto Achilles, realizing the stirrups were very short and that his legs were actually less stiff.
Quasimodo petted Achilles, yet said nothing to Phoebus. He merely nodded a goodnight and made his way to the cathedral.
Carmen tried to ignore the bells as best she could. Father was sick and Elsa was tired. They needed her. She worked to maintain the shop, adding her fathers tasks to her own. Carmen worked each day from dawn until dusk.
She watched longingly as Quasimodo crossed through the market place each morning. Every time he passed, she would smile to him. When he smiled back at her, she felt a warmth surround her. Then, her stomach would ache. She should have never taken him with her to the mill. She should have never have entered the bell tower. She never should have kissed his cheek. She regretted none of it and this filled her with guilt.
It was mid-day, the first day of June, and the noon bells had sounded. The evening meal bubbled softly over the hearth while Carmen stood by the fire. She was not happy. She could hear her father coughing in his bed. No. She had to be happy. She had a mother and father who loved her. She had a home. To love another, to even consider leaving them would be selfish.
She stared into the flames, watching them flicker into faint shapes of people and animals. Quasi ringing his bells, a dark figure standing behind him, sword in hand and raised for the kill. Carmen shut her eyes and turned away. No, it was just fire. It was just her imagination.
Carmen picked up the lute and fingered out a few notes, chords, then a melody. Something to take her mind off of him. She began to sing softly.
Raven black as ebony,
You fly so mighty proud
Your wings set wide,
Your heart set free
Your head held high,
You cannot see
The owl has you in his sight
Watching for you every night
The owl is ravens' destiny
Elsa softly walked into the room while Carmen continued to play. She smiled, then stepped out as the song ended. Elsa re-entered the room noisily. Carmen quickly set down her lute and resumed stirring.
"Child, what are you doing? Have you baked the bread?"
"Oh no, I've forgotten!"
"I suppose you were busy cleaning that harness?"
"There is a harness?"
"… and cleaning the stable?"
"I was just going to do that"
"I assume the floor has been swept?"
Carmen glanced downward. The floor was obviously dirty. "Soon?"
"Carmen, you're forgetting your chores. You've buried yourself in work to the point you've forgotten what you're doing. You've become so distant. What has come over you?"
She had never been able to lie outright, so she said nothing. Carmen looked up at Elsa with pleading eyes. Tears flooded her trembling eyelids, which she struggled to hold from falling.
"Ah, so that's it. Well, you had better tell me who he is."
Carmen snuffled her nose. Her face was already an unbecoming shade of red.
"I can see it in your face, you've a beau."
The tears in Carmen's eyes began to stream down her face. "I never meant for it to happen! Elsa, please believe me when I tell you I only wanted to meet him! I didn't think it would come to this."
Elsa reached around Carmen with her arm. "Nobody ever intends for these things to happen, but such things are left to a greater power." Elsa motioned toward the Cathedral. "It's God and nature telling you that you've grown up. Would you tell me who the lucky young man is? He's very handsome, isn't he? Of high rank!"
"I do, don't I? I love him. Oh why did this happen!" Carmen began to sob into her hands, Elsa patted her on the back. "You and father would never approve."
"Does he love you?"
"I'm not sure, I think so. Maybe? I've not asked him." Carmen tugged at her hair,. She stared at the floor, at the small coals, wood shavings and bits of hay. "I'm not sure at all. I don't understand"
"Who have you met?"
Carmen said nothing and turned away slightly.
"Carmen, whoever it is, I'm sure we can…"
"Quasimodo."
"What?"
"The bell-ringer."
There was silence. Elsa's hand lifted from Carmen's back and she stepped away. Her eyes lifted to meet Carmens.
"The hunchback?"
"Yes." Carmen mumbled. She stood as a statue, her tears flowing.
Elsa sighed heavily. Her hands moved to her face and she began to rub her temples. "I will finish this. Go take the horses to the river."
Carmen stepped away from the fire. Elsa snatched the spoon from her hand.
"I didn't mean to."
"Go, now." Elsa pointed the spoon to the door, a few drops of broth splashing on the floor. "Water the horses. I need to speak with your father."
Carmen left. Her fathers coughing and Elsas heavy footsteps echoed in her ears.
Elsa rubbed the doorjamb. It had worn smooth within the past four months. She looked at Gabriel, who coughed in his sleep. This couldn't last. Foolish girl. Hopefully someone more suited to her would replace this freak of nature, some educated and handsome young man.
Then again, perhaps her interest in the bell-ringer wouldn't pass. There was nothing to do but wait and see. Allowing this wrenched at her heart. To have the hunchback in her own family, her daughter's husband. Elsa shuddered at the idea. She could not bear the thought of seeing his face every day for the rest of her life. She'd always tried to accept everyone. She shuddered. The hunchback was deformed, ugly beyond description and she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye. God was testing her. Gabriel would know what to do.
Elsa woke Gabriel, helping him to rest by the fire. Elsa stood behind Gabriel, making bread.
"Of all the stupid things that girl has done this outdoes them all. Stupid, stupid girl!"
Elsa continued to cry out loud, shouting at Gabriel. She was angry, spitting venomous words at him about Carmen. What she had done, he did not know. He was afraid to ask. Elsa continued her rant.
"Her and those fool notions." Elsa pounded the bread dough, throwing a cloud of flour upward. "She knows nothing. It's your fault, you know. You brought her home. If only you had left her there, we wouldn't be in this mess. The Minister of Justice wouldn't have been a threat to us, we never would have needed to leave the city."
Gabriel nodded softly, indifferent. He held his broth, which cooled in his shaking hands. Elsa continued.
"She doesn't understand her place, she can't just do whatever she likes. She can't be gallivanting around with that disgusting bell-ringer whenever she takes a notion." Gabriel's attention perked. "She won't listen to her mother."
Gabriel finally spoke. "You're not her mother."
Elsa shot a violent stare into Gabriels' eyes and her expression softened slightly. She looked down at the mangled bread dough. It was no use. She'd been too rough with something meant to be handled gently.
"Have you even been listening? Have you even noticed her behaviour?"
"What is this about a bell-ringer?" Gabriel coughed. He set down his broth. Elsa sighed.
"It's what I've been telling you. Carmen is in love with the bell-ringer."
"Which one?"
"What do you mean 'which one?' The bell-ringer at Notre Dame, you old cuss. She's been swooning over someone for more than a month. Today she tells me it's that mangled bell ringer." Elsa swung her hands violently in the air. "I expect you will get rid of him. I will not have the likes of him in my family. Imagine, sharing an evening meal with that."
"It may pass," said Gabriel. Elsa nodded approvingly. "If she is in love with him, and he truly loves her, I will do nothing to stop it. I'm dying and someone needs to be there for her when I'm gone."
Elsa grew red in the face. She threw the dough into the fire pit and stormed out of the kitchen.
The old man glanced at the fireplace and watched as the dough expanded into a great mass with the heat of the fire surrounding it. This was exactly what should happen. Let the flames burn, let their love grow. It was God's will.
Gabriel coughed into a rag, staining it with blood. He tossed his cup of broth onto the hot stones of the fireplace, causing a wave of steam to rush toward him.
Quasimodo sat on one of the gargoyles, filling a bucket of water as it spat it out. His eyes soon fixed upon a female figure walking to the river, horses in tow. He sat as still as a chimera, watching her as she sat on the grass. His red hair danced in the breeze, blowing toward his face. He watched as Carmen tossed small stones into the river. He sighed heavily. What he wanted to know, he feared to ask her.
Grasping a protruding stone, the bell-ringer lifted himself from the gargoyle and up the side of the Cathedral. He returned to his tower. Phoebus had wanted to meet with him, he had better go. He quickly combed the knots from his hair and donned a clean and un-torn shirt.
Carmen led the horses to the Seine, near Notre Dame. The horses nibbled at the grass while she looked up at the bell-towers. A chill crept over her as she imagined the feel of his red hair and skin on her cheek. Her heart ached for him. She returned her watch to the horses. The so-called 'hunchback of Notre Dame' wasn't looking for love, he liked his solitude, otherwise he would have visited her. He was happy on his own, he had to be. The young woman placed her head on her knees and began to cry.
Carmen walked past Notre Dame, the horses following. The streets were full, he could be anywhere. Quasimodo was far from the white knight in shining armor she had dreamed of in her childhood fantasies. He was better than a knight, he was real. She wanted his arms to surround her, and only his arms would do. It was his eyes that she'd had gotten lost in. His odd smile, his kind voice and gentle touch. She needed him and she loved him.
Quasimodo emerged from the Cathedral, in search of Phoebus. Two horses following a girl with black hair immediately caught his attention. Moments later, he and Carmen sat by the Seine, their hands at their sides. The horses grazed, occasionally tugging their ropes. Carmen was the first to break the silence.
"Elsa is angry with me." She petted Dantes' mane. A few tears trailed down her cheek. "She's right, too. I didn't see it." She looked into Quasimodos eyes for brief moment, then looked to the grass. Quasimodo placed his hand gently onto her arm.
"What happened?" He scanned her face for a hint at what was distressing her. She stumbled on her words, none escaped her lips. She closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths. She opened her eyes, her gaze low, and placed her hands in his. She looked directly into the depth of Quasimodos green eyes.
"You." She squeezed his hands.
Quasimodo drew back for a brief moment, his eyes widening and his jaw dropping slightly. He smiled as the meaning of that single word sunk in. His shoulders relaxed. Carmen leaned forward slightly. Her voice disappeared, only her lips moved.
"I love you."
Carmen let herself fall into his arms. He allowed her to lean into him. He felt her hair touch his left ear and his neck. As he breathed in he caught the scent of hay, horses and smoke from her hair. He folded his arms softly over her back. A small tear formed in his good eye, yet didn't fall. He closed his eyes and squeezed her lightly in his arms.
"I love you as well."