"Secrets Revealed" Chapter 1
Written by: Erin
With a small smile at her son, Maggie started to head off into the kitchen but was stopped as Phoebus gently grasped her arm, "Mother, what aren't you telling me?" He pleaded, concern filling his being.
"After supper, Phoebus," His mother repeated, shooting a pointed look his direction before nodding towards the kitchen, "We don't want to keep Esmeralda and the others waiting. I really would like to learn more about this woman you're marrying; after all, she is going to be my daughter-in-law." Without further comment, Maggie retreated back into the kitchen, Phoebus reluctantly following.
The others were already gathered around the small kitchen table, Esmeralda and Sasha engaged in deep conversation. The gypsy didn't even notice Phoebus enter and sit down on her other side until he reached for her hand, "Hey sweetie," He greeted her, kissing her hand gently.
"What took you so long?" Esmeralda questioned.
"My mother just wanted to talk to me for a moment, that's all. She has something important to tell me after supper," A frown creased his brow as he shrugged his shoulders, "I have no idea what it could be."
"So tell me, Esmeralda," Maggie started as she took everyone's plates and started dishing up the food, "Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? Who are your parents? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"Mother, please, one question at a time!" Phoebus interrupted with a laugh, rolling his eyes.
Smiling, a blush rising slightly to her cheeks, Maggie said, "My apologies, dear." She then faced the gypsy again, the questions that she had asked still showing plainly in her dark eyes.
Clearing her throat, Esmeralda wrung her hands nervously underneath the table, suddenly feeling that nervousness all over again, "Well, Mrs. de Chateaupers-"
"Call me Maggie, please," The older woman interrupted, ignoring the slight roll of Phoebus' eyes.
Blushing, Esmeralda continued, "Uh, Maggie...both of my parents passed away when I was very little." She lowered her eyes down to the table, "I barely even remember them. All I remember is being told by my aunt and uncle that mommy and daddy were never coming back. They-they were murdered."
Phoebus paled slightly as his fiance recalled this memory; he remembered that she had only talked about this once since they had met, and he had decided then never to ask her to talk about her parents or other family members again. Glancing over at her, the ex-captain noticed that still appeared quite uncomfortable reliving this and Phoebus wished that he could change the subject. But before he could say anything, Sasha piped up.
"How about your name? It's so unique, yet beautiful at the same time," The woman winked at the gypsy, which caused Esmeralda to finally smile again.
"Thank you. I was actually named after my great grandmother; it was passed along to me. Plus..." Here it was, the moment of truth. Looking at Phoebus for guidance, she watched as he nodded his head in reassurance, urging her to continue, "It seemed like the name for a gypsy, and since I am one..." Her face turned red as she lowered her eyes, not daring to look at Phoebus' families' reactions to this bit of news.
"A...gypsy?" Maggie choked on her food and set down her fork with a clang, "You're a gypsy, Esmeralda?" She looked like she was about to say something more until she saw the dirty look Phoebus was giving her, "Well! Now that's something new..." Not knowing what else to say then, Maggie shook her head and pushed back her chair, "Will you excuse me for a few minutes?" Without waiting for a reply, she rose from her seat and headed straight into the living room.
Having a feeling that her sudden departure had to do with Esmeralda and her gypsy heritage, Phoebus excused himself as well and followed his mother, shutting the door behind him, "All right, mom, would you please just explain to me what that was about? Yes, Esme is a gypsy, but I've gotten to know her as a person, and she's really a wonderful woman-"
"That's not the reason, and don't talk to me in that tone, young man," Maggie scolded from where she sat on the chair in the corner of the room.
"Then why are you suddenly acting so...weird?"
The room was silent for a few tense moments as Phoebus stood on one side of the room and his mother sat on the other. Finally, Maggie rose to move to the couch and patted the space next to her, "I think I should tell you, Phoebus."
Phoebus chose not to say anything, his eyes staring straight into his mother's dark ones.
"Phoebus, do you ever remember me telling you years ago about my older sister? Your aunt?" Maggie began, her voice serious.
Confused as ever now, Phoebus nodded, "Yes, you told me that she died before I was even born. What does she have to do with anything?"
"Darling, there's something that I never told you," Maggie lowered her eyes to her hands and figited with her long skirt, "I would have to be a complete idiot not to know what had been going on in Paris this past year. Frollo, the mysterious bellringer, the burning of the city..."
"That 'mysterious bellringer' happens to have a name, you know," Phoebus lifted an eyebrow, "And you should know that he happens to be a good friend of mine and Esmeralda's." He noticed a look of brief shock cross his mother's face before it disappeared and was replaced with another look he couldn't read.
"Phoebus, it's time for you to know the truth, and nothing but the truth," Maggie quietly continued, her voice so low Phoebus could barely hear her, "I knew Frollo personally, my son. Both me and my sister. In fact...she was murdered; but I was never there with her when it happened. I actually disappeared not long after she gave birth to her child..."
"What are you talking about, mom? I don't have any cousins, just a nephew."
"Let me finish, Phoebus; I have to tell you this," Maggie's voice was starting to grow desperate a she continued, "You don't know this, but my sister was a gypsy herself, and she was running from Frollo himself at that time. Once she gave birth to her son...after I took a look at him and saw all those deformities...I told her I could no longer be with her and left. Not long after, I got the word that she was killed on the steps of a church. I don't know if it was Frollo or not, but I have a strong feeling it was, even to this day."
"What?" Phoebus was starting to grow sick to his stomach as she was starting to put the pieces of this puzzle together.
"It was years later when I was in Paris that I overheard all these people talking about the mysterious, deformed bellringer of Notre Dame. They called him 'the hunchback', even they had never seen his face. I knew just then that this boy, Quasimodo I think his name is...was my sister's little boy." Tears started to threaten Maggie's eyes as she looked into her son's now pale face, "The bellringer is your cousin, Phoebus."
To be continued...
Written by: Erin
With a small smile at her son, Maggie started to head off into the kitchen but was stopped as Phoebus gently grasped her arm, "Mother, what aren't you telling me?" He pleaded, concern filling his being.
"After supper, Phoebus," His mother repeated, shooting a pointed look his direction before nodding towards the kitchen, "We don't want to keep Esmeralda and the others waiting. I really would like to learn more about this woman you're marrying; after all, she is going to be my daughter-in-law." Without further comment, Maggie retreated back into the kitchen, Phoebus reluctantly following.
The others were already gathered around the small kitchen table, Esmeralda and Sasha engaged in deep conversation. The gypsy didn't even notice Phoebus enter and sit down on her other side until he reached for her hand, "Hey sweetie," He greeted her, kissing her hand gently.
"What took you so long?" Esmeralda questioned.
"My mother just wanted to talk to me for a moment, that's all. She has something important to tell me after supper," A frown creased his brow as he shrugged his shoulders, "I have no idea what it could be."
"So tell me, Esmeralda," Maggie started as she took everyone's plates and started dishing up the food, "Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? Who are your parents? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"Mother, please, one question at a time!" Phoebus interrupted with a laugh, rolling his eyes.
Smiling, a blush rising slightly to her cheeks, Maggie said, "My apologies, dear." She then faced the gypsy again, the questions that she had asked still showing plainly in her dark eyes.
Clearing her throat, Esmeralda wrung her hands nervously underneath the table, suddenly feeling that nervousness all over again, "Well, Mrs. de Chateaupers-"
"Call me Maggie, please," The older woman interrupted, ignoring the slight roll of Phoebus' eyes.
Blushing, Esmeralda continued, "Uh, Maggie...both of my parents passed away when I was very little." She lowered her eyes down to the table, "I barely even remember them. All I remember is being told by my aunt and uncle that mommy and daddy were never coming back. They-they were murdered."
Phoebus paled slightly as his fiance recalled this memory; he remembered that she had only talked about this once since they had met, and he had decided then never to ask her to talk about her parents or other family members again. Glancing over at her, the ex-captain noticed that still appeared quite uncomfortable reliving this and Phoebus wished that he could change the subject. But before he could say anything, Sasha piped up.
"How about your name? It's so unique, yet beautiful at the same time," The woman winked at the gypsy, which caused Esmeralda to finally smile again.
"Thank you. I was actually named after my great grandmother; it was passed along to me. Plus..." Here it was, the moment of truth. Looking at Phoebus for guidance, she watched as he nodded his head in reassurance, urging her to continue, "It seemed like the name for a gypsy, and since I am one..." Her face turned red as she lowered her eyes, not daring to look at Phoebus' families' reactions to this bit of news.
"A...gypsy?" Maggie choked on her food and set down her fork with a clang, "You're a gypsy, Esmeralda?" She looked like she was about to say something more until she saw the dirty look Phoebus was giving her, "Well! Now that's something new..." Not knowing what else to say then, Maggie shook her head and pushed back her chair, "Will you excuse me for a few minutes?" Without waiting for a reply, she rose from her seat and headed straight into the living room.
Having a feeling that her sudden departure had to do with Esmeralda and her gypsy heritage, Phoebus excused himself as well and followed his mother, shutting the door behind him, "All right, mom, would you please just explain to me what that was about? Yes, Esme is a gypsy, but I've gotten to know her as a person, and she's really a wonderful woman-"
"That's not the reason, and don't talk to me in that tone, young man," Maggie scolded from where she sat on the chair in the corner of the room.
"Then why are you suddenly acting so...weird?"
The room was silent for a few tense moments as Phoebus stood on one side of the room and his mother sat on the other. Finally, Maggie rose to move to the couch and patted the space next to her, "I think I should tell you, Phoebus."
Phoebus chose not to say anything, his eyes staring straight into his mother's dark ones.
"Phoebus, do you ever remember me telling you years ago about my older sister? Your aunt?" Maggie began, her voice serious.
Confused as ever now, Phoebus nodded, "Yes, you told me that she died before I was even born. What does she have to do with anything?"
"Darling, there's something that I never told you," Maggie lowered her eyes to her hands and figited with her long skirt, "I would have to be a complete idiot not to know what had been going on in Paris this past year. Frollo, the mysterious bellringer, the burning of the city..."
"That 'mysterious bellringer' happens to have a name, you know," Phoebus lifted an eyebrow, "And you should know that he happens to be a good friend of mine and Esmeralda's." He noticed a look of brief shock cross his mother's face before it disappeared and was replaced with another look he couldn't read.
"Phoebus, it's time for you to know the truth, and nothing but the truth," Maggie quietly continued, her voice so low Phoebus could barely hear her, "I knew Frollo personally, my son. Both me and my sister. In fact...she was murdered; but I was never there with her when it happened. I actually disappeared not long after she gave birth to her child..."
"What are you talking about, mom? I don't have any cousins, just a nephew."
"Let me finish, Phoebus; I have to tell you this," Maggie's voice was starting to grow desperate a she continued, "You don't know this, but my sister was a gypsy herself, and she was running from Frollo himself at that time. Once she gave birth to her son...after I took a look at him and saw all those deformities...I told her I could no longer be with her and left. Not long after, I got the word that she was killed on the steps of a church. I don't know if it was Frollo or not, but I have a strong feeling it was, even to this day."
"What?" Phoebus was starting to grow sick to his stomach as she was starting to put the pieces of this puzzle together.
"It was years later when I was in Paris that I overheard all these people talking about the mysterious, deformed bellringer of Notre Dame. They called him 'the hunchback', even they had never seen his face. I knew just then that this boy, Quasimodo I think his name is...was my sister's little boy." Tears started to threaten Maggie's eyes as she looked into her son's now pale face, "The bellringer is your cousin, Phoebus."
To be continued...