The sky was scarlet red, just like the blood spilled on the stairs of Notre-Dame. The city on the Seine was slowly devoured by the destructive power of the flames. The air was heavy with suffocating, thick smoke. It filled the chests of the crowd gathered outside the cathedral, making it almost impossible to breathe. Yet, they were still shouting at the top of their lungs. "Burn the sorceress!" yelled a short and plump man dressed in a dark-green shirt. "They are innocent!" cried a young, blond-haired woman. "Get it over with already!" added a skinny, visibly drunk man, holding his bottle close to his chest.
She did not hear what they were saying. All their voices mixed into one blurred and distant noise. Nor did she hear what the man standing right in front of her was saying. Her mind was absent, replaying the events of the previous days over and over again. What had happened? How did she even end up here? She cast a quick glance at the crowd and even though she was looking at them, she couldn't see them. She tried to say something, to cry for help, but there wasn't any words coming out of her mouth.
She felt cold and bony fingers on her jaw. With all her strength she focused her eyes on the person standing in front of her. "I demand an answer." he hissed, his voice quickly filling with anger.
"An answer... to what?" she replied absently, closing her eyes.
"I asked you to make a choice. You can choose to live with me and to obey my every order. You will stay in the Palace of Justice for the rest of your days. Or until the day I get bored with you." he added. A quick, victorious smile crept across his face. Then his expression quickly returned to its indifferent form. "Or you can choose the fire. You will be sent back to hell, where the scorching flames will cleanse your sinful soul. But don't you worry, gypsy, you won't be there alone. Your fellow companions will perish alongside you." He looked at other gypsies who were forced to watch the execution. "Disgusting creatures" he thought "and completely at my mercy". And truth be told, the Minister of Justice had very little mercy.
But once again she did not answer. Her brain was trying to process all the information she had just heard. Suddenly she felt overwhelmed with fear. She couldn't decide which fate was worse – living her nightmare everyday for the rest of her life or ending it all here and now. But then she realized the sad and cruel truth. The Court of Miracles had been found. Just when she was starting to feel safe, when she thought she had escaped him... but then the roof caved in. Her people have been arrested. They were thrown into dungeons and locked in cages like animals. And now they will die because of her. She again wanted to say something but her throat was paralysed, the crippling fear made her unable to produce any sound.
He grew inpatient at the lack of her response. And yet, he wasn't feeling angry anymore. "Very well then" he said, trying to hide his delightment. "I think you made up your mind. Nevertheless, I'm quite disappointed that you don't have enough courage to answer me. But, let's not leave the crowd waiting. They are getting thirsty." He smiled coldly, casting a brief glance at the crowd gathered under the platform. He took pleasure in every word he said. He knew she wouldn't let her people die for her. Well, at least not all of them, as there have already been some casualties. He was now in control. After days of chasing her she was finally his. But the show wasn't over yet. She still did not answer his question. And he intended to make her respond.
With a quick move he took the torch from the guard standing next to him. He looked at her absent eyes once more and then he set fire to the pile of dry wood and hay. The smoke became even denser. He felt the fire growing, producing unbearable heat, but he did not look away. His eyes were still locked on hers. Then, a terrible, disgusting smell filled the air. The smell of burning flesh. The woman was screaming and pleading for mercy, but he ignored her, his face expression cold and unmoved. Some people in the crowd looked away, unable to bear the sight of a person dying right in front of their eyes.
That was when she heard it too. Those terrible screams were like a bucket of cold water, poured straight on her head. She quickly looked around, scanning her surroundings – at least as far as the rope around her throat allowed her to. Only now did she notice that besides her and the minister there were two other women on the platform. Both of them were tightly tied to two separate piles. The terrifying screams she was hearing belonged to the short, dark-haired woman.
As the flames consumed her body, her eyes became more and more absent. And then there was silence, dead and ominous silence that was even more terrifying than her cries. She wasn't screaming nor moving anymore. "She is dead" Esmeralda thought to herself "And she is dead because of me." She turned her gaze on the minister. He was smiling. He had just murdered a woman in cold blood and yet he was still smiling.
"Please stop" Esmeralda whispered. Her words were drowned out by the screams of the crowd and the crackling of fire.
"What was that, my dear? I could swear you finally dared to say something." Frollo said with a sarcastic smile on his face. Normally he wouldn't allow himself to let his emotions be seen so clearly. But tonight was different, he couldn't hide the euphoria that was burning inside his body. He had felt it many times before, the feeling of victory. But this one was different, unique. As if something he had always dreamed of would finally come true.
"Please don't hurt them." Esmeralda begged, her voice trembling with fear. She knew she had no choice but to accept his offer. She can't let him murder her people because of her.
"Them? I think 'her' would be more appropriate." He looked at the terrified woman tied to the wooden pole. Then he turned his gaze to the charred, still body of the other woman. "I don't know if I could do anything more to hurt her. To me, she already looks quite badly hurt." Esmeralda followed his gaze. How can he speak so dismissively about the death of another living being?
"I'll do whatever you tell me to do. Just please, don't kill my people." Esmeralda said, feeling her eyes fill with tears. She was defeated, she didn't have the strength to fight him anymore. He could feel her surrendering her life to him. But he couldn't resist the urge to torture her a little bit longer.
"Unfortunately, only now I see how... ridiculous my offer was. Your life for the lives of all those gypsies? No, now that I have them all seized and locked up in the dungeons I can finish it once and for all. Those vermin have been obliterating my beautiful city for over 20 years. And now I'll put an end to this. And as for you..." he leaned closer to her "I'll think of a suitable punishment for your crimes."
She could feel his hot breath on her skin. His eyes were locked on her face, awaiting her reaction. She was still processing his words when she saw him raising the torch and walking over to the trembling and mumbling woman tied to a pole on the other side of the platform.
"No!" she screamed desperately. Her tears were flowing down her red, swollen cheeks. She felt all her strength leaving her. "No." she added, a little quieter this time.
Frollo rushed to her. His eyes glowed with a dark, sinister flame. "Beg me, gypsy. Beg me to spare the lives of your people. Beg me to take you with me to the Palace of Justice. Beg me to be yours and yours alone." he hissed, his voice full of lust.
"I beg you." she said silently, her eyes red and sore from her hot tears. She felt her throat tighten, but she gathered the courage to look him in the eye. "I beg you to spare their lives. And I beg you to be mine."
That was all he wanted to hear. The victorious smile returned to his face, lighting his eyes even more. "Captain, escort the gypsy girl to my carriage. Take her to the Palace of Justice and make sure she stays there. As for the rest of these creatures, lock them in the dungeons. I'll decide their fate tomorrow."
When she felt her hands were no longer tied to the wooden pole she couldn't help but feel relieved. When the Guard Captain led her to the judge's carriage, she felt the eyes of all the crowd on her. When the carriage moved and began to head for the palace, she used all the strength she had left to avoid thinking about what awaited her there.
AU: Thank you for reading the first chapter :) English is not my 1st (or even 2nd!) language so I want to apologize for every mistake I might have made. I want this story to be a little darker, so don't expect Frollo to become nice and sweet any time soon!