Kara lay on the layers of blankets in her tent, staring at the cracked stone floors. Clopin stood outside his room, waiting patiently for the girl to come out. Today was the day...the day of Snow's revenge...the day that the Almighty Judge Claude Frollo dies. Calmly yet quickly, she dressed up in special clothes. A dark red skirt complimented the blood thirsty red sparkle in those hazel eyes of hers. Wrapping a black satchel around her waist, she made sure her dark brown top showed off her shoulders. Deciding it was too revealing, she placed her hair on them, the color of her hair and shirt nearly the same. Hiding a dagger on her thigh with a sword on her hip, she took one last look in the mirror and grinned.
Walking out, she blinked at Clopin and smiled, remembering the other night. "Ah, Clopin, good evening. I fear I'll be...busy tonight. Family matters, I'm sure you understand." She was numb and didn't feel a thing. No sorrow, no anger, no nothing...just numbness. She had been waiting for the right moment, watching Lavender and Frollo and memorized their schedules. Today they would go to Notre Dame.
"Oh...It's quite alright, mon Cherrie. We'll go on that stroll another time." The King smiled softly, looking over to see some children calling him, begging him to tell them a story. "Excuse moi, Kara." With that, he walked off with slight disappointment. Through the days, his mind had been on Lavender. Was Frollo treating her okay? When he saw her at the market, she looked healthy and happy. That prick of jealousy made him shiver but he quickly ignored it. Kara was going to be his wife! Something was different about that girl today...she seemed distant and lost in thought.
I smiled at the Judge while walking through the markets. At first it was such a shocking site; the rich Judge walking through a poor market with a beautiful yet strange girl. But the sellers got use to it and spoke to us both comfortably. The sky, light and cloudy in the morning, had turned dark with blackness. It threatened to rain yet didn't drip a drop.
"I don't see why we couldn't get the servants to buy this stuff." Frollo sneered as he gestured around with his hand. I raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms under my bosom which, might I add, his gaze was drawn to multiple times.
Playfully grabbing his forearms, I smiled gently and giggled while we strolled through the tempting candies, "Because, Claude, I love to roam here...it gives me freedom. Plus my friends are usually here as well." When he rolled his eyes, I brushed my hand against his softly, "Besides...it gives me a chance to show off my love for you..." His cheeks went aflame as his mouth dropped. In a mere moment he managed to compose himself again.
As we passed the candied apples, my mouth watered and I stared for a few seconds. Frollo noticed this and smirked, buying me one. In other words, he just shot himself in the foot. Knowing his eyes rested on my lips, I decided to be a...tease. Biting into the apple, I licked off the small amount of Caramel on my purple plum lips, the sweet juice sliding down the corner of my mouth. His breathing increased just barely but it was enough for me to notice. Who knew what "unholy" thoughts ran through his mans mind!
"Want a bite, Claude?" It was obvious that by the tone of my voice that I was doing all this on purpose. As if accepting a silent challenge, he leaned forward and bit off a small piece, caramel on his lips. Unable to resist, I glanced around to make sure no one was watching. The last thing I needed was someone blackmailing me...again. Spying not a soul watching, I leaned closer and licked the gooey sweetness off his pale pink lips. Exhaling a sharp breath, Frollo grabbed my shoulders and stopped in mid-movement to kiss me. My snicker made him sneer in embarrassment.
A few hours passed of looking at random things. I had begged him to buy me more candy but he made me promise I wouldn't use it to tempt him. With an innocent face, I agreed. We...well; I was petting a small kitten when it started to drizzle. Saying good-bye to the kitten's owner, me and Frollo quickly hid in the church. I was soaked to the bone because I started to dance. The Judge had to literally drag me off the streets before a crowd formed. One of these days I'd have to explain to him that I would never stop dancing.
Slowly, ignoring the people sitting in the pews, we strolled up to the towers. Quasimodo was in the East tower while we were, from what I could guess, was the North. It was the tower me and him had dined in the first meeting.
Grasping his hands, I pulled him to a window and we stared out into the storm. Rain slammed against the stain-glass while thunder boomed. Sighing in content, I entwined our arms together and rested my head on his shoulder. Overtime I realized his once cold dark eyes were now gentle and warm. His voice that once held the venom of a rattle snake was the sweetness of sugar. The mean age lines that had covered his face at the first meeting were now nothing but smooth skin.
"Claude..." I whispered softly, blushing as I felt him bury his nose in my spice scented hair. He kissed my cheek and stared out the window. "...I..." I was just about to tell him those three words for the first time, in a serious manner, when I saw something in the glass.
Lightning lit up the place once more and allowed me to see the reflection of Kara behind us. What did she have in her hands? As if answering my question, the sky lit up and reflected the object in her hands. It was a sword! "I swear I'll kill him..." That memory placed briefly in my mind, the night Snow died. Unable to get the words out, I pushed Claude to the ground and stumbled back a few steps as the sword came crashing into the window.
"Kara, what the hell is wrong with you?! Have you gone insane, woman?!" I cried out as broken glass fell on my hand. Wincing, I pull out the large shard and gasped, throwing myself onto Claude so we rolled away from another attack. Kara smiled at me and twirled the sword in such speed that made it look like a blur.
Her voice was gentle as if she was singing a lullaby, "Lavender, dear friend, move or die. I intend to avenge my little sister...No matter who I have to go through to do so." My mouth hung open in shock. Looking at Claude, I saw he was slowly crawling backwards upstairs with a horrified expression planted on his face.
Standing up, ignoring the trail of blood, I sneered, "Kara you idiot, think! Listen to yourself! Killing Frollo won't bring your sister back! What's done is done!"
Following Frollo's actions, I stumbled upstairs backwards and prayed I wouldn't trip. Kara swung the sword wildly, an angry growl coming from her. "Shut up Lavender! What do you know?! You shouldn't speak of things you don't know!" With the last word she swung her sword and hit the stone wall. Yelping, I threw myself back and ended up in a tower. Claude helped me up and we ran to the edges of Notre Dame. The rain which poured down so hard was light enough for a crowd to see underneath us. It slicked the walkway making me fall and be caught by Frollo. He grabbed my wrist and we ran to a corner, thunder making us shiver.
Stopping at a corner, I caught my breath and looked around, failing to see Kara. Nearly jumping a foot in the air, I turned to see Frollo examining how deep the wound was. "What insanity possessed that girl to do such a thing?! I thought she was your friend! She'll pay for trying to kill me!" As he tried to stop the bleeding, I couldn't stop but give him a dull glare.
"Well you DID kill her sister, the only living family member she had at the time. I don't blame her for wanting you dead...I mean...to be alone in the world...to hate the person you think is responsible for it all." We both knew I spoke from experience. The first month I lived with Clopin was tough; always trying to escape, never passing up a chance to curse and hit them...I even tried to kill Clopin once while he slept. A knife to his throat...he woke up...I could have killed him if he didn't stare at me with his dark musical eyes that held wonder and amusement...not a twinge of fear at all.
As the Judge tried his best to wrap up my cut with my scarf, I wondered if Clopin knew about what Kara was doing. Perhaps he was helping her, hoping I died too...No! He cared for me and missed me. Still...Speaking of, where was the girl?
Lightning lit the sky; something next to me caught my eye. Not risking it, I grabbed Claude's hand and ran a few feet. Behind us stood Kara, her dark brown hair clinging to her face. She really did look crazy, insane with grief and anger. Thunder was so loud that it shook the stone underneath our feet.
Somehow Kara appeared behind us and swung the sword at me. Claude shoved me to the side to jump in front of me; the force from it caused him to stumble back. Grabbing his hand, we ran to the other side of the Notre Dame, the slippery ground making us stop for a moment. "Where are you hurt?" I whispered softly, the rain nearly blocking my vision.
So this is what that dream meant! He groaned from the intense pain, muttering in my ear, "My shoulders...don't worry Lavender. Come, we must escape!" As he turned a corner to run down the tower, a pair of hands shoved him over the edge. Screaming, I ran over and blindly grabbed his hand while he desperately tried to cling to the buildings rough texture.
"Claude!" I yelled in fear, the rain making my grip weak. His free hand tried to grab the rail but slipped every time. Our options were to fall to death or be stabbed to death. Tears fell from my face, camouflaging with the rain. Sobbing softly, I spoke to him, "It's okay, hold on! I-I won't let you f-fall! I swear I w-won't Claude! I promise!"
Kara raised the weapon above her head, lightning making her appear demonic. "Get away or die Lavender!" She screamed over the loud booming thunder. Staring into Frollo's horror filled eyes, I felt more tears build up.
"I know what it feels like Kara!" I cried out, shutting my eyes tight. "I know how it feels to be alone without your family! I know very well how it feels to watch your last family member die before you because of a man! The shock you first feel, wishing and hoping and even praying that it's all a dream. The pain you feel, the sadness that washes over you when you realize you'll never see your loved one again. The hatred that shines off you, the dreams of his demise..." This was something I never told her, not even Esmeralda. I knew very well that Claude didn't know half of this so he hung on everything I said.
…Poor choice of words.
Looking at Kara, I saw her freeze with the sword ready to strike. I yelled, "I understand how you can blame a man for your loneliness...I understand how it feels to lose a mother, how it feels to lose a father! You just want to scream and hurt everyone and everything around you! You feel like cutting yourself until you die..." My body shook with an effort to hold back sobs as well as hold Frollo up.
Kara cried out, "How would you know?! You know nothing Lavender! You lie to try and save that pathetic love of yours!"
Hesitating, I looked into Claude's eyes deeply. He needed help...We needed help...The only was to calm Kara down was to reveal my past that I've tried to hide from her for so long. Clinging onto the Judge, I shouted, "Because this man killed my mother! Because he went behind the captains back to order the soldiers to kill my mother! You know why? Because she was a Gypsy! Almost right after my mother's death, father broke his word and brought me to the Court of Miracles. Kara, I was betrothed to this man I'm holding right now! But my honorable father broke his word and was killed by Clopin! I understand how you can hate Frollo...I understand he killed Snow! When Clopin killed my last family member in front of me, I tried to kill him as well! I hated his guts; I wanted him to burn in acid! But now...
"Frollo's ignorance and pointless killings was the start of a destructive chain of deaths! But, Kara, please realize that if he didn't tell my fathers guards to kill my mother, that I would have never met the wonderful man named Clopin! I would have never met you even! Realize that everything happens for a reason! Killing Frollo won't bring your sister or my family back!"
It was silent except for the rain slamming against the stone. Closing my eyes tightly, I felt Claude's hands slip from mine. The only thing I could do is pray that Kara heard it all. His fingers slipped from mine as I screamed, "Claude!" But instead of his shout from the fall, I heard a groan next to me. Looking over, I welcomed the sight of Kara grabbing his other hand. Smiling at this, we managed to pull him up and fell onto the floor.
The rain let up into soft pitter-patters. Opening my violet eyes to see Claude holding his wounded shoulder, I suddenly tackled him, wrapping my arms around him tightly. He grimaced in pain but hugged me just as tight, kissing my wet hair. Sobs shook through my body as I cried into his chest.
Kara sat there, the sword at her feet, as she watched. The kindness from the friend I once knew came back, destroying all bitterness. Her gaze shifted to the ground, ashamed of what she had done. Looking up at Claude's pale face, I noticed my right hand was covered in blood...but it wasn't from MY wound. "You're bleeding pretty bad…" I muttered softly.
In a sleepy tone, he looked upon me with half closed eyes, "It's nothing, my dear." If we didn't stop his bleeding, he would surely die. Kara, as if reading my thoughts, came to my rescue and helped me drag him downstairs.
Bells of Notre Dame rang happily as Clopin and Kara ran through the church doors, married now. Kara wore a long white dress covered in white flowers ironically nicknamed "Snow flowers". They held each others hands, only stopping to hug their dearest friends.
"So…this is it for now, eh?" I found myself asking with a small smile. Clopin stood before me as Kara and Esmeralda spoke in gentle whispers.
Clopin just grinned, hugging me tight. "For now, yes. In a month I and my wife will return. Has the Judge…?" It was obvious by Frollo's glare at the King that he had forgotten not to "lay a hand on me". I chuckled lightly and shook my head.
"Not yet, no. I have a feeling he'll ask soon…I hope."
His eyes were gentle and soft. "It's amazing to think that just five years ago, you arrived in my home."
Laughing, I blushed, "Don't get all soft on me, don't you dare start crying either! I'm sorry I hurt you Clopin, I know how confused you must have been."
He raised an eyebrow, "Ah, I must apologize as well for everything."
Kara came running to us, hugging me lightly, "We must be off, dear friend! The carriage awaits! I hope Frollo fulfills your father's promise from so long ago." I smiled and nodded. The carriage was a wedding present from both Frollo and me.
"Snow and your parents would be proud, Kara." Her smile didn't waver like I thought it would. Instead, she just seemed to glow with happiness.
As they got in the carriage, I and Esmeralda looked at each other, an evil smirk on our faces. Frollo raised an eyebrow at this. At the same time, making it suspicious if we had planned the whole thing, us girls yelled, "We expect to be aunties when you come back!" From far away, we heard Kara's yell of embarrassment to us.
Giggling, I walked into Frollo's embrace and smiled. "What a wonderful day!" He nodded and held me close. He must have been thinking over something important for when I gave him a kiss on the cheek, he looked at me as if just realizing I was there.
"You okay, Claude? You're as pale as milk!" I exclaimed, looking him over.
He kissed my cheek and muttered softly, "I'm fine. However…I don't believe you would believe me but…I just saw your mother and father smile upon us…" My eyes widened. Was that a sign? Did we have their blessings? Only time would tell.
That is my story. Once an outcast to nearly everyone, accepted by only a few, I found happiness. I found friends. I found love. I'd tell you more, but my wedding is about to start! Claude had proposed to me at the beach where we…Oh look at the time, Esmeralda's complaining of my lateness. I wonder what Kara and Clopin will say when they come back from their honeymoon…
There is a sequel which should be up soon. However, I shall give you the summary.
Three years later, Clopin and Kara have a child. Lavender, who is now married to Frollo, had two miscarriages but third times the charm! When she becomes pregnant she must hide the fact from everyone except three people. Why? Because her father's old enemy is in town and he's promised to kill her. When the child is born, Lavender is forced by Frollo to give her child to Kara to raise as her own. When the old enemy finds out, she must choose; protect he husband or her child?