Hearing movement from outside the tent, Damara wiped away the tears, and steadied her breathing. It was all in the past, what happened, happened. There was no use shedding tears for what Damara lost. Fixing her usual façade of indifference onto her face, she looked at the flap of her tent just as Esme ducked inside. Her arrival made Damara smile. "How was the audience today?"

Esme smiled at her. "Strangely generous, but I lost some of money because the guards showed up."

This caused the grey eyed girl's eyebrows to knit together. "Shit eating pigs, the lot of them."

Her friend laughed. "Well at least I didn't have the misfortune of running into Frollo." This made Damara look down at her legs, which had patches of new skin left over from the scabs. "Count yourself lucky."

Esmeralda set her tambourine on her bed roll. "Well not in the way you are. If Clopin hadn't been above that day, Frollo would have done worse than damn you to hell."

Damara rolled her eyes. "I could have handled myself just fine."

The dancer chuckled. "You just don't want to admit that you are in debt to Clopin for saving your life at least twice."

Folding her hands over her chest, Damara muttered. "The fact that he plucked me out of the streets, does not excuse the fact that he has keeps me in the Court against my will."

Esme rolled her eyes. "He keeps you here for good reason."

Standing up, Damara groaned. "As I said before, I' am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need my brother, and I don't need Clopin watching me every step of the way."

Her friend shrugged. "I think it's nice having people who care."

She scoffed. "My brother only watches me so closely because he feels guilty for not coming to my aid when I needed him most."

The statement was out before Damara could call it back. The two sat in silence. Esme stared at her, watching as her fire taming friend sat back down; shocked at the harshness of her words. Leaning forward Esmeralda gave her an imploring look. "Something worse happened that night?"

Taking a deep breath, Damara met her gaze. "I lost more than my family that night; I lost something that I intended to give willing to the person I deemed worthy of it."

Esme gaped. "You mean?"

She closed her eyes, more tears finding their way down her cheeks. "I do, and my brother left me to my fate. He ran like a coward, he doesn't know, and I intend to keep it that way."

Within a second, Esme was at her side. Damara stared at her. "Do not tell anyone about this. My brother would hang himself or worse hand himself over to Frollo if he knew what his cowardice caused."

Her friend nodded. "I understand, but you do realize you can't keep this locked away forever. Someone else will find out."

Seeing what she meant, Damara chuckled. "I don't intend to marry, if that's what you mean."

Leaning forward, Esme used the hem of her skirt to wipe Damara's tears from her face. "You can't always predict the future, who knows? Maybe you'll change your mind?"

The two sat in silence for some time; it was neither a comfortable nor an awkward silence. It was just silence. Damara interrupted it by standing and saying that she was going to take a walk on the outskirts of the Court. That said she exited the tent. Oblivious to the fact that Clopin had been standing outside, listening quietly