Another chapter. Frollo and Esmerelda are actually getting along, but what happens when Phoebus starts looking for Esmerelda? I do not own Hunchback of Notre Dame. Enjoy and don't forget to review.
"I will be back soon. Will you stay here?" Frollo said turning to Esmerelda.
"Yes I promise I will be here when you return" Esmerelda said and Frollo headed out the door.
Frollo was on his way to visit someone. He got in town and he put a cloak on keeping the hood up as he crept from shadowy place to shadowy place until he got to the cathedral. Once he was inside he looked around for Quasimodo. Quasimodo came down thinking it was Esmerelda and found no one there. He was about to got back up to the bell tower when a figure blocked his way. Quasimodo looked at the figure and neither one of them moved for a couple of seconds. Then the figure dropped the hood to reveal Frollo, but only the good side of his face was visible at the moment. Quasimodo stood there for a couple seconds in shock and once he recovered he started to lung at Frollo. Frollo backed away quickly, narrowly missing Quasimodo's fists several times. After twenty minutes of this Quasimodo grew tired and could not longer chase Frollo. The two of them sat there for a couple moments trying to catch their breath.
"How are you still alive. The fall..." Quasimodo started to ask.
"Would have killed me if I had not landed in a pile of hay, but it was on fire so I didn't escape without some burns" Frollo said and he turned his face to show Quasimodo the burned side and showed his half burned arm as well.
"What do you want?" Quasimodo asked suspiciously.
"I just thought I'd drop by and pay you a visit. I hear you have a pretty good life now. Besides a friend of mine told me something that remained me of you. Well I won't bother you anymore, but don't go spreading that I am back around. I have a friend of yours with me and I'm sure you don't want anything to happen to her" Frollo said turning to the door.
"What are you planning on doing to her?" Quasimodo snarled.
"Nothing dear boy as long as you keep up your side she will be fine" Frollo said and he walked out the door.
Quasimodo stared at where he disappeared not believing what he just saw. Had he really just seen his former master walk before him?
Back in the house in the country side Frollo came in and fell back on the bed. Esmerelda came in the bedroom and sat beside him.
"You look tired" she said.
"I am. The hunchback didn't exactly give me a warm welcome" Frollo said sitting up.
"Well you can't really blame him. You didn't make his life a very happy one" Esmerelda said.
"Yes I realize that. It's odd what a simple fall can do" Frollo said
"Well maybe it was a good thing then" Esmerelda said.
"Who knows, I honestly don't know who I am anymore." Frollo said laying back down and staring at the ceiling, "My whole life is different now"
"And now you know how the outcasts feel?" Esmerelda asked laying beside him.
"Yes... As much as I hate to admit it I know" Frollo said.
"You know something I'm wondering" Esmerelda said rolling on her side to look at him, "If you are so different now how come you can still be mean?"
"It scares me sometimes I suppose when I do something good so I have to go back to my old ways" Frollo said.
"Is that true what you told me in the alley that one night about how you started to like me?" Esmerelda asked and Frollo looked into her green eyes.
"Yes, I thought only of you as a gypsy at first because that is all I could see of a person at the time, but once you showed me you weren't afraid of me that changed my perspective of things. Plus you were kind to the hunchback and no one had ever been nice to him before" Frollo said.
"Well being an outcast you get to know all the wrongs of the world, but none of my people were willing to speak up" Esmerelda said.
"Why is that?" Frollo asked.
"Because they were all scared of you. They knew you would show them no mercy and it terrified them. The only other gypsy I know who is not fully afraid of you is Clopin. You know the one with the little puppet" Esmerelda explained.
"Oh yes. He was one of the gypsies that bothered me the most. Partly because no matter what I did he was not afraid and partly because of his annoying puppet. The only time I saw fear in his eyes is when I attacked The Court of Miracles and I said that I would burn all the gypsies. Perhaps that is the one thing he is afraid of" Frollo said.
"Clopin is not afraid of many things, but fear of death I can not say if he does. He has never told me if he does. Then again he is the head gypsy so he has to be brave for everyone. Clopin is like a brother to me. I grew up with him and we are very close. When we came here and he became the head gypsy he still made sure he had time for me" Esmerelda said smiling.
"Do you miss him?" Frollo asked.
"Yes I do" she said.
"Do you want to go see him?" Frollo asked.
Esmerelda looked at him and saw he was serious, "Could I?"
"Yes if you promise not to tell about me and that you will return by dark. Will you do that?" Frollo asked.
"Yes I will. Thank you Frollo" she said giving him a hug.
Frollo was a little surprised at first but he hugged back after a few seconds. Esmerelda broke away and headed out the door. She quickly hurried to the other gypsy village Clopin now lived in. She put up her traveling cloak's hood and knocked on his door. There was movement from inside and the door opened.
"Yes what do you want?" Clopin said looking at the hooded figure.
"Shelter" Esmerelda said in an old woman's voice.
Clopin stood for a moment in the doorway looking at the person then he stepped aside to let the figure pass. As soon as Clopin had closed the door Esmerelda put the hood back and Clopin gasped.
"Esmerelda!" he cried running to spin her around and hug her close.
"Hello Clopin. It's been a while" Esmerelda said when he put her down.
"What happened. Phoebus said that you had been kidnapped. He is out looking for you. I was so worried. He was going on about Frollo. He isn't...back is he?" Clopin said.
"I forgot about Phoebus! Oh he's probably going crazy. Well I can't visit him tonight" Esmerelda sighed, "I promised I wouldn't say anything, but since you already know I guess I can tell you. Yes it is true Frollo survived the fall off the bell tower. He was the one that kidnapped me"
"Then we must go find Phoebus and tell him you got away" Clopin said and started to go out the door, but Esmerelda stopped him.
"No I can't. I didn't run away" she said.
"What do you mean?" Clopin said turning to look at her.
"He let me come here and visit" she said.
"He let you come and visit?" Clopin asked.
"Yes, Frollo is different now. He's just a little lonely that's why he wanted to kidnap me" Esmerelda explained.
"Well I'm lonely here too, but you don't see me stealing pretty girls from their homes" Clopin said.
"Clopin listen to me he really is different. If you only saw him maybe you might believe me, but if I bring you back with me he might not be happy about it. Please Clopin your my best friend if you don't believe me I don't know who will" Esmerelda said locking eyes with him.
Clopin sighed, "I do want to believe you, but Frollo is the one person that I feared. I know it may come as a surprise, but that night that he captured us...
Flash Back
All the gypsies are voicing their concerns about what will happen to them as they gathered around Clopin.
"Everyone please calm down" Clopin said and they turned to their leader, "Look I know this is scary and I know there isn't a way to get out of this but we are gypsies, we must not show Frollo that we are afraid. This alone may save the others. Now I want you all to try and get so sleep I know it will be hard but just try"
All the gypsies found places along the wall to rest their heads and soon they were all asleep except Clopin. He didn't trust Frollo to leave them alone until morning. And he was right because later Frollo appeared. He motioned for the guards to come forward toward Clopin.
"Your coming with me gypsy" he said and Clopin was dragged to his feet. Despite Clopin's struggles Frollo and the guards got him away from the others and took him to a different place. When they were there the guards tied Clopin's hands to a post in front of him and he turned to see Frollo walking up to him.
"So rumor is your the head gypsy" Frollo said.
"Why do you care?" Clopin spat.
"Because as head gypsy you know if there are others out there and you can tell me" Frollo said.
Clopin turned his head away from Frollo refusing to say a word.
"Very well if you won't tell me freely then I will force the answer out of you" Frollo said and went behind Clopin then motioned for the guards to come forward.
The guards came and ripped the back of Clopin's shirt open to expose his bare skin. Clopin heard the whistle of it coming through the air and then a searing pain spread through his back. Frollo did this four more times before he stopped.
"Are you the head gypsy?" Frollo questioned again.
"Yes" Clopin mumbled.
"Good I knew you would see reason. Now are there others?" Frollo asked.
Clopin glared at him and didn't say a word so Frollo went behind him again and whipped him five more times. This went on until Frollo had whipped Clopin at least forty times. Clopin was on his knees now and his entire back was red with blood.
"Why should I tell you if there are. I'm the head gypsy of this group" Clopin said quietly.
"So there are others" Frollo said.
Clopin cursed silently at his stupidity.
"So then gypsy tell me where they are" Frollo said, "Tell Me!"
When Clopin again refused Frollo walked over to one of the guards and took a torch from him. He came back over to Clopin and forced him to meet his eyes.
"You will tell me where they are" Frollo said running the flame down Clopin's back. He released Clopin's face and ran the torch up and down Clopin's back. That was when Clopin started to grumble in pain. Frollo kept at this until there was a long burn mark on Clopin's back.
"Where are they?" Frollo questioned again.
"I don't know" Clopin shouted back.
"Don't lie to me gypsy" Frollo said and this time he took a candle and tipped it so the hot wax fell onto Clopin's back. Clopin screamed in pain as Frollo dripped the hot wax all over his back but he still refused to give in to Frollo.
"I grow tired of these games. Alright take him back to the others, but remember gypsy you are next after Esmerelda" Frollo said.
Clopin was dragged back and thrown into the cell with the other gypsies. Clopin pulled a needle out of his pocket and sewed his torn shirt back together because he didn't want the others to see that he was tortured, he didn't want them to think their leader was weak. The next morning everyone was waking. They all slowly started to stand. Clopin tried to follow but his back screamed in protest and he fell back.
"Clopin are you ok?" Esmerelda asked concerned.
"I'm fine. Must have slept funny" Clopin said.
The gypsies all looked at him. They knew something was wrong with their leader, he didn't look the same as he had been the night before. Clopin slowly struggled to his feet and tried to make it look like he wasn't in pain. Then the guards came for them all and they were lead out into the square.
End Flashback
"I didn't know a man could be so evil to torture someone the way Frollo tortured me. I still have the marks from the whip" Clopin said trying hard to control his emotions as he took off his shirt to show the faint lines on his back.
Esmerelda stared at them in horror. She knew Frollo had been evil, but she didn't know he was that evil.
"Oh Clopin why didn't you tell me?" She asked hugging him when he had gotten his shirt back on.
"Because I knew you would worry about me. I can take care of myself" Clopin said letting her comfort him.
"But you sometimes need help...Come back with me" Esmerelda said suddenly.
"What?" Clopin asked looking at her.
"Come back with me. You need to see how he has changed and I think you will be surprised. Please?" Esmerelda asked.
"Alright, but if he is not what say..." Clopin started.
"He is I promise, but let me tell him you are with me before you come in... Thank you Clopin" she said.
"I'll probably regret going, but I'll go because I know you wouldn't lie to me" he said and let her lead him out of his house.
"You have to promise not to tell Phoebus where he is living. The only thing I want you to tell him is that I am ok alright?" Esmerelda said.
"Yes I understand" Clopin said and the two headed off toward the country side as the sun began to set.
So the dark side of Frollo is revealed. What will happen when Clopin enters the house? Find out next chapter. To be continued...