Clopin is staying the night and is pondering returning to Narinella. Will he return and more importantly will he tell anyone about Frollo? I do not own Hunchback of Notre Dame. Enjoy and don't forget to review.
The next morning Frollo awoke first. He came into the main room to find Esmerelda and Clopin sound asleep. Clopin's arm was expended protectively over Esmerelda's side. Frollo looked at the two and felt a twinge of jealousy. Why couldn't he be loved by Esmerelda like that? But he didn't really understand that they didn't think of each other that way. Clopin suddenly sturred and Frollo turned to his room. He heard Clopin move and stretch. When Frollo came back out Clopin was sitting up beside Esmerelda.
"Why did you take her?" Clopin asked with his back still to Frollo.
"I...I don't know really. I'm not sure why I do these things half the time... You look like something is troubling you. I'm guessing you want to leave?" Frollo said.
Clopin nodded, "I want to stay here to make sure Esmerelda will be alright but I have someone waiting for me back home" Clopin said.
"I won't harm her" Frollo said.
"How can I trust you?" Clopin asked turning to look at Frollo, " You haven't exactly done much to gain my trust. What purpose does she serve here? Why do you want to keep her around?"
"I won't harm her because I'm in love with her" Frollo replied calmly.
"What? Does...does she know?"
"Yes I think so, but I don't expect her to feel the same. It's lonly here and with her around I feel different. That is why you can trust me, but can I trust you if I let you go to keep quiet?"
Clopin thought over Frollo's words before saying, "Yes you can trust me. Just let me say goodbye to her first"
"Very well" Frollo said and went into his room.
"Must you go?" Esmerelda whispered and Clopin looked down.
"Did you hear all of that?" he asked.
"Yes, and none of it surprises me. If you have to go will you return at some point?" Esmerelda asked.
"If I can, but for your sake I won't tell anyone about Frollo. I have to go now" Clopin said giving Esmerelda a hug and heading out the door.
"Thank you for letting him go. He wasn't too sure about you at first, but I think you might have changed his mind" Esmerelda said sitting next to Frollo and she did something that surprised him. She reached over and kissed him lightly on the lips. Frollo looked at her and they both smiled.
The following evening of Clopin's return to his village he received his first kiss. Clopin was now lieing in his bed in his home. His bare arm was draped over a women in front of him that had golden brown hair. The two lovers were asleep, but Clopin's dreams had turned into nightmares. He saw visions of Frollo and a whip, fire and faces. Clopin was talking in his sleep and it had woken Narinella. She sat up and shook Clopin's shoulder, "Clopin, Clopin wake up."
Clopin jolted awake and looked at Narinella.
"You okay? You were talking in your sleep" she asked.
"Yes...yes it was just a bad dream" Clopin said sitting up and placing his forhead on his hand.
Narinella could sense something was wrong but suddenly noticed something odd on Clopin's bare back. She slowly put her hand up and lightly traced the long marks. Clopin froze at her touch. He closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh as her fingers traced the surface of his skin.
"What are these?" Narinella asked.
Clopin didn't answer at first. He didn't want Narinella to know that he wasn't all what her parents had told her.
"Clopin... what are you hiding?" She asked putting a hand on his shoulder.
He put one hand over hers not meeting her eyes as he said quietly, "Whip marks."
"Whip marks? Who whipped you?" she asked.
"Frollo, the night the gypsies were captured I was taken by Frollo and tortured for information" Clopin said softly.
"Oh Clopin that's horrible. Why didn't you tell me?" Narinella asked.
"Because I thought you might think of me differently. I never feared Frollo before that night and now I do" Clopin explained.
Narinella turned Clopin's head to face her with a gentle hand. She put her lips to his and they shared in a sweet kiss. Every kiss they had shared that night had been more breath taking then the last. This one was simple yet it sent shock waves through both their bodies. When Narinella let go they sat with their forheads pressed together, gazing into each others eyes.
"Nothing you said made me change my mind about the way I feel about you" she whispered.
"Thank you. Can I tell you another secret? Your the first girl I have ever been with" he said.
"Really? What did your parents never let you date?" She asked and knewinstantly she had said something wrong because Clopin had turned away again, "Clopin I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you..."
"You didn't. It's just hard to talk about. Sometimes I don't believe what I saw and expect that I will see them at my door, but you need to know about this. When I was ten years old soldiers stormed into my house. They were looking for gypsies. My mother and father hid my sister and I in the closet, but my two brothers didn't get in before the soldiers came. My sister and I watched the soldiers kill my family. They ran them through one by one and my sister and I couldn't do anything to stop them. My older brother was eleven years old, Thiaswas his name. My younger brother was eight, his name was Oron. They both had amber eyes like my mother did. I miss them all so much. My mother and father would good gysies, who made an honest living, I don't know why the soldiers had to kill them or my brothers" Clopin said as tears ran down his cheeks.
"What about your sister? You said she was in the closet with you" Narinella asked.
"For a couple months Thalia and I went from town to town fiding places to sleep and getting the little food we could find. One day a group of soldiers found us. They took my sister and knocked me out. The last thing I remembered was the sound of my sister screaming my name. When I woke she was gone and that was the last time I saw her. That was seventeen years ago and I can only assume she was killed as well. That's why when Esmerelda's family took me in I became a brother to her and she became the sister I protected. Some part of me hopes that Thalia is still alive, but I don't see how she could be" Clopin said.
"Have you ever seen her in your dreams?"
"No"
"Then she is alive"
"How do you know?"
"Because if you haven't seen her since the day she was taken she has to be alive. We see people that have passed away at least once in dreams. So we will search for her tomorrow until we find her"
"Thank you Narinella"
The two settled down and slept what was left of the night. Just outside the city a figure walked along the road with a traveling cloak over their head, dressed in a sky blue shawl and snow white dress. A golden earring hung from the left ear, the symbol of the gypsy, and an old golden bead bracelet that had little suns hand carved on the beads was on their right wrist. Amber eyes stared up at the buildings to the city.
"He's here" She said to a white cat perched on her shoulder, "I can sense it."
I know a little depressing that Clopin's family died, but there is still hope for the sister is this mysterious figure Thalia and will she ever be reunited with Clopin? Find out next chapter. To be continued...