Chapter 10: The Warmth

It was the first night the couple went to bed in clothes. The topic of Frollo's scar did not come up, much to his satisfaction. He felt so at peace that a dreamless sleep seemed all but guaranteed.

It was too good to be true.

The blaze was in his skin. He screamed at the top of his lungs. Despite the familiarity of the situation, it was no better than before. Claude writhed under the flames. His head turned like usual, to see the gypsy girl watching in the distance.

But this time, it wasn't her.

It was Esmeralda...

Frollo woke even more violently than he had the last few nights. He saw why when he opened his eyes. Esmeralda's concerned eyes were looking into his, and her hands gripped his body. She had shaken him awake.

"Are you okay?" The gypsy asked.

"What..." Frollo struggled. His panicked breath made it hard to speak. "What have... what have you done?..."

"You were shaking and grunting in your sleep." Esmeralda explained. "I knew what it had to mean, so... I thought I should put you out of your misery."

Frollo didn't know what to say. He hated for this to happen because he didn't want her to know anything of his nightmares. But she'd been aware of those for a few days now, so it wasn't as if this changed anything. And although Frollo didn't want his wife's pity, he couldn't deny the good she had done him.

"...Thank you." He said to his own surprise.

"Please don't leave this time." Esmeralda begged.

Although Frollo preferred to have his difficult moments alone, he remembered that storming off the last two nights hadn't exactly helped him. And it wasn't as if he could hide his internal struggle from Esmeralda. She'd already seen him breaking down.

"I won't." The judge submitted. "But please... Do not speak to me."

Frollo rolled onto his side so his face wasn't visible to her. He closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep again. It was useless. He was distraught over the nightmare. Why hadn't this cycle stopped? Why did God let him agonize like this? The fire raged vividly in Frollo's mind. He tried to refrain from trembling, but the panic rushed through his skin. He tried to avoid crying, but the terror and misery leaked through his eyes. He held it all back as well as he could. He had to contain it while Esmeralda was with him.

Unexpectedly, Frollo felt a pair of warm arms wrap around his body. Esmeralda was holding him.

"It's okay." She whispered. "You're safe..."

Frollo felt that he should push her away and tell her to leave him be, but he couldn't. Her warm embrace felt too good. He felt secure with his trembling contained in her arms. It was a kind of touch he wasn't accustomed to. One he hadn't known he needed. She seemed to absorb his terror by holding him tightly.

This went against everything Frollo ever intended for his marriage. But the relief it gave him was irresistible. Esmeralda's warmth eased him into sleep.

Frollo woke to find himself in a comfortable, yet humiliating, position. He could still feel Esmeralda's chest against his back and her arms wrapped around him.

This wouldn't do. Frollo criticized himself for letting her touch him like this, let alone letting them both fall asleep in this position. Perhaps he'd needed it last night, but he didn't need it now. Hopefully Esmeralda wasn't awake to realize they'd slept like this.

He got out of bed and started changing his clothes. No later did he hear his wife's voice.

"Frollo..."

So she was awake. The judge sighed.

"Good morning." He said coldly.

He only turned to look at her after his tunic was on, so his scar wouldn't be visible.

"Are you okay?" Esmeralda asked.

"Of course." Frollo replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Esmeralda eyed him silently, as if she were afraid to speak. Ignoring the events of the previous night (and the last two) clearly wouldn't make her forget, so Frollo decided to address the elephant in the room.

"Listen," He said with frustration. "I know the last few nights would leave you to believe otherwise, but nightmares are not a regular occurrence for me."

"Not until now, anyway." Esmeralda argued.

"I will tell you one more time." Frollo said assertively. "Save your concerns!"

"I have a question." Esmeralda stated. "Do these nightmares have something to do with your scar?"

Frollo was stunned. How could she possibly know about that?

"Why do you ask?" Frollo questioned.

Esmeralda hesitated, but she soon decided to tell the truth.

"You talked in your sleep." She admitted.

Anxiety rushed through Frollo. What had he been saying in his sleep? What had he revealed?

"And what did I say?" He asked.

"You said... 'It hurts'... And then you said my name. That was when I woke you up."

Frollo didn't know what to do. He certainly wasn't going to confirm her suspicions, but denying them would probably only make her more certain. Instead, Frollo turned his back to Esmeralda.

"I'm going out." He announced. "There are crimes in this city which require my attention."

"Are you sure you don't want to tell me about the dreams?" Esmeralda asked. "Or where the scar came from?"

"Those things are none of your business." Frollo replied.

"If you're afraid I'll think of you differently, I promise that won't happen." Esmeralda assured. "I promise I won't hate you any less. I'll still think you're horrible."

Frollo nearly laughed, but he didn't want to acknowledge her. He put on his robe and tucked a dagger into his pocket. His work was all he wanted to think about right now.

"I will see you tonight." He said before leaving.

Frollo's theory had been wrong. Avoiding the scar had not prevented another nightmare. He was sure that letting Esmeralda discover the scar had contributed to his nightly torment, but perhaps it wasn't the only reason. Perhaps the sex played a roll in it too.

Even if the burning itself could be blocked out of his mind, the lesson he'd learned from it could not. As a boy, Claude Frollo had been burned and threatened with hellfire because he'd kissed a gypsy. Now he relived all of that after taking another gypsy as his own.

But why? It had made sense when he'd been about to indulge in sin and take her out of wedlock. But now they were married. He was allowed to be intimate with his wife, so why were these memories haunting him? There was no need for him to remember when he'd been punished for his sin. There was nothing to punish now... Right?

Frollo began to wonder if God had forsaken him. But that was too horrible a thought. He had to find some other explanation and put a stop to these terrors.

He needed some time away from Esmeralda.