Chapter 51: The Fear
Esmeralda was troubled. She had a decision to make, and she wasn't ready for it. How could she possibly make up her mind under circumstances like this? She wanted Claude. Everything inside her told her to choose him. But how would he fit into her life? It was all too complicated...
"Have you made your decision?"
Esmeralda frowned at the sound of Claude's voice, which came from behind her. She wished she could give him the answer he wanted, but that wasn't possible right now.
"I'm still thinking about it..." Esmeralda replied.
She heard footsteps coming up behind her.
"It's alright." Claude assured. "I know you will make the right choice..."
His words gave Esmeralda some comfort, but that changed when she felt two hands grab her shoulders aggressively. It was a tight and painful grip, one that made Esmeralda wince. What was going on? Claude was never so rough with her...
"...If you want to live." He whispered into her ear.
Esmeralda shivered.
Was that... A threat?! No, it couldn't be. But that tone... It wasn't the way Esmeralda had gotten used to hearing Claude talk. He sounded... Sadistic...
No. He wasn't like that anymore. This had to be some kind of stupid joke!
"Claude, knock it off!" Esmeralda begged. "If this is a joke, it's not- MMPH!"
She choked as one of his hands squeezed her throat.
"Do I seem like I'm joking?" The judge taunted. "And it's Minister Frollo to you... Gypsy."
Esmeralda panicked. She shook herself out of his grasp and tried to run, but he quickly turned her around and pinned her against a wall.
The sight in front of Esmeralda was horrible. The Claude she knew was nowhere in sight. Instead she was faced with the monster, Judge Frollo, wearing his signature black robe and heartless grin.
"Choose me..." He demanded. "Or the fire..."
Suddenly, he had a torch in his hand, and was holding it in front of Esmeralda's face. Horrified tears welled up in her eyes.
"CLAUDE! NO!"
The flame slowly came nearer to her.
"Choose..."
"NO! PLEASE!"
The flame seemed to grow as it neared Esmeralda's face. She couldn't believe it. She'd imagined Judge Frollo as her killer, but not since he'd changed. Not since he'd become Claude to her. Her dear, loving Claude.
But after everything they'd been through, Claude was gone, and the monster had come for Esmeralda...
Claude was woken by a violent scream. He saw Esmeralda convulsing and quickly laid his hands on her.
"Esmeralda!" He said desperately, gently shaking her.
Esmeralda's eyes popped open. She saw that the same man who had just threatened her with fire was in front of her. Screaming again, she drove her fist into his face less than a second after her eyes had opened, landing an immediate blow on his mouth.
"AAGH!"
Claude was thrown backward and fell from the bed, landing on the floor with a thud.
Esmeralda gasped. She realized that the attack she'd just experienced had all been a dream. Now the dream was over, and the man she'd punched was not the evil judge. He was Claude. Her Claude.
"CLAUDE!" Esmeralda cried, jumping out of bed and rushing to his side.
He was just sitting up, hand over his mouth and eyes shut tight in pain. Esmeralda knelt by him.
"Claude, I'm so sorry!" She apologized frantically.
"It's... Alright..." Claude managed in agony.
His hand dropped away from his mouth, revealing some blood dripping off his lip.
"You're bleeding..." Esmeralda noticed, horrified.
Claude opened his eyes and wiped the blood from his mouth.
"It is nothing." He insisted. "I just... Bit my tongue."
Esmeralda was shocked. She hadn't meant to hurt him. She hadn't realized that he wasn't attacking her until after her fist had landed on him.
"I'm sorry!" She repeated, pulling Claude into a hug. "I didn't mean to... I had a horrible nightmare and..."
"I know, dear." Claude reassured, gently caressing her back as they hugged. "It's alright."
Esmeralda was relieved that Claude understood this and wasn't upset. But soon, her relief turned to heartbreak.
She realized what Claude had to be thinking: That her nightmare had been about the attack she'd suffered a year ago. He didn't know that she'd actually dreamed of him.
Esmeralda found herself holding back tears. Claude didn't deserve this. She shouldn't be having nightmares about him or hitting him in a panic. It wasn't right...
The cathedral bells soon rang. Esmeralda managed to keep from crying while she and Claude rose from the floor and briefly talked about the day's plans.
"I need some time to myself." Esmeralda shared. "To think..."
"Alright." Claude accepted. "I'll go and get some work done. You can stop by if you wish, but you don't have to."
"Thanks..." Esmeralda said sadly.
Claude kissed her cheek before he left, after which Esmeralda finally burst into tears.
Many things were upsetting her. The nightmare... The pain in Claude's face when she'd punched him... The reality of what this meant for them...
Esmeralda spent hours trying to find some peace of mind. She wasn't agonizing over her decision anymore. She knew what it would be at this point. Now she had to make peace with that decision, which wasn't easy. It would hurt her, and worse, it would hurt Claude. But she knew that this was the right thing for both of them. That was the only thought that gave her the courage to finally tell him.