Chapter 75: The Announcement

Claude dreaded telling Esmeralda that he had to leave. He had an excuse prepared, and it was one that Esmeralda would approve of (even if she found it a bit strange). But by now it was an obvious fact that neither of them liked to be away from the other, so there was no comfortable way to share this kind of news. Claude waited to reveal it, wanting Esmeralda to fully recover from her injury before hearing what he was planning.

Those days passed by quickly. The most stubborn part of the healing process was the pain, but Esmeralda handled it well. Claude held her at times when the pain was hard to manage, which she appreciated more than she was able to communicate. Eventually the stitches could be removed. Claude held Esmeralda's hand during the process, which she managed bravely.

Her stoicism was impressive. It was what eventually made Claude feel better about breaking the news.

One evening, he asked Esmeralda to follow him. She did, but she was taken off guard when Claude suddenly grabbed her hand.

"You don't have to do that anymore." Esmeralda informed.

Claude looked at his hand in realization. It had become habitual for him to hold onto Esmeralda while they walked, making sure she felt stable while she was injured. But now she was well enough for that not to be necessary.

Feeling unimportant, Claude let go of her.

"My apologies." He said disappointedly. "It has... Become a habit."

Esmeralda was sorry when she realized how cold she'd sounded.

"I mean, you don't have to. That doesn't mean I have an issue with it!"

She grabbed Claude's hand, offering a smile. Claude hesitated, but soon closed his fingers around hers, a faint smile forming on his own face.

He led Esmeralda through the hallway. Almost immediately, she began to ask questions.

"So, what is this about?" She inquired.

"You shall see." Claude assured.

"It's not something bad, is it?"

"It isn't the most exciting news, but it is something good."

Esmeralda spent a moment wondering what this news could possibly be. But just as she was starting to imagine the potential, she ended up facing the last person she expected to see right now.

"Good evening." Phoebus greeted.

Esmeralda froze.

"Phoebus?!"

She looked at Claude in confusion, trying to understand why he may have brought such an unlikely guest here.

"I've agreed with our friend here," Claude started. "that some peace ought to come between us."

"What?" Esmeralda said in disbelief.

"It seems about time for us to get along better," Phoebus explained. "since we have a mutual friend in you."

How could this be? Since when had Phoebus set out to get along with Claude?

"We're taking a little hunting trip together." Claude added. "It will be an opportunity to get to know one another."

"And to get some venison." Phoebus piped up, as if that was the important part.

Esmeralda looked back and forth between the two men, gaping.

"You hunt?" She eventually asked Claude.

She never would have imagined him as a hunter. It was easier to picture now that she knew him well, but something about having outdoor hobbies just seemed atypical of a judge. Then again, it wasn't as if Esmeralda had befriended many judges before Claude.

"It's a hobby I haven't indulged in for quite a few years." Claude replied. "But since Phoebus is interested, I thought I could get used to it again."

The first part of that was true. Claude had in fact done a fair amount of hunting at an earlier part of his life. He didn't really have much interest in doing it again, but it made for a reasonable excuse to be gone for a period of time.

Esmeralda struggled to wrap her head around the situation. The most surprising fact was that Phoebus had somehow agreed to join Claude for any kind of activity. Something about this was very strange.

"We'll be away for a week, give or take." Claude shared. "I suppose I wanted to ask you if this was alright."

As confusing as the situation was, Esmeralda thought it might be best not to question it. She couldn't see why Phoebus had gotten over his hard feelings and decided to try getting along with Claude, nor could she see why this hunting trip was really necessary. But if it was going to encourage a better relationship between two of her friends, perhaps it was for the best.

"It's alright." Esmeralda answered. "I'm just a little surprised."

"We just want to do a good thing." Claude insisted. "Isn't that right, Phoebus?"

That was also true.

Phoebus nodded.

"Is Annette okay with this?" Esmeralda inquired, remembering that Phoebus had someone waiting for him at home.

"She highly encouraged it." Phoebus replied.

That was unsurprising. Annette seemed like exactly the kind of wife who would support this sort of endeavor.

"Speaking of Annette, I ought to get back to her soon." Phoebus announced. "I'll see you around."

He smiled, hoping it would have a positive effect on the dynamic with Esmeralda.

Esmeralda only managed to force a smile.

"See you around." She returned.

She wished she could say or do more, but Esmeralda didn't feel as friendly toward Phoebus as she wanted to feel. His disdain for Claude still bothered her, even if he was trying to stop showing it. Esmeralda did appreciate the effort Phoebus was making to be more tolerant, but she knew that trying to get along better far from guaranteed that he was going to fully lose his resentment. Still, she tried to act like nothing was wrong between them, hoping Phoebus wouldn't notice that she was faking that smile.

He did. When Claude started to see him out and Esmeralda went to wait by the fireplace, Phoebus frowned.

"I can't thank you enough for your help." Claude told him, trying to improve the mood.

"I'm doing it for Esmeralda." Phoebus reminded. "Not for you."

He shook his head frustratedly.

"That was ridiculous." Phoebus complained. "Why couldn't we just tell her the truth?"

"I told you, I don't want to get her hopes up." Claude replied.

"Well, now she thinks this is some kind of weird bonding opportunity. Did you see how confused she was?"

"We'll tell her the truth when everything is sorted out."

If everything was sorted out... Claude only tried to hope for the best.

He met Esmeralda by the fireplace after seeing their visitor out. For a minute they sat quietly in front of the flames, but Claude was starting to become concerned by Esmeralda's silence. Moreover, there seemed to be some sadness in her eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Claude finally asked.

"I'm fine." Esmeralda replied. "But I can't believe Phoebus agreed to go anywhere with you."

"He's doing it for you. He wants to be a better friend."

"I'm glad, but it's still a bit shocking."

Claude really did want to tell Esmeralda the truth. He wanted her to know how important this actually was. How close he was to being able to make her happy. But the risk of disappointing her was too threatening. Even with the explanation she'd been given, Claude worried that Esmeralda had enough to disappoint her already.

"Are you sure you're alright with this?" Claude asked.

Esmeralda smiled faintly.

"It's really not a big deal." She assured. "And if it's for a good reason then of course I support it. Even if it's a bit shocking."

"It's just that I'll be gone for a number of days." Claude said apologetically.

"And you think I can't survive that?" Esmeralda joked.

Claude chuckled.

"I know you can take care of yourself perfectly well in my absence." He acknowledged. "I just thought perhaps you'd miss me. I will certainly miss you."

"You know I'll miss you." Esmeralda admitted.

Their hands were barely touching under the light of the fire. They realized it wasn't enough, so they joined their palms and laced their fingers together.

"Quasimodo..."

The bell ringer stirred with a jump, blankets practically leaping off him. He was frightened by the disturbance until he realized who caused it. Elaine's face was illuminated by a candle she held. She was on her knees right next to him, looking startled.

"...Elaine?" Quasimodo noticed.

"Sorry!" Elaine apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you!"

"Oh, no worries!" Quasimodo assured. "What's going on? Did a nightmare wake you up?"

Elaine nodded. There was no other reason for her to be here before dawn.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Quasimodo asked. "Or... We could talk about something else?"

"Something mundane would be nice." Elaine suggested. "I'd just like to take my mind off those dreams..."

"Okay. No problem."

Elaine came to sit next to Quasimodo under a blanket. He kept her distracted by talking about chores he needed to do today. It made her smile. Elaine suspected that not many people had this kind of support available to them. Quasimodo was surely a rare type of friend. A very good one...

At one point he casually mentioned that Esmeralda would be visiting this afternoon. That was a very good thing. Quasimodo had gone to see her a few times recently, but knowing she was coming here was more satisfying because it meant that she was feeling much better than she'd been.

Elaine noticed that Quasimodo seemed to be in a rather positive mood when talking about Esmeralda, as if she was no longer a difficult subject for him.

"You sound less troubled when you talk about Esmeralda now." Elaine observed.

"I am." Quasimodo agreed. "I think I'm getting over her."

"Really?"

"Yeah. The more I think about it, I'm not even sure if we'd be good together. I was just so emotional when I met Esmeralda because she was the first person to be kind to me. I fell in love with her because she did what I thought no one would ever do. But now that I know other people can be kind and even be my friends... Well, I still think Esmeralda is great, but that doesn't mean we're right for each other. I'm starting to think we're better as friends."

Elaine was impressed. Quasimodo had clearly put a lot of thought into this. She only hoped none of it was upsetting him.

"How does it feel?" She asked.

Quasimodo shrugged.

"It's something of a relief. But I feel stupid for not thinking about this from the beginning."

"That's not your fault, though. Who could expect you to be prepared when you were alone for so long?"

"That aside, I really shouldn't have let myself catch feelings. I always figured I wasn't her type. I mean... It's hard to picture myself being anyone's type. I don't know if any woman would want a husband as ugly as I am."

Elaine couldn't stand to hear this. It was upsetting enough to hear about how many people had mistreated Quasimodo for his appearance. Knowing that he felt this discouraged was even worse. She couldn't handle it, nor could she stop herself from blurting out what she was thinking.

"I don't think you're ugly!" Elaine said passionately.

Quasimodo froze, eyeballing her.

"You... You don't?" He asked in disbelief.

Elaine's heart was pounding. But somehow, she continued.

"I don't... You have very beautiful eyes..."

Quasimodo's shining eyes captivated her as she spoke, even though those eyes were currently full of shock.

"I do?..." Quasimodo asked.

Elaine barely managed a nod.

"Yes. And... You smile very nicely..."

Quasimodo was at a loss for words. He could do nothing but look at Elaine gapingly. To escape the silence, she continued.

"But what really matters is you're so sweet. And such a joy to be around. I... I would be very happy... If you were my husband..."

If it was possible for Quasimodo to gawk any more than he already was, he did.

Elaine's face burned with a blush. She and Quasimodo stared at each other in an awkward silence.

"Um... I think I heard my uncle calling." Elaine said in desperation.

Embarrassed, she stood up quickly.

"I'll see you later..." She managed.

Before Quasimodo could even think of a response, Elaine rushed away from him and toward the stairs.

It was a full minute before he realized his mouth was still open. None of the shocking events of recent times could have prepared Quasimodo for this one.