Chapter 55: The Situation
Esmeralda arrived at the outer part of the city, where she saw Phoebus chopping wood outside of his house. It was impressive that he managed to do it with only one hand, but he used his handless arm to support the axe while he swung it.
"Do you need any help?" Esmeralda offered.
Phoebus looked up from his work and saw her. His eyes widened.
"Esmeralda!" He exclaimed. "Um... I guess I could use some help carrying this wood inside."
Esmeralda helped Phoebus gather the pieces of wood he'd cut and transport them into the house, where they were quickly greeted by Annette.
"Esmeralda! How nice to see you again!"
"Hi." Esmeralda greeted with a forced smile.
"What brings you here?" Annette inquired.
"I was just hoping for some company." Esmeralda explained. "If you're both okay with that."
"Of course, anytime!" Annette replied.
"It's fine by me." Phoebus said with a slightly confused tone.
Annette offered to get Esmeralda some food, which she gladly accepted. As soon as his wife walked away, Phoebus jumped at the chance to ask a question.
"Did something happen?" He asked.
It was a shame that a bad situation was what it would take to get Esmeralda to visit Phoebus, and it was even more of a shame that he knew that.
Esmeralda frowned.
"It's not good." She admitted. "But I'd rather not talk about it."
Phoebus looked at her pitifully.
"I know I haven't been the greatest friend recently." He said regretfully. "But I want to be better. So if you want to talk, I promise I won't judge you for whatever happened. I won't even tell you my opinion if you don't want it."
Esmeralda looked at him hopefully.
"You promise?" She asked.
"I promise." Phoebus confirmed.
Esmeralda took a breath to prepare herself. She did need to talk about this with someone, but it wasn't going to be pleasant.
Elaine stepped off the last stairs in sorrow. She didn't know how to handle the rest of the day. She had chores around the cathedral, but so much would be on her mind while she did them. Quasimodo's misery... Frollo's evil deeds... The role of Esmeralda in all of it... This was too much.
Jean was strolling past the stairs when his niece emerged. He worried when he saw the crestfallen look on her face.
"Elaine, are you alright?" He inquired.
The girl became alert at the sight of the archdeacon.
"Oh, uncle..." She murmured. "I... Had a very eventful day..."
"Has something bad happened?" Jean asked with concern.
Elaine didn't know what to say. It occurred to her that her uncle had not told her the extent of Frollo's previous wrongdoings.
"Isn't Judge Frollo your friend?" Elaine asked.
"Something like that, as of recent." Jean replied. "Why?"
Elaine hesitated.
"Quasimodo told me all about him." She revealed. "You never told me he did such awful things..."
Jean looked at Elaine sympathetically.
"I'll tell you why." He promised. "When Frollo saved you, I was amazed. I never thought he would have done something selfless like that. It gave me hope that perhaps he was making a change for the better, so I thought it best to make sure of that. I didn't want to give you the wrong idea if it did happen that he was changing. And in the end, he certainly did change."
"That makes sense." Elaine accepted. "But what doesn't make sense is... Uncle, how could he have been like that? I know he's a good man! Why was he so evil before? And why is he so different now?"
Jean hesitated to reply. He didn't see it fit to tell Claude's secrets.
"Why don't you ask him?" He suggested. "I could answer your question, but I think it is best reserved for the man himself."
"Okay... I'll ask him."
"How did this even come up?"
Elaine struggled.
"Did you... Did you know that..."
"Know what?"
Elaine exhaled.
"Did you know that Frollo and Esmeralda are in love?"
Jean looked at Elaine with blatant surprise.
"...No." He replied. "I was not aware of that..."
Claude waited impatiently in the front hall of the Palace of Justice, pacing like a madman.
He'd been anxiously hoping for Esmeralda to show up at the front door. He needed to hear from her. He needed to know if she had settled things with Quasimodo, or if the bell ringer was still in distress over what he'd seen earlier. He needed to know if Esmeralda was alright or still tormented by today's events. This was a mess, and Claude couldn't rest until he knew if it was resolved.
Hours passed before a guard let Esmeralda inside. Claude strode up to her with urgency.
"Are you alright?" He asked. "What happened?"
Esmeralda looked down sadly.
"I can't do it..." She reported.
"What do you mean?" Claude asked.
"I can't fix this..." Esmeralda explained. "I was going to talk to him, but he was with Elaine. And he told her he didn't want to see me. He said he would climb out a window if I showed up!"
Her eyes became damp with tears.
"He hates me..." She mourned.
Claude felt horrible. He hated the sight of Esmeralda in this misery. He hated what she and Quasimodo were going through because of him. This was his fault, Claude was sure of it.
"I'm so sorry, Esmeralda." He said sincerely. "This wouldn't have happened, if not for me."
"Claude, no..." Esmeralda pleaded.
"It isn't your fault, I know that much." Claude explained. "So it must be mine."
"No!" Esmeralda insisted. "All you've done is become a better person. Better enough for me to love you..."
She looked at Claude sadly, wishing that she hadn't had to make the decision she'd made that morning.
Claude was filled with regrets. Being loved by Esmeralda and not being able to keep her was worse than the thought of her being uninterested. She loved him and couldn't be with him, and Claude knew that was a result of his past.
"Please don't hate yourself." Esmeralda begged, reading his mind. "Everything between us... This is all because of how hard you've worked to make things right. You've been so great... And I really loved our time together..."
There was a bittersweet look in Claude's eyes. He was extremely grateful for his romantic times with Esmeralda, and always would be. But seeing it end was still sorrowful.
"It has been the best time of my life." Claude informed. "The time we've spent together."
It took a moment to work up the courage to ask what was on his mind.
"Will I see any more of you?" Claude inquired.
"We're friends, aren't we?" Esmeralda checked.
"Always." Claude replied.
"Then of course we'll see each other."
Claude was glad to hear that. He'd known that Esmeralda wouldn't cease to like him just because of her decision, but it had still been difficult not to worry about what would happen.
"But... I think I need some time to myself." Esmeralda informed. "I'll be back, but I'm going away for a while. I just need a little space right now..."
"Where are you going?" Claude asked.
"Don't worry. I'm staying with Phoebus and Annette. I'll be okay."
"Alright. You'll be welcome back whenever you want."
"Thanks..."
They looked at each other quietly. Both of them looked and felt broken. It was miserable.
They shared a tight hug before Esmeralda left. It took minutes for them to let go of each other, and when they did they were even more broken.
Claude felt a need to problem-solve. He couldn't change the complications between himself and Esmeralda, but maybe there was something else he could do. There had to be something.
He understood why Esmeralda hadn't been able to talk to Quasimodo. It was clear that the bell ringer would avoid her. But if he were to instead see the man who raised him, Claude suspected that Quasimodo would be more likely to confront than to flee.
He would have to be careful about this.
