Chapter 67: The Gift

The guards were gathered in the main hall. Claude was in a poor mood for this meeting, but he put on a stoic expression when he addressed the men.

"First of all, I want to thank you all for your actions last night. Things would have ended disastrously had you not been there."

The guards listened quietly, some nodding in appreciation, waiting for the questions to come.

"I must know how that incident happened." Claude went on. "The lieutenant said you were all sent away. Can anyone explain that to me?"

All eyes turned to one guard in the middle of the group. He responded to the question.

"Sir, the guard who betrayed you tried to get rid of us. He claimed that he saw one of the dungeon guards steal some silver from you, and that we had to find that man before you noticed the theft and blamed one of us for it. He said he would distract you while we searched, so we went to the dungeon and started to investigate. But while we were there, I started to feel suspicious. Given your recent... ways of handling things, I didn't think it seemed likely that you would jump at the chance to blame someone for a crime. So I asked everyone to come back and check on you, in case some foul play was going on. You're of course aware of what we came to find."

"I see." Claude acknowledged. "Have you gathered any information regarding that guard's motivation? From what I gathered, he merely agreed to assist the intruders. I assume the lieutenant was the one who planned the attack."

A few of the guards looked at each other nervously.

"You're not going to be pleased with us, Sir." One of them said with shame. "He had been... Complaining about you... For a while."

"Complaining?" Claude questioned. "For how long?"

"...Since you got married."

The implication was obvious. Claude believed he immediately understood what this was about. Still, he asked for more information.

"He didn't approve of your... Choice in women." The guard continued. "He thought you were crazy for keeping someone like her around here, although he eventually let it go because it seemed that you were just..."

Claude sighed. This hesitance was beginning to annoy him.

"Just wanting to use her?" He questioned. "Yes, in fact I was. I am deeply ashamed of that fact, but please continue."

Claude hoped he clearly delivered the message to not worry about offending him.

"...Yes, Sir." The guard responded. "He let it go because he didn't think there was anything 'real' between you and her. But we all started noticing that you actually cared for her. And then not long ago he started yelling that he saw the two of you having an intimate conversation and... Passionately kissing..."

Immediately, Claude thought of the moment when this must have happened. It was likely the night of Phoebus and Annette's wedding, when Esmeralda had confessed her desire for him in this very room. Claude remembered sending the guards away before that conversation, but it would have been easy for one to quietly stumble upon the scene and spy on them.

"He was disgusted." The guard went on. "He started saying that you'd lost the last of your honor and you weren't fit for your position. I guess that's why he was so willing to hand you over to the intruders..."

The fact that someone with such an attitude had guarded these walls without Claude's knowledge was terrifying. Just as frightening was the fact that none of the other guards had bothered to let him know. A stern expression crossed Claude's face as he realized that implication.

"We're sorry!" One of the guards said desperately. "We should have told you..."

"Why didn't you?!" Claude snapped.

"We never thought he would do anything that insane!" Another guard defended. "We thought it would just upset you and nothing good would happen..."

"Esmeralda was STABBED!" Claude shouted. "That could have been prevented if just one of you had shared this information!"

The guards all looked down in shame.

"We made a terrible mistake." One commented. "We're very sorry, Sir."

Claude clenched his fists. He was tempted to start throwing hands at these fools, but he felt that Esmeralda wouldn't want him to. So instead, he took a deep breath and sighed through gritted teeth.

"I will do my best to forgive this mistake." Claude promised begrudgingly. "But don't blame me if that takes a while. I'm going to be an angry man as long as I see her in pain."

None of the guards would blame him. They couldn't.

Claude sat in the chair in front of the bed, running his fingertips softly over Esmeralda's hand. For a while, neither of them spoke. The slightest touch was sufficient company at this moment. After the disaster, they were overjoyed just to have each other.

But eventually, Esmeralda felt the need to bring up something that had been bothering her.

"What happened to them?" She questioned. "The traitors..."

Claude was painfully brought back to the moment when the attack had ended. The moment after Esmeralda had intervened. He tried not to think of the blood. Or the lieutenant's face. The face he'd personally battered.

"They were taken to the dungeon." Claude replied vaguely.

Esmeralda noticed his abruptness. She then noticed bruises on his knuckles and brushed her fingers over them, staring for a moment before turning her eyes back to Claude's.

"The lieutenant..." Esmeralda murmured.

Claude sighed.

"I didn't kill him." He informed. "I only... Beat him up."

He looked at Esmeralda sadly.

"I didn't know if you would live." He shared. "I thought he might have killed you... Nothing has ever made me so angry. It took everything inside me not to kill him."

"Why didn't you?" Esmeralda inquired.

"You're the one he stabbed. I thought you should decide his fate."

Although she admittedly wasn't sure what should be done with the lieutenant, Esmeralda was grateful for this respect. She could only imagine the rage she would have felt in Claude's position, if he'd been stabbed and she'd had access to the assailant. She found it amazing that Claude had restrained himself for her sake. He loved her.

"I appreciate that." Esmeralda shared. "I may need to think about it, though."

Claude nodded in understanding.

"But I have to say," Esmeralda started. "I'm a little mad that you knocked him around without me."

Esmeralda looked at Claude with a smirk, making him chuckle for what seemed like the first time in ages.

"Apologies, my dear." Claude smiled. "I'll remember to include you when I throw hands in the future."

Esmeralda chuckled quietly, but soon resumed a serious tone.

"I do wonder... What would you have done if I didn't make it?"

Claude hesitated.

"Nothing could have stopped me." He eventually replied. "He'd be a dead man if he took you from me. I wouldn't be able to control myself..."

He meant it. The rage had been hard enough to contain when Esmeralda's survival was uncertain. Claude knew for a fact that he would not have been able to resist finishing off her killer.

Claude worried about how Esmeralda would see this. He didn't want to seem like a madman again. But she looked at him with understanding eyes.

"That's how I'd react." Esmeralda admitted. "If someone killed you..."

The love was quite mutual.

Their eyes met in a stare. They said nothing for a moment, until Esmeralda came up with another question.

"Why did they try to kill you?" She asked. "And how did they even get in?"

Claude explained how the one guard had betrayed him, but struggled to give the reason for the attack. At first he only shared that the soldiers were annoyed by his change of heart, but Esmeralda was not convinced that there wasn't another reason.

"I locked up some friends of theirs." Claude finally admitted.

"For what?" Esmeralda asked.

Claude exhaled deeply.

"For attacking you a year ago." He replied.

Esmeralda froze in shock.

It had finally happened. The monsters of her nightmares had been found. Claude had tracked them down...

"What will be done with them?" Esmeralda asked after gathering herself.

"Whatever you want." Claude replied. "Just as with the lieutenant, I think it is your right to decide that."

Esmeralda stared at the ceiling blankly.

"Take your time." Claude encouraged. "This isn't urgent."

Esmeralda nodded.

Claude nearly regretted passing the news on to her. This was what she wanted, but it clearly troubled her to think about her attackers.

She seemed to need cheering up. Luckily, Claude had a method for that.

"I have a gift for you." He shared.

Esmeralda looked at him curiously. Claude took the item from his pocket and handed it to her.

"I wish I'd given this to you sooner." He confessed.

Esmeralda eyed the leather-bound object with fascination. She slowly peeled the leather away and widely grinned as the inside was revealed.

It was a gorgeously crafted dagger with a hilt encrusted with swirls of emeralds. When pulled from the sheath, a sharp, shiny blade could be seen. Esmeralda eyed the knife with joy.

"I love this!" She said as loudly as her weakened state allowed.

Claude smiled.

"I had it made specially for you." He explained.

"Why?" Esmeralda asked.

"It occurred to me a few days ago that you could use something to raise your spirits." Claude explained. "And a knife seemed reasonable since the one you had was confiscated."

Esmeralda had, in fact, lost the knife she'd previously carried around when some soldier had taken it after her arrest. But this one was much better. Esmeralda felt incredibly lucky to own such a beautiful weapon.

"Thank you, Claude." She said gratefully. "This is amazing."

Claude was smiling more passionately than he had in days.

He realized he had a question of his own. He wanted to know why Esmeralda had happened to show up when he was under attack. But now wasn't the time to ask about that. Right now Esmeralda was happy, and Claude would do nothing to interrupt that. He would just enjoy the sight of her smiling despite her pain.