Chapter 82: The Accusation

Phoebus didn't talk to Claude for the rest of the evening. He learned that it was of no use to try to get Claude to share anything substantial about himself, and pushing him to would only succeed in upsetting him. Even though Phoebus had tried to approach the matter more politely this time, it was evident that he was still far from qualifying to learn much. He suspected that the judge reserved that privilege for those closest to him. Esmeralda had managed to accomplish such a relationship with him, but Phoebus was nowhere near it.

But despite his frustration with not getting the answers he wanted, Phoebus had to respect the fact that he had not earned them. The information was obviously personal, and he understood that he wasn't entitled to anyone's personal information.

He didn't say much the next morning, since it felt like the wrong time to start a conversation. Phoebus and Claude only talked as needed about the day's plans over breakfast. After that they went to town and began their second attempt at a search.

"I really think we should split up." Phoebus said three hours into it.

"I told you why that wouldn't work." Claude reminded.

"We don't have to go too far apart. I can check one street, you can check one, and we can meet up where they end before moving on. That would be more efficient."

It wasn't a bad idea. They did need to speed up this search, and Claude decided it wouldn't be too problematic to separate as long as they periodically met up, so he agreed to the plan.

Phoebus was more focused when he was alone. He made it through the area swiftly, although he didn't manage to discover anything.

He wondered how this mission would end, but it wasn't good to think about. There was a troubling thought that Phoebus had recently tried not to focus on: His concern that Esmeralda didn't like him anymore. Though she'd tried to hide it, Phoebus had noticed Esmeralda's lack of warmth toward him during their last meeting. And unfortunately, it was deserved. He couldn't deny that he'd acted disrespectfully more than once, no matter how justified it had felt at the time.

Knowing Esmeralda had been a life-changing experience. Phoebus had easily come to respect her because of her kind heart and courageous spirit. Seeing Frollo take her had greatly increased his already existing hatred of the judge, and learning why he'd hunted Esmeralda had increased it even more. Phoebus had been so ready to slit the man's throat, only to be stopped by the person he'd expected to be the most interested in seeing that.

That encounter had been disappointing. Watching Esmeralda become protective of the Minister of Justice... Say she cared about him... Admit to sleeping with him...

For a moment it had seemed as if she'd become a different person, and yet that clearly wasn't the case. Her kindness and courage had been obviously intact. She hadn't lost her mind. She was still the person Phoebus respected so much. It was Claude Frollo who had changed, as hard as that was to believe. Even now Phoebus found it difficult to conceive of, though the evidence was all there. He knew Frollo was no longer a madman, and he knew Esmeralda wasn't insane. And yet, some part of him couldn't accept it. That was why he'd repeatedly let Esmeralda down when she'd asked him to respect her friendship with Frollo. He still found it hard not to see the man she loved as a monster, and her love for him as insanity.

But he shouldn't have let those feelings get the best of him. He should have found a way to act like he wasn't frowning upon this situation, no matter how he felt. He shouldn't have taken his resentment out on Esmeralda's friend, or judged her so harshly for caring about him. Phoebus was sorry for his actions, but that didn't mean he was forgiven. Esmeralda was upset with him, and rightfully so. He now feared that he would lose a good friend if he didn't make it up to her soon. Phoebus felt like a fool when he thought of how much he'd forgotten in his resentment. He'd forgotten that Esmeralda had accepted him despite her usual feelings toward soldiers, saved his life, and even come to his wedding after being rejected by him. She was an excellent friend, one that Phoebus didn't want to lose. But he worried that he wouldn't be friends with her anymore if he couldn't make up for his disrespect.

"NO! LET HIM GO!"

Phoebus felt his worries shoved aside when he heard the scream. Down the street, he saw a young girl wailing as an older boy was violently dragged away by several men. The girl thrashed in an effort to stop them, but one of them pushed her to the ground. The girl cried even more, and the men vanished down the crowded street with the boy.

Instinctively, Phoebus rushed to the scene and quickly helped the child up from the ground.

"What's going on?!" He asked urgently, eyes full of concern.

"My brother!" The girl sobbed. "He was just protecting me!"

"What do you mean?" Phoebus asked. "What happened?"

"A man just grabbed me... He tried to kidnap me, but my brother beat him up! Now they're taking him to the JUDGE! No one will believe me!"

Phoebus was horrified. The girl's dark Romani skin tone, the same as her brother's, told him exactly why this was happening. The word of the siblings would have little effect on what happened next, and the same could be said for anyone who tried to stand up for them. Unless...

There was only one person could stop this.

Walking by himself was actually refreshing. When he wasn't questioning people, Claude found himself thinking intensely of Esmeralda. He let every fond memory of her repeat itself in his mind. Those thoughts kept him going. They reminded him of the purpose of this frustrating journey. All of it would be worthwhile if Claude could finally bring Esmeralda happiness.

It occurred to him that he still wasn't sure what to say if he came into contact with Esmeralda's friends. He'd thought about it many times, but Claude struggled to think of an approach that would realistically come off as friendly. Claude doubted that it was possible for him not to be perceived as a threat after everything he'd done to oppress these people. Gaining their trust would not be easy.

They didn't know him like Esmeralda did. They hadn't been around when he'd redeemed himself in the eyes of Paris. Claude was daunted by the reality of what he was to the Romani people. To them he was still a villain, the ruthless, evil-

"FROLLO!"

Claude turned around quickly to find the source of the scream. It was Phoebus, rushing toward him with a small girl who was not older than ten.

"Come!" Phoebus begged. "It's an emergency!"

"What is it?!" Claude asked worriedly.

"You have to help my brother!" The girl cried.

Claude didn't fully grasp what was happening, but he quickly saw the seriousness of the situation.

The three of them raced to the middle of the town, where a loud mob had gathered. At the center of it all, a teenage Romani boy was tied to a post, stood over by an angry white man with a bruised face.

"KILL HIM!" People shouted. "DAMNED GYPSY!"

"Silence, please!" A commanding voice ordered.

It came from a judge, whose presence was made obvious by a dark robe.

"I will ask one more time." The judge said firmly. "Does the accused have anything to say for himself?"

The boy closed his eyes just as a few tears leaked out of them. He said nothing.

"He's guilty!" The bruised man yelled. "Now punish him!"

The judge addressed the crowd again.

"In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, the gypsy is found guilty of assault. His sentence: Thirty lashes!"

The crowd jeered.

"NO!" The girl screamed.

"She said her brother stopped that man from kidnapping her!" Phoebus explained to Claude, gesturing to the bruised man. "You have to do something!"

Phoebus was right. No one here had the authority to overrule a judge's decision, except for the Minister of Justice himself. And yet, there was a problem with that. Claude knew that revealing himself in public would compromise the whole mission. It was likely that Esmeralda's friends would go into hiding if it became known that he was here, and possibly even flee town altogether.

But the sight of that boy was devastating. He was only about fifteen years old, and while he was trying to be brave, his natural fear of the impending torture was obvious. It reminded Claude of when Quasimodo was attacked at the Festival of Fools. Claude was haunted by the memory of his complicity in that torture. A torture that he could have stopped.

Not stopping this was unthinkable.

The judge was approaching the boy, whip in hand, when Claude yelled at the top of his lungs.

"STOP THIS!"

Heads turned toward him as people looked for the individual who dared to raise his voice at the judge. The judge stopped what he was doing and eyed Claude angrily.

"I don't know who you think you are, my good man." He said menacingly. "But I promise you are not nearly important enough to question my choice of punishment!"

Claude angrily pushed through some people to get closer.

"I'm sure I can make you reconsider that!" He snapped.

He fiercely lowered his hood.

Some people watched in confusion, which was expected. This far from Paris, most people could not recognize the face of Judge Claude Frollo. But the judge at the center, like every leader in the country's judicial system, was quite familiar with him. The judge stared in shock at the realization of who was in the crowd.

"Let him through!" He finally said.

The people obeyed, clearing a path and allowing Claude to approach the judge. Some of the crowd started to whisper, questioning what was happening.

"Please stay put." The judge ordered. "The trial is on pause. It has come to my attention that the Minister of Justice is here."

All eyes darted to Claude when his identity was revealed. The whispers increased. The boy tied to the post looked up in horror, which grabbed Claude's attention. That horrified expression told him that the boy either came here from Paris or had heard stories about him from people who did. Claude was sorry for causing that fear. He had to fix this. He had to end this disgraceful trial now. There was no turning back.

Claude confronted the judge with a scowl. He recognized the man from some past meetings, Judge Laval. Claude hadn't spoken to him much before, but he was too angry to care if this was their first real conversation.

"Minister Frollo," Laval acknowledged. "I had no idea you were here."

"Never mind that." Claude dismissed. "I want you to let this boy go."

"But Sir, he's committed a crime."

"And you believe that based on one man's word?!"

"Well, I have no evidence to the contrary..."

"I heard what happened. That girl over there is his sister. She said she was nearly kidnapped, and he fought the man who tried to take her! He did nothing wrong!"

"Well, of course she would try to save him. Do you find that story believable?"

"I find it far more believable than the idea of him attacking a white man for no reason and risking this kind of judgment! Why would he put himself in this position?!"

"Maybe the boy aspires to be a martyr for the gypsies..."

"Look at him! Does he LOOK like a martyr?!"

The boy could not have looked less like he wanted this sentence, or like being admired for it was even partially on his mind. He was silent, fearful, and crying. He looked like he wanted to beg for mercy, only stopped by the knowledge that it would make his punishment worse.

Judge Laval stared at the boy, seemingly coming to understand what Claude was saying. Claude glared at him fiercely, taking a few steps toward him to magnify the appearance of his furious eyes.

"Release him..." Claude growled. "Or I will have you removed from your position tomorrow!"

His threat struck fear into the judge, who slightly backed away from him.

"I..." Laval stuttered. "I... will do whatever you say, Sir. But there is a problem."

He gestured to the crowd.

"The people will not accept this." He explained. "Without any witnesses, they won't believe the boy is innocent. If I let him go unpunished, they will take matters into their own hands..."

Claude couldn't believe he hadn't thought of that. The mob would not be satisfied if the boy was released without his innocence proven. And even then, it would be difficult to ensure his safety. People like him were mistreated at the best of times, and being accused of a crime made the hostility of the community inescapable.

"I will handle this." Claude promised.

He turned toward the crowd and started to address them.

"Dear people," Claude began. "You have all come to watch this boy be tried for assault, so I assume that quite a few of you were present when the incident occurred. And yet, not one witness has come forward. Why is that?"

The people went silent, looking around at each other questioningly.

"I believe I know why." Claude announced. "Perhaps you've seen something contrary to what he has been accused of, and perhaps you're afraid to say so. You might be afraid to be seen standing up for someone whom our society has not accepted. Or maybe you are afraid to contradict what your judge believes. But as the head of our judicial system, I am well aware that no judge is perfect. I am certainly not perfect, as you probably know."

Claude was sure that the news of what he'd done to Paris had travelled through the country by now. Although he hated to remind people of it, he couldn't think of a better way to illustrate the problem with trusting too much in authority.

"None of us are incapable of error." Claude continued. "So I beg you to correct any error you know of. I promise there will be no consequences for anyone who speaks the truth. But if you know the truth and choose not to speak it, whatever happens to this young man shall be on your conscience."

Everyone was completely quiet for what seemed like an hour. Claude waited anxiously, hoping someone would speak up.

"I saw it!" Someone finally said.

It was a boy about the age of the one who was tied up.

"That man he attacked was trying to run off with a girl!"

"I saw that too!" Someone else added. "She cried for him! I think she was his sister!"

"She is!" A third person called out. "I know them! They come to the market every day!"

A few more people chimed in and the conversation soon became loud. Claude glared at the accuser, whose bruised face was forming a look of panic.

"What have you to say about this?" Claude asked sternly.

The man looked around in terror. Then, suddenly, he started to sprint away.

However, he didn't get far before being tackled by Phoebus. Others then started to join in to help restrain him.

Claude didn't even need to say anything for Judge Laval to start untying the boy from the post.

"I'm sorry!" The judge said after freeing him. "I didn't think-"

"You would have tortured an innocent person!" Claude snapped.

"I had no way of knowing! He didn't even say anything!"

"Because he knew he wouldn't be taken seriously!"

"Minister Frollo... I promise this won't happen again!"

"No, it won't, because I will not allow it! Our whole court system is going to be different when I am through with it! You and every incompetent judge will learn a lesson! That I PROMISE!"

Laval looked at Claude in shock. Even more shocked was the boy, who still had yet to speak a word.

But Claude didn't wait for that shock to end. On the corner of the street, he saw Phoebus standing with the girl, gesturing for him to come to them. Claude ushered the boy away to the corner, where he and Phoebus proceeded to walk the siblings a safe distance away from the crowd. They stopped a few streets away, where the girl ran into her brother's arms and hugged him tightly. The boy let out a massive sigh of relief.

"I'm very sorry that happened." Claude apologized. "Are you alright?"

The boy looked at him timidly.

"...Yes." He whispered.

Worried about what would happen now that his presence was known, Claude thought it wise to say whatever he could to help that.

"I have something important to ask." He said calmly. "Do you know a woman named Esmeralda?"

The boy shook his head nervously.

"What about Clopin?" Claude asked. "Do you know who he is?"

"...No, Sir." The boy replied.

"I know you may be afraid to tell me anything. You've probably heard a lot about me, and I'm sorry to say it's all true. But I've changed my ways. I'm not here to hurt anyone, I'm only seeking to reunite Esmeralda with her friends, Clopin especially."

"I... I'm sorry. I don't know him. Anyway, I have to get my sister home."

The boy took his sister's hand and started to walk away with her.

"If you do know Clopin," Claude said pleadingly. "tell him everything I've said. And tell him that if he wants to speak to me, I will be right in this spot when the sun rises. I'll have a friend with me as well. Tell him Phoebus is here."

The girl looked back at Claude before starting to plead with her brother to speak to him, but the boy practically dragged her away, trying to get out of Claude's sight as fast as possible.

Claude hoped he hadn't ruined his chances of completing this mission.

"I'm impressed by what you did earlier." Phoebus shared.

Claude wasn't sure what to say to that. He didn't think there was anything impressive about what he'd done, nor was he sure if Phoebus was being backhanded.

"Did you mean what you said about changing the court system?" Phoebus asked.

Claude's fists clenched as he thought of the number of uncaring judges who were surely running the courts all over France. It was partly his fault of course, since he'd only ever judged their competence by their ability to keep crime under control, never asking anything else of them. Still, he had little sympathy for them. It wasn't as if he'd forced them to disregard fairness. That level of injustice was a choice.

"I fully intend to." Claude replied. "When we're done with this, I'll be calling a meeting and whipping them all into shape."

Phoebus nodded, but not with any enthusiasm. His demeanor was cold.

"Do you know what I think, Phoebus?" Claude asked. "I think you're struggling to decide whether you respect me or not."

That was true. Phoebus had marveled at the bold actions Claude had taken to save the boy earlier, especially when it came to his utter honesty. He had to remind himself that this was who Claude Frollo was now, the same man whom he'd been told had personally worked construction to repair the property he'd burned. He seemed like someone who should be respected, but at the same time, Phoebus had not forgotten his image of the past Frollo. He still couldn't make sense of the change, nor could he bring himself to feel too much one way or the other.

But Phoebus didn't comment on Claude's remark. He gazed down the street in silence.

The daylight was nearly gone. People were disappearing, going indoors for the night. Eventually, the streets became lifeless and the moon took the place of the sun.

"No one is coming." Phoebus decided. "We should go."

Claude sighed.

"We failed..." He said in defeat.

"We'll figure something out." Phoebus assured. "Just not at this time of night. Let's go."

With no other option, Claude gave in.

They started on their way out. But after walking for less than a minute, something caught Claude's eye.

It was a goat. A little goat with a gold earring, running around the street corner.

Claude immediately ran after it.

"Wait!" Phoebus called. "Where are you going?!"

Claude didn't reply. He raced around the corner, trying to catch up with the goat. But as he turned onto the next street, the creature was gone. Claude looked around frantically and noticed an alley. He rushed into it and stopped when he saw the goat again. He started to move toward it slowly, but he was suddenly stopped.

Instantly, Claude was pounced on by multiple figures and forced to the ground. He grunted in pain, only to receive more when hands begun to beat him. His attackers yelled at him, though he couldn't make out what they were saying because they shouted at the same time.

"That's enough!" Someone yelled from farther down the alley. "I will take it from here!"

The attack stopped, but Claude felt the assailants grab his arms and pull him up so he was on his knees. From the other end of the alley, a few more figures approached in the dark.

Claude screamed on impulse.

"PHOEBUS- AAGH!"

A forceful slap hit his face. The same person spoke as Claude winced in pain.

"So you've come for us after all, Frollo. Excellent..."

Claude opened his eyes to see a figure he'd never known was capable of being this terrifying. Right in front of him, grinning sadistically and running fingers over the blade of a knife, was none other than Clopin. And behind him, a few large men stood ready to fight.

"While I would love to make small talk," Clopin said with rhythm. "I'm afraid we have pressing matters to attend to."

His sadistic grin quickly turned to a livid, desperate scowl.

Claude gasped as Clopin shoved a knife against his neck.

"Tell me now..." Clopin ordered furiously. "What have you done with Esmeralda?!"

Claude struggled to breathe. The grips on his arms tightened and the blade pressed into his throat. He was trapped.

I'll try to have the next chapter up pretty soon, so be ready for it! Thanks for reading!