Chapter 30: The Crowd

Quasimodo was eight years old, and more adventurous than ever. The little boy was beginning to yearn for the outside world, much to Frollo's disapproval.

"Can I just go outside for one day?" Quasimodo begged.

"Absolutely not!" Frollo snapped.

"But, Master..."

"What have I told you? It is dangerous!"

"But... You could protect me..."

"I cannot protect you from everyone! Now stop asking!"

Quasimodo looked down unhappily.

"Yes, Master..."

It was not the end of the conversation. When Frollo came to the cathedral the next day, he was angered by gossip that was going around. People spoke of seeing a small, unsightly creature in the shape of a child. Upon hearing the rumors, Frollo rushed to the belltower vindictively. Inside, he found Quasimodo and stood over him menacingly.

"You were out of the tower!" Frollo accused.

"No... No I wasn't!" Quasimodo defended anxiously.

"I know you were!" Frollo thundered. "You were SEEN! By several people! And now you LIE to me about it?!"

Quasimodo trembled. His eyes lit up with fear at the sight of the judge's anger.

"I... I didn't go outside!" The child swore. "I only walked around the church a little!"

"You are not allowed ANYWHERE out of this tower!" Frollo yelled. "Do I need to make you understand that?!"

"Master... Please-"

Frollo interrupted with a forceful slap, striking the boy sharply over the face. It was a strong and aggressive blow, and it hurt as much as it should have. Quasimodo immediately screamed in pain and began to cry.

The judge froze at the realization of what he'd just done. He'd never hit Quasimodo before.

He looked at his hand in shock. A mild sting rushed over his palm, which he knew was far less than the pain felt on the receiving end of the strike. This felt wrong.

No. It wasn't wrong. Quasimodo deserved it. This was what you had to do when children were disobedient. They needed to be taught.

Justified by that thought, Frollo turned around to walk away. But he barely made it a few paces before freezing again. The sound of the boy crying disturbed him. Frollo could suddenly feel the pain he'd inflicted. He lost sight of where he was at that moment, instead seeing himself crying in agony after being hit by his parents. He vividly remembered the pain and fear he'd felt, which he'd now passed on to the child in his own care...

He couldn't handle that, even if it was just.

Frollo turned back to the boy.

"Quasimodo..." He whispered.

The child looked at him fearfully, expecting another blow. Instead, Frollo slowly approached him and took him in a hug.

"I'm sorry." Frollo apologized. "I won't hit you again."

The little boy was surprised by Frollo's remorse, but he accepted it gratefully. It was an instant relief to know that he wouldn't be hurt again.

"But you mustn't ever disobey me." The judge warned. "Or I will have to find other ways to punish you."

"...Yes, Master." Quasimodo managed.

The afternoon was becoming boring. Esmeralda and Quasimodo stood on the balcony, looking out at the city.

"Are you bored?" Quasimodo asked, worried that Esmeralda wasn't satisfied with his company.

"Of course not." Esmeralda replied with a smile.

The day had been slow since that morning's conversation, but Esmeralda didn't mind. She was keeping her friend company, and that was a worthy cause.

But now that they both were getting quiet, perhaps it was an appropriate time to bring up something that made her curious.

"There's something I've been wanting to ask you." Esmeralda shared.

"What is it?" Quasimodo asked.

"You don't have to answer this." Esmeralda assured. "It's about... Your upbringing."

"Oh." Quasimodo said awkwardly. "Well, I don't think I have anything to hide. I've already told you the worst of it. What do you want to know?"

Esmeralda hesitated.

"I was just wondering..." She started. "...Has Frollo ever hit you?"

Quasimodo looked at her with a strange expression.

"Why do you ask?" He questioned.

Esmeralda was curious about the nature of Claude Frollo. She wondered if his recent change had come from something greater inside him. He'd seemed to be completely evil for a long time, but Esmeralda had found reasons to question that since being married to him. Even before his new remorse, Claude had seemed to have some good in him. Esmeralda wondered if, despite his overall horrible treatment of Quasimodo, Frollo had possessed the empathy not to beat the boy.

But explaining that to Quasimodo would open the door to a complicated conversation.

"I'm trying to figure things out." Esmeralda replied vaguely. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's fine." Quasimodo insisted. "He never hit me. If I made him mad then he would look at me with disappointment. Maybe yell if he was really furious. But he didn't hit me. Well, except for one time."

"One time?" Esmeralda questioned.

"I was really young." Quasimodo explained. "Maybe eight. I wanted to get out a little, so I went downstairs and sneaked around the church. Frollo was livid... He slapped me really hard."

Esmeralda was angered by the image. She would have liked to be there when it happened, to slap the man who had cruelly slapped a child for showing some natural curiosity about the world outside of his lonely dwelling.

"But... then he apologized." Quasimodo continued. "He hugged me and said he was sorry. Then he promised he would never hit me again. And he never did."

Esmeralda's anger was replaced with wonder. It was unsurprising that Claude Frollo had once been willing to harm a child. But even at his worst, he had regretted it. And the reasons were obvious. Esmeralda knew what memories must have troubled Frollo when he'd struck the young Quasimodo, bringing him to do the decent thing for once.

"It was the only time he ever apologized to me." Quasimodo commented. "Or hugged me. Until the night before last..."

Esmeralda could make sense of it. Claude Frollo was a man who was burdened by trauma. Perhaps that trauma had twisted his mind, and perhaps coming to understand it was the key to his change of heart. Recognizing his trauma had once made him apologize. Now he had done more than recognize it. He had learned the truth of it and begun to see it for what it really was. That led to more than an apology. It led to a complete change of heart.

"I don't know why I'm going on about this." Quasimodo sighed. "How about we find something to do?"

"Of course." Esmeralda agreed.

The street below looked appealing.

"We could go for a walk." Esmeralda suggested.

"Should we?" Quasimodo asked nervously.

"You're not being made to stay here anymore." Esmeralda reminded.

"Yes. But... Well, you remember what happened last time I went out there."

Esmeralda thought about the incident with disgust. She understood why Quasimodo was afraid to go out, but he didn't deserve to be stuck here.

"I won't let anyone hurt you." Esmeralda promised.

Quasimodo smiled. He was hesitant to risk going outside, but he trusted his friend. He knew she would gladly stand between him and anyone who wanted to hurt him.

After speaking to the captain, Claude's next appointment was with the archdeacon. This plan was purely for his mental wellbeing. Jean had offered to talk to Claude that afternoon so that he wouldn't get too lonely, and it was an offer that Claude was glad to accept.

He arrived at the church with the expectation of having a calm afternoon, but that expectation would not be fulfilled.

Quasimodo and Esmeralda left the cathedral through the front doors. Almost immediately, they were met with stares.

"It's the hunchback!" Someone yelled. "And that gypsy girl!"

"Bell ringer!" Another voice joined. "What are you doing out here again? Haven't you learned a lesson?!"

"Get your hideous face back in the tower!"

"You've caused enough problems!"

Quasimodo was mortified. He recognized some of the faces of people who had tortured him at the festival. Of course, he'd been afraid of seeing them. But running into this many of his attackers already was more than he was prepared for.

Esmeralda was filled with indignation.

"He won't be going anywhere!" She shouted. "Quasimodo has as much right to be out here as any of you do!"

"Shut up, gypsy!" One of the men yelled. "Do we have to do something about this?!"

A crowd was gathering. The people whispered and stared. Then, to make matters worse, three angry men started to approach Quasimodo and Esmeralda. Esmeralda pushed her friend behind her protectively, preparing for a fight. But just as one of the men started to grab her, he was interrupted.

Claude had rushed to the cathedral steps. He grabbed hold of the man who was trying to attack his wife and threw him to the ground.

"STOP THIS!" Claude yelled, getting between Esmeralda and the men who were approaching her and Quasimodo.

Everyone froze. No one could speak or move a muscle. Not Esmeralda, nor Quasimodo, nor the attackers, nor any of the bystanders in the crowd. They were all paralyzed by the sight before them: A furiously angry Minister of Justice who was set on protecting the two people behind him. The injured eye he sported was an awkward detail, but Claude disregarded it, looking at the crowd with the most boldness he had ever felt.

"LISTEN!" He ordered. "ALL OF YOU!"

The people watched frightfully. They noticed the judge's black eye, but that was the least of what bothered them right now. Claude's black eye only said that he was human, but his black robes said that he was someone to respect. Part of him was still afraid to be seen with an injury, but he ignored it.

"Quasimodo is under my protection!" The judge announced. "And so is his companion, Esmeralda!"

Quasimodo watched, gaping. Frollo had always claimed to protect him, but had allowed him to be tortured the one time he'd appeared in public. Now the man really did mean to protect him, and he wasn't ashamed to say it. It was incredible.

"And if anyone lays hands on them," Claude continued. "Or says a cruel word to them, or even looks at them unkindly, that individual will be punished SEVERELY!"

He looked with rage at the men who had tried to attack. The one whom Claude had thrown was getting up painfully.

"You three!" Claude said brutally. "If you value your lives, I suggest you get as far away from here as you can! Now!"

Scared, the attackers scrambled away, leaving Claude with a staring crowd.

He turned away from the crowd and toward the church doors, where he saw Esmeralda and Quasimodo staring just as strongly. He wanted to talk to them, but the pain in his eye told him not to. Quasimodo didn't want to see him at all. It was better not to try to speak to him right now.

Claude glanced at Esmeralda and Quasimodo, just to show them a compassionate expression. It was all he could offer at the moment. He then went into the church, hearing no sound outside even after he closed the doors behind him.