Chapter 90: The Blessing

"Esmeralda... What in the WORLD is going on here?!" Clopin asked explosively.

Esmeralda had been preparing herself for this moment, but she now concluded that she was not ready for it. No amount of planning for this encounter could have prepared her for the look on Clopin's face now.

She was troubled by the realization of how hard this would really be, but she looked at Clopin pleadingly.

"I know this doesn't make sense right now." Esmeralda said understandingly. "And it probably won't for a while. But he's okay. We're okay. He's gone above and beyond to make things right."

"Make things right?!" Clopin repeated. "Why would someone like HIM do THAT?!"

"I'm serious!" Esmeralda insisted. "Ask anyone. Remember all that damage from the fires? He fixed it! He went out there and worked manual labor to repair that damage! There's more, I'll tell you all about it, but you need to believe me!"

Clopin looked as shocked as if Esmeralda had just slapped him.

"That ridiculous story he told..." He said in confusion. "...Was TRUE?!"

"Yes." Esmeralda confirmed.

"And you two... are friends?!"

Esmeralda blushed.

"Well... Yes." She replied. "But... that's not quite all of it."

She took Claude's hand and held it tightly. He was visibly apprehensive about touching her in front of Clopin, but she reassured him that it was safe by mouthing "It's okay".

Clopin looked like his jaw might just fall to the floor.

"YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!" He yelled, seemingly losing an extra ounce of sanity with each new piece of information.

"I'm completely serious." Esmeralda maintained.

Clopin started to frantically move his mouth, making sounds but no actual words.

"I... need to talk to you somewhere else!" He finally demanded.

"We can do that if you want." Esmeralda allowed. "But I'll say the same things whether he's here or not."

Clopin still insisted on pulling her a distance away, but Esmeralda would only go far enough that they wouldn't be heard, not so far that she couldn't see Claude and know that the men Clopin brought weren't attacking him again. Djali tagged along by Esmeralda's side, watching with inquisitive eyes.

"This is all real?!" Clopin asked.

"It is." Esmeralda confirmed. "Everything is fine. I'm not in any danger, and neither are you."

"But you... And him..." Clopin muttered.

"When he came to his senses, he turned out to be very likeable." Esmeralda explained. "He makes me happy and he's always there for me. Would you believe me if I said he saved my life once?"

Clopin was at a loss for words. Esmeralda couldn't blame him. She would have reacted the same way in his position.

"I know how crazy this all sounds." She assured. "And I promise I'll explain everything later in more detail. But for now, can you just trust me when I say I'm okay?"

Instead of responding to the question, Clopin observed something else.

"Is that a new necklace?" He asked.

Esmeralda suddenly remembered the necklace she was wearing. She knew from Clopin's tone that he'd already made a correct assumption about who she had received it from, so she confirmed it with an awkward nod.

Clopin froze, clearly lost in thought. After a moment, he sighed.

"Well," he said in a defeated and confused tone. "You don't look hurt and you're in good spirits... And I can't imagine you lying about this... So I suppose I must believe you."

"Thank you." Esmeralda said appreciatively. "It will make sense eventually, I promise."

They returned to where they'd been standing before.

"It's settled." Esmeralda told Claude. "There will be no more violence, right Clopin?"

"Apparently..." Clopin said uncomfortably.

Claude wondered what Esmeralda had told Clopin to make him calm down so quickly. Perhaps she wasn't assisted by special words, but by the fact that Clopin trusted her so much. The bond between the siblings was close. Claude would work hard to ensure that it wasn't changed because of him.

"Thank you." He said sincerely. "I truly don't expect forgiveness, but I promise I will atone for what I've done in any way I can. If there is something I can do for you, tell me. I will do it."

"I'll have to think about that..." Clopin said ominously.

Suddenly, Claude twitched as something pushed against his leg. He looked down to see the little goat lightly headbutting him and sniffing curiously.

"He's our friend now, Djali." Esmeralda said happily, stroking the creature's fur.

She grabbed Claude's hand and guided it down toward Djali. Claude was nervous, afraid that his hand would be bitten off, but he trusted Esmeralda. To his surprise, as soon as he barely ruffled the goat's fur, Djali eagerly nuzzled up to him with affection. Claude was shocked that he'd managed to befriend the goat so quickly, but a reason for it occurred to him. Not only was Esmeralda the one to introduce him, but her scent was probably all over Claude due to the activities they'd been engaged in less than an hour ago.

Clopin was failing to hide a cringe, clearly having realized what Claude had just realized. Claude froze in an awkward fear when he saw the look of disgust.

Slightly blushing with embarrassment, Esmeralda decided to put an end to this awkwardness.

"Clopin... I'm glad you came." She said nervously. "But why don't we talk more in the morning? I'm sure you and your friends are tired after traveling so far to get here!"

Clopin bit his lip as if restraining himself from saying something. He sighed.

"...Alright." He agreed. "We'll see ourselves out, then. Come along, everyone."

Clopin started down the hallway, hesitantly followed by his companions, all of whom looked extremely confused by the events they had just witnessed.

"Go with him, Djali." Esmeralda instructed, stroking Djali's head. "I promise I'll see you soon."

The little goat nuzzled against her hand before trotting after Clopin. Esmeralda thought it best for Clopin to keep Djali for the moment because she anticipated the need to talk to Claude for a while. She was sure that this awkward night was far from over.

"Wait!" Claude spoke up.

Clopin looked at him strangely.

"I may not have the right to question you on much," Claude admitted. "but what in the world did you do to my guards?!"

"They'll be fine." Clopin assured. "I didn't want to have to fight them all to get to you, so we just put a little something in their ale to knock them out."

Esmeralda looked at her brother worriedly.

"You drugged them?!" She asked.

"Gently." Clopin promised. "I knew you wouldn't like it if we killed without necessity, so I was careful not to give them anything too strong. They'll wake up in a few hours."

Claude stared in shock as Clopin and his companions walked away. He couldn't believe the realization that his security had been breached for the third time, and by the brother of the woman he loved. Claude wondered if he'd be able to sleep tonight after such a shock. He also wondered if Clopin would be up all night, continually bothered by the unwanted knowledge he'd just gained...

The uncomfortable sight of that cringe still bothered Claude. He sighed as he thought about it.

"Claude," Esmeralda said comfortingly, putting her arm around him.

Claude shook his head in disgust.

"I'm sorry." He apologized. "This is entirely my fault."

"There's no need to beat yourself up." Esmeralda insisted. "I'm not mad at you."

"You made me forget the mess I made for a moment." Claude explained. "But now I've been reminded of it again. If not for everything I've done, you wouldn't have to face your brother like this."

"It's what I chose." Esmeralda reminded. "I chose you. I want to be with you no matter what Clopin thinks. And really, his reaction could have been much worse. This is going to be weird for him, but he'll accept it."

"But that look of disgust..." Claude sighed. "You saw it..."

Esmeralda was embarrassed to think of the way Clopin had cringed, realizing what she'd been doing with Claude before his arrival. But apart from that moment being embarrassing, she didn't think there was much about it to be troubled by.

"If it's any comfort," Esmeralda started. "I think he would have made that face no matter who you were. No one wants to picture their relatives... Like that."

She really did believe that the image of her in bed with any man would have made Clopin cringe. It just wasn't pleasant to imagine a family member having sex, especially someone as close as a sibling. Esmeralda had unfortunately pictured Clopin that way before when he'd been drunk one time and overshared, and it had been very uncomfortable. Not that she thought poorly of him for it, Esmeralda truly didn't care what anyone did in private as long as no one was hurt. It wasn't even unexpected, given that Clopin was less inhibited than her and almost never cared what was socially acceptable. Still, she didn't want to imagine her brother like that, and she wasn't surprised that Clopin was equally disturbed to picture her that way.

"Perhaps." Claude admitted. "But surely the identity of your lover did not help his reaction..."

"Don't worry about him." Esmeralda begged. "He'll deal with it. He'll have to because he wants me to be happy. But like I said, I want to be with you no matter what he thinks. I'm happier than ever now that we're together."

Claude almost felt like he should argue with her, but she was smiling at him in a way that made it impossible. She was happy because she had his love. No matter his feelings of unworthiness, Claude couldn't see his love for Esmeralda as a bad thing if it made her this happy.

He smiled back at her.

"I love you." Claude said smoothly.

"I love you too." Esmeralda returned.

Claude wouldn't have been opposed to the idea of standing here for hours, expressing his love in every imaginable way. Unfortunately, he had other matters to attend to.

"Forgive me for ending the conversation here." Claude pleaded. "I need to move my guards to their beds."

He was somewhat disappointed that the guards had not been vigilant enough to avoid being drugged, but he had the compassion to not be willing to let them wake up on a cold floor in the middle of the night. He could talk to them in the morning, after they recovered.

"I can lend a hand." Esmeralda offered.

Normally Claude wouldn't have accepted this kind of help from her because he was capable of doing it on his own and didn't want to ask anything difficult of her. But while he had the strength to carry a grown man, he remembered from carrying Phoebus that it was an exhausting task. Some assistance would make it easier, and asking anyone else was not preferable because Claude didn't want to spread the shocking news that yet another break-in had occurred.

"That would actually be quite helpful." He admitted.

Esmeralda was probably the only person who could be as cheerful as she was while helping to move multiple unconscious people. She kept Claude smiling with casual conversation despite the unpleasant chore.

"Your security could use some improvement." She half-joked.

Claude chuckled, shaking his head.

"I never thought anything like this could happen." He shared. "Year after year I've lived here in complete safety."

"I was shocked when Phoebus got in." Esmeralda admitted. "Then those crazy men who tried to kill you... And now my brother!"

Claude found it fascinating that what Esmeralda remembered most about the last incident was his attempted murder rather than her own near-fatal experience of being stabbed. He'd never expected to meet someone who was more concerned for his safety than their own, but he was getting used to the idea, plus the idea of feeling that way about someone else.

The mention of the incident with Phoebus reminded Claude of an unanswered question.

"I never did find out how Phoebus got in." He brought up. "You should ask him."

"You could ask him yourself." Esmeralda suggested. "He'd like to talk to you more."

"Really?" Claude asked.

He wasn't completely shocked that Phoebus would want to speak to him, but it was slightly more than he'd expected. Although some mutual respect had been achieved, they still couldn't really be called friends. Claude was open to a friendship if Phoebus was looking for it, but it had not been an expectation of his at any point.

"He said he'd be up for a real hunting trip if you're ever interested." Esmeralda informed. "He seems really interested in getting to know you. As much as you want to be known, that is."

Claude received the message that he was under no pressure to explain himself more than he wanted to, and he appreciated that. He also appreciated the willingness Phoebus had shown to hear his story, if he wanted to tell it. Claude still didn't plan to tell it to him anytime soon, if ever, but that didn't have to stop him from making a friend. He'd recently learned just how enjoyable it was to have friends, so the opportunity to gain another was more than welcome.

"I might just take him up on that." Claude said hopefully.

He started to wonder if Clopin might eventually come to respect him as well. As difficult as it was to imagine, it seemed less impossible when Claude thought of Phoebus. If it was possible to be on good terms with someone who had hated him as much as Phoebus had, perhaps it was doable to at least get somewhere close to that with Clopin.

Esmeralda slowly opened the wooden door, stepping inside. She was hesitant to look around, but was surprised to find everything undisturbed. She'd expected to find the shack ransacked. That was why she'd never returned to it since her arrest, not wanting to see the damage that she assumed was left. But it appeared that the soldiers had been too occupied with moving people around to cause unnecessary damage on the night they invaded the Court of Miracles.

Everything was just as Esmeralda and Clopin had left it. There was an old rug on the floor, a makeshift curtain covering a window, several boxes holding some various possessions, a few crude mattresses with blankets, and some small piles of folded clothes. Djali was curled up in a corner, asleep. And right in the middle of it all, Clopin was sitting on the rug, a bowl of strawberries in front of him.

"You brought strawberries." Esmeralda observed.

"I thought you might like some." Clopin explained.

The usual bounce in his voice was absent. Clopin wasn't his usual lively self, and that worried Esmeralda. How poor was his mood right now? Was he really this unhappy because of what he'd learned last night? It wouldn't be the first time that Esmeralda saw someone broken over her love for Claude, but that didn't mean it was any easier to see now.

But this time, Esmeralda knew she would not let anyone's disapproval come between her and Claude. Her mind was made up. She was in love with him, and she would stay with him no matter what anyone had to say about it.

At the same time, she was determined to help Clopin understand this as much as possible. While his approval was not required for her and Claude to be together, Esmeralda was terrified by the idea of not having a good relationship with her brother. She would do her best to ensure that things didn't move in that direction.

Esmeralda sat down in front of Clopin and ate a strawberry.

"They're perfectly ripe." She said approvingly.

Clopin barely nodded.

His mood was becoming even more upsetting, so Esmeralda quickly started the necessary conversation.

"Let me tell you what happened after you left." She began. "It's a long story, but it will explain some things."

"Alright." Clopin said weakly. "Let's hear it."

Esmeralda explained the events leading up to this point. At first, Clopin became angry. He was infuriated when Esmeralda revealed the reason for her capture and the fact that she'd been unwillingly married to the oppressor of their people, but she begged him to calm down enough to hear what had happened afterwards. She thankfully managed to get him to listen to the rest, which left him more stunned than anything else.

She tried to avoid giving details that Claude wouldn't want known, being as vague as possible when she talked about the process of his change. She only explained that she'd supported him through some difficult things and that this had ultimately led to him reevaluating his ways of thinking. But when it came to the ways Claude had shown his change, Esmeralda described it all in great detail. She also thoroughly described how she and Claude had become friends and fallen in love, stressing the ways he'd been there for her and the things that made their relationship so unique and wonderful.

Despite his remaining shock and confusion, Clopin was beginning to accept the current state of things. It was now clear enough why Esmeralda had come to love Claude Frollo, so Clopin seemed to feel more tolerant toward their relationship even if he was not yet able to be happy about it. Since he seemed to feel better enough that the news wouldn't overwhelm him, Esmeralda finally told him what had happened just before his arrival last night, that Claude had asked to marry her properly and she had happily accepted his proposal.

Clopin had stopped looking at her by now. He was silently staring at the floor, seemingly not knowing what to do with all this information. Esmeralda's concerns grew.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Clopin replied plainly. "I just can't believe this is all real."

Esmeralda nodded understandingly. This was the kind of reaction she'd expected from Clopin. He'd grown up with her and hated the monstrous judge with her, so of course this news wasn't easy for him to process. What Esmeralda was still unsure of was whether Clopin would be able to be happy for her when she married Claude. He seemed to at least accept their relationship, but that didn't mean he felt good about it.

"Are you okay with... Us?" Esmeralda asked nervously. "With... Claude and I?"

Clopin hesitated. He still didn't look at her.

"I only want the best for you." He said finally. "If he makes you happy, you should be with him."

"But you're not happy, are you?" Esmeralda asked.

"I just find this hard to believe." Clopin explained. "Since we were children, we've been oppressed by this man. Now I'm being told he has changed, but I'm not allowed to know exactly why, and you have fallen in love with him. I believe it because I trust you, and I'll support you if you want to marry him, but I must say I feel quite uneasy about it... After everything... Well, I don't know how to think of him differently. It won't be soon that I get over what he's done, if I ever do..."

Esmeralda frowned, but nodded. She didn't expect more than this. She knew that Clopin would not come to like Claude quickly, if at all. Even forgiveness alone was too much to ask, Esmeralda knew that because she had not been able to forgive Claude at first. It was unfortunate because Esmeralda hated for her brother to dislike the man she loved, but she accepted it.

"But Esmeralda..." Clopin said warmly. "...I will try. I may not feel much better about him, but I will try to. And if nothing else, I will be civil. I wouldn't do that just for him, but I can do it for you. I promise not to make this any harder than it has to be."

Esmeralda was reminded of how much Clopin really loved her. Trying to get along with someone he resented was not typical of him, but he was willing to do it for his sister's sake. Amazingly, he wasn't even disappointed in her for who she loved. He was able to understand why she loved Claude and held nothing against her for it, despite his personal feelings. Esmeralda remembered why she had missed him so much. Clopin was her best friend.

"Are you sure you don't want me there for this?" Esmeralda asked.

"This needs to be an honest conversation." Claude explained. "I don't want him feeling the need to change his words for you, and I want him to know that I won't either."

"Okay, but I want to know how it went afterwards. If there's a problem, I want to help fix it."

"If there is a problem, I promise you will be made aware."

Claude kissed Esmeralda's cheek reassuringly. She barely smiled.

Although she believed Clopin's promise that he would be civil, it was hard not to worry that something bad would happen when he and Claude talked alone. The past was far from forgotten, and Esmeralda's relationship to each of them made it all more complicated. But she knew that Claude was right, this peace talk would be most productive if she stayed out of it. If anything went wrong, she could help resolve it afterwards.

"Trust me, dear." Claude pleaded. "I'm quite skilled in the art of diplomacy."

"I'm glad you're doing this." Esmeralda assured. "I just know how my brother can be. He did hold a knife to your throat, after all."

"He did that out of love for you." Claude reminded. "And now he will speak to me calmly out of love for you."

Esmeralda nodded. It was difficult to be optimistic right now, but she had good reasons to believe things would work out.

Claude was just as nervous as she was, really. He knew it would be difficult to get himself on good terms with Clopin after kidnapping his sister along with everything else. Clopin did know his sister's wishes, and that would make the process significantly easier, but easier did not mean easy.

Claude took a deep breath before he went into his study, closing the door behind him. He hadn't been in this room for some time, so it felt less familiar than usual. Clopin's presence made it even less familiar. He was seated in a chair in the middle of the room, arms crossed and sullen-looking. Claude could already feel that this conversation would be unpleasant, but he calmly took another chair and sat facing Clopin.

"Thank you for meeting me here." Claude started. "I know I'm the last person you want to speak to right now."

"Anything for Esmeralda." Clopin said coldly.

The conversation was already unpleasant, but Claude tried to handle it gracefully.

"Tell me what to do." He begged. "Tell me how I can make things right."

"Esmeralda told me about your plans." Clopin shared. "And I like them. I would just like to add a few things."

"Very well. Name them."

"First of all, I want a serious compensation paid for the harm done to my people."

"Of course. What else?"

"Next, I want to see some proof that we will be safe from now on. We will not return to Paris until I personally ensure that the protections you speak of will be enforced."

"I understand. I can provide any proof you want."

"And finally, I want you to look me in the eye and answer a simple question."

Clopin leaned forward, looking at Claude piercingly.

"How long have you loved my sister?" He asked.

Claude was taken off guard.

"Didn't she tell you all about us?" He questioned.

"She did." Clopin confirmed. "But I want to hear it from you. Where did it begin for you? When did you fall in love with her?"

Claude started to think about it. He'd never considered when exactly he had come to love Esmeralda. He first thought of when he'd confessed his feelings after they'd unexpectedly kissed, but the feelings had started before then. When exactly had they started? Claude thought about everything he went through with her, every moment that had made him realize how wonderful she was. He finally thought of the moment that had made him fully aware of that, the moment he'd decided to do anything possible to make it up to her.

"There was a very difficult night..." Claude started. "I'd just realized how wrong I was about everything, but I hadn't apologized to her yet. I was troubled by many awful memories, trying to think of them differently. I started to with Esmeralda's help. She comforted me..."

Claude fondly remembered the sweetness of her words and the warmth of her hands. He remembered her kissing his damaged skin, and then his face, eventually meeting his lips while his tears mixed with hers.

He'd known how lovely she was at that moment. And though he hadn't known it at the time, he'd fallen for her then.

"She kissed me." Claude said quietly. "Not because of any feelings on her part, she still hated me then. But she did it to make me feel loved. That was when I fully understood what an amazing person was in front of me... I didn't yet know what I was feeling, but I was in love from that point on."

He could have gone on about that night, about how she'd assured him that his scar was nothing shameful and made him feel like he wasn't alone, but he was just as reluctant as ever to let anyone know about that trauma. Even mentioning difficult times in vague terms was uncomfortable, but Claude felt that Clopin deserved that much if it helped him understand things a little more.

Clopin's gaze had become less piercing and more curious.

"I see..." He murmured. "Thank you..."

He didn't say anything else. In the silence, Claude saw it appropriate to bring something up.

"You know about our plans." He started. "Our plans to get married."

"Yes, I know." Clopin confirmed.

"I realize I am the last person you ever wanted her to end up with." Claude acknowledged. "And I understand. I myself had serious doubts that I could ever be worthy of her. But she knows what she wants, and I know that I will always work hard to be what she deserves, so I no longer doubt that we should be together. I know this is right."

He looked at Clopin with sincere eyes.

"I would like to ask your blessing." Claude told him.

Clopin's expression became a judgmental one.

"You want my permission to marry my sister?" He scoffed.

"Your support." Claude corrected. "I don't believe I need permission from anyone but her. I believe Esmeralda should decide what is right for her, not anyone else. She has said she wants to be with me, with or without your approval, and so she will. But your blessing would mean a good deal to her, and to me. I understand if that is too much to ask, and I will hold nothing against you if I do not receive your blessing. But I had to ask."

Claude knew Clopin had already expressed his support to Esmeralda, but that wasn't quite the same as supporting them both as a couple. More than just supporting Esmeralda's choice to marry him, Claude wanted Clopin to also support his choice to marry her. He knew he had not done enough to earn Clopin's approval, but Claude had too much love for Esmeralda to not at least try to gain her brother's blessing. It was what she deserved, to know that her husband would be accepted by her family. Perhaps that was not possible, and Claude would fully understand if that was the case. But he had to at least ask. It was the right thing to do.

To Claude's surprise, Clopin started to look less judgmental and more impressed. His mouth dropped open slightly, and not in a negative way.

"There is something I never told her..." Clopin started. "I decided a long time ago that if a man ever asked my permission to marry her, I would slap him. Not because I don't want her to marry, but because I despise the idea that someone could put so little value on her choices. I always hoped she'd meet someone who respects her as much as I do, someone who knows that she deserves to make her own decisions. But I never actually expected her to find someone like that. Men always think they need permission from a woman's father, or whatever male relative comes next. They ask and offer payment and give up if it is declined... I thought for sure I would have to slap someone and teach him not to put her brother's opinion over hers..."

He paused, leaning back in his chair and uncrossing his arms.

"I'm not happy about everything you've done." Clopin said firmly. "But you've taken good care of Esmeralda, and now I see you really respect her. For that I can respect you, and I can grant you my blessing."

Claude was not prepared to hear this. For a moment he questioned if he'd heard correctly. But when he was sure of it, he was immensely pleased.

"Thank you." He said sincerely. "This means more than you can imagine."

"Just to be clear," Clopin said pointedly. "I'm still expecting that compensation."

"And you shall have it." Claude assured.

He wasn't bothered by the remaining need to make amends. There was no doubt now that everything was going to be okay.

Hello again! This chapter took a long time because I've been busier than ever, but I wasn't going to leave you hanging forever! One more chapter to go, now. Thanks a lot for bearing with me!