[Private] The Hunchback of Notre Dame (AdAstra)

[UncoordinatedPisces]

It were times like these when the only person able to comfort Aimee would be her mother. Or her father. So when the maid appeared and made a huge fuss over her, she wasn't sure whether she should just tell her to go or not. Estelle was cleaning the blood ever so carefully, trying not to cause much pain to the teenager. Being fussed over usually made her feel better seeing as she hardly ever received attention anymore.

"Did I deserve it?", Aimee asked, quite suddenly actually. It came out of nowhere. Estelle shook her head,
"No, dear, you didn't". A few moments passed before the maid added, "You must of angered him that's all. One of these days people will see him for what he really is...". Aimee raised an eye brow, it was the first time Estelle had spoken against him to her. The maid continued cleaning her up. Estelle smiled when she had finished, but her eyes looked sad, as though she was looking at a family member in pain rather than her employer's niece.

Aimee did something that surprised herself, she lent over and gave Estelle a hug, even though her whole body ached while doing so. The much older woman was happy to return it. Tears formed in Aimee's eyes and she sniffed, hugs made her emotional. "Hush now", Estelle whispered. The maid felt for her, she knew first hand what Frollo was like behind closed doors, and wondered how Frollo could put a girl of 15 through so much pain. The maid sussed out Frollo was going to keep a close eye on his niece the day before the Feast of Fools. "You stay in bed tomorrow morning, I doubt Frollo will get you up after tonight. I'll bring up your breakfast".

Aimee was going to refuse this offer, but as soon as she broke the hug and sat on the bed, she felt as though she was going to pass out. Nodding, she lay back pulling herself under the covers, the bed was welcoming to say the least.
"Good night", she whispered as the maid went to leave.
"Good night dear".

[AdAstrα]

Estelle closed the door to Aimee's room as she left. Walking past Frollo's bedroom, she shuddered at the thought of how angry he must have been, to hit an innocent girl like that...what could have possibly made him so furious? She never attended the Feast of Fools, and therefore knew nothing of today's events, but she assumed there was a connection. He hated it with a passion, that much was obvious.

She frowned, picking up the basket of laundry to sort out in the morning. Perhaps something had happened at that festival? Perhaps the girl had disobeyed him in public? That was exactly the sort of thing that would set him off for sure....

She climbed the narrow stairs to her tiny room in the attic where she crawled into bed, deciding against changing into her dirty old night dress; it was so cold up there she couldn't bear even thinking of taking her clothes off. Untying the hairband, she quickly ran her fingers through the dark curls before she lied down and fell asleep almost immediately.

One by one, the many lights of Paris went out as its inhabitants went to bed, tired after another long day. There was one light, however, that remained lit as the hours passed...a golden, flickering light. Shining from a tall window at the very top floor of The Palace of Justice, like a beacon in the solid darkness...

He was immersed in prayer when the guard appeared in the doorway.
"Minister Frollo...the gypsy has escaped."
"What?"
"She's nowhere in the cathedral. She's gone."
"But how? I...never mind! Get out you idiot!" The guard promptly disappeared and he was once again, alone, with nothing but his own thoughts for company. She could not have escaped! How? It was not possible! There was no way out! Perhaps she had used witchcraft? Would she continue to cast spells against him now, that she was free to roam the streets once more? No. He could not allow that to happen. She had to be caught, and punished. Before it was too late....

"I'll find her!" he said to himself, walking towards the fireplace and gazing into the flames, "I'll find her, if I have to burn down all of Paris!"

[UncoordinatedPisces]

The night wasn't a pleasant one for Aimee. Every time she moved, the sharp pains all over her body increased. She resisted the urge to touch the cut on her forehead, for she knew it would only make it worse. Her body was hot, but her hands and feet were as cold as ice. She tried to find a comfortable position, and failed to do so. Her eyes were heavy as she finally ignored the pain. Her sleep was disturbed though.

Nightmares. Not surprisingly, they were about Frollo. She woke up again, sweating and panicky, trying to calm herself down. Something about that man...just...scared her to death. What he said, the pain he caused her. Aimee wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to forgive him, for she was the type to forgive. Not to forget though.

She let out a yawn before managing to get to sleep again, she woke up various times after that though. The next time she awoke, she realized the sun was rising. Sighing, she rolled over to look out of the window. Something about the morning comforted her, and she awaited Estelle to return to her. Aimee drifted off into sleep every now and again.

[AdAstrα]

Estelle had woken up early that morning, long before the sun had risen. Gazing at the sky through the tiny window, she noticed that it was clear and no longer cloudy; the fading stars beaming at her from above. Unable to go back to sleep, the maid decided she might as well get up; Frollo wouldn't be awake for a while yet and she always treasured whatever time she had on her own in the mornings. It was liberating, being able to walk around without worrying about running into him. She could never be herself when he was around. Especially not now...

Instinctively, she touched her cheek and felt the cut his bejeweled fist had made a few days earlier. It was rather deep and still hurt a great deal, in fact she wondered whether it might leave a scar. Just what I need... She thought as she climbed down the ladder, A permanent reminder that I am Claude Frollo's maid....and nothing else.

Walking down the corridor, she stopped abruptly as she caught a glimpse of the door to his bedroom. It was open.

"Erm....sir? Are you awake already?" she asked carefully, her eyes fixed upon it. For a few moments there was no reply, and when he finally did speak, his deep voice sounded quieter than usual.

"Yes."

The wooden floor creaked slightly as he stood up, and when he appeared in the doorway, Estelle simply could not help but stare at him. Even apart from the fact that he was fully dressed, it was obvious that he hadn't slept at all. His skin was somehow even paler than usual, and his eyes had a dark, hollow look about them as they gazed weakly at the wall.

"You...you look unwell, sir." She said, approaching him with great caution still, "Why don't you go to bed, and.."

"No." he interrupted sharply, briskly walking past her and towards the dining room, "I have work to do! You shall look after the girl today by the way, and I expect it to be done properly this time! I have no patience for more mistakes."

Estelle frowned as she watched him leave; trying, like so many times before, to understand him. What was it that had kept him up all night?

She cooked some breakfast and sorted the laundry while the sun was rising, and once it had, she walked over to Aimee's room and gave the door a loud knock. "Good morning, dear." she said as she walked inside, closing the door behind her to make sure Frollo could not hear them, "How are you feeling? Do you need something for the pain or is it better now?"

[UncoordinatedPisces]

Aimee sat up in her bed, the soft duvet tucked up to her neck. She relished in the comfort of the bed, over the past weeks, she had appreciated what it was like to have a bed again. The young girl smiled brightly when Estelle arrived. She needed a kind face after the sleepless and scary night she had had.
"Good morning", she said quietly, not being able to muster up a loud voice.

When she moved to get into a better position, she winced and groaned a little. Bruises were prominent in most places. She didn't like to complain, but the expression in her face almost said it all. "I-I'm...", she felt awful. Aimee had been hurt before but never to such an extent where she had been in so much pain. "I-I'm n-not too good". There was no point in saying she was ok, because quite frankly, she wasn't. Despite the pain, she began thinking about the people in her life.

There was Frollo obviously, and for now, she couldn't do much about him. There was Estelle, who she sensed saw her as a daughter and Aimee cared for her, but didn't reciprocate the feelings exactly. There was Roseriya. She was itching to see her, to have someone to talk to properly, but she doubted she'd see her too soon.

And then there was Phoebus. She smiled internally at the thought of him. Since they're conversations yesterday, she felt closer to him than before. She wasn't sure if he liked her back, but when she had seen him in the Palace of Justice the second time and had really got talking, she could feel a liking between them both.

[AdAstrα]

Estelle calmly approached Aimee and began to examine her injuries carefully; for although she lacked any significant experience when it came to illnesses, she was familiar with many types of injuries, knowledge she had mostly earned the hard way.

"Well, I don't think anything is broken at least." she concluded, gently feeling her bones, "Although I can't be sure just yet." She glanced nervously at the door as she heard Frollo's footsteps out in the corridor, but they faded quickly, as if he was deliberately avoiding to go anywhere near the room. She then turned back to Aimee.

"I have made you some tea from willow bark. It doesn't taste very nice, but it'll reduce some of the pain and hopefully make you feel better. Be careful, it's hot." she added as she handed the cup over to the girl. Gazing at her, she once again felt her heart sink at the thought of what it was that Frollo had done to her. It was not uncommon, for adults to hit children, even if they had not taken them in against their will. She saw parents discipline their biological sons and daughters in the street on a daily basis, and it disgusted her. I would never have done this to my daughter, she thought, chills running down her spine, Or niece for that matter. It's not right...

She sighed, reminded once again of the fact that she would never have any children. She always tried not to think about this, because it saddened her so; but as she gazed at the teenager before her she simply could not help it. She had decided, from the very moment Aimee entered this dreadful prison of a building, that she would treat her with love and respect. This was a promise she intended to keep; what Frollo thought no longer mattered to her at that point.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

Aimee hesitated a little when Estelle came closer, she expected that hesitation just to be nerves since last night. She winced a little when she touched her, but it was all for her sake's after all. Just like Estelle did, at the sound of Frollo's footsteps her eyes went wide with fear as she managed to look at the door, expecting him to enter.

Relief swept over her when he didn't. She took the cup from Estelle's hand and took a sip, it wasn't a suprise that it wasn't pleasant, but she drunk it all the same. It was nice having someone care for her, wait on her almost but she reminded herself of her manners and thanked Estelle. She did like the woman, she was the kind face she needed to see while she was at the Palace of Justice.

"Do you know what F-Frollo's doing today or where he is going?", she asked timidly.

[AdAstrα]

Estelle heard Frollo mutter to himself and kept gazing at the door, half expecting him to come bursting in any second, but he still kept his distance. She wondered whether he regretted his actions at all but there was no real evidence for this. Yet, if he had not felt even the tiniest bit of remorse...would he so obviously be avoiding all contact with the niece? Somehow, she doubted it.

"I don't know where he's going or what he's doing." Estelle replied, still not taking her eyes off the doorknob, "But he has instructed me to look after you." She paused, unsure of whether she should continue or not. After a little while, however, she looked at Aimee. "I...I don't know what's got into him. It frightens me. He's never been acting this strange before...I don't think he slept at all last night. Did...did something happen at the Festival yesterday? I wouldn't know, I never go. I'm not allowed to."

[UncoordinatedPisces]

(OOC: I assume Estelle would know about Frollo raising Quasimodo)

Aimee ran a hand through her fringe, rubbing her temples for a moment. She listened to Estelle with interest but sympathy. Sighing, the teenager looked back up at the older woman. She didn't want to exactly relive everything that had happened, but explaining it would be ok.

"Well...he did act a little odd towards a gypsy girl I guess...". The girl hadn't forgotten the look in Frollo's eyes, something about that look made her want to hide. It was creepy. "And...Quasimodo disobeyed Frollo. He turned up at the festival", she added. Further explanation was needed, she took time to realize quite alot happened.

"And he was crowned the King of Fools but...but the crowd turned on him". She sniffed a little, "I tried to help, I really did...but Frollo...". Aimee looked down to the bed, it was odd that Frollo frightened her more then than last night. "Anyway, the gypsy girl I mentioned before helped Quasi and Frollo was furious...so, yeah". Sighing, she rested her head back and drunk some more of the tea.

[AdAstrα]

(OOC: Yep, she does. I imagine she probably heard him rant about it a few times over the years lol)

Estelle sighed deeply, shaking her head. "Oh dear..." she said when Aimee had finished explaining, "I understand now. My master doesn't like to be disobeyed, it angers him terribly...as you have already noticed a few times by now. And Quasimodo...he has always tried so hard to hide him from the world. I've worked here as a maid since before the child was even born, probably; and I remember that night when Frollo took him in. It was horrible. I had never seen him so angry. And all these years I've felt so bad for the poor boy, being locked up like that...I've always wondered whether this might happen someday. Is...is he allright? He isn't hurt, is he? she added, almost on the verge of tears as she did so.

She knew how cruel people could be to anyone who was even slightly different, to anyone who didn't quite fit in the crowd. Not only because she had seen it happen to others; she had experienced it herself. Everyone in Paris knew that she worked for Frollo, and thus; every time she ventured outside to run errands, she was being made fun of. There were rumours, rumours so terrible the mere thought of them made her nauseous. Usually, she was able to ignore it, but sometimes the judgemental gazes became too much to bear. For this very reason she could relate to Quasimodo, and understood his suffering even if she had only met him briefly.