literature

Grey Would Be the Color, If I Had a Heart [Ch. 12]

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Phoebus was mounted upon his white stallion next to two of his guardsmen as the king’s entourage began mustering for departure. It was an elementary morning for the returned Captain of the Guard. Though, he only acted as Minister of Justice for but a fleeting moment, having returned to a position he felt comfortable with, was relief at it’s pinnacle. The guardsman on Phoebus’ right opened wide for a hefty yawn, which quickly turned contagious.
For a moment, Phoebus fought against the urge. But having been awoken at an ungodly hour, it was difficult to stave off the lethargic heap that hung heavy on his shoulders and eyes.
It was an hour before sunrise. King Louis wanted to start his day early and be on the road before the sun reached the horizon. As the sound of clunking hooves, rattling armor, and soft chatter shifted around the Captain and his two men, Phoebus was ultimately glad to see him go.
His thoughts went back to the gypsy residing in the Palace of Justice while a smug grin tugged at his lips. What a clever idea, he thought. Albeit, he did want to keep her safe, the king had lost interest in her the moment she disappeared from the cathedral. He was quick to bounce back, and surprisingly forgiving. Esmeralda would not know any better, he presumed.
Phoebus pulled at the reins of Achilles, willing the stead to veer left as entourage began their move out.
“Come along, men.” He initiated.
The trio began their return to the Palace of Justice where the new judge was still to be decided. A few of the ranks within the parliament had stepped in the empty slot, taking turns at mastering the position, but no man had yet to be anointed, nor were there any ceremonies to be expected well within the future. In the mean time, Phoebus continued to care very little about the antics beyond their stone walls, and only utilized the castle for his own means.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

BOOM!
The sound of Esmeralda’s chamber door exploding fractured the young gypsy awake. She sat upright in an instant while her mind attempted to gather the havoc that clamored the confines of her room. Starting with the splintered door.
Immediately, Phoebus was upon her, shouting. Throughout the chaos and clamor, she couldn’t depict what he was trying to tell her as he roughly took her by the shoulders. He drug Esmeralda out of her bed and pushed her frantically into the hallway.
“What’s going on!” She exclaimed, still disoriented from the sleep, as her levels of panic began to climb rapidly.
“The king has turned around! We must go! He’ll be here any minute, Esmeralda. Move!” The captain took her firmly by the hand and raced down the corridor. His grip was rough against the gypsies hand, nearly grinding the bones of her fingers together, but the adrenaline that had kick started itself, warded off the pain. It didn’t take long until Esmeralda gathered where the two were heading. As soon as she did, she dug her heels into the rug and began to fight against the current.
“No! I can’t go back down there!” She wailed, pulling away from Phoebus, like a child unwilling to proceed any further.
“You don’t have a choice, Esmeralda!” Phoebus snarled. He yanked her forward, scooped her up into his arms and continued the rest of the way with a flailing and screaming gypsy. She began to kick and punch against the captain, but the armor that encased him inflicted more damage on the gypsy than he. She pulled at his hair, scratched and pushed against his face, as well as snagged anything within arms reached whenever it passed, including door frames, portraits, and other static displays.
“Please, Phoebus!” She cried as they neared the opened door that would lead them to the spiral stairwell. “I can’t go in there!”
“The king must not find you. You don’t have a choice!” He shouted at her, holding her even tighter so that it pained her to struggle at all. As they narrowed in on the dungeons, the gypsy in Phoebus’ arms grew even more rabid. Once they reached the bottom door, he dropped her onto the cold dirt to turn and lock it behind them.
Forthwith, she slipped passed him and nearly made it free from his grasp. The gown she wore to bed proved to be a steadfast anchor for the captain as he snagged the fabric into a tight grip. With all his might, Phoebus pulled her back. He wrapped one arm around her waist as the other slammed and locked the entrance.
“No, Phoebus!” She cried even harder, screaming until her voice broke. Hot tears scorched her face as he drug her to a empty holding cell. “Why are you doing this!” She caught the bars as he went to slip her through the opening.
“Phoebus, wait!” She pleaded, “Just tell me why you’re doing this! Please, stop! Don’t leave me in here!”
Phoebus planted a hard hand against her bosom and shoved her back into the cell, slamming the bars closed when his arm cleared. She fell to the hardened dirt, landing onto her backside as the Captain turned away. Esmeralda sprang forward at a crawl, reaching through the bars for Phoebus as he walked back towards the entrance.
“Phoebus!” Her voice cracked under her strain to cease the Captains retreat. “Just tell me!” She cried. Even as he ascended, he could still her screams. It disturbed him greatly to treat her like a prisoner, but there was no other way around it. He had to keep her hidden, and he couldn’t openly indulge his reason, for he would lose her forever.
He wouldn’t allow it. He had come this far, and she was just beginning to succumb to him.
He couldn’t tell her that Claude Frollo had returned to Paris.
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