Belle's Adventures in Notre Dame Part 6

It was a mark of Frollo's ruthless determination that he spent the next week or so raiding the homes of the poor in Paris and threatening the people with death if they failed to bring him "the gypsy girl Esmeralda." Belle shook her head in wonder and amazement and pity as she watched him ride out again that morning; and, though she was thankful that Esmeralda hadn't been found, and prayed that she never would be, she didn't like the fact that it was because of her that Frollo was doing this. Knowing that he knew that she knew about his lust for her was a scary thing and every time he was in the room with her, she couldn't look him in the eye. Moreover, Quasimodo was more worried than ought to be natural for someone he insisted was "just a friend" and that hurt her. The gargoyles were even encouraging him to romance Esme now.

"We always said you were the cute one!" Laverne told him that morning.

"I thought I was the cute one!" Hugo complained.

"No, you're the stupid, annoying one with the big mouth!" Laverne snapped.

Belle giggled as Hugo "Hmph-d!"

"What do you think, Belle?" Quasimodo asked, turning to her. "Would she go for me?"

Belle looked at him. "She ought to," she answered, honestly. "How could anyone not?"

Cheered by this, Quasimodo hurried off to "prepare the room for romance" as Hugo called it. Belle bit her lip. She was happy that he was happy but it hurt that it wasn't her that made him happy.

"Belle, what is it?" asked Victor, noticing the look on her face.

"Are you alright, sweetie?" asked Laverne, and then the penny dropped for them. "Oh!"

"Oh, goodness me!" Victor said, softly.

"What? What?" asked Hugo, looking from one to the other.

"Oh, Belle, if we had known, we wouldn't have been encouraging to go after Esmeralda," Victor said.

"Known what?" asked Hugo.

"It's alright," Belle replied, smoothing down her skirts for want of something to distract her, not looking at her friends. "You guys didn't know..."

"Oh, but we should have figured!" Laverne shook her head.

"Figured what?" Hugo cried. "What? What are you guys talking about?"

"Hush up!" Laverne hissed.

"Don't you get it, Hugo?" Victor said. "Belle's heart belongs to Quasi."

"OH!" Hugo exclaimed.

"Yeah, you're getting it now?" Laverne rolled her eyes. "Belle, you need to tell him; put him out of his misery."

"Yeah!" Hugo crowed. "Imagine! You wait twenty years for a girl and then two come along at once!"

"Quiet!" Victor snapped. "This is serious!"

"Guys forget it," Belle said, shaking her head. "it's hopeless. If he doesn't love me, then I don't want to make him feel awkward about it."

"But, Belle-"

"Quasi? Belle?"

Belle hurried into the room just as Quasimodo sprang down from the rafters. They looked at one another. "Esmeralda?"

"There you guys are!" It was Esmeralda and Belle hurried over to hug her. "Thank goodness!"

"Esme, you're taking a risk being here!" Belle said.

"I know." Esmeralda smiled at Quasimodo and pressed his hands. "But I need your help!"

"Oh, yes!" Quasimodo stuttered. "Anything for you!"

"I hoped you'd say that." Esmeralda turned as another gypsy whom Belle didn't know came into the room, supporting...

"Phoebus!" Belle's breath hitched in her throat. "What happened to him?"

"Frollo set a house on fire and Phoebus saved the family inside; so Frollo had his men try and kill him. He's alive but injured; that's why we brought him here." She looked at them imploringly. "Please can you two hide him here?"

"Yes," Belle looked at Quasimodo, who seemed reluctant, but at the look on her face, nodded. "This way."

Together, the four of them helped Phoebus up onto the bed. As they laif him down, he stirred and opened his eyes. "Esmeralda?"

"Easy," she said, gently, as she began to tend to his wounds, "you're hurt."

His eyes flickered over to Belle. "Miss Belle; how are you?"

"Alright," Belle replied with a smile. "You did a brave thing just now, defying Frollo like that."

"Well, I know injustice when I see it." His eyes found Quasimodo and he smiled. "Hello, Quasimodo, isn't it?" Quasimodo nodded. "I'm sorry about what happened to you at the Festival. That wasn't right, what Frollo did. I was all for stopping it."

So amazed was Quasimodo at being spoken to so kindly by someone he had initially distrusted, that it took a while for him to answer. "That's...that's alright."

Phoebus looked back to Esmeralda as she finished tending his wounds. "Thanks."

"You know, you're lucky," she said. "That arrow almost pierced your heart."

He took her hand. "I'm not so sure that it didn't."

Belle took a step backwards as Esmeralda leaned into Phoebus and their lips met in a passionate kiss. She turned to see Quasimodo leaning heavily against a nearby post and she knew then that he was heartbroken. And that broke her heart in turn and she turned away so that no one would see her tears...