Love From Mal

The people of Paris fought versus the soldiers when someone shouted, "Look! Over there!"

The people turned to look up; there was Frollo with his sword, and Quasimodo and Esmeralda hanging from one of the walls of Notre-Dame. The Captain Phoebus looked at it and ran to Notre Dame as fast as he could. Meanwhile the people continued to look and one woman with a pale face, black hair and a dark dress and coat appeared in the square. She came up near the people; she looked up and saw Frollo standing, towering over one gargoyle. He lost his balance but still hung by his arms from the gargoyle. Suddenly it broke away from the wall - and all of Paris saw Frollo fall and die.

The woman turned and walked away from there. She put her hands together and took a golden ring from her finger; quietly she said, with a sweet voice, "Dear, dear Claude! What happened to you?"

Her mind filled with memories of long time ago. She was young and Frollo too - they were in their 20s, she was riding a white horse and Frollo was riding a black stallion. The two horses, stopping in front of a building that had been set on fire; "Look Mal, the biggest nest of criminals, thieves and rats has finally succumbed to the fire!"
Mal turned to look at Frollo. "You mean this was the Court of Miracles?"
Frollo smiled. "No, dear Mal, that is only a gypsy tale. This is a real place, full of evil, and thanks to my father the Judge of Paris now the city is safe from all the human scum that used to hide there!"
Mal smiled too. "Sure. You're going to be a far better judge than him."
Frollo put his hands over Mal's face and kissed her; then he took her hand and gave her a golden ring.
"I wanted to ask you - if you would marry me?"
Mal looked at the ring and slowly placed it in her right hand. "Of course I do," said Mal and kissed Frollo.

The scene begin to disintegrate in Mal's mind and suddenly another memory surfaced. She was in Claude Frollo' study, seven years later; Frollo was there, now dressed like the judge, and Mal herself was very angry.
"What's happened to you, Claude? You are obsessed with destroying the gypsies, you don't love anyone! The only thing you love in this world is your duty and yourself!"
Mal took the golden ring from her finger and threw it to the floor; it fell near the feet of Frollo. Claude Frollo was quiet and only looked at Mal. But she was very angry and shouted "I think we should never get married!"
Mal was walking towards the door when Frollo stopped her, seized her hands and said with anger, "I agree! My image is darkened by your shadow. I am the Judge of Paris - if I were to marry a witch like you it would make me lose all the respect I deserve! Do you think I am stupid?! Do you think I didn't see - all this time - it was you and your spells confusing my mind? Oh, you tried to make me think you loved me but finally I see the truth!"
Mal pulled Frollo away from her. "I love you, Claude, but I see you can't love me, you never can!!! I never did anything against you!"
Frollo stared at Mal. "You are a witch. The witches don't love any one, you are a creature of Hell! Get out of here, now!"
Mal turned to go, but before she left she turned and spat at him, "You want a spell? I'll give you one!! 21 years more is all you'll live, before a demon of black hair comes to send you back to hell!"
With that Mal walked out of the room. Frollo smiled. "Stupid witch, your words don't scare me. Away, demon!"

The image begin to disappear and then Frollo appeared again.
Twenty-one years had passed since Mal left. Frollo was working; the night had fallen upon the town and another Feast of Fools had ended, the lights of candles and the fireplace were his only companions now. But Frollo's mind was confused and the only thing that he could think of was Esmeralda the gypsy dancer.
Suddenly he moved one book, which caused all the things on his desk to move; some toppled over on the table, other things fell to the floor. Angrily, Frollo knelt down and begin to pick up the things when he found the golden ring that he had given to Mal. As he looked at it, he remembered the last words of Mal: "21 years more is all you'll live, before a demon of black hair comes to send you back to hell!"
Suddenly all the candles and the fireplace extinguished, leaving the room dark. A voice said "Do you think you can forget me, Frollo?" Frollo turned and saw Mal standing in front of the fire place. Frollo got to his feet and shouted to her "You!! This is your fault, you cast this evil spell!"
But Mal just smiled. "You are losing your head, dear Claude!"
Frollo took a dagger from his clothes and looked at Mal. "You witch, did you do this?"
Mal laughed. "Maybe - or maybe you are insane!"
She disappeared and the candles and the fire were suddenly ablaze again. Frollo was scared; he could not believe what had happened there. He ran out of the room and slammed the door. After closing the door he looked around, but there wasn't a soul to be seen. Frollo walked towards the window and looked out; he noticed that he had the golden ring in his hand. He thought he had left it in the other room but no, he held it in his fist.
"Evil demon - how can I let her take over my soul?" Frollo said to himself, and threw the golden ring into one of the many torches of the palace. He turned to look by the window again and remembered distant times...

He was 8 years old and going with his father, the Judge of Paris, to visit the castle of the King. The King and his father were talking, and Claude Frollo had decided to follow them. They were walking by the gardens of the palace, when suddenly he saw her. It was Mal, and it was the first time in his life that he had seen her. She was a girl with pale skin, pure black hair and large blue eyes; she was standing in a balcony, looking around. She turned to see Frollo and waved her hand to say hello, and as she did the king and the father of Claude turn to look up.
Mal's mother made a reverence to the King and left for the balcony; the King smiled and said to Claude Frollo's father, "She is the Duchess Marie Joan and her daughter Mal; they come from far lands, they're both distant relatives of the royal family. Come on, I need to show you something, Dom. Frollo!"
The father of Frollo, a man with gray hair and a big beard, turned to look at his son and called to him. "Claude, stay close to us!" Then Dom. Frollo turn and continued his conversation with the king. Claude Frollo followed them, saw the back door of the castle open and Mal and her mother come out and walk towards the gardens. The king walked beside them,
"Ah Duchess, I want you meet the Judge of this city Dom. Frollo; Frollo, this is the Duchess and her daughter Mal."
Dom. Frollo kissed the hand of the Duchess, saying "It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness."
But Claude Frollo stayed behind his father, and Mal walked towards him. The King and the father of Claude turned to look at them, then the King smiled and said to them "Mal, go and play with Claude. We need to talk about important things!"
Mal turned to look at the king, and then took Frollo's hand and ran with him to the other side of the garden.
Mal smiled at her new friend. "Hello, I'm Mal!"
Claude turned to look at her. "I know that," he said in a bored voice. Mal looked around, the turned back to Claude and asked him,
"What's your name?"
Claude answered quickly, proud of himself: "My name is Claude Frollo and I'm going to be the Judge of Paris like my father!"
Mal lifted one eyebrow and then began to laugh. "You are funny!"

The memories began to change: now Frollo was a teenager, taking some books from college to study back at home when someone had arrived, running behind him, putting their hands over his eyes.
"Guess who I am?"
Claude took Mal's hands from his eyes and turned to look at her. "I don't have time for games, Mal. I have to study."
Mal's face was a picture of disappointment as she stood in front of Claude Frollo. "But you promised to take me to the Festival of Fools!"
Claude looked her in the eyes. "The Festival of Fools is not a good place for us to go! It is full of thieves and criminals!"
Mal moaned, "Come on, Claude!"
Frollo looked at her and, with his right arm, swung the books down to his side. "All right, I will take you!" he said unhappily.
Mal took his hand and both of them walked near Notre-Dame where the gypsies were beginning to arrive for the Festival...
At the end of the festival that night Claude Frollo was walking alone by the main street when he heard some voices, one of them his father's. Casually, he walked over to where he had heard the voices. Before him he saw the Palace of Justice and outside he saw his father, the soldiers, the Duchess Marie Joan - Mal's mother! he thought with alarm - with four other noblewomen. And then he heard the angry voice of the King.
"Frollo, are you crazy? How dare you arrest a noblewoman like the Duchess?"
"They are witches, my men find instruments of witchcraft in the cemetery where they were," replied Judge Frollo, hard as ice.
The King looked at Claude's father with rage. "Frollo, you have done excellent work these years as Minister - and I respect you - but you are losing your head! You can't arrest this women! Order your men to leave them. Go now!"
Judge Frollo looked at the king. "They are witches. You know I can prove it, but, since I have to obey Your Majesty..." He turned to look at the soldiers. "Let these ladies go" Judge Frollo ordered, and rode his horse out of the square.