Hunchback of Notre Dame: Maria Frollo

Sanctuary

Maria's POV

I wonder the church balcony looking at the ground floor below. I spot Phoebus tailing Esmeralda and her kid goat. I go to warn her when she turns and grabs his sword. Knocking him to the ground. She holds him there with the tip of his sword at his chin.

"Easy, easy--I just shaved this morning" Phoebus tells her.

"Oh, really? You missed a spot" she sneers.

"All right, all right. Just calm down. Just give me a chance to apologize" he tells her.

"For what?" she asks him confused. As she lets down her guard for a split second Phoebus kicks her down. He grabs the sword from her hands and turns it on her.

"That, for example" he says smiling cockily and I laugh silently.

"You sneaky son of a..." she starts to say.

"Ah, ah, ah! Watch it--you're in a church" I say loudly. They both look up at me. "Hello Phoebus, nice to see you again" I tell him smiling. Esmeralda uses the distraction. She picked up a staff with candles on top and points it at him.

"Is he always this charming? Or am I just lucky?" Esmeralda asks me.

"I think you're just lucky" I tell her shrugging. Esmeralda swings the staff at Phoebus, who blocks it with his sword. They fight and I roll my eyes.

"Can't think of a better place for hand-to-hand combat! You fight almost as well as a man" Phoebus praises her.

"Funny. I was going to say the same thing about you" Esmeralda tells him and I giggle. These two are made for each other.

"That's hitting a little below the belt, don't you think?" Phoebus asks her.

"No, this is" she tells him. Esmeralda swings one end of the staff at Phoebus' crotch. He blocks it with his sword. She quickly hits him in the face with the other end of the staff. He shakes it off.

"Touche" he says smiling. The goat kid head butts him in the chest. "I didn't know you had a kid" Phoebus groans while holding his chest.

"Well, he doesn't take kindly to soldiers" Esmeralda tells him.

"Obviously" I say and they ignore me. I roll my eyes. Typical.

"Eh, I noticed. Permit me. I'm Phoebus. It means 'sun god.' And you are?" Phoebus asks her.

"Is this an interrogation?" she asks him.

"It's called an introduction" he says as he sheathes his sword.

"You're not arresting us?" she asks him confused.

"As long we are in here, he can't" I tell her as I join them.

"She's right" Phoebus says.

"You're not at all like the other soldiers" Esmeralda says as she lowers the staff. "So, if you're not going to arrest us, what do you want?" she asks him.

"I'd settle for your name" Phoebus tells her.

"Esmeralda" she tells him.

"It's beautiful. Much better than Phoebus, anyway" he tells her and I giggle. He can be such an idiot sometimes. As they gaze into each other's eyes we don't notice dad approaching with several guards.

"Good work, Captain! Now, arrest them" dad orders scaring me. I look at him shocked and hide behind Esmeralda. I have never seen him this way and it scares me.

"Claim sanctuary" I whisper to her.

"Say it" Phoebus urges.

"You tricked me" she says quietly. So only Phoebus and I can hear her.

"I'm waiting, Captain" dad sneers.

"We claimed sanctuary father" I tell him.

"She's right, there is nothing I can do" Phoebus states as he faces my father.

"Then drag them outside and..." dad starts to order. But the archdeacon appears.

"Frollo! You will not touch them" he says firmly. He places a calming hand on my and Esmeralda's shoulders. "Don't worry. Minister Frollo learned years ago to respect the sanctity of the church" he tells us. I frown in confusion, but say nothing. Frollo and Phoebus leave with the guards. I go with the archdeacon.

"What did you mean by what you said?" I ask him curious.

"You are not ready for that story child" he tells me.

"I am no child, I am twenty-six years old" I remind him. "I want to know the truth" I tell him.

"Twenty years ago, after your mother passed away. Frollo chased a female gypsy to the stairs of Notre Dome on horse back. He killed her and discovered a baby in her position. That baby was Quasimodo, he was going to kill him. But I intervened. I told him he had to raise Quasimodo as his own to atone for the sin of spilling blood on the stairs of the church. But he made me keep Quasimodo here, but still raised him" he explains.

"So he did not take Quasi in out of the goodness of his heart?" I ask him sadly.

"No child, in fact he prayed Quasimodo may one day of be use to him" he states. "Now I must go lead the prayer" he tells me. Before leaving and I sigh in defeat. I go upstairs again to hear a woman singing. I look down to see it's Esmeralda singing.

"I ASK FOR NOTHING
I CAN GET BY
BUT I KNOW SO MANY LESS LUCKY THAN I
PLEASE HELP MY PEOPLE
THE POOR AND DOWNTROD
I THOUGHT WE ALL WERE THE CHILDREN OF GOD
GOD HELP THE OUTCASTS, CHILDREN OF GOD" she finishes singing. She stand in the centre of the light from the window.

"You! Bell ringer! What are you doing down here!?!" a parishioner demands. I look over to see Quasi jump and knock over a candle staff. "Haven't you caused enough trouble already?" he demands and Quasi runs. I follow him and hear Esmeralda follow us.

A/N

Picture above of Esmeralda against Phoebus and video above of her singing.