Gemstones | Winners ✮ Anthology

'Up in flames' by @XxBlack__rosexX

" We are each other's only army. You, Jehan, and I. " That's what his mother used to tell him all the time.

" And what about Papa?" he'd asked innocently, but she'd ignore his question. Despite knowing that his father was not the best source of love or care, Claude had been conditioned to believe that being a man was the ultimate achievement in life, while being a woman was a source of shame. His father had instilled in him the belief that women were responsible for all the suffering in the world, leaving Claude with a sense of confusion and pain that weighed heavily on his young mind.

Claude adored his mother and found love and safety in her arms. However, he could see in her eyes that she was always striving for her freedom. Her gypsy blood yearned for the open road and the boundless skies, but she had given it all up for his father. It was no longer within her grasp. She wanted to be free, but his father demanded devotion to God, which left her bound and trapped in a life that was not of her choosing.

On the other hand, his father would argue that he had, in fact, saved her. He believed that he had set her on the right path, the path to heaven.

" Claude, wake up," he heard the hoarse voice say, and felt a strong nudge on his arm. He recognized immediately that it was his father, but his sleepy eyes refused to open just yet.

"Get up, let's go get some bread before it gets late," his father continued urgently, his impatience tinged with a hint of nervousness.

Claude gently released himself from Jehan's embrace and rose, feeling dizzy and exhausted. He hurried to get ready, eager to avoid his father's wrath.

"Let's go," his father repeated, tugging him towards the door.

"But I haven't changed my clothes yet," Claude protested.

"You don't have to," his father answered curtly, pulling him out the door.

The Frollos stepped out of their modest home, only to be met by the bitter chill of the early morning. Notre Dame loomed tall and imposing in the distance, a symbol of sacredness and greatness that always watched over them, a constant and impartial judge.

"Stay here and watch, son," his father finally spoke after they took a few steps away from their home. Claude watched as his father walked back to the house, feeling a sense of bewilderment wash over him. He stood there, still trying to shake off the remnants of sleep that clung stubbornly to his little face.

In a fleeting moment, before Claude could fully comprehend the chaos unfolding around him, he was confronted with the sight of his home being rapidly consumed by the raging flames. As he stood there, paralyzed by shock and disbelief, he noticed his father standing motionless and expressionless in front of the burning house, his towering presence exuding a stoic and unyielding demeanor.

"No!" he screamed as he dashed towards his home, which was rapidly being swallowed by flames, his mind consumed by thoughts of his beloved mother and Jehan. However, a powerful grip wrapped tightly around him, preventing him from moving despite his frantic kicking.

"Maman! Jehan!" he cried out in agony and terror, feeling as though his heart was being ripped out of his chest.

" Look at me!! " His father faced him finally, as the flames were ravaging their home , his face was filled with anger, cruelty, pride, and madness.

" Why did you do this! You hurt them! You're evil! " Claude fought his father more between his sobs, the coldness got replaced by the heat of the fire.

As Claude's father towered over him, he could feel his hot breath on his face, reeking of smoke and sweat. His father's eyes were cold and unforgiving, as he glared down at Claude with a mixture of anger and disdain.

Claude's heart pounded in his chest as he stared up at his father, feeling a mixture of fear and hatred. He could see the anger boiling in his father's eyes, and he knew that he was in trouble as usual, but this time was worse.

In a second, his father spat in his face, the saliva landing on Claude's cheek with a sickening splat. The force of the spit made him stagger backward, his hands coming up instinctively to wipe the wetness away.

" How dare you! " his father hissed at him, " You are lucky I didn't punish you with them! Your mother and brother are sinners, and they got what they deserved! " he continued with more evilness.

Claude's brain couldn't grasp the idea that his father was projecting, he was lost between what he should say, what he is hearing and what is going inside the burning house right now. Was Jehan crying? Did his mother wake up to hold him at least? Are they suffocating? Do they feel the heat? Are they trying to escape? Or did his mother finally give up on trying to escape his father's prison?

" You should watch this and be thankful to me, then to God ", the horrific scene and the state of shock that his only son was in didn't stop him from spreading his poison.

"She was going to leave you with her other son - the one I believe isn't mine - last night," Claude's father said, his voice filled with venom. "She chose him over you,.. Over me. They wanted to abandon you. She doesn't care about you. She chose her freedom, the pleasures of life, sorcery, and disobedience to God over you."

After a momentary pause, Claude's father spoke again. "It wasn't my fault, nor yours," he said calmly. "We are people of God, of Notre Dame. We are never wrong, and it's our responsibility to uphold God's word. Now, I have given her a taste of what she will live through for the rest of her existence. I have given her what God promised people like her."

Claude's heart was pulled in two directions, caught between loyalty and love. His father's teachings of hellfire held great weight, but his love for his mother was unbreakable. In between his burning tears and his numbness, he questioned her actions, trying to make sense of the situation.

"We are each other's only army. You, God, and I," His father's last words echoed in his mind as he watched strangers finally rushing in from all directions, determined to put out the fire and end this chapter of his life.

•

" You brought this upon yourself... " He spoke to Esmeralda, his voice laced with anger and frustration, shaking his head with disappointment as he held the fire torch in his hand, his mind racing with thoughts of what he is about to do with it..

" I thought you were smarter than this, Esmeralda. " He muttered her name under his breath, as if trying to hold on to the memory of her before she is gone forever.

He gazed at her intently, drinking in her features one last time before lifting the torch. The crowd around him reacted with shock and horror as he prepared to use it against his prisoner.

Frollo, consumed by his own inner demons and the obsession that had taken hold of him, allowed them to take control as he convinced himself that Esmeralda's fate was deserved, just like his mother. As she was about to vanish amidst the flames and the screams of Paris, Frollo watched with a sense of satisfaction.

"You were never chosen, Frollo... You never even chose yourself." As the flames consumed Esmeralda's body, Frollo heard her final words echo in his mind like a haunting refrain...

Frollo stood frozen, unsure if the suffocation he felt was from the flames or his own failures. Esmeralda's final words stung him deeply, leaving him feeling powerless. Despite his efforts to control her, he was still losing.

" No! " Frollo crumpled to the ground, sobbing as he watched his burning star vanish. Hellfire had destroyed everything he had ever loved, leaving him with nothing but ashes.

Once again, the flames ravaged his world, shattering him and leaving only a soul adrift in a sea of darkness and despair.