Or Else Let Her Be Mine And Mine Alone

Despair, Limerence and Pain

The Sunlight gradually made its way into the chamber, expecting to stir up the inhabitants. Unfortunately Frollo was already awake.

He turned his head to see a dormant Esmeralda, confined to the furthermost edge of the bed. Her nightgown had moved to reveal some of her bare legs, and in turn the bruises and bites from the previous night. Her shoulder was swollen. He looked at his own arms, which held scratches from the struggle. His chest ached dully from where the girl had hit him.

With a sigh he remembered the day she had moaned his name and touched him. Seeing her indulge had filled him with overwhelming ecstasy. Such a contrast to the previous night when she had cowered and relentlessly screamed and pulled on his hair in terror. How she had lumbered to the door following the seemingly endless crying.

He didn't feel remorse for what he had done; seeing her in distress with him was still a hundred times more preferable than seeing her happy with anyone else. But even so, he wondered if this time he had gone too far.

He wished that they could make love like normal lovers; without the crying and the beating and the bleeding. He had often envisioned her seeking comfort from him after realizing the truth about her captain. He wanted her to come to him out of want, to long for him just like he did for her. Her screams and wails of agony made him feel like stabbing himself again in the chest.

But wasn't what she had done just as merciless? If he had taken her innocence, she had taken his innocence too. She had seduced a man who until then, had austerely abstained from the unholy desires of the flesh. And she knew that her temptation had made him suffer. She had reduced a stoic official of authority to a conflicted man broken by his own limerence. To pass over somebody who was ready to undo his entire life, even his dear brother to be with her, and choose a faithless fool over him- that was cruel beyond imagination.

If only she wasn't so stubborn, they would have been happy together. But as long as she was disobedient and disloyal, he had to punish her. He had suffered enough punishment himself, and she didn't seem to mind that. Maybe suffering herself would put some sense into her.

He gently stroked her head. She looked completely angelic when asleep. A paragon of innocence. He looked at her with the possessiveness of a hawk after catching its prey. How could he let something so pure be tainted by anyone but him? Especially someone like the captain, who would no doubt leave her for some other girl in a fortnight. No, fate had given her to him. To see her live in such fear and pain was pitiful, but it was necessary to make her remember who she belonged to- and to do it in such a way that she would never forget. He had laid his right on her. As both her master and the closest thing to a husband, disciplining her was not just his entitlement; it was his duty. Any man in his place would have done the same.

He progressed to her lovely neck and the curve of her breasts. Those were still unblemished. He wondered what they would look like if he had bit down there too. The thought of her maidenly body bearing his mark made him throb. He looked at the window. The early rays of the sun were entering the chamber.

Esmeralda sleepily brushed his hand away from her. Her lips were chapped, but parted. If only he could take her now and satisfy his need. Then he realized that he could.

He got up and opened the bedside drawer to take out a key. After confirming that she was still asleep, he put the key in the door, locking it. His cloak hung nearby. He wrapped the key in the cloak and kept it inside his wardrobe. Now that the key was out of sight, he returned to the bed and put his arms around the girl.

'What are you doing?' groaned a languid voice. He kissed her neck and allowed his hands to massage underneath it.

He was deaf to the expected shouts and insults, and the desperate punches on his back just made him feel more in power. Their position ensured that she was able to do no more.