Justice is Swift But Vengeance is Sweeter (A Judge Frollo Fanfiction)

Truths and Confessions

He gasped into consciousness, sitting up suddenly, heard drumming wildly in his sweaty chest. Turning slowly he finds Healia beside him. He looks around, finding them alone.

"What...what happened?" He breathed, trying to catch his breath. Healia smiled weakly.

"I gave you tea and you just passed out, normal due to the circumstances. Nikolas is out searching for his breakfast and I've been up all night making sure your fever died and didn't grow worse." If he looked closely he could see the dark rims beneath her eyes, making him bite his lip. She'd denied herself of sleep just to make sure he was okay? Now he felt guilty. But at least he didn't feel like vomiting anymore. Healia reached for his forehead, smiling in approval. "Well, you've broken your fever. That's a relief. At least that means the night with me here did you some good. Would you like water?" He nodded and she picked up a cup, putting it to his lips. He took the cup in his hands, drinking eagerly. Her face fell. "But, if you were wondering what had happened when you went unconscious, well, you began to sob and wail as if you were at a funeral. You were shouting things like, "Get away!" and "Stop!" It was a little scary, especially when you began to howl at the top of your lungs, screaming two names, Madeline and Pierre." Frollo looked down, remembering very well now, the hallucination. Covering his eyes he said softly.

"Those names, they were very important people in my life." Healia's eyes went wide in surprise.

"You mean your..." Frollo finished swiftly, finding his eyes burning with tears.

"Parents, correct. When I was nineteen plague swept through Paris, killing women, men and children, rich and poor. However at the time I was still preparing to become an official or something in that area dealing with law, I had not signed a single execution form or burn any women. My father was Prime Minister at the time and swiftly began to take care of the situation. It worked well but he was stumped by one thing, how had Paris gotten so sick? Well, it turned out to be a traveler, a gypsy." He spat the word out, and Healia winced, but Frollo didn't notice. "He was caught buying food and he was sickly indeed. My father had him captured and put in the dungeon, since the man's arrival and the first case of plague had been on the same day. It was too coincidental. Apparently the man had caught something on his way here and brought it to shore with him. Instead of get help he went on with his usual life, infecting everyone he had contact with. Which included my mother and father. My father fell ill first since he had been in contact with the gypsy first but swiftly afterwards so did my mother. They grew feverish and began to spit up blood with each cough; also they could not eat for anything that passed their lips was vomited up violently an hour or so later. I had to take care of my younger brother, trying to keep him calm as we watched out parents suffer." Frollo paused, wiping his eyes roughly as he spoke, voice hoarse with emotion. "With each passing day they got worse, it was horrible to watch them sweat and vomit and bleed and not be able to do a single thing about it. They attempted treatments such as bloodletting..."Healia shook her head, shuddering.

"That thing never works." Frollo shot her a glare before going on.

"But nothing worked, they only grew worse. Finally, one day my father called me to his bedside and he told me that if he didn't make it, he wanted me to keep Paris, our home, safe from things that could hurt it. And..." He began to feel hot tears rush past his eyes but managed to go on. "And they died the next morning. That morning, when we found their lifeless bodies, I swore that I would become the next Prime Minister and take my father's mantel. I would protect our home from things that could hurt it, and I swore that each and every gypsy that dared to come to Paris would suffer like my parents, because if not for that one gypsy, they would not be dead along with a third of Paris. They would not be dead." He finished, trying halfheartedly to wipe the tears away. Healia sighed heavily, head in her hands.

"Well, that certainly is an interesting reason; I always thought it was something petty. But, that doesn't mean you can go about killing people. We aren't all like that one man, some of us are prideful and won't ask for help yes but we are a family, and family help each other when we are sick or injured. And, plague isn't something we can control, don't the clergy always say that if someone dies that it's God's will? However, I can see where you're coming from, my parents were killed when I was little, then I came here. I came here by chance but once I did, I instantly liked it; it was just so big and beautiful, bustling and flowing together. I fell in love with this city, just like so many gypsies. I know you don't trust us and I understand now, but isn't this a chance to try, can't you try and trust at least one gypsy?" She asked. Frollo felt his mouth twitch, amusing how this was not the situation to be smiling yet he wanted to.

"I trust you, Healia." He replied quietly. She froze and breathed.

"Y...you do?" He gave her a gentler look.

"What other gypsy would have saved me and taken hours upon hours of their time to tend to me? I trust you Healia; you've given me reason to. But that isn't all, I'm just...hypnotized by you, I can't explain it but I'm drawn to you. At first I was horrified that I'd dare feel anything for a gypsy but now I feel I can accept..." Healia suddenly had her arms around him, her head on his shoulder. He made a small noise, partly in surprise and partly in relief, holding her close to him as if she was his lifeline. She didn't make a sound when he wrapped an arm around her, merely whispered gently.

"I saved you for a special reason Frollo." This made him pause, she had? She'd saved him for a special reason?

"Why then, why save me?" Healia smiled, nestling her head against the crook of his neck.

"Because I was grateful, because I knew a man like you had done wrong things, but maybe, just maybe I could give you redemption." He sighed blissfully, pleasantly lost in her sweet fragrance and words. Redemption, something he didn't deserve, not after so long of killing gypsies, but was given by an angel on Earth. He felt safe from his past, the past that had burned and scarred him for so long, leaving him broken and angry until all he could do was fight the one enemy he could see, gypsies. But now, even though he couldn't, no, he wouldn't forgive that man for his choices, for what he had caused, Frollo could try to move forward and do exactly what he swore to all those years ago. To protect his precious city from anything that would hurt it, and at the moment, a civil war would tear Paris apart. And maybe, just maybe Healia could be part of his redemption, could be there as his guardian angel, leading him, helping him. However, Healia suddenly pulled away, looking upset.

"But, I know that Nikolas cares about me, that he loves me. What do I say to him? I know you've worked hard to help me heal the most dangerous man in Paris so I think I'll give him my affections instead? No, I couldn't do such a thing to him, he cares about me deeply."

"No, he doesn't. He's nothing more than alying traitor." Healia and Frollo's gaze whipped to the opening, findingEsmeralda standing there, her knife in her hand. The green eyed girl smiledsadly. "Hi sis, is this the reason you couldn't dance with me?"