Out there by the fairest light (Complete)

Chapter 16- Snow and copper bells

He sensed the hitch in her voice, as she made her way to the reason of why things fell apart. Sitting back, Quasimodo's eyes furrowed inwards. The curiosity evident on his face.

"...but then...he met her!" She spat out almost like a completely different person.

Quasi didn't speak, he sat still and allowed her to compose herself. Tears fell slowly from her anger.

"D-do you mean your stepmother?" Quasi felt it better to speak now. Making sure to speak with softened and reassurance, Quasimodo knew that this moment had to have been years worth of anguish that had accumulated inside of her.

Snow merely nodded a saddened reply.

"D-do you know why she is chasing you?" Quasi asked inquisitively.

"...no! I have no idea! I know that she killed my father but I had no idea she hated us! Hate is very lenient...more like despise" Snow yelped. Still so unsure as to what this had all been about. Sighing, she then twitched in her seat with uncomfortable thought.

"B-b-but killing your father...t-that is a pretty extreme thing to do, even if you hate someone...a-and your father sounded like such a influential person! H-he didn't deserve that to happen!" He answered sincerely. Analysing the curves of her face and far away stare that resided in her eyes, Quasi had never seen such terror or emotion displayed on her face. Understanding her immediate frustration was surprisingly easy for him even though he'd never felt it for himself only being told it by his master.

"B-because She is evil! And if I'd realised that sooner I could have gotten him away from her but...I was too naive to see past her lies...a-and thank you, for what you said about father...it was very sweet. I think you are probably the only person who thought that about him besides me. Thank you" Snow squeezed Quasimodo's hand tighter to which they both blushed uncontrollably.

"Oh...I actually have something that was my mother's" Snow recalled with surprise as distant memories of her past faded.

Untying the red ribbon that sat atop of her head, she clasped it in her hands. Sheer contentment blazed over her as she stared, fixated on this small piece of history that she had cherished.

"This ribbon was my mother's. She gave it to my father just before she died...a sort of parting gift as she must have known she would never see me grow up...father told me she had it with her always. And now I wish to return that tradition! It's never away from me...even though I didn't know her, I somehow sense that she is still with me" She said warmly with a grin.

Humbly she then handed it over to Quasi who lightly took it with delicate movements. Scanning and examining every inch of the material in his hands, it turned it this way and that.

"I-it's very beautiful" Quasi replied cheerfully.

Laughing contently, Snow glanced at it in Quasi's hands, grateful for his presence. Having Quasimodo sit opposite her, allowing both to feel vulnerable and open to each other. She smiled with appreciation.

"Thank you" Snow replied, intricately with a voice like honey.

Quasi handed the ribbon back to her with tender care. In the midst of so much honesty, Quasimodo felt glad, overwhelmed that she had trusted him with such precious information and memories such as those of her parents. Knowing that she trusted him, made him feel rather guilty. Sure he had told her about not knowing his parents, but they weren't memories as he never knew them to have been connected. Demonstrating his figurines in his home made Norte Dame square wasn't on the same level as he had just bared witness too and so was his thinking about how he could repay her his own trust in her?