[Private] The Hunchback of Notre Dame (AdAstra)

[UncoordinatedPisces]

Aimee, being closer to Frollo than most people at that point, could hear him mutter the words. She was quickly distracted when Esmerelda jumped in his lap. She had some nerve, that was for sure. It was then she noticed something different...something different in his eyes. Aimee had always been good with body language, like her father, and she could see a look she had never seen before from him.

It left Aimee wondering for a few seconds. Did Frollo like her? It seemed every man in the town did at the moment."Naa", she thought. "That can't be right". Suddenly, laughter eruppted among the crowd and she saw the gypsy girl had pulled his hat down over his face. Aimee tried not to laugh, she really did. But even the look he gave Esmerelda afterwards didn't stop her from giggling uncontrollably.

[AdAstrα]

Frollo glared at Aimee as she giggled, but said nothing, for in the next moment he was once again, distracted by the dancing Esmeralda. Now she was swinging herself around a spear, moving as gracefully as ever while a tender breeze blew through her raven hair, making it look like a flying curtain. He watched her attentively when, just like that, her act was over. Smiling, she bowed at the audience, her green eyes sparkling. She then leapt to her feet and stepped aside to make room on the stage for Clopin. The audience gasped in anticipation; it was now time to crown the King of Fools.

Roseriya hurried forward to sneak a word with the dancer, but being so little she immediately got pushed out of the way. She therefore turned around abruptly and ran back to her spot, a little gutted but not badly hurt at least. She could always speak to her later at the Court...ask her what could've possibly possessed her to do such a thing to Judge Frollo. Did she not realise it could get her in trouble!? And serious trouble at that?

[UncoordinatedPisces]

Quasimodo had been almost been in a trance. As he watched the beautiful gypsy dance, he smiled dreamily. He got snapped out of it when everyone was cheering, for she had finished her act. He clapped as well, meaning it whole-heartily. Clopin, the King of the Gypsies, began singing again. This was the moment Quasi had always watched with anticipation from the Bell Tower, and now he was actually there.

She could see Esmerelda hold her hand out for him to climb up onto the stage. It was more of a spur of the moment type thing when Quasi decided to reach out for the hand and get onto the stage, ditching the cloak he had been wearing as a disguise. As each mask was taken off and the crowd booed or cheered for the ugliest face, Aimee's eyes narrowed on the last person in the line. Surely that wasn't...

Esmerelda finally reached Quasi, and tugged lightly at his face. To her surprise, and everyone else's horror, there was no mask.
"It's not a mask, it's his face!", someone called out. The crowd let out a gasp, and Aimee dared to look at Frollo's reaction, Quasi wasn't so daring though.
"It's the bell ringer of Notre Dame!", another person called out. Quasi felt a deep shame and embarrassment overwhelm him, he didn't want this to happen. He covered up his face with his hands in dismay, resisting the urge to run off the stage.

[AdAstrα]

Frollo immediately stood up, rudely awakened from his daydream. Gobsmacked, he now stared at Quasimodo, all thoughts of the beautiful Esmeralda erased from his mind. No. he thought, his dark eyes widening in horror mixed with steaming fury, his heart pounding hard inside his chest. No. He couldn't. He wouldn't!

But there Quasimodo was, covering his face and shuddering with fear as the crowd gazed at him condescendingly. It was no illusion. The disfigured bellringer had really disobeyed his master, without so much as thinking about the consequences. Frollo was beyond shocked to see him there on the stage. How dared he.....

"Ladies and gentlemen, don't panic!" Clopin said, noticably eager to keep the spirits high, "We asked for the ugliest face in Paris, and here he is! Quasimodo, The hunchback of Notre Dame!"

Instantly, the crowd started cheering. A crown was placed on Quasimodo's head, and a cloak draped over his shoulders. Then he was carried off, explosions of confetti erupting from every direction. Once, he glanced in Frollo's direction, smiling and waving, but his master was not at all amused. In fact, he was angrier than he had been in a long while.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

Tears of joy leaked out of Quasi's eye as the crowd cheered him, chanting his name. He embraced it all. He felt for that precious moment, that he was wanted, and that the people liked him. However, one soilder was grinning to himself as he tossed a tomato up and down in his hand. He said to a fellow comrade, "You think he's ugly now? Watch this!". He lobbed it threw the air and it hit Quasi in the face. The whole crowd gasped, including Aimee. Quasi brought a hand up to his face and wiped it off, in shock from how quickly the atmosphere around him had turned. "Now that's ugly!".

"Hail to the King!", another soilder called out mockingly as he threw another tomato. To Quasi's and Aimee's horror, the crowd began pelting him with all sorts. As Quasi tried to get off the stage, a rope came out of nowhere and looped around his neck. "Where do you think your going hunchback? The fun's only beginning!". Then more ropes were thrown and Quasi tried to fight them off. Anger and fear swept over him and he used every ounce of strength to break free, ripping his tunic.

As he was spun around, held in place by the ropes. A deep shame fell upon him. Aimee's eyes were wide with disbelief. How could everything turn so cruel in such a short space of time? For someone as surprisingly tough as Quasi, even he was surprised at how much it was hurting him. He was in a state of panic as he called out, "Master! Master, please, help me!". That was enough to bring tears to Aimee's eyes. She turned around and took a few steps towards Frollo, looking at him directly, "Please, please make them stop this!". Her eyes were hazy with angry and sympathetic tears.

[AdAstrα]

Frollo merely gazed at her, frowning. "I will not." he simply said, his facial expression showing nothing but anger and disgust as he glanced at Quasimodo. "He disobeyed me and therefore he deserves to be punished."

He could see that Aimee was getting increasingly upset, and therefore, he frowned. "Surely you've realised by now that I do not tolerate being disobeyed, my dear niece?" he added sarcastically, pointing to the bruise on her face.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

Aimee gave Frollo an unimpressed and hateful look, even though Quasi disobeyed him doesn't mean he deserved this. Heck, why couldn't Quasi go out anyway? Frollo kept him cooped up just like he did with Aimee. The girl's temper was getting worse, she didn't know whether it was teenager hormones, her just being angry about it, or both.

She felt herself flinch a little when he pointed at the bruise. She wasn't ever going to forget that moment, the moment where she had felt fear unlike any fear she experienced before. But something sparked in her, she was going to stick up for herself, and Quasimodo.

Taking a few more brave steps towards Frollo, she glared at him angrily,
"No one deserves that!", she shouted furiously, pointing at Quasimodo, "And don't call me your niece, I hate being reminded of that! How I could end up being related to someone like you! I hate you! Your an evil bast-".

Aimee managed to get a hold of herself before she finished that sentence. She was surprised at her own voice. Surprised at herself from speaking up like that. She felt confident at that moment in time, she began to walk away from him. "If you won't help Quasi, I will!", she added, turning round to glare at him.

[AdAstrα]

Frollo felt and looked as if he was about to burst with fury. Grabbing Aimee's arm, he pulled her violently backwards towards him, forcing her into the chair in which he had, until recently, been sitting. Staring at her, his dark eyes were filled with pure hatred. "You will stay RIGHT here!" he exclaimed angrily, fighting an overwhelming urge to shout, and even more so; to hit her again. "You will stay here and be quiet until I tell you otherwise! Do you hear me!? If you so much as move from this chair, you will wish you had never been born." He squeezed her arm tightly before he let go of her, just to emphasize what he had just said, and to make it clear that he meant every single word of it.

Meanwhile, Esmeralda was busy getting changed inside her tent. Pulling the fancy red dress over her head, she folded it neatly and placed it on the floor. She was in a good mood; her dance act had gone according to plan and now she was looking forward to catching up with her friends again to enjoy what remained of the festival, for it was not quite over yet. She did not regret involving Judge Frollo in her act, and although she did realise that some might find it appropriate, it wasn't a big deal. It had not been her plan to do so initially, but seeing him watching her so attentively, she simply could not resist. Swiftly getting into her usual outfit, she brushed her thick, dark hair and tied it up. She was just about to pack up her things and leave, when she became aware of the fact that something wasn't right. Far from it, in fact. The cheers were gone, replaced with laughs and a gut-wrenching scream that seemed to fade in strength as the seconds progressed. Bewildered, she looked up, listening. "Help me, please! Master..."

She frowned. What on earth was going on out there?

[UncoordinatedPisces]

Aimee hadn't been expecting so much force from Frollo and as she was pulled back she almost screamed the words, "Get off me!", she yelped in pain at the hard grip on her arm and the fact she had hit her head on the chair. She was going to reach to her arm to pry his hand off, but his words immobilized her. She went cold with fear, she didn't want to risk that threat.

She knew Quasi would hate to see her get hurt on his behalf anyway. A small whine of fear escaped her lips. She knew this wasn't the end of it. Quasi's cries for help weren't helping. The girl wanted to get up and help him, but one glance at her uncle made her stay frozen to the spot.

[AdAstrα]

Frollo had no intention whatsoever of trying to help Quasimodo in any way, his disobedience angered him beyond belief and thus he merely looked away at his desperate pleas for help. The silly boy, how could he have ever expected to be seen as anything but a monster? He did not belong out here. He never had, and never would. How could he have thought otherwise? Such stupidity...such carelessness...

"Sir, request permission to stop this cruelty." Phoebus said, stepping forward with a concerned frown on his face.

"In just a moment, captain." Frollo said, glancing at him, "A lesson needs to be learned here."

Then, in that very moment, the crowd immediately fell silent. Looking up again, Frollo immediately spotted the gypsy from afar, slowly but determinedly making her way to the motionless Quasimodo.

Esmeralda's heart sank as she approached the hunchback, seeing up close what the abuse had done. His green eyes glistening with silent tears, he gazed at her in horror, obviously unsure of her intentions.

"Don't be afraid." she said, kneeling down beside him. He flinched, and a horrible feeling of guilt came over her. She couldn't help but blame herself for all of this happening; she was the one who had pulled him up on that stage after all. "I'm sorry." She said, gently wiping his face, "This wasn't supposed to happen."

A deep, commanding voice immediately spoke up from a few metres away. "You! Gypsy girl! Get down at once!" Judge Frollo shouted angrily.

"I will, your honor." Esmeralda replied, standing up, "Just as soon as I free this poor creature."

"I forbid it!"

She shot him a look of pure disgust as she swiftly grabbed the knife, cutting the ropes defiantly. Frollo then took a few menacing steps forward, almost shaking with fury. "How dare you defy me!" he shouted.

"You mistreat this poor boy the same way you mistreat my people! She began, a stern look in her green eyes as she looked directly at him, "You speak of justice, yet you are cruel to those most in need of your help!"

"Silence!"

"JUSTICE!"

The crowd now stared at her in awe; for never before had anyone dared to speak up against Frollo in this manner. Frollo almost seemed surprised himself, but as always, his first and only reaction was anger.

"Mark my words gypsy, you will pay for this insolence! he said menacingly.

"Then it appears we've crowned the wrong fool!" Esmeralda retorted, her heart pounding with fury, "The only fool I see...IS YOU!" she shouted, grabbing the crown on Quasimodo's head and angrily throwing it in Frollo's direction.