The Nightcrawler of Notre Dame

Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men

Prologue

It was a beautiful day in the city of Paris as Margali Szardos, Gypsy Queen and Sorceress of the Munich Circus prepared to tell a tale that been spoken of quite often amongst her people.

Morning in Paris, the city awakes
To the bells of Notre Dame
The fisherman fishes, the bakerman bakes
To the bells of Notre Dame
To the big bells as loud as the thunder
To the little bells soft as a psalm
And some say the soul of the city's
The toll of the bells
The bells of Notre Dame

A crowd of children and curious adults came into Margali's tent as she used smoke, powder and a little puppet to tell her tale.

Listen, they're beautiful, no?
So many colors of sound, so many changing moods
Because you know, they don't ring all by themselves
- They don't? -
No, silly boy.
Up there, high, high in the dark bell tower
lives the mysterious bell ringer.
Who is this creature - Who? -
What is he? - What? -
How did he come to be there - How? -
Hush, and Margali will tell you
It is a tale, a tale of a man and a monster.

Dark was the night when our tale was begun
On the docks near Notre Dame

Mystique, a former mutant terrorist was sneaking into Paris. She'd fled from Germany after the truth of her identity and what her infant son was became known. She was trying to escape those who would harm her child and herself. At that moment, her son, Kurt Wagner, was crying in response to the cold.

Mystique held him close and whispered, "Hush, little one." Kurt fell silent and pressed his head against her chest. Mystique smiled a little. He was the perfect physical copy of herself and his father. She silently prayed that her son would have a safer and happier life than she had.

Margali:
One frightened woman slid silently under
The docks near Notre Dame

Boatman:
Four guilders for safe passage into Paris

Before Mystique could pay, a gun went off and she spun around to see armed men and the one person she no longer considered her own flesh-and-blood.


Margali:
But a trap had been laid for the woman
And she gazed up in fear and anger
At a figure whose clutches
Were iron as much as the bells

Boatman:
Graydon Creed

Margali:
The bells of Notre Dame

Chorus:
Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy)

Margali:
Graydon Creed longed
To purge the world
Of his mutant-kin

Chorus:
Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy)

Margali:
And he saw corruption
Everywhere
Except within

Mystique was full of fear and anger as she held Kurt close. Graydon, her son by Victor Creed, had been born human and believing that he would lead a better life without her, she'd given him for adoption. Graydon had grown into a mutant hater and especially despised his parents. For months, he'd been after Mystique and now he'd found her.

Graydon:
Bring this mutant vermin to the Palace of Justice

Guard:
You there, what are you hiding?

Graydon:
Stolen goods, no doubt. Take them from her

Margali:
She ran

Chorus:
Dies irae, dies illa (Day of wrath, that day)
Solvet saeclum in favilla (Shall consume the world in ashes)
Teste David cum sibylla (As prophesied by David and the sibyl)
Quantus tremor est futurus (What trembling is to be)
Quando Judex est venturus (When the Judge is come)

Mystique ran as fast as she could. She had to escape from Graydon and protect her son, her true son, from the monster that was after them. She ran up the cathedral doors and pounded on them as hard as she could.

Mystique:
Sanctuary, please give us sanctuary!

Graydon came up from behind her and tried to take her baby away. Mystique tried to fight back, but being weak from the birth and the lack of proper food and sleep, she could do nothing as Graydon pushed her down the steps and caused her to be severely injured.

Before passing out, Mystique whispered, "Azazel, protect our son."

Graydon just looked upon his mother in disgust as he turned his attention to the bundle he'd taken from her. It started wailing. "A baby?" he murmured. His mother had had another child? But then he looked at it in horror and fear. "A monster!"

The child was blue with yellow eyes, two toes on each foot, three fingers on each hand, pointed ears, fangs and a tail. On its neck was a tag that read, "Kurt Wagner." His mother had sired a demon! Thinking fast, he found a well and was about to dispose of the child, when Azazel, Kurt's father, appeared in the form of the Archdeacon. He had heard his lover's cry and was planning on reviving her and protecting his son.

Azazel:
Stop!

Margali:
Cried the Archdeacon

Graydon:
This is an unholy demon.
I'm sending it back to where it belongs.

Azazel:
See there the innocent blood you have spilt
On the steps of Notre Dame

Graydon:
I am guiltless. She ran, I pursued.

Azazel:
Now you would add this child's blood to your guilt
On the steps of Notre Dame

Graydon:
My conscience is clear

Azazel:
You can lie to yourself and your minions
You can claim that you haven't a qualm
But you never can run from
Nor hide what you've done from the eyes
The very eyes of Notre Dame

Chorus:
Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy)

Margali:
And for one time in his life
Of power and control

Chorus:
Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy)

Margali:
Graydon felt a twinge of fear
For his immortal soul

Graydon began to panic. What would happen if he disposed of his mother's child? What if the police found out of what he'd done? Mutant or not, he'd just murdered his own mother and nearly killed his half-brother. He turned to Azazel, who was still in the form of the Archdeacon and was cradling Mystique's form in his arms.

"What would you have me do?" he demanded.

Azazel's lip curled. He knew of a fitting punishment for this monster. It wasn't what he wanted for his son, but he would still watch over him and make sure he turned out differently than Graydon, for both the sake of Mystique and Kurt.

"You must care for the child and raise it as your own," said Azazel.

Graydon looked horrified and disgusted.

Graydon:
What? I am to be saddled with this misshapen…?
Very well. Let him live with you, in your church.

Azazel:
Live here? Where?

Graydon:
Anywhere
Just so he's kept locked away
Where no one else can see
The bell tower, perhaps
And who knows, our Lord works in mysterious ways
Even this foul creature may
Yet prove one day to be
Of use to me

Margali:
And Graydon gave the child a cruel nickname
A name that means worm, Nightcrawler,
Now here is a riddle to guess if you can
Sing the bells of Notre Dame
Who is the monster and who is the man?

Margali and Chorus:
Sing the bells, bells, bells, bells
Bells, bells, bells, bells
Bells of Notre Dame