Chapter 1- The Trip
She was only 17 years old but today she had dealt with things far beyond her years.
Jocelyna had been told a few days ago by one of her closest friends back at the gypsy camp that if she moved to Paris she could seek medical help for her baby and refuge in another gypsy camp, the Court of Miracles. She initially thought the idea absurd- she'd heard about the cruel minister of Justice there who despises gypsies- but looking down at her son, Rhayeder in the "condition" that he was in brought her to agree. Rhayeder was only 3 weeks old. She loved her child with all her heart, as a mother would, and would do absolutely anything for him, even if his appearance was...unfortunate.
The child was deformed. With a tetrahedron nose that looked as though it had been squashed up his face, a large mound over his left eye which, Jocelyna was sure, hinders his vision, and a large camel-like hump on his back which she tried to cover as best as she could with his blankets when around the gypsy children to avoid jeers. Aside from that, he was as pale as snow, which Jocelyn thought strange since both her and the boy's father were tanned, and had very red hair - again, something Jocelyna thought strange. Everyone in the gypsy camp was harmless and nearly everyone welcomed Rhayeder as their own and embraced his 'uniqueness' but she still felt weary around the children. Though she knew they wouldn't physically hurt Rhayeder, she still felt they would be too young to understand that Rhayeder was merely deformed rather than "a goblin" which she heard one of the gypsy boys call Rhayeder when he was just a day old.
His twisted spine was exactly the reason why she considered seeking medical help. Every night since Rhayeder's birth, she had awoken to ear-piercing screaming coming from the small bundle of blankets by her own blankets. Jocelyna knew instantly that these cries were not the normal ones every baby makes, but more a cry of pain. It was then that she realised Rhayeder's spine was causing him enormous pain lying down which she figured was why Rhayeder only cried during the night when she had laid him down for bed- it was the pressure of the floor on his back that caused the pain. His back did protrude at an odd angle but, until then, she never thought it as a cause of pain for the boy. She knew seeking medical help wouldn't exactly take away his ill-fated characteristics but to be honest, she didn't care one bit, in her eyes he was perfect but she desperately wanted to relieve her poor son of the pain his back caused him every night.
Her older brother, Lucentio, decided to come too with his friend, Gramio, to protect Jocelyna and the baby if any trouble came to them. Of course the street-wise gypsy was more than capable of protecting herself and the baby but the fact that her usually-distant brother cared for her and Rhayeder's safety led her to let it slide. Jocelyna had not spoken to her brother for a while since Rhayeder's birth- she knew it was because of Rhayeder that kept him at a distance. Still, she was glad he'd finally come round and even offered to come with them on the boat trip to Paris. Lucentio suggested they set off in the early hours when everyone would be asleep to make the chance of getting to Paris unseen more likely. Jocelyna couldn't agree more since she didn't plan on meeting Minister Frollo anytime soon.
It was during the early hours when the four finally set off after rounds of goodbyes with their many gypsy friends- she would miss them all dearly. She'd taken her warmest cloak- light navy which had an attached hood and wrapped extra blankets around Rhayeder to keep him warm too in the icy September winds. Even getting ready for the trip, she constantly thought the idea pointless- no one would want to serve or even associate with gypsies, she thought, but glancing down at her son, her beautiful, perfect son, with his big, bright blue eyes gazing lovingly up to her gave her the strength and motivation to do all she could to make his life just that little bit better.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: First chapter! So, what do u guys think? Any reviews would be warmly received :-)
For those that are interested, the name, 'Rhayeder' comes from 'The Snow Goose' which is the name for the hunchbacked lighthouse keeper- I thought there was some kind of connection there :-)