A/N: Wow, so I recently reread all of my stories, and I have to say they are shocking. My writing style has definitely changed over the past two years, and I hope it's for the better. So, I'm re-writing 'Gypsies of Paris' and I intend to finish it this time round. It is a lot darker than the first story, and there is some violence just to pre-warn. I do hope you like it though, and any feedback would be truly appreciated. Many thanks!
In the many weeks after the late Judge Frollo's demise, the people of Paris rejoiced. They were finally free from his tyrannical reign, and for once, all seemed right with the world. A festival was held to celebrate the people's freedom and spirits were high as men, women and children all joined together on the streets, singing and dancing, enjoying a new start to their lives. The happiness didn't last for long.
Victor Frollo. The illegitimate son of Claude Frollo that had been stashed away his whole life to hide the late judge's sins. No one knew if his claims that Frollo was his father were true, but still with so many corrupt souls within the city, it was easy for Victor to take over his father's position as judge.
The new judge held all of his father's prejudices. His hatred for the gypsies eclipsed the hate his father held. He wanted to cleanse the streets of Paris of all of its 'impurities', and if it meant disposing of an entire race, then so be it. The guards of the city were given more freedom to act out against the gypsies, regular patrols of the streets were enforced, and never had the people of Paris been more terrified for their lives or the lives of their children than they were right now.
A ten year old gypsy boy sprinted down an alleyway, tracing patterns along the jagged bricks with his fingertips as he ran. He gave a short chuckle before quickening his pace, laughing all the while as his two friends chased after him. Jacques loved nothing more than to feel the breeze through his hair and the feel of the cobbled street as he ran barefooted through the streets of Paris. He felt completely free as he looked over his shoulder to see if his friends were still keeping up until he collided with something and fell to the ground.
Jacques gulped as he looked up to see the annoyed face of his older sister, Mia. Tapping her foot with her arms crossed, Jacques thought she couldn't possibly look anymore scarier until the sunlight caught her curled auburn hair, making it look more like flames than hair.
"What did you do this time?" Mia narrowed her gaze as she pulled her little brother to his feet. Other than mud covering his rosy freckled cheeks, and a few chicken feathers sticking out at odd angles from his wavy hair, he looked identical to his sister, despite being half her age, they looked like twins. Mia was quite small for her age, and Jacque was easily starting to catch her up.
"I didn't do anything!" he sulked as he dusted down his cropped trousers. Mia sighed and pulled the blue scarf from around her waist and brought it up to his face, removing the patch of mud that was smeared across his left cheek.
"The mud and feathers tell me otherwise, mon petit frère", she laughed as she tied the scarf back around her waist.
"I didn't do anything", he repeated staring at the ground and kicking a rock, maybe she would stop asking questions, then again, this was his sister.
Mia raised an eyebrow before scooping him up and throwing him over her shoulder, walking down the street as if everything was normal, "Either you tell me, or you monsieur, are having a bath!"
"No!" Jacques kicked and screamed as he tried to free himself from his sister's hold, but it was no use, "Fine! I'll tell you!" he cried in defeat.
"That wasn't so hard was it?" Mia smirked dropping him to the floor.
Jacque sighed before leaning against the wall, "Well, yesterday the farmer, monsieur Lefevre, well he shouted at me and my friends, he called us gypsy scum! So we…" he quickly muttered something, looking at his sister before attempting to run off.
"Whoa! Hold your horses, what was that last part?" she questioned, grabbing him by the ear.
"We tried to scare the chickens, but they kind of, sort of, escaped?"
"Did anyone see you or your friends?" Mia asked deadly serious.
"No. I don't think so. Maybe?"
"Jacques, what were you thinking?" Mia threw her hands up in the air. Not a day went by where her brother didn't manage to get himself into trouble, but lately he was becoming more and more reckless. She grabbed her younger brother by his upper arm and started to drag him behind her.
"Maurice!" she yelled, still dragging her brother behind, "Maurice, time to go!" she shouted again before a small black capuchin monkey bounded down the street after the pair and hopped onto her shoulder, wrapping its tail around her arm.
"Where are we going?" Jacques panicked, he rarely saw his sister being this serious.
"Back to the court of miracles, if someone reports you to one of the guards they won't hesitate to arrest you or worse", she stopped bending down a little to look into his eyes, "Just because you're a young boy, they won't show restraint, we're gypsies Jacques, they won't stop because of your age, do you understand?"
Jacques nodded before they resumed walking down the street, keeping their heads down and hoping no one would notice them.
"You there! Gypsies! Stop!" Mia closed her eyes. Why was nothing ever easy? She turned to see two guards running down the street puffing and panting. She picked Maurice up with her delicate hand and placed him on Jacques shoulder before stepping in front of her younger brother and taking a protective stance.
"What seems to be the problem monsieur's?" Mia smiled sweetly while pushing her brother further down the street, hoping he'd take the hint.
"The problem is standing right there," one grunted, pointing his grubby finger at Jacques.
"Now monsieur, surely we can settle this between us," She smiled, fluttering her eyelashes.
"Mia, what are you doing?" Jacques whispered, clinging to his sister as though his life depended on it.
"Wait until I give the signal, then you run. Don't worry about me, just run," she muttered back, giving him a final shove away from her before walking towards the two guards, swaying her hips in a seductive way while untying the scarf from her waist.
"Maybe we could come to some sort of arrangement?" she wrapped the scarf around one of the guard's neck, trailing a finger down his face. He smirked, enjoying having the small curvaceous woman pressed against his body until she brought her knee up to his groin and hit him with all she had.
"RUN!"
Jacques stood completely still, unsure of what to do as the guard Mia had just hit crumpled to the floor while the other grabbed her by her hair.
"RUN NOW!" She cried, clawing at the guards hands frantically.
Jacques stared at his sister before sprinting down the street, he knew that his sister would want him to go straight to the court of miracles, but Mia needed help, and he knew just who to go to.
Mia whimpered as the guard threw her to the floor, hitting her head against the wall as she fell. She tried to glare at the two brutes from her position on the floor but her vision started to blur. Mia couldn't help but panic.
"You'll pay for that, whore!" the guard yelled as he picked himself up from the floor before pulling Mia up by her hair and slamming her against the wall, pinning her arms between them.
"You deserve everything you get," she spat as he slammed her head against the wall again.
She cried out as he pushed her further into the wall, making it difficult for her to breath, blurring her vision more. Mia closed her eyes and gritted her teeth; the pain was worth it if it meant she could protect her younger brother.
As she was thrown to the floor again, she barely noticed a tall figure sneak up behind the guards and attack them. Mia looked up with what little energy she had left to see both the guards fall to the ground unconscious after the tall figure dropped the heavy object he'd used to subdue them to the floor.
"Clopin?" Mia asked before her vision went black.
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