Aha, you love it, I know because this story has gotten 10 hits since the last time I checked. I love you all.

And I own nothing. Except for...well, every character except Clopin, really. Wow. That puts things in perspective.


Like Hornets Protecting Their Hive
Two

"I think he was flirting with me, Genevieve."

The portly woman—Genevieve—chuckled as another woman took the basket from Semmary. "Why do you even try to hide it?" she said knowingly as she took the earnings pouch from Semmary's waist. "You're completely smitten with him, aren't you?"

Lola, the other woman, smirked as well. "I was watching you two. He seems to like you a lot."

Semmary shook her head in spite of herself; the two women didn't know how well and for how long she knew Clopin. "I don't think so. He's a womanizer, isn't he?"

The two laughed. "Clopin Trouillefou? The only woman he 'eyesed' was his mother." More laughter.

Semmary sighed. "That's not very—"

"Maman!"

Semmary turned in time to catch a little girl, no more than three, as she ran and leapt into her arms. "Hello, my little one!" she laughed, hugging the child to her. "How was your day?"

"Veevee told me to take a nap all day, Maman."

"Don't listen to her, Angeliqua. She's just cranky because she's jealous of Clopin's mother."

Lola gasped and giggled, and Genevieve shooed her away. "No such thing," she muttered as they exited the caravan.

"Did you see him?!" Angeliqua asked excitedly.

Semmary was wondering if he suddenly had the same effect on everyone overnight like her. "Yes, I did. And he says hello to you."

"He went away for a long time, mommy."

The gypsy nodded and set her daughter on the ground, holding on to her tiny hand and walking out of the caravan. "He did. We all missed him."

Angeliqua smiled innocently and tugged at her jet-black curly hair. "I know you did."

Semmary blushed and lowered her voice. "I did."

To her surprise, Clopin was in the same place he was when she left him. This seemed to lift Angeliqua's spirits higher than the clouds.

"Kaysey!" she screamed excitedly.

Clopin smiled as Angeliqua ran up to him, arms spread in delight.

"Ah, Angeliqua!" he laughed, kneeling down to catch her. "My little Angel."

Semmary smiled as well, catching up to the two of them. She raised an eyebrow. "Kaysey?"

Clopin nodded and conjured his puppet self, letting Angeliqua bat at it. "Yes, well, she can't exactly say my name yet." He glanced at Semmary before mussing Angeliqua's hair with the puppet. "Kaysey…is short for 'King Clopin.'"

Semmary chuckled. "Is that so?"

Clopin nodded again. "Tell your mummy what we did before I left."

Angeliqua grinned and shook her head.

"Please?" Clopin hugged the girl closer to him and tickled her face with the puppet. "For me?"

Angeliqua giggled again, then leaned forward and gave the gypsy king a sloppy baby kiss on the cheek.

Both Semmary and Clopin froze on the spot, and Semmary viewed what she considered an unusual premonition. She saw Clopin fathering Angeliqua and maybe a few other—

"I rang da bells!"

Clopin laughed, his eyes unexpectedly tearing up. "Very good!"

"I missed this," Semmary chuckled again.

"You had a terrible fever," Clopin said, setting the girl down and watching her scamper off.

"I see."

Clopin stood beside Semmary with his hands behind his back. He was watching her; it didn't make her uncomfortable, rather, it made her feel…strange. It was a good strange.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Clopin's gaze rest on her lips…which set her stomach on fire. He's done this many times before, but she's never reacted this way. In fact, many of the things Clopin did that day were not new. Semmary Dufila's reactions were, however, completely new.

"Karnival—?"

"Lots of bloodshed," Clopin answered quickly. He circled the young gypsy with a familiar interest; Semmary kept her gaze to the ground with an unfamiliar wish. "We couldn't get past the guards at first…we played many tricks. You know them; most of them worked, and some of them failed. We caught many prisoners, though. They've already been hanged."

Semmary nodded and looked up just as Clopin stopped in front of her.

"You should have gone with me."

"Why would I have done that?" Semmary asked earnestly. "Karnival wouldn't have been a sight for Angeliqua to see."

"You do have a point." He stroked his goatee in thought. "Hm. There was a time when we were inseparable. Do you remember?"

Semmary nodded and suddenly flashed back to the day the two of them met. Semmary was twelve at the time; Clopin was twenty-five.

-+-ND-+-

She was walking back from snatching a particularly warm loaf of bread from the bakery, and she had to be swift about it. She knew a way to get to her family's caravan quicker by cutting through Notre Dame cathedral, and she was halfway through it when a man suddenly fell from what appeared to her to be the ceiling.

"Merde!" she had cried, dropping the bread and covering her mouth quickly.

The man had a peculiar purple mask on and a tattered blue hat with a feather the same color as the mask. He narrowed his eyes, remaining in a crouched position.

"Aren't you a little young to be going around cursing like a Viking?" he asked mysteriously. "Let alone in a house of God?" He stood up straight, revealing himself to be several feet taller than little Semmary, and very slim in build. He was obviously an acrobat of some kind.

"I don't believe in God," Semmary hissed, picking the bread back up and glaring at the man. "Who are you and where did you come from?"

"I'm your worst nightmare and I came from my mother."

Semmary raised an eyebrow.

"Well, honestly," the man said dramatically, crossing his arms. "Not only did you insult God, but you insulted God in a house of God. You didn't really think I was going to tell you my name, did you?"

"I guess only the faithful deserve a name and only the faithful deserve to know it, huh?" Semmary snapped, pushing past him and continuing on her way.

The man was silent for a minute.

"You're very mature for your age, Semmary."

She stopped in her tracks and looked at the ground. Then, she slowly turned around.

"Who are you?" she asked again.

He smiled and bowed, removing his hat. "Clopin Trouillefou."

"Oh, great," Semmary groaned. "I insulted the Gypsy King!"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Clopin hissed suddenly, raising his hands to hush her. "We'll keep this 'king' business between the gypsies, yes?" He sighed and went over to Semmary, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Judge Claude Frollo would not appreciate hearing there were gypsies in Notre Dame, let alone the king."

Semmary looked up. "Where did you come from just a few minutes ago?"

Clopin smiled and steered Semmary towards the back exit where she was headed in the first place. "Just visiting a friend." He looked at her. "As I hope we can be—?"

Semmary shrugged. "Alright." She sniffed. "Sorry for insulting you."

"No worries," Clopin chuckled. "No worries at all."


In case you didn't know, -+-ND-+- means the beginning of a flashback, and +-+ND+-+ means the end of one.