Disclaimer: I do not own any part of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Not the characters, the songs, lines, story plot, etc. Disney owns all that.
But I wish I did :(
Chapter 1
When Miri awoke, the first thing that she realized was that her eyes were burning from crying all night. And from there, she was able to conclude something else. All the people that she loved were gone, including her fiancé. Miri sighed and rose to her feet. "What am I going to do? I...I can't leave all by myself with everyone in danger." Miri said to herself. Miri paced back in forth in the Mill as she decided on what to do about the situation. "I...I have to help them." Miri said as she sat back down onto the floor. But Miri wasn't sure how. She didn't know where anyone was or just how many people had been captured by Frollo.
She had to at least find out where everyone was being imprisoned. But how? She couldn't just ask. She was a gypsy and no one looked upon her kind favorably. How would she find them, let alone save them? Miri then took her cloak and started to walk towards the entrance of the mill. She decided that her first order of business was to find out where her family and friends were located. But, before leaving the mill, Miri surveyed the area for guards. She knew that the minute she got caught, it would be all over.
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Once outside, Miri took her cloak and wrapped it around herself, disguising everything except her feet. She then hunched over in an attempt to look like an old lady, which was a disguise trick that she had learned from her older sister. She began to walk down into the crowd of people, trying her hardest not to bring attention to herself. After some time, Miri came to the bakery that she had hid behind the night before. She stood by the doorway, face covered, and listened to the conversations of the commoners that entered and exited the shop, hoping she would be able to hear someone gossip about the whereabouts of her people. But, for what seemed like an hour, Miri hadn't received any knowledge about what had happened to the gypsies.
Suddenly, she heard the voices of two middle aged women. "Oh it really is just tragic! And did you hear that he locked up every single one of them? Man, woman, and child!" One lady said. "Oh goodness! But how? There's really so many of them! Where did he send them to? I highly doubt there's enough room in the local jail for them all." The other lady said back. "I hear he has them all in the Palace of Justice. Every single one." The other lady said in a quiet voice. As the two women entered the bakery, Miri followed behind. Once inside, the women waited in line to be waited on. While they waited, they continued their conversation with Miri eagerly listening behind them.
"Oh that really is awful. I know they are a group of iffy people, but was it really necessary to lock all of them up?" One lady spoke up. "Oh well of course not! I doubt some of them are even a problem." The other lady responded. "And did you hear what he plans to do to the girl?" The other lady asked. "You mean the one from the festival?" The other asked. "Yes that one. He plans to burn her at the stake." The other responded. "Oh but for what? If anything she should be honored. She spoke up for that poor boy. Why would Frollo do such a thing?" Miri's eyes suddenly widened at the women's response. She had to save them, especially her sister. But first, she had to get to the Palace of Justice. So as innocently as possible, Miri turned around and began to exit the bakery in a pursuit to locate the building that held her sister's life in its hands.
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Miri walked and walked until she came to the other side of the town. And after a little searching, she was met face to face with the Palace of Justice. "How do I get in here?" Miri said to herself. All of a sudden, she heard footsteps. Miri quickly ran and hid behind a nearby well. As she looked back at the building, she watched as guards proceeded to shuffle into the Palace's side entrance. Some were carrying weaponry and others were leading horse drawn carriages into the building. Miri then had an idea and proceeded to walk towards the side door entrance.
Miri waited for one of the horse drawn carriages to stop outside the building. While the carriage was still, Miri climbed underneath of it and tightly gripped the carriages team poles. She also took her dress, lifted it up, and held onto it with her teeth so that nothing could be seen dangling under the carriage. She held on tight as the carriage began to move and bobble over the un-even ground and enter the building.
Miri held on and waited for the guards to free the horses from the carriage and leave the contraption before she allowed herself to drop to the ground. She then crawled behind the carriage and double checked the stable area to make sure it was guard-free before she got up to leave. Once she was self-confident that the guards were gone, Miri quickly got up and ran towards the exit of the stable area. She climbed the stairwell until she came to a door. She jiggled it, and to her delight, it was still open. Quickly and quietly, Miri slipped behind the door and began to walk down a long narrow corridor.
"This must be his house. I need to get to the dungeons though." Miri whispered to herself. Miri looked around for another door or something that lead back down stairs. After concluding that the dungeons must be on the other side of the house, Miri attempted to formulate a plan on how to get there. She continued to walk up and down stairs and through numerous corridors, all while being vigilant and attentive to her surroundings. Occasionally, she would have to hide behind statues or in closets to avoid being caught.
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After what seemed like hours of searching and hiding, Miri came to another door. She opened it. Miri breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the stairs led downwards instead of up. Miri then closed the door and began to descend the stair well. The closer she got to the bottom, the more noise she heard. A lot of it sounded like crying, but some of it was talking. Miri immediately recognized one of the voices and ran towards the cells. When she came to the cell, she was met with Clopin's surprised glance.
"Miri?" He said in confusion. "But h..h..how?" Clopin asked in confusion. "No. We don't have time to discuss that, we just need to get you out of there. Where is everyone else?" Miri asked. "They're on the other side."Clopin answered. Miri began to fiddle with the lock on the cell door, but to her dismay she couldn't get it undone. "Hold on Clopin, I'm going to get a key. Okay?" Miri said. Clopin nodded.
Miri quickly walked around to the back side of the room. Her eyes widened in horror as she looked at the jail cells. Everyone was cramped and chained into their cells. Some of the people were ever crying and praying. "Miri?" A voice called to her. Miri turned around and met the gaze of Nicholae. "Nicholae. Oh my God are you okay?" Miri asked as she walked towards him. "Yes Miri, I'm fine. But why are you here? I told you to leave Miri! Why did you stay here? They're after you!" Nicholae said back. "I..I..I couldn't leave with all of you in this state. Wh..wh..where is my sister?" Miri then asked. Nicholae shook his head. "No one knows. But Frollo plans to burn her alive. Today. At sunset." Nicholae responded. Miri gasped. "No. I have to save her." Miri said back.
"No you have to save yourself. Leave us here Miri. Get out of here." Nicholae said back. "No. Not without all of you. Un pour tous et tous pour un. One for all and all for one. I'm not leaving you." Miri said. "I..I just need to find a key." Nicholae smiled. "This is why I can't live without you." Nicholae said back with a smile on his face. Miri smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Shhh no love, don't cry right now. Cry on our wedding day but not now." Nicholae said back. Miri nodded as she whipped the tear away. "Wh..where is the key? There has to be one." Miri asked. "There is, one of the guards has a whole ring of them. The only thing is I don't know where he put them. I heard him place something down around the corner that jingled when he put it down. Maybe those are it." Nicholae said. Miri quickly walked around to the other side of the cells and found a ring of keys placed down on a candle lit table.
Quickly, Miri took the keys and hurried back to the jail cells. First she went to Clopin's cell and tried to unlock it. The first key didn't work, but the next one did. "Oh thank you Miri." Clopin said. "You're welcome. But the battle is only half won. These chains." Miri stated as she tried to find the key to unlock Clopin's chains. Key after key she tried but couldn't unlock them. "There must be another set of keys. I..I...I'll find them but let me just try to get everyone unlocked first." Miri said. Miri then walked around to the other side of the room and went to work unlocking each jail cell. Still she was not able to free anyone from their chains.
Finally, she unlocked the jail cell with Nicholae in it. Once it was unlocked, Miri couldn't help but run in and hug him. "Oh my God I was so worried about you." Miri whispered to him. "As was I but Miri, you have to hurry and find the other set of keys before someone comes down here." Nicholae responded. "Yes..I..where are they? Did you see any of the guards with another set of keys?" Miri asked. Nicholae sighed. "No, I didn't." He responded. All of a sudden, his eyes widened. "No wait! Miri. No I know who has the key." Nicholae then said. Miri looked at him with wide eyes. "Who?" Miri asked. "You need to get out of here, you can't save us. Miri leave now." Nicholae responded. "No! Who has the key? Tell me? I'll find it! Just tell me, who has it?"Miri asked. "I do." A voice then said from behind her.
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As if Miri had just seen a ghost, the gypsy girl's eyes widened. She then turned around and backed up away from the man. "Well, well, well, look what we have here. It seems one of the little ants has escaped." The man said as he began to walk closer to Miri. "But that's quite alright, you will be re-united with all your little gypsy vermin friends soon. There's a special place in hell for all of you." The man groaned. "Wh..who are you?" Miri asked. The man smirked evilly as he placed the key ring back into his pocket. "Oh forgive me, I do not think we have been properly introduced." The man said back in a sarcastic tone.
"I, my dear, am one of the most righteous men you will ever meet. I exterminate evil and restore the peace. The greatest enemy of the devil and yours, I am judge Claude Frollo." The man responded. Miri gasped and narrowed her eyes at the judge. "You?! You are the monster that has been locking up the innocent and murdering my people! You...you monster!" Miri screamed in anger. Frollo laughed. "You would do wise to hold your tongue gypsy whore." He answered. "I've met thieves holier than you." Miri said through gritted teeth. Frollo raised an eye brow at the girl's remark. "Or maybe I should just cut that tongue right out of your mouth." He said back.
Miri spat at him. "Oh, was that suppose to be a threat?" Frollo said through fits of laughter. "No. God will deal with you accordingly. You liar. He sees how you imprisoned the innocent and try to burn my sister at the stake for social justice. You are mistaken, you will be the one to burn in hell, not us." Miri said back in an angry tone.
"Your sister?" Frollo asked as he tried to think of who that could be. When he made the connection, Frollo's eyes widened and he mentally chastised himself for not making it sooner. How could he not see that before? It was obvious who she was. A miniature and much younger version of Esmeralda, with a few distinct differences. She still had the same small body frame, but her chest was a little bit larger. She also had raven hair, but instead of it being a mess of curls like her sister's, it was cut at her shoulders and wavy. She also had the same emerald eyes and lips as red as a rose. But, she had little patches of freckles on her cheeks, which made her look innocent, unlike her sister who had the face of a seductive snake. Frollo then drew his eyes back to the girl's chest before wickedly smiling to himself.
"Oh well excuse my ignorance, I was unaware that this was a family affair." Frollo said with a hint of enthusiasm in his voice. Frollo then looked over at Nicholae. He frowned playfully. "Oh and this must be the love of your life. Is that correct?" Frollo asked as he walked up to Miri. Quickly he pulled her away from him and twisted her arm behind her back, pulling her closer to himself. "Young love never lasts." Frollo whispered to Miri before shoving her into the cell with Nicholae. "But I am a generous man. How about this. I'll let you spend a little more time together before I kill both of you and send you into the eternal lake of fire. I might even let you two hold hands while I chop off your heads." Frollo said with excitement. He then locked their cell and went to the task of locking up all the other cells that Miri had unlocked.
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When evening had finally set in, guards began to descend into the dungeons with rolling jail cells. Sets of guards began to unlock the the jail cells and transport the people into the moving jail cells. Once each one was full to capacity. The guards would lock them and push them down a dim lit corridor. When the guards came to Miri's jail cell, they opened it and pushed her onto the moving cell. They then locked the door behind her and placed Nicholae in the next wheeled cell. The guards then began to push the jail cell into the corridor.
As they heaved the jail cell to its final destination, Miri took a moment to try and collect her thoughts. She didn't think she'd be capable of doing so while watching her sister burn in front of her. A tear then began to roll down Miri's cheek. "I'm so sorry." A gypsy whispered to Miri as she placed her chained hand on Miri's arm. Miri shook it away and attempted to wipe the tears from her eyes. Once outside the corridor, the guards rolled the cell through a tunnel into the city square. Once in the square they rolled it next to another cell full of gypsy prisoners. Miri refocused her vision to the sight in front of her, where she saw a stage with a wooden pole attached to it and crowds of commoners below it voicing their opinions about the ordeal.
All of a sudden, a guard walked up onto the stage with Esmeralda. He then pushed her back onto the wooden pole and tied her arms around it. Before leaving he shot her a nasty look and spat at her. After wards, another man came up on the stage, carrying fire wood in his hands. He placed the firewood around her feet and then scattered a few piles of hay over the wood. He then stepped back and bowed as judge Frollo walked onto the stage.
Miri began to shake her head in disagreement. "No, please don't do this." Miri said quietly to herself. Up on stage, Frollo began to unravel a scroll that was in his hand and then held it up to read. "The prisoner Esmeralda has been found guilty of the crime of witchcraft. The sentence, death!" He read. Frollo then placed the scroll down and held out his hand for the other man on stage to hand him a lit torch. A row of guards then began to quiet their drums and the voices of the commoners got louder. Another tear slid down Miri's cheek, but she didn't have the strength to wipe it away. Miri then dropped to her knees, unable to even stand anymore. She tried to close her eyes but each time she did, more tears would just well up and burn her eyes more.
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Back up on stage, Frollo walked closer to Esmeralda and began to speak. "The time has come gypsy. You stand upon the brink of the abyss. Yet even now it is not too late. I can still save you from the flames of this world, and the next. Choose me, or the fire." Frollo said in a grim and subtle voice. Esmeralda looked up at him with rage in her eyes and spat in his face. Disgusted, Frollo wiped the spit from his cheek and narrowed his eyes at the gypsy girl. Frollo then turned to the crowd and began to speak. "The gypsy Esmeralda has refused to recant. This evil witch has put the soul of every citizen in Paris in peril. And for that she will pay." He spoke. And with those words, Miri let out a blood curdling scream. "No!" Miri screamed.
The crowd then turned and faced the cell with Miri in it, trying to figure out which gypsy had just screamed bloody murder. Frollo's eyes narrowed when he looked out from the stage and realized that it was the sister of Esmeralda who had just interrupted his sentence. "How dare she interrupt my execution. That unholy demon." He grumbled to himself.
Miri then began to cry. "No please! Don't kill her! She's done nothing wrong! Let her go! She's innocent! Take me instead!" Miri screamed. The crowd began to grow silent. But on stage, Frollo was left silent and astonished. "No Miri." Esmeralda whispered to herself. Frollo looked over at the gypsy as she quietly whispered to herself. "Miri? So that's the heathen's name." Frollo said to himself. Suddenly, a smile crept onto his face. He had formulated the perfect plan. Frollo handed the torch back to the other man on the stage and began to descend the stage. He walked up towards the jail cell that held Miri in it.
"You, you're full of trouble." Frollo spoke. "P..p..please. Don't kill my sister. I'll do anything. Please, I'll die in her place if you want, but don't kill Esme. Don't." Miri said as she tried to stop crying. "Oh really? What a faithful little sister you are. You would do just anything for her, wouldn't you?" Frollo teased. Miri nodded. Frollo snickered. And turned to the crowd. "Well, it appears we have a volunteer to take the gypsy's place." Frollo spoke. Esmeralda shook her head in disagreement. "She's willing to do anything to let that witch go. Well, well, well, anything?" Frollo asked as he turned back towards Miri. She nodded once more.
Frollo then walked back up on stage and up to Esmeralda. "Anything. Did you hear that?" He asked her. "Leave her alone." Esmeralda spat with in a spiteful voice. "But she's willing to do anything for you. What a good baby sister you have. At least your mother raised one of you right." Frollo responded. Esmeralda groaned. Frollo began to think to himself. It was all too perfect. He practically had her eating out of the palm of his hand already. She said she would do anything. But what to do with her? He had already concluded that he wasn't going to kill her. That would kill the fun. He wanted her alive, to play with and toy with. She was so naive and that would give him an advantage. If he kept her alive, he could probably coast her into doing anything, as long as it kept her sister alive and safe. This meant serving him, in his house and in his bed, as well as helping him do his work by giving him all the information he needed about gypsies to annihilate them from Europe.
Frollo laughed. "Stop laughing you monster. Leave her alone. Do what you want with me but don't you dare touch Miri." Esmeralda said. Frollo faced Esmeralda and trailed a finger down her face. "Oh but it wouldn't be fair not to let your sister play a part in making this decision. Would it?" Frollo said as he left the stage and walked back to Miri. "How about this." Frollo said as he turned and faced Esmeralda on the stage. "I'll let you both live!" Frollo said. Esmeralda looked at him in confusion. Frollo then turned and faced Miri. "That is if you will be mine, till the day you stop breathing." Frollo spoke. Esmeralda gasped and Miri's eyes widened. "No Miri! Don't agree to that! Miri don't! Let him kill me! Don't let him over run you!" Esmeralda screamed.
But Miri narrowed her eyes and looked back at Frollo. "Free my people and my sister! And let them leave Paris. Don't harm any of them." Miri responded with a serious tone. Frollo smiled wickedly. "Deal." He said back. "Don't touch a single one." Miri said. "Miri no!" Esmeralda screamed. "You have my word." Frollo said back to Miri. Miri then sighed. It wasn't something she wanted, but like Nicholae had said, this wasn't a fairytale, this was real life. And sometimes things happened that you didn't like. But what could you do? Really, what else could she do? Miri looked over at Esmeralda and back at the moving cells full of her family and friends. At the moment, it seemed to be the only option to grant so many safety. Miri's head dropped. "T..then i'll be yours. U..until the day I die." Miri said back. Frollo laughed maniacally. With Esmeralda, it was so hard, but with her younger sister, it was almost too easy.
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Almost instantaneously, guards surrounded Miri's cell. They un- locked it and pulled her out and down onto the ground. "Miri no!" Esmeralda screamed with tears in her eyes. Miri couldn't even look up to face her. "No unhand her you demon!" Nicholae cried. "Quiet yourselves you heathens!" Frollo shouted. But in turn, people only began to scream and cry again. Miri kept her eyes closed, unable to look at the scene around her. And now she felt numb. So numb that the only thing she could feel was the hands of guards on her back, pushing her forward. "Take her to the Palace of Justice," Frollo demanded as the guards continued to walk Miri away from the crowd.
As they approached the building, a multitude of thoughts began to occupy Miri's mind. What was he going to do with her? Would he kill her in the end? Was he lying to her? Miri became overwhelmed and began to feel dizzy. But she knew it wasn't a good idea to pass out now. If she did, she wasn't 100% sure she would wake back up. Still Miri's vision began to blur and her feet gave from underneath of her. In an instant, everything went black.