A bright sunny dawn in Paris, the sun shining down on the beautiful city, the towers of Notre Dame cathedral the tallest thing around as they pierce the clouds and their music ringing out over them, welcoming a new day as a the fisherman fishes and the bakerman bakes to the bells calling above them while in a small back street stood a little puppet stand decorated in blue and gold while inside was a masked woman in a blue and gold gypsy outfit singing to the children that gathered before her. "Listen, they're beautiful, no? So many colours of sounds, so many changing moods. Because, you know, they don't ring all by themselves."
"They don't?!" Said a surprised looking bird that flew out from under the countertop, bright golden eyes looking only at the masked woman.
She turned dramatically to it. "No, silly bird." She pointed out to the towers of the cathedral. "Up there, high, high in the dark bell tower, lives the mysterious bell ringer. Who is this creature?"
"Who?" the bird copied.
"What is he?"
"What?"
"How did he come to be there?"
"How?"
"Hush!" The woman snapped, tapping the bird softly on her the head, making the children giggle. "And Peacock will tell you. It is a tale, a tale of a man and a monster!"
The gypsy woman's words were so magical it was as if they came to life and suddenly it was night and the river was before them, ice clinging to the edges and yet a boat softly floated down, a band of four aboard, hoping to avoid detection but the baby in the woman's arms begins to cry.
_"Dark was the night when our tale was begun, on the docks near Notre Dame."_
"Shut it up, will you!"
"We'll be spotted!"
"Hush, little one!" Said the woman as she cuddled the child
_"Four frightened gypsies slid silently under the docks near Notre Dame."_
The hunched boatman held out his hand as the three adults climbed ashore. "Four gilders for safe passage into Paris."
An arrow suddenly embedded itself with perfect aim in the man's broad staff and the group turned to see a group of archers.
_"But a trap had been laid for the gypsies. And they gazed up in fear and alarm at a figure whose clutches were iron as much as the bells!"_
One of the male gypsies gulped as he saw a man riding a black monster of a horse approach. "Judge Hawk Moth!"
_"The bells of Notre dame."_
Hawk Moth was a stern man with a black and purple tri point hat in a dark cloak as he sat on the top of his horse, looking down with clear disgust as the four were surrounded by archers.
_"Judge Hawk Moth longed to purge the world of vice and sin. And he saw corruption everywhere, except within."_
"Bring these gypsy vermin to the Palace of Justice." He ordered as the group were shackled and pulled away, apart from the female who had been holding tight to the bundle in her arms.
One guard noticed and pulled on her arm to turn her around. "You there! What are you hiding!?
Indifferent, Hawk Moth leant forwards on his saddle. "Stolen goods, no doubt. Take them from her."
_With a flash of lightening, Peacock gave a menacing smirk. "She ran!"_
Back in the dark, the gypsy mother indeed was trying to escape with her baby but Judge Hawk Moth was quick to give chase on horseback. For her part, the woman was quick and sharp as she used the narrow paths of the city that the horse could not escape, the snow not slowing her in the least but the horse was far faster. Eventually she reached the massive wooden doors of Notre Dame and pounds on them. "Sanctuary! Please give us sanctuary!"
But Hawk Moth had caught up with her on the steps of the cathedral and rips the still covered bundle from her arms but when she tried to hold on he kicks out and sending her crashing to the cement steps, where she lies unmoving. The commotion woke the child and it began to cry.
Amazed by the sound, the Judge turns to the bundle in his arms. "A baby?" But on uncovering it, his face went to horror and disgust. "A monster!" He covered it back up, he looks around for a way to dispose of the creature when his eyes saw the well, the snow blowing around it like an cold invitation as he rides over to it.
Lifting the child up, ready to drop it down the when a voice shouts out. "Stop!"
_"Cried the archdeacon." Peacock explained, holding her hand out in the same position._
Hawk Moth turned to the holy man, still holding the child for its early demise. "This is an unholy demon. I'm sending it back to hell, where it belongs!"
Cradling the poor gypsy woman, the old archdeacon shakes holds her close. "See there the innocent blood you have spilt on the steps of Notre Dame."
Walking back over, the Judge frowned. "I am guiltless. She ran, I pursued."
"Now you would add this child's blood to your guilt on the steps of Notre Dame?"
"My conscience is clear!"
The old deacon didn't look convinced. "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!" He pointed behind him to the church itself. "The very eyes of Notre Dame!"
Looking behind, Hawk Moth saw the saints, apostles and angels that had been carved into the stone looking down on him with the same looks they had always had but, if it was the light or the deeds of that night he did not know but at that moment, they looked to be judging him and found him guilty.
"And for one time in his life of power and control." Peacock explained in a near whisper. "Hawk Moth felt a twinge of fear for his immortal soul."
"What must I do?" he asked the archdeacon.
Lifting the poor woman from the cold, he turned to the man with the instant answer. "Care for the child, raise it as your own."
"What? I'm to be saddled with this misshapen…" He pauses as a thought creeps across his face before accepting his fate. "Very well. Let him live with you, in your church."
The holy man looked surprised. "Live here? But where?"
"Anywhere." He said before looking skyward, up the tall towers. "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."
Peacock drew the story closer and looked down at the children, wrapping herself in a black cloak. "And Hawk Moth gave the child a cruel name. A name that means Bad Luck... Chat Noir!" She smiled at the terrified looks of her audience then held up a hand. "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? Sing the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells of Notre DAME!"
THE BLACK CAT OF NOTRE DAME!
A/N: Hey everyone! New Feather for the flock. This one isn't like the others that have come before. Basically, a few days ago, I was driving home from work and the Bells of Notre Dame came on my music. Okay, yes, I have Disney music on my Spotify, so sue me. Anyway, as I listened I started thinking how the characters from Miraculous could be twisted to fit the Disney movie.
And then I goggled 'hunchback of Notre Dame Ladybug' and found some amazing cross over art by The Bird on the Moon. (Check it out, its amazing!)
And since I've had a bit of a block with Turning a Feather, I decided to turn my attention to this for a while. And I must say, its turned out pretty well!
So here is the first part, the prologue for the movie in miraculous form. If I get some good reviews, I might continue. I might continue anyway but the reviews might make the updates faster.
Thanks to the website for the Hunchback Of Notre Dame Script, made my job a lot easier.
So if you want me to publish more of The Black Cat of Notre Dame, let me know by leaving a review.