Title: Story of a Gypsy King

Summary: Life is never easy for the King of the Truands, but a well-timed joke and the finest girl in France never fails to bring him joy in this dark little world. A slightly twisted version of the Hunchback story with our favourite jester as the main character. Rated M for lemon and graphic depictions of torture in later chapters. Clopin/Esmeralda.

Characters: Clopin Trouillefou, La Esmeralda (pairing)

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Romance

Author's Notes and French Translations at the end! Enjoy!

CHAPTER THREE: The Feast of Fools

The Festival had officially begun.

Men, women and children all flocked eagerly to the square to witness the parades, dressed for the occasion in scary masks and wild costumes. The town that was usually barren and empty and crawling with soldiers was now alive with colour, confetti and streamers covering the ground and flagpoles tied together with bright string and bunting that went through the entire square. Wine and ale was being poured generously everywhere you looked, no empty tankards in sight and the smell of baked goods and delicacies filled the air. It was wonderful chaos.

Esmeralda was watching the craziness ensure from her tent beside the main stage, keen to watch the beginning of the Festival before she herself became a part of it. As much as she loved entertaining and dancing, she also relished just sitting back and watching the experience. It was the one day when they weren't all on edge. There was no lack of food, no running from the law, no one risking their lives for a mere drop of water. They were all just enjoying themselves, and they were happy.

However, as much as she was loving watching everything, she really needed to get dressed; the main parade would be circling back into the main square soon, and she knew Clopin would begin the festival as soon as it came around. She didn't have much left to do, her hair was already done and all her jewellery was already fixed in place, she just needed to get out of her robe and put on her dress, which she was extremely excited to wear. It had been handmade by herself and had cost almost two weeks of savings to buy the materials for; a beautiful red gown with a slit down the side that showed off one of her bare legs, and a purple satin material wrapped around the middle that flowed elegantly when she moved. She had been planning to wear it during the Festival beforehand, but it would look even more gorgeous now she would be dancing in it.

Reluctantly she pulled herself away from the entrance of her tent and moved back inside towards her wardrobe, opening it and withdrawing the dress from within. She lay it across the back of her chair and began to pull at the strings of her robe to take it off. As she did, she heard a loud bang from behind her as someone abruptly fell into her tent, landing on the ground with a large thump.

'Hey!' She exclaimed in shock, quickly wrapping the robe back around herself, turning to look at whoever had just tumbled in. The figure lay on the ground, groaning underneath his cloak that fell over his face. She cleared her throat, moving over to him. 'Are you okay?'

'I-I didn't mean to.' A terrified voice responded, as the man drew himself up slowly and cowered away from her, keeping his face hidden. 'I'm... I'm sorry.'

'You're not hurt are you?' She asked, worried he'd cut his head when he fell. She stepped towards him. 'Here, let's see.'

He protested strongly as her hands came to his hood, trying to bring it down over his head as he fought back. Eventually, she pushed it back, and she struggled to hold back a gasp when her eyes landed on his... face? It must have been a mask. She looked over his head for any sign of injury and smiled when she found nothing.

'There. No harm done.' She reassured, and the boy smiled up at her, his fear suddenly disappearing. She offered him a hand and pulled him to his feet, leading him back to the entrance. 'Try to be a little more careful, okay?'

'I-I will.' He agreed, nodding as he headed out. She regarded him once again, almost curiously.

'By the way, great mask.' She said, flashing him one last smile before she re-sealed the tent and moved back inside. What a strange boy, he'd seemed awfully scared of her; perhaps he had thought she was some kind of 'Gypsy sorceress', or something silly like that. These people were all the same. There was no time to dwell on it however, she could hear the parade drawing closer.

With her dress finally on, she gave herself a quick glance in the mirror before deeming herself ready and moving back to the entrance to wait for her cue. She instantly spotted the parade moving through the centre of the square. The men all held up large poles with flags on them as the ladies danced ahead, people parting as they came through, all led by Hanzi at the front who wore bright clothing to attract everyone's attention. Esmeralda smiled to herself happily, it was magical to watch. Hanzi led them up to the stage, where the ladies continued to dance, twirling and kicking their legs up high as people gathered around to watch.

As they reached the end of their performance, they grouped together in the middle of the stage and bowed to the audience, and as they did, a figure leapt from behind them and landed perfectly at the front of the platform. Clopin stood proudly at the centre, dressed in a colourful shirt with long sleeves and black trousers, with a tattered hat on top of his head, laughing and grinning as people cheered and applauded his appearance. Esmeralda smirked to herself, she could tell he was loving the attention.

His usual bright mask was placed over his eyes, hiding his face from the crowd and the soldiers. Clopin had always been extremely careful to hide his identity from the King's Guard, especially at events like this, so that if he should ever be captured they had no way of telling if he was the leader or not. He wasn't a fool unless he was trying to be, he knew what they would do if they somehow managed to catch him, and so he would keep his face hidden, always.

'Bienvenue, ladies and gentlemen, to the Feast of Fools!' He shouted arms spread widely as he addressed the crowd. They responded just as well, clapping encouragingly. 'Master of Ceremonies, Clopin Trouillefou at your service!' He laughed, bowing effortlessly as the people's uproar only increased. As he drew himself up again, he took a brief second to scan the crowd thoroughly, counting every soldier he could see. Es watched his eyes linger for a particularly long time on the royal box positioned at the back of the crowd before he returned his attention back to the crowd. Esmeralda turned to try and see who exactly Clopin had been eyeing up, knowing it could only mean danger. Inside the box, she spotted him.

Dom Claude Frollo, the Archdeacon of Notre Dame. A Holy man who resided mostly in the Cathedral, hardly ever seen outside of it, especially not on days like this. He was notoriously known for his hatred for the Romani people, and he'd expressed his desire to purge all of Paris of them on many occasions. Esmeralda scowled softly, wondering what on earth he was doing here, and realised that Clopin had probably been thinking the same thing when he'd seen him. They'd need to be extra careful today.

She went back to watching Clopin's performance, admiring him as he pulled birds from hats and danced and sang with the others. One of the girls he was dancing with seemed to be particularly enamoured with him, hardly leaving his side as they danced together, Clopin spinning her beautifully into his arms and picking her up off her feet as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She couldn't help but feel... jealous? Why she didn't know, but something about seeing him in the arms of another woman made her inside's boil. Maybe it was because she was so protective of him, after all, they had spent their entire lives together. Yes, that had to be it. It wasn't jealousy, it was just... attentiveness.

He (finally) pulled himself away from her, moving back to the centre of the stage as he unhooked one of the smoke bombs from his belt, a gesture so quick that no one else would have spotted it. She also recognised this as her cue. She snuck out of her tent and moved towards the stage where no one was looking, Clopin keeping all their attention over where he was. He grinned and spread his arms wide.

'Come all, and see the finest girl in France make an entrance to entrance!' He sang happily, as he held his arm up high, glancing over to make sure she was ready. 'Dance, la Esmeralda, dance!'

His arm went down and the smoke bomb hit as a purple cloud covered the entire stage, blinding everybody was just long enough that she could jump into position, a tambourine in one hand and a piece of fabric that matched the one around her waist in the other. People cheered loudly as they saw her, golden bandles around her ankles and wrists that jangled as she moved, and matched the gold headpiece tied into her curled hair and her hooped earrings. She made sure to look over in Clopin's direction and was pleased to see his wide eyes and slightly ajar mouth, causing her to smirk before she began to dance around the stage, people whistling and cheering as she did.

She ran through her entire routine effortlessly, performing pirouettes and leg kicks and plies across the stage, hitting her tambourine rhythmically against her hip as she did, the audience and other Romani clapping along with her. Her eyes landed once again on the Royal Box and felt smug to see the Archdeacon himself staring at her with desire, as were all of his Guards. In that moment, she decided to do something potentially stupid, but too funny to turn down. She made her way down the stairs of the stage, the crowd parting for her as she spun through the centre towards where the Archdeacon sat, dancing up to the box and hopped herself up onto the arm of his chair.

He immediately backed away from her in disgust, but she wrapped the fabric around his neck and pulled him back to her again, and kissed the tip of his nose. The look on his face was priceless, and definitely worth it, especially when she hit his hat over his face and jumped away again, spinning back down onto the ground. She heard him growl behind her, but took no notice, dancing back up onto the stage. She didn't even have to look to see Clopin's disapproving expression, feeling his eyes burning into the back of her head, but ignored it as she carried on dancing.

Instead, she made her way over to where Clopin was standing and grabbed his hand to bring him over to her. He looked momentarily stunned but allowed her to pull him along, standing him in the centre of the stage and dancing around him. She knew he would go along with it comfortably, he was used to being brought into her acts by now. He feigned embarrassment and fanned himself comically as she brushed up against him, causing the audience to laugh. She wrapped a leg around his waist and he responded easily, taking her hands and dancing with her in perfect unison as if they'd rehearsed it. At a moment when her back was to the crowd, she took advantage of her position to lean in close to his ear.

'You wear your trousers too tight, my liege.' She whispered mischievously, brushing her leg against his crotch subtly before spinning herself away again. The blush on his face was worth it; she knew how to tease him. She danced around him a few more times before taking hold of the pole at the side of the stage. She spun herself effortlessly around it, before landing in a perfect split and throwing her arms into the air to finish. The crowd erupted into applause, whistling and cheering, some people throwing roses onto the stage at her feet.

A smug feeling washed over to her as she spotted Frollo staring with his mouth wide open, and his Captain of the Guard clapping and cheering too. He winked at her when she made eye contact with him, and she couldn't help but blush slightly. He was handsome, for a soldier. Clopin appeared at her side and offered her a hand, drawing her up into a standing position, before she bowed to the crowd as Clopin joined in with the applause. Once they were finished, Esmeralda moved aside so Clopin could take the centre once again.

'And now, the pièce de résistance! Who shall be this year's King of Fools?' He shouted cheerfully, producing a tattered looking crowd from behind his back, as everyone immediately begun to cheer enthusiastically with excitement. 'Folks, step right up and pull your ugliest face for a chance to be crowned your Highness!' He encouraged, as men and women stepped up the stage, all lining up to be chosen. Esmeralda placed them all into position, before letting her eyes wander and spotting the boy in the crowd from earlier, his hood drawn over his face still. She smiled and went over to him, leaning down to speak to him.

'Care to be crowned King for a day?' She asked, and the boy only flinched, not responding. She realised he was probably shy, so she extended a hand towards him and smiled encouragingly. 'Come on, give it a shot.'

The boy hesitated, looking down at her hand, before slowly taking it and letting her pull him onto the stage, where she put him at the end of the line and moved to the side. Clopin began to make his way down the line as the participants made their faces, and he shoved them off as the audience booed and jeered them. Eventually, he made his way down to the last man, who held his cloak over his head in terror.

'Come now, monsieur,' Clopin prompted, clasping a hand on his back, 'you cannot win if you don't show your face, no?' He said, and there was a small hum of silence where it seemed as if he wasn't going to do it, before he nodded and slowly drew back his hood, revealing his face to the crowd.

The people around the stage gasped and cried as they saw him, not believing what they were seeing, shocked by his appearance. The boy immediately brought his arms up to shelter his face in fright, turning away as the crowd began to shout.

'Is that a mask?'

'No, it's his face!'

'He's hideous!'

'It's the bell ringer from Notre Dame!'

'Quasimodo the Hunchback! Archdeacon Frollo's pet!'

Clopin looked out to the crowd who were all screaming at the same time, feeling stuck, not sure what to do. He'd heard rumours of the bell ringer, people claiming to have spotted him before and seen a face of nightmares, however, he'd just considered them to be made up nonsense by people looking for attention. Of course, he knew the bells didn't ring all by themselves, he'd just assumed one of the Churchmen was behind it. He never expected the boy to actually be real though, he'd never been seen in public after all.

Clopin glanced over at Esmeralda, who looked equally as dumbfounded, looking to him for an answer to the chaos. The Romani throughout the crowd were unable to do their jobs now that the crowd were no longer engaged, and if this continued they would not be able to slip away unnoticed. He had to think of something. He stepped forward confidently, shielding the boy with his arms, clearing his throat loudly.

'Ladies and Gentlemen, please, calm yourselves!' He shouted as the crowd hushed down to a faint murmur. 'You asked for your King of Fools, did you not? And we found him! Quasimodo, the Hunchback of Notre Dame! Hail to your new King!' He laughed, turning to the boy and bowing proudly, placing the crown on top of his head carefully. It took a moment, but the audience slowly began to clap once again, followed by several cheers, and soon enough they were back to their loud screaming and applauding. Clopin sighed in relief, watching Quasimodo step forwards slowly and embrace the title, jumping excitedly. He felt a hand slip into his and looked up to see Esme pulling him away from the stage, letting the boy have his moment. She took him under the decking, away from prying eyes.

'That was fast thinking on your part, well done.' She whispered as they came to a stop beneath the platform. 'I wasn't sure how they were going to react. That poor boy.'

'Well, he's got his moment now, hopefully, they'll be a bit more accepting.' He nodded, and she smiled at him admirably, wrapping her arms around his neck.

'What did you think of my dancing?' She asked, fingers trailing up his neck to mess with his hair. 'Good enough for you, teacher?' She purred, backing him up against the timber.

'Perfect, as always.' He said approvingly, prying her arms from around his neck, much to her surprise. 'You never fail to disappoint.' He added, before moving into the tent at the side of the stage, which he'd set up for himself. She frowned at him in curiosity, following him inside and watching him as he began to pack up his things.

'You seem off.' She pointed out, moving over to him and running her hands down his arms. 'Not in the mood?'

'Quite the opposite, my dear.' He turned to her, putting on a smile. 'I just want to stay focused right now, something could go wrong at any point, and I don't want that happening with Frollo in the crowd.' He excused, which, wasn't exactly a lie. He did want to stay focused, but he also couldn't let himself give in t her. His feelings were strong enough already without him risking making them worse.

'How noble of you, putting others first before your sex drive.' She teased, 'Most men would act differently.'

'A good thing then that I'm not like most men.' He chuckled, giving a small flourish of his hand before turning back to his things. Esme smiled and blushed.

(No, he really isn't.)

She turned her attention back to outside the tent again when she heard the sound of cheering and shouting perk up once more, the crowd sounding more rowdy than usual. She listened carefully.

'Tie him up!'

'Beat him! Whip him!'

'Hold him down!' Various voices yelled on and on, catching Clopin's attention too.

'What is happening out there?' He frowned, moving over to the entrance and pushing back the fly of the tent. His eyes widened in shock to see the Hunchback had been tied down to the main stage, whilst people threw things at him, vegetables and fruits and whatever else they could see. His shirt had been ripped, leaving his back on display as a man stood behind him and whipped him mercilessly, as the crowd laughed and egged him on. Quasimodo fought hard against the people holding him down, but to no avail, crying and calling out for help as his master just looked on, the soldiers doing nothing to stop the cruelty. Esmeralda was right behind him, gasping in horror when she saw the scene in front of them.

'What are they doing to him?' She choked, holding back tears that stung her eyes. She pushed past him, picking up the end of her skirt as she went running onto the stage. Clopin leapt forward just in time, grabbing her arm.

'What are you doing? Are you crazy?' He scolded.

'Let go of me, now!' She retorted angrily, struggling against him.

'Esmeralda, listen. I know this is bad but... this is our biggest moneymaker, just let the pickpockets do their jobs and then-'

'You of all people should know better!' She yelled, managing to yank her arm away. 'What if it was me up there? Or one of your own? You would help then, wouldn't you?'

'But he isn't one of us. He's Frollo's son.' Clopin argued, returning the glare she was giving him. Esmeralda only stared back at him in shock.

'I don't think you are in a position to judge someone on who their father is.' She glowered and felt a twinge of regret as she saw him visibly flinch, but stuck to it. She took a breath, picking up her skirt again. 'Someone has to do something.'

'Esmeralda, I am warning you-' He tried, but it was too late, Esmeralda was already bolting onto the stage before he'd had a chance to even speak. She practically threw herself in front of the boy, her arms spread, breathless from the running.

'Stop!' She yelled at the top of her voice, frantic, the people around her pausing and jumping away in shock at her sudden appearance. The man with the whip finally lowered his arm, and Esmeralda moved towards the boy slowly. The back of his shirt had been ripped open, leaving his hunched back on show, covered in whip marks that covered his skin and the ground in blood. His head was bowed, keeping quiet, shaking in fear. She sank down to her knees beside him cautiously, reaching towards him.

'I'm so sorry.' She whispered gently, producing a piece of cloth from the folds of her dress to wipe his face of the blood and vegetables, pushing his hair back. 'This wasn't supposed to happen. You're safe now, I promise.'

Quasimodo lifted his head slowly to look up at her, clearly still petrified, but he managed a shaky smile all the same. Esmeralda spotted Frollo stand from his chair in the box, looking furious.

'You, Gypsy girl! Get down from there at once!' He yelled angrily.

'Of course, your honour,' Esmeralda replied, standing slowly to meet the Archdeacon's gaze, 'just as soon as I've freed this poor creature.'

'I forbid it.' Frollo snarled, but Esmeralda didn't listen, instead, she produced a dagger from her belt and cut the ropes around the boy's wrists, setting him free. Clopin, who had tried to run after her beforehand, was crouching at the side of the steps, watching her in anger and frustration. What the hell was she playing at? She was about to start a riot if she wasn't careful.

'Clopin.' An urgent voice sounded beside him, and he turned to see Hanzi and a few other Romani standing behind him. 'We need to do get out of here, Esmeralda is drawing too much attention!'

'Yes.' Clopin responded, dumbly, unable to think of anything right now. 'Gather everyone and start to head back to the Court, do not allow yourselves to be followed. I'll... cause a distraction.' He spoke down to him, as the other man just nodded and started to round up the rest of them to get them away. Clopin turned his attention back to the stage, where Esmeralda was helping the boy up to his feet, his bounds now cut away.

'How dare you defy me!' Frollo roared, stepping down from his chair, his face red with anger.

'You mistreat this boy the same way you mistreat my people! You speak of justice yet you are cruel to those most in need of your help, and we will not stand for it!' She shouted, which was met by several loud cheers from the remaining Romani scattered through the crowd. 'We will have justice!' She finished, raising a fist into the air. Clopin found he was holding his breath, convinced she had lost her mind.

'Mark my words Gypsy, you will pay for this insolence!' Frollo pointed a bony finger in her direction, eyes narrowed, as Esmeralda only smirked in retaliation.

'Then it appears we've crowned the wrong fool,' She said, turning to Quasimodo and taking the crown from on top of his head, holding it up. 'The only fool I see here is you!' She threw the tattered crown towards him, and it landed just in front of the box. Clopin swore his heart momentarily stopped, did she have any idea what she was doing?! She was going to get them all killed.

'Captain! Arrest the Gypsy girl, now!' The Archdeacon ordered, finally at his wit's end. The man on the horse beside him momentarily hesitated, before raising his hand to enforce the order, and the other soldiers began to move in, circling around the stage. Esmeralda moved back slowly, holding the dagger in her hands defensively, not looking even slightly frightened though she was clearly outnumbered. Clopin scanned the crowd to see the remaining Romani begin to flee, using the soldier's distraction to get out of the crowd. His main priority now was her.

The Guards enclosed around the stage, and Esmeralda looked around desperately for a way of escape. She turned and suddenly came face to face with Clopin, who stood next to her, his expression full of disappointment and anger.

'I warned you, didn't I?' He scowled, before lifting his hand and throwing another smoke bomb down to the ground, which exploded loudly. Several of the soldier's horses threw their riders off at the sudden bang, and as everyone was momentarily blinded, Clopin grabbed Esme's arm and pulled her away from the stage and out of sight. They ran fast, behind buildings and through alleyways, and Clopin kept a hold of her the whole time as they fled, not wanting to lose her at any point. They needed to get far away from the Festival and quickly, the soldiers would be on their tail in a matter of minutes.

As they turned a particularly sharp corner, Clopin let out a yell of pain, stumbling as he fell into the wall and leant against it dependently. Es stopped and turned back to him, about to ask what was wrong before she saw his hand shooting to his side, a dark blood stain appearing there. His wound had opened up again. He cursed incoherently, it still hadn't healed properly, and the theatrics and activity of the day certainly hadn't helped. Es scowled as she saw it, rushing back to him.

'Merde, Clopin, have you been treating it at all?' She practically scolded, pulling his hand away so she could take a closer look.

'Clearly not as well as I should have been.' He gasped hoarsely, wincing at her touch. He waved her off with his spare hand, staying against the wall. 'Just keep going, I'll follow you... in a minute.'

'No! I'm not going without you.'

'Es, I can't.' He breathed, eyes screwed shut in agony. 'They want you, not me. I'll be fine, but you need to go.' He insisted, his expression unreadable. She bit her lip softly, knowing he was right, there was no way he could run back to the Court all the way from here. Not unaided, anyway. Nevertheless, she couldn't leave him like this. She moved over to him and took his arm that he wasn't clutching himself with and wrapped it around her shoulders, taking his weight.

'I've got you, just lean on me.' She tried, and he opened his mouth to protest, before snapping it shut and just nodding. He needed her help if he was going to get anywhere. He let himself lean on her, stumbling at first but she managed to get a firm grip on him, walking with him slowly.

They managed through two more alleyways before Clopin lost his strength again, collapsing in on himself. He grabbed onto the wall as Esmeralda swore under her breath, trying to get him back up.

'Come on, we can't stop here. We're not that far away now.' She tried, but he just shook his head, clearly at his rope's end.

'I'm sorry, I just need a second to-' He stopped abruptly, his head shooting up at the sound of shuffling nearby, the sound ringing loudly in his ears though it had been no louder than a pin drop. Es, who hadn't heard anything, only frowned at him in confusion.

'Clo-'

'Wait.' He said urgently, listening, managing to pull himself up again and edge forwards cautiously.

'Clopin, it's fine. We're far away from the crowd now. No one will be following us.' She tried, touching his arm. He didn't listen, blocking her out momentarily as he yanked himself away from the wall somehow, moving forward without making a sound, silent as anything. The noise came again, and Clopin drew his dagger from his belt, holding it up defensively. Esmeralda came forward too, trying to listen, but he practically pushed her back behind him again protectively. She grunted in exasperation, shaking her head at him.

'Clopin, you're just being paranoid. There's no one here.' She reassured gently. He glanced back at her, seeming hesitant, but when the noise didn't come again he decided she was right. He nodded once and sheathed his dagger again, but stayed cautious as Esmeralda followed behind him, keeping close in case he needed any assistance.

He moved forward, pressing a hand against his wound to stem the bleeding, and as he took one step around the corner there was a sudden flash of something shiny as a metal blade was pressed against Clopin's neck, causing him to jump and exclaim in shock. He looked up to see the Captain on top of his horse, holding his sword against Clopin's throat threateningly, his eyes narrowed.

'Don't take another step.' He warned, his voice harsh. Esmeralda flinched behind him, staring up at the solider, feeling herself holding her breath. Clopin, however, remained calm and composed somehow, no fear evident in his eyes, even with the sharp blade pressed against his throat.

'Listen, we don't want any trouble.' He said, feeling the sword scrape against his jugular as he spoke.

'Yet you caused a lot of it at the Festival.' The Captain pointed out, arching a brow. Clopin glanced around, seeing no one else around them.

'How many of there are you?'

'Only myself, luckily for you.'

'I see.' Clopin said calmly, before glancing back at Esme. 'Esmeralda, run, now.' He ordered sternly. She looked shocked at his sudden command, not knowing what to do.

'I'm not leaving you-'

'That's an order, Esmeralda. Go, now.' He scowled softly, not even turning to look at her. He might not be able to get out of this himself, but at least he could guarantee her safety. Esmeralda glanced up at the soldier, and back to Clopin, hesitating before turning and running quickly away into a nearby alley. Clopin sighed in relief as he heard her footsteps echoing away, praying silently that she would make it back safely.

He looked back to the solider, smug. 'You can only chase after one of us.' He pointed out, his expression determined. Even still, it was obvious he was struggling. One hand clutched at his re-opened wound and his skin had become a ghostly pale colour, it seemed almost miraculous that he hadn't passed out yet. The Captain watched as the girl ran away, before looking down at him again in consideration.

'You must care for her deeply, to sacrifice yourself like that.'

'My people come before me. Would you not do the same for your own loved ones?' He inquired, tilting his head, allowing the blade to press against his neck further in defiance. The Captain hesitated before nodding once, coming down from his horse, keeping his sword aimed at him.

'I don't believe I've had the displeasure yet, Captain...?'

'Phoebus, and no, it's my first day.' He stated proudly.

'Ah, only just arrived and you've already caught a notorious criminal, and a Gypsy one at that, too. The Archdeacon will like you.' Clopin laughed, and Phoebus just ignored him, glancing down and finally spotting the blood patch at his lower abdomen. He lowered his sword slightly to gesture to it.

'You're hurt.'

'Well aren't you just the brightest in the bunch?' Clopin drawled sarcastically, staring up at him blankly. Phoebus scowled, his sword raising once again to his throat, and Clopin winced as he felt the cold metal pressing into his skin.

'The next soldier you run into might not be so lenient towards you, Gypsy, especially with that attitude of yours.' He warned, watching as Clopin only smirked in retaliation. He had a strong will; if he was going to be arrested he certainly would not go quietly. Phoebus considered him briefly, before withdrawing his sword and sheathing it into his belt. He looked back at Clopin, who was now no longer smirking, just staring at him dumbfounded, rubbing his neck where the sword had been.

'Go, now, for that girl's sake. Before I change my mind.' He said sternly, and Clopin hesitated momentarily before nodding and bowing to him, the gesture clumsy from his infliction.

'Merci, Capitaine.' He managed, voice still strained, before reaching into his pocket and throwing a small brown bag to him. Phoebus caught it and frowned down at it, realising slowly that it was his coin purse that he'd lost during the Festival. He opened his mouth to protest, looking back up towards him, but froze when he realised Clopin was nowhere to be seen. He stared at the space where he had been for a moment, before chuckling to himself, pocketing the purse and jumping back onto his horse, riding out of view.

Author's Notes:

- It's kind of a mishmash of bits from the Disney and Musical Festival scenes, with my own added in bits here and there. In the Disney Clopin is only really around up to Quasimodo's crowning, however, in the musical, he warns Es not to save Quasi from the people and helps her escape afterwards as well.

- Also, the little bit between Clopin and Phoebus comes from the musical, but just before Esmeralda's dance when Clopin attempts to pickpocket Phoebus, but I only used one line from that bit.

French Translations (According to Google Translate):

- Bienvenue / Welcome

- Monsieur / Sir

- Merde / Shit/Fuck/Crap

- Merci, Capitane / Thank you, Captain

Thanks for reading!