Esmeralda tired to catch her breath as she looked up to the boy. He grimaced at the sight of the tears trailing down her face.

"Who…" she began but was cut off by a hushed yell.

"What's going on here?" cried Gilles running over to the scene.

"Gilles!" She cried in relief before sitting up and feeling the pain in her arm where Bernier had grabbed her. She knew it would bruise.

"La Esmeralda!" he gasped running to her side. They embraced but the celebration was short lived when Gilles looked curiously to the unconscious Bernier.

"Don't worry, mon ami," said Pons swinging his sword over his shoulder. "I caught the bloke and gave him a good knock to the head. He's probably dead!"

"What was he doing?" he asked horrified as he helped Esmeralda to her feet. Her grip tightened around his arms and she looked to him the wide fearful eyes. His heart sank.

"What did he do to you?

Bernier groaned rolling onto his back and opening his eyes.

Esmeralda leapt to her feet backing behind her large friend.

Pons frowned reaching for his mock sword again. "Hold on, mates. I've got this."

"No!" Protested Gilles. "Just don't." He turned back to Esmeralda who starred down to her attacker. "What did that boy do to you?"

"He – he didn't - but he was going to…" She gasped, as if she had forgotten to breathe, "… Going to…"

Gilles had heard enough. He looked back to the young man who was rubbing the back of his aching head.

"By the gods, what the hell was that?"

Gilles frowned deeply before lunging at Bernier, grabbing at his collar, and pulling him a foot off the ground with his immense strength.

"You dolt! Unhand me! You are not fit to touch me!" Bernier cried out in protest in a much higher pitched voice than he usually displayed. "Put me down or you'll have my father to answer to!"

"Shut your godless mouth!"

Bernier stopped squirming enough to look into the eyes of Gilles. His face twisted into a smile as he held onto the man's hand that was practically choking him.

"Gilles… you must be… joking me!"

"Do I look to be in a joking mood?"

Bernier made a breathless laugh, "She's the one who started it! You must believe me! She was practically begging for it, you saw her at the feast dancing like a wanton wench!"

Esmeralda stepped forward then, glaring to him beside Gilles. His dark gaunt features peered back, haunting her. His black eyes pieced into hers without remorse or care.

Gilles shook him fiercely, "I will rip that fucking smile from your face, mon dieu help me! You think you can attempt something like that to our people? To my friend?"

He laughed again, a meaningless little snigger that sunk a blade further into Gilles's heart.

"How can you rape a bastard born slut?"

Esmeralda looked down to the ground, tears piecing her eyes again.

Gilles remained stone faced. He wouldn't give the self-proclaimed gypsy prince the honor of aggravating him any further. And, though Clopin was lenient on certain matters, killing without letting the King have a say was cold blooded murder and treated as such.

He threw Bernier to the ground as if spitting out an apple seed.

"Get out of my sight, you pathetic worm. In the morning, you'll have the King to answer to."

Bernier looked up to him holding his sore neck.

"Come on, La Esmeralda," he said placing a large arm around her and leading her away.

Bernier could only watch as the pair walked off.

"You too, Pons!" called Gilles.

Bernier glanced down his nose to the boy still lingering behind. Pons walked over to him with a smirk before raising his sword over head and ramming the end straight into his groin.

He gasped curling in pain as Pons ran to catch up with the others.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"


Celina gazed out her tent flap into the night of the court. Her husband was in bed with the woman he had met earlier, both knocked cold out due to their exceeding number of drinks.

She loathingly glanced back to him. Before coming to Paris, she was treated like a fine trinket of his he had stolen away from its keeper. Entering his traveling world was thrilling. Finally learning of the lands outside the dark walls of her "home" was more than she could have asked for. But something changed in her husband once entering the borders of the city. The man who had stolen her away in the night, informing her she would be his wife named Celina, seemed to be in some unreachable place.

And now, after seeing how the women were treated in the Court of Miracles, her eyes were opened once more. And all she could see was that handsome King, Clopin Trouillefou.

She pulled her hood over her head and stepped out of her tent.

Telling him… that would be the hard part.


"What are we going to do about the boy?" whispered Esmeralda, "Clopin has some sort of vendetta against him. He had a fit once he found out I had even spoken to him!"

Gilles stoked his beard as the pair stood alone in her dimly lit tent. Pons waited patiently outside as he was told to be as still as the grave.

"He said that he followed you here… Those weren't our instructions at all."

"Instructions?" she inquired.

He looked to her wearily, "You don't need to worry about any of that tonight. I'm sure you are worked up enough as it is."

"No, Gilles," she said firmly crossing her arms as she began to pace. "I have many questions and they are all getting answered before I lay my head on that pillow."

He sighed, "Clopin and I, we went to find the boy after you had gone missing. He said he saw you around and we were willing to pay him if he could find your exact location."

"Clopin was… was looking for me?"

"Eh, not quite."

She raised a large eyebrow waiting for him to explain.

"We was desperate to find out if you were all right. You scared him, Esmeralda. You scared all of us."

"I didn't mean to. One thing just happened after the next. I never wanted to be some sort of mad women yelling things everyone already knew…"

"JUSTICE!" cried Pons leaping into the tent before the others quickly silenced him.

"What did I tell you, child?" whispered Gilles.

"I'm sorry, it's just…" he looked up to Esmeralda earnestly, "I never saw a gypsy do something like that."

"Well hopefully you will never see it again," she said with a sigh, "Clopin can't be happy with me."

"Is that why you think all your things were thrown in your trunk?"

She looked up to Gilles as she collapsed onto her cot.

"Do you think he'll throw me out?"

Gilles frowned, his heart breaking for her yet again, "Of course not."

"But I can't say the same for you, Pons," he added eyeing the dirty young boy.

"He's just a child! We have loads of those around here! What harm could a child do?" she asked.

"Yeah, what harm could a child do?" added the boy.

Gilles rubbed the temple of his head. The day had been draining for all, to say the least.

"Are you truly all right, Esmeralda? Is there anything you need?"

Esmeralda thought of Frollo. She thought of Phoebes. She thought of the kindly boy who had nothing, and yet, more than she ever had. And, she thought of Clopin and what he would have to say about it all.

"No. I am all right. Just shaken. Come tomorrow, I will have forgotten about the whole ordeal," she lied.

Gilles nodded with a hurt smile. "Goodnight, then."

"Goodnight, then," she said back with a weak smirk.

Gilles nodded before turning to leave and grabbing Pons by the shoulder.

"As for you," he began as they walked back outside.

"I fear for your safety. You must leave fast and make like you still have no idea of the location of this place."

Pons batted his hand away as they stood alone in the dark.

"If Clopin sees you he's libel to jump to conclusions. He is very good at that sort of thing."

"You… You don't think I'm a spy do you?"

Gilles shook his head. "I think you're just a boy… a boy who saved a good woman's reputation today."

"My mother always told me to hit a man and hit him good if he were hurting a mad'moiselle. Or hurting her…"

He rubbed he eye looking to the floor somberly.

"She taught me what was what."

Gilles frowned looking down to the boy who kicked at the dirt with his thin boot.

Damn Clopin.

"Stay here," he said in a low voice.

"What?"

"Stay here, but stay low, and out of sight. I can make no promises of any permanent plans - that isn't up to me. But for this one night, you can call this place your home."

The boys face lit up. "You mean like a real gypsy?"

"Aye." He said nodding. "Just don't you dare tell the King I said that."

"Pons the Valiant Vagabond of the Court of Miracles!" He exclaimed waving his sword around.

"You've put some thought into this haven't you?" He questioned under is breath.

Pons didn't hear him, however. He was too preoccupied waving his fake sword into the shadows slipping away from Gilles's sight.

Gilles scratched the back of his neck. He was mauling over a few thoughts.

Could the news of Esmeralda arrival wait until morning? Surely not...

He left in the direction of Clopin's caravan.


Clopin's caravan looked as simple as all the others, except if was located in a separated area of the Court near the supply of wine.

As Gilles approached the caravan it became clear his friend hadn't left the party alone as the sounds of a woman's giggles and cries of pleasure could be heard wafting in the air.

Also, the cart was slightly rocking.

Gilles didn't have to think too hard to determine how Clopin had decided to relieve the tension of the day.

He stood outside for a few moments thinking of how the conversation would play out. Would he say the good news first? That Esmeralda was not dead? He shook his head. Well, obviously Clopin would gather that after he told him how Bernier… how he…

Gilles rapped at the door, the voices stopped for a moment before he heard Clopin's frustrated mumbles. He hesitated before knocking hurriedly again.

"I hope there is a fire again –"

Clopin opened the door of the cart. He was half dressed with messy hair and his purple mask still on.

"That fire burnt down half of my wooden barrels," Gilles answered gruffly.

"Oh. Gilles. How good of you to stop by for a chat this time of night."

"Clopin I… Why is your mask on?"

He sighed rolling his eyes before removing his mask. "Multi-purposeful. Keeps away the gadje, terrifies the priest, and drives women mad," he added with a yell over his shoulder to get a meek laugh of the unseen woman in his bed.

Gilles looked away awkwardly, "I don't know why I asked."

"Why are you here, Gilles?" he narrowed his brow, "Is that little slit you've been running around with still refusing you?"

Gilles gave him a stern glare, it was then the still slightly drunken man remembered. He stepped out of his caravan closing the door.

"Did that street urchin finally show up?"

"Well, no..."

"Then what is it? Did you find her?!"

"Yes! And no. She is all right and safe in her room." Gilles rang his hands together looking down. Clopin read him like a book, as he always did.

"But…?" Asked Clopin. "What is it? If she's all right, what is it?"

"Le Roux's despicable son."

Clopin groaned. "Oh, if only I could get my punjab lasso around that boy's skinny neck! Do you know how many times he's asked me about hosting a summer solstice feast?! What in the hell is a summer solstice?"

"He attacked Esmeralda… tried to rape her."

Clopin's jaw dropped slightly, for an instant Gilles thought he would fall to the floor. "Well," he said clearing his throat, "Looks like my dream are about to come true."

"Now, now, Clopin - he didn't follow through. I'm not sure how far he got, truth be told. He was knocked out cold by the time I arrived to help her."

"Knocked out? By whom?"

Gilles blinked, "I don't know - he had fled when I called out to her."

Clopin looked over his dark Court and leaned against his caravan. If only everyone was awake. He would have an audience to watch on as he snapped the bastard's neck.

"The louse even admits it with hardly the blink of an eye. There is something wrong with that lad. The devil would have more remorse than him!"

"But… she is… she iss all right, isn't she? You're positive?" Clopin asked carefully. Gilles was a bit taken back by the tenderness in his vice. And, he knew Clopin was hiding the true emotion in his eyes as he looked to the ground between them.

"Yes, I am. I escorted her back to her tent. She said she was only shaken."

There was a long silence.

"It's a shame the boy's Le Roux's," Gilles finally said grasping for any words to say.

Clopin looked slowly up to his friend.

"Oh. That matters very little to me," he stated, practically exhaling a breath of ice.

Gilles was surprised at his answer but decided not to press the matter. He was exhausted and wanted to leave Clopin to his strange quiet brooding.

He was about to walk away when something stopped him. He looked back over his shoulder to Clopin.

"There is one other thing I wanted to inform you of…" he said slowly drawing out each word.

"And what the hell is that, might I ask?"

Gilles looked to him for a long moment. Pons was only a child. A child! What harm could he do?

"Well?" asked Clopin.

"... You do look far more ravishing with the mask on."