Thanks again to my reviewers! This is somewhat towards the end of the story, somewhat.

"I'll just…disappear then…"

Those words spoken by the definition of gypsy beauty echoed in my mind. What had she meant? There were no crowds around us for her to hide in; in fact, they had all left once they saw the Judge. The alleyways were all blocked my soldiers, some big and some small but no blonde.

I stepped back on impulse, seeing the fire in the man's eyes had reminded me of the other night. Looking away, I turned to Esmeralda to see her smiling. Unlike myself, she was not freaking out or worried it would seem. She appeared to be sly and confident. This only made me wonder more what exactly was up her sleeve.

"Lavender! Come here, now!" Claude suddenly snapped, making the rebellious side of me come out. I did nothing even if I had wanted to; my body was frozen. Growling, the man ordered, "Guards, get the gypsy!"

I turned over to the woman but she winked, yanking off her scarf tied to her waist. "I'll be fine." She whispered quietly but loud enough for me to hear. The scarf was quite large as she twirled it around herself, making a small ball of herself. Crouching over, she hid in the scarf.

One of the guards shoved me back and since I was distracted, Frollo grabbed my arms. They grabbed the orange scarf and yanked it back showing…nothing. My mouth dropped and I could sense that Claude's did too. "Where did she…?" He started to ask.

Suddenly there was a whistle near the alley. We looked up to see Esmeralda, dangling a handkerchief that was of dark orange, almost red. It was like blood, I thought subconsciously. Was she a witch? Or was she performing tricks that fooled the eye?

She had attempted to escape once more but a pair of arms grabbed her. It was Phoebus! On impulse, I tried to step forward, to order the soldier to stand down. However, I had forgotten just how strong Claude could be at times.

Esmeralda struggled and I knew Phoebus would not risk his neck and career for a girl who caught his eye a few times. All I could do was watch, for if she really had been a witch, she would have disappeared by now. My other assumption, however, was right; she did tricks that fooled the eye, meaning if she tried right now, she wouldn't be able to escape his grip.

Without warning, a puppet appeared from the shadows of the alley. It looked very familiar…it looked…like a miniature Clopin! My mouth dropped once more, my jaw almost hitting the floor if it could.

It looked around, its head twisting to the right, and then left to make sure all eyes were on it. As if looking at me, it seemed to have winked. Then it said in a high voice, "What do we have here?"

Another voice in the shadows, a deeper one, answered it, "It would appear our friend is getting arrested. But for what charges, I wonder…"

It was Clopin!

Frollo sneered, whether to the puppet or the puppet master I did not know, "She is charged for witchcraft!"

The puppet shook its head as if mourning. "Too bad she is no witch…falsely charged…But that's what you are good for, right Judge?"

I couldn't help but smile at the joke, trying to restrain my laughter. Frollo's eyes widened and his face turned red with anger. "Guards…capture that man! Arrest him!"
The puppet hesitated for only a moment, its non-blinking eyes staring at the running guards before slowly slipping into the darkness. Suddenly the man, AKA Clopin, jumped over the soldiers and ran to his friend.

The colorful man smirked as he heard Frollo shout, running and jumping high enough to kick Phoebus in the nose. The soldier fell back, covering his bloody nose and allowing the gypsies to run. Just as they were going to disappear, Clopin turned and winked at me.

I had to stifle a laugh as Frollo dragged me home. He seemed embarrassed and mad, but not at me. When he looked at me, his cold angry eyes became soft and gentle. No…I'd risk saying he loved me at that moment.

Next chapter: Lavender sneaks out that night to the Court of Miracles to talk to Clopin. They have a deep conversation. When she gets back to the Palace, Frollo has everything set up for the wedding…Lavender runs. Review please