When The Tower Meets The Sea, a hunchback of notre dame fanfic

Chapter one

A pale moon looks down on an unforgiving sea. Its waves fight to claim another victim…

"Miranda, listen to me. This boat will soon capsize. We will both drown if you don't use the long boat now!" Marcus said as he struggled to push his only daughter into the long boat.

"Papa please I can't go without you!" Miranda shouted, as she tried to get back on the ship.

"If you row from here, you will soon reach France. You will be safe there. I love you, Miranda. Never forget that.'' Marcus said as he kissed her head. Then cut the rope, sending his daughter into the sea.

Miranda didn't look back. She refused to remember her father that way. She rowed as hard as she could, desperately trying to reach France. But the sea had other plans.

Miranda's pulse quickened as she heard the approaching wave. She jumped from the boat just before it was crushed by a tidal wave. She emerged, her lungs screaming for air. She clung to a large piece of wreckage, her fiery red hair clinging to her face. She laid on the wood, resting, as she floated into the calmer waters near France.

Not far away two men stood guard at the harbor of Marseilles, watching for prisoners that may try to escape.

"I hate this. I can't believe that we were put on the night watch again. There must be better jobs out there, for us than this." Alexander said, as he stomped his boots against the winter snow.

"Alexander, we are both children of farmers. There are few jobs out there, that would be better than this." Louis said, as he kept his eyes on the sea.

Then moments later the soldiers saw a girl drift into the harbor.

"Hey look!" Alexander said as he walked to the water.

"It's a girl, but she's wearing men's clothes." Alexander said as he looked her over.

"Do you think she's a witch?" said Louis, as he walked over to her.

"I don't know. Let's find out," Alexander said as he pulled her from the water.

"You! Girl wake up! " Louis said as he slapped Miranda's face. Miranda's eyes flew open as her hand held her cheek.

"You, girl! are you a witch?" Louis said, his face set like stone.

"No I'm not," said Miranda, as her emerald eyes widened with fright.

"Why do you wear men's clothes?" Alexander said as he looked at her brown knee-high boots, breeches, and white shirt.

"My father was a sailor; he traded goods all through Asia. I wore these clothes so it would be easier to do work on the ship," Miranda said as she backed away from Alexander.

"A likely story. I bet she's a witch, let's take her to warden Donovan." Louis said as he grabbed Miranda by the shoulders.

"I'm not a witch!" Miranda screamed. She broke free of Louis's grasp, then she ran.

Miranda ran up the hill not knowing where to go, or if the soldiers were following her.

She ran faster as the pale light of the moon revealed a forest. Miranda continued to run until she felt sure she had lost the soldiers who pursued her. She climbed the nearest tree. When she had climbed half way up, she let herself rest. She did not allow herself to fall asleep. She knew that the light of day would make her more visible.

"Dawn has come once again. Our shift has ended," Louis said as he turned to Alexander.

"Yes, now's our chance, " Alexander said, as he turned to this ship that held the prisoners.

"Chance for what?" Louis said with a confused look.

"To get a better job, but we have to hurry, or she will escape." Alexander said.

"No whatever your plan is, I want no part of it. I only want to go to bed, it's been a very long night." Louis said with an exasperated sigh.

"Look this is going to work! But I need you to trust me." Alexander said as he walked toward the ship.

Warden Donavan, hearing a knock on his office door, looked up from the prisoner log. "Enter," Warden Donavan said

Alexander walked in, removing his hat.

"Warden Donavan last night, Louis and I discovered something of interest. Which we both feel that we should explore it together. "

"Oh?" Warden Donavan said, as he raised an eyebrow at the man; that stood in front of him.

"We believed that last night a witch snuck into our country. We feel that it is our Christian duty to investigate this further."

"Indeed it is and I wish you the best of luck," Warden Donavan said as he shook both their hands. Then he returned to his work as Alexander and Louis left his office.

Miranda trudged down the road, having no idea what to do. She froze as she heard the squeaking of cart wheels, and the gentle clopping of horse hooves.

A tall, strong middle aged man with short blonde hair and a thick beard sat up straighter in his seat. As he tried to get a better look at the girl, who slowly walked in front of him.

Hello my dear, You seem to be in need of help." Phillippe said, as he brought the cart to a stop.

"Where are you headed?" Miranda said, as she turned to face the man that stood behind her.

"I'm on my way to Paris. I hope to sell the wool that my sheep gave me," Phillippe said, as he offered Miranda a piece of bread, and a drink of water.

"I don't suppose you could take mercy on a weary traveler."

" Indeed I can, Please allow me to,help you into my cart. You look as if you're about to faint, where you stand." Phillippe said as he picked Miranda up. Then he carefully carried her to his cart.

Miranda curled up in the cart. She used a bag of wool as a pillow, grateful that she had at last found some help.

The next week passed in the same manner. The sun rose, and then it set. Each day Miranda ate, some of the provisions that Phillippe had brought with him. The two also talked briefly from time to time.

Each night Miranda was lulled to sleep, by the gentle movement of the cart. The midday sun marched ahead of Miranda, and Philippe as they entered the city of Paris.

"Well my dear, this is where we go, our separate ways. I wish you the best of luck, "Phillippe said as Miranda climbed down from the cart."

Is there a place where someone can find sanctuary?"

"The church in the fourth arrondissement, is the most well known it's called Notre Dame. You can find sanctuary there. I am sure that if you ask someone for help, they will point you in the right direction. " Phillippe said, as he gave Miranda an apple.

Mranda thanked Phillppe, and tried to pay him for helping her.

Phillipee however would have none of this, and sent Miranda on her way.

Miranda spent the afternoon walking about the city. She asked many people where one of the churches in town was, or if they knew where she could find a job. But because of the clothes she wore, people refused to help her.

Eventually the sun set, and the temperature dropped. Miranda knew that she had to find a place to sleep for the night. She wandered through the alleyways looking for a place, that would be even a little warm. However there was one thing that went unnoticed by Miranda.

" Very well Alexander, We followed the girl here. But what do we do now?" Louis said, as he, and Alexander made sure to stay out of sight.

"Now comes the next phase of my plan. While you spent the day following the girl, I spent the day talking to guards; throughout the city, and I found something very interesting."

"Oh, really, and what exactly was that?" Louis said, grimly as he once, again began to have second thoughts; on the endeavor, he had undertaken.

"Well while I was talking to some of the guards, I discovered that judge Claude Frollo has been fighting against the gypsies; that has begged, and performed here for the past twenty years."

Alexander said. He rubbed his arms, hoping to ward off the cold.

"If he hates the gypsies so much, why doesn't he just simply expel them from the city?" Louis said wishing that Alexander would get to the point.

"He can't whenever he, or the guards try to apprehend one gypsie they all return. To their hiding place."

"Where is their hiding place, and how can so many people hide in one place?" Louis said as he thought back to all the people he saw begging or performing on the street corners, which he now knew were gypsies.

"No-one knows the whereabouts of the gypsies hiding place, not even Frollo himself. I heard some people say that he's gone mad with the search. So I went to him while you were looking for her. He gave us authorization to bring her in, and said that if we did he would give us both jobs. We've finally made it, soon we will have houses and wives of our own." Alexander whispered excitedly as he looked at Miranda.

Miranda froze briefly sensing that she was being followed. Miranda ran from the alley and into the streets. Her breathing was labored from exhaustion, and cold.

She ran through the streets until she came to a dead end, which upon closer inspection turned out to be a large gate. She quickly pushed the gate open, and to her surprise stepped on to a bridge. She quickly looked ahead and found the place that would save her.

She quickly crossed the bridge and ran up the steps to Notre Dame.

"Somebody please give me sanctuary!" Miranda screamed. She banged on the door.

"There she is grab her, before she gets inside the church!" Alexander said, as he ran over the bridge.

Miranda banged on the door once more. Then it slowly creaked open.

"Whom is it that claims sanctuary here?" The Archdeacon said, as he opened the door.

"I do now! Please let me in!" Miranda said, as the door slowly opened then she ran through the doorway.

"Archdeacon, this woman wears men's clothes. Therefore she is a witch, She must be taken to the hall of justice where she will be flogged, then given the chance to repent her evil ways." Alexander said, as he entered the church.

"I'm not a witch! I'm an orphan who is seeking sanctuary!" Miranda shouted as the shock of her father's death finally hit her, she fell to the floor and sobbed,

"You will have your sanctuary my child, I promise. These men will leave now," The Arch deacon said giving them a stern look. Then the two soldiers left.

"Come with me my child, you must be exhausted. " The Arch deacon said, soothingly as he helped Miranda to her feet.

The Archdeacon led Miranda up to the tower on the right side of the church.

She was shown to a small room with a small bed in the corner. Then the Archdeacon bid her good night.

When the door closed Miranda walked over to the bed. Then she collapsed onto the bed, and fell into a sleep born from exhaustion.

The next morning Miranda awoke to the clang of bells. She slowly got out of bed, then put on the white dress and shoes that the Archdeacon left for her. She opened the door and found a basket of bread, and cheese along with a note from the Archdeacon saying that morning mass would begin soon.

She walked out the door of her tower, and she crossed the bridge that led to the bell tower. It was there she saw the gargoyles. She ran over to look at them, because she had never seen this type of statue before.

Then she saw the people below hurry into the church. Miranda then ran for the door of the bell tower. But when she did, she met a face; that was absolutely livid,