Sleeping Sun
Scrunchii

Author's Note: Sleeping Sun is inspired by the song by Nightwish, "Sleeping Sun" music and lyrics by Tuomas Holopainen. The lyrics are what really inspired this fan fiction but my love for The Hunchback of Notre Dame is also definitely a part of it. With the book on hold for me at the library, I hope to become a lot more knowledgeable about one of my favorite Disney movies. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or the song "Sleeping Sun." I do, however, own Lily White.

Chapter One
The Bells of Notre Dame

I

Morning in Paris
The city awakes to the bells of Notre Dame
The fisherman fishes, the bakerman bakes
To the bells of Notre Dame

To the big bells loud as the thunder
To the little bells soft as a psalm
And some say the soul of the city's the toll of the bells
The bells of Notre Dame

Clopin groaned softly as he rubbed his right eye, wiping the sleep from the corners, and felt his hand brush soft brown hair. He smiled at the woman next to him, the sheets mostly wrapped around him, leaving the woman exposed though her thick, brown hair covered most of her naked body. The woman rolled over and suddenly Clopin realized he didn't know this woman. For that matter – had he ever seen her in his life? Yes, he told himself silently, remember, Clopin, this is Lisette…Clopin sat up so suddenly he felt dizzy and had to take a moment to steady himself. He looked down at the floor and saw his clothes strewn about. Where are Lisette's clothes? Clopin shook his head. He didn't have time for this. He reached down and pulled on his clothes as quickly and quietly as he could.

Looking back once more at the naked woman in the bed, Clopin was almost tempted to undress once more and just pretend he hadn't woken up. But Lisette sighed in her sleep and that was enough to get Clopin out the door. He stood in the hallway and looked around. The house was huge. How had he ever gotten in here? He didn't even remember where he'd met Lisette. How do I get out of this place? Clopin had to fight not to lose his temper. As he marched down the hallway, hoping he was going the right way, he searched through his memory, looking for any clue as to where and how he had met Lisette. And how they ended up sleeping together.

Clopin turned a corner and found himself in front of a staircase. He prayed it would lead him to a way out as he practically ran down the stairs. To his delight, he saw a door that looked as though it would lead him out of the mansion at the end of the hallway. A pub? he asked himself silently. Yes, it was a pub. Why was she in a pub? Shut up, Clopin, this is no time for stupid questions. He stopped in the middle of the hallway, frozen, as he realized the date. January the sixth. The festival! Now Clopin was really running, but a shriek stopped him again. He turned just in time to see a half naked Lisette storming down the hallway toward him, wrapped in a sheet as though she were a Greek goddess in a toga.

"You!" she shrieked, pointing at Clopin with a shaky finger. Her yellow-green eyes were wide, so wide Clopin knew he would have nightmares for weeks. "You think you would just leave me here! Nobody just leaves Lynette that easily!"

"Oh! Lynette!" Clopin laughed. "That's right! I was calling you Lisette!" He realized his mistake the moment the sentence was out of his mouth and suddenly Lynette/Lisette was charging at him as though she were a bull and Clopin was a floating red blanket. He ran. He pulled the door open and thanked God it was indeed the front door. Lynette/Lisette didn't seem to care she wasn't dressed as she followed him out into the crowd. Clopin looked around, looking for an escape. He couldn't see one. So he did the next best thing. He grabbed attractive little red-head next to him and pulled her into a passionate kiss. He'd never seen the poor girl in his life but he moaned as he pressed his lips against hers and said loudly, so Lynette/Lisette could hear him, "Oh, thank God you're okay, Rose! My beloved wife, I thought I would never see you again!" He pulled away just slightly, keeping his hands on her waist, her hands on his chest. The girl stared at him in shock, her blue eyes staring at him in surprise.

"Clopin Trouillefou, if you think I buy that act for one minute –" Lynette/Lisette's voice was lost to him as Clopin apologized swiftly to the red-haired girl, who looked so pathetically lost at that point, and disappeared into the crowd, praying Lynette/Lisette wouldn't follow him.

"Clopin, Clopin," he chided himself as he slowed to a walk when he was convinced Lynette/Lisette was not following him. "How do you get yourself into these messes?" He wasn't entirely sure, to be honest, how he managed it but it seemed to be getting more and more common to find himself waking in a strange woman's bed. "You'll have slept with all of the Parisian women before the year is over."

Clopin stopped in the middle of the road and looked around, suddenly realizing he had no idea where he was going. The Court of Miracles? No, he had no reason to go there. Wasn't there something he was supposed to do? Something he usually did in the mornings…? Clopin forgot things too easily, that was something he didn't like about himself sometimes. Things just slipped his mind even if he did them everyday. He was lucky he remembered to breathe.

He looked over his shoulder and saw a wagon in the middle of the street, a fortune-teller with thick, black hair and a large mole above her right upper lip offering palm readings. No one paid her much attention but she did remind Clopin of what he was supposed to be doing right now. He looked around and realized he was not far from his own wagon where he told children stories, entertained them with his puppets, and sang songs. Usually the parents of the children didn't pay him but sometimes, if he was lucky, he was given a little money for his trouble even though Clopin genuinely did enjoy entertaining the children, they were a better audience than most adults were when it came to his puppet shows.

Clopin found a crowd of children already settled outside his wagon, watching eagerly, and Clopin knew what they expected. They expected a dazzling entrance so he would give them one. He swung himself up onto the roof of one of the houses and crept quietly along the edge of the curved roof, lowering himself onto his own wagon's roof, hiding under the blanket that covered the small opening that allowed Clopin to exit through the top of his wagon.

"Children!" he shouted from underneath the blanket and he heard their gasps, could see with his mind's eye their faces turning this way and that to see if they could catch sight of their favorite gypsy storyteller first. He lifted the blanket ever so slightly and saw they were all looking away so he swept the blanket off of him and stood tall on top of his own wagon and put his hands on his slim hips. "Good morning, my faithful audience," Clopin greeted the children, grinning widely. "'Tis been a long morning, no?" The children nodded though they didn't seem to know what he meant. Clopin stepped on the blanket and fell through the little hole into the wagon. The children gasped and Clopin grinned to himself, knowing that to them, Clopin had just stepped through a roof as though there were nothing there. If only they knew, Clopin thought with a sly smile. "Now, for a song…"

II

Lily brushed one of her red curls out of her eyes as the dark-skinned man apologized and ran away, disappearing into the bustling crowds of Paris. Her lips tingled from the kiss and she couldn't help feeling sorry that the man hadn't taken her with him, like he would have in a book. Lily almost sighed to herself. In a book he would have grabbed her hand, dragging her after him, and would have taken her to his home where they would fall in love and live happily ever after. Lily almost laughed at herself. She didn't even know the man, how could she be dreaming of living happily ever after?

Especially after André…

Lily sighed. Now she'd done it. Now all she would be able to think about all day would be André…his lovely, dark eyes, soft, soothing voice…She felt tears well up and her throat tightened, but she wouldn't let it bother her. She let two tears fall and wiped them away with the back of her hand and cleared her throat, not caring that it hurt.

Lily looked after where the dark-skinned man had run off to and realized the crowds were all migrating to the same direction, as though following the man – had that woman called him Clopin? – so Lily did all she could think of. She followed the crowds.

The crowds led her to a large, open square; the wagons of gypsies surrounding them, fortune tellers, palm readers, storytellers, singers, dancers, they were everywhere, each with their own "talent" as they so blindly called it. Witchcraft, Lily thought. All these gypsies are nothing but witches. Lily didn't know where to turn, didn't know where she was. Why did I follow all those people? I followed them so blindly…I had no idea where they were going! How could I be so stupid? She felt tears well up again, tears of frustration. What am I doing here? she asked herself, wondering if she meant the square or just Paris. Both, she decided.

"Um, excuse me," she said, pushing through the crowds. The people ignored her and began to clap, their faces delighted, mouths spread into enthusiastic grins. Lily turned and saw a line of robed figures walking along slowly, holding banners in their hands. Suddenly, Lily realized that in Paris it was the Festival of Fools on January 6th – today. She sighed and was about to turn around, not interested in watching gypsies beg for money, when suddenly a man burst from beneath one of the robes of the chanting people. The man, Lily realized, was the same one who had kissed her earlier. A gypsy! She almost gagged. I even imagined us living together! she realized with horror.

Yet she found she couldn't turn away. She was fascinated, watching the man leaping about, his face as excited and enthusiastic as the crowds', as though he were feeding off their happiness. She tried to follow the man with her eyes but she found it quite hard. He seemed to be having a good time hunting around for a hunched over man in a blue cape who seemed intent on staying away from the gypsy.

Suddenly the gypsy was on a stage and the crowds gathered round to hear his song. The gypsy's face glowed eerily, looking almost sinister, and he disappeared in an explosion of red smoke. As the smoke cleared, a woman appeared. The gypsy woman was beautiful, her black hair long and wavy, skin smooth and dark, her figure curvy yet slim, but most shocking were her eyes, so green it was as though they stood alone on her perfect face.

"Dance la Esmeralda, dance"

The gypsy man had said. The woman must be Esmeralda. Esmeralda's dance was hypnotizing. Wolf whistles and excited claps erupted from the audience. Lily surprised herself by being one of those who clapped – one of the very few women who wasn't worried about a husband or lover being too interested in the lovely gypsy woman. When her dance was over – to Lily's disappointment it didn't last long – the gypsy man appeared again.

He and Esmeralda were pulling men up to be crowned as the King of Fools. Lily found herself laughing and booing with the rest of the crowd at the men's faces. Esmeralda unmasked every man, revealing an ugly face, but none were ugly enough for the audience. They wanted the ugliest face in Paris. And they got it. Esmeralda pulled at a man's mask – the man in the blue cape that had been trying to elude the gypsy man – but the mask did not come off. The crowd fell silent.

"That's no mask!" someone shouted.

"It's his face!" another added.

Esmeralda stepped back, allowing herself to look disgusted for less than a moment but it was enough.

"He's hideous!"

"It's the bellringer of Notre Dame!"

The bellringer hid his face in his hands and Lily felt a rush of sympathy for the man, but the gypsy man jumped in and put his arms around the bellringer.

"Ladies and gentlemen, don't panic. We asked for the ugliest face in Paris, and here he is! Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre Dame!" the gypsy man said, crowning the bellringer, Quasimodo, the King of Fools. The crowd rushed forward and a grin spread across Quasimodo's face as the gypsy threw him in a "throne" and led the crowd away from the stage. Quasimodo stood up on a platform overlooking the crowd and smiled, waving at them.

As the crowd chanted his name, Quasimodo looked unsure of what to do next when suddenly a tomato whizzed through the air, passed Lily's head, and hit Quasimodo on the side of the face. Lily gasped and stared in horror. A hush fell over the crowd and Lily realized she wasn't the only one in shock. Another tomato flew by and hit the King of Fools. A man standing beside her rushed forward but was stopped by the guards – the gypsy man. Lily had been standing next to him and hadn't even realized it. The gypsy glared at the guard and turned away. Lily covered her eyes as more began to join in, throwing ropes over the poor boy and spinning him around on the platform, throwing eggs, cabbages, tomatoes at the man as he yelled in anguish. Lily felt a tear run down her cheek, rolling under fingers and disappearing under the index finger. Why am I crying? she asked herself. I shouldn't just stand here crying, I should go help him! But she didn't. She didn't have the courage to go up there and stop those people. Pathetic, she told herself.

Suddenly the yelling stopped and the crowd fell silent once again. Lily stole a glance and saw the gypsy Esmeralda stepping toward Quasimodo, wiping his face with her dress. She looked over at where the gypsy man had been standing but he was gone so Lily focused her attention back to Esmeralda and Quasimodo.

"You! Gypsy girl! Get down at once!" a man shouted. Lily turned and saw an older man in judge's robes standing, pointing at Esmeralda with a look of fury on his face.

"Yes, your honor," Esmeralda said. Her voice was huskier than Lily had thought it would be. "Just as soon as I free this poor creature."

"I forbid it!" the judge yelled.

Ignoring the judge, Esmeralda pulled a knife out from under her skirt and cut Quasimodo's ropes.

"How dare you defy me?" the judge snarled, his lips tightening.

Lily was about to glance back at Esmeralda, watching the confrontation carefully, as were the rest of the crowd, their heads turning back and forth to watch Esmeralda and the judge's expressions, when she caught sight of the gypsy man, watching Esmeralda more carefully than anyone else. It suddenly occurred to Lily that the two might be lovers. The gypsy man seemed genuinely worried about Esmeralda.

"You mistreat this poor boy the same way you mistreat my people!" Esmeralda shouted, her voice growing with confidence. Lily saw the gypsy man's face grow amused, his chest swell with pride. They must be lovers, Lily thought. You don't look that proud unless you're lovers! Unless Esmeralda was his daughter! Lily suddenly wondered why she was so intent on figuring out Esmeralda and the gypsy man's relationship. "You speak of justice yet you are cruel to those most in need of your help."

"Silence!" the judge ordered.

"Justice!" Esmeralda yelled louder, thrusting her knife in the air, her face twisted with rage.

"Mark my words, gypsy," the judge said softly, barely heard despite the hush of the crowd, "you will pay for this insolence."

"Then it appears we've crowned the wrong fool," Esmeralda said, her voice suddenly light as she took the crown from Quasimodo's head. "The only fool I see – " Esmeralda threw the crown so it landed in front of the judge's chair. The crown made a squeak as it hit the ground. " – is you!"

"Captain Phoebus, arrest her!" the judge said, nearly shaking with anger.

Lily watched as Esmeralda disappeared in a cloud of smoke – the same way she'd appeared onstage to sing – and reappeared, her head resting on a plate of food. The guards followed her but Esmeralda didn't fail to elude them until finally she disappeared under a blanket on top of the stage for everyone to see, as cleverly as though she'd had the whole fight planned.

Lily wanted to clap but the skies opened up and rain poured from the sky and the crowds broke apart, each heading to their homes. You wanted to clap for a gypsy! Lily scolded herself. What is wrong with you today, Lily? First you find a disgusting gypsy attractive and next you're cheering for a criminal humiliating a man of God and the law in public. Paris must be a worse influence on you than you originally thought.

But as the crowds disappeared and Lily eventually found herself almost entirely alone in the square, she realized gypsies were the least of her worries. She was completely and utterly lost.

Additional Author's Note: Lily (Chapter One: The Bells of Notre Dame, Part II) is actually based on the English supermodel, Lily Cole (appearance-wise, that is). So if you really want to see what Lily looks like, I strongly recommend Google-ing "Lily Cole" or if that's what you prefer. I'm personally more of a Google-er, myself, but to each his/her own.

I hope you liked the first chapter of "Sleeping Sun." It is my first Hunchback of Notre Dame fan fiction but I won't ask you to take too much pity on me because it is not my first fan fiction ever. Please review!

Much love,
Scrunchii