"There they are! There they are!" Saphir cried out, as the caravans appeared over the top of the hill.
They were on the outskirts of Paris for the annual gypsy get-together, where many friends and family would re-connect with one another.
Due to the increased policing and guards in the major cities, many families were forced to separate in their rush to stay safe.
Hence this little get-together.
Not in city bounds and therefore, out of the reach of the so-called 'law'.
"I knew we'd beat them here!"
Esmerelda, standing behind her brother, rolled her eyes. "We live in Paris, of course we were going to get here first."
"Sssh!"
"Don't tell me to shush!"
Clopin rolled his eyes at his siblings' antics, walking on ahead to meet the leader, the pair of them bowing to each other.
….
From there, it descended into chaos.
People were jumping into the River Seine.
Children were clambering up trees… and promptly falling out of them.
Esme and Saphir had joined up with a group of children and were now playing 'war'. Clopin didn't have the heart to scold them for making light of such a serious topic.
Families were reunited once more.
They learnt of those who had passed away.
They learnt of new relationships that had started.
Stories were told and friends laughed together. Like Penny, who had once been married to a guard in another city (an unhappy relationship), who had managed to get free of him and got him arrested in the process.
These were precious moments that would never be forgotten, and in times like these, moments like this were needed.
Who knew what the future would hold?
"Saphir! Saphir!" He heard Esme called out, "Clopin says no frogs!"
That caught his attention immediately.
"No!" He called out, "Definitely no frogs!"
So much for a peaceful week.
….….
"…. The Prince stopped, watching as the swan landed in the middle of the lake. As the moonlight shone down on the gorgeous creature, water swirled all around it, hiding it from the Prince's eyes… and then BANG!"
All the children listening to the story, jumped at the sudden sound, Esme and Saphir clinging onto each other as evening fell over the glen.
"Where the swan once stood… was the princess he had fallen in love with all those years ago."
The girls all sighed dreamily at the thought of the two lovers being reunited.
The boys weren't as impressed.
"When is he going to challenge the evil sorcerer to a duel to the death?" Saphir was the first to speak up, yelping when Esme pinched him on the thigh.
"Shut up and listen to the story!"
As the pair descended into quiet squabbles, the storyteller continued on.
She had had several years to get used to the twins.
…
It was a beautiful summers day, and Phoebus was glad that his lessons were taking place outside today.
"First position!" His Sword tutor called out, "Second!"
Phoebus swiftly moved from one stance to the other, only to pause at the sound of giggling from just outside the garden walls.
"Damn gypsies." His tutor growled, "I wish someone would do something about this yearly meet-up of theirs."
The sounds of playing just seemed to get louder.
"Right." The tutor moved to storm inside, ordering Phoebus to continue with the stances, before muttering something about getting the other servants to chase the gypsies away from the property.
Phoebus didn't want to point out that they were just playing.
Sighing, he moved into the third position, only to stop when he saw movement by the large wall that surrounded the gardens. On top of it, were two gypsy children, identical-looking with tanned skin, green eyes and black wavy hair.
"Esme, look!" The boy pointed at Phoebus, who cocked his head to one side.
"There's nothing here to steal." Phoebus glared at them, feeling a twinge of guilt when hurt looks flashed across their faces.
"Why would we want to steal anything of yours?!" The boy didn't look as friendly now, wincing when his sister slapped him on the arm.
"Remember what Clopin said? Just because he's being rude, doesn't mean that you have to be as well!"
"I wasn't being rude!" Phoebus protested, "But my Daddy says- "
"- We're not here to steal anything." The girl interrupted, "And your Daddy sounds rude as well!"
"He's a Captain of the guard!"
"Exactly our point!" The girl looked victorious, "Guards are rude bullies!"
"Hey!" Phoebus brandished his sword at the pair, "I will not take such insult about my father!"
"You're going to have to." The boy smirked, "Your Daddy's a bully!"
"Yeah… well your Daddy's just a thief!"
Both of their faces fell.
"Our Daddy's dead." The girl whispered, "Probably because of your Dad."
Instantly, Phoebus felt guilty.
How many times had his father led him past the courtyard, where the bodies of dead gypsies were slung up as a reminder to others?
Was one of them their father?
The door to the training ground opened as Phoebus panicked, eyes darting to the walls… where the two children no longer where.
They must have heard the door as well.
"No slacking!" The instructor was furious, so the conversation must not have gone well, "Position one!"
Phoebus pushed the two strange children out of his mind and got back to his training.