One Secret to Another
Emily was safe, though unbeknownst to her friends and to herself at the moment. She heard the sound of indistinctive voices and began waking up. "Oh, I think she's coming around," a man's voice whispered as Emily rubbed her eyes and yawned.
After getting a clear vision, she asks, "What happened to me?"
"It's okay," a woman's voice assured her. "You're safe here."
Emily looked and saw that the young woman sitting beside her was Esmeralda. On her other side was Clopin, the leader of the gypsies. "Do you know where you are, Mademoiselle?" he asked her.
The blonde could only think of one place. "The Court of Miracles," she answered, looking around. "Where the lame can walk and the blind can see."
"Ah, so you've heard of our special place," said Clopin.
Emily tried to sit up, but she was still feeling weak. "Take it easy," Esmeralda said gently, helping her. "You haven't recovered yet."
Once again, the blonde asked, "What happened and how did I get here?"
"You collapsed with a terrible fever," Esmeralda explained. "Then your cat came and got me and I brought you here." Of course, the other gypsies weren't happy about Esmeralda returning to the Court of Miracles with a stranger, but when she explained that it was an emergency and Emily was sick, Clopin came by to help calm the situation and take care of the girl. It was because of the charm bracelet that Emily had over her wrist. It was like the ones made by gypsies. They were made to be like good luck charms. For Clopin, if he saw anyone wearing a charm bracelet, it meant that he had to offer his help to the person wearing it.
Gatomon approached Emily with a smile, happy to see that her partner was all right.
"She's a very pretty cat," Esmeralda complimented.
"And you have a pretty goat," Emily returned, gesturing to Djali. The goat bleated in response.
"Thanks," said Esmeralda. "You should probably get back to resting. We'll come back and check on you in a little bit."
Emily nodded in response and closed her eyes to rest. Gatomon laid beside her, curled up into a ball. "Gatomon," Emily whispered. "I know I told you not to come, but I'm glad you did."
Gatomon smiled. "I'm your Digimon. I'm supposed to look after you," she whispered.
Clopin stepped outside the room and drew the drape that served as a door. When he did, Esmeralda asked him, "Clopin, do you really think it's possible that she could be the princess from those stories?"
Of that, the leader of the gypsies wasn't sure and that was part of the reason he decided to let Emily stay in the Court of Miracles for the time being. "I don't know, but I'm determined to find out. I mean, she certainly looks like the queen. Then again, that's to be expected if she is the princess."
"Well, either way, I think she should stay here until she recovers," said Esmeralda. "When she does, we can find out more about her."
"I agree," said Clopin. "Go and have some more medicinal herbs prepared for her."
Esmeralda nodded and went to one of the carriages in the Court where medicines were made. Djali trotted behind her. She got the herbs ready and stepped inside Emily's room to prepare them for her. She crushed the herbs into small flakes and mixed them into a broth. She held the broth in one hand and used her other hand to lift Emily's head. "Here, drink this. It'll help bring down the fever."
Emily obeyed and opened her mouth to take in the liquid. It was bitter from the herbs, but not by so much. It tasted like beef and tea. "Thank you," she said weakly.
"I also brought you some food," the gypsy girl added. "I know you think you can't, but try to eat."
"I'll try," Emily responded. For now, she decided to try to rest.
"And here's some milk for you," Esmeralda told Gatomon, presenting her with a bowl full of milk. Gatomon meowed happily, but before she started drinking, she looked at her partner, worried. Esmeralda gently rubbed her ears. "Don't worry, little cat. We'll take care of her." Gatomon meowed in response and began drinking her milk.
Hours passed and Emily finally began to wake up. She was feeling somewhat stronger now. The medicine Esmeralda gave her seemed to work wonders considering how she wasn't feeling so hot anymore. She tried getting up from the bed. It hurt a little to move around, but it was a good hurt because her body was happy to be moving again.
Esmeralda came by with Djali trotting beside her. "Oh, are you sure you're well enough to get up?"
"I think so," Emily replied, finding her voice was stronger. She leaned against the wall of the room to steady herself as she realized how wobbly her body was.
"Careful," Esmeralda said with caution.
"Thanks," Emily told her. She decided to sit back down for the moment. "Hey, how long was I out for?"
"Well, you slept through the whole day when I brought you here," the gypsy girl answered. And you slept through the entire night as well."
"That long?" the blonde asked. She turned away and mumbled, "I wonder if Yugi thinks something happened to me."
Esmeralda heard her and asked, "Yugi?"
"My love," Emily explained. "He and I came to Paris together with a few friends looking for a few other friends."
"Ah," Esmeralda replied. Finally, she asked, "What's your name?"
"Emily," the blonde introduced. "You already know Gatomon." She once again thought to herself how glad she was that Gatomon came along. If she hadn't, who knows what would have happened to Emily?
The gypsy girl was astonished. This girl had the same name as the princess. Was it possible that she was the princess? "I'm Esmeralda," she finally introduced. "You've already met Djali." Her goat bleated in response.
As Emily saw the gypsy girl looking at her, she asked, "What is it?"
Esmeralda composed herself. "I'm sorry, it's just, you look an awful lot like… um, never mind."
Emily wondered if Esmeralda knew who she really was.
"Anyway, I saw your concert in the square the other day," Esmeralda said, trying to change the subject. "You and your friends were really great. You're very talented."
The blonde shrugged. "It's just a way for us to put bread on the table."
The gypsy understood. Clopin gave her a job to dance for the children before he would entertain them with his puppet shows. She and Djali also often danced in the streets to earn coins from passersby.
A few hours later, Esmeralda showed Emily and Gatomon around the Court of Miracles. Some of the gypsies looked at the blonde warily, unsure if she could be trusted. Emily sensed their distrust and turned away from them, hoping to avoid making any eye contact.
Esmeralda gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. It's not you. We're just trying to be careful. You see, we don't often bring strangers to the Court of Miracles, so some of us get nervous when someone besides a gypsy comes here."
"Oh, yes," Emily said in acknowledgement.
Clopin came by. "Ah, my fair lady," he said, greeting Emily. "How are you feeling today?"
"I think I'm feeling better," the blonde answered. "And, well, I can't thank you enough for taking care of me."
"Not at all," Clopin insisted. "Well, my dears, might it be all right if I join you?"
Both girls nodded. Emily remembered her manners. "Oh, I haven't introduced myself to you. My name is Emily," she said, holding out her hand.
Clopin held her hand and kissed it. "Enchanté, Mademoiselle. I am Clopin, leader of the gypsies."
The blonde giggled, then cleared her throat. "I'm sorry that my presence is disturbing to you and your people, sir. I suppose-"
"No, sweet lady, you are welcome here," Clopin told her. He lowered himself and whispered, "We tend to take ourselves a little too seriously."
Esmeralda heard him and said, "Yes, I was just telling Emily how we have to live carefully."
"From Frollo," the blonde immediately said.
Both gypsies nodded. "When we're out in the open, we try not to stay in one place for too long," Esmeralda was saying. "Because you never know where he and his soldiers could be."
It pained the blonde so much to hear how the gypsies had to suffer because of the minister. It wasn't just them. Even the citizens of Paris had to suffer because of his hateful and prejudiced nature. Of course, Emily also remembered that Quasimodo had to put up with Frollo more than anyone else in the city did. After all, Frollo is the one who raised the hunchback and he still provided for him and schooled him.
"So you see, Emily, it's important that this place is kept secret from Frollo," Clopin said with seriousness in his tone. "It's our only safe haven from him. That's why I came to you just now. Whatever you see or hear while you are here in the Court of Miracles, you must swear absolute secrecy."
"Yes, I-"
"Swear it," Clopin softly demanded.
"I promise." Emily really did understand the importance of keeping the location of the Court of Miracles a secret. It was the same for the Pure Valley. Although it was open to friends and family of the heroes of all the worlds connected to it, it still had to be kept secret from the Dark Lord and his minions.
"I understand because I have a dangerous secret too," Emily immediately said. "But I can share it with you if you promise that it stays between us."
Both gypsies looked at each other. They knew Emily wanted to be someone they could trust. They also wondered if this secret would justify their suspicions about her. Clopin gently took Emily by her hand and led her to another chamber, one that was small and quiet.
To begin, Emily asked, "Do you know the story of the age of the Shadow Games?"
They did. It was one of the many stories Clopin told the children during his puppet shows. Esmeralda also remembered reading a book about it. "As it so happens, in the story, there was a princess named Emily," Clopin was saying. Then his eyes widened. "Wait a minute, are you saying-?"
The blonde nodded. "I'm that princess." To prove it, she released the Millennium Star from her heart and showed it to the two gypsies. They both looked at it with fascination. Emily returned the Millennium Star to her heart. "My friends, the people you saw performing with me at the concert, they're warriors of Millennia too. And Gatomon is an intelligent royal feline, if that's all right with you."
"How intelligent?" Esmeralda asked.
"Let's just say I'm not your ordinary housecat," Gatomon replied.
Esmeralda and Clopin were shocked to hear her speak. "You can talk?" the gypsy girl asked.
"Yes," Gatomon answered. "Quite well."
"How extraordinary," Clopin said, scratching his beard. "It's also fascinating that your friends are also warriors of Millennia." He still couldn't believe it. This girl really was the princess. Even Esmeralda was just as amazed. Clopin remembered his manners. "But I must restart my welcome to you." He removed his feathered hat with a sweeping bow. "It is an honor and privilege to be in your presence, my lady."
"Oh, Master Clopin-,"
"Never mind the 'master,'" he told her. "Just Clopin is fine." Though he was considered the leader of the gypsies, he didn't prefer to be called by a title. "I'm just so honored and thrilled to have you in our domain, Princess."
"Remember, we made her a promise to keep this between us," Esmeralda reminded him.
Clopin remembered and figured that maybe his people weren't ready to know the truth about Emily right now. Other than that, he knew he couldn't get carried away with Emily. Just because she was the princess who had the Millennium Star, didn't mean she was his and his people's salvation from Frollo. Finally, he spoke and said, "Yes, let's agree to keep the secrets we've shared with each other between us."
Both girls nodded in agreement. Emily also said, "Also, since you helped me, I'd also like to help you guys any way that I can. I may not be able to do much right now, but I think I know how I can be of service to you."
"How so?" Esmeralda asked.
Emily shared her ideas. "I could come back with food for you. I may not be able to carry much, but I have my ways." One of them was being going to the Secret Garden and carrying as much as she could and taking the door back to the room she was currently using.
"Oh, we couldn't ask you to do that," said Esmeralda.
"It's all right, really," Emily insisted. "That way the soldiers won't catch you and falsely accuse you of stealing."
Clopin thought about it. He could see that Emily really wanted to be helpful. "Well, if you think you can do it, Princess, then I say go for it. Also, I'd like to do something for you as well." He led her out of the room and brought her back to the room she was staying in. "Since I said you are welcome here in the Court of Miracles, I should make that true by letting this be your room if you ever want to come back and stay with us for a while. Besides, I'm willing to wager Frollo also knows who you are and will likely be after you too," he whispered. "But don't worry, Princess. As long as you are here, you will be under my protection," he promised.
"Thank you," Emily said gratefully. "I do appreciate it." Then she thought about her friends. "Oh, but I've got to get back to my friends. They're probably worried about me."
Esmeralda decided to escort Emily out of the Court of Miracles. Gatomon and Djali followed. The gypsy girl led the blonde through the catacombs and up a flight of stairs that was sealed with a large stone slab. Esmeralda carefully moved the slab, creating an opening. When both girls and their companions climbed out, Esmeralda put the slab back in place. Afterwards, they began walking out of the cemetery and making their way to the streets.
It was time for them to go their separate ways. "Thanks again for all your help, Esmeralda. I do appreciate it."
"You're welcome," Esmeralda told her. "And thank you for telling us the truth about yourself. We had our thoughts about it when we first saw you and now that you told us, we're really amazed and thrilled. Of course, we won't forget our promise about keeping quiet about it."
The blonde nodded. "I understand how important it is to protect you and your people and I want to be someone you can trust. I guess that's why I immediately decided I could trust you."
Esmeralda smiled at that statement. Then she reached into her parcel and brought out a small bag of herbs. "Here, it's medicine. Just in case you get sick again."
Emily kindly took the medicine and placed it into her knapsack. "Thanks." Gatomon thanked Esmeralda as well by rubbing herself against the gypsy's legs and purring.
Esmeralda got down and gently scratched her ears. "You take care too, Gatomon."
Djali gave Gatomon a lick on the cheek and approached Emily. The blonde got down and petted the goat. "I'll see you around, Djali." The goat bleated and licked Emily's cheek as well. The blonde laughed.
Both girls stood up and shook hands. "I sincerely hope you find your friends, Emily."
"I will," she promised. "And maybe Gatomon and I will see you around town. We'll also come back to the Court whenever we can. And, Esmeralda, I hope that someday, you and your people will be free and won't always have to live in hiding."
Esmeralda appreciated her kind words. Both girls embraced each other and turned around and went their separate ways.
