Aang felt like he'd been in this strange world for a week. He missed his friends back home, and every night he looked for a way back, but he couldn't find one.
Fortunately for him, the night before he'd discovered a hidden portal that would take him back to his world. To be honest, he was somewhat relieved.
In this world he was forced to hide his powers or he'd scare these people. Because...here...there was no Bending! It was if it didn't exist his powers would be seen as either magic or evil and he didn't want to frighten anyone.
If anyone saw him, particularly the apparently evil judge of Paris, Judge, Frollo who would see his powers as unnatural and something to be feared.
He was planing on leaving tonight! He would have left sooner, but he'd promised his new friend Esmeralda that he'd at least stay for the upcoming festival, before he left. He'd been to a few festivals in his own world before, but none like this.
It was known as the Feast of Fools! It was supposed to be really fun. It was supposed to be a day were differences were expected. Maybe he'd be able to use his bending tomorrow.
Esmeralda and Clopan were the only ones he'd told the truth to he wasn't sure how people would react to his powers. Not that it mattered. Tomorrow would be the best day ever!
The morning was as nice as any other. He couldn't, however, be too cautious. Before proceeding down the street, he checked to see if there were any soldiers nearby.
Esmeralda was standing near a street corner when he noticed her, and she smiled and waved him over. Esmeralda had been nice enough to provide him with work to keep his mind off the fact that he was far from home, which he was grateful for.
Esmeralda began to dance as Aang climbed a nearby wall and looked out over the nearby streets, keeping an eye out for soldiers. A few people threw coins into the hat at her feet, and everything seemed to be going smoothly until...he saw the soldiers approaching!
To warn Esmeralda, he blew a loud and shrill whistle. She gathered her belongings and dashed ahead, Aang close behind. Unfortunately for Aang, he collided with a soldier.
The boy attempted to flee, but the soldier grabbed his arm. The boy struggled in the soldier's tight grip, attempting to break free, but he was unable to do so.
"Let me go!" Aang shouted as he attempted to break free. "What's going on here?" A cold voice replied. Aang realized it could only be the voice of Judge Claude Frollo!
He had heard many things about the judge about the judge of Paris and none of them good. He knew that Judge despised the Romani people more than anyone else. Why he wasn't certain. But he knew he couldn't be caught by Frollo.
He had no intention of going to the Palace of Justice. Not today! Before the guard had a chance to speak, the boy broke free. "After him!" Frollo shouted. "Don't let that Gypsy brat get away!"
Aang ran down street after street until he arrived at the square where he could see the Notre Dame Cathedral in the distance. He'd never been inside before, but he knew it was the one place in town where Frollo couldn't take him. According to Esmeralda it was a safe place once inside he couldn't be removed.
He made a run for the church door, but just as he was about to open it, he felt something sharp slash across his cried out in pain as he fell to the ground his vision blurred and everything went dark.
when he came to he found himself in the in the cathedral. As it turned out, the Archdeacon was the one who had brought him inside. The kind old man had agreed to let him stay as long as he didn't cause any problems.
However, the next day Frollo entered the church but to Aang's relief he walked right past him, too frustrated to notice him peering at him from behind a nearby pew.
Aang looked at where he'd come from. The bell tower he'd come from the bell tower. He'd heard a lot of strange stories about the mysterious bell ringer who lived in the towers. There were many rumors about him.
Some said he was a demon and a monster, while others claimed he was a simply just a shy harmless young boy who hid because he stood out from the rest of Paris. Aang knew what that was like.
However he was still curious about who this "Bell ringer" really was. He didn't judge people often based on frightening rumors. He liked to make his own judgments. Besides he could use a friend seeing as how he might be trapped here for a while.
He looked to the church door, expecting Frollo to return. When he didn't return, Aang knew that it was safe.
Slowly and cautiously he approached the darkened stairwell. Aang looked up as the stairs winded into the darkness above. Slowly and quietly Aang crept up the stairs and into the dark tower.
Aang soon came to a small wooden door. He placed a hand on the withered and splintered, old wood. He paused, staring at at it nervously. "What am I doing?!" Aang thought to himself as he pulled his hand away.
"I think I should go! I don't even know this person! It seems wrong breaking into this persons home like this. And what if Frollo comes back and finds me here?!"
Aang shook head. "I have to do this! I might as well since I'm here. Besides why did Frollo come up here anyways, unless…Unless he knows the bell ringer. Maybe Frollo was his father, which would seem a little strange considering he was hidden away up here. Why would Frollo hide his own son in this tower?
Aang quietly opened the door as he stepped inside the bell tower. The tower was dim and slightly drafty. Aang noticed a ladder not far from where he was standing.
"Do I climb it? I mean I've already broken into this persons home. Maybe it couldn't hurt to look around for a bit. He might not even be here for all I know. It couldn't hurt. I'll be in and out before he even realizes I was here."
He climbed the ladder and into the loft above. He winced slightly, his injury making climbing difficult. He looked around the loft In disbelief. Despite the rumors he'd heard, it seemed bright and cheerful. This did not appear to be a the den of a monster but rather someone's room.
A table in the center of the loft had a mobile of stained glass shards hanging over it, the rest of the table covered by a tarp.
Aang lifted the tarp surprised to see a model of the entire city including a large model of the cathedral at the very center. There were even miniature, wooden townspeople and animals, however there was one thing that caught his attention.
A strange looking carving of a slightly hunched over person sat on the balcony of the miniature church. The wooden figure was dressed in green and had red hair.
Was this...The bell ringer?! "W-What are you doing here? Aang jumped startled dropping the figurine as he turned around. But he could see no one.
Suddenly he thought he saw movement from the rafters above. "H-Hello? Who's there?" Suddenly he heard a loud thud from behind him. He turned around to see a tall yet slouched over figure hiding in the shadows.
Startled Aang backed away. Suddenly he lost. His balance falling onto his bandaged and injured side. The gruff tone of the strangers voice softened now sounding more concerned than angry.
"A-A-Are you...Are you alright?" Aang stared at cautiously at the figure hidden in the shadows. "I'm fine I just tripped."
"What happened to your side?" Aang shook his head. "I had a run in with the guards."
"Ohh…" Aang decided to change the subject so he would stop worrying. "Are you the bell ringer?" The stranger hesitated at first, before giving him a nervous reply. "I...I am," he stuttered.
"And Who…are you?" Aang smiled, relieved to have found a new friend. The bell ringer didn't seem as frightening as the rumors had made him out to be. Maybe they could actually be friends.
"My names, Aang. What about you? What's your name?" The stranger hesitated and Aang thought he'd made a mistake. "Q-Quasimodo. My name is Quasimodo.
Aang smiled. The name was definitely strange but he actually kind of liked it. It was unique, different. "It's nice to meet you Quasi. So how long have you lived up here?"
Quasimodo hesitated. "Uh, m-my whole life." Aang stared at the shadowy figure wide eyed. You mean you've never left, the tower?!"
Quasimodo shook his head. "W-Why would I want to do that? I'm safe here. If I went down there people would only laugh at me."
"But I haven't laughed at you." Quasimodo sighed. "That's because you haven't seen me." Quasimodo just knew if the boy saw him, he would either mock him or flee in terror, both of which terrified poor Quasimodo to death. He didn't want to loose his new friend.
However he couldn't hide forever. "Then show me." Quasimodo gasped. "W-What?" Come out where I can see you." Quasimodo shook his head as he backed further away into the shadows.
"I-I can't. I don't want to scare you." Aang shook his head. "You wouldn't scare me." Quasimodo laughed. "How would you know? You haven't seen me yet? B-Besides…Im a monster."
Aang held out a hand to him. "Let me be the judge of that." Carefully Quasimodo grasped the boy's hand his own shaking as he was pulled into the light.
Aang stared at the stranger in front of him. He couldn't have been no older than fifteen. His looked just like the carving he'd found earlier.
He had crimson hair and green eyes, his face twisted and oddly shaped, and a large hump rose from his back. The stranger looked up at nervously. "A-Aren't you…Afraid?" Aang looked at him confused.
"Afraid? Why would I be afraid?" Quasimodo motioned to his face. "Because—I don't see anything wrong so you don't look like everyone else. So what? If you looked like everyone else wouldn't that be boring?"
Quasimodo stared at him surprised. "I…I guess. The boy nodded. "Oh I'm Aang by the way.
The boys talked for the rest of the evening until Aang had to leave. However when Aang finally managed to convince his friend to join him at the Feast of Fools, it had backfired.
The people at the festival had laughed at and tortured his friend. He felt even more guilt when he explained to his friend he was leaving.
"Your….Your leaving Paris." Aang looked away. "Its only for a little bit. Until things with Frollo calm down. I…I need to find my friends, but once I do that I promise I'll come back for you. You Could come with me!"
Quasimodo shook his head. "A-And go where? Would your friends even accept me? I've never even left Paris before, where would we even go"
Aang sighed placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I promise I'll come back. I promise." Quasimodo nodded as he watched him leave, tears in his eyes.
Truthfully Aang did not want to leave his friend, but he had no choice! If he did not leave tonight, he would most likely never see his home again! He couldn't risk the small fact of the portal closing he just hopped he'd find a way to get back.
He looked back at the church where his friend was, then to the light glittering in the water of the Sean River. Only Esmeralda and the other Romani know that he'd come from another world.
He also hadn't told Quasimodo the full story. He didn't want to scare him or worry him. He just hoped, one day he could tell Quasi the truth and he hoped his friend would be safe while he was gone. "Goodbye, Quasi."
Aang awoke to Katara calling his name. He couldn't hear his friends' worried cries all he could think about was how he'd abandoned Quasi in Paris. He'd left him!
However little did he realize he would see his friend again, and that when the time came, his Quasimodo would be right beside him when the time came for the final battle.