Chapter Twenty-Three

Clopin was slowly released from sleep around mid-morning. It had been a late night, discussing with his and Hermione's friends a way to keep her safe. Blinking slowly, he reached out to hug his wife, only to find the sheets on her side were stone cold. Frowning, he didn't think much of it as she usually tended to be awake before him anyway. Yawning widely, he sat up and stretched.

Looking around the tent, he wasn't surprised to find Djali gone too. Figuring she was out and about, he quickly got dressed and went on the hunt for some food. His rumbling stomach agreed to that thought rather loudly. Chuckling at himself, Clopin left the tent. Smiling softly at the sight of his fellow gypsies going about their lives, he headed out into the square.

Waving and bidding everyone who crossed his path a good morning, Clopin dug into his scrounged food eagerly. One would have thought he had been starved. Wiping the last crumb from his mouth, he attended to his usual duties. This took up the rest of the morning and it was around noon when his friends called out to him dramatically.

"He's awake! Finally!"

Clopin rolled his eyes at Duke but smirked nevertheless.

"Yes, Duke. You can all relax now; the fun has arrived!"

The usual banter was exchanged between the pair of them and Bartley for some time before Clopin frowned. He had yet to see Hermione. Unless she was still pissed off with him, she should have been around by now. Biting his lip, he looked at his two friends.

"Have you two seen Esmeralda this morning?" The two exchanged glances before shaking their heads slowly.

"No, I haven't seen her. Then again, I heard she was still rather pissed off with you, so she might be avoiding you and, by extension, us."

Wincing, he believed that Duke had a valid point. He had been rather cold to her the previous day, but he just wanted her safe. Sighing, he was about to nod when he spotted Bartley's frown.

"Did you get the chance to speak to her, Clopin?" The Gypsy King shook his head.

"Non, mon amie. She was fast asleep when I went back to the tent and she was gone when I woke up earlier." Bartley's frown deepened as he grunted.

"Just make sure you're the one to tell her about Frollo. I dread to think what that woman would do if she found out you were keeping things from her."

A shudder ran up Clopin's spine at the thought. He knew Hermione would easily hex him into the next millennia. Sighing, he nodded before standing up. He had better go and find her then, he needed to apologise before his manhood ended up on the line. Spotting Selina and Kezia making their way over to them, he opened his mouth to ask them where his wife was when Kezia made his heart stop.

"Have any of you seen Esmeralda?"

The group of five were silent. Closing his eyes, Clopin casually patted his tunic pocket to find her wand gone. He took a deep breath before he let out an incredibly loud curse.

"FOR FUCK SAKE! That woman is going to put me in an early grave."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Clopin let out a few deep breaths before opening his eyes. It was clear on the other's faces that Esmeralda had indeed managed to sneak out. Tensing his jaw, Clopin could only sigh and shake his head before turning to Bartley and Duke, who were looking somewhat impressed.

"Spread it around that Esmeralda has gone missing. I want everyone keeping an eye out for her." Bartley nodded before adding to his orders.

"I'll go up to the streets. If she's there, I'll soon drag her back." Before Clopin could disagree with him, the large man left. Sighing again, he turned back to the women whilst Duke ran off to spread his orders amongst the people.

"When was the last time you saw her?" The pair thought about it before shrugging.

"Some point last night. Just before you had us back off with keeping an eye on her."

Kezia nodded in agreement with Selina's assessment. Rubbing a hand over his face, he knew exactly where Hermione had gone, it was just a matter of when she left. Biting his lip, he decided against sending any gypsies towards the Palace of Justice. With the way things were up there, it just wasn't safe.

Clopin couldn't find it in him to be angry with her this time. He knew her heart was in the right place. He was glad that she had her wand on her, even if he didn't want her going in the first place. Huffing, Clopin tilted his head up to the stone ceiling and mentally asked Maria what he had done in a previous life to have such a powerful witch pissed off with him. But, then he remembered how callous he had been with her and had to admit it was his own doing.

Once word had spread that Esmeralda had gone missing, the Court of Miracles was in an uproar. Everyone wanted to go and find their missing Queen but Clopin refused to let anyone else go up to the surface. He wasn't willing to risk any more lives. It was mid-afternoon and Clopin was pacing around in worry, when a loud shout came out from the entrance. It was Malina, one of the few gypsies to be arrested.

Grinning at the young girl, Clopin was pleased to see Hermione had succeeded. He looked around for her but his stomach dropped when he couldn't see her amongst the group of arrested gypsies. Malina made a beeline for him immediately. Crouching down, he listened to what she had to say.

"Clopin! Notre Reine has a message for you."

Smiling at his wife's title being used by someone so young, he stroked her hair.

"And what would that be, little one?" She grinned at him, unaware of the crowd that had gathered around them.

"Better to beg for forgiveness than ask permission."

The crowd around them roared with laughter. Clopin couldn't help but smile and shake his head ruefully. Chuckling under his breath, he sighed as he straightened up and patted Malina on the head. The young girl rushed back to her parents with a wide grin. Clopin called out to the eleven gypsies.

"I'm glad to see you're all alright."

One of the men stepped forward with a large grin.

"That wife of yours is something else, Clopin! Found a brand-new tunnel under the Palace of Justice!"

Clopin made sure to keep his grin on his face whilst his gut clenched. He had an awful feeling that Hermione hadn't found a new tunnel; she had made one. Silently groaning, he knew that would have taken up a lot of magic. However, he was confused as to why she wasn't there with the others.

Continuing to worry, Clopin paced around the square but tried to make it as though he was doing odd jobs. He fooled no one. Huffing, it wasn't until that evening that Clopin heard a roaring laughter that hadn't been there before. Turning towards the entrance to the Court, he found a large crowd had gathered. Pushing his way through, he was relieved to find Hermione and Bartley there, unharmed. Bartley let off another booming laugh.

"What was it you said to him, Esmeralda?" Hermione rolled her eyes and folded her arms but complied.

"I said he was lucky, that arrow almost pierced his heart."

Bartley then grabbed her hand and held it to his chest before dramatically throwing his spare arm up so the back of his hand was against his forehead.

"I'm not so sure it didn't!"

The crowd laughed loudly. Hermione rolled her eyes again but pushed Bartley away from her with a shake of her head. Clopin spotted Selina giggling next to her as she whispered in the witch's ear. Folding his arms, he waited for his wife to spot him. It didn't take long.

Once their eyes met, Hermione bit her lip but stayed where she was. Rolling his eyes, he marched over to her and stood before her, arms folded once more as he scrutinized her. A silence echoed over the crowd, wanting to know what was going to happen. Clopin kept the atmosphere tense for a moment longer before scooping Hermione up and throwing her over his shoulder.

Immediately, she started kicking and screaming for him to let her go. Completely ignoring her and the laughter from his people, he took her straight to their tent before he gently put her back on her feet. He ignored the goat as he followed them. Looking at her, he was pleased to see no harm had come to her. Sighing, he removed his hat and brushed his hair back before popping it back on. Hermione bit her lip and toed the ground like a child would do when in trouble.

He stared at her for some time before bringing her close to his chest. Clopin had obviously startled her but she returned the hug immediately. Resting his chin on top of her head, he sighed.

"I'm too relieved right now to be angry. Ask me again in a little while and it'll be a completely different story." He felt her chuckle against him before tightening her grasp before looking up at him, somewhat timid. That didn't suit his wife at all!

"You'll catch me if I fall?" Clopin smiled at their loving reassurance.

"Toujours." He was quick as he swooped in and landed a kiss straight onto her plump lips. Groaning at the contact, Clopin threaded his hands into her hair, keeping her there. Hermione let out a loud moan but he pulled back before it could go any further.

"Just because I'm too relieved to reprimand you right now, doesn't mean I'm not annoyed. C'mon, the others have missed you."

Pulling Hermione out of their tent by her hand, Clopin spotted her pout and chuckled. He could tease his wife just as much as she could tease him. Grinning, he wasn't surprised when everyone tried to get Hermione's attention. He sat back and watched them all welcome her back home. Malina was practically attached to her hip. Chuckling, he stopped abruptly when Duke whispered in his ear.

"Intruders."

Adopting a stern look, he simply nodded and followed. Hermione could have her reunion whilst he dealt with the trespassers. He had Duke gather a few other men and then headed through the tunnels to catch the ones who thought they could waltz in without an invitation. Ducking in the darkness, Clopin and the other men hid amongst the skeletons along with the lookouts he had placed at the entrance. He recognised them both. Quasimodo and Captain Phoebus.

Glaring at the pair of them, he couldn't help but wonder why they were there. The obvious answer would be that they were working for Frollo. Did Hermione's actions in Quasimodo's defence really mean so little? Angry on his wife's behalf, Clopin nodded to the others to get in their places.

"Speaking of trouble, we should have run into some by now."

"What do you mean?"

"You know, a guard, a booby trap...' The gypsies blew out their touch, leaving the pair in complete darkness. 'or an ambush."

Clopin's men grabbed a hold of the pair and tied them up quickly, gags at the ready. Stepping forward, he couldn't help but be a little dramatic.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

"Trespassers." "Spies."

"We are not spies!"

"You've got to listen-." The gypsies gagged the pair of them, cutting off anything else they could say. Clopin rolled his eyes before leaning forward.

"Don't interrupt me! You're very clever to have found our hideaway. Unfortunately, you won't live to tell the tale."

Clopin and the rest of the men decided to have a little fun with them. With a small smirk exchanged, they all began to sing a favourite of theirs that has intruders cowering long before they see the hangman's noose that awaits them.

"Maybe you've heard of a terrible place

Where the scoundrels of Paris collect in a lair

Maybe you've heard of that mythical place

Called the Court of Miracles."

"Hello, you're there!" Clopin called out to them with a cruel smirk.

"Where the lame can walk

And the blind can see."

Clopin looked at some dangled skeletons and chuckled before destroying them in front of the two intruders.

"But the dead don't talk

So, you won't be around to reveal what you've found!" He jumped on top of the travelling gypsies who were carrying the two spies.

"We have a method for spies and intruders

Rather like hornets protecting their hive.

"Here in the Court of Miracles." Clopin called out his line with great enthusiasm. He knew the other gypsies were going to enjoy their entertainment for this evening.

"Where it's a miracle if you get out alive!"

As they burst into the Court of Miracles, Clopin jumped up onto the platform and called out to everyone whilst the other gypsies pushed Quasimodo and Phoebus up onto the gallows.

"Gather around, everybody! There's good 'noose' tonight!' He let his people laugh at the pun before continuing. 'It's a double header, a couple of Frollo's spies!"

"Boo!"

He smirked as his fellow gypsies booed and jeered at the pair with the rope around their necks. He didn't blame them one little bit. He may have been angry for his wife's benefit but he was also angry for his people and himself. The two men had threatened their safety.

"And not just any spies! His captain of the guard, and his loyal, bell ringing henchman!"

Clopin chuckled loudly before continuing with their little song. He spotted some children in the crowd and figured it would be amusing to get his various costumes and puppets out. He didn't really like them watching the hangings they performed but they needed to learn how cruel the world can be. Clopin was no saint by far, but he tried to at least protect his people and the children.

"Justice is swift in the Court of Miracles

I am the lawyers and the judge all in one

We like to get the trial over with quickly

Because it's the sentence that's really the fun!"

Clopin was about to pull the lever when he smirked down to the children gathered before the gallows and rolled his eyes playfully at them.

"Any last words?' They all heard Quasimodo and Phoebus mumble beneath their gags. 'That's what they all say!"

Clopin was sure he was going to go dizzy with how many times he moved about the gallows but as he heard the laughter, it made it all worth it.

"Now that we've seen all the evidence-" He pulled out his mini puppet and made it call out.

"Wait! I object!

Overruled!

I object!

Quiet!

Dang!"

His mouth twitched slightly as he heard the laughter from the children and the chuckles from the adults. Putting on a pout, he made his way over to the two men who were about to be hung and smiled sadly at them.

"We find you totally innocent...

Which is the worst crime of all!"

Clopin paused for only a moment before the other gypsies joined him in singing the last line.

"So, you're going to hang!"

He had his hand around the handle and was just about to pull it when he heard Hermione's shout loud amongst the crowd, forcing him to pause.

"STOP!"