Me: And here's Chapter 4.

Azryl: Amazing that you choose to update today.

Me: How do you mean?

Azryl: Well, you have midterms today.

Me: Your point is?

Zero: He wants to take his mind off of them.

Azryl: Oh.

Rendan: Well, let's not keep the fans waiting.

Me: What fans? Last I checked I only had two reviews.

Zero: -Facepalms- Forget it. I'll get the disclaimer. Azard doesn't own The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Everything belongs to Disney. The only thing he owns are the changes to the original plot and Azryl.

Azryl: At least I'm not owned by Disney. I don't think I'd like what they'd do to me.

Me: I understand. Anyway, read and enjoy!

Chapter 4: A Second Meeting

The cloaked figure entered the cathedral before sighing heavily. The figure removed the cloak revealing her to be Esmeralda and her small goat. The white goat, happy to be out of the open and technically safe, leapt off her shoulders and started bouncing around happily.

"Take it easy, Djali," Esmeralda said softly. The goat, now identified as Djali, ceased his prancing and stared at his owner. She let another sigh loose and visibly relaxed. "That was almost too close. Where does that boy get off showing up out of nowhere like that? He should've helped from the beginning!" She heard someone coming up behind her and readied herself. In a second's time she pulled the man's sword and threw him to the ground, revealing the figure to be Captain Phoebus. "You!"

"Hey hey, easy!" He stammered as he backed up into a pillar. "I just shaved this morning!"

"Oh really? You missed a spot," Esmeralda said in a threatening tone.

"All right, just calm down. Give me a chance to apologize."

"For what?" He grabbed his sword from her and tripped her, sending her to the floor.

"That for example," Phoebus stated cheekily.

"You sneaky, son-of-a-b–" Esmeralda began.

"Ah ah!" Phoebus interrupted. "Watch it, you're in a church."

'Never stopped me,' thought a currently unseen figure.

"Are you always this charming or am I just lucky?" She asked in a threateningly sweet voice as she lifted a candle stand and held it like a weapon.

"Ah ha! Candlelight, music, privacy. Can't think of a better place for hand to hand combat," Phoebus joked as the two exchanged blows. "You fight almost as well as a man."

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you!" Esmeralda said as she pushed him back.

"That's hitting just a little bit below the belt don't you think?" Phoebus asked, slightly hurt at her comment.

"No, this is!" She swung at his private area, forcing him to block. Esmeralda then brought the other side of her makeshift weapon around and hit him in the head.

"Touché!" Phoebus said before getting hit in the stomach by a ramming Djali. "Didn't know you had a kid."

'He's another blind one... typical,' the unseen figure groaned. 'Good soldiers are so hard to find these days.'

"He doesn't take too kindly to soldiers," Esmeralda explained.

"There are too few that do anymore," the figure stated as he made himself visible.

"You again!" The two combatants both shouted at the same time.

"Yes, yes, me again," Silv said, watching the two. "Did I interrupt something?"

"No, not really," Phoebus said, silently thankful that Silv had stopped a worse potential beating.

"Maybe not, but you've got some explaining to do," Esmeralda growled.

"I do? About what?" Silv questioned.

"Why didn't you help that poor boy when he was being attacked?" She all but shouted.

"You must mean Azryl," Silv pieced together. "Excuse me a second." Silv cupped his hands around his mouth like a town crier would. "SANCTUARY!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. The yell was so loud the bells themselves seemed to ring at his proclamation. "Now they can't do anything to me."

"Sanctuary?" Esmeralda asked. Silv snapped his fingers, turned to Phoebus and pointed at Esmeralda.

"She claimed it," he said simply. Phoebus merely nodded in response, signifying he understood. "Anyway, what was the question again? Why didn't I help Azryl?" Esmeralda nodded, her expression showing only rage. "Okay. I didn't help because I was aiming for Frollo the entire time and Azy can take care of himself. From what I saw, he had things pretty much under control. Nobody was able to bring that guy down." The two others looked at him with no small amount of confusion.

"You were aiming for Frollo?" Phoebus simply questioned.

"I'm sure you've seen his craziness by now," Silv added. Phoebus nodded again. "Then you know why I hate him." Another nod. "The man's beyond obsessed and will not show mercy to anyone in the way. Hence, he must be stopped. I was looking for an opening but couldn't find one. Since the guy has four guards surrounding him, I had to lay off."

"What stopped you from simply attacking them then?" Phoebus asked. "You said you defeated ten soldiers with only a sword before. What stopped you from fighting them off and attacking then?"

"I'm not Frollo." Silv said as he looked at the ground. He looked at Phoebus and Esmeralda to see them both giving him confused glances. "Do you really not get it?" Both shook their heads 'no'. Silv sighed in exasperation. "Do you think that every guard that Frollo employs follows his ideals blindly? There's more than a fair share of people who want only peace in Paris. They're only forced by their job to follow that psycho. A few of them are even married to gypsies and have kids."

"Seriously?" Esmeralda asked incredulously. "That doesn't seem likely."

"Just because it's not likely doesn't mean it isn't true," Silv continued. "In order to get to Frollo I'd have to kill the guards surrounding him. Those guards are all people who work for him to keep their families safe and secure from him. I can't, in good conscience, kill a man trying to protect his family. He knows this and surrounded himself with people I wouldn't dare kill."

"He uses good people to protect himself to keep vigilantes from attacking him because most of them know and think like you," Phoebus put together.

"Some people are just sick like that," Silv droned. "Putting innocent people in an enemy's line of fire. By the way, Captain, I'm surprised you lost to a girl. She's right, you really do fight almost as well as a man." Phoebus groaned at the reuse of that comment.

"And even he hits below the belt!" Phoebus shouted.

"As a thief," Silv began, "I take what I can get... and that includes insults." Silv stated proudly.

"Ah! Well done, Captain!" Came Frollo's voice from the entrance of the cathedral. "You've found both of them! Arrest them immediately!" Silv sighed in annoyance.

"Did you not hear me shout 'Sanctuary' at the top of my lungs?" Silv asked. "Wow, it's not just your eyes that are going. Your ears seem to be going too."

"I'm sorry sir. They've both claimed 'sanctuary', there's nothing I can do," Phoebus explained.

"Then drag them outside and–" Frollo began.

"You will do no such thing!" The Archdeacon cried. If there was one thing Silv never understood, it was how the Archdeacon looked the same after almost ten years. He shook it off with the thought that the man aged gracefully... very gracefully. The Archdeacon walked up to Esmeralda and stood behind her. "Don't worry. Frollo learned long ago to respect the sanctity of the church."

"Very well," Frollo said as he scowled at the interfering holy man. "Move out!" They seemed to walk away until Frollo hid behind the pillar when no one noticed.

"You'll be safe here," the Archdeacon simply said. Without another word he turned and walked away. Phoebus approached Silv and slipped a piece of paper into his hand.

"My end of the bet." Phoebus turned to Esmeralda. "Before I forget my manners again, I'm Phoebus."

"Esmeralda," she supplied her name.

"I hope we can meet again sometime," he said before walking out of the cathedral. Silv grinned and looked at the paper before folding it up and placing it in his pants pocket.

"You had a bet with him?" Esmeralda questioned once she remembered Phoebus's little comment.

"We had a bet after I first saw you," Silv explained. "If he could find me within three hours I'd let him take me in. If I won he'd tell me who made his sword. I intend to find this man and have a few weapons made. Daggers hopefully. Mine are wearing out." He walked to a secluded part of the cathedral and vanished from sight. Frollo took this time to grab Esmeralda's arms and hold her tightly. He sniffed her hair almost longingly.

"What are you doing?" Esmeralda asked threateningly. Frollo seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in.

"Oh, I was imagining a rope around your pretty neck," he replied. With a quick jerk, Esmeralda released herself from his grasp.

"I know what you were imagining!" She spat.

"Clever w–" Frollo was cut off by something sharp placed against his throat. Esmeralda flinched just a bit when she saw Frollo suddenly jerk back slightly. Two daggers were now being held at his throat. One wrong move meant Frollo wouldn't be among the living for much longer.

"Your type is always the same," Silv said venomously from behind the judge, adjusting his daggers so they dug more into Frollo's throat still without leaving a scratch. "You only act when you think no one is around and you could get away with anything. Pathetic, even for you." Frollo dared not move, lest he end up with a new smile under his chin.

"Release me this instant!" Frollo lowly shouted. Even his breaths soon became ragged, whether in worry or fear was uncertain, though Frollo would never admit to why.

"Why? What will you do if I don't?" Silv questioned in mock innocence. "I'm already here, have my blades at your throat, and you cannot do a thing about it. Figures a coward like you would use empty threats to get what you want."

"You wouldn't dare kill me here," Frollo said in a threatening voice. "Killing me will only guarantee my ascension to Heaven and your fall into Hell." Frollo smirked triumphantly until Silv started— laughing?

"You really are too much," Silv chuckled. "You really think you are going to heaven when you die? What a load of horse-shit! You are no more destined for heaven than the devil himself."

"How dare you?" Frollo shouted.

"How dare I?" Silv asked in genuine confusion. "How dare you! You go around speaking of justice yet harm innocents over some stupid obsession. I've never harmed an innocent and never will, Frollo. Your blatant lack of care for your own people has nearly cemented your place in the fiery depths of Hell. Sadly, because I respect the Archdeacon, I can't kill you here. Consider yourself lucky, Frollo, because once you leave here, I'm coming for you again. Don't expect to survive for too much longer." He released Frollo as the judge whirled around to look at him.

"You'll pay for this insolence!"

"As long as I'm in here, you can't touch me," Silv deadpanned, much to Frollo's annoyance. "I'll give you a little advice, change your ways or your access to Heaven will be the least of your worries." Frollo said nothing and marched out. Silv sighed after a moment. "Well, I'm off!"

"Where are you going?" Esmeralda asked.

"You didn't hear me threaten Frollo?" Silv replied with a question of his own. "I'm going to hunt that bastard down. By the way, if you really wanna check on the poor boy from before, he lives in the bell tower. You'll be able to find him in that area."

"Why are you telling me this?" Esmeralda questioned.

"You seemed to care for his well-being when you asked why I hadn't helped him. Don't think I didn't see your small blush when you both cried justice at Frollo." Esmeralda blinked. "That's right. He wasn't the only one who blushed after that. You hid it very well, though."

"Takes a bit of practice," she sheepishly admitted.

"I don't doubt it. Still, if you really want to see him again," Silv slyly spoke, "he's in the bell tower, probably watching the people as we speak. By the way, you're only safe as long as you stay in here. If you need to escape, don't be afraid to ask for help." Silv walked into a shadowy area and vanished from sight entirely. Esmeralda walked to the front door and opened it slightly.

"Frollo's new orders!" A mounted guard said to another. "Post guards at every door!" Esmeralda slammed the door shut. She was now trapped within the cathedral.

"Silv?" She began. "Are you there?" No response. Not even a timid breeze or a candle flicker. "I should've asked him before he left." She groaned. She turned slightly when she heard a sudden noise to her left. Surprisingly, Azryl walked out and began to speak to the Archdeacon. About what, however she couldn't say. She walked closer and managed to pick up some of it.

"It seems Frollo hasn't learned anything at all," Azryl mused.

"He is a man who has sinned much in his life and will continue to do so," the Archdeacon solemnly said.

"There's nothing that can be done, I guess," Azryl stated. "Nothing short of a miracle anyway."

"Shame that miracles are few and far between," the Archdeacon responded. "You made quite a stir out there today."

"Yeah, well, everything went fine until Frollo interfered," Azryl stated.

"You mean he caused the disturbance out there himself?"

"Yes. He gave one of the guards the order to fling a piece of rotten fruit at me in the hopes it'd start a trend or something. While it worked, it didn't work to his preference."

"You should probably head back up to the tower," the Archdeacon sighed.

"Right," Azryl agreed. "We don't want Frollo to see me down here do we?" The Archdeacon smiled at the boy and left. Azryl turned around only to see Esmeralda watching him. He blushed a healthy shade of red and ran up the stairs as fast as his legs could carry him. Esmeralda on the other hand, followed in hot pursuit.

"Wait a minute!" She called out. "I just want to talk to you!" Azryl said nothing and continued running. He rushed into the tower where his friends were waiting for him.

"Take a look," Hugo said upon seeing Esmeralda and Djali. "He's got a friend with him this time!" The three gargoyles jumped down and met Azryl as he rushed into the door.

"That's my boy!" Laverne said as a mother would talk about her child. She would never tell the others but she felt almost like a mother to Azryl. She talked to him when he needed someone to talk to, consoled him if and when he cried and gave him comfort when he needed it.

"She's a vision of beauty!" Victor praised.

"I'll say, and the girl's not half bad either," Hugo joked.

"Don't run too fast now," Victor said.

"Huh?" Azryl intelligently asked.

"You don't want to outrun her now," Laverne slyly continued. Azryl's eyes widened slightly as a blush crept across his face.

"She's right." Hugo began making reeling motions. "You give her some slack, then reel her in, then you give her some slack, then reel her in, then give her some slack–" He was interrupted by a slap from Laverne.

"Knock if off Hugo! She's a girl not a mackerel!" Laverne admonished while Hugo nursed his aching cheek. For the oldest looking gargoyle of the bunch her hits packed a wallop. Azryl chuckled slightly and raced up the stairs.

"Will you wait a minute?" Esmeralda called as she ascended the stairs. "I just want to–" She stopped the second she saw the decorative items that lined the rafters and the surrounding areas. There were pieces of colored glass fashioned to make mobiles, a carving of Notre Dame herself, and surprisingly, several masks were hanging from the rafters as well.

"Amazing isn't it?" Azryl asked from one of the rafters, surprising Esmeralda in the process.

"Did you make all of this?" She questioned.

"Most of it. I got a few of the masks from a friend to use as inspiration," Azryl admitted.

"You do good work," she said. Azryl rubbed his neck in embarrassment.

"Well, you tend to become good with your hands when you've got nothing else to do," he sorrowfully said.

"I'm sorry," Esmeralda apologized.

"For what?" Azryl asked.

"I'm sorry that you've been trapped here for so long." She was caught off guard when Azryl started laughing.

"I haven't been trapped here," Azryl stated after he calmed himself down. "I've left this place more times than I'd care to count. It's all about knowing when to come back here."

"When to come back?"

"After Frollo catches a glimpse of someone that looks like me–"

"By that you mean you."

"Right. He usually comes around a lot more often than just for normal visits. He comes to see if I'm here at all. Usually for a few days before he stops. When he can't do it, for whatever reason, he sends a guard to check."

"How many days?" Esmeralda questioned.

"Usually about five days."

"Damn!" Esmeralda cursed. "I don't want to stay here forever..."

"Forever? You can leave in five days and Frollo will be none the wiser."

"No, I can't. He has guards at every door."

"That's it?" Azryl asked.

"What do you mean that's it?" Esmeralda questioned with no small amount of annoyance. 'How can he make light of this?'

"I've gotten out of worse," Azryl informed her. "I've gotten out when there were guards at every door, guards on every street corner and guards on every staircase in here." Something in Esmeralda's head clicked. "He really hates the thought of me getting out of here, especially when he thinks I've done it."

"Can you help me get out of here?" She asked.

"Not yet," Azryl stated. "If you leave now, he'll know you're gone by morning. If you wait for the five days I can get you out and he'll never know until it's far too late and you have successfully gone into hiding."

"Five days is a long time," she deadpanned.

"Not really. It's only long if you make it that way. Time goes by quickly in good company," Azryl said.

"I suppose. When do you think the guards are going to do checks?"

"Two days at least," Azryl answered.

"Why so long?"

"Because Frollo is going to do the first checks himself," Azryl explained. Esmeralda groaned.

"I really don't want to deal with him."

"Then don't," Azryl simply said. "Let me deal with him, but at least be visible."

"You think you can handle him by yourself?"

"If I've done it for eighteen years, I can do it again." Esmeralda sighed and turned to Azryl with a grateful smile.

"Thank you."

"Don't worry about it," Azryl assured her. "I'll be glad to put that no good bastard in his place one more time. Even if he doesn't realize it himself." Azryl led her to a room where there was a simple bed and a door that could be locked. "You can sleep in here for now." She thanked him once more and went inside, Djali following shortly after. The door closed and Azryl walked off. He still had to ring the bells for the evening mass.

Me: Well, I think that'll do it for this time.

Zero: Go Azy! Go Azy!

Azryl: Huh?

Rendan: Being nice to a girl is only a small step to romancing her.

Azryl: She doesn't think about me like that!

Zero: Maybe, but you can change all of that. Also, who figured Silv for a guy with morals?

The rest: Us.

Zero: -sweat drops- Um... okay nevermind.

Me: That'll do it for me this time around. Be good and be safe! I'm outta here!