Chapter Five: His Eyes

I paused in our mirror, looking myself over. I was glad my face was pretty, because I really had nothing else going for me. My chest was only normal, my tummy muscles glazed over with a layer of jingly fat and I didn't have even the smallest of a butt. I mean, I wasn't fat but I wasn't in shape or anything. Not to mention my skin was burned from being outside to long.

But at least I had my face, and my hair.

I had noticed Clopin always dressed in only the brightest of colors (how could you not?), and so in a pathetic attempt to impress him I was wearing a bright yellow dress with white lace.

It was the brightest thing I had, really.

Well, actually it was Vanessa's, and I was borrowing it.

Anyways, I grabbed my hand purse and told my Mom where I was going, or rather that I was meeting Vanessa for dinner.

Which I was.

It wasn't lying, I swear. It was only telling the blunt truth, without all those annoying little details. I did it a lot.

I was sixteen, anyways.

So I left the inn and started through the town. I wasn't far from the tavern when I heard commotion coming from behind me. I whisked around to see the same beggar that I had given a coin to the other day. This he was 'missing' a leg and an arm again, but he didn't have the black stuff on his teeth.

He held out a shaky arm that held the hat and I heard him whisper, "Charity, good soul?"

"Charity!" a soldier, who was standing over the crouching beggar, cackled, "You're a fake!" Then he leaned down and ripped some of the wrinkled man's shirt off, revealing his hidden arm, and yanked him up by the other arm, letting him dangle in the air. The folded leg unfolded and flopped into view.

"Charity, good soul?" the poor man repeated, but softer this time. The soldier threw him down roughly and snapped his fingers.

Then, almost out of nowhere, another soldier on a horse pulled up. His armor was a bright shiny silver, his hair black and poked out from under his helmet. "Stop! I will not have my men acting so cruel!"

"Captain, you don't understand!" The soldier started, "He's a fake! He was pretending that his leg was missing!"

"There is more important matters to handle then a fake beggar," the Captain reasoned, smoothing out his mustache.

"Captain, arrest him!" a voice rang out above them. It had power to it, a twinge of anger and not to mention age.

I turned to see a man riding a black horse appear from behind me. I almost fell backwards from him as he brisked by me on his massive, black horse. His face was thin, wrinkled and pale, with purple sags under his tiny black eyes. I could see pieces of gray hair from under his humongous hat.

"Minister Frollo!" the soldier straightened up immediately and nodded to Frollo, then turned to scoop up the skinny gypsy.

"Sir, I don't think..." the Captain started.

"Let me make it clear to you. You see a gypsy with money, or asking for money you arrest them," Frollo snapped.

I wanted to say something, but I just stood there staring at his ugliness.

The Captain sighed and started to leave. I turned around briskly and started towards the tavern again, my thoughts all about that poor beggar. He needed the money, no doubt!

I crossed my arms and walked a little faster. I wanted to see Clopin. I needed to see him.

"Papa?" I heard someone whisper. I stopped and looked in the direction of the sound. It was a girl about my age, who was a gypsy. Her hair was a lighter, more golden color then her skin, and her eyes a bright blue. She seemed to be lost, or looking for someone.

"Are you alright?" I asked, scaring the girl a little.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just looking for my Pa..." she glanced around anxiously.

"What does he look like?"

She bit her lip a little. "He's missing an arm and a leg..."

I gasped.

"What?" she asked, her eyes growing bigger.

"I am so sorry! He was just arrested back there!" I told her, guilt filling my stomach.

She looked at her feet and whispered something in a language I didn't know.

"They shouldn't have arrested him," I said, trying to comfort her.

"Sometimes I just want to...ugh!" she growled, stomping her foot. It was silent for a moment, as I debated whether to say me to or not.

"I'm meeting someone for dinner at the tavern, and I would be delighted if you came too..." I asked her, looking into her beautiful blue eyes. She smiled and nodded.

We made small talk the rest of the way there. Her name was Mary and she was a story teller.

We walked into the tavern, and Clopin spotted me from a little table by the fireplace. He frowned when he saw Mary, and so did she.

"You didn't tell me you were meeting Clopin!" she whispered in my ear.

"You know him?"

"How can you not?" she muttered, but not displeased, just surprised.

I shrugged. Everyone seemed to know more then me.

"Mary! How are you?" Clopin asked her, as if he knew her very well. I sat down beside him and Mary pulled up another chair.

"Papa got arrested," whispered to him, her red lips barely moving.

Clopin's eyes gleamed in the fire light. He had the most beautiful dark brown eyes, and you could barely tell where the iris ended and his pupil began. "Not Mathias!"

She shrugged.

He sighed. "How did you to meet?"

"We found each other," I told him, "on the way here."

"I'm going to get something to drink," Mary said and went over to the counter. I looked at Clopin, my nose tingling and my eyes threatening to tear up.

"It was so wrong! I mean, they caught him begging and the guard revealed his hidden arm and leg and then I saw Frollo! And, really, if the man was so desperate and thought that the only way to get money was to disguise himself then he had enough on his plate! I can't believe..." I paused, Mary coming back and sitting down.

"You can't believe what?" Clopin asked me, a little smile on his face.

"That Frollo is so ugly," I replied, not wanting to talk about Mathias in front of Mary, in case she got upset.

Mary laughed heartily, and Clopin smiled wider.

"You can say that again!" Mary said, sipping her cup.

I laughed a little. "But, you were going to tell me the story of the bell ringer, remember?" I looked right into Clopin's eyes. They might not have had beautiful color, like Mary's but something about looking into them made me want to melt.

"Yes, right." Clopin cleared his throat. "Well almost twenty years ago, four gypsies were-"

"Meg!" Vanessa's voice rang out from the door. She had blushing Gilbert behind her. "I didn't know you were here?"

"I didn't know you were here either!" I called, my innocent smile on.

She ventured over and asked, "Can we eat with you?"

I looked at Clopin, who was frowning again. He shrugged.

"Sure, let's move to a bigger table."

Then I noticed something- it wasn't just Vanessa and Gilbert. Michel was there.

"Mary, how are you?" Michel asked her, as if he knew her too. I became suspicious.

"Oh, Mary, your here too!" Gilbert exclaimed, shaking her hand. I raised my eyebrow.

"Does everyone just know everyone around here?" I asked them.

We found another table and sat down. "We're all like family around here," Mary replied.

"So you all live together?" I asked.

All of them looked at Clopin. I looked at Vanessa, who was to busy looking at Gilbert.

"Let's go get some food," Michel said, clearing his throat a little. I pouted at him, and then at Clopin, but both men ignored me.

I followed Michel to the counter.

"You ask to many questions," Michel whispered in my ear.

"I noticed."

The rest of the dinner went by fast. Everyone talked and joked, and I started to conceive my little plan.

It wasn't much. I just thought it would be so much easier for me to spend time with Clopin, if Michel was busy. Busy spending time with Mary.

Only thing, I had no idea how to work that out.

We were leaving the tavern when our luck ran out.

A guard was standing outside, as if just waiting to raise cane about something.

We tried to just wonder on by him, but it didn't work. "Gypsy vermin!" the soldier hissed. "Always slithering in and out of the tavern."

"Excuse me, I didn't hear that?" Vanessa turned around to the soldier, her innocent face on.

Oh no, Vanessa, don't!, I thought, biting my lip.

"I wouldn't hang around those people," the guard explained, "they'll steal you blind!"

"They've done nothing wrong!" Vanessa said firmly, and the gypsy started to become tense. Gilbert reached for her, but she twitched away from him.

"They do nothing right!"

"You're not right!"

The soldier grabbed her wrist and sneered, "I'd get out of here before you get your little gypsy friends thrown in jail!"

"I would leave if you'd let go of me!" Vanessa grimaced. I was shaking by this point, along with the others. What did she think she was doing? She was going to get them arrested!

He tightened his grip on her and growled, "Do you know who you're talking to?"

"Someone who needs to take a bath!" she spat back. He started to reach towards his dagger, and Vanessa tired to run away, but his hold was too tight. Gilbert grabbed a pebble from the ground and socked him right in the nose, and Vanessa dug her fingernail into the sensitive skin below his fingernails. He yelpt and the minute he let go of her, everyone ran.

Well, except me, who was standing there scared out of my wits.

"Meg!!" I heard Mary scream, and I snapped out of it and turned heel, following her voice down a little alley way.

I heard the shouts of other soldiers from the end, and both Mary and I started going to other way again.

I practically fell into Vanessa, who stumbled backwards. We hit the stone hard and it took me a moment to open my eyes again. But I wish I'd just kept them closed.

The soldier was standing over us, peering at Vanessa, who was nearly passed out on the ground. He shoved me off her and jerked her up, tying her hands behind her back.

"No.." I whispered, reaching my hand to him.

He glared at me. "She's going to learn the hard way. I suggest you not follow in her footsteps."

He dragged her off and I just sat there crying. Where was she going? Were they going to kill her? What would happen?

"They'll put her in the stocks."

I smiled and turned around; expecting Clopin but it was Michel. He helped me up to my feet.

"For how long?"

"A day or two."

I bit my lip, starting to cry. Michel wrapped his arms around me for a tight hug.

I looked into his eyes and they looked almost identical to Clopin's. Except I didn't love those eyes.

I loved Clopin's eyes.

And as much as it went against everything I'd ever believed or had been taught about love, I loved Clopin.