Okay, ya'll are going to hate me so bad. I was looking through my documents and saw this old chapter finished but not posted. So I had finished it...just kind of...forgot to post it. XD Sorry! I'm working on the next chapter now so please review after this.

Anyway, here you go! This chapter is dedicated to Opaque Opal!


"Lavender…" He smiled a bloody smile.
"Father…tell me about the King." These words weren't what I expected but they seemed to have been on his mind as well. He inhaled slowly, ready to tell at tale.

The King, who was famous and popular to many outcasts. The King, who was hated by rich people. The King, who was hunted down by Claude Frollo. The King…who was supposed to help us.

The seconds it took my father to breathe seemed like forever. I forced myself to keep patience and remain silent; after all…he had probably been tortured recently. How much pain was he in?

I didn't get the chance to ponder over this very much, for his voice broke my thoughts. At first it didn't even sound like him. The father I once knew sounded strong, courageous and brave! This…this…bloody living corpse before me couldn't be my father! His voice was weak and just so…pitiful!

Immediately I felt ashamed for thinking such a thing. My father deserved my respect, not my pity. But how, I dare questioned, could I give that if he was near death right now?! How could I show him my respect if he had hidden so many secrets from me?!

"The King of Gypsies…he is known to be kind and gentle to some. To others, like intruders and rich people…people like me, he's cruel and harsh. This man is so…wild at times. Well, your mother…Lavender, your mother was a gypsy. She lived in his courts with him at once time. Of course this was when she was young and he was not the King, but the Prince.
"Ignorant to the fact, she became his friend quickly. It took nearly several weeks for her to realize she was hanging out with royalty." There was a small smile on his lips, making his face glow for a mere second. In that second, I saw the father I used to know. Perhaps he was smirking at mother's ignorance…or the irony of gypsies, low lives, being called royalty.

Either way, he continued with a shaking inhale of air. "When she found out, she remained his friend. Years passed, ticked by ever so slowly. It was when your mother turned twenty that I found her dancing and singing on a street corner. Thanks to a…an order…" He hesitated when he said that. Did he mean to speak of someone I know? Either way, I listened. "I had to arrest her. I fell in love with her when I heard her beautiful angelic voice.

"I asked her to marry me just days after. You can only imagine how much chaos, how much panic and disgust went through the Court of Miracles. A gypsy, a dear friend to the Prince and now King, marrying a guard and captain of Claude Frollo. It was a horrible match to them and yet…Lavender, your mother and I were soul mates. We had so much in common."

My father inhaled shakily. I knew that he was about to tell the interesting part. He was about to tell me why I had to go to the Courts and find this 'King'. "He loved your mother as a friend and allowed her to marry me. But he told her not to come back unless it was a life threatening situation. He wanted to see her, yes, but his servants and loyal subjects would not have liked to see her.

"A few months later, I think about a year had passed…she came back to the Court of Miracles. She had just had you, Lavender. She came to him and told him of her fears. She was scared that I might get killed and made him swear that if something were to happen, he'd take care of you. If you were ever alone in the world, he would take you in and raise you as his own."

I finally spoke up, "But father, I'm not alone. Why did you try to take me there if you were still alive? Still are alive?"

He stared at the ground for a long moment. "Father?"

"Because…" His voice was harsh. "I promised you to that crazed judge years ago. I promised you to him and I couldn't bare to see you get taken away! I had lost your mother, I couldn't lose you too! I tried to take you but we were captured. That's why you must go and find him, find the Court of Miracles in the graveyard. Look for the Knight's grave and don't let anyone see you."

I sat there, letting the scrape from my knee bleed freely. I was staring at the ground, shocked as well. The information felt like forever to soak in, to take in.

"What's his real name?" I whispered, the suspense nearly killing me. Not a lot of people knew for if a few judges did…well…it'd be easy to capture the King. So knowing the name was like knowing a secret!

He looked me dead in the eye for the first time so far. "…Clopin."


Next chapter (and yes it will be updated by the end of this week if I get reviews): Lavender goes through the next day with Frollo nervously, visiting the markets. She hears the name 'Clopin' to the puppet master and follows, running from Frollo. Will she get into the Court of Miracles or get caught?