Chapter 2: Topsy Turvy
The courtyard of Eglise Soliel
The courtyard was full of people, many dressed up in costume for the festival. They were moving between the colorful tents and stages set up for the festivities, with a veritable web of banners strung up between the buildings above them.
Moving amongst the crowds was a young man. He was a in his twenties with a strong, muscular build. He had medium length, blond hair and blue eyes along with a small goatee. He wore golden armor along with a blue cape and brown gloves and boots. He led a white horse behind him. Looking around, he smiled at all the people moving about around him. His expression changed to one of suspicion as he caught sight of someone.
Pulling his horse behind him, he walked up behind the person in question and tapped him on the shoulder. The person was also a young man with wavy brown hair, brown eyes and a goatee. He wore a light blue vest over a white shirt, along with brown pants and boots. He smiled as he saw the blonde man.
"Captain Phoebus!" the man exclaimed, throwing his hands up into the air, "What a surprise, I didn't know you came to these things!"
"What are you doing here, Flynn?" Phoebus asked, ignoring Flynn's question.
"Just enjoying the festival like you," Flynn explained.
"I'm here to keep the peace," Phoebus explained, "You know Flynn, things have a tendency to disappear whenever you're around."
"That sounds like an accusation," Flynn replied.
"It is," Phoebus stated, putting his hand on Flynn's shoulder, "I'm going to have to bring you in."
Before Phoebus could do anything a loud sound from the festival distracted him. When he looked back, he saw Flynn was gone.
"Damn," Phoebus swore as he looked around for the man but couldn't find him.
Meanwhile, two men stood on the other side of the courtyard, both looking around anxiously. The two were large men, nearly identical. They had short red hair and pale skin. One wore a short sleeved, green tunic and black pants along with a pair of brown boots, a brown belt and a pair of leather bracers. He had long side burns as well as a scar running down the right side of his face, from his mouth to his chin. A sword was strapped to his back. The other man wore a black, leather vest over a black, long sleeve shirt. He also wore black pants and brown boots. A brown belt was wrapped around his waist and a sword hung from it. A black eye patch covered his left eye and a long scar ran on the right side of his face, mirroring the other man's.
"Where's Rider?" the first asked.
"Guy can never show up on time," the second replied, "He's unreliable."
"We should find a way to pull this job without him," the first stated.
"If you have any idea how to do that, I'm all ears," the second retorted. The first merely grunted in frustration.
Trumpets blared as Quasi climbed down the side of the cathedral, wearing a cloak and hood to hide his face. Stopping on the head of a statue, he looked around at the gathered crowd and the approaching parade. Looking back up, he saw the three gargoyles waving at him and encouraging him.
"Come one! Come all!" the members of the parade sung as they marched into the courtyard "Leave your loops and milking stools! Coop the hens and pen the mules!"
Grabbing one of the banners that had been attached to the cathedral, Quasi slid down it, coming to a stop on the pole the other end was tied to. Looking around, an excited smile nearly split his face.
"Come one! Come all! Close the churches and the schools, it's the day for breaking rules!"
As Quasi watched, the rope he was holding on to unraveled. With a cry of surprise, he swung down on the rope into the crowd below. Landing with a thud, he picked himself up in time to see a group of black robed figures approaching at the front of the parade.
"Come and join the feast of…" they sung before a man slid beneath one of their legs. He was tall and dark skinned and dressed in a jester costume.
"Fools!" Clopin exclaimed as everyone in the crowd threw handfuls of confetti into the air. He laughed as the people in the parade pulled out flags and began to wave them around.
"Once a year we throw a party here in town!" Clopin sung, blindly grabbing Quasi's arm and swinging him around, "Once a year we turn all Corona upside down!"
"Every man's a king and every king's a clown," he sang as a man in a king costume walked by. Flipping onto his hands, the man's costume flipped around, revealing a clown costume underneath.
"Once again it's Topsy Turvy Day!" Clopin sung as he noticed Quasi slinking back into the crowd. Quasi tried to hide by grabbing a bunch of balloons with devil faces painted on them.
"It's the day the devil in us gets released!" Clopin sung as he grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the balloon strings. Quasi quickly turned and ran, ducking into a booth, only to discover it was the cart for a puppet show.
"It's the day we mock the prig and shock the priest!" Clopin sung as he popped up and bopped Quasi on the head with a puppet replica of Frollo, "Everything is Topsy Turvy at the Feast of Fools!"
"Topsy Turvy!" the crowd sung as Quasi dashed out of the cart.
"Everything is upsy daysy!" Clopin sung as Quasi looked around at the people celebrating.
"Topsy Turvy!" the crowd roared again.
"Everyone is acting crazy!" Clopin sung as people walked by Quasi in extravagant and ridiculous costumes.
"Dross is gold and weeds are a bouquet!" Coplin continued as Quasi was swept up in a passing dance line, "That's the way on Topsy Turvy Day!"
"Whoa!" Quasi exclaimed as he tripped and stumbled out of the line before tumbling into another tent. Reaching out, he grabbed onto a curtain before pulling it down with him as he fell.
"Hey!" a voice exclaimed in alarm, "Are you alright?"
"I didn't mean to," Quasi quickly apologized as he quickly untangled himself and pulled down his hood to hide his face, "I'm sorry."
As he hid his face, Quasi caught site of the other person. It was a woman, not much older than him. She had long, wavy, black hair and brown eyes. Her skin was tanned and her figure was lithe. She wore a blue robe along with gold hoop earrings and gold bracelets. Quasi also caught sight of a small white goat with hoop earrings as well.
"Let's see," she said as she moved his hood away.
"No! No!" Quasi exclaimed, trying to stop her.
"There," she stated, smiling pleasantly, "No harm done."
Quasi looked at her in shock before a smile crossed his face.
"Just try to be a little more careful," she laughed as she led him out of her tent.
"I-I will," Quasi sputtered as he exited the tent.
"By the way," she said as she closed the door, "Great mask."
Quasi smiled for a moment before the roar of the crowd caught his attention.
"Topsy Turvy!" the crowd screamed as the villagers continued to dance and sing.
"Beat the drums and blow the trumpets!" Coplin sung as the instruments blared.
"Topsy Turvy!" the crowd roared as an intoxicated woman grabbed Quasi and began dancing with him.
"Streaming in from every gate and every bay! Scurvy knaves are extra scurvy on the sixth of Januervy, all because it's Topsy Turvy Day!" Coplin sung from within the crowd.
As they celebrated, the crowd was parted as a royal procession entered the courtyard. Lead by Captain Phoebus, an escort led Judge Frollo and two other people on horseback into the courtyard.
One was a middle aged man with a short, full beard, salt and pepper colored hair and brown eyes. He wore a golden crown on his head and a golden necklace with a sun-shaped amulet around his neck. He wore a long, brown, fur lined vest over a blue shirt and pants, secured with a brown leather belt. He also wore a pair of brown boots.
The other was a woman the same age, with green eyes and long brown hair. She wore a golden tiara on her head and a pearl necklace around her neck. She wore a long, purple dress and a pair of purple shoes.
They all took their seats on a raised stage near the middle of the courtyard, the king in the middle, with his wife on his left and Frollo on his right.
"I've told you, my liege," Frollo said as they sat, "There is no amusement in watching the rabble make fools of themselves."
"I see things differently, Minister," the king replied with a deep regal voice "It does my heart good to see the people enjoying themselves. Especially with such a dark day looming."
"What will it have been now?" Frollo asked, "Eighteen years?"
"And not a day goes by that we don't miss her," the queen said softly, bringing a hand up to her chest. The king reached out and took her other hand before giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"Today is not a day of mourning though," the king stated, "Today is a day for celebration!"
"An excellent idea, my liege!" Clopin exclaimed as he popped up from behind the king's chair, taking the three by surprise.
"Come one, come all!" Clopin sang, placing a hand to the king's chest, "Hurry, hurry, here's your chance. See the mystery and romance!"
"Come one, come all!" Clopin continued as he danced to the middle of the stage, "See the finest girl to ever dance! Make an entrance to entrance! Dance la Esmeralda DANCE!"
Throwing a handful of exploding powder on the ground, Clopin disappeared into a cloud of pink smoke, immediately replaced by the girl Quasi had run into before, now dressed in a form fitting red dress that left her shoulders bare.
The crowd cheered as the music began to pick up and Esmeralda began to dance, swaying her hips seductively as she pulled out a scarf and began to dance with it.
"Look at that disgusting display," Frollo growled as he watched her.
"She's just having some fun," the queen defended.
Hopping across the stage, Esmeralda pranced over to where the three were sitting. She moved as if she were going to sit in Frollo's lap before she quickly twirled away, tumbling over the king and sitting in the queen's lap. She swung her scarf around the queen's neck, pulling the other woman closer and running her hand under the queen's chin before kissing the queen on the nose and tumbling away. The queen stared in shock as the crowd hooted and hollered. She slowly turned to look at her husband, who stared at her in bemusement.
"Still having some fun?" the king asked as the queen blushed furiously.
Esmeralda pranced back to the center of the stage and continued to twirl and flip. Doing a split, she looked into the crowd and saw Quasi watching. She winked at him before hopping back to her feet and continued her dance.
"She sure is something, isn't she?" he heard a voice ask. Turning, Quasi saw Flynn standing next to him.
"Uh, yeah," Quasi replied to the stranger.
Looking down, Flynn shivered in repulsion.
"Great mask by the way," Rider complimented before shivering again.
Grabbing a spear from a gawking soldier, Esmeralda stuck it into the ground before hopping onto it and spinning around, slowly sliding to the ground. The crowd went wild as she threw her hand up into the air and ended her dance. The crowd cheered, flipping gold coins onto the stage. Flynn took a coin out and flipped it onto the stage as well. Esmeralda noticed and winked at him.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, the piece de resistance!" Clopin declared as he appeared back on stage.
"Here it is, the moment you've been waiting for!" he declared, "Here it is, you know exactly what's in store! Now's the time we laugh until our sides get sore! Now's the time we crown the King of Fools!"
"You all remember last year's king!" Clopin stated as he gestured to a clearly drunken man wearing a jester's hat being carried in a makeshift throne by the crowd.
"So make a face that's horrible and frightening," Clopin instructed as he made a ridiculous face, "Make a face as gruesome as a gargoyle's wing! For the face that's ugliest will be the King of Fools! Why!"
"Topsy Turvy!" the crowd shouted in reply as they tried to look their ugliest.
"Ugly folks, forget your shyness!" Clopin called as Esmeralda reached down and helping Quasi up on stage. She smiled as Flynn winked at her.
"Topsy Turvy!" the crowd roared as they danced.
"You could soon be called Your Highness!" Clopin declared, "Put your foulest features on display! Be the king of Topsy Turvy Day!"
Quasi stood in line with a number of men wearing masks depicting various ugly creatures. Esmeralda and Clopin stood at the end of the line and began removing the masks, revealing the man making an ugly face underneath. The crowd booed at each display, resulting in Esmeralda's goat butting them in the read, sending them flying off the stage. The process repeated for each of the men before Esmeralda reached Quasi. Grabbing his face, she gave it a tug before pulling back in surprise when she realized the truth.
"That's no mask!" a man in the crowd shouted.
"It's his face!" a woman cried in despair.
"He's hideous!" another screamed.
Frollo's eyes widen in horror as he saw Quasimodo standing on the stage a few feet away. The king and queen looked on in shock, the queen covering her mouth in surprise. Meanwhile, Flynn looked up at Quasi, his mouth hanging open in surprise.
"What's your name, stranger?" Clopin asked, laying a hand on Quasi's shoulder and leaning down to look him in the eye.
"Quasimodo," Quasi replied quietly, "I-I ring the bells in the cathedral."
"So you are the mysterious bell ringer," Clopin observed.
Meanwhile the crowd had grown restless. Noticing, Clopin stood up and raised his hands catching their attention.
"Ladies and gentlemen, don't panic!" Clopin called out, "We asked for the ugliest face in Corona and here it is! Quasimodo, the Hunchback of Eglise Soliel!"
The crowd cheered as Clopin pulled out a hat that was a mixture of a jester's hat and a crown, he placed it on Quasimodo's head and pushed him onto the now vacated thrown as the crowd swarmed around him and lifted the throne up.
"Everybody!" Clopin declared as the crowd formed into another parade with him at the head.
"Once a year, we throw a party here in town!" the crowd sung as they carried Quasi across the courtyard.
"Hail to the king!" Clopin cried as we marched.
"Once a year, we turn all Corona upside-down!" the crowd roared as a smile crossed Quasi's face.
"Oh what a king!" Clopin declared as they approached another stage, on which a large wheel, sitting parallel to the stage, had been set up.
"Once a year, the ugliest will wear the crown!" the crowd continued as they walked by a small tower in which two pretty girls watched.
"Girls give a kiss!" Clopin shouted, leading the girls to lean down and kiss both of Quasi's cheeks as he passed. A blush spread across his cheeks as he smiled. As they continued, Quasi's eyes wandered over to where Frollo and the king and queen were sitting. He chuckled and waved nervously as Frollo glared at him.
"Once a year on Topsy Turvy Day!" the crowd cheered as they reached the stage.
"We've never had a king like this!" Clopin declared as he helped Quasi onto the stage before he began to sing with the crowd.
"And it's the day we do the things that we deplore," they all sung as Clopin pulled out a red, fur-lined cap over Quasi's shoulders as Quasi whipped a happy tear from his eye,"on the other three hundred and sixty four!"
"Once a year we love to drop in, where the beer is never stoppin', for the chance to pop some popinjay!" the crowd sung as they danced around the stage and drank heartily.
"And pick a king who'll put the "top" in Topsy Turvy Day!" they declared as Clopin handed Quasi a fake scepter, "Mad and crazy, upsy-daisy, Topsy Turvy Day!"
The crowd cheered as Quasi threw his arms into the air triumphantly, confetti flying like a snow storm around him.
"Oh that's wonderful," the queen said with a smile, leaning against her husband "good for him."
"Quasimodo!" the crowd chanted as Clopin made his way off stage, "Quasimodo!"
"You think he's ugly now?" a guard in the crowd asked another as he palmed a tomato, "Watch this."
Taking a step forward, the guard hurled the tomato at Quasimodo, striking him right in the face, the tomato splattering across his features. The crowd gasped as Quasi looked around in shock.
"Now that's ugly!" the guard laughed as he pointed at the confused and frightened Quasi.
"Hail to the king!" another guard yelled, throwing another tomato and hitting Quasi in the side of the head.
"Long live the king!" a third guard yelled as he threw a tomato of his own. Quasi managed to block this one with his arm, splattering it across his tunic.
"Bon appetite!" another guard shouted as he and a bunch of others threw a number of vegetables at Quasi. Quasi turned to try and escape but he slipped on one of the splattered tomatoes and fell, causing a number of people in the crowd to start laughing. Looking around in fear, Quasi pushed himself to his feet and moved to escape.
"Where you going, hot stuff?" a peasant asked as he picked up a rope and tied a lasso into it before tossing it up and snagging Quasi by the neck, "The fun's just beginning!"
The rope tightened around his throat, causing Quasi to gag and cough in pain. The man yanked back, forcing Quasi to his feet. As he tried to stand up, another man threw a rope around his arm, pulling him back to the ground.
Roaring in anger, Quasi ripped the lassos from the men's hands, causing his shirt to rip along the back as he did. As he tried to escape, a number of other ropes were flung around him pulling him back down. As they did, two men leapt up and hogtied Quasi to the wheel. Grinning maliciously at Quasi, the grabbed the wheel and spun it around as the members of the crowds threw more food at him.
"Master!" Quasi called out to Frollo, "Master please, help me!"
Frollo glared at him for a moment, before glancing at the king and queen, who were looking on in horror. Looking back at Quasi, he slowly turned his head away, ignoring his pleas.
"Sir, permission to end this cruelty," Phoebus asked from Frollo's side.
"Prermission denied," Frollo replied, "There's a lesson to be learned here."
Phoebus looked at Frollo in shock, as did the queen, who had overheard.
"Stop this," she pleaded to the king. He looked down at her, seemingly lost.
"Help him," she pleaded further.
The king nodded as his eyes narrowed with determination. Standing up, he walked over to the edge of the stage he was on, holding one hand up to call attention to himself.
"That's enough!" he declared. But his order fell on deaf ears as soldier and peasant alike continued to torment Quasimodo.
"I said ENOUGH!" the king bellowed, his voice echoing off the stone structures surrounding the courtyard. A hush quickly fell over the crowd as they turned to look at their king. A few had the decency to look ashamed as their king looked at them in disappointment.
"Release the creature," the king ordered, looking Quasi in his tear filled eyes, "Let him go."
A/N: Have to admit this was a fun chapter to write. Inserting the Tangled characters into this scene was interesting to do, and as you may have noticed, changed events around. Also I should add that I changed everyone knowing who Quasi was immediately, because it never really made sense to me. I thought the whole point was Frollo was keeping his existence a secret. Anyway, that's what I'm going with. Hope you guys liked this chapter! Please review! Later True Believers!