Quasimodo then showed her the model of the city that he made and all of the figures of the people that he carved by hand to go with it. Isabelle thought it was amazing that one person could do that so well. She couldn't even draw stick figures right.
"Forgive me, I never had a chance to properly introduce myself. I'm Isabelle," she said.
"I know, I heard my master say your name at the festival. You have a beautiful name," he complimented.
"Thank you," she replied.
"Oh, you're very welcome," he answered back.
"I'm Quasimodo," he introduced himself to her.
He then showed her the bells and told her all the names of them. She thought it was quite fascinating. He then introduced her to the gargoyles and after showed her the view of the city from the top of the bell tower.
"This is even better the view from the palace," she said in awe.
"You mean the Palace of Justice just across from here? You live there?!" asked Quasimodo in shock.
"Yes, I do. But it's not as fun as it may seem. You can't leave nor have any freedom at all. You're not free not make your own decisions. That's what it's like having a strict, overprotective father who is The Minister of Justice of Paris. It's been like this since as early as I can remember. I remember all the times I was punished for trying to get out. But he's not my father by blood. He found me near death on the streets as an infant, left for dead out in the cold. He felt pity for me and brought me back to the palace and raised me as his own daughter," she said.
Quasimodo was so, so shocked upon hearing this, that he was lost for words. All he could do was stare, eyes wide as saucers and mouth hanging open, shocked beyond comprehension. The same exact man who raised him as an infant also raised her at the same exact time and he had not even the slightest idea about it nor that she even existed at all until this point. This was the biggest shock of his life.
"Um, are you ok?" Isabelle asked staring at the blown away expression on his face. He then found the words.
"Wait, go back! You mean Frollo?! The one at the festival today?! That can't be, he raised he too up here in the bell tower! You must be thinking of someone else!"
Now it was Isabelle's turn to have the shock of her life. It all started coming together. Why her father wouldn't let her go up with him in the bell tower all of these years. He didn't want her and Quasimodo to meet. But why? she wondered.
That's why Quasimodo was calling him "Master" at the festival and waved at him from the distance as Frollo glared at him and also once more, right before he walked into the cathedral. It all made full sense now.
"He raised you too?!" she asked in shock.
"Yeah, he did," said Quasimodo still in shock from hearing this.
The both of them just stared at each other for a few minutes, not knowing what to say. Then Isabelle broke the silence.
"Did he teach you the alphabet?" she asked curiously.
"Oh yes," replied Quasimodo.
"Abomination, Blasphemy, Contrition," said Isabelle with a little smile on her face. Quasimodo joined in.
"Damnation, Eternal Damnation, Forgiveness," they both said together, and the finished the whole alphabet laughing.
"But yeah, he also taught me how to read and speak Latin, Greek, and English fluently," she added on. "He wants me to be the finest noble woman in all of France."
"He did?" Quasimodo asked in surprise. "He never taught me that much. Just a couple things here and there."
"I'm supposed to inherit all of his properties and wealth when he dies one day. He told me that I'll be the richest noblewoman in all of Paris by then," Isabelle said.
"But that's wonderful! I'd love to inherit some money. You should be happy. I don't think Master has left anything for me in his will," Quasimodo said.
"Wait, you call him Master? You don't call him father at all?" Isabelle asked sounding surprised once again.
"No, he prefers me to call him that," he said.
"He's never told me to call him that before. He's been pretty nice to me growing up, except when I did or said something he didn't like. Then I'd be punished somehow." she said.
Just then, they heard noise from down below.
"Isabelle? Are you here? Are you alright?" It was Esmeralda, looking for her.
Isabelle then went back down the stairs along with Quasimodo following behind.
"Yes, I'm fine. I was just talking to Quasimodo here," she replied back, standing above. He waved slyly to Esmeralda.
"Look, I'm really sorry about this afternoon. I had no idea who you were. I never in my life would had pulled you...up on the the...stage," she paused. "What is this place?" she asked in awe.
"This is where I live," he replied.
"Did you make all of these things yourself?" Esmeralda asked.
"That's the same thing I asked him," said Isabelle.
"Most of them," he replied.
"It's beautiful. If I could do this, you wouldn't find me dance in the streets for coins," Esmeralda said in awe.
"But you're a wonderful dancer," he said.
"Well, it keeps bread on the table anyways. What's this?" she asked lifting a piece of cloth off of something.
Quasimodo tried to stop her, but she already saw the wooden figures yet to be painted. She looked closer at them.
"It's the blacksmith and the baker," she said picking up the baker figure.
"He's something, isn't he?" Isabelle asked Esmeralda.
"Yes, he's a surprising person. Not to mention lucky," Esmeralda said.
"He's got all this room to himself, don't you?" Isabelle asked Quasimodo.
"Well, it's not just me. There's the gargoyles and, of course, the bells. Would you like to see them?" he asked Esmeralda.
"Yes, of course. Wouldn't we Djali?" she replied. Djali just ate the shepherd figure along with the sheep while they were talking.
He then showed Esmeralda the bells and told her their names. Isabelle already was shown all of this earlier. However, when he showed her the view, this time, there was a sunset and it looked even more beautiful than what it did before.
"I bet the king himself doesn't have a view like this. I wish I could stay up here forever," said Esmeralda while admiring the sunset.
"You could you know," Quasimodo said hopefully.
"No, I couldn't," she said.
"But you have sanctuary," Isabelle replied.
"But not freedom. Gypsies don't do well inside stone walls," said Esmeralda grimly.
"But you're not like other gypsies," explained Quasimodo.
"Exactly. The rest of them are evil," finished Isabelle.
"Who told you two that?" asked Esmeralda.
"My father," replied Isabelle.
"My master, Frollo." They both said at the same time.
"He raised both of us." said Quasimodo.
"Until tonight, I had no idea he even existed nor had any kind of affiliation with Frollo whatsoever," Isabelle exclaimed, still sounding surprised.
"Really?" Esmeralda asked.
"Yes. He never let me come with him up to the tower and I never knew why until now. He always brought a basket with him each time I'd come with him on every Thursday mornings. If I asked why, I'd be punished somehow later," she said trying not to think back on all the times he whipped her.
Quasimodo knew oh too well what Isabelle was talking about. He, himself, was also punished and whipped by Frollo many times growing up. He suffered more abuse than Isabelle though, despite being around him much less than she was as a child.
"How could such a cruel man have raised someone like you two?" she asked sympathetically.
"Cruel?! Oh no, he saved my life. He took me in when someone else would,"
"Same here," replied Isabelle. "I would had frozen to death if he hasn't found me while patrolling the streets that cold, winter night. But he can be very very strict and harsh when it comes to discipline." She went on.
"I am a monster, you know," Quasimodo them both quietly.
"He told you that?" asked Esmeralda.
"Look at me," he replied.
She stared at him for a second, then told him,
"Give me your hand."
"Why?" he asked.
"Just let me see," she said, pulling out his hand.
"Hmm, a long line...oh, and this one means you're shy. Hmm. Hmm, hmmm, hmmm...well that's funny..."
What?" Quasimodo asked.
"I don't see any," Esmeralda answered.
"Any what?" Isabelle asked.
"Monster lines. Not a single one. Now you both look at me. Do you think I'm evil? Esmeralda asked them.
"Of course not!" replied Isabelle.
"You are kind, and good, and-" Quasimodo was interrupted by Esmeralda.
"-and an gypsy. And maybe Frollo is wrong about all three of us."
"When I was 13, i met a gypsy boy who, like you, claimed sanctuary and we developed a friendship while my father was up in the bell tower. He was a couple years older than me. I saw him every Thursday morning. One day, it turned into more than just a friendship, or so I thought, and I had to hide this from my father for a while, however, he found out about it and was just as furious as he was at the festival today. I was whipped and thrown in the dungeon for 2 weeks. However, there was something that he didn't know at the time that I managed to hide from him."
What was it? Esmeralda and Quasimodo asked her curiously.
"I was carrying the gypsy boy's child. But when I told him, he wanted nothing do with me afterwards and took off. And at that point, I believed my father when he told me that gypsies were bad. And when it was born, I had been in awful pain all night long and was terrified. I thought I was going to die." Until my father in the room because he heard me screaming finally. He figured out what was going on pretty quick probably due to all the blood around me. He, again, was absolutely furious. But he did help me through it. However, I never saw or heard the baby, I passed out from blood loss before my father had gotten it out of me. When I finally woke up, he was standing over me, glaring, and told me that he had "disposed" of the baby. That's right, he wouldn't let me keep it. I don't even know it was a boy or girl, he wouldn't tell me."
"I'm so so sorry that happened to you," Esmeralda said sympathetically.
"That's ok, it's not your fault. I don't exactly what happened to my baby or whether or not he killed it or not. I sure hope not. But I don't think my father would had done that, though. He's not evil or anything, just very...strict. He did forgive me after and said that he would track down that gypsy boy and make him pay for "ravishing" me, which he did in no time. I had to watch him be hanged right here in front of the cathedral. I try not to think about it," she said grimly and sighed.
Quasimodo then changed the subject.
"You both helped me, and I will help you," Quasimodo said to them both.
"But there's no way out. There's soldiers at every door," Esmeralda told him.
"We won't use a door," Quasimodo said.
"You mean...climb down?" she said.
"Sure. You carry him and I'll carry you," he then picked her up.
"Okay. Come on Djali," she said to her goat.
"And I'll come back for you, Isabelle," Quasimodo said, standing on the edge.
"I'd...rather stay here for now," replied Isabelle appearing nervous. Quasimodo felt a little joy on the inside.
"Alright then You sure?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm sure." She then looked at Esmeralda. "Bye Esmeralda. I'll never forget you," Isabelle waved to her.
"You too, Isabelle," she said back as Quasimodo over the edge and grabbed hold of a gargoyle head.
Isabelle watched in shock and terror, afraid that they were going to fall and get killed. He began to swing down the exterior of the cathedral. He then stopped on a slanted roof, then slid down it as if they were sliding down a slide.
Thankfully, he managed to stop right before they were about to fly off the roof as some tiles broke off. The guards heard them crash and went to go investigate it.
Isabelle watched as Quasimodo, Esmeralda, Djali made it the ground and Esmeralda run off into the night over the bridge and into the dark, out of sight. When Quasimodo made it back up, Isabelle told him,
"I'm so sorry, but I cannot risk getting caught again. I cannot go back into that horrible dungeon ever again. The last time I was put in there, I nearly died. Please forgive me."
"Oh no, you don't need to apologize for anything," he reassured her.
Isabelle sighed. "You see, when I was a little girl, I wandered into the dungeons and saw something really, really awful occur there. I don't want to say what it was exactly because it would bring back bad memories and give me nightmares again once more. I had them for years and years after and sometimes still do to this day." She went on.
"But anyways, after it was finished, my father's guards heard me crying and they went to get him and he had to stop what he was doing get to make me come out from my hiding place. I remember he picked me up and carried me back up to the living quarters as I cried into his tunic and brought me into his prayer room and had a talk with me. He said that I was not supposed to see what I saw, and that the dungeons were off limits from now on. However, he made an exception for punishments though. If I ever disobeyed him, I'd be locked down there overnight from then on."
"I'm so sorry you had to go through that. That must had been horrible to see," replied Quasimodo sympathetically.
"I also remember, while he was taking me back up, hearing more of it going on all through the halls," she said grimly.
"Frollo never told me about you at all. I didn't even you existed until today," he told her.
"When I was little, my father always would go up to the bell tower with a basket in his hand and I never knew why. I used to ask him why, but he would always yell at me and threaten to whip me at times or lock me in the dungeon. I was afraid to ask again after that, in fear that he would go through with it. He started whipping my when I was 3."
"Yeah, I've been beaten by him too, but only when I deserve it. Has he ever beaten you during lessons when you got an answer wrong or took too long to answer?" he asked her.
"Oh yes. He one time drew blood from the back of my head from hitting me on the back of my head with a ruler. He had to call for a physician too and I wore a hat over the wound until it healed," she told him.
"I've never seen a physician in my entire life," he said to her in shock. "I rarely even see the Archdeacon."
"He used to watch me when I was little when my father would go up in the bell tower. He'd just show me the paintings and statues and things. It got old after a while. He never told me about you either. I'm assuming my father forbade him for doing so," she told him. "You and Esmeralda are the only real friends I've ever had."
Quasimodo smiled. "You too. I don't get much interaction with anybody."
"Same here. I used to make up imaginary friends when I was little and I would pretend that the worms I'd dig up in the garden were my friends," she said. "The maid were way too busy to even give me the time of day and the guards wanted nothing to do with me."
"It's hard isn't? Sometimes I pretend that the gargoyles are alive to help cope with feeling lonely. Frollo only visits me 3 times a day," he told her.
"I live with him full time in the palace just across from here." She pointed to it in the distance. "I know where everything is by heart at this point," she said laughing a little.
"Right," Quasimodo said also laughing. There were silent for a minute, looking at the now night sky, until Isabelle broke the silence.
"But you don't have the freedom that you always have wanted your whole life. Every year since I was 10, I've been sneaking out to the festival, because it's the only fun I get to have all year. I've always gotten away with without my father even knowing, but last year, I was almost caught by his guards and it terrified me. This year was going to be last year I was going to do it, but my father caught-"
"Because of me," Quasimodo interrupted in shame.
"Look at me. It was not your fault at all that I was caught. It would had happened anyway, I don't want you to ever think that any of it was your fault," she told him firmly. He nodded.
"This was the first time I've ever snuck out, and I won't ever do it again after what happened out there. I belong up here," he said adamantly.
"But you're not a monster at all. My father is wrong about that," she comforted him, putting her hand on his humped back.
He looked up and grinned. They then leaned in as if they were going to kiss, but then a loud noise could be heard from down below.
"Stay here," ordered Quasimodo.
He went down the wooden stairs and to the bell tower stairs. He looked around the corner and saw Phoebus.