Rated M for Violence, Strong Language and Torture Scene and Execution Scene Details
DISCLAIMER: THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME AND ALL THE CHARACTERS BELONG TO DISNEY AND VICTOR HUGO, I OWN NOTHING AT ALL.
On a cold, snowy, windy night, a young peasant girl wearing a blue cloak, walked up to last doorsteps to the right of the Notre Dame Cathedral and left a basket with a blanket sitting on top of it. The girl was teenage, no older than 15.
She had tears streaming down her face. She lifted the blanket and a tiny baby girl wrapped in swaddling was fussing with her crystal light blue eyes and long eyelashes. The teenage mother immediately picked her child up, rocked her to sleep, and sung a lullaby to her while more feeling tears come down her face. The baby fell asleep.
She quickly wrapped her in her only cloak she was wearing, gave her kisses, put her back in the basket, slid the note she attempted to write underneath her daughter, and covered her up with the blanket. She knocked on the door with the knocker, and ran away sobbing into her hands. She ran to the side of the cathedral, sat down against the wall and waited, waited for what felt like forever.
Occasionally, she would knock on the door again and check on her baby. About an hour later, the temperature was dropping more, snow was coming down harder now, and the mother, herself, was freezing since she gave her only cloak to her baby to keep her extra warm. She was thinking about going inside the cathedral herself and giving her to someone in the church in plain sight.
And then finally, she heard the doors to the cathedral open and shut and footsteps walking out. Woken by the noise, the baby began to cry once more. Dying to know who would find her baby, she guessing either a nun, monk, priest, or the Archdeacon himself would find her.
However, when she peaked from the side of the wall she could only to gasp in horror as she saw the very last person on earth whom she ever thought to have walked out of the cathedral. She saw no other than the Minister of Justice; Judge Claude Frollo.
All she could do is stare in shock and disbelief as he was walking back to his horse, Snowball, whom she didn't even notice was there until now. She prayed that Frollo would not hear her daughter's cries, and would leave quickly so she could go inside then drop her off in the cathedral out of the cold.
But her hopes were dashed. Just when he was about to mount his horse, he looked over to the direction where the cries where coming from, tied the reins on the horse back to the well, and walked over to the source of the noise.
"Don't touch her!" the young mother screamed in her mind as he approached closer and closer to the basket. She felt sick and wanted to throw up. She covered her face with her hands and silently sobbed once more.
Frollo's POV
At first, Frollo thought it was the deformed child crying from the bell tower, until he saw through the corner of his eye what looked like a box or basket sitting on the steps of the cathedral so he decided to investigate.
"A baby?" he said to himself kneeling down. Right when he was about to pull the blanket away, he paused. Thinking about the deformed baby whom he named Quasimodo he was forced to take in the other night. The last thing he wanted to find was another hunchback. Building up the courage, he pulled the blanket away, revealing not a deformed baby at all, but rather the prettiest little thing he had ever seen in his life. He stared at the child for a second who was still crying.
He stroked the baby's cheek with his gloved finger in attempt to calm her down, and she immediately stopped crying and rested her head on his gloved hand. He slowly pulled it away and she grabbed his finger and whimpered as if she didn't want him to stop. She then began crying again sticking her arms up, wanting to be held.
He picked her up, and stared at her for a bit not knowing what to do. He assumed the child was a girl based off her facial appearance and long eyelashes. He was about to unwrap her and confirm the gender, but just then the Archdeacon came out.
"What is this? What did you find?" asked the Archdeacon.
Upon realization of what Frollo was holding was a baby wrapped in swaddling and seeing an empty basket on the ground in front of him, he immediately checked to see if there was a note left. Sure enough, he found one.
"Give me that you idiot!" hissed Frollo to the Archdeacon swiping the note from his hand. He then silently attempted to read the note to himself holding the baby at the same time.
The Archdeacon came over to get a good look at the child. Judging on how small she looked, he guessed she was no more than a week old. Then she started to fuss and squirm a little.
"Shhhhh there, there little one. You're safe now, we're not going to hurt you," said the Archdeacon to the baby while stroking her cheek with his finger. He picked up the blanket he found on the ground next to the basket and wrapped her in it to keep her warm. Just then, Frollo finished attempting to read the note.
"I want no part of this," he said handing the Archdeacon back the note and then walking towards the basket.
"What do you think you're doing?" asked the Archdeacon.
"I'm putting her back where I found her. I am leaving her here for somebody else to find, she is not my responsibility." said Frollo adamantly.
"But the child will starve and freeze to death! It's below freezing outside! Shall I remind you what you have done on the steps of Notre Dame last night?!" cried the Archdeacon.
"I'm not at fault, I was only carrying out my duty as the Minister of Justice and apprehending wrongdoers." Frollo said flippantly. "One less gypsy vermin to worry about."
The Archdeacon glared at Frollo. "They are human beings just like you and I. I had to bury that poor woman this morning," the Archdeacon said sadly. "May God bless her soul up in Heaven."
Frollo scoffed and continued. "And as for the mother of this child here, she is a whore and is to blame for all of this. Had she kept her disgusting whore legs closed, she wouldn't be in this situation right now. Besides, she cannot write let alone read. Peasant whore."
The Archdeacon attempted to read the note, but it was completely illegible. The mother was illiterate not only in writing but probably reading as well.
"You don't know the circumstances of this, Frollo," scolded the Archdeacon. "She could had been violated."
"Does it look like I care?" said Frollo in an annoyed tone of voice. If you want her so badly, why don't you raise her?" he said handing the baby to the Archdeacon.
The Archdeacon shook his head.
"You are not done making up for your sin, Frollo. You want to make it into heaven, don't you? You found her and here is your chance to make things up. Care for this child too and raise it as your own." said the Archdeacon.
Frollo was not happy to say the least. "What?! First I'm settled with the hunchback and now you're settling me with her?! I'm not raising-"
He suddenly looked up in terror and saw all the statues of Notre Dame were staring intently at him from above, just like last night when he had killed the gypsy woman. Even the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus were staring at him intently. He looked back down at her, who was starting to fall asleep, then back at the statues, then at her.
He sighed and said, "Very well..." holding her closer to him as she snuggled and grabbed on to his velvet tunic, yawned, then fell fast asleep. He then looked back up at the statues and they were no longer staring at him.
"We must have this little girl baptized immediately," Frollo said promptly.
"Very well then. I'll go get everything ready," said the Archdeacon. He then asked, What do you plan on calling the child?"
Frollo thought about it for a minute.
"I can give you a little more time to think about it," said the Archdeacon.
Frollo then looked down at the sleeping newborn and said, "Come along, my darling. Hopefully you too will be of good use to me one day," grinning sinisterly down at her as he followed the Archdeacon inside the cathedral.
Margerie's POV
The baby's mother, Margerie, had listened in to the whole entire conversation and argument the Archdeacon and Frollo had with each other, and had a mix of emotions: Terror, shock, anger, fear, and sadness for her daughter. Out of all the people to find her outside the cathedral that night, why Frollo, why HIM?! Anyone else would had been better. Plus how could the Archdeacon, who was such a holy man, leave her baby with this monster?! She wondered angrily.
She took a peak from the side of the cathedral again, ran over and took the only thing she had left of her baby girl; the basket and linens she was laying in. She held it close to her and was able to smell her daughter's scent in there. She buried her face inside the basket and linens and immediately broke down in tears and lost it.