The Lady and the Gypsy (Clopin x OC romance)

Return and Beginning

Morning in Paris, the city awakes
To the bells of Notre Dame
The fisherman fishes, the baker man bakes
To the bells of Notre Dame
To the big bells as loud as the thunder
To the little bells soft as a psalm
And some say the soul of the city's
The toll of the bells
The bells of Notre Dame                                                                                                                                                      

Clopin sung cheerfully as the sun shone down brightly. Madeleine smiled as she watched noting that he had incorporated her words about the bells being the soul of city into his song. He caught her eye and she saw his eyes widen a fraction before quickly returning to entertaining his audience.

"Listen, they're beautiful no? So many colors of sound so many changing moods. Because you know they do not ring all by themselves."

Clopin now pulled out Cloppet and Madeleine grinned at the sight of the little puppet.

"They don't?" asked the puppet.

"No silly boy," scolded Clopin. "Up there high, high, in the dark bell tower lives a mysterious bell ringer. Who is this stranger creature

"Who?" asked Cloppet.

"What is he?" asked Clopin.

"What?" squeaked Cloppet. 

"How did he come to be there?"

"How?"

"Hush," said Clopin bopping the puppet on the head with his stick. "And Clopin will tell you. It is the tale of a man and a monster."

Dark was the night when our tale was begun
On the docks near Notre Dame

Four frightened gypsies, slid silently under the docks near Notre Dame
Four guilders for safe passage into Paris
But a trap had been laid for the gypsies
And they gazed up in fear and alarm
At figure whose clutches
Were iron as much as the bells

The bells of Notre Dame

Clopin's voice became darker as he spoke of the man that tormented his people.

Judge Claude Frollo longed
To purge the world
Of vice and sin
And he saw corruption
Everywhere
Except within

Madeleine couldn't help but gasp as Clopin described the chase and the subsequent death of the child's mother at Frollo's hands. 

"Stop!Cried the Archdeacon" Clopin said now taking on the familiar voice of the Archdeacon and alternating it with a perfect replica of the chilling voice of Frollo

See there the inncoent blood you have spilt
On the steps of Notre Dame
I am guiltless, she ran, I pursued
Now you would add this child's blood to your guilt
On the steps of Notre Dame
My conscience us clearYou can lie to yourself and your minions
You can claim that you haven't a qualm
But you never can, run from nor hide what you've done from the eyes
The very eyes of Notre Dame

See there the inncoent blood you have spilt
On the steps of Notre Dame

And for one time in his life
Of power and control
Frollo felt a twinge of fear
For his immortal soulWhat must I do?
Care for the child, and raise it as your own
What? I'm to be settled with this misshapen
Very well, let him live with you and your church
Live here? Where?
AnywhereJust so he's kept locked away where no one else can see
The bell tower perhaps
And who knows, our Lord works in mysterious ways
Even this foul creature may
Yet prove one day to be
Of use to me

Now Clopin returned to his own voice pulling out a puppet of Frollo and the bellringer showing the bellringer growing up as they went up the stairs.