Next chapter, UP!
P.S. I do not own any songs, pictures, or lyrics in this chapter. I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame nor Young Justice. Enjoy!
Heroes POV
They gypsy looks at Quasimodo incredulously. "But there's no way out, there's soldiers at every door!"
Quasimodo jumps up onto the railing, smiling at Esmeralda. "We won't use a door."
The heroes are shocked, apparently coming to the same realization the gypsy did.
"You mean climb down?!" Esmeralda gestures towards the ground, hundreds of feet below them.
"Sure," Quasimodo says easily, pointing at Djali. "You carry him, I carry you."
"Oh my God," Wally stresses. "What does he think he's doing? He's going to risk both their lives! There's no way Esmeralda will agree."
As if to prove him wrong, the gypsy boy replies, "okay."
Wally's jaw drops.
"Come on, Djali." The goat jumps into his owners arms, and the boy pulls out a small cloth and ties it around the goats eyes.
"Ready?" Quasimodo asks, and lifts the gypsy when the boy answers with a confident "yes."
"So brave," Dinah murmurs, the boy reminding her of herself, with all the hardships it seems they both had gone through.
Clark nods softly, agreeing with the woman. The gypsy boy continued to impress them all.
"Don't be afraid," the hunchback tells the gypsy.
(Quasimodo is a boy, ignore how he looks in the pic.)
"I'm not afraid," the boy answers airily.
Then Quasimodo jumps over the railing and hangs on a gargoyle, leaving Esmeralda a clear view of the ground far, far below.
"Now I'm afraid," the boy manages to gasp out, his goat bleeting in agreement.
"I am too," Wally frets, covering his eyes as he and the rest of the heroes watch the scene play out in trepidation, all of them ready to jump in if absolutely necessary.
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(Remember, Esmeralda is a boy, so all the she/her are replaced with he/him.)
After a short, but extremely stressful trip down the Cathedral to the ground, the heroes breathe a breath of relief as they watch Esmeralda and Quasimodo hide from some guards in an alcove with a statue of Mary. They had taken the stairs and followed the group of two down and were simply glad they made it in one piece.
"I hope I didn't scare you," Quasimodo whispers once the guard's pass.
"Not for an instant," Esmeralda smiles, ignoring how his goat very vocally disagrees.
Quasimodo then looks down sadly. "I'll never forget you, Esmeralda."
Esmeralda sets a hand lightly on his face, surprising him.
"Come with me," the gypsy grins.
"What?!"
"To the Court of Miracles, leave this place!"
This statement catches the heroes' attention. The Court of Miracles. The place where the gypsies were hiding; Esmeralda must live there, they all think silently.
"Oh no," Quasimodo shoots down the idea. "I'm never going back out there again. You saw what happened today," the poor boy looks so heartbroken. "No, this is where I belong."
"Alright, then I'll come to see you!" Esmeralda shoots back, completely unfazed. The adults stifle their chuckles at Esmeralda's smug smile and Quasimodo's shocked face.
"Here?!" The hunchback rambles anxiously, "but the soldiers, and Frollo-!"
"I'll come after sunset."
"But, a-a-at sunset I ring the evening mass, a-a-and after that I clean the cloysters and then I ring the bespers and-"
Esmeralda cuts the boy off by pressing a kiss to his cheek, making the boy freeze before looking at the gypsy with an adoring expression. "Whatever's good for you."
Dinah, Bruce, and Arthur laugh softly, especially at the displeased faces Dick and Kaldur are making.
The heroes stop laughing and pay special attention, however, when the gypsy boy pulls out a peculiar pendent attached to a necklace from behind his ear and presents it to Quasimodo.
"If you ever need sanctuary, this will show you the way." Esmeralda places the necklace on Quasimodo, who looks down at it curiously. "But how?" He asks.
"Just remember, when you wear this woven band, you hold the city in your hand." Esmeralda says mysteriously.
The heroes become quiet, thinking over the message the gypsy was trying to send. Somehow, whatever Esmeralda gave Quasimodo could lead him to the Court of Miracles.
As Quasimodo tucks the band into his shirt, Djali bleats, warning them of more soldiers heading their way.
"Hurry, you must go." Quasimodo urges.
Esmeralda doesn't waste another moment, taking hold of Djali and sliding smoothly down a short rope to the ground, before he disappears into the night.
After that, the heroes witness the captain of the guards confronting Quasimodo about the gypsy boy's whereabouts when the hunchback makes it back into the Cathedral. Quasimodo chases the guard off with a torch, repeating "no soldiers, sanctuary! Get out!" He ignores the captain's argument of how he means the boy no harm and succeeds in getting the man to leave.
However, before he does, he turns to the hunchback.
"He's lucky, to have a friend like you."
The heroes leave after that, they had a lot to think about.
They leave Quasimodo to the company of his gargoyle friends, congratulating him on defending 'his boy,' and watching as the hunchback lovingly carves a beautiful, familiar figure of a gypsy out of wood.
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Elsewhere, a corrupt judge reflects over his increasing lust for the gypsy boy named Esmeralda...
(Remember, Esmeralda is a boy, so all the she/her are replaced with he/him.)
Beata Maria
You know I am a righteous man
Of my virtue I am justly proud
Beata Maria
You know I'm so much purer than
The common, vulgar, weak, licentious crowd
Then tell me, Maria
Why I see him dancing there
Why his smoldering eyes still scorch my soul
I feel him, I see him
The sun caught in his raven hair
Is blazing in me out of all control
Like fire
Hellfire
This fire in my skin
This burning
Desire
Is turning me to sin
It's not my fault
Mea culpa
I'm not to blame
Mea culpa
It is the gypsy boy
The witch who sent this flame
Mea maxima culpa
It's not my fault
Mea culpa
If in God's plan
Mea culpa
He made the devil so much
Stronger than a man
Mea maxima culpa
Protect me, Maria
Don't let this siren cast his spell
Don't let his fire sear my flesh and bone
Destroy Esmeralda
And let him taste the fires of hell
Or else let him be mine and mine alone
*Insistent Knocking*
Guard: "Minister Frollo, the gypsy has escaped."
Frollo: "What?"
Guard: "He's nowhere in the Cathedral. He's gone."
Frollo: "But how?! I-never mind. Get out, you idiot! I'll find him, I'll find him if I have to burn down all of Paris!"
Hellfire
Dark fire
Now gypsy, it's your turn
Choose me or
Your pyre
Be mine or you will burn
yrie Eleison
God have mercy on him
Kyrie Eleison
God have mercy on me
Kyrie Eleison
But he will be mine
Or he will burn!
(Lyrics by AllTheLyrics.com)
Little did Frollo know, that someone was watching. A male figure with an angular face, green skin, and horrified red eyes backs through the wall of the stone room and disappears, having much to tell his companions.
None of it good.
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A commotion in the town square causes Dick, Kaldur, Superboy, Kid Flash, and the adult chaperones to investigate the source. This leads them to the sight of Frollo, eyes a bright red, stepping out of a carriage, Captain Phoebus waiting with a line of soldiers behind him.
The Captain salutes him, "morning, sir."
Frollo rubs his eyes and groans. Captain Phoebus tilts his head, "are you feeling alright?"
"Ugh, I had a little...trouble with the fireplace."
Hearing this, the adult chaperones glare at the judge, knowing full well from their Martian friend exactly what had transpired last night.
"I'm sure you did," Barry Allen mutters angrily.
"I see," the captain acknowledges. "Your orders, sir?"
Judge Frollo glares and gives the order that would set fire to Paris.
"Find the gypsy boy!"
Next chapter, shits going down. Probably about 3 or so chapters left of this arc, and then cannon Young Justice starts, with the addition of Esmeralda. Can't wait!
Much love,
Writer-san.