God Help the Outcasts: A Disney Crossover Fanfic

Chapter Twelve: The Bellringer

A/N: We're getting close to the halfway point of the story! This is one of my favorite chapters. Please enjoy, and if you're loving the story so far, please vote and follow! :)

"Easy, easy. I just shaved this morning." Esmeralda had the soldier pinned to the floor with his own sword, and the look in her turquoise eyes dared him to move. He began to crawl backwards, but she followed him carefully, not letting her guard down for a minute.

"Oh, really? You missed a spot." Nakoma watched this exchange from behind a nearby pillar, praying that God would give Esmeralda the strength to drive him away. Djali, Esmeralda's goat, stood beside her, watching the fight curiously.

"Alright, alright, just calm down. Just give me a chance to apologize."

"For what?" Esmeralda said, loosening her grip on the sword. Suddenly the soldier tripped her, snatched the blade and turned it back on her, sending her tumbling to the floor.

"That, for example."

Esmeralda leapt quickly to her feet."You sneaky son of a—"

"Ah, ah, ah! Watch it—you're in a church." As they came closer to Nakoma's hiding place, Esmeralda surreptitiously reached for a candlestaff and waved her fingers at Nakoma, as if to say, "Get out of here!" But before Nakoma could protest, Esmeralda turned her attention back to the soldier.

"Are you always this charming, or am I just lucky?" She grabbed the staff and swung it at the soldier, but he was quick and blocked the swing with his sword.

"Candlelight, privacy, music..." They continued their odd swordfight as the soldier spoke. "Can't think of a better place for hand-to-hand combat." Esmeralda aimed a devastating blow toward his face, but he parried it yet again. "You fight almost as well as a man!"

They were far enough from the pillar that Nakoma could sneak through the shadows toward the door. But as she slipped off her shoes and tiptoed out, she knew she couldn't just leave. Esmeralda was in trouble! And what of the bellringer she had helped to rescue? And the kind archdeacon from Clopin's story? Surely they were both here, within these very walls. Maybe they could help.

As she crept along the wall she noticed a stone archway containing a staircase. Perhaps this went up to the belltower. She felt a little thrill race from her toes to the tips of her fingers. This was dangerous, this was risky...but it was also adventurous, and adventure was what she was here for! Despite the danger, she couldn't contain her excited smile as she bounded up the steps.

The narrow staircase curved around itself like a snake and was lit with torches placed in holders on the wall. As the stairs continued up and the noise from below faded Nakoma felt herself losing strength. She had been so pampered in England that she'd lost much of her stamina. Not having to run through forests or paddle in a canoe or climb a tree was taking its toll on her. Still she continued onward, but at a slower pace.

After a few moments Nakoma stopped to catch her breath. The stone seemed endless; just when she thought she must surely be at the top more steps appeared before her. She trudged on for another moment or so before a plain wooden door abruptly marked the end of the staircase.

"Hmm." She tried to imagine where it might lead. She felt she'd climbed high enough to be at the belltower, but then again, she couldn't be sure. Either way, there was no way to go now but through the door, and so she slowly pushed it open.

Sunlight blinded her for a moment. She was afraid to take another step for fear she'd fall from whatever height she'd climbed. As she blinked her surroundings slowly came into focus, and she took a step back from the railing in front of her. The city of Paris spread out beneath her in groups of buildings. The roads looked like narrow, dusty ribbons that cut through the buildings at regular intervals. She'd never seen anything like it before. Right below her, in the courtyard, were the tents from the Festival of Fools. She didn't know where Clopin's tent was, but she was fairly certain that this was the area she'd looked up to when the bells rang out during his story.