The Hunchback's Sister

The Festival of Fools

By the time Bella reached the town centre, the festival, was already in full swing. Gypsies roamed the streets, juggling and entertaining the peasant folk, earning as much money as they could.
Bella laughed as one of the gypsies was dunked into a water tank, when someone successfully threw a wooden ball at the switch.
Suddenly a pair of hands were thrown in front of Bella's eyes, sending her into darkness.
She panicked for a moment, before she heard a familar chuckling from behind her.
"Clopin" sighed Bella, as she turned around, and came face to face with the gypsy leader.

Clopin smiled.
"Did I frighten you?" He questioned.
Bella rolled her eyes and grinned.
"Only a little".
"Well that was what I was aiming for"
"Haha, you succeeded. Now, shouldn't you be up there?" Asked Bella as she pointed to the stage behind them.
"Not yet. The main show isn't for another few minutes" replied Clopin.
"Well shouldn't you be getting ready?"
"Probably. But when I saw you in the crowd, I thought I'd come and surprise you"
"Well consider me surprised. Now go on, getting going".
Clopin mockingly bowed at her feet, before running off into the crowds of people, to prepare himself for the start of the festival.

Bella began to walk into the clump of people, that were beginning to form a large crowd in the centre of the square.
She looked over her shoulder, and watched as Frollo took his place on the podium. Once she was certain that he couldn't see her, she turned her attention back to the festival.
Just as the crowd was starting to get restless, Clopin appeared in front of them, surrounded by his fellow performers.
"Welcome everybody. To the Feast of Fools!" He announced loudly, causing everyone to cheer.
Clopin then threw himself into his choreographed song and dance routine, that Bella had heard many times before. But she still couldn't stop herself from swaying along with the music, and enjoying herself.

Clopin eventually made his way around the square, before ending up on the stage. He then dissappeared in a cloud of smoke, and was replaced by the beautiful gypsy dancer, Esmeralda.
Though Bella knew that there was a trap door under the stage, she still had to admit that it did look like magic, the way Clopin was able to swap places with Esmeralda like that.
The crowd began to cheer loudly, as Esmeralda began to dance up and down the stage, shaking her tambourine enthusiastically as she moved.
Bella found herself enjoying the performance more than usual, and nearly cried with laughter, when Esmeralda flirted with Frollo, before knocking his hat off.

Once the dance was over, Bella's least favourite part of the festival began, when the people crowned a new king of fools.
She didn't like the way they made fun of ugly people, as Quasimodo had taught her that true beauty resided within you, and looks aren't the most important thing about a person.
Bella was about to turn away from the stage, when she suddenly saw her brother being helped onto the stage by Esmeralda.
She felt her heart sink, as Frollo was bound to see him, as well as the entire town, who she wasn't sure would accept the way he looked.
Though Bella tried to get closer to the stage, she knew deep down, that she wasn't going to get there in time.

The rest of the potential kings, had been evicted, and it was just Quasimodo left.
Esmeralda placed her hands on his face, and attempted to pull off what she thought was a mask, before realising that it was not one.
The crowd gasped, and began to point and whisper to each other, making Quasimodo go red with embarrassment.
Bella found Clopin standing awkwardly at the steps near the stage, and she made her way over to him, as quickly as she could.
"Clopin, do something" she begged.
The gypsy looked at her, and nodded, before jumping up onto the stage.
"Ladies and gentleman, we're in luck. We asked for the ugliest face in Paris, and here it is. Our new king, Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre Dame!" Announced Clopin.

Bella began clapping and cheering, which encouraged the rest of the crowd to do the same, while Clopin placed a crown, a septre, and a robe, into Quasimodo's arms.
Quasimodo smiled, and began to cry with happiness, as he suddenly found himself the king of the festival.
Bella took a deep breath, and sighed, as she was so happy that she had managed to avoid, what could of been a very bad situation.
She looked over at where Frollo was sitting, and she felt her stomach drop. He was sitting with his arms crossed, and he looked madder than she had ever seen him before.
Bella realised that things were not going to be good for her brother, when they re-entered the cathedral.

A loud shout from the crowd, brought Bella's attention back to the stage in front of her.
Someone had thrown a tomato at Quasimodo, and he now had red liquid and goo, pouring down his face.
The crowd began to laugh, as another vegetable hit Quasimodo's back.
When he tried to turn and leave the stage, he slipped on the fallen tomato skin, causing the crowd to laugh even harder.
Before Bella could do anything to save her brother, a group of teenage boys had climbed up onto the stage. They then began tying Quasimodo to the great wheel that was up there, and though he tried to fight them off, he was outnumbered.
The boys then began to spin the wheel, before jumping back down into the crowd.

Fruit and vegetables continued to hit Quasimodo, as the crowd continued to laugh, drowning out Bella's shouts and cries.
Deciding that there was only one person with the power to stop the mob, Bella abandoned her attempt to stay hidden, and ran up to Frollo's stand.
She was stopped by a guard before she could get too close, so she had to shout up to Frollo, to beg for his help.
"Please! Please stop this!" She pleaded.
"I should've known that you'd be here" sneered Frollo.
"Look, you can punish me later. But first you need to save Quasi"
"I don't need to do anything... Hopefully this little experience, will teach your brother a lesson, about where he belongs".

Bella looked over her shoulder, at Quasimodo, who was still spinning around, and she felt tears forming in her eyes.
"Please stop them. I'll do anything" she begged.
"If you want to stop it, do it yourself" replied Frollo daringly.
"You're an evil-" Bella faltered, as the shouting behind her, had suddenly stopped.
She spun around, and saw that Esmeralda had climbed up onto the stage, and was now beginning to wipe some of tomato juice, from Quasimodo's face, with a cloth.
"Gypsy, get down from there!" Ordered Frollo, who had risen to his feet.
"Yes your honor, just as soon as I've freed this poor creature" replied Esmeralda.
"No, I forbid it!".

Esmeralda glared at Frollo, before removing a dagger from her side, and cutting the rope off of Quasimodo.
"How dare you!" Exclaimed Frollo.
"You mistreat this poor boy, the same way you mistreat my people. You say you speak of justice, yet you are cruel to those most in need of your help" shouted Esmeralda.
"Silence!"
"Justice!" Yelled Esmeralda, as she picked up the jesters crown, Quasimodo had just been wearing, and raised it into the air, in defiance.
"I'm warning you gypsy, you will pay for this insolence" warned Frollo.
"Then it seems we've crowned the wrong fool. For the only fool I see, is you".
Esmeralda then threw the crown at Frollo, which landed inbetween him and Bella.

Frollo frowned, and turned to the soldier on the horse, that was standing on his right.
"Captain Phoebus, arrest her" he instructed.
Bella gasped, as she realised that the man on the horse was Phoebus. She had been too interested in reaching Frollo that she hadn't even noticed the handsome Phoebus, was on his horse, so close to her.
As Phoebus and his men began to chase after Esmeralda, who had decided to run from them. Bella made her way over the stage, to help her brother down.
"It's alright. I'm here" she whispered, as she placed her arm around him, and helped him down the steps, trying not to look at the red marks across his back, from the ropes and food, that had wounded him.

When it started to rain, the crowds began to part, leaving a clear path between the siblings and the cathedral.
Frollo glared at them as they passed, but said nothing.
Bella didn't even look at him, as she couldn't bare to look into the eyes, of the man who had allowed her brother to suffer like that.
She pulled open the cathedral door, and helped her brother inside.
Bella then slammed the door shut behind them, shutting out the hateful people of Paris, who had bullied her little brother, because of the way he looked. She had forgotten how cruel people could be, and was not grateful for the reminder, since she had been the one to suggest to Quasimodo, that he experienced the festival in person.
So his suffering, was all her fault.