Snow slowly fell adding to the white coat that already covered every rooftop and street in Paris. A few beggars were snuggled in their thin cloaks in the narrow alleyways; though the city was quiet and peaceful like there was danger lurking. A lone boat piloted by a scraggly man while a couple was huddled close together behind him. The man was stroking his wife's back while his sharp gaze was kept ahead of them. Meanwhile, his wife was looking down lovingly at the small bundle in her arms.
      A shrill cry broke the silence startling the man at the head of the boat. "Shut it up, will you?! We'll be spotted!" The woman gasped softly and stroked her child's cheek, "Hush little one.." They continued quietly eventually brushing against the snowy and stoney shore. The couple stepped out of the boat and her husband kissed his wife and child's forehead murmuring comforting words.
     The man who had piloted the boat stepped out and  held his hand open, "Payment for safe passage into Paris!" Suddenly, an arrow flew just ahead of his hand striking the boat. Men in uniform and armor surrounded them with bows loaded and ready to fire; they turned with wide eyes full of fear as a man strutted towards them on a horse. His face was stern and decorated with wrinkles as he stared at the gypsies with pure disgust. A few of the men stepped forward and cuffed the man who had steered the boat. As they began to cuff the husband he kissed his wife's lips one last time; a kiss full of love and the silent promise of seeing each other again.
The woman watched them pull her husband away from her with tears in her eyes, blinking them away she held her child closer to her chest. "Bring these gypsy vermin to the palace of justice." Frollo said the ribbon attached to his hat flowing in the snowy breeze. (That was probably a horrible way to introduce Frollo's name but I didn't know how else to do it.) One of the guards nudged the woman with his bow and grabbed her arm. "You there! What are you hiding?!" She jerked her arm away stepping back in fright for her and her child's safety.
Frollo sneered at the woman, "Stolen goods no doubt. Take them from her." The men began to advance and one tried to take the bundle from her arms. She yelled in fright and turned around taking off running down a narrow alley. Frollo growled under his breath and kicked his horses side causing the large black stallion to rear back and take off after the woman.
     She ran with with speed and agility she thought she had lost when she had the child, fast breaths hovered in front of her as she ran. The woman glanced behind her and gasped in fear when she saw the horse and its terrifying rider gaining on her. Frollo smacked a hanging sign out of his way and clenched his teeth urging his horse on; he would not let that-that thing escape him! The woman held her child closer to her chest and with her other hand threw herself over a small metal gate between two buildings.
She looked left, right, and behind her before taking off again to the nearby church. Her heart leapt with hope at the sight of it, it was known that no matter the case if a gypsy were to claim sanctuary in a church then they would be safe. The woman ran up the steps and banged on the door. "Sanctuary! Please give us sanctuary!" There was no reply even after she banged on the door again. Her heart dropped into her stomach as a neigh rang through the air. She yelled in fear as the horse and rider appeared once more, she turned and started to run when a hand gripped the cloth that held her child.
The woman shouted and pulled back staring into the cold and unforgiving eyes of Frollo. He gave a great pull and shoved the woman away. She fell and her head hit the edge of one of the snowy stone steps causing blood to taint the once pure snow. Frollo looked down in wicked satisfaction at the deceased woman sprawled on the steps.
     Frollo moved his attention to the small bundle in his arms. "What is this?" He asked to no one but himself as he slowly pulled away the cloth. "A baby?" He gasped and his eyes widened in fright, "A monster!" Frollo threw the cloth back over the baby's face and looked around wildly his eyes finally landing on a nearby well.
Slowly Frollo urged his horse to stop right beside the small stone well; there was a long drop to a pool of water. He held his arms out and dangled the baby over the well by a bit of the cloth suspending it in midair.
"Stop!" Unknown to Frollo the pries dressed in the traditional clothing had come out of the church. He had known Frollo was troubled but he never thought he would go to such great lengths. Once he had gotten Frollo's attention he put his arm down, "What are you doing with the child?" Frollo moved the baby away from the well, "This is an unholy demon. I am sending it back to hell, where it belongs."
     The priest crouched down and cradled the baby's mother in his arms. "Gaze at the innocent blood you have spilt on the steps of Notre Dame." Frollo scoffed and his horse walked closer to the priest, "I am guiltless..She ran, I pursued." The priest stood with the woman in his arms bridal style. "Now you would add this child's blood to your guilt on the steps of Notre Dame." Frollo was now becoming irritated and gripped the reigns tighter, "My conscience is clear!" The priest narrowed his eyes causing his bushy white eyebrows to furrow. "You can lie to yourself and your minions! You can claim that you haven't a qualm but you never can run nor hide what you've done...from the eyes!"
Frollo rose an eyebrow as his horse shook its head and moved closer. The priest continued, "The very eyes of Notre Dame!" Frollo felt a panic bubble inside him as he gulped and gazed nervously at the statues carved into the church. They all seemed to stare at him with judgmental eyes but what was worse was the statue of Mary holding her son. "What must I do?" He choked out. The priest, who was carrying the woman's body into the church, turned halfway. "Care for the child and raise it as your own."
"What?! I am to be settled with this misshapen-" Frollo stopped himself and took a deep breath, "Very well. Let him live here, at the church." The priest's eyes widened in mild shock. "Live here? Where?" Frollo looked up and his eyes landed on the belle towers. "Anywhere.. Somewhere locked away where no one else can see.. The belle towers perhaps and who knows, our lord works in mysterious ways." Frollo looked down at the baby and a cruel smile spread across his face, "Even this foul creature may prove one day to be..of use to me."
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Meanwhile across the town and in a cemetery a woman in a dark cloak crept towards a large stone slab with a angel statue behind it. She held a similar bundle in her arms and knocked a certain amount of times on the slab.
She glanced behind her and moved her attention back when the slab slowly opened revealing a staircase leading down. A man and a woman wearing gypsy clothes and had scars on their faces emerged. "I don't have much time, please take my daughter, hurry!" They both gave the fearful mother an apologetic look while the man took the baby in his arms after the mother kissed its forehead.
"Thank you so much for doing this. Protect my little girl, take care of my Esmeralda." The couple nodded, "We promise she'll be in good hands. Do not worry." The woman wiped away a few tears and quickly scurried away into the night after the couple had disappeared beneath the slab.
Little did these people know that they had placed two saviors where they most needed to be. The time would come when these children would band together and save not just Paris but the wizarding world as well. It was just the beginning....