The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Heaven's Light

Evrard

Evrard's brown eyes grew sharp and deadly as he enforced no one to get closer. With his great knife withdrawn, the King of the Burrowers advanced slowly at Quasimodo. But, he stopped himself when he saw the odd creature's eyes glowing at him from out from the darkness. Once he had seen those eyes, Evrard's gasped and nearly lost the grip he had on his knife. He knew those eyes. In shock, he stepped back.

"It can't be..." Evrard stammered fearfully, keeping his eyes on this creature.

Adalyn pushed through hoping all this wouldn't turn violent. But she came too late.

Quasimodo had stepped out into the range of the light of the fire. Clopin skid to a stop once he recognized the Bell ringer.

"By grace..." he coughed out as he stowed away his dagger.

Quasimodo opened his eyes expecting see the horror written all over their faces. Some backed away and some didn't, but the man with the dagger was stuck with the choice. Was he to kill or not? This creature that stood before him also had a child hiding by his side.

With an arm raised in surrender, Quasimodo could not speak. He was hit with humiliation all over again.

Up at the very top of the cliff, Esmeralda, Agatha and the Bishop were compelled to climb down.

"He's not dead yet." Agatha sighed with relief.

"Come on." Esmeralda beckoned them to start climbing. The Archdeacon uneasily followed, but Agatha felt helpless.

Evrard took a step closer to this man, protectively as a few children went on to hide.

"Who are you?" this leader forcefully asked the hunchback.

Quasimodo was afraid, not for himself, but for Rose and the others. With a shaken voice, he tried to speak. This man who faced him, he wasn't exactly that tall but he resembled nothing more than a woodsman.

"Get moving, cur!" Evrard threatened. "You have stirred up enough trouble, speak up!"

"S-sire, I...please...." Quasimodo begged. "It – it – it was an accident...."

At the hunchback's plea, Evrard slightly let down his guard right when he heard such a gentle voice. Seeing that the situation was less dangerous, Quasimodo tried to take another breath. Rose gave a small gasp, but he tightly grasped her hand.

"I swear, sir... I mean no harm...." the poor deformed soul begged and with that Evrard had decided to let him be, since he was protecting a child from him.

"You mean no harm to me and my orphans? How do I know I can trust you, monster?" he intimidated.

Quasimodo was speechless for a moment before Evrard chose to take a step closer.

"And why are you so shaken up? You don't sound the way you look." Evrard hissed with the dagger still in hand.

Quasi gasped when Evrard grasped his collar and pulled him closer to the fire to see him better. Rose stood where she was, wanting to run after him. Quasimodo was in too much shock to say anything in defense, but Evrard's face shifted from disgust to realization.

"No...." he said in mocking disbelief. "And I thought you were a myth." he then scoffed, letting Quasi's collar free.

The young campers all watched on in shock as Quasi fearfully gazed upon all of their faces. Rose ran to him and wrapped her arms around his. Even she looked angry about this. Meanwhile, as Quasi was greeted with even more humiliation, Esmeralda immediately slid down the steep cliff.