Rose's Ring - The Hunchback of Notre Dame

~ Huit ~

"Well done Captain! Now arrest her." Frollo said with an evil grin. He has been looking at Esmerelda but then he spotted Rose beside her. His grin turned to a wicked smirk. "Oh, there's another one. Arrest them both." Frollo said to Phoebus. "We claimed sanctuary." Rose lied. Phoebus looked at her with a confused look, then began to play along. "I'm sorry sir. I can't arrest them while they're here." Frollo's smirked left and was replaced with annoyance. "Then drag them out with your own hands." Esmerelda pushes Rose behind her as if to protect her if Phoebus made a move. "Frollo! You will not touch them!" The Archdeacon shouted from behind the girls. He came over to comfort them telling them Frollo knew better.

Frollo and the guards left, which meant Rose and Esmerelda were left in the church. Esmerelda sighed and sat down in front of the door. "Frollo has guards at every door, and Gypsies don't do well in stone walls." Rose smirked. "Follow me." She said gently and pulled the girl up into the bell tower. "Quasimodo? Are you up here?" Rose called out when they climbed up far enough. The misshapen figure could barely be seen in the shadows. "It's okay. It's me, remember?" Rose smiled at him warmly. He slowly revealed himself and the two girls began to admire his wood work. "These are beautiful." Esmerelda said as Rose walked over to the bells. "Quasimodo, do these bells have...I don't know....names, perhaps?" The boys face lit up. "Yes! They do!" The girls chuckled at his enthusiasm.

"I've saved the best for last." Quasimodo had showed all the bells to the girls and was now standing on the roof. The sunset was beautiful from their spot on top of Notre Dame. "Listen, Quasimodo. I have a favour to ask." Rose said as they watched the orange and red sky. Quasimodo nodded. "Frollo is hunting us. We were hoping you could help us..." Quasi thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. Is one of you good at jumping?"
Three and a half years of being a gymnast, don't fail me now.
"Yes, I used to be..." Rose thought of another word for gymnast since she was sure of old France even had such a thing. "I was a...stunt performer for a bit when I was younger." Esmerelda looked at her. "You never told me that." Rose shrugged. "There's a lot you don't know about me." She joked.

Quasimodo had a firm grip on Esmerelda as he motioned for Rose to follow him. They jumped from one piece of roofing to another. Rose didn't dare look down, for fear the heights would make her lose her focus as she jumped around on the stone walls.
Quasimodo stopped on a piece of metal roofing. Rose knew he would fall so she grabbed his hand before pulling him to the side. The shingle fell and leapt into the air. It flew across the sky into an alleyway. The guards at the doors ran after it, thinking it was Esmerelda.
Once they got to the bottom, Esmerelda asked Quasi to come with to the Court of Miracles, he declined and Esmerelda handed her 'woven band' to him. Rose's friend kissed his cheek and they both waved before running off into the shadows. "So, where to?" Rose asked the raven haired dancer. Esmerelda looked as if she was thinking very hard. "I can't go back to the Court, I'll risk putting everyone there in danger." Then she looked back to Rose. "You need to go to the Court and tell Clopin I'm okay," Then she added under her breath, "For now at least." Rose nodded sadly, somehow knowing she wouldn't convince Esmerelda otherwise. "He'll be worried, and if I don't get back soon he'll go searching. I cannot risk that." Esme leaned closer to Rose. "I already gave my band to Quasimodo...but I trust you." Rose smiled.

Rose entered the cemetery Esme had told her about.
Lift the lid and climb down. There'll be gypsy guards and they won't recognize you so they might not be friendly at first. Rose chuckled at the gypsy's words as they replayed in her mind. Rose was covered in a cloak that wrapped tightly around her shoulders and flowed down her torso. She pulled the hood closer to her as the winter air blew suddenly. She shivered, but walked up to the large stone grave. She yanked on the lid, expecting it to be over 200 pounds. It slid off easily, surprising Rose. She stepped quietly and carefully down the mossy steps.
It was very humid in the catacombs which made Rose uncomfortable. She gagged at the smell of sewer before continuing. She quickly got used to the wrenching smell. Suddenly, it became dark, darker than it already was since she had no torch to hold and was only being lead by a few torches scattered along the walls. "Ambush." She whispered before a hoard of Gypsies surrounded her.