HoND chapter 10

While the guards were searching for Esmeralda, Katherine was making her way through the crowd avoiding being seen by her master or any of the guards. After carefully avoiding the guards, she finally made it towards the entrance of the church slipping inside as quietly as possible.

It had been a long time since she had been inside the church, but Katherine remembered how big it looked when she was younger. The architecture was as beautiful as it was ten years before with the arches reaching so high up, that she couldn't even see where the arches ended. Her admiration was cut short by the sound of the door opening, prompting her to hide in one of the side doorways. She glanced out of the side of her eye and saw that it was just an old man who probably wanted shelter from the rain. But when the door was shut, the old man was actually Esmeralda.

From the look of wonder on her face, Katherine concluded that this was her first time in a church. Somehow, the captain of the guards had crept quietly behind Esmeralda and was equally mesmerized either by the astounding beauty of the church or by Esmeralda. In one move, the gypsy had thrown him to the ground while also taking his sword. This was impressive because women weren't supposed to fight.

She looked angry at him and hold the sword at his throat while he was more than startled. He looks up at her with apologetic blue eyes which intrigued Katherine. He was only standing behind her; what could he be sorry for? He looked straight into her eyes and says "I would just like to apologize..." After asking why, he grabs the sword from her which makes her fall to the floor.

"That for example."

In a few moments the soldier and the gypsy were fighting in the church. This was a sin against the house of God but Katherine couldn't keep her eyes away from the battle. Esmeralda was doing quite well for having only a candelabra as a weapon and Phoebus was defending himself like he was in an actual battle from the wars.

FLASHBACK

Before the Festival of Fools had started, Master Frollo had to meet the new Captain of the guards because the last one was a...disappointment. Katherine avoided the dungeons as often as possible but the horrible screams were so loud and agonizing that she cringed every time she had to pass by the doors. Her master had actually given her permission to come along to the festival this year and as she was finished getting ready and coming down the stairs to meet her master at the carriage, he was walking across the balcony with a younger man. She knew better than to eavesdrop on them considering what had happened the last time she did that. But one sentence had caught her attention.

"For twenty years, I have been taking care of the gypsies one by one. And yet, for all my success, they have thrived."

Katherine looked and saw that her master lifted one of the stones from the balcony to reveal a colony of ants. It seemed wrong to compare the gypsies to insects but she continued to listen despite her better judgment.

"I believe they have a safe haven within the walls of this very city. They call it the, heh, Court of Miracles."

"What are we going to do about it sir?"

The sound of a stone being slammed down told Katherine all she needed to know. He was somehow going to find where the gypsies lived and...she didn't even want to think about it.

END FLASHBACK

The soldier had been knock down by Esmeralda with some help from her goat headbutting him in the stomach. It was amusing to say the least. What was even more amusing was that Captain Phoebus wasn't angry with Esmeralda or the goat. He even joked that he didn't know she had a kid.

"Djali doesn't take kindly to soldiers."

The captain replied with a grunt. "Um. Permit me; I'm Phoebus. It means...sun god."

Esmeralda and Djali glanced at each other skeptically while Katherine, who had moved from the side doorway to behind a pillar, was covering her most to prevent herself from laughing. She looked once more to see that Esmeralda wasn't angry anymore or suspicious; she was smiling at him and he returned the smile.

"Good work Captain! Now, arrest her!"