Hunchback of Notre Dame: Maria Frollo

Saving Phoebus

(Night-time, Frollo's house) Third Persons POV

"Minister Frollo, the gypsy and your daughter have escaped" a guard tells Claude Frollo.

"What?" Frollo demands.

"They are nowhere in the cathedral. They are gone" the guard states.

"But how, and...never mind. Get out, you idiot! I'll find them. I'll find them if I have to burn down all of Paris" Frollo declares. The guard leaves.

"HELLFIRE, DARK FIRE
NOW GYPSY IT'S YOUR TURN!
CHOOSE ME OR YOUR PYRE
BE MINE, OR YOU WILL BURN!

GOD HAVE MERCY ON HER
GOD HAVE MERCY ON ME

BUT SHE WILL BE MINE, OR SHE WILL BURN" he sings throwing Esmeralda's handkerchief into the fire. Watching it burn. From the opposite end of the room.

(A couple of day's later) Maria's POV

Esmeralda and I decided to go see how Quasi is doing. But along the way we see my father questioning the Miller Family. We stand with the crowd our hoods up beside Beau. We had hard dad is trying to bribe people for the location of Esmeralda and I. I understand why he's after me, but why is he so hell bent on capturing Esmeralda again?

"We found this gypsy talisman on your property. Have you been harboring gypsies?" dad asks Mr Miller. The Millers are a good, kind hearted family.

"Our home is always open to the weary traveler. Have mercy, my lord" Mr Miller pleads.

"I am placing you and your family under house arrest until I get to the bottom of this. If what you say is true, you are innocent and you have nothing to fear" dad tells him.

"But we are innocent, I assure you! We know nothing of these gypsies!" Mr Miller cries. The Millers are pushed into their home. Dad shuts their door shut, then bars it shut with a guard's staff. Dad then turns to Phoebus.

"Burn it" he orders.

"What?!" Phoebus exclaims in shock. I to am shocked. My dad is ordering the death of an innocent family.

"Until it smolders. These people are traitors and must be made examples of" Dad states. He grabs a lit torch and hands it to Phoebus. Dad mounts his horse. I remember when he use to take me for rides on him.

"With all due respect, sir, I was not trained to murder the innocent" Phoebus tells him.

"But you were trained to follow orders Captain" dad reminds him. Phoebus look from the house to my father. He takes the torch and douses it in a bucket of water. "Insolent coward" dad sneers and grabs another torch. He holds it up and touches the flame to the windmill.

The entire structure is quickly engulfed in flame. Phoebus crashes through the window and brings the family outside to safety. Carrying the two children. He them to their parents who leave the scene. As the building continues to burn, two guards grab Phoebus.

"The sentence for insubordination is death. Such a pity-- you threw away a promising career. I shall have to find another match for my daughter" dad sneers.

"Consider it my highest honor, sir" Phoebus tells him. Dad raises a spear and is about to kill Phoebus. But Phoebus kicks dad's horse. The horse bucks, and dad is thrown off. Phoebus escapes the two guards, hops onto dad's horse and takes off.

"Hit him! And don't hit my horse!" dad orders the guards. They load their bows with arrows. As Phoebus rides off, he is showered with arrows. One of them goes through his shoulder, and he falls off the horse. Then off the bridge that he's riding over, and into the river.

A volley of arrows follow him in. Esmeralda gasps and I cover my mouth. "No" I whisper we make our way to the river hiding behind the bridge.

"Don't waste your arrows. Let the traitor rot in his watery grave! Find the girls! If you have to burn the city to the ground, so be it!" dad orders the guards.  They leave and Esmeralda dives into the water. She comes back up with the unconscious Phoebus. I help pull him to shore.

"We need a safe place to stitch him up" Esmeralda tells me.

"The Cathedral, he can claim sanctuary and he'll be safe" I tell her. She nods her head. Beau comes over and helps support Phoebus. I lead them to the cathedral. We walk through Paris as it burns, I try to ignore all the innocent peoples screams of fear and sorrow. "Quasi" I say as we enter the bell tower.

"Quasimodo" Esmeralda asks.

"Maria! Esmeralda! You're all right! I knew you'd come back" Quasi cries and hugs us both.

"You've done so much for us already, my friend. But I must ask your help one more time" Esmeralda tells him.

"Yes, anything" he tells her and Beau brings in Phoebus. Who is still unconscious.

"This is Phoebus. He's wounded, and an old friend of mine" I tell him.

"He is also a fugitive like me. He can't go on much longer. We knew he'd be safe here. Please, can you hide him?" Esmeralda asks him.

"This way" Quasi says and leads us to his bed. We lay Phoebus on it and he wakes up. 

"Esmeralda, Maria" he says groaning. She shushes him as I hand her flask of Alcohol.

"You'll hide here until you're strong enough to move" I tell him.

"Great. I could use a drink" he says looking at the flask in Esmeralda's hand. She pours the alcohol onto his wound, and he cries out in pain. "Aah, yes! Hmmm! Feels like a 1470 Burgundy. Not a good year" he groans.

"That family owes you their lives" I tell him with a smile.

"You're either the single bravest soldier I've ever seen, or the craziest" Esmeralda adds.

"Ex-soldier, remember? Why is it, whenever we meet, I end up bleeding?" he asks her as she stitches him up.

"You're lucky. That arrow almost pierced your heart" Esmeralda tells him once she finished stitching his wound. He grabs her hand and places it over his hear.

"I'm not so sure it didn't" he tells her. They move closer and closer, then kiss. I turn away to give them some privacy and see Quasi look away looking sad.

"You ok Quasi?" I ask him concerned.

"I'm fine" he states and I give him a hug. "I've missed you Maria and glad you are safe" he tells me.

"I'm so happy Quasi, the gypsies have accepted me. I've started a whole new life for myself. I wish you'd come with us" I tell him. Djali, looking out the window, begins to bleat excitedly. Quasi rushes to the window.

"Frollo's coming. You both must leave. Quick, follow me! Go down the south tower steps" he tells us.

"Be careful Quasi" I tell him.

"Promise you won't let anything happen to him?" Esmeralda asks.

"I promise" he assures her. We thank him and leave going down the stairs. We managed to get away safely and return to the Court of Miracles.

A/N

Picture above of Phoebus saving the Miller Family and on the external link of him injured. Video above of the Hell Fire song.