La Cité des Cloches

La Cité des Cloches is a Sleeping World that is featured in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. It is based on the Disney film, . The world previously appeared, unnamed, in the non-canon comic El Cetro y el Reino.

Between Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts
Sometime after Terra-Xehanort's descent into darkness, his Heartless, Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, attacked many worlds, including La Cité des Cloches. These worlds were then swallowed by the darkness. Though it was restored after Sora defeated Ansem and destroyed the End of the World, La Cité des Cloches remained in a state of deep sleep instead of returning to the Realm of Light, plagued by Nightmare Dream Eaters.

Side: Sora
As Sora treads through the streets, he walks past Claude Frollo, who orders him to stop because he suspects Sora is a gypsy due to his strange clothes. Before he could interrogate Sora further, Captain Phoebus appears, and expresses his doubts that Sora is really a gypsy since he was only a child, but Frollo merely brushes off Phoebus's opinion on the matter. Phoebus then reports that monsters have invaded the Town Square. Brandishing his Keyblade, Sora charges to the square to take care of the problem, despite Phoebus's warnings. While the captain follows Sora, a furious Frollo beings emanating darkness from his body, voicing out his disgust over the "vermin" that is overrunning the city in spite of his hard work of eradicating gypsies for decades.

Sora soon reaches the square, where he encounters a deformed man named Quasimodo happily on riding on top of a Zolephant. Sora tells him to get down and run to safety, but Quasimodo, unaware that he is in danger, refuses to leave because he has been crowned the King of Fools. Frollo arrives at the square, spotting Quasimodo and angrily calls out his name long enough to distract the frightened Quasimodo as the Dream Eater throws him off its back. Sora rushes to Quasimodo after being surrounded by Dream Eaters, ordering to run. A kind gypsy named Esmeralda arrives, who introduces herself to Sora, and escapes with Quasimodo into Notre Dame, with a pleased Phoebus and displeased Frollo watching them.

Once Sora defeats the Dream Eaters, he goes to the church to see if Quasimodo is all right. In the attic, Sora finds him showing Esmeralda the bells, including his favorite, Big Marie. As this happens, three statues behind Sora come to life (much to his shock), commenting on how strong they believe Quasimodo (referring to him simply as Quasi) is. Quasimodo tries to convince Esmeralda to stay with him forever in the cathedral, knowing that she will be safe if she does. She gently refuses, knowing that "gypsies don't do well inside stone walls". Disappointed yet understanding, Quasimodo decides to help her escape since she helped him before. Though all the doors are being guarded, Quasimodo carries Esmeralda and jumps out the window using his acrobatic skills.

Sora asks the gargoyles how they know Quasimodo, and they tell him that they have been friends with Quasimodo for years since he cannot leave the church due to Frollo's commands, who doesn't want people see his appearance. While Victor and Hugo argues, Laverne mentions her fear that Quasimodo's first failure of stepping outside might affect him to the point that will never do it again after years of gathering his courage to do so. A compassionate Sora realizes that Quasimodo should not allow his heart to become a prison, and runs outside to have a word with him.

Sora confronts Phoebus outside, and assures Sora that he does not want to fight. When Phoebus inquires if Esmeralda is safe in the cathedral, Sora tells him that Esmeralda went outside with Quasimodo. A troubled Phoebus explains that Frollo fired him the guard due to objecting to his barbarous actions and that Frollo has found the gypsies' haven within the city, the Court of Miracles, and is planning to exterminate. Quasimodo overhears this and offers to save Esmeralda with a pendant she had given to help him find her, which is the town map.

The trio manages to locate the Court of Miracles and warns Esmeralda to leave as quickly as possible. However, Frollo arrives with Dream Eaters, having followed the trio straight to the gypsies' haven, kidnaps Esmeralda, and announces that he will burn her at the stake in the Town Square. Sora attempts to attack Frollo to free her, but he is knocked out by a Dream Eater that was summoned by Frollo's darkness. When Sora wakes up, he sees that everyone is gone, and then remembers what Frollo said. Hurrying to the square, Sora watches as an unconscious Esmeralda is already being burned. Quasimodo sweeps in to save her by swinging down and pulling her out of the fire. Frollo, enraged, goes after him while Sora battles a Wargoyle.

As Quasimodo fights Frollo to defend the weakened Esmeralda, Frollo spitefully reveals that he was the one who killed Quasimodo's mother twenty years ago. He attempts to strike Quasimodo, but the two fall off the balcony. Esmeralda catches Quasimodo's hand, but Frollo climbs up a gargoyle and prepares to kill them both when the gargoyle breaks and sends Frollo falling to his death. Esmeralda loses her grip on Quasimodo, however, is fortunately saved by Phoebus. The three reunites and Quasimodo blesses Phoebus and Esmeralda's relationship.

Phoebus and Esmeralda prepare to go outside to celebrate their victory over Frollo, and Quasimodo follows after some encouragement by Sora. Once alone, Sora encounters the young man and Vanitas, who accuses him to be hypocrite since he has also made his heart into a prison, even if he himself is not the prisoner, before leaving. Although stunned and confused by their words, Sora seals the world's Keyhole and and continues on his journey.

Side: Riku
In order to flee from Phoebus, who was chasing her under Frollo's order, Esmeralda stops in front a bunch of tents and uses a magic trick to make it seem she vanished in puff of smoke. As Riku arrives, she runs past him while Phoebus spots him, asking Riku if he saw a gypsy woman. Riku, unaware that Esmeralda is one, replies that he did not. Phoebus reports to Frollo that Esmeralda escaped, which further angers Frollo, who expresses his doubts having Phoebus summoned from the wars to help take out the gypsies roaming within the city.

Once they were gone, Esmeralda introduces herself to Riku and thanks him for protecting her. Riku tells her that he didn't know what a "gypsy" is and inquires why Frollo and Phoebus are after her. Esmeralda explains Frollo have been after her and her fellow gypsies for years, who are guilty of nothing but loving their freedom, but Frollo has organized a hunt for them because they refuse to follow his "laws". When Esmeralda wonders what kind of darkness drives on Frollo, Riku comments that he could imagine it. Seeking more information on Frollo, Riku questions Esmeralda about him. Not thinking much of Frollo, she recommends that he could go to Notre Dame to search for answers.

Inside the church, Riku meets Quasimodo, who tells that the Archdeacon is away from the cathedral. When Riku corrects him by saying that he was looking Frollo and his whereabouts, Quasimodo informs Riku that Frollo told him that he had business on the outskirts of town, and then recounts on his past and how Frollo protects him from the outside world because of his deformed appearance. Riku convinces Quasimodo that people should not judge people by appearance, but what is important is what is inside, and encourages Quasimodo to go outside and find friends that can understand him. Quasimodo refuses since Frollo forbids him from leaving the church, but Riku knows that was not the reason that was holding him back and tells him to listen to his heart. Thanking him for the information on Frollo's location, Riku goes back outside, muttering that he wish he could take his own advice.

Upon Riku reaching a bridge and he encounters a Wargoyle, who begins to fire at him. Knowing that he was at a disadvantage, Riku decides to escape for the time being.

At the outskirts of town, Phoebus has drawn his sword on Frollo, refusing to let him burn down a family's house that were believed to be hiding gypsies just as Wargoyle and Riku appears. Upon seeing the Wargoyle, Phoebus calls it a demon before Frollo claims that the Wargoyle is a judgement of God, thinking He gave him the power to exterminate the gypsies. With the corruption in Frollo (who still considers himself a "virtuous man") clear to their eyes, Riku and Phoebus prepares to fight him, but Frollo walks away calmly as the Wargoyle attacks Phoebus. Injured, Phoebus allows Riku to take of Frollo, although reluctantly due to the embarrassment of having to reply on a child. Riku assures him that is not the first to with a small smile, and then goes after the Wargoyle, which appears to be heading Notre Dame.

Riku meets up with Quasimodo, who had just saved Esmeralda from being burned at the stake, and directed him to the top the cathedral in order to find the Wargoyle. Quasimodo insisted on on helping Riku, but was told to stay with Esmeralda and was praised for following his heart. Once inside, Riku meets Victor, Hugo, and Laverne, seeing them take out a Meow Wow without his help. While they dispatch more Dream Eaters, Riku runs towards the roof.

On the roof, Riku arrives to see Frollo relishing as all of Paris burns with a sword in his hand. Frollo boasts about the power that was granted to him, but Riku states that he views as a "sad old man with a dark heart". Enraged, Frollo proclaims that Riku will be judged as the Wargoyle flew up, causing the deranged Frollo falls into the inferno below. "Ansem" and the young man appears to mock Riku, telling him he is still afraid of the darkness, but Riku counters that he walks the road to dawn. They departs in a Corridor of Darkness, while Riku assuages himself that he is not afraid of the dark as long as he wields the Keyblade. Riku proceeds to fight and defeat the Wargoyle, sending it falling into the flames below.

Afterwards, Riku speaks with Quasimodo, Esmeralda and Phoebus. Quasimodo thanks Riku for making realize that he was the that built walls around his heart that prevented from going to the outside world. With a clenched fist, a shaken Riku merely replies that he speaking from personal experience. Phoebus notes that Riku still keeps a lot locked inside his heart, and Esmeralda comforts Riku by saying that "there are just some things we need to keep separate" from the world until they have time to figure it out. Asserting that he knows what road his heart walks on, the Keyhole appears and Riku seals it before continuing on his journey.

El Cetro y el Reino
In El Cetro y el Reino, Sora and Riku arrive at La Cité des Cloches by mistake while chasing the villain who had stolen the Disney Fairies' sceptre from Disney Castle, when Donald is unable to send them to their intended destination.

The two boys appear out of nowhere and fall on top of Judge Frollo, who accuses them of being witches. They flee from Frollo and are rescued by Esmeralda, who leads them to the Cathedral of Notre Dame where they meet Quasimodo. Finally, after asking how to find a door to their world, the gargoyle Laverne guides them towards their true destination.

Trivia

 * In the cutscene after Sora defeats the Wargoyle, Quasimodo falls from Esmeralda's grasp but caught by Phoebus, however he falls from the roof of the Cathedral and is caught at the supports below the roof between the bell towers, however once Phoebus pulls him up, they're back at the roof of the Cathedral.