Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” Cosette called to her friend, Eponine. They were playing a game of hide-and-seek near their tent, while Cosette’s father was off hunting. The two little girls were supposed to be looking after Eponine’s little brother and sister, but it was much more fun to spend time with each other. Eponine giggled, sneaking around a corner, but Cosette caught her, growling playfully.

“I am going to eat you! Nom, nom, nom!” Cosette laughed, pretending to bite her friend as her father walked over with his bow. He placed it on the table. “Isn’t it gross to put a bow on the table, Papa?” 

Eponine jumped up and tried to lift the enormous weapon, though dropped it on herself. “Can I shoot an arrow? Please?” 

“Not with that huge thing,” Jean Valjean said, laughing, “Why not use your very own?” From his belt, he pulled out a smaller bow and handed it down to Eponine. Ever since her parents abandoned her and her siblings, Valjean had treated Eponine like his own. “Happy birthday!”

Cosette watched nervously as Valjean taught Eponine to shoot an arrow with the bow. “Pull back, keep both eyes open, and… go.”

Eponine aimed roughly at the tree indicated, and the arrow shot off somewhere into the woods. “I missed.”

“Then go get the arrow,” Cosette said, as if it were obvious. As Eponine went behind a tree, she asked her father, “Was it right to give her a weapon? What if she gets hurt out there?”

Valjean laughed, messing up her hair. “Relax.”

As Eponine went running through the woods, she spotted a glowing blue light shining in the dark. “A Will o’The Wisp!” she gasped, and chased after the tiny creature, but when she reached it, it vanished! A few feet away, another one appeared, and soon there became a path of them, leading through the woods. Eponine followed them until they all had vanished. Beneath the place of the last Wisp, sat her arrow, stuck into a tree stump. 

She tugged the desired item out just as she heard someone call, “Eponine! We’re getting ready to go! Where’d you go?”

She sprinted back to the camp, and nearly ran over Cosette. “I saw a Wisp!”

“Really?” Cosette asked excitedly, and Jean Valjean rolled his eyes. 

“Your magic hogwash again?”

“It’s not hogwash,” Cosette grumbled, and Valjean turned back to pack up his tent. She turned back to Eponine and whispered, “Don’t listen to him. Wisps lead you to your fate, no matter what he says. He doesn’t think magic is real.”

“He should though, because it is,” Eponine replied, and Cosette nodded in agreement.

“I’ve taught you well, my friend.”

The two girls went to follow Valjean, but Eponine looked up just in time to scream, “Bear!”

Valjean spun around on the spot, pushing the two little girls out of the way, shouting, “Go with the others! Hide!”

The huge black bear stood on its hind legs, swatting Valjean’s spear out of his hand, and lunged for the kill.

Chapter Text

Some would say that your destiny is tied to the world, as much a part of you as you are of it. Others say fate is like cloth, that your destiny could be attached to someone else’s. It’s the one thing we all search for, or long to change. Some never find it, though some do. 

The story of how Jean Valjean lost his leg to a demon bear, known to the world as Montparnasse, became legend. Eponine eventually learned that she had a little brother and sister, who were obviously adopted as soon as possible. They were like little devils, though, getting away with everything short of murder. 

Eponine, on the other hand, could not get away with anything. She would try to hide something, and everyone would find out and Cosette would be disappointed in her. Their friendship had gotten complicated over the years, Cosette turning out to be the perfect image of a princess, didn’t doodle, quiet--never chortling--rose early, didn’t stuff her mouth full of food, was compassionate, patient, cautious, clean, and above all, strove for perfection. Eponine… wasn’t. 

But that didn’t stop Cosette from trying to prepare her friend for ruling the kingdom, though it turned out to be a trying job. Eponine prefered going out to ride her horse and practicing her archery, which was the exact opposite of what she was going for. 

One day, Eponine came home from a ride to find Valjean telling her little siblings, Gavroche and Azelma the story of how he lost his leg. She had brought in her dinner--a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Ah, nurishment. 

“From nowhere, the biggest bear you’ve ever seen!” Valjean was explaining as Azelma hung her overcooked steak in Gavroche’s face, and he faked a vomit. “Its hide littered with the weapons of fallen warriors, its face as ugly as anything. I threw my sword, and--”

“Whoosh!” Eponine shouted from behind him, “One swipe, his sword shattered, then chomp, Valjean’s leg was clean off! Down the monster’s throat it went!” 

“Aw, that was my favorite part, Eponine,” Valjean groaned, his arms dropping to his sides.

Eponine snuck up behind Gavroche and grabbed his shoulders, making him scream. “Montparnasse has never been seen since. And he’s roaming the wild, awaiting his chance for revenge. He may not have been injured by the low blow, but he took it personally.” 

“Let him return, let him finish what we started, I’ll get that theif,” Valjean growled sternly, sounding as though the monster had killed his own mother. 

Eponine placed her bow on the table, and Cosette made a noise of protest. “Princesses don’t put their weapons on the table!”

“Cosette, it’s just my bow, it’s not a big deal,” Eponine groaned, but set it to the side and sat down, slouching in her chair. 

“Well, princesses aren’t even supposed to have weapons,” Cosette mumbled, and her father said from the other end of the table, “Oh, leave her be, fighting is essential for anyone. A prince may not be right there to save you all the time.”

“Oh, Cosette, you’ll never guess what I did today!” Eponine said excitedly, sitting forward in her chair. She wasn’t sure why lately she had been feeling the need to impress her, but she was. “I climbed up Crone’s Tooth and drank from the Fire Falls!” 

“Fire Falls?” Valjean asked, grinning, “They say only ancient kings were brave enough to drink from there.” He winked, then said to Cosette, “That’s amazing, isn’t it, Cosette?”

“Yes yes, lovely,” Cosette said distractedly, and Eponine visibly deflated. She hadn’t heard a word she had said, reading some letters that Jehan, the children’s nanny, had brought to her. She looked up and saw the cookies. “Hungry? You could die from eating so much sugar.”

 “Some days, I think you wouldn’t care if I did,” Eponine grumbled under her breath, taking a massive bite of a cookie with a crack. 

“How are they?” Jehna asked nervously, twisting their skirt. 

Eponine moved it around in her mouth, then took a big sip of milk. They were very dry and burned on the bottom. “Perfect, Jehan, absolutely perfect.”

“Oh, that’s good, I wasn’t sure if the fact they fell in the fire would be noticeable,” Jehan laughed nervously, “But I’m happy to hear that they aren’t too bad.”

When Jehan wasn’t looking, though, she slid the plate under the table to her siblings, who took them excitedly. They would eat anything, even if it was dropped on the floor. 

Cosette looked up brightly, looking at her father. “They all accepted!” Eponine looked up. “Azelma, Gavroche, you can go to bed now, Jehan will take you.” The little children got up and ran ahead of their caregiver, who looked very tired. 

“Maybe I should get married one day, then I’d have an extra set of hands,” Jehan sighed, following them, “But no one would ever marry me.”

“The lords are presenting representatives to you for your betrothal!” Cosette explained. 

Eponine looked at Valjean for help, but he just looked confused. “I… you… she…”

“Honestly, I don’t know why you’re so disgusted,” Cosette said, “I’d love to have three men fighting for me. But they will all compete in the games for your hand.” 

“Is this what you’ve been getting me all ready for? To be sold off like some barnyard animal?” Eponine cried, “And I suppose a princess just does what she’s told?”

“A princess doesn’t raise her voice!” Cosette snapped, and Eponine got up and stormed out. Her best friend was taking away the little freedom she had. “Eponine!” 

Jean Valjean tried to follow her, but Azelma and Gavroche had tied his peg-leg to the table, so the whole thing flipped over, dumping all the food on the floor. “Why did we agree to take in these kids?”

When Cosette went into Eponine’s room an hour later, Eponine was striking her bed post with a sword that was very clearly too big for her. 

“Please don’t hit me,” she implored, backing away from her friend. 

Eponine dropped the sword on the floor. “Cosette! You set me up to get married without even telling me? How could you do that?”

Cosette quietly picked up a chess board off the floor, arranging the knights in a square. “Once upon a time, there was an ancient kingdom--” Eponine groaned, sliding onto the floor “--It’s name long forgotten, ruled by a fair and wise king who everyone loved very much. When he got old, he divided the kingdom among his four children. But the oldest wanted to rule it all, he followed his own path and the kingdom fell. War, chaos, and ruin pillaged the land, and it was terrible.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” Eponine grumbled sarcastically, lying dramatically on the floor.  “Happy ending to the story and everything.”

“That wasn’t a story, that was a warning,” Cosette said, looking at her judgmentally, and Eponine got off the floor. “I think you should get over this. The clans will be coming to present their suitors. Think of it this way--it’s juts marriage, it’s not the end of the world. It’s much better to face these kinds of things with a sense of poise and rationality.” 

When Cosette left, Eponine slammed the door behind her, yelling in frustration, “Haven’t you ever heard of closing the door?” 

Chapter Text

Cosette went to her own room and started sewing, muttering as she went. Her father came in, watching her work. “So, I guess your conversation didn’t go well.”

“How could you tell, Papa?” Cosette asked, pausing to untangle a knot. 

“You mutter when something’s bothering you,” Valjean replied. “What happened?”

 “I don’t know what to do, Papa,” Cosette sighed, “I talk to her and she doesn’t listen. It’s like talking to a Brick sometimes. And I never know what to say to her, it’s like I freeze up when she asks a question and I end up sending back a fiery retort.” 

“Well, then, pretend I’m Eponine,” Valjean said, clearing his throat, then began talking in an exaggeratedly high voice, “I don’t want to get married! I want to remain on my own and let my hair flow in the wind, firing arrows into the sunset!” With the added feminine mannerisms that Eponine would never in her life be caught using, Cosette laughed.

“Eponine’s much prettier, but okay, I’ll go with it,” she said with a sigh. “Eponine, all your life, I’ve been trying to get you ready for this. I know I would have a bit of fear if I had to get married, but I’m not the princess, I’m only the daughter of your legal guardian, and I would eventually enjoy it. But you can’t run away from the fact that you are the princess, and your kingdom needs you. If only you knew how much I care about you and love you. Maybe then you would listen to me.”

Down in the horse stable, Eponine was talking to her horse, Bishop, as she cleaned his area. “Call off the gathering! It’s like a party, and you invited the guests, you can just tell them that the princess is not ready, and may never be ready, so that’s that, good day, we expect your declarations of war in the morning.” She looked down at a pile of manure and sighed. “I just don’t want my life to be over. I want to be free, I don’t want to hurt you, but it’s my life, Cosette! If you knew how much I actually care about you, maybe one day you might listen to me.”

Bishop whinnied and pushed his tail in her face, and she stared at him. “This can’t happen, Bishop. I won’t let it happen. They can’t make me.”

Chapter Text

A few weeks later, the royalty and stand-in royalty awaited the arrival of the three clans. At last the three ships rode into sight. First came a fine little schooner, on which a young bald man, Bossuet, was frantically waving a little flag and shouting manically, “Jebem!” He was being held onto by Joly, who was terrified that they were going to fall off. 

“I’m not sure that’s how you pronounce three consanants in a row, but alright,” said a brown-haired man in a green vest, Grantaire, who was leaning over the side, looking in the water. 

“At least our boat has a name,” the young woman, Musichetta, said loudly, pointing at another boat that was coming up behind them. The two men in front looked at each other, then the curly black-haired one, Bahorel, took out an oil crayon and scrawled something on the side of the wet boat and shouted, “Feuillahorel!” 

The third and final boat was quite large, named “Gillenormand.” At the bow of the boat stood a cranky-looking old man. He kept eyeing the back of the boat, as if he feared something would rise up from the back. The other ships wanted to stay as far away as they possibly could from him, in case he had something dangerous.

Cosette, meanwhile, was helping Eponine into her dress. 

“This is too tight,” Eponine complained, trying to avoid thinking about how Cosette was directly behind her, so close she could smell the perfume she was wearing. It always smelled pretty. 

“That's how it’s supposed to fit, Eponine,” Cosette replied with pins in her mouth, trying to pin the back of the dress shut. “Almost done, don’t worry.” When she stepped back to admire her handiwork, Eponine looked extremely uncomfortable. “You look beautiful.”

“I can’t breathe.” Eponine’s voice was strained. “I can’t move either.” Cosette thought she was pretty, but she was so uncomfortable, she couldn’t even enjoy it. That made it worse. 

The two girls went down to the throne room, where the suitors and their guardians were waiting. Valjean was trying to start talking, but was falling flat. 

“So, here we are! The four clans! Gathering… for…”

“The presentation of the suitors!” Cosette continued, and her father nodded. 

“Will the first clan please come forward?” Valjean asked, trying to regain authority. The first group stood up and came to the front of the room. 

“We of the Jebem clan--” Bossuet started.

“Oh, just call it the J-B-M,” Musichetta interrupted him. 

“--Present our pride and joy, Grantaire,” Joly finished, gesturing to the young man behind them. The young man had nothing to be proud of, quite frankly an ugly boy, and gave the impression of being highly intoxicated. Not a good start.

“He was able to…” Musichetta was trying to come up with something impressive about their representative, but the young man was distracting everyone by downing an entire jug of wine. “He defended his land from invading Northerners, and with his own sword vanquished many more, and he wasn’t even sober then!”

The young man winked at a girl in the crowd, who looked horrified, then sat down. Eponine rolled her eyes. There was no way that was happening.

Cosette took the paper from her father that had the names of the clans written on it. “Now, for the clan of… is that pronounced Fooey-air-hole?”

Feuilly looked at Bahorel, and they both sighed. “We came up with it on the spot, okay? Anyway, we present to you our main man, Courfeyrac. He scuttled Viking ships with his bare hands, and killed two thousands more.” Bahorel looked threateningly at the other clan as their man came forward. Courfeyrac didn’t look particularly threatening, a bright smile on his face and waving at everybody. 

“Now for--a clan I can pronounce--Gillenormand!” Valjean shouted, and the room cheered. Monsieur Gillenormand stepped forward, a dark expression on his face, he himself had seen many a battle, and was not known for leaving survivors. 

“I present my only grandson--trust me, if I had another one, I would’ve brought him to you instead.” The man went on to explain the history of his own military knowledge, but no one was listening. They were all staring at the man’s grandson. How this extremely handsome young man and Gillenormand were related was unfathomable. The old man had peppery brown hair and nearly white-blue eyes, while his grandson had blond curly hair with bright blue eyes. 

Grantaire leaned over to Musichetta. “I think I’m in love.” 

Suddenly the young man looked up from the table, and looked very confused at why everyone was staring at him as if an angel had fallen through the ceiling. Even Eponine’s eyes widened. “Why are you all looking at me? I’m not competing. I don’t even believe in monarchies.” He turned around to look at the young man standing behind him, his nose deep in a book that was evidently not the manliest read. He looked like he was on the brink of crying. 

“This is Marius,” Gillenormand said, as if this were a burden, and grabbed the reader’s arm, pulling him up. 

Marius looked around, then gave a cute little wave. “Hey guys, I am… really sad,” he admitted, eyes tearing up again, and Eponine wanted to give him a hug. 

“I bring him to you to get him out of my house. Marius, tell the nice lady the few decent qualities of yourself.”

The young man was attractive, though wasn’t quite as radiant as the other, so much of the room’s attention was lost. He looked lost, as if he didn’t know where he was. “Um… I read.” 

“What do you read, Marius?” Cosette asked, evidently interested. Her eyes went bright looking at him, and Eponine’s heart fell. They both liked this sweet, goofy man. 

Marius looked at the book he was reading, then tugged another book from under his arm. “Well, I have La Femme Aux Camedilas here, which is really famous for its musical adaption, and I’m reading Romeo and Juliet right now. I like reading love stories.”

“Romeo and Juliet is not a love story, you foolish boy,” Gillenormand snapped, and Marius shrank back a little. 

“Yes, it is,” he argued softly, “A love story has people who love each other very much and they have to overcome obstacles. Benvolio and Mercutio care a lot for each other, but they can’t be together much because they always have to look after Romeo. See? It is a love story.”

Gillenormand turned to face his grandson, and got very close to his face. “Love comes between one man and one woman. They are not in love. They are simply good friends who are confused. I want to hear no more on the subject while we are here, understood?” 

Eponine felt her stomach flip over. She didn’t like the sound of that. 

“Hey, back off of him! He’s got a point!” Courfeyrac shouted across the room at the old man. 

“Yeah, I like women, I like men,” Grantaire chimed in, and Courfeyrac said, “Same with me! Only it doesn’t actually matter to me. If you’re nice, that’s cool.” 

“Anyway,” Cosette announced, seeing that her father was about to get going and she wanted to stop him before he broke Gillenormand’s nose--he had nearly done that to the cook, Javert, a few weeks ago, and that couldn’t happen again. “In accordance with our laws, and by the rights of our heritage, to win the hand of the fair maiden, they must prove their worth by feats of strength or arms in the games. It is customary for the maiden to chose them herself.”

Eponine had been quietly thinking for a while, and now suddenly jumped up. “Archery!” Cosette turned around in surprise, and Eponine said more calmly, “I choose archery as the sport.”

“Alright, then,” Cosette said, nodding to her friend, and Eponine panicked for a moment, realizing in that moment that she liked both Marius and Cosette. That was not helpful, knowing that, even if she wasn’t ready at the moment to be married off, she liked both of them. “Let the games begin!”

Chapter Text

“Archers, to your marks!” Cosette called to the competitors standing in front of the targets. Courfeyrac looked excited, Grantaire looked stoned, and Marius looked like his life was being threatened. “And may the lucky arrow find its target!”

First up was Courfeyrac. He aimed his bow carefully at the target… and hit the outermost edge. 

“I thought you could do it,” Feuilly sighed, and Bahorel shook his head. 

“I can! I can! I did one this morning!” Courfeyrac whined, going to sit down again next to Marius. Marius had decided to sit and read until his name was called, but the two of them became fast friends and were talking excitedly. 

Valjean turned to Eponine. “I’m sure he’d rather we were doing a comedy night,” he whispered, and Eponine nodded, quietly nudging her bow out of sight. Cosette rolled her eyes at them, and the next contestant went up. 

Grantaire stumbled up, looking very uninterested in Eponine. He seemed much more interested in the young blond man who had been standing in front of Marius earlier.  He aimed, fired, and hit the third ring in--still not a winner. 

“Did you people really think I would ever hit something straight? Did you really think that?” he said, taking a swig out of his bottle, and Joly stepped forward. 

“At least you hit the target?” he said unhelpfully. 

Valjean turned to Eponine again. “Isn’t he a looker? Most attractive one out there, and he’s even drunk out of his right mind.”

“Oh, sure,” Eponine said, completely unimpressed by the young man. She was still watching Marius in the corner talking with Courfeyrac. She wished she could be part of the conversation. 

“The blond one looked better, didn’t he?” Valjean sat back in his chair. 

“I suppose,” Eponine answered with a shrug. She saw Grantaire winding up to toss the bow, and she said to Valjean, “Whoever catches it, he’s going to end up married to.”

Grantaire tossed it, accidentally hitting the blond man in the face, and instinctively, the man grabbed it. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to hit you or anything, I just meant to put it down somewhere, I’m sorry…” he was apologizing profusely, but the young man seemed to be a bit shy, so he set the bow down and went to sit by the scorekeeper. The scorekeeper was another young man, wearing wire-rimmed glasses. Anyone could tell when Courferyac noticed the man, because he would not--or rather, could not--stop staring at him. 

Finally, it was Marius’s turn. Gillenormand seemed quite ashamed to admit that this awkward man was his grandson still, and tossed the oversized bow at him a little more aggressively than he should have. He caught it, then dropped it. Eponine felt bad for him. He really seemed like a sweet boy. He picked up the bow, and accidentally flipped his quiver upside-down, dumping all the arrows out of it. Some of the older audience members laughed. He stood up, aimed and fired his arrow--and hit it in the middle. 

He looked at the target like he couldn’t believe it, and his grandfather did something shocking. He went up to him and shouted, “That’s a boy, Marius! You’ve manned up, finally, none of that sensitive stuff!” 

Valjean looked shocked. “Well, how do you feel being married to that--” he looked over at the chair where Eponine had been sitting, but in her place, there was Gavroche, looking very bored, with Azelma in next to him, eating a cupcake. Both of their faces were covered in frosting.

“Oh, there you are, don’t ever run like that again, please? You know I’m not fast,” Jehan said, scooping the two children up and sitting them in their chairs, wiping off their faces. 

 “Eponine?” Cosette said, looking where her friend had been. 

A dark cloaked figure was making its way onto the field. The figure pulled off their hood at the first target. 

“Eponine! Don’t!” Cosette shouted, quickly realizing what was happening. Eponine tossed her cape to the side, then lifted her bow and shot straight into the middle. 

“I am shooting for my own hand,” Eponine explained, walking over to the next target. Cosette started trying to chase her, but her dress got tangled around her legs, slowing her down. Eponine shot the next arrow, again hitting the center. The men around her looked shocked and impressed, except for Gillenormand, who looked like someone was threatening to steal his chance at something. 

“Don’t loose another arrow!” Cosette cried out as the last arrow went whirling through the air, and split Marius’s arrow straight down the spine. 

Cosette dragged Eponine into her sewing room. “What is  your problem?” she shouted, Eponine had never seen Cosette actually mad, but now she was. “You’ve embarrassed them! You’ve embarrassed me!”

“I followed the rules!” Eponine retorted. 

“You don’t know what you’ve done! They’ll want to kill each other if it isn’t fixed!”

“If you’d just listen to me--”

“No, Eponine, you listen. This is how it has to be, and it’s how it is going to be, got it?” Cosette snapped. 

“You’re never there for me! This whole marriage is what you want! Do you ever bother to ask what I want? No! You walk around telling me what to do, what not to do! Trying to make me be like you! Well, I’m not going to be like you!” Eponine shouted, grabbing a sword from a suit of armor standing by and slashed the tapestry of the royal family right down where Cosette had sewn hers and Eponine’s hands together. “I would rather die than be like you!” 

Cosette gasped, then grabbed Eponine’s bow in retaliation and whipped it into the blazing fireplace. Eponine’s face crumpled, and she ran out of the room. Cosette suddenly realized what she did, and raced out of the room after her, shouting, “Eponine! Eponine!” 

She went back into the room and grabbed the bow out of the fire with her bare hands, singeing her hair in the process, tears streaming down her face as she heard the bow string snap from the heat. She couldn’t ever be forgiven for this. 

Chapter Text

Eponine went to the stables and got Bishop out, and rode far away from the castle, crying as she went. There was no way anything could be the same with her friend, and everything was ruined. 

Finally, Bishop stopped, nearly throwing Eponine off. She looked up, wiping her eyes. There was a glowing blue path in front of them. “The Wisps. They’re back,” she whispered breathlessly, hopping off of Bishop and following them. 

She followed them all the way to a tiny cottage in the middle of the woods. She knocked on the door, and it opened. Inside, there was an older woman with crazy dark hair carving away at some wood. 

The woman looked up. “Oh, look around, holler if you see anything you--ah, Eponine!” 

Eponine’s eyes widened. It was her mother, Madame Thenardier! “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you at the castle, raising me and Azelma and Gavroche? They don’t even know who you are!”

“I had to go my own path, dear. Trust me, the kingdom would be in ruin if I ever did anything about it.”

“Why did the Wisps bring me here?” Eponine wondered, then she noticed the broom was on the other side of the room from Madame, and it was sweeping on its own. “Your broom!”

Madame snapped, and the broom fell to the floor, lifeless. “I am now a whittler of wood, as you can see. Don’t touch that stuffed bird, Javert means very much to me,” she added as Eponine reached out to touch a crow sitting on the counter. 

The crow sprang to life, and started singing quietly, looking out the window dramatically, “Stars, in their multitudes… ” Eponine screamed, then the bird jumped, squawking loudly. Madame snapped her fingers again, and the broom on the floor came back to life and knocked Javert out, sweeping him into a corner.

“You’re a witch now?” Eponine said in amazement. “That’s why the Wisps brought me here? You can change my fate, right?”

“Wrong, too many unsatisfied customers,” Madame snapped. “Now, if you’re not going to buy anything, get out!”

“I’m your daughter!” Eponine shouted, “Look, I’ll buy everything, if you give me one spell.”

“Wait, really?” Madame said, suddenly interested. “Are you sure you know what you’re getting into here?”

“I want a spell to change my friend,” Eponine explained, “That will change my fate.”

“Alright, fine,” Madame said, dragging Eponine outside, snapping, then returning inside to find that the whole room had changed into an evil lair, complete with cross-stitched pillows that read, “Lair, Sweet Lair.”

She mixed a few things together, and after an explosion, she reached into the cauldron and pulled out a tart. 

“What is this supposed to do?” Eponine asked, looking wary of the pastry. 

“It’ll do the trick, don’t you worry,” Madame said, “I did this for a prince once. Tight pants, easy on the eye, fantastic. He wanted the strength of ten men, and he gave me this for payment.” She showed Eponine a medallion with crossed axes on it. “He got what he was after, and made off with an especially attractive cheese board.”

“Thank you… mother,” Eponine said, slowly, looking at the little tart that was being wrapped up. 

“Expect the rest of your delivery in a fortnight,” Madame said, then frowned. “What was it about that spell…?”

“Huh?” Eponine turned around, but the cottage had disappeared. “Well, time to try this out.”

Chapter Text

When she got back to the castle, Eponine put the tart on a plate and was quickly assaulted by a hug from Cosette. 

“You came back! I was so worried when you ran off, I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again!” she cried, throwing her arms around her friend. 

“Well, here I am!” Eponine said cheerfully, then showed her the tart. “It’s a peace offering. For you.”

“Really?” Cosette said, looking at it. “Why, thank you, I… don’t think anyone’s ever done that for me before…” She took a bite, then frowned. 

“How do you feel about the marriage now?” Eponine asked, watching Cosette's face screw up.

“Interesting flavor… Very tart,” Cosette mumbled, trying to sort out what she was eating. “I think I need to lie down for a while… ”

“Oh, okay,” Eponine said, taking her friend's arm and began walking her to her room. “You just take all the time you need.”

When they got the throne room, Valjean was trying to entertain everyone, but no one appeared to be listening to his story. Everyone noticed when the two girls went by, and they asked when they would answer their question about the winner.

“I am feeling a bit under the weather,” Cosette explained, then burped. “Once I've gotten better, you will have your answer presently.”

“Alright,” Marius said, looking a little worried. “I hope you feel better.”

When they got to Cosette's room, she laid down on the bed and Eponine pulled the blanket over her. 

“What was in that cake?” Cosette mumbled, looking a bit green, then turned out to the side to vomit on the floor. she slid off the bed with the blanket, and suddenly the room went very quiet. 

“Cosette?” Eponine asked uncertainly, and was answered by a deep growl. “Should I just tell the wedding is off then?”

A shape rose from the floor, but it was very clearly much bigger than her friend. The blanket slid off, revealing black fur and small fuzzy ears. The frame turned around to face Eponine. It was a huge bear!

Eponine screamed, and the dizzy hear reacted accordingly. The bear came to, and began practically lunging at Eponine, causing her the back away. Then Eponine noticed that she knew those blue eyes. “Cosette?” The bear perked up. “You're a… bear? That witch! She gave me a faulty spell! It's all her fault!”

Cosette looked at hands, which were now big paws, and she grabbed the blanket from the floor to cover herself. But then she heard the word witch, she turned to her friend in confusion and horror. 

“Look, while I was out, I happened to run into my mother, who offered that she could rid my problems and change my fate. We should be expecting a large quantity of wooden bear carvings soon as well. But the thing is, I really asked her to change… you.” Cosette looked furious. “I only meant to change your thoughts on the marriage, that is all.”

For the next ten minutes, Cosette scolded Eponine in fluent bear, which Eponine didn't understand, but she got the poin: what were you thinking.

“Okay, so I messed up,” Eponine said, and Cosette nodded. '“We just have to sneak out of the castle without being spotted--Cosette?” she looked around the room, then heard a loud scream out in the hall. Cosette had gone out and Jehan had been walking by. Jehan was known to have a deathly fear of bears, and it looked like they were going to faint in terror. 

Eponine grabbed her friend's paw and pulled her away, accidentally dropping the blanket on the way. Cosette put her arms up to cover herself, and Eponine rubbed her forehead.

“You are a bear, you're covered in fur! You are not naked!” she snapped, then pulled her down the hall towards the kitchen, where Azelma and Gavroche were playing. They stopped, however, when they saw the

huge bear. Eponine explained, “A witch turned Cosette into a bear--it's not my fault--and we're going to go fix it. Can you help us?” Gavroche crossed his arms. “If you help, I will give you my desserts for the next two--no, three weeks.” Azelma made the indication that their wages needed a raise. “Fine, a year.”

The siblings looked satisfied, and made a diversion for them to escape: they terrified Jehan again. 

Jehan ran into the room where everyone else was in tears and shaking. Courfeyrac and Marius were by their side immediately, hugging them and trying to calm them. “Bear! There's a bear in the castle!” they sobbed.

“No way, I had no idea,” Feuilly said, looking at Bahorel “I had to drag him here.”

“No, there's an actual bear. Like a big and scary bear! Like Montparnasse!” Jehan stammered, burying their face in Courfeyrac's shirt. “It went upstairs and I didn't know what to do. The children are in the kitchen...”

“Everyone upstairs!” Valjean shouted, and everyone grabbed their weapons, running to the stairs. 

The two children made noise all down the hall, and the men followed them all the way onto the roof, where they closed the trap door that let them back down.

“Great, now what?” Grantaire groaned, “We can't climb down.”

Eponine and Cosette watched from the window, amused. 

“We're not paying Jehan enough, are we?” Eponine said, walking Cosette out the back door. To the children she said, “Help yourselves to anything you like.”

Once the girls were gone, Gavroche and Azelma knew exactly what looked good--the half-eaten tart sitting on the counter.

Chapter Text

“Come on out, wisps! Here, whispy, whispy, whispy,” Eponine called, and Cosette looked impatient. “I swear, they were right there, and they led me through the forest to a cottage, and inside, my mother was mixing a witch's brew or something.”

Finally, after a good hour of wandering around, they walked over a hill and Eponine let out a whoop. “This is it! There’s the cottage!” 

She stepped inside, and the room was dark. “Something is wrong,” she said to Cosette, who nodded. Eponine stepped forward, tripping a wire. The two of them watched in horror as the string set off a reaction, sending a vial flying towards the cauldron in the back of the room. The cauldron lit up, and Madame’s face appeared in the smoke. 

“Welcome to the Crafty Carver, home of bear carvings and novelties. I am completely out of stock at this time, but if you’d like to inquire about a portrait or wedding cake toppers, pour vial one into the cauldron. If you’d like a bedouin garlic, vial two. If you’re my daughter, vial three.” Eponine looked down, and saw that there was a line of vials standing on the table next to the cauldron, and dumped the third in the line into the cauldron. 

“Hello, dear, there’s one thing I forgot to tell you about the spell. By the second sunrise, it will be permanent.” Cosette made a gravelly gasping sound. “Unless you remember these words: “Fate be changed, look inside, mend the bond torn by pride.’ That’s it, and thank you for shopping with the Crafty Carver!” Madame’s voice said, then the cauldron went blank. 

“What? Mend the bond?” Eponine looked at Cosette, who yawned. “We can sort it out tomorrow, okay? We’ll sleep tonight.” 

They built a makeshift tent out of branches, and after several hours of tossing and turning, they fell asleep.

On the roof of the castle, the men climbed down the rope they’d made from their pants--Musichetta was amused, since she didn’t have to remove anything and the men looked very embarrassed--Bossuet being the last down, and he fell off. He untied his pants from the chain, then yanked the rope containing everyone else's off the roof. “We'll have to make our best guesses on whose are whose,” he said, showing them the chain of pants. 

“These are not mine, I promise you,” Grantaire said, trying to scoot into a pair of pants that were too small. 

The blond man looked down at the waist of the ones he was wearing. The waist was huge on him. “I think these might be yours. They're too big for me.” They swapped. 

“Let's go back to the castle, and we'll figure out what to do now,” Valjean sighed, taking the bored party back to the gates to be let in.

As Eponine slept, she thought about a time when they were little and there was a thunderstorm. She was terrified, and woke up in a terrible fright. Cosette, who had been sharing a room with her, had crawled into bed next to her and had made sure she was alright. 

“I just wish I had a family that was my own, not just my sister and brother,” Eponine had explained as Cosette had hugged her. 

“Well, Eponine, Whatever happens, I’ll always be here for you, no matter what. You’re my best friend, and I would never let anything happen to you.”

“Cosette… you're my best friend too,” Eponine could remember saying, not really sure what her feelings were when she was ten, but she had snuggled into the hug as much as she wanted and Cosette hadn’t minded. 

Cosette began humming a little tune she didn’t know well, so she sang the few words she did know. “Something happens when I hold her… he keeps my heart getting broken…”

Chapter Text

When Eponine awoke the next morning, she found Cosette--still a bear--making herself breakfast on a rock. 

“Is this breakfast?” she asked her, and she nodded, handing her a leaf-plate full of berries. “Did you get these by the creek? Because these look like deadly nightshade--” 

She didn’t even get the chance to finish her sentence when Cosette spat out the berries she’d eaten while grabbing the hollowed out bowl full of water. As soon as she took a gulp, however, it met the same ghastly fate as the berries, and Eponine could see the worms flying through the air and landing in the grass nearby. Cosette sat down with a grumble, and Eponine laughed. 

“Come on, I’ll help you fix something,” she offered, and Cosette reluctantly followed. 

Eponine got out her bow, newly strung, and shot at a fish in the stream. “Oh wait, princesses shouldn’t have weapons, right?” 

Cosette gave her a look as Eponine handed her a live fish. She shook her head, disgusted. Eponine made a fire nearby, and cooked the fish, and Cosette liked it so much she asked for another one. Eponine pointed at the stream, telling her she had to get it herself. Cosette went to the river, and struggled for a few minutes to catch a fish, Eponine laughing on the side. Finally she had pity for her friend and showed her how other bears catch fish, in their mouths. Cosette was a fast learner, and soon they were simply splashing each other in the water, having fun and soaked. 

Eponine looked at Cosette, who was calmly eating a fish, and thought how nice it was to be on good terms again. Then she realized that her friend wasn’t even paying attention to her, and was walking away. 

“Wait, Cosette! Come back!” she shout. Cosette turned to her and growled, eyes dark, then she snapped out of it, looking scared. 

Eponine gasped. “You changed… you were a bear, on the inside…”

Cosette’s attention was quickly grabbed by a Wisp, which had just appeared, and she frantically chased it, with Eponine behind her, yelling for her to slow down. 

Finally, the princess caught up and said, “We aren’t going to get anywhere if we lose our heads, Cosette.” Cosette looked very sorry about running away, and Eponine gave her a hug. “But I’ll know you’re still here, even when you lose your head.” Cosette put her paws up, and after a bit of a struggle, formed a little heart. Eponine smiled, then returned to the Wisps, who were lining up in a line. 

The Wisps led them far away, into a foggy area, covered in the ruins of what looked like a castle. “Why’d they take us here?” Eponine wondered, crawling through the wreck. She moved some stones, then noticed a familiar symbol. There was a shield on the ground, attached to a skeleton, and the shield bore a symbol with two axes crossed over each other. “Cosette!”

The bear came over and looked with her. Nearby, there was a stone plank with a picture of four men, one broken off. “It looks a little like your tapestry back home… Do you think this is the kingdom from that story you told me? With that prince who turned into a…” Eponine heard a sound, then turned to face a huge black-- “Bear!”

Cosette whirled around and grabbed Eponine’s arm in her mouth, running for safety. Montparnasse chased them, snarling as he went, bright green eyes flashing with bloodthirsty vengeance on life. 

Finally, Montparnasse was tired, and returned to his ruined home. Cosette set Eponine down on the ground, examining her arm. It was only a bit bruised. 

“We need to get home,” Eponine said, “We need to fix the tapestry. It’s the bond Mother was talking about.” 

Chapter Text

When they got back to the castle, evidently everyone got bored, because they had taken the empty chairs and empty tables, built a barricade and were firing blunt-tip arrows everywhere and yelling maniacally. 

“We should have never trusted them alone,” Eponine groaned, watching, and walked out into the middle of the room, praying that none of the arrows would hit her. Miraculously, however, everyone stopped firing as soon as they realized she was there. 

“What would you like, my lady?” Marius called from across the room, holding a torch and a barrel of gunpowder. Eponine wasn’t sure she wanted context on that move. 

She took a deep breath. “You know, once there was an ancient kingdom divided as our kingdom is now, and it fell disastrously. As I can see, our kingdom is about to do the same thing. Our kingdom was forged in bravery and friendship, and it lives to this day. But I’ve been selfish,” Eponine admitted, “There’s no one to blame but me. And I know now that I need to amend my mistake and mend our bond. And so, there is the matter of my betrothal. I decided to do what’s right, and--”

Cosette was trying to get her attention, waving her arms. Eponine watched her sign something from across the room. “And… break… tradition.” The men in the room looked at each other in surprise. Eponine continued slowly, “My friend, Cosette, feels in her heart, that I--no, we--be free to write our own story. Follow our hearts, and find love in our time.”

By the time she finished speaking, almost everyone in the room was in tears. “Beautiful,” Marius breathed softly, his eyes round and very, very dialated. 

“My friend and I put the decision to you all; Might our young people decide for themselves who they will love?” Eponine asked, and everyone looked at each other again. At least they weren’t fighting yet.

Gillenormand walked up to Eponine with a stern frown, and she could feel her body tense. “Destroy the lineage of our kingdoms? The very idea is--”

“Wonderful!” Marius shouted from across the room, “That sounds amazing, being able to love who you want to love without anyone telling you not to!”

“What?” Joly, Bossuet, and Musichetta looked at Grantaire.

“Yeah! I prefer boys anyway!” he shouted in a drunken slur. “It was your idea for me to come here.”

Feuilly looked at Bahorel, who asked Courfeyrac, “And do you feel the same way?”

Courfeyrac was practically jumping out of his chair. “Don’t you two want to get married? Imagine, having this man next to you for the rest of your life.”
“You know, that sounds really nice,” Feuilly said, and Bahorel breathed a sigh of relief. “What was that for? Should I be worried?”

“Oh nothing, just grateful you’re okay with the fact that I got the paperwork signed for us to be married five years ago. I had to get you on my life insurance, but that was the only way.”

“That’s why on February twelfth you always give me flowers,” Feuilly said thoughtfully, things coming together. “Accidentally in love, I suppose.”

“Why didn’t we have them figuring out their own love interests, anyway?” called a voice from the back of the room, and Grantaire was starstruck again. 

“So, I’m not needed?” the scorekeeper asked disappointedly, “Since there are no scores to keep?”

Courfeyrac chased after him. “No, no, no, you’re very much needed. Do… is your heart by any chance available for the winning?” he asked hopefully. 

The young man looked a bit bashful as he said, “I’m sorry, but no, it has already been stolen by someone.”

“Oh…” Courfeyrac mumbled, “Sorry for bothering you, sir.” 

He turned to leave, but the man caught his hand. “You’re someone, right? I’m Combeferre.”

“Oh…” Courfeyrac blushed. “You’re very handsome…”

The two of them began goofily flirting with each other, and the oldest person in the room seemed to have enough. 

“Well, in that case, we’re leaving,” Gillenormand snapped,  “My grandson will not be subjected to this disgusting display. You men ought to be ashamed.” He beckoned to his grandson to follow. 

Marius, though, shook his head. “I’m not going with you.” So Gillenormand left alone. 

Valjean approached Eponine and patted her shoulder. “Just like Cosette, sweet but tough as nails.”

Eponine smiled, then noticed across the room that the young blond man from earlier was looking at Cosette--who had frozen--with a confused expression on his face. “That wasn’t there earlier. I swear, I would’ve seen it.” 

“Everyone! To the cellar! Let’s crack open the royal reserves to celebrate!” she shouted, and that caught everyone’s attention but the young man’s, though he stepped away after he heard the others calling him to join.

Valjean chased after everyone, shouting, “Whoa! Get the tiny glasses!”

Eponine watched everyone leave, then rejoined her friend in the corner, doing a little happy dance. “We did it!” Cosette shook her head and pointed at Eponine. “I did it? But you helped me.”

Cosette shrugged, knowing they didn’t have time to argue, and went up the stairs. 

“Alright, so where do you keep your threads and needles?” Eponine asked once they got into the room, and Cosette’s eyes went dark again. “Not now,” she groaned, trying to quiet the bear sniffing her. 

Downstairs, in the throne room, Granatire approached the table where the other competitors were sitting. Courfeyrac and Combeferre were now flirting shamelessly, now that they were a bit tipsy from the alcohol, Courferyac resting his head on Combeferre’s shoulder and Combeferre petting Courferyac’s large quantity of soft dark hair. Marius was quietly reading, and the blond man was simply sitting, looking a bit out of the action. Grantaire looked down at the two mugs he had in his hands, thinking this would be his one chance. 

“Hello, there,” Grantaire said smoothly, sitting down next to the blond man and offering him a glass. 

The man refused politely. “Sorry, I don’t drink.” 

“Oh, it’s not wine, this one--no, this one--oh no, which one had the grape juice? Hold on--” Grantaire took a sip of each, then handed the man one of them. “That’s the non-alcoholic stuff.” 

“What is it that you want from me?” the man said, seeming a little uncomfortable. He almost seemed to be trying to shrink. 

“Well, I would start by requesting your name,” Grantaire said, “Joly and Bossuet said I should work on being more social.” 

“I’m Enjolras,” the man said, taking the glass and looking into it. 

Grantaire tried to say the name, but just couldn’t get it. “Can I just call you Angel? It’s close to your name and I think it suits you.” 

“I guess that would be alright,” Enjolras said, trying to look unfazed, but clearly, he liked the nickname a little more than he would admit.

The two of them ended up talking, but they could not agree on a single thing. Enjolras was a believer, Grantaire was indefinitely a skeptic, Enjolras went to college to be a lawyer, Grantaire was an art student. Eventually, everyone else got into it and started asking them their opinions on different things. Finally Courfeyrac, who’d had quite a lot to drink, mumbled, “What do you think about love?” 

“Love is like Beauty and the Beast,” Marius volunteered, holding up one of his books. 

“Love is what you’re looking at right now,” Combeferre said with a bit of a giggle, giving Courfeyrac a squeeze and nuzzling his nose against his shoulder. 

Bossuet, who had missed half of the conversation came over and flopped on the table, with Musichetta right behind him to keep him from falling on his face. He announced loudly, “Mawwige. Mawige is whut wrought uth togevveh todayee. Vat bwessed awangement, wike a dream wifin a dweam. Wuv, twu wuv, will fowow you fowever, so tweaure your wuv.”

 “Love is a social construct that people can live without, it’s foolish and distracting from what’s really important,” Enjolras and Grantaire said at the same time. They looked at each other in shock. 

“I believe gentlemen, we have found something you agree on,” Musichetta said with a laugh, sitting down with Bossuet flopped in her lap. Joly came over to share the load.

A loud growl could be heard up the stairs, and Valjean’s head perked up. “There is a bear in the castle! And it’s in one of the bedrooms!”

Chapter Text

Just as Eponine was getting Cosette under control, the door opened, and Valjean came in, angry. “Eponine!”

“Monsieur!” Eponine squeaked, “It’s not what you think!” 

She watched as Valjean picked up the remains of Cosette’s dress, and anger filled his eyes. “Cosette!” He looked at the bear, not knowing it was Cosette, and advanced.
“No! Listen!” Eponine said, shoving him and getting her arm scratched by his sword in the process. Cosette suddenly snapped out of her wildness, and took off out of the room. 

“Thank your stars, Eponine,” Valjean said, “It almost had you.”

“That was Cosette! It’s the truth! There was a witch and she gave me a spell, it’s not Montparnasse--”

“Montparnasse or not, I’m avenging Cosette!” Valjean roared, running out of the room. He locked the door behind him, and gave Jehan the key. “Protect this with your life.” 

Jehan looked nervous, and really wanted to help Eponine, who sounded distressed, but they had to not open the door. 

Eponine shouted one more time, then noticed two little shapes coming down the hall. “Oh no, you didn’t eat the tart, did you?” Azelma and Gavroche looked at each other, then shrugged their furry shoulders. “Wait, we can use this. Get the key,” she told them, and they followed Jehan down the hall, and jumped on them, leaving them without harm or the key, and curled up in a ball, shaking. 

As the child-bears opened the door, Eponine yanked down the tapestry and started looking frantically from a needle, using some of her hair as thread. 

She raced down the hall, watching the men prepare to go after Cosette, and she went down to the stables and retrieved Bishop again, hoping she could catch up to Cosette in time. 

As she rode along, she was trying to sew, which she had never mastered holding still, much less on the back of a horse on rocky terrain. 

When she found Cosette, however, the men had gotten there first, and had her tied down. “Don’t hurt her!” Eponine shouted, then the two children came up behind her. They had run this whole way. 

“Children?” Jehan asked. They had been dragged along for no reason, and they looked even more scared curled up inside of a wagon. 

Suddenly, a deep, murderous growl came from the mist surrounding them. “We’re not alone…” Joly said fearfully, moving towards a wagon and grabbed a mace. 

Finally, the owner of the growl came forward. It was Montparnasse, and he was angry. He stood up on his hind legs, and roared. Everyone became frantic, running to find a weapon, or at least a hiding place. The bear didn’t react when arrows were fired, and simply pawed a sword and it bent in half.

Montparnasse growled, starting to move towards Enjolras, who was trying to get a sword out of the back of a carriage. The bear lunged, crushing the cart to pieces, but Enjolras wasn’t there. 

“What the…?” Enjolras looked up as Grantaire pulled himself off of him. “You saved me?”

“Of course, what do you think I was going to do, stand by and watch you get eaten? Not a chance,” Grantaire replied, sitting up next to him. “Hope you don’t mind.”

“Thank you.” Enjolras was staring at him in amazement. A loose arrow shot in Grantaire’s direction, and Enjolras grabbed Grantaire’s arm and yanked him behind a barrel. “I’ve taken a partiality to you, and I would prefer you lived.” He looked down at his feet. “I suppose being in love isn’t quite as stupid as I thought, not if it’s with you.” 

Grantaire smiled, looking at Enjolras’s hand on his arm, watching as it went to take his hand. 

Montparnasse seemed to pick up on a smell he preferred, and turned towards Eponine, who had been knocked backwards in the fray. He came forward, about to lunge, when suddenly a raging fury of black fur came at him from the side and slammed him into a boulder. Cosette was livid, and the huge bear was getting dizzy being bashed into the stone, when finally, a rock fell from above and crushed him. 

Cosette looked at the stone, and the single huge paw sticking out from under it, then looked at Eponine. 

“You did it,” Eponine breathed, “You defeated him.” Suddenly she looked up, realizing in horror that the sun was rising. She grabbed the tapestry and threw it over Cosette’s shoulders as her eyes darkened for the last time. “Come on, please come back.” She hugged Cosette, watching the look of confusion come over Cosette’s face. “I did this to you, to us. You’ve always been there for me, even when I’m a pain, you never gave up on me. I just want you back, Cosette. I love you.” 

Marius came forward in the crowd, and his face fell. “There’s all that I’ve ever loved.” His eyes began watering sadly. 

The sun rose over the tapestry, and Eponine didn’t release her hold on her friend, even though she had lost all hope of her becoming herself again. The whole assembly lowered their heads in sadness. Jean Valjean looked crushed, his only daughter taken from him. 

Eponine felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up. Cosette was smiling down at her, stroking her hair gently. “Cosette! You’ve changed!” 

Cosette nodded excitedly, kissing her friend all over her face, and Eponine blushed. “We both have.”

Marius, overwhelmed, raced over and caught both of them in a hug.  “You’re okay!” 

Jehan, who had been dragged along on this venture, despite being deathly afraid, was watching the others lift the stone pillar off of Montparnasse. They approached the bear cautiously, then gently touched the top of his head. “You poor thing. Everyone's attacking you, and you can’t help but fight them off, can you?” 

They reached out to pet the fur on the bear’s shoulders, and the large black blob shifted with a pained groan. Jehan backed away in fear, shaking. Everyone else braced themselves with a spear, but Jehan didn’t have anything. The bear tried to stand, then let out a growl of pain. His shoulder was sticking out at an odd angle. He turned to face the small person, who had tripped trying to move away, and scooted over to them, sniffing curiously. 

Jehan was breathing rapidly, watching with big, terrified eyes as the bear towered over them, then started sniffing the flowers on their forehead, and they broke down in tears. “Don’t eat me, please!”

The bear pulled away, looking at Jehan, who had their face buried in their hands. He nuzzled against their shoulder, sitting in front of them, not without some pain, whimpering for attention. Slowly, Jehan uncovered their face, and gently pet the huge paw on their lap.

“You’re very soft,” they whispered softly, and Montparnasse set his head in their lap, his wet nose tickling their face. They giggled, the fear receding. “Those arrows look painful, do you want me to take them out?” 

They started trying to dislodge the spears from the bear’s shoulder, and he growled. They jumped and shrunk away. The bear seemed to realize that he scared the person, and stopped growling. Jehan timidly reached out again, taking one of the spears and firmly tugging it out, and Montparnasse clenched his teeth to avoid startling Jehan again. 

As they tugged the arrows from the bear’s hide, they didn’t notice the slow change in his appearance. “Isn’t that better--oh!” Jehan finally got a good look at their patient, and realized that he had slowly turned back into a human. A very handsome human. 

“What?” Montparnasse asked, then noticed his hands were human hands again. “You’re the first person to treat me like a person in years.” 

“You’re… um… well, you’re quite…” Jehan wasn’t sure how to tell Montparnasse without giggling. 

“I’m what? Powerful? Terrifying? Dashing?” Montparnasse asked, causing Jehan to cover their face again, red from embarrassment. 

Marius realized one point he hadn’t considered at first, and backed away from the girls staring at the ground, flushed. Cosette pulled the tapestry over herself. 

“You’re completely naked.” Jehan said this so softly, Montparnasse almost didn't catch it. 

“I’m what?” he said, confused. Montparnasse looked down at himself, then his green eyes widened in horror. 

“Naked as a newborn baby.” 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be disrespectful--” Marius mumbled, turning away. 

“Actually, could you do me a favor for a second while I adjust this?” Cosette asked, and Marius obediently did what she told him. He held up his arms so she was hidden from view while she adjusted the tapestry around herself to cover better. 

Everyone else started at the ground. Grantaire’s ears were red. Jehan was giggling uncontrollably as they handed Montparnasse a pair of pants off a cart and a shirt. “Sorry, we didn’t bring any dresses,” they called to Cosette, who shrugged, pulling her covering into a kimono-shaped thing. 

Suddenly, from the crowd of people, Azelma and Gavroche, now human--and in the same condition as Cosette--sprinted toward. the rest of their family. 

Jean Valjean started laughing. “Now that is naked as a newborn baby!”

Chapter Text

The clans returned to the kingdom, and they decided that it would be best if they kept their kingdoms joined closer, visiting more often than they had previously, especially when Courfeyrac made the saddest eyes at Combeferre when he realized he’d have to leave him behind. 

“I don’t want to go, baby,” he mumbled, burying his face in his partner’s shoulder, “I don’t want to leave you behind… you know I’ll remember everything…”

“You know, sweet one, I could come along,” Combeferre said into his hair, and Courfeyrac loved the idea. 

Jehan had to teach Montparnasse how to act like a human again, but once that was all figured out, the two of them were very much in love. Enjolras and Grantaire decided that they could try out this whole being-in-love thing, and it didn’t seem to be going too badly, even when it turned out that Enjolras had some boundaries. Feuilly and Bahorel, and Joly, Bossuet, and Musichetta were very happy that their friends were happily in relationships and not sad and lonely. 

One day, Montparnasse was outside with Jehan, and a crow flew in with a piece of paper. Sitting behind the crow was a huge pile of wooden bear carvings. “The heck is this?” 

“Come on, pay up, or I’ll have you arrested for not paying,” Javert cawed, and Montparnasse tugged Jehan closer for safety. 

“I don’t trust talking birds. A talking bird ruined most of my life,” he growled, eyes flashing, then looked down at Jehan. “Except for this part.” 

Cosette, Eponine, and Marius decided that they wanted to try courting before actually getting married, and they enjoyed every moment. They figured that one day they would get married, but they just weren’t ready for that yet. Nonetheless, they all lived happily ever after.