Mon Étoile

Chapter One

"No! Stop!" I screamed, tears in my eyes as I fought against the chains on my wrists. The strong grips on my biceps tightened. "Hercule!"

His jaw clenched, Enjolras said lowly, "Let her go, she has nothing to do with this!" Sweat glazed his skin, showing his agitation as his fists clenched, tightening the hold of the chains around his wrists.

"I'm giving you one chance, Hercule," the old man before us said. "Get rid of this whore and come back home and all of this will be forgotten." 

"Never," Hercule spat. 

"Lock her up," the loud voice of the man before us ordered.

"NO!" Hercule protested, attempting to get over to me as I began to sob.

"Hercule!" I called, gasping for breath as I attempted to break away toward him.  With a small grunt, he broke free and ran towards me, prompting me to stamp on the toes of the guards. Hercule cupped my cheeks, pressing his forehead to mine as I tried to hold back my tears.

Wiping away the moisture coating my cheeks, he said, "Nicolette, I promise we'll get out of this, okay?" I nodded slightly, reveling in the little bit of his touch I could get, drawing comfort from what I could. Far too soon, a pair of rough hands landed on my shoulders and ripped me away from Hercule.

"No!" I cried, fighting harder than ever before as my tears returned. A scream of surprise left my lips as I was flung into a cell. Shaking, I stayed sitting and pulled my knees to my chest, trying not to break down. The cold crept into my skin as I finally gave up and lay my head on my knees.

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Enjolras glared heatedly at the man standing before him. The door behind them opened and a man appeared and approached them. "Lord Enjolras, Sir Léo wishes to have a word with you."

"Let him in," Lord Enjolras grumbled. After a moment, the door opened and a tall man with blond curls and blue eyes appeared.

Coming to a stop, the man let out a sigh and greeted stiffly, "Father. Brother."

"Léo," Hercule said stiffly. Smiling falsely, he said, "Delightful little family reunion."

"Father, I'd like a word with the accused," Léo said. "In private."

"Very well," Lord Enjolras agreed.

The moment he was gone, Léo rounded on Hercule, snapping, "What is wrong with you? How could you be so stupid?"

"When was the last time you left this palace, Léo?" Enjolras asked, looking at him sharply. "If you had seen the pain and suffering I've seen beyond these walls, maybe you wouldn't scorn me for trying to make a difference."

Letting out a sigh, Léo asked, "Can I do anything?"

"Make sure Nicolette is all right," Enjolras requested.

Absentmindedly, Léo asked, "What, some mistress you've acquired?"

Jaw clenched, Hercule retorted, "My fiancé, Léo. She's in the dungeons."

With a sigh, Léo said, "Okay. I'll make sure she's fine." After a pause, he remarked, "It's funny. I always thought I'd be the one filled with regret and ending up in chains."

"I regret nothing," Enjolras snapped. "If I could go back in time, the only thing I would do differently is to not allow myself to be caught and I would've forced Nicolette to stay out of it."

"How did your life come to this?" Léo snapped. "You were going to take Father's place. You were the golden boy, the perfect child. What happened?"

"My eyes were opened."

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My ears twitched slightly as a pair of footsteps came towards my cell. I kept my head on my knees and continued to allow tears to stream down my cheeks. I became acutely aware that the footsteps had not moved on and I froze. With an irritated sigh, I snapped, "What? Does the bastard of a king wish to see me as well?"

"No," the man replied. I looked up again. He was tall with light blond hair and blue eyes. In the light of the torch in his hand, his eyes sparkled and his complexion appeared pale and almost sickly.

"Then go," I growled in irritation. "I'd rather rot in my cell in peace."

He chuckled, remarking, "I see why my brother is so taken with you." I looked at him in surprise as he explained, "Hercule asked me to make sure you're all right."

"You're his brother?" I said skeptically. "I imagined more...bastard-womanizer look."

"Ah, so my brother didn't forget all about me," Léo remarked, slightly surprised.

"On the contrary," I said. "He described you much like a bird in a cage with a key."

Letting out a laugh, Léo asked, "If there is a key, why would I not escape my cage?"

"Because you don't know how to use it," I said simply. My amused smiled faded and I leaned back against the cold stone of the cell, frowning. My voice sounding much disheartened, I said, "Well, you know that I'm fine. Now, leave me be."

"Before I do, can I ask you something?" Léo asked.

"Well I have no way out of my cage so might as well," I said dully.

Brows furrowed, he asked, "Why would the two of you do this? Why would Hercule do this? He had everything. Money, position, title, power. He could've had any woman in France and yet he throws it all away for this pitiable revolution. Why?"

"Have you ever seen the outside of these walls, Monsieur?" I asked, looking at him pointedly.

"I've been asked that a lot lately," he admitted with a sigh. After a pause, he said, "Only on the occasional ride around the city with my father."

"Around the entire city?" I clarified.

"Just a few of the squares."

"Well, should you ever leave those squares, you'd find yourself faced with the three fundamental trials of mankind. Men in poverty and unable to provide for their families. Women reduced to prostitution because they don't have another means to support themselves. Children robbed of their childhoods by the streets. That is why we did what we did," I said. "For those who the government doesn't care enough about to help. You may think you and your brother had everything, but Hercule was smart enough to realize that really he had nothing."

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Without another word, Léo left his mind deep in thought. Elsewhere in the palace, Hercule lay with his head in his hands, unspeakable grieve flooding his senses.