The Princess & the Pauper (Les Mis)

Escape

Cosette woke up in an unfamiliar room, lying on a small bed. She pulled herself up and looked around her surroundings, her stomach dropping. She jumped up and tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. The princess sighed and lent her head on the wooden door.
"Let me go!" She called out.

"No can do, Princess!" A man's voice replied.

"You will not get away with this!" They didn't respond and she began to lose hope that they would listen to her.
"Marius will come looking for me!" Cosette shouted at the door. There was a shuffling sound and she realised she had caught their attention. A voice came from the other side of the door.

"Marius? Marius Pontmercy?" Another man asked, his voice different from the last one who spoke.
"Yes. He will find me, and you'll all be thrown in the dungeon!"
Cosette didn't expect the door to open, or to come face to face with a young man who couldn't have been much older than her.

"How do you know Marius?" The man asked. Cosette crossed her arms, trying to look unafraid.
"He's my tutor." She spat.

The other man laughed from the table behind them, swinging around a bottle.
"You hear that, Courf? Pontmercy works at the castle!"

"How do you know Marius?" Cosette asked in confusion, her arms dropping to her sides.

"We went to school together. After we graduated, he got this huge job opportunity. Haven't seen him since,"

Cosette gasped. "Wait, are you Courf and R? Oh, Marius speaks so fondly of you." She remembered where she was and stepped away from him. "Why did you capture me?"

Courfeyrac looked away nervously. "To be honest Princess, our boss offered us a lot of money. We only have to keep you here for a few days then you can leave unharmed."

"But why? Why do you need his money? Surely with your education you could find a good job,"

"Have you been outside lately Princess? Ain't no one got money to spare," Grantaire chuckled.

Cosette frowned, looking between the two men.

"Please, I have to get back. Let me leave and you'll be pardoned. I can help you, marrying the king will improve the whole kingdom's finances. Please, if what Marius says is true, you are good people!"

Corfeyrac looked back at Grantaire and they shared a silent conversation with their eyes. He sighed and turned back to Cosette
"Okay. We can't take you back, but if you happen to find the front door unlocked, well, we won't stop you."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Wait Princess, one more thing?"

"Yes?"

"I need you to slap me."

——

"How did she escape?" Javert cried.

"She tricked us, sir. Knocked me out cold." Courfeyrac shrugged nervously, pointing to the red mark on his cheek.

"And I'm guessing that idiot was too drunk to do anything?" Javert pointed at Grantaire who was now passed out at the table.

"Sorry, sir." Courfeyrac bowed his head.

"Well, wake him up! We have work to do because of your idiocy! Mark my words..."

——

Marius had finally found Javert's horse outside of an old cottage deep in the forest. He was careful to stay quiet as he moved closer and peaked through the cracks in the boarded up window. He saw Javert standing there, yelling at someone who was out of Marius's sight.

"I will be king, one way or another!" Javert yelled.
Marius jumped back in shock, causing one of the boards on the window to fall and clatter on the dirt, giving away his position. Javert ran out the door, coming face to face with him, holding an old baton.

"How would you be king?" Just as Marius finished his question, he was suddenly encased in darkness. The last thing he remembered was the baton coming towards him.

——

Cosette guided the horse to the castle gates, spotting two guards on duty.
"Who goes there?" One yelled.

"I am Princess Cosette." She told them.
"Yeah, and I'm the King," the guard laughed.
"But I am the princess!" Cosette protested, not understanding why they didn't listen to her.
"Then why did I just see the princess having dinner with the queen?" The guard barked accusingly.
"What princess? You are speaking to Princess Cosette, let me through!" She demanded.
"Move along girl, before I lose my temper!"

Cosette jumped, slowly turning her horse around to head back to the village.

——

Cosette wrapped her arms around herself as she approached a shack, hoping to find help.

"What are you doing out here?"
The princess jumped and turned to see a man in rags, swaying slightly on his feet.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"Enough, you're coming with me." Before she could protest, the man grabbed her arm and hauled her into the shack. As the door slammed open, the teenaged girl sitting at a table nearly jumped out of her seat. Piles of fabric lay on the table in front of her. Cosette's eyes widened as she eyed the sewing supplies, realising that this was one of the family's they bought clothing from.
"Not done yet? If you weren't so lazy you'd be finished by now!" The man shrieked at the girl.

"How dare you speak to her that way!" Cosette was appalled with the man's tone.

"How dare I? Just who do you think you are?" He turned his fury towards her. Cosette shrunk back a little but stood her ground.

"Princess Cosette. And I'm warning you, if you treat your workers this way, the royal family will no longer buy from you!"

The man cackled. "You're gonna need to change more than your hair to look like the princess. Now get to work! You're not leaving until every thing is done, Eponine!" He stomped out and slammed the door behind him loudly.

"Eponine?" Cosette said in confusion. She tried to open the door, but found herself locked in once again.

"You're not my sister,"

The princess turned towards the girl at the table, debating what her next move should be.