Valerie (An Enjolras Love Story)

Prologue

"Valerie, you must get up! I need you to go to the market!" My mother's voice rang through the halls outside my bedroom door. I groaned and rolled over letting the light from the windows fall on my face. My eyes fluttered open as I stared out the window.

"Valerie! Now!" My mother was now banging on my door. I threw the blankets aside and let my feet hit the cold floor. I grabbed my robe that was hanging off the end of my bed and wrapped it around my body. I walked over to the water basin and splashed some water on my face to wake me up, before sitting down to work on my hair. I took my hair out of the single braid I put it in each day to sleep and let my light brown hair cascade down my back. I finished it off by pulling back a bit of hair and trying it up to keep it out of my face. I then slipped into a light blue dress before making my way down the stairs and into the kitchen where my mother was ordering around the servants.

"Oh, look who had decided to grace us with her presence!" My mother said placing her hands on her hips.

"Good Morning to you to Mama." I said grabbing a strawberry out of the bowl in front of me.

"Those are not for you! Those are for the party tonight! Now go, I need you to pick up some flowers from the market and while you're out go get a new dress for tonight! You need to look your absolute best. Hurry!" She ordered me. I looked at the maid who was cooking next to my mother and she just smiled at me trying to stifle a laugh. Mama always got so worked up before we threw a party.

About once a month my parents would throw a get together for all the other noble families that we were acquainted with, especially the Pontmercy family. Over the years, I have grown very close to Marius who was the grandson of the head of the Pontmercy family, and just happened to me the owner of a law firm that my father worked for. We grew up together and he was the closest thing to being my brother. But I had not seen Marius for many years though, his grandfather had sent him away to a boarding school in England. And I missed him terribly.

Mama tore be away from my thoughts of Marius, by calling my name and clapping her hands to get my attention. I quickly came back to reality and left the kitchen. I grabbed my coin purse from the table we had by the front door and headed out to the market.

"Good Morning Mademoiselle, would you like me to take you to the market?" Our carriage driver Phillip asked me as I stepped outside the door, closing it behind me.

"No thank you Phillip, I this I would prefer to walk today, it's such a lovely day out." I smiled at him as I walked down the path to the gates of our house.

"As you wish" He smiled back at me. My home wasn't far from town, and the walk was rather beautiful as I passed by fields of wild flowers, and farmers who were tending to their crops. I smiled as a field hand waved at me as I walked by. Even though my family was wealthy and well off, I have never felt like I fit in with this lifestyle. I was never one to feel that people should be split up into certain class, while my mother on the other hand wouldn't even think twice. She was defiantly all about the high-class life, she said that God has planned out a life for everyone, and that he split us up into different classes so that every role in the world would be filled and that class was part of our destiny. God just saw potential in us and placed us in a higher class so that we could fulfill ort duty. Was something she would always preach to me when I would comment about the poor that surrounded our carriage and how we should help them.

I felt like if I were to have potential to do something and make a difference, it would be to help the poor, and work towards equality for everyone.

As I entered the market square, I saw that it was busier than the usual hustle and bustle. I dodged my way through the crowds towards a stall that was selling flowers and picked up a couple more bunches of lilies to decorate the house with. I thanked the sales person and turned away to head to the dress shop to find a dress. But as soon as I took a step away from the flower stall I collided with a man dressed in red.