Belle Âme ~ Seth Clearwater

Prologue

Paris- June 1832

Chaos. It was something that Aurélien Beauchéne had thrived in ever since he was a child. It was in his bones, his blood, he inhaled it with every breath he took. A boy not made for standing still too long or following the rules, but for adventure and freedom. Aurélien was made for revolution.

Maybe that was why he was so calm when faced with the thought of dying for it. Why, instead of running and hiding and begging, Aurélien was standing firm.

The barricade was in ruins. The chairs, tables, wardrobes and other wooden furniture they had used to construct it lay scattered; destroyed by the canons. The corpses of men and young boys littered the ground, their bodies limp and eyes unseeing. There was streaks of red everywhere. The red of flags, of uniforms and blood. So much blood.

Aurélien's eyes rose from his fallen comrades as he noticed a smear of blue appear in his peripheral vision. A soldier from la garde nationale. Aurélien had become so dissociated with the world around that he'd almost forgotten the danger that surrounded him.

The guard looked young, only a few years older than him, and terrified. His fingers twitched on the trigger of the gun that he had pointed at Aurélien's face. The revolutionary offered a smile to the soldier. I forgive you, the smile said. My death isn't yours to bare, it said.

Seconds before the gunshot sounded, Aurélien spoke his final words.

"Vive la France."

A/n:
I am very excited for this story. And yes, Aurélien's past is inspired by Les Misérables and the reveloution in that (it's called the June rebellion) is the one he was part of in this book.

Feel free to tell me what you think.

-Cassiopeia