While the march of Lamarque went on, in Châlons-sur-Marne, a wedding was being set up, and a bride was being gussied up at her vanity by multiple women. Her beautiful gown laid on the chair beside them.
"Only a few more hours to go! Are you excited?" Diana Bellerose asks her daughter.
Ninette gives her a wide, fake, smile. "It will be wonderful." Her mother kisses her daughter's head. "Mother? May I have some time to myself? I need to let it all sink in. Get my nervousness out?"
"Of course, my sweet. Come along girls! Shoo! The bride wants some peace." All the women leave, and as soon as the door is shut, her wide smile falls immediately into an exhausted frown.
She takes her alone time to prepare herself for her new future, yet her eyes still wander over to the framed picture of the Amis. Guilt swirls in her stomach as she thinks about the battle, which has no doubt begun.
Her eyes waver over to the leader in red. Even though the picture was black and white, she could see his piercing baby blue eyes. Her heart begins to clench and she opens her vanity drawer, pulling out his letter.
"You look absolutely exquisite, Ninette." Startled, she shoves the letter back in the drawer and turns to find her groom to be.
She quickly stands and tries to hide the dress. "Théodore! You're not supposed to see the bride before the wedding. Get out of here! You'll give us many years of bad luck!" She says playfully, hiding her true feelings.
Though he hears her warnings, he walks to her and looks her over with a heavy sigh. "Yes, that would be unfortunate. However, I had a confession to make and I couldn't marry you without telling you." He motions to the bed. "Please, sit."
She sits down and he sits next to her. She looks at him worriedly. "Théodore, are you alright?" Ninette places her hand on his comfortingly, and he takes it in his.
"I've been selfish, Ninette. Which is unusual for me, because I pride myself on my giving nature. I was so caught up in getting married, that I overlooked something very important."
"What was that?" She asks, tilting her head in curiosity.
"My bride doesn't love me." When he said this, Ninette's face fell and she looked at him in sympathy and shame. "Not only does she not love me, but she has already gave away every piece of her heart to someone else."
"Théo....I-"
He gently cuts her off with a soft smile. "You have nothing to feel guilty about. You warned me when I pursued you that you could not love me in that way. I ignored your warning and was so caught up in having you as my wife, that I never once thought about your feelings." He looks down at their hands. "That, my dearest Ninette, is how I've been so selfish. I never asked you what you wanted. Never really gave you the choice. So, that's what I'm doing now." He stands and starts digging in her closet.
She stands from the bed and watches him confused. "What are you doing?"
He pulls out the box holding her training clothes, and her boots. He places it on the floor next to the wedding gown. "You can do one of two things. You can choose to put on the wedding gown and meet me outside in the backyard. We will be married and we can start our lives together. I'm not Enjolras, but I know that I will try every day until the day I die to make you happy. We can have a normal life. A quiet life." He gives a light hearted chuckle. "However, you could also choose to put on your training clothes. I made arrangements for you out front to ride off to Paris to join your friends in their battle, should you get there in time. You will either share their victory or die with the one you love, but I know at least then, you'd be truly happy."
He grabs her hands and holds them to his chest and gently kisses them. "I will not try and persuade you this time. This is entirely up to you. I just want you to be happy." After that, he leaves the room.
She stood there frozen, trying to comprehend what just happened. After it sinks in, she looks at the two sets of clothes and thinks about her decision.
One choice is a life of security, a quiet life with a man who adores her. The other choice is one of life or death. If she took that path, she took the chance at dying. Would it be worth it?
This was a hard decision.
Ninette looks around the room and spots a painting of animals in the snow. It reminded her that they make hard decisions and have to trust themselves. "The birds move on so they survive. When snow is so deep, the bears all sleep to keep themselves alive. They do what they must for now, and trust in their plan. If I trust in mine, somehow I might find who I am."
She walks out to the balcony and looks below at the wedding scene. She spots her parents and sighs. She doesn't want to disappoint them. "Where do I go from here? So many voices ringing in my ear.
Which is the voice that I was meant to hear? How will I know?
Where do I go from here?"
She makes her way back inside and to her vanity. She picks up the framed picture and smiles softly. "My world has changed and so have I. I've learned to choose, and even learned to say goodbye." She puts it down and looks back to the clothes. "The path ahead's so hard to see, it winds and bends but where it ends depends on only me. In my heart, I don't feel part of so much I've known. Now it seems it's time to start a new life on my own. But where do I go from here?
So many voices ringing in my ear
W
hich is the voice that I was meant to hear? How will I know?
Where do I go from here?"
She thinks back to the very beginning of her story. All the people she met and the choices she has made.
She thought about it for a long while. Finally, she made her choice and put on her attire, then made her way outside.
YOU ARE READING
Cœur De Pierre (Heart Of Stone)/ Enjolras Les Mis
Fanfiction(Under Rewrite) All Enjolras cared about was his revolution, his Patria. He had no time for women. Even if he did, he could never find one who he deemed worthy for his affection. It seems this Apollo will always remain of stone until the day he dies...
