Brave: A Les Mis AU

Chapter 7

When she got back to the castle, Eponine put the tart on a plate and was quickly assaulted by a hug from Cosette.

"You came back! I was so worried when you ran off, I didn't know if I'd ever see you again!" she cried, throwing her arms around her friend.

"Well, here I am!" Eponine said cheerfully, then showed her the tart. "It's a peace offering. For you."

"Really?" Cosette said, looking at it. "Why, thank you, I... don't think anyone's ever done that for me before..." She took a bite, then frowned.

"How do you feel about the marriage now?" Eponine asked, watching Cosette's face screw up.

"Interesting flavor... Very tart," Cosette mumbled, trying to sort out what she was eating. "I think I need to lie down for a while... "

"Oh, okay," Eponine said, taking her friend's arm and began walking her to her room. "You just take all the time you need."

When they got the throne room, Valjean was trying to entertain everyone, but no one appeared to be listening to his story. Everyone noticed when the two girls went by, and they asked when they would answer their question about the winner.

"I am feeling a bit under the weather," Cosette explained, then burped. "Once I've gotten better, you will have your answer presently."

"Alright," Marius said, looking a little worried. "I hope you feel better."

When they got to Cosette's room, she laid down on the bed and Eponine pulled the blanket over her.

"What was in that cake?" Cosette mumbled, looking a bit green, then turned out to the side to vomit on the floor. she slid off the bed with the blanket, and suddenly the room went very quiet.

"Cosette?" Eponine asked uncertainly, and was answered by a deep growl. "Should I just tell the wedding is off then?"

A shape rose from the floor, but it was very clearly much bigger than her friend. The blanket slid off, revealing black fur and small fuzzy ears. The frame turned around to face Eponine. It was a huge bear!

Eponine screamed, and the dizzy hear reacted accordingly. The bear came to, and began practically lunging at Eponine, causing her the back away. Then Eponine noticed that she knew those blue eyes. "Cosette?" The bear perked up. "You're a... bear? That witch! She gave me a faulty spell! It's all her fault!"

Cosette looked at hands, which were now big paws, and she grabbed the blanket from the floor to cover herself. But then she heard the word witch, she turned to her friend in confusion and horror.

"Look, while I was out, I happened to run into my mother, who offered that she could rid my problems and change my fate. We should be expecting a large quantity of wooden bear carvings soon as well. But the thing is, I really asked her to change... you." Cosette looked furious. "I only meant to change your thoughts on the marriage, that is all."

For the next ten minutes, Cosette scolded Eponine in fluent bear, which Eponine didn't understand, but she got the poin: what were you thinking.

"Okay, so I messed up," Eponine said, and Cosette nodded. '"We just have to sneak out of the castle without being spotted--Cosette?" she looked around the room, then heard a loud scream out in the hall. Cosette had gone out and Jehan had been walking by. Jehan was known to have a deathly fear of bears, and it looked like they were going to faint in terror.

Eponine grabbed her friend's paw and pulled her away, accidentally dropping the blanket on the way. Cosette put her arms up to cover herself, and Eponine rubbed her forehead.

"You are a bear, you're covered in fur! You are not naked!" she snapped, then pulled her down the hall towards the kitchen, where Azelma and Gavroche were playing. They stopped, however, when they saw the

huge bear. Eponine explained, "A witch turned Cosette into a bear--it's not my fault--and we're going to go fix it. Can you help us?" Gavroche crossed his arms. "If you help, I will give you my desserts for the next two--no, three weeks." Azelma made the indication that their wages needed a raise. "Fine, a year."

The siblings looked satisfied, and made a diversion for them to escape: they terrified Jehan again.

Jehan ran into the room where everyone else was in tears and shaking. Courfeyrac and Marius were by their side immediately, hugging them and trying to calm them. "Bear! There's a bear in the castle!" they sobbed.

"No way, I had no idea," Feuilly said, looking at Bahorel "I had to drag him here."

"No, there's an actual bear. Like a big and scary bear! Like Montparnasse!" Jehan stammered, burying their face in Courfeyrac's shirt. "It went upstairs and I didn't know what to do. The children are in the kitchen..."

"Everyone upstairs!" Valjean shouted, and everyone grabbed their weapons, running to the stairs.

The two children made noise all down the hall, and the men followed them all the way onto the roof, where they closed the trap door that let them back down.

"Great, now what?" Grantaire groaned, "We can't climb down."

Eponine and Cosette watched from the window, amused.

"We're not paying Jehan enough, are we?" Eponine said, walking Cosette out the back door. To the children she said, "Help yourselves to anything you like."

Once the girls were gone, Gavroche and Azelma knew exactly what looked good--the half-eaten tart sitting on the counter.