"Come on out, wisps! Here, whispy, whispy, whispy," Eponine called, and Cosette looked impatient. "I swear, they were right there, and they led me through the forest to a cottage, and inside, my mother was mixing a witch's brew or something."
Finally, after a good hour of wandering around, they walked over a hill and Eponine let out a whoop. "This is it! There's the cottage!"
She stepped inside, and the room was dark. "Something is wrong," she said to Cosette, who nodded. Eponine stepped forward, tripping a wire. The two of them watched in horror as the string set off a reaction, sending a vial flying towards the cauldron in the back of the room. The cauldron lit up, and Madame's face appeared in the smoke.
"Welcome to the Crafty Carver, home of bear carvings and novelties. I am completely out of stock at this time, but if you'd like to inquire about a portrait or wedding cake toppers, pour vial one into the cauldron. If you'd like a bedouin garlic, vial two. If you're my daughter, vial three." Eponine looked down, and saw that there was a line of vials standing on the table next to the cauldron, and dumped the third in the line into the cauldron.
"Hello, dear, there's one thing I forgot to tell you about the spell. By the second sunrise, it will be permanent." Cosette made a gravelly gasping sound. "Unless you remember these words: "Fate be changed, look inside, mend the bond torn by pride.' That's it, and thank you for shopping with the Crafty Carver!" Madame's voice said, then the cauldron went blank.
"What? Mend the bond?" Eponine looked at Cosette, who yawned. "We can sort it out tomorrow, okay? We'll sleep tonight."
They built a makeshift tent out of branches, and after several hours of tossing and turning, they fell asleep.
On the roof of the castle, the men climbed down the rope they'd made from their pants--Musichetta was amused, since she didn't have to remove anything and the men looked very embarrassed--Bossuet being the last down, and he fell off. He untied his pants from the chain, then yanked the rope containing everyone else's off the roof. "We'll have to make our best guesses on whose are whose," he said, showing them the chain of pants.
"These are not mine, I promise you," Grantaire said, trying to scoot into a pair of pants that were too small.
The blond man looked down at the waist of the ones he was wearing. The waist was huge on him. "I think these might be yours. They're too big for me." They swapped.
"Let's go back to the castle, and we'll figure out what to do now," Valjean sighed, taking the bored party back to the gates to be let in.
As Eponine slept, she thought about a time when they were little and there was a thunderstorm. She was terrified, and woke up in a terrible fright. Cosette, who had been sharing a room with her, had crawled into bed next to her and had made sure she was alright.
"I just wish I had a family that was my own, not just my sister and brother," Eponine had explained as Cosette had hugged her.
"Well, Eponine, Whatever happens, I'll always be here for you, no matter what. You're my best friend, and I would never let anything happen to you."
"Cosette... you're my best friend too," Eponine could remember saying, not really sure what her feelings were when she was ten, but she had snuggled into the hug as much as she wanted and Cosette hadn't minded.
Cosette began humming a little tune she didn't know well, so she sang the few words she did know. "Something happens when I hold her... he keeps my heart getting broken..."
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Brave: A Les Mis AU
FanfictionAfter being abandoned by her mother at a very young age, Eponine Thenardier and her siblings were taken in by Jean Valjean, who ruled her kingdom until she became of age. Her friendship with Valjean's daughter, Cosette, is put to the test when her f...
