Brave: A Les Mis AU

Chapter 9

When Eponine awoke the next morning, she found Cosette--still a bear--making herself breakfast on a rock.

"Is this breakfast?" she asked her, and she nodded, handing her a leaf-plate full of berries. "Did you get these by the creek? Because these look like deadly nightshade--"

She didn't even get the chance to finish her sentence when Cosette spat out the berries she'd eaten while grabbing the hollowed out bowl full of water. As soon as she took a gulp, however, it met the same ghastly fate as the berries, and Eponine could see the worms flying through the air and landing in the grass nearby. Cosette sat down with a grumble, and Eponine laughed.

"Come on, I'll help you fix something," she offered, and Cosette reluctantly followed.

Eponine got out her bow, newly strung, and shot at a fish in the stream. "Oh wait, princesses shouldn't have weapons, right?"

Cosette gave her a look as Eponine handed her a live fish. She shook her head, disgusted. Eponine made a fire nearby, and cooked the fish, and Cosette liked it so much she asked for another one. Eponine pointed at the stream, telling her she had to get it herself. Cosette went to the river, and struggled for a few minutes to catch a fish, Eponine laughing on the side. Finally she had pity for her friend and showed her how other bears catch fish, in their mouths. Cosette was a fast learner, and soon they were simply splashing each other in the water, having fun and soaked.

Eponine looked at Cosette, who was calmly eating a fish, and thought how nice it was to be on good terms again. Then she realized that her friend wasn't even paying attention to her, and was walking away.

"Wait, Cosette! Come back!" she shout. Cosette turned to her and growled, eyes dark, then she snapped out of it, looking scared.

Eponine gasped. "You changed... you were a bear, on the inside..."

Cosette's attention was quickly grabbed by a Wisp, which had just appeared, and she frantically chased it, with Eponine behind her, yelling for her to slow down.

Finally, the princess caught up and said, "We aren't going to get anywhere if we lose our heads, Cosette." Cosette looked very sorry about running away, and Eponine gave her a hug. "But I'll know you're still here, even when you lose your head." Cosette put her paws up, and after a bit of a struggle, formed a little heart. Eponine smiled, then returned to the Wisps, who were lining up in a line.

The Wisps led them far away, into a foggy area, covered in the ruins of what looked like a castle. "Why'd they take us here?" Eponine wondered, crawling through the wreck. She moved some stones, then noticed a familiar symbol. There was a shield on the ground, attached to a skeleton, and the shield bore a symbol with two axes crossed over each other. "Cosette!"

The bear came over and looked with her. Nearby, there was a stone plank with a picture of four men, one broken off. "It looks a little like your tapestry back home... Do you think this is the kingdom from that story you told me? With that prince who turned into a..." Eponine heard a sound, then turned to face a huge black-- "Bear!"

Cosette whirled around and grabbed Eponine's arm in her mouth, running for safety. Montparnasse chased them, snarling as he went, bright green eyes flashing with bloodthirsty vengeance on life.

Finally, Montparnasse was tired, and returned to his ruined home. Cosette set Eponine down on the ground, examining her arm. It was only a bit bruised.

"We need to get home," Eponine said, "We need to fix the tapestry. It's the bond Mother was talking about."