Forever and Always

Chapter 30: Truce

        "FIRE!" Enjolras yelled. Marius hoisted his gun to his shoulder and aimed it at a soldier. He pulled the trigger, and the soldier fell to the ground in a pool of blood. Marius felt a cold shiver run down his spine. For the first time in his life, he had killed a person.

        Don't think, just shoot, Marius told himself. He reloaded his gun, his hands shaking. He tried not to think of the now fatherless children that soldier must have left behind when Marius shot him. He aimed his gun at another soldier, this time shooting him in the leg. He couldn't understand why he was suddenly so scrupulous about killing these people. After all, it was for the greater good. It was for a cause Marius believed in with all his heart. He aimed his gun at yet another soldier, but could not bring himself to shoot. He closed his eyes, and suddenly images flashed through his mind. He saw Adalene's emaciated body as it lay in a simple wooden casket at her funeral. He saw Eponine, his best friend, living in poverty and being forced to steal. He saw Cosette, his beloved, the girl he wanted to be with for the rest of his life. He saw his future children, living in a France where the poor and destitute were scarce, all thanks to this revolution. It was these thoughts that caused anger to flow through Marius' veins, blinding him with hatred for these soldiers. His qualms dissipated as he raised his gun and shot soldier after soldier. He climbed higher and higher up the barricade, giving himself a better vantage point from which to aim at soldiers. Yelling at the top of his lungs, he shot every soldier he saw in the chest without any hesitation. He climbed higher. In the back of his mind, he knew he was being foolish. He could easily be shot from where he was standing, but he did not care.

        "Marius!" Enjolras yelled. "Get down from there!" Marius ignored him and continued to shoot. "Marius!!" Enjolras yelled again, grabbing him and pulling him down.  A bullet passed an inch above Marius' head. This close encounter with death shook Marius and brought him back to reality. He ducked behind the barricade, now shooting soldiers from a safer place. The battle seemed to last forever. Finally, the leader of the National Guard yelled, "Retreat!" The soldiers left as quickly as they had come.

        Les Amis broke out in cheers. "See how they run away like cowards!" Combeferre said with a triumphant laugh.

        "By God, we've won!" Prouvaire cried happily.

        "Not yet," Enjolras said sharply. "Don't celebrate too early. They will be back again to make another attack. We must stay on our guard. Courfeyrac, you take the watch." Courfeyrac nodded. "Joly, tend the wounded," Enjolras ordered. Joly carried an injured Bahorel into a nearby building where they had set up a makeshift hospital. Finally, Enjolras rounded on Marius.

        "What were you thinking?" he yelled. "You could have been killed!"

        "Why do you care if I live or die?" Marius snapped.

        "Because I am your friend!"

        "Oh, really?" Marius said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You haven't been acting like such a great friend."

        "Are you still angry about that incident with Eponine?" Enjolras asked, lowering his voice so that the rest of Les Amis could not hear their conversation.

        "Yes, I am," Marius replied. "You had no right to take advantage of her like that!"

        "I didn't take advantage of her!" Enjolras protested. "I kissed her and she kissed me back. Quite frankly, you do not have the right to tell me what I can and cannot do with her. You are the one who takes advantage of her, not me. I saw you hit her! You actually hit her! She does so much for you and you treat her like she is garbage. You only use her to deliver love letters to Cosette."

        Marius felt like he had been slapped in the face. The truth was, now that Enjolras had pointed it out, Marius could see that he did take advantage of her. Not that he meant to, of course. He cared for Eponine deeply, but he had known her for so long that he had begun to take her for granted. What right had he to determine whom she could and could not kiss?

        "Why do you care so much about the fact the we kissed, anyway?" Enjolras asked. "You love Cosette, not Eponine."

        "I don't know," Marius said, frustrated. "I don't understand my feelings anymore. I do love Cosette, but I cannot stand the thought of Eponine being in love with anyone other than..."

        "Other than yourself?" Enjolras asked quietly.

        "Other than... But that doesn't make any sense!" Marius cried. "I love Cosette! She is my future, not Eponine. But then why do I feel this way about Eponine? Why are my feelings so complicated?"

        Enjolras laughed bitterly. "That's the big question in life, isn't it? Listen, Marius, for the sake of the revolution, let's not fight anymore. We need unity. We can't fight the government if we are fighting amongst ourselves."

        "You're right," Marius conceded. "Let's call it a truce, shall we?"

        "Truce," Enjolras agreed. The two men shook hands.

        (Author's Note: Happy New Year!!)