Love is Everlasting - An Enjonine Romance

Chapter 8: Revolution

Éponine's POV

This is it. Today is General Lamarque's funeral. And the day of the revolution.

I wake up earlier than usual, rubbing my eyes tiredly, and sit up. From my place on the couch, I can see Enjolras hunched over the table, shuffling through paper and fustratedly raking his hand through his golden curls.

Worried for him, I soundlessly walk to the table and put my hands on his shoulders. He flinches and I can feel his muscles tense.

"Good morning, Enj. Are you alright?" I ask, concern present in my voice. I gently massage Enjolras' tense shoulders and he shifts in his seat.

"Good morning, love." I raise an eyebrow; he's never called me 'love' before. But I dismiss the idea that it's anything bad. "I'm just worried about today. I don't know if I've planned everything properly; I hope there's no blind spots in our defence." Enjolras admits wearily. I stay silent; I don't know what to say; I can't exactly tell him that the rebellion will be successful.

"And Éponine, I'm worried about you. Please go somewhere safe, you're not fighting at the barricades. Take refuge and hide with Musichetta." Enjolras urges me. He abruptly stands up and takes my hands in his.

"But... I can't. I need to be there, by your side. What if I lose you? If you die, I die with you!" I reason, looking earnestly into those sapphire blue eyes.

"Ép, I can't let you do that. You have your whole life ahead of you; don't waste it. If I die, you have to move on from me." Enjolras bites his lip, as if it pains him to say it. Well, it pains me to hear this from him.

"No, Enjolras, I love you, and I'm not going to let you go that easily. I'm coming with you." I retort stubbornly, folding my arms.

"Please, Ép, just listen to me. I'm doing this for your protection. Because I love you too." Enjolras sighs at my defiance. "Éponine, I have to go now. But I want you to know, that the single week we've been together was the best time of my life. You are beautiful, Ép, inside and out. Remember, I will always be in your heart."

The tears are streaming down my face as Enjolras pulls me closer and plants his lips on mine. I kiss him back urgently, knowing it could be our last kiss. But all too soon, he pulls away and heads towards the door.

"No!" I cry, reaching out and pulling his sleeve back. "Please, let me come with you. I can't stay here and do nothing while the man I love is dying!" I sob, clinging to Enjolras.

"Don't say that; you never know, I might come back! But if this is the last time I see you, never forget, Éponine, that I will always love you." Enjolras presses a quick kiss to my forehead and with those parting words, he is out the door.

Enjolras' POV

"I'm sorry, Éponine," I murmur as I lock the door from the outside. This way, she can't open it from the inside. I can still hear her weeping and it's gut-wrenching to walk away from Éponine, especially when she's crying for me. But I clench my jaw and walk down the street to General Lamarque's funeral procession.

The crowd silently waits for the coffin of Lamarque, escorted by the National Guard. I find my place at the front of the barriers with the Amis and we exchange firm nods. As the carriage passes, we jump the barriers and halt the procession. To the National Guard's bewilderment, the Amis climb atop the coffin, Marius and I standing at the very top. The crowd is chanting and shouting.

A surge of adrenaline fills me. "TO THE BARRICADE!" I roar above the commotion. Everybody immediately rushes to the site and we start dragging out all the old wooden furniture we have collected. It's nowhere near enough.

Luckily, the inhabitants of the houses around us open their doors and begin pushing out their own furniture. Chairs and tables drop from open windows; it feels like God himself is helping us from Heaven above. I grin widely and try to dodge the falling objects.

The barricade has been built. We take our places on it, grabbing guns and loading them to prepare for the soldiers that will surely come any minute now. I breathe deeply to calm myself and run my hand through my unruly hair. Trying to focus only on the inevitable battle that will follow, I can only think of Éponine.

Éponine's POV

I whimper against the locked door, feeling helpless and alone. The aching feeling in my chest is one I know all too well.

"Wait," I murmur to myself, standing up. "Maybe there's a way I can be with Enj without hin knowing." My heart surges with hope and I rush to Enjolras' bedroom. I yank open his wardrobe and pull out the first white shirt and pants I get my hands on. The pants are obviously too big, so I take my belt and buckle it tight around my waist. Leaning down, I roll up the hem until it reaches my ankle. That's one thing sorted.

Rushing to my own collection of clothes, I dig through until I find my old dress. Gripping the fabric tightly, I rip the skirt into strips and bind it around my chest. I cannot take any chances that might give me away. Pulling the shirt over my head, I cuff the sleeves to make them shorter and throw on my coat. I twist my hair up and push it under my cap, pleased with myself. I actually look like a boy; a very short and frail one, but still a young lad.

I throw open the window in Enjolras' room. How could I forget about the windows?! I shake my head at my own stupidity. I jump out and land lightly on my feet, able to do so from years of practice. I sprint towards the barricade, but I hear no gunshots or yelling or explosions. It seems the soldiers haven't shown up yet. I try and sneak unnoticed into the Cafe Musain, but I am spotted by an extremely drunk Grantaire who is slouched in the corner.

"Who are you?" he slurs loudly, cynically raising an eyebrow. I wince at his volume and quickly glance around to see if anyone has heard.

"I'm here to-" Grantaire leans forwards and squints at me suspiciously. It is then that I realise that I may look like a lad, but I still sound like a girl. I clear my throat and start again. "I'm here to fight at the barricade," I say in a deeper voice, holding my breath. I must sound absurd.

Grantaire eyes me strangely for a moment, then leans back against the wall. "It's over that way," he points with his bottle, before raising it to his mouth and gulping down the contents.

"Thank you, M'sieur," I mumble, and creep slowly towards the barricade. First I spot Marius sitting with Jehan, lamenting over his 'dear Cosette'. Jehan looks like he is falling asleep from boredom and I chuckle quietly, glad I am not in his position.

I scan my eyes over the rest of the barricade and see Enjolras sitting with Courfeyrac and Gavroche. Gavroche! What is he doing here?! I panic silently. He is too young to fight! But I can't do anything; I can't risk revealing my true identity.

I find a quiet place alone on the barricade, evading the Amis. A couple of hours pass before the first wave of soldiers arrive. When they do appear, everyone rushes into the Cafe to grab guns. I get ready to fight with a rifle in my trembling hands, but Marius passes without a glance in my direction and snatches the gun for himself. My mouth falls open and I angrily clench my now empty fist. I go back into the Cafe to find another weapon.

The sound of gunshots and fighting thickens the air and I know that some people have already fallen. I'm still in the Cafe, trying to find a gun.

Suddenly I hear a loud boom; it is definitely not a gunshot. They've got canons.

Running back out of the Cafe, I can tell we are fighting an uphill battle. Already, most of the barricade has been blown to bits and there are dead bodies of both revolutionists and National Guard everywhere. A man with grey hair is dragging an unconscious Marius away from the battle, disappearing behind the Cafe. But before I can ask what he is doing, I hear a pained yell from a familiar voice.

It is Enjolras.