Sup. so this story sorta just happened. Basiclly, Cosette and Courfeyrac are twins and they both stay at the Therdaire's inn. ValJean comes and takes the two of them, plus Èponine, Azelma, and Gavroche. Pairings are M/C and Èponine/Courf and perhaps Azelma/Feuilly. I hope you like it.
Courfeyrac wiped small beads of sweat from his brow. The ten-year-old and his twin sister, Cosette, had been living in this dreadful inn for a month. At the present moment, he was dragging the stubborn cow into her stable. Normally, the cow would give in after a few moments, but tonight she was extra feisty.
"Get IN!" He demanded with a grunt. The cow would not oblige. "Stupid cow."
Ten painful minutes later, the cow finally gave in. Courfeyrac made his way back into the inn, which was run by two dreadful people. Monsuire and Madam Therdaire. But Corfeyrac and his sister just called them Madam and Monsuire.
The Madam ad Monsuire had three children. The eldest, Èponine, was the twins age. Her dark brown ringlets fell to her waist, and a few wispy curls framed her round face. Her brown eyes were round and her eyelashes were long and luscious. She was a few inches shorter than Courfeyrac, but at age ten, she was already starting to become curvy. She was a defient, stubborn tomboy, but was expected to act proper and polite. She was like an onion. Layers upon layers of her personality were hidden beneth ivory skin.
Azelma was the second-oldest. She was extremely tall for an eight-year old, almost Courfeyrac's hight, and taller than Èponine. Her hair was brown, but it looked like it would rather be red. It fell in long, loose waves slightly above her waist, but she almost always wore it in two braids. Her eyes were green, the type of green that only cats should have. She was shy, but always had thoughts running through her head. She dreamed of being a writer. She wasn't quite sure what she wanted to write about, but she figured she had plenty of time to figure it out.
Gavroche was the youngest. At age four, he was already street smart, not to mention book smart. He had decent reading skills, and could add and subtract, all thanks to Courfeyrac. He was a troublemaker, and always hung out with the street kids, making misheif for the towns people. He was also a very talked pick pocket, which Courfeyrac found hilarious. The girls however, did not. The child had unruly dirty blonde curls and wide blue eyes. A dusting of freckles were peppered onto his nose, and spilled gently onto his cheeks. He was Courfeyrac's apprentice, the only thing that kept him moving from day to day.
Besides his sister, of corse.
Cosette was beautiful once. She had blonde curls that stopped at her waist, and dark blue eyes. He was about Courfeyrac's height, maybe a little smaller. She idolized her mother, Fantine, and could charm her mother into doing anything for her. But now, she was a dirty, poor salve. Her once twinkiling blurs eyes were dull and full of sadness. Her once golden curls were now dirty blond from mud and soot. She was skinnier than that of a stick, her ribs showed under her rags.
Courfeyrac was no better.
His dark eyes that used to match his fathers were sunken in and lined with worry. His dark curls were messy and uneven. He always tried to smile, to be optimistic, for Cosette's sake. But when he grinning nowadays, his eyes were empty. He wondered if his mother would ever come back for him and his sister.
"Courfeyrac!" Called Èponine, "Maman needs you!"
Courfeyrac groaned and rolled his eyes. Èponine gave him a sympethetic look as he trudged by. The three Thernardiar kids and Courfeyrac and Cosette were all good friends, in seceret.
"Boy!" Shouted Madam, "Get in here!"
"Yes, Madam?" Courfeyrac muttered.
"I need you to run across the street to the bakery and fetch a bad of flour."
Courfeyrac sighed, "Yes, Madam."
A huge, evil smirk spread across Madam's face as she handed him the four sous.
"Hurry back." She grumbled.
Courfeyrac grabbed the sous and headed out the door.
It was freezing cold outside, and Courfeyrac's bare feet were begging to stand on a warm floor.
He quickly crossed the street to the baker's shop and hurried through the door.
"COURFEYRAC!" A voice boomed. Vispod, the baker greeted him warmly, a large smile on his face. He was a pleasent man, a bachelor. He treated everyone with kindness, even a slave like Courfeyrac.
"What can I get you, my boy?" Asked the friendly baker.
Courfeyrac managed a small smile. "A bag of white flour, please." He said placing the sous on the wooden counter.
"Coming right up." Vispod announced.
Courfeyrac sat on a bench and looked out the window. Big, fluffy flakes of snow fell past the window. Courfeyrac thought about how deciving snow could be. It looked so soft and helpless, but it was cold and deadly. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he almost didn't see the young girl dragging a bucket pass by the window.
"Cosette..." He wispered.
Madam had sent his small, frail sister out into the cold snow to fetch a lousy pail of water on her own.
Before he could stop himself, he had sprung out of his seat and was running out the door, ignoring Vispod's cried of protest.
There was no way he was letting Cosette outside.
Not in the darkness on her own.
"Cosette!" Azelma hissed from few feet away.
Cosette turned her head. Azelma was unsecsessfully trying to conseal a stale lap of bread under her arm. Azelma's childish deloision made Cosette giggle. Azelma stepped forward carefully, as if any second Madam might burst through the floor boards, giving an evil laugh.
"Here," Azelma handed her the bread, "It's not much, but it was all I could find. Èponine has a cold, so she couldn't go looking for food, and Gavroche was caught by me, so he couldn't go stealing. Sorry."
Cosette laughed. "It's fine, Azelma. It'll do."
Azelma smiled and left Cosette to her sweeping.
Gavroche came in a few minutes later, tugging on Cosette's rags.
"Yes Gavroche?" She asked.
"I brought you and Courf an apple." he wispered, taking a round object out of er coat. He was definitly better than Azelma at hiding things.
"Gavroche! I thought I told you no more stealing! Azelma and Èponine said so too!" Scolded Cosette.
"I didn't steal it!" The defient child protested. "Navet have it to me yesterday!"
"Oh." Cosette softened, "Im sorry, I didnt know."
Gavroche grinned, showing his missing tooth.
"It's alright, 'Sette." And he scurried off.
Cosette hummed to herself as she worked. It was a tune her mother used to sing to her when she was a child. She just couldn't remember the words. She wished she did, but humming the the soft melody to herself reminded her of her mother all the same.
"COSETTE!" A loud, rough made Cosette jump.
It was the Madam. And if Cosette wasn't scared enough, the Madam had the watering bucket in her hand, at least the size of Gavroche.
"No." Mouthed Cosette.
The Madam smirked. "You know the drill."
She threw the bucket at Cosette, which made her tume over. But the Madam just laughed. "Dont freeze to death!" She cackled.
"Cosette!" Azelma scurried over to her friends side as soon as her mother was gone. Gavroche was quick on his sister's heels.
Cosette's left foot was crushed under the weight of the heavy bucket. Gavroche and Azelma managed to get the bucket off of Cosette's foot, revealing dirty toes bending in ways dirty toes definitly should not.
"Oh, God." Azelma wispered, "Gavroche, go get Èponine."
The boy nodded and scrambled off of the floor, his feet making pitter pattering sounds as her ran up the stairs.
"Shhh its okay Cosette, you'll be fine... No dont look at it... Hush..." Azelma mumererd over and over to Cosette.
A few moments later, Èponine appeared, wrapped in a blanked.
"'Ponine!" Cosette gave a weak smile.
Èponine smiled back, but was quickly interupted by a coughing fit.
"Oh, my God..." Èponine's voice wavered off as she saw Cosette's mangled foot.
"What do we do?" Azelma asked weakly.
"We have to set her foot." Èponine answered.
"But the water..."
"Will have to wait." Èponine bent down next to Cosette's foot. "Gavroche, go get me Grampa's old cane from Maman and Papa's room upstairs. Azelma, go find four twigs outside and cloth for bandages." The two younger kids nodded.
"Okay, Cosette. This is going to hurt," Cosette whimpered at Èponine's words. "You didnt let me finish. It will only hurt for a moment, then it won't hurt anymore."
"Promise?" Asked Cosette.
Èponine smiled. "Promise."
Gavroche and Azelma returned with the supplies.
Èponine set each toe, Cosette biting down on her apple each time. Èponine wedged the sticks between each toe and wrapped them together. Then she wrapped the whole thing in a bandage, helped Cosette stand, and gave her the cane.
"Now, Cosette, Im sorry, but you have to get the water." Èponine said, aplologeticly.
"It's alright." Stated Cosette grimly.
And she set off, leaving the there siblings wishing their was something more the could do.