Author note: This is a Les Miserables FanFiction, mostly about the story of Éponine.
It is based on the musical, movie and book.
Well...read on to see what it's like :)
Chapter One: Leaving the Inn
It was late afternoon at the Thenardier's inn, and the drunks were passed out in the corner; including Monsieur Thenardier, the master of the house. His wife, Madame Thenardier was doing a quick dust-up of the inn before customers arrived.
Madame Thenardier was rather annoyed that she had to do this. But ever since that brat-the one everyone called 'The Lark'-was taken by that strange gentleman, the dust and dirt gathered up. They couldn't let anyone think they were unclean in anyway; it would be bad for business.
Business-overcharging and thieving-that was life at the inn.
The only people Madame Thenardier truly cared about were her precious daughters, Éponine and Azelma. The two children who were skipping about the inn at this very moment, Éponine wearing blue silk and Azelma wearing simpler black linen, but with pearls sewn onto it. Both girls looked happy and innocent as they played; innocent as a child could be after being brought up to help thieves.
Out of nowhere, there came a knock on the door. The girls froze with their skipping, and retreated to chattering with their dolls in a corner on the opposite side of the room to the drunks. Madame Thenardier stopped cleaning and, muttering a complaint about early customers, woke her husband up and went to answer the door.
They were shocked to see the mayor of their town, Monsieur Noire, at their doorstep.
"Welcome, Monsieur." Monsieur Thenardier had dragged himself up, and arrived at the door to do his usual polite-yet-sneaky invitation in.
The mayor stepped in. "I need to talk to y-" he began.
"May I relieve you of your hat or jacket, sir?" Madame Thenardier joined in with their act. Remove hat and jacket, get person drunk, send them out without hat and jacket. Simple plan.
"I'm afraid that won't be necessary. You see, your business isn't doing as well as it could. People complain about...mysteriously losing belongings after visiting, and becoming ill from urine-tasting wine, and all sorts of things. The police will be coming later to investigate, but no doubt you'll be removed from your title at this inn." The mayor said. "We need more lodgings for travellers, but you seem to be overcharging so nobody stays. It gives our village a bad reputation."
Silence fell on the inn, for the first time ever, it seemed.
"Now, Monsieur, Madame...Mademoiselles." He nodded to the girls who had silently slipped over to listen, dolls in their arms. "I'm leaving. Don't be surprised when the police come."
He shut the door behind him, leaving the family in slight shock, which was possibly a first for them, whilst the drunks moaned in their sleep, feeling their hangovers through their oblivion.
"Do you think they'll discover where everything is hidden, papa?" Éponine asked. She knew some policemen wouldn't, but there was a new policeman in the town, who was obsessive and determined. Her father seemed to know it too.
"If this was a few months ago, the policemen would be the ones who overlooked everything and asked for a drink." He sighed.
"If this was a few months ago, we could have blamed it on The Lark." Azelma said 'the lark' with sarcasm.
"Yes, that idea has merit. But this is now, instead of a few months ago. Colette is gone-" began Thenardier.
"Cosette." Corrected Madame Thenardier.
"I don't care." Thenardier snapped. "That Javert would find it. And he's merciless with his punishments. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be a convict."
"And I don't want to be in prison. Or to see our girls in poverty, as they'd have nowhere to go. Our girls are going to be classed as ladies, and attract men to rob when they're older. See, we could leave, sell a few things, rob some people and buy a grander house." Madame Thenardier loved novels from the earlier part of the century, and they put fantasy ideas in her mind.
Thenardier laughed a cold, rough laugh. "You read too much." His expression went hard. "Have you seen how much bloody houses cost? Renting costs enough, but houses." He scoffed.
"So where would we go?" Madame Thenardier sneered. "Didn't think of that one, did we?"
"Town." Monsieur Thenardier sneered back.
"'Scuse me, papa, but the police will still be searching. We must move, musn't we?" Éponine said in a manner which was both bold and timid, if that was possible.
Madame Thenardier laughed. "See, your own daughter is more clever than you, and she's just nine."
"Shut up, you old cow." Thenardier was getting irritated. "We'll go to Paris, of course."