Prologue

Knock. Knock. Knock.

I hoped someone would answer the door. It's cold out and I can tell it's supposed to snow soon. I knew that I was dressed in adequately but I had to leave my home and I had to leave quickly. The church door slowly creaking open brought me out of my thoughts and I looked up at the older gentleman who answered the door.

"How can I help you, my child?" The bishop asked.

"Please, I need a place to stay and I heard that you could help. I don't have anything to pay with but I can help you around the church to pay off an expenses. I can clean or cook," I said starting to panic.

"Calm down, please," the bishop said in a gentle tone. "You may stay for as long as you need." The bishop ushered me into the church and the warmth of the church enveloped me.

"Thank you," I say quickly, "thank you so much. I don't know how to repay you but I will."

"Don't worry about that, just tell me your name, my child, please," he said.

"Sofia. My name is Sofia."

A month later, I was still living at the church with the bishop. I got a job working as a barmaid in a local tavern and was saving up to move into my own house. I tried giving the bishop some of the money I had earned but he just told me to keep it. Instead I would cook dinner for him before leaving to work at the tavern.

"Sofia, please prepare an extra plate for dinner tonight. We have a guest tonight," the bishop said as he walked into the kitchen.

"Who is it?" I asked as I pulled the bread out of the oven.

"A former convict, who needs a place to stay for the night," he tells me calmly. My eyes widen in fear.

"A convict? Bishop, are you sure about this? You don't know what he has done to end up in jail. What if he's a killer? What if he robs us?" I said panicking.

"Calm down, my child. Remember you where also once a stranger and you could've done all the things that you just listed off," he reminds me.

"I know but."

"He is a man, who hasn't been treated with kindness in recent years. Everyone is human and deserves to be treated with kindness, compassion and love," the bishop reminds me.

"Your right," I conceded. "I'll be up in a few minutes with dinner."

The bishop gives me a small smile before turning around and heading back into the dining room. I slice up the bread and grab another one of the silver plates from the cupboard. I arrange the food and walk through the door. I slow down my walk as I get closer to the dining room. There is just this feeling in my stomach that something big is gonna happen and I'm scared to find out what the big change is.

"There she is," the bishop says as I set his plate in front of him. "Sofia, this is Jean Valjean. Our guest for the night."

"Pleasure meeting you, Jean" I say as I put his plate in front of him and sit down in my seat. Jean immediately digs into his food like a savage. I look at the bishop but he just starts saying the blessing as if nothing is wrong.

"Bless the food we eat, and bless our new friend that we meet here today. Also please watch over Sofia as she works tonight and keep her safe. Amen."

Jean had stopped eating during the blessing but as soon as he saw me start to eat he went back to slurping his food down. All through dinner I avoided making eye contact and looking at him all through dinner.

As I put on my cloak, I heard footsteps approaching me.

"That was a good meal you cooked. Best I've had in a while," someone from behind me said. I turned around and was met with Jean staring right at me. I finally get a good look at Jean. His eyes were sunken in, and if you just stared at them there was a harder look to him, as if he had seen things. Jean was also very muscular, and tall. In fact, he towered over me.

"Thank you, but I must get going now. Don't want to be late to work," I tell him, opening the door.

"Okay. Bye," he waved at me and I waved back. I gave him a smile and walked off into the night towards the tavern.

Hours later as the last patron was leaving and the sun was starting to rise, I hear a commotion in the street. Running out into the cold morning, I see two constables of the town dragging a man towards the church. I grab my cloak and run out of the tavern.

"You maintain he made a present of this silver," one of the constables said.

"That's right. But my friend you left so early surely something slipped your mind you forgot I gave these also would you leave the best behind," the bishop says and my eyes widen in shock as he hands Jean the two silver candlesticks sitting on the table. "Release him, please."

The constables release Jean and I watch them leave before walking towards Jean and the bishop.

"You must use this silver to become an honest man," the bishop tells him and I watch Jean nod in agreement.

"I told you. A convict can not be trusted," I say before turning around and heading towards the kitchen to start cleaning it up.

After I had finished, I looked up into the window and saw Jean tearing up his parolee card. I was shocked that he would do such a thing but then I start to feel guilty about what I had said earlier and all the judgments I had made about him. The man had come from nothing and being hated and I had added onto that. I slowly walk out into the garden and find him sitting on the grass.

"Mind if I join you?" I ask. He turns around, startled to find some one out here with him.

"I don't mind," he says and I sit next to him watching the sun continue it's rise into the sky. "I wanted to apologize for the comment I made earlier. It was wrong and out of line. You are no longer a convict but a free man and I shouldn't have been so judgmental."

"It's fine. I've gotten used to it after a while," Jean says. We both sit there in silence together. I lean my head onto his shoulder and just breath a sigh of content.

"I saw you rip up your parolee papers, not very smart by the way."

"I want to start a new life without people judging me for whats on some stupid paper."

"We should leave together," I say looking up at him. Jean stares down at me in confusion.

"I want to leave this small town behind and you want to start a new life. We both want the same thing. I have some money saved up and we could do it together. I know it sounds crazy. .. "

"No, it actually makes sense." I give him a big smile and he smiles back at me.

"Theres only a small problem," I say a littler nervously.

"What is it?"

"Well, a unmarried man and an unmarried woman traveling together raises some red flags," I say and watch as he gets the idea.

"So marry me."

"What?"

"Marry me and we can leave and live a new life together. But first do you want to know what I did?"

"I will marry you and no. It's not important now." Jean stands up and offers me his hand which I gladly take. I stare out across the town before heading into the church to ask the bishop to marry us.