It was a few hours in now, and everyone seemed ready and committed to their cause. Enjolras sat at the top of the barricade, keeping watch for the man who volunteered to spy on the national guardsmen. He took a moment to look over the men in his charge, his eyes drifting over the faces of all the friends that he led in this. He was determined to stay confident that his friends' lives would not be wasted here at the barricade and he'd be damned if he let any doubt into his mind, not this early in the fight.
His eyes fell onto a boy he didn't recognize and narrowed his eyes at them to get a better look at their face. He knew that face, but he couldn't place it for the life of him. The boy seemed to continuously glance over at someone, so focussed that they didn't notice his gaze on them. He followed their gaze until his eyes fell on Marius. His brow furrowed for a second before the realization dawned on him and his head snapped for him to look at the boy again. It wasn't a boy, it was a girl. It was Pontmercy's shadow and she shouldn't be there.
He might not have known her name, but he always noticed her presence. Until now, that is. Marius's shadow practically represented all the people Enjolras was fighting for. She was his cause, his patria. Even with his complete focus on this revolution, he wasn't blind to the things occurring around him. He simply chose what was worth his attention, and despite his best judgement the gamine always caught his eye even if only for a second. How did he not see her until now. Yes, things were chaotic in the events leading up to this but he always saw her.
It was always in the quickest glances, but he could tell she was a natural beauty. He made a great effort to avoid fancies such as women or love, but he admired how tall the girl stood despite her perceived station. He had reckoned that her confidence stemmed from being well off at some point in her life. It always sickened him that food, education, and clothing was dependent on money. These things should be basic rights for a person.
He could tell the girl was strong in spirit, but she still shouldn't be there to fight. He let out a sigh and looked over his shoulder at the street before climbing down to sit across from her. She looked up at him a little surprised.
"You shouldn't be here," he started and raised his hand when she went to argue with him, "that disguise isn't the most convincing, Mademoiselle."
"Don't call me that," she spoke quietly.
"Well I do not know your name," he said with a soft shrug.
"It's...," she hesitated slighlty, "It's Eponine."
"Eponine," he said seeing how it felt on his tongue before licking his lips to continue, "You shouldn't be here, Eponine."
"And why's that? Because I'm a woman?" she raised an eyebrow as if to challenge him.
"It's not safe for you here," he replied with an indifferent look on his face.
"I have no where else to be," she said simply, "and I want to be here."
"For Marius," Enjolras suggested and she gave him a burning look.
"What would you know about that?"
"Only what I've observed."
"My little life doesn't matter in grand scheme of things, Monsieur," she looked him straight in the eye, her look hard and unwavering. Her words reminded him of his lecture to Marius the previous day.
"Neither does mine," he replied looking down at the ground, "None of our's here do. We fight for something better."
"You really believe that?" Eponine questioned.
"With everything in me," he said glancing up at her, his blue eyes meeting her brown ones. Their eyes had only met in the briefest of moments, and whenever they did he would lower his eyes away from her gaze, but this time he kept his locked on hers as they spoke.
"What if the people do not rise?" His eyes narrowed at her question.
"They will," he said with a hard voice.
"And if they don't?" She wasn't going to give up on this.
"Then I will die fighting for their freedom," he answered, "For Patria."
"For the freedom of the country you love?" she studied his hard face.
"Yes." he said.
"Then you'll understand than I wish to fight for the thing I love," Enjolras leaned back a little bit and glanced at Marius as she spoke, "and die if I have to."
"You deserve better than someone who makes you deliver messages to another one," he said looking back at her.
"Someone like you?" she smirked.
"Why do you say that?" he asked curiously.
"I've been here for hours and you were the one who noticed," she said her eyes flicking over her shoulder to Marius, "not him. You can't choose who or what you love, but maybe it would've been better if I had loved you instead. You seem like you could use somebody's love."
He was speechless for a moment, but cleared his throat and stood up, "I'm sorry to point to disappoint, but I don't waste my time on such endeavors."
"Are you sure about that? You're a passionate man, I'm sure you could make someone feel very loved."
"If you'll excuse me, Eponine, I need to get back to my post," he gave her a soft nod as he made his way back to the top of the barricade.
He didn't blame the girl for her beliefs or observations. Even though she spoke as though she understood, he doubted she grasped just how meaningless their own selfish desires were. She was there for Marius, not for the revolution. It bothered Enjolras, more than he would admit and for more reasons that he would never speak of. All he would come to terms with at that moment was that something in him always enjoyed her presence. All those times she came to the cafe seeking Marius, he had silently wished that she would one day be there to see him.
He heard footsteps and turn to aim his gun at the street, seeing the volunteer round the corner.
"I've done as you asked," he said as Enjolras signaled for him to enter the barricade, "They have plenty of men. We'll have to be cunning to face them."
"Have faith," Enjolras said standing to face the men standing below on the ground, "If we know their plans we can beat them at their own games."
For another brief moment, his eyes caught Eponine's and again he didn't look away instantly. Instead he saw some sort of admiration in her eyes as she looked up at him. Finally he lowered his eyes and climbed down to talk to the man.
"There will be no attack tonight," he said, "They intend to starve you out and attack during the day."
Enjolras instantly started thinking of what they could do when someone shouted from higher up on the barricade.
"Liar," it was the little Gavroche. Everyone looked at the kid then to the man.
"Good even good Inspector Javert," the boy said causing everyone's heads to snap in his direction, "Don't listen to a word he says, none of it's true."
Javert tried to run, but all the students were able to get a hold on him and aim their guns to get him to stop struggling.
"Bravo little Gavroche, you're the top of the class," Courfeyrac said with a smile towards the boy.
"What are we going to do with him?" Prouvaire said holding up his rifle.
"Tie him up in the tavern," Enjolras said narrowing his eyes at the Inspector, "The people will decide your fate, Inspector Javert."
As they led him to the tavern, Javert started to struggle again and tossed Grantaire and Courfeyrac off of him. He turned around to throw a punch that ended up landed harshly across Enjolras's jaw before running over to grab a baton he had hidden. He started swinging it at everyone but the students were able to get him on the ground and Enjolras picked up the baton and hastily bludgeoned into unconsciousness.
He looked down at the man until turning slowly as he heard the marching of the guardsmen. He walked out to the barricade slow but with a strong stride.
"Everyone take your positions," he said and all the men scrambled to their places. He and Marius climbed to the top and ducked.
"Hold your fire," Marius said, "save your gun powder."
"Who's there?!" One of the soldiers shouted.
Enjolras looked back at his friends and licked his lips as he turned back, "French Revolution!"
"Fire!"
With that the battle had begun. They were all shooting and the soldiers were quickly approaching the barricade and climbing. After fending a few of them off, Enjolras and Marius both ended up on the ground.
"Marius!," Gavroche yelled, "Marius what are you doing?"
Enjolras saw him picking up a barrel of powder and going to climb the barricade. What the hell was he doing. As he watched him he saw a soldier approach him hold in his gun to him, which Marius didn't see to notice. He always didn't notice the girl that cried out and rush towards them.
At that Enjolras started to rush up the barricade before she did something stupid. He saw her pull the rifle away from Marius and to her. He tried to get up there faster but a shot rang out and he froze in his place looking up and seeing Eponine clutching her chest as she climbed down. Marius hit the soldier with a torch and then brought it to the barrel.
"Fall back or I blow the barricade," he shouted. All the fighting stopped and everyone looked at him with wide eyes.
"Blow it up and you take yourself with it," the captain said.
Pontmercy only considered it for a minute for bringing the torch closer to the barrel, "And myself with it."
"Fall back," the solider cried and they all began to retreat. Enjolras quickly took the torch from him and placed it back where it went before climbing down and looking for Eponine. He turned and saw her when Marius had found her. She handed him a note and he sat down to take her in his arms. Enjolras could feel the rain falling on him as he watching the look of happiness of her face now that she was in his arms and he comforted with words of love he didn't mean.
He wanted to step forward and talk to her, say his own goodbye, but it wouldn't be right. It would be selfish. She would want to go this way and she was never his to lose. His breath hitched as he saw her eyes flick over to him for a brief second before focussing back on Marius. He stood there and watched the life slip from the woman, trying to conceal his own bizarre sadness.
"She is the first to fall," he said as Marius pressed his lips to her forehead.
"Her name was Eponine," he said, his tears prominent even in the rainfall, "her life was cold and dark, yet she was unafraid."
I know, Enjolras thought. He might not have known her all that well, might not have had a conversation with her until that night. But he saw her, and he saw the bruises and wiped away tears. He saw sadness and despair hidden behind a smirk and witty remark. He saw it, and as he was helping Combeferre take her body from Pontmercy, he found himself wishing he knew her more.
Throughout the rest of the night, he often thought of her and what she did. He thought she was foolish and stupid to die for someone when they were suppose to be fighting for a more important cause. Thought caught up with him as he stood by the window on the top floor of the cafe, surrounded by the bodies of his friends and soldiers with all their guns pointed at him.
He was ready to go. Ready to die. Just like Eponine was, he imagined, she had died for the man he loved and Enjolras was about to die for the country he loved. The freedom he sought for them. The people who were too scared to rise up and stand with him.
Grantaire stood by his side, choosing to die with Enjolras instead of getting away while he could. They could've surrendered, could've survived, but instead Enjolras raised the red flag was in his hand and looked at the soldiers, a small smirk crossing his lips.
"You'll understand I wish to fight for the thing I love the most, and die if I have to."
Her words echoed in his head in his last moment. She represented everything he wanted to change, but she also represented everything he held dear. Strength, determination, wisdom. She was his Patria.
"Let others rise to take our place until the earth is free." One day the people would no longer be scared, and they would remember the boys who had died here fighting for their freedom.
Shots rang out and Grantaire landed against the wall, but Enjolras went out the window the red flag still tightly clutched his hand as he hung upside down. As he took his last breath, he could've sworn he saw her standing down on the ground smiling sadly up at him.