Until the Earth Is Free

by Marius blowthebarricade

As he stands prepared to die before the French army, Enjolras is taken prisoner by the cold-hearted inspector Javert, who believes that the young revolutionary is his only key to finding the escaped prisoner 24601. As Enjolras suffers in prison, two survivors of the revolution risk everything that they have as they set out on a mission to rescue their leader.

10. Chapter X

Chapter X

"Is this the place?" Grantaire asked, looking ahead at the house.

"Yes," Marius answered quietly.

Grantaire nodded and went straight to the door. At once, he raised his fist and knocked loudly upon it three times.

Marius hurried after him, down the narrow path of stone that led to the front porch. The house was very beautiful, grand, handsome, built of red brick. But most of it was hidden by all of the flowers and tall blossoming plants that covered both the front of the house and the back, which completely hidden by the garden.

It was so dark now that the only lights were the yellow light that flickered at the tops of lampposts, the gentle glow that fell through the windows of houses, the moon and the stars that shown above. Marius and Grantaire waited outside of Monsieur Fauchelevant's front door, prepared to approach him.

As Marius watched the door, he felt his insides contracting with fear. He was not ready for this. The moment had sprung up upon him like a snake jumping out at a man from its hiding place within tall grass, giving the man no time to react, to defend himself, or to do anything but stand vulnerable and defenseless as it struck him with its fangs.

Marius's mind was racing. What was going to happen? If Cosette's father was a spy… it would ruin everything that he had with her. His entire future with her would be gone. And then, what would he do? Get over her and find another girl to love? There was no chance. If this did not go well, everything he had with her would be gone…

It doesn't matter, Marius told himself. If it saves Enjolras, then it will be worth it… But that did not comfort him at all. If it saves Enjolras… Even after all of this, there was still the chance that it would be too late.

The door opened. A young girl appeared standing on the other side of it. She was dressed in a flowing white night gown, obviously about to go to bed. Her face was fair, fresh, and young like the dawn. Her skin was pale, but her cheeks were touches with pink, as if they were powered with roses. Her eyes, large blue crystals that shimmered with light. Her long blonde hair fell over her shoulders in beautiful, flowing locks. She was very small, dainty, and precious too look upon. She was beautiful.

As soon as Marius saw her, he felt a deep sadness, as well as a deep longing, desire, and love. He had already lost almost all of his friends. Now, he felt that he was loosing her, as well. It was Cosette.

For a moment, she looked at Grantaire, a slightly confused and startled look on her face. Then she turned her eyes and the fell upon Marius. At once, her entire being lit up and she was the brightest light to the night.

"Marius!" she cried, overflowing with joy and delight. "How are you feeling?" she immediately asked. "Are you alright? I'm so glad to see that you're doing better!"

A small sad smile formed at the corners of Marius's lips as he looked at her.

Cosette glanced back at Grantaire. "Oh, is this your friend?" she asked smiling and welcomingly, anxious to meet him. "What's your name, monsieur?" Grantaire did not smile.

"Um… Cosette?" Marius said quietly. At once, she turned to look at him, the happiness in her face shown even brighter at the sound of Marius's voice. Marius felt his heart throb. "Is your father home?"

"Yes," Cosette answered. Something in Marius's voice caught her attention, and the light in her face very slightly dimmed. She knew that something was wrong.

"We need to talk to him."

She nodded. "Alight. I'll go get him…" She sounded confused and concerned when she spoke. "Come in," she added, stepping back from the door so that they could enter. Grantaire and Marius went in, not saying a word. "I'll go find him…" Cosette said quietly. She turned and began to walk away down the candlelit hallway, but continued keep her eyes on Marius as she left, the look on her face, confused and worried, seemed to be asking him for an explanation. But he just looked back at her, his eyes longing and sad. Then she was gone. The house fell silent.

"Yeah, you're right, she is pretty…" Grantaire muttered a moment after she had disappeared. Marius glanced at him. Grantaire caught his eye and grinned, letting out a soft chuckle. Marius looked away.

More silence.

"How's your side?" Marius asked quietly, after a moment.

"Fine."

Marius gave a quick nod, which was followed by more silence. He could feel anticipation filling him. He suddenly felt that he could not stand still here any longer, and felt himself shifting his weight over his feet. "Grantaire, are you sure about this?" Marius suddenly whispered, turning abruptly to Grantaire.

"Yes," Grantaire answered, at once, his voice just above a whisper. "This is our only hope…"

"Marius?"

Marius immediately jerked back around. Cosette had reappeared. "Yes?" he asked, his voice anxious. Cosette stopped to stand at the end of the hallway. A moment later, a man appeared, walking into the hall behind Cosette.

The man was tall and strong. He looked old, yet still young, full of youth and strength. The man was wearing a loose fitting white shit, that hug low, displaying his neck and his muscular chest. His hair was in grey curls upon his head, but his face looked little older than the age of forty-five. His hazel eyes were dark and hard, like stone, yet they were also watchful and shimmered with life. The man's face was hard and stern, yet it was also warm and compassionate. That face of a man who had once known only darkness, but, in time, had learned to love.

Marius felt dread drop into his gut. It was Monsieur Fauchelevant.

The man walked past Cosette and started down the hall, approaching his visitors. "Marius?" Monsieur Fauchelevant said. His voice sounded concerned, but under that there was something else. Anxiety? Regret?

Marius felt his body stiffen. "Monsieur Fauchelevant…"

Monsieur Fauchelevant's eyes turned to look Grantaire. He said nothing, but in just the brief moment that he looked at him, he seemed to be taking him in, and thoughts could be seen flashing across his face as they passed through his head. He saw the blood on Grantaire's clothes. Smelled the alcohol on his breath. Recognized his face. He knew this man was from the barricade.

He looked back at Marius. There was clearly something on his face, some deep thought, but it could not be read. "Is there something wrong, Marius?"

Marius did not answer.

"We need to speak with you," Grantaire finally spoke.

Monsieur Fauchelevant turned his eyes to fix them on him, his eyes dark, his brows furrowed in a deep look of concentration. "Yes?"

Grantaire looked at Cosette, who was standing some distance away down the hall, in a way that told Monsieur Fauchelevant that he wanted her to go before they began their conversation.

Monsieur Fauchelevant turned to his daughter. "Cosette, go to upstairs." Cosette looked at her father, worry and fear on her face. She did not move. "Cosette, please. I'll be there as soon as we are finished." Cosette dropped her eyes to the ground, gave a small nod, and then departed up the stairs.

Marius could not take his eyes off her until she was gone. Even then, he stared at the empty stairway for a moment before he finally turned his eyes back to Monsieur Fauchelevant.

"Come this way," Monsieur Fauchelevant said as he showed Grantaire and Marius to a door off to the side of the hall. They went in and found themselves in a small room with nothing in it except for a fireplace, a cushioned chair, and a small sofa. Monsieur Fauchelevant went in and closed the door behind him. Then, he turned to face Marius and Grantaire. "So…" he began. His voice was dark and grave. "What is this all about?"

Marius, whose eyes were trained on the floor, drew in a deep breath and glanced up at Grantaire. Grantaire's arms were crossed across his chest. His face was stern, serious, dark. His eyes were fixed unyieldingly on Monsieur Fauchelevant.

Grantaire spoke first. His voice reflected his face. "Let's spare ourselves the trouble and not waist time. Javert is still alive. We know you did not kill him."

At the mention of Javert's name, Monsieur Fauchelevant's face went slightly paler.

"Why did you let him go?" Grantaire questioned him.

For a moment, he did not respond. He stared at Grantaire for a moment, saying noting, and then he turned his eyes on Marius. He straightened up, his face suddenly changed to become dark and scornful. He appeared to be in control of the situation. "Marius, is this why you wanted to talk to me?" he asked in reproach. "Well, I'm afraid that I won't be discussing this with you…"

Marius closed his eyes and shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh. "Monsieur, you do not understand." Monsieur Fauchelevant frowned at Marius. His face was annoyed and unhappy, but he said nothing and he let Marius go on. "We would not be here unless we had to be. This is very important," Marius assured him.

Monsieur Fauchelevant raised an eyebrow in a way that showed disbelief. "Is that so? Go on then."

"Javert shot me," Grantaire said bluntly before Marius could speak. The other two men both turned to look at him as he was pulling up his shirt to display the wound. Marius immediately looked away, trying to not gag. At the sight of the wound, the blood, a thousands images flashed through his head. Most of them were of the battle. Of his dead friends.

Monsieur Fauchelevant let his eyes rest on the bleeding wound for a moment. Then, he looked up at Grantaire's face. He was frowning. "Javert shot you?" he repeated, his voice even. "And why is that, because you were fighting at the barricade?"

Grantaire, lowering his shirt to hide the wound, did not answer for a moment. He glanced over at Marius. He was not sure how much he should say. He was not sure if he should mention Enjolras… yet. "Why does it matter?" Grantaire blew over the question. "First you answer our questions, and then we'll answer yours."

Monsieur Fauchelevant frowned, looking very displeased. "I do not need you to answer any questions. I do not wish to discuss this."

"Monsieur, please…" Marius joined in, a note of anguish in his voice, in contrary to Grantaire's cold, bitter tone. "Just listen to us. This is very important."

Marius sounded that if Monsieur Fauchelevant did not give him what he wanted, he would go away sad and alone, but for Grantaire, on the other hand, it seemed that if Monsieur Fauchelevant did not tell him what he wanted, that he might get physically violent and cause a fight to break out.

Monsieur Fauchelevant let out an irritable sigh. "I'm listening."

"Why did you let Javert go?" Grantaire asked harshly.

Monsieur Fauchelevant cast a dark glare upon Grantaire. "That is none of your concern."

Grantaire's glare grew darker and his eyes pierced Monsieur Fauchelevant like the blade of a dagger. "Are you working for the police? Are you a spy? Was that your plan, to set Javert free?"

Monsieur Fauchelevant frowned. "No."

Grantaire was not convinced. "Really? Then perhaps you could enlighten me on why you let Javert go and then told us all that he was dead?"

"I am not a spy, and I am not working for the police," Monsieur Fauchelevant said firmly. "If that is not enough for you, than I'm sorry but—"

"No, that is not enough," Grantaire snapped suddenly. "I want an explanation."

Monsieur Fauchelevant suddenly looked away in anger and disgust. "I am not discussing this with you any longer," he declared. "Gentlemen, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave." He opened the door and stepped to the side of it, beckoning them to go. Neither Grantaire nor Marius moved.

Grantaire frowned stubbornly at him. "I'm not leaving until I have an explanation."

Monsieur Fauchelevant scolded. "Well, I'm not giving you an explanation," he hissed. "I'm not saying another word of this to you or to anyone. Now, this is my house, and I'm telling you to leave… Go!"

Grantaire did not move.

"Or do I have to have the authorities come here and make you go?" Monsieur Fauchelevant threatened. Then, raising his voice, he commanded, "I'm serious, leave now!"

Every word that was exchanged between Grantaire and Monsieur Fauchelevant, Marius could feel Cosette slipping farther and farther out of his grasp. Now, as Monsieur Fauchelevant stood before him, telling him to go away, he felt that his heart was breaking. That this man was telling him to leave and to never return. He knew that if he obeyed, he would never see Cosette again…

"Get out of my house!" Monsieur Fauchelevant violently ordered, no longer bothering to be respectful. "Go away! Leave!"

"Wait! Monsieur, please!" Marius suddenly cried out, rushing forward and gently laying his hand upon Monsieur Fauchelevant arm, coming before him as if he were a beggar pleading for mercy. "Javert took one of our friends captive!" Marius burst out. And then he began to slip everything. "Javert is hurting him. We think he's torturing him. Monsieur, if we don't do anything soon, Javert will kill him!"

As Marius spoke, a slight change could be seen on Monsieur Fauchelevant's face. He looked at Marius with deep concentration as he continued to speak.

Marius saw this and hastily went on. "Monsieur, do you remember Enjolras? He was the leader of the rebellion. The man who let you have Javert. Do you remember him, monsieur?"

Monsieur Fauchelevant, not taking his eyes off of Marius, gave a small nod. "Yes, I remember him," he said quietly.

"Javert took him," Marius told Monsieur Fauchelevant. "That's why we had to come to you. Monsieur, we need your help. If we don't do something soon, Javert will kill him…" Marius's voice trailed off and fell silent.

For a moment, Monsieur Fauchelevant said nothing. He just looked at Marius, his face in an expression of deep thought. Then, he slowly turned and shut the door.

Marius felt that this whole time he had been holding his breath and he finally started to breathe again. He took a few steps backward, letting go of Monsieur Fauchelevant's arm. He looked over at Grantaire. He was staring at the wall across the room, as if in careful thought.

Monsieur Fauchelevant turned back to Marius and Grantaire, his face completely different now. It was still stern and serious, but it was also understanding, gentle, and moved with pity. "Come sit down," he said quietly, motioning to the small sofa.

Marius went over to it and sat down, and Grantaire sat beside him. Monsieur Fauchelevant took a seat in the chair across from them. He leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees, folding his hands as if he were praying. For a moment, he looked across the room, as if thinking. Then, he let out a deep sigh and raised his eyes to look at Marius.

Marius looked back into his eyes, and for a moment he felt that he was looking into the eyes of a father. Marius never knew his father. He never had one. But for this moment, he felt that Monsieur Fauchelevant was as much as father to him as he was to Cosette. He knew it was silly, considering that they were still not convinced that he wasn't a spy, but as Marius looked into this man's eyes, he felt that this was a man that he could trust and look up to.

"Did you know about this?" Grantaire quietly asked Monsieur Fauchelevant, finally breaking the silence that had fallen over the room.

Monsieur Fauchelevant turned his eyes to look at Grantaire. "No," he answered quietly, and for the first time, Grantaire believed that he was hearing the truth.

Grantaire let out a heavy breath. "Then, what do you know?"

Monsieur Fauchelevant sighed, shaking his head, and looking away from Grantaire. "I know that Javert is a very passionate man. He won't stop at anything until he finds justice…"

"Monsieur, what do we do?" Marius whispered the way a young, lost child might ask his father for help. Monsieur Fauchelevant turned his eyes to look at Marius. Marius's face was sad, scared, desperate. "If we do not get him out of there soon, Javert will kill him." Marius found himself unable to look Monsieur Fauchelevant in the eye and he looked down at his feet. His voice breaking and his heart shattering, Marius whispered, "It might already be too late…"

"Marius…" Monsieur Fauchelevant said quietly. Marius raised his eyes to look at him. "Listen to me…" Marius listened. With a quick glance at Grantaire, Monsieur Fauchelevant continued, "I give you both my word that I had no idea. That I knew nothing of any of this. That I am not allied with the police. That I did not come to the barricade to betray you." He moved his eyes to Grantaire. "No, I did not kill Javert. I let him go because I thought that was what the Lord would want me to do. I did not think the man deserved to die. He was only doing his duty."

"Well, now he's torturing our friend to death," Grantaire muttered.

Monsieur Fauchelevant sighed. "You two are going to try to break him out of prison," Monsieur Fauchelevant said. It was not a question.

"What else can we do?" Grantaire exclaimed. "What would you do? Do you suggest that we just sit out here, try to forget about him, and let him die?" Bitterly Grantaire added, "Because something tells me that would not be what this Lord of yours would want us to do."

"I know that," Monsieur Fauchelevant said quietly. "I am not saying that you should not try to save him. …If it was my friend, I would do the same thing."

"Monsieur, what do we do?" Marius asked softly. "Can you help us? Is there anything you know that might be able to help us save him? Anything at all…?"

Monsieur Fauchelevant sighed and looked away. For a long time, he stared at the floor, not saying a word. He was thinking, carefully considering everything that had happened, everything that he had heard. At last, he looked back up at the young boys before him.

"Monsieur, you should see a doctor," he said quietly to Grantaire. "That wound does not look good, and it is starting to get infected. You need to get some medicine."

Marius immediately looked up at Grantaire, suddenly terrified, as if because Grantaire's wound was "starting to get infected" that he might spontaneously drop dead at any moment.

Grantaire shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere until Enjolras is safe."

Monsieur Fauchelevant did not say anything. He turned his eyes to Marius and let out a heavy sigh. "If you two plan on crossing Javert then he will not stop chasing you for the rest of your lives. You would have to leave Paris… I would suggest leaving France all together."

"We'll deal with that later," Grantaire said. "First, let's just focus on getting Enjolras out of there before Javert kills him."

"Monsieur," Marius said quietly, "do you know how we can get in?"

Monsieur Fauchelevant's face was grave and his voice was solemn. "It's not getting into the prison that is the problem. It's getting back out…"

"Right," Grantaire nodded. He already expected this. "So, how do we get in?"

Monsieur Fauchelevant thought for a moment. At last he answered, "The easiest way to get in would probably be to scale the wall when the guard is not at his post."

"Scale the wall?" Marius cried out in disbelief. "That's impossible…"

He shook his head. "No, it isn't."

Marius frowned, more confused than anything. "Just right in the front, near the entrance?"

Monsieur Fauchelevant shook his head. "If you go around the side of the prison, on the right side, the wall is a little shorter and a lot less structured. It might be possible for you to climb straight up and over, or if you can not, you will have to use a rope, but either way, you will be able to get in."

Grantaire listened, frowning, not showing a sign of any thought on his face, but Marius was listening to Monsieur Fauchelevant the way a child might listen to their grandfather, never breaking eye contact, nodding enthusiastically whenever he explained something.

"When the prisoners are out working, there are guards are always walking around the top of the wall, but they leave their posts, right at sunset, when they are bringing the prisoners back to their cells. You will have to time it perfectly to make sure no one sees you climb over the wall."

"Can't we just wait until the prisoners have gone in and the guards are gone?" Grantaire asked.

But Monsieur Fauchelevant shook his head. "Once all of the prisoners are inside, the doors are locked and there is no chance of getting into the prison."

Grantaire dropped his eyes and nodded.

"Once you've gotten over, it will lead you straight to the docks were the prisoners pull in the ships. Then, if you look to your left, you will see the prisoners going into the jail. Somehow, you will have to get through those doors without any of the guards noticing. Then, once your inside, you will have to just keep searching until you find Enjolras… The cells where they keep the prisoners are probably to the left, but if Javert is really torturing him, like you say he is, I do not think he will be in the same cells as all the other men…" Monsieur Fauchelevant's voice trialed off and he gazed across the room, thinking.

For a long moment, no one said anything. Then, at last, Grantaire spoke. "Monsieur, how do you know all of this?" he asked quietly.

"I just do."

Grantaire shook his head. "Most people don't just know, in perfect detail, how to break into a prison."

Monsieur Fauchelevant ran a hand over his face and closed his eyes. "Please, do not ask me questions, monsieur. I'm trying to help you…"

"Grantaire…" Marius whispered, and that word alone was enough to tell Grantaire, "Stop. This is enough. Leave him alone."

Grantaire let out a deep sigh. "Alright, then." After a moment, raising his eyes to look into Monsieur Fauchelevant's, he asked, "Once we're in the prison and we find Enjolras, what's the best way out?"

Monsieur Fauchelevant did not answer for a long time. He gazed across the room for such a long time, that Marius found himself following his eyes to see what he was looking at. It was the small wooden crucifixion of Christ the hung on the wall over the fireplace.

"Maybe…" Monsieur Fauchelevant said at last, still not taking his eyes off of the cross. "…through the sea. If you could get back out to the docks then you might be able to escape into the bay. That would be possible if you have a boat, or climb aboard a passing ship, or if you all can swim well enough…"

"If we can get back out to the docks…" Grantaire echoed. "How good a chance is there of this happening?"

Monsieur Fauchelevant turned his eyes to Grantaire and shook his head. "Not very good. Once the prisoners are back in their cells, the doors that lead to the docks are locked. If you can manage to get a key, or somehow break the door down, that would be the only way out…"

"Or, maybe, we could pick the lock," Grantaire suggested.

"Perhaps," Monsieur Fauchelevant agreed.

"Monsieur, is that the only way out?" Marius asked him.

Monsieur Fauchelevant shook his head. "There are other ways. You could try climbing over the walls again, but you would still have to get out to the docks, and the walls are harder to scale from the inside." He thought for a moment. "The only other way out that I can think of would be through the front gate, and in order to get out that way, you would have to somehow disguise yourselves and convince the guards that you are all prison officials."

Marius nodded sadly. There was defiantly a way to get in, but there was not much hope of getting back out.

A long silence fell over these three men, as each of them sat absorbed in their own thoughts. Finally, Grantaire stood up and spoke, breaking the silence. "Thank you, Monsieur Fauchelevant," he said sincerely.

Monsieur Fauchelevant stood up, as well, followed by Marius.

Grantaire looked at Marius. "We really should be going now…"

Marius nodded. Then, he turned to Monsieur Fauchelevant. "Thank you so much, monsieur. We can't tell you how important it is to us…"

Monsieur Fauchelevant nodded. The three men, as if they were all thinking of one mind, exited the room and started heading for the door. "I really do wish you both the best of luck," he said after a moment.

When they heard his voice, Grantaire and Marius both knew that this man meant every word. They reached the door and prepared to leave.

"My prayers will be with you…" Monsieur Fauchelevant told them.

"Thank you, Monsieur Fauchelevant," Marius said quietly, turning to look him in the eyes.

"You're welcome, Marius…"

Grantaire looked over at Monsieur Fauchelevant and shallowly bowed his head. Then, he laid his hand on Marius's arm, in a way they told him it was time to go. They turned to leave. Grantaire stepped out of the door and out onto the porch. Marius followed behind him, and was about to go.

"Marius…" Monsieur Fauchelevant quietly said, putting his hand on Marius's shoulder to stop him from leaving.

Marius turned to face him. "Yes, monsieur?"

Monsieur Fauchelevant lowered his voice and spoke quietly to Marius. "Marius, please, be careful," he whispered.

Marius nodded. He was not expecting this, but it touched his heart to know that Monsieur Fauchelevant was worried about him. "I will be, monsieur."

Monsieur Fauchelevant looked Marius in the eyes. "Monsieur, whatever happens, please just come hope…"

Marius slowly nodded, surprised that Monsieur Fauchelevant was saying this.

Monsieur Fauchelevant's face changed. It became sad, afraid, even desperate… His voice dropped even lower, and he whispered, "…because my little Cosette really loves you, you know. It will break her heart if you did not come back to her…"