The Raven and the Rose.

Summary: When Eponine's protective nature demands that she treat Cosette with kindness rather than cruelty she unwitting changes the course of not only Cosette's life but her own as well. In the care of Jean Valjean Eponine grows to become a protector of the poor and a beacon of rebellion, she is both the Raven and the Rose but can she play these two rolls and live to tell the tale.

Authors note: So, chapter 3 ended up being a bit of a long one, I'm not planning to keep all the chapters all similar lengths. I'm going to end each one as and when it feels right to do so. I'm hoping that not too many will be any longer than this but I can't make any promises, I guess we will just have to see how we go. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, it's one of my personal favourites.


Chapter 3

Two little birds

Cosette was the first to notice the stranger approaching them, she promptly dropped the heavy bucket, splashing both her and Eponine with its icy contents.

Eponine tuned to Cosette wondering what was wrong with her friend but before she could ask any questions Cosette grabbed her hand and started to run. With the tiny blond pulling desperately on her hand Eponine followed the other girls lead without hesitation, she too abandoned the bucket and took off at a run.

Cosette knew neither she nor Eponine would be able to out run a full-grown man, so she pulled her friend to a stop at the first large tree they reached, the two girls crouched low, quickly hiding among the trees gnarled roots. From their hiding place they could still see the man but he would have to look carefully to find them. The girls lay still as stones and watched to see what he would do.

Cosette was astonished when instead of chasing after them the stranger simply retrieved and refilled the old bucket they had left behind. Once he had the full bucket in hand the man turned in their direction and called out to them with quiet reassurances before gently walking towards them. He promised that they had no reason to fear him and despite all the liars and cheats the girls had encountered in their short lives they found themselves believing he spoke the truth.

Cosette was the first to emerge from her hiding place but Eponine was quick to follow, she was also quick to tuck Cosette behind her, being sure to keep herself between the younger girl and any hidden danger that the man may present.

Valjean smiled softly at the girl's bravery, he recalled a time when he as a young boy would have done much the same to protect his younger Sister. He slowly knelt before the girls and offered them a genuine smile, possibly his first in years.

"Tell me children, what are your names?" he enquired softly.

The smaller of the two was the first to speak up "I'm called Cosette" she told him, confirming what he already suspected, he could see Fantine in her face.

"I'm Eponine" the more stoic of the two girls added. Valjean got the impression that she really didn't want to trust him with even that much information but she was prepared to follow Cosette's example.

"Well Ladies" he said sweeping his hat off of his head and bowing as best he could while still on his knees "may I help you home with your bucket?"

Eponine still seemed reluctant but Cosette was already beaming at him, clearly glad they would no longer have to drag the bucket home between them.

The walk from the woods back to the Inn seemed to pass much quicker than their trek out there had and both girls found their new friend to be pleasant company.

Eponine had been extremely weary of him to begin with but the longer they walked with him and the more he talked to them the clearer she came to see him. While this man may have been a stranger before tonight, she couldn't help but trust him more than she had most others in her life.

Her Father had spent a long time teaching her how to read people, to figure out their weaknesses and to find the easiest mark to run a scam on. As much as Eponine hated those lessons she had still excelled at them, understanding people it seemed was something she was just meant to be good at.

Watching the man from the wood carrying their bucket in one hand while letting Cosette swing off of the other, Eponine had to admit he seemed to be a truly good man.

"Oh Eponine, look!" Cosette cried running from Valjean's side to gaze into the window of the nearest shop. An assortment of toys littered the display but he could already see where Cosette's gaze had landed, in the very centre of the window was a beautiful doll and the young girl's face lit up just looking at it. "Ponine, she's still there" Cosette sighed almost pressing her face to the glass.

Valjean was surprised when Eponine raced towards the window with just as much excitement as Cosette. In the short time he had known the girl it was the first time he had seen her truly act like a child. On their way out of the wood Cosette had skipped and jumped and swung on his arm while Eponine had walked sedately at his side, she had clearly been enjoying the other girl's happiness but she had also remained vigilant of her surroundings.

Valjean couldn't help but wonder what kind of lives these girls had been living, whatever they had been forced to deal with they had obviously faced it together yet their sheared experiences had somehow moulded them into two very different individuals.

"Oh, the bear is still there too" Eponine said pointing to a stuffed toy tucked away at the back of the display, it was not as grand as the doll but in its own way it was just as beautiful.

"Come along girls" Valjean called out he hated to drag them away but he did have matters to see to. "You are almost home" he reassured them but when they both froze on the spot; he knew he had said the wrong thing.

Cosette looked up and saw the man was right, just beyond where he stood was the Tavern. Eponine's smile that had been so bright a moment ago was gone now she looked very sad and a little guilty.

"It's alright Ponine" Cosette smiled encouragingly at her friend "we are almost home" she said repeating the man's words before removing her borrowed cloak and bonnet. She pressed them into the other girl's arms and gave her a little push towards the Inn. "Go on, before you are caught" she ordered. Eponine gave Cosette a quick hug then ran back to the bush where she had hidden her basket earlier in the night.

Valjean watched in complete shock as Eponine took away the warm cloths and hid them. His shock only deepened when she scaled the wall of the Tavern and let herself in through one of the top most windows instead of using the wide-open front door.

"Eponine's not meant to help me" Cosette told him sadly as she returned to his side "she's not meant to share with me or be my friend" she explained "please don't tell him or Madame you saw her with me, they will be very mad" she pleaded.

Cosette gave a small shudder, Valjean didn't know if it was due to the cold or fear of what awaited her in the Tavern but he decided then and there that if denying all knowledge of Eponine was what was best for both her and Cosette then that was wat he would do.

"Don't worry" Valjean said taking Cosette's hand he gave it a reassuring squeeze "all will be well" he promised as they resumed their walk.

The Innkeeper and his wife met them in the doorway and Valjean all but threw their bucket at them. He explained how he had found Cosette lost and alone in the woods he also explained about Fantine's sad fate and how he was now responsible for Cosette. He offered to pay off any debt that Fantine had outstanding and watched as the Thenardier's eyes shone with greed.

Once they were all inside the Tavern the negotiations started, not that Valjean was really prepared to negotiate, he would pay any amount that the crooks asked as long as he could leave with Cosette in his safe keeping.

He offered a large sum and they raised it twice but eventually the Thenardier's agreed to let the girl go.

Valjean had expected Cosette to be somewhat reluctant to leave, having met Eponine and having witnessed the closeness between the two girls he understood it but he hadn't expected to be reluctant to leave himself.

He had set out to save Cosette and he had but now leaving Eponine to suffer the Thenardier's alone felt wrong but they were her parents and this was her home, her situation was completely different from Cosette's. With a heavy heart Valjean excepted there was nothing her could do for Eponine.

Cosette was thankful to be escaping the Thenardier's and their Inn but the thought of leaving without even saying goodbye to Eponine hurt even more than the news of her mother's death had.

As Valjean lifted Cosette up onto his hip he spotted Eponine watching from the stairs at the back of the room, she had obviously heard and seen everything, she knew what was happening. Cosette was going away, she was leaving Eponine behind and how did Eponine react? Did she scream and cry at the unfairness of the world? No, she smiled bravely and gave Cosette an encouraging little wave. His heart both went out to the girl and burnt with shame at the same time.

Valjean paused his departure to at least allow the girls to share this last moment but as he stood there something happened, something simple and yet life changing.

One of Cosette's shoes slipped off of her foot and landed on the floor of the Inn with a dull thud. The Thenardier's were too busy inspecting the notes Valjean had given them to notice but the terror that flashed across both Eponine and Cosette's faces at the small noise told Valjean the whole story.

The shoes were not Cosette's at all they were Eponine's just like the cloak and bonnet had been. She had risked the wrath of her parents for the good of Cosette and he was going to reward her bravery by abandoning her to her fate.

Valjean couldn't do that, he couldn't just leave her, he had convinced himself he could but he couldn't. Eponine needed saving just as much as Cosette did and Jean Valjean would never forgive himself if he didn't at least try to help her.

Valjean gently placed Cosette down onto the ground and stepped in front of her so that she could discreetly slip the fallen shoe back onto her foot. "Who is this?" he enquired brightly, pretending to have only just noticed Eponine.

"This is our daughter, Eponine" Madame Thenardier said, holding her hand out to the girl encouraging her to approach. The smile that the woman gave Eponine held a huge amount of genuine affection and was the complete opposite of the empty hugs and kisses she had almost smothered Cosette moments ago.

Whatever faults Madame Thenardier may have, not loving her own Daughter clearly wasn't one of them, convincing the woman to part with the child would be difficult.

Apparently getting the girl's Father to agree to let her leave wouldn't be hard at all as he readily offered her up. "You can have her too, if you want but she will cost twice as much" he said offhandedly while still counting the money Valjean had paid for Cosette.

Madame Thenardier was clearly infuriated by his suggestion, she clutched her Daughter close to her and hissed at her Husband, who pulled both her and Eponine away out of earshot.

Valjean and Cosette could only watch as the Thenardier's agued back and froth over Eponine's head, eventually the Innkeeper and his Wife both calmed down and it seemed an arrangement had been reached. The couple crouched down and talked with Eponine briefly before returning to where Cosette and Valjean stood waiting.

"My Husband is right" the Madame announced "Eponine is worth twice what you paid for Cosette" she said dropping all pretence him covering Fantine's debt's.

Valjean did all he could to keep his disgust from showing as he paid the price they asked and strode out on the door clasping each of his new daughters by the hand, not one of them looked back as they left.

Neither Valjean nor the girls spoke until they retched the bush where Eponine had hidden the basket with Cosette's warm clothes, she asked them to wait while she ran to fetch it and then they continued on to the carriage as if that evening had been like any other.

Valjean was shocked by how well Eponine was handling the whole experience, he couldn't understand how she could be so calm after her own parents had sold her, that is until she told him of her last conversation with them.

They had just reached the carriage when Eponine paused to look back at her forma home with a look that could only be disappointment, Valjean had to know if she was alright.

"I'm meant to run away from you" the girl explained sadly "I'm supposed to run away and go back to them but I don't want to" she admitted "I want to stay with Cosette and with you, can I stay? Please can I?" the poor girl begged.

"Of course, you can my child" Valjean reassured the desperate girl "you are my Daughter now just as Cosette is, we three belong together now" he told her. The hug that he received from both girls was unexpected but not unwelcome.

Valjean struggled to believe just how much he loved these girls, his Daughters already. He would move heaven and earth if he must to ensure they were happy and safe.

They had flown into his life like two little birds and changed everything, Cosette his sweet, kind little lark and Eponine his brave, clever Raven.

In that moment holding his girls in his arms as they hugged him tight, he knew that had already made his life better, he could only hope that he could do the same for them.


Thank you for taking the time to read, I would love to know what you think so far. Thanks again Millie xXx