He was going out to fight at the barricades. He kissed her and went out to fight. He did not know he would never see her again… His last words before he was shot were "Vive La France! Long Live the Future!" He was then shot to death with many muskets. His friends cried for him. But most importantly, she cried for him…
She would always remember the last words he said to her before he went to the barricades. He said to her, "I will always love you, dearest 'Zelma. Even if I die, nothing will ever stop our love." He kissed her. She then spoke. "Be careful, Jehan…"
Jehan said, "It is my sworn duty to protect my country. I will fight there in your name and for all the others in Paris who live on the streets." He handed her a rose he had pulled out of his jacket. At that time, she did not know that this would be the last thing she would have to remember him when the barricades fell…
Three days after the barricades fell, she realized he was not coming back. She knew she would never see him again; never hear another of his poems; never hold another one of his flowers… It was not until three days after his death that she cried for him…
Several months passed. It was February, the Mardi Gras.
"Stop crying, you little wretch!" shouted her father, Thenardier, "Come on. We've got to go!" She knew not of what he spoke; her thoughts were fixated on him. "Hurry up, you terrible wretch! I pay good money to raise you and your sister: your sister goes off and gets herself killed and you're not grateful to me for raising you for fifteen years!", said Thenardier, "I should have put you out on the streets years ago!"
Five minutes later, they were in the town square. A procession was going past. The day was Mardi Gras. Marius Pontmercy was marrying Cosette. A great procession of men and women wearing masks passed by. Behind them was a beautiful carriage. This obviously contained the wedding couple. Thenardier looked into the carriage and saw who the groom was. The carriage was already several yards down the street. "Go, Azelma," shouted Thenardier, "Follow that fiacre!"
Azelma ran to keep up with the carriage. The paving stones were hot beneath her bare feet. To take her mind away from the pain, she thought of him…
Her mind was jolted back to reality when she felt a searing pain in her head. She, in her lack of concentration, had run straight into the carriage. She saw that the carriage was headed to the Place de la Greve for the wedding. She ran back the other direction as quickly as she could to tell her father. The paving stones were burning hot beneath her bare feet as she ran. She finally reached the main square again. "Follow me…" she said to Thenardier. She ran towards the chapel, Thenardier following her.
They reached the chapel and Thenardier ran in, hurrying to speak to the groom. He told her to wait outside. The paving stones were hot beneath her bare feet and she was sweating, even in the tattered remains of her skirt and blouse. She began to cry again, not because she was miserable, but for him. She stepped into the chapel…
The wedding had not yet begun. Azelma stood in the back of the church, tears running down her face. She pulled something out of the rags that were the remains of her blouse: a knife. She knew that once this was over, she would see him again. She placed the knife to her chest when a voice came from behind her. "Why are you doing this?" the voice asked. Azelma's reply was this : "Because I will never see my true love again…"
She turned to face the speaker and saw his face. She ran to him and he took her in his arms. "Oh, Jehan!" she said, "I thought you were dead! Tell me everything!"
"I was nearly killed at the barricades," he said, "In fact, I was shot. I truly believe that it was my love for you that kept me alive… When I was in terrible pain and wished for death, I thought of you and that thought kept me alive… I was determined to come back to you… I was shot several times; they thought I was dead. I was found, two days later by a kind old man named Fauchelevant: Ultimus Fauchelevant, if I recall correctly. He nursed me back to health at his own home. I could have died numerous during my recovery process, but the thought that I must return to you kept me alive… I recovered and here I am…"
"Thank goodness you were not killed there…" Azelma said.
Jehan then spoke again, " I love you…", he said.
"As I you…" said Azelma.
He pulled a rose from out of his coat and handed it to her.
"Just like that day…" he said, "Except today, it is my triumphant return instead of my sorrowful disappearance."
Then he kissed her…