Chapter 4

Erik had shut the door to his room hours earlier, leaving the enormous swan-shaped bed for Eponine.

She hadn't moved from her chair when he retired, preferring to work out her situation without the distraction of a comfortable mattress and sleep-inducing pillows.

Deep in her heart, Eponine felt that something had happened to her friends at the barricade, and she was determined not to be left out.

Eponine glanced at Erik's closed door. He had been a courteous host, but she didn't think this life was for her. She took a long, lighted candle from its holder and stepped into the labyrinth of tunnels, trying her best to locate a set of stairs in the dark.

She turned abruptly at a small dripping sound: water from the streets was seeping underground.

Eponine accidentally slammed into a wall and dropped her candle. She leapt up in surprise when a hidden door creaked open. Peering into the darkness, she crept outside and found herself on the Rue Scribe.

Turning in the direction of the blasts (which had grown considerably louder when the door opened), she made out a long, tall, dark shape beyond the Arc de Triomphe.

"Please let them be alright," Eponine whispered as she ran toward the barricade.

"Marius! Enjolras!" she cried frantically. "Gavroche, where are you?"

The boy appeared at her side almost instantly.

"'ey everybody, it's Eponine!" he shouted.

"Eponine?" Marius came running down from the structure as Gavroche scampered to its peak once again. Eponine threw herself into Marius' arms, but he pulled away.

"'Ponine, what are you doing here?"

She covered her ears as shots rang out overheard.

"I had to make sure you were alright! Marius, I—"

A stray piece of shrapnel struck her in the head before she could finish, and she collapsed in his arms.

"Eponine!" he cried in vain. Scooping her into a more firm grasp, Marius ran away from the battle.

"Someone, help! Au secours! I need a doctor!" he yelled in the empty streets.

"I will care for her."

Marius whirled around and saw a tall, well-dressed man emerging from a shop.

"Are you a doctor?" he asked, taking a step back.

"Of sorts," the man replied, pulling his fedora low. "I have medicines from the East that will cure anything. No harm will come to her, monsieur, of that you can be sure."

Marius looked down at Eponine. The wound in her head was bleeding freely now.

"Please hurry," he said quietly, placing her gently in the stranger's arms. "She's my best friend."

The man nodded curtly and turned away, walking down the street; he soon disappeared amid the smoke and fog.

Marius sent a silent prayer with them and turned back to the battlements.

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A/N: Yeah, three guesses who that is. Although the fedora gives it away completely. Anyway, R&R, you know what to do!