Winter. France.
Snow adorned the ground like a soft, woolen blanket. The days were getting shorter and the sun was becoming less and less visible every day. They had not experienced a winter like this in centuries.
What truly made the winter harsher than usual was not the frosty weather but instead the tension between France and Germany. For about 7 months now, the two countries had been in the middle of a cold war. Both sides posed as a threat to the other; while France boasted a large army, Germany bluffed the biggest advancement in warfare ever seen. Neither side dared launch the first bullet as it would send the world tumbling down.
King Louis Thenardier IV grew older everyday and the people mumbled about his death. It will come soon, some whispered, and then France will be left with a babe for an heir. What they said was partially true, Gavroche Augustus Thenardier, Prince of France, was only age 4, making him too young to rule. Thenardier's oldest child was Eponine Thérèse Marie Thenardier, Princess of France. She was wise, balanced and a good fighter (which to many was rather surprising for a girl of her upbringing).
Alas, the citizens of France were not ready for a queen, they were still bitter over the previous Queen, Henriette Marie of Brunswick-Lüneburg; Eponine's mother.
The death of Queen Henriette was tragic for all, the king stayed in his chamber for days and the entire country plunged into mourning. The sense of macabre peace was broken when a French man living in Germany drunkenly announced that he was happy the queen was dead. Many heckled him; treason, they screamed, bloody treason. As the days went on, more fights broke out with many French-born citizens being the epicenter of the problem. The French argued that the Queen was the worst mistake the king had ever made while the Germans fought back with punches and fistfights that lead to rebellion and eventually, war.
The king was weary, he had no idea of his next move. His advisers all suggested war. Just think,my liege! they all spoke, we shall show the Germans that you are still a glorious king and France is still strong. Every step he took was a cautious one but he could feel it as much as anyone, the end was nigh. People were starving and the people were beginning to question the king's motives; a situation Thenardier could not afford.
Hence, exactly a month later King Louis Thenardier IV and King Frederick Willheim V met at Château de Versailles to discuss the martimony of their eldest children. Thenardier promised to give away his daughter, Eponine to Wilheim's oldest son, Enjolras Wilheim, prince of Prussia.