fanfic

May. 1st, 2007 06:21 pm
[identity profile] elven-ranger.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] lesmiz

The Parisian Students

  

(This is a piece of fic based on Tim Kellys version of the Les Mis script (not the musical)…. In which the revolutionary leaders we meet are two students, Henri and Adele. I was playing Adele in a production of this version at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth in June 2004… this story started out as my characterisation project then I thought I would write it down while I was bored.  Henri is as I picture the real Henri.  Don’t blame me for differences from the book, movies, musical etc, this is purely based on the Tim Kelly script which I know has major differences.  The Funeral sequence is based on the Liam Neeson film there with extra imagination..  The bits in “bold” are the scenes you see in the play.) 

 

 

Chapter 1 – The Storm Gathers

 

It had been raining all morning, water dripping into the garret where I lived, soaking the blankets I had hung over the back of my chair, before going out to class. I was studying classical literature, for what good that would probably do me. I just didn’t want to appear uneducated; I thought that would find me some chance of a job and a better life than that of my parents who had both died of smallpox, four years ago. The days I wasn’t in class I worked at a cotton factory, which paid just enough to live… most of the time…. I had just returned from class, and found everything soaking wet. It was useless to complain to my landlord, he was a drunk, and the entire house, inhabited by various families and poorer students, was slowly falling apart with his neglect. I imagine it must have been a very fancy house in past years.

Al least it looked as if the sun was coming out now.  I opened the window and hung one of the blankets out to attempt to dry it.

A voice from the street below called me, and I looked down. It was Henri.  I knew him a little, he was also a student, a couple of  years younger than I, studying to be a doctor.

“Adele! The leaflets have been printed!” Henri called.  I was not happy with Henri shouting about our revolutionary work in the street like that, it was still early days and had had seen more than a few police watching this house recently. “Youd better come on up!” I shouted back. And closed the window.

A couple of minutes later I heard Henri’s feet on the stairs, I opened the door.  I apologised  “I’m sorry, Henri, but theres been a lot of Police watching this house recently, I do want to be careful”.

Henri laughed. “Its not you Adele, they are watching a family on the ground floor”.

“I am paranoid then” I said ruefully “so whats the news?”

“The leaflets for Saturdays march have been printed.”

“Well its about time”

“This is the time Adele, This is our revolution, at last”

I suddenly snapped out of my lethargic semi-interest in Henri’s leaflets and paid more attention. “who says?”

“Everyone down at the ABC café says. That’s who. General Lamarque has died”

Now I was really paying attention “There was no mention of that at the college this morning”

“Or at the medical school either” Henri said “I thought we could start handing these leaflets out at the gardens now the rain has stopped”

“Hang on” I said “Yes, this is the time for our revolution alright, but we’re going to need a bit more organisation than that. Weapons, and barricades, and safe houses.. the National Guard will be called out, they wont be a walkover by any means you know. Who is organising?”

Henri paused.

I laughed. “No-one?”

“No!” Henri was quick to deny, “Everyone from the ABC club has gone out to find whatever weapons they can. If we can get enough people together this evening, we will hold a meeting”

“We’ll have to” I said. “I will bring the maps down”

“Come and help with the leaflets?” Henri asked

I picked up my shawl “I’m coming”

 

 

Chapter 2 – The Luxembourg Gardens

 

 As we approached the gardens, we could see that there were a lot of people out walking, enjoying the sudden sunshine. Henri and I had shared out the leaflets half and half, and each headed for opposite sides of the park.

I approached one group of ladies, leaflets extended. “Millions in France are starving” I announced, trying to give them leaflets. As apathetic people do, they headed away – towards Henri who was telling an old lady about how many people are actually out of work, truly appalling figures. “ Join us in protest!” I said to a young couple who seemed as if they still had a spark of humanity in them. They took pamphlets. Henri came over. “Its this Saturday, at the Boulevard De Mars” Henri said, seeing them reading the leaflets. They nodded and smiled, and hurried off.  We spotted another group of very well – to –do people and went over – they tried to avoid us. “Take a pamphlet” I said. “Young beggars” one woman remarked to another as they tried to move off. “Read it! Study it” said Henri, slighted by the idea that he wasn’t an educated young man. One of the fancy gentlemen gave me a hard push out of the way. “Don’t stick your heads in the sand!” I yelled as Henri said something else. “Paris is about to explode!”

“To tell the truth Adele, I would much rather sit at the café with a glass of wine” Henri said to me. “alright then, lets.” I sighed. “do you have any money?” Henri asked. I looked at him “do I EVER?” I responded. “you?”  Henri fiddled in his pocket, “flat”.  We sat dejecidly on a bench.

Suddenly Henri perked up “look whos here!” I looked round. “Hello Marius!” Marius seemed to be preoccupied but Henri still asked him if he would help us hand out more pamphlets that afternoon. Marius refused. I was more concerned about Marius himself than his willingness or not, to hand out pamphlets. He had left the house of his rich aunt after an argument over his political beliefs. Marius said that he now had a job translating books, and had a room in a tenement by the river.

I suggested that we all go and relax over glasses of wine, but Maruis was more concerned over meeting this young girl, Cosette, he had fallen for, than come with us, he gave us money for wine, and we left.

We joined Eponine in the town square, where we sat until the evening, just talking about things. Eponine let me into a little secret, that she has been admiring Marius from afar for a long time. I think Henri found the whole discussion a bit boring; he left before we did, for the ABC.

When Eponine and I arrived at the café, by way of my room, for the city maps, the meeting was in full swing already. There were the ABC members whom I knew and many new faces as well. I managed to attract Henri’s attention and pushed my way through the crowd to him. He, and a few of the other leading members were stood around a table. I spread out the maps and for the next two hours at least we argued about where the barricades could be placed for best effect. Finally marking likely locations on the maps.

 

 

Chapter 3 – Lamarque’s Funeral

 

I woke up early. It was a sunny morning for a change, and I hurried to get ready for the day ahead. In the interim since our meetings at the ABC café I had managed to find a small amount of powder and ball which I would drop past at the nearest safe house that we had set up, on my way to the boulevard.

As I came out of the front door, I saw Eponine in the distance already heading for the Boulevard De Mars and shouted to her, but she didn’t hear me.

At the boulevard the crowds were already gathering for Lamarque’s funeral, I could see Eponine and Henri and rushed over to join them. A few of the other revolutionaries where also visible. Marius was in the front row – grandstand view! For no reason I felt quite jealous.

About 11am, we heard the funeral procession approaching. It certainly was a grand affair.

Suddenly as the coffin drew level with us Marius shouted and the crowd surged forward.  The people in the front rows were fighting the men from the funeral procession, who gave in with surprisingly little effort. I saw Marius climb atop the coffin, as Henri cut the horses loose from the carriage. A woman in front of me slipped and fell, I was pushed forward on top of her by the crowd, as I tried to pull her up, I was terrified that we would both be trampled. Suddenly though, the crowd started moving back the other way and Marius shouted something, The woman and I both managed to regain our footing in that minute. I couldn’t see what was wrong and stopped to try to see. In that moment I saw, National Guard horsemen bearing down on us. I ran with the rest. I couldn’t see Marius or Eponine any more. Someone caught my hand, it was the urchin, Gavroche, who hung around with the ABC members. As the crowd dispersed into the back streets, Henri suddenly appeared from a doorway beside us and led us down a back alley I had never noticed before.  Suddenly we were in one of the streets when had marked on the map as a good location for barricades, and right next to one of our “safe houses”.  A group of men were already dragging accumulated debris and old furniture out of the house and building the barricade. Gavroche ran into the house. Henri joined the men, I followed Gavroche into the house as I had just remembered I still had the shot in my pocket, that I had forgotten about. Most of the other girls were sat at a table cleaning and loading guns, I dropped the packet on the table.  Enjolras came up behind me. “Adele, you know Marius don’t you?”  “yes” I responded. “Try and find him” Enjolras said, “we need him here.  He vanished in the crowd”  “If hes alive” one of the girls at the table said “ there were a lot of people killed at the funeral” I looked at her, worried, but trying to remain confident. Revolution is always light-hearted until you start to loose your friends. “He will be around somewhere”. I left before anyone could see my tears, I was pretty sure that Maruis would have been killed.

 

 

 

Chapter 4 – The barricades.

 

Outside, the barricade was well on its way to being finished,  Henri was organising a group of people in the courtyard of the house  “If we fight, we can win the day!” he was shouting.  I slipped down the side alley and looked further down . Marius, with Eponine, was sat under some trees  on a bench behind the house, that had somehow avoided being pulled up for the barricades, talking. I ran over, I was sharp in my relief. “Marius, I knew we can count on you. Don’t just sit there, there’s work to be done!” A burst of gunfire, very close by, interrupted me. “They’re getting closer!”  Marius nodded, and I ran back to the safe house. Henri and Enjolras were having a heated discussion outside the door. “Where is he?” “coming” I said. “Get him to hurry, and take a gun with you” Henri said.

I went out again,  a rifle in my hand. Maruis and Eponine, were still talking, and walking down the alley towards us. “Marius! What are you waiting for?” I shouted “we need you!” I ducked back indoors “He’s here” “About time” Henri said.  “I have found a lot more people but we are still under-manned.”  I had never seen Henri look so worried.

A loud burst of gunfire made us all look around. “They’re here!” someone shouted. We stampeded out of the door, snatching up guns and rifles and taking up postions behind the barricade.

At the street corner, a group of National Guard were based, firing occasional shots into the barricade. “Hallo Adele” a voice said behind me. I glanced back, as I ducked down behind the barricade, “Hallo Eponine.” I turned my attention back to the barricade and fired a shot at a slightly too adventurous guardsman. Several other people came up behind us.

Suddenly Eponine touched my shoulder “ That man is not one of us”.  “Who?” I asked, not paying a lot of attention. “that one” Eponine pointed to a dour looking man next to her, He looked round “he’s a Police spy” Eponine added. That got my attention. I looked at Henri “Did you hear that?”  “The girl’s lying” the man said “I am not a policeman!” “I recognise him!” Eponine insisted, now holding the man at bay with her rifle. Marius looked round and did a double take. “ He is a policeman. His name is Javert, Inspector Javert.”  I turned my rifle on the policeman as well, “Search him, he must have some identification” I said urgently to Henri, who seized the mans pistol. “there is no need” the man said “I am Inspector Javert” “Well! We had better lock him up Henri” Marius said.  I couldn’t believe that! “Are you INSANE?” I exclaimed “He’s a police spy, he can point his finger at each one of us if the battle goes against us!” “Adele’s right” Henri said. Another man joined us, who I vaguely recognised from the Luxembourg gardens “Let me do it”. “Very well” Henri said “you have permission to execute the spy”. The man pushed Javert away, and we turned back to the barricade, and the battle, which was getting more intense as more Guards had pushed a cart across the street, as shelter from our bullets. People our side started falling and I realised in a split second that this was no longer a glorious revolution and that we were fighting for our lives. Several people left the barricade, obviously to try to escape.  I couldn’t blame them, not a lot of people would die for their principles. Henri was firing and re-loading as fast as possible, between us, Eponine fell, and as I saw Marius apparently wounded, sink to the floor, something knocked me to the ground.  It took me a second to realise I had been shot as well. As my world grew dark, the last thing I saw was Henri, still fighting.

 

 

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