Clara felt nervous as she looked outside the window of the carriage. 

   She didn't know why, but she felt as if she was about to waltz into a lion's den. 

  "Have you been there before?" Clara turned to her brother.

  "To the Enjolras Estate?" Sébastien looked up from his book, "Yeah, I have. It's quite the... well, you'll see. The Enjolras family is very wealthy, and Earl Enjolras certainly displays it." 

   Sébastien returned to his book while Clara returned to gazing out the window.

  "You know, I'm surprised Enjolras complimented your singing the last week. He never gives compliments to anyone." Sébastien spoke up again.

   "I know, Kaylin and AJ were shocked when they told me." Clara laughed.

  The carriage turned off into a lovely ornate gate. A few minutes later, Clara found out what her brother meant when the carriage pulled up in front of a huge, impressive-looking manor.

   "Wow!" Clara gasped as she stepped down from the carriage, being helped by the coachman. 

 "I know, no matter how many times I come here, it's so breath taking." Sébastien nodded, following her.

  Clara agreed. It was breath taking. 

  They made their way up the steps and entered the manor. Clara was greeted with the sight of mahogany, gold and silver furniture. They're coats were taken away and they were led to the ballroom. 

   An announcer was at the entrance, and after telling him who they were, he announced them.

 "His royal highness, Prince Sébastien Adrien-Phillipe, and her royal highness, Princess Clara Francesca Isabelle." 

   Clara and Sébastien descended the stairs into the buzzing, colourful, ballroom.

"Can you see the others yet?" Clara whispered.

   "I think I can see Kaylin and AJ... Oh and Combeferre." Sébastien whispered back, "Oh! And I can see Enjolras weaving in and out of the crowds avoiding three girls by the looks of it." 

   "I'm not surprised..." Clara giggled.

  "Clara!" Kaylin and AJ squealed when she finally reached them.

 "Bonjour!" Clara greeted them, grinning. 

 "Enjolras is around." Kaylin said randomly.

    "What?" Clara looked at her.

 "Don't act all innocent. We know you like him, and that you've changed him." AJ grinned. 

    Clara started blushing and ducked her head, looking down at the polished floor,

  "Ooh! She's blushing, that means we're right!" Kaylin cheered.

 "Right about what?" Courfeyrac asked, as he, Combeferre and Grantaire came up to them. 

    "Nothing!" Clara immediately said, her head shooting up to give Kaylin and AJ a warning glance. 

   "Okay..." Grantaire looked suspicious, not buying it.

  "Here he comes..." AJ whispered to Clara, grinning.

 Clara turned to see Enjolras making his way towards them with two girls practically hanging off his arms and obviously flirting with him.

   "Poor Enjolras..." Kaylin looked sympathetically in her brother's direction, "It's like this at every ball."

   Clara watched as Enjolras looked stiff and was trying to look anywhere but at the two girls next to him.

   "Well, looks like I can repay him for rescuing me..." Clara said, handing Grantaire her champagne class and starting to make her way towards Enjolras.

   "So, Lord Marcelin, you have a wonderful home! I've only been here once before, and I didn't have the honour of speaking to you because you were away in university some where... Germany, was it?" One of the girls was saying.

   "England." Enjolras replied shortly.

  "Excuse me, ladies, so sorry to interrupt. But I do believe you owe me a dance, Lord Marcelin?" Clara directed the question at the said man.

   "I - what? I do?" Enjolras was about to protest but Clara looked pointedly at him. "Right, uh... yes. Excuse us..." Enjolras bowed gracefully to the two girls and offered his hand out to Clara. 

   As they stepped out onto the dance floor, Enjolras whispered, "Thanks... for the save back there." 

   "You're welcome, just repaying you for saving me, three times has it been now?" Clara giggled.

  Enjolras rolled his eyes. "I'm starting to wonder if you're prone to danger, your highness." He smirked. 

   "Why! I do believe you might be right, your lordship." Clara laughed. 

  Enjolras listened to the sound of her laugh. It was a soft, gentle laugh, like his mother's. But then again, his mother hasn't laughed in 21 years, so he had no idea how it would sound like now.

   "I must say, I didn't expect you to dance so well..." Clara complimented him, "All the other men I've ever danced with always steps on my foot, my brothers included."

   "My parents got me five tutors just to teach me how to dance properly.... it was a nightmare." Enjolras sighed.

   "Well, the lessons payed off to a certain extent." Clara smiled.

  Kaylin and AJ were watching the pair waltz around the room with grins on their faces.

 "What is so amusing?! First Clara's acting odd, now you're both grinning like lunatics!" Grantaire exclaimed, coming to stand beside them.

   "Clara's got a crush on Enjolras!" AJ sang, nodding towards the dancefloor. 

  Grantaire's eyes widened. 

    "Oh my goodness...." He said, jaw dropping open.

  "I know right!" Kaylin beamed.

     "Please can I tease Enjolras about this later?!" Grantaire begged.

  "Oh absolutely! With my blessing!" Kaylin nodded eagerly, "Tease him all you want!"

   "Who can tease who all they want?" Courfeyrac asked, taking a sip from his champagne as he came to stand behind AJ.

   "Grantaire. He's going to tease Enjolras about dancing with Clara. And AJ and I," Kaylin said dramatically, "are going to be teasing Clara about her crush on my dearest brother!"

    Courfeyrac's eyebrows shot up, "Clara has a crush on Enjolras?!" 

   "Well, she hasn't confirmed it, but it's pretty obvious! She was blushing earlier when we mentioned Enjolras to her." AJ said.

   "Well, Enjolras is going to be really hard to get..." Courfeyrac whistled. 

   They were interrupted when Enjolras and Clara joined them, Enjolras smirking and Clara giggling.

    "Oh my days! Did you actually say that? Oh dear, the poor girl!" Clara was giggling histerically.

    "What's amusing you?" Courfeyrac asked.

    "Enjolras was saying that he once told a high-class girl who was flirting with him that he didn't care whether her soul was lonely or not and that she should go bother someone else for marriage." Clara explained between giggles. 

    "Oh goodness, I remember that.... And to make it even better, it was the girl's birthday too." Courfeyrac laughed.

   "Really?!" Clara's eyes widened, turning to Enjolras, "You didn't tell me that!"

   "You never asked!" Enjolras rolled his eyes playfully.

   Kaylin was looking at him in shock. Something was different, yet she couldn't be exactly sure about her suspicions. 

   "I need some fresh air, I've been laughing to much!" Clara fanned herself with one hand as she grabbed a glass of champagne with the other. 

    "Come out to the garden then? I need to get away from here anyway before my mother drags me off to meet some lady or duchess or someone who's either twice my age or still practically a baby." Enjolras said, offering his arm for her to take.

   Combeferre came up just in time to see Enjolras and Clara walking away arm in arm towards the outside balconies to take the staircase to the gardens.

   "Errr... Are my eyes playing with me, or did I just see.... Enjolras and Clara walking off together?" Combeferre asked, stunned.

   "Nope, it's all true..." AJ nodded.

  They discreetly followed them out onto the balcony and watched as the two walked through the gardens.

    "I can see what's happening..." Grantaire sang, grinning.

   "What?" Combeffere looked at him.

  "And they, don't have a clue," Grantaire continued.

    "Who?" Courfeyrac played along, smirking as he took a sip from his glass.

   "They'll fall in love, and here's the bottom line, the marble's gonna go." Grantaire sang dramatically.

   "Enjolras? Falling in love? Don't pull my leg..." AJ grinned.

   "Ze sweet caress of twilight!" Grantaire waved his arm to the sky. 

   "There's magic in the air!" Combeffere grinned, wrapping an arm around Kaylin's shoulders. 

   "And with all this romantic atmosphere, disaster's in the air..." Courfeyrac laughed. 

   "Can you feel the love tonight?" Kaylin sang, leaning her head against Combeferre's shoulder.

   "The peace the evening brings," AJ added.

   "The world for once, in perfect harmony, with all its living things." Kaylin smiled.

 Enjolras watched as Clara skipped ahead like a child, laughing and smiling.

   "So many things about me, but how to make her see? The truth about my past? Impossible! She'd turn away from me..." Enjolras sighed, frowning a little bit.

   "He's holding back, he's hiding, but what? I can't decide... Why won't he be that man I know he is, the man I've seen inside?" Clara sang, glancing at Enjolras.

   "Can you feel the love tonight?" The five on the balcony sang, "The peace the evening brings. The world, for once, in perfect harmony. With all its living things."

   "Can you feel the love tonight?" Kaylin giggled. 

 "You needn't look too far..." Combeferre agreed. 

  "Stealing through the night's uncertainties," Courfeyrac grinned. 

    "Love is where they are." AJ smiled, pointing at Enjolras and Clara sitting by a water fountain. 

    "And if he falls in love tonight," Grantaire sang dramatically mournful, "It can be assumed..."

  "His marble days, with us are history..." Courfeyrac laughed.

     "In short our pal... is doomed!" Grantaire, Combeferre and Courfeyrac burst out laughing. 

   "I am so teasing Clara later for this!" Kaylin gasped, wiping literal tears of laughter from her eyes.

   "Same!" AJ giggled.

   "And Enjolras.... will be hearing from us." Courfeyrac smirked.

~⚜~

      A couple of hours later and the ball was still going on. 

   "You have got to be more social! That's the tenth time in the last half hour that you've ducked out of sight from a girl!" Clara giggled uncontrollably, nearly spilling the contents of her glass.

   "No way am I speaking to a stuck up girl!" Enjolras scowled.

  "Well then, another dance? At least then you won't have to hide from anybody because they'll see that you're occupied." Clara offered.

    "Fine..." Enjolras sighed.

  "Why did you give me a compliment the other week?" Clara asked suddenly, as they waltzed around the room.

   "What?" Enjolras raised an eyebrow.

  "You know what I'm talking about, after I sang at the meeting, you gave me a compliment. Why?" Clara searched his eyes for some form of answer.

    "Well, it's true... you do have a... nice singing voice." Enjolras diverted his eyes away from her, embarrassed and bashful.

   "That's what I'm getting at, Kaylin and AJ told me that you never compliment anyone. So why did you compliment me?" Clara 

   Enjolras stayed silent, and she could see that he was having a mental battle. 

  "I... c-can't say..." Enjolras sighed, "It's complicated and burried in the past and will not be unearthed any time soon..." 

   "Okay, I understand and respect that." Clara smiled.

  Enjolras drew in a breath of relief, "You know, if it was Kaylin, she would have pestered me to tell." 

   "I can believe that..." Clara laughed.

  And there is was again, Enjolras thought, her laugh. So similar to his mothers. 

   "Anyway, how are we going to -" Clara started before her eyes widened in shock.

  "Enjolras! Look out!" Someone yelled.

     Enjolras spun around startled.

   Courfeyrac, Combeferre and Sébastien were pushing their way through the guests towards them.

   A gunshot rang out through the hall. Ladies screamed and men gasped as they watched the scene unfold.

   "Enjolras! Oh my goodness..." Clara covered her mouth with one hand as she dropped to her knees next to him. 

   Two guards charged through and grabbed onto the man who fired the shot.

  Combeferre and Courfeyrac stumbled to their feet, breathing heavily as they helped Enjolras into a sitting position.

  "Thanks..." Enjolras nodded.

  "You're welcome, anytime." Courfeyrac nodded back.

 "Silver serving trays make great shields." Sébastien commented, looking down at the tray with an obvious dent where it got struck by the bullet. 

   "Are you alright?" Clara asked them all.

  "I'm fine..." Enjolras nodded, getting up to his feet.

     "Enjolras!" 

   Kaylin barrelled into her brother's arms. 

   "You're alive, you're alright..." She sobbed out.

    "It's okay, I'm okay." Enjolras murmured into her hair as he held her tightly.

   "I'm afraid, but we have to cut this evening short, we have some... family business to take care of." Earl Eduard said icily.

   "If it wasn't for his interfering friends, you're son should be dead! He deserves to be dead!" The guilty man yelled, struggling against the guards' grip.

   "Be quiet, Sir Pierre! You and your family have never been welcome on to this estate!" Earl Eduard barked out, as more guards ushered the guests out. 

   "Who is he?" Clara whispered to her brother.

   "Sir Pierre Archambeau, a long-time family rival to the Enjolrases. It has been a long time since the Archambeaus have tried to take out an Enjolras heir."  Sébastien explained.

   "Kay? Kaylin!" Enjolras exclaimed.

   "What happened? What's wrong with her?" AJ asked.

   "She collapsed!" Enjolras replied, picking his sister up in his arms.

   "Let's take her to one of the libraries and wait for her to wake up..." Combeferre suggested.

    Enjolras nodded.

  "Where's the kitchen? I'll go make us all some hot chocolate." Clara said.

  "That's sounds good to me, thanks... It's downstairs, you'll find it easily enough."

~|~*~|~⚜~|~*~|~

https://youtu.be/_XqIzVj6Jtk

    Hope you enjoyed reading this and I'll see you all in the next chapter!!!

 (Again, video and song is not mine)

 Claire xxx⚜