Clara listened intently to what Enjolras was saying as she handed out leaflets to the increasing crowd.

   " - We must rise to fight back! And when we fall, let others rise to take our place!" Enjolras spoke loudly.

  "Until the earth is free!" Someone added, shouting over the cheers of the crowd.

 Clara turned to Kaylin who was beside her.

   "Where's Enjolras going to be this afternoon?" She asked, handing another leaflet to a man.

  Kaylin looked at her oddly. "We'll all be at Combeferre's place, why?" She questioned.

   "Nothing important, just needed to know..." Clara smiled. 

  "You planning on kidnapping him to try to make him less... serious?" AJ guessed, coming up. 

      "Oh please kidnap him and knock some sense into his revolution-filled head!" Kaylin's eyes widened with mischief.

    "Oh don't be silly, I'm not kidnapping him," Clara rolled her eyes playfully, "I just need to know so that I can pick him up."

   "Pick him up for what?" AJ asked.

  "Something important." Clara replied vaguely.

 "Down with the king!" Someone in the crowd cried out.

    "Down with the monarchy!" Others cried.

   AJ and Kaylin gave Clara a sympathetic look, but she didn't mind. Her mind was set. If the outcasts of the city and throughout all of France were to have a better life, her father would have to be booted of his throne. 

    Clara searched the crowds for her brother and found him with Combeferre, handing out more leaflets. 

   She then spotted Gavroche on Courfeyrac's back. Clara smiled. She had noticed that the two had a close brotherly bond. 

   Suddenly, the sharp shrill of whistles filled the air.

  "It's the police!" Gavroche yelled.

     A shot rang out and a few screamed.

   Combeferre reached Kaylin's side. "Come on!" He shouted so that he could be heard.

    "We need to go! It's going to get ugly..." Courfeyrac grabbed AJ's hand and started to lead her threw the thick throng of the crowd, not noticing that she was blushing.

   Clara felt someone grab her hand just as another shot rang out and someone hissed next to her. The person started dragging her threw the crowd, weaving threw the mass.

  Looking at who it was, Clara saw blonde curls and a red jacket. 

    Enjolras.

   Leading her threw back alleys and streets, Enjolras finally started slowing down. 

  It was then Clara noticed the trickle of blood seeping through the sleeve of his jacket.

    "You're hurt!" She exclaimed in horror. 

  "I'm fine. The bullet just grazed my arm, it's nothing serious." Enjolras shrugged as slipped his jacket off and rolled his left sleeve up to check his arm. 

   "Let me have a look..." Clara said gently, taking a hold of his arm. 

   Enjolras watched her as she took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood before binding the arm with it. 

  "There!" Clara stepped back to look over her handiwork.

  "Thanks..." Enjolras nodded stiffly.  

 "You're welcome." Clara smiled slightly. 

   ~*⚜*~

     "Clara, darling, where are you going?" Queen Maria Amalia asked, as her daughter excused herself from the lunch table.

  "I'm going to the Combeferre Estate to pick someone up and then we're both going to visit the barracks, mother dear." Clara replied. 

  Queen Maria Amalia hesitated, but nodded eventually. "Stay safe." 

  "I will!" Clara called back as she left the dining hall.

     Clara made her way through the palace and out to where the carriage was waiting for her.

   "Where to, your highness?" The coachman asked, as a royal livery opened the door and helped her in. 

   "The Combeferre Estate, please." Clara said, as she sat down.

   As the carriage drove threw the streets, Clara looked out the window. She was rehearsing an argument just in case Enjolras was so stubborn on coming with her.

   If that still wasn't enough, she would just drag him, or have Kaylin drag him, to the carriage and shove him in. 

   "The Combeferre Estate, your highness." The coachman announced as they pulled up in front of the steps leading to the front door of a huge cream-coloured mansion. 

   "Thank you, I'll be right back." Clara smiled as she descended from the carriage.

  Reaching the front door, she knocked. A few seconds later, the butler opened the door.

   "Oh! Bonjour, your highness, what a pleasure to have you grace us with your presence. What may I do for you?" The butler asked  as she ushered Clara in.

   "Bonjour! Is Lord Marcelin Enjolras here? I believe his sister told me they were all going to be here." Clara requested politely.

  "Why yes! Come this way..." The butler lead the way through the halls. 

  "They're all in here, if you need anything, your highness, just ring for me or any of the staff. We'll be happy to help." He bowed before he left her.

   Clara opened the door to the drawing room and slipped in.

  Courfeyrac and AJ were seated on a lounger, chatting and laughing away. Clara could see a light pink dusting AJ's cheeks.

    Looking around, she saw Combeferre, Grantaire and Kaylin at a table, Grantaire drinking wine of course, the others standing here and there and finally, Enjolras sitting at a table of his own, a book in one hand and a pen in the other that was furiously scribbling down notes.

   "Clara!" AJ exclaimed as she noticed her friend standing in the doorway.

  "Bonjour everyone!" Clara greeted them as she took off her gloves.

  "Bonjour!" 

     "So what's going on?" Clara asked as she settled down on a lounger. 

   "Nothing much, just relaxing before the meeting tonight." AJ said.

     "Yeah," Kaylin nodded, "Did you get out okay this morning when the police came?" 

  "Yeah, I did, thanks to Enjolras again. I then had to deal with his grazed arm." Clara explained. 

     All eyes turned to Enjolras.

  "What?!" Kaylin exclaimed.

 "I'm fine, nothing to worry about. A bullet just grazed my arm." Enjolras waved it off, still scribbling down notes furiously. 

  "Are you sure?" Kaylin asked.

 "We can get Joly to take a look." Courfeyrac said.

  "Did you bind it?" Combeferre asked.

     "Quite sure, no I don't need Joly to look at it, and yes, Clara bound it..." Enjolras drawled, as if he had rehearsed it in advance.

   "If you're sure..." Courfeyrac shrugged, draping an arm over the back of the lounger, slightly touching AJ making her blush.

   "Well, if you all don't mind, I'd like to borrow Enjolras for the afternoon." Clara announced.

  Well that caught his attention.

   Enjolras dropped the book he was holding on to the table and snapped his head round to look at her.

   "What on earth for?" He demanded.

  "You'll see, and trust me, you'll be grateful." Clara said as she stood up. 

 Enjolras narrowed his eyes.

   "Come on, I'm not going to kill you. Relax..." Clara rolled her eyes as she stood up, putting on her gloves again. 

   "Just go, Enjolras." Kaylin grinned.

  Enjolras gritted his teeth as he stood up and grabbed his jacket.

   "Adieu!" Clara waved goodbye to the others as she and Clara left the room. 

     "Where are we going?" Enjolras demanded as they both left the mansion.

   "The barracks," Clara replied, "We're going to get more information... you did say you wanted more information." 

   Enjolras raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

 The ride to the barracks was done in silence, Clara feeling awkward because Enjolras seemed to have been ignoring her.

   "The barracks, your highness." The coachman announced.

  "Thank you, Raphael. You may return to the palace, there is no need to wait, and I was planning on walking anyway." Clara said as she stepped down after Enjolras. 

   "Of course, your highness." Raphael nodded before driving off.

  "Princess Clara! How lovely to have you back here! And Lord Enjolras! It's a pleasure to see you again. I haven't seen you since you trained the last of our cadets." Captain Allard greeted them at the gates.

   Clara turned to look at Enjolras.

  "You trained some of these guards?!" She was astonished.

  "Yeah... a couple of times. My father trained Captain Allard if I'm not mistaken..." Enjolras explained, shaking Captain Allard's offered hand.

   "Correct! A brilliant memory, my lord. You have a great talent for firearms, much like her highness here." Captain Allard nodded in Clara's direction.

   Enjolras studied Clara carefully. "We'll see about that..." 

  A few minutes later, Clara found herself shouldering a musket and firing at a target, listening to Enjolras' instructions. 

  "Relax! You'll cause yourself more harm than to your enemy..." Enjolras barked out.

 "Sorry!" Clara called back.

    Enjolras sighed, "Stop stop stop! You're giving me a headache! You're good, but at times you tense up." He said.

  "Right, I'll take you around the barracks then..." Captain Allard said, leading the way.

~*⚜*~

    Hours later, walking through the streets, Enjolras stayed two paces in front of Clara and kept his mouth in a thin line. 

   Seeing the poor sitting by the side of the streets made his blood boil. These were the king's subjects, and a fat lot of good he's done in taking care of them.

  "Wait! I want to go in here a minute." Clara called out to him.

  Enjolras turned just in time to see Clara entering a cathedral. 

   Weighing the options of leaving her there and just making his way to the Café or going in after her to wait, he decided it was safer for him to go in after her. His sister would have his head on a gold platter if he left her to make her own way to the Café. 

   Entering the cathedral, he saw Clara standing near the entrance looking at a painting of the baby Jesus in his mother's arms.

   "I don't know if you can hear me, or if your even there." He heard Clara sing softly, "I don't know if you would listen, to a princess's prayer. Yes, I know I'm not always perfect, I maybe  shouldn't speak to you. Still I see your face and wonder, were you once an outcast too..." 

   Enjolras leaned against a column near the entrance, crossing his arms as he listened to Clara sing. 

   "God help the outcasts, hungry from birth. Show them the mercy, they don't find on earth. God help my people, they look to you still... God help the outcasts, or nobody will..." Clara sang quietly, fiddling with the lace cuffs of her sleeve.

     "I ask for wealth."

     "I ask for fame."

     "I ask for glory to shine on my name."

   The other nobles and people in the cathedral prayed. 

     "I ask for love, I can possess. I ask for God and his angels to bless me!" They prayed.

   "I ask for nothing, I can get by. But I know so many less lucky than I." Clara continued singing, "Please help my people, the poor and down-trod. I thought, we all were the children of good." 

   Enjolras felt something he had never felt before as he listened to her sing, but he immediately pushed it away.

  "God help the outcasts... children of God." Clara finished, sighing.

 Turning, Clara spotted Enjolras watching her from his spot by the entrance.

   "Oh, sorry to keep you waiting. You ready to get going?" Clara asked, making her way towards him.

   Enjolras nodded, pushing himself off the column and striding out the door. 

 ~*⚜*~

    "Then once we've gotten enough, I'll go back and set the place on fire to destroy the rest." Enjolras finished what he had planned out in his mind on the walk.

  "Are you sure?" Combeferre raised an eyebrow.

  Enjolras hesitated before nodding. "I'll be fine." He assured him.

    "So what are the groups?" AJ asked.

  "The first group going will be Combeferre, Kaylin, Bahorel, Marius and one of Gavroche's friends," Enjolras started listing, "Next will be Courfeyrac, AJ, Feuilly and another of Gavroche's friends. Third will be Joly, Bossuet, Jehan, and again, one of Gavroche's friends. And last will be me, Grantaire, Sébastien, Clara and Gavroche. We'll have a couple or so more of his friends to open the gates at the mansions to let the carriages in. Volunteers are to be at the mansions to help unload. Is that clear?"

   Everyone nodded. 

 "Right then, we're done here." Enjolras went to his table and began writing again.

 All the volunteers started leaving slowly, while everyone else stayed on.

   "Bonjour mademoiselle Clara!" Gavroche beamed as he plopped himself down on the chair next to her. 

   "Why! Bonjour monsieur Gavroche!" Clara smiled down at the young boy, putting an arm around his shoulders. 

   "Can yous sing for us please?" He asked, munching on a pastry Kaylin had given him.

 "I don't think Enjolras would approve." Clara laughed.

   "Please?! I really want to 'ear yous sing. 'Nd it's fine. The meeting is done an'way, so Enjolras won't mind." Gavroche pressed on.

   "What's going on?" Courfeyrac asked as he came up with a steaming mug of tea in his hand. 

  "Me's tryin' to get mademoiselle Clara to sing for us." Gavroche explained.

    "Go on then, sing for us." Courfeyrac sat on the chair on the opposite side of Gavroche.

  "But Enjolras -" Clara protested.

    "Go on! Sing!" AJ said, coming up to stand behind Courfeyrac.

  "I would like to hear you sing too." Kaylin smiled, as she neared with Combeferre and Grantaire. 

   Sighing, Clara smiled, relenting to their wishes. 

 "I'm nothing special, in fact, I'm a bit of a bore..." Clara started, pulling Gavroche onto her lap, "When I tell a joke, you've probably heard it before." 

    Everyone else stopped what they were doing, turning their attention to her and drawing nearer to listen.

    "But I have a talent, a wonderful thing. 'Cause everyone listens when I start to sing, I'm so grateful and proud..." Clara sang, suddenly surprised when Grantaire started accompanying her on the small piano in the corner. 

   "All I want, is to sing it out loud! So I say, thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing," Clara giggled as Gavroche beamed up at her, obviously delighted. "Thanks for all the joy they're bringing. Who can live without it? I ask in all honesty, what will life be, without a song or a dance what are we? So I say thank you for the music, for giving it to me." 

  Discreetly, Enjolras had paused in his writing and was secretly listening to Clara singing for the second time that day. 'She's got a lovely voice...' He thought, 'like mother when she used to sing before the...' He quickly shook his head at the thought, but continued listening to Clara.

   "Mother says I was a dancer before I could walk," Clara stood up and twirled Gavroche around as he laughed and skipped. "She says I began, to sing long before I could talk." 

   "That is true..." Sébastien snorted, grinning. Everyone laughed.

  "But I often wonder, how did it all start? Who found out that nothing can capture a heart, like a melody can... Well whoever it was, I'm a fan! So I say thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing." Clara swung Gavroche round in a dance.

  Enjolras watched them, unable to concentrate on the speech he was making, but also because he couldn't stop. He couldn't stop listening to her, and thinking about how much she reminded him of his mother. Well, what his mother used to be.

    "Thanks for all the joy they're bringing! Who can live without it? I ask in all honesty, what will life be, without a song or a dance what are we? So I say thank you for the music for giving it to me." Clara laughed as Courfeyrac bowed playfully at AJ and offered her a hand to dance, which she accepted with a blush.

   "I've, been so lucky, I am the girl with golden hair. I wanna sing it out to everybody... What a joy, what a life, what a cha-a-a-ance!" Clara pulled Combeferre and Kaylin to come and join in the dancing.

  "Thank you for the music! The songs I'm singing. Thanks for all the joy they're bringing. Who can live without it? I ask in all honesty, what will life be? Without a song or a dance, what are we? So I say thank you for the music for giving it to me..." Clara laughed as she finished, "So I say thank you for the music, for giving it to me!" 

   "Bravo!" Grantaire and Gavroche clapped wildly as Clara blushed.

  "That was lovely!" Kaylin said.

     "Merci!" Clara sat down on a chair.

   "Yeah, you have a lovely voice..." A voice spoke up.

  All eyes turned to the table where Enjolras was back to writing his speech, unaware of the attention he had just gotten.

  "Umm, thank you..." Clara's cheeks were dusted a pale pink at the compliment he had given her.

    As everyone went back to what they were originally doing, Kaylin plopped down on the seat next to her.

   "What have you done?" She whispered, a teasing grin spreading across her face.

  "What?" Clara looked at her confused.

    "To Enjolras, what have you done to my brother? He gave you a compliment! Clara, a compliment! He never gives anyone a compliment!" Kaylin looked excited.

   "She's right you know," AJ joined in as she sat in the other seat, "That's the first time any of us have ever heard him give any kind of compliments or praise."

   "It's no big deal..." Clara tried to brush it off.

  "No big deal! You've done something to him, and I consider that a great achievement." Kaylin laughed.

   "What she said!" AJ grinned.

  "By the way, my parents are holding a ball next week, and I asked if I could invite you and they said yes. So, can you please come! It would make the ball more bearable." Kaylin said.

   "Yes, of course I can!" Clara smiled.

  "Sébastien will be going too, my brother's doing. Of course, everyone in the 'Les Amis' will be there. Except for Gavroche, unfortunately." Kaylin explained.

    As the three girls chatted, Enjolras was watching Clara out of the corner of his eye.

  He knew she was having some kind of effect on him, and he wasn't sure if he was liking it... 

~|~*~|~⚜~|~*~|~

https://youtu.be/kmGzQ-RdhRQ

   There!!! Chapter 9 is finally out!!! I am so sorry for the long wait!!! 

  Hope you all enjoyed it and I'll see you all in the next one!!!

    Claire xxx⚜