Chapter Text
"They're coming!"
People are yelling, and Marius is running. They're all running, but Marius especially. He's taken his shoes off to get a better grip on the ground and he's propelling forward. His breath is coming out quickly, making icy clouds in the frosty air. His face is numb from the cold and he's fairly certain his cheeks are red enough that his freckles no longer show. On another day, he would be glad about that. But not today. His dirty brown tunic is clinging to his body as he runs forward and away. His feet are catching on twigs and stones and his toes are hurting, but he doesn't care because they're coming.
"Caroline!" he calls out, hoping to find the beautiful blonde girl. He doesn't stop running, though. He can't stop, because then they'll catch him. "Caroline!" He calls out, again and again, still running and running.
"She's been caught." The voice stops him in his tracks. It's a familiar voice - one that always came with a heavy feeling in his gut. It's there now, too, but multiplied by the words she speaks.
"No." Marius says it resolutely, not turning to look at the woman's face. It's a face he knows well though, from the battle the year before. When her husband went mad and-
"Yes." And oh, does that make him feel sick. But she's lying, she has to be. Finally he turns, and the woman he never learned the name of because he'd always been too afraid to ask is looking at him with an earnest face. "But I can help you."
A spark of hope runs through him. Caroline can be saved. "How?"
"Magic." She says it simply and sweetly, but it still makes him want to run. The dark arts are something he was taught to never mess with. But this is Caroline and he needs her to live.
"Why?" says Marius, suspiciously and with a slight break in his voice. The witch cackles and smiles an eerie smile. She says:
"Do you want your betrothed, my dear, or not? Time is running out, after all. I can't help her if she's dead." Marius doesn't point out that she didn't answer his question, because she's right. Time is of the essence, and he needs Caroline to live. He nods and the witch grins, big and wide, showing her rotting teeth. "I'll save her."
"What's in it for you? What do you want in return?"
"Agree, and I'll tell you."
"Agree?! Agree to what? Precious seconds tick by and you're wasting time by not giving me a straight answer!"
"You're a smart one," the woman ponders. "Oh, don't look at me like that. She has time. They're still looking for people and then they'll ride them back to the castle. They'll hang them in the morning." A bright anger rises in Marius. He's furious.
"Save her! Do whatever you want, just make sure she lives!" he shouts, eyes watering from the cold.
"Very well, dearie." And with those three words, a black cloud of smoke rises from the woman's mouth. The cloud soars up into the sky and off in the direction of his village. Marius watches silently for a few moments. When the smoke is no longer in sight, he looks at the woman. For a minute she does nothing, trapped in a frozen state. A loud shout escapes from her and when silence falls again the woman is smiling. "It is done."
"What did you do?"
"Oh, I just sent her soul through time and placed it in another person." Marius must look furious, or pitiful, because the witch's expression softens slightly. "You wanted me to save her, and I have. I've just done it in a way that would cause you some pain."
"Why? What have I done?"
"You killed my husband. You've taken him away from me, so I've taken your love from you."
"You did what I asked. You saved her. That's all I care about." And as he says the words, he knows for certain that they are true. The woman looks furious.
"Fine. Have it your way." She mumbles something under her breath -a language he's never heard before- and the smoke comes again. But now it's headed for him. For a moment, he thinks about running from it, but shakes the idea as he realizes he could never escape. Darkness washes over him. His head feels light and his eyes start to hurt. When light enters his vision, he's on the floor, lying down as if he'd fallen. He doesn't ask what she did to him because he doesn't want to know. She tells him anyway. "You are doomed to watch your love die. And to think I'd have spared her if you'd kept your pretty little mouth shut."
She comes towards him and the light catches on something in her hand. A knife, he realizes. He's too weak to move. He can't escape.
"Goodbye, Marius," she says, right before plunging the knife into his heart.
_______________________
He wakes with a start, gasping for air. He runs his fingers over the scar on his breast then runs his fingers through his hair. He looks different now. His hair is a peculiar cross between brown and red, often changing colours in different lights. His body is slimmer and taller. His face more narrow. His features make him look different, but he still has freckles running all over his body, his face, and even on his lips. It's a small comfort, having one thing the same, when everything else has changed.
He has two lives in his head, now. The one of Marius Blackburn, the lowly farmer's son who was going to marry for love, and the one of Marius Pontmercy, the rich student cum revolutionary. It makes him laugh when he thinks of that, because in his previous life, he'd have done anything to have the sort of money he threw away in this one. But he wouldn't change it, not for anything. He's determined to fight for what's right. Fight for the poor the way he should have back then.
"Marius," a calling voice interrupts his thoughts. "I hope you're up."
"Up, but not dressed, my friend," he calls back, happiness in his voice.
"Well, hurry up. We're going to be late, and then Enjolras will be in a mood." Courfeyrac's voice is filled with teasing.
"He's always in a mood," Marius laughs, pulling on his trousers.
"Yes, but even more so if you're late." Courfeyrac steps into the room and leans on the door frame. Marius pulls on his shirt and waistcoat, and laughs again. "Hurry, we want to get there before it ends." They share a look and a smile before setting off, Marius tying his scarf as they walked.
Courfeyrac is a friend that Marius never thought he would find. He's loyal, kind, and funny. He's generous -generous enough to let Marius stay at his apartment after he left his grandfather. Courf had taken Marius to a meeting of the Les Amis. Marius supposed the meeting would have gone alright, had Enjolras not been leading it. He doesn't even remember what they fought about, but they'd argued and Marius had been set against going back. Courf explained that Enjolras wasn't the easiest to get along with but he was a good leader, and Marius had been fighting for their cause since.
They get to the Cafe Musain quickly, entering the loud room with large smiles.
"You're late." Marius fights the urge to rolls his eyes. Enjolras doesn't smile. "Sit down." They take seats at one of the tables, and Marius turns to Courfeyrac. But before he opens his mouth, Enjolras stands up. "Right, now that everyone's here," he looks pointedly at Marius and Courfeyrac, "let's begin."