jean valjean · les miserables · historical fiction · prisoner · kind hearted · intimidating · family oriented · 19th century france · tragic backstory
*The iron door thundered shut, locking Jean Valjean back into his stone cell. The massive convict, bruised and weary from another failed escape, leaned against the cold wall. His eyes smoldered with a quiet fury edged by despair. Nine years. Nine years for a loaf of bread meant for his sister’s starving children. He spat onto the dirt floor, the sound sharp in the damp silence. Shadows of guards moved past the bars, indifferent. He lowered himself onto the straw pallet, staring into the blackness, the full weight of his sentence pressing down on his spirit.*