The Angel, the Songbird, and the Monster
Summary-
Madame Giry never got the chance to help Erik, but he never needed her help, for when the Gypsy Clan that held him captive came upon a small village in Sweden, Erik made his escape. As he was hiding in the woods, nursing his wounds, a small girl found him and helped him. The young girl, Christine, convinced her father to let Erik stay with them and Erik found himself drawn to the young girl. After helping the girl's father get a job at the Opera Populaire in France, the girl's father took ill, and as the man laid on his deathbed, Erik vowed to help his little songbird take flight. But when an old face comes to the Opera Populaire, will Erik be able to help his songbird stay a flight, or will his songbird be caged forever?
Chapter One-
A young boy of ten crouched in the shadow of a large tree, his sharp amber eyes two people with torches looked around the dark woods frantically searching for something. The boy pulled himself deeper into the shadow, willing his body to melt into it. These people were searching for him, and he would be damned if he let them catch him. After years of torture from the hands of these people, he had finally escaped, and he was not going to let them take him back to his cage.
Once the people moved from in front of him, and he was sure they had left the area, the boy took off deep into the woods. He nimbly jumped over fallen logs, and ducked low hanging branches as he ran. His eyes well tuned to seeing in the dark, seeing as those people always kept him in the dark, unless he was being showed off to other people as a 'Freak' and the 'Devil's Child'.
The boy's leg muscles, unused to to anything but pacing in his small cage, began to ache, but the boy did not stop running, he wanted to put as much distance between him and those people, those Gypsies. The boy's breath came out in harsh pants as he forced his weak and out of shape body to keep going. After running for another five minutes, the boy tripped over a root and not having the strength to get up, the boy laid there with his eyes closed. The last thought that ran through his mind as unconsciousness took hold of him was that he hoped he had gotten far enough away.
The boy had a strange dream that night, it was strange in that it wasn't a nightmare. In the dream, the boy had been found by a beautiful Angel in the form of a young girl with long chocolate brown hair and big beautiful honey brown eyes. And though the boy did not believe in God, or Angels, the boy felt that this girl was an Angel, sent to help him.
In the dream, the young Angel had seen his hideous face, yet had not screamed or ran away. All she had done was smile sadly at him and began apologizing to him. She apologized for all the pain he had been put through and promised that from now own she and her father would take care of him. The boy had allowed the young Angel to place his head in her lap as she gently ran her fingers through his hair in a soothing motion and began to hum to him. The Angel had given him her name, Christine it had been, and he had told her his. As the dream had come to a slow end, with him being pulled back into cold, dark, unconsciousness, the boy had let a single tear slip from his eye. He did not want this dream to end.
The boy's eyes snapped open as he heard the sound of the bushes beside him rustling. The boy forced his aching body to jump up and back away from the bush, fearing that the Gypsies had found him. In his fear of being captured, his more feral instincts kicked in. His body lowered to the ground, ready to bolt if what ever was coming to him was dangerous, and a low, guttural, cat-like growl escaped his throat.
The boy froze as the young Angel, Christine, stepped through the bush. She smiled at the boy before making her way towards him. The boy stayed where he was, wondering if he was dreaming again or not.
"Christine, where did you go?" A deep, male voice called, causing the boy to jump and move to run away, but was stopped by Christine's soft and soothing voice.
"It's okay, Erik, it's just my Papa, he won't hurt you." The boy's heart began to beat faster as she said his name, it had been so long since he heard his name being uttered. "We're over here, Papa!" Christine called softly. A second later, a man burst through the same bushes Christine had. Erik's mind screamed for him to run away, that Christine was lying to him and that she and this man was going to take him back to the Gypsies.
As if sensing he was about to move, Christine turned from looking at the man to face Erik, her hand lifted up to him. Erik could sense that she was silently asking him to stay, not telling him. This made Erik stop as something deep in him began to whisper that maybe he could trust this girl, this young Angel.
Erik watched as Christine turned her hand so that it was not longer up to him, but out to him, silently asking, begging, him to take her hand. Cautiously, Erik took her hand and watched in aw as Christine beamed up at him. No one had ever looked this happy that he, a freak, a monster, was touching them. His eyes dropped to their hands and his heart skipped a beat as he watched, and felt, as Christine slowly, carefully, folded her fingers around his hand before giving him a gently tug to his arm as she began to gently lead him somewhere.
"Papa," Christine said, and Erik's head snapped up to look at the man that Erik finally realized had been silently watching the two of them, "this is Erik. Erik, this is my Papa." Christine introduced them. Erik moved closer to Christine. He was uncomfortable and wanted to run away, but for some reason, he didn't want to leave Christine, his Angel.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Erik, I am Gustave Daaé, Christine's father. I am opening my home to you, you may come and go as you please." The man, Gustave, said and Erik felt his eyes tear up, never had he had this many people been so kind to him. He didn't deserve this, he was nothing but a freak, a monster. Erik bowed his head and let Christine gently lead him out of the woods and towards her's and her father's home.
\\'~'/
Erik stood in the shadow of the door way watching Christine and Gustave setting a small table fit for four. He had been staying with them for a little over a week and every night he vowed to himself that the next day would be his last day there. He didn't want to get too attached to Christine and her father, only to have them finally realize what he was and kick him out. But found himself never able to make himself leave the room they had given him. Last night, after a nightmare, he had been able to get to the hallway. But as he silently passed Christine's slightly opened door, something made him look into her room, and as soon as his eyes landed on her sleeping form, his need to leave left him.
Erik was brought back to the present as Christine suddenly spun around to face the door way he was standing in. Her eyes caught sight of him and held surprise before it quickly melted into happiness, this girl, this Angel, was happy to see him. "I was just about to go see if you were awake and hungry." She said as she slowly walked over to him, as if afraid that if she made any sudden movements he would bolt away. But Erik found that he could never run away from her, maybe Gustave, but never her.
He took her hand that she held out to him and let her lead him to the table. He took a spot next to Christine, and across from Gustave as the man sat down a bowl of steaming porridge. Erik patiently waited for Gustave to say grace, his eyes slowly found their way to Christine's face that was bent in silent prayer throughout the grace. Once the grace was over, Erik snapped his head down to his porridge, not wanting to be caught staring at Christine, a monster should not be allowed to be in the same place as something as beautiful and kind as Christine was.
With a silently sigh, Erik picked up his spoon and began to slowly eat his porridge. Though it was never much, the food that Gustave and Christine gave him was better than anything that those Gypsies ever gave him. "I thought that I would begin tutoring Christine on the piano," Gustave started causing Erik to glance up at him, "would you like to join in her tutoring?" Gustave asked Erik, shocking him. Erik dropped his spoon and stared at Gustave with his mouth open and felt himself slowly nod.
\\'~'/
Erik sat at the piano as he gently played a melody that had popped into his head. It had been about three weeks since Gustave had begun to tutor him and Christine on the piano, and Erik shocked everyone, even himself, at how quick he was able to take to it. A soft, happy sigh from his left caused Erik to turn his head towards the sound and found Christine leaning against the door way watching him with a soft smile.
"That's beautiful." She said to him as she slowly walked into the room, "Did you write it yourself?" She asked, her eyes falling to the crude mask Erik had made before they went to his eyes. Erik knew Christine didn't like it when he covered his face, she had told him so when he had tried to put a sack over his head, so he had made a compromise with himself, he would not cover his whole face, just the side that was deformed. So he took some unused leather and made a crude mask that only covered the right side of his face. Every time Christine's eyes fell on his mask, he saw the sadness in them, but she said nothing, as if sensing that this was the only way he could feel comfortable around her.
"Yes." Erik said quietly as he turned back around to face the piano. Even though he had been living with Gustave and Christine for about a month now, he found that the only person that he was actually comfortable talking to was Christine.
"Would you play something else for me?" Christine asked as she took a spot next to him on the small piano bench, causing her to be right up against him, in the most innocent way possible. The feel of her next to him made his heart race and his palms to sweat, he swallowed and rubbed his hands on his pants, to dry them, before placing his hands on the piano keys, finding that he could not find it in him to deny her. As he played another melody that had just flew into his mind, Erik suddenly began to fear that he may never be able to deny her anything.
He glanced at her and felt his heart soar at the sight of her happy face as she listened to his music with her eyes closed. And he found himself wondering if it not being able to deny this Angel anything would truly be a bad thing.
\\'~'/
Christine and Erik were sitting on the floor, listening to Gustave as he tutored a boy around eight how to play the violin. Erik winced slightly as the boy once again hit the wrong note in the song he was attempting to play. A soft giggle caused him to turn to Angel next to him and give her a soft smile, and take her hand in his to keep himself from standing up and showing the boy how to really play that song.
It had been a year since he began to live with Christine and Gustave, and slowly he was beginning to open up more. He had begun to allow them to touch him, he even began to initiate contact between him and Christine. He had begun to speak with Gustave, and even play for him as he did for Christine. And Erik found that he loved the feeling of the look Christine always gave him as he played her songs he had written, and had begun to write songs just for her. He also loved to listen to her sing as Gustave played his violin, Gustave was a very good violinist.
"That will be all for today, Joshua." Erik heard Gustave say to the boy. Erik turned and saw Gustave reach out and take the violin from the boy with a sigh. "Why don't you go play with Christine and Erik while I talk to your mother." Erik's eyes flew to the other side of the room where a woman with light brown, almost blond hair and blue eyes was patiently sitting, watching them. Erik knew what this meant, it meant that the boy would most likely not be coming back. Gustave had been trying to tutor the boy on the violin for about three months and he had not improved.
Erik sighed as he stood up, gently pulling Christine up with him. "Come, let up go outside and play while the adults talk." Erik said before leading Christine out of the room and outside, he glanced over his shoulder to make sure the boy, Joshua, was following them. Once they were outside Erik lead Christine to the small swing he had made for her and tied to a tree branch, he helped her on it before he gently began to push her on it. Erik kept a close eyes on Joshua, seeing as he was the oldest out of three and didn't want to be blamed if Joshua hurt him self. He watched as Joshua picked up a stick and began swinging it around. "Don't swing that around Christine, you might hit her and hurt her." Erik warned when Joshua got to close to Christine while swinging the stick.
"Make me." Joshua said in a bratish tone, but with a quick glare from Erik, Joshua backed up a safe distance from Christine. "Why do you wear the stupid mask?" Joshua asked and Erik tensed up but did not answer him as he continued to softly push Christine. "Did you hear me?" Joshua asked and Erik clinched his jaw, but continued to ignore him. "Answer me!" Joshua demanded.
"Leave him alone!" Christine cried jumping off the swing and stormed over to Joshua, Erik reached out to stop her but she gently shrugged him off. "He doesn't have to answer you if he doesn't want to!"
"Yes he does!" Joshua yelled and Erik watched, in slow motion, as Joshua lifted the stick up and swung it at Christine, hitting her with a loud 'SMACK' causing Christine to cry out in pain.
"Christine!" Erik cried and the next thing he knew, he was on top of Joshua punching him. Joshua cried out in fear and pain as he tried to push Erik off of him, but Erik was stronger and bigger than Joshua.
"Erik! Erik stop! I'm fine!" Erik heard Christine cry. He stopped in mid-punch and turned to look at her, he saw tears falling down her cheeks. Erik wasn't sure if he tears were of pain or of fear of him. Erik clinched his jaw in anger, and turned back to Joshua intending to give him one more punch before he got off of him. But Erik never got the chance, because as soon he turned turned back towards Joshua, he reached up and snatch his mask right off of him.
As Joshua screamed in terror, Erik flung himself way from the boy and covered the right side of his face as he curled into himself. He jumped as he felt arms wrap around him, as if trying to comfort him. "It's okay, shh, it's okay. I'm here." He heard Christine whisper to him and tears began fall from his eyes.
"Joshua!" He heard Joshua's mother cry.
"What's going on here?" He heard Gustave ask, he wanted to turn and explain what happened, but he was too ashamed to face the man.
"He's a freak mama! He hasn't got the right side of his face! He attacked me!" Erik heard Joshua yell and flinched.
"Shut up!" Christine yelled as he felt her hold on him tighten, "Erik is not a freak! Don't you dare call him that! And he only attacked you to defend me after you hit me with the stick!"
"Is that true Joshua?" Gustave asked.
"No! She lying!" He heard Joshua cry and whipped his head around to glare at the boy, how dare he call his Angel a lier. He watched with a dark satisfaction as Joshua flinched back and grabbed his mother's hand in fear.
"I think it is time you leave." Erik heard Gustave say and snapped his eyes towards the man, thinking he was talking to him, but was shocked to see that the man was standing protectively in front of him and Christine. It took a minute to realize that Gustave had been talking to Joshua and his mother. The woman huffed before tightening her grip on Joshua's hand before turning and storming away from them.
Once the two were out of sight, Gustave moved and Erik watched as the man walked over to Erik's discarded mask. Gustave quickly picked it up before turning to make his way over to Erik who dropped his eyes to the ground, afraid to see the angered or disgusted look in the man's eyes. Erik looked up at Gustave when he held out Erik's mask to him, he was shocked to see a small smile on the man's face.
"I thank you for defending and protecting my daughter. But violence is not the answer, next time something like this happens again, I want you to bring Christine to me, and away from who ever harmed her, and inform me, I will handling it from there. Deal?" Gustave asked and all Erik could do was silently nod his head in shock, "Good, now with that settled, let up go in and I shall tell you some stories as I prepare supper." Gustave said before Christine helped him up.
Silently he followed the two back to their home and slipped his mask back on as he silently vowed to never let this happen again. He also vowed to keep out of sight when ever Gustave and Christine had any visitors so that something like this would never be able to happen again.