Ladies and Gentlemen, good evening.
To put your minds at ease, I must regretfully inform you all that I do not own the characters of Corpse Bride.
But I am pleased to present to you a work of literature dedicated to the 'lives' of Victor van Dort and Emily. I present a tale about a man who meets a woman under the most unexpected circumstances and how in life, not everything goes according to plan.
Please sit back, relax, have a cuppa near the fire, and enjoy the first chapter of To Breath Again.
Chapter One:
To say Victor was tired would be a complete understatement; everything on his person felt too heavy: like the bags under his eyes, or the pristine black suit he wore, or the hands that drooped along his sides.
However, none of those things could compare to the heaviness of his heart beating in his chest; he was surprised to find it still beating there. His heart stopped along with hers that faithful day she passed away, his late wife. Ever since Victoria Van Dort died during childbirth, her husband was nothing but an empty shell. He wept over his wife's lifeless form that day until he believed there were no more tears to shed. However, Victoria was not completely selfish in her death, she exchanged her life for another.
It wasn't until his hands were filled with the light and warm weight and the halls of the mansion rung with the high pitched cries of a healthy newborn baby girl did he cry again, but for an entirely different reason. When his wife passed, Victor Van Dort received a beautiful baby girl whom he loved like no other.
She was named Vanessa. Vanessa Van Dort, the name was the combined last wish of Victoria and the memory of an old friend.
She was breathtakingly beautiful; Victor could tell, especially from the moment she stopped her crying and simply moved a corner of her mouth upwards to form a smile while she slept. He couldn't have been a happier father, being blessed with such a presence of innocent happiness.
But Victor never denied that he was, in fact, a mourning husband. It showed as the months passed. Every other Wednesday, Victor Van Dort would pass the church he was married in, cross the bridge, and walk up to the old cemetery near the woods holding a bundle of flowers in each hand. One bundle was filled with pink flowers and the lovely little twigs present on the piano when he first met his wife (they were Victoria's favorite) and a peculiar bundle filled with roses, lilies, and babies breath. He remembers the trail by heart and could walk through it with his eyes closed; Edward, the new carriage driver, insisted that he drove him there in the carriage but Victor always denied.
The cemetery keeper always expected Victor by the gate and would witness him as he walked and walked throughout the cemetery before disappearing into the farthest part. It never bothered the keeper though, the young Lord would always reappear without his flowers about an hour later.
Ironically, the cemetery keeper would always pass the late Victoria's grave the next morning to find one lone bundle of the flowers lying on there. He never pondered on where the other one went, a man's business is his own and only his own.
Over the past two years, there have been a few changes made to the town ever since the night the dead rose from their graves and she gracefully waltzed out of Victor's life. The town seemed more pastel, more colorful. The church and the cemetery were beautifully rebuilt in the span of a year: a glass stained window of an enchanting young bride surrounded by butterflies (in the morning, the church would fill with bright blues, whites, and reds whenever the sunlight hit just right) and a new shiny black gate to the woods and the old cemetery along with a cemetery keeper, who was in charge of keeping the place nice and tidy so that the dead may rest in peace (and stay that way as well).
Finally, Victor arrived at the threshold of his house, he nodded to Edward in welcome before entering. A few weeks after marrying Victoria, the two moved into a rather large mansion, as a request from his parents who also paid it off. It was a few blocks away from his parents and his office and was the best decision the newlyweds could have made.
Just as he stepped inside, he heard the sound of Clara's puttering down the stairs before being fussed over by the middle aged maid.
"Oh, good heavens dear!" She exclaimed as she took of his jacket, "do put on a thicker coat next time you head out, I can feel the shivering in me bones. It's just that time of the year again."
He chuckled, "Good evening to you too Clara."
She barely heard him, "Oh! And you really do need to put more meat on those bones deary, 'won't even be able to escape death with those skinny legs ya' won't."
He relaxed at her fussing, the house really needed a more lively nature like Clara's.
"I'm fine Clara, really. Do kindly let me breath a bit, I need to head upstairs to my study."
She stopped her fussing and neatly folded his coat, "Your study's on this floor milord."
He smiled weakly, "I know," and heading up.
Out of sight, he walked up the stairs before turning left and walking straight. Three doors down he made a right and opened one of the doors.
He was greeted by the soft baby blues of the walls, the light streaming in through the furthest window, and the sound of blowing raspberries and bubbly giggling.
He smiled when he saw the white crib in the corner.
The bedroom door was gently closed from behind him before he walked up to the cradle to see Vanessa giggling at the toy butterflies that dangled above just beyond her reach; they were her favorite and she never took her eyes off them but this time was an exception.
Her eyes sparkled when she turned her head and saw Victor to her right. She laughed as if he was the funniest thing she ever saw and attempted to turn her body to reach him with tiny open arms.
His eyes shined, his daughter's so cute.
"Hello darling, papa's home."
She responded with another blow of raspberries before he picked her up, the right way this time.
God forbid he was as clumsy with his own child as he was before he met Victoria. He almost dropped Nessa the first week; the lecture Clara gave him later was a sorry one, his ears rang for days. But over the past three months, he definitely improved. It was difficult with his lanky arms, but he was able to do it with some practice on the household items around the mansion. Clara refused to let him lift Vanessa until he got her approval.
He rocked her gently in his arms, which was rewarded with another bright laugh and a smile on her face. She was what he looked forward to on days like this. When the clouds where gloomy and he seemed like he couldn't do anything right, from making his parents and the nobility proud to stressing out on doing the company justice, Vanessa was there with her charming little smile ready to hug him with her tiny arms.
It's not to say she has not cried in his presence. During those times, he would completely panic trying to figure out what to do until Clara entered the room and hushed Vanessa with a touch only an experienced one could offer. Victor would do anything to make her happy, seeing her cry made him feel less than the trash on the side of the road. He's had to remind himself numerous times that babies cry naturally and it wasn't completely his fault, but it still hurt.
He pushed those thoughts aside and brought Vanessa close until their noses almost touched. She wasn't crying now and that's what mattered, he felt completely content just holding her and listening to the silly sounds she made. He opened his eyes when he felt the spit on his cheek, she blew a raspberry again; he didn't mind, babies will be babies.
There was a knock on the door, "Victor dear, Rudolph just finished dinner and there's a nice warm cuppa waiting for you downstairs."
"Just a moment Clara," he spoke softly. He walked back to the crib to set Vanessa down. She let out a soft mumble of disapproval before Clara carried her out of Victor's arms.
"I'll handle the little one milord. Go downstairs to eat and then you could do whatever, maybe go down to your actual study this time."
He looked at her with a confused expression on his face before it dawned on him, "Oh, my study. I'll be sure not to get 'lost' again Clara, m-my apologies."
She smiled softly at him, "it's no trouble dear, no trouble at all." That was the last he heard before he left the comfort of the bedroom and headed downstairs.
He could smell the aroma of roasted beef, tea, and something sweet wafting through the air as he entered the dining room.
"Ah! He has arrived!" Rudolph exclaimed. There was a smile on his face, it's shine seemed counterfeit. He lifted the cover from the food to reveal the roast beef, left over cranberry sauce from last night, and the cup of tea.
"The miss asked me to prepare something hefty for you, she said you're thinning up on her. Remember to finish the plate eh?"
Victor took a seat, "W-well, not intentionally Rudolph, work has been getting harder each day."
"Ah, yes. The master must work to pay the bills! And I," he pointed to himself, "must feed the master to work and pay the bills."
The roar of laughter that came from the man made Victor jump in his seat. Rudolph sighed and a wave of awkwardly uncomfortable silence completely overshadowed the atmosphere.
"I'll leave you to your meal, enjoy!"
A second after, Rudolph skittered out of the dining room and left Victor to his thoughts.
He was alone again.