Erik impatiently drummed his skeletal-like fingers against his cushioned chair, waiting. The crowd of people in his arena fell silent, except for the sounds of a few footsteps and deep breathing. The seconds ticked away as the subject, standing before the doors decided on which one to choose. He leaned in to get a better look of what exactly the man was saying to himself.

Erik was a king. A harsh king with a twisted mind, to be specific. In becoming the king, he had developed his own 'unique' way of determining whether a person accused of a crime was innocent or guilty. On an appointed day, the person accused of the crime would appear at the king's arena. This arena which was special in dealing with these crimes would be crowded with people. As the man walked out, he would notice two doors directly across from him. Behind the one of the doors would be a tiger, who would instantly tear the person accused to shreds. Behind the opposing door would be a woman, who the man would have to marry, whether he was already married or not.

It was up to the person accused of the crime to choose which door would determine their fate.

Erik blinked behind his full white mask, taking notice that the man was finally making his choice. The man had raised his hand and gestured to the door on the right. Erik held his breath, along with many in the arena that night.

This very game(or a fair way of justice, in Erik's opinion) was all that he had lived for.

Instantly, a tiger came out and tackled the accused man to the ground. Cries of fear spread throughout the crowd as men and wives had covered their children's eyes, some even covering their own. But Erik looked on with a smug grin, watching the helpless subject being dragged across the arena and tossed into the air, blood splattering everywhere.

"I had guessed correct once more, Daroga." He said later that day when the arena was clear of his subjects and remains of the man. His close friend and subject walked over to him and refilled his wine glass, nearly to the rim. "Another one, your Majesty? That has been the third correct guess this week!" Erik took a long sip from his glass and spun the remaining liquid around inside it. "I have always been experienced in the field of justice, Nadir." The Daroga cast his eyes downward but did not dare to disagree. "Erik..."

He ignored the Daroga.

"Your Majesty?" He said, trying not to make it sound more like a whisper behind gritted teeth. Erik raised his golden eyes to show he was listening. "Are you not beginning to think..." Nadir paused, his eyes going blank on the wall behind Erik. "Yes?"

"Beginning to think that ..."

"Out with it, Nadir!"

Nadir cringed at the sound of Erik's booming voice, taking all the courage out of him. "Are you not beginning to think that this system is getting quite a bit out of hand?" He looked to Erik who sat in silence before him. His golden eyes lacked feeling and emotion that Nadir felt was always present in them. He seemed to have stop breathing, for the white mask upon his face was not moving. "Out of hand?" Erik spoke the words so helplessly that Nadir's heart had sank. "Out of hand?" Erik jumped up surprisingly and pinned Nadir to the wall. Nadir's breath caught up in his chest as Erik held him above the ground. "How could you say such blasphemy? This is the only way of fair justice this empire has seen in all its years! And if you are to disagree, it shall be you standing before those two doors!"

Erik withdrew his hands from Nadir's shoulders, letting him fall to the ground. He closed his golden eyes that were filled with rage only moments ago and opened them to a look of peace. "What has caused you to think differently, Daroga?" He whispered, taking his seat back into the chair. Nadir slowly rose up from the ground to brush himself off as if nothing had happened. "It is not I who thinks differently than you, your Majesty. It is the people who are the ones to outcry words of disagreement."

He shifted in his seat, putting all his weight to one arm. "And what is it that gives them reason to?" Nadir had dreaded these words and hesitated to show Erik the agreement. He handed the small piece of paper to Erik who had lowered it from his eyes after reading it twice. "Raoul DeChagny. " Nadir inquired. 'I am sure you have heard of him. It was quite a shock to the subjects that he was chosen next to be exicut-- for his fate to be determined." He had sputtered the last few words after meeting Erik's gaze.

"I have never heard of such man." Erik said after setting the scribe down beside his chair.

"Never heard of him? Erik, he is one of the most thoroughly known people throughout your lands! His kindness and intelligence have both earned him the favor of the people, and of course his charm and looks have earned him the favor of the women."

Erik sighed. "I hate him already."

-----

It was only a week later when the girl had approached him. After seeing the previous death, she had nearly lost all of the courage to do so. She pictured Raoul in the place of that man, the next life to be taken by his heinous way of punishment for a crime he was not guilty of. At least, Christine Daae believed he wasn't.

She walked through his palace with all the courtesy she could, admiring its extravagant beauty from floor to ceiling. Christine began to wonder how such a beautiful place, crafted in every small detail could blossom from the mind of the man who had also created this unfair system of justice. It all seemed so surreal to her.

After all, she had to have reason in coming to Erik's palace. She was soon to become the voice of the people and the land in which she had known all of her life. At least she felt content in that Erik had let her have a word with him, instead of setting her to the side as he did with all of the others. Erik had known Christine's brother for quite a while, and that gave her the silent advantage. She had said a prayer to her now deceased brother in thanks, that she could maybe spare the life of her one true love.

The Daroga had opened the door to let her into his room. Once he had closed the door he instantly raised his palm to his forehead, hoping that Erik did not change his mind in having the girl come to him. Meanwhile, inside the room, Christine worked hard not to make her presence known to him. He looked as if he was deep in thought, and she did not want to bother him. He was said to be the harshest, cruelest king that the lands have ever seen, and she did not want to be victim to one of his many traps.

Many seconds had passed and Christine felt herself becoming restless. She could not let this silent torture go on any longer! Maybe she was falling into one of his traps without even knowing it! With each and every step coming nearer to him, the regret in her actions began to pile on.

"Perhaps it would be wise to greet me."

She froze over completely. Christine had not expected a voice like that, a voice of an angel! It slowly came to her that he had never spoken to his people in all his time at the throne. He always had people speak for him, the slaves that hid his true beauty. Christine had become to think that the words of the people were all rumors, and he was an angel himself.

"Good Morning, your Majesty."

In those words he had risen to his full height, his shadow casting over her. Erik slowly walked over to Christine and at the very sight of him, she took a sharp intake of breath. Of course, she like many people had seen him from afar before, but never face to face.

Face to mask, precisely.

"You are here on behalf of DeChagny?" He asked without letting his eyes move off hers. It was one of his most possessing features that he used wisely. Christine let the words play over in her mind before she responded. "That is correct."

"If you don't mind me asking, why have you been chosen out of all my people to approach me on the matter?" Christine did not reply, she just stared fixedly at him like a young child to a strong, superior being.

But those were the places Christine and Erik were in after all.

"In other words, who are you to DeChagny?" Erik let the words slip out sharply and carelessly .

"I, your Majesty, am his fiancée."

Erik smirked behind the mask. Youth and it's grip on love! Nearly each and every person in his land had experienced it. The smiling faces painted with joy, the kisses that seemed to be contagious for they went from one person to another! It all was sickening to him, each and every last bit of it.

"Ms. Daae, I hope that you know I have no concern in keeping relationships between the people." He explained, "If a person is accused with a crime then they will be sent to me, with no exceptions."

"But Raoul his different, your Majesty." Christine tried hard to keep her tone. She loved Raoul deeply and was not about to let somebody come between them… destroy them. They had put too much love into this relationship and it would hurt so much to see it torn apart before her eyes. "Have you no sympathy?"

Erik did not respond, but he did know the answer to her question. With a sigh, he walked over to the window revealing his land and the people in it. Everyone was bustling about with everyday life, a life he wished he could have had. He could not be loved in any way, so he used power over the people as his replacement. It was the only way he could be respected in society and get revenge on the people who had mistreated him all of his life.

"Tell me, have you not fallen in love?" Christine's whisper came from behind him. Erik suddenly spun around and stated, "I never have and I never would." He turned back around and glided his finger along the windowpane.

Christine hadn't expected him to, but he went on. "I know that there is much more of the world out there than meets the eye. What saddens me is that I will never get to see it. Oh Christine, I would do anything to be away from here." Erik himself was shocked, how he was opening up to this young girl! "But Erik, you can." She placed a hand on his shoulder and he trembled at the closeness between them. "Please, just free Raoul."

Erik's heart had sunk in his chest. All she wanted to do was convince him to save her stupid fiancée! He would not be a fool to her demand. Popular or not, Raoul deserved to be treated like every other human being on the planet.

But why couldn't Erik be treated that way?

"Go." He whispered, still keeping his eyes fixed out the window. He could not bring himself to look her in the face. Christine stood confused of his sudden demand. He seemed to fall into pieces right before her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak until she was interrupted, "Damn it, just go!"

When Christine had finally left the room, Erik cried.

-----

On the day of Raoul's 'trial' the arena was crowded with more people than there usually was. Wherever you would have looked, there were two people trying to cram into one seat. This was just a reflection on how appreciated he was in society.

Christine Daae could not stay still for long. She fixed her hair, turned to people to talk, or looked at her nails as a distraction of what her mind was going through. Her thoughts were fixed on Raoul and how his fate was to be determined. She cursed Erik for keeping things the way they were to be and putting Raoul through this hell on earth. But at the same time, she pitied the man who hid behind the mask.

Raoul stepped out onto the arena, and the crowd immediately cheered. He bowed to the people before him, locking eyes with Christine. She nodded to acknowledge his presence. Inside, they were both dying.

Raoul had turned away from the crowds and face to two doors. The two wretched doors that had changed and ended the lives of many men before him. The doors that torn families apart and brought lives to an end. How Raoul had wished to tear them down. The arena fell silent as Raoul turned from them; he was about to make his fatal decision. He locked eyes with his young fiancée once more, his eyes pleading for help. At that moment, Christine had slowly lifted up her left hand, indicating to choose the door on the left.

He chose that door.

After the door had opened, the Daroga had walked out. A few gasps and mutters of "well, that is one ugly lady," were heard throughout the arena. He walked up to Raoul and began to speak, loud enough for the whole arena to hear. "Well, I could guess that this is not what you expected." He had caught Christine's eye, and she noticed that he had not looked the same as he did only a week ago. "It has come to my attention that DeChagny is favored among these lands." The Daroga's tone was uncaring and harsh, but many people had not picked up on that. They had seen him around before, but never had heard him speak. Christine bent over her seat, entirely confused.

He sighed. "Congratulations Raoul DeChagny, you are now king."

And with that, the mysterious man with jade eyes had walked back into the door.

"How beautiful this palace is! Christine, come look at this!" Raoul called from one of the palace rooms. Being that he was king, he and Christine now lived in the palace. Raoul admired its great beauty, knowing only a genius could have crafted it. "Oh yes, Raoul. It is quite beautiful." Christine responded rather dully. Her mind seemed to be in a different place, but she couldn't put her finger on exactly where. Her thoughts were interrupted when Raoul placed a hand on her waste and spun her around to face him. "Christine, are you alright?"

"Yes Raoul, I am fine." She replied with a fake smile. He mirrored her action after giving her a small kiss, "Wonderful. I am going to pay the servants a visit and then we will eat." Christine nodded and Raoul walked off.

Something inside of the girl compelled her to go into the room where she had first met Erik, only a week ago. Her eyes explored the room as if she were re-living the experience once more. Christine walked over to his desk to see the papers neatly sorted out. She looked to the walls to see the paintings hung up just like they were before, nothing changed. But he wasn't there.

She was alone.

When Christine turned to look at his chair, she was surprised to see a note lying atop of it. It was addressed to her, written in red ink. She looked around to see if anyone was nearby, and then opened the letter.

Christine –

I hope you are pleased that I have respected your wishes toward DeChagny. Yes, I knew that this was your desire with even more. To let you know, I have ordered the arena to be torn down. My masterpiece, destroyed. I wished to take out each and every mark I have left on the land to repay for what I have caused. I thought that putting DeChagny up as king would do just that.

You have inspired me to leave here, Christine. To a place where you will never find me. I know that my death will bring nothing but happiness to you and all of the kingdom. But I was correct about one thing, I never was loved and never would be.

- Erik

A single tear fell onto the paper in her hand. Letting out a long sigh, Christine made her way to the window and traced the windowpane. Raoul's sweet and charming voice rang through her thoughts. "Christine?"

She threw the paper into the fire.

End.