Chapter 1- Prelude to a Genius.
A/N : So a brief summary-this is my version of how the phantom of the opera came into existence as a person starting from his birth, however there will be an extreme alternate life story at some point in the middle of the text.
The phantom of the opera, Erik, does not in any way shape or form belong to me and is the work of Gaston Leroux, with some aspects similar to and taken from the recently published work by Etienne De Mendes "Return of the Phantom". Some of Erik's adult life and character may seem like the Arthur Kopit 1990 movie version of "Phantom of the Opera", and if this introduction seems wordy I apologize but I'd like to give credit where credit is due.
Well, I hope you enjoy the story, and if chapters come slowly my apologies because I write it all out by hand first and then type it out so it takes time to transcribe one to the other.
Enjoy!!
The Baron and Baroness of Artois were normal people, not terribly strange, both were as religious as they should have been and were as respectable as courts demanded at the time.
They loved each other no more and no less then a marriage of convenience would allow, but enough to enjoy each others company.
In the first two years of their marriage it was obvious they had married to please their parents and other relations for though it had no doubt been consummated, no children were created. However, early in the third year, the couple was blessed with a child, a beautiful baby boy who was born with pale brown hair, and strong arms and legs twenty wiggling fingers and toes, and a loud and sprightly disposition.
He grew quickly and was strong and much of a mischief maker, always getting into everything, and more then willing to do anything, despite any words his common sense murmured in his mind.
When the boy grew to his fifth year, the Baron was plagued with a rather harsh financial period, not enough to shut him out of aristocracy but enough to plague his life with little endless annoyances.
On a night of amusements, to relieve the tension of the strain, the Baron was conversing with a Soothsayer, a rather odd looking woman who hid beneath a fancy veil and long, harrowing dress that hung about her form, instead of clinging as fashion of the time dictated.
The Baron sat with his beautiful son on his lap, had the extreme misfortune of being helplessly drunk at the time and was looking lewdly at the woman with bloodshot eyes, "Read my Fortune woman" he barked.
Coming forward a little, not because she wanted to, but because she needed the money, and because the Baron would destroy her life if she didn't do everything he said. "Sir?" she asked softly curtsying in his direction.
"Tell me my fortune" he said again, this time adding a thud on the table to try and scare her into doing what he asked.
She looked at him and appropriated his tea cup. "I see…" she paused a moment and looked at him through his veil blinking rapidly.
"You will give birth to one of God's finest creations, a regular Apollo with music, a genius born practically with the God's lyre in hand." She said, catching glimpses and hearing the most astounding music the child would grow up to create.
"A musician eh? Is she beautiful with a full voice and thick hair?" he hiccupped and then fell to laughing as his wife and son leaned in to listen intently.
The soothsayer looked a little longer, turning the cup from side to side and up and down, swirling the dregs as she tried to find the depths of what she was seeing, unable to fully grasp the details. "Oh my God" she screamed, the most horrifying, blood curdling scream anyone had ever heard. She spun and threw the sign of the devil in the Baroness's direction and fainted dead on the floor.
Horrified the Baroness put up much of an offended air and retreated to her rooms in horror and mortification. The Baron threw the druidess out into the street and barred his door, releasing the part he and his wife retired from the courts, they stayed out of public life for quite some time, but soon enough all of Artois had forgotten, and the Baron had heightened his prospects returning himself to his former position of glory and so life went on.
It wasn't long after the Soothsayer's predictions that the whole of their kingdom was preparing to greet two new little Baron's or Baronesses into their midst as the Baroness herself prepared to give birth to two little babies.
She took bed late in the pregnancy with immense pain in her stomach, inexplicable but the doctor said that everything was fine. It was from her bed that the Baroness planned everything.
Each child was to be given his or her own nurse maid, for even the smallest forms of life in rich society was given it's own comforts, someone to fulfill every desire with out having to work at all.
One of these nurse maids was named Anabelle, a young woman of sixteen who had lived and worked at the Artois estate her entire life, starting as scullery maid and moving through the ranks, being especially good with the young girls, the Baroness had decided she was a good choice.
That day, Anabelle was told to prepare her quarters and finish the nursery, for the doctor had been and gone and was saying that at any moment, the Baroness was liable to give birth.
After having completed this duty she was told to rest but stay wary, for she would be needed the moment the babies had arrived. She carried on this way and fell asleep fairly quickly, because it wasn't often that a maid was given permission to sleep the day away.
Almost as soon as she fell asleep she began the strangest dream, in it she heard the most gloriously strong music filtered into her head, an organ of such impeccable beauty, she felt like the most regal soul ever brought to life on earth, and suddenly of such crashing anger, she screamed and began to tremble, horribly afraid and desperately hoping that whomever was playing the organ would simply leave her alone.
Again, such a sudden switch to music of such intense sadness her soul was lifted to the heavens with sorrow and she began to sob.
A voice lifted and it seemed that as the voice became louder, the music lessened and lowered until it ended, but the notes and melodies echoed in Anabelle's head and the music wedged it's way into her heart, making her willing to do absolutely anything for it.
"The child is not a demon, but an angel" The voice, which held no particular tone nor audible sound bounced around in the caverns of her mind.
"An angel literally of god, who unknowingly accepted a terrible curse, and now must live to be cursed, to be hated and shunned, but an angel who is baring the gift of heaven's music, charged with the task of bringing God's music to earth" it continued on.
"You now know, so when you see his face you must not fear but take heart, for it is the face of an angel, a blessing in disguise, foster his life and bring his musical skills to the fore, for as long as he is given his gift of music his life will continue" the voice continued, filling her with the most immense feelings of joy and contentment, strength and ability.
"If his music is taken away from him he will die, forthwith and about a doubt" the voice said strongly, causing her to shiver and tremble ever so slightly.
"I don't understand" she cried, tears drying on her cheeks from the music.
"You must take care of him." The voice echoed, and suddenly Anabelle was awakened by the calling of her mistresses voice, screaming in pain and she knew it was time, she strengthened herself and raised her chin, marching towards the room she met with the other maid, she leaned over and discreetly whispered that if there was born a boy, she would prefer the charge of it, which the other maid was only too happy to do.