Thank you to my reviewers. I'm really enjoying this.
PhantomLover05- Hopefully as the story continues it will reveal more of why Talia is the way she is. I don't want to give it away just now but I promise she's not all bad.
LunarLitLover- I'm glad you liked the last chapter you should enjoy the next two even more.
Ms. Lippy- I'm happy you chose mine to read.
To everyone else read, review, and enjoy!
Erik sat at his organ and started to play. After a few seconds he found himself playing Point of No Return and then slammed the keys down. "Damn you Christine."
He got up and paced the room. It seemed like anything he did reminded him of her. As he walked past on of his shelves cluttered with objects he glanced at a bottle and stopped. The bottle contained the same poison that had almost killed him in Persia.
"Erik!" Nadir yelled to advise him of his return.
Erik looked to the lake and the bottle fading back into a memory.
The lake was covered in candlelight giving a shimmering glow to cavern. A man dressed in black, and wearing a long black cape stood next to the lake holding out his hand stood before her. It seemed welcoming and she could trust him.
A loud crash woke Natalia up from her dream. She rolled over and looked at the door that led to the hall and this time heard a loud thump. Tossing the blanket off her she got out and put her robe on. As she walked out she wrapped a scarf over her face. She opened the door, walked quickly across the hall, and opened the doors to her library.
A dozen servants and Christine were in the dark room some pulling down the drapes while others were cleaning the wood. Christine turned and looked at her smiling.
"Good your up I wanted your opinion on new drape colors for your room, and then to talk about moving a lot of these books out into the main library so everyone can enjoy them." Christine said smiling.
"I did not go to bed until almost dawn because I was writing most of the night. You woke me up with this noise." Talia said glaring at them as they let bright sunlight into the room.
"I'm sorry. We'll try to be quiet."
"No! You won't try to be anything. I don't want new drapes, I don't want this place cleaned spotlessly. And most importantly I don't want my books moved out into the main library. These are mine! I have collected them since I was a child. The music is also mine I bought it for my own pleasure. I will not have it taken away so that I have to face the rest of the household to get it." Talia yelled at them all.
"I was just trying brighten this place up." Christine said trying to defend herself.
"I don't want it bright. I don't want it clean." Talia yelled ripping one a cleaning cloth from a maid's hands. "I want my drapes back up and all of you the hell out of here."
"Raoul said I could do what ever I thought was best." Christine tried to argue back.
"Well I live here the same as Raoul, and hopefully once Phillip returns from Austria you and Raoul will be returning to the seashore, or he will teach you that you have no right to change my things." Talia said trying to get Christine to take the point and get out.
"Fine. We'll leave you alone." Christine said and signaled to the servants to stop.
"Put my drapes back before you leave. I hate this room being this light." Talia told the servants.
The servants started to return the drapes to their place. Talia then turned and walked back into the hall where she met Lira.
"I just found out and was on my way to see you." Lira told him.
"I know." Talia said knowing that Lira had gone to spend the evening with her mother and no doubt had stayed because of the rainstorm. "I'm not mad at you. If she would have just asked before she started it wouldn't have bothered me as much."
"I'll make sure that its all returned back to normal." Lira said walking away.
With her sanctuary back to normal Talia was hunched over her desk writing when a knock came at the door. "Enter." Talia called angry that she was being interrupted, but she silently hoped that it was Phillip coming home.
Lira came in looking down. "I was told to tell you that supper is ready in the main dinning hall."
"I'm not hungry." Talia told him.
Raoul entered the room after her. "You need to eat." He told her.
"I'm not hungry. I'll find something when I get hungry." Talia said looking up from her papers at him.
"I would like it if you came out and had dinner with Christine and me." Raoul told her.
"No, I will not interrupt your life. Just go have your dinner."
"Please come." Raoul asked.
"No. I'll eat later now leave me." Talia said raising her voice in disgust with her brother.
Raoul turned and left the room. Lira just moved over to the find a book, sat down, and then curled up with the book to let Talia write in peace.
"Where are you going?" Natalia asked as Raoul exited the house and walked to the waiting carriage.
"England, London to be precise."
"And your not taking Christine?" She asked almost desperate. She missed her privacy. To be left alone and not have people intruding to announce dinner or ask for her opinion on drapes.
"She would find it boring." Raoul got into the carriage. "It is just a business trip."
"She could look around London."
"Are you offering to go with her to watch over her?"
"No, I'm not a babysitter."
"I don't want her left alone."
"Take the maid then."
"She is staying."
Talia turned around and stormed into the house. Upon entering she threw the double doors in causing a loud crash. She glared at the servants daring one to say a word. Lira stood next to Christine and immediately looked disappointed. Talia's temper had seemed to be doing better. Teaching Christine to ride had brought on patients.
Talia then stopped and took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry." Christine said trying to apologize for the other day.
Talia then fled to her rooms shutting herself into her dark wing.
The morning sun rose and Talia was awaken by a soft knock at the door. She rolled over and looked at it challenging the person to enter uninvited. "Come in." She said finally as she wrapped a scarf around her face.
The door opened and Christine walked in closing it quickly behind her. She walked to the bed. "I know you do not like being disturbed but I wish to ask a favor."
"What?"
"When I left the theater I never was able to get some thing. I'm scared to go back so I thought maybe you could find a way to get them?"
"What do you want me to get?"
"In the chapel there is a picture of my father, and in my dressing room is a small jewelry box that contains some jewelry left to me by my mother."
"This is in the opera de popular?"
"Yes."
"Alright." Talia said getting out of bed and going to the armoire.
Christine watched with regret already clouding her heart. Talia dressed in the same riding outfit she wore on the first day she met Christine. She then put on a black cape with a hood. In habit she checked to make sure the scarf was in place.
"Don't tell Raoul I did this. I will say I went to visit Anna and you friend Meg saw me and gave them to me."
"All right, but I must warn you."
"That the Phantom of the Opera might get me. I doubt it, and if he did he would find me too much to handle. I have no fear of him."
Christine wanted to laugh at her foolishness, but then again be that brave. She watched as Talia left looking much like a female version of the old knights.
Talia rode to the stable at the back of the opera house and secured Alexander in one of the stalls. She then slipped into the opera house. Amazed at the place, even though badly burnt, she began to explore. She saw no reason to rush to return to Christine's company.
She walked out onto the stage and wished she could have been the lead, performing for hundreds of people. But no, an alto female was never the lead in an opera, only sopranos. So you were doomed to listening to high pitched screeching of those who thought they had the range to be a primma donna.
She pulled the hood down but left the scarf on
"Lay down you sweet and weary head
Night has fallen
You've come to journeys end
Sleep now
Dream of the ones who came before
They are calling
From across a distant shore
Why do you weep
What are these tears upon your face
Soon you will see
All of you fears will pass away
Safe in my arms
Your only sleeping
What can you see
On the horizon
Why do the white gulls call
Across the sea
A pale moon rises
The ships will come
To carry you home
And all will turn to silver glass
A light on the water
All souls pass
Hope fades
Into the world of night
Through shadows falling
Out of memory and time
Don't say
We have come now to the end
White shores are calling
You and I will meet again
And you'll be here in my arm
Just sleeping
What can you see on the horizon
Why do the white gulls call
Across the sea
A pale moon rises
The ships have come
To carry you home
And all will turn to silver glass
A light on the water
Grey ships pass
Into the west."
Talia finished and took a bow. She then thought she had better get the things and return before Christine worried and sent someone after her. She started down a hall and not noticing her cape caught on something. She turned and pulled quickly finding herself falling into darkness.
The song is Into the West and is in the movie Lord of the Rings Return of the King. I like the song and couldn't think of anything Phantomish for her to sing so poof its here.
Thanks for the reviews, and hopefully I can keep posts up. I'll warn you I'm in college, and have a three month old baby horse, his mother, a collie, and a very pushy twenty pound cat so I get busy and lose track of things.