Chapter 3 – The Betrothal and the Betrayal
Some weeks earlier…..
"Erik, I beseech you, please! I am not lying to you! I will stay here with you for two weeks, after which time you will release me." I begged him. I forced myself to stare into his golden, ferocious eyes. I tried to concentrate on those eyes, lest I had to look at his ghastly face. His uncovered death's head stared back at me, his eyes still alight with the still unspent rage that had consumed him upon my removal of his mask. As soon as I had tore the mask from his face, he lept up from the organ and lunged towards me, wrapping his long hands around my neck. For once, his hands were not cold, but instead felt like fire around my neck.
He roared like an uncontrollable demon, and for a split second in my terror I thought he was so angry that he might actually kill me.
"You stupid curious girl!" He screamed at me, shaking me so that my bones felt like they were going to shatter. "Do you like what you see?" He shook me again, and I started to scream, for until then I had been numb with shock and fear. The tears started falling down my cheeks in earnest. In those moments, I cursed my curious stupidity. Why, oh why, did I have to see what he looked like beneath the mask? Now I would never forget his face, it would haunt me until my dying day.
"Do you like Erik's face, then dear? Do you think him handsome? No?" He stopped shaking me, but kept his death's grip around my neck. I must have been going extraordinarily red in the face, as he then moved his hands to my shoulders. "Don't you know, dear....now that you have seen me, you will never leave me! A woman who sees Erik is his forever!" He began to laugh then, not light-hearted laughter, but the laughter of a maniac who had completely lost touch with reality. I continued to scream and blubber in response.
"Erik, I'm sorry..." I screamed at him. He seemed to take no notice, but ceased his yelling of me. Then, his whole persona changed from crazed madman to a lost soul. I saw a tear lighting the corner of his eye, and he turned away from me. He gripped on to a chair, as if he was using it to support himself. I myself lost my balance, as until that moment he had been supporting me while he had ranted and raved at me.
I then thought of a plan. It could well be my undoing, but if it worked, it could save my soul.
"Erik." I began. I took a deep breath. He did not turn to look at me. "I am very sorry that I removed your mask. It will never happen again unless you ask it of me" He said nothing for what felt like hours. Then, he turned towards me. I kept my response even and calm, but on the inside I was retching at the mere sight of him. I refused to look in his eyes, which I knew held a look of absolute betrayal and disgust.
"I......I will stay here with you for two weeks, Erik. Then you must let me go, and I give you my word that I will return. You cannot keep me locked down here, away from the world." I kept my breathing even and waited for his response. I prayed that he would accept my terms, for if he did not, I would be a prisoner here forever.
He moved away from me then without a word. I waited for him to return, each second growing more nervous at what he was doing. Several moments later, he re-entered the room with all his usual grace and dignity. He did not look at me, but reached into his waistcoat pocket, and came out with a small red velvet covered box, which he held out to me with no flourish and no word. My fingers trembling, I reached for the box. Our fingers touched briefly, and I felt the ice of his hands had returned. Before I could flinch from his touch, he withdrew his hand, holding it to his chest as if it burned.
I slowly opened the small box. Inside was a plain gold band. I looked at him, and saw that a lone tear had cascaded down his cheek. He took a deep, shuddering breath. When he began to speak, it was not in his normal, commanding voice. It was in a very hesitent, low and quiet voice. "You will stay here with me for two weeks, during which time you will not leave. We will practice your singing, and I will mould your voice to splendid perfection. After the two weeks, you will be able to leave, but you must promise to return to your poor Erik, and you must wear this ring as a token of your….promise." His speech came out in one big rush of breath, and he was panting. He looked away from me.
I let out an escape of air, immensely relieved. He held out the ring, and I quickly grabbed it away from him with as little contact with his icy fingers as possible. I was shaking, but I let myself fool him with my silly words. "I thank you, Erik. You are most kind and gracious. I will remain here willingly with you, and we shall make beautiful music together." I did not address the issue of mask again. To have to look at that face for two whole weeks was almost more than I could bear!
I placed the ring on my left hand ring finger, and Erik looked immediately relieved and immensely happy. I thought that he might have even attempted to smile at me with his thin lips, but it was hard to tell, as he had already replaced the mask. He then walked away, leaving me standing alone in the room, my legs trembling and my heart refusing to slow its tempo.
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For two weeks of eternity, I stayed with Erik in his peculiar little house by the lake in the fifth cellar of the Opera. For the most part, we sang, and when we weren't singing, we read books in his small sitting room. He would light a fire in his specially constructed chimney, and we would converse like any other normal people. He cooked my meals for me, as my first attempt at cooking failed dismally. We usually dined together, although he rarely ate, preferring instead to watch me. At first, I was most distracted by his penetrating gaze, but after several meals in that fashion, I soon grew used to it.
One night over dinner of a lovely vischysoisse and crusty bread with wine, for Erik was a surprisingly adept cook, towards the end of the two weeks, he presented me with a key to one of the special entrances to his home. It was an ornately fashioned, gilded key, and it was very cumbersome indeed. Immediately after dinner, Erik told me to fetch my cape, and he took me on a tour of the catacombs and showed me how to navigate the lock, and then find my way through the passages to his home.
I thought I might never navigate my way around the vastness of the Opera. I felt that my childish fear of the dark would render me incapable of reasonable thinking. However, I kept my promise to him to return to him. I always found him waiting impatiently for me close to the entrance on the Rue Scribe side, and it did not become necessary for me to find my way on my own. And after several returns to his home, I eventually managed to recognise minute differences in the architecture which allowed me to distinguish where I was in relation to the little house. Erik had left several small lanterns along the way for us to use, although I was certain that he had no use of them whatsoever, and only provided them for my comfort.
I continued to wear his ring. I grew accustomed to its weight around my finger, and at times it felt like it was my protection. I knew that as long as I wore it, I would remain in Erik's favour and he would protect me. However, if I removed it, I knew that Erik would somehow know, as he seems to be able to know everything about me. However, it became increasingly difficult to explain the ring to people, especially to my darling Raoul, who accosted me at every occasion. Though I tried desperately to tell him that I could not see him, my heart would leap every time that I laid eyes upon him, and I would want to be near him always!
One day, I saw him about the Opera and we spent the afternoon together. We spoke of many things. I saw him eyeing the ring, but surprisingly he did not ask about it. I chose not to mention it, and instead tried to hide my hand in my skirts as often as possible. We were walking through the library when Raoul suddenly told me that he had received his Naval Orders, and that he was to leave France in three weeks for a Polar expedition!
I felt my heart nearly give way at the thought of not seeing my friend and the object of my affection for such a long time, and instinctively knew that if Raoul were to leave, I would have nothing to amuse myself with, save for Erik and the tomb in which he lived.
"Oh, Raoul!" I cried, and tears immediately sprang to my eyes. He pulled me into his arms, his warmth embracing me and comforting me.
"I am so afraid that I shall never see you again!" I wept, the tears falling freely. I no longer attempted to keep them at bay.
"Oh Christine….."
Raoul swept his hands through my golden hair. I looked up into his clear blue eyes, and was struck by how different they were to Erik's eyes. Raoul's eyes were like the sea, but Erik's eyes were like the fire at the centre of the earth.
"We could be married. Then we could wait for one another as long as we needed to" He suggested, simply and shyly.
I struggled to disentangle myself from his embrace, yet my heart beat wildly in my chest. "I have already told you, it is impossible." I returned, my heart and my hopes sinking further with each word. I looked up at him, and saw the disappointment reflected in his own eyes. And then a flash of childish brilliance came to me, and I smiled gleefully.
"Raoul! I have an idea. We could become engaged, right now, but it would have to be a secret. We must tell no one!" I felt deliciously naughty, like a child playing make believe. I had altogether forgotten that Erik knows everything and nothing escapes him. Raoul clapped his hands together like a small boy. He nodded. "My dear Christine, you have given me so much joy just to hear you say those words! And now, I will be able to set sail, knowing that you were here, waiting for me to return so that we could marry!" I fell instinctively into his strong, warm arms, and he lifted me up and spun me around. In his arms, I felt safe and secure. I was able to completely forget about Erik.
I did not know that at that exact moment, as I had been holding Erik's ring in between my skirts, it had fallen from my grasp.
Nor did I see the shadow which glided out from behind a statute, picked up the ring and glided back out of sight, as Raoul and I continued to embrace.
