On the back of a pure black horse, Erik and Christine stole away into the night beneath a moonless, starless sky. For hours they pressed on, slowing only when the sky was filled with a beautiful array of pinks, oranges, and blues as the sun rose. They did not arrive at their destination until nearly noon, and by then it was only Erik's thin arms keeping Christine upright on the horse.

"We're here," he whispered, his lips touching her ear as he spoke. She jerked awake, gasping at the coolness of his lips.

Erik helped her down off the horse and held her steady on her shaky legs as he instructed a young man wearing a dark gray uniform on where to bring their bags. "Welcome to your new home. It may not be the splendor which your precious vicomte could have given you, but I do believe you will find it satisfactory."

It was only then that Christine finally glanced up at the looming gray stone structure. She couldn't deny that it was a very large house, nor that it seemed quite well kept. Still there was something about it that rubbed her the wrong way. It was not a particularly cool day, but Christine felt suddenly quite cold.

Erik noticed Christine shivering, as he noticed most everything about her, and wrapped a cloak-laden arm around her shoulders, drawing her closer to him. Despite the strange chill that clung to him, this gesture did serve to make Christine feel warmer, if only slightly.

He escorted her up to the house, where he stopped her just short of the front door. He turned to her and looked at her expectantly. When she looked back, confused, he leaned forward and with a quickness one would not think a skeletal man capable of, he knocked her legs out from under her, and he carried her across the threshold.

As he set her back down inside their new home, Christine stared at him, eyes wide, saying nothing. He cocked his head to the side.

"I believe that it is customary to carry one's bride over the threshold," he said, "and I would not want my bride to miss out on something like that." He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. She tried her best not to squirm as he pressed his bloated, misshapen lips to the back of her hand. "Come, I'll show you to the bedroom and you can get some proper rest. It was a terribly long journey, after all, and it can't have been comfortable to sleep on a horse."

You can say that again, she thought as he led her up a flight of stairs and down a long corridor. At the end was an archway draped with thick, black curtains. He drew them apart, and brought Christine into the large, lavish bedroom that lay just beyond. There were thick black curtains lining four stained glass windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling, and a large, comfortable-looking four post bed with matching black curtains around it.

"The boy should be in shortly with our luggage, and I'll leave you to change and rest."

"You're not going to sleep?" Christine asked. Erik shook his head.

"I'm not tired just yet, and I've got much to do to finish preparing this place for our life together. It's laid unused for so long."

Christine was unable to disguise her sigh of relief. He wouldn't be sharing a bed with her quite yet. She didn't have to worry about things she dared not think about. She couldn't imagine what the rest of his body looked like if he looked the way he did under his mask.

Erik scowled at her relieved sigh. Almost as though he'd been summoned by the masked man's words, a stableboy appeared in the doorway with their bags. He scurried across the room and placed them on a long, low table that stood near the foot of the bed.

The boy was gone before Christine could thank him, and Erik left shortly after. He lingered in the doorway for a few moments before closing the heavy, ornate door behind him. And then Christine was alone.