Erik's POV! YAY!Christine sat down on the rock under the apple tree and her dress sprawled out carelessly around her toes. Little spots of light dappled her hair and face, illuminating bits of color in her that I wasn't previously aware of. In the sun I noticed streaks of green hidden in her eyes and saw hints of gold and chestnut in her usually dark brown curls. Bringing her to my meadow had been a fantastic idea.
I turned to face the forests edge inhaling the sweet air deeply and folded my arms across my chest. "Our lesson today will be simple. Sing whatever you'd like and I will decide what needs to be adjusted." Truth be told the girl no longer needed much practice. Her voice was exquisitely divine and rarely did she require my guidance anymore. This time her singing would be for my pleasure alone, and through her voice, within the confines of this day I would gather more knowledge of what was locked within her mind - within her soul.
"Wont you teach me something new? I know of no song that I'm not exhausted of."
She was stalling, and I was too eager to be patient. "Improvise." I commanded, rounding on her. "Preferably about what matters to you, or of things that don't matter at all, but you must sing."
She drew her brows together in concentration and trailed off in to thought. "What matters to me..."
"Chistine." I cooed. "Sing for me Chrissstine."
For what felt like an eternity she sat with her eye's closed, thinking hard. I wanted to urge her again, pressure her to perform faster but forced myself to walk away and pace in the grass instead. She would know when she was ready. This was the first time that I'd ever forced to to sing from the heart instead of the head, but what better way to express oneself. I would know all of her secrets.
"I have this longing for real adventure,"
There it was, the beginning of her song. I spun on my heel and stepped towards her, open mouthed and breathing quickly. Her eye's were still tightly closed.
"To leave this life a hundred miles behind."
Did she also hope to leave this behind, to forget about me? I edged a little closer.
"I have this feeling it wont be long now,
'Till I can spread my wings and fly."
Her voice reached it's highest peak at that last word and I felt like I might burst in to pieces. Did she truly wish to leave the theater after all of her efforts to succeed, after all of my hard work? I was only a step behind her now and closing in fast. I needed more, there must be more to this melancholy riddle. I took hold of one of the trees lower branches to brace myself.
"To see a thousand sunsets on the broadest of horizons,
Or cast low and heavy on the unyielding sea,
This sort of future with her had to be possible. With God as my witness I would find a solution or die trying.
"With someone waiting at the door,
Who will always love me."
She was aware of me standing there now and she glanced up to look at me from beneath her lashes.
"I dream of children laughing,
of time gracefully passing,
I dream of life and love and peace."
Her eye's glazed over, glassy and filled with worry and she reached up to rest her hand on the branch with mine.
"But having you here casts a shadow on whats real,
Of what my dreams are-
What is this all for?
Are you a part of my world,
Or have I stumbled in to yours?"
By forcing her to sing independently I had given her all of the control. Another significant miscalculation. I pulled an apple from high in the tree took her hand from the branch, curling her fingers around it with my own as I tried to decide the best way to answer her. This was not the time to further deceive her as I used to. Everything was different now and I knew I would have to be honest... but could I tell her what she wanted to hear without fully knowing what would please her? Choosing my words carefully, I answered cryptically in our secret language of song.
"For years I solely lived as master to this theater.
The silent puppeteer, a phantom, and a monster.
And then a voice in the night, celestial and clear,
Drew me out of the shadows,
To place you where you belong,
As my only muse, and mine alone
To at last be your teacher,
Your only teacher..."
By the end of my song I could not even manage to maintain eye contact with her any longer, ashamed. What would she do when she realized how selfish I planned on being with her time? She longed for freedom far away from the confines of the Opera House but I had no intention of ever letting her leave, especially without me. Even if it killed me, I would keep the bird caged, keep her forever. She may not have known it yet, but she was mine...
Christine shakily rose to her feet to face me, dropping the apple back in to my hand, her jaw was set sharp and determined. Her reply would be completely unpredictable, I could tell. Anxiety struck me like lightening knowing I was completely unprepared to counter whatever she said next. My mask felt hot and sticky against my cheek, and my cummerbund seemed to suddenly shrink in to my waist making it impossible to draw in a sufficient amount of air. Was this the dreaded moment of her rejection? She placed her hand over her heart and her bottom lip trembled.
"Angel I feel your emptiness,"
I see bitter loneliness,
Such sadness in your eyes.
Angel your pain,
It haunts me..."
My features twisted in agony and I did nothing to hide it from her. While it soothed me to know how much she truly cared for me, there were too many things that she could never know. Her innocent mind did not deserve the weight of my eternal suffering. "Christine..." I shook my head and stepped back to lean against the tree. "You must learn to understand that whatever suffering I have, or will endure is my burden to bear and mine alone."
She pushed aside the branch that separated us to stand before me, no longer looking fiery or unsure. "Then never share with me a word about it. Maybe if I try... if you will allow me to..." Without any hesitation or warning she fell forward to close the distance between us and wrapped her arms around me.
What was this? I gasped out loud and my arms suspended awkwardly in the air. She was squeezing me around the middle and nuzzling in to my chest, smiling... A hug! This was a hug...something I had never received from anyone before in my life. Christine sought to bring me comfort. I sighed contentedly and wrapped my arms around her back to prove to her that her affection was warranted - would always be accepted.