Erik's POV

"Christine…"

I covered my chest with my shirt and spun around to shield myself from her eyes.

"Erik, forgive me…"

She moved behind the boulder to give me the privacy I needed to finish dressing. Once every stitch of clothing was back on my body, I came around to face her…Oh, I couldn't even look at her.

"Erik believes we should move on…The snow has stopped falling, and it is safe to travel now."

I didn't even pay any mind to Christine as I packed our things on Cesar's back. The girl must have dressed herself, for when I saw her again, she was wearing her trousers and jacket.

"Erik, I…I need to apologize to you for the way that I acted last night… I also need to thank you for jumping into the water to save me. I could have drowned."

"Erik does not blame Christine for her actions. Erik deserved everything that he got, especially for tearing off his mask in front of Christine. If Erik wouldn't have done that, Christine wouldn't have run off. Erik apologizes to Christine…"

"Erik…"

Christine was about to say something more, when all of a sudden, a terrible cough erupted from the depths of my lungs. Christine gasped and came to my side, patting me on the back.

"Erik, are you all right? You sound terrible…"

"Erik will be just fine. Christine needs to worry about traveling now."

I lifted the girl up onto Cesar's back and swung up onto the saddle behind her. Once we were situated, she and I set off once again. Yes, I was a little ill, but getting closer to our destination was more important at the moment. After riding for a few hours, my body began to shake…Oh, this wouldn't do us any good, not at all. I pulled my jacket closer to my chest, but that did not stop me from shaking.

"You're chilled to the bone, Erik…"

"Christine should not be worrying about Erik. He will be all right. No, Christine needs to worry about herself."

"Erik, if we stop for the night, I could whip us up a stew to warm your insides? It would do you good to get warm."

Yes, I didn't want to stop, but Christine was right, I needed to get warm. After getting a quick glance at the sky, I sighed and found us a wooded area to rest for the night. While Christine tied Cesar up, I set up our tent, crawling inside afterwards and lying down on the blankets. Oh, it never felt so good to rest. After coughing another five times, my chest began to hurt, so much, that it exhausted me. Stopping was the best thing to do for the time being.

"It's in your lungs," Christine came walking into our tent, carrying a bowl of stew. I groaned and closed my eyes, not really being too interested in eating.

"My papa sounded like you just now before he died. You shouldn't have jumped into that river…"

"And what? Let Christine die? Never…No, Christine needs to mind her own. Erik will eat Christine's stew and get some sleep. Sleep always helps."

After Christine handed me the bowl, I sat up and stared at her, wondering why she was still here? Usually by now, the girl would have been long gone. No one ever stuck around when I ate…who would want to with a face like this? No, I didn't want to be seen eating. I gazed down at the brown looking gloop before raising my eyes to her own.

"Why is Christine still here? Erik needs to eat…Christine knows this."

Christine bit her bottom lip and pressed her eyes closed. "I know…"

Oh, she was shuttering now, shuttering from fear. I knew what she was up to, I knew she was going to attempt to face her fear. In Persia, if you feared anything, you were to stand before it and be brave, letting that fear know that you could look upon it without quivering…My fear, of course, was the Knhuam…She was the worst thing to ever walk the earth, and by her making me do half the things that she made me do….Oh, I still couldn't sleep most nights from it. Though, I was never able to look the woman in the eye. I could never stand up to her, and I knew in my heart that Christine would never be able to look upon my face without fear.

"That will be all, Christine…"

Christine opened her eyes and looked at me, her face filled with confusion.

"But…"

To get her out of my hair, I took off my mask and looked up at her. Her eyes instantly filled with fear and with one hand, she gripped her stomach and with the other, she covered her mouth.

"Christine does not have to do this any longer…She doesn't have to force herself to look upon Erik's hideous face. Erik's own mother couldn't even look upon his face and smile…Erik is used to eating alone, Christine. He has done it his entire life….Go, just please go…She is excused."

With that being said, Christine stood to her feet and left the tent. When I was alone again, I gazed back down at the brown stew, mixing my spoon around it a few times before allowing tears to fall down my twisted cheeks. And when those tears landed in my dinner, more came afterwards. This was how my life and my meals were going to be for the remainder of my life. No one was ever going to look upon my face and smile, not even Christine. Putting my dinner aside, I picked up my mask and gazed at the very garment that had been given to me the moment I emerged from my mother's womb…A mask. My life was always filled with them. Looking down at this mask made me remember my mother and all the abuse she bestowed upon me for being born ugly. I had no control over such a matter, and yet, I got the wrath of it all….And then, I sobbed like a sad child…

Christine's POV

I was never going to be able to look upon Erik's face and be able to stomach it…I knew this the moment I went rushing out of the tent. But afterwards, I couldn't help but feel terrible for what I had done. Not only that, but afterwards, I heard him sobbing. Why was it that he liked me so much when all I ever did was make him sad? Leaving him be, I took a seat around the fire and ate my meal in solitude. When it began to get dark, I put out the flames and stood outside of the tent, calling Erik's name to be sure that he had his mask back over his face.

"Erik, may I come in?"

"Christine can come in, Erik will leave…"

I entered and found him gathering to his feet. Oh, why did he feel like this?

"Erik," I grabbed a hold of his sleeve. "Don't leave…please…"

When I was able to see his face, his eyes were stained with tears.

"Please, Erik, don't leave…Don't leave and don't cry."

"Erik is not crying! Erik does not cry! He does not cry for Christine, he does not cry because Christine can't stand the sight of him!"

Erik was wearing his mask, but through the eye holes, I could see tears streaming out of his eyes and down the porcelain of the garment.

"Erik, please…"

"Christine cannot stand the sight of Erik! Christine does not care about him, nor does she care what she does to him."

He grabbed my hand and pressed it against the center of his chest. I never felt his heartbeat before, but it was beating as strongly as ever against the palm of my hand.

"Does Christine feel that?"

I nodded. "Yes, Erik…"

"Erik was born with a human heart, but he is hardly that…Erik is not human, he is a monster…Why, Christine? Why was Erik born with a human heart? Why was he born at all? Why did Erik's mother want to have a child that she wasn't ready to care for? Why was Erik forced to live his life in darkness?"

A heavy cough erupted from his chest, causing him to fall back onto the blankets he had been laying on.

"Does Christine believe that Erik's heart would still be human if he tore it out of his chest? What does Erik's heart look like, Christine? If Erik tore it from his chest, would it still beat? Would it be as black as Erik's soul?"

"Erik…I… I don't know what you're talking about."

From out of nowhere, Erik produced a carving knife and tore open his shirt, hideous scars plastering its surface. I covered my mouth with my hand to cut off the gag that wanted to come. His chest was discolored and covered in lumpy scars. There wasn't one patch that was left untouched.

"Erik, what are you doing?"

"Christine should know what Erik's heart looks like. She should know that his heart is human…"

"Erik, stop…"

Erik took the knife and held the sharp blade against the center of his chest.

"Erik will cut out his heart and hand it to Christine…She will know that his heart is human."

"Erik, no…"

I reached out to take the knife out of Erik's hand, but it was too late, he had already stabbed himself. I gasped as the man fell backwards, the handle of the knife sticking halfway out of his chest.

"Erik…"

I leaned over him and noticed that he was not only bleeding, but he was close to passing out. Why? Why had he stabbed himself?

"Erik!"

I still felt his heart beating against the palm of my hand, making it obvious that he hadn't pierced his heart. I sighed in relief, and pulled out the blade, causing Erik to groan. His gash wasn't big enough to kill him, but it would if I didn't act fast. I quickly took a piece of my hair and threaded a needle, stitching his wound up. Afterwards, I sealed it by pouring alcohol over his newly stitched injury. It was over now…the drama was finally over.

"Erik, rest now…"

I covered him up with some blankets and put the knife away, laying down beside him afterwards. I wasn't sure why I was still sitting beside the man, for I knew what I should do…I knew I should just leave him and go live my life and let him live his. But why? Why couldn't I leave him? Was it because I didn't feel confident enough to live alone? Or was it because I perhaps admired him? If I did, my heart had a strange way of telling me…

"Christine…"

Erik murmured my voice in his sleep, instantly gaining my attention. I had been sleeping, but I immediately opened my eyes and faced him.

"Erik loves his Christine…" he murmured in his sleep. "So, so much…"

How was it that a man like himself could love someone like me? After all that I had done to him. All I ever did was hurt his heart.

"Sleep, Erik…In the morning, we will leave again."

Erik's POV

When I am mad, I do horrible things. I wanted to tear out my heart, but instead, I stabbed myself and passed out. Christine must have stitched me up, for when I awoke, my chest felt heavy and I found it hard to breathe because of my current illness that was getting worse.

"Ch…" I tried to say her name, when I a cough cut me off. I covered my mouth and lay back down, too exhausted to speak.

"Erik…"

Christine came hurrying into the tent the moment she heard her name being called. She placed her hand against my forehead and gasped.

"You're feverish…"

"Erik does not feel so well, Christine…"

"What you did last night was foolish…You could have died."

Yes, I should have listened to her, but I was too tired to do so…

Poor Erik, will he ever stop beating himself up? Please review!