CH 14
The morning woke them with lighter hearts. Annie was the first to stir, and had been afraid, in that split second before opening her eyes, that she would find Erik asleep across the fire, or already awake and packing their satchels for the day's journey—nothing having changed from the bleak days that came before. The surge of joy she felt when she found her hand still clasped within his—her head still resting on his chest—was impossible to contain. The night was truly over, morning had dawned, and Erik was still beside her!
She disentangled her fingers from her friend's and reached up to tenderly cup his cheek. "Erik," she called softly. "Erik, wake up."
When Erik stretched in his waking, momentarily pulling her even closer, a bright smile spread over Annie's features. And it was to this beautiful expression that he finally opened his eyes.
"Annie," he whispered gently, his own lips curling into a grin. "Good morning."
"Yes it is a good morning, Erik!" Annie beamed, giving Erik a quick squeeze. "The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and it's time for us to get up!"
"I can't!" Erik uttered.
"Why?" Annie asked him with wide-eyed concern, wondering if something were wrong with her friend.
"Because you've got me pinned!" he smirked.
Looking down, Annie realized it was true, since her torso was draped across Erik's chest. With a slight reddening of her cheeks, Annie giggled too and sat up. Twisting to the right, she reached over and grabbed her pack, rummaging through to find some food.
"I'm hungry," she said to Erik, removing the pouch of dried fruit and nuts for them to share.
"Good!" he commented, as Annie ravenously tore open the ties and scooped up a handful of the provisions. "Lately, getting you to eat has been like pulling teeth!"
Rolling her eyes, Annie answered, "Well I finally seem to have my appetite back."
"I am glad to see it," Erik smiled, popping a few of the morsels into his mouth. Again, he held back on the food so that Annie could have her fill, finding her smile to be more appetizing than food anyway.
When they had finished their modest breakfast, they went about gathering their supplies so that they could continue on their journey. Once they were all packed, and Annie held her walking stick in her hand, she turned to Erik with a grin. "Alright!" she declared, with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Let's go find that cave of treasures you've been promising me!"
Erik looked into Annie's shining eyes, taking in her smile. Feeling as if his heart would burst with joy, he murmured, "I'm so glad you're back, Annie!" Truly, it had been too long since he had seen her this full of life.
"You brought me back, Erik," Annie declared, folding her arms around his torso and hugging him tightly. "You. With your patience and understanding. You helped me realize that I don't have to be afraid—as long as I have you beside me. I know there will be times when what my stepfather did will haunt me, but you have set me on the road to hope"
Erik tried to calm the pounding of his heart as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. Taking in a deep breath, the scent of her hair filling his senses, he rested his chin on her head. Fleetingly, the thought occurred to him that when they first met, such a thing would not have been possible.
"Annie," he commented, trying to lighten the mood, "I think you're actually getting taller."
"Or maybe," Annie countered, in the joking way that Erik loved, "You're shrinking down from your wholly unreasonable giant's height to a stature much more becoming of an actual human being."
"Honestly, Annie," Erik shot back, with a little squeeze. "Why would I wish to regress to mere human status?"
With a laugh, Annie moved out of Erik's embrace, but grasped his hand with her free one. Firmly holding Erik's hand, she set forth with her walking stick and a smile as she led them away from camp. And with a lopsided grin, Erik was powerless but to follow.
They did not find a cave filled with rubies that day—nor the next one after that. Still, the easiness that had returned to their friendship made them feel as if they had re-discovered a great treasure. They set about their travels with chatter and laughter—almost always holding hands—Annie's walking stick helping them to find steady ground on the more treacherous routes. In the evenings, they would build a campfire and Erik would bid the day farewell with a song on his violin, with Annie dancing around the flickering flames. As the fire dwindled to glowing embers they would huddle close and take turns whispering stories—Annie recounting fables that her father had first told her, and Erik spinning tall tales from his own imagination. Finally, they would curl up, snuggled tightly together against the winter chill, with Ami keeping guard. Peacefully, they'd rest in one another's arms until the sun arose to announce a new day, and the whole cycle would start again.
Until, of course, the day they happened upon a place that would make them want to stop traveling for a time.
"Annie, look here!" Erik shouted to her from around a bend. It was the first full morning in their new camp, and Erik had been gathering some fresh firewood while Annie was washing clothes in the stream. They were grateful that weather was relatively mild in the South of France, but still, the chilly nip in the winter air had made their nightly fire more of a necessity than a luxury, and firewood was always one of their top priorities.
"I'm coming!" Annie called back, rising from her work to meet Erik where he had beckoned. "I'm coming!"
Hurrying in his direction, Annie found her friend standing in front of a wide opening in a mountain—the very mountain that seemed to stem the flow of the stream where she had been washing. But, squinting her eyes against the shadows, Annie could see now that the stream did not end, but rather continued to flow within the mountain.
"A cave, Erik?" Annie asked, looking up at him in wonder.
"Yes!" he said, looking ahead at the unexpected marvel he had discovered, excitement clear in his voice.
"Let's go!" Annie declared, making to enter the cave without a second thought.
"Annie, wait a minute!" Erik stopped her, grabbing her by the hand to hold her in place. "You can't just barge in there!" he said, feeling suddenly protective of his friend. "It could be dangerous!"
Annie looked at him, excitement glistening in her eyes. "There could be rubies and buried treasure!" she declared. "You said so yourself!"
"Or there could be snakes," Erik countered. "As you have pointed out!"
"Erik," Annie said, pleadingly, taking his hands in hers, "I know I will be safe with you. We can face anything—together. We've talked about finding a cave for so long. We've got to explore it now that we have."
Erik looked at his friend's beautiful brown eyes, shining with so much trust and belief—in him. How could he possibly say no?
"All right Annie, but we must stay close at all times," Erik warned her, holding up a finger to emphasize his point.
With a big smile, Annie said, "Of course!" and then immediately turned and entered the cave before him.
With a huff, Erik scrambled after her, "Hey! Wait for me!"
The cave was a magical place. Sunlight filtered in from the entrance, as well as through small holes in the walls and ceiling above—allowing them to see the mighty stalagmites and stalactites jutting from both the ceiling and the ground. At certain points, the outcroppings seemed to meet, creating the illusion of opulent arches and walkways having been carved out of stone. The stream grew as it twisted through the inner network of rocky protrusions all around them, leaving glistening condensation on the walls. Soon it was a rushing river, fed at one end, by a frothy waterfall, which flowed down steadily from the rocks a level above.
"Erik, it's beautiful," Annie said in wonder, staring up and all around her, as the water droplets gleamed and glittered in the pockets of sunlight.
"That it is, Annie," Erik agreed, taking in the splendid view all around him. He snaked an arm around Annie's shoulder as he did so.
"Think of how your music would sound in here, Erik!" she thrilled. "It would be as if you were playing in a great hall, the notes echoing and resounding off the walls!"
Erik gazed back at her, adoringly, saying, "And you could dance through the sunbeams, making them shine even brighter."
Annie felt her insides flutter, as she always did at his sweet words. Then, taking his hands suddenly, she said with hope in her eyes, "We could stay here, Erik. The air is warmer, and the walls would provide us shelter from the wind. And we even have our own lake, for washing. It could be a home, Erik," she said softly. "Of our very own."
Erik gazed at Annie and felt joy bubbling in his heart. He realized at that moment that he'd never truly had a home. He'd been little more than a prisoner in his mother's house—mostly confined to a creaky, boarded up attic, rarely allowed to see the light of day. He'd escaped that incarceration, only to be captured by the gypsies, where he was once again held imprisoned—this time in an actual cage. The barn had been the closest thing he had to a home thus far in his life, since he had known many moments of joy there. But even the barn fell short of the splendor of this new abode, for with the constant worry about Annie's safety, he always knew they wouldn't be able to stay long.
Here, however, in this secluded rocky shelter, with its pockets of sunlight, and its mighty, rushing river, Erik knew he could have everything he'd ever wished in a place to call his home—warmth, comfort, and…Annie.
"It shall be a home, Annie." Erik answered, with shining eyes, reaching out to cup Annie's cheek. "Our home."
When Annie bestowed upon him one of her most beautiful smiles, he could no longer suppress his excitement. Catching her up in his arms, he spun her around, the two friends laughing the entire time. "We're home, Annie." Erik told her when he finally returned her to her feet.
"We're home," she agreed, hugging him once more, happiness filling her heart. This is good, mother, she thought, as they walked hand in hand back to their campsite to retrieve their belongings. This is so very good.
The cave served Erik and Annie well, sheltering them from winter's harsher elements, and eliminating their constant need to travel. It could not meet all their needs, however.
Annie was washing their spare clothes in the underground lake, when Erik announced with a frown, "We are going to have to visit a village soon."
"Why?" she responded, ringing out a shirt and hanging it on a nearby stalagmite to dry.
"We are almost out of rations," he informed her. "We need more food."
"Well then," Annie said, turning all her attention to Erik, excitement shining in her eyes. "Let that be today's adventure. We cannot be too far from Toulouse. We still have the money we took. Perhaps we can spend a nice day at the market."
Erik sighed deeply, "No doubt, you will be able to spend a wonderful day there, Annie," he agreed before turning away and gazing off into the shadows. "I, however, will no doubt be the subject of gawking stares, and over-loud whispers."
Her face suddenly furrowing with concern, Annie asked, "Why do you say that, Erik?"
"My face, Annie!" he shot back, looking at her as if his answer should have been the most obvious thing in the world. With a "humph," he flounced down on the ground.
Annie was reminded of the main reason they had stayed away from the rest of society—choosing instead to live in a cave in the woods. Kneeling down next to her friend, she reminded him sheepishly, "You will have your mask, Erik." She hoped the idea would offer comfort.
"Because a masked boy will be so inconspicuous," he retorted, rolling his eyes.
"Erik," Annie said sincerely, taking one of his hands in hers. "I do not care what people think. Neither should you. They know nothing about you."
"Oh," Erik responded bitterly. "But they shall have opinions regardless. And they shall whisper about the strange boy, and what horrors he must be hiding beneath his mask." Erik glanced into the river and saw his masked face staring back at him. Picking up a nearby pebble, he tossed it in the water, causing his reflection to disperse into a thousand ripples. He raked his hand through his hair in frustration, adding, "Worst of all they will be right. I do hide a monstrosity beneath this mask."
Annie looked for a moment at her brooding friend. Slowly extending her hand, she gently lifted the fabric away from his skin. Startled, Erik moved to protest, but before he could, Annie placed another of her sweet kisses upon his disfigured cheek. "They would be wrong," Annie told him gently, gazing directly into his awestruck eyes. "There is no monstrosity. Only you," she brushed his cheek again with her tender lips. "Only Erik."
Erik stared at her in wonder, tears welling in his eyes. "How do you do it, Annie?" He whispered breathlessly, shaking his head. "How do you look at me and not see a monster?"
"Because I see you, Erik," she responded, with a sheepish smile, a bit of bashfulness taking over as she realized how right it had felt to kiss him. "All of you. Even the parts you hide." Swallowing a lump that had formed in her throat, she added, "And I think you are beautiful. Inside and out."
"You are beautiful, my Annie," Erik told her, his voice thick with emotion, as he cupped her cheek in his hand. "You are my angel."
"As you are mine." She responded, laying her own hand over where his rested on her cheek.
The two friends gazed into each other's eyes for a long while, simply letting their emotions wash over them, and bolster their already strong bond. Eventually though, Annie touched her fingertips to Erik's cheek and reminded him, "We should go. It is early still, and perhaps the marketplace will be less crowded."
"Yes," Erik agreed, clearing his throat, and standing, extending his hand to pull Annie up beside him. "We should."
Annie curled her arm around Erik's as they set upon their way, Erik's mask now safely repositioned on his face. After a few quiet steps toward town, Erik murmured, "Thank you for seeing all of me Annie."
Annie leaned her head against his shoulder as she responded, "Thank you for showing me, Erik."
Erik only squeezed her arm more tightly against him and smiled down at her as they continued on their way.
AN: Awwww…aren't they just so cute! And they found a home—a very beautiful home, that seems to suit them just fine! Please review, and let me know what you think!