Chapter 13
Of course, it was an established fact that people who had celebrated New Year's Eve slept during the day of January 1st. It was the case for many – except Céleste. So many faces were marching in her mind: Soliman's almost sadistic grin, Christine's annoying sadden puppy face, Philippe's and Raoul's cheerful smiles, where you could read all the ignorance of what had truly happened, Meg's childish cherub face, the Daroga and Mme Giry's serious countenances, and, more especially, Erik's half-hidden features, which, strangely, became somehow comforting in Céleste's struggles to forget everything for a few hours and simply go to sleep. Though now, she didn't feel safe at all, except when she thought of Erik. Yes, he was a man in the flesh, and the young lady knew his story well enough to be aware of that. But in some way, he did resemble an angel in so many manners: probably not an angel of God, but neither an angel coming from Hell.
Yes, Céleste had never wanted, and still didn't want to be some damsel in distress. Her origins could prove it very well. Isabelle de Chagny, willingly, had followed the Crusaders in 1098, bearing all the suffering and privations which came on the very difficult trip to Jerusalem, surviving her younger brother Hugues, who died of the plague, to receive the extreme reward of seeing a Christian flag, after a great battle led by Godefroi de Bouillon, float on the Holy City. Hermine de Bassompierre, Comtesse de Chagny by marriage, had resisted a Burgundian siege of five hundred men with only a hundred on her side, while her husband was absent, during the Hundred Years War. And, during the French Revolution, Marie-Angélique de Chagny, during the wars in Vendee, had join the little Royalist forces battling for the imprisoned King and had even fought on La Rochejacquelin and Charette's sides.
Yes, she came from a family where the women knew what they wanted and were never afraid of defending themselves or their beliefs. But somehow, you always need a guardian angel, don't you? Yes, a guardian angel, even dark. And, even after all what happened between her family and Erik, Céleste knew that she could trust who Soliman called the Angel of Death.
In a certain way, yes, Erik was like a ghost. Ghosts were wandering souls, condemned never to taste the delights of Heaven, but at the same time, spared by Hell. And even Purgatory didn't want them. A duality was existent within Erik. Part of him reminded of God's angels, but another part, of a fallen angel, or even a demon.
When January 2nd came, Mlle de Chagny had hardly slept at all. But she wasn't tired, caught by some sort of nervous adrenaline, waiting for Meg's promised visit. She still hesitated to tell the ballerina (and indirectly, Erik) about Soliman's proposal and his threats. She realized, at that moment, that he would throw himself into the lion's mouth… for her. And usually, men who did that were…
No, this couldn't be. It was by principle that Erik was doing this, Soliman being his worst enemy. It had to be…
But no. Erik had absolutely no principles. So…
Was he in love with her?
Stupid question. Of course he was. You had to be blind not to realize it.
But the arrival of Annette, announcing that Mademoiselle Giry wished to see her, interrupted the young lady's thoughts.
Trembling a bit because of her recent realization, Mlle de Chagny smiled to Meg as she entered in her living-room.
"Good morning, Meg," Céleste started, since the girls had both agreed in calling each other by their first name. "Any news from the Opera Populaire?"
"Nothing much. We were closed yesterday since it was January 1st, but we supposed that Soliman might have been invited for New Year's Eve by your brothers."
Céleste lifted down her eyes, seeing that she was somehow trapped either way. Yes, Erik had to know what was going now, since he became more and more evident that in Soliman's plan for Erik and the Daroga, she would have to play an important role. It couldn't be a coincidence. It couldn't be. And Meg needed no words from Céleste to understand that something was wrong.
"Oh, Meg, please, tell him not to do anything stupid, I beg you," Mlle de Chagny finally said, her voice slightly trembling. "Because what happened yesterday… because… because…"
Meg, quietly, grabbed Céleste's hands gently.
"Just tell me what happened. We'll see after if it's better for him to know about everything or not."
Taking a deep breath, Céleste said everything to Meg, Soliman's proposal, his threats, and also her suspicions about him having made the connection between her family and Erik, which was becoming more and more evident. The young ballerina listened to her fixedly, until she had finished her story. Céleste felt almost relieved just by telling it, like part of her burden had fell on Meg's shoulders.
"Well… I think it is better if he's aware of everything…" started Meg prudently. "But I will tell him that you requested him not to act impulsively."
Céleste was only a little bit reassured by Meg's assurance. Of course, she would do everything as she promised, but she knew Erik well enough to tell that with his stubbornness, he would probably act recklessly once again. He had acted like this before, anyway. He had even been capable of crashing a chandelier, burning part of HIS Opera house. Yes, he would be able of taking risks and probably facilitate Soliman's plan.
Because he loved her.
That was the terrible truth.
But, as Céleste thought of it, her gaze travelling through her living-room, while Meg was respectfully remaining silent, the awareness that Erik was in love with her didn't bother her in the sense that she, in return, didn't have any feelings for him. It was just that… it wasn't possible. At all. And she didn't want to think about it, because it hurt.
If it hurts to think about it… maybe it's because I do love him.
Céleste had never fallen in love before. Yes, she was ready to admit that she was attracted to Erik, but in love with him… It seemed like a whole other thing, and it sort of scared her.
But soon, quick steps could be heard at the outside of the living-room. The two girls could hear: "Madame, please, don't run, especially in your state…"
The door flung open. An exhausted Annette came in, starting quickly: "Mademoiselle, I'm sorry, I said you didn't want to be bothered when Mademoiselle Giry is here and…"
But soon, the maid was interrupted by Christine, entering the room as quickly as her pregnancy could permit her, to Céleste and Meg's incredulous eyes.
"Christine?" They both said in a chorus.
"Meg, I'm so glad to see you!" Christine started. "Céleste, I'm sorry for intruding myself like this, but you just had to know…"
The vicomtesse's voice was shaking, and Céleste, her surprise calmed down, could see all the shock, fear and sadness which marked her porcelain doll face. And, for the first time, she didn't feel any hatred nor disdain towards her. Even, she smiled in a comforting way to her sister-in-law, well Meg was gently taking her best friend's hand and guiding her towards a chair so she could sit and be more comfortable.
"Do you feel well enough to tell us what is going on?" asked Meg gently.
Christine nodded, taking a deep breath and lifting her head, her eyes now calm. But she remained pale.
"First of all, Céleste, I want you to know that I have heard everything Soliman has told you, since you were both in a room which is just beside our bedroom." (By our, of course, Christine was including Raoul and herself.) "I know he's aware of his presence, and that he's up to no good, and that he knows that you have been in relation with him. How, I don't want to know, Céleste. But just tell me: is he alright?"
Christine's eyes were almost pleading for an answer. Céleste felt suddenly a cold shower falling on her head. She wanted news of her possible ex-lover? Yes, she would get them. But she wanted to get a few things clear.
"He's fine," she answered abruptly. "Why do you want to know?"
Christine glanced quickly towards Meg's eyes, and in only one look, she understood many things.
"It's not at all because I have any sort of… feelings for him," started Christine slowly. "It's just… he has been a presence for me when I was desperate because of my father's death. He has taught me to sing… And I will never forget it. I felt guilty of leaving him behind, on the fire's night, but I knew I did the best choice. I love Raoul, Céleste, truly. And I want you to believe that."
Though she was fighting very hard against it, Céleste could see that Christine was sincere. Well, it looked like she had been wrong about her… Oh well. Without smiling, but looking in Christine's eyes without a shadow of dislike, she said calmly: "I believe you, Christine."
The Swedish girl smiled. And on her face, a great joy appeared. She knew that that day, Céleste had somehow forgiven her for all the offenses she had made to her unwillingly, and it gave her courage to continue what she had to announce her. And it wasn't pretty at all.
"Monsieur Soliman has come for a visit a few hours ago… and then, I was absent for a while and, when I came back, I overheard the conversation he had with Philippe and Raoul… They didn't know I was there, because, if it was the case, they would have never dared to talk of it in front of me. They've… they're planning to capture him for good. Soliman is acting as the good soul who says he has also been indirectly a victim of him, he talked about a fiancée he used to have or something – and he said he knows his techniques very well, and, and… I know most of this isn't true, especially when he said that he loved you and that he wanted you to be safe if he ever wanted to revenge, and… and…"
Christine burst into tears, exhausted by her effort, while Meg quickly ran to her and hugged her tightly, murmuring "Shhh…" to calm her down. Meanwhile, Céleste remained in her place, numb, still having trouble realizing what she had just heard.
Well, at least Philippe and Raoul still didn't know anything about Erik and herself.
But now, they didn't have just Soliman to worry about. They also had two other people on their list. Who was next? Firmin? André? Why not La Parilla?
"I think you know what to do, Meg," Céleste finally said, unexpressive.
Meg nodded her head.
"How did you get, here, anyway?" Céleste asked Christine, when she seemed more composed.
"I… waited for Soliman to leave and I stayed in my room. When Raoul came to see me, I told him I just had a headache and that I wanted to go outside to have a bit of fresh air. I said I was going to the Champs-Élysées, alone. But instead, I told the coachman to take me to you home…"
Céleste nodded her head, while Meg, with a teasing smile, said: "I'm proud of you."
"I can take care of myself, Marguerite Giry…" replied Christine, with a cheeky look. "To a certain point."
The three girls laughed nervously, which made the tension drop a bit. But not completely.
About an hour later, Meg left, charged of the very difficult task of informing Erik of everything. When Christine started to worry about the time, Céleste proposed gently to her that she could stay for the night.
"I think you had a lot of emotions," she added as an argument, "and we don't want Philippe and especially Raoul to notice it."
"I thought of this also," said Christine, "but I was afraid of asking you."
Céleste smiled, but her grin was a sad one, as she was remembering all the resentment she had felt towards Christine.
Quickly, she wrote a note to explain without arousing suspicion Christine's absence to her brothers.
Philippe, Raoul,
Christine will be staying at my home for the night. She feels too tired to come back at your place, so I have offered her to stay here.
Yours,
Céleste
Everything should be fine, for tonight. But, though all the doors and windows were well shut, that the servants were there, Céleste nor Christine felt safe.
Thankfully, they received no unexpected visits from anyone. When bedtime came, Mlle de Chagny had the vicomtesse install herself in a spare bedroom, and lent a nightgown to her.
But, all alone in her bed, Céleste couldn't fall asleep and felt quite insecure. When she heard a gentle knock on her door, she jumped suddenly, imagining a thousand terrible scenarios and whispered, in a voice she would have wanted to be firmer:
"Who's there?"
"It's me," Christine's sweet voice answered. "Can… can I come in? I don't feel safe in my room."
"Come in." When the young Swedish girl opened the door, Céleste looked at her with a weak smile. "I don't feel safe either."
Mlle de Chagny settled on the right side of her bed, near the window, leaving the left side to Christine, knowing that she would feel safer that way. Céleste wasn't too reassured by the fact that she was just beside the window, irrationally but truly afraid that Soliman would simply jump in the room by breaking the window.
It was about two hours later, when the two girls were just about to fall asleep that suddenly, they both heard someone knocking at the window.
"What's that?" whispered Christine, her voice trembling and even more high-pitched than usual.
"I… I don't know…" Céleste was going to comfort Christine, though she was quite terrified herself, when suddenly, they both saw a dark silhouette standing on the window's outside sill. Immediately, they cuddled up each other, and Céleste squeezed Christine's hand, begging her: "Please… don't scream."
The silhouette starting knocking harder and harder on the window with something, until what was holding it closed broke and opened it, letting a gust of cold winter air coming into the chamber. Céleste and Christine smothered a cry, covering their eyes, by a childish reflex, with their sheets. But soon, Mlle de Chagny lifted up her eyes, screwing them up to see better in the darkness.
And when she saw who it was, her mouth opened, and she was unable to say anything.
A/N: Sorry for the cliffie… Actually no, I'm not sorry at all. *Evil grin*
Answers to reviews:
TheCrimsonPen: Yes, I think everyone hates Soliman, now. XD NOW, PEOPLE, YOU HAVE NO REASON TO HATE RAOUL MORE THAN SOLIMAN. OKAY? *Okay, okay, I'm out of here*
Erik's reaction? He'll be furious, guaranteed. XD
Erik's guest: I think everybody, though it wasn't really possible, were crossing their fingers for a kiss… Everyone loves big damn kisses. XD But thanks again for following so faithfully. ;)
YourPhan: I think everyone is now hooked to the updates to see when Céleste and Erik will FINALLY face it. XD And don't worry, writing is my passion and will last forever. Promised on Peter Pan and Aslan's heads. XD
Lydia the tygeropean: Thanks! And yes, who doesn't love Meg? Really?
PhantomFan01: Meg rocks! And yes, Lindsey Stirling is amazing, I'm a big fan of her, and I just loved her Phantom of the Opera medley. The first time I listened to it, and when the electric guitars started, my reaction was pretty much: "H*LL YEAAAAH!" The only low (and it's really nothing, I guess she just didn't have enough room for it), it's that she didn't play The Point of no Return. This POTO song played on the violin is. Simply. Breathtaking. The violin really possesses all the passion to make an amazing rendition of it.
And yes, good old cliffhangers are a sadistic trick invented by authors to make sure their readers keep on reading. MWAHAHAHA! XD
Aria: Your reviews sure took me completely on surprise! Well thank you very much for taking time to review, it was really appreciated!
There is a lot of Frozen inspiration spread here and there because at the beginning, I wanted to do a Once Upon a Time/POTO/Frozen crossover. But then, the idea of having Erik falling in love with Raoul's sister came, and it was brilliant, and I decided to base myself on Elsa to create Céleste. But my crossover is still dinging in my mind, and I even started to prepare it! It will come out soon on Fanfiction! And yes, Frozen is one of my favorite Disney movies, along with Tangled and Beauty and the Beast (surprise surprise. XD)
I wanted Céleste to be Christine's total opposite, because, let's face it, Christine Daaé is the damsel in distress by excellence. Céleste, though she is totally freaked out, won't be afraid of standing in front of the Phantom. And the main reason why I'm team Raoul unlike almost everybody on the planet it's because at the basis, I don't like Christine (without hating her). I mean, Erik disserves better.
Prussia is Germany, before 1871. ;) Only, it didn't have Bavaria back then, since Bavaria belonged to the Austrian empire. But I think you guessed that later. ;)
Glad to see you liked the fluffy Raoul/Christine moment! Seriously, there aren't enough in the movie or musical.
A description of her dress? Well, I would see her at the beginning being dressed really "tight". See it a bit like Elsa during the coronation. (Boy was her dress ugly then!) And if she remembers how to play the violin after all these years, well… Céleste is a music genius. ;) And Erik did even better: he learned tons of instruments by himself. ;)
AND YES, THE PERSIAN ROCKS!
Don't worry; I have nothing against Germans… ;)
The poison the Phantom used on La Parilla? Oh, it's simple, you can find it on eBay (ok, ok, I'll stop my bad jokes). Erik's concoctions. ;) Some can make you croak, some will attack your skin… XD
At first, I thought Erik's revenge plan was a bit too insanely complicated, but glad to see that you liked it! And Gone with the Wind is my #1 reference about "How marriages worked back then". So I know that when you dishonored a girl, you had to marry her. ;)
And I'm so glad to hear that you love Céleste, like everyone does! Creating an OC for POTO and making her interesting enough is always risky…
I think Erik has started to compose again about… well, ten months after Christine left. Gosh, poor Erik. *gives him a hug*
I know what you mean about Céleste's dress for the masquerade… I was writing about it and I wanted it too… XD
I never thought of Céleste, Erik and Soliman as being similar to Katniss, Peeta and Snow! But it's true that in a certain way, they're alike. But I'll admit it, I like Hunger Games, though I'm not really a fan of it. (But I am a Jennifer Lawrence fan. *-*)
By the way… raise your hand if you wanna "Erik tortures Soliman" scene! XD
And I think not only Céleste is growing on Erik, but Erik is also growing on her! *Overdose of fluff squeal*
Thanks for encouraging me in writing, it's more than appreciated! And I'm really touched that I'm actually inspiring you…
OH. MY. GOSH. *Cries*