Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Phantom of the Opera. (looks around) Erik, get back in the closet before someone finds you! (looks back at readers) Nope, don't own Erik at all…
AN: Sorry about the cliffhanger! It was mean, but how else can I get my readers to come back? Again, sorry about that, but please leave a review after reading! My Erik-muse and I thank you!
Chapter 25: Making One's Own Destiny:
He could hardly believe it. Aria was standing right there in front of him, and she looked absolutely enchanting. Now he was glad that he had done as Madame Giry had asked, and could sense that he owed the ballet mistress more than he could ever repay her. Perhaps a little financial security for her and Meg would be enough?
"Erik?" Aria whispered, her hand reaching out to touch his cheek.
Not bothering to speak, Erik reached out and pulled her against him in an intimate embrace. The box was sealed off from view by its velvet curtains, and the door was locked, so they would not be interrupted. Savoring the close contact, Erik buried his face in his beloved's hair and inhaled, delighting in the flowery-sweet scent of her hair soap. He made a note to buy her plenty of it later.
"Oh, God, I've missed you," she gasped as she buried herself in his arms. "I didn't think I would be able to see you again so soon!"
"Nor did I," Erik replied, smiling as Aria pressed her nose against his neck and inhaled his cologne. "Now I feel that we should try and expect the unexpected."
He certainly believed that now, especially after Madame Giry had appeared down in the Populaire's wine cellar the yesterday evening. Before seeing the ballet mistress that night, Erik had been expressing his feelings of anger and heartache the only way he knew how: pouring them out onto the keys of his organ. Sometimes he had been so deep in his misery that he did not notice how much time had passed since he had started, and when he came to his senses, Erik was always startled to see that as much as half a day would pass while he was lost in his music.
That night in the wine cellars, Erik had been surprised to see someone else down there. Usually it was a stagehand or a kitchen helper quickly and quietly purloining a bottle of good wine for themselves or to take to a party going on in one part of the Opera's wings. To his fury, it was Madame Giry, the woman who had likely started this whole new round of torment for him. He had been more than ready to kill the old woman, but when she had begun to talk about Aria, he had stopped.
Aria, he learned, was just as miserable and lonely as he was. She suffered from their loss of contact, and longed to be near him. It warmed his heart to know that she still loved him, but it also sent a cold blade through his chest every time he thought of their separation. The center of their misery was the fact that they must remain apart until one of them could devise a way to be together. Of course, the other problem was asking for her father's acceptance of their love.
However, Erik knew that Roland Craven would never give his daughter away to the masked man who haunted the Opera House. That would never happen, and even Madame Giry knew it. Madame had seen the way Aria was kept under guard, and how servants frequently came and went before the door of the young woman's room. Also, the hidden mirror doorway to the Prima Donna's room had been sealed with brick and cement, making it impossible for Erik to even look in on the woman he loved, much less sneak her away!
Erik had been at his wit's end about the whole matter, and was just about to give up and drown his sorrows in wine when he had run into Madame. It was during this meeting that Madame confessed her mistake in aiding Christine and Raoul in their mission to rescue Aria. She had honestly felt that she had been doing the right thing, aiding in the liberation of what she thought was a girl kidnapped by the Phantom and being held hostage. She now felt guilty about not asking or talking to Erik about it earlier, and, after seeing her point of view on the matter, Erik decided to let her go, though without any sort of forgiveness. That would have to come later, after he had devised a plan to get to Aria.
Thankfully, Madame had a plan that would hopefully bring the two star-crossed lovers together, as well as put her back under the good graces of the Opera Ghost.
Madame's plan was that, even though access to the Diva's suite was beyond Erik's control, it was not beyond that of the ballet mistress. Just like the Ghost, Madame Giry's actions were not questioned by anyone, and even if someone tried to follow her, another member of the Populaire's staff would stop the spy and prevent him from following Madame too far.
"This will give me the opportunity to get to Aria," Madame explained to a very skeptical Erik. "If I can get to her rooms while everyone else is away at luncheon or working on the new production, then I will be able to bring her to you wherever you are."
It was very tempting. Erik knew that Aria was miserable, and that her father was being unusually stubborn and idiotic, especially while trying to convince Aria to become friends with Christine. It was a foolish idea, wanting Aria to become as silly and naïve as the Countess, and that alone was cause enough for Erik to agree to Madame's half-baked idea of whisking Aria away right under her father's nose (not to mention the de Chagnys').
It had all been worth the risk. Pulling back from their embrace, Erik leaned down and pressed his lips to his beloved's. As Aria's arms drifted around his neck, pulling him even deeper into the kiss, Erik felt his very soul grow warm. He could not let this woman go, not for all of the music and art in the world. Aria was his everything now, and letting someone try and destroy the sweet, kind, intelligent person that she was would be a horrendous crime.
'Why would I want a pale, fragile little angel like Christine when I could have a fiery, delightful, glowing muse like Aria?' Erik thought, smiling into their kiss.
Why indeed would he want anything else than the woman he now held in his arms? Of course, now that she was with him, and that they were alone together, it was the perfect time to put the next part of the plan into action…a part of the plan that Madame Giry knew nothing about.
I felt an intense feeling of coldness and loss the moment Erik pulled away from our kiss. However, he didn't release me from his arms, for which I was thankful. Looking into his beautiful green eyes, I realized that I had missed the warmth his gaze brought whenever he looked at me.
"My love," he whispered. "I am going to ask you to do something that may shock you. In fact, it goes against everything you feel for your family, and against every kind of lesson that society has taught you."
My curiosity stirred. "What is it?" I asked, my voice quiet so that no one could overhear. If Erik thought his request would alarm me, it couldn't hurt to ask what he wanted, now, could it?
I closed my eyes as Erik leaned close to me and again buried his face in my hair. "I want you to run away with me," he whispered in that wonderful, musical voice of his. "I want you to be my wife."
My breath caught in my throat. "Oh, Erik," I breathed, suddenly feeling both ecstatic and faint at the same time. "Oh, Erik, of course I'll marry you!"
Erik nearly sagged against me in relief, although thankfully, he didn't – as slight and small as I was, I wouldn't be able to hold him up if he had collapsed onto me! As he pulled away and took up my left hand, I knew he had likely feared that I would refuse him, leaving him broken and alone the way Christine had. Thankfully, I was not like that, and would gladly marry the man who now slipped a beautiful engagement ring onto my left ringfinger.
"Oh, how lovely!" I gasped, holding it up to the little bit of light coming from the gas lamps on the walls of the box.
It was a diamond ring set in white gold, but the round stone was bordered by a small pearl on either side. The band was also delicately engraved with rose vines and leaves, which I thought was exquisite. This must have cost Erik a fortune, and I told him so.
"Besides, the engraving must have been so expensive, given the craftsmanship," I said, smiling in delight as the ring sparkled. How I loved sparkling things!
Erik chuckled. "The ring was expensive, but the engraving was not." To my surprise, he looked both proud and sheepish at the same time. "The first night you were gone, I'm afraid that I grew rather mad for your company, and so decided on adding a few things to the ring myself."
I held up the ring and examined it. "You did this yourself?" I asked, thoroughly amazed at his talents. "That must have taken you ages to do!"
"Several days, actually," he replied proudly. "Some of my finest work, I think."
Giggling, I stood on tip-toe and kissed him on the cheek. "I heartily agree," I whispered. "Now, about my running away with you…"
"You do not have to if you do not wish to," Erik said, his green eyes turning sad and disappointed. "I know how much your family means to you, and that you would wish for your father's permission to wed. You are free to do as you please."
"Good, because it pleases me to accept your proposal and to run away with you to the ends of the Earth," I bluntly replied with a smile.
Erik stood in silence for a moment, staring at me in surprise right before gathering me up into a passionate kiss.
'She said yes!' Erik cheered to himself as he kissed his fiancée.
It was the happiest moment of his life. He would be married! Finally, he would be a husband to a woman who loved him in spite of his horrible face, a woman who was everything he had ever dreamed of. Kind, loving, clever, and who would support him in his art and opera composing, Aria was his prayers brought to life.
When their kiss ended, Aria looked up at him with eyes that sparkled, her cheeks a charming pink as she smiled up at him. Grinning like an idiot, Erik took her left hand and tucked it under his right elbow, holding it tightly for fear that she might disappear.
"Come, I have everything ready," he whispered, reaching out to the marble pillar in the corner.
Aria gasped as he slid aside a part of the wall, much as he had done in the chapel. Smirking, Erik removed Aria's hand from his arm and grasped it in his own hand. "Come, my darling, it is time to go. We have much to do this afternoon."
I followed Erik through the secret tunnels of the Opera House, going who-knows-where. I knew we were heading downwards, since we had been at one of the upper levels of the building, but that knowledge was confirmed when Erik pushed aside a section of brick wall and escorted me out into a back alley behind the Populaire. There stood a carriage, its driver and horse facing away from us so as not to see when or where we emerged.
As we walked to the carriage, Erik pulled up the hood on his cloak before opening the door and offering me a hand inside. I accepted his gesture and entered, settling into a comfortable position as Erik took a seat across from me, his back facing the front of the carriage. I thought that he would give the driver directions to where we were to go, but Erik merely banged a fist on the roof and the vehicle moved forward.
"Erik, where are we going?" I asked, peeking through the covered window as we rode down the street.
"You will see," he replied, reaching out to take my left hand in his. "I can only hope that you will not be disappointed."
I only had time to give his hand a reassuring squeeze before the coach came to a sudden stop. Looking though the curtain covering the window, I noticed that we were at the back of a large stone building. Before I could ask where we were, however, Erik had opened the door and leaped out, his hands eagerly reaching inside for me. I put my fingers in his palms and let him lead me out, my eyes drifting upwards to see where we were.
"Oh, my," I gasped.
It was a church, and I could only think of one reason as to why we were here. I didn't have much time to think about it, though, because Erik had taken hold of my hand and was leading me inside.
Erik had never been inside a church before today, not even when he had arranged this particular event with the priest in charge of this particular sect. Instead, right after he had met Madame Giry in the wine cellar, Erik had left the Opera House and found a tiny orphan boy willing to do the tasks set to him, for the right price. Erik had then sent the boy inside the church to fetch a priest willing to meet him outside the holy building. The boy had returned with a half blind elderly man in hooded robes, a man who, for some reason, was more than willing to meet a mysterious stranger in a dark alley.
Actually, the priest had been nothing like the strict, hardened, devout man Erik pictured a priest to be. Short, round, with a smiling face and kind hazel eyes, Brother Paul had been all too happy to accommodate Erik and his request for a private, secret wedding today. During their chat, the old man had been quite pleasant, as well as kind and understanding of a lovesick man needing to secretly wed the love of his life. For the price of a generous contribution to the orphanage managed by the church, Brother Paul was willing to perform the ceremony whenever Erik appeared at the door with his bride.
Now Erik led Aria up the steps of the church, her ringed left hand gripped tightly in his right one. The two stepped into the back entryway, looking around until a small acolyte greeted them politely and asked them their business. Erik, still wearing his hood pulled up over his masked face, explained his need to see Brother Paul. The intimidating sight of a tall hooded man sent the poor boy running off to fetch Brother Paul from his rooms, leaving the pair to themselves.
As they waited, Erik looked over to see if Aria was beginning to change her mind about this whole mad plan of his. To his relief, she appeared calm and, to his surprise, rather excited. He had not let go of her hand, so he gave it a gentle squeeze. Aria's brown eyes snapped to meet his, and Erik was thrilled to see them sparkle with love and joy at the thought of marrying him. He had thought that love had deserted him when Christine had sailed off into the distance, but it hadn't; today he was about to get married!
Nervousness began settling in. It soon began tightening his stomach into knots and making his heart leap so hard in his chest that it was as if he were going to choke on it. This, Erik knew, was the legendary "cold feet" that so many men in the Opera House had talked about right before they went off to marry their sweethearts. He was getting nervous, and was beginning to think that perhaps this might not be the best thing to do after all.
"Ah, Monsieur Renault!" cried Brother Paul as the acolyte led him to the waiting pair. "You are here! Wonderful! Let me see the lucky young lady. Do forgive me, Mademoiselle, I am afraid that I am short-sighted, and must get quite a bit closer."
Aria stood still as the monk leaned forward and began examining her, his hazel eyes looking her face over carefully. "Well, you certainly are a lovely young girl," declared Brother Paul with a grin. The acolyte made a noise in his throat. "Oh, hush, Jean, I am not going to marry the girl myself! I am merely stating that Monsieur Renault is marrying a perfectly lovely young woman. Now get back to your lessons before Brother Andre adds more books to your study load."
The boy scurried off, leaving the three adults to chuckle in amusement. Aria reached out and touched the priest on the arm. "I can't thank you enough for doing this," she said in a soft voice. "My father would likely never approve of this match, and I know that this is the only way I can truly be with the man I love."
"Oh, don't be silly, my dear girl!" Brother Paul exclaimed in a cheerful voice. "You'd be surprised at how many marriages I do for 'star-crossed, forbidden lovers.' I prefer to do those ceremonies, actually. I'm more than happy to perform your ceremony for you."
Looking from one to the other, Brother Paul smiled warmly and gestured towards the chapel. "Now, shall we? It is getting late, and at my age, I cannot afford to let the stuffed goose supper they are preparing in the kitchens tonight grow cold."
Chuckling, Erik and his fiancée trailed behind the merry priest. In moments, the two were before the altar, and Aria had a bouquet of flowers in her hands, freshly plucked from the gardens of the church. The ceremony that followed was short and simple, but neither Erik nor Aria wanted it any other way.
It had been hours since she had taken Aria Craven to Box 5, and now Madame Giry was going to fetch her. Between the two of them, Aria and the Ghost should have developed a way to tell her father of their love, and if not, Antoinette was perfectly willing to bring Aria to wherever the Phantom wanted to meet her in the future.
'Provided that it's not anywhere near his home,' she thought as she made her way down the hallway.
Thankfully, the halls were empty, as everyone was at supper in the Opera's eatery. All of the workers would be eating their fill of whatever the cooks had thrown together for tonight, and afterwards, most of the young men and women would go to a party of some sort being held by one of their friends. Meanwhile, the older folk would retire to their rooms to drink, gamble, read, or simply to sleep until dawn came the next day. Sleep was Madame's usual choice, and she planned to enjoy every minute of it as soon as she fetched Aria from the infamous Box 5.
Arriving at the box, Madame gave a quick knock, praying that they would hear and answer. Nothing. Perhaps they did not hear? Knocking again, this time louder and swifter, Madame waited for a response. Still nothing. Growing more and more concerned, Madame reached for the master key that she and few others possessed, the Ghost being one of them. Unlocking the door, Madame reached inside and turned up the gas lights to illuminate the room. What she saw nearly stopped her heart.
No one was there.
'Perhaps she went back to her room,' Antoinette thought, taking a deep breath to calm herself.
Yes, that was it. Perhaps Aria and her lover had worked out a plan and the Ghost had returned the young woman to her rooms earlier. If that was the case, it would certainly be alright for the hungry ballet mistress to go to supper now without having to check up on Aria.
However, something didn't seem right, so Madame decided to put off her growling stomach for a bit longer in order to check on Mademoiselle Craven. She quickly walked through the empty Opera halls until she reached the Prima Donna's rooms, furiously knocking on the door when she got there. No one answered, and that made her even more nervous than before.
Deciding not to wait any longer, Madame pushed open the door and looked inside. The fire had burned out, the candles were new and had not been lit, and the room was cold. It looked as though Aria had not been here since she had been whisked away earlier that day. This was enough to cause Madame to go into a panic. If Aria had not come back, then the Ghost had taken her. Antoinette had been wrong to trust the Phantom to act honorably, and now Roland Craven would probably send an army to hunt down the masked man and kill him to get his daughter back.
Whirling around, Madame stepped out into the hall in order to try and think of a plan to get Aria back without anyone the wiser. However, it was not to be.
"Madame Giry!" cried a voice down the hallway. It was Roland Craven, and he looked terrified. "Madame, have you seen Aria? No one has seen her since this morning, and I've looked everywhere for her. I've been searching for hours, and haven't found her yet."
Well, at least she wouldn't have to lie to the man, just cover up her tracks. "No, sir, I'm afraid that I haven't seen her. Perhaps she went out into Paris for the day? The sun is up longer, since its spring."
This was technically true: Madame hadn't seen Aria, at least since before noon. However, she wasn't about to help her father send an army down to kill the man that Aria loved more than life itself! When all was quiet, Antoinette would go and try to talk some sense into Erik's head before something horrible happened to him or Aria.
As Roland Craven thanked her for her help and left, Madame went on her own quest for answers in regards to the whereabouts of Aria Craven and the Opera Ghost.
AN: Erik and Aria got married! More in the next chapter, I promise. Please review!