Thank you all so much for putting up with me! I promise that I will try my best to keep you entertained and this story interesting, and I just hope that I fulfil! :)
(Christine)
"Christine, my love, how would you feel about leaving the safety of the field and going for a proper ride? We are surrounded by nothing but woodland and open fields for miles. I would ride Ombre and you would ride Cesare. How would you feel about that?" Erik asked, watching as Christine slowed the horse to a canter until it walked and stopped.
Whispering in his ear and rubbing his mane, Christine nestled back into the saddle and waited for Erik to guide Cesare back into the stable.
"Erik, you know that I would love to, but I'm afraid I must decline. I am not feeling too good. My head pounds. I think it may be the stress and the motion of the horse, for I was terrified of riding alone. But perhaps tomorrow, weather permitting." She said, watching Erik and he glided to her side, rubbing her calf soothingly as he seized the reins and then led them back inside.
"Of course my love. You need not apologise. Your health and well being are my priority. We shall return home, and I shall wait upon you hand and foot." Erik said, throwing Cesare's reins through a metal loop in the wall and securing them to ensure that he would not bolt when they departed. Retrieving a sugar cube from his pocket, he placed it before the horse,who quickly ate it, his velvet nose soft against Erik's calloused palm.
"Come Christine, I shall catch you." Erik said, his arms spread wide as he stood beside the horse, waiting to catch his precious angel. Cautiously, she slipped down from the saddle, caught in Erik's embrace and pressed tight against his chest, her head spinning.
"I must apologise Christine. I was thoughtless." He said pained, watching as Christine's brow furrowed as a bolt of pain shot across her head. She pressed a slim palm to her forehead in the vain attempt of aid, but it did little good.
"Don't be silly Erik. I am sorry that I have spoilt your plans. I would so loved to have gone for a ride through the woodland." She said mournfully, leaning heavily against Erik's slight frame as a wave of nausea washed over her.
"I must get you home to bed, my poor angel. I cannot stand to see you ill or in pain. Do you think you could manage walking, my love?" He asked, his eyes blazing with surging emotion at thought of his sweetest angel suffering, when it should be him who took the pain, the sickness, the hurt. It was not right for such an innocent lamb to suffer, when an old sinner was healthy. How willingly he would take her place, to suffer instead of her.
"I will try, Erik." Christine said, forcing a weak smile as Erik ducked so that she could sling her arm around his neck for support. Taking slow, tentative steps, they emerged out into the glaring sunshine, Erik shielding her eyes from the bright light with his hand. With as much haste as she could manage, they made their way back home. Near to home, a wave of dizziness washed over her and her knees buckled. She slipped and would have hit the ground hard if Erik had not been supporting her tightly.
"Oh my love." He said, and bending, sweating his arm beneath her knees and up into this arms, pressed tight against his chest.
"No Erik, you mustn't carry me. I am much to heavy. I shall hurt you." She protested, but was silenced when Erik pressed a kiss to her perspiring forehead, his face against her curls.
"My love, do not protest. You are ill and I will not let you walk. I could not live with myself if you were to get worse. You have a fever and cannot be expected to stand. We shall be home in a moment, and you shall be wrapped up in bed with a cool flannel pressed to your flaming brow as you slumber sweetly." Erik said, and surrendering, she sighed softly and curled up against his chest,her eyes heavy with illness. The motion of Erik's steps and her sickness made it hard to concentrate on distances, and it wasn't long before they were inside their home, ascending the stairs to her bedroom. Instead of entering her bedroom, as she had expected, they entered his, and kneeling at the edge of his bed, the mattress sinking beneath him, he pulled back the silken sheets with one hand and lay down his precious cargo.
"Would it alright if I undress you Christine? You could choke on your garments should I leave you in you day dress." Erik asked with modestly, kneeling by Christine's feet and unlacing her boots so that they dropped, one by one, to the floor.
"Yes Erik." She muttered, her eyes drifting shut as Erik untied the lacings of her cloak and pulled it off. She could barely remain upright as he worked each layer off, until she sat shivering in her shift and stockings.
"Christine, lay beneath the covers." Erik said, his voice barely penetrating her addled brain. His eyes softening, her guided her arm, pulling the covers up over her shivering body.
"I'm so cold Erik." She mumbled through chattering teeth, her head tossing upon the plush feather pillows. Pressing a hand to her forehead, he nearly hissed at the heat. She was positively burning up. She had a fever, that much was obvious.
"I know, my love, I know. I cannot apologise enough. It pains me to see you so ill. But you cannot have a blanket. You must stay cool. It is the only way to get better." He said soothingly, stroking the damp curls from her forehead as her eye lashes fluttered. "You must sleep, Christine. It is the only way to get better. I shall get a cold towel to cool your skin and a glass of water. It is essential that you drink a lot to flush the illness from your angelic body." He said, and pressing a kiss to her cheek, his eyes lingering upon her flushed face, he departed from the room in search of cooling aids.
She could not sleep. Her eyes were heavy,as if tired, and yet every time they closed they would open again. The sheets stuck to her perspiring body, and yet she shivered, rubbing he arms futilely. She needed Erik. Where was Erik?
"Erik." She called weakly, like a newborn meowing kitten, and waited for him to reply. Nothing. It was obvious that he was out of ear-shot, or else he would have rushed to her side. Her aching neck falling back against the soft pillows, her eyes fluttered shut and she fell into a deep, fitful slumber in which she dreamed frightful, realistic dreams where horses ruled the land and she had to Paris before it struck midnight wearing glass slippers that kept breaking beneath her feet with the glass grinding deeper into her flesh, the blood pouring from her soles. With a start, she awoke, her heart racing and with little recollection of her surroundings.
"Where, where am I?" She asked, struggling to sit up, the cool flannel slipping from its position upon her forehead, failing as her arm muscles gave out and she fell back against the headboard wearily.
"Shush,my love. You were sleeping. I am here. You have no need to worry." Erik said soothingly, stroking Christine's wild curls from where they stuck to her face. Suddenly, she remembered everything. She knew where she was. In the countryside, far away from Paris and the wild ruling horses. Safe.
"What..what time is it?" She asked lazily, rubbing her sleepy eyes as she accepted the glass of refreshing icy water that was proffered by Erik, her weak arms shaking with the effort.
"It's six o'clock Christine." He said, retrieving his solid gold pocket watch from his waistcoat pocket and noting the time by the flickering candlelight. Six o'clock? That meant that she had been asleep for...she was too ill to think. Her mind could not cope with the sum.
"Would you care for a bite to eat?" Erik asked, taking the flannel from the pillow and placing it upon the beside table. Her voice failing her, she nodded weakly, and Erik rose from his chair beside the bed, bending over her prone form and stroking her curls.
"I may be a while. If you need me, ring this bell. I will hurry, I swear. Rest easy, my sweet." He said, a taking a small silver bell from his trouser pocket and placing it upon the table, he took the flannel and left, his eyes trained on her. Watching. Assessing. Loving.
As Erik left, the realm of sleep became within grasp and she seized it, curling up beneath the silken sheets, seeking warmth and comfort. She felt trapped. Suspended in a bubble, she floated above the house and over the countryside, watching life being loved beneath her. Lights that shone from houses that were dotted within the depths of the forest, people stumbling thought the streets as she passed over a village, watching streams of smoke rise and curl up into the inky darkness of the night sky. She wanted to escape from her bubbly prison,pressing her hands to the filmy walls,but unable to break through. She was trapped. She began to panic. Semi-conscious, she tossed and turned, moaning and whining, caught between the realm of dreams and reality.
Her eyes snapping open, she awoke. The room was empty and the candle had bee blown out by the breeze that blew gently through the window that had been thrown wide to cool the room and Christine's flaming skin. With much effort, she reached over to the little draw of the bedside table and fumbled inside, hoping desperately to find a box of matches. Success. Drawing them out, she fumbled with the box and retrieved a match,her fingers shaking as she struck the side of the box.
"That's probably not a good idea my love." Said Erik from the doorway as he entered the dark room, a candle upon the tray that he held within his hand to light his way through the dark house. Walking to the bed, he played the tray upon Christine's lap and the candle upon the table, illuminating the room once again. It smelt heavenly. A steaming bowl of fresh chicken soup with chunks so different vegetables. Her mouth began to water and her growled. She hadn't eaten since breakfast, and yet didn't feel that she could manage much.
"Just try a little Christine. It will make you feel better." Erik said, taking the tray from her lap as he resumed his seat beside the bed, taking the spoon within his hand. Dipping it into the steaming broth, he held it out to Christine, his hand cupped underneath to prevent it from dripping, as she leant forward and accepted it, a little dribbling down her chin which Erik quickly wiped away with his finger. She felt like a little child again, being fed by her father. She could not linger upon the thought, it was too painful.
After several mouthful, she found that she had had sufficient and the effort had made her tired once again. Stifling a yawn with the back of her hand, she smiled sheepishly at Erik.
"Sleep now,my love. Rest is the best medicine. I shall remain by your side. Do not fret,just sleep." Erik said lovingly, squeezing her hand that lay limply upon the sheets, and leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and cheek, stroking her hair as she lay back against the pillows, her eyes drifting shut.
"Sleep well, my angel." He said, and his voice, his rich, melodic, hypnotic voice singing her a soothingly lullaby to aid her dreams, his eyes and his heart softened with pure, unadulterated love.
Sorry about that. I hadn't originally intended to make Christine ill, but hey, sometimes things just go like that. And I can share Christine's pain. I've only just recovered by a terrible cold, so I guess that's the inspiration for this chapter! Anyway, thank you for reading! :)