Chapter Twenty Five: The Surprise Finale
After perhaps another half hour, a shadow appeared at the tent's entrance. The teenage boy stiffened in horror, but then relaxed as an unfamiliar man walked through like he owned everything in sight. Perhaps he did; he was wearing a police officer's uniform.
He had the same kind eyes as the little girl holding his hand.
"I'm guessing no one came?" he whispered, pulling Jurah's keys out of his pocket.
"No, Papa," the girl answered, standing up as her companion tried to do the same, but only fell to the ground from the pain.
xxXxx
Humbert had difficulty keeping a reign on his emotions as the story progressed. There was no doubt in his mind that his cousin was in the long black cloak, but the question was why?
The musicians had clearly been shaken from 'Harry's' sudden mastery, but at least they had not forgotten their duty to the music. Not to mention that the other actors were also a little edgy as they recited their lines, as a messenger from the mysterious count offered 'Bella Rose's' father a generous bride price for his lovely daughter. After a bit of an argument, Haru forced the old man to accept it, even as the other villagers tried to talk her out of it.
"The count's a wife-killer!" one woman cried hysterically, pulling hard on Haru's arm. "He's had thirty-five wives already!"
"He's a monster; a demon!" another man cried out.
"Why else would everyone be forbidden to see him? Bella, it's not too late, we can still elope," the rival tried to coax.
"Stop! Just stop it!" Haru yelled at the top of her lungs, pulling herself from the other actors.
They stared at her, not remembering this strong of a reaction from practice.
She took a deep breath to calm herself. "This is my decision to make, and I have made it. If I am to die to keep my father safe, then so be it. Can we leave now, sir?" she asked the messenger, who was just giving her father the last bulging bag of gold.
"Of course, my lady," the man said respectfully, bowing to her while gesturing off the stage.
She kissed her father goodbye, and left the village.
After that, the story almost turned into a typical 'Beauty and the Beast' theme, with the girl being waited on hand and foot while an intimidating lord did everything in his power to make her fall in love with him.
Humbert snorted under his breath. 'Of course he would choose to crash this opera. I wonder how he plans to do the traditional transformation at the end.'
"Is something wrong?" Renaldo asked him softly, nudging one elbow enough to gain the man's attention.
Humbert shook his head, a little amazed that the Moon brothers haven't figured out the switch by now. "Just out of curiosity, who is Harry?" he asked, gesturing at the program in his hand.
"A stagehand," Toto answered in a soft tone, making Ann look over curiously. "You-know-who suggested him."
Humbert nodded, and turned back to the play as his mother tried to inquire further on the 'you-know-who' business.
"I guess he was right, after all," Renaldo murmured softly. "Harry was terrible during rehearsals, but he seems to be doing fine now."
"Of course," Humbert replied politely. He studied the cloak, realizing the real reason his cousin had wanted the stagehand in the lead.
Harry must have been the only man working in the opera house that had his cousin's body build. Attempting to usurp anyone else's costume would have been disastrous.
Meanwhile, down below, Baron was singing beautifully enough to make the queen cry.
"Then at last, a voice in the gloom
"Seemed to cry 'I hear you;
"I hear your fears,
"Your torment and your tears.'
"She saw my loneliness
"Shared in my emptiness
"No one would listen
"No one but her
"Heard as the outcast hears."
If Humbert didn't know better, he would have sworn that Baron had written that song for Haru. He gripped his cane a little tighter, and resolved to ask Toto and Renaldo about it when his mother was out of earshot.
ooOoo
Even as Haru began to fall for the mysterious lord, the huntsman worked hard to spread rumors about his rival, to the point where they were willing to storm the manor. The servants fought back bravely, although there were unfortunately casualties on both sides. The peasants had come during the engagement party, so although the count was still in the same outfit he had been in the entire play, Haru was dressed in a lovely cream-colored gown, and roses decorated her hair and waist. She was currently hiding behind her betrothed, and he had one hand out to prevent anyone from coming near her.
"Enough!" Baron finally shouted, his powerful voice making everyone in the auditorium freeze in dread.
It was a tone that could have rivaled the queen's, if her stunned expression was of any indication.
"This has gone far enough!" Baron hissed, taking a sword from one of the other actors. "Jack, if you truly want my Bella, you'll have to defeat me first. Leave the others out of it."
The huntsman's face turned into an angry snarl, as he switched out his bow for a sword, and charged without thinking.
Humbert leaned closely, a little surprised to see the clear expertise in his cousin's movements, like the half-feline knew exactly how to handle his blade.
The actors stared in amazement as the cloaked count pretended to struggle with his rival, since Harry had not shown that much expertise with the weapon during practice.
At the climax of the music, Baron ended the game, and tripped the actor before pretending to run his blade through him.
"There, now. Take this dog out of my sight," Baron said curtly, returning once more to Haru's side.
"Wait! I can still take him!" Joseph howled as a few of the other actors carried him off the stage like he was already dead.
Soon, it was just Haru and Baron alone on the stage, holding each other tight.
Humbert bit back a groan; wishing that the performance would just come to an end.
"Are you all right?" Baron asked her worriedly.
"Of course I'm all right; what about you?" she replied worriedly, holding his head through the hood.
He laughed at her fears. "I'm perfectly fine, I assure you. It would take more than an arrogant little boy to do me in."
She sighed with relief, and slapped one shoulder in mock-anger. "I thought I told you not to go out of your way to impress me, I'm already impressed."
He chuckled a little, and held her even closer. "Still, it doesn't hurt to make certain." He kissed her hair softly. "I wouldn't want you to lose interest, after all."
"No chance of that," she assured him with a giggle, the musicians picking up the light, beautiful music of the final song. "I already told you; you're not getting away from me so easily."
He laughed a little uneasily, and tilted her head up with one hand to look into her eyes. "This is the last chance to walk away from me, love. After this, there's no going back."
The music faltered, like that wasn't supposed to be in the performance.
Haru grinned up at him, and buried her face into his hood to kiss him. "I don't want to go back. I want to be your wife, and I still don't care what you look like. I love you just the way you are, and that's final."
Baron was smiling at her, Humbert was certain. But all the half-feline did was hold her even closer, and run a gloved hand through her hair as he began singing in that blasted perfect voice again.
"Sometimes I see
"Past the horizon
"Sure of my way
"Where I am going-
"But where's the prize
"I have my eyes on?
"Where?
"There is just no knowing!"
The audience gasped in shock as the music faltered slightly. As the lead continued to sing the final song, his black cloak began to fade to white.
But even as the musicians stopped playing to stare at what was happening on stage, their instruments continued to play on their own, invoking a few hysterical shouts.
"And when despair
"Tears me in two
"Who can I turn to
"But you?
"You know who I am
"Take me as I am."
Haru looked up his now-white hood, the contents of which were still a mystery to the audience.
"Look in my eyes,
"Who do you see there?
"Someone you know,
"Or just a stranger?
"If you are wise,
"You'll see me there!
"Love is the only danger!"
Her dress also began changing into white, although the transformation wasn't as dramatic for her as it was for Baron. Even the roses decorating her person changed into a perfect white.
"Love, meaning me
"Love, meaning you
"We'll make that one dream come true!
"You know who I am
"Take me as I am."
Baron kissed her hand, and pulled off one of his gloves to reveal his fur-covered hand, making the audience gasp again.
Haru and Baron began singing together, their voices perfectly balancing into a duet the city would never hear again.
"Though fate won't always do
"What we desire-
"Still we can set
"The world on fire!
"Give me your hand,
"Give me your heart-"
Baron held out his hand to his bride; one finger now sporting a silver ring from the briefly appearing mist.
"Swear to me we'll never part!" he commanded.
"We'll never part!" Haru promised with tears in her eyes, one of her hands shaking off the mist to flaunt a similar ring before clasping hands with her beloved.
Humbert stood up in horror, realizing what Baron was doing.
It wasn't just a song. It was vows.
"You know who I am," Baron conceded.
"You know who I am," Haru repeated.
"This is who I am," he warned her.
"This is who I am," she sang back, almost defiantly.
"Take me as I am…" they sang together, Haru taking off his hood with the same reverence as a veil.
If the audience wasn't in an uproar before, it certainly was now. Humbert knew that many of them would always think that the cat features were fake, so he did not worry about them. Instead, he looked at his mother.
Her expression was priceless. Her eyes grew as big as saucers, and a few squeaking sounds made its way past her lips.
Haru and Baron had managed to move in front of a long red curtain in the fake hall, which fell away to reveal a beautiful angel; also clothed in white.
But Humbert had always called her 'Aunt Maria'.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife," Maria intoned, sprinkling some sort of sparkling silver liquid over the two of them from a small glass vial. "You may kiss the bride."
"My pleasure," Baron purred, pressing Haru against him in order to kiss her passionately.
Haru responded in kind, wrapping her arms possessively around his neck to be as close as possible.
Ann made a few choking sounds as she pointed at the stage with one hand, and pulled on Humbert's sleeve with the other. "That's… that's…" she tried to gasp.
He sighed, and looked down at her to shield his eyes from the blinding light of the stage, as the trio erupted like a star. "Yes. It is."
ooOoo
I have already mentioned where 'No One Would Listen' came from, but 'Take Me As I Am' came from Frank Wildhorn's Jekyll and Hyde Musical. Never seen it, probably never will, but this song was perfect for it.
I was originally going to do 'You Raise Me Up' by Josh Groban, but the same four lines were repeated so many times, I couldn't do it. Then I was going to do 'At The Beginning' by Donna Lewis and Richard Marx from the animated Anastasia movie, but it didn't quite give the right feel.
But this one did!