Something has changed. Shifted. As Erik woke, he no longer felt consumed by darkness. Suddenly his dark cave was illuminated by a thousand candles. A warm gentle light that showed him the possibility of a life out of darkness. A life with Christine.
Massaging his tense neck, he shifted his gaze to the woman in the bed. Erik recalled the many nights he stayed by her sleeping form, revelling in her calm beauty that was so different from the fire that ignited on stage. Only now it was better than before, for she now belonged to him. She always had belonged to him, whether she knew it or not, but now he was more than her Angel and teacher – he was her husband!
Kneeling beside her, Erik whispered, "You're the best wife I could ever have," and placed a chaste kiss upon her nose.
Erik felt an unfamiliar tingle in his heart. He had never been one for chaste kisses – given or received, they always eluded him. Even as he slowly possessed Christine's soul, they had never shared so much as an affectionate touch apart from those that the passions of music invoked. In those moments, there was always a role to play. Elissa. Aminta. Angel of Music. But only one role mattered now, that of husband and wife. Suddenly the opportunities were endless. They had a whole life together! Never in all of his years did Erik entertain the idea that he would no longer be alone.
Christine's eyes fluttered open to see the rippling muscles of Erik's disfigurement. Though a familiar sight, it remained a horror to behold.
"Good morning, Erik," she greeted, gathering the sheets to her body.
Erik's mouth stretched to a toothy grin.
"Good morning, wife."
God help him for once in his life, he wanted to kiss her. He wanted to place his deathly lips upon her smooth skin as if it would help him draw breath. Erik's hands grew clammy at the thought. It was much easier when she was asleep, he thought, just do it.
Slinking back into the depths of his mind, Erik gave into his cowardice and spoke instead.
"We still have some bread. You will eat and gain your strength; we have a long journey ahead."
Christine nodded awkwardly and dangled her feet off the edge of the bed. She remained shrouded in the blanket and Erik took the hint that it was time for him to leave and let her dress. Though his feet carried him out in obedient respect, he thought what was the point of leaving? As her husband, he was entitled to gaze upon and enjoy her body. No Erik, he chided, you are not ready for that yet. Lord knows what reaction he might have to her bare skin.
He had not experienced many marriages, only the observations from the shadows of the opera house, but he did not think many started with both the bride and groom as virgins. For the bride, it was expected, but most, if not all, men had cast their boyhood aside in their school days, romping with any willing lass. Erik had not had such a luxury as his face proved an adequate deterrent.
What was it going to be like? He had assured Christine that he would not force her, which he stood by, but that did not stop those heated thoughts from swimming in his mind. Pleasure with Christine as man and wife. His wife! He was going to have her for the rest of his days.
Erik returned to find Christine fully dressed and the plate of food empty.
"Did you sleep well?"
Confusion rippled throughout Erik's body. It was Christine's voice, but it seemed so improbable. Never had she, or anyone, asked how he was. Realising that he was gawping and was losing his dignity by the second, Erik coughed and spoke.
"Yes, very well."
Idiot. What kind of response was that? He was the Phantom. The Opera Ghost who struck fear into all of Paris and he could only muster a measly response?
"You're no god, Erik. Sleeping in a chair would be uncomfortable for a man such as you," Christine tsked. Erik raised an eyebrow.
"Indeed, I am no God. I am more a devil."
"Don't say that," Christine eyes softened, and she took a step toward him.
His heart pounded like the drums beating in the deep. Erik could hardly believe it. This woman was concerned not only with his physical wellbeing, but that of his mind and soul!
"If you say I am no longer a demon, then so be it," he murmured.
Christine stood there awkwardly while Erik yearned to draw her closer. Risking his pride and his heart, he took hold of her hand and brought it to his full lips. Her hand was warm from sitting by the hearth. She was the very essence of life. His life.
"Come, we leave immediately," he spoke against her skin and led her out of the room.
They continued on in their journey for a few days, their pace mimicking the steady beating of Erik's heart. Everything was so ordinary. Man walks beside horse carrying wife. Wife takes a swig of water from flask and hands to husband. Wife's brow sweats from the sun and husband offers handkerchief. There was nothing extraordinary in this leg of the journey, and yet it was the most exciting time of Erik's life. He would never have thought he could have an ordinary life in the sun.
He was also grateful for his large hat, which he only bought to cover his identity but now also protected him from the sun. However, he was soon realising that dressing in all black was not the best wardrobe choice on warm days. He had never had to worry about such matters before! Erik's troubles had always consisted of how many candles he needed to keep his cave alight and warm, how many more dark capes he needed to blend into the shadows, or which of the opera workers to torment because they were not pulling their weight in the upcoming production. What joy ordinary life was!
Another new trouble he had was that of his wife. The issue of holding her hand had plagued his mind for too long. He had decided that it would be quite awkward to hold her hand as she sat atop the horse, and he walked beside it. She had to hold onto the reins, and his hand would probably only reach her foot. So, Erik decided, he would wait until their lunch break. But at their lunch break, she was holding the rabbit he had caught, and eating would not be possible whilst holding hands. God but he just wanted to love her, but he didn't know how.
As their journey progressed, Christine opted not to ride Govad for too long. Though a considerate gesture by her husband, it felt wrong to be treated like such a princess as Erik, who was much older than her, laboured on. He would be too proud to ride Govad instead of her, so she decided that she would simply walk alongside him in solidarity.
Christine was grateful that a peaceful air had settled between the two, but noticed a lingering rigidity in Erik. Was he worried that they were still being pursued? Was he worried that she was going to run away? She thought that the distance between them and Paris would be enough of a deterrent for both of those issues to arise.
Gathering her courage, she took Erik's hand and caught his attention. As their skin touched, Erik flinched in surprise and turned to face her.
"What is the matter, my dear?" He asked her, yet his eyes remained on their intertwined hands.
"I'm worried, Erik," Christine admitted, and his gaze snapped to her countenance.
"Whatever for? I will protect you, Christine, I love you." Emotion filled in Erik's chest, causing him to grasp both hands in earnestness.
Christine frowned internally at his response. The only threat she ever had in her life was from this man that swore to protect her. Yet she wisely chose not to comment on this fact.
"I worry for you."
Erik blinked, not comprehending her meaning. He was the Phantom, what would she be worried for? His eternally damned soul? But she had already knew of this. Before he could reassure Christine of his soul, she spoke again.
"You've been much too quiet. I realise you're not one for prattle, but it feels that something is wrong this time. What is it? You may tell me."
The beating of his heart increased from a steady rhythm to an elated crescendo. Oh, he could burst! She did love him! Erik felt like he could fly. He just wanted to swing her around and kiss her senseless. And maybe finally make love.
But he did not.
Instead, he allowed his lips to form a smile and pressed them to her hands.
"Do not fret, my love. All is well," he replied, still peppering her smooth skin with kisses.
He saw her lips form a frown and open to utter a retort, but he silenced her.
"I was thinking of a life with you and how happy we will be."
Christine closed her mouth, again choosing not to respond to this fallacy.
Contented, Erik continued to hold her hand as they walked on into the next phase of their lives.
Author's Note
I realise how terrible I am with updates. Usually, I would offer excuses at this point but I'm not doing that because I am too dang busy. I would've loved to write and update more often but life keeps getting in the way and killing my motivation.
Not much happened in this chapter, sorry for that. It must be quite anti-climactic after approximately 5 months of waiting for an update. But I WILL say that this is the end of Part 1. The next chapter will hopefully be a change of scenery, tone, pace and will just help the story progress in general. No more travelling! I CANNOT write 'they rode a horse and slept in the woods' any longer, it was killing me.