Hi again. If you've gotten this far, and want to know more about where
Lyra came from, see my story "The Origin." Right now, it's basically an
outline, and I may make it longer at a later date, but it tells the
essentials. Anyway, I needed to explain the how and whys of this story,
and the explanation didn't seem to fit anywhere, so I stuck it there. But
enough of my blather, on with the story!
This had all been too much for both of us. The baby had seemed just fine when we put it down for a nap, but when Christine had gone upstairs to take it for their afternoon walk, she had screamed. I had rushed to her, my mind filling with images of masked men bent over the cradle, only to find her with our son in her arms. She had looked up at me, and I had known.
"Christine," I had said, "these things happen. Here, give him to me, darling."
She had cried out like an animal, and raced outside. She had doubled back to this tree, and it had taken me all of this time to find her, and our unnamed child. We were going to let Phillippe name him... I held her tighter, murmuring her name.
And a large, black form fell out of the tree.
I jumped back, pulling Christine with me, and then turned to face whatever it was.
------------------------------------------------------
I scrambled to my feet, and both of them gave a cry when I brought my head up. "Please, Madame, Monsieur, I mean you no harm."
"Then what are you doing here? How dare you spy on us!"
"I wasn't spying! I just, watched."
"Can't you see that we do not want to be watched?"
"Yes, sir. But, I..."
"Get out of here! Now! And don't ever come back!"
I turned, and began to walk off, but then Christine called, "Wait!"
I swiveled to meet her eyes. She walked up to me, pulling free of her husband. She got very close to me, and then she reached out to touch my mask. I gave a start and pulled back. Her eyes widened, and she whispered, "Erik?"
----------------------------------------------
The boy looked exactly like him. There was the mask, of course, but the graceful way he moved, and the way he talked... It couldn't be Erik, of course, but...
------------------------------------------
"No Madame. Not I. Erik is my father."
All of my doubts vanished. This was definitely THE Christine, the one I had heard about so often, but never heard anything definite about. She stared at me, and I could see what had made my father fall so completely in love with her. She was such an innocent that I almost pitied her, and yet envied her at the same time. Up close, directly before her eyes and within her voice, it would be very easy to forget the world. This was the kind of woman that every orphan wants for a mother. -But I am no orphan, - I reminded myself. -For all I know, I have a mother still. -
"Erik has a son?" she asked softly.
"No Madame," I laughed, "a daughter."
She stared at me again. "It's much easier to be on the streets when you are disguised as a boy, and since I was traveling alone, I figured that it might as well be the safest way." At the word "alone", I heard her husband relax, with a sudden release of air. I turned, so that I was talking to both of them, and asked, "Please, how do you know him?"
That seemed to wake both of them up from some trance that they had fallen into. He came up, to stand beside Christine, and she tightened her grip upon the baby.
He looked at me, "As if you didn't know. Surely he's told you."
"Raoul, would you have told her? I mean, really?"
"Perhaps not. However, none of this gives an explanation for her being here."
"That I can give." I interrupted. "I was sent to a boarding school, which I had to leave on very short notice. On trying to return to Paris, I found that... it was impossible. So, I found a small house nearby and settled in for a wait." Here I got kind of embarrassed. "But, it was very lonely, and I needed companionship of some kind. So, I disguised myself as a boy and went into town. The friends I had there were, well, uneducated, and I was lonely still. So, I took to coming out here to watch you for a while every day. I was homesick. Now, I will beg your pardon and be on my way."
"On your way then," said Raoul, his eyes filled with cold hate.
I turned again and sprinted off. However, in about an hour, long before I saw the town, I heard hoofbeats behind me. I turned, and it was Madame Christine, on a splendid white mare. I stopped, just to watch her.
She pulled up beside me. "Forgive my husband," she said, "But his experiences with your father have made him prejudiced. I... That is, today is not a good day for me to entertain. Will you come back tomorrow?"
I looked up at her, scanning her features. After all, it hadn't been an hour ago that she appeared mad. Now though, she seemed quite sane. I finally said, "I'm afraid that I have no clothes suitable for a call on such a mansion, Madame."
"That doesn't matter!" she said. "You have come to call on us today in that, you could well come tomorrow too."
I looked down at my outfit. It had once been a sensible set of brown pants with a white shirt and a belt. Now, it was little more than rags. My fall from the tree hadn't helped it at all. Next to her spectacular green and white dress, I looked like a vagrant. A dangerous vagrant. I blushed at the difference, and was very glad of my mask.
"Why? I've spied on you for months, I've seen everything today, why in the world do you want me to come to tea tomorrow?"
"Tea? That is an idea. If you could come at about four... But of course, your question is sensible."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---
How could I say this? How much did this child know about Erik? Not much, if she didn't know who we were. How could I tell her that, at one point, I had - loved - her father? All of that was far too delicate to convey from the back of a horse.
"I have a lot of questions that only you can answer. In exchange, I'll answer any that you have. Four o'clock?"
"Four." the girl agreed.
"Until then," I said, and rode away.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---
I watched her go, and practically ran the rest of the way off the land. Then, instead of going into town, I went home. I needed to be alone; tomorrow would be a very big day.
TO MY REVIEWERS!
Angelofnight: Thank you for reviewing so often! Every authoress needs to feel appreciated! Keep it up please. (Speechlessness is a good thing, right?)
Deanna: Thank you for your compliment and don't worry, I will write until I can write no more!
Coolgirlgray: Like I said, don't worry. Posts should be fairly regular from here on in. I've got too many ideas about what OR could be to argue!
Azure: Erik had a lot to do that night. I think that he would have made an exception. (He probably burned the sheets she used later!) Nadir's a hard character to write, so thank you!
Morauko: If that makes you cry, just wait until the next chapter! (And don't worry, not everything is as it appears to be!)
Until next time!
This had all been too much for both of us. The baby had seemed just fine when we put it down for a nap, but when Christine had gone upstairs to take it for their afternoon walk, she had screamed. I had rushed to her, my mind filling with images of masked men bent over the cradle, only to find her with our son in her arms. She had looked up at me, and I had known.
"Christine," I had said, "these things happen. Here, give him to me, darling."
She had cried out like an animal, and raced outside. She had doubled back to this tree, and it had taken me all of this time to find her, and our unnamed child. We were going to let Phillippe name him... I held her tighter, murmuring her name.
And a large, black form fell out of the tree.
I jumped back, pulling Christine with me, and then turned to face whatever it was.
------------------------------------------------------
I scrambled to my feet, and both of them gave a cry when I brought my head up. "Please, Madame, Monsieur, I mean you no harm."
"Then what are you doing here? How dare you spy on us!"
"I wasn't spying! I just, watched."
"Can't you see that we do not want to be watched?"
"Yes, sir. But, I..."
"Get out of here! Now! And don't ever come back!"
I turned, and began to walk off, but then Christine called, "Wait!"
I swiveled to meet her eyes. She walked up to me, pulling free of her husband. She got very close to me, and then she reached out to touch my mask. I gave a start and pulled back. Her eyes widened, and she whispered, "Erik?"
----------------------------------------------
The boy looked exactly like him. There was the mask, of course, but the graceful way he moved, and the way he talked... It couldn't be Erik, of course, but...
------------------------------------------
"No Madame. Not I. Erik is my father."
All of my doubts vanished. This was definitely THE Christine, the one I had heard about so often, but never heard anything definite about. She stared at me, and I could see what had made my father fall so completely in love with her. She was such an innocent that I almost pitied her, and yet envied her at the same time. Up close, directly before her eyes and within her voice, it would be very easy to forget the world. This was the kind of woman that every orphan wants for a mother. -But I am no orphan, - I reminded myself. -For all I know, I have a mother still. -
"Erik has a son?" she asked softly.
"No Madame," I laughed, "a daughter."
She stared at me again. "It's much easier to be on the streets when you are disguised as a boy, and since I was traveling alone, I figured that it might as well be the safest way." At the word "alone", I heard her husband relax, with a sudden release of air. I turned, so that I was talking to both of them, and asked, "Please, how do you know him?"
That seemed to wake both of them up from some trance that they had fallen into. He came up, to stand beside Christine, and she tightened her grip upon the baby.
He looked at me, "As if you didn't know. Surely he's told you."
"Raoul, would you have told her? I mean, really?"
"Perhaps not. However, none of this gives an explanation for her being here."
"That I can give." I interrupted. "I was sent to a boarding school, which I had to leave on very short notice. On trying to return to Paris, I found that... it was impossible. So, I found a small house nearby and settled in for a wait." Here I got kind of embarrassed. "But, it was very lonely, and I needed companionship of some kind. So, I disguised myself as a boy and went into town. The friends I had there were, well, uneducated, and I was lonely still. So, I took to coming out here to watch you for a while every day. I was homesick. Now, I will beg your pardon and be on my way."
"On your way then," said Raoul, his eyes filled with cold hate.
I turned again and sprinted off. However, in about an hour, long before I saw the town, I heard hoofbeats behind me. I turned, and it was Madame Christine, on a splendid white mare. I stopped, just to watch her.
She pulled up beside me. "Forgive my husband," she said, "But his experiences with your father have made him prejudiced. I... That is, today is not a good day for me to entertain. Will you come back tomorrow?"
I looked up at her, scanning her features. After all, it hadn't been an hour ago that she appeared mad. Now though, she seemed quite sane. I finally said, "I'm afraid that I have no clothes suitable for a call on such a mansion, Madame."
"That doesn't matter!" she said. "You have come to call on us today in that, you could well come tomorrow too."
I looked down at my outfit. It had once been a sensible set of brown pants with a white shirt and a belt. Now, it was little more than rags. My fall from the tree hadn't helped it at all. Next to her spectacular green and white dress, I looked like a vagrant. A dangerous vagrant. I blushed at the difference, and was very glad of my mask.
"Why? I've spied on you for months, I've seen everything today, why in the world do you want me to come to tea tomorrow?"
"Tea? That is an idea. If you could come at about four... But of course, your question is sensible."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---
How could I say this? How much did this child know about Erik? Not much, if she didn't know who we were. How could I tell her that, at one point, I had - loved - her father? All of that was far too delicate to convey from the back of a horse.
"I have a lot of questions that only you can answer. In exchange, I'll answer any that you have. Four o'clock?"
"Four." the girl agreed.
"Until then," I said, and rode away.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---
I watched her go, and practically ran the rest of the way off the land. Then, instead of going into town, I went home. I needed to be alone; tomorrow would be a very big day.
TO MY REVIEWERS!
Angelofnight: Thank you for reviewing so often! Every authoress needs to feel appreciated! Keep it up please. (Speechlessness is a good thing, right?)
Deanna: Thank you for your compliment and don't worry, I will write until I can write no more!
Coolgirlgray: Like I said, don't worry. Posts should be fairly regular from here on in. I've got too many ideas about what OR could be to argue!
Azure: Erik had a lot to do that night. I think that he would have made an exception. (He probably burned the sheets she used later!) Nadir's a hard character to write, so thank you!
Morauko: If that makes you cry, just wait until the next chapter! (And don't worry, not everything is as it appears to be!)
Until next time!
