Erik stood to leave Sara's room so she could dress but she put a hand on his arm. "If you're going to be my husband I will have to get used to dressing in front of you." She told him. "Besides, all I am going to do is put a night gown on, so it is nothing to scandalous."
She crossed the room to her dresser and pulled a night gown out. She pulled it over her head and returned to Erik's side. He lifted the corner of her blankets and allowed her to slide in before he followed suit. She rested her head on his chest and slid her hand into the open V of his shirt so she could touch his skin.
They remained silent and simply enjoyed the peace that being wrapped up in each other's arms brought them. They were content and would happily spend the rest of their days in that position.
"Sara?" Erik said suddenly. She didn't only hear his voice, but she felt it vibrate against her ear. "Remember the argument we had when we found out Christine was going to have a child, and you told me that you knew nothing about me?"
"Yes I remember." Sara told him quietly.
"There really isn't much to know."
Sara shifted slightly to get more comfortable in his arms. "I still want to know everything."
Erik took a deep breath. He knew he had to tell her everything, she had just agreed to be his wife after all so she had a right to know what demons raged within his soul. But at the same time he was terrified to tell her. He had never told anyone about his past, and he wasn't sure where to begin.
"For as long as I can remember I was in a cage. I was part of the sideshow, a freak on stage for people to stare at and throw their garbage at. I was never pitied I was scorned and people were afraid of me. When I cried for my mother I was beaten and told that she never wanted me. I was told that she had been a gypsy and when she gave birth it had been a difficult labour.
"I was a weak child and I had contracted an illness that scarred my face. When she saw that her beautiful child had changed from an angel to a devil she gave me to a man who promised to make me useful. He covered my head with a sack and called me the devils child.
"I hated that man. He beat me and made me into a monster. All I wanted was to be loved and to have a friend. I was allowed to bathe every few months, and even then it wasn't really a bath. It was cold water thrown at me and my skin rubbed raw with a rough cloth.
"One day I stole a cloth and some other materials and I set about making a friend for myself. Someone who wouldn't judge me or be afraid of me, someone I could make love me. The day that it was completed was the day Madame Giry rescued me."
Erik said nothing for a long time. The images that flashed before him were fresh, as if they were just happening to him. "It was another night of being put on display so that he could gain laughs and money. I remember looking up and there she was. She was a few years older than I, but she looked so sad at the way that I was being treated.
"The man did his normal routine of beating me and making me out to be something to be frightened of and when I was at my weakest moment he would tear the piece of fabric that I wore over my head off to show my face. The people standing around the cage laughed at me, some threw scraps, but she just stared at me. I could see her heart bleeding with sadness.
"When the routine was over I was allowed to cover my face again. He would collect the money and keep it for himself. I don't know what drove me to do it, but I found a rope beneath the hay that was my bed, I untied it and wrapped it around his neck. I was weak from starvation and from only being a child so it took several long minutes for him to die.
"I don't know why but she had stopped before she left the room. She looked back and saw the man fall limp to the ground. I picked up my small stuffed monkey, my only friend and with her help I escaped. She took me to the only place that she thought would be safe for me. Under the opera house. I spent many years exploring and learning the caves until I could network them together. I grew up listening to the sounds of the world above me. I would often sneak up to watch Mme. Giry dance, and it was then that I decided I wanted to be a composer."
Sara stayed silent for a long time. She finally allowed the tears to fall from her eyes and she hugged him to her more tightly. "Oh Erik, I am so sorry!" She sobbed into his chest.
Erik was caught off guard by how upset Sara was. "Sara, you must have known that something like that had happened to me."
Sara wiped at her tears. "I never thought that you had been through something so horrible." She told him. "You carry such scars on your heart."
Erik smiled and kissed the top of her head. "It's alright though, because you have helped me start to heal them."
Sara smiled to herself. "I love you Erik, never forget that."