Seal My Fate, Tonight!
Raoul's eyes:
Christine. She had left me. Not purposely, of course, but she left me all the same and now I was entirely alone in this world. The love she had given me was unconditional, and even now, when I watched our daughter play happily on the living room floor, I see all the love that Christine left behind for me. Love is the most spectacular and wondrous sensation in the world. Once you experience it, it infects you like a disease, but instead of illness, joy is the only sickness that overtakes your heart and soul. I had long ago promised myself that I would always do what my heart told me, for she had taught me to love, and she had taught me well.
After Christine's death, I set all my energy and spare time into our daughter. I had shunned all of my old friends and acquaintances, so Helene and I could spend every moment together. So it caught me by complete surprise when my maid came into my room one evening to tell me that I had a woman visitor. My first instinct was to turn her away, but my maid told me that she had something VERY important to discuss with me.
The first moment I saw her had taken my breath away. She was extremely beautiful, almost like a painting of an angel had come to life. Her eyes were as bright blue as the sky in summer, her face was small feminine and unflawed and her long flowing hair formed the golden halo to perfect the picture. She flashed me a dazzling smile and I returned it graciously. It was then I knew she had in fact come for an important matter, for her smile disintegrated before my very eyes and her troubles came back to haunt her features. It was then that she told me of her troubles. Her lover was imprisoned and she wanted to free him. It was then as I connected her with the story I had heard of a high ranking man, being caught abusing his wife. Christophe had been the man's name. I then remembered encountering him and his gorgeous wife at a party once and I now had no doubt in my mind that she was Gabrielle.
I told her that I knew of her story and if she wished to free him, it would be simple to do, we would simply just explain that the rumors weren't true. She cringed and stopped me as I spoke her husband's name.
"No sir, that is no rumor and he is not the one I wish to free…"
I was momentarily dumbfounded, but then recovered my composure quickly enough. "OH? I apologize, please…continue to say what you must…
"Monsieur, the man I wish to rescue…is…Erik…the Phantom of the Opera."
Silence.
All my words and actions after she had said those frightening words are now void from my memory. I only remember that I agreed to help her after she described how she had come to the conclusion that I would be the one to do so. She described a dream in which an angel had spoken to her, telling her that I would be the man who would aid her in rescuing her love. She described the angel and at the same time, described my Christine as well. Christine had wanted me to help her.
It was for that reason that I now was following behind her and Erik back to his cell. We had talked about my plans to free him, but I knew that my talking was not being focused on. They were both too infatuated with each other to even acknowledge my presence.
Gabrielle was stubborn with her love when it came time to leave and she insisted on accompanying Erik back to his cell, even though we all knew what we would face there…Christophe. Erik and I walked in silence behind her and the guard who was speaking to her, flirtatiously. Erik was extremely worried about Christophe, but I could still see his hands clenched in fists as the guard spoke to her. I placed my hand gently on his shoulder and he didn't push me away.
The look we then exchanged made my heart cower in shame. It had been like this for him when I had perused Christine and now, it was no different with Gabrielle. It dawned on me that there would always be men trying to take away his happiness, because of his deformity. I pitied him more now than I ever imagined I could. It was pity that caused me to 'accidentally' step on the back of the guards heel, causing him to fall flat on his face. Erik laughed out loud at this and Gabrielle and I joined in with his musical voice. The guard rose, angrily and I apologized, attempting to sound sincere. He huffed off in front of us, ignoring Gabrielle and myself entirely. Not to far ahead he stopped and waited. I looked at Erik and he nodded to indicate that we were only seconds away from disaster. The guard held the door open for him. Gabrielle and Erik both looked at each other with desperate need to touch and be touched, but gloomily, Erik turned and trudged into the cell, the iron door slamming shut behind him. It was then that a greasy, snake-like voice sounded from the darkness.
"Well well well…if it isn't MY Gabrielle."
She and I stared into the darkest corner of the cell where we could barely make out the figure of a man sitting on a cot. Her breathing sped up and her voice turned bitter and cold suddenly. It was shocking that a voice that hateful could come out of such an angelic woman's mouth.
"I do not belong to you!"
"Oh, but you do…although it may be true that you despise me for all I have done to you, your mind will always be controlled by memories of our torment and also the happiness from our peaceful years…" He smiled maliciously and came into the light. I watched as her frame seemed to shrink back from his intimidating stance. He continued, "You are much like the horses we used to buy from the Americas…once their wild spirit was broken, they were easily manipulated and ridden." She remained steady with her cold stare while he continued to taunt her. It was also simple to notice that his physical closeness was disturbing to her. I knew that, in her mind, the iron bars that separated them might as well have been twigs. Erik also saw this and I noticed his eyes as they gleamed with complete resentment towards Christophe, who was attempting to inflict more abuse on Gabrielle emotionally.
"You are MINE! You always have been and ALWAYS will be…EVERYTHING…Your mind, memory, soul, heart and body belong to me by right…When I am freed from this retched place, I will see to your death, but not after you witness the hanging of your lover here…" Christophe nodded crudely towards Erik and at this Gabrielle lost her composure. She fell to the floor sobbing. I didn't think and immediately rushed over to comfort her. As my arms enveloped her small shoulders, she shoved me violently away. Erik took the hint and knelt on the other side of the bars by her. With shaking hands, he reached through the bars and stroked her hair. She looked up and immediately grabbed his hands with hers.
"Don't listen to him Gabrielle…," he whispered softly to her. "I will always be with you…we will NOT be separated…I love you!"
She began to choke on her sobs. "But…but…If...If I lose you…I…I…don't know what I'll do…I don't care how much he says about me…but when he threatens me with the lack of your love, I cannot stand it! Please Erik, make this torment end! Somehow…let us be done… We can have Raoul kill us together…in death we will be one….let's end it."
For the first time ever, I saw Erik look disgusted with her. "How could you say such a thing? You can't mean this! We have fought so hard to live together…we cannot give up now…"
Christophe chimed in with his unwelcome comments. "And WHY can you not? Isn't that the easy way out Gabrielle? You always looked for the nearest escape when the smallest troubles arose…like the death of your parents for example."
Gabrielle's eyes could no longer conceal her immense fear. Enraged, Erik could take no more. His body shook violently with his anger. "YOU TORMENT HER WITH DEATH! IS THAT SUCH A LIGHT TOPIC TO YOU THAT IT CAN BE MEDDLED WITH SO CASUALLY? SPEAK NOT ANOTHER WORD, IF YOU VALUE YOUR OWN LIFE…"
Christophe advanced into Erik's face. "SHE IS MINE! I MAY SPEAK TO HER ANYWAY I LIKE!"
"SHE SAYS SHE IS NOT YOURS! HER HEART RESIDES WITH ME AS MINE DOES WITH HER…SHE IS MINE!"
Without warning they attacked each other. Violent cries of anger escaped from the rolling bundle in the shadows. After some time, Christophe had found Erik's lasso within his coat and somehow had managed to wrap it around his neck.
"NO!" Gabrielle's scream echoed down the hall as she frantically began tugging on the iron bars as if her anger would increase her strength. I forced the guard to open the cell door. The moment the door was open, Gabrielle threw herself on top of Christophe, in an attempt to over power him. Little had we guessed that he had wanted this to occur. Within seconds his attention on Erik had turned to Gabrielle. Out of his boot he pulled out a knife, placed it at her throat and pinned her against the wall. Everyone was now frozen, awaiting the next move, for it surely would be someone's last.
