Chapter Fifteen

Christine burst into the castle and looked around wildly. Raoul, who had heard her coming, emerged from the living room.

"What has happened?" He asked, seeing her agitated face. She marched over to him.

"Did you know? Raoul, did you know about this?" She waved a piece of paper at him. He blinked at her.

"Know about what?"

She threw the paper at him and paced the entrance hall, pushing her hair out of her face and chewing on her nails. Raoul's eyes widened as he read the paper.

"I don't believe it!"

"Oh, believe it, Raoul. Isn't that a wonderful choice to make? My husband or my country? It's the very fabric that fairy-stories are made of!" Christine gave a cold laugh and then leant against the wall. Raoul read the law again and then looked at her.

"Christine…"

She shook her head and ran a hand through her hair.

"This is too much, Raoul. First I lose Papa and now I have to choose what I must lose next? Does that seem unfair to anyone other than myself?"

"You have to tell Erik."

"How?" Christine cried. "How can I tell him?"

"Tell me what?"

Christine gasped and spun around as Erik emerged from the music room. He looked at her blankly.

"Is everything alright?"

"Tell him, Christine." Raoul said quietly. Christine threw him an annoyed glance but he simply handed her the piece of paper and disappeared. She turned back to Erik and gestured to the library.

Erik listened in silence as Christine haltingly explained the situation to him. His heart grew cold as he saw that she was unable to meet his eyes.

As she finished, Erik searched desperately for something to say. Something to comfort her. Anything. But not a single thing came to his mind other than that thing that he could not say.

What will you choose?

Christine stared at the floor and then let out a heavy breath.

"I should be helping Marie with the funeral plans."

"Christine…" He couldn't help it. She met his eyes fearfully.

"Erik, I can't think about this now."

And she left.

Christine couldn't find Marie. But she couldn't go back to Erik. Not now.

"Christine?"

She looked over her shoulder and saw Raoul.

"Did you tell him?"

"Yes."

"…Have you decided?"

"No, Raoul, I haven't." Christine snapped. "It's taking me a little longer than fifteen minutes to decide which I love more than the other."

Raoul did not apologise, but he had the decency to look a little embarrassed. Christine walked past him into the sitting room and he followed her, closing the door behind him.

"Christine… can't you just change the law?" Raoul asked.

"No, I checked that. Only a reigning monarch can change the law and I can't reign unless I leave Erik. The court would never let me marry him again." She said tiredly.

"Well, why not knight him? He could-"

Christine shook her head.

"It's the same. Only the monarch can do that and I'm not a monarch." She said, rubbing her eyes. Raoul sighed and sank into a chair, trying to think furiously.

"I don't know, Christine. I've been searching for an answer but I think the court is right. There isn't a way around this."

"Then we can't look for a way around it. I'll just have to make a decision." Christine said quietly. Raoul looked at her and she met his eye.

"Raoul, may I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why…? I mean, after what I did to you… you helped Papa and now you're helping me." She looked rather awkward. Raoul smiled.

"You think that I hate you."

"You don't?"

"No."

"You should!" Christine pointed out. Raoul laughed softly.

"No, Christine. I couldn't hate you. I'll admit… at first, I felt terrible. I was still in love with you. But… well, I realised that you were happy. So I couldn't exactly feel unhappy because of that. Charles asked if I wanted to stay here and help him and I agreed. Philippe didn't want me to, but I wanted to."

He paused.

"They're having a baby, you know."

"What?"

"Yes, Philippe and Sorelli. He's praying that it's a boy, a male heir." Raoul said, smiling vaguely at the thought. "I'll be an uncle. Isn't that an odd thought?"

Christine couldn't help giving a slight smile and then looked up at the ceiling, thinking.

"Are you happy now, Raoul?" She asked. He considered it.

"I suppose I am. At least… I was. Charles was a good man, I learnt a lot from him. I'm rather at a loss now. I'll have to go back to Hirlos."

Christine considered him and he shrugged.

"Anyway, we should be concentrating on your problem."

"Yes, I suppose so." Christine said, but she was distracted. A vague plan was starting to form in her mind.

Erik paced in the music room, trying to get his head around the situation.

Actually, it wasn't that complicated a situation. It was the fact that he could do nothing about it that he hated.

"Time to be noble once again." He murmured to himself. That was the only solution really. To leave. Then Christine could do what he knew she had to.

"Monsieur Destler?"

He looked up and saw the Giry girl standing by the door. She brought in a tray of tea.

"I thought you might want something to drink."

"Thank you. But I'm leaving." Erik said quietly. She looked at him in astonishment.

"You're leaving? I thought that Chris- the princess was still talking with Prince Raoul."

"Christine is not leaving. I am."

She stared at him. Erik search desperately for her name, but could not recall it. She said,

"You can't! Monsieur, you can't leave. Christine needs you!"

"Actually, Little Giry, I am the last thing that she needs." Erik said quietly. She frowned.

"So you're just going to run away?"

"I was planning on taking a horse, but if you think running might be more effective…"

"You know what I mean! When you left with her, I told them all that you were in love but they didn't believe me! And now you're running off again and I suppose you'll expect me to tell Christine! Well, I won't! For a start no one even believed me last time and secondly, this is your responsibility so you are going to stay here and YOU are going to talk to Christine about this like an adult!"

Erik stared at the ranting girl in astonishment. She glared at him, breathing hard and then suddenly seemed to realise what she had said. Her hand went to her mouth and she mouthed wordlessly.

"Oh! Oh, Monsieur Destler, I didn't… I… oh dear."

"Occasionally, Little Giry, one needs to have some common sense talked into them." Erik said quietly. "You seem to be rather skilled at that."

Meg flushed and was about to speak when the door opened and Madame Giry looked in.

"I heard shouting. Meg, what are you doing?"

Meg, that was it! Erik bowed slightly to Madame Giry.

"Your daughter was assisting me with a decision, Madame Giry. I can assure you that she has been most helpful."

"I see." Madame Giry spotted the tea and looked at Meg. "I suggest you pour Monsieur Destler some tea before it becomes too cold."

"Yes, Mother."

"Is there anything else I can get for you, Monsieur Destler?" Marie said, looking at him. He shook his head and she disappeared.

Meg passed Erik some tea. He didn't particularly want it but having embarrassed the poor girl, he felt slightly obligated to drink. She looked down at her tea, watching the brown liquid swirl around. Uncomfortable silence settled between them.

"She loves you." Meg whispered. Erik looked up at her, but she was still examining her tea. "She needs you now more than ever."

"Meg…"

"Monsieur, she has just lost her father. Prince Raoul and I can do very little for her. You know her better than we do. It's you who has to help her."

Erik sighed and put down the teacup.

"Little Giry, you are a good friend to Christine. But if I stay here I will be nothing but a hindrance to her."

"Oh, stop being so bloody noble!" Meg snapped. Erik ground his teeth but she stood her ground, fuming. "She gave up everything to run away with you! Don't let that be for nothing! If you're going to leave, then you're going to tell her!"

"Who is leaving?" Christine's voice came from the doorway. Erik turned. His wife looked at him curiously, holding a book in one hand. "Who's leaving?"

"…I am." Erik said quietly. Meg groaned and hurried from the room. Christine stood to one side to let her pass and then looked at him.

"Why?" She asked softly.

"Because your place is here." Erik said calmly. "You are the sole heir to the throne. You must take that place and I will not hold you back from that."

Christine closed the door and turned to him.

"Erik, I choose you."

The words seemed to ring around the music room and Erik closed his eyes in despair.

"Christine-"

"When I was with Papa yesterday, he told me that it was my time to take the throne of Rymansia but only if I wanted it. He told me to do what made me happy." Christine said.

She walked past him to the window and looked out at the land surrounding the castle. Smiling slightly, she lifted her hand and put it to the glass.

"I love my country, Erik. I spent my whole life preparing for this, preparing to be queen." She spoke softly, lovingly, her voice warm. "I learnt everything, all the proper etiquette, the way the country works, what to do in every situation."

She laughed and turned to look at him, still smiling.

"And I don't want any of it! Isn't that bizarre, Erik? All I want is to go back to our house and live there happily ever after. I'm going to do what Papa told me to. I'm going to be happy."

"But what about Rymansia?" Erik asked, unable to digest the shocking information. Christine lifted her head proudly.

"I won't leave my country without a leader. I love it too much. I won't leave until everything is settled and there is someone who can take control properly. And that doesn't mean any of those silly men at the court, either."

"I don't understand… Christine, are you sure?" Erik asked.

"Yes! I am! For the first time I am entirely sure about what I'm doing. I know that this is what I want; I know that this is what will make me happy. I know other people won't understand in the least, but we'll be happy and that is all that matters to me."

She spoke so earnestly, so openly. Erik gazed at her. Her smile didn't fade.

"I… who will you leave in charge?" He knew before she answered.

"I'm leaving Raoul. He knows what to do; he will do well in this country."

"Can you do that?" Erik asked. "He's not Rymansian."

Christine laughed.

"The court wanted me to leave you, you know. That's one of the reasons why they're so delighted about this situation. But they didn't cover every path." She flipped open the book she had brought in and showed him a page. "See? If, for any reason, the heir refuses to take the throne, the heir can leave a steward to take charge of the country."

"A steward?"

"Raoul will have as much power as I choose to give him. And I'm giving him everything. He has almost complete power over the court and has all the rights of a reigning monarch."

She snapped the book shut and beamed at him. He could hardly believe what he's hearing.

"You mean… you're…"

"Yes, Erik. I couldn't leave you. I love Rymansia but I'm more than a princess. I should have been born in some peasant's cottage and grown up on farmland." She laughed. "It's the life I'd prefer!"

"Christine, you-"

Christine put a finger to his lips and smiled.

"I've made up my mind, Erik. And there is nothing you can say to change it now."

"I won't." Erik said quietly. "I fear that Little Giry would murder me if I dared."

"Little…? Oh, Meg!" Christine laughed and then slipped her arms around his waist, pressing her face to his chest. "I love you. You do know that, don't you?"

"…Yes. Yes, I do." Erik said quietly.

"Good. I'd better go and inform the court of my decision." She rolled her eyes. "That's sure to be an interesting meeting."

"Would you like me to come?"

"Good heavens, no! They'll skin you alive!" Christine said, in an appalled tone. "No, you pack our things and we can leave as soon as possible. I'll have to announce this to the city, but as soon as that's done we can go home."

She pressed her lips to his briefly before turning to leave. Erik called after her and she turned back.

"Christine… this will make you happy?" He said. Yes, she said it, but he had to make sure.

"No, Erik. You will make me happy. There is a difference, you know." Christine smiled. And then she was gone. Erik sank into a chair and sipped at his tea. He pulled a face.

It was cold.

A/N: Yeah, some of you guessed what would happen here! Only five chapters left, but they are going to be action-packed and pretty long. I'm got a lot to cram in!

I love Meg in this chapter. She's great when she's yelling at people. Especially Erik!

Lotsa luv 'n' huggles

Katie