"Ready to become the Grand Duchess Christine Daae?" Raoul asked the next morning, holding a leather journal in his hand.

"I want to go to Manhattan but I don't want to lie to do it!" True, Christine was excited to leave, but she almost felt like a liar…

"You don't know it's a lie. What if it's true?" he shrugged nonchalantly, almost unfazed by the possibilities of what could go wrong "Either way, it gets you to Manhattan, Philippe and I get out of here, and we all live happily ever after! Everyone wins!"

"I wish I had your confidence," she bit back sarcastically. Sensing the tension, Philippe began as he led Christine to a small mirror in front of him.

"Christine, what do you see?"

"I see a skinny little nobody, with no past and no future." she sighed, her shoulders sagging and she began to slouch.

"No," Raoul piped up, unaware of who was listening "I see a beautiful and smart young woman… who on a number of occasions has shown a regal command equal to any royal in the world,"

"Raoul?" Christine tilted her head slightly, peering at his reflection.

"Just… forget I said that," he quickly brushed it off, hiding his face. But secretly, she felt a little better by his words.

"He's right," Philippe added for his brother "And I have known my share of royalty. You see my dear, I was a member of the high society,"

"Yeah, until the revolution where we lost all our money and had resorted to stealing," Raoul scoffed before Philippe gave him a stern glare.

"But…" Christine began, wanting to get down to business "How do you become the person you've forgotten you ever were?"

"Take a deep breath," Philippe instructed "Close your eyes, and imagine… another time, another world…"

"You were born in a palace by the sea," He slowly began.

"A palace by the sea," Raoul emphasized.

"Really? Me? Born in a palace by the sea?" Christine placed a hand over her chest as she saw the breathtaking view from the holiday palace, trying to imagine it all.

"Yes, that's right," Philippe nodded, continuing their history lesson "And you rode horseback when you were only three."

"Horseback riding! Me?" she shook her head in disbelief.

"And the horse's name was Romeo," Raoul interjected, only to receive an odd look from them "What? I'm trying to help you,"

"You often made faces and terrorized the cook! And your tantrums back then made the palace shook!"

"What a charming child," the street rat smirked.

"Was I really that wild?" Christine tried to suppress a small laugh.

"Wrote the book!" Raoul cheered, smiling at her.

"But you'd behave when your father gave that look!"

"Imagine what your long, forgotten past was like!" Raoul smiled at her "Now, we have lots to learn before you can become the Grand Duchess Christine Daae!"

"Alright," she began, taking it as a challenge "Bring it on!"

Philippe handed Christine a book "Now, let's see you walk,"

Christine had taken her gloves and coat off and was now trying to balance the book on her head, beginning to move around slowly as she waved her arms around to keep balance.

"Try to float," he prompted as he walked next to her, demonstrating.

"Am I floating?" Philippe cringed a little as she stomped and flailed helplessly.

"Like a sinking boat," Raoul muttered loud enough for her to hear. She threw the book in his direction, missing him by inches before she argued, slightly frustrated and annoyed "Then why don't you try it yourself?"

Princess training was so annoying. They would spend days holed up in this dusty palace, drilling rules of courtly etiquette, history lessons, and family trees. She was sick of the two men constantly telling her what to do and what to say, correcting her. What did they know about her own memories? It wasn't like she knew who she was but still.

Philippe quickly stood between them and took the book off of his brother's hands.

"Let's learn to bow, shall we?" Philippe took their wrists and pulled them until their fingers intertwined. Christine felt her fingers in Raoul's strong, firm grip like she was about to kiss her hand.

"Your hands are cold!" she protested, hating how she flinched at his touch. He wasn't as rough or vulgar as the handsy men she had encountered before, the ones who would try and pin her down to fulfill their own desires, but she still hated his every touch. She knew what men were like, she wouldn't let her guard down that easily.

"Well, your hands are rough and I never complained!" Raoul argued back, equally exasperated at the lack of progress they were making.

"Enough!" poor Philippe looked as tired and annoyed as the both of them "Try to be civil, for my sake. Now, imagine… you are in a ballroom, you are about to dance with your partner, and you bow,"

Christine could see it all clearly, so vivid… almost as if it were a memory. She could hear the music, she could see the beautifully dressed aristocrats waltzing together… subconsciously, she was bending her left knee, bringing her right hand to her chest, bowing her head, and a regal smile on her face. When she stood up, she almost felt like a different person; she was so regal, elegant, and graceful. She opened her eyes to find the two brothers, gobsmacked.

"How did you do that?" Raoul began slowly, slightly stunned.

"I didn't teach her," Philippe added before smiling "Christine, you're a natural!"

Now, they were learning the Daae family history and Philippe was in front of a chalkboard, holding a history book in one hand.

"Now, we memorize the names of the royalty!" Philippe instructed, "Who's your great-grandmother?"

"Queen Catherine Svenna Daae!"

"Who's your great-grandmother?"

"Princess Catherine The Third!"

"Your best friend is…"

"My little brother, Gustav!"

"Wrong!" Raoul shook his head "Your best friend is-"

"I know who my best friend is!" she interrupted stubbornly, marching up to him.

"What a temper," Raoul commented to himself.

"I don't like being contradicted!" the young woman threw the book into his arms.

"That makes the two of us!" the con man challenged as he tossed the book back to her.

"Continuing on," Philippe nervously butted in before Christine threw the book at him.

"I had enough! What do you know about me?" She began ranting, already frustrated "I'm so tired! And I don't remember anything about my past! Just leave me alone!"

And with that, Christine turned away angrily, tears of frustration threatening to spill out.

"Christine," Philippe began after a moment of silence, his voice calm and relaxing "Look at me," she turned her head a little to peer at him.

"We're all tired," he continued "Now, shall we start again?"

When she nodded hesitantly, Philippe gave a warm, reassuring smile "Take a breath and count to ten,"

She took a deep breath and silently counted to fifteen, the extra five seconds being for the fact Raoul had annoyed her to her frustration.

"You are much more than you think you are," he reassured soothingly as he pulled out a handkerchief "So blow your little nose, and dry those pretty eyes. A princess like you can do anything if she had her mind to it! Ready?"

"Set," Raoul added, leaning towards the whiteboard.

"Go!" Christine cheered, feeling slightly better after the pep talk. And with that, Philippe turned over the chalkboard, smacking his younger brother straight in the face from the impact.

"Ow!" he yelled, clutching his nose as she tried to suppress a small laugh escaping her lips.

"Your great aunt Olga," Philippe circled a name on the board "Had so many parties and balls she hosted!"

"Oh," she gasped before Raoul pointed to another name on the board "Your distant cousin Anton had loved spending time in the palace library!" before he asked with concern, watching as the street sweeper attempted to memorize names and faces of some distant relatives and eccentric cousins as quickly as possible "Got it, Christine?"

"No, not really…"

"The Grand Duke was short!"

"Count Louise often wore a feathered hat!"

"I heard he's now very fat…"

"I missed that cat," she muttered, fondly remembering the days she spent at the holiday palace playing with his cat.

"I don't think we told her that…"

"Christine," Raoul smiled "You're a dream come true!"

Now, before she could complete princess training, they were practicing a waltz. Poor Philippe groaned and massaged his temples over the past few hours. Despite his patient instructions, the two waltzing felt wrong. She kept looking away from his face, doing mental counts and he kept checking his behind, afraid of crashing as they waltzed.

"Back straight!" Philippe yelled "What are you doing? That's not a waltz! Stop kicking him!"

"He stepped on my toe first!" she protested, feeling bad for Philippe to endure their bickering while feeling not-so-sorry for kicking Raoul in the shin, who winced in pain.

After some painful hours of bickering and berating, Philippe gave up. Grimacing, he grumbled "We'll work on it tomorrow as both of you are insufferable! I'm going to get a glass of gin!"

"I could use one too," Raoul grumbled.

"No!" and with that, his older brother exited the room.

Great, just great. Now, he had to deal with that bratty little know-it-all all by himself! A heavy silence fell between the two as Christine glared at him, painting an irritated expression on her face.

"Why are you always so angry with me?" he asked.

"Why have you been so rude to me ever since I entered that palace?" Christine hissed.

He gave a hollow bark "Me? Rude to you? You acted as if you owned the place!"

"How?"

"You don't take anything seriously and now, I'm going to have a welt on my shin because of you!"

"You're the one who stepped on my toes!" he stumbled back in shock before her voice softened and he could see her tear up, being vulnerable for the first time… "I'm trying, I swear I am…" she whispered hoarsely.

"I know," he reassured "I'm sorry. I was just so frustrated that I… lashed out,"

Now he had a closer look at her face, she was so drained and pale…

"Are you alright?" he asked, genuine concern in his eyes.

"Yes, yes," she forced a smile "I'm just… tired," She stood up and walked away "See you tomorrow…"

Raoul could only stare at her as she walked out of the palace… It was already late.

The next day, they were trying not to argue as they waltzed awkwardly. They were trying to perfect it for Philippe's sake. Raoul could still sense her body tensing up whenever he touched her or approached her…

"Can we stop? I don't feel so well…" Raoul stopped. She was paler than usual and she was so cold. He helped her to a chair before sprinting to the kitchen to get a glass of water and a piece of bread, kneeling in front of her, eyes full of worry.

"Did you have breakfast today?"

"No," she croaked, her eyes closed as she massaged her temples. He suddenly noticed dark circles under her eyes. Everything made sense: her frustration, her tardiness…

"How long did you sleep for?"

"Two or three hours."

"Are you insane?" his voice rose with each word.

"I can't lose my job. They're not easy to come by…"

Raoul felt guilt build up in his chest. This girl was falling apart because of him… Her groan of pain caused him to come back to reality…

"I'll take you to a guest room," he offered as he wrapped his arm around her waist and carried her to a nearby guest room. She fell blindly on the bed once they arrived. Raoul was taken aback as he saw her already asleep on the mattress, looking vulnerable and fragile. He felt his heart pang with sympathy and wanted to protect her. She deserved better than this, and he was determined to help her…

"I don't know what you've been through and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to but… I want to help you," he whispered gently before exiting the room, every word of his genuine "Just… trust me,"

Christine's eyes fluttered open, yawning as she stretched her legs. She hadn't had such good, long sleep in a long time…

"Oh, you're awake!" Raoul smiled from the open door. His eyes didn't have the usual playful or teasing glint in them. They were filled with genuine concern and adoration.

"I'm so sorry," she began, feeling guilty for sleeping in "I don't want to be a pity case for the both of you and-"

"It's okay," he smiled, his face apologetic "I want to help you, but you have to trust me…"

He would not admit it but, she finally found someone who would listen to her…

Philippe walked into the room, not believing what he saw! Raoul and Christine were dancing in harmony and in sync! They looked like a couple in love instead of two strangers lost in the ballroom…

"Mon dieu," he finally spoke up, speechless "Am I dreaming?"

Their grins answered him. Finally! The two were getting along as he wanted! No more arguing! And it was so peaceful and quiet… "We'll wrap up early!"

The weeks went on with less bickering, but with the same lessons. Christine still argued with Raoul at times but there was less animosity between them. Insults became teasing and she even laughed at a few of his jokes.

She secretly loved the proximity between them. She didn't know why but perhaps, it was because she only remembered how these touches would hurt her. She trusted him when he said nothing would harm her. And the foreign concept of a gentle touch slowly became more familiar…

"I feel like someone new," Christine commented happily.

"You're an expert now!" Raoul smiled tenderly and hugged her, ignoring the drumming heartbeat in her ears.

"Anything concerning the Daaes, even the most preposterous rumour," Erik stared at the three girls sternly "We take very seriously,"

"She's a street sweeper!" One spoke up "She was homeless until she took up with them!"

"Her name is Christine!" Another interjected.

"Thank you," his tone was level as he said those words, clustering the stack of papers together, not looking them in the eye.

"Are you going to arrest them?"

"You've done your duty. And I've done mine. Listening to your gossip." he tried to keep his voice calm and stoic.

"It's not gossip, it's the truth!" she quickly defended before he slammed his fist on the desk, all eyes and ears on him now. Erik slowly stood up and placed a finger under the prostitute's chin…

"The next time I see the three of you soliciting on the streets," he warned, his face and tone stoic, making his words more frightening, "I won't look the other way." The three women ran off and as he watched them run off, he ordered "File out a new report!"

The mere presence of one Daae could topple what the rebels had worked hard to achieve… there was no way this girl would waltz in to make their hard work go to waste…

DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNN!