Chapter 12: A New Day, A New Dawn, A New Light
Erik kept his cloak hood up to hide his masked face as he sat upon Caesar's saddle with Rose sat in front of him as the steed carried them through the damp streets as rain fell from the sky,
"Where are we going?" Rose asked curiously as Erik urged Caesar forward,
"Before I came to live in the opera house; I would have to hide away from the public eye. I stayed hidden in broken down communities. The slums if you will. Madame Giry had overheard of such an area when she and Meg were out shopping for groceries the other day. I have no doubt that we shall find people like myself there" Erik explained as they continued on to their destination.
Erik had been right; He and Rose dismounted from Caesar and left him to refresh himself by drinking from a fountain and they began their venture into what had deemed by the people of America as 'The Community of Freaks'. Rose looked around sadly at the people whom had been forced to live in such awful conditions,
"Stay close, Rose" Erik instructed as he removed his hood after approaching a group whom had been searching through the rubbish in order to find something to eat,
"Who runs this community?" he asked firmly and a woman whom had feathers growing from her very skin gave a seductive smirk in his direction,
"Are you looking for company, my masked prince?" she asked, swaying her hips in his direction,
"That won't be necessary" Erik said simply, unimpressed by her assumption,
"Yeah. Of course it won't. He's already got himself a little whore" a man who had tattoos covering his skin mocked whilst leering at Rose whom avoided eye contact as she moved closer to Erik's side,
"Call her that again and you'll find yourself without a tongue" Erik growled, firmly whist placing a warning hand on the sword that he kept within his belt,
"Just look at that skin... So smooth and perfect. I might just have to peel her like an orange and take it for myself" the bird woman sneered, taking a step towards her but Erik was quick to whip out his sword and place a protective arm around Rose's shoulder,
"Keep away from her" he warned causing the woman to roll her eyes,
"What's going on here?" a firm voice asked as its owner emerged for the shadows; He was abnormally tall and wore a tattered top hat upon his head as well as a long trench coat,
"We don't like trespasses... Especially normals like her" the man sneered in Rose's direction as she clung to Erik's side,
"Are you in charge here?" Erik asked,
"Ye... The name's Gangle" the tall man said as he conjured a pack of cards from mid air and began shuffling them in an expert manner,
"I am Mister Y... I recently came into some money and I am currently developing a kingdom in which the people like you and me can live peacefully. You can all earn money from those who wronged you. They will watch not with fear or disgust but with awe and amazement" Erik told him, earning some curiosity from the surrounding oddities like himself but Gangle laughed,
"We don't mix with any friend of the normals. You're a disgrace to us for showing up with this piece of flesh" he growled, gesturing to Rose before turning away,
"She is one whom looks upon people like you and me without fear or disgust. You would do well to treat her with respect" Erik growled and Gangle turned back sharply,
"You say she is a friend to our kind yet she trembles in fear this very moment" Gangle argued,
"Because since entering this place she has been called a whore and has been threatened to be skinned alive" Erik defended but the arguement was soon interrupted when a scream came from the far side of the community,
"Normals... REZA!" Gangle yelled having recognized the scream and Erik looked towards him with a frown,
"... Reza" he murmured... Erik knew that name but was stunned when Rose gave a whistle and Caesar quickly came galloping to her side,
"Rose don't..." Erik tried but she mounted Caesar and instantly urged the steed to race towards where the scream had come from.
A group of drunken gentleman were chasing a young boy with one arm whilst they wielded broken bottles and planks of wood,
"Kill the freak!" they yelled and jeered and Rose felt her blood boil as she urged Caesar to go faster and the horse bolted, neighing furiously before slamming his front hooves back onto the cobbled street causing the men to scatter in fear,
"AND DON'T COME BACK" Rose yelled in warning with an angry expression... Calming down as she saw the one armed boy hiding scared within a corner behind some barrels and she dismounted before approaching him and knelt down gently,
"It's alright... They're gone now" she promised and smiled softly as the young boy who's face was coated in dirt looked at her timidly and she held out her hand to him,
"You have nothing to be afraid of" she encouraged and smiled as the young boy rushed towards her and cuddled into her and she lifted him into her arms gently before carrying him back towards Caesar.
Gangle along with the tattooed man and bird woman were stunned as Rose brought the boy Gangle had called Reza back safe,
"You saved him..." Gangle murmured as she dismounted and lowered Reza down safely and Erik offered an amused smirk,
"I told you. She is a friend to people like us" he told Gangle smugly but looked surprised as an old man came rushing forward,
"REZA!" he yelled, lifting the little boy into his arms and hugged him tightly,
"Oh thank Allah you're safe" the old man murmured and Erik took a hesitant step forward,
"... Nadir?" Erik asked hesitantly causing the old man to turn and he looked at Erik stunned,
"... Well I'll be... Erik" the Persian said with a chuckle that Erik soon chorused and the two men hugged each other and Rose looked towards them confused,
"You know him, Erik?" she asked gently,
"Indeed I do. He is an old friend from my time in Persia" Erik explained and Nadir looked towards Rose with a smile,
"And who might this stunning young angel be, Erik?" he asked the former phantom with a teasing tone as Rose blushed softly,
"This is Rose... We have a lot to catch up on Doroga" Erik explained and the Persian could only nod in agreement.
NADIR IS HERE! REVIEW FOR CHAPTER 13!
Kind Regards,
TheAuthor1996