Chapter 18: The Phantom And The Nightingale
Everything seemed to be happening in a daze; Nadir had come running upon hearing Madame Giry's cry of horror. Meg had also come running too, watching in concerned shock as the Persian lifted an unconscious Rose into his arms and began carrying her towards her chambers.
Erik had heard the commotion and had made his way downstairs... Following the sounds of distress that lead him to Rose's chambers and was horrified to see the small line of blood that had dribbled from her lips... Madame Giry had been putting her into a fresh, warm and pristine white dressing gown so that she would be comfortable,
"... Rose?..." Erik murmured in a state of shock; Not fully understanding what was going on and Madame Giry looked towards him and developed an angry glare,
"You... You did this. LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO HER!" the Antoinette yelled angrily, launching towards him but was quickly stopped by Nadir,
"GET OUT! YOU DON'T DESERVE HER! DO YOU HEAR ME?! YOU DON'T DESERVE HER!" she yelled before breaking down sobbing as Nadir pulled her into a hug but Erik was numb to her words as he slowly moved towards a very unwell Rose and carefully lifted her into his arms so that could sit down and allow her to rest against his chest,
"... Wake up" he whispered and brushed the back of his hand against the back of her very pale cheek and smiled shakily as she opened her eyes weakly and looked up at him gently,
"... Erik..." Rose whispered and Erik rocked her back and forth as if she were a sleeping baby and Nadir, Meg and Antoinette all had tears in her eyes,
"Rose, what happened?" Erik asked softly,
"I... I can't be sure but... I think... I think the vicomte must have... Put something in my drink..." Rose murmured weakly and Erik felt his blood boil,
"THE BASTARD! I'LL KILL HIM!" he growled, going to pull away gently but Rose weakly grasped his hand,
"No, Erik... This must be exactly what he wants... To lure you out into the open... For me... Please don't leave me" Rose begged and Nadir looked at Erik with compassion,
"She's right, Erik. The important thing right now is making sure Rose is comfortable" The Persian reasoned and Erik looked at him desperately,
"Comfortable?... She's not... She's not going to..." Erik struggled as he held back tears but felt Rose tighten her grasp lightly upon his hand,
"... Erik... Will you do something for me?" Rose asked weakly and he looked at her gently and nodded desperately,
"Yes. Anything. Just name it" he told her anxiously, leaning over when she tried to lean up and Erik allowed her to whisper something in his ear and the former phantom closed his eyes tightly before nodding reluctantly,
"As you wish, Rose" he vowed and moved off the bed carefully, lifting her into his arms gently before carrying her out of the room; Madame Giry had tried to protest but Nadir placed a gentle hand upon her shoulder,
"Leave them be" he encouraged lightly and Antoinette could only look up at him sadly before moving into another one of his comforting hugs.
Erik had designed the concert hall's box 5 to look exactly like the one in the Paris opera house... And this is where Rose had asked him to bring her when she had whispered in his ear,
"Here we go" he told her softly, nudging the chair out of their way with his foot before sitting down on the red plush carpet floor; Erik watched as she smiled weakly, resting her head on his shoulder as she heard music coming from the orchestra that were currently rehearsing in the auditorium below,
"... Much better" she murmured, closing her eyes tiredly,
"Don't die, Rose... Please..." Erik begged as a tear fell down his cheek and watched her open her eyes to look up at him gently,
"Shhhhhh... Everything's gonna be alright, Erik... I need you to move on from this... Never seek revenge because of this... Continue to be the man that I know you to be and run Phantasma with that kind and loving heart that I have come to love as well as adore..." Rose whispered,
"... And every time you watch a show here within this box... I'll be sitting right beside you. Even if you can't see me... I'll be here. I promise" Rose whispered, snuggling her face into the crook of his head and Erik could only sob quietly,
"Please..." he whispered, pressing firm kisses to the crown of her head as if trying to will her to stay,
"Just hold me, Erik...That's all I want" she whispered, closing her eyes with a content smile and Erik held her close, rocking her back and forth in a soothing manner,
"... Masquerade... Paper faces on parade... Masquerade... Hide your face so that the world will never find you..." Erik sang in a whisper as the tune from his music box filled the air and he felt his heart break as Rose fell still within his embrace and he looked down at her content form as well as soft smile she still had on her face,
"... Rose please... I Love... You" Erik sang with a slight sob and lifted her gently and held her close as the tune from his beloved music box still filled the air around him.
Erik stirred to hear his monkey music box melody coming to an end and he looked around him only to discover that he was in his lakeside lair... He looked down slowly to find Rose sleeping peacefully with her head on his shoulder... Everything... It had all been a dream... A nightmare to wake him up so that he could see what was right before him... Christine had removed his mask only the night before and both he and Rose had fallen asleep in each other's arms;... Erik slowly reached out and brushed his knuckles against Rose's cheek before leaning in and pressing his shaking lips against her own... He soon felt Rose's lips respond to his own and felt her cup his mangled cheek in a loving manner before he pulled back and looked at her gently, seeing the confused expression on his face,
"... I don't understand... I thought you loved Christine..." Rose murmured,
"... For every moment that I loved her... I was a fool. I was a fool for not realizing sooner that it's you, Rose... I love you" Erik whispered, leaning forward and brushed his nose against her own and smiled as she did the same,
"... I love you too" she whispered and they both shared a passionate kiss... Antoinette had come downstairs to see how they were both doing and she smiled softly at the kiss that Erik and Rose were engaged in... The ballet mistress silently left them both alone and she knew that the love story of the phantom and the nightingale was only just beginning.
BE HONEST I HAD YOU GOING THERE FOR A MOMENT! I hope you all enjoyed 'Notes From Me To You'!
Kind Regards,
TheAuthor1996