The Perfect Solution
An Alternate Universe – Phantom of the Opera Story
Nyasia A. Maire
© 2007
DISCLAIMER: I do not hold the rights nor did I create any characters found in The Phantom of the Opera or Phantom, nor have I received monetary compensation for writing this story.
The Golden Road to Samarkand
HASSAN:
Sweet to ride forth at evening from the wells,
When shadows pass gigantic on the sand,
And softly through the silence beat the bells
Along the Golden Road to Samarkand.
ISHAK:
We travel not for trafficking alone;
By hotter winds, our fiery hearts are fanned:
For lust of knowing what should not be known
We take the Golden Road to Samarkand.
MASTER OF THE CARAVAN:
Open the gate, O watchman of the night!
THE WATCHMAN:
Ho, travelers, I open. For what land
Leave you the dim-moon city of delight?
MERCHANTS:
(with a shout)
We take the Golden Road to Samarkand!
(The Caravan passes through the gate.)
THE WATCHMAN:
(consoling the women)
What would ye, ladies? It was ever thus.
Men are unwise and curiously planned.
A WOMAN:
They have their dreams, and do not think of us.
VOICES OF THE CARAVAN:
(in the distance singing)
We take the Golden Road to Samarkand.
James Elroy Flecker
Chapter Twenty-Five – The Golden Road to Samarkand
Erik sighed as he slid back into the cold bedclothes and pulled them tightly around his body.
"Well, I told her and she did not run away from me. I can only hope that someday she will tell me how she feels. I am so looking forward to our dinner engagement tomorrow, no, tonight."
He sighed once more.
"Oh, Christine! I love you!"
His mind raced in turmoil as he attempted to sort through the events of the last 30 hours. He could scarcely believe that in that short amount of time, he literally, met the woman of his dreams and asked her to be his wife. His thoughts even more confounded by the fact she accepted his proposal.
"Nay, she did not simply accept my proposal, she happily accepted my proposal. And, the most incredible thing, she accepted my face. She did not stare, flinch or turn away in disgust from me. She allowed me to kiss her and she returned my kisses with glad enthusiasm. Do I dare think it? Yes! She kissed and caressed me with real passion. She wants me, just as I want her. It is amazing!"
Slowly, a plan began to take shape and he smiled.
"This will take a bit of doing, but I do believe it will work. In the morning, I shall need to call in some favors. Very well, now, what do I need? A carriage, flowers, music …."
At length, he relaxed, closed his eyes and fell asleep with a satisfied smile curling his lips.
♥ ♫ ♥ ♫ ♥
Christine awoke. She smiled and stretched, then suddenly frowned and gasped. She felt a body next to her in her bed. Her eyes flew open, only to find Meg sleeping peacefully beside her.
"Thank God! For a moment, I thought it was …."
Her thought cut short as Meg's eyes fluttered open and the girl squealed with excitement.
"Oh, Christine! I did not dream it! You really did come in last night and tell me of Monsieur Destler's declaration of love. You truly did! Oh, everything is so perfect for you. I wish such a perfect solution would present itself for Raoul and me …."
Her eyes became sad and distant as her words trailed away into silence.
"I wish …."
Christine interrupted her friend.
"Meg, you must have faith. All will be well between you and Raoul. I just know it. You must believe in love and it will not forsake you."
"I hope you are right. Maman spoke with me last night. She told me that she trusts me, but she also knows that sometimes passion carries even the most serious minded persons into forgetfulness. She knows that Raoul and I have not crossed over the boundaries of propriety. Her words were soft and quiet. I can almost believe that she knows how Raoul and I feel for one another as she told me that she would not forbid me from seeing him. Is that not wonderful?"
The petite ballerina smiled at her friend.
"That is indeed wonderful, Meg. At least, now if Raoul pays you a visit this morning you shall not need to worry about your maman chasing him from the opera house while threatening him with her cane."
The two girls hugged one another tightly and erupted into fits of uncontrolled giggles at the thought of Meg's dignified maman running after Raoul while brandishing her cane at him.
"I simply cannot picture a more frighteningly funny sight." Meg moaned at last.
"No. I cannot either." Christine gasped in between bouts of laughter. "Poor Raoul! To be undone by a ballet mistress wielding a cane."
"Well, I would like to believe that if he is undone by anyone, it would be me that caused his undoing." Meg smirked.
"Oh, Meg! You are so wicked!" Christine huffed. "But, enough of this foolishness! We must hurry and dress or you shall be late for practice and I shall be late in reporting to your maman and Monsieur Reyer. I do believe today is bound to be a long day as I am most impatient for the evening to arrive, so I may once again enjoy Erik's company."
Christine sighed wistfully and Meg rolled her eyes at her friend's dreamy expression.
"Oh, Christine! You have fallen hard for Monsieur Destler. I never thought to see the day, but you are smitten and it is wondrous to behold."
The dark haired beauty made no reply, but jumped from Meg's bed. Without a backward glance, she dashed out the door and ran to her bedroom to prepare for the day.
♥ ♫ ♥ ♫ ♥
The day dragged by at a painfully slow pace for the young woman. As a new opera was in the production stage, Madame Giry and Monsieur Reyer both needed her to run errands and arrange paperwork for them.
"At least I am being kept busy. I would have been far worse if I had nothing to keep me occupied today."
The one highlight of her day was watching Meg and Raoul reunite. Christine struggled not to laugh hysterically at the normally dapper Raoul as he awkwardly attempted to regain Madame's favor. Christine secretly believed that Madame had already decided that Raoul's intentions towards Meg were honorable, but Madame simply wished to make the young Vicomte squirm. In Christine's opinion, Madame succeeded admirably. After the two stammered and stuttered for a quarter of an hour, Madame finally relented and allowed Meg to depart the opera house to accompany Raoul for luncheon.
Christine spent her meal break in the second cellar eating and working on crafting the obsidian into a usable blade. She had found a large, thick piece of leather dyed an unusual shade of turquoise. After removing a few misshapen nodules from the hilt, She thoroughly soaked the leather in water then began cutting the material into long, quarter inch strips, which she then returned to the water. Once she decided she had enough strips to create the hilt, she began to wind the leather tightly about the stone. She occasionally stopped and hefted the homemade knife in her hand and gripped the newly formed hilt in her hand. Once she arrived at a comfortable thickness for her hand's grip, she bound the final strip of leather and tucked the knot beneath the neighboring strips of material.
"Well, that's enough for today. Feels fairly good in the palm of my hand and looks fairly nice. Better get back to work!"
She sighed, returned the stone to the top drawer of her dresser in her bedroom and returned to help Monsieur Reyer sort through copies of the latest opera's libretto.
At four o'clock, Madame Giry dismissed her for the day and allowed Christine to begin her preparations for her dinner engagement with Erik. Christine scoured the costume racks for a gown suitable to wear that evening and finally found a lovely silk and satin gown in a dusty rose and gold as well as an exquisite black fur opera dolman. After almost giving up hope, she found a pair of light gold, lace-edged, opera-length gloves, a sensible pair of black, evening boots and a lovely cameo and pearl choker. Carrying her treasures to her room, Christine began to hum happily to herself in blissful anticipation of seeing Erik once again.
♥ ♫ ♥ ♫ ♥
Promptly at seven o'clock, there was a knock on the door of the Giry residence. Madame swiftly made her way to the door and opened it to find, yet another facet of the man who was Erik Destler standing before her.
"This man must be one of the most complicated persons I have ever met. Let me think, I met the distinguished opera patron, the passionate lover, the rather anxious and shy suitor and the alarmingly charming rogue. Now, here stands a man that embodies all of these and more. I do believe that Christine is a very fortunate young woman. She has found someone as complex as she herself is. I only hope that their moods compliment one another."
"Please, you may enter, Monsieur Destler. Please have a seat on the settee and I will fetch Christine."
"Thank you, Madame."
She quickly made the short trip to Christine's bedroom and knocked on the door. A muffled reply came through the door and after a moment, Christine emerged. Antoinette's eyes widened in surprise as they took in the transformed young woman before her.
"So, Monsieur is not the only one. It seems they have equally changed one another. I am very relieved that this change is for the better. She is positively glowing with happiness."
Antoinette realized Christine waited for something and belatedly understood the girl awaited her approval. The older woman allowed her mouth to form the slightest hint of a smile.
"You look lovely. Child, wherever did you find this dress? It suits you perfectly. If I did not know any better, I would think it made just for you. Turn about and I shall check your stays."
Christine whirled about and held onto the door jamb.
"I found it in the costume racks, although I am not certain of the opera to which it belongs. I had Meg help me dress, Madame. Do you think Er … Monsieur Destler will approve?"
"Child, he would have to be a eunuch …." Madame thought.
"He will most definitely approve. Now, let us not keep him waiting a moment longer. And, please be certain to comport yourself, as a lady should. Make your papa proud, Christine."
The young woman smiled, lifted her head proudly and walked towards the man awaiting her.
♥ ♫ ♥ ♫ ♥
Dinner had been one of the nicest meals Christine had ever eaten. The restaurant, in her opinion, was perfect. Not ostentatious or overly crowded, the food was delicious and the atmosphere relaxed. The couple's conversation began with a polite discussion of the weather and then flitted from topic to topic like a hummingbird taking sips of nectar in search of the sweetest flower of all. The conversation lulled as they finished their dinner and stood to exit the restaurant. They waited arm-in-arm for their carriage in a comfortable silence. The coachman opened the door and Erik assisted Christine inside. As soon as the carriage lurched into motion, Erik leaned forward and captured Christine's hands in his. After pressing them to his lips, he raised his eyes to her curious ones.
"Marry me, Christine."
He smiled at the look of confusion gathering on her features and held up one of their joined hands.
"Marry me this night, Christine. I have made all of the arrangements, you need only give your consent and it will be done."
It took a moment for the woman to absorb his words and her eyes widened.
"Erik, we cannot marry tonight. Please, my papa told me of a saying, 'Marry in haste, repent at leisure.' I do not wish to ever feel remorse for marrying you."
He interrupted her, "Well, then, do not! Christine, if spending the rest of my life with you is a penance, then I will gladly atone for the time allotted me on this earth. Please! Ma chère, come away with me and let us marry this night. Let us not tarry a moment longer! I promise to make you the happiest woman ever to draw breath! Be my bride and allow me to worship at the temple of your beauty always. I love you, Christine. What needs be for us to wait?"
She stared long into his eyes and he saw them slowly warm to his impulsive idea. Thinking to add one last argument in favor of their marrying, Erik added.
"Besides, I wish to keep you an honest woman. I greatly fear the fire, which burns in me for you. I do not know how much longer I can resist your sweet siren song before I succumb and make your body one with mine."
Erik felt a tremor course through Christine's hands and he hoped he had not frightened her with his words. Instead, her reply came in unexpectedly husky tones.
"And, what makes you think that your loving me would cause me to become less than an honest woman, Monsieur? I learned long ago by observing the older chorus girls that most women use their favors as a means to an end, usually being one of financial gain. I could never do that. I shall only bestow my body on the man I love. Love is the only condition, which I require for me to succumb to a man. Yet, it cannot be just any love. It must be true love. If I succumb to true love, I would never be anything other than an honest woman."
She lowered her gaze to their joined hands.
"You fulfill this condition a hundredfold, Erik."
"Christine, what are you saying?"
A scarlet blush infused her cheeks, but she raised her eyes to meet his bravely.
"I am saying that I love you, Erik. And, if this is what you truly wish, I would be most honored to become your wife this night."
The man and woman stared at one another, each hypnotized by the intoxicating gaze of the other. The only sound the quiet rumble of the carriage wheels passing over the cobblestones of the street. At last, their gaze broke as the carriage hit a pothole, which jolted both Christine and Erik from their seats to land entangled with one another on the floor. The two scrambled to right themselves, both blushing furiously at their undignified positions. However, after a moment of floundering in the mass of fabric, which composed the train of Christine's dress, the two ceased their struggles. Their eyes locked on one another and they both erupted into gales of unfettered mirth.
People walking along the streets, stopped and stared in wonder at the carriage rolling past them. They were amazed at the heavenly sound of merriment issuing forth from the enclosed compartment. The musical laughter heard in the night so affected these unwitting strangers that they carried it with them always and found them forever changed by it. Quicker to laugh and with seemingly unending patience, they spread their wondrous contagion to all they met.
♥ ♫ ♥ ♫ ♥
"You may kiss your bride."
Author's Note: Surprise! Now, come on! We all know what an impatient man our Erik is. Did you expect him to wait? Well, it seems he has found love. Now, we can only hope that he finds music as well.
Secondly, I would like to make a request, I am a relative newcomer to this site and I am unclear on the meaning of some abbreviations I see here. Now, I know what E/C, POTO, R/C and E/OW mean. I believe I know what OOC (out of character?) means. However, I do not know what EOC means. Any assistance in this area would be greatly appreciated as well as any other "definitions" I may see on this site. Thank you for your bits of enlightenment! --ny