A/N This is the first chapter with fairly noticeable changes to it. Feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

Paladin5

Sophia sat against the stone facade with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her shoulder hurt, her knees were bruised, and her hand still throbbed. Tears added to her misery as she buried her face in her hands and shivered in the cold.

She hated Philippe for wanting her to resign from her duties and beg Karl Turro to marry her. Even if he hadn't said it she knew that her brother would make promises he couldn't keep to send her away. Since their parents had died, Philippe had been frustrated by her constant presence, and now that her condition was worsening he would campaign on her behalf.

It angered Sophia. She was no longer in love with Karl. Their childhood courtship had ended almost three years ago and she had no intention of seeing him again. Why couldn't Philippe understand that she didn't want to be married to a man she didn't love?

The shawl over her shoulders provided little comfort in the chill of the night, but her stubborn nature would not allow her to relent and return inside.

0000

The wind was so bitterly cold that Erik's eyes began to water the moment he stepped into the night. He drew up his hood again and wrapped his cloak tightly around his frame. He was still attempting to understand why he had left his room when he rounded the side of the manor and found himself in the barren garden.

It wasn't difficult to find Sophia, though the last thing he wanted to do was find her. She was foolish, arrogant, immature…and freezing by the looks of her, he thought.

Erik frowned when he saw her sitting up against the building. She had her head buried in her folded arms, sobs escaping her lips. He had expected to find her pacing back and forth with her hands on her hips, not weeping pathetically.

He froze, suddenly not wanting to be seen. In her hysteria the last thing she'd want to see was him lurking about in shadows.

Hell, he thought as he stepped forward.

She would fear him if she turned and saw his masked face lingering over her. She would shriek when she saw this deformed stranger approaching her in the middle of the night.

He took another step, hands clenched into fists.

Erik stood beside her, his shadow darkening her quivering form. The only thing he could think was that she was fortunate that it hadn't snowed in weeks as her clothes would have been soaked through.

Unsure of what to do, Erik held his breath and listened to her, waiting for a break in her emotion. He almost hoped she would continue to cry so he could walk quietly away and disappear into the night.

Slowly, he took a step back.

"I see you standing there. Don't think that you are invisible," she sniffled, glancing over her shoulder.

He nodded and pressed his lips together. What a foolish plan this had been. He didn't know what to say to her, what words might give her comfort. He had never been a welcomed figure into anyone's life.

"Do you want something?" she hissed as she glanced up at him. "Or have you come to mock me?"

"I was going for a walk," he answered. "And you happen to be sitting out here in the cold."

"Did Philippe send you?"

"No one sent me," he said at last, his voice low.

She rubbed her eyes with her fingers and nodded. "Just out taking a stroll?" she asked dryly. Anger flashed in her reddened eyes. "In the middle of the night?"

"Certainly better than sitting in the cold," he snapped. "Get up before you catch a fever."

Sophia stared at him, searching his shadow in the moonlight. He realized that with his back to the moon she couldn't see his face.

"I'd rather sit here," she said, biting off her words.

Erik crossed his arms over his chest. She was a difficult woman to enjoy, he thought as he listened to the wind in the trees.

"You'd rather freeze?"

"Yes."

Erik rolled his eyes. "You're not only irritating, you're stubborn," he said under his breath as he turned his back on her and walked away.

"Irritating?" Sophia questioned.

"Come, the hour is late. I will walk you to your door."

"I don't need you to walk me to my door."

"Fine," Erik snapped. "Freeze to death. Bury yourself as well, sprat."

"I still have sight in my right eye," she blurted out.

Erik stared at her a moment, slack-jawed and eyes narrowed. "You…?"

"What? Say it," she challenged as she climbed to her feet.

"You-you're blind in one eye?"

She brushed off her skirt and sniffled. "Not completely. Not yet…" her voice trailed off. With as much dignity as she could muster she cleared her throat and lifted her chin. "Philippe didn't tell you…did he? I thought that he would. He's told everyone."

Erik shook his head. "Is that why you are crying?" he asked gruffly.

"I will not trouble you with my despair, Monsieur…Erik," she said, spitting out his name.

They stood in uncomfortable silence for a moment. He tapped his fingers against his crossed arm and glanced around the empty space. Now that she had stopped crying he had nothing left to say to her.

"Philippe said you were interested in the piano," Erik commented suddenly.

Sophia shrugged. "A little."

"You've played the piano in the parlor?"

"I've, well, I've…a little," she said. She bowed her head. "Not much, Monsieur, I didn't ruin it. I don't think."

"Teaching yourself, were you?" he asked as he started back toward the main house.

She laughed softly, catching herself too late. Erik watched as she attempted to stand a little straighter. "I merely wanted to see how it sounded."

"If you'd like to learn I could teach you," he said. He stepped closer, willing her to agree. A new student, a new talent to learn music, he thought, though he wasn't sure why he had offered. He still wanted nothing to do with her, he told himself, but the opportunity to share music was something he could not deny.

"You?" she asked incredulously.

"I've played for years. I taught myself," Erik answered defensively. "Music…music is my life."

As happy as music had always made him, the statement made his heart sink. Music was the only thing he would have in life. His only hope was to be a teacher and nothing more.

"I could not pay you," Sophia murmured.

His heart was hammering, the cold disappearing as he stood before her. Over and over he told himself that she was only a foolish girl. If she wanted to learn the piano he would teach her, but if she decided against it then he would have more time to work on operas.

"You wouldn't pay me to teach you. I could teach you…just to teach you. For your own benefit, of course."

Erik held his breath, barely able to comprehend where the words were coming from.

"I am only a servant," she whispered as she glanced away.

He nodded once and decided not to pursue the issue any further. He had extended an olive branch. He had put forth much more effort than he ever had in his life and for what? A simple servant, who obviously enjoyed his company as much as he enjoyed hers.

There was no need to freeze and wait for her to accept it. She had made her choice clear.

"Good night, Mademoiselle," Erik replied. He left her at her door and turned back to his own home, his stomach feeling tight and uneasy. He knew the sensation well. Disappointment. Rejection. Another plummet for his dismal mood.

The two-story stone building greeted him with cold silence. Erik looked back once and saw the girl had gone in for the night. With a sigh he returned to the main house. His home, he thought. His empty home.