I am so sorry for this horrible delay, have another chapter!
They moved before dawn, by Raoul's insistence Christine was dressed up in one of his mother's gowns before he hurried her into a carriage. The rocking motions of the wheels upon cobblestone made her nauseous but she did not question Raoul, not when he had been the one to invoke their plan into action. It was a simple plan, one she had argued was too simple, but Raoul was positive it would work.
"You will be in his arms and boarding a ship by dawn, I swear it." His whisper in the darkness of the carriage quelled her anxiety more than she would have liked to admit, but his resolve that the plan would work was a hope she was forced to cling to.
Raoul helped her from the carriage with a gloved hand, and the moonlight glinted off of the ring that glittered upon the black gloves encasing her fingers. The entire ensemble she had been dressed in was one of black silk that rustled in the darkness, but showcased her old engagement ring beautifully. It had been almost painful to replace the golden band around her little fingers, she had refused to watch Raoul's eager eyes as the ring had been shoved on, but there had been no other choice. "For Erik," his whispered reminder set peace back upon her brow but still the band burned a ring of guilt around her heart.
"Have you been here before?" The prison glared down at her and sent a chill up the length of her spine, Erik was only a few yards away.
"No."
"Then stay near me, Christine, you will not like what you see."
Raoul had been right. Even knowing that the carriage was awaiting them just outside the front steps, the prison held such a grave promise of demise that Christine almost refrained from entering the darkness behind the entrance. Their footsteps echoed against the stone over the sounds of rustling criminals and Christine squeezed Raoul's hand tighter against the quiet pressing in on them. Raoul, apparently, had been through the prison before according to the confidence with which he led her past burning lamps toward a dim lit table in the foyer of the building. It was freezing within the complex, Christine realized with a shiver as she pulled her black cloak tighter about her neck, and the man staring up at them from behind the table looked unamused by their presence.
"Prison is closed, what do you think you're doing here with a lady at this time of night?" The man was dressed in a blue guards' uniform but his breath reeked of liquor and a half-emptied bottle sat open upon the desk.
"It's nearly morning, you scoundrel, do you not remember the Captain's orders?" Raoul's voice snapped with impatience, echoing around the empty space, hinting at a rage that covered his nerves. Christine followed the few orders she had been given in the carriage, not to make eye contact with any man and to keep her chin held high, above the lowly workers.
"'Course I remember the orders," Raoul's bluff had worked and Christine had to keep herself from visibly slumping in relief, "didn't realize he was sending you so early, thought it was for dawn," The eyes of the man drifted to Christine's draped figure and Christine felt lust burning through the layers of black that nearly engulfed her figure, "or you'd be bringing the woman inside, not customary."
"How dare you insult my wife, she is a lady not a mere woman, you filth! Obviously you thought wrong. Now will you fetch the man, for Christ's sake!" The guard hurried to his feet but looked horrified at the befuddlement that came with the order. He bumbled around for a moment, opening and closing drawers rashly, before he turned back to Raoul with squinted eyes.
"What did you say you wanted the prisoner for again?" Panic set in quickly and Christine felt her blood run cold, apparently her tension was noticeable as Raoul gave her hand a warning squeeze before he answered the balding guard.
"Are you questioning your Captain's orders, sir? Shall I have to leave disappointed and let him know of your negligence? Or is it just your incompetence in speaking that you did not realize what exactly you were asking?" His words were spoken as cool cuts, slowly shredding the guard's wariness and leaving him with nothing but terror at the idea of what his Captain might say.
"No, no never, sir. I mean yes, yes that is what it was. My incompetence at speaking, yes sir. What was this prisoner's name? I seemed to have misplaced the Captain's order." His sheepish shrug was met with Raoul's growl of annoyance.
"Erik, you dolt! His name is Erik and was brought in yesterevening, if I have to give you any more information I will walk out now!" Raoul's cruel stature surely masked Christine's absolute terror
"Yes, sir—I mean, no sire. This way, right this way!" The man was practically bowing as he grabbed hold of a lantern and ring of keys, before he led them up a winding staircase. It was thin and grimy, almost completely encased in darkness except for the occasional window that let moonlight shine in along with the guard's bobbing lantern. They walked for what felt like hours, climbing upward in silence towards a prisoner that she prayed would be her Erik. Christine trailed slightly behind Raoul, her hand clasped in his as she fought with her other hand to keep her long, heavy skirts out from beneath her feet. It was a gorgeous dress, truly, but the grime that covered every surface of the prison would surely have it ruined by dawn.
"He's up in the top tower, monsieur, I was going to move him before you arrived—you see, his hanging was scheduled for dawn and I didn't realize you'd be walking all the way up with me, he had to be secluded when he got here of course, for his face-"
"Enough!" Grateful for Raoul's order, Christine felt panic flood through her once again. Terrified that the guard would suddenly come to his senses or that he would realize Raoul knew of no such Captain, Christine remained silent in hopes that her fears could not come true if no one was aware she was mulling them over. What would they do then? Christine wondered with such a heavy heart upon the realization that this was their only option, if this did not follow through then she would have nothing, not even Raoul.
"Almost there, now." Even after that promise, the minutes dragged by horribly long. It had been a few mere hours, but it felt days since she had looked upon her Erik, and there was no saying what she would do if she didn't have him back soon. It felt months since she'd been in his arms, let alone in Raoul's carriage awaiting this horrible plan.
"Alright, monsieur, let's fetch him." As a group they hurried down a hallway full of empty cells. Lone for the last cell on the left, she could see a huddled form and a terror gripped her throat.
"Not you, Madame, don't want you to see his face. We'll have him bagged for you." Fury widened her eyes before she could help herself and again Raoul was forced to step in, placing a stern hand upon her shoulder.
"The man is my wife's brother; there will be no shock there. Now hurry up, the lady is freezing."
It was quite possibly the longest hallway in all of Paris; it took all of the strength she could muster not to break into a sprint. When they finally reached the cell, a gasp left her mouth before she could control it. In the moonlight, Erik laid in disheveled clothes, but his face was bare for all to see. His profile was all that was visible to them, and she realized she hadn't seen him in natural light since that first night out on the bench. The cell was disgusting, stinking of the soiled hay that Erik was using as a makeshift bed and the sweat and grime that ensconced the entire building. Wind whipped in freely, bringing a chill to Christine's skin and fluttering Erik's hair about his face, he had to be freezing in his button-down and trousers. The man she knew to be her lover did not move in response to their footsteps, but sat staring out the little porthole of a window that shone bright with the moon. Fear gripped her heart as the guard reached to unlock the cell and Erik turned toward them for the first time, speaking before he took in their presence,
"I have another two hours, yet, I believe-" He broke into silence, eyes scanning Christine first before he took in her hand clasped tightly in Raoul's, and then the ring. Relief at her well-being was quickly stolen away with a blackness that clouded his eyes at the sight of the diamond on her finger.
"Erik, upon Captain's orders you shall be released into the arms of your sister for the time being, isn't that right, monsieur?" The guard spoke down to Erik before turning to Raoul for assurance, a hopeful glint in his eyes that spoke of his drunken brain attempting to press the puzzle into place.
"That is right. Erik come along, your sister is chilly." Everyone sat still for a moment at Raoul's command and dread froze Christine's gut as she awaited Erik's reaction. There was no doubt that her eyes were pleading with him to hurry, but his eyes seemed sewn to the ring upon her gloved finger.
"And if I chose to stay, rather than spend my life living with my sister and her husband?"
"Erik, you're being foolish, you know you will live as you choose. Let's leave." Her voice snapped his gaze away from the ring and up to her eyes and suddenly he seemed to understand, at least she hoped so, but she could not tell. Even as he rose, revealing his face to them all in its horrid glory, he remained silent and unearthly calm when she knew he was torn apart on the inside.
"Lead the way, monsieur, I have an early meeting with the Captain; I would hate to keep him waiting."
"Of course, monsieur, of course."
Down they went in the darkness, Erik following behind Christine with the same stillness as before that had her heart hammering in terror of his thoughts. Surely he had to understand that this was the only way, that they could have never passed to retrieve him without Raoul as her husband? Unable to turn fully and reassure him without the guard's notice, Christine sent stealing glances up at her love with a hopeful smile, but his gaze never met her own. And so after the fifth try, she instead focused on not tripping down the stairs of the prison and only hope that Erik felt the glee she had hoped to bring to him. To see him alive and whole was enough for her to be beaming with excitement even if he was furious at the misunderstanding between them. The trudge back down from the tower was all the more exhausting, even with Erik only a few steps away Christine knew that this happiness could be torn from them so easily. But that yank of happiness did not come. Instead, when they reached the bottom of the staircase, Raoul tipped the guard a giving sum in exchange for Erik's mask that he had arrived with, before Raoul ushered them into the carriage.