Raoul laid Meg on the covers of the bed. Meg sighed, still feeling like she was inside of a bizarre dream. Raoul sat on the side of the bed holding her hand, looking down at her.
Meg had never felt so confused in the entirety of her life. Her feelings for Raoul elicited both a deep guilt and a profound longing she'd not felt before. This was all new, all odd. It was as if a forbidden Pandora's box had been opened, and it contained both life and anti-life, its power swallowing her whole. Her head was swimming. Her face hurt, her arms felt like limp switches from a willow tree.
She closed her eyes. The horror of the hours before rushing back to her. The thoughts tormented her. It was too horrific to think about, she pushed it aside in her mind. She'd thought she would be dead now, her corpse lying on the wooden floor for some poor unfortunate person to discover. Instead, her attacker lay dead. Dead at the hands of her "sister's" fiancé, who now had confessed his love for HER! How much more truly torturous could the present be? Could she leave her mother? Christine….? She'd not even had a chance to tell them what she had intended to, and now…she'd be away for a long while. What to do….no answer seemed to be the right one.
Raoul stood and walked over to the window seat. His heart was heavy. Emotions filled his every breath, dominated his every thought. Did loving Meg now mean he disrespected Christine's memory? Surely everyone would understand, for even widowers married not months after the death of their wives….would this be any different? He sighed heavily. It was different and he knew it. For the small circle that had become his family would surely see Meg as a replacement for Christine…not that he loved Meg for herself.
He looked out into the night sky. That activity had become frequent for him, it seemed to soothe him. He found in it a comfort that the light of day did not provide. He would have to come to terms with all of this. Raoul found himself wondering why Nadir had taken so long. Surely the short trip to the city would have produced a physician and a carriage by now. He had no want to leave Meg alone to check. Not after all she had been through. He simply would have to be patient.
XXXX
Christine had been lying on the foot of Madame Giry's bed as they both attempted in vain to sleep. Rest would not come for either of them. Nadir was gone. Erik had gone after him. Neither had returned. Glimmers were on the eastern horizon; morning was not far off. Had the visit been fruitless, surely one of them would have returned by now.
"Christine?" Madame Giry ventured. "No, I am not asleep, I'm merely resting my eyes," she responded sleepily. "Would you like some tea?" Christine sighed. Neither were sleeping, perhaps the distraction of tea would pass the time more suitably than lying about. "I'd love some." The two women rose, padding down to the kitchen.
There was a pot of water on the stove simmering. Sara no doubt had anticipated that someone would need it. Madame Giry retrieved two tea balls and a tin of cookies from the cupboard. Sitting the teacups in place on the table she fetched the kettle of water, filling each cup. Christine stared down at the bubbling tea ball as the water seeped into it. Madame Giry took her place across from Christine.
"My dear, we cannot worry for things we do not know…that is what makes old women cynical…" Christine interrupted "and young women ill from it." Madame Giry smiled at her.
"Madame Giry, I do not know the origins of this dream, or why I would think of such horror. Nothing has ever come to me with such force before, and it frightened me."
Madame Giry placed a reassuring hand on Christine's. "My dear, one can only wonder at the workings of the mind, it is a powerful force that is not easily ignored."
"I do so pray that it was misguided, that the dream had no foundations, for I shan't dare to think of what I shall do if it did not." Christine was looking down at her stomach, and began to rub it. She thought of Meg…Nadir…Erik, and she suddenly felt lonely.
Madame Giry noticed her glance and said, "you will feel as protective over your child as I do Meg. But you will come to realize as much as the child is your own, it belongs to a far greater and more capable being…from that truth you cannot escape. Rest in that knowledge my dear." Madame Giry sat staring at the small fire that still kindled in the hearth. Oh how she longed for Nadir to return…she had to know that the house had been empty, that all was well.
XXXXX
Erik sat for a moment, a pained expression on his face. He sighed. "Meg shall have to return to Paris with Raoul." He paused. "We will have to send Madame Giry by carriage to her in Paris."
Nadir looked at him. "I suppose you are right. We could not risk Raoul following us back to the manor, as I am certain he would even if we protested."
Erik felt sick. He had tried to protect those women. Had he been awake, he would never have permitted Meg to visit Paris, never allowed this at all. They would all have been spared this grief if he had been awake to take care of them.
"ERIK!" Nadir said in a frustrated tone, having called his name three times before. "Nadir, there is no time for discussion. Have the physician return to the carriage. I'll give him the proper instructions. You will tell the coachmen what they need to know and nothing more." Nadir nodded. "And what of you Erik? You cannot risk being seen…" "My dear Nadir. I am but a ghost to this situation. The coach will be said to be of the neighboring village. The physician will be from there as well. I shall not accompany you there."
Nadir looked puzzled. "We can hardly leave you along the side of the road sir, and there is no time to fetch another carri.." Erik interrupted, "do not mistake me for a fool Nadir. Someone needs to take your horse back to Courtland Manor."
Nadir looked at him in horror, "Erik, you are in no condition to.." Nadir looked down again. Erik was giving him that knowing look of condescension.
"Nadir, you have observed me riding a horse in much worse condition…you were at my side many times to know of what I speak." Nadir nodded. Indeed, he'd seen Erik pierced with a sword through his middle, and watched as he rode several hours on the back of a horse before receiving the attentions of a physician.
"Erik, I've no need to argue with you, as I am certain that it will come to no good. I'll take your word to the coachmen, and send the doctor to you." Erik nodded to Nadir as he closed the carriage door.
"What have I done…Madame Giry will not forgive me for this…and Christine….." Erik was brought swiftly back to reality as the door opened and the physician climbed back in. "My good sir, we've much to discuss, but let us focus on what is at hand." Erik's voice was muffled as the carriage door closed.
Nadir stood waiting outside the carriage after he'd talked to the coachmen. All was in place from his perspective. He waited only for Erik to appear from the carriage.
"There, that should do to ease the discomfort." The physician said as he pulled the syringe from Erik's arm. "You'll want to rest when you arrive home. If you become lightheaded from the medicine, stop the horse, and lie down for awhile, it should pass." The doctor nodded toward Erik, confirming that he had understood all of Erik's instructions. Erik hadn't wanted to take anyone else into his confidence, but had no choice given the circumstances. The physician knew enough to keep his tongue bridled, as this family had become nearly his only patients as of late, and he needed to keep his position with them.
Erik held his side tightly as he emerged from the carriage. Nadir slowly walked his horse over to Erik. It would be difficult for Erik to mount, but he would do it with Nadir's help.
Once in the saddle, Erik felt strangely at home. He felt an independence that he hadn't known for a long while and he breathed in a relieving sigh of refreshment.
"Erik, he's been ridden hard these last hours, and has had not an hour's rest since we left, do ride him slowly back…for his sake, and for yours." Erik looked down at Nadir. He was so unaccustomed to being ordered about by anyone, but agreed to take Nadir's sage advice. He was after all a married man, his wife was with child, and they needed him. He could no longer think of just himself.
Nadir tipped his hat to Erik as he disappeared inside the carriage. Erik hadn't traveled this road on horseback in quite some time. The long expanse of the packed earth lay before him illuminated by the setting moon on one side, and slightly by the rising sun on the other. At either end of it was his family. Only he and Nadir knew what the morning would bring, and neither had an easy task ahead of them.
Erik jabbed the horse lightly twice and it began to trot down the dirt road, a sense of freedom filled him. It had been too long since he was able to enjoy a solo ride in the dark on a fine animal. It would give him time to feel normal, time to clear his mind, to prepare to tell the women who waited for him all that he must. Although it was painful to him physically to ride the horse, it was the weight of his heart that was the most difficult.
XXXXXXXX
The carriage pulled inside the gate of the winter house. A small kerosene lamp, the singular light, shone brightly in the upper bedroom. Nadir and the physician made their way quickly into the house and up the stairs.
Meg lay asleep, tucked neatly beneath a downy quilt. Her swollen lip, eye, and lacerated cheek illuminated by the glow of the lamp. Raoul was leaning into the frame of the window seat, sleeping himself. The doctor made note of the blood on his shirt, but Nadir shook his head "it is the blood of another."
The doctor walked over sitting on the edge of the bed. "I'll need some privacy to examine her." Nadir nodded, "of course, I'll fetch the Vicomte and be out of your way." Nadir walked over first to Meg, gently rubbing her shoulder. It was best, he thought with Raoul in the room that he wake her, for it would be most suspicious for her to recognize a strange physician. Meg slowly opened her left eye, the right one now being fully swollen shut.
"Nadir!" Meg exclaimed. The urgency in her voice surprised even her. "Nadir, I must speak with you, I…" Meg paused. "Meg, this is a physician from the village, he is here to examine your wounds." Meg glanced over, recognizing in an instant the doctor who had been treating Erik, and tending to Christine during her illness as of late. Meg did nothing more than smile in bewilderment at both of them.
Nadir walked over and gently shook Raoul's arm. "Come, the physician will examine her now, let us give them some privacy." Raoul was bleary-eyed, simply following Nadir from the room. Meg watched his every movement until the door shut behind them.
"How did you get here so quickly? The sun has not yet risen, and Nadir couldn't have traveled…" The doctor put his finger to his lips. "Nadir met us on the road, and I returned with him by carriage." "Who did he meet….who were you traveling with all this way from…." The doctor looked around and pointed toward the door. "We must be careful Meg, try not to strain yourself."
He brought the lamp to the table next the bed, getting a closer look at the gash on Meg's cheek, and the swelling around her eye. "Does this hurt when I.." "Oh yes, please do not press, it is most tender." Meg winced under the pain of the doctor's hand. "I'm afraid I'll have to put a few stitches in this wound Meg, it is long and deep, and will not heal well on its own. Meg was silent. She knew her face hurt, but hadn't known there was a gash there. "Will it leave a scar?"
The doctor looked down at Meg as he pulled some things from his bag. He gave her a sad smile. A young girl no doubt would worry about such things, not having yet secured a husband. "Meg you've watched as I treated Stephan, you know I'll do my best to minimize whatever scaring there might be."
Meg felt sick to her stomach. The doctor began to prepare the area, washing it with the water and soap, smearing it with iodine. Meg watched as he threaded his needle.
"Is everyone well….back at Courtland Manor….is Christine feeling better?" The doctor looked down at Meg, raising his finger to his lips, again looking at the door. "He instructed me not to use their names for any reason."
"Who instructed you?" "Erik, when he left the carriage." Meg froze. "Erik?" The doctor positioned himself above Meg, leaning in as close to her face as he could, the lamp pulled near. "Now this will sting at first, but I will be finished in no time, try not to move."
Meg closed her eyes, tensing as she felt the sharp point pierce her flesh and tug a thread through it. The doctor continued, "he woke me out of the dead of sleep. His servant imploring me to come quickly. I thought something had happened to him, to his wife, but when I arrived at the manor, he was already in the coach waiting for me."
Meg wanted to ask so much, but she could only listen. "I know he was still sleeping when you left for Paris Meg, he woke just a couple of days ago. He's doing much better than I had ever anticipated, by all rights he should still be bed-ridden." Meg winced again as the doctor was pulling the stitches tightly into a knot. "He is on his way back to the manor to fetch your mother. He'll be sending her on to Paris to meet up with you."
Meg felt like she had a large weight on her cheek, the stinging of the tincture the doctor applied seemed to make the feeling more intense. "Meg, let's have a look at the rest of you." Meg sat in silence as she absorbed this new information. Erik was awake, he'd brought the doctor…..met Nadir on the road…how had he known, why were any of them there? Meg felt the hands of the doctor examining the scrapes on her arms, and the ones on her legs. He cleansed and bandaged each one that needed it, applying salves to the others. Finally he was finished.
"Thank you." Meg said, smoothing her hands over the bandage on her arm. "Will Nadir be traveling with us to Paris?" The doctor was putting everything back in his bag. "I will not be going with you to Paris madame. I do not know of Nadir's intentions. I think he may be escorting your mother." He stood putting on his coat. "Now, this tube of salve should be applied to the stitches every few hours. In a few days it will begin to itch, but for your own sake, resist doing so."
"If you would sir, please send Nadir back in….without Raoul." The doctor nodded as he left the room. "God's speed to you Meg."
Within minutes Nadir appeared in the door, closing it behind him he came to rest at Meg's side. He smiled compassionately at Meg. They had become quite fond of one another during their time at Courtland Manor, and Meg had begun to look at him as something of a father figure.
"Meg, let me answer some questions for you, things you no doubt are wondering now. Erik is awake, he has been for several days." Meg interrupted "I know, the doctor told me of it. Has he seen his face yet? How is Christine?" Nadir paused. "Yes, he has seen his face….I do not know yet what he thinks…although it has made him quite testy….which in his case is not entirely bad. Christine is fine, she's feeling a bit better, all things considered."
Meg tried to smile but could not, her face feeling quite numb. "Erik and I agreed that it is best for you to go to Paris with Raoul. I do not know what this will mean for us all, no doubt Raoul has intentions beyond helping this once, or I would not have found you in his arms."
Meg blushed heavily. "Nadir, please do not…" Nadir raised his hand. "Erik knows, I'll leave it to him to talk with Christine. It will not be easy, but she will wonder about your prolonged absence, and it was bound to be discovered sooner or later." Meg sat silently.
"I will return to Courtland Manor, to retrieve your mother. We will meet up with you in a day's time. Your mother will need to decide then what to do. It is not for Erik, or for me to decide, that is something you need to discuss with her."
Nadir sat looking at Meg. "Nadir, there is something more I need to share with you. Dear friend, I am most concerned, and I had planned to discuss this with my mother. Please retrieve my satchel would you?"
Nadir rose and without question, went to retrieve the bag that was downstairs. Raoul sat as Nadir descended, grabbing the bag, and going back up the stairs. He brought the bag in and laid it at Meg's side. "Inside, in the left pocket." Nadir reached in, pulling a photograph from it. His eyes grew wide.
"What is this? Erik does not have a child! When was this taken….where did you get this?" Nadir gaped.
"I am relieved to hear you say Erik, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me."
"Whatever do you mean Meg?" She swallowed hard, saying, "that picture is not Erik."
Nadir looked down again, he saw Erik plainly. "It is Erik, I'd know that face anywhere, look how he's standing, how he's holding…"
"Nadir, that is Raoul's father…that child on the sand….that is Raoul…and in the background…that is Raoul's mother!"
"What?" Nadir gasped. "This cannot be, there must be some mistake!"
"Nadir, this knowledge is in part, the very reason I left Paris early, that I stopped at this house. I did not know how to bring such news to Christine, to Erik. I was a coward and I've paid dearly for it!"
Nadir looked up at Meg, reaching out he grabbed her hand. "I do not know all of the details my dear, but if Raoul followed you this far, it would not have been difficult for him to follow you all the way back to Courtland Manor. That would have been most unfortunate. Fate had interceded, although you suffered much at its hand."
Meg reached up touching her face. "Nadir, how do we break such news? We do not know who the mother might be. From what Raoul told me, his parents were only married several years before his birth, so this woman" she said pointing to the woman in the photograph, "cannot be the mother. There must be another, who it might be I do not know, but I'd dare say there is no doubt who the father is! Nadir, could we be wrong? Is it possible that it is but a mere coincidence?"
Nadir sat speechless. How could this be? Every memory that Erik had told Nadir led him to believe that his mother was a penniless woman who cared little for herself, and even less for Erik until she finally threw him to the gypsies. Surely this would not have been a woman that the senior De Chagny would have consorted with…but there was no other plausible explanation! "Meg, may I have this photograph?" She nodded. If she were to take it with her, it would be discovered in her bags.
"When I am in Paris with your mother, I shall check into birth certificates, and the like. It is doubtful that anything will come of it, but I'd like to check before we make too many assumptions."
"I knew you would know what to do Nadir, thank you."
Nadir wasn't entirely sure he did know what he was doing, but one had to start somewhere. The last place he would reveal this information was to the one who needed it least. He'd have to know before he told Erik.
"Now Meg, I will fetch the doctor to assist you to the carriage."
"Nadir, what of the man that is downstairs, what will become of him?" "I'll tend to that my dear, do not worry. I am only glad that you are safe. These wounds will heal. I am grateful that, that which is most precious to you, was not taken from you." Meg nodded, "as am I."
Nadir departed, leaving Meg alone. She breathed in a deep sigh of relief. She would go to Paris, her mother would be there soon, and no one would be the wiser for now. They would have to fabricate something. Now that he was awake, Erik would help with that, he was more masterful at deception than anyone she had ever known, this would not be difficult for him.
XXXX
Erik had been riding for several hours. The pain of the vibrations from the horse's hooves hitting the compacted dirt sent jolts up Erik's mid section. Although the medicine had dulled the pain, it did not remove it. Erik was feeling a bit light headed, as the doctor had anticipated, but could not stop, the hills were full of wolves, and he didn't have the luxury of feeling human now. The morning light was burgeoning on the horizon, a pale pink glow, shafts of golden light piercing through the otherwise grey overcast.
Erik felt so tired, so tired. He leaned into the horse, winding his cape around the bridle, tucking the ends beneath the saddle as best he could. He took his arms and pulled them through the reins, giving enough slack for the horse to move freely. Just before he lost consciousness he prayed, "let me make it back to them Lord." The horse knew the way home, and Erik had put his faith in the beast to get him there.
Author's Notes:
Captain Oblivious: Yes, that sword of yours….I knew it was there all along! Somehow through cyberspace I felt the draft from your repeated lunges…I could almost hear it slicing through the air! Yes, there are many complications, just like in real life…o.k., maybe not my life, but somebody's life out there is that complicated… Yes, everyone seems to be leaving one-by-one…you know the old adage….. "united we stand, divided we fall?" hmmmmm….got you wondering now don't I? I'd better learn how to fence or I'll be in big trouble won't I!
Reign of Fire was kind of creepy. I agree, Gerard and Christian being the best parts of it. I really didn't like Matthew's character….I used to think he was so handsome….what on earth was I thinking? He was slimy….so full of himself….it was just too weird. Yes, the Star Wars scene was my favorite, especially when Gerry (Creedy) pulls out his hands to show it to the kids so they knew that his hand hadn't really been cut off! I cried too….I just wanted him to live on, be a hero….in some alternate universe, where time travel exists…I wanted him take his partially disfigured face and whisk off to become the Phantom….and Christian to whisk off to be Batman…and somehow they'd go about saving the world together….yikes….I think I just saw someone in a nice white coat with a name tag on it peeking around the door…they've come to take me back to the asylum!
Hope you enjoy the next chapters….if they let me have my computer in the loony bin I'll update again tomorrow! Ohhh….one more note….if you get Dracula 2000, better get out some kleenex's, you'll feel pretty sorry for Drac… but boy oh boy, is he handsome….you almost want to get bitten…..yikes, here comes that white coat guy again!
Phantom13: No, I'm quite embarrassed to say I've not seen Moulin Rouge. Don't know why really, it just never worked out for me when it was in the theaters, and I've not rented it. But, perhaps I will….I need something to do on Saturday night…oh silly me….after I work on Saturday night…there is no rest for the writers…. Hope you enjoy the next chapters!