Disclaimer: The Phantom of the Opera does not belong to me, only my own characters do.

Author's Notes:

To foxgodess07: Yes, the piano is going to be a point of conflict between Erik and the brownies.

To xXThAnKs-FoR-tHe-MeMoRiEsXx: Hope this chapter is just as enjoyable as the last one.

To flamethrowerqueen: Be prepared for more supernatural characters in later chapters.

To phantommistress: I think I'll send you over the edge with this chapter, it's full of suspense.

This took a while, writing combat isn't as easy as it seems, I had to act some of it out with my weapons/combat person. We're working on the next chapter now and it should be out shortly.

I also want to thank everyone that has signed up for updates and marked it as a favorite, you also keep me writing and don't be afraid to write a review. I don't bite…well…not hard anyway ;-).

I've got the hint, I'm going to start working on a picture of S'ray and Erik. I can't guarantee when I'll finish it, I've got to find my darn sketch pad now.

Thanks to all who have read and reviewed; the more you review, the more I write. Now, let us find out what this disturbance in the forest may be.

Phantom of the Glen

Chapter 9

I Sense Disturbance in the Forest

S'ray went to answer the frantic knocking at her door, the pixie Luniana perched on her shoulder and the brownies trailing behind. She opened the door to see one of the villagers standing there and looking very worried. "Guardian S'ray," he said wringing his hat in his hands, "I came as quickly as I could."

"What is it Lapin?" she asked.

"The rich man, the lord, he came back, he's in the village now," Lapin replied. "We watched like you asked."

"Did he come alone?" she asked as Erik joined her at the door having heard the knocking himself.

"No Guardian, he brought men with him and hunters with dogs," the man continued stealing a glance at the phantom.

"How many men?" she queried crossing her arms over her chest.

"About 30 and he says he intends to stay until he finds the man who escaped him this winter. The village is awfully upset, he's been demanding we put his men up in our own homes and supply them. And to beg your pardon, some of his men have even made unwelcome advances at the ladies," Lapin said hanging his head.

"Not to worry Lapin," S'ray said putting her hand on the man's shoulder reassuringly.

"Thank you Guardian," he said gratefully.

"I'll take care of this rich man," she said icily, "and his men. Go back to your family Lapin and tell the village to stop warning him, let him come into the forest."

Lapin nodded in response and hurried back into the forest.

"I knew this would happen," Erik said dejectedly as she closed the door. "Not only have I endangered you, but the village as well. I should have left earlier, but now it's too late I suppose."

"You're not leaving," she said sternly taking his arm.

"I have to, I've caused enough problems here," he said stubbornly.

"Hey! You stupid half-goblin!" Brandji yelled, "Guardian said you not leaving, you not leaving!"

"Yeah, stupid rich man be leaving, if he lucky," Brule added.

"Right," Luniana agreed, "Besides, he was warned to not come into this forest."

"That's right," S'ray agreed. "And you did come to this forest looking for asylum and I've provided that."

"I came here trying to get him off my trail so I could rest a while," Erik replied.

"And I found you and brought you here to rest. That makes you my guest and as such it is my duty to protect you," she said looking him in the eyes. "I will get rid of him one way or the other."

"Dumb human, crossing a warrior Alve," Brule said after climbing up on the table.

"He not know who he messing with," Brandji agreed standing beside Brule.

"It's settled then," Luniana squeaked alighting on Erik's shoulder. "You stay and he goes."

"Right, time for me to change then," S'ray said. "Erik will you get my arming coat from the study and bring it to my bedroom? I need to go bind myself before I put it on."

"Sorry Luniana, but you're just not strong enough to pull this tight for me," S'ray said as the pixie made a final effort to tighten the binding on her breasts.

"I brought your arming coat," Erik announced with a soft knock at her door.

"Come in please," S'ray said exasperated. "Can you please pull this binding tight for me?"

"I…sure," he stammered noticing her state of undress.

The pixie, now perched on the top of her dressing table mirror, covered her mouth to conceal a giggle at the phantom's obvious discomfort around a partially dressed woman.

"What do I do?"

"Just give it a good pull and fasten," she instructed pulling her braid up out of the way.

Erik took hold of the fabric and pulled then found the other fastenings and hooked the garment together. "How's that?" he asked when finished.

"Perfect," she said dropping her braid and turning toward him.

He held his breath, the binding covered her just above her breasts to several inches below, leaving her midriff bare. Her pantaloons were loosely tied at the waist and ended just above her knees. Erik also couldn't help but notice the several tattoos that were visible on her body, some only partially visible to his eyes. He also saw the star-shaped scar on her shoulder from the iron arrowhead. S'ray's hair was done in a braid he'd never seen before, but it seemed to fit her.

She walked over to where he'd laid the padded clothing that she would wear under the armor. With practiced ease, she pulled on first the pants and then the jacket which she left unfastened. "You may as well come along, I may need help with the armor too," she said walking out of her bedroom.

"How do we start?" he asked as they entered the study.

"The greaves, they go on my thighs," she said turning to face the armor form. "They're only half-fastened so they'll be easy to get off the form."

Erik removed the pieces and brought them to her. She took the left one and said, "You'll have to help me get this buckled once I get it in place. There, now you can buckle this one."

He knelt down next to her and steeling his resolve, reached around and buckled the straps across her inner thigh. She then grabbed the matching one and positioned it on her other thigh. Erik reached around and fastened that one as well. The pieces for her upper arms were put on next in a similar manner.

"Now the shirt, that will just lift off," S'ray instructed.

The required piece was brought over and she raised her arms over her head. He lifted the scale shirt up and helped her slide it on over her head. The he buckled the shirt closed at the sides to cinch it up.

Next came the boots that reached up to protect her knee joints, followed by braces and pieces that protected her elbows. The final piece was the helm with the horsehair plume that hung down her back.

"Do I look fierce enough now?" she asked pulling on her gauntlets.

"Very,' he nodded looking her up and down. This is what he'd always imagined as a child, the Alve warrior who would rescue him from the Gypsies. However he'd grown up and now this Alve warrior was about to drive the Vicomte out of her forest for him. "I've never seen armor like this. What's it made from?" he asked, his curiosity of the past two months finally getting the better of him.

"Dragon scales, what else?" she smiled checking her sword to make sure it slid easily in the scabbard. "Now all I need is a spear," she said going over to a stand holding pole weapons and selecting a six-foot great spear.

"We are ready for battle!" Brandji announced as he and Brule stood at attention in front of her. Both brownies carried spears as well as bows and arrows.

"Me too," Luniana squeaked flying in with her bow, a quiver full of tiny arrows fastened around her waist.

"You mean these three are going to help?" he asked as he fastened on his sword.

"Of course," she said taking a dagger down from the wall.

"But they're so small," he protested.

"Big things come in small packages," Luniana said hovering in front of his face.

"Yeah, we fight just as good as bigs like you," Brule said.

"No, we fight better," Brandji corrected.

"And humans tend not to see them," S'ray added.

"We fight from cover," Brandji said.

"And just because they're much smaller than we are doesn't mean they can't do a lot of damage to men," S'ray explained.

"We have our ways to bring men down," Luniana said proudly.

"Alright enough, Erik I want you to take this as well," she said handing him a dagger and sheath.

"Thank you," he said with a slight bow. "It is a very handsome blade."

Luniana flew down to the Brownies and whispered something in Brandji's ear. His eyes flicked to the dagger that Erik was securing to his belt and widened slightly. Then he whispered to Brule and pointed at the dagger on Erik's belt. "You sure?" Brule asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. I saw it myself," Brandji said.

"Hmm, this is new," Brule said.

"Shhh," Luniana hissed.

"Now you three will go with Erik and head toward the village. I'll head into the trees and parallel you. Luniana fly ahead and provide them with a heads up as to who or what may be approaching from the village. If you meet up with them, come and find me as quickly as you can," S'ray instructed as they left the house. They walked to the edge of the forest together and parted, S'ray moving off into the trees.

"Follow us, we know the way," Brule said as they entered the close confines of the ancient wood.

Erik rolled his eyes, but followed the little people anyway. They'd been walking for just over an hour when the pixie came flying back to them. "Men," she squeaked urgently, "Get off the trail."

The phantom stepped into the trees on the right and concealed himself behind an large oak. Luniana landed on his shoulder as they watched for the men. He loosened his sword in the scabbard, ready to draw if need be. The first men came into view, they were leading dogs used for tracking. Erik motioned to Luniana to get S'ray, that these were indeed the Vicomte's men. Luniana nodded, jumped off his shoulder and flew off to find the guardian.

Erik stayed behind the tree, not daring to move for fear the dogs might detect his presence. He watched carefully as the rest of the group came into view, so far the dogs hadn't detected. "Fan out," he heard a familiar voice say. "He's got to be here somewhere, this is the direction that villager went. They didn't honestly think that I would believe that story that he died in the storm."

His blood turned cold, it was the Vicomte himself. The fop just wouldn't let go, he'd won Christine and Erik had let them both leave his lair, but the man still insisted on pursuing him. The phantom sank farther into the shadows provided by the trees. Very well, he thought, if it comes down to a fight I shall not spare him a second time. He still loathed the thought of hurting Christine by killing her fiancé. However he didn't want to die either, at least not just yet when life had become so interesting as of late.

"The dogs found something," one of the handlers called out.

"So find what it is," Raoul replied acidly.

Erik held his breath, he knew he could handle that foolish boy, but a group of 30 men was not putting the odds in his favor, plus he wasn't sure how much help the Brownies would be if any at all. He put his hand on his sword, ready to draw if they found him.

The dog and his handler stepped off the trail and into the undergrowth next to it. The sounds of the dog's snuffling and the man crashing through the brush silenced the normal forest noises. Erik listened carefully, waiting for them to come his way. He heard them turn and start moving toward him. It was no use trying to head deeper into the forest, the dog already has his scent. As they came closer, the phantom silently drew his sword, ready to defend himself.

"Come on boy, find him, find him," the handler urged the snuffling hound.

Erik could now hear them coming around his tree. He held his sword ready, waiting for the man to come into view. The dog growled as they came round to him. The man looked up just in time to see the skull shaped basket on Erik's saber as he was run through. Erik rushed up to him, driving the sword in to the hilt; his gloved hand covering the man's mouth, silencing his death moan. He pulled the sword out and let the body drop to the ground. The dog now seeing his master dead, backed up a couple steps. He bared his teeth at the animal in a silent snarl. This was too much for the dog, it turned tail and loped back to the safety of the men on the trail. His sword now cleaned on the dead man's clothes, the phantom pressed himself against the tree waiting for the next hunter to get too close.

"Hey, there's the dog, but where's Phillip?" one of the men asked.

"Probably having a piss," another laughed.

Then a horse cried out in pain and bare seconds later a body hit the ground with a curse. "Dammit man, can't you control your own horse," the Vicomte scolded.

Erik grinned, so the pair of Brownies were useful after all. "It's been too long," another man said. "Phillip should have been back already. Phillip, where are you?"

"Maybe it wasn't a piss, maybe he's taking a shit," another man said.

"Hey Jean, this is what made your horse throw you."

"What is it?"

"Looks like a tiny arrow."

"That's…that's a fairy arrow."

"The villagers warned us not to come this far into the forest, they said it was a fairy forest."

"Maybe the fairies got Phillip."

"Nonsense," Raoul barked. "There are no such things as Fairies, you're just being superstitious fools."

Erik laughed silently, a couple months ago he would have said the same, but recent experience had taught him better.

"You're the man chasing a ghost," another man said.

"He's a man," Raoul shot back, "and you were hired to hunt a man. Now go find out what happened to that dog handler."

Erik tensed up as he heard a man enter the brush and make his way toward the tree whose great trunk concealed him.

"Phillip, where have you got off to?" the man called with a bit of apprehension. He cautiously moved farther in, approaching a large oak. He saw the tracks of Phillip and the dog go around it, but only the dog's came back. "Phillip," he called, holding a musket in front of himself.

The phantom waited silently for the man to round the tree. The man was so close that he could now hear the man's nervous breathing. He moved silently around the trunk of the tree, staying opposite of the approaching man.

"Phillip . . . mon Dieu!" the man gasped upon seeing the body on the ground.

"You should have listened to the villagers," Erik hissed holding the blade of his knife against the man's throat. "Un-cock and drop the weapon."

The frightened man nodded and did as he was told. When the gun was on the ground, Erik slammed the man's head into the trunk of the oak as hard as he could. He let the body fall to the ground and returned to his hiding place.

There was another commotion on the trail. He could hear horses neighing and men cussing as they tried to control them and above it all, Raoul issuing orders and trying to maintain control. "Now Rene is missing!" a man yelled out. "Rene!"

"Damn it," Raoul cursed. "Go in there and find those men!"

Six men charged into the forest, going straight toward Erik's hiding place. He braced himself, hopefully the two bodies already on the ground would make them think twice before attacking.

"Mon Dieu! It's Phillip and Rene!"

"It's him, the phantom," a man cried out pointing at Erik.

Erick stood with his back to the tree as the first man charged him. He slashed out with his saber, cutting the man open and spilling his intestines on the ground. Another rushed forward while two others dragged their dying comrade away. The second man wasn't as rash as the first, but he didn't know much about swordplay either. The poor idiot kept blocking with the edge instead of the flat of his blade. Erik pulled his dagger again, waiting for the man to try to trap him in a clinch.

"The rest of you go in there too," Raoul ordered from on top his horse. "And bring whomever it is out alive."

The phantom's second attacker was still fighting, waiting for a chance to rush him. Then seeing his chance, he charged Erik, pushing him back into the tree. Erik's left arm came around and thrust the dagger into the man's kidney. The man cried out in pain and stumbled back. Erik never lost his grip on the dagger and it cut the man's side open as he tried to get away.

Erik waited for the next attacker, his eyes blazing and his breathing heavy. His bloody blades were at the ready as he glared at Raoul's men. Just then a man dropped onto his shoulders from the tree above. The sudden weight threw Erik to his hands and knees, his sword flew from his grip and the nearest man kicked it away.

"Good shot Henri! You got him where we want him," one of the men snorted.

Not to be taken so easily, the phantom lashed out with his dagger and slashed Henri's arm open across the bicep. Henri cried out and rolled off the phantom, clutching his bloody arm. Two men shouldered rifles, ready to shoot the phantom. Erik knelt in the dirt, eyeing the men with full-on hatred.

"Don't shoot!" a newcomer ordered. "The Vicomte want's him alive."

The phantom jumped to his feet when the riflemen turned to look at the newcomer. He crouched a bit and waited for the next fool to get too close.

Seeing the current stand-off; the new man, Jacques, pulled a pistol and pointed it at the phantom. "Now, back to the trail M'sieur Phantom and don't try anything or I will shoot," Jacques ordered.

Erik could tell the man meant business, he lowered his knife and straightened up. Jacques motioned for him to drop the knife. The phantom reluctantly dropped it on the ground where one of the other men greedily grabbed it.

"Now walk," Jacques ordered.

Erik was marched out to the trail for Raoul. "I knew you were alive," Raoul said triumphantly. "Now you'll never plague Christine again."

"Plague Christine!" Erik snarled. "I haven't seen her since she left with you after Don Juan! You sir, are the one who has been plaguing me."

"While you're alive she can never be free," Raoul replied.

"So what are you going to do?" Erik asked defiantly.

"Well, seeing as you are a murderer, we may as well execute you here and now."

"I didn't kill Piangi, merely knocked him unconscious and the chandelier didn't hit a single patron either."

"And what about the people who died in the panic to escape?"

"Who ordered that all the doors be barred?"

Raoul visibly blanched, remembering that indeed it had been his order to bar all the exits to the Opera Populaire.

"He killed four of us!" one of the men shouted angrily.

"And if you're men hadn't attacked me they would still be alive," Erik replied.

"And you did kill Joseph Buquet."

"That I did and if you'll even bother to ask Madame Giry about it she'll tell you that he was molesting the young girls in the ballet corps. And more so, Meg Giry was one of his victims," Erik snapped back. "And no, I don't regret killing him."

"In that case, you won't mind being hung for it," Raoul smirked from on top his horse. "Seize him!"

Three men rushed the phantom and grabbed him. Two held his arms and a third had an arm about his neck. Another man brought a rope with a noose forward and threw it over a tree limb. The men holding the phantom began dragging him toward the tree and the waiting noose.

Author's End Note: Found the sketch pad and have the picture roughed out. Be patient, it's been a while since I've done any drawing and I'm a bit rusty.

Coming up in Chapter 10 – A Fitting Punishment?