We veered onto a bumpy road, and stopped after a while.
"Are we there?" I asked Erik, my husband looked at me.
"Not quite, we have to ride horse back because the road is too narrow to let a carriage through." He told me, I only nodded my head and got out, rounding the carriage I saw two majestic horses, one cream white and its friend was a chestnut horse.
"Ugh side saddle…" I muttered Erik chuckled.
"I miss blue jeans." I continued, as I mounted the cream white horse Erik led me to.
"Her name is Felicitas; she's friendly with strangers, especially women." Erik told me, mounting his chestnut horse.
"What's that one's name?" I asked him, Erik smirked at me.
"Don Juan." He said simply, I burst out laughing, holding my side.
"You-you, named the opera you wrote, after your horse!" I laughed even harder, Erik looked at me.
"Don Juan here gets in good with the ladies, don't you old friend?" Erik asked, patting the horse's thick neck. The horse whinnied slightly, as though replying. I only smiled broadly and shook my head.
"Are we going to the castle or are we going to sit out here all night?" I asked him, Erik looked at me, a snap of his reins, Don Juan bolted forward.
"HEY!" I flicked the reins and Felicitas was off after my husband and the chestnut horse. I smiled, riding through the green forest, Erik still out of sight, Felicitas ran over a small bridge. Coming over the bridge, the woods surrounding us thinned and moved away, revealing a huge castle, hugging the cliff over a roaring ocean. I slowed the horses and she eventually stopped, we sat in the castle's shadow, I slid off Felicitas. Erik was nowhere to be seen, I was too mesmerized in the castle's beauty, the white stone had ivy going up on any side, the windows were huge. Arms wrapped around my waist, I squealed I turned around. Seeing Erik's face I let out a heavy sigh. I slapped his shoulder.
"Erik, I thought you some crazy person!" I screamed at him.
"Your point?" He asked. I rolled my eyes, looking away from him to his castle.
"This is really your home?" I asked him. He laughed.
"No, I just killed the owner and took over his identity." Erik replied sarcastically. I huffed.
"Your sarcasm isn't as cute as you think." I told him, he laughed and kissed my chest affectionately.
"Are you sure?" He asked, I smiled.
"Why not stop living under the Opera House once you were old enough to leave, or had this place built." I asked him
"I had already fallen for Christine." He told me simply, I sighed and fell into Erik's embrace. I heard the melodic march of his heart.
"Come on, let's go inside." Erik told me, I smiled and let Erik pull me into the giant building, only too happy to do so. Erik threw open the doors and revealed the huge grand hall. Even more beautiful than the Opera Populaire's Grand Hall. The mellow and classic mixture of black and white marble was stunning. A grand double stair case that led to a hall that disappeared both ways, Erik pulled me up the stairs and to the right leading to a corkscrew stair case in which Erik led me up. Coming to the second floor I gain control of my words again.
"How many floors are there?" I asked him, Erik looked at me.
"Fifteen." He told me simply, leading me down the hall, he reminded me of a son leading his mother to a toy he wanted, I smiled. He opened another pair of doors to unveil a large sun room, with a table for two near a glass wall.
"This is gorgeous Erik!" I cried.
"I designed the entire castle myself. This will be our permanent home once we figure out what to do with Christine." Erik told me, my heightened spirits fell, she would never be happy, things I would give if I could just go back to that one moment and spare him and allow Raoul to go back to Christine. I felt terrible, after all that I'd suffered, after all that Christine had suffered, I was putting her through more torment. Losing a person that I'd known and loved my entire life as she had I knew that pain, and I killed him, heartlessly.
"Jaclyn?" Erik asked.
"I'm a terrible person." I muttered.
"What?" Erik replied.
"I know what it's like to lose everyone, and now I've put Christine through that. What kind of person does that?" I asked him.
"No Jaclyn, you were just protecting me, that's all." Erik said, taking my face in his hands.
"I could have knocked him out or something else, but no I had to kill him!" I barked at Erik, pulling away, Erik called my name, grabbing my wrist pulling me back to him.
"You are no worse than any other person, anyone else would do the same to protect the person they love." Erik whispered. Tears rolled down my cheeks, I pulled away from him, going to the huge window, I watched the ocean churn violently at the edge of the cliff, rubbing my neck. I turned back to Erik, is mask still on, along with the black wig. I rolled my eyes.
"Damnit Erik , will you take those off?" I asked him, agitated. My husband looked at me, and then took off his mask.
"Are you alright?" He asked. I shrugged, crossing my arms.
"I don't know." I muttered. Erik crossed the room, taking me in his arms. I sighed.
"It's going to be okay, alright?" My husband cooed. I nodded and pulled back.
"Do you want me to finish the tour?" Erik asked. He took my hand and led me through the rest of the castle with pride.