This is the second last chapter plus an epilogue. Thank you for all of the recent reviews. They are my only pay for writing this. Feel free to review even if you are reading this long after I am done writing.

Chapter 47

Erik's POV

As we readied to return to the others, I was still holding the ring that the attorney had given me. I examined it closely and with my decent knowledge of jewelry I deemed it a rather crude and poorly made piece. It looked substantial on the surface but was worth very little.

I turned to Christine and told her "I almost feel sorry for the boy, if this is the only thing that he has received from his grandmother. It is of little value other than sentimental. Given the fact that the old woman was such a monster, I doubt that he will be pleased with this. Thank goodness that the boy comes from a wealthy family and does not need money."

Christine gave me a sharp look "I am not so sure that he is so wealthy in his own right. I know that his mother and sister were very displeased at the prospect of his marriage to me. I always got the sense that it was not just based on my lowly status as an opera singer but that they were expecting more from Raoul's choice of bride. I know that he disapproves of his brother's lifestyle. He is in his forties and has never married. Philippe spends most of his time in Monte Carlo with La Sorelli gambling large sums of money and buying her all sorts of baubles. When she would come to the Opera Populaire to perform she was always wearing some sort of new trinket. I am sure that as perceptive as you are that you would have noticed that. We all were jealous of her clothing and jewelry. It was hard not to be. Raoul would get very hurt and upset at his brother when he would see her appear with a new ornament."

I digested this new information and mused "I did notice her clothing and jewelry but thought little of it. The de Chagny family is well known to be one of the oldest and wealthiest in all of France. The boy's father owned one of the largest shipping lines in the world. He was known to be a ruthless and savvy businessman. I myself conducted business with him, through Nadir, when he was still alive."

I could see that my future bride was stunned. She still did not know very much about me other than my unhappy childhood, and my time in Persia and of course my self-imposed imprisonment beneath the Opera House.

I gave her a wry grin "I still have much to tell you about myself. I was a fairly wealthy man before I inherited this Chateau and my grandfather's holdings. Nadir has been my lifeline to the outside world. I have multiple talents that have been employed by many over the past ten years that I lived under the Opera House. I just had no purpose for my gains. Material goods mean little if you have no one to share them with, no legacy to bequeath them to. I had little expectation that anyone would ever love me, so that I could do so, until you came around. In the past, I did not want to tell you because I could not settle for the uncertainty of being loved for my fortune and not for myself. Perhaps one might wonder why a man who is as hideous as I am would care so deeply, but for me love was the only treasure that I ever felt was beyond my reach."

Christine patted my arm and smiled "You need not wonder anymore. I am pleased that I can provide you with such a treasure since I have nothing of material value to bring to you."

I smiled back at her. "No you have changed my way of thinking. My own mother told me that I would never find it anywhere, no matter how hard I searched and no matter how far I traveled for it. After my time in Persia I concluded that she was right. I wanted only to return to France and bury myself until death would finally claim me. When you came along I decided to take one last chance. I had felt a deep connection to you through our music that seemed to transcend all logical boundaries between us. You felt it too and I knew it, but then the boy came around and disrupted everything. Of course I have hated him for it, how could I not?"

Christine sighed "I understand Erik, but what are you going to do now? Are you going to continue to hate him, or truly make peace with him?"

"The Comtesse has done much to promote the ill will between us. She is gone but the legacy remains. I think that my actions will depend upon what the boy does. So much has changed for all of us in these past weeks. It is hard to sort out what feelings stem from her actions and what they could have been without her interference. I am sure that he must feel the same way. I do understand the pain that he must be going through since I almost lost you. It must be hard for him to step aside and lose the woman that he loves to a man that you have been taught to hate. Now this new development, I fear that the Vicomte's sanity might be stretched to the hilt. He killed the Comtesse rather than let us handle her."

"Yet you and Nadir sent him back to her." Christine pointed out. "I can't believe that he would kill her. It is unlike him" she added "I am troubled by this change in him."

"The boy surprised all of us. We had little choice but to send him back to her. We needed for her to remain unsuspecting until we could find the proper asylum to take her. The boy was the only one who could go to her and keep her under surveillance. We underestimated the extent of his anger towards her. The boy has a temper to match my own. I suppose that it is not surprising." I added thoughtfully. "Your new information gives me pause to think. We now know that the Comtesse was behind his patronage of the Opera Populaire, and not his brother. Given the laws of primogeniture, in France, it is likely that Philippe received the bulk of the fortune. The boy's reaction to Philippe's gambling, and La Sorelli's wardrobe points to that. Perhaps the Vicomte is not as wealthy as we thought." I mused further. "If so, perhaps he both needed, and expected, to inherit something from the Comtesse. It would partially explain his past willingness to do her bidding, despite his own misgivings about her."

Christine mused "He wouldn't do anything dishonorable. Until that night in the lair he had never done anything of the sort. It is only recently that he has started to do such things."

"Do you think that I was in the habit of forcing people to perform my operas or of kidnapping young divas off a stage, or dropping chandeliers on audiences? Until recently I was a fairly mild opera ghost, performing a few tricks to assure that the opera ran more smoothly and to bring some excitement into my otherwise drab existence. My despair, bitterness and anger twisted me beyond recognition. As you once put it, it distorted my soul. I could not see what it was doing to me until your words and your actions in my lair made me reevaluate my own actions and their contribution to the situation. Through the fear in your eyes, your words to me, and then those two kisses I knew that the only way that I could heal the distortion in my soul was to let you go, even if it severed our connection."

"So do you think that Raoul has become distorted there as well?" she asked me. "Like you were that night?" she continued fearfully.

"I don't know." I answered truthfully "But we must be prepared for the worst. Come, we must return to break the news to all of them, especially the boy."

"You will continue to be understanding. Promise me that you will try?" she asked me frantically. Her hand gripped my arm beseechingly.

In response I gave her a light gentle kiss on the forehead. "Of course, my Christine do you think that I would be so cruel as to rub in my good fortune? I may not like the boy but I am not sadistic. The Shah and his mother cured me of any tendencies in that direction."

"What about how you treated Carlotta and the managers?" She asked me pointedly.

I smiled, still relishing some of my little tricks that I used to use to amuse myself at their expense. "Fair question, but I had to use more underhanded techniques to get them to bend to my will. You could hardly expect me to play an omnipotent ghost and say 'please'. As you may recall most of my demands were delivered in a most amiable way, at least until the new managers foolishly chose to ignore them."

"Well please try to act with discretion here. If Raoul is as fragile as we think that he could be perhaps I should tell him. It might go better coming from me." She told me.

"The boy has sustained many blows the past few days but I do not see the point in walking on eggshells. He is not all that happy about losing you to me or any of this. But to leave him in the dark, for even a moment, is to open the door for the news to be conveyed in the wrong manner. He already reacted badly when he saw us together in the garden, without a warning. Perhaps he will accept his fate as one more betrayal by the Comtesse. When you and the boy sought to hide hurtful things from me it only increased my sense of betrayal. The mature thing to do would be to tell the boy the truth, and then to gauge his response. If he needs money or support I will help him both for your sake, and for the sake of healing the breach that his grandmother has wrought."

Christine looked at me in surprise "That is very generous of you Erik considering all that he has done to you."

"Generosity has little to do with it. As strange as it might be, I am now clearly the head of the von Mulheim family and as such I need to learn how to bring them all to heel. Who would imagine that I would have this role thrust upon me when I have never had a family; but Otto is too crazy, Christian is too pliable and the boy is, well an untrained cur. If I do not stop this craziness, I might have to drag you back to my lair and let our children sort it out with the rest of them in another thirty years." I teased.

"Forgive me for doubting you, ange. For as long as I have known you, you have always guided me even during those dark days when I thought that you hated me. It was the memory of your words that gave me the strength to continue my life when I thought that I had lost everything. You may think that you were deceiving me in the past, but in truth you always have been my guardian angel. I am sure that you can do the same for your family. Who better than a man who has endured as much as you have and yet you still retain such goodness and purity in your soul." she smiled lovingly at me.

I wiped a tear from my eye remembering that she did not always see me as such, and humbled that she would have such faith in me. Now that she did I was determined not to fail her. I took her hand in mine and we walked forward together to face the last hurdle in our once tumultuous relationship. Raoul was still there. Nadir and Madame Giry had come in as well. Christian now had a room full of visitors. They all looked at us curiously.

Nadir spoke first "I see that you are still here. What did the lawyer want?"

"He had much to say." I answered "But it was not bad news for me."

I turned to the Vicomte. "First of all he gave me this ring to give to you Vicomte, apparently it is an heirloom that has been passed down through the Comtesse's family."

He took it and examined it carefully and dispassionately. "It is very crudly made, hardly worth his time and effort to bring it to me. Why did he give this to you? How did he know that I was here?"

I looked at the boy watching him carefully. "It was a coincidence. he paid a call upon me to tell me some news of great importance. It would seem that I am the heir to the Comte de Bois' estate. The late Comtesse only had the use of it for her lifetime."

The Vicomte looked at me in shock and then outrage. "You must be joking, Phantom. Is this one of your tricks? You were not content with stealing Christine from me but you had to take my inheritance from me as well? I will fight you to the death for it." He challenged bitterly.

"There is no need for violence Monsieur le Vicomte. I assure you that I had nothing to do with this matter." I interrupted using 'the Voice' in an unsuccessful attempt to calm him. He failed to listen to my words and therefore they were ineffectual.

Raoul continued "I will accept your offer of a duel." He added angrily, attempting to intimidate me. "I am not afraid of you monster. Name your time and place."

"Listen to me boy." I hissed. I was angry despite my vow. I was tired of him always thinking the worst of me.

I grabbed him and pushed him into a chair "I am tired of fighting with you Monsieur le Vicomte. You will listen to me." I ordered. "What happened to our truce that we agreed to only an hour ago, on your own initiative? Were you only playing a game with me?" I added angrily, my hands were gripping his throat.

Christine interrupted "Erik you promised."

I let go of him and growled "Quiet Christine. The pup must be taught some manners." I looked back at him authoritatively "Is this what you really want boy? Do you want to continue down the same dark path that we have been taking? Do you really want to become the monster that you believe me to be? Do you want to be like her?" My voice no longer sounded silky but much more menacing.

He looked at me darkly and snapped "How dare you compare me to either of you. You admitted to me yourself that you were a murderer even if you did not do so in Paris. I only took care of a problem that we all had. What if she were to escape and continue to plot? I saved all of us from her, where you killed many in your past."

"Yes. I did." I admitted more mildly. "But I am sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. I am not proud of who I was in Persia, but at the time I was acting under the orders of the Shah of Persia. I was used by him and his cursed mother as their weapon for revenge against their enemies. I was a young pup like you are now, who mistook being used for acceptance. They used me just as your grandmother used you. They left me angry and bitter, the monster that you saw in the Opera House. Learn from me boy or become that monster. Hate is an overpowering emotion. It will swallow you completely if that is what you want, like it did to your grandmother, and for a time, to me. "

"I don't see why it is of your concern Phantom. Why would you even care? You have taken everything from me that I ever cared about without a thought for me. This hideous ring is all that I got." He spat, he took the ring and threw it down on the floor. It made a thud as it hit the hard stone floor.

"Don't try my patience boy. If you believe that you are my cousin then your affairs have become my concern. At least with regards as to certain matters that affect all of us. As far as your other concerns go, you are free to live your life as far from here as you would like to be without my interference. " I replied. "Earlier, you seemed to accept that you had lost Christine. Why now have you revived this game with me? Is it a matter of pride or do you need the money."

"What difference does it make to you Phantom? My reasons are my own." The boy barked.

"It means everything Vicomte." I replied calmly "You are accusing me of stealing your inheritance. Is this a matter of pride or need? If it is a matter of pride then we are finished here and I will have no choice but to duel with you. If it is a matter of need, then it is something that we should discuss as…er 'gentlemen'."

Christine stepped forward again "Raoul." she begged. "For me."

"She did promise her estate to me and to my poor mother. She tricked both of us. I suppose now that you will call us both fools to have believed her?" He told me challengingly.

"You dare to speak for me now boy? Did I call you a fool before when we revealed her previous treachery to you? Why would this matter be any different? The woman has spent many years fooling the people around her. You are no more foolish, or less so, than you were an hour ago. On the surface, you do not appear to be in need of money but as I have attempted to tell you in the past, looks can be deceiving. I, for one, do not inspire feelings of goodwill for me based upon my appearance. You are no different than most people. You believe that I am a depraved creature because I am hideous. The other people in this room have chosen to look beyond my appearance and accept me, you will not." I told him bitterly.

"You are just as condescending about mine. How many more times will you call me fop or boy? It is you who is the hypocrite." He replied defiantly.

"Let's move on from this same old topic and into the crux of this matter between us. Did you need the money from the estate?" I asked growing more frustrated.

Christine sensed my frustration and moved over to the boy resting her hand on his arm.

"Raoul, look at me." She told him "Please."

He looked up at her and his eyes softened. She spoke to him gently "Please Raoul, listen to Erik. He is trying to help. He means you no harm."

"He has you fooled Lotte. I will not play his games." He told her.

"No Raoul. Erik is giving you good advice. It is time that you let go of your hate. This is not who you are. You have never been like this before now. She has twisted you but you are still a good person. What we believed before about Erik was wrong. I misinterpreted his face and temper and told you horrible things about him. You believed me but they were not the truth Raoul. Answer his question Raoul."

He looked at Christine and they stared at one another for a moment. Finally the boy broke his gaze and he looked at me with less hostility "Fine. Yes, we needed the money badly. My father left my half-brother Philippe with the entire estate with the proviso that he care for Maman, my sister and me. The problem is that my brother has gambled extensively and spends lavishly and has destroyed much of the wealth that our father gave him. My mother has some wealth inherited from her adoptive parents, who were our real 'distant cousins' but it is not enough for all of us. My sister may not get a good marriage because she is of average beauty and has a small dowry. Her only hope is to find someone who will choose her for her noble blood, like a prized stallion. I want to marry for love and I wanted her to have the same opportunity. As for me, I will be forced to resume my naval career and go on an expedition to the Artic for a year. So you see Phantom, thanks to you, my family is ruined and will be disgraced."

Christine looked at him sadly "Why didn't you tell me Raoul? Is that why your mother and sister opposed our marriage? Is that why they were so cruel?"

He looked at her "Yes, I think so, neither one of them are bad people Lotte but they wanted me to marry a wealthy heiress, and not for love. De Chagny's seldom get the chance to marry for love. I wanted to be the exception. I would have married you despite your lack of wealth. Now I will have to do so to prevent my sister and me from falling into poverty. I couldn't tell you my circumstances because I did not want to make you sacrifice our love for it. If truth be told, I thought that you would teach me to live more frugally and I could provide you with protection from him, and love of course."

"I'm sorry Raoul." She whispered ashen faced.

"How can I help?" I interrupted

"I will never accept charity from you, Phantom. I would rather die than give you the satisfaction." I could see the pride and anger with me in his eyes.

I stood there looking at him and was searching for a way to bring the peace to the family without ending up in a duel. At first I could think of no solution to make the boy's problems go away and therefore giving myself a clear path to marry Christine without hurdles; but then an idea hit me. I walked over to the signet ring that the Vicomte had flung onto the floor and I picked it up and cradled it as if I was holding a treasure.

"Er, Daroga could you come over to me for a moment I want to show you something." I asked calmly.

Everyone stared at me as if I were speaking Chinese even my old friend Nadir.

"I need you to look at this ring for a moment. Remember how the Shah was speaking about this ring that had been missing from the royal jewels for the past 700 years. It was given to the um Xerxes by the Prophet Daniel. 'The Lion's Eye', I think he called it. Remember how he described it. It looked just like this. It was looted by the Crusaders in Jerusalem. I think that we have found it here. If so it is priceless."

Nadir looked at me and finally got the point of it "Ah yes Erik, the Shah would be most grateful if it were returned to him. He would offer that person a huge reward, if he could be bothered to go to Persia and risk life and limb to get it back to him. We have been looking for it forever."

"Could this be it?" I asked him cautiously. "Look closely. You should know, every Persian schoolboy has seen a picture of it. It looks to be of the right age and the jewel looks very valuable. Note the crude ancient construction of it."

"Yes Erik, I see it clearly now. You are absolutely right the Shah would be most grateful for its return." He looked at me with a smile.

I looked back at the Vicomte. "Your grandmother did give you a great treasure after all, but it belongs back in Persia with the other artifacts. Nadir will be visiting Persia soon where he can collect a reward for it. I would like to buy it from you for let's say the sum of two million francs, to have the honor of returning it to him. The Shah will no doubt be quite pleased and reward me for my effort. I am saving you the trouble of doing so."

"Two million francs you say for this piece of rubbish?" Don't patronize me Phantom. Raoul replied angrily.

"I am not patronizing you Vicomte. I am offering you an opportunity to liquidate this stunning piece of jewelry for a reasonable value. Perhaps two million is a little low considering its value to the great Persian people, a national treasure; how about two and a half million francs? It is my final offer. I am taking a risk that I am wrong and will be disgraced. My offer is generous considering that real possibility."

Christine looked at Raoul and pleaded "Please Raoul consider Erik's offer. You will not be in his debt if you do so. He is offering to buy that ring from you."

"You owe me nothing, Vicomte. I am offering to buy that ring from you for a good price. It would give your sister a proper dowry and you could use the rest to achieve independence from your brother, as you wanted. You could settle down in France or wherever you want to without any dependence on anyone. If you prefer though we can still proceed with our duel, at least this time the odds will be equal. If we do that either way you lose. If you kill me, you still will not get Christine back or your inheritance, and if I win then you will be dead. The choice is yours Vicomte, there is only one way for you to win and walk out of here with your precious pride intact and pockets full, and that is if you take me up on my offer to buy your ring." I challenged. "My offer will expire the moment that you leave the room and then you will have to face me in a no win situation. Which is more important to you your hatred of me and your pride, or the chance for you to start over and make a new life for yourself and your family?"

I turned my back to him to contain my laughter. Nadir and I exchanged glances. The ring was worthless as anything but a relic of a family that had long since passed into the realm of insignificance. If the boy did not take my offer I would likely have to kill him just to get him out of the way. At that point even Christine would have to concede that I tried to end this matter in a way where he could keep his precious pride intact. It was not easy.

Finally the boy looked at me "Alright I will sell you the ring."

I replied with a smile "Then will we delay our duel for now? Or shall I send Volker for the weapons?"

"The duel is off." He said. "I doubt that I will ever like you Phantom but you are right about one thing, I am tired of our game as well."

He looked at Christine sadly "I will never completely understand why you chose him over me; but for what it is worth, you have my blessing. Despite everything I do want you to be happy Lotte, and if this, uh I mean if Erik makes you happy, then I will not ever again come between you."

"Will you stay for our wedding Raoul? I would love for you to give me away? You and I are still good friends I hope." She told him.

He shook his head "No, Lotte I will not come to your wedding. I don't think that I could watch you marry him just yet. I am not yet ready for that. Perhaps someday when this is all in the past and far behind us, we can move forward. I need to find my own way first. Regardless of Erik's gesture, I am going to accept my commission for the expedition to the North Pole. Perhaps I will find another pretty Swedish girl to fall in love with on my way. She will never be you Lotte but perhaps it could happen. Be happy with your Phantom. Let him watch over you and give you what you need to be happy."

Christine went up to him and gently put her arms around him and gave him a sisterly peck on the cheek. "I wish you great happiness Raoul. I will always think of you as my valiant golden knight. I will never forget our time together and the kindness with which you treated me in the past. You are a dear friend."

Raoul pulled Christine close and gave her a fierce hug, almost possessively. If I were less secure in her love, I might have objected, but then he let go. He looked at me almost tearfully and warned, "Take good care of her Phantom or I will come back and finish what I tried to do at the lair."

I parried the veiled threat and replied softly "I was never a danger to her Vicomte, I never could be. I have only desired her love and her happiness and nothing more. I will keep her safe. If you have any concerns in the future feel free to address them to me and I will try to help you within the boundaries of your sense of pride. I will send you a draft for the payment through my bank in Paris. You are welcome to spend the rest of the day here with us or return to Haguenau."

"I will be on my way back to Haguenau. Once the Comtesse has been laid to rest I will return to Paris."

With that he strode out of the room and left us. Hopefully he would be true to his word and leave us in peace. In the meantime we had a wedding to prepare for. Christine turned to me gratefully and gave me a kiss filled with promise.

"You handled that brilliantly Erik. I am proud of you once again." She told me.

"Do you think that he will bother us again, ange?" I asked.

"In the past Raoul has been a man of honor, it was one of the things that first drew me to him. I think that he will be alright in the end." She mused.

"I hope that you are right my love." I replied.

She looked at the ring which I had placed on the desk "'The Lion's Eye'" she teased does such a thing even exist? How did you come up with such a story?"

I laughed and pointed to a print of the Prophet Daniel in the Lion's den that was in an obscure corner of the room. "Look over there at the painting in the corner. It provided me with inspiration for my story."

Christian gave me a funny look "That print is by Albrecht Durer. It has been in our family for generations. It is one of the most important works of art in this house. It was a gift of the artist to our family when he visited Strasbourg in 1493. Your grandfather was quite proud of it."

"It is typical of the furnishings in this house. It has probably been hanging there in the same place since 1493." I teased. It was probably true. "Well that is a relief. Now, if we have no further issues before us, I would like to make some arrangements for our weddings tomorrow." I turned to Christian and teased, picking up the ring "Do you need a ring to offer to Meg by any chance. I can let this one go at a fair price. Say two marks? I am sure that the Shah will not mind even if he will lose access to a national treasure."

Christian laughed "I could never deny Persia its splendid heritage so I am afraid that I must decline. I bought Meg a ring when I took the girls shopping." He turned to Meg "I suppose that I should propose to you before we get married everyone is just making assumptions that you will accept me."

Antoinette joked "Who said that I approve of you for my daughter, Monsieur? Have you forgotten that you must ask for my permission to marry first?"

"Maman" Meg moaned but then she did turn to Christian and say jokingly "Perhaps I should see the ring first." We all laughed. We all were feeling lighthearted at last.