Christine's life was anything but easy.
Growing up without a mother, then a father. Moving to the Opera House dormitories, meeting friend after friend, but also enemy after enemy. The ballet dormitories were only a pen for cat fights; the place where girls were able to dig their sharp claws into the skin on your neck without any of the grown ups knowing. It was a breeding ground for competition for the girls. Only most girls were competing for their way to the top. Christine was competing for adult attention. For someone to show her the way. To take care of her.
She thought this all as she watched a street merchant's hands weave together a beautiful tapestry she had previously sent for almost two whole months ago. She walked down the same winding path and passed the displayed sample that had caught her eye originally. Now, her beautiful addition was nearly finished. The weaver delicate fingers fondled the colored twine and created a final pattern in the bottom right hand side of the picture.
Over years and years of bad, twisted and short relationships with the people around her, Christine was okay with the fact she may never be able to look at love the way it was meant to. Tender, wholesome. Instead, she oftentimes became much too quickly attached to those who forced their ways into her heart. Often, she had silently thanked Meg for being the one solid relationship she could hold onto.
A sharp, cold gust of wind blew across Christine's face. It stung her cheeks and tousled the bottom of her deep violet suede over coat. The months had now grown cold and bitter and she assumed that soon they would see snow.
"Christine!" The call did not budge her thoughts.
"Christine, darling?" a deep voice grew louder as though approaching her shivering body. This time she answered with an apologetic look about her.
"Darling, are you about ready to get back into the carriage? Its rather brisk out here today." Erik stood at the Carriage door, holding it open for her about 20 feet away from her in the brick paved road.
She looked at his deep red cheek. He was obviously cold, shivering and doing whatever he could to move around and keep himself warm. All this, but he was never short with her, angry with her. Never did he compete with her. No, instead he often bowed to her requests and simply told her, "Your wish is my command, my love."
Today was one of those days. Christine had said she was leaving for the market place only a few blocks away and would be back quite shortly. There was no way he was going to make her walk all the way there in the cold and alone. Instead he stopped her on the way out the door, kissed her hand and asked her if she would be so kind as to wait a few extra moments so that he may come with.
He never failed to continue to want to impress her with his love. Only a fine carriage for his darling, to go wherever it was she wished. Today it was the marketplace.
"Almost finished my sweet. One moment more please." She gave him a short smile then turned to look back at the merchant man, who was finally tying the last knots on her last addition. Her hands, even covered by her dark fur muff, were still with chill from the icy air.
She handed the merchant his payment in full in exchange for her new tapestry, which would finally hang in the sitting room of the beautiful house Erik and herself had only just moved into. In the bottom right corner was "Erik and Christine" in a beautiful red weave. All of this against a beautiful menagerie of the night sky. As she turned back around to meet the eyes of her beloved once again, there he was. His tender glance and warming touch filled her from the deepest parts of her soul. He helped her into the carriage and kissed her hands once more.
"For you, only the best my love." He said as he too stepped up into the cab.
Here she was finally home.