oh my friends, tis not done, tis not DONE! That is why so far back ago I asked if you wanted it in a sequel form, no no Angel of Music among other things is only half way through, maybe three quarters at the very least. When I said novel length, I MEANT novel length indeed.
Remember when Christine almost died the first time? She had her own POV... see that is what I am doing, everyone Important (Ex, Erik, Raoul, Danielle. Christine,) gets ONE POV experience. This is Raoul's.
So Andy doesn't want my soul in return for phantom... well then, fine, I guess my souls' not GOOD enough for you..
PART TWO: Return to the Night
Chapter Twenty-One: Angels will fall
What raging fire
shall flood the soul?
I have brought you to the seat of sweet music's throne . . .
to this kingdom where all must pay homage to music . . .
music . . .
Erik looked at the child who looked up at him in his arms. Why wasn't she crying at the sight of his face? He had always worn the mask around her, how could she stare at him with such innocent eyes like her mother and not judge his grotesque exterior. She let out a soft sigh and closed them in a gesture of sleep.
He watched her fall into slumber and knew right away he could no longer stay in the little cabin he had grown to love.
What was he to do with a child? He had no experience in raising one, let alone by himself. His role model had not been very successful in her efforts to raise him, leaving him to wonder if he should bring her back to her father. It would be the right thing to do. Danielle was not his child, she was legally Raoul's, and as much as he hated to admit it, he knew that the ignorant child of a man loved her.
He shook the thought from his head. If he returned Dani to Raoul there would be hell to pay, and most likely he would be arrested for the whole incident. Raoul was stupid enough to think that he would kill the only thing he ever loved. No, he had to keep Christine's promise.
Where was he to go now? He did not know, he still owned the house in Rouen, was he to return to that? Surely it was no longer suitable for living in. Not to mention people would take about the man who did not leave the safety of his home and the beautiful child they saw playing there.
No that would raise to many questions within the small town, and someone would find him out, most likely the Vicomte would look find out as well. She looked too much like her mother.
No there was only one place he could return to, one place that always embraced him with melancholy open arms. He would once again be acquainted with the night.
___
_/___\_
(*)_*
Christine ...
Christine ...
Raoul sat in the middle of the lawn staring at the one thing he had left of them. It was a photograph of his beloved and their daughter. Christine was gazing down at Danielle, her smile brilliant for the camera to capture. It was gone, his whole life, just had been torn away from him. He had sobbed his last sob; shed his tears till his eyes ran dry, and now all he could feel was void. She had taken a piece of him with her in death, she had taken his soul, and heart to the grave. He thought about how he had heard the news, and the world spun once more around him as he relived the moment he arrived home.
Christine will be mine once more, I thought as the carriage bumped along the road.
We will no longer dance around each other on tip toes, afraid to say what we are thinking. I will not be angry if she mentions the name Erik, for he is dead, and cannot be to blame to the marriage I helped allow to fall apart.
What would her Phantom think? Surely he would be appalled at the hell we had created for each other. He would be disappointed in me. Here he gave her to me to take care of, finally letting us be free to love without fault, and we broke our fragile love all by ourselves. Did he know it was bound to happen? Had that been his plan all along? No, it couldn't possibly be, he could of not possibly known that we were still children, children who would make mistakes.
Yet now we have a child of our own, we need to think of her, and not our selfish needs. We need to find solace and lay the secrets of our hearts to rest. I thought...
I distantly heard faint screams from my carriage and perked my ears. Who would be screaming in the middle of the night like this? Something must be wrong, but what? And then I thought of my home, my darling child and the wife I needed to love once more.
I knocked on the wall separating the driver and I in signal for him to pick up speed and get me home as fast as the horse's legs would drag us. The screams got louder, filling my soul and shouts of men made me wonder what on earth could possibly be the reason for these terrible noises. For the rest of the trip I had my head stuck outside the window of the carriage, with my hair whipping in the brisk night.
As we rounded the bend in the road before seeing my home, I could here the crackle of fire as the light shot up from behind the trees that surrounded the estate. I could not comprehend what was going on.
When we did finally get within sight of the home, I found a gasping cry escaped my lips at the sight of my whole world and life going up in flames. Where was Christine? Where was Danielle? Please let them be all right I realized I was saying, if they are all right none of this means anything, nothing at all.
I almost fell out of the carriage, stumbling along trying to find any of the servants. None were about, none that I could see... Many men were trying to put the fire out with water, but it was to no avail, I knew nothing was going to stop those flames from dancing and flickering higher. Where would the bloody servants be? I thought desperately, SOMEONE has to know what's going on, someone has to know where Dani and Christine are.
Then I remembered how Christine would send the servants away when I went on trips. She was always so kind as to let them go and have a night or two of complete freedom. The only two who cared enough to stay and help her around the large mansion ablaze were Charlotte and Michelle.
I had to find them; I had to find someone to direct me to Christine so I could tell her I was relieved she was fine.
I followed the sobs and womanly cries around to the side of the house, as the men kept tying to save the ruins, not even recognizing me dishevelled and frantic. It was then that I saw Michelle calming Charlotte down, or trying to at least.
"It's alright, they got aw..."
"Vicomte!" Charlotte said as her eyes bulged at the sight of me. Michelle turned to look at me, surprised by my presence. I could see the tear stained faces of the two women, looking as if they had seen the devil.
"What is going on? Where is my wife?" I asked looking at them, back and forth.
Charlotte began to sob once more as they racked her body and she convulsed into Michelle's arms. Michelle looked at me with eyes that seemed lost for words. I would not believe it, could not...
"Where is Christine, where is Danielle?" I asked once more.
"Danielle was..."
"Danielle wasn't saved." Michelle said cutting in, looking at Charlotte wearily
Charlotte looked shocked and shook her head in despair, she could not believe the words herself it seemed.
I myself couldn't understand truly the impact of these words. I tried to make myself believe that it was all a joke, a farce preformed by the servants.
As Charlotte continued to stare at Michelle in awe, Michelle looked wearily at her then back to me.
"Neither did Mme de Chagny."
It was then my heart broke into a thousand shards of glass by the weight of just a few words. To think my whole world lay within those two sentences, to have realized that everything I had cherished was gone, I walked away from the girls into the night. I wanted to be embraced by darkness, to swirl madly out of control. I realized this is what Christine must of felt like when her father died... and why the Phantom's influence on such a weak soul would be so powerful still.
___
_/___\_
(*)_*
speech
disappears
into silence,
silence . .
Charlotte watched the broken man who she knew as the Vicomte walk away from Michelle and she.
"Why did you lie?!" Charlotte hissed in anger and concern.
"Trust in my good judgement my dear Charlotte, it is better to let sleeping dogs lie, then bring up horrible past memories. This is how our Mme would of wanted it."
"But..." Charlotte tried to intercept.
"Trust me, it is safer for everyone if no one knows the truth but us and the angels." Michelle said, watching Raoul walk into the night, just like Erik had what seemed like only moments earlier.
See? lots more, He still has to raise Dani... awwwwwww.... so tell me the truth, you guys were that upset bout Christine? Im so sorry... but it was the way it had to be.
Chapter Twenty-One: Angels will fall
What raging fire
shall flood the soul?
I have brought you to the seat of sweet music's throne . . .
to this kingdom where all must pay homage to music . . .
music . . .
Erik looked at the child who looked up at him in his arms. Why wasn't she crying at the sight of his face? He had always worn the mask around her, how could she stare at him with such innocent eyes like her mother and not judge his grotesque exterior. She let out a soft sigh and closed them in a gesture of sleep.
He watched her fall into slumber and knew right away he could no longer stay in the little cabin he had grown to love.
What was he to do with a child? He had no experience in raising one, let alone by himself. His role model had not been very successful in her efforts to raise him, leaving him to wonder if he should bring her back to her father. It would be the right thing to do. Danielle was not his child, she was legally Raoul's, and as much as he hated to admit it, he knew that the ignorant child of a man loved her.
He shook the thought from his head. If he returned Dani to Raoul there would be hell to pay, and most likely he would be arrested for the whole incident. Raoul was stupid enough to think that he would kill the only thing he ever loved. No, he had to keep Christine's promise.
Where was he to go now? He did not know, he still owned the house in Rouen, was he to return to that? Surely it was no longer suitable for living in. Not to mention people would take about the man who did not leave the safety of his home and the beautiful child they saw playing there.
No that would raise to many questions within the small town, and someone would find him out, most likely the Vicomte would look find out as well. She looked too much like her mother.
No there was only one place he could return to, one place that always embraced him with melancholy open arms. He would once again be acquainted with the night.
___
_/___\_
(*)_*
Christine ...
Christine ...
Raoul sat in the middle of the lawn staring at the one thing he had left of them. It was a photograph of his beloved and their daughter. Christine was gazing down at Danielle, her smile brilliant for the camera to capture. It was gone, his whole life, just had been torn away from him. He had sobbed his last sob; shed his tears till his eyes ran dry, and now all he could feel was void. She had taken a piece of him with her in death, she had taken his soul, and heart to the grave. He thought about how he had heard the news, and the world spun once more around him as he relived the moment he arrived home.
Christine will be mine once more, I thought as the carriage bumped along the road.
We will no longer dance around each other on tip toes, afraid to say what we are thinking. I will not be angry if she mentions the name Erik, for he is dead, and cannot be to blame to the marriage I helped allow to fall apart.
What would her Phantom think? Surely he would be appalled at the hell we had created for each other. He would be disappointed in me. Here he gave her to me to take care of, finally letting us be free to love without fault, and we broke our fragile love all by ourselves. Did he know it was bound to happen? Had that been his plan all along? No, it couldn't possibly be, he could of not possibly known that we were still children, children who would make mistakes.
Yet now we have a child of our own, we need to think of her, and not our selfish needs. We need to find solace and lay the secrets of our hearts to rest. I thought...
I distantly heard faint screams from my carriage and perked my ears. Who would be screaming in the middle of the night like this? Something must be wrong, but what? And then I thought of my home, my darling child and the wife I needed to love once more.
I knocked on the wall separating the driver and I in signal for him to pick up speed and get me home as fast as the horse's legs would drag us. The screams got louder, filling my soul and shouts of men made me wonder what on earth could possibly be the reason for these terrible noises. For the rest of the trip I had my head stuck outside the window of the carriage, with my hair whipping in the brisk night.
As we rounded the bend in the road before seeing my home, I could here the crackle of fire as the light shot up from behind the trees that surrounded the estate. I could not comprehend what was going on.
When we did finally get within sight of the home, I found a gasping cry escaped my lips at the sight of my whole world and life going up in flames. Where was Christine? Where was Danielle? Please let them be all right I realized I was saying, if they are all right none of this means anything, nothing at all.
I almost fell out of the carriage, stumbling along trying to find any of the servants. None were about, none that I could see... Many men were trying to put the fire out with water, but it was to no avail, I knew nothing was going to stop those flames from dancing and flickering higher. Where would the bloody servants be? I thought desperately, SOMEONE has to know what's going on, someone has to know where Dani and Christine are.
Then I remembered how Christine would send the servants away when I went on trips. She was always so kind as to let them go and have a night or two of complete freedom. The only two who cared enough to stay and help her around the large mansion ablaze were Charlotte and Michelle.
I had to find them; I had to find someone to direct me to Christine so I could tell her I was relieved she was fine.
I followed the sobs and womanly cries around to the side of the house, as the men kept tying to save the ruins, not even recognizing me dishevelled and frantic. It was then that I saw Michelle calming Charlotte down, or trying to at least.
"It's alright, they got aw..."
"Vicomte!" Charlotte said as her eyes bulged at the sight of me. Michelle turned to look at me, surprised by my presence. I could see the tear stained faces of the two women, looking as if they had seen the devil.
"What is going on? Where is my wife?" I asked looking at them, back and forth.
Charlotte began to sob once more as they racked her body and she convulsed into Michelle's arms. Michelle looked at me with eyes that seemed lost for words. I would not believe it, could not...
"Where is Christine, where is Danielle?" I asked once more.
"Danielle was..."
"Danielle wasn't saved." Michelle said cutting in, looking at Charlotte wearily
Charlotte looked shocked and shook her head in despair, she could not believe the words herself it seemed.
I myself couldn't understand truly the impact of these words. I tried to make myself believe that it was all a joke, a farce preformed by the servants.
As Charlotte continued to stare at Michelle in awe, Michelle looked wearily at her then back to me.
"Neither did Mme de Chagny."
It was then my heart broke into a thousand shards of glass by the weight of just a few words. To think my whole world lay within those two sentences, to have realized that everything I had cherished was gone, I walked away from the girls into the night. I wanted to be embraced by darkness, to swirl madly out of control. I realized this is what Christine must of felt like when her father died... and why the Phantom's influence on such a weak soul would be so powerful still.
___
_/___\_
(*)_*
speech
disappears
into silence,
silence . .
Charlotte watched the broken man who she knew as the Vicomte walk away from Michelle and she.
"Why did you lie?!" Charlotte hissed in anger and concern.
"Trust in my good judgement my dear Charlotte, it is better to let sleeping dogs lie, then bring up horrible past memories. This is how our Mme would of wanted it."
"But..." Charlotte tried to intercept.
"Trust me, it is safer for everyone if no one knows the truth but us and the angels." Michelle said, watching Raoul walk into the night, just like Erik had what seemed like only moments earlier.
See? lots more, He still has to raise Dani... awwwwwww.... so tell me the truth, you guys were that upset bout Christine? Im so sorry... but it was the way it had to be.
disappears
into silence,
silence . .
"Why did you lie?!" Charlotte hissed in anger and concern.
"Trust in my good judgement my dear Charlotte, it is better to let sleeping dogs lie, then bring up horrible past memories. This is how our Mme would of wanted it."
"But..." Charlotte tried to intercept.
"Trust me, it is safer for everyone if no one knows the truth but us and the angels." Michelle said, watching Raoul walk into the night, just like Erik had what seemed like only moments earlier.
See? lots more, He still has to raise Dani... awwwwwww.... so tell me the truth, you guys were that upset bout Christine? Im so sorry... but it was the way it had to be.