Music in the Dark

Chapter 19: Epilogue

Romance was not exactly the Phantom's forte, having little idea how to successfully woo a woman with his limited graces. He was in love long before he saw any trace of it in her. It was a slow, agonizingly slow, process that developed alongside the partnership they developed. It grew from a mutual respect and admiration. And it grew from their strengthening trust in one another.

When Aveline had returned from her month-long stay in Cadiz, Erik had once again breathed a sigh of relief that his pupil, his partner, had kept her word. The next time she had requested to leave his domain, he had reluctantly agreed, working out all of the details for her holiday in Toulouse. The third time she had gone, he let her make the majority of her own plans, offering help only when asked.

He, however, did not enjoy his trips to the surface. Unsurprisingly, he had not offered to take her up, again. And she did not press him. After her achieving some artistic success, she doubted she would rarely, if ever, see his underground dwelling again. Perhaps she could have her own home in Paris, like Francine, where Erik could meet with her in private and where she could occasionally host her parents.

And, of Madam Durand... Aveline maintained her distance, not wishing to cross paths with the bitter woman, again. Francine played her part, passing correspondence back and forth between her and her parents through Erik's rapt attention. He no longer read Aveline's letters, choosing to gift the rose stamp and gold wax to her.

As the months passed by, Aveline grew uneasy about what to do with Erik. They had not discussed what role he was going to play in her rise to fame. Would he abandon credit for the compositions they had written together? How could Aveline introduce Octave Genereux into her world? What would happen if her parents found out about her connection to the infamous Opera Ghost?

Erik, as expected, had carefully-laid plans for every one of Aveline's questions.

He would be an anonymous partner on any musical compositions that he and Aveline wrote together. It would be up to her to convince her parents that the silent contributor was, in fact, her instructor, Madam Durand. He did not need the additional income.

Octave Genereux would be as reclusive as ever, with he and Aveline only meeting on two very brief occasions, through Francine's connection with the mysterious composer. He would never meet her parents, for obvious reasons. And the withdrawn reputation that Genereux had cultivated would serve that end.

The last question was the most troublesome. If her parents somehow found out... Neither of them could think of a way to quell such a monumental dilemma. Thankfully, it was hypothetical. They could only hope that it would remain that way.

Aveline and Erik continued to write, finishing two more original works. By herself, Aveline composed four short movements, but they were not finished to her liking. She looked at them individually, four pieces to a puzzle that she had yet to work out. Erik gave her the time to do so, offering no critique. When she finally brought the confounding question to him, he had shown her how best to string one movement to the next, brilliantly combining the different elementals of music into one moving piece.

She had yet to finish the third movement of her first original composition.

How will it end? Aveline remembered Madam Durand asking her. If it ends how I imagine it will, I may want a copy. The feelings it stirs are more than a little familiar...

Aveline had yet to understand the cryptic words of the disillusioned artist.

It was two years after her first step into the ruins of the opera house, two years after she had scoured the remains of the of the destroyed building for black roses... after meeting the infamous Phantom of the Opera, who actually turned out to be her favorite composer. And now, it was her turn to perform onstage.