The Phantom's Guardian (the Phantom of the Opera fan fiction)

Part 4 - Your home

       

Author Note: I do not own any character from the Phantom of the Opera books/ musical/ movie. Only my characters (Desiree, Sharon, the old musician) and any others I may add along the story are mine.

The picture above is a rough (verrry rough) sketch I made of the Phantom's lair (forgive my baaad artistry) . And the video is to give you an idea of instrumental "think of me". You'll know when these media will play a part in the story as you read.

Yours

       

Part 4 – Your home

The boat was resting on the bank with a few stone steps leading up to a ledge overlooking the lake. A doorway with heavy drapes drawn back with candlelight flooding out from inside gave a warm welcoming aura on the ledge. She stepped off the boat and climbed up the stairs in a daze towards the light. Through the entrance, she could see an oval-shaped hall with a high ceiling tapering into the form of a lotus bud. Huge candles dot the room, some perched on niches in the wall and some on antique-looking candleholders. An alcove with a seat was curved into one wall facing the entrance and velvet lining and plush pillows filled it, making it an inviting reading nook. A table covered with an assortment of parchment, envelopes, quills and splotches of wax stood in one corner, with a big bookshelf beside it. A hat stand held three hats and a dark coat near the entrance. At the far left end of the hall, a pipe organ stood majestically on a stone dais with sheet music strewn about. Thin curtains trailed along the other end of the hall, marking the entrances to other compartments. The hall smelled of candles and leather, a scent she had come to associate with the Phantom.

Desiree was so busy gazing at the room that she almost missed the Phantom stepping past her. He pulled a rope near the entrance and the drapes fell, closing the entrance. Then he took off his cloak, hanged it on the hat stand and pulled off his gloves next. With a start, Desiree turned to him and for the first time, saw his face and mask clearly (or as clearly as she could under faint candlelight).

The first thing she noticed was the eyes. Just like in the masquerade parties, putting a mask drew one's attention to the only prominent features, the eyes. Desiree couldn't tell the exact colour of the eyes, but concluded that since they were very dark, they were likely dark green or dark brown. They glinted in the candlelight, showing intelligence, intensity and curiosity. Desiree found them unsettling and averted her eyes, instead focusing on the uncovered side of the face. One visible eyebrow was dark and he had lines near the mask, indicating that he spent most of his time frowning or scrunching up his brows in concentration. Apart from the prominent cheekbones and a strong jawline, his other features are quite normal. The half of a perfect widow's peak, Desiree decided, might as well be a wig because the raven hair also glinted in the candlelight. The mask was a rather plain-looking porcelain piece, with an accentuated cheekbone similar to his. Her studying gaze on his face did not go unnoticed by the recipient, who interpreted it as curiosity on his mask and scowled, or at least the visible side of his face scowled.

"Do not ask me about this mask. I shall not discuss it. It does not concern you."

"As you wish, Master",
Desiree turned away and resumed her exploration of the room. He went silent for a while, probably surprised by her indifference to his face, then stepped closer to her.

"I do not have a fireplace as it usually is warm enough because of the underground air and because a chimney risks exposure of this place. However, I designed the big room especially for playing music. The drapes were placed away from the organ because they might absorb the sounds. So, when I play, it creates best acoustics in the room but the drapes at the entrance muffle the sound so that others won't hear it easily...."

The man who "is not fond of conversing" kept on describing his architecture and music proudly with an excited glint in his eyes. Gazing at his face from his side, Desiree found her heart constricting with sorrow. This poor soul, this brilliant mind had a lot to offer for the world, yet was forced to hide deep underground with no one to appreciate his innovations, no one to share his ingenuity with. Her eyes became suspiciously wet and she blinked rapidly, sure that he would not appreciate pity from a lowly servant boy he just hired.

He continued speaking, unaware of Desiree's own predicament.

"Of course, you'll find that if you sit in the middle of the room, the acoustics are the best..."

"Do you sing, Master?",

He seemed surprised at the sudden question, but answered nonetheless.

"Well, what I do most is composing, but it often requires that I sing some of those songs to hear how they sound like."

Desiree pushed further, "I wish I could listen to your songs one of these days, Master. Maybe, maybe I could offer some opinion, although I am not musically gifted to sing myself.", she found herself holding her breath again.

He pondered about it for a moment.

"I do not see any reason not to. You can always listen when I am composing. However, I can become quite engrossed by music so you should keep your remarks to yourself until I am finished. To be truthful, I have never had company while working before."

"I understand, Master. I will stay out of your way.", Desiree replied, already giddy at the prospect of listening to him.

"Now, we shall have supper. And then, I will show you your place."

"Supper" consisted of bread, cheese, dry roasted meat and some fruits. Desiree wondered if that was what Erik always eats, without the presence of a cooking fire to make other types of food. She made a mental note to check out the theatre kitchen later.

Desiree found out that the thin curtains from across the organ led to three different compartments. One was a storeroom full of supplies such as parchment, candles and whatnots. Erik told Desiree(Derrick) that she may clean up a corner and use that room as her sleeping quarters. Another two rooms were, according to Erik, "not to be accessed under ANY circumstances without his permission". Desiree figured one of these must be Erik's room.

After that brief tour, he gave her some money and a piece of paper.

"Tomorrow, you will go up to the theatre and ask for Madame Giry, she handles the hiring of stagehands as well as training of theatre staff. Ensure that you get a position which would allow you access to the rehearsals and backstage all the time. Say that you live alone near the market because one of the secret passageways leads to the market. You shall buy supplies for me from the market, the list is here. Always use the market entrance to leave or come back because I use the boat frequently. Otherwise, you'll have to swim across the lake."

Desiree was starting to feel like the actress in "I dream of Jeannie" because she had been saying "Yes, Master" a lot since she met him. However, she only had herself to blame and she was feeling quite tired after the excitement of today's events. Before she could stop herself, she gave out a very unladylike yawn (although it probably was normal for a boy to sound like that.)

The Phantom's lips twitched under his mask, almost like he was suppressing a smile. He dismissed her and went behind a curtain. After she quickly threw some covers and velvet pillows together at the corner of the storeroom, Desiree crawled into her makeshift bed and curled up. However, sleep was not easy to come. Her wig was itchy against her scalp and her head was buzzing with questions. Was she dreaming? Did she imagine all of this? Will she be able to go back to her world? What would her parents think if Sharon returned alone from Paris? The thought of Sharon alone and worried sent a pang of guilt in her mind. But her thoughts cut off abruptly and she took a sharp intake of breath when she heard the first notes of the organ. However, Erik was not singing. Instead, he just kept playing a very slow instrumental version of "think of me". Desiree let herself lulled by the music and without any thoughts in her mind but his enchanting music, drifted off to sleep soon.

I am sorry that not a lot happens in this part, however, I kept seeing these scenes in my mind and wanted to put them into words. Somehow, I feel like this is going to be important for Erik and Desiree and how they would feel later in the story.

Please vote, comment and share if you read this story and liked this. It would mean a lot for me.

Yours,