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

Part 20 - Quality time

"Master! Dinner is served!!"
Desiree shouted gleefully from the table. She had to make a conscious effort not to squeal in a sing-songy voice like the girl she was. She was happy these days, even if her happiness also fluctuated with Erik's moods. Without any distractions from the theatre or from the world above, she came to cherish even the most uneventful days in the lair as she get to spend time alone with him.

"Not yet, boy. How many times do I have to tell you not to disturb me while I am composing!!" the Phantom grumbled.

"Oh!, I apologise, master." Desiree bit her lip and made a face at his back. Although he had been sitting at the organ for a better part of the evening, he had yet to play a single note. He just sat there writing, scratching what he had written and re-writing, scowling the whole time. He became quite pale and gaunt in the weeks following Christine's departure but Desiree noted that he had regained most of his weight quickly due to her efforts to make sure he ate regularly.

Today, in this less formal attire with a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his arms, he would have made quite a dashing picture as an ordinary pianist, if not for the mask on his face making him mysterious.

Desiree couldn't sate her curiosity in the silence that followed. She tiptoed near the organ and peeked over his shoulders.

A leather-bound folder overflowing with sheet music splayed on the organ keys. What seemed to have been neat handwriting (Erik's handwriting, she presumed) mixed with various musical notes had been scrawled, scratched off and re-written on the yellowish parchment, marring each paper to the point of it becoming almost illegible. His long fingers had some ink splotches on them. His sideways profile allowed Desiree a glimpse at the faint 5 o'clock shadow on his chin, which caused her heart rate to speed up. Desiree sneaked in a whiff of candles and leather into her lungs, cherishing his unique scent that she seemingly couldn't get enough of.

"Stop breathing so loudly on me, boy. You are disrupting my concentration." The Phantom spoke drily without lifting his downcast eyes from the parchment.

Oops, caught snooping... She should have known better than to sneak up on him. He was the infamous Opera Ghost after all. Desiree rolled her eyes and took a step back. If he was being this tolerant and indulgent towards her, he must be in a fairly good mood. She decided to pester him a little more.

"Master, if I am not being too nosy, may I ask What are you working on now?" She asked, pacing back and forth behind him now.

The Phantom also seemed to recognize that Desiree was not going to stop bothering him any time soon. He sighed deeply and dropped the quill into its holder. He sat back and pointed at the folder.

"See for yourself."

"Really??" she asked unbelieving.

The phantom gave her a pointed look.

Desiree shut her mouth and eagerly rushed forward to take the folder. She flipped it to read the embossed title. The brass words glinted in the candlelight.

"Don Juan Triumphant"

Recognition flashed in Desiree's mind. This was the opera he had written and asked the theatre staff to perform in the final act.

"I have been working on this for a long time. Christine inspired me a lot, so I finished a large section since I started training her. This is the work I am most pleased with."

Desiree gazed blankly at the cover, her mind reeling with remembered scenes about Don Juan from the musical. The Phantom at the masquerade, angrily demanding that Christine sings for him, Raoul and the two managers scheming to trap the Phantom by encouraging Christine to perform, The overly provocative lyrics and the excessively alluring music of Don Juan, The disguised Phantom and Christine singing "Past the point of no return", the chemistry between them intense yet unbalanced, like the chemistry between a hunter and its prey. . .

Erik's huge sigh drew her from her flashbacks and she blinked rapidly. He paid no attention to her. Instead, he slumped down a little on the chair like a deflated balloon and continued grumbling,

"However, now I can't find any motivation or inspiration to write music. It is as if a fire within me had been diminished."

He rubbed a hand on his unmasked side of the face.
"Don't worry, Master. You'll be able to do it again in no time."
Desiree gazed at him, his unkempt appearance a new sight for her. He looked so different from the man she met in the dim corridor when she first arrived in this world. He appeared very much in control back then, his posture impassive and his shadow enigmatic and phantom-like.
Now, he looked... human.
Although he no longer snapped at her every time she went near him, he often spent unhealthy amount of time holed up in Christine's room. Fortunately or unfortunately for Desiree, he did not drink once again since the night of their little encounter.

"Can I hear it, Master? This Don Juan piece."

Erik seemed unsure. "Well, I actually haven't added any lyrics and the music is a very rough draft. Moreover, I couldn't get further in the final song..."

"No problem for me, as I know very little about music. Please, Master..." Desiree pleaded.

"You will not cease your pleading unless I play you something, will you? Headstrong little creature..." The Phantom scolded, but he was already adjusting his seat and taking the folder from Desiree's hand to place it on the music stand on the organ.

(A.N. I am sorry to interrupt you but I would like to suggest that you play the video above. I wrote this scene while listening to this. Please continue ..)

His hands started their mesmerizing dance on the keys, producing a very gothic and dark tune. Desiree's mind instantly fogged up, like she was being enchanted. She forgot to breathe, forgot to blink and just lost sense of herself in the tune and on the sight of his spellbinding hands. He swayed along with the music, as if he was one with the tune.

When the music ended, Desiree felt strangely exhausted. Oddly, the Phantom also had the same expression on his face. He slowly breathed out of his nose, as if the music had drained him.

"What do you think of it?" He asked.

"It is the strongest music I have ever heard of, Master. I...I don't know what to say, I felt a lot of things. You truly are a genius, Master. " Desiree spoke with wonder.

However, Erik was already getting up from the organ.

"Well, to my ears, it still requires more work. There are a great deal of feelings I want to portray in Don Juan. It is the rawest description of a barren soul. I do not hope for you to comprehend it fully." He said as he walked away.

He added, "there are a lot of things you don't know about arts".

Desiree felt a stab of disappointment over his last comment. However, her heart would not let her took offense.

'(And there are a lot of things you don't know about love)', Desiree whispered in her mind while caressing the folder of Don Juan Triumphant with her hand...

Author Note: Hi everyone, here is another chapter. I hope you did not have to wait very long. I will post another chapter next Thursday. I am trying to formulate a regular posting schedule but my job is very unpredictable so I am worried it might affect the quality of my chapters. Any suggestions?

And finally, Please comment, vote and share my story with others who might enjoy it too. It would mean a lot to me.

Yours,

Myat Noe