The Prince and The Phantom

Mystery

It was with great interest and pure curiosity that Raoul began to seek out the identity of his beloved Christine's so-called "Angel of Music"—whose name seemed near synonymous to that of the Opera Ghost—and possibly even meet this mystery maestro. At first he was cautious to believe in Christine's lamenting about the phantom, but after he had begun to hear the voice itself and possibly even catch glances of the man that he truly began to believe in the ghost.

He had heard the voice in Christine's room one night, a delicate one with a tinge of pain underneath. A tenor that could hit low and higher notes in the most elegant of ways. He had almost fell under some kind of spell listening to the aria before he had realized the voice began to drift away. "Christine!" Raoul grabbed at the door, eventually opening it but finding the room empty as if no one had ever entered.

Raoul paced, waiting for Christine outside the opera house. She had just gotten back after a few days of sudden absence. As soon as he saw her approach the building, he rushed to her. "Christine! Where on earth have you been? I was worried sick! No one had know where you had gone! Are you hurt at all? My god, you look pale! Have you eaten?" The girls eyes widened and then softened, shaking her head as she looked up at the blonde. "I'm fine, Raoul." Later on, she had told him of her kidnapping to which she denied him to take action against. "He could've- he could've killed you!" "He would never, Raoul!" That was when he noticed her speak more fondly of the phantom, not romantically, but in a fonder sense, as if she were talking of a good friend she had known for ages.

One day, as he went to visit the Palais Garnier to discuss funding for a new opera—assisting with production cost and costumes—with André and Firmin, in the midst of the conversation they were interrupted by a shrill shriek that echoed through the opera house. Raoul stood at once, recognizing the scream of the ballet girl, Rosanna, he believed. Rushing to the source of the sound, he asked around as to what had caused the young woman's sudden anxiety. "I-I saw it! T-t-the ghost! With-with my own eyes!" Rosanna pointed feverishly at a section of the wall, slight discoloration around the edge of the moulding which Raoul found odd.

"Tell me, where did you see him go to?" The girls eyes were wide as she nodded towards the hidden panel, which was, now that he looked, a bit askew. "I see... a passageway?" He spoke to himself, patting the ballerina's shoulder and gliding towards the panel to inspect it. "Raoul!" He shot up at the sound of Christines voice, "What on earth is going on? Is everything alright?" Christine looked flushed, as if she had been running around. "Christine! It's nothing, just a bit of a scare from your phantom. Poor Rosanna near lost a lung from the sounds of it!" He chuckled, the ballerina blushing and bounding off to meet with the rest of the ballet group. "You mustn't tease, Raoul! She's new and younger than us, and she doesn't know the nature of him..." Christine trailed off, eyes glancing worriedly at the panel.

"Do you know where this leads?" Raoul asked her, causing her to jolt suddenly. "I'll take that as a yes, might I?" He turned his attention back to the panel, peeling it open to reveal a descent into darkness. "Don't! Raoul, that's-" he looked at her, amusement in his eye. "I can't stop you, can I..." Christine shook her head solemnly, clearing her throat. "It's a hidden passage to his... lair. But you mustn't tell a soul! He'd be furious and-" Raoul stood, resting his hands on the brunette's shoulders. "Don't worry, he wouldn't hurt me anyways, he loves you, no? If he does, he wouldn't harm me for your sake. I'll be careful, I promise." With that he gave her a peck on the cheek and entered the darkness. Christine glanced around, no one had seen them and she hastily shoved the panel back in place, running delicate fingers along the chipped wood. "Do be careful..."