Angel of Doom and an English Rose (Phantom of the Opera)

Chapter 11 - Slave

Rosetta's POV:

I came to a little while later. I was laying in a large king-sized bed with a large quilt over me. The blankets were warm and soft. I snuggled deeper then everything came flooding back. The argument between Erik and my father. Erik threatening my father. Erik killing my father. 

I sat up in the bed and screamed,

"ERIK!" The door was flung open and Erik ran in. He slid into the chair beside the bed and quickly said,

"Rosetta, are you okay?" He sounded worried. He was totally different the man I had seen kill my father. The anger was gone and replaced with worry. This man had so many sides. I smiled up at him and took his hand in mine.

"I am okay. What did you do with my father's body?" He lowered his head and pulled his hand away from mine. He stood up and turned his back to me. I felt his pain. The strange aloof man I had seen and spoken with the first and second day of my arrival was completely gone. For that I was glad. 

"I dealt with it. Rosetta, I am sorry you had to see that. I shouldn't have taken my anger out on him with you around. Now, you know who you befriended." I heard his voice break and my heart broke with it. He took a deep breath and said, "You probably are afraid of me and I understand if you want to leave." I just looked at him. I wasn't afraid. I never had been afraid of him.

I smiled even though he couldn't see me. Nope, I wasn't leaving any time soon.

"No, Erik, I am not leaving. I am not afraid of you. You protected me. I don't want to know what my father would have done to me. Thank you." He turned to looked at me and I swore I saw tears in his eyes. I smiled and reached for his hand. He reached out and took it in his shaking hand. Giving it a slight squeeze, he said,

"Why? You should be. I could hurt you so easily. I murdered your father. Shouldn't you at least hate me!" I shrugged my shoulders and said,

"I never truly loved my father. He treated me, not too badly, but not as a father should. Besides, I don't believe you will hurt me." I smiled up at him. I saw tears falling down behind his mask. I didn't understand them. To tell the truth, I didn't understand him. All I knew was that he was a broken man who needed someone and I wanted to be that someone.

The more I looked at him the more I felt for him. I never had feared him. True, his mood swings were a little unnerving but I would get used to them in time. My life would never be boring at least. He sat back down and said,

"You don't know anything about me. I am not a safe creature to be around. Never have been. Never will be." Taking his hand in both of mine, I said,

"Number one, you are a man; not a creature. Number two, you're right. I don't know anything about you. But you are my friend and if I leave how am I ever supposed to know?" He smiled and shook his head.

"Remind me never a word argument with you because I will never win. Thank you, Rosetta. That means a lot to me. I can't tell you how much it means to me." His voice broke as he said it and I squeezed his hand to reassure him I was here.

Caged bird. He was still caged. I was freer then I had ever been before. My father was dead. Now, the only bars left were Alexander Dorta and our engagement. I looked up at Erik and said,

"Erik, thank you for freeing me from my father but what about Alexander? We are still to marry." He laughed wickedly.

"Well, I can deal with him as well. What is one more death? But, I would personally prefer not to. He hasn't made me angry and I don't kill in cold blood unless the pay is good enough. No, we shall have to find another way." I sighed and leaned back against the pillows. I almost wished Erik would kill him. It would at least be the end of matters.

Erik stood up and started to pace back and forth at the end of the bed and every now and then he would growl. I could only gather that ideas were going through his head and he was rejecting them all. I did my own thinking, all to no avail.

After about an hour, Erik stopped pacing and looked at me. His golden eyes danced with an idea. I saw the glow in the features I could see.

"Erik, what is it?" He smirked and said,

"I have a plan." I jumped out of bed and said excitedly,

"What is it?" He smirked at me and said,

"I won't tell. I need you to stay here and keep quiet. Do not let anyone know you are here." He moved to the door and was about to go but stopped. He turned around and said,

"Please, don't touch my violin." I laughed. I wasn't about to do that.

"Don't worry, Erik, I learned my lesson." He smiled and hurried off, closing the door behind him. I settled back onto the bed and sighed. I had an odd feeling it was going to be a long wait. 

For a while I just sat there, swinging my legs back and forth. I was bored. There was a bookshelf but the books were all in French and Persian. No English. He spoke it but he didn't read it I guessed. I walked around his rooms and investigated.

He seemed to have quite a few poisons. I found his stash of morphine. By the end of two hours I knew where he kept everything. But he still hadn't come back. Out of sheer boredom, I started to sing,

There have been many tales

Tainted by truth twisted by time...

Some choose to forget

Yet it still

Weaves webs in their minds....

And it seems like she's been here forever

Her branches as black as the seas

She's been through it all

By the luck of the draw

She became the old hanging tree...

She asked for nothing

Except maybe

A little rain...

They used her strength

To help them steal lives away...

And she witnessed the sadness and sorrow

To this day she still doesn't know why

And her heart broke

When they came with the rope

To declare her the old hanging tree...

Life stranger than fiction

Can make you want to cry

Roots could never stop her

From reaching for the sky...

Those years have all past

Lucky for us lucky for her...

Now, children play at her feet

And in her arms she cradles birds...

And it seems she's been here forever

These days are the best that she's seen

But somewhere in the back

Of her mind

Is the time

She was known as the old hanging tree...

By the end, I was breathing hard from putting all my strength into singing. I took a deep breath and then heard the door open behind me. I turned around and Erik walked through with a triumph grin on his face.

"Well, Rosetta," He said as he held up a sheet of paper. "You belong to me as my slave."